Updates will be slow, I'm afraid, as my mom will need at least a month to recover. Don't be surprised if some of it is placed inside my story, as I need a form of release. I've been under a lot of stress.

E-Bart landed near Springfield, grinning. What should I destroy first? So many choices. He flew up to the Springfield sign and thought to himself. "No, I won't touch my family now that there is no necessity, but this city will burn." He declared to himself. E-Bart came up with the perfect target.

He turned invisible and flew towards Springfield Elementary, which was a major representation of his misery. "I hate them all," He hissed furiously. "Skinner, Jimbo, Krabappel, Martin, Lovejoy… I had to deal with all of them here. No more." He flew inside the school and realized it was not yet time for class.

E-Bart considered waiting for students to show up, but lost patience. This was not a building he ever wanted to see again. "I caused a lot of damage here in my weakness. Let's see them try to repair this!" He charged up a massive blast in his hands, and unleashed it, riding the explosion.

It detonated immediately, sending him through the air. However, his thoughts went to his kindergarten years when his initial hope was crushed by an uncaring teacher. "Lousy whore; I'd love to get my hands on her."

XXXXX

Skinner whistled as he walked towards the school, ready for another day. "I hope I can get at least some students to pass." He sighed. "Superintendent Chalmers has been pushing me hard and I don't want to get fired again." He truly hated having to struggle with the teachers in order to give the kids an education. Most thought he was a lousy principal, but he did pretty well under the circumstances.

Maybe I could hire some competent teachers but we don't have the money. Well, I suppose I can… A massive explosion knocked him off his feet. He flew over 10 feet and landed on his back. Once he recovered somewhat, Skinner saw that the entire school was in utter ruin. It was much like when they struck oil, only a hundred times worse.

As far as he could see, nothing was still standing. Springfield Elementary was reduced to little more than a crater with a few pieces of rubble beside it. "What the…" Skinner gasped, seeing a black figure fly above it. He must be the one responsible for this; he looks familiar but… He took cover so the creature wouldn't see him.

XXXX

Bart woke up and ate breakfast, still thinking about the figures he had seen the previous night. "What exactly are they planning?" he wondered. "They want to destroy Springfield, but how? What did they say? God, I hate having ADD."

"Bart, stop muttering to yourself and eat your breakfast." Marge complained. Sighing, he did so. "Your father's been trying to steal your food."

"Hey, I'm hungry." Homer argued. "If Bart isn't going to eat it, why can't I?" Bart shoved his plate towards his father, who ate greedily. Marge gave him a stern look, but Homer didn't notice.

"May as well get ready for school,' Bart shuddered. Ever since he had gotten his powers, he had been sorely tempted to lash out at his tormentors. The only reason he had not done so was because he did not want to end up like… like HIM. It isn't easy being a hero, but I have to. Who else is going to protect people?

Santa's little helper came towards him, wagging his tail. Bart chuckled and petted him, kneeling down. "You'll always be there for me, won't you boy?" The dog barked in response. 'Damn, I'm hungry. I shouldn't have given Homer my food.

Lisa, meanwhile, was packed up and ready to go. "Hey, Bart, would you mind getting my history book at school today?" she asked. "I think I left it in the principal's office."

"Fine, fine." He sighed, not wanting to. It's amazing how much I've matured in the past few months. Bart floated above her for several seconds, and eventually decided to ask the question. "Lis, you mind researching some stuff for me? I had to deal with a couple of powerful angry people last night who wanted to destroy Springfield. Look it up in Ancient Legends or something. You're better at this stuff than I am."

"Do you know anything more than that? It'll help to have a reference point."

"It was dark, and I was fighting for my life. I didn't have time to observe all the details; just that they had a plot to destroy Springfield."

"All right, all right; I'll do what I can, but no promises. I'm going to watch the news."

"Why do you watch it? It's boring; well, except for when I was your co-anchor. It was fun, except for when Willie came after me."

He was interrupted by a long, loud belch from Homer when he sat down on the couch. "Okay, next year, I'll win that contest for sure." He chuckled. "Sherman, you won't beat me… more than 6 times in a row. Sigh, nothing like a few duffs before work." He started flipping channels. "Boring, boring, not sexy enough, too sexy, news, boring, boring; god, there's nothing on! Wait, here's an action movie!" He stopped and set down the remote.

"Good morning, Springfield; I'm Kent Brockman." He said in his usual voice. "Today has taken a destructive tone as an unknown creature has destroyed Springfield Elementary ("Yes!" Bart exclaimed) Arnie, what do you see?"

"It's crazy out there, Kent." Arnie exclaimed. "Cars and street signs are being thrown everywhere. The police are nowhere to be seen. People are running in panic as this creature rips everything to shreds. Oh, forget it! I don't get paid enough to do this!" He fled, but not before Bart managed to catch a brief glimpse of his face.

"He's back." Bart declared in a whisper, although Homer and Lisa were able to hear him.

