Mike's New Ghostly Family

by Archcommander Tenebros

Freddy Fazbear's tale has come to a close. Mike and the girl inside the Puppet are the only two left who know the full story, and the older man has adopted the last pizzeria's sole survivor in all but name. But neither of them expected the ghosts of the murdered children to return, nor did they expect their family to expand so dramatically in such a short time. Now on AOx3.

74. Chapter 75 - Shadows Unveiled Part 1

A/N: It's kind of unfortunate that FNAF Help Wanted is coming out very soon after this chapter, as there's always the possibility that some new lore information might throw what I've currently written for a loop (which wouldn't be THAT big of a deal except we're currently in the middle of an incredibly important arc). Oh well, that's what back-up plans are for.

Before we begin this chapter, I would like to state that I personally believe that there may be SEVEN significant victims of William Afton, rather than six (Charlie + 5 MCI kids). The Toy Chica cutscenes in UCN are clearly meant to parallel William Afton's murders, and yet we only know of 6 children that he slew for certain, the MCI kids and Charlie (Elizabeth doesn't count since her death was an accident, as far as we know). I highly doubt that Scott would have forgotten a detail as basic as the number of children that William murdered. Which is why I think there may be a seventh child thrown into the mix, and that this seventh is The One You Should Not Have Killed.

I was never really convinced that Golden Freddy or the child possessing him is involved with the UCN in any significant degree, considering his complete lack of lines and the fact that there isn't really any strong evidence tying Golden Freddy to TOYSHNK outside of the Void cutscene, which by itself has many possible interpretations that don't necessarily have anything to do with UCN Hell or TOYSHNK.

Now, assuming that UCN is canon to begin with (which I have doubts about, but that's something different), the UCN child / TOYSHNK is probably just a seventh, unnamed child that we have no clue about (since I don't believe in PurgaMike). But that doesn't exactly work for this story. So instead, I'm going to go with a different interpretation of a seventh victim. One that is admittedly less likely in the actual FNAF canon timeline, but one I think will make for a far more interesting story…

Chapter 75 – Shadows Unveiled, Part 1

From the safety of the hallway, the ghost kids had slowly departed from the safety of the kitchen and back into the hallway. The loud noises and shouts from the living room had stopped, and nobody had moved…for whatever reason, William Afton had seemingly stopped attacking. Curiosity overcame even their heightened caution as the ghost kids silently sneaked towards the entryway to the living room where they tried to get a view of what was going on.

Gabe was the first to peer in, and the moment he saw who was in he immediately gestured for the ghost kids to stop. "I recognize someone in there!" he exclaimed, and the ghosts quickly realized he was speaking through their mind link rather than out loud. "Do you guys remember, back in the 1993 pizzeria, there was a bear-like shadowy Freddy that showed up?"

"Yeah, I do!" Susie answered back. "He tried to guide us over to William Afton so we could get our revenge."

"But the bastard hacked our bodies to pieces instead," Jeremy replied. "And we ended up trapped even more. How do we know that this Shadow Freddy guy isn't on HIS side rather than ours?"

Gabe shook his head. "The way that Shadow Freddy looks like he wants to tear Springtrap's throat out, they DEFINITELY aren't working with each other. But I still don't have any idea what's going on!"

"Well, there's only one way to find out!" Fritz declared. "Let's listen in to what they're saying. I heard someone talking inside the room earlier," a worried look crossed over his face, "and I could have sworn I heard Liz scream at least once."

"Be careful," Cassidy warned. "Don't let yourself get seen!" The five ghosts inched closer to the entryway, making sure that they couldn't be seen by Nightmare Springtrap.

Inside the living room, William Afton stared uncomprehendingly at Shadow Freddy. "WHAT ARE YOU BLATHERING ABOUT?" he growled. "THE ONLY TIME I'VE SEEN YOU BEFORE WAS WHEN YOU WERE LEADING THOSE BRATS OVER TO ME IN THE PIZZERIA FROM OVER THIRTY YEARS AGO." A sadistic grin stretched across his face. "SPEAKING OF WHICH, I MUST THANK YOU FOR LEADING THEM TO ME. TEARING THEIR BODIES TO PIECES A SECOND TIME WAS QUITE ENTERTAINING INDEED."

