One would have thought that the awful smell of rotten food would wake him up. Nope. Then there was the cold and wet floor on which he was laying on for several hours straight. Not a chance. Or perhaps just the fact he was sleeping on his hand for the whole time. That was uncomfortable, yes, but ultimately meaningless. Because the true reason why he woke up was not the cellar itself he was in, but rather staring of a mysterious figure watching him from the shadowy corner.
"STAR!" The boy yelled from his diaphragm. "Whoa, where- Who-" He kept asking random questions while trying to make sense of his last memories. It took him a good while to calm down, but after that he had another reason to feel anxiety: those memories did not fit his new surroundings. And it wasn't even those that bothered him as much as the unnerving feeling that something wasn't right with this place. Coldness, humidity, twilight - all the regular stuff you would expect after being kidnapped. And yet, everything felt strangely… unalive.
"You took quite a long nap. I was worried that I hit you too much. Mewmens can take such a hit, but you…"
"Huh?" The presence of another person was slipping to his mind only very slowly; his nerves were still shot from the experience.
"Marco, is it? An interesting name. Doesn't sound like something from here. I'm curious, where did you come from?"
"What? I… uhm, I-I don't understand."
"Still disorientated, I see. Well, maybe this will jog his memory." The speaking silhouette calmly left the shadowy corner and stepped into the light.
His sight was still a little blurry, but he tried his best to identify the person standing over him. Thankfully his logical thinking wasn't affected so badly, so without taking any conscious action, he automatically started to assess it.
Well, for starters, it's a woman, so that's that. Looking at her face I'd say she is in her late thirties, no more. What's next… Uhm, she isn't very tall, maybe 160 centimeters or so? Huh, she isn't that much taller than I am. She has a British accent, so my guess would be she is a foreigner. Wait… Did I volunteer to take her on tour? She's a new teacher perhaps? Oh, derailing, you need to focus. What else do you see? Well, I uhm… The clothes! They look kinda funny. And old. Not their age, but their style. If I remember correctly, this was a thing in the 1920s. Huh, now that I think of it, I actually like that style. And she looks good in it too. Sooooo, what else do I see? What else, what e- STOP STARING AT HER CHEST, DAMMIT! That's not relevant! OK, arms. Still not helpful, but we're getting there. Wait a second, are those… her hands? They look… purple, dark purple to be exact. Almost black. WHOA!
And just like that, as if some imaginary force kick-started his engine, all the information fell to their places and the image was crystal clear. And horrifying.
"ECLIPSA?!" Marco jumped to his feet, but thanks to the slippery floor he lost balance, fell down and hit his head. He was out once again.
Eclipsa couldn't believe her own eyes. "What just happened? Did he… Did he just did that? I have waited two days… for this?"
"I don't want to sound disrespectful, my queen, but you aren't exactly emanating welcoming warmth."
"That was a rhetorical question, Laar! But you might have a point. I think I'll go change my clothes to something more subtle."
"You will what now?"
"You have a problem with it?"
"I wouldn't dare, milady! It's just that…" Now he wasn't sure if he should finish his thought. "It's just that I never saw you in a different clothing. I didn't realize you even had different clothes."
"I'm giving you five seconds to take that back."
"I'm taking it back!"
"That's what I thought. Take care him while I go change."
"But my mistress, why are you keeping him here, in this dump? How do expect to gain his trust?"
"He's staying where he is because I do not know him."
"I don't follow."
"What else is new. He stays here because he isn't Mewmen. I'm not sure if my magic will have the desired effect on him. I can't risk his escape."
"How can you know he ain't Mewmen? He looks like one."
"He feels wrong."
"How wrong?"
"Stop bothering me with your stupid questions! I'm going to change, so lock him up and keep an eye on him."
"As you wish, milady."
Laar turned over to the motionless body. "What does she needs him for?"
It took him another day before he woke up again. He instinctively touched the spot on his forehead that he hit while trying to get away from Eclipsa. Whereas before he was confused, now he felt the most intense pain in his life: the one that a day old unattended injury sent down his body.
"That hurts!" His instinct was to check it again, resulting in a second wave of pain. "OK, stop doing that!"
He inspected the enclosing. "Well, looks like I'm still here, wherever here is. I'm still alive, if a bit damaged, so that's a plus."
He was in a lot better shape than before, so after he acquainted himself with the cellar, the memories hit him like a train wreck.
"The Ball. Star! Eclipsa!" The experience of seeing her for the first time engraved itself so deep within his mind, that even mentioning her name sent him down a spiral of crippling fear and anxiety. In this state he started to panic. Escape? Stay and fight? Stay and die? What to do? Where to go? He was alone with a maniac.
"I need to… calm down. Just breathe, breathe, you got this. This isn't the first time you got kidnapped. I'm sure Star will swoop in and rescue you in no time."
He truly believed in that. His eyes were watchfully gazing at closed doors. But they wouldn't move. No one was coming this time.
"So, that is… unfortunate. Guess I'm on my own then. This will be a piece of cake, right? I mean, I just need to open these locked doors and-"
He tried to turn the knob in hope that by some miracle the doors won't shut in their place. To his surprise, they weren't. Their creaky nose filled up the lifeless halfway behind them.
"Ooookay, so that just happened." He carefully peered through the narrow space. The hall was well lit and its light felt almost welcoming. Certainly far more welcoming than this weak light bulb in this stinking cellar.
Feeling that he had not much to gain by standing in there any longer, he dared to open the doors wide open. Their crying once again stuffed the corridor from top to bottom.
When he stepped outside, he sensed an accomplishment: he wasn't dead, yet, and it seemed that Eclipsa was nowhere near.
Or so he thought.
"Bravo! You managed to stand up and get out without throwing yourself back to sleep. It's an improvement."
