Marco at a Crossroads
By: DJ Rodriguez
(Author's Notes: Hey everyone! How are you all doing? I hope that all of you are doing well.
Before I say or do anything else, I want to give praise and honor to the Lord. God, thank you for once again helping me when I was down. I have been feeling low and down since I have not heard anything from Disney on my eleventh attempt to contact them. But you lifted me back up on my feet Jesus with the chapter you helped me to create in my Danny x Desiree story, and also with encouragement from fellow Authors and reviewers who still believe in me and my Disney/Toho works. Thank you Jesus Christ for giving me the strength and courage to resume trying with Disney, sending in my twelfth attempt. I will do my best to make sure this gift of imagination you have given me is not gone to waste, Lord! Thank you again for everything!
Yes, I have recently sent my twelfth attempt to the Walt Disney Animation Studios in another letter that details my Monsters and Magic series along with some pictures that are included with them. These pictures are made by my dear friend from Puerto Rico Nẽshma & my Author friend here Dreams Come True 996. They showcase my Disney/Toho novels and mini-novel, and you have seen them as the Cover Images on certain stories here. Dreams is the one who made the book covers that are featured inside the Monsters and Magic stories themselves. Nẽshma is the one who has made the picture that showcases Godzilla and the others from the first novel I made.
I just hope to get something, anything back from Disney! And again, I could use some help in advertising for my works. So anything done to promote my Monsters and Magic series in any way is much appreciated by me.
I also want to personally thank Reviewer Steve for reminding me of the Minotaur wedding ring that was damaged. I thank you for reminding me of that detail. I did indeed forget that part, and I am kicking myself for doing that. Rest assured, this has helped me immensely with the story here, so again thank you for the reminder.
I am also very glad and humbled that many of you still like my story here, although I am still a bit sad that certain Authors have not reviewed some of my chapters for some time. I only hope and pray that they are alright & I hope to hear from them soon. Also, just want to inform you all of this- Author Darkness Rissing has confirmed that his OC character King Khan is definitely like the Shere Khan character from Disney's 1990 animated TV series TaleSpin.
On another note, again I ask for any of you to help my friend Author Data Seeker with the stories he needs help doing & completing. And also I hope you go and read my other Author friends works. To read and review Tales of the Kaiju Universe by Author DRAGONDAVE45 and Womens Wrestling Submission-Total Knock-Out Association by AdventureKing2017.
I really plan though this: to make this series a trilogy like my Monsters and Magic series, to bring back the substance and classic goodness of informative entertainment like how it was back in the days when I was a kid, and also give each and every character here depth and growth! And to make perfectly clear, I am going to make the pairing like the one done in Author Flower princess11's incredible story The Many Dates of Danny Fenton. Said story has already made many other Authors write off-shoots that display Danny with a certain girl that he chosen from said awesome story.
So when the pairing here in this story is to be revealed near the end of the trilogy series, I will also make 'What If' chapters that showcase Marco choosing a different girl. And also the different fates that await both the planet Earth & Mewmon, and the fates of the ladies that were not chosen.
And on a final note, Author Drjessh will inform me on the progress of the comic he is making that features this story. Ask him for more details on it. I thank you friend that you are doing something like this for my story here. I really am humbled by this.
I also state this- I cannot please everyone, nor do I ever wish to. I believe in the words of my pastor Rick Godwin from Summit Christian Center at San Antonio and it is this: If you try to please everyone, you lose yourself entirely. So while others may not be pleased at this, it is what it is. My aim is not to please all, but to write a worthwhile story. No more, no less.
So again, just to be sure I am clear… trust in what I do. I may not be a total expert with the Star Vs. series, but I will do my best with what I know and pick up along the way. In addition, I have been seeing a lot of old cartoon series that I have on VHS & DVD, still working in fine condition. They consist of both Disney & non-Disney series, and thus I have enjoyed & learned much from them to put in here. So this story will also have educational purposes, similar to shows that combined education with entertainment in the 1980s and 1990s.
The action will also take place mostly on Earth, with some taking place in Mewni. The dimension where time is greatly accelerated, Hekapoo's home, will only be shown a minor number of times. After seeing the Diaz's losing their two kids once more to rapid growing up to them not being part of their lives… I will not have anything like that here. I believe that parents should see their kids grow, help them grow and become good adults in the process. So Mariposa nor Marco will return to Hekapoo's home realm.
So just to make it clear here. There will be NO kind of reference to slash or femme-slash of any kind. So while this is a Marco/Multiple Girls story, there will be NO kind of slash or femme-slash actions or references here at all. I believe that I can bring forth the true and real potential of Jackie and the other ladies here, more so than was done/shown to them in the series.
And that is my stance on this story, and all others I have made and will make in the future. Look to my bio to understand me and more on where I stand firmly. And again, this story will feature Christian elements and faith! And that I am not sorry at all for!
Also, will be giving my OC names from the website 20000-NAMES, as I have done in my previous stories. Each name is linked to a different nation, and has a different meaning. To see what they mean, go to website to look it up.
I do not own Star vs. the Forces of Evil, it is created by Daron Nefcy & executive producers Daron Nefcy, Dave Wasson and Jordana Arkin. Production is the Disney Television Animation, and aired on network Disney XD and Disney Channel.
The song mentioned here is called Dreams to Dreams, a song that is sung by Linda Ronstadt. The music and lyrics were made by James Horner & Will Jennings, produced by David Foster. It was used in the 1991 animated movie An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, directed by Phil Nibbelink & Simon Wells. Produced by Steven Spielberg and Robert Watts. Production company was Amblin Entertainment & Amblimation, distributed by Universal Pictures. Released on November 1991. I also used said song in my first Disney/Toho novel Monsters and Magic.
Now, on with the story!)
It was 1:25 p.m. now in Mewni, the citizens that held residency underneath Butterfly Castle unaware of what was occurring behind & away from said structure. A large assortment of knights was there, in a large square formation. They were spaced out evenly so they had some breathing room, but the strange part was that they had no weapons on their beings. Not even a dagger.
They were literally the boundary markers of the area that would be for the match against King Khan and their queen.
Inside the makeshift squared arena were the combatants; King Khan on the left side with Queen Moon Butterfly on the right side of the field. Both royal warriors of the medieval realm were getting themselves ready for what was to occur in just five minutes, the blue-haired mature beauty hopping up & down lightly to loosen herself up while the anthro tiger merely cracked his neck and other parts of his body to get said form ready.
Watching were the other royal family members in chairs that were in line with the makeshift barrier of knights, prime seating right on the upper middle section of the wall of armor. Princess Star and King River looked a bit nervous as they gazed upon Moon, hoping that she would be able to pull off something that would be able to defeat King Khan and retain the alliance between both the Khan clan, the Acacius family & the Arms family.
The others were looking on calmly… well, except for Princess Patty who looked quite eager to see a fight between the powerhouse-looking anthro tiger & the famed Moon who had been quite the warrior back in her prime days. She leaned to her left and whispered to Star, "This is so cool Star! I can't believe I'm going to see such a fight! And not only that, the legendary heroine of Mewni is here as well! Your idol Mina Loveberry is here!".
Star put on a weak smile for her friend as both turned to look at their left side to see the being that Princess Arms just spoke about.
Chief among the wall of knights was a particular being that stood out from them, both in fashion and form. It was the legendary Mewnian heroine known to many as Mina Loveberry, a former poor Mewnian girl that had been aspired by former ruler Solaria Butterfly many centuries ago. She had volunteered to be part of her army during the battles against the Monsters, undergoing a three-stage magical transformation ritual that was extreme back in the days of war. While Mina gained such strength and power from the ritual… it also broke her mind in various places.
So while she was considered a Solarian Super-Warrior that had longevity, very slow aging process, enhanced strength, the ability to use magic through her weapons and great survivor skills… her mind was greatly fragmented and fractured.
When Solaria had passed away due to a broken heart on how her own daughter Eclipsa had seemingly 'betrayed' her kind to join up with the very enemies she had fought against, and also imprisoned in crystal after the so-called trial, Mina had started to descend into madness. However, she was able to barely retain to her sanity while those that had undergone the ritual along with her self-destructed.
Mina had managed to stay on with the Butterfly family, serving them as to eradicate any kind of Monster threat to them or the land. However, it was Queen Moon herself that saw Mina's very fragile mental state and lack of social skills. It was during the time shortly after Toffee's first army forces were defeated.