The white lights in Shadow Freddy's eyes seemed to intensify with loathing. "I did not bring them to you for your benefit," he retorted. "I thought I could help them get their revenge on you by leading you to where you were hiding, or at the very least set them free once their bodies were destroyed." He sighed. "There was more than one problem with my plan that I didn't realize until far too late, and if they can hear me I can only apologize for my mistakes."

"It's all right," Gabe thought in his head. "You were one of the few people to actually try and help us in a very long time."

"But to answer your question, father," Shadow Freddy's harsh tone suddenly returned in full force. "You claim not to know me. Perhaps you will in a different form?"

For the briefest of moments, Shadow Freddy's body changed, and everyone gasped in shock. A young boy had replaced the dark bear specter, a boy with brown hair wearing a black shirt with a white stripe and jeans. His eyes were a brilliant blue, and they expressed his hatred for his father with no less intensity than his Shadow Freddy form. But the most striking and horrifying thing about the boy was the fact that large parts of his head had crushed by the Bite that had ended his life, leaving behind hideous, gaping wounds with mutilated flesh and crushed bone underneath. Elizabeth stared at the wounds that had been inflicted by Fredbear's bite with undisguised horror, and Michael felt a new wave of guilt wash over him at the reminder of his greatest crime. As quickly as he had transformed, Evan shifted back into his new identity. But it was enough. William Afton now knew exactly who he was.

"EVAN…" he hissed. "SO YOU HAVE FINALLY RETURNED AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. PERHAPS YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN ME INSTEAD, HMM?" he offered. "YOU OWE THESE BRATS NOTHING, AND SURELY YOU MUST HOLD A GRUDGE AGAINST YOUR BROTHER, THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR SUFFERING AND WHO EVEN NOW DEFENDS THOSE BRATS?"

The only response to William's temptation was bitter, mocking laughter. "Join you?" Shadow Freddy retorted mockingly. "Do you really think that I'm as twisted and corrupt as you, father? Do you honestly believe I would damn myself on behalf of a monster and a failure whose fate has long been sealed? No…I gave up whatever grudge against Michael I had a long time ago, and even if I still held it, I would not be so vile as to trample on the lives of innocents for the sake of vengeance. And as for being responsible for my suffering…Michael was not the only one who played a role in the torment that was my childhood. You are just as responsible as he is, father!"

"HAS THAT BITE RENDERED YOU AN IMBECILE, THEN?" William Afton mocked. "ENLIGHTEN ME THEN, WITH WHATEVER PATHETIC REASONING YOU CAN PROVIDE."

Shadow Freddy only chuckled in response. "Do you really think that I don't know about the depths of your crimes?" he asked. "Even the others here, who have suffered so much by your hand, do not fully understand the abyss that is your depravity."

"What do you mean, Evan?" Michael asked, and everyone could tell that he was afraid of the answer even with the past decades hardening his will and ironing his resolve.

Shadow Freddy looked to his older brother and sighed. "I won't pretend that there was a time when I actually did want revenge on you, Mikey, if only for a brief moment. But that didn't last very long. When I passed on from this world to the neck, I found myself in a realm that exists as the gateway between the realms of the afterlife. In that realm, I met a being that I did not expect. And this new friend of mine showed me the truth of the past, present, and future…"

1983, after the BV's death

Pain…that was the last thing he remembered. Pain and the jaw of Fredbear closing in, crushing down on his skull. Evan slowly opened his eyes, not sure of what he would find. All that he knew, some deep ingrained instinct within his very soul, told him that he was dead.

"Where…where am I?" he asked, uncertain and afraid. All around him stood trees with leaves the color of the purest red, stretching high into the sky. It certainly didn't seem like it was in Heaven, but there wasn't any fire or screams of the damned that would suggest he was in Hell, either.

