Chase managed to shoot the gun out of Wilford's hand before he could hurt anyone.

Wilford seemed a little upset, looking over at his gun that was now on the floor, "Aw, now why'd you go and do THAT?"

"Damn. Good shot, Toss Boy" Stacey commented with a smile, she was so proud, "I see you've been practicing"

Chase didn't reply but held a small smirk.

"What the FUCK, man!? Why'd you do that!?" Marvin groaned at the Wilford.

Wilford didn't seem bothered anymore and just laughed, continuing to dance to the disco music Marvin still had playing for him.

Anti sighed, moving the conversation forward, "Wil said Dark has already found something with the power he needs. Going to the universe Antisepticeye was in, he either must have used him somehow or something else."

Marvin knew where this was going but it didn't look like he had a choice in the matter. It looked like they were going to have to go get him.

"And you're sure it's going to be okay to bring him here?" Jackie asked Anti, "And what if he refuses?"

"As if he's going to refuse the chance to try and attack one of us" Eva mentioned.

"We can't just GIVE him his powers back, either" Henrik butt in, "It'd be a year ago all over again."

Anti glanced to Wilford who gave him an exaggerated wink, still dancing, "Wilford says we'll be able to sway him as he is currently and he won't be any trouble. I don't know how much of that is true but we don't have to worry, regardless. I have his power on me, remember? In the marble and HE doesn't know that. He won't get his hands on it and he can't anyway unless I GIVE it to him"

Chase crossed his arms, gun still in his hand " . . . . . . Alright, dude. . . .if you think this is our only option. I'll be ready to shoot the asshole if he tries anything"

"Pretty sure we'd all be happy to beat him if he so much moves an inch" Jackie chuckled.

'Perhaps you should go on your own, Anti?' Jameson suggested, 'He might be more willing to talk if it's just ONE of us rather than a group.'

Anti nodded, "Right. I better go as fast as I can, then. Hey Wilford, how long do we h-"

They all turned to see Wilford was just GONE.

"Wilford?"

Marvin shouted, looking up at the ceiling, "Fucker stole my disco ball!"

Evan raised a brow at him, "Didn't you just conjure it up from nothing?"

"So?" Marvin argued, "I liked that one."

Anti shook off his nerves. He wasn't happy about this but if it's what they had to do then so be it. He wasn't afraid of Antisepticeye anymore. He was afraid what would happen to his family if Darkiplier got what he wanted.

He nodded to his brothers, Evan, Eva and Stacey, "Put Olivia and Iris in your room, Henrik. We don't want to give Antisepticeye any opportunity to change the dynamic"

"Right" Henrik nodded and went to retrieve his daughters, "Good luck, Anti!"

The others looked unsure. Some were even hopeful Antisepticeye would refuse. Anti didn't blame them.

Anti just concentrated, opened a portal and glitched through.

Antisepticeye groaned.

How humiliating.

How sad.

How pathetic.

But he couldn't lay in the rubble forever. He picked himself, albeit slowly and limped to the bathroom.

He could feel himself sinking but not in a literal sense. He didn't understand it himself. It felt like everything that mattered was just ripped apart and broken into a million pieces. 

And of course he couldn't fix it because he was just as useless as a human now, unable to go after the shadow bitch.

So what could he do?

Nothing.

He bandaged his wounds and stared at himself in the mirror. He hated looking at himself. He looked so fucking weak.

'I like your eye patch. It makes you look so rugged and mysterious.'

In an angry huff, he ripped off his eye patch, revealing the empty hole where his green eye used to be.

That Anti took from him.

Not that he didn't deserve it. . . . .

Antisepticeye punched the mirror, breaking it and screamed at himself.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

He didn't understand.  . . . this pain. Why did he HURT?

He refused to admit an obvious reason. No, that wasn't it.

He shook his head furiously, nearly ripping his hair out before throwing everything off of the bathroom counter.