The family wand in hand, the blue-haired ruler back in the day told Mina of a magical ritual that would restore her mind completely. She would retain the longevity that was granted to her by Solaria's spell & use magic, but her enhanced strength would be gone and her magic wouldn't be as potent as before.
Of course, Mina had refused to give up what was given to her by her idol/role model. But Moon persisted in trying to convince her that it was for the best. She soon had to use a last resort which was this; if she didn't undertake the ritual… she would be expelled from the royal forces. To Mina, that was completely unacceptable since fighting Monsters & serving the royal family was her entire life.
So with the Butterfly Family Spell Book in hand, the necessary spells and items in place… Queen Moon used the spell ritual known as Restore Fractured Mind to cleanse Mina free from most of Solaria's ancient spells to restore most of her mental facilities!
While it did repair her damaged mind, she still would have to get help from others. She would have to re-learn on how to be sociable; to understand and follow her conscience to make moral decisions that affected her & the people around her, to make connections with other beings and finally to lean the difference between right and wrong.
So now to the present, she continued to serve under the Butterfly royal family even though it was now mostly bodyguard detail & training new recruits into becoming squires and/or knights.
Miss Loveberry did not take the news too well when she was told that under Star's active role in royal affairs to the land, that she was now trying to co-exist with the Monsters rather than put them in their place. She was still extremely wary of most Monsters, but did pay respect to those that had earned their way into an alliance with the Butterfly family such as the Neko clan & Khan family.
If Mina was anything, she still respected strength and abilities when it came to the battlefield. And the Neko clan had shown that to Butterflies during the long Mewnian-Monster Wars. In fact, she really respected King Khan for she had seen his prowess on the battlefield once. And even to today, wondered if she would be a match for him even if she utilized magic.
And also the legendary warrior's opinion of Marco was… very low.
When the Diaz boy had come to the realm, she had dismissed him almost instantly since he did not look anything like a warrior & also that he came from Earth which she had heard was a backwater planet that did not have access to magic like most of the dimensional worlds did.
Even after he had proved himself to King River and Queen Moon, and gaining the attention of Princess Star, Mina still did not acknowledge him. When he became a squire, she scoffed in the background as she believed he wouldn't cut it. But when he was appointed to knight by Star, she was shell-shocked big time!
The slayer of Monsters from centuries past could not figure out why the Earth child was allowed to become a knight when it was clear, at least to her, that he did not have what it took to be a real warrior of Mewni. Especially one that fought bare-handed with no weapons at all against Monsters and various fiends that tried to make trouble for the citizens.
However, she started to slowly… very slowly, grow to respect Marco as he proved himself in settling negotiations with certain Monster tribes so that they could gain alliances with Mewnians. Though she had heard that it was mostly due to Star's actions, so she let herself believe that it was the princess that actually did it than accept the truth on what really occurred. She also couldn't believe that the Earth man managed to complete the most difficult of challenges laid down by the Dimensional Forger Hekapoo, even though she had seen his scissors.
Mina also accepted that Marco was something special to the royal family, though she observed that Star was now distancing herself from the lad which was very good in her eyes. Miss Loveberry also did not see Marco as acceptable has husband material, let alone boyfriend. That is why she did accept Thomas when the demon prince and Star got back together, seeing the royal heir of the Underworld more worthy of the Butterfly princess than the Earth fool.
So overall, she was in league with most of the knights that thought very little of Marco Diaz from Earth.
Back to the present, Star had mixed feelings when seeing her idol who smiled slightly and nodded to her. In her view, seeing Mina Loveberry in the flesh as a dream come true for her as she had admired her skills in combat with weapons and magic. However, the picture became distorted when the legendary warrior stated firmly that she did not believe that co-existing with Monsters was possible. She put forth that it shamed Solaria, Star's many-time great grandmother, that they would be living beside the things that she had long fought against to ensure that Mewnians ruled the land. So that put Mina at odds with her vision of bringing both species together as one in harmony.
However, Mina did accept her and Tom together so that was a good mark for her.
A couple of minutes before the match could officially begin, a male servant rushed towards the wall of knights. He went to Mina, getting her attention and exclaiming, "Mistress Mina, I need to tell something her Highness Queen Moon! It's urgent!".
The tall warrioress sighed and stated, "Okay, but make it quick.". She stepped side her right, letting the servant through who rushed towards his ruler.
Queen Moon was letting herself be ready and focused for the match when she felt a tap on her back-right shoulder. She turned and looked at the male Mewnian servant in front of her. She frowned lightly and inquired, "Young man, we are about to have a match here shortly. What is it you wish to tell me now?".
The young teenaged servant of the royal house bowed and answered, "I apologize for the interruption, your Highness. But I have been informed that the royal wedding ring of the Mountain Minotaurs has been fully repaired & Sir Buff Frog is on his way now to the area to deliver said ring to Chief Alasator. If he doesn't encounter any trouble or distractions, he will be there at the deadline Chief Alasator stated.".
This was good news for Queen Moon as this meant one less problem to deal with & also that it secured at least the alliance of the Mountain Minotaurs.
Buff Frog was a Monster who was once a minion under Ludo's makeshift army. He had fought Star and Marco many times in the past in order to secure the magical wand for his 'master', but had been defeated many times. The buff anthro amphibian soon started to see that working under the small kappa-like Monster was not working alright, and saw the bigger threat in Toffee when he appeared and took over the small group.
After the seemingly demise of Toffee, he decided for a career change when he adopted twelve Monster tadpoles. He changed from warrior being to a father who would love and care for the little ones as they were his very own. Buff Frog also aided Star whenever he could, forming a friendship with her and Marco. And when Toffee was permanently defeated, Star rewarded him for his services by making him the Royal Monster Emissary!
Buff Frog was now an official royal liaison between Monsters and Mewnians!
At first, the Russian-accented anthro being was very reluctant to accept such a responsibility since most Mewnians and Monsters still despised each other. However, it was Marco that actually sealed the deal when he told him to do it for his adoptive children… to work for a future that would be secure for his sons and daughters. So it came to be that Buff Frog became the very first official Monster royal diplomat of the realm!
Like Star, he was sent to various areas of the land to try and secure alliances between certain Monster tribes and Mewnian citizens. It was much hard work as many Monsters called him a sellout while Mewnians did not want anything to do with him despite his title and status. However, he got help in the form of Marco. When things looked extremely bad, he called forth the knight that came to his side via his dimensional cutters. Usually, the young lad would be extremely weary from exhaustion due to fixing Star's own diplomatic problems but he never complained or gave in to his own fatigue that was in his mind or body.
With Sir Marco the Mighty there, the relations soon changed with the Monster and Mewnians soon coming to some sort of reasonable agreement. And amazingly, it was Marco that gave Buff all the credit since he stated it was he that put in all the effort & while he was just there to make sure things would go smoothly.
So while Star took the credit for Marco's efforts when he was with her, the Earth lad gave all the credit to Buff Frog who accepted it with humility.
The muscular amphibian was now accepted by many Mewnians and Monsters. Not all of them, but a majority of the population at least. His children, who were now young anthro frogs, were very much proud of their adoptive father. They were saw Marco in a good light rather than Star since the young Earth man took the time to visit the family. Even if he was tired and sore, the Diaz lad took any amount of time to see the little ones. Star did visit, but it was now very rare as she was spending most of her time with her beau and BFF.
The twelve young frogs all looked up to Marco; the six male ones saw him as an honorable role model and wanted to be like him, while the remaining female ones had crushes on the warm-blooded being and wanted to be with him. One of the female frogs that went by the name of Evgeniya often dreamed of her and Marco going on dates and such.
Back to the event at hand, Queen Moon thanked the servant for the message. He bowed before scurrying off from the field, back behind the wall of knights. He did want to stay and see the match between the blue-haired mature beauty and King Khan, but Mina gave him a stern glare & told him that this was a private match for royal eyes only. This made the young lad rush back to the castle quick, not wanting to be on the receiving end of Mina's weapon or wrath.
King Khan eyed the Mewnian woman in front of him, all set to begin the match. It was now one minute until it was time to begin. He then remembered something and stated, "Your Highness, I would like to say something before we begin.".
The formidable fighter of the Butterfly family had a quizzical look on her face as she replied, "Yes, what is it?".