Aaand his fragile emotional equilibrium went puff. "Wha-wha-wha." Monsters he could handle; they just looked scary and made scary noises. But a few well landed hits on their deformed bodies and they fell down like flies. But Eclipsa was a different thing entirely.
For starters, she wasn't a monster, so the moral certainty of his violent actions went down the river. Next, she was a woman. This created a moral dilemma in his mind. Would it be acceptable to hit her first as a preemptive strike? But the most important question was: would he survive it?
Another issue was her reputation; it wasn't just preceding her, her bony fingers were reaching across generations. Their roots running deep within Mewmen society. It doesn't matter what she really did. Everyone who remembered it first hand was long dead. Only the stories remained and each generation changed them a little, so the young ones would be afraid of her more and more.
That was the rational analysation of the situation at hand. But when you gave a living horror legend, all thoughts subside, until one single instinct remains - to survive.
Eclipsa saw the fear in his eyes. "Please, don't be alarmed. I know we didn't meet at the best time, but… The truth is… I am lonely."
That last word left her mouth like the sweetest candy. It smoothly glided to Marco and gently caressed his ears. But he stood unphased, as the paralysing fear had hold on him.
That left Eclipsa puzzled.
Laar was not. He saw her standing there speechless in that obscure construction she called her casual dress. He could swear that amount of textile on her had in fact doubled. Safe bet would be that this monstrosity strengthened his fear of her.
Eclipsa didn't seem to be realizing this. She truly was unsure of what she did wrong. Or maybe the fault wasn't in her, but in him? She felt since Silver Bell Ball that he wasn't a Mewman, but she wasn't sure what exactly he was. How would she approach him?
During the time she was standing there, trying to figure out how to proceed, a little bit of sense came back to Marco. He saw the window of opportunity and so he decided to take advantage of the staggered Eclipsa.
So he started running away from her.
"What? No. No! Laar, stop him!"
Laar had only a few seconds to come up with a way to stop a running person that was higher than himself by a head. As an excellent thinker, he tripped him. Marco wasn't aware of his presence, so he fell with his face down and hit a cabinet with a vase on top in full speed. The vase was no more. It was painful to watch.
"What did you just do?!"
"What do you mean? I stopped him."
"You didn't stop him, you incapacitated him! He is out cold again!"
"Well how else I was supposed to do it? If I just stepped in front of him, he'd run over me. Literally!"
"I'm this close to severing your head from your body!" Eclipsa was hissing at this point.
Alas, she didn't do it, because after a really long time she was focusing on someone else. All that Laar had to do was remain silent and wait. Instead, he said this:
"I still think he is harmless. I mean, he was kissing the princess and she didn't seem to mind."
When a person like Eclipsa goes through what she did, there were only a very few things that can set her off. Laar knew this, so from time to time he dared to tease her. He was too insignificant in her eyes anyways, so why should she bother doing anything serious to him. However this time he made the grave mistake of which he wasn't aware of.
"I AM NOT AFRAID OF HIM!" She grabbed him at his neck and raised him to her eyes level. "I'M AFRAID OF NO ONE!"
"I-believe-you!" Getting words out through his crippled neck was challenging.
"I WILL EVEN TOUCH HIM IF NECESSARY! I'LL…" She suddenly stopped yelling. "I'm not afraid to touch him… I am NOT afraid… to touch..." She dropped Laar like a bag of corn next to Marco. "Go away."
"Yes-kch-mistress." He only needed few seconds to vanish.
Her eyes were now fixed at him. Although annoying, Laar was right - why all the caution? She was… No, she IS Queen of Darkness. People are afraid of her, not the other way around. So why she is trying so hard to keep him at arm's length away?
There was he was, laying on the ground, cold - again - and completely at her mercy. He was suppose to be her instrument of pain. But how she could hope to achieve that when his fear of her was ruining her plan? This will need different approach. A direct one.
Even though still with doubts, she decided that it is time to stop trying to get him to get to her and turn this game around. All she had to do was to knee down to him and just touch his hands. Let it be damned that she knows nothing about him. The goal justify the means and the goal was within her reach. Just a simple touch of the hands and her plan will continue as planned.
So she kneed down to his motionless body and took her glow off of her hand. "Let's see…" She carefully grabbed his hand. The sensation she felt was almost forgotten to her. "Huh." Warmth emanating from his hand made her feel almost uneasy. "Now, tell me. What are you?" It was obvious she expected something happen, however Marco's body wasn't showing any signs of movement. Now she really felt uneasy. "That's not possible."
To her dismay - it was. It was only regular spell, but it should work; he was now supposed to be chirping like a bird. Alas, the only sound he was making was his breathing. She refused to accept failure, so she tried again. And as before, failed again.
"This doesn't make any sense! There are very few people who can resist me and little boy sure as hell ain't one of them. Talk to me! Tell me what I need to know!" Her loud filled the hall with heavy purple light. But the boy didn't seem to care. "Argh! How are you doing this?! You can't possibly possess magic strong enough to resist me!"
Eclipsa's thoughts hit full stop. One particular memory from Silver Bell Ball got her attention. "Unless…" She moved her hand over his body. This time she was looking for specific thing. Unfortunately for her, it was there: a dim red light came from his figure.
"This complicates things." She sighted. "I won't be able to do anything as long as she is in there. Well, I could, but it'd get messy and I want your pretty face unscared." She lowered her head and gave him kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you sooner than you think."
"BAH! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Marco's plea was loud, but the addressee was long gone. The hallway was empty once again and not only from other persons - it was dark and cold and without any furniture. Actually, there was something extra which wasn't there before - webs. And dust. With a lot of different dirt. Fear quickly changed to confusion. "What- where- how?" And after that it swiftly changed back to fear. "I've had enough of this. I need to get out!"
It is said that there is a beauty in simplicity. And for the most part it is true. Unnecessary complications don't help to solve almost anything. Marco knew this. He liked simple things with simple solutions. But after he stood up and was standing in a dusty hall, uncomfortable truth knocked on his head: simplicity wouldn't help in this case.
