Fable Seekers#7
The Test Of Time
Marco looked up from his breakfast to the many faces that were watching him. He bit into his toast and grew more conscious that their gaze never left him.
"What are you all looking at?" Annoyance starting to get to him, Marco questioned. They looked at each other before Lily decided to be the one to speak.
"We want to come watch.. I mean its your big test day and we want to be there to cheer you on?" Lily explained as Marco suddenly started to feel embarrassed. He wasn't sure of the full details of the test. He'd been informed to come in disguise and that Heckapoo would come to fetch him. He relented to their request however.
"I will have to ask.. But if you are allowed.. Then you can come!" Everyone began to cheer as Marco faced back to his food in order not to show everyone the big smile he was wearing.
/
The high spirits that were cheering in the Reverie Estate were not reflected in dining hall of the Butterfly Kingdom. Star's darkened gaze was fixed on her mother. She shoved food into her mouth and chewed in silence. Moon merely smiled as she ate. River, who was oblivious to the whole situation, took the chance of no one looking at him to take as much meat as he could and hide it in his beard for later. Moon had promised a 'show' later on but told him there would be no food or banquet to follow so he wanted to be prepared.
"Something on your mind pumpkin?" River, satisfied with his food stash, decided to break the silence. Star didn't look at him at first but turned to speak to her father.
"I'm just hoping CERTAIN people keep their promises.." Star stated bitterly. River turned from Moon to Star, from Star to Moon and finally to Manfred who shrugged his shoulders.
"Anyone care to explain what promises are to be kept?" River trod on egg shells as he tried to work out why breakfast had a side of tension to it.
"Moon pie?" River persisted when no one answered. Moon let out a sigh before breaking eye contact with Star.
"River dear, I told you already that later today we would be watching a show of great entertainment. You see, our daughter will be trying to prove if she really has what it takes to be called the Princess of The Butterfly Kingdom. Does she have the knowledge, strength and endurance of the girl she believes she is. I have called in one of the 'Fable Seekers' a newly appointed SS Ranked party who are on their way to being this kingdoms first official SSS Rank endorsed party. If Star proves herself then she can demand the things she wants of me." Moon explained with a mischievous grin.
"Hmm seems a tad unfair for our pumpkin to fight against an experienced adventurer?" River reasoned with an unnatural level of logic.
"Worry not, this adventurer is similar to Star's age. If she is so confident that she is above her peers so should easily win this."
"Someone our Star's age? She couldn't possibly lose! No one near her age stands any chance against her!" River chuckled with pride. He turned to Star.
"What exactly is it you want from your mother?"
"I want to know where Marco is." Star answered bitterly. She excused herself from the table and left the room. River looked at his wife smiling and put a thing or two together.
"So the boy left on your word.. And the mystery warrior is coming at your word? Similar age? A real test?" River began to ask aloud as Moon nodded to him confirming his suspicions.
"This will be a rather interesting show!" River proclaimed as he bit into his corn. Moon turned to Star's empty seat and felt a sliver of guilt about hiding things from the girl but knew she needed to grow.
/
Heckapoo stepped out of the portal and prepared herself. She cut a portal above her as someone dropped down to grab her. Cutting open another the little girl rolled to the ground at her feet.
"Hello Ellie!" Heckapoo laughed as she poked the little girls cheek.
"Hi Hecky! I'll get you next time!" Alex's sister stood up and ran away. Heckapoo could hear her calling out for Ivy so the two could prepare for their next surprise attack.
She walked into the living room and found no one there. The main reception had been fruitless too. Heckapoo finally heard voices coming from the garden so walked out to see then and that's when she saw him.
His black boots sparkled from where they'd been cleaned like new. They seemed to be more military like than she remembered and recognised them as similar to a pair she'd seen in one of Marco's army programs. He still donned his black trousers but was now paired with a black shirt with a thin red tie. Over that he wore his Spider-Coat. With just that he would have looked like an official bad ass in anyone's books but in addition to his clothes he was wearing a Japanese Kitsune mask and his hood up concealing his identity. He looked up through the mask and Heckapoo noticed his usual dreamy brown eyes were now a deep red.
"How do I look?" Came a voice from behind the mask, however, not a voice Heckapoo recognised.
"Marco is that you?" She wanted to confirm. If it was her friend she must admit he looked amazing and if not she was going to kick his butt for touching her friends stuff. Marco lifted the mask and revealed his identity. Heckapoo noticed his eyes changed back to brown.
"Yup its me H-Poo! Seems if the disguise is good enough to fool you then it should be no problem!" He said with a smile.
"You look amazing by the way but what's with the disguise?" Heckapoo asked confused. She didn't recall Moon mentioning it was a requirement.
"Queen Moon said I need to conceal who I am until the test is over. I'm not sure why but I think this will work. I went to Earth and borrowed a mask from a different country than I'm from. I saw this one in an anime once and I wanted it. Me and Lily put a few enchantments on it and my clothes to give me better protection. I don't know who my opponent is but I will be ready for anyone!" Marco smiled, already confident in his victory.
"Don't get cocky now! We didn't train you for that!" A voice laughed behind them. Turning they saw that the rest of the fable seekers had made disguises too. Not nearly as efficient as Marco's more like they were going to a masquerade ball. Marco smiled back at them and pulled his mask down.
"I'm confident BECAUSE you all trained me. Now since we're all here let's go." Marco cut open a portal and disappeared through it followed by Heckapoo, Alex, Sven, Tank, Sammy and Lily.
