Special thanks goes to RickRolland for looking over and reviewing this and the next upcoming chapters. This chapter was a lot of fun to write and next chapter should come out within the next week or so.

Why is the ground wet?

Marco groaned as he got to his feet, body feeling lethargic for some reason. He looked up at the sky, seeing a violent Blood Moon shine down upon a gothic-looking castle. It was closed by a rickety steel gate, but no lock was on it.

He took a step forward and felt more raindrops crashing down on him. Marco threw up his red hood to shield himself from the rain, but noticed the hood's fabric was thicker than usual.

Likely wearing the wand-armor still.

Looking at his reflection in a nearby puddle, he was correct with that assumption… But two key differences stood out. The wand crystal wasn't the golden yellow or clear crystal it usually was, instead it was a harsh purple.

The other difference was hanging by his waist, being a pair of red swords. Marco held up one of them and saw a harsh reflection within its red steel.

"Could be useful, at the very…"

He couldn't finish his thought, with a bellowing scream echoing across the area. It was so powerful, it swung the gates open and a sea of white eyes glowed from the castle's windows.

That voice!

Without a second thought, he sprinted onward to find Star. Fear and anger flowed through his veins, horrified at what could've made Star scream like that. His mind started racing but he shook it off, eyes narrowed at monstrous guards flooding out of the entrance.

"No boy's are allowed at Saint O's."

The guards repeated this in unison, with Marco gritting his teeth in frustration.

"I have no time for this!" He slammed his fists together, but winced at a harsh pain instead of protective gauntlets forming. "What the…"

One of the guards charged into Marco, slamming him against a stone wall. He rolled away from another charging guard, shoving his palms forward for a magic blast.

But when nothing escaped his palms, he was yet again met with a harsh tackle. Wincing at the pain, he got to his feet and cursed to himself.

Why can't I use magic if I got the armor on?!

He grabbed the two swords off his waist and gave them a playful spin.

Marco abandoned his honorable code of fighting, using the blades to harshly cut through the incoming guard. The guard fell on their knees, lifeless body laying on the ground as green blood leaked out of them.

He wanted to puke at the sight but Marco pressed onward, dicing and slicing through any guard that was in his path. Marco finally finished the remaining guards with a cross-slash and was at the castle entrance.

Looking behind him to see the damage done, he was surprised at the lack of regret within him.

They are keeping Star from me.

He looked at the entrance and took a deep breath.

They will regret that.

Marco walked into the castle, unaware of the purple glow in his eyes.

Carefully walking through the dimly lit halls, Marco's body tensed every step he made. The atmosphere was oppressive, almost as if a thick fog was hovering around him.

He closed his eyes and grit his teeth in frustration.

This is pure Mierda! Where the fuck is Star?!

Marco paused, recoiling at the dark thought.

"I… I usually don't think like that."

Marco felt his head ace, clenching his skull for a moment.

Deep breaths, just like Dad taught you. Don't be like before.

He closed his eyes and focused on happy thoughts. Memories of hanging out with Mariposa and of Janna pulling pranks with him played, causing a small smile to form on his face.

Exhaling, Marco felt composed and resumed his trek through the castle, the odd purple glow in his eyes dulled somewhat.

Paying attention to his surroundings, Marco tried understanding where he was right now. In his many dreams with Star, he never explored a drab, almost haunted castle with her. He took a moment to look at a large picture, it being of a tall woman with poofy gray hair and an old-looking purple dress.

"Must be the headmistress or something, or Queen of the Castle."

Marco rubbed his chin, noticing the spade marks on her cheeks.

"...Star's family?"

As if answering his question, a giggle got his attention. He sharply turned around and took out his swords. Around the corner, was a shadowy figure.

The only thing Marco could make out was a blue dress and sharp green eyes.

"Who are you, and what is this place?"

The figure laughed again, with Marcos eyes widening at the voice.

Is… Is that…

The figure ran off, with Marco blindly giving chase.