He was alone, hurt, at an unknown place, with an evil witch, that had for an incomprehensible reason, great interest in him, with an ugly little guy as her pet. This situation was anything but simple. Star was the master at complicating things and he was an expert on fixing them.
This time he was on his own.
"Okay, so, I lived with a crazy princess for months. Surely I had to pick up something from her craziness. Right then, what she would do? Hmm. Well I guess she would just go out of here, right through all the monsters. Damit! I can't do that! She has her wand and I just my fists and while they are working great, I can't possibly defeat all the monsters. Phew. Fine, relax Marco, just think. You need to play it safe. Just… Pretend to be a little mouse. Don't make any sound and move swiftly out of here, wherever here is."
With self-induced confidence, he embarked on the quest of leaving this place with all his body parts intact. A bold plan that requires only a tiny bit of luck to succeed. Yeah right.
The hall wasn't actually that long as he thought. It made sense. It leaded to the cellar, so why would anyone want to keep anything in here? Apart from an obvious choice - him. At the end of it were stairs leading up to a door. He planned to move silently, but the stairs were made from old wood and they were loud as heck.
"I swear, this house is about to become my arch enemy."
After the colorful orchestra of various creaky sounds he was creating the whole way up, he was unsure if whether opening doors was a good idea. With stairs screaming like hungry little birds, this obstacle could very well yell "HE IS HERE! HE IS HERE!". He didn't have much of a choice, though. It was either that, or digging out of there through solid stone.
He chose option A.
Thankfully, the doors didn't make a sound. Thank god! Parquet under his feet were also silent. All in all, good progress! And neat too. He noticed that the dirt was gone and it was replaced by welcoming lights, elegant furniture, pretty carpets and… smell of baked cookies. With all the troubles he went through, he didn't realize how hungry he was. Really, REALLY hungry.
Against his own will, his body turned left and like a zombie he was following tasty aroma back to its source. His craving for food was stronger than his will to live. At some level deep down he tried to fight back, but it was pointless. Eventually even his rationalizing mind had to accept logical aspect of this behaviour: with empty stomach he wouldn't able to fight or run longer than for 15 seconds. He badly needed to recharge.
And the recharger was so close and so tasty. The kitchen, from which the smell was coming from, wasn't that far off. Just one turn left. And then he saw them. The most beautiful thing a hungry kid can see: freshly baked cookies. They were neatly ranked from smallest to biggest, with least chocolate to most. A pure symphony for the eyes.
"Here you are! I thought you went out again."
Marco didn't even bother to check to whom belonged that soft voice that was coming from behind. He just squat behind the desk and held his breath.
"What are you doing? I know you are there, I just saw you."
Even though he knew that, fear prevented him from moving a muscle.
"Oh, is this one of your games? I told you I'm not exactly a fan of them. And I need to clean the house before my parents come home. Which will be in less than two hours."
His heart was pumping blood like a horse on steroids. He couldn't keep his nerves in check for much longer.
"Here."
Out of the blue, she appeared next to him. If it was Eclipsa he would probably die from shock.
"I guess you couldn't wait for those cookies. Don't worry, I cooled this one."
He was looking at her pale hand. The cookie was his to take. Maybe he would think twice of doing that if his sanity wasn't heavily damaged. He grabbed it and ate it in a whole bite. Fortunately, she wasn't lying about cooling it down.
"There you go. What's up with you anyway? You look kinda dirty and… Is that a scar on your head? Marco! You were in the cellar again, weren't you? I told you to not go there. That part of the house wasn't renovated just yet."
He didn't dare to say anything. He just kept staring at her, asking himself in his mind: Who is this girl? What is this place? And how could those cookies taste so good?
The smile on her face was only subtle, however when she looked into his eyes, it was gone completely. "Wait, is this… one of your episodes?"
Marco's crazy look gave her the answer without speaking up a single word.
"Oh, uh…" The girl started slowly backing away, making sure not to make sudden move. With that she was successful. Not so much with staying silent. She stepped on a toy in her wake and fell down. Made a lot of racket.
Marco saw his window. He started running away as fast as he could.
"No! I'm sorry, I didn't know! Marco! Don't run away from me! Please!"
He couldn't focus on her heartbreaking calling, nor he cared. She was just a stranger to him. Although somewhat familiar. Like this house. Its architecture had a striking resemblance to something Earth once had, in the early 20th century. It was fascinating for sure, but even more fascinating was the fact that his mind was capable of flooding his brain with this useless information while he was trying to get out.
After every turn he made, he expected a bunch of monsters. But they never appeared. In fact, no one ever showed up. Only the girl was desperately trying to reach him, which made him double his effort to escape. What was he escaping though? The memories began to blur somehow, making him unsure of his own actions. He didn't feel threatened by this place anymore. It was neatly done, warm, friendly even. So why he was really running?
His eyes stumbled upon entry doors. Finally! He could escape Eclipsa! She wouldn't get him this time. He ran right through them, which wasn't the brightest idea he ever had. It hurt a lot and he tripped down from the stairs, which hurt even more. He suppressed the pain and kept running away.
"MARCO! DON'T GO IN THERE! I CAN'T FOLLOW YOU!"
That's exactly what he needed to hear. He wanted to get as far as possible. And this thick forest was the best place to hide.
It was thick alright, with nothing more than trees and bushes. And then some more trees. And that would be the summary. And grass. Lots of grass. The terrain was as complicated as you would expect from such a savage place, which drained his strength a lot more quicker than a jog through the noble house. He had luck though, when he reached a clearing with nothing but a vast green carpet. He felt safe here.
"Marco? Is that you?"
He knew that voice. He knew it very well.
"Star?" And there she was, standing as a beacon of hope. "You found me! I knew you would! Eventually."