He put forth clearly, "I want to say that I will not bring forth my own claws into the battle. My claws are meant to seriously injury or to kill, and I believe that this is merely a match to test our strength against one another. So as a verbal agreement for all to hear, I will not let my claws come forth.".
This caught Moon by surprise as she had forgotten about the razor-sharp claws that were on Khan's being. She had seen said claws in action during the times he & his warriors came forth to aid her side in battle… and said claws could easily slash through flesh and even metal like they were wet paper! This also raised her respect for him as he had just come to the realization itself and wanted truly for he and the queen to be on even ground.
The words and actions of the leader of the Neko tribe also raised the respect from the others, including the knights themselves. Even Mina Loveberry was impressed, and that was saying something!
Queen Moon said, "I accept your decision and… I thank you that you have done so.". She bowed to him a little in respect, King Khan returning the gesture.
King Justus stood up and exclaimed, "This is a royal match that is for the Butterfly Alliance between House Khan, House Acacius & House Arms! Should Moon Butterfly win, the alliance between the royal houses & lands will be secured! If she concedes to King Khan, the alliances between the houses will be terminated! Do the combatants understand this?". The two nodded, a serious look on their faces.
The father of Penelope continued, "There is no time limit, no weapons or magic allowed! Should the contenders go out of bounds, they will automatically lose the battle! The first to make the other concede to defeat wins! Killing though is strictly forbidden in this match, as serious repercussions will follow to the one who slayed their opponent! Now…".
When the time struck 1:30 p.m. precisely, King Justus threw his hand down and exclaimed, "LET THE BATTLE COMMENCE!".
The precise moment that King Justus had finished those words, King Khan rushed towards Queen Moon at incredible speed! His first game plan was to quickly disable and make the ruler concede by using overwhelming speed and strength, his paws clenched tightly into fists as he rushed with a straight punch! However, Queen Moon was not known as Moon the Undaunted for nothing as she used her sharp senses to see the incoming body of muscle as she flipped back to dodge the punch. King Khan left punch hit nothing but air, but was forced to use it now to block a flying kick from his opponent. That did not last long as Khan once again took to the offensive in a mere microsecond, forcing Moon to be on the defensive as she started to use her slim physique, flexibility and agility to dodge the potent punches that were being thrown at her by the anthro tiger.
King Khan was a ruler in his tribe for a good reason. His combat skills were top notch as he utilized speed that many would believe was not possible due to his size and muscle mass. However, King Khan was no fool when it came to the arts of combat as they were essential for survival & did extensive training to make sure he had the speed & reflexes that were on par with his sheer strength.
He threw a right jab and followed through with a left uppercut, Moon ducking underneath the jab first & dodging the uppercut to get into the personal space Khan! She let loose some quick punches and kicks of her own, but the Neko ruler hardened his muscle at the last moment to minimize the damage. The attacks hurt yes, but not so much thanks to his quick thinking. Moon had to roll quickly to her left to dodge the left knee strike, uncurling from her ball roll to leap back to her feet & get some distance from King Khan!
And this all happened in the span of a couple of minutes!
The blue-haired mature beauty thought, 'Khan is still in top form even after all these years! His speed and reflexes are truly impressive, and his strength doesn't seem to have diminished at all over the years. And the way he hardened his muscles… it felt like I was punching solid stone! I need to keep my guard and speed up at all times here! I can't afford to give an inch to him!'. She looked down at her hands, feeling the tingling sensation in them & in her feet after striking at Khan. She shook them briefly but quickly to banish the tingling sensation as she readied herself.
Khan thought, 'Hmmm… she still has her sharp senses, reflexes and agility that made her most formidable against the Monsters in the past. It is good that she still keeps herself in shape… though I see that being more diplomatic has lessened her fighting skills. Let's see how much she still has them.'. In his view, the queen was still a potent fighter. But was she still capable of going against him as she was now? He was going to put that theory to the ultimate test.
The two circled one another, trying to find even the slightest opening to exploit. After a few moments, it was Khan that went on the offensive once more as he rushed forward to do a sliding kick to knock Moon off balance. However, she did a back-flip to avoid the attack but had to leap to the left side to avoid a pounce attack that Khan followed up with when his attack missed. The fight continued on intensely from there!
Queen Aikaterina kept her eyes on the combatants the entire time the match started and told to her children on her right side, "Pay close attention, you two. Observe the match carefully and see how your father & Queen Moon fight.". The buxom beauty wanted her children to learn any kind of lessons, be it big or small, on how to either survive or to rule effectively.
Prince Loukianos & Princess Lysimache nodded, observing how their father and Moon moved and how they fought.
The Acacius family was also observing the match intensely, especially Penelope. Queen Isadora said softly to her daughter, "Look at their subtle movements and the way they fight, my dear. It will be helpful for you to know and understand your enemies should they try to attack you, and you'll be ready for them.". The brown-haired beauty replied that she understood, and also that she understood her own limitations.
While she had some self-defense lessons from her parents, training with a weapon which was a whip since she had an affinity for its long reach & flexibility options & some magical defense/offense capabilities woven into her dresses, Penelope knew that she could never be a fighter like how Moon and Khan were displaying before them. So she was taught to observe her foes instead, to anticipate and predict their next moves and react accordingly to counter quickly & get away as fast as she could.
Queen Seres was also observing what was taking place with a keen eye, a warrior/fighter just like her husband and the other Hecatoncherie giants that resided in the Topaz Mountain Range. While not completely hot-blooded like her husband King Alarico or King Khan when it came to fighting, she certainly did show it when her family was in any kind of danger. Her daughter Patty, however, merely looked on a very delighted spectator.
King River and Star looked a bit nervous as they observed the fight… well, Star more than her father. The king was confident in his wife's abilities, but still couldn't help but be a bit nervous for her well-being. He cared for her more than terms of the match. However, Star was really looking worried as her mother continued to dodge the attacks of the large anthro tiger ruler of the northeastern forest area.
She thought, 'I hope that Mom can somehow pull something off to beat this guy! She once fought against Toffee, and he was as tough as they come! But she had magic on her side and she's forbidden to use any! And Khan looks to be even formidable than Toffee, and he's not using magic!'.
After a few moments of dodging, Moon decided to go on the offensive. After ducking under a swift right straight jab, she once again managed to get into his personal space and delivered an uppercut to his chin! The blow was swift and strong, causing him to recoil and flinch slightly from the pain that was now aching in his lower jaw. The mature blue-haired warrior soon started to deliver some swift punches and kicks to her foe, a few of them getting through but quickly Khan brought his arms up to defend himself as he was slowly being pushed back by the onslaught.
Patty, Star and River mood shifted to a positive as they cheered loudly for Moon as she was now doing some blazing fast punches & kicks that were almost like blurs to the normal eye. However, trained eyes such as Mina and the Tigers saw that her moves while swift lacked power or weight behind them.
After a minute or so of enduring the hits, Khan suddenly unshielded his arms and roared loudly! The quick action and power behind the roar caused Moon to pause and be blown back by the soundwaves. Khan rushed forward… and delivered an uppercut to the ruler of Mewni who was sent flying high and far! The audience members gasped as they saw this, and all wincing as Moon landed and skidded hard on the grassy terrain! She landed mere inches from the feet of Mina Loveberry, the loyal soldier seeing that her ruler had taken some damage from that single hit.
She was not disappointed, however, as Queen Moon rose back up to her feet. A bit slow yes, but understandable considering on what just happened to her. Her body was a mess and torn very slightly in some places due to the skidding… and also a moderate-sized bruise was now forming on her lower jaw area where King Khan had struck. Moon spit out a small amount of blood, but now she was feeling pumped up from the hit!
The monarch rushed back towards her foe, but rather than an all-out aggressive blind attack… she stopped a yard or so from him as both stared the other down.
King Khan smirked and stated, "I am impressed, your Highness. Most beings would have been knocked out cold from that move. All it did was give you a bruise. You are more enduring than one gives you credit for.".
His opponent replied, "Thank you. Despite my… mature age and look, I am tougher than one expects. And your strength… it has not diminished at all after all these years. It has actually grown, and that is good for a warrior such as you.".
The duo soon got into their fighting stances, but it was just for a moment before Moon charged in with a flying straight-thrust kick! The tiger ruler of his people simply side-stepped it at the right moment and made a grab for her as she flew by… but Moon used extremely fast reflexes to grab his right arm and use it as a bar to spin up and out of his grasp while twisting her body in mid-spin to deliver a kick to his face that connected!
