Night 4: My hands are shaking so terribly that I have trouble turning the key in the lock. After a few more moments of struggling with the stubborn door, I finally manage to open it and slip through, relocking it behind me as instructed. “Great,” I mutter to myself as I dart through the hallways towards the office. “I’m back HERE again.” An all-too-familiar figure greets me from inside the office. “Well, well, well. Fancy meeting you here! Are you available for the evening?” I can’t help a wry grin at Springtrap’s humor. “I suppose so, unless you’re going to be here all night, too.” His tone goes serious again. “Bad news, Ivy. The Phantoms are starting to awaken.” I stare over at him with a blank expression. “I’m sorry, what?” Springtrap rubs where the bridge of his nose would be if he were human. “The Phantoms are servants of the Marionette. The one that wants to kill you? Remember? Anyways, if all of them wake up…That will awaken the Nightmares.” I see actual fear in his eyes as he utters the word ‘Nightmare.’ “What are they?” I ask, but he doesn’t respond. He simply stares off into space. I suddenly find his unblinking nature disturbing and turn away, focusing instead on the tablet in front of me. I begin flipping through the cameras, paranoia clouding my mind. I keep flipping through them until Springtrap puts a hand on my shoulder. I tense and look up at him. “You should probably check the music box,” he says quietly. I nod and flip back to Cam 11. The box is already halfway wound down, and I wind it back up mindlessly. “Sorry if I scared you…I just thought I should warn you. Don’t worry too much about the Phantoms though; they can’t actually hurt you.” I glance up at Springtrap. “Are you serious?” I ask, resisting the urge to smack him in the face with the tablet. He nods, looking up at the clock. “Check the left door,” he comments, walking over to the other one. “It’s been an hour.” I do as he says, and Bonnie’s ugly face is framed in the doorway. I quickly press the button, closing the door. I sigh and go back to checking cameras. Hearing an odd noise on the Kitchen camera, I flip back to it and try to figure out what it is. “Springtrap, what’s making this sound?” I ask nervously, holding the tablet out to him. He takes it from me and listens to it for a moment before quickly handing it back to me. “That’s Phantom Bonnie. He’s not especially dangerous, just annoying. Whatever you do, don’t anger him. He’ll come through the front hallway, so keep an eye out.” I silently take the tablet back from the animatronic and set it down on the desk, before picking up my flashlight and flicking it on. To my surprise, I see a shadowy figure that looks like Bonnie in front of me, but all I can see of it is blindingly white eyes and an eerily unchanging smile. I can almost swear that its eyes and mouth are glowing, although I know that’s impossible. “What is that?” I ask Springtrap quietly. He shines the light at the thing, and it vanishes. I blink, and the figure doesn’t return. “That was Shadow Bonnie. The only other Shadow is S. Freddy, so you don’t have to worry about an army of Shadows or anything. Still, keep your guard up. They can be dangerous if you don’t spot them in time.” Hearing another strange noise, I check the right door. Chica’s face is in the window, and she draws a finger across her throat, pointing at me with her other hand. I quickly shut the door on her and check the power level. 60%. As for the time…I glance up at the clock. 3:00 A.M. “Why is the power draining so quickly?” I ask Springtrap. He looks over at me with a smile just visible on his cracked mouth. “You have a lot of questions tonight, Ivy. But I’ll gladly answer them. Anyways, as the nights progress, the generator will have more and more trouble conserving power, which results in the power running out faster each night.” I stare over at him, my mouth slightly open in shock. “Does the owner want the nightguards to die here?!” I finally squeak. Springtrap laughs. “No. That dubious honor goes to the others. They actually broke the generator so that it would steadily lose more and more power each night. That’s why I have to go down to the basement all the time. I’m repairing the generator a little bit more every night. Hopefully, I can fully repair it before the Nightmares arrive.” His face falls, and I suddenly feel an urge to comfort him somehow. So I do. I stand up, walk over to the yellow rabbit, and hug him. Springtrap just stands there awkwardly for a moment before he hugs me back. “We’ll be fine,” I say confidently. “I’m sure of it!” “I hope you’re right.” His voice shakes slightly, and then he quickly pushes me off of him. “I’m going to go restart the generator. You should be fine for now. Just keep an eye out for the Shadows and Phantoms, okay?” I nod, and he takes off down the East Hallway.
