They made it.
Orchid's base seemed a lot bigger than Purple thought, despite having many decent looks at it through visions.
"We ready for vengeance?" Dark asked, a tint of venom in his voice.
"Uhm...I guess?" Purple and Second said.
"Good. Let's kill this bitch-HEY!" Second grabbed Darl before he could move the boat any further.
"We need a plan before we jump in blindly! Do you want us to die?!" Second snapped angrily.
"No..." Dark sighed.
"Then we'll think of a plan." Second affirmed.
"Or we could jump up there and attack her. After all, Orchid's up there." Dark said matter-of-factly, pointing up to the top of the base.
Orchid stood with a laser of sorts.
"What the hell is that?" Purple asked.
"A laser or something." Dark answered, barely paying the question any mind as he stared in awe at the machine.
"So this is what she's planning. She must be planning to wipe out the whole world with that grey shit."
"With that?"
"Wouldn't surprise me." Purple said.
"Purple's right. Now, let's make a plan and stop her before she kills the rest of our friends." Dark said.
"Got it."
There was, in fact, a way for them to sneak in mostly without getting caught. A couple guards Purple and Dark could easily take out, but nothing else too major.
It also didn't take long for them to notice how much of a lab the base resembled.
"It's like the sky dome, only bigger and more decked out." Second commented.
"Exactly like the sky dome. And your gonna live here, Purple?" Dark asked.
"If their plan works in their favor." Purple reminded. "And either way, I'll blow the place up."
"Eh, true."
They snuck through the halls in silence for a while, keeping an eye out for guards patrolling the halls.
"Why's there so many guards?!" Dark whispered.
"Orchid was probably expecting us to follow," Second whispered back. "Now be quiet so Purp can focus."
"Both of you, be quiet and duck into a room. There's guards coming!" Purple shushed in an instant.
"Shit." Dark grabbed the sticks and dragged them into a room.
They waited in an agonizing silence for a few moments before noticing a light at the end.
"I thought this was a storage room..." Dark said, his voice barely above a whisper as he carefully stepped towards the light, keeping Purple and Second close amidst the darkness.
Once they reached the edge of the room and towards the pale blue light, they noticed something about the light.
It was cylinder in shape, something like a tank.
"A submersion tank." Purple said, recognizing the appearance of the light.
"A what?"
"It's a tank filled with water," Dark explained. "Navy kept Purple in one of these while we were held hostage. They're designed to hold humanoid inventions or something."
"How do you know this?" Second asked, against his better judgement.
"Purple was stuck in one." Dark said.
"Oh yeah."
"Why would Orchid have one, though? It doesn't make any sense."
"Orchid said she was going to try and bring her husband back," Purple said, staring at the tank. "He's probably in here."
"You think their plan's actually gonna work?" Second asked worridly.
"There's a chance. But if we're lucky, we can stop her." Purple reassured.
"Okay, is it just me, or does it feel like there's something more in here?" Dark asked.
"Like what?"
"Like...something more otherworldly..." Second noted the tint of fear in his voice.
"I kinda feel something too." Purple added.
"Same...but what could it be?" Second asked.
A cold gust of wind pushed past them.
"Was that the door?" Dark asked timidly.
Nothing.
"Guys?"
"What the-Where'd Dark go?!"
"Dark! Dark, this isn't funny!" Purple shouted.
The room suddenly felt eerily silent.
"Sec?"
Nothing.
"Guys, this isn't funny! Where are you?!"
Still nothing.
"Okay...you can do this. Just gotta...find the easy out of here..."
The way out didn't seem too far away before the world felt like grain on his feet.
"Sand? What-"
His thoughts were interrupted by an energy blast.
"What the..."
Once the blast cleared, everything clicked into place.
Yellow and the others were in serious danger.
"No, King!" Purple knew it was hopeless, as if he cared.
They were going to die.
"No...no no no! Please! Don't die..."
"Oh, don't worry. Your friends are fine. Oh, and look on the bright side! You'll remaining alive friends will have a front row seat to your demise!"
Purple looked up and stared at Night Shade. Everyone else was turning to stone at rapid speed, and it spiked Purple's fear higher than he could ever imagine.
"No, please...don't do this..."
Purple stayed on the ground at King's side, refusing to leave him.
"Don't do this to me..."