~In another part of the Butterfly grounds~
While this was going on, the Pony Head sisters were still looking for clues on what could have happened to Marco & find out more in detail on what was going on exactly with the Butterfly family. Whistine and Khrysthalle had managed to now reach the lake area, the duo had moved slowly over the time they were going to said spot. You see, the two ponies had special abilities that were unique in the family.
Whistine had the ability to identify certain levels of power or magic. When she focused her magic on a target or area, her horn glowed in a certain color that indicated strength. It came in four primary colors; white for little, purple for mild, blue for moderate and red for strong. The brighter the glow, the weaker the power/magic level was. The deeper & darker the color, that meant the stronger the power/magic was used.
Khrysthalle's gift was that she had ability to decipher what kind of being used magic or power. When focusing her magic like her sibling on a living being or area, her horn would glow and information would be sent directly into her brain. It came forth in four colors; white for non-magical beings such as humans, purple for Mewnians, brown for Monsters, silver for those with high level magic/power like Queen Moon and Hekapoo… and gold for the divinity section!
Like Whistine, the ability also came with an indicator. Bright color meant that it was low-level, while bolder/deeper colors stood for very strong.
The duo had been using their horns to sweep and scan the surrounding areas, which fortunately didn't require much magical power to utilize and thus kept their presence hidden from any kind of spell or rune that could detect magic as a security measure. They wanted to make sure to cover as much ground as they could before arriving to their destination. When they got to the lake area, Whistine was getting a tad frustrated that their efforts so far haven't yielded much results.
The blonde unicorn said, "It's been a little over an hour and so far we haven't found squat! Do you think we'll even find anything remotely interesting here soon, sis?".
The duo floated to the lake as Khrysthalle replied, "I hope so soon, little sister. But I don't think…". He words ceased when she felt a powerful tremor running through her body, the same thing happening to Whistine as their horns swept towards the far southern side of the lake! Their horns cycled through many colors quickly like the inside of a kaleidoscope tube! It soon settled on these colors that got them to gasp; Whistine's horn glowed a deep red like a ruby, while Khrysthalle's horn glowed a deep golden color! The two horns shot a column of said colors at the spot where they were detecting the power.
The dull-orange haired pony looked at her own horn, than at Whistine's. She whispered in awe, "Whoa… this… this is unreal! I never felt a powerful tremor go through me like THAT before, and my horn… its glowing golden! That has NEVER happened before!".
It was true. Even though she was told by her parents on what the colors meant when they discovered she had the particular gift to detect the various kinds of magic power, they told her that the golden color hadn't been seen or detected for many millennia. They even told her that it was unlikely she would even get said color in her lifetime. Apparently, they were now proven wrong.
Whistine replied, "I know! Believe me, I know! I just felt something VERY powerful go through me, same as you! It's not magic I'm detecting but… just raw power! And… look! By the lake!". They looked to the spot where their horns were marking with their color show… and finding something quite unusual from the green grass color. The duo flew fast towards the spot, soon turning off the columns of light on thought but kept their gifts active still as their horns continued to glow.
When they arrived at the spot, they could see a great deal of dried blood! The past two or so days had eliminated the red stains, leaving behind a faint pink coloring. And also the bits of flesh and such that had remained behind were all eaten by tiny insects now.
Khrysthalle and Whistine were in total shock as they saw the spot where the area had a good amount of dried pink blood for them to see. The elder sibling stated, "Whistine, signal the others. Get them here now!". The blonde Pony Head nodded and started to flash her horn brightly now, sending bright white flashes through it. She hoped that her siblings would spot the flashes and come floating in fast soon.
While she was doing that, Khrysthalle used her gift once again to really analyze the situation. She went to the spot that seemed to be free from the faded pink blood stains, levitating over it and allowing her horn to do the work. Her horn glowed a deep golden color, sending signals to her brain. She whispered as a mental picture came into her mind, "Okay… this is definitely the power of a god… or perhaps goddess. Nothing minor like a demon or something from the Underworld. So strong… and I'm getting a picture now. It's just a shadow silhouette but… it's a humanoid being… and from the looks of it, it has to be a goddess. And… a bit of strange outfit she has on…".
Before she could decipher any more, some voices brought her back to reality as it broke her concentration. When she opened her eyes, she saw Angel and the others floating fast towards them from various sides. Once all were visible, Whistine turned off her horn to stop the magical flashes.
When the sibling sisters came to the duo, they gasped as they saw the large area of pink dried blood. Angel floated towards her sisters and asked, "What… What did you find here?".
Whistine answered, "Something powerful, that's for sure! When we used our special gifts and they went to this spot it, that's when everything just went crazy! A powerful tremor just went through us, and our horns just went whacko in colors before stopping on certain ones. Mine glowed a deep dark red like a ruby… while Khrysthalle's here glowed a deep golden color!".
This got the other floating Pony Head's attention, as they had been told as well on what the colors indicated by their father and mother. And they never thought that a divine being would ever come to the mortal plane!
Angel was stunned by the news as Khrysthalle nodded her head, more so when she activated her gift and indeed her horn glowed a strong, deep golden color. After that, she shook her head and had a serious look on her face. She turned to one of her younger sisters and asked, "Jan-Jan, can you detect anything with your gift here?".
The sunglass-wearing unicorn answered, "I can try, but since this is all dried and washed out… I don't think you can expect much.". She than floated down and started to sniff the grass that were coated in the pink substance filmed.
Jan-Jan's gift was that she had a very accurate and potent sense of smell. She could identify substances in almost anything, right down to the exact ingredient! It came in handy in many situations, but she mostly used her gift in prank wars that were held by her siblings in order to avoid food that seemed to be a bit off.
Now her ability was going to be put to a more serious test.
As she started to smell the light stains on the grass, the youngest Pony Head Pranciss looked to Angel with a very scared look on her face. She asked softly, "Sis, what… what happened here?".
The deep-blonde haired unicorn could not blame her youngest sister for speaking in such a tone nor having the look on her face. She herself could see that the radius of the blood stains was quite large, and given how her two sisters were also nervous due to finding out that a deity had actually come to the mortal plane & a very powerful one at that… one would have to wonder what truly occurred here.
She answered, "I don't know, little Pranciss. Hopefully it's not as bad as it looks. But there is something that is puzzling...".
Pranciss looked to her older sister, the others doing so as Jan-Jan continued her work. She looked to Khrysthalle and Whistine and asked if they found anything else with their talents. When they shook their heads in a negative, this confirmed something that had been nibbling in the back of her mind the moment she heard of their findings. She put forth, "I see… I find it strange that a powerful deity was here, yet there are no other signs of anything else. I mean, if Moon or any of those that could do strong magic was here, it would have shown up. Which means… the goddess who came down here managed to block all of the security features that are placed around here to make sure that no one could detect what she was doing with the power she put off.".
Now this got the attention of the floating magical heads, especially Khrysthalle and Whistine. It was true as they thought on it; if Queen Moon or any powerful beings had summoned the goddess, they would have left powerful magical residue that would have mixed with the golden color on Khrysthalle's horn. But none of said colors like silver or brown showed, which indicated that the divine being had come of their own accord.
The only question now was why and what the connection was between her & the large radius of dried blood on the grass.
Jan-Jan exclaimed, "I did it! I managed to get the scent!". This brought the female unicorns out of their train of thought, floating fast to their sibling.
Pamanda inquired, "Well, what did you find Jan-Jan?".
Said Pony Head princess took another sniff… than her eyes widened that showed a little behind her shades. She looked to her sisters and answered, "It's very faint, and I mean faint. But I managed to get enough of the scent to make it out. And… this blood… it belongs to… Sir Marco.". Now this revelation surprised the sisters' big time!
Hornanne hissed, "Sir Marco?! You mean… this large circle of dried blood… all of this belongs to him!? But… But… it's too large! If this was from him, he couldn't have survived!". Some of them agreed with this assumption, as Marco was a human and blood loss of this magnitude… chances were very much high they he wouldn't survive.
Angel however did not share that theory. She spoke, "Girls, girls! Hold on. Remember a couple of nights ago, when we were talking with Lilacia in the Grand Study Room? Mom and Dad told us that Marco is now under Moon's authority and Knight, so that means he did survive.". Her sisters racked the memory part of their brains, and indeed remembered the time they spoke to Lilacia when she was being forced to study.
