THE STRANGE TALE OF MARIUS BOGFAE:
Chapter 28: Return to the Fae Realm
At the Fae Realm
Something blue glowed behind a rock, prompting nearby animals to run away. Then, a blue doorway sparkling with stars opened, making thirteen people, or in this case teenagers, an imp, and a snake, walk out of it and into the Fae Realm.
"Welcome to the Fae Realm, my friends," Marius held out his arms out before dropping onto his knees and caressing the soil. "Finally! After so long, I'm home!"
"It's so natural..." Penna stroke some moss on a nearby rock.
"Will you look at the size of that grass!" Minuit exclaimed as she pointed at the grass that towered before them.
"Actually, that's the normal size, Minuit." Kit dusted off her jacket. "Unlike in Villainapolis, the normal size of our civilization is the equivalent of insects. Even Impius was small..."
A yelp caught their attention and they saw that Jessie Joker had freaked out when she saw that Naga had transformed into a large snake with its mouth big enough for the now insect-sized teenagers to walk into. Penna soothed her pet.
"Everybody came out of the portal?" Artemis Nightmare asked. "Marius? Penna? Kit? Junk? Safír? Randolph? Minuit? Jessie? Indimia? Bloodyle? Darcy? Bruno? Impius? Naga?" Once everybody confirmed that they were here, the son of Nightmare Moon waved his scepter and closed the portal.
"You know, you should consider using your powers to open portals for foreign students at Villains High," Darcy suggested in a slyly tone. "That would spare me and the rest of my dark fairy peers from a rough travel and butt landing via wing shard."
"Sorry, Darcy, but my powers aren't used for such laziness." Darcy pouted.
"Hey, is this wall part of the Fae Realm, Marius?" Bloodyle pointed at something that lay a few feet away. A large wall, probably a quarter taller than Naga was, made of grey stones that seemed to have endless limits. Penna snapped her fingers, summoning a black snake spyglass telescope that she used to spy on the wall.
"I'm seeing guards in front of some gate...and they're dragging goblins and hybrids in there!" She gasped in horror. "How awful! One of them just kicked a hybrid toddler!"
"That's the wall that Roland had constructed on the barrier!" Bruno clenched his fists. "Gods curse him, but he managed to force the most monarchs' guards into serving him unless they wanted the Fairy Queen dead!"
"He'd kill Marius' mother?" Penna asked as she snapped away her telescope. "But Marius, I thought he needed to marry your mother in order to claim the crown."
"He's smarter than I thought," Marius muttered. His fists clenched his scepter tighter.
"Marius, calm down. Remember your...health condition," Safír told Marius. The latter followed his advice and took deep breaths.
"Sorry. It's just..." His voice trailed off. "I completely forgot about my aunt Dawn, my uncle Sunny, and my cousin Daylight. Me and my parents aside, their also next in line to be the regent family. And my aunt Dawn is my mother's sister..."
"So if it turns out that Roland has to kill the Fairy Queen, your mother, along with the Bog King and you, he could kill your uncle, making your aunt a widow and force her into marrying him," Randolph finished for Marius. "And if he also has to kill your aunt, then he could do the previously said to your cousin."
"That's a whole lot of murdering," Indimia deadpanned. "If that ever happens, he might as well destroy the entire royal family..."
"And force his family to become the monarchs!" A dark look began to gleam in Marius' eyes. "There's no other option. I have to go to the castle, rescue my family and kingdom, and get rid of Roland once and for all!"
"But how are we going to do that, you're Majesty?" Bruno asked. "We have less than an hour and a half before sundown before your father's execution and we can't leave the others trapped behind the wall!"
Marius rubbed his chin in thought before he grinned at his plan.
A few minutes later, at the wall
"Hurry up!" A guard barked at a goblin elf hybrid. "We don't have all day!"
The hybrid ran off to find shelter in one of the makeshift huts that have been provided to the goblins and hybrids in the Dark Forest grounds. Scraps of food were tossed by guards onto the ground, forcing prisoners to fight for them. If this wasn't enough, the branches from the rising trees were worst: they were occupied by wooden bridges occupied by guards, watching out for any signs of a possible prison mutiny. Then again, with the loss of hope rising among the prisoners, how could a mutiny possibly occur?
BANG!
"What was that?" one of the guards shouted from one of the bridges. This got the attention of the prisoners as well and soon, they were all rushing against a bunch of guards that were trying to keep them away from the large breach that had destroyed a great quantity of the wall.
"GET BACK IN YOUR HUTS!" One of the guards shouted. Then, out of nowhere, an oval object popped out of the smoke and landed close enough to be picked by any of the guards if they took one step closer. "What the..." The oval object exploded, unleashing a green smoke that engulfed the screaming guards before they started laughing uncontrollably.