He wanted to give her a hug, but she stopped him. "I missed you too, but… You smell awful."
"Oh. Yeah, that. Well, my accommodations weren't exactly luxurious."
"I can see that. And… smell. What happened to you?"
"You mean this scar? I'm not sure. I think Eclipsa held a grudge against me."
"Why?"
"Beats me. Look, it's great seeing your beautiful face after all I went through, but we have to get out of here."
Star never saw Marco so scared. His voice was shaking and cracking. "What happened to you?"
"I'll tell you everything, I promise, but we really need to go away from this place."
"Nah, it's okay. I have my wand back, remember?"
"Yes, I do. And do you know what else I remember? Eclipsa having her own wand. And she has twice as much experience as you have."
"What a boyfriend you turned out to be."
"Star, we don't have time for this. We need to-"
"There you are!" A figure in a dark green coat with a hoodie was standing at the edge of a tree line. "Thank Skywynne you didn't go further. I'm risking it enough as it is. I- who are you looking at?"
"Marco, who is this?" Star's voice had a hint of jealousy.
"I have no idea, but she was following me all the way here. She must be working for Eclipsa!"
"Oh really…" Star's wand started to glow.
"You see her again, don't you? Marco, listen to me carefully. She is not real, OK? She is not there, she isn't talking to you. It just… Listen, I'll explain everything you want to know, but I beg you - come with me right now." She raised her hand to him. "I- No, we need you. I can't do this alone."
For some reason he genuinely thought about accepting her offer. Star however had different plans.
"I got this, Marco." She lifted her wand and yelled "NARWHAL BLAST!" The wand was glaring like a 1000 W light bulb, but nothing came out of it. "That's weird."
"It's broken again? Now?!"
"I don't see why it should be. Let me try again: NARWHAL BLAST!"
"It isn't working, Star!"
"I can see that."
He gazed at the girl in the hoodie. She didn't seem very evil.
"I know you are scared. I am scared too. And that's understandable. But we both agreed we would go through with it and I'm not going to allow you to run away from it, from us. Don't you understand? I… I… Argh! I still can't say it! But you have to believe me, it is true!" Her voice was now shifting from decisive to just plain begging. "Stay with me!"
"I heard enough from this crazy chick. Come!"
Star firmly grabbed Marco's hand and started to drag him away. At this point he had his doubts if this was the correct course of actions. But the figure was getting smaller and feeling Star's soft skin reminded him the dance at the Ball. He'd certainly liked to repeat that experience.
The girl in the hoodie was nervously faltering, trying to determine which of two decisions she was about to make was the lesser evil. Before she completely lost him in her sight, she shouted "The ring, Marco! Check the ring!" She wasn't sure if he heard her, but it was her only hope.
The pair was running between trees like a knife through butter. Or at least Star was; Marco could barely stand on his own feet and he was meeting several trees way too closely for his own comfort.
"Star! Wa- ouch! Slow down! I can't… keep up! I didn't … eat… in days!"
"This place really did a number on you."
"No kidding."
"LEVITATO!" She raised him above ground and kept pulling with her like a balloon.
"Now this is just humiliating."
"Will you stop with that already? I can't focus."
"Sorry."
He couldn't tell how far they went. This forest was like a copy of a copy of itself. All the same trees and in the same configuration in every direction. Other than sound of cracking wood beneath Star's foot, it was dead silent.
"What kind of forest is this?"
"I dunno. I was never here before."
"Then where are you taking us then?"
"Away from her."
"That's nice and all, but don't you have some kind of plan?"
"You do realize you're talking to me, right?"
"Good point. But still, you have to have at least some idea of where we are heading."
"That I do."
"Great!"
They ran several more meters before he dared to ask her again.
"And?"
"And what?"
"And where are we heading?"
"Boy, you are annoying. To the general direction of Mewni. Satisfied?"
"Not really."
"OK, that's it!" She abruptly stopped and let Marco fall on the ground. "That witch apparently did a lot more than just not feeding you."
"What do you mean?"
"Your constant gibbering about 'what are we going to do,' and 'where are we going' and 'shouldn't I be wearing seatbelts'? I had it enough, Marco! I spent weeks trying to find you and now that I finally have you, you sound like you don't even want to get away."
"Don't be ridiculous! Of course I wanted to escape! I still do. With you."
"No, Marco. I don't believe you. This… you being so cautious - this isn't you."
"Star. Hello! Safety boy, remember?"
"Oh. So suddenly you care about safety?"
"I always cared about safety!"
"You didn't when we came to my room after the Ball."
Marco's face immediately turned into bright red. "We never went to your room. I never was in your room. I don't even want to go there!"
That last sentence obviously hurt Star. "So, that's how it is."
"What how is? Star, after we kissed, we were running from Eclipsa for as long as we could, but eventually she found us and then she kidnapped me."
Her voice got suddenly silent. "She obviously did a lot more than that." A deep sigh came out of her mouth. "Look, that looks like a nice spot. We can rest there for a while. I'll just make two tents. Hold on." To his surprise, wand now worked like a charm. "There. I'll take the right one."
"Star…"
"Good night, Marco."
In a matter of seconds, she disappeared inside tent she just created. The other one was waiting for him. What just happened? With nothing else to be said or done, he too crawled into tent.
To his surprise, it was neatly done. He kinda expected to find a huge room in it, for whatever reason. But it was just a regular tent, if just a bit more cushy. And he needed cushy more than anything. The moment he laid down on those soft pampering pillows, his body could finally turn off and just rest.
He really needed that rest. After all the beating and running he endured, he deserved every second of comfortable sleep. However that comfy part left the tent soon after he fall asleep.
He had the most intriguing dream. It was back Mewni, in the castle, with a lot of decorations. Everyone was congratulating him, although he just wasn't sure to what exactly. Maybe that black tuxedo was a hint, if Star didn't wake him up.