The group reappeared in the main hall of the Butterfly Kingdom. Guards rushed forward to contain them but were frozen with a few whispers from Marco, Lily and Heckapoo. Marco walked to the thrones as sitting there was Moon, River and Star. They had watched their entrance and his advance. Moon knew who was behind the masks, River had a clue but Star had no idea. All she knew was someone had entered without permission and had resisted her guards. She leapt at the man in red and tried to kick him. He grabbed her by the foot and threw her into a pillar. She went to raise her wand to him only to find Moon standing in her way.
"Star! Can you please not attack the guests!" She moaned softly. She turned to the guests who took a knee in her presence. Marco felt guilty for throwing Star but wasn't sure of what to say to the girl. He wasn't even sure that she had noticed his absence.
"Come now, I've told you before, you do not have to bow to me." Moon said to the man in red. He stood up and nodded towards River in acknowledgement. River was now certain who was behind the mask but Star was all the more confused. Someone had broken several castle rules, hurt the Princess and didn't have to bow to the king and queen. Who was this guy?
"I'm glad you brought your companions, I was worried you wouldn't since I never mentioned it. I've been excited to meet them! So as for today's events. Star, come here." Star got up and walked to her mothers side. The man was taller than her by at least a head, he looked like some sort of anti-hero or villain. She could tell he was strong which made her confused. Someone both her mother and Heckapoo knew that she didn't.
"Today is a test of two kinds. One, for my daughter. She seeks to prove her strength as a Princess and a warrior so for that I have found a suitable opponent. To gain the allegiance and support of our Kingdom the SS Ranked Adventurer Party, The Fable Seekers send their newest and youngest recruit to represent them. If he wins we shall acknowledge your strength, if he loses we shall still consider it. Star if you win I'll tell you where exactly is Marco Diaz." Marco looked down at Star and was surprised by the spiteful face she took on when looking at her mother.
"So she knows I'm missing and wants to know where I am? Interesting, I'll play Moon's game." Marco thought to himself before addressing the pair.
"Thank you again Moon for such an opportunity and I look forward to our duel Star Butterfly." Star didn't recognise the voice or the red eyes that appeared from behind the mask.
"Let's just get it over with and that's PRINCESS Star Butterfly to you." Star said hatefully. Marco merely chuckled which only angered her further. She stormed out from the room and went to get ready. Moon dismissed the guards and locked the doors. Finally the group was alone. Marco pulled off his mask and hood revealing himself to River.
"Marco m'boy! I knew it! What a fine man you've grown into, I can tell this duel will be one for the ages!" River exclaimed loudly as he greeted Marco with a hand shake. He rushed off to introduce himself to the Fable Seekers who were standing back after not having many interactions with Nobles or Royalty.
"Thank you for playing along with me Marco" Moon said with a smile as she pulled him in for a hug.
"It's cool. I figured it must have been for a reason, so can I know what it is?"
"Well.. When she finally found out your were missing it was because her friends prompted her too, she insulted both your abilities and Sir Lavabo and truthfully I could not deal with it. I was both angry and ashamed so I decided to make her work for it. If she managed to beat you I'd tell her everything but if she failed I would leave that to you. Plus it doubles as a good test of your strength. A pissed off Star after training for months is a good opponent any day. Although truthfully I'm rooting for you." Moon chuckled as Marco laughed at the story.
"Well I guess I should be happy she wants to know where I am. It must have been her trying to use a spying spell on me a little while ago." Marco reasoned. He explained what had happened to Moon in more detail.
"So immediately after agreeing to my terms she tried to break them… Mmm I see. Well in that case I shall definitely be cheering for you. Anyway, I'll go greet your companions and show them to their seats. I think you have another person to invite, don't you? I have already invited the other Knights and Squires but I left the last one for you." Marco smiled as she winked. She rushed off to stop River from trying to wrestle with Tank who was unsure whether to take part or not. Marco vanished through a portal and arrived at a big wooden door.
'Knock, Knock'
Marco breathed in deeply as the door opened. Standing in front of him in his usual attire between a Knight and a cleaner was his mentor. He pulled up his yellow gloves before stepping forward. He held his scissors to his heart and spoke.
"I, Sir Lavabo, Present myself to thee." Marco smiled beneath his mask, his mentor had seen through it in seconds.
"I, Marco Diaz, Present myself to thee." He pulled out his scissors and repeated the actions. Lavabo smiled widely, barley able to hold back his tears of pride and joy.
"Come in, I'm sure we don't have long but for the time we have, how about you tell me everything?" Lavabo ushered Marco inside where the two got lost in conversation, each trying their hardest to hide how happy the meeting made them.
/
Star stood alone in the stadium. Around her were the various Knights and Squires of the Kingdom. They were being allowed to attend the 'royal show' as a reward for their hard work. Star scowled that her mother would turn this into an even bigger theatrical spectacle than it had been already. She turned punishing Star into a reward for the people who had laughed at her. To add insult to injury the only people cheering for Star in the home guest seats were Tom, Pony Head and Kelly. Everyone else including her parents seemed to be on the away teams side.
Star shook off her doubt and her negativity. She pushed the hurt into the back of her mind and tightened her grip on her wand. She walked into the starting area for the duel and turned to face her mother.
"Oh gracious, Moon the Undaunted. It appears your challenger has failed to turn up? I take it we can declare this my victory?" Star smirked. The rude and disrespectful joke who was meant to fight her wasn't here and that only helped her cause.
