Chapter 14: Substantiated

"Oh, Oh! Look, there she is!", the little girl stated excitedly

The young girl began to skip forward from the outer edges of the jungle before she was scooped up in the arms of her older brother. The two had been watching the makeshift hut for a few moments before they spotted Hekapoo walking toward it. Upon inspection it was clear she was carrying something with her. With it being so far away and the sunlight beaming directly in their eyes it was hard to make out what that was exactly.

The man put the young girl back on the ground and ruffled her hair eliciting a deal of laughter from her.

"You little troublemaker, you can't just run out to her like that" he said tickling his younger sister

"Why not Hep!" the girl managed to get out between laughs

Ending his tickle assault he bent down to face the girl on her level, grasping her shoulders and looking her straight in the eyes.

"Listen Loo, this isn't the same Mom we're used to, she hasn't had us yet so it might freak her out if we just show up out of nowhere. We have to think about how we're going to do this before we just jump out there" he explained to his sister

The puzzled look on her face gave him more than enough information that she wasn't quite understanding what he was talking about.

"So, mommy doesn't want to see us?" the young girl choked out beginning to tear up

"Loo, no that's not what I'm saying"

Looking around the immediate area for something to show the girl, the man grabbed a rock from a small pile next to them.

"Listen, do you remember that time you were playing catch with Dad. You know with the red rubber ball."

The small girl nodded in agreement.

"Remember when you made the ball get way bigger and it freaked Dad out.

The small girl gave another small nod as the man wiped her small doll-like face.

"We don't want to freak Mom out like that right?"

"Right…" the girl said defeated

Hearing sounds directly in front of them, the man took a quick peek to see Hekapoo was gone. Scanning the open beach another loud thud came from what sounded like the hut. Figuring she had walked to the building he returned his attention to his younger sister.

"The hard part is trying to figure out how to get her attention without causing her to freak out, Maryloo"

Pondering to himself, he tried to brainstorm some ideas on how to complete their mission without changing too much in the past. As usual no information was given to him before he was sent here with his younger sister.

"Why does Sera always do this, a hint on how I'm supposed to proceed would have been nice" he complained

Taking a deep breath the man watched the waves crash on the sandy beach. Something about this place seemed so nostalgic but he knew he had never been here before. His father never even told him about this place. If it wasn't for Mira they wouldn't even have made it this far.

"Why did you guys get all the cool powers" he joked

Turning back toward his sister, the flame atop his head began to stand on end when he noticed she wasn't there. Frantically moving foliage around he tried to locate the young girl before he came to a sudden realization. Slowly he rotated toward the direction of the hut, surely she understood what he was talking about earlier right.

Making a mad dash toward the hut he stopped abruptly in his tracks when he saw the one thing he was trying to avoid.

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Hekapoo's clone stood frozen, eyes widened as she took in the sight of a young girl with a pure white jacket, yellow horns and red hair all the same as hers. The young girl smiled at her as she stood firmly with two red rubber balls in her hands.

"See now we can both have a ball, Mommy!"

"Mommy?!," she responded in confusion

Before she was able to say anything else the room began to spin, barely catching herself, her mind went completely blank as she noticed a tall man that seemed to suddenly appear behind the girl. The expression on his face like he just got caught stealing something gave her the impression they shouldn't have been there.

"Uhhh….hey…..Mom" the man said, rubbing the back of his neck and trying his hardest to not bring attention to himself.

As if that was the keyword to defeat a final boss, she lost consciousness and collapsed.

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Coming to, Hekapoo's clone slowly opened her eyes to the stars shimmering in the night. Under her she could feel what felt like wool. Feeling a small weight on her side, she took a look at the young girl she saw earlier laying asleep next to her.

"Probably best not to move yet, I think you might have hit your head on the way down" she heard a voice say behind her.

Twisting slightly to her side she could make out the same man from earlier sitting on a log near a campfire. She couldn't quite place it but something about him seemed so familiar.