"Marco? Marco! Wake up!"
"Wa- Uhm, what? Star? What's happening?"
"I couldn't sleep."
"Is something wrong?"
"I- Sigh, what are we, Marco?"
"What do you mean?"
"Our relationship, silly."
"You mean… friendship?"
This response obviously saddened her. "No."
"Don't get me wrong, Star. That kiss at the Silver Bell Ball was something. And you were so beautiful and charming in that dress."
"But…?"
"But if you are asking about our romantic relationship, then I'd have to answer - I do not know."
"I see."
"Oh come one, Star! Don't give me sad puppy eyes! You know I care about you. And besides, how I am suppose to know what our future holds?"
Star's emotions were holding together by a thread now. "You told me that before, in the morning, after we-"
"For the last time, Star, we did NOT slept together! We danced, we kissed and then Eclipsa-"
Star's eyes started to fill with tears.
"Star? No. No! Star, don't you dare to cry on me…"
But it was too late. She ran out of tent with sobbing sounds leaving behind.
"Jesus, Diaz! Why can't you just keep your mouth shut and just say what she wants to hear? Star!" He peeked outside. Star's tent was open and empty. "Oh-oh. Uhm, Star?" So calling her by her name for 20th time wasn't working, so try something else maybe? "Honey?" Ugh! That sounds even worse! Just go get her!
He checked the surroundings all around both tents. It was quite hard to notice anything in forest during night. Thankfully this place was still dead silent, so he could hear everything that wasn't suppose to be there. That included footsteps of running person. He started to run that direction, completely ignoring the voice inside his body telling him that 30 minutes long sleep was way far away from sufficient recovery time. Although fatigue did come really fast, he decided to ignore it. Star was too important for him to just let her go. Furthermore, he was alone-
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
-in forest in the middle of the night.
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
He dead stopped the moment he heard it.
"What the-"
It sounded like howling. Only in the most unnatural, creepy way. As if the someone decided to run a completely normal howling through a dozen of chorus and reverb effects and didn't know when to stop. The result of this unholy distortion was a sound that drilled inside skull and kept resonating there for another minute after the actual sound was gone.
He sensed death lurking around him.
Without any warning, a sound of crackling wood came from behind his back. He swiftly turned around. It was Star. She was standing turned back to him.
"S-Star? Did you hear that? W-We need to go."
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
She didn't answer, nor moved. Her stiff body was now more scary than the approaching noise around him. After she turned her face to him, that horrifying sound was like a lullaby compared to what was standing in front of him.
"Are you… Okay?" A valid question, considering her pupils were fully dilated. And she didn't seem to be breathing. "Sweet pea?" Yes, that sounds right.
The answer Star gave him wasn't the one he expected. Although the truth was he didn't know what to expect in this situation. Her arms sprung forward, her mouth opened wide to almost impossible size, and while that hunting howling was previously coming from all possible directions, now it was focused into single source: the black hole between her lips. Somehow she managed to say one single word: "HEART!", after which she jumped on him.
"AAAAAA!" Marco woke up covered in sweat. He was shaking like crazy, unable to stop.
"Marco!" Star dramatically open the tent, which resulted into Marco's another shock.
"BAH!"
"My apologies, I didn't want to startle you. I heard you screaming from sleep. Was it nightmare?"
Marco nodded, still heavily breathing.
"It's fine, I'm here now. I can stay for a while if you want."
"N-No. I'll… get around." He swiped the sweat off his face. "I'll manage. I just need to calm down."
"So you don't need me?"
"No, I-" Out of nowhere, a strong feeling of deja vu flew through his body.
"So I see."
"Uh, what I meant to say is that you can stay with me."
"A bit late, don't you think?"
"I'm still little dazzled from all of this."
"I don't think it's that. I think Eclipsa did something to you."
"You might be right. I mean, I don't remember very much. Which is really weird, becau-"
"HA! I got you!"
"What?"
"It was a test!"
"A test? A test of what?"
"You. If you really were just confused, you would want me to stay with you no matter what. But the moment I mentioned Eclipsa, you used her as an excuse."
"Not this again…"
"Gasp! You… You like her."
"Don't be ridiculous!"
"Your mouth is saying no, but your cheeks burning in red speak louder."
"Oh for the love of- Will you stop that already?!"
"Oh I'll stop alright. Right now. With you." After these words, she left him alone, with all the awkwardness she created.
"What is wrong with her?!"
Marco left his tent and looked around. It didn't seem like she ran away. The most obvious reason for this conclusion was the sobbing coming from the second tent. So unless it had its own personality, Star had to be inside.
And she was.
"Star, we need to have a serious talk."
The princess wasn't sobbing anymore. Or anything else for that matter. Her body was stiffly sitting on the ground without making any sound whatsoever. This scene was uncomfortably familiar.
"Sweet pea?"
As an award for this display of affection, her head slowly made a 180° turn while her body was glued to a fixed posture. At least her eyes looked normal. That was, until the pupils began to slowly dilate in conjunction with her opening mouth. A pitch black was staring at him once again. This time however, there wasn't any awful howling. Instead, he heard whispering. Barely noticeable at first, he eventually identified a one single word: heart. It was constantly repeating in a loop and in each new loop it got louder. And louder. And louder. And-
"GIVE ME YOUR HEART!" she jumped at him.
"AAAAAA!" Marco woke up covered in sweat. "What just happened?! Was I dreaming?" He suspiciously looked around. "Am I still dreaming? Maybe if I pinch myself… AU! It hurts alright. Phew! Never before I had a dream within a dream. Or in this case, a nightmare within a nightmare." Something is his head was still making him feel nervous. "Maybe I should check on Star."
After he left his own tent, he just stood there in awe; the other one was gone.
"What the… What is going on in here?!"
"There you are!" Star's angry voice impaled his back. "This was the last straw!"