"What's with them?" The prisoners frowned in confusion. They then saw seven figures coming out of the shadows and past the laughing gas.
"Laughing gas," Jessie Joker chuckled as she put away her gun. "It never gets old."
"Who are you?" one of the prisoners asked.
"Oh, we're just the rescue team and pep rally squad," Minuit joked. Darcy then flew in front of her Villains High comrades. Gasps were heard among the prisoners who recognized her.
"People of the Fae Realm! Prince Marius Bogfae has returned! As I speak, he's headed his way to the castle to put an end to Roland's tyranny! But he cannot do it alone!" Darcy shouted.
"Yeah!" the prisoners shouted.
"So let's go get those so-called righteous wannabes and show them what it's like to be united against a common enemy and protect our beliefs!" Bruno joined in.
"Yeah!"
"Goblins, hybrids, elves, fairies, whatever species you are!" Indimia joined in as well. "Let's all invade the castle and show Roland that we've got muscles!"
"Yeah!"
The prisoners (and the remaining guards who got a change of heart) cheered and grabbed any weapon they could find from a sword to a teapot before storming out of the wall and through the flower fields in order to reach the castle.
"By the way, Randolph, that was cool the way you brought down the wall with just your fists," Bruno said as he and Randolph rode on a squirrel among the stampede of revolutionary prisoners.
"Eh, I'm the son of Wreck-It-Ralph." Randolph shrugged. "It's what I do."
Meanwhile, Minuit, Darcy, and Artemis flew in the air while Jessie rode on Indimia (who transformed into her dinosaur form in order to give Jessie a lift and run faster).
"I hope we're not too late!" Darcy looked at the sun as it was getting closer and closer to disappearing from the horizon.
Sundown
Drums were beating in the arena that stood behind the Bogfae Palace. Elf and fairy citizens were struggling against the guards that were unwillingly forcing them to remain in their seats while Roland and his thirteen children, along with a chained Marianne and the rest of the captive royal family, stood on the audience platform meant for the monarchy.
"It's time, Buttercup," Roland gloated at the Fairy Queen's ear, "to witness the beginning of a new era. Once the scaly-backed cockroach loses his head tonight, we'll be married right here on this platform."
"I'd rather die than marry you!" Marianne hissed.
"That can be arranged," Helena said smugly. "After the wedding."
"Ugh!" Daylight struggled in her bonds. "And to think I was right to suspect you from the start!"
"Gee, like you did a really good job at it."
Roland curled his hair before heading to the platform's balcony and speaking to the audience as a chained Bog King was being dragged by guards towards a guillotine that stood at the center of the arena.
"Citizens of the Fae Realm," he spoke loud and clear, "the day that you've all been waiting for has arrived. Our kingdom will go back to its old, proper, civilized, and clean ways. The disgusting creatures that have plagued us all have been sent back and permanently exiled to the Dark Forest. The Fairy Kingdom is now reborn, and to commemorate its refound beauty, we shall punish the one who has started all of this mess! Executioner! Drop the blade on the Bog King!"
Complaints and exclaims of horror were heard among the crowd and the royal family as the Bog King was placed in the guillotine's lunette. Roland and Helena's smirks of victory increased as the executioner began to grab the rope that would release the blade and chop off Lysander's neck once it was pulled.
"No!" Marianne exclaimed tearfully.
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"
A blast of light shaped green and teal snakes struck the executioner, completely petrifying him before he even pulled the rope. The crowd and the royal family gasped in shock.
"What just happened?" Roland demanded. The ground shook and a large snake rose above the arena, making Roland scream like a little girl and the crowd scream as well. Then, the snake lowered its head onto the ground in order to let six humanoid creatures hop off its head. The figure that stood at the lead of the group got the attention and shock of everyone.
"I just happened to be back, Roland!" Marius Bogfae shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.
"The prince is back!"
"Prince Marius has returned!"
"The prince is back! We're saved!"
"Marius!" The Bog King and the Fairy Queen Marianne exclaimed at the sight of their son. What happened next still remains a mystery, but most believe that it was the power of love that gave strength back to the royal family, encouraging them to successfully break their bonds and rush off the platform in order to reach Marius. The mighty Bog King got his strength make and destroyed his bonds, along with the guillotine.
"Marius!" Marianne cried as she and her son embraced one another in a hug. " Oh Marius, my baby!"
"Mother..." Marius' voice quivered from the sobs and tears that he was trying to hold back.
"My son!" The Bog King hugged Marius as well. "My son, you have no idea how terrible I feel after what happened..."