Before he could think anything further, he heard a sound splash in the distance. Deciding that he had nothing else to lose, he followed the sound, making sure to walk slowly and always look around him for anything dangerous. Once he passed the last few trees, he saw a clearing up ahead. Spanning most of its center was a large lake that possessed the color as the trees, although it didn't look like blood from what he could tell. And sitting at the opposite side was a figure wearing the leather jacket and attire of a fisherman or woodsman. He would almost seem like a normal man…were it not for the large crocodile head that sat on his shoulder.

Evan's eyes widened in fear at the sight and he tried to sneak away, but at that moment the figure looked up and stared right into his eyes. Evan immediately stiffened, and the figure stared silently at him for a few seconds. "COME," the figure beckoned to a spot next to him. "SIT WITH ME FOR A WHILE. I MEAN YOU NO HARM."

For a moment, Evan wondered if this was some sort of trick. But whoever this being was, it seemed friendly enough, the first time he had seen a friendly face in so long. Hesitatingly, Evan stepped forward and slowly advanced until he was next to the being. He sat down next to him and began to ever slowly slightly relax.

"MY NAME IS OLD MAN CONSEQUENCES," the figure introduced himself. "I SIT AT THE BORDER BETWEEN THE REALMS OF THE DEAD, ITS GUARDIAN AND PROTECTOR. I SENSE MUCH TURMOIL AND ANGUISH WITHIN YOU, YOUNG ONE. SPEAK YOUR MIND, CHILD, AND PERHAPS IT WILL SOOTHE YOUR PAIN."

Evan knew that he shouldn't trust strangers, and yet there was something deep within him that told him he could trust this…Old Man Consequences. And considering how his brother, how bad could a stranger really be? "He killed me…" the boy explained, tears flowing from his eyes. "My brother killed me! He stuffed me into Fredbear's jaws and killed me! On my birthday! I should have been happy! Why…" he sniffed and rubbed his eyes, "…why did he hate me that much?"

"YOUR BROTHER NEVER INTENDED FOR HIS PRANK TO HARM YOU IN SUCH A WAY," OMC explained. "IN HIS MIND, FREDBEAR WAS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER ANIMATRONIC, AND THE PRANK THAT HE AND HIS FRIENDS PLAYED WAS MERELY MEANT TO FRIGHTEN YOU FOR A FEW SECONDS. NOTHING MORE. HE MOST CERTAINLY NEVER INTENDED FOR THE SITUATION TO ESCALATE SO DRAMATICALLY AND HORRIBLY."

"Then why…" Evan asked, "…why did I…"

OMC sighed. "TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION WOULD REQUIRE ME TO EXPLAIN THE NATURE OF TRUE EVIL, AND SHATTER WHAT LITTLE INNOCENCE REMAINS IN YOU. AND SO I MUST ASK, EVAN AFTON. IS YOUR DESIRE TO UNDERSTAND IMPORTANT ENOUGH THAT YOU WOULD RISK YOUR HAPPINESS FOR IT?"

Despite everything, Evan couldn't help but chuckle humorlessly. "I was never happy, Old Man Consequences. Not really much left for you do, is there?"

A brief hint of sadness flashed in the being's eyes, but he nodded. "VERY WELL. YOU SEE, EVAN, FREDBEAR WAS MUCH MORE DANGEROUS THAN HE SEEMED TO BE."

"I've heard about that," Evan muttered. "Dad mentioned it before. Something about…springlocks, I think?"

OMC shook his head. "THOSE ARE INDEED VERY DANGEROUS, BUT THERE WAS MORE TO IT THAN THAT. YOU SEE, EVAN…THAT ANIMATRONIC WAS DESIGNTED TO INTENTIONALLY BE DANGEROUS BY NONE OTHER THAN YOUR FATHER."

Evan looked up at him in horror. "What?" he breathed. "How? That can't be! I know Dad's not a nice guy, but he can't be a…a…"

"HE IS FAR WORSE THAN YOU THINK, CHILD. HE DESIGNED FREDBEAR AND SPRING BONNIE TO BE DANGEROUS, HOPING THAT SOME UNSUSPECTING CHILD WOULD SUFFER GRAVELY IF HE WAS IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME. YOU SEE, EVAN, THE ONLY REASON WHY FREDBEAR'S BITE WOULD HAVE THE BITE PRESSURE TO CRUSH DOWN ON A HUMAN SKULL WAS IF IT WAS INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED TO HAVE THAT KIND OF POWER. NO REGULAR ANIMATRONIC WOULD EVER BE SO DANGEROUS ON ITS OWN."