'When' . . .. he thought to himself, 'When the FUCK did I become like this!? So fucking. . . weak and domestic? That bitch . . . that fucking bitch  . .  god- dammit, Gab  . . . you beautiful bitch'

He wanted to end it all right there.

But instead . . . . He stormed out of the room and out of the house.

He didn't stop walking until he reached a bar him and Gabriella visited often. He liked their whiskey and it was quiet in there.

He stomped up to the counter and sat in his favorite seat.

"Damn, you look like shit. Lose a fight, Anthony? Where's your girlfriend?" the bartender commented.

Antisepticeye growled, "Just shut the fuck up and pour me a drink."

When Anti went through, he honestly didn't know where he was but he knew he could find Antisepticeye. There was still that link deep inside. Even though Antisepticeye no longer had his power, he was still the same kind of being like Anti.

What that was, Anti was still curious of but that wasn't important at the moment.

He let himself walk to find him, knowing he wasn't far. It was starting to get late but Anti had to think of what he needed to say to him, anyway. He HAD TO convince him. He was worried even if Wilford said he could easily sway him how he was currently, he didn't know what that really meant to Wilford's point of view.

Anti was agonizing over it for a while until he was finally feeling his presence far stronger than before. He was in front of a bar.

'That's strange. I didn't take him for someone that'd like this sort of scene.'

And usually he'd be correct.

Anti walked in and looked around. There weren't many people around at all and it was quiet for a bar at this hour. He was surprised he didn't recognize him sooner.

Anti was sure he'd sense him, too, so why wasn't he running towards him with a knife already?

But no. . ..  Anti saw him at the counter of the bar hunched over. His clothes looked dirty.

'Is that blood?'

No one else seemed to notice or care. Maybe because it was so dimly lit in the bar.

He got closer and closer until he right behind him. That's when Anti noticed Antisepticeye was hunched over a glass of whiskey.

He was too busy surveying him, he didn't even realize that Antisepticeye glanced at him with his good eye. 

'I'll be damned. I didn't think he'd be desperate enough to ever come to me'

Antisepticeye shot back the whiskey and growled under his breath.

"You gonna stand there all night or are you gonna sit down and start begging me already?"

Anti was surprised and really it took him a moment to realize what he just said.

"I. . . . wait, what?"

The barkeep poured Antisepticeye another drink, "Oh, are you Anthony's brother? It's about time someone came to collect him. He's been drinking himself to death since he got here."

Antisepticeye just snorted, "Yeah . . . brother. . . pft. Just keep 'em coming and shut up"

The barkeep just poured Anti a drink as well and returned to the other customers.

"So. . . Anthony, huh? I guess Wilford was right."

Antisepticeye snorted, "Who the fuck is Wil . . . you know what? I don't fucking care. You gonna drink that?" not waiting for an answer, he snatched the glass in front of Anti and shot the whiskey down.

It was clear he was absolutely sloshed.

Anti took a seat next to him, realizing that he wasn't a threat at the moment. But something was definitely wrong, "So . . .Something happened. I think you know already. Don't you?"

Antisepticeye coughed and laughed a little under his breath, "Darkiplier. . . . . a shadow bastard that wears a suit and tie and wields a cane? THAT something?"

"Uh . . yes. So you met him"

"He DID say he visited you guys first. Said he beat the shit out of you guys and told everyone your dirty little secret about me. Surprised you're still alive, really. Good for you. REALLY surprised the others let you come to collect me. What do you want from me? Don't fucking tell me I'm your last option because if so, you're even stupider than I thought you were"

Anti just snorted, not believing what was happening right now, "Are you kidding? Figured you'd jump for the chance to have another go at Darkiplier. Looks like he beat the shit out of you, too. What did he take? We have a source that said he took something of great power from here."

Antisepticeye kept quiet but in reality, he was deep in thought.