Azniss inquired, "I remember. So… how did he survive then? And why was a goddess present? From the looks of things, it seems that said being was here with Marco… maybe did something to him that did… well… all of this.". She gestured to the large radius of the light-pink filmed grass.
The deep-purple furred Angel remarked, "Those are good questions. Sadly, we don't have enough evidence for any credible answers…".
Whistine put forth, "Hey! How about we go to Father Time's Universal History Room? I bet we can see what happened here from there!". The others thought on it and quickly agreed that it would be a suitable solution & also find the answers they were looking for.
Angel shook her head and stated, "It's a good plan, but there is one crucial detail. If any of us were to go there, Father Time would have to report us to our parents to let them know we are there. It's one of the new rules that he put up that was due to Star and Marco, according to him. And if they find out we were there, that would be game over.".
It was true, as for the time being, the sisters were trying to be covert in trying to find out what happened to Sir Marco the Mighty without arousing suspicion. And Father Time reporting that they were there, it would most likely lead to them fessing up on what they were doing… and who knows what would happen to the sisters after that.
It was Shinda that put forth an idea. She asked, "Say, why not use a Time spell? I mean, couldn't we use one to rewind to the past and see what took place here?".
Angel thought on it, and realized that her idea had merit. She answered, "That is a good idea. There is a spell that can do that in the Family Book, a spell that can rewind time in a specific spot. We can use it and see what occurred here.". The spell that she was talking about allowed one to see into the past, from one day to the max. limit which was a month. There were limits to it; one couldn't interact with the events that occurred back then & also it was localized to one spot with the max. radius being 100 feet.
Khrysthalle stated, "I'll do the spell. I can memorize things the spell from the book, so that way we won't take it with use and raise any kind of alarm.". The Family Book was in the same league as the Butterfly spell book that once contained Glossaryck, but there were a few key differences. One of them was that it didn't contain any living magical being that was bound to it like the annoying purple-skinned Butterfly magical instructor. And also it was considered very sacred to the Pony Head family, and removing it for any reason from the castle would cause an alarm to sound all over.
Angel nodded and stated, "Okay, we have a plan! Come on, let's go back home before we are missed.". While it was common for the sisters to be out and about, their folks and others would start to get curious if they found that ALL of the princesses were gone. Angel knew the difference between pushing one's advantage and pushing their own luck.
Her siblings nodded their heads, Shonda pulling out her own Dimensional tool and slashing at the air, creating a rip in space that would bring them back to their castle. Hekapoo's dimensional-cutting tools were not limited to mere scissors, but anything with an edge that cut slice/cut through reality. In Shonda's case, her kind of tool was small curved dagger. And it had a unique feature built in by Hekapoo; no one could utilize it due to being specifically attuned to the unicorn princesses' unique magic signature. So even if one stole it, they couldn't use it.
Angel urged her sisters to go in, turning around a little and bringing her spyglass out to see what was occurring at the castle grounds. She was surprised when she saw the wall of knights outside and in the back of the structure, seeing some action occurring through the slips of the armor but not much else. She said to herself, "I wonder what's going on over there… I don't know, but I feel that it's important. But… can't wonder about that now.".
She knew her priorities for the time being and they were focused around Marco and the mystery that surrounded his sudden change from being Star's knight to Moon's. And after what they have discovered, she felt that the human man was in the center of something monumental. What it was… they would have to keep digging to find it. Once all were in, Angel was the last one as she zoomed through with the portal closing behind her.
~Back at the match~
It was now 1:55 p.m., twenty-five minutes into the bout between Khan and Moon. The two were trading punches and kicks fast & furiously, with Moon using more counters while Khan was keeping the pressure mounting. The onlookers were amazed on how hard the battle was now being waged, the knights simply impressed intently on how their queen was doing & how the Monster ruler of the Neko clan was easily keeping up with her. Mina knew better though as she observed the fight, seeing that her monarch was being worn down.
King River and the others saw this too, Queen Moon showing fatigue as she continued to evade & counter the blows from Khan. The tiger ruler saw this too, knowing that victory was soon within his reach.
After a thrust kick that was evaded by back-flipping, and doing it again a few times to get some distance from King Khan, Queen Moon was panting as she got back to her feet. Her battle dress was torn in various places thanks to Khan's claws. Let it be known that even though he had never brought them out, parts of his sharp claws was still there even though they were fully retracted. However, one could never fully conceal sharp natural weapons like those. Parts of her body were cut, although shallow they were quite numerous on her being. Blood seeped out from said wounds, but they were merely superficial at best.
King Khan had some bruises on his body as well, but they were less than the number of bruises on Moon's body. He stated, "Moon, I suggest that you surrender now. You are a worthy opponent, that much is true. But I fear that you are pushing yourself to your limit. Concede the match to me!".
The blue-haired mature warrioress shook her head and replied loudly, "No! I can still go on! And King Khan… I will not give in or give up here! So come on! Bring it!". She got into a stance, ready to fight.
Star exclaimed, "Mom! You got to stop this! King Khan is stronger than you! You can barely stand up!". The mother of said princess gave Star a glare that told her to be quiet… or else. Star was already on thin, paper-thin to be exact, ice as it was so negative words from her daughter she did not need.
Moon thought furiously, 'I need to win this match… for the family! For the kingdom! But how can I… wait! That's it! I'm taking a big calculated risk here… but I think this will work! It has to!'.
She looked back to Khan, who was standing tall with his arms crossed. She prayed that her plan would be a success, smirking and stating, "You know Khannie, you are getting a bit slow in your old age, aren't you? I mean, you used to be very fast in the past. But… it seems you are slipping, aren't you?".
This got everyone, especially Khan and his family, to look at the queen as if she had gone mad. Let it be known here and now that there are three things that King Khan HATES more than anything in the world. One was dishonor of any kind. He valued the creed of fighting hard and tough, but fair as to retain honor in his actions and words.
The second was taunting, as it triggered some kind of aggressive response within him to silence the fool/fools who dared to taunt him about his fighting skills or ruling capabilities.
The third… calling him Khannie like so. It was a moniker that REALLY got under his fur, as some rivals in the past when he was trying to gain Aikaterina's affections in the past learned the hard way of that. The love rivals for the heart fine female feline learned very much that a nickname like that was SUPPOSED to get into a rage worked TOO well. Some saw that even to this day, the males who were beat up by Khan could still feel the phantom pains of the beat down he gave them.
And now Moon was doing all three things to him now…
Mina Loveberry frowned as she thought, 'My queen is many things, but foolish to this extent is not one of them! What is she planning by doing this kind of near-suicidal action?!'.
Khan's eyes narrowed, his right one gaining a tic at the words of the Butterfly matriarch. He growled loudly and stated, "What… did you… say to me?". His tone was low and dangerous, his stance now trembling as his muscles were being focused and tensed to an amazing degree! Like coiled springs ready to be released!
Moon shifted her stance a little, one that started to look familiar to the young adults. She replied, "I think you heard me, Khannie. I mean, you used to run rings around your enemies and pummel them before they got a chance to see what was going on. But now… tsk, tsk, tsk… it seems that a turtle can move faster than you.". Of course, the only turtles she knew of that could most likely keep up with Khan were the ones in the movies she saw with the others back on Earth.
Many gasped at the statement, Khan's children seeing their father just ready to snap at any moment! Prince Loukianos looked to his sister and whispered-hissed, "I think that Queen Moon has finally hit her limit, and I am not talking about her body limit!".
Princess Lysimache replied in the same tone, "I think so too! But if there is one thing I know, it's that she is not THAT stupid! And that stance… it looks… familiar somehow…". Princess Penelope was thinking the same thing as well, on both the subject that Moon was not stupid & that the stance she was subtly shifting too look strangely familiar to her.
King Khan's eyes bugged out suddenly, veins forming in them as it showed he was now PISSED OFF! Not ticked off, but royally pissed off! He let out a mighty roar of anger as he got on all fours like a real tiger animal and charged towards Queen Moon at a speed that made him look like a blur!
While all of this was going on, Queen Moon got into her final stance and prepared herself. Time seemed to slow down for her as she was in her own personal thoughts now. She heard her own mental musings, 'Okay, I just got to remember what Marco showed me those two months ago. And also how to really utilize it…'.
