Chapter 18: A Prince. A Duke. And A….

Roman's voice had just came out of the Kings mouth. Sure it was overlapped, but Roman was still in there, so maybe Remus was too. Deceit, pushed Patton's hands off him and stride over behind the King. Maybe he wasn't too late. Maybe there was still a chance. He let his hands slide onto Romulus's shoulders, being gentle for the twins. What he was going to do was probably going to hurt. No, that was wrong, it was going to hurt. He had thought he had been too late, but hearing Roman come through. Seeing that red eye brighten and no longer brown; Deceits plan was back into motion. Taking the venom filled syringe from his pocket, he stabbed the needle right where Romulus's heart would be, injecting the poison.

"Deceit!"

"Janus, no!" Patton and Logan both yelled in shock.

"Arg! What in the name of Mount Olympus was that?! That hurt!" Romulus's and Roman's overlapped voices cried out in pain.

"Shut up you fool and fade away. You're not needed anymore!" Romulus gritted out, shaking his head and doubling over as the words left his mouth, clearly in pain.

"Spare me the arguments and grab an arm." Deceit hissed. Taking that Roman was active enough to be heard as a good sign.

Virgil being the quickest despite being hurt, made his way over, and grabbed hold of an arm as the serpents all but faded. Patton and Logan following the Anxious sides lead and both pulling at the remaining arm. Deceit wrapped his arms around the struggling kings neck; now that he wasn't being restrained by the snake anymore, and squeezed, blocking off his oxygen. "Tell me!" He hissed. "Who is Creativity?!" He asked, knowing that now that his venom was in the heart, any amount of untruths would be hard to say, so King Romulus if he wasn't suppose to be here, would not be able to point himself to be Creativity; because he wasn't.

Romulus felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. It was beating so fast. He could feel the pull in his spine, adding into it that the others were also trying to rip him apart. He couldn't let that happen. He had to struggle. But the Snake was choking the life out of him. Had dared to ask 'Who was Creativity?" As if he was going to answer. He didn't know what the Snake had done, but he wasn't about to say Roman and Remus. He bit his tongue so he would not be compelled to answer. He fought against the Prince the was fighting to reach out and speak. He wasn't going to lose. He wasn't going to let the twins split him. He wasn't going to give up his spot as the reigning King f Creativity.

Virgil, Patton, and Logan were pulling with all their might. "Is this you winging it?" Virgil grunted as he pulled. He never thought they would have actually resulted in pulling the King apart, but what the hell. He wanted his Roman back.

"Shut it Virgil and just pull!" Deceit snapped, fangs elongating as he bit into Romulus's neck. The King was starting to glow in the colors of red and green. For what seemed like an eternity they pulled, but Romulus was still whole. From the way Deceits head was angled he was able to have a good view of the right eye that showed the green coming back rapidly and almost glowing like the red. But all Romulus was still fighting the split. He could tell by how hard the Kings face was concentrating. Pulling him wasn't going to be enough. Releasing the neck from his bite Deceit back up a few paces. King Romulus was talking but more than one voice was being spoken in a garble that it was hard to decipher what was being said. But he could hear the rain in the voices, could hear the twins fighting back. Could hear his Remus.

Breathing hard, he felt his form shifting on him. Not yet though. He couldn't rest yet. He could look like a creature off of Alien for the rest of Thomas's life, if it meant him maintaining his human form long enough to perform one last ditch effort to split the King. "Keep pulling, no matter what!" He hissed. The three other sides looked at him, watching him as his shape wavered. If he could make his snakes melt through walls and he himself had the ability as a side to pop in and sink out whenever he wanted. And if Romulus could forced Roman and Remus to stay fused. Then Deceit jumping in should be no different. He should be able to fuse as well."Hope this works." He mumbled, and lunged forward. "Just like in Steven Universe." He said, trying to reassure himself. Shifting into a snake midway as he melted into the Kings back.

"Deceit no!" Logan warned; too late.

"AH! NO! Get out of me!" Romulus shouted, the whites of his eyes that were black still, now turning yellow. He could feel the scales popping up on the side of his face, ruining his beautiful face! That creature was inside him! He could feel him slithering through him. The slimy snake was going to destroy him from the inside. Between the three sides in him now he was going to be clawed through! "Patton, please!" He begged hoping he could pull at the Heart's string and get him to help him. "Don't let him destroy me!"

"Oh, not good. Not good!" Patton was chanting, but did not stop pulling him.

"What now!" Virgil asked, looking to Logan who had stopped pulling.

The Logical side observed the amount of energy coming off the King now. Building up like the pressure in a shaken soda bottle. The red and green lights emitting from Romulus growing brighter, with a tint of yellow outlining them. "We have to get out of this room." Logan said, between being fascinated to horrified. "We must go now!" He urged as the King start screaming and wailing, shaking out of their grip. Logan grabbed both Patton and Virgil and bolted for the exit.