"Purple's lost his entire family..." King snapped with what remaining strength he had. "Don't make him watch the deaths of the only people he has left..."
"Oh, but then where's the fun in that?!" Night Shade smirked."
"King, no...please, no!"
The vision dissipated, leaving Purple in the pitch black void he'd grown accustomed to.
"King...no..."
He was dead.
They were dead.
They were all dead and he couldn't do anything about it.
He was alone, stuck in a pitch black void, sobbing at the loss of all he had left.
Dark and Second were probably the same.
Maybe they were all just forced to live out whatever sick fantasies Orchid put then under until they finally snapped.
"I figured you'd have this type of reaction."
The familiar blue stick figure in front of him spoke with such casualness, it drove Purple insane.
"You. Fucking. Asshole. Do you not understand what you've just done?! My entire family is dead! You killed my family! My friends! My father!" Purple shouted through angry and heartbroken tears.
"Oh, but Purple," Navy said, a gentle smile matching his tone. It was almost deceiving. "I am your father."
Purple's body filled with rage. His hands felt hot with fire he couldn't control. "The hell you are."
"What?"
"You never were, and never will be my father."
The older man was hit with a fireball thrown by the younger child, who stepped back from shock.
I did not expect it to be that strong, Holy shit.
He remembered something Chosen had said about his powers earlier, when he was helping him control them.
"Purple's powers activated when we were in danger."
"They feed off of strong emotions: fear, stress, anger."
"So that's what happened at the temple..." Purple whispered to himself. An intense wave of anger washed over him.
They killed his friends.
They killed King.
They killed his family.
They could kill so many more innocent people and he wasn't going to let it happen.
They weren't hurting anyone else.
Navy recovered his senses after being hit with the fireball and snarled. "You're going to regret that."
Purple felt more fireballs return to his hands, and let the anger wash over him. "You killed everyone I had left. The only people who actually cared about me. My friends. My family. I'm not going to let anyone else die at the hands of you and your repair the family fantasies."
Navy seemed to feel the rage Purple felt.
"You killed my father."
"But, Purple-"
"YOU KILLED MY FATHER!" Purple screamed, causing Navy to flinch.
Navy backed up slightly, staring at the bright fireballs in his hands. "Purple, please-"
"I'll see you in hell, Navy." Purple spat angrily, throwing the fireballs full force at the older stick.
A bright light consumed the area, and Navy was gone.
Purple sunk to the floor, another wave of sobs racking him.
This didn't change anything.
They were still dead.
"I shouldn't have left him..."
"Staying would've just made things worse, kid."
Purple froze, hearing the familiar voice.
He couldn't be...
"I'm so sorry for leaving you, my little flower."
Was that...
No, it couldn't be!
King was standing right in front of him, alive and unharmed.
But...no, this couldn't be possible.
"King?"
"Hey, kid."
Purple collapsed into King's arms, burying his face in his shoulder as he sobbed.
"Your...your here...your not dead..."
Purple felt his body shaking with sobs.
He's here.
He's actually here.
"Not for long, I won't be."
"But your...you...you can't leave me...you can't..."
"I'm not, I promise. I'll still be here. Remember? I promised I wouldn't leave you. I promised I'd always be here to protect you."
"But your dead...I left and you...you died because of it! It's my fault you guys are dead! It's not their fault! It's mine!"
"Purple."
"I'm so sorry...it's all my fault..."
"Purple, stop it. It's not your fault. You went to stop Orchid from killing more people, and it backfired. But your still here. You can still help us. You can still bring us back."
"But...how? The only thing we have are powers, and we don't know how the grey stuff works."
King grabbed his hand and put something small and yellow in his hand. "You'll stop her. I promise. Stopping her will help bring us back, I promise."
"But...
"Purple, baby, listen. You'll bring us back. I don't know how, but you will. You'll rescue Dark and Second, wherever they are. You might think everything's on you now, mainly since it is, but I know you can do this. You've gotten past every obstacle thrown your way since this whole thing started, and this...this isn't any different. You'll stop them. I promise."
Purple calmed down a little hearing the comfort. He would save the others, stop Orchid, and bring King back.
Somehow.
Purple hugs him again. "I'll bring you back. I promise."
King hugs him back tight. "I know you will."
Purple's vision begins to fade before King speaks again just before everything goes dark.
"I love you, my little flower."