How did…

He stopped running once the figure stopped. It was in a ballroom, with other girls and princesses coming out from the shadows. In the pale light of the moon, Jackie Lynn Thomas stood in the center, wearing a mermaid dress and her eyes shining.

"Even though you have her, you still can't let me go."

Marco blinked.

"Doesn't matter, she made her choice already."

Marco closed his eyes and tried his breathing exercises again. But the only thing he could see was a shadow of Star screaming in agony.

He opened them and pointed his blade at Jackie.

"You aren't real!" He charged onward, making a leaping slash at her. "Just… Baggage I need to finally cut away."

Jackie dodged the attack, riding on a skateboard hidden beneath her dress.

"You're really going to throw everything away, just to be with a Princess?"

Marco turned around, teeth clenched in frustration.

"You should know better than anyone… It's easy to lose the ones you love."

Jackie vanished, triggering the other princesses to attack.

They were all over the place, with a flying horse-head using her horn to shoot magic while another one with a long wig slashed at him using a large sword. A pixel fairy soon started throwing a surge of tea cups while a large one with an elephant trunk slammed into him.

Marco collided into a wall, glazed eyes looking at the army of princesses ready to kill him.

Am I going to let these Puta's keep me from my Queen?

Marco got to his feet, spitting out some blood.

They aren't real.

Screaming out a battle cry, Marco charged into battle. He sliced and diced, making his way through the army.

The horse-head flew into Marco, but he grabbed her by the horn. He snapped the horn off, throwing the battered princess aside and using her horn as a make-shift pistol. He was able to keep some of the princesses at bay for a moment using the horn's magic blasts, but soon his attention shifted to the one with a large sword.

He threw the horn at the princess, with her cutting it right in half as she charged toward him. Marco threw one of his swords at her, hoping to hit her dead-on. But to his surprise, the sword in his left hand started glowing.

Clenching his right hand, Marco warped to where he threw his blade and was able to surprise the princess with a lethal kick.

He didn't have time to marvel at his newfound ability, as the elephant princess was charging toward him.

Looking up at the ceiling, Marco made a dark grin. Throwing one of his blades up at the ceiling, he jumped over the charging elephant princess and allowed himself to warp away. The royals looked everywhere for Marco, until one of them pointed to the ceiling.

He gave them the finger, infuriating them. They started shooting magic and throwing objects of all manor at him. But Marco cut into the sky, making a purple rift and it sucked up everything.

Marco then jumped from his spot and made another rift beside him, sending everything back at the royals. Marco finished things off by landing a lethal stab with both blades in one of the princesses, though the smoke and debris made it hard to point out who exactly he defeated.

Taking heavy breaths, Marco made a dark laugh.

I… I did it. Now I can find Star.

"You… You really moved on, huh dork?"

He froze, recognizing the voice.

The dust and debris cleared up, his eyes dilated at the sight before him.

"J-Janna? Why are you here? What's…"

He looked at his bloodied hands and suddenly felt disgusted at himself. He was going to pull away but Janna grabbed his hands, pushing the blades deeper into her chest.

"None of… of this is real. I never expected to be murdered by my best friend, but hey, could add that to the bucket list."

Marco felt hot tears coming down his face and unsure what to even do next.

"I'm… I'm so sorry. I should've found a way home faster and…"

Janna gave him a knowing smirk, making a tired laugh.

"I'll get you h-home. Just one more thing..."

Marco awaited with bated breath to hear what his best friend had to say next.

She said nothing, but used the last of her strength to pull herself up and kiss him on the cheek. Marco's body felt numb as Janna closed her eyes and smiled.

Her form vanished into a purple smoke, leaving Marco alone with a sea of corpses and a destroyed ballroom.

Marco felt his mind go hazy. He got on his feet and slowly made his way out of the destroyed room. Every step felt like walking through tar, heart and soul heavy on what he just did. He gripped his blades but was dragging them across the stone floors, a sharp screech echoing through the halls.