"What are you talking about Sweetie? He's right on time!" Moon called back. Star span her head back to see a portal open and two men exit. One was her joke of the opponent and the other… Lavabo. Star watched Lavabo laugh like he was laughing with an old friend.
"Seriously! Who are you?" Star yelled at the redly dressed man. He looked at her with his red eyes which only served to unsettle her. Lavabo waved goodbye and proceeded to rush over to the away seating area where he'd been saved a prime seat by Queen Moon.
"Hey! I asked you a question!" Star yelled again, angry that she'd been ignored. The man scratched his head as if he was thinking.
"Well.. That's strange.. I could have sworn the Royal Mewman Guide to Princess Etiquette states that 'One must present their own name when asking for another'. Faux Pas Princess!" The man laughed back. Star gritted her teeth but took note of his final words.
"Why do you know an Earthen phrase like faux pas?" Star asked again.
"Well let's just say your not the only one to visit Earth.. To see the joys of Echo Creek but the difference is.. Hmm no I'll save that last gem!" Star's face flushed red with rage as she realised that the man was toying with her. He could easily have found out that information from anyone here and since he seemed to know quite a few people in the palace she removed the thought from her head.
"Star Butterfly of the Butterfly Kingdom, Ready!" She called out silencing the crowd. She smiled at the man as she could get her first answer from him. He turned to Moon and yelled to her.
"Erm Same!" Moon nodded and shot up a ball of coloured light to signify the start of battle. The man remained still. He looked back at Star and then bowed.
"Ladies first?" Star could no longer visibly hide her anger. He had pissed her off royally. Her mothers puppet who kept mocking her.
"Why thank you.." Star began to twirl on the spot before jumping into the air and kicking it. She landed with flare and then directed her wand to the man.
"SUPER STRAWBERRY SHAKE QUAKE!" Screamed Star as a blast of pink filled with giant strawberries were blasted towards Marco. He smiled and kicked them all up into the air. He whispered something she didn't hear and held his hand up. Seeing that her spell had no effect Star kept trying.
"CUPCAKE BLAST!"
"SYRUP TSUNAMI SHOCKWAVE!" The rain of cakes fell down onto the Red Knight. He started to hit them with his hands as he was washed away by the tsunami of syrup. Star started to laugh as she walked towards the mess where he was just standing. She kicked at a few of the strawberries and oversized cupcakes seeing if beneath the sticky mess she could find her opponent. After walking around for a few minutes she looked up at the stands to see everyone holding plates and eating food. She looked closer and noticed they had plates full of sliced cake and syrup dipped strawberries with more syrup on the side. She span around to find her opponent handing the last plate of food to a very excited River.
He jumped down, back into the fight. He looked up as Star stood livid with hate. He cleared his throat and addressed the crowd.
"Thank you all for you patience. We wanted to thank you for coming by offering our own magical treats. Now to get onto the real fight and we should all thank the Princess for her.. Party tricks." Star couldn't see his face but knew that he was smiling beneath that mask. He had toyed with her completely and even made everyone think she was in on it. Some of her most old and precious original spells made into a joke.
"So you want to play the big man?" Star couldn't even look at him any more. She didn't know who this man was but she knew she hated him.
"Cataclysmi-"
"Wait!.." Star stopped casting the spell as the man started to stretch his arms. He looked at his feet and sighed as they were sticky in the syrup.
"Let me just clean up. RECTIFY!" Marco yelled out in his disguised voice. All of the remains of Stars spells started to gather in the middle of them both. With a flick of his hand the remains turned to glitter and flew back into Stars wand. She looked back up at the stands and noticed the food they were eating was still there. Whoever he was he could control his magic. With a single word and no wand he'd returned her own magic to its very core. Star started to truly understand she wasn't dealing with a normal opponent.
"Okay, you're good to go!" The man called over with a thumbs up. She nodded back as the crowd cheered at their sportsmanship.
"Cataclysmic Total Extinction Death Blast!" Star held her wand into the air and seemed to wait. Marco looked up to see something flying towards him at an alarming rate. From the wording of the spell and the memory of him stopping Star using it before he knew he had to act. He saw the object drawing closer now. It was a flaming skull with pink and baby blue flames. The force it was heading to him at would mean that it would destroy this whole area. He chuckled a little realising that he had already gotten under Star's skin, a common tactic in a fight to undermine your opponent.
Marco cut a portal with his scissors and held his staff sword into the air.
"REJECTION!" Marco yelled the spell out loud and then followed it up with two more of the same spell. As the chant rang out into the air the skull seemed to slow before dropping into the portal and then reappearing beside Marco. He caught it in his hands and shook the rest of the flames off. He put it on his head and looked at Star.
"Come on, guess who I am Princess!" He laughed as she fired some nameless beams of magic at him. He dodged them with ease as if he was dancing. Reflecting a few spells with his dagger as he danced through them. From the crowd Alex cheered loudly as his pupil used his mastery of his technique to glide across the battlefield.
"It's Ludo!" Marco laughed before throwing the skull back at Star. As she slid to the right to dodge it Marco whispered a simple wind spell that took her legs out forcing her to fall over.
"Dagger Crystal Heart Attack!" Marco simply deflected the hearts with his sword. They were fast and sharp but nothing compared to the attacks he had taken from the Spider Queen.
"Rainbow Blast! Rainbow Fist Punch! ROLLING THUNDER LIGHTNING BLAST!" Star screamed in quick succession. He smiled and dug his sword into the ground. He took each of the rainbow attacks without moving. His stance was firm and his defence unbreakable. Just like Tank had taught him. For the lightning spell he needed speed. He threw his sword up to draw in most of the lightning and then used the Shadow step that Sven had taught him to dodge the light by moving in the shadows the sword created under the assault of light. Star started to breath deeply. So many spells in quick succession was tedious on the body yet the man wasn't even phased. Star decided she would use everything she had left.
