A/N: This chapter is completely from Eridan's pov and most of the dialogue is copied directly from canon so you can skip most of this if you want.

Eridan put his shades down, switching them out with his real glasses and breathing out a deep sigh. It was hard for him to do this, but Y/N would understand. Maybe helping Jack out would even help him get back to her! It was all for the greater good. He just had to keep thinking that. Besides, it was the only way to survive this whole mess since working with the humans wasn't helping.

Before he left though, there was something he had to do. Someone he had to talk to. He only hoped she would listen. After all, even if they weren't destined to be together like he used to think, she was his best friend at one point. His moirail. And he wasn't going to let her die here if he could stop it.

The prince walked over to the transportilizer and tapped on it with one foot, zapping into the main room. To his surprise, as soon as he materialized there he ran right into Kanaya, causing her to drop the orb. She glared at him before going to pick it up and, since he had a mission on his mind and no time for petty conversations, he just walked away towards...

"Man, where have you been!?"

He stopped on his way towards Feferi and her shitblood of a matesprit, turning around to see Karkat glaring at him and instead, decided to walk over to his friend, passing the wreckage of Aradiabot.

"You aren't helping, wandering off like..." Karkat trailed off, his eyes wandering to the object gripped tightly in the seadweller's hand. His eyes widened. "Holy shit, is that your new magic wand?"

The other glared at him. "It's not magic, wwe talked about this, Kar."

"Right, it's powered by 'science', I forgot." Karkat grumbled. He stopped, reconsidering for a second. "Or hope." He corrected before muttering. "Whatever the fuck that means..."

Eridan scowled. "I don't fuckin need this from you. I get enough shit as it is from the rest a you dirtscrapers. I thought you and me had a kinda pact or wwhatevver"

"Okay, fine, shut up! I know it's tough being you." Karkat grumbled, crossing his arms and rolling his yellow eyes.

The seadweller sighed. "Nobody gets it. I had a harder time than anyone wwith this game! It wwas really fuckin unfair wwhat challenges I got saddled wwith..." Like leaving a matesprit all alone in another dimension. He thought, not daring to say it out loud though. All Kar had to know was the whole angels thing. That was hard enough as it was anyways. "I wwoulda fuckin MURDERED for a land full of a lot a harmless brains and fire! But no!" He continued irritatedly. He stopped and his voice grew softer. "It wwas so lonely there... Hey guys, wwanna come hang out wwith me in the land a wwrath and angels...? Anybody, please! I'll even settle for the kittycat shipper cavve girl!" Maybe if someone actually visited then I wouldn't have stumbled on that portal and had to deal with all this heartbreak...

"Okay, but to be fair, I'm pretty sure she's still obsessed with me." Karkat responded, breaking him out of his thoughts. "It's a very unfortunate, very red, and VERY unrequited situation I've been trying to tiptoe around for a long time, okay? Come on, we talked about this"

"Yeah, I guess..." The seadweller muttered.

"Anyway," He continued. "I'm not sure how you were expecting to make any sort of traction when you see her as the kittycat shipping girl, she's a person with feelings you raving douche!"

"I knoww, Kar. That's not the point, I'm ovver all that. I'm just sayin, wwhere the fuck wwere you guys? I had to deal with those awwful angels all by myself! Do you havve any idea howw hard those assholes are to kill!? Like, at least a minute of sustained fire from only the most legendary wweapon evver and they wwere FAST and ANGRY as SHIT."

"Yeah, we talked about that too. I really don't think you were supposed to be killing them, dude. I kept saying, I think they're, like, game constructs or something. There to serve some other game purpose, not for you to hunt down. THEY DIDN'T EVEN GIVE YOU ANY GRIST, YOU IDIOT. THAT WAS YOUR FIRST CLUE!"

"Fine, wwhatevver. You're still missin the point. Wwhere wwas evverybody? Wwhy are they avvoidin me all the time?" Eridan asked.

"They were too scared shitless to set foot on your planet for more than a second!" Karkat shouted angrily. "Between a triggerhappy prince with a God weapon blasting anything that twitched and a million crazed Angels he deliberately enraged, it wasn't what I'd call an ideal social hub." Karkat grumbled. "If you were lonely, why didn't you venture out more often?" He asked curiously.