"Who are you two" she managed to get out after touching her temple and noticing the splitting headache she now had

The man walked over to her and handed her a metal mug filled with water. Taking it from him she inspected the mug and the water inside. Knowing she didn't have any tools or her powers to make a mug it was apparent this mysterious man crafted it himself. While it was a bit crude, she could tell the work he performed along with the technique used where all hers.

"There really isn't any easy way to say this so I'm just going to be blunt. My name is Heptus and I'm…..your son from the future. The girl laying next to you is Maryloo and she's your youngest daughter"

"Wait, youngest?" , the clone exclaimed

"Yeah, including Maryloo you have four"

"FOUR GIRLS!", the clone yelled

The loud sounds of the clone cause the young girl to wake up and look around the beach confused. Wiping her mouth on her sleeve she gave the clone a deep smile before wrapping her into a hug. Feeling the raw emotion from the girl she could tell she loved her immensely. She could tell the young girl had been through alot and something in her felt so connected to her despite them never meeting. Was this what being a mother was like, this raw feeling of love, the slow beating of her heart and these waves of emotions overwhelming her. The clone wrapped her arms around the little girl trying to be strong for the little one despite the frog she was feeling in her throat.

"I really missed you Mommy", Maryloo said sadly trying to hold back tears

From this feeling of dread she was getting from her daughter she couldn't help but think something wasn't really right. Sniffing and trying to hold back tears she gave Heptus a concerned look. The deep sadness on his face confirmed her suspicions that something was very wrong. This didn't seem like a fun trip down memory lane but rather a solemn reunion.

"Heptus…."

"Did something happen to me in the future…"

The sad expression on his face only grew worse as it was replaced with a subtle anger. The flame on his head dancing wild but silently on his head.

"You and Dad….were killed" he reluctantly said his hands all the while clenched

"How..."

"I...I can't tell you Mom, we don't know if us coming back here is even the solution, for all we know it could very well be the cause."

"Then why did you come back", she questioned squeezing Maryloo tighter in a hug

"After you guys were gone the remnants of the Wolf-Bear army came back full force and brought this world and many others to their knees. Month after month we received reports that more and more kingdoms had fallen and worlds were being destroyed. We tried to stop them but without Dad's strategic tactics and your portal control they quickly overwhelmed us"

"What about the high commission and Mewni?" the clone questioned

Heptus gave his mother a look of confusion, searching for any sign that she was mistaken.

"Mom, do you not know what is happening right now in Mewni?"

"No, I haven't been back in years"

"Mewni is being overrun with dark cults and crime families right now. The Mewni Kingdom falls well before any of us are born. You used to tell us that all the time as kids"

"What!? How!?" she exclaimed

"Your portals being closed caused all the crime that would have been scattered across the worlds to build and unify in Mewni. I can't go into too much detail but the entire royal family is thrown out and beheaded in the streets. A power vacuum formed and the pigeon crime families took over"

Without warning the three hear a loud thump near the tree line behind them. Being cautious Heptus stood slowly preparing for combat.

"Loo, stay with mom…" he said slowly approaching the direction of the noise

Looking around her the clone noticed that Maryloo was nowhere to be found. Just moments before the girl was in her arms but had vanished. Without a trace the girl seemed to just disappear with no warning.

"Heptus she's not here!" she replied in a panic

"Not again..." he said look around for his sister

Hearing the sound of rustling trees the two watch a dark shadow emerges from the trees. Without a care in the world Maryloo strolled happily back into the view of the group, her hands being held by what appeared to be something invisible.

"Loo, what are you…" Heptus managed to get out

"I found Mommy and Grandpa!" she said excitedly

Heptus and the clone looked at each other in confusion, whatever she was talking about it clearly wasn't there.

"Maryloo there is no one there", the clone stated giving the girl a slight smile

"No, no see!" the little one replied excitedly before closing her eyes and concentrating.

To their shock, Hekapoo and Glossaryk slowly appeared before them, like a sort of veil was lifted from their presence. In utter shock Heptus and the clone froze, unable to process what was happening.

Releasing the small girl's hand Hekapoo walked carefully to Heptus before pulling him into a strong hug. The man losing air as he was being essentially choked to death.

"You look so much like your father..." Hekapoo said cupping her son's face allowing her tears to flow