"Narwhal Blast!, SPIDER WITH A TOP HAT BLAST! WARNICORN STAMPEDE! SHIMMERING DESTRUCTO CANNON!" Star knelt beside the spider as he fired his minigun at the boy. Star fired multiple heart tipped missiles after him too. She could no longer see him from behind the wall of Warnicorns but once the explosion ended they rushed in. Star waited for the dust to settle as she covered her eyes to protect them. Her spells turned to magic and returned to her wand as she walked over to the giant hole where her foe was before. She looked down into the hole and saw nothing inside. Looking around she expected to see him now waiting behind her but when she turned he was no where. She looked around confused when she was suddenly kicked to the floor and fell into the hole. She saw him standing above her walking on the air. She couldn't believe that nothing she had done had fazed him. She climbed from the hole, ignoring his taunting words and went to walk past her mother to the exit.
"Star! Where are you going!" Moon called out to her as everyone began to whisper about what was happening.
"I'm LEAVING! I don't have to put up with this. I have no reason to fight him other than to please you so I'm leaving!" She yelled back at her mother in a furious rage and began walking again when someone whistled out to her.
"Hey Princess! You sure about that!" The man called out waving to her. He'd opened up his jacket revealing his smartly dressed attire. Star turned and waited for him to continue.
"You say you have nothing to fight me for... But what about to avenge the one you lost?" Star stared at him in silence.
"Aren't you curious? Why Marco Diaz never came home?" He knew he was being cruel but Star needed to finish this fight. They both did.
"What do you know of Marco!" She yelled back. The whispering crowd fell silent as they realised something big was happening.
"Not much! He was as brave as he was foolish. He did his best to save everyone he could... He is a hero.."
"So nothing new.." Star twirled her body around and began to walk again as he called out one last time.
"Sorry, He was a hero. He was weak. He was fragile and most of all... His blood was a deeper red than the tattered hoodie he stained it with." Star span round with a look that was trying to kill. She took a step and her whole body glowed gold as she turned into her butterfly form.
"LIES!" She screamed back at him.
"I am many things, but a liar isn't one." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a bundle of red. Throwing it to her feet he waited for her to pick it up.
Star held up the hoodie. Certainly it looked like one of Marco's.. There were a giant claw mark down the back that had been crudely sewn up. A sleeve was missing completely and there was tears and rips all over it. The final thing that drew Star's eyes was the giant hole in the shoulder of it. A deeper red surrounded the wound in a large quantity. She tightened her grip on the hoodie as her hands began to shake. She pulled it closer to her and she knew it was his. It had his scent, it was strong on it.
"WHERE IS HE?" She yelled, still staring at the hoodie.
"Well... I can say without a shadow of doubt, that every remaining piece of him is in this ring with us." Star felt her tears escape her eyes as she started to cry into the hoodie, falling to her knees. Members of the crowd began to mumble and some picked up their weapons. Lily started to chant a spell from behind Queen Moon and held her staff up high. The area around Star and Marco was surrounded in a clear bubble that when people tried they couldn't get through it. Moon turned to Lily behind her.
"Thank you dear, what a marvellous spell!" Lily smiled with pride and bowed to accept the compliment.
Across the field in the booth supporting Star, Pony Head started to bang her horn against the bubble.
"I'm GONNA KILL HIM! NO ONE HURTS THE EARTH TURD BUT ME!" She screamed much to Tom and Kelly's surprise. They were aware that Pony had formed some sort of bond with Marco but never actually thought she cared.
"WHY ARE YOU TWO NOT HELPING ME!" She screamed at them. Kelly wrapped the red scarf tighter around her neck as Tom stood and put his hand on Pony's neck.
"Pony, Marco is fine." He assured her.
"Erm.. Like? Are you deaf? Didn't you hear what he said?" She retorted sarcastically.
"He's telling the truth Pony Head. Marco is safe and sound." Kelly said from behind the scarf.
"How do you know?" She asked curiously, she smelt gossip.
"Because he's standing there right in front of Star." Tom said as Pony's mouth dropped wide open. She looked down at the finely dressed man and then back at Tom. Then back at the man, then back at Tom. Then back at the man, then at Kelly and then back at Tom.
"SHUT UP! NO WAY!"
"Yep, I recognise his coat from when I saw him again in the Underworld."
"And I can tell it's him from just remembering how he was at Lake Lava Beach" Tom and Kelly nodded in agreement at their words. Neither had openly discussed running into Marco but both figured the other had.
"So wait... You both have seen Marco and knew he was okay.. But neither of you decided to tell Star that?" Pony raised an eyebrow. Both went to speak and went silent not knowing what to say.
"Let me guess... You decided not to get involved and let Star actually notice he was missing. While she's been pretending he doesn't exist he's been adventuring and getting seriously strong enough to be B-Fly. But, it got too much as she continued to ignore him so you tried to push her to notice he was missing. Like you, Moon was annoyed at how long it took her to notice so put about this little test to let her find him when in reality he's right in front of her?" The two stared at the horse head as she clearly explained exactly what had happened.
"I thought so! I knew it! Anyway... Why is he trying to make her upset?"
"He's not... He's trying to make her angry. He wants her to fight him.." Kelly explained.
"Why?"