"So when my brother shoved my head into Fredbear's mouth, he had no idea that…"

"…THAT WHAT WAS INTENDED TO BE A MERE JOKE WOULD TURN INTO A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY," OMC finished.

Present Day

"Those animatronics were a death trap that you designed, long before you butchered your first victim," Shadow Freddy accused, glaring with disgust at his father as everyone around them gasped at the revelation. "You tried to bring about death and horror through the animatronics even before you deliberately started making ones that were designed to be killing machines on purpose." Liz shuddered as she realized that her brother was talking about the Funtimes. "The only reason why I died from Mikey's prank was because Fredbear was intentionally made to crush my skull!"

"SO?" William sneered. "EVEN IF I WAS THE ONE WHO MADE THE ANIMATRONICS THAT WAY, IT CHANGES NOTHING. IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT YOUR DEAR BELOVED BROTHER WAS THE ONE WHO SHOVED YOUR HEAD INTO THAT BEAR'S JAWS, NOR DOES IT CHANGE THE FACT THAT HE WAS THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF YOUR MISERY IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO YOUR FINAL BIRTHDAY."

Shadow Freddy chuckled humorlessly. "I knew that you would try to deflect the blame," he muttered. "You never gave a damn about anybody's life but your own. And as for being the cause of my misery, Michael was certainly responsible for some of it…but not all."

He glared directly into his father's eyes. "You saw all of it, father. You saw Michael bully me, watched him make my life Hell from a distance. One word from you, and he would have been forced to stop or anger you for his disobedience. And yet you did nothing."

"IF YOU WERE SO WEAK THAT YOU COULD NOT WITHSTAND A FEW MOMENTS OF HARDSHIP FROM YOUR OWN BROTHER, THEN YOU WERE NOT WORTHY OF MY HELP TO BEGIN WITH!" William retorted. Several members of his audience gnashed their teeth in rage, but the ones outside the room forced themselves to calm down so as not to attract his attention.

"Ah, but it was never simply a mere moment, was it?" Shadow Freddy challenged. "The day before my birthday, Michael locked me into the supply closet, leaving me with only the lifeless parts of the animatronics to keep me company. You should have noticed I was missing immediately, perhaps after a few minutes at most, but no. I was locked in that closet for thirty minutes before a staff member finally stumbled upon me by sheer chance. Where were you, father? Did you not notice that I was gone…or did you simply not care?"

Michael gasped in horror. "You were in there for THAT LONG?" he exclaimed. "I thought…I thought that it was going to be a quick joke. That somebody would find you quickly after I left. Evan, I'm so, so sorry…"

His younger brother shook his head. "You repaid your debt to me long ago, Mikey," he assured him. "But father, on the other hand…"

"BAH," Nightmare Springtrap spat. "I HAD MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DEAL WITH. LIKE RUNNING THAT PATHETIC EXCUSE OF A PIZZERIA JOINT. YOUR BROTHER SHOULD HAVE TAKEN CARE OF YOU, AND HE FAILED."

"Perhaps," Shadow Freddy conceded, "but there is one failure that you cannot place on anyone's head but your own, father." His eyes hardened and the glare in his eye intensified. "I always hated Fredbear and Friends'. I was so afraid of that place, so afraid of the animatronics there. If you cared about me at all, then you should have respected my wishes not to have my birthday at that pizzeria. No matter how much Mikey might have tormented me, he would not have had the authority to overrule you if you let me have my birthday somewhere, anywhere else. But no. You dragged me against my will to the one place I feared above all else, so incompetent as a father that you couldn't even fulfill a child's wish on his very birthday. The blame for that falls on you and you alone!"

William bared his teeth at his youngest child. "YOU WERE SUCH A WHINY, COWARDLY BRAT!" he snarled. "ALWAYS COMPLAINING AND WHINING, COULDN'T EVEN GROW A SPINE! I WAS GLAD TO BE RID OF YOU!"