"Father..."
"YOU!"
The family embrace didn't last long. Roland and his children were now flying down onto the arena, with Roland looking angrier than ever through his one good eye.
"How come you're still alive? The Stone Heart Curse should have destroyed you by now!" He spat.
"This is the guy who wants to take over the kingdom?" Safír frowned before addressing Marius. "Your parents' arch-foe is smaller than I expected. You're sure he's not some sort of oversized elf?"
His comment made Roland stiffen in broken pride.
"And what's with the green armor?" Bloodyle looked like she wanted to throw up, so she covered her mouth with one of her hands. "If his fairy power is to make people sick, then he's doing a good job!"
The audience and the royal family were laughing as Roland was getting himself humiliated by the crowd. "SILENCE!" he barked. He shook in his hands the crown that once belonged to the Fairy King but that he had stolen during his siege. "I AM THE KING OF THE FAIRY KINGDOM! YOU WILL TREAT ME WITH RESPECT!"
"Was that the crown?" Penna gave out a mock gasp. "My bad, I thought it was already on your head. Then again, your hair is already ugly." More laughter and Roland's cheeks began to burn in a red hue.
"Who are your allies, Marius?" Griselda asked Marius. "They're fun, much better than Blondie here."
Marius motioned his friends from Villains High. "I made friends while I was gone," he said. He then glared at Roland. "And they've aided me to liberate you from your tyranny!"
"Ha!" one of Roland's offspring scoffed. "You and what..." Shouts were heard and soon (to avoid too many descriptions), the entire arena was surrounded by the liberated prisoners, the audience, the guards (who've all gone back to the royal side), Naga, and a Indimia in a giant-dinosaur size.
"Army?" Marius finished for the fairy fly hybrid with a smug look on his face.
"Woohoo!" Jessie Joker shouted as she slid down Indimia and joined her friends in the arena. "Viva la Résistance!"
"It's over, Roland!" Marius declared among the cheers of the crowd. "We've got the people and the true meaning of a country on our side!"
"How touching...But we've got magic on our side!" Helena chuckled as she held out her hands and creating green fireballs on the tip of her palms. All the good guys gasped. They did not see it coming.
"Yes, it was surprising," Roland said as he proudly patted his daughter's shoulder. "Helena was the most advanced of my offspring, my firstborn child actually. She was the first to hatch once my ex-wife laid the eggs of my thirteen children. The power she emitted was strong enough to destroy the enchantment of the love potion."
"So that's why you chose her to seduce Marius before making her break his heart," Penna said coldly.
"That's Roland for you alright," Marianne told her.
"Step aside, Buttercup, so that my daughter may aim at the ghastly hybrid son of yours!" Roland nodded at Helena, who began to prepare her blast at Marius Bogfae. Then, out like a flash of lightning, something punched Helena in the stomach and sent her flying onto a wall, evaporating her blast in the process. The fairy fly hybrid gritted her teeth when she saw that Penna had attacked her.
"Over my dead body, you won't!" Penna hissed as she released her fists, summoning auras of angry green and teal snakes. Helena blinked, but eventually growled in hatred as she charged her own hands with magic and the two began to engage in combat.
"Evacuate the citizens!" the Bog King ordered his guards.
"Right away, your Majesty!"
"Minuit, Artemis! Go help them!" Marius told his two alicorn friends, who nodded and flew to help the crowd while the royal family, along with their allies, prepared to face the evil one.
*Radio scratch, and Narrator interrupting*
Hey there, sorry to cut in. Due to the author's need to work on author fanfics and some of the pestering from the adoring fans to get it over with this story, we can't fully describe the battle. Just know that it involved lots of action, Marius and his parents kicked lots of butts, Helena and Penna have one heck of a clash with Penna overpowering the hybrid, and Naga and Indimia ate all of Roland's kids except Helena. And now we go back to the story.
*Radio scratch and return to the story*
"Is everyone alright?" Safír asked above the rubble that the fighting had occurred.
"I'm fine," Kit coughed as she got out of a rock that nearly crushed her. "But I can't tell for my left rib and this arena..." Her brother held her by the arm in order to help her stand up.
"Let us all hope that those scumbags were buried in the debris," the Bog King muttered.
None of the royals or the Villainapolis kids seemed to notice Roland and Helena discreetly sneaking from a pile of debris and getting close enough for Helena to shoot a fatal blast of magic at the Bog King.
"Your Highness, look out!" Jessie Joker pointed at the upcoming beam.