"I think this is Marco's test as well as Stars. I don't think it's for the allegiance of the Kingdom like Queen Moon said as the Fable Seekers are already allied with the Butterfly Kingdom." Tom added further. At the mention of the Fable Seekers Pony Head froze and turned slowly to the other two. She tried to recall the party in the bounce lounge where she'd been taken. All she had remembered was something grabbing her, pulling her through a portal and then the world went red.
"THAT LITTLE SON OF A BITCH! EARTH TURD YOU ARE DEAD WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" Pony screamed through the bubble. Marco looked up at her banging her head against the bubble, her voice was silenced so he had no idea what she was saying but he couldn't help but think he may have missed even her when he was away and looked forward to meeting up after this fight.
"I'll kill you.." Came a whisper from Star. Marco didn't quite hear it so took a step closer.
"What was that Princess?"
"I'LL KILL YOU!" She roared as she lunged at him. She brought fist after fist down on him as he raised his arms to shield his face. She pummelled on the boy before standing back and raising a fist to him.
"DIE!" Her hand began to glow bright gold as an aura surrounded it. Marco shot up and cupped his hand together with hers.
"VOID SEAL!" Marco yelled as the glow faded and Star turned back into her normal form. She raised her hand and tried to fire magic at him but nothing happened. She picked up the wand and tried again but nothing.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!" She screamed as she hit her fists against him.
"I'm done with the magic. Fight me like a warrior." He cut a portal and pulled a sword from the rift. He threw it to her feet and tossed a shield there too. He walked back towards the starting position and readied himself.
"Come at me like you want to kill me... And maybe I'll tell you the words he wanted you to hear.." Star looked up at his words. He was holding back Marco's last words... The last words to her. He would talk... He would scream and then he'd beg for forgiveness.
Star grabbed both the shield and sword and readied herself. He stood still. Not moving an inch as she waited. She pushed the anger away and focused her mind. She felt the balance in the sword and the strength in the shield. He had armed her with weapons made for battle and weapons that would kill. She would deliver on that potential.
Deciding to speed things up Marco made the first move. He rushed forward thrusting his blade at Star. She held her shield up as she blocked the barrage. She slashed her sword but found nought but air. She felt a sharp kick to the back of her neck that knocked her to the floor. She immediately rolled out the way as he brought his sword down into the ground. She kicked him away before jumping to her feet. She should have remembered he was light on his feet. From the feeling when she kicked him she knew he had jumped backwards and avoided most of the hit. He was swift, he was nimble. A skilful swordsman but knew exactly how and when to take a hit. A master of magic and an unimaginably foe. Star wiped the sweat from her brow and tied up her hair. It was caked in dirt and sweat but she didn't care. All she cared about was the person in front of her. He slid off his jacket, throwing it to the side. He loosened his tie and once again readied his stance.
This time Star made the first move, a move she would regret. As she drew closer he began to throw knives at her that had been strapped to his back. She used the shield to block a few and hit the rest away with the sword but he was able to then slide beneath her feet and pull them with him taking her out. She rolled forward and span her shield round hitting him in the shoulder and sending him flying. It was the first real hit that she'd had on him all day and from it she learnt a lot. He may be strong but he was still light. A hit from her clearly hurt and would send him flying so the more hits she landed the less he would last against him.
She followed up her attacking move charging at the recovering man only to be tripped again and kicked in the stomach. She tried to jump to her feet again but he kicked her legs out and then kneed her in the head. She fell back in pain but didn't stop. She wiped the blood from her lips and spat out the rest. She ran forward knocking his sword from his hand with the shield and raising her sword high above them, bringing it down and crunching into his flesh. He kicked her away, clutching at his shoulder. His arm hung limp at his side as she smiled. Her bloody grin unnerved him a bit but he did ask for it.
"Full Heal!" Marco said as he held his palm to his arm. It would still hurt but he ripped off the remains of his shirt to reveal the wound had healed. Beneath his shirt was nothing but a gallery of scars and bruises. His body was covered in wounds that had been healed. Star almost gasped at how painful some of them must have been but then moaned as she realised he may have blocked her magic but he still had his own.
She decided not to give him the chance to fully recover and ran at him intending to repeat the mistake. He lifted his mask enough that she could see him smiling wide as he spoke one word.
"Eclipse Noire" Star felt the world go black and numb. She couldn't see, she couldn't hear, she couldn't taste or smell and she could no longer feel anything. She wasn't sure where she was or what had happened. When things were or what she had become. Darkness surrounded her and was her. She had been covered by it and embraced by it.
"Twilight, Moonlight.." Star sat up from the ground gasping for air, she wasn't sure when she started to hold her breath but she started to choke from the sudden intake. She looked around her to see she was still in the stadium, still fighting against the murderer. She went to grab her weapons and noticed they were gone.
"Magic... Weaponry... So now it's hand to hand combat" Marco listed off the things he knew Moon would be looking for from them both. He was sure he had excelled in showing battle prowess, strategy and a finesse for getting to his opponent. He had clearly shown he was capable but left his greatest strength until last. Star stood up to face him noticing he had changed his top and put his jacket back on. He had robbed her of everything to get changed and shake up her focus.
"This ends. Now." She said as she ran at him. She jumped and kicked at him. He blocked her kick with ease and went to punch her only for her to twirl around and back hand him across the face. He had shown her that move... She had laughed and said she'd never use it as she had magic but look at her now.