Sighing, I check the cams again. The music box has nearly stopped, so I wind it back up, mentally scolding myself for not checking it sooner. I also hear footsteps pounding down the West Hallway, and I slam my fist into the door button just in time. Foxy’s angry screeching grates against my ears. Gritting my teeth, I flip through the other cameras. Something compels me to look at Cam 10, which faces the main stages. The Toys are all standing in place, except for Mangle, of course. The only Original animatronic still onstage is Freddy, and even as I’m watching him, he turns to face me. I blink, and he’s gone. I make a tiny ‘eep’ sound and close both doors, readying my light at the same time. His mocking laugh echoes through the pizzeria, and I shrink down into my seat for comfort. I hear Springtrap’s footsteps in the East Hallway, followed by angry animatronic screeching. I cower farther back in my chair, whimpering quietly. That’s when I hear the unfamiliar voice emitting from someone standing behind my chair. “I thought they said you were brave.” I sit up and turn around, coming face-to-face with a purple bear and a golden bear. They are both in a strange sitting position, hands limp at their sides. The voice is coming from the purple one. “Oh, didn’t mean to scare you,” he says sarcastically. “Who are you?” I ask, nervously pointing my light at them. A crackling sound comes from the golden bear, and it takes me a moment to realize that it’s laughing at me. “Now, now, child,” the purple one says. “That stupid rabbit already said my name to you. Think back for a moment.” Everything clicks in my brain. “Shadow Freddy?” I ask. He nods, although it’s almost impossible to tell. “Bingo! And my friend over there is Golden Freddy. His voice box is broken, or else he would have been able to introduce himself.” “Why are you two here?” I ask, slowly lowering the light. I feel a slight tingling feeling, like something isn’t right about these animatronics. “We only wanted to say hello!” S. Freddy says smoothly, and I have to fight the urge to shiver at the undertone of malice in his voice. “And to offer you a deal.” “What kind of deal?” I ask doubtfully. “You tell Springtrap that you don’t want him to hang around you anymore, and we help you out! We know more about this place than anyone, even him!” “And if I refuse?” My eyes narrow. I really don’t trust these two, especially S. Freddy. “Well, nothing happens. At least, not to you!” My eyes widen, and Golden Freddy starts laughing again. “Deal or no deal, Ivy?” I just about throw the flashlight across the room at them. How does everyone in this place know my name?! “I am going to have to refuse that offer, Shadow Freddy.” I try to keep my voice from shaking, but it doesn’t work. Now both of them are laughing at me. “OK, your loss!” They both vanish, and I’m left shaking in my chair, and trying to make sense of what just happened. “Ivy! Are you alright?!” Springtrap stumbles through the door, a black liquid splattered across his chest, and more coating his hands and lower arms. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” I stutter out. “What happened to you?” He grins over at me. “I took Freddy apart. He won’t be able to attack you anymore!” I gasp, staring into his greyish-white eyes. “Why did you do that?!” “He was going to attack you, Ivy. I did what I had to.” His tone is hard, and his body is rigid. “You just looked horrible, Springtrap. I was worried that you’d hurt yourself!” He comes closer to me, then sits down on the floor next to my chair. “Are you alright? You looked pale as death when I walked in just now.” I shudder from his description, then briefly explain what happened. He’s shaking his head when I finish. “I can’t believe it! The nerve of those two! Don’t worry, I won’t let them hurt you. I promise.” I look up at Springtrap, his nearly-broken body a testament to everything life has thrown at him. I marvel at his bravery. “Thank you,” I finally say, grabbing the tablet and checking through the cameras again. “It’s already 5:00,” he says, leaning on the back of my chair. “Time flies when you’re having fun and not dying!” I say, and he laughs. “That’s something I can agree with.” He’s grinning when I look up at him after winding the music box. “Sometimes, I wish these nights were a little bit longer,” he laments, getting up and walking to the West Hall doorway. After checking it, he closes the door in Bonnie’s face and walks back over to me. I flick on the flashlight and check the hall in front of me. I nearly fall off of my chair, but Springtrap catches me and I hear him snarl quietly under his breath. Something that looks like Bonnie is standing in the hall, but it’s burned beyond repair. Its eyes are white, with a black ring in the middle of its iris, like Springtrap’s. When the light hits it, it vanishes. “Close your eyes, Ivy!” Springtrap orders, and I do as he tells me. (Continued in the comments)