He looked ahead of him, glassy eyes making out what looked like walls of floating water and a long pathway ahead of him, with various floating platforms surrounding it.

"Should I even press on at this point?"

He asked out loud, looking at his feet.

"I'm no better than that Tom guy."

He was about to sit down and give up, but something spoke to him from within.

"I can't believe I still watch this with you, Hermana."

"But I Herrmano, the Sailor girl is so cool!"

"She always gets in trouble and that masked guy always steps in to save her. Doesn't she have magic?"

"Pift, you know nothing about girls."

"I'm best friends with one."

"You're so stupid…"

"Rather we watch that PreCure thing to be honest."

"You can be a Masked Guy for Jackie one day!"

"...W-Why would I want that? She's strong and…"

"Sometimes we like knowing people are our Guardians."

"Really?"

"Yep."

Marco made a somber laugh, jabbing a sword in the ground to help him get up.

"How could I forget that, Hermana."

Wiping away his tears, Marco composed himself and entered a full on sprint. The sensation of magic coursed through him, helping him build up intense speed. Coming toward the edge, Marco leaped in the air and made a cross slash with his blades.

He jumped into a purple vortex, somewhat gracefully landing on one of the floating platforms ahead. Marco grinned, feeling confident and continuing his run.

Running and making careful portal jumps, Marco almost made it to the end of the seemingly endless watery path. But blocking his path were various guards.

Marco threw one of his blades like a boomerang, using the other one to carefully slice and dice through the guards. Right as the last guard was going to land a blow, Marco warped away and finished him off with a lethal stab.

Looking at the strange pink and gold portal ahead of him, Marco took a deep breath and gripped his blades.

I'm coming, Star.

Marco jumped through the portal and landed in what looked like a throne room. He struggled to make out much of anything, with how dark the room was.

"Marco Diaz…"

The room got flooded with light, nearly blinding Marco. He squinted to make out the figure sitting on their throne.

"Or should I say, Tom."

Marco's eyes widened as a bolt of golden magic was shot his way, rolling out of the way from the attack. Getting on his feet, Marco spun his swords and charged into his attacker.

"I won't be tricked by your games again!"

He cut a portal and jumped through it, landing behind his attacker and was ready to strike.

But his attacker was Star Butterfly herself.

"Star?"

She grabbed Marco by his collar, lifting him up with one hand and readying a lethal magic strike with the other.

"Stop using his voice!"

She threw Marco up in the air and then shot a surge of magic in his direction. Marco quickly threw one of his swords at the wall, warping toward it as he closed his eyes.

When he opened them, he sighed in relief at not being a pile of ash. He jumped off the wall and studied Star. Her posture was hunched over, with normally warm blue eyes icy cold. Both her hands were charged with magic, sparking pinks and yellows.

Okay, so she's clearly being controlled by…

He looked up at Star's head, seeing a golden crown firmly in place. Its purple gem shined as she charged into Marco.

Marco held up his blades as she used a large pink sword, blocking a furry of heavy strikes. He could only watch as Star's eyes began tearing up. She screamed in frustration and shoved her palms forward, sending Marco flying toward the wall behind him.

He hissed in pain as pink lighting coursed through his body, gritting his teeth to ward off the pain.

"You aren't tricking me anymore Thomas!" She swung her blade, making another shock-wave and hitting Marco head-on. He fell on his knees and spat out some blood.

Star's eyes softened for a split second before they regained their icy glare, throwing her sword into the ground and jumping in the air and activating her butterfly form.

If I don't do something fast, I'm actually going to die here.

Marco started running, but he wasn't fast enough, with Star grabbing him by his collar. He struggled to break free, but he only watched as Star charged one of her free hands with golden magic.

"Should've done this at the altar."

Marco closed his eyes, hoping she would come to her senses.

But the intense pain opened them right up and Star threw his battered body to the floor. Marco used his swords to regain his footing, looking over himself. The wand armor was almost completely dissolved, taking the brunt of Star's attack with only the gauntlet remaining.

"...You really think I'm Tom."