XXXXX

E-Bart laughed as he destroyed yet another building. It was easy to get so wrapped up in the senseless destruction that he wouldn't have to think about anything. He had to admit, he wasn't paying much attention to the people running in panic; E-Bart didn't really care. True, people were probably dying in the explosions, but they were of little consequence.

That is, until the police showed up. E-Bart blew up the vehicles and continued his rampage. Their guns could not even scratch him, so he did not take them as a threat. Every time a patrol car rounded the corner, he picked it up and threw it into a nearby building. Sometimes the cops managed to get out in time; other time they perished.

E-Bart looked at his surroundings. It had been only half an hour and he had already managed to destroy over 10 city blocks. It shouldn't take more than a day or two to completely raze this city. In this time, there is no technology that can stop me. SWAT teams and firefighters began arriving at the scene. Bart attacked them as well, but they were aware of his tactics and many managed to avoid him.

The SWAT team began firing once they were under some cover. E-Bart growled in annoyance; their bullets didn't hurt, but they were rather irritating. E-Bart flew around and fired more shots, but it did nothing to reduce the volley. Whatever; they're a waste of my time. He began to broaden his horizons, blowing up more buildings.

In one case, he destroyed an entire block with his sonic attack, to which he laughed gleefully. "Now where is my younger self," He muttered to himself. "I know him and he would not stand by while I destroy the city." The answer came by way of fist, as Bart slammed into his side, knocking him several hundred feet. "Welcome to the show, Bart."

"You monster; you'll pay for this." Bart dived towards his older self, who simply put up a shield with a chuckle.

"I see you haven't learned anything." E-Bart smirked, going on the offensive. He fired shot after shot, but Bart managed to avoid them all. Looks like he's learned a few things, but no matter; it won't save him. "If you had, you'd be fleeing this doomed city."

Bart's response was to speed up and punch him across the jaw, followed with a massive blast to the gut. E-Bart glared death; He's gotten stronger, then; that actually hurt! "I'm twice as strong as I was last time." Bart declared, trying to give himself confidence.

"But your catchphrases are no more original." E-Bart charged towards his younger self, delivering a shock. Bart screamed, but managed to get away by kicking him across the jaw. He fired another blast, but E-Bart smacked it aside. "So pathetic. Haven't you learned anything?"

"Yeah: I'm never going to become you!"

"Perhaps, but your fate is independent of mine. That means I can do whatever I want to you." E-Bart charged forward, firing energy out of his eyes. Bart dodged most shots and blocked the ones he couldn't avoid.

Okay, I still can't beat this guy. Bart groaned to himself. On some level, he knew this already. He was merely trying to buy enough time to get people out. E-Bart kicked him in the ribs, sending him into a damaged building. His eyes glowed red with hate. Bart panted, struggling to recover.

But his future self wasn't about to give him a chance. He threw a flurry of punches and bit into his flesh. "You're weak; you always have been." E-Bart laughed. Bart groaned and tried to escape his grip, but his evil self was too strong.

"No, I'm not weak." He said quietly. "I am not weak!" He fired eye beams, which weakened E-Bart grip because of the surprise, and gave him the chance to escape. Bart dived into him, smashing his nose before E-Bart flung him away.

"Not bad, but you'll need to do better." E-Bart conceded, healing his nose. He was well aware that the more time passed by, the greater the difference in power would shrink. He put a shield around him and beckoned his younger self forward.

They continued to battle, but it was obvious that the older Bart had the upper hand. Bart knew he wouldn't last much longer without aid. His prayers seemed to have been answered when his evil self was knocked aside by an angel.

"Come on, we have to beat him." Maude encouraged. "We can do it if we work together." She drew a sword and faced E-Bart.

"Those who play together lose together, Maude." E-Bart laughed, conjuring a sword of his own. "You should have left me alone; now you're going to die like everyone in this fucking city." Maude parried his blows, trying to find a weak spot. True, he had no real skill to speak of, but he had so much strength that it didn't matter.

Bart fired his eye blast, but his evil self smacked them aside and flew above one of Maude's thrusts. He rained hell on the duo, injuring them and destroying any structures that were still standing in the area. Maude protected Bart with a white shield, but E-Bart eventually broke through it.

They flew higher in the air and continued to fight. None of their shots were very accurate and with the older Bart, even the few that made contact did almost nothing to him. He was slightly winded, but his opponents were much more so.

"Do you have some kind of a plan?" Bart asked Maude.

"I'm thinking of one." Maude admitted. "You distract him while I stab him from behind." She fired a few token shots as a distraction, while Bart barreled into him. He punched him several times across the jaw and threw him off. E-Bart grabbed his young self before he could launch a counterattack and delivered an electric shock to his body.