Marco made swift pirouette. She was standing there covered just in sheet. "How did you…? Where were you…?"
"I wanted to look past our issues, but to speak her name during our special time together…!"
"Are you… naked under that?"
"I won't fall for your games anymore. You moaned her name!"
Marco's mind was very close to total failure. Nothing and no one made sense anymore.
He covered his face in facepalm. "Star, you have to help me. Something's very wrong."
"That's right."
Her cold voice caught him by surprise. "Huh?"
The trio of black pits were only centimeters from his face.
"YOU STILL DIDN'T GIVE ME YOUR HEART!" She leached on his face.
"AAAAAAH!" Marco was done for. "MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOOOOP!" Panic took over him, preventing him from noticing he was standing on the ground. Both tents and Star were nowhere to be found.
"What are you?!" he shouted into the night.
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
"What do you want from me?!"
HEAAAAART! TASTY HEAAAAART!
Right in front him, trees started to fall down one after another. Whatever it was, it was coming for him. Fear, or no fear, the basic instincts kicked in and forced him to run in the opposite way. Not once he dared to turn around to see the creature that desired his heart so much. He was focused to make the distance between them as big a possible. But the constant stress robbed him of the last energy reserves he had left. It was obvious that soon his vital organ would end up on a dinner plate.
Luckily, just before his legs gave up entirely, he noticed a cavern entrance. He changed his heading towards it like a magnet. It wasn't too far, so he entered in just a few seconds. Unfortunately the cavern itself was very short with no other exit other than the one he just used. It was a death trap.
I CAN SMELL FEAR SIPPING OUT OF YOUR HEART! I HAVEN'T FEASTED ON SUCH DELIGHTFUL MEAT IN A LONG TIME!
Heavy footsteps were getting closer to his position. He couldn't do anything but just wait for his inevitable fate.
"Marco!" Out of nowhere, a figure in a green coat and a hoodie was standing in the cavern's entrance. "I couldn't find you anywhere! I was afraid I lost you!"
"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME! I WON'T GIVE YOU MY HEART!"
"Marco, it's me!"
Marco looked like a wreck; covered in sweat, dirt, with uncontrollable shaking and death in his face. "STAY AWAY FROM ME, OR I'LL KILL YOU!" The cavern was enhancing his yelling, resulting in a truly terrifying sound.
"Oh boy. You haven't been this bad since we met." She made a step forward. Marco, as expected, made one back. She carefully raised both of her hands. "Look. I'm not here to hurt you. Whatever is that you see - it isn't real. That girl you were talking to - Star - she also wasn't real. I am. And I risked my life to get to you. You have to believe me."
She was trying her best to sooth his nerves. But Marco could only focus on that deformed thing standing right behind her.
I LIKE MY HEART WHILE IT'S STILL WARM! AND I'M COMING TO GET IT!
Marco's voice was now just a gibberish made of squeeking, crying and mumbling. It was obvious his body wouldn't withstand this stress for much longer.
The girl was now in a precarious situation she never faced before. He always had his episodes before, but never liked this. With her inability to express deep feelings, she knew that no words would help him at this point. However there was one last hope.
"The rings! Marco, look at your left hand! Look at it!"
The boy was totally out. She had no chance but to risk it and made a quick jump to him before he could do anything. She grabbed his hand and took down his golden ring.
"Look! Focus on the ring, Marco!"
In the last moments of his life, she got his attention.
"Do you see the engraving? Do you see it, Marco?!" She started to be a bit angry. "It says 'From Karin, a girl who's heart you saved.' I have the same, see? Mine's says 'From Marco, a boy to which you're a beacon of light.' Do you understand? DO YOU?!" A small tear dripped from her eye. "We are married for just 2 months and I'll be damned if I'll allow you to make me a widow at my 16! I won't allow it! You hear me? I WON'T!"
It is said that a person pushed to extremes is capable of miracles to save themselves. However, a person watching their soul mate dying is capable of a lot more than that. For the first time in her life, she looked into the deepest and darkest corners of her soul. Between all that blackness and sorrow, there was a little spark buzzing around. After her illness, it got lost and never managed to find its way back to where it belongs. She was there to get it back home.
The girl now knew what was needed to be done. She closed her eyes…
I'M HEEEEEEEEERE!
...and formulated three words she was never able to say before: "I… LOVE… YOU!"
She gently, but firmly grabbed his nape with one hand and on his back with another. He was locked in her embrace.
"I should've done this on our wedding day."
Her eyelids fell down and she let her spark to do the talking. And it was a heavy talk. The kissing that commenced wasn't just a mere form of affection. It was an eruption of long time suppressed desires that finally had their chance to run free, a wife's desperate attempt to save his spouse.
For a few seconds, this affectionate physical display was only one sided. It took Marco several seconds to allow himself to forget about the hideous creature reaching for his heart and let this girl to snatch it instead. Once his eyes closed, all the sound around him subsided and only her heavy breathing beset his ears. It was a beautifully wonderful symphony. He pushed her so close to him that not a single air molecule couldn't fit between them.
Karin now fathomed what it genuinely meant to be in love. An overwhelming surge of arousement flew throughout her entire body. She couldn't control her impulses, nor she wanted to. This was what she dreamed of to experience ever since she accepted her love for him. But it wasn't enough. She craved more. His entire being had to belong to her.
Like a bag of corn, they hit the floor. It was wet, dirty and cold. However none of that mattered. They were in perfect sync with each other and were clear on what needed to be done. It was an inevitable conclusion. With both hoodies forcefully coming off, the more fragile clothing beneath them couldn't stand a chance in their desire to become one. Nothing could possibly stop them.
Except for one thing.
"No. Stop," said Karin while having trouble to gasp air.
"What's wrong? You don't want it?"
She released a hot air from her lungs. "I do. You have no idea how much I do want that. But not in here."
