Congratulations, readers! Your bravery has served you well and you have survived this night along with the core four! Now you reap the rewards of the story's conclusion... and an extra twist. Want to find out? Read until the very end, and you will see that you shouldn't be TOO relieved. Enjoy, and thank you again on behalf of Dixie and I for reading and reviewing! :)

After a few moments, the core four embraced, emotions high as it began to sink in that they had made it through this hellish night alive. It took a few moments for them to adjust to their new sense of relief, before realizing they wanted to be as far away from this place as possible.

Vanellope stood, looking at herself. "I... I feel better..."

"Y-yeah that's great, now let's get out here!" Ralph exclaimed.

Ralph grabbed Vanellope with one hand and Felix with the other, taking off in a run for the entrance. Calhoun jogged behind, continuously looking back over her shoulder to make sure the animatronics weren't playing a trick on them. At last they reached the small train that would lead them back to Game Central Station, all of them panting for breath and relaxing fully for the first time in hours.

"Vanellope, next time you make a friend…" Ralph began as he rested his eyes. "… make sure you get the details of their game before inviting yourself and the rest of us over."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Vanellope replied tiredly.

The train reached its stop, allowing the weary travelers to exit. Ralph actually couldn't wait for the Surge Protector to stop him, as if that would be final confirmation that they had indeed escaped the horrors of Freddy's.

"I still want to have a chat with Mr. Schmidt," Calhoun stated as she brushed hair out of her eyes. "Should've given us a warning of sorts before we went barreling in there."

Mike, meanwhile, was feeling nice and refreshed, sighing as he stretched his arms. "Between Dr. Mario's session and a full night's rest, nothing's gonna shake me up now!" He gagged as he was suddenly grabbed by Calhoun, holding him by his shirt collar. She shook him a bit, staring daggers at him.

"Just what do you think you were doing putting us in that HELL HOLE?"

"Calhoun, language!" Ralph whined, covering Vanellope's ears.

"Wh- What are you... l- look, I tried to warn you, I tried to tell you about the animatronics!" Mike exclaimed. "How do you think I feel? All I have to console me is the phone guy, who ended up getting his!"

"How do you mean?" Calhoun questioned. "Got his for what?"

"He was the security guard who failed to save those children. He got off, scott free, because he said he was trying to subdue the killer when he was knocked out by him. But it was all a lie… he was a coward, and tried to help the killer cover up the murder so he wouldn't be murdered himself. Well… in the end, he got what he deserved. He kept working for some time after that and he noticed the animatronics acting up. Left him messages, paranormal stuff. He put in his two weeks, and he left those messages for the next security guard... ME. But the day before his last day... they finally got to him."

"Oh my lands," Felix gulped, his hands going to his heart. Vanellope hung her head, feeling sad about all the deaths.

"Save the melodramatics for someone who cares," Calhoun spat, still obviously infuriated. "You want to make friends around here, you warn people about how your game can give them a Game Over forever!"

"I'm sorry, okay, I- I tried to tell you but-"

"But I wouldn't even let him talk," Vanellope sighed softly. "It's all my fault, like I kept saying."

Mike scuffed his shoe on the floor, avoiding everyone's gaze. "No, I should've manned up and insisted that no one enter the game. I was just wanting a few hours away from that place. It really gets to you after a while."

"Yeah, no kidding," Ralph snorted dryly.

"I SHOULD have mentioned the dangers, but you guys..." Mike glanced up to view the gang with an air of admiration. "You guys looked like you could handle it. I mean, an armed soldier with battle stats? A guy with giant fists? I didn't think you'd have any problems."

Vanellope stepped up to him. "We fought them as much as we could... but they fought too. They almost scrambled my brain up for good!"

"Huh? How?" Mike asked.

"That yellow bear... he-"

Mike gasped. "Golden Freddy? You saw him?"

"Yeah..." The child nodded.

"Well... I suppose the game reset resolved everything... Golden Freddy makes the game stop if players see him."

Vanellope thought. "I wish there was some way you didn't have to deal with them anymore."

Mike shrugged, an exhausted look on his face. "If I don't deal with them, our game will go out of order and we'll get unplugged. Then I'd be out of a job and a home..."