More gasps of horror and outrage echoed at his statement, especially from Charlie, Liz, and Michael, but Shadow Freddy only chuckled again. "Glad to be rid of me, father? What an interesting choice of words. And how very fitting, all things considered..."

"E…Evan?" Liz interrupted timidly. Her brother turned to face her. "Wh…what do you mean by that?"

"Let me ask you a question, Lizzie…" Shadow Freddy answered. "How many other victims of William Afton are currently in this house, at this very moment? How many souls whose lives William Afton snuffed out in his cruelty?"

"Six?" Liz replied. Technically, her death at the hands of Circus Baby had been an accident while the others had been deliberately murdered, not that it had made much of a difference in the end.

The Security Puppet's jaw dropped and her eyes flashed with horrified realization. "Oh, God…" she whispered.

"No, Lizzie…" Shadow Freddy's gaze hardened and he glared hatefully back at William Afton. "Not six. Seven."

1983, OMC's Lake

"I want him to pay!" Evan shouted, his anger at being mistreated for so long finally bursting out from the depths of his soul. "I want them both to pay! My brother made my life Hell while my dad just sit back and watched! I want my brother to feel the way I felt when he threw my head into Fredbear's jaws!"

OMC's frame stiffened and his gaze suddenly hardened, and even though there was no outwardly visible change Evan knew that he had said something wrong. "YOU WANT YOUR BROTHER TO PAY, DO YOU? WANT HIM TO KNOW HOW YOU FELT IN THE MOMENTS LEADING UP TO YOUR DEATH, HMM?" OMC asked, his voice harsher than it had been a minute before. "THEN LET ME GRANT YOU YOUR WISH."

The being picked up his fishing rod and hurled it into the lake. The moment it hit the scarlet waters, the entire lake rippled and shimmered, until suddenly Evan wasn't staring at water anymore. He was staring inside a bedroom, Michael's bedroom…

…and the horror show that was now unfolding in Michael's dreams.

Evan could only stare in stunned anguish and dread as Nightmare Bonnie slammed open the door to the left hall, raising his claws to slice open Michael's throat. He watched the world in the lake reset, watched Nightmare Chica rip out a huge chunk of his brother's head, blood pouring splattering all over as Michael collapsed onto the ground. Every time his brother respawned, a different Nightmare animatronic butchered him whenever his defenses faltered.

And all the while, their cruel, mocking laughter echoed sinisterly not just throughout the room, but in the realm that he and his new friend were now in.

"AN ENTIRE CLAN OF DEMONS HAS BEEN UNLEASHED UPON YOUR BROTHER'S MIND," OMC explained coolly, "SENT TO TORMENT YOUR BROTHER WITH UNENDING NIGHTMARES OF VIOLENCE AND BLOODSHED AS PUNISHMENT FOR HIS MISDEEDS. IS SEEING YOUR BROTHER SUFFER LIKE THIS WORTH IT, EVAN AFTON? IS THIS ENOUGH TO SATISFY YOUR DESIRE FOR VENGEANCE?"

Evan sat numbly on the bank of the lake. Seeing his brother being torn apart by the Nightmares had destroyed any desire for vengeance left in him, not just because of the gruesome deaths, but because he had heard Michael cry out over and over again to him for forgiveness. He truly was sorry for everything that had happened. As Nightmare Freddy tore open his stomach and ripped out his organs, he finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Mikey!" he shouted into the vision, using a nickname for his brother that he hadn't used in years. "Mikey! Don't give up, Mikey!" He watched Michael jolt suddenly, almost as though he had heard him. "Fight back!" Evan shouted. "FIGHT BACK!"

Before he could say any more, the vision faded and the lake returned back to its original state of red waters. Evan turned to face OMC. "What happened?" he demanded. "Bring it back! I need to help Mikey!"

"YOU CANNOT HELP," OMC warned him sternly. "MICHAEL MUST PASS NIGHTMARE'S TRIALS ON HIS OWN. PERHAPS YOU MAY SPEAK TO HIM AGAIN TOWARDS THEIR CONCLUSION, BUT WE HAVE OTHER MATTERS TO DISCUSS."