"Lysander!" Marianne exclaimed. Her husband turned his head and saw the beam on the verge of hitting him until something pushed him out of the way and got hit instead. When the light and smoke cleared out, everyone was horrified to see who got hit and killed right on the chest by the beam.
Marius Bogfae.
"MY SON!" Marianne fell on her knees in front of her son's body, making her screams echo in the night.
"Y...Yes. Yes, yes, YES!" Roland cried out loud in triumph. "Marius Bogfae is dead!"
"We've destroyed the heir, we can now take the crown!" Helena joined him in their father-daughter celebratory dance. If they weren't so busy gloating, they would have noticed a severely angry Penna De Mort flying straight, grabbing their wings with her bare hands, and plucking them out like weeds out of the grass, making the real villains scream in pain as they wiggled like worms in the middle of a puddle of blood.
"She destroyed our wings!" Roland wailed like the original coward he once was.
"And it's a good thing too!" Griselda howled. "Killing you would have just been too easy and you would have died satisfied that you murdered my grandson!"
"Yeah, well I'm going to remove them that satisfaction."
Everyone blinked in confusion as Penna knelt before the dead prince and removed her jeweled flower hair clip from her hair. A small tear shed out of her eyes as she held the hairclip in her hands and crushed it, smashing the shards into Marius' chest. A teal blue light glowed from Marius' chest and engulfed him and Penna, creating a blow of wind and sparkles that nearly blinded everyone until the light disappeared.
"Gah!" Marius sat up straight on the ground and breathed heavily.
"HE'S ALIVE!" Daylight ran to give her cousin a bear hug.
"My grandson!" Griselda joined in to give a tighter hug.
"Grannyselda! You'll be the death of me!" Marius pushed his grandmother and cousin away from him. He started to get up until he saw the hairclip shards on his chest and scooped them into his hands. He gasped when he realized what they once were.
"The Night Violet?" Marius looked at Penna, who was shifting nervously as he got up. "Penna, why are there shards of the Night Violet that I gave you and that you turned into a jeweled hairclip in order to preserve it?"
Gasps came from the Fae Realm natives. "He gave her a Night Violet?" Junk gasped.
"I...I turned it into a Horcrux in order to preserve it, although I did have to kill a doe in order to shred a part of my soul to complete the transformation," Penna said nervously.
"You...You're saying that you sacrificed a part of your soul that could have granted you more immortality... for me?" Marius was too stunned for words as he watched her nod her head.
"But I don't understand how sacrificing one part of my soul to save another is making me feel so...full." Penna frowned.
"That's because you don't know everything about immortality," a voice said. Everyone looked up and saw the Sugar Plum Fairy fly downwards. No one bothered to ask her where she had been this entire time. The Sugar Plum Fairy snapped her fingers and showed two scrolls. "Each of your fates are on each scroll, I recently got them from Titania and Oberon." She showed them the first scroll. "Penelope's Horcruxes split her soul in seventeen pieces overall, each of them taking lives from others, even though her father Voldemort forced her into creating the first sixteen. But saving a life by using one of her ripped soul's Horcrux selflessly would restore her soul back to one piece." She then showed the second scroll. "By sacrificing a part of her soul out of selflessness and love, she saved Marius' life and cured his heart from the Stone Heart curse while at the same time, his revived love prevented her from turning into ash by giving them a shared lifetime."
"In English?" Junk scratched his head in confusion. Kit groaned.
"The prince is alive, Penna has a full soul, and since they love each other so much, they get to live until either one of them dies, making both of them die at the same time."
"You understood that much?"
"Spend your time learning Dark History of Evil Deities back in VH and you'll understand."
"Yay! My grandson has found a soulmate! It was about time!" Griselda cheered happily before giving Penna an equally unbearable bear hug before looking at her up and down. "And she's such a beauty! I can already tell I'm going to like her!" She pinched Penna's cheek, which was when Penna started to display her discomfort.
"Um, yes mother," the Bog King said. "But let's give her some air." He pulled Griselda away from Penna, who began to rub her sides painfully.
"Sorry about that," Marianne apologized to Penna. "I endured a similar scenario."
"She's got a boa's grip, I'll give her that," Penna groaned as she continued to rub.
"So now that we defeated the bad guys and saved the day, shall we go celebrate?" Daylight suggested.
"After all the fighting?" Dawn frowned. "Sorry, missy, but it's past your bedtime..."
"We were held hostage!" Daylight complained.
"What happened to Daylight?" Marius frowned as they began to make their way to the castle while guards took away Roland and Helena.
"Eh, she found a new hobby while you were gone," Griselda shrugged, not noticing the smile that Marius was giving to his friends and Penna. He held the lavender-skinned girl's hand in his.
"So have I," he said.
