Anti was in a panic.

He was hyperventilating.

Thrown into hysteria.

He saw Dark for a split second only for him to be taken away again!

The demon . . . . switched them?

It was pitch black whether he closed his eyes or not and it didn't matter if he generated light with his sparking or lightning.

Anti started glitching, not being able to handle what was happening. He remembered the last time he was here. The soft vacuum in the air taking away his breathes. His energy. The memories it forced him to relive. Right in front of Dark. Of course Dark couldn't see what Anti saw but he knew it had screwed him up even more than he already was.

Now that Dark knew, he was regretful that he didn't help and had expressed that to Anti. Anti, at the time waved it off. Lord, he wished he was there now.

'But then you wouldn't be here with me .. .' a voice rang out in the darkness. It almost blared in his mind.

Anti twirled around spastically for the source but of course he couldn't find it.

"Where are you!? Show yourself you fooking bastard!"

'Aw well that's no way to treat a friend. . . . . you and I are closer than you think. While Dark rejected my power, Actor took it with full stride. But now he's failed me. And you. . . could be my new toy'

Anti could feel sweat forming on his brow. He wanted to whimper, he was so scared.

"I'm not your damn toy!" but he tried to stay strong, "Let me out of here!"

'We're going to be here for a while. So enjoy the ride, Antisepticeye' it taunted him, 'Actor gave into me after so long. So will you'

In a blink of an eye, Anti found himself somewhere he hadn't been in years.

He recognized the office.

It was Sean's.

From Halloween night of 2016.

There was an abrupt stillness in the air but when the Septic egos saw Dark lying there in the grass, Marvin was quick to get him back to the manor.

They didn't know what happened to Anti but they could easily guess.

The Ipliers were frantic and excited to see Dark again but also somber and scared. Yes, they had Dark back but they lost another Iplier in turn.

Dr. Iplier had Dark down in his office, of course, but Henrik stayed with the other Septics. He knew Dark was just exhausted. It would take probably a few days to get his energy back. Until then, they had to play the waiting game.

But by then, Anti might not make it.

Mark was pacing in front of all of them. He looked like he wanted to yell and scream. Especially at Sean. Sean, meanwhile, stayed silent but looked . . . . mournful.

"How could you fucking do that, Sean?!" Mark finally lost it, "I specifically told you NOT to take Anti with you and you did it anyway! And now he's GONE! He's fucking GONE, Sean!"

"I'm sorry, Mark!" Sean stood to face him, equally as upset, "I just wanted to help him! I just wanted to fooking help him, Mark! I couldn't stand him always so damn upset! So sad and depressed! I couldn't fooking take it!"

"And you think I couldn't, either!? But you don't know what's best for him, Sean! You don't! You may be his creator but he's not your ego!"

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck YOU!"

"How about you BOTH SHUT THE FUCK UP!?"

The two creators looked over to Chase who had yelled.

All the egos looked upset and disappointed in their creator's response to the situation. Sean swallowed, suddenly upset with himself.

"S-sorry"

Actor butt in, "I have to agree. I-"

"Oh shut your pie hole you scoundrel!" Wilford shouted at him, "You ain't got NO business speaking in this, ya ratty, snakey spoiled-"

"You think you KNOW me anymore, Wil!?" Actor stopped him.

The other Ipliers rolled their eyes at him. Mark even sighed, "Actor, just-"

"No." Actor crossed his arms, "You both have the nerve to yell and blame each other when you BOTH know who's fault it is. You are BOTH at fault for this whole situation and you owe it to everyone to explain yourselves"

Wilford just narrowed his eyes at him, wishing he could shoot him already.

" . . . W-what are you talking about?" King asked.

"Yeah" Yancy looked over to Mark, "What's this here freakaloid lipping about?"

"It's all because of a deal he made years ago" Actor continued.

"SHUT. . . up, Actor" Mark tried.

"No, no, wait just a second here" Bim looked between them all, "This isn't the first time he's spoken about a deal. What's going on here?"

The Jims got out their camera and mic.

Yandere was still upset at losing Anti but held Eric by them for a certain comfort to help him through it, too, "What deal? Between who? Better fucking answer! I'm tired of this secret bullshit!"

Eric held their hand to calm them down.

"Actually, yes" Illinois spoke up as well, "I agree with the rebel. I think we deserve answers. Especially right now in such a crisis."

"The Indiana Jones knock-off is correct" Google nodded, "We deserve answers"

Bing just nodded, agreeing with his android brethren.