"Where else then? Your parents' house is out of the question."
Karin looked surprised at him. "You… remember?"
Marco smiled. "A little bit. It's slowly coming back to me, though. Like: your name is Karin, you are my wife for two months now. And three days. And twelve hours and…"
"Okay, okay, hehe. I believe you."
"Wow."
"What?"
"You laughed."
"Huh. I suppose I did. Do you want me to stop?"
"What, laughing?"
"Uhm. I'm not sure I'm doing it right."
He gently caressed her face. "That smile makes you more beautiful than ever. Which is quite an accomplishment, considering you already were the prettiest girl in whole Mewni."
Karin smiled again, but this time she felt a strange burning sensation. Marco couldn't believe in his own eyes.
"No way!"
"What? Is something wrong with me? I feel kinda weird. I'm not sure I like it."
"HAHAHAHAHA! Nothing is wrong. You're just blushing."
"I am?"
"Oh yes. And now even more. You're so damn cute I want you so badly right now."
"Nice try, but the answer is still no. Can't you wait until we get back home?"
"Hey, don't try to blame this on me. This is totally your fault."
"My fault?"
"Yes! You started it!"
"Excuse me?"
"Hehehehe, I'm just joking."
"Very funny. Come on, we need to go. My parents are probably already home. And I'm not looking forward to having a discussion with them."
They both started to pick their smudgy things from the ground. Only now did Marco notice this thick and heavy coat she was wearing the whole time.
"Hey, uhm, why did you have this autumn coat with you? It's only September. It's a bit chilly out here, I admit, but this is an overkill. Are you sick?"
Karin was obviously surprised by this question.
"Uhhhhhm, yes?"
"Is it serious? Should I carry you back to the house?"
"Oh no. It's fine, really. I just didn't want to risk getting fever."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Now stop worrying about me so much. You're the one who was about to die."
"Don't remind me. I'm still having shivers from it. I mean, I had a lot of live nightmares, but that was just brutal."
"What did you see?"
"You don't want to know. Heck, even I don't want to know. Though… I'm having trouble remembering…"
"What is it?"
"I think it had a form of a girl, but I can't quite put my finger on her appearance."
"Maybe that's a good thing."
"Maybe… No, you're right. I just wish I could forget everything from this night."
"You will, in time. Believe me. Well, shall we go then?"
Marco grabbed her hand. "Together."
She smiled. "Together."
When they left the cavern, Marco felt like a new person. A more happy person, with a purpose in his life. That purpose had a name and he intended to make it his life's goal.
The forest was now filled with lots of different sounds, from wind rustling leaves on trees, to birds and owls singing into the night. The air was fresh and the sky crystal clear, with a red moon rising on the horizon. But before it could reveal its full form, heavy purple clouds covered it.
Karin was looking at the whole show. "Nice try."
"Did you say something?"
"No. I was just thinking out loud."
Her parents just got home. Their servants were moving heavy bags inside the house, while mothers of both of them were standing by.
"I was afraid of this," said Karin.
"What now?"
"I'm thinking."
They were both hiding behind the bush. They felt confident that no one would be able to spot them even so close.
"Karin?"
They were wrong.
"Oh-oh."
"How did she find us?!"
Her mother was really tall, so a low bush would be a problem to hide two small kids, let alone two teens. Karin knew that, but for some reason she didn't take it into account.
"Uhm, hello mother."
"What are you doing outside?! You know those things are lurking inside the forest, especially during nights! What were you doing out there?!"
They both looked at each other in hope the other would save this situation by saying something clever. They had nothing. So naturally they felt incredibly lucky when her mother suddenly started to smile.
"Hold on." Her mother turned to Marco's mom. "Tria, come here, quickly!"
"What is it?"
"Look at their clothing."
Which each passed second, her smile was getting wider. And after Tria noticed them kneeling next to each other, she started to smile as well.
"Aren't they cute?" continued Karin's mother.
"Very! They remind me when I was at their age. I bet it was Marco's idea!"
"I wouldn't be so sure of that. Karin can be very persuasive when she wants something. Or someone."
"Hihihi."
Only now they understood what were their mothers talking about.
"Mother!"
"Oh, don't be so snippy at me. I'm actually glad you're caring so much about each other. You know what? I'll try to talk to your father to give you your own room. We can't allow you running out to the forest with your condition."
That last word got Marco's attention.
"What condition?"
Karin got nervous.
Both mothers looked at each other.
"Marco, my boy, do you feel alright?"
Only a miracle could save her now.
"Honey!"
"Dad! Oh no!"
"No worries, my dear. I'll keep him busy. Tria, to go back to your post, so he won't get suspicious. You two, once I leave the scene with your father, quietly run into the house."
"Honey, where are you?"
"You all know what to do. Now go!"
She stepped outside of the shadow to greet his husband.
"There you are. What were you doing in there?"
"Just observing our beautiful garden."
"Well, I'm not sure if that particular spot is beautiful, but if you like it, I'm glad."
"Actually, I wanted to discuss something with you."
"Oh?"
"Let's take a walk around and I'll tell you. But you must promise to not get angry."
"Is this about the cellar again? I told you before-"
"Just listen for a while and come."
With Tria and Karin's parents out of the picture, the path to the house was open.
"What about the servants?" asked Marco.
"Nevermind them."
They both ran as smoothly as they possibly could. Luckily, her father wasn't anywhere near, so they made it inside without detection.
"Okay, Marco, we need to go to our rooms, wash ourselves, change clothes, go to bed, and pretend to sleep. My parents will be back very soon and there is no way my father can find out that we are awake, let alone we were outside."
"It's still a bit hazy for me, but aren't we married?"
"I'll explain it later."
"But…"
She gave him a goodnight kiss. "I'll miss you too. Now go!"
He saw how lightly he ran up the stairs. Exhausted, he dragged his body up too.