'This IS my chance but I can't just seem over-eager. That Darkiplier asshole took her alive which means he NEEDS her alive. But I can't just tell them what  . .. who he took or else  . . .' he knew it was stupid but he didn't want the Septics to think he was weak. He WAS but he didn't want THEM to know that!

'This is my only chance to get her back. I could steal my power back, kill the Septics and Darkiplier and get her back'

He didn't know when he was only fixated on getting Gabriella back but he'd deal with that later.

"Antisepticeye!" Anti nudged him, "I need an answer NOW. Unless you want me to just leave you here again?"

"It's Anthony now"

Anti blinked, "Wh-what?"

"My name . . . isn't Antisepticeye an ear-full anyway? I took the name Anthony a while ago"

He refused to admit it was because Gabriella always liked that name substitution for him.

"Oh . . .okay. I'm not calling you that out of spite. Will you help us or what?"

Antisepticeye took a moment, staring ahead at nothing, honestly surprised with Anti's new bravery, "I want full protection from the other Septics. I want my power back and help in getting back what Darkiplier stole from me. Those are the terms."

Anti nodded, "I promise that they won't kill you. We'll get back what Darkiplier stole and you can have your power back IN THE FIGHT. Not a moment sooner. And in the end, if you swear not to attack us anymore, I'll consider returning it to you permanently but you'll have to stay HERE  or in any other universe that doesn't have US in it. Deal?"

Anti held out his hand to shake.

Antisepticeye stared at his hand. He didn't like the deal. But it was the best he'd get and it didn't mean he couldn't just steal his power back in the end anyway.

He merely stood up, almost falling as he did so and grabbed Anti's wrist yanking him along with him.

"H-hey. . . where you taking me?" Anti hoped he wasn't going to try and kill him. He was probably drunk enough to try it.

Not that he could even match him in a fight how he was.

Antisepticeye took him into the alley next to the bar and nodded, "You can't do it in public, moron. . . Well? Come on then. Let's fucking go already before I change my mind, asshole"

"Huh . ..  that was easier than I thought it'd be"

"Just fuck off and glitch us there already. We don't have all fucking night here" Antisepticeye snapped.

Anti decided he'd worry about Antisepticeye's true intentions later. If he wanted a weapon back that Darkiplier stole, he'd have to make sure he never got his hands on it.

He opened a portal and glitched them through.

Gabriella opened her eyes. Her whole body hurt but as her vision returned to her, she looked up and saw a ceiling. Blinking out of her tiredness, she moved a little and noticed she was laying on something comfortable.

'Is this a bed?' she didn't like the implications, 'Oh HELL no!' 

Gabriella sat up quickly but went to hold her head, feeling dizzy.

"I'd take it easy if I were you"

Gab whipped her head over to see the monster that brought her there.

"You . . . . where the fuck am I!? Where's Anthony!?"

Darkiplier hummed and seemed confused for a moment, "Oh . . . you mean Antisepticeye? He's fine. Do you not remember? I brought you with me in front of him. He's still probably laying on the floor pouting in your universe. The REAL question you should be asking is-"

"I SAID where the fuck am I, asshole?!"

"Will you let me finish?" Darkiplier shrugged, a bit appalled by her language, "Whatever. You're in my manor. Or  . . . sort of my manor. In the universe I claimed. You're here because you hold a great deal of power within you that I need to save my ego brethren."

That startled Gab. 

Now THAT. . . she didn't expect THAT answer.

"Hold on. . .. back up . .. what?"

Darkiplier didn't like admitting WHY he needed her but he figured that since he couldn't just remove her power from her, then maybe he could get her to help him willingly.

And to do THAT, he needed to open up a little.

But just a little. He needed to really sell it. 

If he made her pity them, then maybe he could fool her after all.

"You see. . . there's someone . . . like you and Antisepticeye . . . that's threatening my other egos and I need to stop him. But to do that. . . . I need your power. Will you give me your assistance?"