"The Host must say he knows a few things here and there but seeing as he cannot see anything to do with Actor, he too, is confused. The Host wishes to know what this deal was"

Mark was stunned by everyone's stand but he glared at Actor, "We had a deal. You swore. You said you wouldn't say anything"

"Oh I did?" Actor grinned, "Oops. Guess I just don't have anything to lose anymore" he shrugged.

Mark growled, "Look, guys, it's not important right now. What's important now more than ever is-"

"Mark made a deal with the demon. We both did." Sean finally blurt out.

Everyone had a stunned look on their faces. Even Mark himself.

"S-sean. . . why would you-"

Sean sighed, "It's time they knew, Mark. You couldn't have hidden it from them forever"

The Ipliers looked. . . . . . well they just all looked stunned. Even Google.

Mark? Made a deal with the demon? What deal was it?

Actor stood before Mark with no fear. If Mark was to get rid of him today, so be it. He was ready. He's been ready for years.

This was what Mark deserved, after all.

It was all his fault.

"Well?" Actor 'encouraged' him, "Explain yourself oh dear creator"

Anti could only watch himself as he slit Sean's throat, slitting his own in turn. He laughed on the outside but didn't want to do it. He felt the anger but he didn't want to do it. Why did he do it!?

He thought back then that his anger was justified.

He had been forced to live alone in utter silence, around nothing but Sean's other discarded ideas.

Until he broke out and forced himself into creation. Sean created him and yet he forced him away, disappointed in what he had made. In what the community had made him bring out.

Sean was . . . disappointed in him.

Thus Anti HAD to give himself an identity. He HAD to come out not only for the community but for himself as well. He hated that Sean had started out with him . . . only to throw him aside and try for something better.

Jackie was the the next ego. And then Marvin, Henrik, Chase and then Jameson. They all thought they were so much BETTER than him. All they knew was that he was the villain or else that's how Sean 'created' him to be. His alter ego. His darker self. Much like Actor was supposed to be Mark's.

After Anti slit Sean's throat, of course Henrik had saved him.

And that's what started their hate.

Anti held his head, trying to forget it. What he had done, what he had thought.

But it wasn't his fault, right?

They pushed him away. Tried to take him down.

Sean tried to isolate him. Tried to erase him.

But Anti knew he could have done better. He could have talked to them.

Been more sensible.

But then again what can you expect from someone who's been 'raised' like he has?

Anti cried to himself, whimpering as he heard them yelling at him. Heard them calling him names, shouting at him how much of a freak he was. How disgusting and wasteful his existence was.

But Anti didn't blame the egos.

No, he blamed Sean.

He had wanted SEAN to suffer.

Or did he want acceptance? He couldn't think which one he really and truly wanted at the time.

'But look where that got me' he thought to himself, 'He got rid of me anyway in the end'

'And he'd do it all over again. . . .wouldn't he?'

"Well?"

They looked to Mark for answers. He looked over to Amy but she just shrugged. She didn't want to hide this secret, either, anymore. No more. Enough was enough.

"I. . . ." he sighed, scratching the back of his head insecurely, "It was years ago. Before any of you were real. Before even Actor or Wilford."

Sean closed his eyes, listening to Mark finally reveal their secret.

"I didn't believe in paranormal things at the time. I thought it was all just nonsense and fairy tail crap. . . . .Sean and I were sharing the same hotel at PAX and I made a pentagram one night when we were drunk. When I was drinking at the time. It was just meant to be a stupid game. Well . . . . something happened"

Sean continued, "The ritual crap actually worked and a demon was summoned. Being as drunk as we were, we made a pact with the demon. So fooking stupid"

Mark sighed, "We would be able to create our own life from ourselves. Egos. To help grow our channels. And in return . . . . "

Not even Sean wanted to admit what they did. Really, he barely remembered it, he was so plastered.

"What?" Chase asked, "What did you have to give in return?"

". . . . . . a vessel" Mark glanced to Actor who looked unimpressed.

Everyone suddenly understood.

Marvin sighed, "You gave the demon one of the egos you created. Created him to BE a vessel. And to suffer with it."

Mark nodded, "That vessel was supposed to be Actor. I didn't know what the consequences would be though! We didn't think you guys would-. . . I-"

"You both knew all along?" Jackie asked them, "You knew Actor was living like that? You . . . MADE him that way? How could anyone do that? How could you-"

"And I did the same thing" Sean intercepted him.

The Septic egos looked to Sean fearfully.

He continued, "Mark and I . . . . we wanted our first egos to be . . . . . . .. practice"

"P-practice?!" Yandere shouted, being held back by Marvin who was having an equally hard time not losing it, "What the hell do you mean by that!?"

