Second and the others ended up waiting another couple of hours once most of them regrouped, since Green and Yellow's groups still hadn't arrived by the time the vast majority had returned to the Nether.

Most of them were bored out of their minds, sitting in small groups and talking about what they'd do once everything had died back down to normal, but Second wandered around the castle throne room, pacing around the groups like a madman.

"You don't see us pacing like psychopaths in a mental asylum." Sapphire commented.

"Are your best friends missing?" Second snapped.

"Yes. But my point still stands."

"Shut up."

"I'm sure they'll get here soon," King reassured. "It might be a little harder to get the Ravager on our side, and Green didn't exactly bring reinforcements besides Purple last time."

"We're here!" Green chimed, walking into the thrown room with the others.

"Who the fuck are, like, half of those guys?" Copper asked, staring at the other three sticks.

Scarlet hesitated, half expecting the reaction she would get. "Mocha's friends."

Sapphire, Gold, and Copper jumped up, staring at the three behind Scarlet with anger.

"Hey, hey! Chill out, you guys!" Green shouted.

"Why should we?! Those assholes bullied Purple!" Gold shouted.

"They almost killed Sunny when we were kids!" Sapphire added.

"Not to mention Green almost ripped Mocha's nose off with a roller skate." Copper finished.

"To be fair, the fucker deserved it." Green justified.

"Yeah, and then we're all being questioned because you assaulted someone." Second deadpanned.

"It would've been justifiable."

"Moving forward!" Scarlet shouted. "They want to help us rescue Purple."

Various protests from the group.

"What?!"

"Absolutely not!"

"Why in hell would they want to help the person they made fun of for no apparent reason?!"

"They're gonna backstab us. I'm calling it."

"Hey, HEY!" Scarlet screamed, silencing the uproar. "They're not gonna backstab us, and they're very aware they fucked up when it comes to Purple. Just let them help, and they'll prove that they're sorry. Okay?"

Copper gave the trio behind his friend one last stare before sighing aggressively. "Fine. They can help. But one slip-up that favors the enemies, and they're dead."

"Deal."

Another couple of hours went by, and Blue and Yellow still hadn't arrived.

"Where the fuck are they?! It's been almost four hours since most of us regrouped, and the ravager is not that stubborn!"

"We're working with the guy who murdered his family in front of him," Second said. "There's a number of reasons why they've gone MIA."

"Fair point."

"Uhm, Sec? Portal." Red pointed behind him.

"What? Portal? Where?"

Something made a loud explosion sound behind him, and everyone jumped.

"Jesus Christ!"

"The hell?!" Gold shouted.

A green stick figure stood in front on the other side.

"Willow?!"

"She's alive?!"

"Holy shit."

"Well, that's one less problem we have to deal with!" Green exclaimed.

"Willow, where are the others?" Red asked.

She said nothing.

"Willow!"

Another stick figure entered their vision.

"Who's she?" Gold asked.

"Why does she look like King?"

The others glanced at King.

"The fuck you guys looking at me for? I don't know her."

"Then who is she?"

"Does it matter?!" Sapphire shouted. "Willow's alive, and the others could be too! We've gotta get in there!"

"Sapphire's right. The longer we stand here and argue, the lesser chance the others have for survival."

"As long as they didn't die during the entire attack in the first place." Chosen whispered to himself, the memory flashing by.

King and the others glanced to the side of their high-suspended cage, noticing another one, with a few familiar faces.

"Dark?! You're alive?!" Chosen exclaimed.

"Should be asking you the same thing." Purple deadpanned.

"Are you guys okay?" King asked.

"Would be if Willow's traitor brother didn't kidnap us and throw Purple into a wall." Second muttered.

"That makes two of us, kid."

"Got you guys off guard, didn't he?"

"He kept acting all paranoid, and once we confronted him about it, he changed demeanor entirely and attacked us." Gold explained.

"He used drones on us, too!" Blue added.

"There has to be a way to stop him, without dying." Willow said. "So long as Night Shade's alive…"

"They're unstoppable." Purple finished for her.

King glanced at him. "How did you know that?"

"Navy trapped us in a void, and I figured it out myself."

"Told you he was a smart kid." King looked at Red.

"I'm aware."

"CHOSEN, LOOK OUT!" Dark screamed suddenly.

As the others looked up, something collided with the chain holding King's cage up in the air, sending it falling to the ground.

"Shit! Willow!" Sunny screamed.

"Oh, don't worry. You'll join them soon enough." A voice said.

"Navy, you son of a bitch." Purple shouted.

"Oh, calm down son," A hooded figure from the rafters said gently, an energy ball resting in their hand.

"Look out!" Red shouted.

"Dark, get ready to attack!" Second shouted. "Who knows what that ball has."

The figure tossed it, and Sunny and Second threw themselves in front of Purple to protect him.

Dark countered the energy beam with a fireball, and the force of the collision and heat of the fireball broke the chains holding their own cage.

"GET DOWN!" Chosen screamed just before the cage hit the ground.

"Yellow!" King tossed the younger stick the Command Staff towards him. "I'll get Purple out of here! You keep Navy from attacking us!"

"Right!"

"Hang on, kid!" "Don't worry, kid. This story isn't over just yet."

God, he felt so stupid!

"Don't let go, kid…please…"

"I…I'm so sorry…"

"Purple…no…"

"Purple, no! Please!"

Purple used his free hand to spawn an energy blast, and as more people failed to fight the portal's grasp, he pushed King completely out of the blast range and let the portal grab hold of him.

"PURPLE!"

Blue and the others watched in horror. "LOOK OUT!" Blue screamed, tackling Yellow to the ground as explosions fired overhead.

"Let's hope this works."