He cast his line into the lake again, though this time it was out of habit rather than any specific purpose in mind. "TELL ME, EVAN…WHO DO YOU BLAME FOR YOUR BROTHER'S DEATH?"

"Mikey…and my dad, I guess," Evan answered after several moments of silence. "I'm not saying this cause I still hate my bro, but it's true. He was the one who shoved my head into Fredbear's mouth, and Dad was the one who made it that dangerous. It's both of their faults."

To his surprise, OMC shook his head. "YOUR ANSWER IS PARTIALLY CORRECT, YOUNG ONE, BUT FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, YOU SHOULD PLACE LESS BLAME ON YOUR BROTHER AND MUCH MORE ON YOUR FATHER," he contested. "THOUGH I MUST ADMIT THAT I SAY THIS WITH KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU DO NOT YET POSSESS."

Evan tilted his head, puzzled. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"THE WOUND THAT WAS INFLICTED UPON YOUR HEAD BY YOUR BROTHER AND FREDBEAR WAS GRIEVOUS, ABSOLUTELY," OMC explained with a wisdom that only a supernatural being could harbor. "BUT IT WAS NOT INHERENTLY FATAL BY ITS VERY NATURE. IN THE YEARS TO COME, ANOTHER WILL SUFFER A WOUND QUITE SIMILAR TO YOUR OWN, BUT HE WILL SURVIVE. AND, IF YOUR WOUND WAS CARED FOR IMMEDIATELY AND ALL EFFORT TO SAVE YOU WAS MADE WITHOUT DELAY, YOU COULD HAVE SURVIVED AS WELL."

"Wait, REALLY?" Evan exclaimed. "But then, how come…"

His voice trailed off when the aura emanating from OMC darkened again, although this time he could tell that the being's anger was not directed at him this time. "THOUGH I DO NOT MEAN TO MAKE LIGHT OF YOUR TRAGEDY IN ANY WAY, IT DID PRODUCE ONE UNEXPECTED BENEFIT. YOUR BROTHER, THOUGH HE WILL SUFFER AT NIGHTMARE'S HAND FOR HIS CRUELTY, WILL TURN AWAY FROM THE DARKNESS AND WALK IN THE PATH OF THE LIGHT. BUT YOUR FATHER, ON THE OTHER HAND…HIS DESCENT TO DEPRAVITY HAS LONG BEEN IN THE MAKING. AND YOU ARE YET ANOTHER SACRIFICE ON THE ALTAR OF HIS WICKEDNESS."

Evan shuddered, dreading to think about what OMC was trying to say. "I don't get it…" he whispered, though in the back of his mind he was wondering if that was because he didn't understand or because he didn't want to understand.

"THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING, CHILD," OMC warned. "IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO KNOW, I WILL NOT SAY A WORD. I WILL LAY THE SUBJECT TO REST, AND ALLOW YOU TO PASS ON. IT IS UP TO YOU, IN THE END."

Part of Evan was tempted to do just that. To just ascend to Heaven and be done with it all. His life was over, why continue to dwell on it? But for so much of his life, he had been a crybaby afraid even of his own shadow. Being in the presence of OMC, a being that he instinctively trusted despite his otherworldly nature, gave him strength. At the very least, he owed it to himself to learn why he had died. He looked OMC straight in the eyes, the fire of courage flickering in his soul for the first time. "Show me."

OMC's crocodile-like jaw stretched into a grin of approval and respect. "VERY WELL." He cast his line into the water, and this time the lake rippled and shimmered again. This time, however, Evan was looking into a hospital room. He gasped when he realized that he was staring at his own broken body, unconscious and barely clinging to life, several bandages wrapped around his head. Michael was sitting at a chair nearby, his face buried in his hands in shame and horror, while William looked grimly at his youngest son's body.

"It's all my fault," Michael was muttering over and over again, despair clear in his voice. "It's all my fault…"

"There's nothing you can do about it, now, son…" William stated as he put his hand on Michael's shoulder. "He's barely clinging to life as it is, and that bite almost certainly damaged his brain beyond repair. All we can do now is end his pain."