Just as they took cover, a horrifying wail was heard, accompanied by a blinding bright light, that last for one whole minute, before Logan even considered peeking back into the dungeon. The three sides held their breath as one by one the peeked inside. And couldn't help but gasp at what they saw. The room look like it got scorched by fire, but getting to their feet slowly were Roman and Remus.

"What in the name of everything Disney! My head!" Roman said, rubbing at the back of his head.

Remus was patting at himself, before glancing at his twin. "We're back." He grinned. "In one piece sadly, but we're back"

"Did you have to be so pushy in the end?" Roman asked. "I thought we were going to work together to escape him."

"I didn't shove you, you shoved me! I kept our treaty." Remus pouted. "For once." He added.

"You bit me just before we finely split." Roman accused.

"No you bit me! Which is quite incest-y of you brother dear. I didn't know you swung that way." Remus grinned.

Roman made a face.

"Roman!" Patton cheered running in, interrupting the brothers. "You're back!" The moral side, grabbed the Creative side by the face turning it this way and that, as parent would to check a child. Tears pooling around his eyes.

"Yes! I apologize for all that has happen. It was not our intention to fuse, but- Slap!" Virgil interrupter Roman by slapping him across the face, holding onto Patton as support, since he was still hurt. "Virgil…." Roman said, looking shocked and worried. "I'm sorry. I would never-"

"Can it, Princey!" Virgil growled. "You- you Idiot! I was scared!" He said, breathing getting rapid.

"Perhaps we should vacate this part of the mind and go back to the Common Area in the Light side." Logan suggested starting to see that both Patton and Virgil were about to get emotional. "It should be close time for Thomas to awaken, and we should probably check on him."

Remus wasn't paying the sides invading his castle any mind, he was too busy looking around. Shoving Patton and Virgil out of his way as he check the corridor outside, causing the Moral side to grab hold of Logan so to stop himself from falling over. "Where's Double Dee?" He asked, when he couldn't find his Lord of Lies.

"Raagh! Its not fair!" Everyone's head whipped around at the sound, finding a child wearing a beat up paper crown painted gold and wearing a kings costume one would find in a Halloween store. He was stomping his foot in the mists of a tantrum, further from the group. Or at least that was what everyone thought until they noticed the yellow snake that was getting trample on under the kids feet, hissing and trying to get away, but not making much progress.

"DeeDee!" Remus let out screech grabbing at his hair and ripping a few strand out in horror, before immediately switching to growling and charging the little boy, Morningstar summoning into his hand. "You little shit!" He growled, eyes turning green in anger.

Roman beat him to the kid however, picking the child up roughly by the back of his shirt, just as the Morningstar smashed into the wall that was behind the kid. "Well, hello there little King." Roman smiled, although it wasn't exactly friendly. Remus growled at his twins interference.

"I'll show you a little King!" The kid growled, kicking at air, as he dangled.

"Romulus?" Patton asked not getting close, even though he didn't approve of how Roman was holding him. It was a lot better than watching Remus smash his head in.

"I will make you all bow to me! I am still King Creativity!" The kid bellowed.

"Your character is anything but royalty, I'm afraid." Roman huffed, holding the kid like he was a mangy cat from an alleyway.

"That's right young man! You deserve a time out." Patton scolded,

"Oh, save me your bleeding heart, you imbecile." Kid Romulus spat.

"Let just kill him and get it over with." Remus growled, hefting his Morningstar like he was about to hit a pinata. "I got a score to settle." Roman found himself silently agreeing with his twin when his eyes landed on the head wound on Virgil.

"I don't think that will be necessary." Logan interjected. "With you two split and nothing holding him here. He should fade in three, two...one." And the King of Creativity broke apart in to a dozen tiny rainbow colored lights that died out as soon as they hit the floor.

Remus, blinked as his thoughts zeroed back on what was most important. "Dee!" He looked down where the yellow cobra like snake had been, to find it gone. "AH!" He screeched, dropping the Morningstar on Romans foot, dragging a curse from the Prince.

"Mickey and Goofy!" Roman howled, hopping as he grabbed said foot, causing a fuming Virgil to crack a smirk. "Watch it Remus, that could have broke something!"

"Too bad. It would have been funny."Remus commented, distracted as his eyes raked over the dark corners of the dungeon. His eyes stopping when they landed on Deceit's abandon hat and gloves. The Duke wasted no time in going over ans piking the items up, hoping Janus had slither under them to get away from the homicidal kid that was once King Creativity. But Janus wasn't there. "Hey, any of you farts for brains seen where Dee went?" He demand.

The Light side's all looked at each other, before returning their gaze to the Duke. Remus practically flew from the room and down the corridor screeching Deceits name, he wanted to see his Snakey Fiend and crush him in a big hug and never let him go. Wanted to rub at the sore spot where the King had trampled him and try; even if impossible to help make him feel better.