~Flashback~
Two months ago, Queen Moon was walking around the castle grounds after another meeting with one of King River's royal friends. She sighed, the responsibilities of maintaining the kingdom finically were weighing heavy on her. She had to figure how her kingdom as going to survive economically when the selling of goods & services had slowed down a bit. Combined with paying damages due to Star's 'adventuring' with her floating BFF Lilacia & her beau Prince Thomas… the kingdom was near the red. King River could not help her, as he thought more with his muscles than using his brain. He was not an idiot, but numbers, math and economics were not his specialty.
During her walk, she heard some small noises in the gardens. Her curiosity was piqued as she followed the sounds, arriving they in time to see Marco. He was in his modified Knight gear, in a stance that was a peculiar. His feet were spread apart slightly, seemingly digging into the ground. His left arm was raised with his palm facing outward with his right arm pulled back with a fist clenched tightly. He seemed to be very much focused now, Moon swearing that she could see a blue aura around him! It was extremely faint, so she wondering if it was a trick of the light or something akin to that.
She cleared her throat, causing Marco to snap out of his intense mental build-up and open his eyes. He turned to see Queen Moon standing them, relaxing his stance and presenting himself properly to her. He said, "Good afternoon, Queen Moon. Is there something I can help you with?".
The blue-haired beauty saw how tired the young man looked, seeing the fire that was once bright in his eyes now almost gone. In its place were just dull eyes, as if he were tired of… well, just about anything which had her worried about him. However, she put that to the side for now as he asked her a question. She shook her head and answered, "Oh, no young man. I was curious when I heard some noise near here and came to investigate. And now I see it's you training. By the way, what was it you were doing?".
He smiled softly, some light returning to his eyes as Moon observed. It seemed that when he talked with her or the other women that came by like Hekapoo and Eclipsa, he brightened even if it was slightly. The young man from Earth answered, "Just practicing an advanced move of karate I learned about some time ago. I want to make sure I don't get too rusty in my training and also try to perfect this technique.".
Moon looked a bit intrigued by this. She had witnessed her knights usually running about the making bold proclamations & wild gestures with their weapons. Marco was different; he was calm, cool and collected when training. And when he became more passionate and focused in maintaining & doing his katas, it was like a dance but in a controlled way with each move and breath serving a purpose instead of being wasted.
She inquired, "What is this technique called, if I may ask? And what does it do?".
Marco got back into his stance and answered, "It's called the Focus Counter and though it may look basic, it's not. The technique calls for centering yourself, in both body and spirit. You make sure your feet and legs are in a stance that will let you brace yourself, almost like a tree. And you let your arm, the one you favor more to absorb hits, out like so.". He then resumed into the stance he was in earlier, Queen Moon looking on intrigued and listening to every word.
The Latino knight continued, "Than you let your opponent attack you. Once he or she strikes, you let the hit connect with your palm on the outstretched arm. The real difficult part is this. Instead of merely absorbing the blow, you have to absorb AND redirect it while channeling your own strength with it. And you have to do it quickly into your other arm where you have your fist at. Once you gathered all of the absorbed power and your own, you need to redirect it into your punch and strike back at the enemy. You basically counter them with their own force being used against them.".
He demonstrated by letting his outstretched left arm pull back as if it had taken a hit, than swiftly his other arm shot right out like a coiled spring! His right fist punched empty air, indicating that his fist would have connected with the target's chest area.
Moon was indeed impressed that such a technique existed. Her usual fighting style would call to flow around and move quickly like water, not letting the enemy strike her and using counters. This looked like a counter, but more grounded than her usual style.
The young knight looked to the mature beauty, the patient-like smile forming again on his lips as he stated, "This is what I use to end… well, negotiations that have failed whenever I go out to help your daughter with Monster/Mewnian problems. It's enough to knock the air out of the targets, since my fist is truly aimed at the lungs. I learned that many beings with extraordinary abilities need to get lots of air into their bodies for their moves to work, so my counter technique allows me to knock the air out of them & disorient them long enough for me to gain the advantage over them.".
He then added, "But believe me when I say this. This counter is something I have not perfected yet even though I have used it many times. It's more difficult than you think to maintain control when you have a lot of pain and vibrations traveling through your body, and then trying to maintain the focus needed to channel & redirect the energy plus add it in with your own to make the counter effective. So that is why I have been practicing this so I can make it work more effectively in the future.".
The queen asked, "Mind if I see you practice a bit? After seeing the knights, it would be a good change of pace to hear & see something other than clashing metal and loud cries.". Marco bowed to the royal one whom he considered a friend, one he could trust to not belittle or whine like a certain trio of beings he knew. He got back into his stance and started to practice once more.
Moon said to herself, 'This Focus Counter sounds really good. Even though I doubt I'll use it, I can still learn it just in case.'.
~End flashback~
And now after learning it, she was going to really USE the technique on the very first try! She said to herself again, 'Okay old girl… just like what Marco told you. Center yourself… plant your legs and feet down like that of a tree… extend the arm you favor most to take the hit… and be ready to absorb/channel/release it by adding your own power to it in the other arm. Oh, I hope this works…'.
While she was doing this, the others were watching in sheer disbelief as the Queen was now standing still in that unusual posture while King Khan was rushing straight towards her. Then something clicked on in Penelope's brain as she now figured out where she had seen the stance before. She exclaimed, "I know that move now! It's the same one that Sir Marco used against Bjorn the Bully, the Monster bear that had been terrorizing several Mewnian villages near the borders of the Acacius kingdom!".
A month ago, Star and Marco had been called to deal with a problem in the form of a Monster brown bear that went by the name Bjorn the Bully. He and his clan of fifty bears had been terrorizing Mewnian settlements, claiming that they were on his clan's land illegally and was going to make them pay for cutting down the trees to make way for farmland.
Star, Tom, Lilacia and Marco had arrived to find the bruin brutes attacking a settlement. The Latino knight wanted to go and try to find Bjorn so they could settle the matter peacefully… but Star and her two close friends just leapt into action, not bothering with peaceful talks & favoring violent solutions. Sighing, the young man had little choice but to follow their lead.
He managed to make his way to the leader, Bjorn shown to be twice as tall as a European Brown Bear back in his home realm! The Monster was immense, wearing what seemed to be iron plate armor that covered his stomach and paws, with an eyepatch over his left eye. He was completely berserk at this point, not bothering to even speak to Marco as he tried to reason with him. The human was forced to duck and dodge his attacks, and after a few moments… knew that a quick solution was needed.
He got into his Focus Counter stance, waited until his foe was upon him… and let his arm take a hammer-blow from the bear's appendage, gritting his teeth as he was pounded a little into the ground as the absorbed force traveling through him! He focused and moved the energy to flow into his right arm, adding more power with his own, than let loose a punch right into the iron chest plate that broke apart upon impact! Bjorn had such a look of shock and surprise on his face, seemingly frozen with his eyes bugged out and his mouth wide open. Marco pulled back as the huge Monster soon collapsed on the ground at his feet, the young man trembling as he breathed hard with his fist red and most likely very bruised up at the moment.
The fall of their leader shocked not only the bears who were in disbelief that Bjorn was taken down with a single hit, but also Star and the others who didn't think Marco could pull something off like that.
Of course, Thomas and Lilacia managed to recover from the shock and spun it around in a way that made the bears think that it was all Star's doing since Marco was merely a servant under her and that HER strength was greater.
What they didn't know was that a villager nearby had seen & recorded everything with a magical device that resembled a pocket mirror. The recording was soon shown all over the kingdom, Penelope being amongst the viewers as she saw Marco just show his bravery once more while Star allowed the attention to be brought back to her.
The Monster bears were forced into retreat with their leader, the situation resolved but temporarily. The Monster bears had not been seen since then.
At hearing her exclamation, son and daughter of Khan racked their own minds until they too remembered seeing Marco seven months ago defeating another Monster clan that had been getting dangerously close to their own territory. And that he had defeated the leader in the same manner!
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion the moment Khan was finally close enough to Moon to throw an extremely strong punch to her… but she moved her upper-body slightly to the right and had the right-handed punch hit her palm! She gritted her teeth as the impact sent her skidding a bit deep into the earth, but she did not falter. She felt the tremendous vibrations and energy traveling through her arm now, pain like nothing else now flowing through her!
She thought, 'Time to absorb and redirect it quickly! And to channel some power into my own!'. She focused and controlled the flow of the energy & vibrations through her body, letting it settle into her coiled-up other arm and into her fist. When she felt that it was there, along with her own strength, she opened her eyes wide quickly and let loose a yell as she unleashed the punch!