Maude charged forward, only to be grabbed by the neck. "I knew what you were going to do." He bragged. "Even if you had succeeded, it would not be enough." He punched her ribs and extended claws, tearing into her soul. Bart tried to defend her, but all his attacks were blocked or dodged. "I confess myself disappointed. You are supposed to be my guardian." Before he could deliver the killing blow, she disappeared.

If Bart was frightened before, he was terrified now. Even with Maude helping him, they didn't have a chance at winning, but they could at least fight back. Without her, though… he wouldn't last a minute. He gulped and turned to face what was almost his future.

E-Bart flew forward, his fists glowing with power. Bart put up a shield and while it didn't protect him completely, he was spared the worst of it. However, it was only a temporary respite as his energy reserves were going down rapidly. E-Bart pounded whatever shields he managed to put up and even his new power was not enough to withstand the assault. He fell to the ground, though he slowed himself enough so that it would not be fatal. He braced himself for the final blow…

Only to have Marge shielding him with her body. E-Bart stopped for a second, hesitant to attack her. "Leave him alone." She demanded. "If you want to kill him, you'll have to go through me."

"Please, mother; don't make me laugh." He grinned. "Your weak son has my powers and he can't stand against me; you are only a human." He charged up a shot in his right hand, using his left to put up a shield so they would not be interrupted. "Die!"

Both of them closed their eyes, expecting to die, but the shot hit several feet above them. "You couldn't do it, could you?" she informed, though she was pretty surprised herself. "In spite of your terrible power, the people you've killed in your rampage, you're still my son!"

E-Bart was not able to reply as a portal opened behind him, sucking him in. He struggled, but even his power was not enough to resist. When it subsided, he looked at his surroundings. One of the locals was not familiar, though the other two were none other than Elizabeth and Gideon Crosse.

"If it isn't my old enemies," Bart laughed. "I don't know who you are, but I'll destroy all of you."

"Is that so, weakling?" A voice boomed behind him. Bart turned around and saw a red figure easily 4 times his height. He had horns and was carrying a sword in one hand and a mace in the other. "Your choices are simple: submit or die."

"Apparently you don't know who I am." Bart laughed. "But I'll be happy to show you." He fired a moderate shot, expecting the figure to be vaporized. Instead, his opponent smacked it aside with ease. Bart's eyes widened; whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that. He wasn't going to give up so easily, though. He fired his strongest blast, not wishing to be beaten. His opponent fired red energy in the middle of it, and it became a struggle for power.

Bart pushed more and more energy into his hands, now starting to feel fear. He was obviously far more powerful than Maude or his weak self. The other matched it and for over a minute, it went back and forth. However, Bart was showing considerable strain, while it had no noticeable effect on the large being. "I grow bored of this." He laughed, using all his power, which easily overcame and sent him to the floor.

Groaning, Bart slowly got up, determined to beat his opponent. But how? He's stronger than I am! "I'm not done yet." He got up, putting a shield around himself. The giant smirked and fired crimson eye beams, which Bart barely managed to defend himself from. He dodged more of them, as he was no longer confident in his ability.

Furious, Bart fired his wail, not holding anything back. His opponent simply smirked and put a shield around himself while the area shook around them. The other three took cover and watched the contest with interest. When Bart let up, he saw that he hadn't so much as dented his shield. Before he could come up with another plan, he found himself screaming from a powerful bolt of lightning. "What… what the hell are you?" He managed to gasp out.

"I am Satan, the king of darkness." He laughed. "I have heard of your triumph in your timeline, but he was merely an impostor. However, I will admit you put up a decent struggle, more so than those two." He pointed to Elizabeth and Gideon. Satan raised his hand again. Bart felt a burning sensation, and saw a red skull burning on his chest. "Aid me in my rise to power, and you will be placed high in my councils. Refuse, and you will die."

Reluctantly, Bart agreed to it, but he would find a way out. True, he was almost invincible, but he had weakness, which he intended to find. "Now that we understand each other, let me introduce everyone." Satan said pleasantly. "You already know Elizabeth and Gideon, I see, and this is my second in command, Randall Flagg."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance." Flagg laughed. He wore blue jeans with cowboy boots and a shirt. He would almost have looked human, save for his glowing eyes.

"As for what I want you to do, you need to find 10 crystals that contain the power that was stripped away from me." Satan smirked. "I know the location of 5, but to help you, take these. They will allow you to know if a crystal is nearby. Eventually, I will give you your final instructions."

Elizabeth and Gideon were both planning to break away as soon as they figured out how. Obviously, those crystals had great power, but how could they be turned to their advantage? In the meantime, though, they would have to follow orders. Flagg watched all three of them suspiciously. He knew they were plotting treason against his lord, and was not about to let them.

Bart, meanwhile, already had a scheme in mind.

Yes, I admit I got the idea from "Master and Apprentice" for which I give him credit for. However, this will be quite different, as you will soon find out. He cannot destroy any of them through the mark, but he will know what they are doing. (He can't read minds, though) Not to mention there's a story explaining all this.