The Light sides watching him go. Before Roman made a move to draped an arm around Virgil. The Emo leaned into the warmth that was Roman, with a content sigh. "I'm not talking to you." Virgil huffed, burying his face into the crook of the Prince's neck. "Now pick me up. I think I'm about to pass out again." Roman let out a nervous chuckle with an apologetic smile as he followed Virgil's demand.

"Where did Deceit go?" Patton asked, looking to Logan for answers.

"He shouldn't be able to sink out as a snake." Virgil mumbled, eyes closed so to try an ease the pain that was banging around in his head, that was no doubt concussed.

Logan hummed. "Patton, what did you feel from Deceit when you last touched him. I mean when we last saw him he was covered in scales, not just half of him. I suspect that that was him trying to hold off turning into a snake." The Logical side was looking to Virgil for any clues, but the Anxious side shrugged his shoulders signaling that he wasn't sure himself.

"Its hard to explain Lo." Patton said, hunching in on himself slightly remembering what he felt from Deceit. "He just felt so broken and drained. Everything felt so fragile."

"Ah. I see. "Logan said,

The others stared at him when he did not continue. Wanting him to continue.

"What is that suppose to mean?!" Remus screeched, popping into the room and grabbing the Logical side by his tie. "Spill it dork!"

"We are all sides of Thomas, and therefore run on a specific amount of energy, especially with using our abilities. Now while he had tricked Romulus into thinking he could create stuff in the imagination-"

Remus growled and with a flick of his hand had Logan's tongue falling out. "Blah, blah, blah! I was there in the Darklord with Singalots and saw everything. Those snake are a part of Dee. He puts himself in them. Yes, that takes a lot out of him. Now hurry it up, Whale penis!"

Logan wiped a hand over his mouth as his tongue was back where it was suppose to be, looking annoyed. "If you insist. I believe he overdid it. And while we have yet to see what would happened when we give everything. I hypothesize that…." The logical side stopped, when Patton touched his arm. Seeing the Dad side staring worriedly at the Duke. Logan took a moment to access the Duke. Who if possible had gone pale.

"Shit on an ice cream cone!" Remus screeched. "My Double Dee!" And before anyone could stop him the Duke was gone.

Patton grabbed at Logan's hand pleadingly. "A side can't die right?" He asked.

Logan noticed everyone staring at him for the answers. "Sadly, I am unsure it is possible."

"I almost forgot!" Remus said, pooping back in and taking a tight hold on Logan's tie again practically choking the logical side. "Your coming with." He said, popping both of them out with a snap of his fingers.

"Remus!" Roman bellow. "Hold onto me Patton. I can follow him." He said, keeping a tight grip on Virgil who was no longer responding to anything around him.

(Darkside Common Area)

Deceit dragged himself on the floor, not know how he was able to pop back home. He had honestly wanted to stay and hug Remus. He know it had work. He felt the shift of the mind righting itself deep in his bones as soon as he pushed the twin apart. He also felt the moment a regressed King Creativity stomped on his head and back and was only vaguely aware when the stomping had stopped. After that it was like he was moving in a trance. He felt pulled to his room and he couldn't fight it. Not even for Remus. He was only able to stop for a moment to grab the Octopus plushy from the couch with his tail as he slithered his way up the stairs; Carefully, as his back was and ribs were hurting him so bad. He was cold, he was tired. And when he saw his room come into view, he let out a tired but satisfied hiss to see that somehow, the mind had fixed his door. He didn't know the mindscape could do that.

Blinking sleepily, Deceit slithered into his room, noting that it was unusually cold there too, but maybe he could get warm in the mountain of blankets he slept in on the bed. His bed, that was somehow closer to the floor. In fact, everything seemed closer to the floor. Looking back, he found his door gone, having not even heard the door close. Oh, well. He hissed, slowly moving himself and the chosen plushy into the small bed that sat underneath a heat lamp that did not turn on ocne Deceit was under it. That was strange he noted again. He sighed, as he coiled around the plushy contently. He would deal with that once he had gotten some much needed sleep. He deserved some rest.

Then he was going to go a strangle, kiss, and never let go of Remus. He was going to tell him not to touch anything that he and Roman had not created. He was going to scold both twins for acting without thinking. They could have severely hurt Thomas if Deceit hadn't been able to help them split back apart. He wouldn't be surprise if he woke up and found the Duke wrapped around him.

Peeking one last time where his door was, or should have been. The Snake side, didn't even realize the dilemma in his thinking. For there was no door. No closet. The room was losing its shade of yellow around the serpent as he went to sleep, dreaming happily of him waking and Remus there to finally greet him. The adventures the Duke was going to take him on. The movie nights. The snake hissed contently, the room around him growing smaller and smaller around him. He was sure Remus would find someway to get in. The yellow snake snuggled its head into the plushy octopus.

TBC