Eridan wrapped his cape around himself, looking away. "Wwell, I wwoulda but nobody else wwas vvolunteerin to pick up the slack on angel killin duties." He lied.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD WHY DON'T YOU LISTEN!?" The mutant shouted, becoming frustrated.

  The other just rolled his eyes. "And anywways i did leavve." He paused. "Evventually..."

"Leaving your planet to go duel with Sollux isn't being sociable, you thick fuck! And you know what!? You deserved getting your ass handed to you. Because I warned you and you didn't listen."

Eridan clenched his fists, scowling. "Yeah, okay. Wwell, wwe'll see wwhos becoming the proud new recipient a wwhose ass noww."

Karkat held his head in his hands, clearly irritated. "ARGH!!" He exclaimed into his palms before pulling his hands away and glaring at the violetblood. "Look, just...stay here for a while. Okay? No more brooding in the lab and absolutely NO fucking dueling. Stay out of trouble, got it?"

Eridan muttered a bit to himself as Karkat walked away. Whatever. He looked around for any sign of Fef and soon caught sight of her. She was sitting in the horn pile, laughing and giggling with that bright smile with...HIM.

He frowned. Ugh, that stupid lowblood. Fef shouldn't be hangin out with that trash. After a few moments, he realized he had been glaring at them and shook his head, taking a deep breath and letting go of his anger. No, he shouldn't be getting so angry anyways. It's not like it mattered, the mustardblood would be gone soon and she would be safe. Everything would be fine. And if Jack knew a way to go back to Earth, Y/N could be by his side too. She and Fef would get along great. He smiled at the thought before walking over to the two.

Sollux looked up as he approached, grimacing. "Oh God, it'th him." He said, looking at Eridan in disgust. The smile immediately left the seadweller's face and he scowled at the other troll. How dare this garbage talk as if he was the one that was lower. The mustardblood ignored him though, turning to Fef. "FF, can you tell him two go away? I don't even have the energy for thith."

"Hey, finless," Eridan interrupted. "This doesnt concern those wwith mustard sludge slippin through their vveins. It's a matter for royalty only, so keep your mouth closed or I'll slit you open ovver my next meal."

"Whatever, bro. Not interethted."

"Eridan, please!" Feferi said, looking at him pleadingly. "I don't want to see any more dueling. Don't try to provoke him." She glared. "It's not like I don't know what you're doing! You keep trying to spark a rivalry with him to get me to auspiticize between you two, and pull us out of your quadrant! It is the oldest and lamest trick in the book! It didn't work then and it won't work now, so stop it!"

Eridan stared at her in shock. Did she really think that was what he was trying to do? "That's an astonishin accusation! Howw could you say that!? First of all, as if this scum is evven wworthy of a rivvalry wwith me." At that, he sent a pointed glare at the mustardblood, who rolled his eyes in response behind his 3D glasses. "And second of all," He continued angrily. "As if im not totally DONE wwith you like i havve TOLD you REPEATEDLY!" His voice grew softer as he looked at her. "All i wwant to do is havve a wword wwith you..."

Feferi looked conflicted, but sighed. "Okay, FINE." She conceded, crossing her arms across her chest and turning to face him better. "We can talk. But only if you're planning on being civil."

"That's wwhat you nevver get, Fef. You and I are bein civvil by vvery vvirtue of the fact that wwe're talkin noww. Wwe're royalty, You and I. And wwe belong together." He looked down, shifting his feet awkwardly and fidgeting. "Even if not in THAT WAY wwhich I get that you're not into and thats fine. I've movved on, but wwe belong together as the rulin class if nothin else." The troll sighed, closing his eyes. This was it. "So...I'm gonna ask you this one last time...and givve you the choice." He opened his yellow eyes and looked up, looking at her pleadingly. "I'm about to go, please come wwith me."

The heiress looked at him in surprise as his words sunk in. "Go with you?" She seemed confused, but her eyes soon widened in concern and horror. "Eridan, you weren't really serious about going to find Jack, were you!?"