Evan's eyes narrowed at those words. There was something about the way his father spoke that was insincere, something that he did not trust. As Michael got up and left the room sobbing, William turned to call a nearby doctor. Once the doctor had arrived, William's face put on a somber expression. "Doc…" he began, "…I've made my decision. Would you mind taking him off life support? I think it's time we let him go."

The doctor looked between Evan and William. "Are you sure, Mr. Afton?" he asked. "We can try keeping him on life support and treating him for a little while longer."

"I'm sure, doc," he insisted. "For all we know, my son is in terrible pain at this very moment. And even if he isn't brain-dead and on the verge of death at this very moment, the injuries he suffered to his brain will keep him crippled and disabled for the rest of his life. I can't put my son through that. It'll be better if I let him pass on peacefully, and let him move on to a better place."

"If you insist, Mr. Afton…" the doctor still looked a bit skeptical, but he wasn't about to argue with a parent's wishes.

"Would you mind just leaving me to say a few words?" William asked. "I won't be long."

"Of course," the doctor nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him. Once he was sure that everyone was gone, he looked back at his son's unconscious form…

…and smirked.

"Now you'll never be able to tell anyone what you saw," he muttered. "One word from you could have ruined everything. How convenient of Mike to take care of everything for me. And with you out of the picture, I don't have to worry about wasting time taking care of an irritating, whiny brat like you. Enjoy your new home under the earth, brat."

Present Day

"NO!" Liz and Michael screamed in united disbelief, repulsed and feeling physically sick at Shadow Freddy's darkest revelation. This time, Charlie and even the ghost kids out in the hallway couldn't restrain their curses and shouts of disgust and rage. Nightmare Springtrap's eyes flickered over to the hallway, but his eyes immediately rounded back on Michael, who had recovered first. "That bastard…that complete and utter bastard…"

"…allowed me to die," Shadow Freddy finished with a snarl. "Executed his own son. Assumed the guise of a comparing and compassionate father hoping to ease his son's pain, when in truth he merely used the Bite of 83 as an excuse to finally silence me and keep the earliest of his dark secrets in the shadows."

"A NECESSITY," William Afton drawled, utterly unremorseful. "I HAD PLANS THAT I NEEDED TO ATTEND TO, AND THERE WAS MORE THAN ONE WAY THAT YOU COULD INTERFERE AND RUIN THEM. I WOULDN'T GO SO FAR AS TO END YOUR OWN LIFE DIRECTLY, BUT YOUR ACCIDENT PROVIDED ME WITH THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT YOU PRESENTED."

Liz sat silently, utterly disgusted and appalled not just at the latest revelation of her father's depravity, but also at herself. A man cruel enough to kill his own children all for his own selfish and monstrous goals. He had ended Evan's life support when her brother could have maybe survived, and he had ordered Michael to go to CBEAR to rescue her without ever telling him about the dangerous nature of both the task and the Funtimes. And she had blindly latched onto him, let herself be strung along by his poisoned words and tainted promises, almost become a monster as bad as him all for the sake of trying to please him when he never cared about any of his children to begin with.

How could she have been so goddamn fucking STUPID?

"What was the secret, Evan?" Charlie asked, snatching Liz's attention away from her own self-beratement. "What did William Afton go through so great lengths, even sacrificing his own son, to hide?"

To everyone's surprise, a look of shame appeared on Shadow Freddy's face as he gazed down at Liz. "I saw you die, Lizzie," he breathed, guilt and regret clear in his voice. "From the corner of the room just outside of Circus Baby's stage. I saw you walk in and approach her, saw Baby's claw reach out from her stomach, grab you, and drag you into her body. I saw Circus Baby kill my own sister, and seeing that scarred me for the rest of my life. The reason why I was so afraid of the animatronics…that was why." He looked over at Michael. "You were wrong to treat me the way you did back when we were alive."

Michael felt the guilt and shame he already harbored amplify almost a hundred times. "I know. I should have been more understanding, more compassionate to you. All I did instead was make your fear even worse, and now that I know why I feel even more disgusted with myself than I already am."