Marco blocked attack after attack as Star ran at him with tears in her eyes. She no longer cared for the fight, she didn't care for her mother, her father, her friends or her kingdom. Her mind, heart and body was all for destroying the man in front of her. She was relentless as she kicked him in the gut sending him flying. It was at that moment she realised something.
"FIGHT BACK." She yelled at him. He started to laugh and picked himself up. She realised this whole time he had only countered her attacks or dodged. He had moved to provoke her but he could have ended this many times.
"You want me to go all out?" He asked mischievously. She nodded and he smiled. He clapped his hands together and bowed. Before she could be confused by his actions he rushed forward. She could barley kept up with his movements as she was forced to block his punch. She went sliding backwards and he continued to assault her. She felt her arms begin to tire and ache as he went for her. Finally breaking through her guard he kicked her to the ground and held his heel to her neck.
"DO IT!" She yelled at him.
"Okay.." Star closed her eyes and waited for death.
"Full Heal! Void Release! Rectify!" Star felt the pressure let up on her body as all of her magic returned, her pain faded and everything became clear. She jumped up and looked at him. He had in one hand a sword of fire with lightning running through it and the other a sword of ice so cold it gave the illusion it had blue flames.
"Come at me with everything you've got." Star felt her power surge through her as she pulled all of her magic into a ball. She thrust her fist into it and stretched it into a staff. Her whole potential and magic was now a single use weapon. She ran at him as he did too, they collided with each other as he struck both of his swords against her staff causing a large explosion.
Everyone watched in awe as the whole bubble began to shake. Cracks appeared from both ends as the two people fell to the floor at opposing ends. Star could barley open her eyes as her whole body coursed with pain and aching. She lifted her head off the ground only to see him standing up and brushing himself off. She began to sob into the ground defeated as the crowd remained silent. Moon flew down towards the arena carrying Lily in her arms. She rushed to Star's side and began to heal her as Moon walked over to Marco.
"The victor of this battle has been decided! The winner, from the Fable Seekers Party, MARCO DIAZ!" Moon raised his hand into the air as Marco pulled his mask off. His hood fell down revealing to the stunned crowd his true identity. Star looked up from the ground and began to crawl towards him. Lily helped her up, continuing to heal her, as she limped closer to Marco.
Marco stood still, not knowing what to expect as she finally reached him, grabbed him and pulled him into a hug before beginning to cry and passing out. She began to fall to the floor but he caught her and began to carry her back to the castle as the crowds erupted in cheers for their winner.
/
"How is she?" Marco looked up from his seat to see Tom, Kelly and Pony Head standing in the doorway. He'd sent the Fable Seekers home early since he wasn't sure when Star would wake and was now sitting by her side.
"She's okay, just exhausted. Lily healed her and myself up to the best condition we could be in." Marco replied as they all rushed in to hug him.
"You were amazing!" Kelly exclaimed as she gesture some of his moves back to him.
"She's right dude! Where in the multi-verse did you learn all that stuff!" Tom asked as he looked at his own hands and realised if Marco could grow that strong when he really tried how much stronger could he as a demon grow.
"Yeah... I guess you were pretty cool. But you still hurt B-Fly and If you ever kidnap me again Marco I will kill you!" Pony Head threatened pointing her new fake horn at his neck.
"Ease up guys, I'm as exhausted as Star. It's super nice to see you all again... I missed you so much.." Marco pulled them all back in for a hug which made them all smile.
"So dude! Catch us up!" Marco began to tell his tale again from his arrival back at Mewni and onward. The three sat on the bed and started to listen. Star had woken up but was pretending to be asleep as she also listened to his story.
He told them everything, All of his journey, his battles and near-death experiences. He told them everything that had happened from the Spider-Queen to the Demon King. From the Undead Skeleton Dragon to the battle for the crown of the dead. Marco smiled as he recounted his stories to the adoring crown who munched on their snacks left over from the fight.
Marco eventually brought his story to an end on this morning when he had met Star again for the first time in eight months. The girl had immediately hated him and that's when he first heard that his test to prove that his quest had been the right choice would be a battle against Star. He confessed his guilt for hurting her and admitted that he made the hoodie look worse than it did from his fights. He knew that he needed to push Star to her limits and did so.
"Wow... You've done and seen so much... SS-Rank!?" Tom questioned surprised.
"Yep, that happened recently but our goal is to get to SSS-Rank before the end of my 2 years."
"So your actually planning on coming back?" Kelly asked genuinely surprised.
"Of course! I promised! I want to be a Knight of Mewni. It's why I came back here and left home in the first place. Star must have known that the Wash was exactly where I needed to be. I know everyone says that she did it out of spite but I want to believe that she knew... I mean... It's two years... I came back from Heckapoo's dimension after 16 years because she asked me to." Marco chuckled remembering how taken with his abs Star had been.
"Wow... Dude you are incredible.. I feel like such an idiot now... I've done nothing for all those months you've been away!" Tom admitted glumly.
"That's not true! Your Dad told me how much you've been trying to step up your responsibilities back in the Underworld, He's proud of you... And so am I!" Marco said smiling at his friend. Tom blushed a little under embarrassment.
"Well What about me!" Everyone turned to look at Pony Head.
"Well what?"
"I mean... You had that moment with Kelly on the beach and gave her your scarf. You caught up with Tom and his family in the Underworld but me? You threw me in a cage and gave me back to my dad!" Pony groaned.
"It was a quest!" Marco laughed. Pony frowned at him but couldn't stay mad when the others joined in with his laughing.
"Well.. I'll forgive you." She pouted which made him smile. He opened a portal and pulled out a small helmet.