"Of course I wwas." He said. "And wwe should do it together. You'vve got nothin to fear noww! I'vve reached neww heights of powwer that no one else can dream of! Not evven Mindfang wwith her garish orange swweatsuit and her silly flappy wwings and all her poppycock about luck, wwhich evveryone wwith a think pan knowws to be the fakest fiction that evver failed to exist."

Eridan was interrupted by a harsh laugh. "Thith ith the motht hilariouth thing I've ever heard." Sollux said, adjusting his glasses with a grin. "He made hith thitty fake wand glow a little and now he thinkth he'th a fairy god troll or thomething! LMAO!

"Wwas that slander just i heard? I cant evven tell." Eridan growled, narrowing his eyes. "I tend to block out noise from filth wwhose blood is practically the complementary fuckin color a mine."

"He has a point though!" Feferi pointed out. "You may be overestimating your abilities! Jack Noir is INSANELY powerful, Eridan! Please, I don't want to see you do anything foolish by trying to fight him."

"Fight him?" Eridan stared at her as if she'd grown an extra head. "Are you fuckin nuts? I slaughtered enough angels to knoww my limits and wwhere I stand against the lord of all angels they prophecized. Of course im not gonna fight him, I stand no chance in hell against that guy." He said. Feferi seemed to relax...until he said his next words.

"I'm going to join him."

"YOU'RE WHAT?!?!?!?"

"And you're going to join me in joinin him too!" The seadweller continued enthusiastically. "Fef, come on lets go."

Once again, Laughter rang out and Eridan glared at the source of it. "AHAHAHAHA!!! Okay, that'th it, he'th lotht it." Sollux said. Before Eridan could say anything though, he was shoved away roughly by a glaring Feferi.

"NO I AM NOT!" She shouted angrily, raising a finger and pointing it at him. "And you aren't either! That is GLUBBING INSANE!! I thought you were supposed to be the Prince of Hope? How is it hopeful to surrender to a murderous demon like a COWARD???"

Eridan looked away, scowling. "As the Prince of Hope, I think I'm uniquely qualified to recognize wwhen all hope is lost. And I'm tellin you, there is no hope. Not evven a little bit. The only thing left to do is servve him and hope he spares us. And I'm extendin the invvitation to come wwith me because evven though you dont think so...I really do care about you... Servvin under Jack together, wwe'll be unstoppable! Our anemones wwill tremble before us! So...wwhat do you say?"

"NO!" Feferi yelled. "You have lost ALL RIGHT to use fish puns FOREVER. I revoke your fish punning license as whale as our frondship!"

"Don't take that tuna vvoice wwith me, princess!" He snapped back.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST SAY???" The heiress roared. He just stared at her in shock.

"That's it..." Feferi said solemnly. "This makes me sad, Eridan, but now we have to stop you. We can't let you find Jack and risk leading him to us." Her trident was in her hands now.

Eridan stared at her. He should have known that something like this would happen. "So thats howw it is is it...huh?" He said softly, clenching his white wand tightly.

"The'th right, man. I can't believe thith. I wath looking forward two a round two." Sollux said, getting up and walking over to stand next to Feferi. He shook his head and scoffed. " I thould have killed you on LOBAF when I had the chanthe." The mustardblood grinned. "Oh well, gueth it'th only fitting I'd take you down in ROUND TWO." He tore his shades off his face, revealing his bicolored eyes, already sparking with psiionic energy. "You ready, printhe?"

Eridan stood there. He thought about Y/N. Her dazzling eyes, that smile that made everything okay, her goofy laugh, and he felt a feeling foreign to him surge through his body. Hope. He could easily defeat this dirtscraper with his new power. After he was taken care of, he could leave and find Jack and soon, the two of them would be together again. He was so close. The seadweller grinned, straightening his glasses and pulling out his wand, his purple cape falling to the floor behind him. "Bring it, mage." He spoke, the white tendrils of pure angelic power surrounding him.

A/N: Thank you all so much for the comments! I've been busy with school and procrastinating but you all inspired me to finally finish up this chapter. You're all amazing, thank you!