When Marco layed his eyes on the big comfy bed, he felt relieved. Finally, his beaten body and mind could both have the rest they needed so badly. If only he could fall asleep. With so many things happening in just a short time period, his mind was trying to heal itself by overthinking every insignificant detail it could think of. But the biggest mystery for him was why he went outside to begin with? Was it because of his living nightmare? But if that's the case, why he did find it so complicated to recall what he was doing before the incident?
It was obvious he wouldn't get any sleep during this night, so he decided to risk it and went down to the kitchen to steal some cookies. He found out he wasn't the only one with the same idea. Someone beat him to it when almost half of the cookies were gone already. Finding the thief wasn't that hard; he could very clearly hear the chewing. It was coming from the living room next to the kitchen. He should've just silently walked back to his bedroom, but something made him curious enough to risk it. Like a little mouse, centimeter by centimeter, he was moving towards the source of smacking. Whoever it was, he was fully enjoying his late night snack.
"Karin?" She was laying on a sofa with a book in her hand and eating cookie after cookie.
"Marco? What are doing up in the middle of the night?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
"I asked first."
"Fair enough. My mind just can't stop working even when it's tired."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Oh well. Can I have some of the cookies?"
"Uhm…"
Having a mind that notices even the smallest details can have its perks. This was the moment when it paid off. He noticed a plate full of cookies and a glass full of juice. This wasn't exactly the kind of food you'd want to eat during night, unless you decided to run a few kilometers around the gardens. Still, she might just have been really hungry after that little adventure. But then he noticed she was holding her book above her belly. She could put it down anywhere, but she was holding it at that one specific spot.
Karin saw where he was looking.
"My eyes are up here."
He was reaching a conclusion. Only one piece was missing from this scene. We can't allow you running out to the forest with your condition. Wait… is she…?
"Karin, are you… pregnant?"
Now that she was able to express a bit wider variety of emotions, her face reflected worries with uncertainty.
"Would it be a problem if I said yes?"
"No!" He kneeled to her. "Of course not. Why would you think that?"
"Well, your memory still isn't fully back to normal. I was afraid that-"
"That I would freak out?"
"Yeah."
"I'm in a little shock, that's true. But I love you! And this is a reason to love you even more!"
"You're saying that now, but what if you'll lose your memory again and-"
Marco kissed her to ease her worries. "It won't happen again, I promise."
"How can you know that?"
"Because we are having a baby! I wouldn't run away from that! I may be only 14, but this ring on my hand clearly shows that we have a long history together. Isn't it true?"
She nodded her head. She was unable to answer, because the speech he was giving her made her feel… excited.
"I will get all my memories back, don't worry. We'll be one happy family. You'll see."
And right then, she believed him.
"Also, is this the reason why you didn't want to have… you know… back in the cave?"
"Uhm."
"Huh. Then I guess I'll just have to believe it was a beautiful night when we conceived him until my memories are restored."
Karin saw disappointment on his face. She sat and grabbed his hand.
"She."
"What?"
"When we conceived her. It's a girl."
"You know that already?!"
"We have a… secret way to determine the sex of the baby very early on."
She lifted book and put his hand on her belly.
"Hey. It's already growing? How come I didn't notice it before?"
"Well, you were scared when you first met me. Outside I had a thick coat on me. And in the cave I was leaning so that you wouldn't notice."
"Oooooh."
While he was gently stroking her tummy with pure fascination, Karin was waiting if he would ask that one question.
"Uhm, I feel super awkward to ask this, but, did we pick a name for her?"
"Yes, we did. Marco, say hello to Corona."
"Corona… I like that name!"
"I can imagine. It was your idea."
"Mine?"
"Uhm."
"Hi! I'm your daddy. I'm looking forward meeting you in person."
"She can't hear you just yet, silly."
"Sorry."
"It's fine. One more thing."
"Which is?"
"I asked my mom about our, erm, marital duties during my pregnancy and she said it's fine, as long as we'll be careful..."
The light in living room was dim, but Marco noticed how were her cheeks were glaringly red. He looked into her purple eyes. "You know what? I will go to my bedroom after all."
"Oh."
"With you."
The spades on her cheeks started to glow too.
She left everything as it was and together they went upstairs to his room.
The garden was covered in a light purple haze.
Laar was watching Eclipsa sitting next to the bed where Marco was lying for an hour now. Both looked like they were sleeping. What he couldn't understand was why she needed him standing there. It's not like he was guarding her. So why then? Did she expect him to turn into some kind of monster? Or worse, maybe she thought the boy would die and he would have to drag his body and bury him.
His train of thoughts was interrupted when Eclipsa regained consciousness. She took a deep breath and looked at the sleeping Marco.
"It is done."
"What is?"
"You'll see." She bent to the sleeping boy and smoothly spoke. "Marco, sweetheart, wake up."
Marco slowly opened his eyes. A purple glow was emanating from them. When he noticed Eclipsa, he smiled.
"Good morning, sweet pea. Did you sleep well?"
"After what you did to me during last night, I could barely get back to my own room."
"Hehe, I'm sorry if I was overenthusiastic."
"Thanks to you I slept like a rock."
"Wait." Marco started to look around his room.
"What is it?"
"How come you are back in my room? Wouldn't your father find you here?"
"Nah. He went out hunting. He won't be back for a couple of hours."
"Really? Huh. In that case, do you have time for about, I dunno, an hour…?"
Laar couldn't believe his own eyes and ears. What was happening in front him was unbelievable. It was hard enough trying to understand how she made him so obedient, but the way she was talking to him was simply unreal. And deeply disturbing.
"Laar."
"Yes, mistress?"
"We are going to need some privacy. Leave us."
"B-But milady…"
"Don't make me to repeat myself."
"Yes, mistress. I understand."
He closed the doors and left.
Chapter 11 of The Hidden Truth was written by Terepin and edited by Haunted Melon.