King Khan's eyes were wide when he saw Moon intercept the punch, thinking she would dodge and not actually TAKE it. And his surprise increased many-fold as she seemingly turned his own power against himself with a right punched that struck true in his chest area! The fist was embedded in the place where his left lung was at, and he felt pain just explode through his body!
The onlookers, knights and even Mina Loveberry were stunned silly as they saw the powerful King Khan frozen in a seemingly paralyzed state as he was punched by Queen Moon who just did a technique taught to her by a mere Earth man! Time seemed to resumed back to normal as this happened.
The tiger ruler took a couple of steps back, making strangled noises as he was in so much pain right now. His lung area had taken quite a hit, and now it was difficult to get his breathing right as air seemed to be going crazy in his system. Moon pulled herself out of the small hole her feet made when Khan's punch had connected. She panted as she felt her insides were like jelly at the moment. She said to herself, "I need to… end this… quick…".
She also made a mental note to practice more on the move Marco showed her, as it had just proven itself quite effective.
The blue-haired warrioress jogged to the dazed Khan, did a leg sweep that knocked him off his feet, flipped him over on his stomach and applied a headlock on him! He was about to struggle when she stated, "Khan, I got you in a potentially dangerous hold when one false move on any of us would end you. I don't think you would want that so please… concede.".
Queen Aikaterina and her children rose up from their seats a little, the others following as they were wondering how this would turn out. All breaths were held to see and hear what the decision of King Khan should be.
Said ruler warrior saw that indeed, Queen Moon had him in a vice that was making him lose air. Not only that, all it would take was the necessary kind of force and angle… than snap, his head and spine would be disconnected in a way that would not be pleasant. He growled out but spoke loud enough for all to hear, "I… I concede!".
It was at exactly 2:00 p.m. that King Khan surrendered to Queen Moon, thus keeping the alliance between the Butterfly family and the Khans/Acacius/Arms families intact as well!
The small audience rushed over to the duo, Moon slowly releasing the lock she had on King Khan's head & stumbling off of him and going to her knees. Khan's wife and children went to his side to help him up, asking if he was okay as he was slowly brought up back to his feet.
Star and River were helping Moon up, the blonde princess just so excited and happy that her mother had won the fight! The blue-haired beauty looked to see the excited & joyous look on her daughter's face, and for a moment… saw the young girl she was long ago & remembered the happy times when Star was truly innocent and good back then. It was a family moment for the trio.
However, reality kicked back in when Patty exclaimed, "That was fantastic! Moon, you actually beat King Khan using a move from that Earth man?! Wow! No one is ever going to believe this bit of juicy news!". And thanks to Patti, the moment was broken and past. Reality set back in as the Butterfly family remembered on why this match had even started in the first place.
Star looked to her mother and asked, "Mom, when did you learn something like that from Marco?! And did you think it would work?!".
The blue-haired mature beauty looked to her child and answered tiredly, "I learned that move… from him two… or so months… ago. He showed me… and described in detail… how it goes. And yes… this is the first… time I used it… so… it was a… large calculated risk…".
Queen Seres put in, "In other words, a desperate gamble. But from what I can see, it paid off immensely.". Moon nodded her head, though she didn't like the term 'desperate gamble' even though it was true.
King Khan, helped up by his wife and children, held the spot where Moon's fist had hit his lung area. He looked at her seriously for a moment, a tense energy filling the air… than a small smile came on his face. He stated, "Queen Moon… you have… defeated me. Heh… it's been… some time since… I was defeated. You still… have that… warrior's edge. And for that… I thank you… for the match. And… for… humbling me.".
He then bowed his head a little to her, a show of respect and gratitude. He did not want to waste any kind of time on excuses and such, as they were considered unworthy of a warrior. Queen Aikaterina and her offspring did the same while maintaining their hold on their ruler and family member.
Queen Moon returned the gesture, helped by her family as well. She replied, "Thank you, King Khan. I am glad that… I was able to… save our… alliance. And also… to prove that… I still have… my fighter's edge. But rest assured this… I will do my best to… make sure that… said alliance becomes… more better.". She looked to Star, a serious look on her face as the blonde girl gulped.
She was hoping that the match would make her mother forget on her actions that she had to explain to the entire group earlier. But it was no dice.
Mina Loveberry walked over to the group and stated, "I believe that both their Royal Highnesses need some medical attention now.". It was true, as the battle had made the combatants quite weary and it was taking all that they had left to stand up, let alone move on their own.
King Justus remarked, "I believe that is a good call, Lady Loveberry. Okay everyone, let's get Khan and Moon healed up and rested!". The knights and everyone else on the field nodded, the armored warriors escorting the group now back to the castle with the fighters still being aided by their loved ones.
Prince Loukianos, Princess Lysimache & Princess Penelope all decided to tell Moon on what they had overheard later when she & Khan were mostly healed up & away from certain ears.
What none knew was that a certain mole was witnessing the entire match the whole time. In fact, said being had been watching the Butterfly family ever since this morning when they trained since eight this morning! It was none other than Ratatusk the Mole Man & expert of the black market information!
The gentlemanly anthro mole had been called by his new employer Rasticore early in the morning, giving him his first assignment which was to spy & gain any valuable information on the royal family. He was paid with a basketball-sized bag that was filled with gemstones of emerald and sapphire, the Sepatrian cyborg warrior informing him to gain as much information as possible before returning to his home.
So while Rasticore had made contact with the Destroian Empire, Ratatusk had been underneath the grounds of the castle.
The clever Mole Man had brought a few magical items that had served him well in the past. One was a pocket mirror that was a magical visual and recording device, one that could hone in on any target the user chose to see. There were three problems with it though; the first one was that it sent out a magical signal that could be detected by any runes or spells that were sensitive to it. And the second was that its max. range was 2 miles. And the final one was that it could only record up to 2 hours per recording & could only hold one recording.
Fortunately for the gentlemanly expert in the black market, he had on his being a trinket on his coat that cancelled out the first problem. It was a white diamond half the size of a baseball pinned near his collar area. It was a Magic Signature Dampening Diamond, an EXTREMELY rare gemstone that was mined from one of the minor royal families in Mewni. The trinket had the ability to mask magical signatures from any kind of detection, which made them valuable both on the legal market & the black one. The only problem was that stronger magical signatures required the larger-sized diamonds.
The one Ratatusk had on his being, he had managed to steal it several years ago. And it was the perfect size to compliment his spying pocket mirror, so he did not need to worry about being detected by magical means. In addition, he only recorded what he believed to be important enough so he did not waste time on the mundane stuff.
Safe and secure in his little hiding spot underneath the ground, Ratatusk said to himself, "Hehehehe… I believe that Rasticore and this Meteora character will pay most handsomely for this kind of information! I wonder how much I can squeeze out of them for this kind of info…". Like a certain blonde Pony Head princess, he knew on when to push his advantage & not push his luck.
He was now weighing his options on wither to continue his spy mission or to go back to Rasticore's home to deliver the news…
~On Earth~
While the action was going on in the medieval realm, some tender ones were occurring at the Diaz household. Eclipsa was still in Mariposa's room, watching over the sleeping little one as Janna was in the living room watching a classic Disney movie which was the 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid. The now-reformed prankster had a soft spot where it concerned the classic movies, since she and Marco used to watch it a lot before… the incident at the park. She did invite Eclipsa to watch it with her, but the Queen of Darkness opted instead to just keep watch over Mariposa.
Janna suspected that it had to do something from what she said earlier to Angie to calm her down, so she respected her wishes. She also made for her bologna sandwich for lunch, saying that it would hold her over until some real lunch could be made when the others returned from the hospital. Eclipsa accepted the light lunch, commenting that it did taste good when she bit into it. And also the Ruffles chips that Janna also put on her plate along with a glass of sweet tea.
The paper plate that once had the food was now empty, sitting on the ground with an empty cup on it.
The curvy mature beauty was looking down at Marco's little sister, who was sleeping peacefully while under the covers. Eclipsa smiled softly as she leaned towards her a little to let her right hand brush the hair of the child gently. Mariposa had a small smile on as she 'hmmmed' from the touch.
Eclipsa whispered, "I wonder what you are dreaming about little one… heh, perhaps going on fantastic adventures with those unique monsters? Hehehehe…".