Calhoun eased up, her posture relaxing. "Listen, kid, I know it's got to be a tough job dealing with those things as much as you have. I know how it is, I put up with man-eating space bugs all day that don't quit even after the arcade closes. Avatars like us, we have a special job to do. It takes commitment and real bravery to live the way we do."

"Me, brave?" Mike chuckled wryly at that. "That's the last thing I am. I ditched my game on a little kid from a candy game for Freddy's sake."

Out of the corner of her eye, Calhoun noticed that the FPS bot from her game was being sent back to Hero's Duty from some repairs it had received. She suddenly got an idea, smirking a bit. "Hm… hey Mike? I think I'm gonna have a little talk with Surge Protector… maybe we can solve your little problem after all."

It had been a couple days since that fateful night when the core four encountered their worst foes yet. Mike was smiling, relaxing a bit at the penthouse with Felix and Ralph.

"Feeling okay, Mike?" Felix smiled.

"Oh, you have no idea… I have to thank your wife again for replacing me with that first person shooter… well, first person security guard in this case. Even though I don't have my own game, this is WAY better than before. I'll take it." Mike said.

"Glad to hear it… I wouldn't want to go back there either." Ralph chimed in.

"The players don't even notice the difference, from what I've heard! It's perfect!" Mike exclaimed, smiling. "Still… it would be a disaster if any of the animatronics ever got out."

"Speaking of which… Ralph, has anyone checked Vanellope's code?" Felix asked.

"Nah… Calhoun was going to but the little squirt insisted she was feeling fine. Vanellope would let us know if something was wrong." Ralph replied.

"Well… alright. But if she starts acting up, you have to let one of us know."

"She'll be okay. She's a tough kid, she was fine after what she went through with King Candy and she's doing fine now too. She's already back on the roster after taking the last couple days off!"

"Well, that's good to hear. I think I'll come with you later to visit her." Mike smiled. "If… that's okay with you, of course."

"Sure! You're one of our pals now, Mike. Besides, maybe now you won't be so scared of food themed places once you visit Sugar Rush enough." Ralph smiled as the three hung out together.

All seemed to be well, the core four and Mike getting back into a normal routine. Mike stayed at the penthouse and was used for an extra so some of the nicelanders could take a rest here and there. Players didn't really tell the difference, and though it was a bit nerve-wracking during gameplay, it was a huge improvement from where he came from. Mike fit in perfectly and he enjoyed his new role.

Surge Protector placed special security features on the Five Nights at Freddy's game, in that if any of the animatronics somehow got out, an emergency alarm would go off to help prevent fatalities. With this established, all characters, especially the core four and Mike, could all breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed like as quickly as this threat was placed upon them, it had been lifted.

After a long day of racing, Vanellope sat in her room within the candy castle, humming lightly to herself. She sat on her bed, stopping after a while and smiling at something.

"Princess?" Sour Bill called to her from the doorway, her back facing him. "Would you like some evening dessert?" The child turned to look at him, and he tilted his head. "Oh, is that a new toy, princess?" He asked, pointing to a small cupcake plushie sitting on her bed.

"Yeah, a friend gave it to me." She smiled lightly. "After what happened that night... Mike gave it to me as an apology." She then turned to face the green candy orb. "What'cha got for dessert, Sour Bill?" Vanellope asked.

"We've got the usual, but the special for tonight is an assortment of cheese cake flavors." He replied dryly as he read from off a list. "The flavors are-"

"I'll just see what they are for myself, okay? My mouth is already watering!" She beamed, hopping off the bed as Sour Bill shrugged, heading down the hall.

In the doorway, Vanellope stopped for a moment, slowly turning to look at the cupcake plushie on the bed.

"Vanellope, hurry up!" Candlehead called from down the hallway. This snapped Vanellope out of her trance.

"Coming!" She smiled, heading down the corridor.

No one noticed of course, but as she skipped towards the dining hall, her reflection in the pictures and mirrors hanging from the walls revealed not just the child, but something following close behind her, its movements limp, but quick.

It was a yellowed, empty bear costume donning a black hat and with soulless, hollow eyes.