"Here" Marco threw it over to her and it slid on with ease. Best of all she could see through the holes in it unlike her other helmet.
"Oh my gosh Marco! You got me a present!" She shrieked in a high pitch voice. She swung her head around to make her horn appear like a sword making the others laugh.
Star listened as they continued to talk and laugh away before finally everyone but Marco left. She pretended to roll onto her side so she didn't have to face him. Marco sat back down beside her before speaking out loud.
"Star, I'm pretty sure your awake but don't worry… you can keep pretending, it actually makes this easier for me." Marco admitted. He ran his hand through his hair picking out a piece of cupcake from the battle before. He looked at the back of Star's head and her golden hair. Her slender figure given form by her blanket. He wanted to reach out and hold her… if only for a minute.
"I guess the first thing I should say is I'm sorry… or I would have but I can't anymore. I'm not sorry for coming back to Mewni, I'm not sorry for being selfish and wanting you by my side. I may have had the path made easier for me by Jackie but that's only because she could see what we were denying. I always wanted to be the best friend I could be… there was a time I dreamed of more.. To be a hero, your protector and even more than that. Then the blood moon happened and you made it clear that you wanted a friend. I decided then and there that its what I would always try to be.
But when you told me you liked me and then left I got confused. Did I really deserve a chance with you? I came to Mewni and tried to help… I didn't really end up doing much but I can proudly say I tried, I tried my best for you. I came back to Mewni seeking knighthood, adventure and your heart.
My knighthood was a joke and your heart was so sealed off from me that you left me in the dark at the bottom of the castle. Out of sight and out of mind. I know it was months before you even noticed me missing… maybe even thought about me but you were never out of my mind. So many times did I want to come back and show you everything. However, I promised Lavabo and Moon that I'd make them proud and prove myself. So I must.
I'm leaving again Star and.. I won't be back for a while. I do still want to be a knight and still want to be by your side but every day I spend as a Fable Seeker I realise I do want that life too. I'm scared that when the time comes I'll let you down... Well It's nothing new I guess. I have to go now, I don't want my friends to wait too long for me.
Goodbye Star Butterfly, I Love you." Marco leant over gently and kissed her on the forehead. Star felt her face turn bright red from the feeling his lips left. She wanted to turn round, grab him and beg him to stay but wasn't sure if she was really allowed to. She was with Tom and, although they had their problems, she wanted to make it work. She didn't want to lose Marco forever however so turned in her bed to face an empty chair.
"Marco?" She said aloud as she saw the open door in her room. Star crawled to the side of the bed falling to the floor in pain. She may have been physically healed but all the exhaustion and the memory of the pain was still with her. She forced herself up and ran from her room. She knew where he would go. To see her mother.
Star slid through the halls and jumped down the stairs before kicking open her mothers door. She was just in time to see a portal close and her mother turn with a frown.
"Mum! Was that Marco! Where did he go!" Star asked quickly. Moon sighed and sat down.
"So you were awake?" She responded to Star's question with another question.
"What?" Star looked at her mother confused.
"Marco told me... He told you everything he wanted to clear his heart. He knew you were awake and pretending to be asleep. It hurt him Star. 8 Months and you still won't speak to him." Moon moaned at her daughter. Star wanted to respond in anger but only felt guilt fill her heart.
"You knew... That he would be the one to come fight me. That I would lose miserably and make a fool of myself." Star replied.
"Yes and No. Marco being your opponent was work of my doing after all. However, I don't think anyone thought you'd give into anger and hate so quickly that he looked like he was toying with you. Star, I am worried about you. As are all of your friends. You give up easily, you avoid effort and you let anger rule your heart. That's not the Star Butterfly any of us remember." Moon stood up and wrapped her arms around Star. She rested her head on her daughters.
"I don't want you to hate me but I needed something to wake you from the self destructive state you were heading for."
"You've done that now! So can you tell me where Marco went?" Star asked eagerly. She was hopeful for the answer this time around but that hope was crushed as her mother let go and walked from her.
"Mum.. You're going to tell me right?"
"no.." Moon whispered.
"Mum.. Please tell me?"
"No Star!"
"Why!?" Star stood up throwing the chair away from herself.
"Star, Our agreement was that if you won I would tell you where Marco is. You did not win. You lost. Even though that was the case I declared Marco the winner letting you know he was there. I gave you the chance to fix your mistakes and bring Marco home. You could have fixed everything and who knows, maybe you could ever have joined him on his adventurers. You could have grown stronger and more responsible, much like you need to and Marco has." Moon rubbed her forehead as if it was in pain. She looked at her daughters hurt expression. It wasn't rage this time, just hurt.
"So that's it? I lost.. So I lose my friend for good?" Star fell to her knees.
"No, He will come back at the end of his two years and you can still be friends.."
"No Mum... He told me himself that he thinks the more time he spends there the less he wants to leave." Moon managed to hide her shock but news of these feelings was new to her. She was under the impression Marco wanted nothing more than to return.
"Then it's a shame... But if that is what he chooses then that is what we must accept."
"WHY!" Star grabbed the bottom of her mothers dress and pulled herself closer.
"Star... Look on my desk." Moon pulled Star from the floor and forced her to see the two objects sitting on the desk. Star walked forward to see a dagger and a bag of gold.
"It's the dagger I gave him... And the gold he was given to help him on his journey. He returned them both." Moon said glumly. When Marco had told her he was grateful but thought the heirloom should be returned. She remembered when he gave her the Gold back. Part of her wanted to give it back to him but she knew it would be an insult to the boy. He wanted to continue his journey with what he himself had earned with his own hands. She admired his courage and resolve so didn't try to persuade him otherwise, but, with what Star had told her Moon considered maybe he was just making sure he didn't leave any loose ends.