Marco darkly laughed, throwing off his hooded cape and spinning around his swords.

"Fine!"

He charged onward and jumped in the air right when he was in front of Star. She shot a surge of golden magic, but Marco made a cross-slash, looking away as she screamed in pain. Two of her six arms limply fell on the ground, Star looking at them in disbelief.

Her blue eyes turned into a violent white, charging into Marco and shooting a barge of spells with her remaining four arms. Marco cut a rift with one of his blades, and rolled away from the attack. The spells all entered the rift, with Marco jumping over Star and making a rift right behind her.

The spells hit Star all at once, distracting her as Marco started running around her. She tried to focus on him once she got on her feet, picking up her sword and sending pink lighting toward him.

Marco counted each blow with rifts, sending the attacks back at Star as she kept blindly attacking him. Star fell on her knees, her golden form fizzling out.

Now!

Marco made a lethal leaping slash, making heavy breaths and falling on his knees. He looked behind him, tired eyes watching Star's body collapse on the floor. He limped toward her and gently placed her in his lap.

Taking the crown off her head, he harshly threw it aside and chucked one of his blades at it. The purple gem in the center shattered from the impact.

"M-Marco…"

Star opened her eyes and smiled at Marco.

"I didn't know you… You could counter my spells."

"Who did this to you?"

Star coughed up some blood, eyes looking glassy.

"It was… Eclipsa. We will wake up soon, right?"

Marco hugged Star, tears coming down his cheeks.

"Right, just take it easy. See you on the other side, my Queen."

Star closed her eyes, smiling still remaining on her face as her body became limp.

Marco checked her pulse and his heart froze.

He felt nothing.

Why aren't you fading away like Janna did?

"Because you actually killed her, human."

Marco sharply turned around, clenching his sword as Eclipsa floated toward him, mockingly clapping her hands.

"My my… Didn't know you had that in you. Maybe I should make you my minion when it's all said and done?" She giggled, purple gloved hand touching her lips. "But your Queen is now bleeding out in the real world."

Marco looked at his lap, purple eyes looking over at a dead Star Butterfly in his arms. He made a bellowing cry, it echoing across the castle.

Gently putting Star's body on the floor, he slowly made his way over toward his other sword.

"Oh? You still have some fight in you? Cute."

Marco gripped both blades in his hands, letting the bubbling dark magic within him cover him.

I failed, by giving in to my honor.

His arms were covered by a layer of darkness, odd purple spots forming on them.

I did unthinkable things getting to this point.

His shirtless body was covered by his red hooded cape once more, but the cape now had a yin-yang symbol on the back.

Time I embrace my inner demons.

He opened his eyes, them being purple and his cheeks glowing with cracked crescent moons.

"I lost too much, getting here."

Marco threw up his hood, a dark frown forming on his lips.

"Time to make you disappear!"

Like a flash of light, Marco was right in Eclipsa's face and made a lethal kick. She went flying, with Marco warping toward her and making violent clashes with his blades. Eclipsa blocked the blows effortlessly with a purple shield, but her eyes widened as Marco jabbed both blades into the dome.

He pulled the make-shift opening apart and shot a surge of dark fire right in Eclipsa's face.

She shot purple lighting at the flames, making a violent explosion. Both combatants were sent flying, but Marco used his swords. He made a rift and effortlessly landed on the ground, while Eclipsa winced in pain.

"I don't know why you are messing with our dreams or the Blood Moon."

Marco charged into Eclipsa, dark magic enchanting his blades with dark fire.

"But I won't let you hurt my Star ever again!"

He made a final lethal leaping slash, but Eclipsa slammed her fists into the ground, shattering the entire room like glass.

Marco could only watch as Eclipsa vanished into the blinding white light. He screamed in frustration as he felt the light overtake him.

Marco's Spanish for this chapter involves a curse you likely know already and 'Sister'. This chapter took a bit to come out but a lot's been crashing down around me, so sorry for the wait.

Hope you all enjoy!