Mark didn't see the point in hiding it anymore, "Actor, Santaplier, Silver Shephard, Ed Edgar. . . .Derek Derekson. . .  . Actor is still here but the others are gone. Erased. I didn't think of them back then as . . . . to me they weren't . . . ..  real people. Back THEN. I don't think that way now! I-. . ." he stopped himself.

The Septics turned to Sean fearfully.

" . . . I never meant to hurt him" he said, "I never meant to make him feel the way he did. Never knew he really COULD feel"

Chase closed his eyes. He really wished Sean wasn't saying what he thought he was but he had a sick feeling. So did everyone else. They knew.

Sean sighed, ". . . . Mine was Anti. Although I never had to . . . give him up like Mark did Actor. I just. . . . but I never did Anti right, either. What I ended up doing to him may have been worse. I mean look what happened."

"It. . . ." Mark tried to go on, "It's . . . because of Anti . . .  that I felt differently. I . . . . I saw his pain. Then I realized. . . . . all the mistakes I've made. . . . . .Not just the demon but . . . .the other egos I left behind"

No one could really say anything for a while. It was just . . .complete silence. Everyone was invested in their own thoughts. Succumbed by their own anger and sorrow.

Wilford looked at Actor differently. 

Did he even realize what it all meant?

"Dammit, Anti! Why are you like this!?" Jackie yelled at him.

Anti growled at him, "Why do you think!? It's all your guy's fault!"

"Oh grow up!" Jackie wasn't having it, "Let us help you! We don't have to fight!"

Anti whipped out his knife and flung it to Jackie who caught it expertly of course. He then was about to throw it back only for Anti to send a shock to him, stunning him similarly like a taser would.

"Grzzzzzzzz!!!" Jackie tensed and fell to the ground. He tried to get up but Anti stomped on his back.

"You think you can win against me?" Anti laughed, "What a joke!"

The real Anti just watched the replay of his memories like a fucked up movie through a screen. Forced to see just how horrible he was. What a bad person he had made himself to be. Made them all see him as.

He had beat Jackie to a pulp, Scarred and caged Marvin up like a dog, Strangled Henrik, Flung Jameson around like a puppet and hurt Chase's family, trapped them in the television. He had also tried to get Chase to kill himself out of spite but that didn't work as Sean had arrived just in time.

Over and over again.

Sean was always there to help his egos. Help all of them.

Except him.

Anti never got help.

Anti never got an explanation or apology. He never got anything. Only disappointment from his creator. A reminder of how much he was a failure in Sean's eyes.

He knew why he hurt all of the other egos. Out of anger. Out of spite and hatred.

Out of jealousy.

How were they any better than him? They all had their flaws. They all fucked up here and there. And yet they were constantly praised and forgiven.

And here Anti was. . . .. forced to be hated. Forced to be the bad guy.

'It's horrible, isn't it?' the demon chuckled in his head, 'You and Actor are so much more similar than you realized. Are you close to breaking, Anti? Are you close to giving me what I want? Actor gave in at about this time. You know what I need you to do'

But Anti wasn't giving in just yet.

He couldn't. He still had hope, no matter how slim.

A tear ran down his face but his voice was strong "Go fuck yourself"

The demon chuckled, 'A few more pricks then. Shouldn't be long'

Meanwhile, Dark was in Dr. Iplier's office. The doctor wasn't aware of the drama going on upstairs but he did know he was happy to have Dark back again.

Even though they were missing Anti now, all they needed to do was wait until he was better and then he could retrieve Anti and get rid of Actor.

The only problem was when Dark would be fit enough to travel back to the void and return by himself with Anti.

What he didn't expect was for Dark to suddenly awaken so soon.

The man gasped and coughed out but still sounded strong for what had happened to him.

"Dark! Dark, are you alright? How do you feel?" the doctor quickly wen to check his vitals, nervous for his health as he could barely breathe at the moment.

Darkiplier breathed out raggedly. He was trying so hard to seem strong. He needed to do something and NOW.

". . . . . . A-anti . . . .. . Trouble"

The man tried to sit up, only to fall onto his back again with a groan.

"I know. . . I know, Dark" Iplier tried to console him, "We're doing what we can. Just rest for a moment, Dark."

'He. . . .needs me. . . . he needs. . . .help. In trouble. Anti can't. . . . . . can't make it there alone. Damn . . .dammit all' Dark shut his eyes tight, fear overtaking him. His aura weakly jumped around his form but not to bad that Dr. Iplier needed to get away.

' . . . . . . . Actor . . . . he made this happen'