"...I'm going to find him." Star walked away from the table and pulled a pair of dimensional scissors from her bag.
"Where are you going and how did you get those scissors?" Moon followed behind her as she tried to speed up to lose her.
"He is part of a famous adventurers group. The Fable Seekers. If I find them then I'll find Marco and they sell second hand pairs all the time in Quest Buy." Moon reached out to grab her daughter but missed. Star took a step back and tripped her mother up, sending Moon crashing to the floor.
"You can't stop me Mother." Star cut open a portal and jumped through it.
/
"So she didn't speak to you?" Marco looked up from the table to see the others looking at him worried.
"Where are your smiles? I won didn't I?" Marco laughed but no one changed their expression.
"Marco, you can't hide your feelings from us. We are so proud of you for winning and showing everyone what it means to be a Fable Seeker but it's clear that you're upset about something." Alex smiled at him, encouraging him to speak his mind.
"No.. She just laid there pretending to be asleep. I mean, I said everything I needed to say so I guess I feel better now but I really wish we could have fixed our problems." Marco admitted glumly.
"It's not too late? You could go speak to her?" Tank suggested.
"No... I mean I tried. If Star doesn't want things to change then I can't do anything about that. I'm going to focus on my life here, that's what matters!" Marco said with a bittersweet expression.
"Well until you head back on over to be a Knight of course!" Sven slapped him on the back as Marco agreed halfheartedly.
"So what would you do if she came here looking for you? Would you talk to her then?" Sammy asked while pushing Lily aside to get closer.
"No... Queen Moon made my location a term for our duel. If Star has found me it's because she used the Fable Seekers name. I owe Queen Moon so much and I want to keep her word. I also don't know what else I'm meant to say... So no the time to talk is gone... I just want to focus on us." Sammy nodded before grabbing Lily's hand.
"Okay, Me and Lily are going to head to the guild to see what quests are available. Just because you're on resting duty doesn't mean the rest of us are." Sammy said with a chuckle.
"I'll come with if you want?" Alex offered but got a stern rejection from both women.
"No... This is more of a ladies duty." Alex didn't really understand but he nodded nonetheless.
Lily and Sammy left the house and instead of taking a portal like usual they walked down the entrance of the estate where a girl stood smashing her fists against the gate.
"This is private property. What business do you have here?" Sammy said to the girl. Star looked up at the two girls in front of her. She didn't recognise either of them.
"Hello, My name is Star Butterfly and I'm looking for Marco? Is he home?" Star asked politely hoping she'd get a favourable response.
"We know who you are Princess, I healed you up after your little loss back in the kingdom." Star looked up at the girl and suddenly felt a little jealous that Marco was spending his time with such good looking girls.
"Oh that's great then can you let me in! This place has some weird magic stopping me from getting in." Sammy and Lily looked at each other before opening the gate and walking through. They left it open as Star tried to run through but seemed to hit a solid wall and was thrown back. Sammy reached over and closed the gates before the pair began to walk towards the main town.
"Wait!" Star called out to them. Neither of them stopped so she ran in front of them and forced them to face her.
"Why are you stopping me from seeing Marco?" Star's nose was bleeding but she didn't seem to have noticed.
"That's easy Princess. You had your chance back in your room but you ignored him and hurt him. Marco is like our little brother. He brought us all together and made our lives perfect. I don't want to see some confused pre-pubescent idiot hurting him because she can't decide which boy she wants to use to make herself feel better that particular day." Sammy looked at Lily who had unleashed the vicious words and was surprised. She had always had a sharp tongue and was no stranger to insulting people but that was usually lightly done.
"What my friend here is trying to say is that you blew your chance. Marco wants to focus on his life and for now that doesn't mean you. If you really cared about him you would respect that."
Star stood under the women's gazes feeling inferior to them and even more broken than she had been before.
"Please... If he just knew I was here..." Star begged them but Lily held her hand up.
"So what would you do if she came here looking for you? Would you talk to her then?"
"No... Queen Moon made my location a term for our duel. If Star has found me it's because she used the Fable Seekers name. I owe Queen Moon so much and I want to keep her word. I also don't know what else I'm meant to say... So no the time to talk is gone... I just want to focus on us." The voices came from Lily's palm as a small flame flickered with each word.
"He made his choice Princess, because you made yours. Go Home. Given your performance today you'd need at least a year and a half to be able to break the barrier around our home. By the time you got to the point where you could force him to see you he'll already be back in the kingdom. Go Home." Lily finished speaking and grabbed Sammy's hand. The two walked away leaving Star alone on the path. She looked back at the house and felt her tears start to fall. Cutting open a portal she followed their advice and went home. She felt powerless and without any one by her side. Her friends knew she had been in the wrong. Her parents had acted to make her understand that and she pushed Marco away when she should have been pulling him back.
'Marco may never come back' was all Star could think to herself as the portal closed ending this part of their story together.
'Marco Diaz, The Red Knight
Affiliations: The Butterfly Kingdom, Heckapoo, Forger Of Scissors, Underworld Kingdom, Etc.
Class: Magic Knight
Guild Rank: SS
Magic: Level 8*
Combat: Level 9
Intelligence: Level 9*'
A/N: Well :) I hope you enjoyed it! If you liked the story or the format let me know. I always look forward to leaving your reviews and finding out what you think!