"No," Shadow Freddy shook his head vigorously. "You weren't wrong because you were too harsh. You were wrong because you weren't harsh enough. You always called me a crybaby, Mikey, but you had no idea just how true that was. I wasn't just a crybaby. I was a coward. You should have forced me to tell you everything, the whole truth, even if you had to beat it out of me."

Michael looked utterly repulsed at the idea of physically abusing his brother. "That…that's not…I'd never…"

"If I had just spoken out, if I had just told someone the truth, I could have ended all of this long before it even began," Shadow Freddy growled, and for the first time his self-loathing was clear for all to see. "But because I was too much of a coward, I not only allowed Lizzie's death to go unanswered for, but also allowed William to continue butchering innocents."

"AND I AM GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SILENCE," Nightmare Springtrap mockingly thanked his son. "AT LEAST YOU WERE ABLE TO DO ONE THING RIGHT."

Shadow Freddy glared at him. "You won't be thanking me for long, father…" he hissed, both of them ignoring the latest bursts of outrage from everyone around them. "I may not have done anything to stop you back then…but I have had plenty of opportunities to make up for that mistake!"

1983, OMC's Lake

"AT LAST, YOU NOW SEE THE TRUTH," OMC intoned as the image faded. "YOUR FATHER WAS EVERY BIT AS RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR DEATH AS YOUR BROTHER, IF NOT MORE SO. HE HAS TAINTED HIS SOUL BEYOND REDEMPTION LONG BEFORE YOUR DEATH. YOU ARE NOT THE FIRST CHILD THAT WILLIAM AFTON HAS SLAIN, AND YOU WILL NOT BE THE LAST."

"I have to stop him!" Evan shouted. "I can't let him kill anyone else!" He looked up pleadingly at OMC. "Please!" he begged. "There has to be something I can do!"

OMC was silent. He had tilted his head every so slightly, almost as though he were listening to a voice that Evan could not hear. After a seeming eternity, he turned to face Evan.

"THERE IS ONE WAY…" he finally spoke. "YOU CANNOT DIRECTLY INTERFERE WITH THE LIVING WORLD, EVAN. IT IS FORBIDDEN BY THE LAWS OF LIFE AND DEATH. BUT FROM THE SHADOWS, YOU CAN HELP ANOTHER BRING ABOUT AN END TO WILLIAM AFTON'S CRIMES AND ATROCITIES. IT MAY TAKE YEARS, AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TRULY REST IN PEACE UNTIL THIS TASK IS DONE. IS THAT A PRICE YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY?"

Evan looked back over the red lake, its serene waters completely making the mystic nature that it had displayed only moments before. He had been a crybaby for so long, too afraid of his own shadow. His father had all but killed him to hide the truth of his evil, and it was only going to get worse from here. He was the only one who could do something about it.

It was time for him to finally stop running, to start doing the right thing for a change no matter how afraid he might be.

He looked right into the eyes of Old Man Consequences, and they burned with determination and steel that he had never felt when he had been alive. "What do I need to do?"

/

A/N: And that's a good place to stop, I think.

William Afton deprived his son of a chance to recover from the Bite of '83, all so that he would remain forever silent about Elizabeth's death. Truly, his depravity knows no bounds. And it gives Shadow Freddy an excellent reason to hate him personally. I don't necessarily think this is the theory that is most likely to have actually happened, but you can't deny it makes for a good story!

Old Man Consequences…I wonder if any of you expected him of all people to show up. The role I have planned for him is similar and yet different to his portrayals in FNAF World (which to be honest I barely know anything about) and UCN (which I am much more familiar with). I don't want to say too much about him at the moment, so I'll leave you with this for the time being: his motivations and guidance for Evan are entirely honest and benevolent, but there is more to him than meets the eye.

And yes, I'm labelling him as OMC for the time being because I don't feel like writing "Old Man Consequences" over and over again. Deal with it.

I hope this chapter was worth the two week wait. The next wait will probably be just as long tbh. Hope you guys enjoyed!