The Butterfly family member had been in awe on what Janna told her about Toho monsters that were a major part of the Monsters and Magic series. The Earth girl had explained to her what she knew concerning Godzilla and his fellow giant monsters that were from the Toho series. Such as Godzilla being dubbed the King of the Monsters due to winning against so many foes, losing a few matches against them. Mothra's origin as protector of the planet and being one of the few capable of defeating Godzilla. The origin of Anguirus, on how he was once a fierce rival to the saurian & now considered his greatest friend and ally. And on the origin of Rodan, who had been mutated just like the others thanks to radioactive bomb testing and was considered a master of the skies.
Janna promised to show her the movies that had the monsters first appearing on the silver screen, starting with Toho's 1954 film Godzilla: King of the Monsters. She believed she would get a kick out of it, which Eclipsa had no doubt she would.
Said member of the royal Butterfly's thought to herself, 'We have only been in this world for only three or four days, and already there is just SO much to learn here! Some call Earth a backwater dimension due to not being magical… but I'm starting to believe that it's the other way around.'. She had no idea what she would learn & experience when the time came for her & the other girls to start their journey with the Diaz lad once he was fully healed.
She also thought back to the giant monsters, believing in full that if they were real and had been living in Mewni… they would have most assuredly turned the tide of the war in favor of the Mewnian monsters.
When she thought that particular thought, her soft smile turned into a frown as she remembered the time when she was a mother… the time when she once took care of her precious blessing which she named Meteora. She remembered on how active she was when being born, her & her husband Globgor just so filled with much joy even amidst the chaos of turmoil that had started due to their elopement. The very first Mewnian/Monster hybrid… and she would do anything to keep her safe and well.
Eclipsa remembered how she tried her hand at motherhood; changing diapers, feeding her little one, rocking her to sleep, telling her stories to entertain her or make her go to sleep… and watching her when she did finally go to dreamland.
She said to herself, "It was a glorious six months for us. Than… that damn farce of a trial… and me being imprisoned…". She shut her eyes tightly, trying to ward off the tears that were threating to come forth. She looked down at Mariposa… and for a moment, super-imposed on her was the sleeping form of her baby so long ago.
Eclipsa gasped softly and reached out to her, but her firm mind caught herself and brought her back to reality. She once again saw the human child instead of her own, pulling back her hand and clutching her own heart with it. She said to herself, "Come on, Eclipsa… get a grip… you know you can't change the past. So do what Marco has been telling you to do… focus on the future…".
She then remembered the words from one of the songs that had played on the record player. It was Dreams to Dream from the first movie, which Janna explained to her that it originally came from another called An American Tail. Eclipsa promised herself to hear more of the unique music that seemed to flow forth from Earth, more varied and different from the ones she had heard on Mewni.
As she let the words & music from the song flow freely in her mind, she looked down at Mariposa… and saw not just her, but another child beside her. This one was a boy looked like a mini-version of Marco! And Mariposa's form changed slightly, her hair turning purple with a heart-shaped mark on her cheek.
The Queen of Darkness was allowing her imagination to see a possible future with her and Marco married & with children, twins as a matter of fact!
Eclipsa smiled down at the children, allowing the possible future to claim her for the time being as the song sung by Melody from the first Monsters and Magic movie continued on. She turned to see her husband who was looking down at the children as well, a future version of Marco that was different from the one that had lived in Hekapoo's dimensional realm. Not buff with muscles, but he did have some muscles that hid the true strength that he possessed. His body was more streamlined, similar to a professional Olympic swimmer who was dedicated.
The curvy mature beauty looked at him, her eyes sparkling with love and devotion as he returned the look in kind. This is what Eclipsa was now aiming for; a possible future with the one she loved, and that their love created life that would be cherished & raised well.
Suddenly, a car horn honk broke through her imagination just as the song in her mind ended. The vision of Marco waved like water, than vanished like mist in the afternoon sun. She looked down at Mariposa, the other child gone and Marco's little sister back in her true image. Eclipsa wiped away the tears that were in her eyes, but a smile was on her face instead of a sad one.
She whispered, "I will do my very best to show Marco that I am the one for him. The best choice in the life-run. And hopefully… my dream will be a reality.". She still remembered the promise pact that she made with the others after seeing Marco's dream a few days ago when they brought him back from Mewni & would do her best to honor it as well.
Eclipsa would not sink low to win a noble man's heart.
Mariposa groaned softly, waking from her nap thanks to the cars horn. She mumbled softly and turned to her other side, opening her eyes and seeing Eclipsa's smiling face. She sleepily asked, "Good lady? Nap time over?". She rose to sit up on her bed, rubbing the sleep dust from her eyes.
The mature woman smiled and answered, "Yes dear, nap time is over. And I think we need to get us some lunch. What do you say?". Mariposa nodded, lifting her arms up so that Eclipsa could pick her up from her bed as she was not fully awake yet. The former ruler of Mewni so long ago picked her up gently and soon carried her out of her room. Though she did allow the child to clutch to her being tightly the Anguirus plushie, the little one still wanting to snuggle with the spiked best friend of Godzilla.
~In the Underworld~
While this was all going on, Prince Thomas was NOT in a happy mood. He was still being educated hard by his parents, who seemed to really make sure that he paid attention during their lessons & also that he didn't slack off like he normally would. Right now, he was in the Underworld Royal Library as he was being forced to read about the history of their realm and the denizens that resided in said world.
He gripped the book he was reading tightly and muttered, "It's all that idiot Marco's fault! I know it is! And when I find him… I'm going to roast his very soul down to the very last bit!". He really wanted to get revenge on the Earth boy, to make him pay still for taking Star during the dance he staged three years ago & for coming back to Mewni to see her.
He loved Star very much, he really did. But he knew he couldn't get her thanks to Marco and her's relationship… or so he thought when he saw her actions at the Silver Bell Ball. And upon hearing that she wanted to try again made his black heart swell with relief and joy. But it took a nosedive when the Earth boy did return, and he feared that Star would once again choose Marco over him.
But when he witnessed Star using the wand to banish some negative-looking energy from her being, he realized what was going on… and also how he could use it to his advantage. To really teach the Earth fool a lesson in coming back to Mewni & that Star was completely his. And with gaining Lilacia as an ally to further humiliate and drive more pain into Marco, he was getting the best of both worlds.
Of having his Starship back in his life and arms, and teaching the puny mortal from Earth to never mess what he considered his. And he was going to drive the nail more into the Earth fool's coffin by announcing soon with Star their engagement to their folks, to make it official for all to hear! It would be killing two birds with one stone. The announcement would be for all to see that they were truly together and serious… while most likely it would seriously crush Marco at the same time!
But now this happened! He, Lilacia and Star were being 'punished' by being forced to take their lessons now more seriously than before while Marco was somewhere else with Higgs on a secret mission of sort for Queen Moon! They could no longer go on any more adventures, dates or fun anymore! Their carefree lifestyle was now over, and Tom & Lilacia knew who to put the blame on.
His whole body was now aflame, everyone in the library backing away from him as his flames were very hot and volatile now… just like the source of said flames.
However, Tom forced himself to calm down and return his anger to a simmer… even though it so wanted to lash out at anything for the time being. He said to himself, 'I need to calm down, otherwise who knows what Mom and Dad might add to their punishment on me. I need to think! Let's see… I can't fire-flash my way out of here. And the other ways to exit this place is blocked to me.'.
It was then he realized something, and a grin that would make the animated Grinch from How The Grinch Stole Christmas proud to see was forming on his face.
The Underworld prince said to himself, 'Of course! I can't use my flash-fire myself… but I can keep the flash-fire open so that others can jump into it! I just need to build something so that I can use my flash-fire teleportation power, but make sure that someone else goes through it. That would fool all of the detection spells that my folks put on me.'.
King Dave & Queen Wrathmelior had put some demonic enchantments on him so that not only could he flash-fire teleport out of the realm, but it would also notify them if he himself tried to another way. But Tom saw the flaw in their enchantments now; that while he couldn't use it, someone or something else could go through it & not set off the alarm.
He chuckled evilly and stated to himself, "Okay, that is one solution found. Now, I need to find out exactly where that idiot is at. Once I have a destination… I can start building something that will let me use my fire teleport move to send something to Marco. Something that will teach him a lesson he'll NEVER forget! Heh… and I hope to do it on the very day me and Star announce our engagement to our folks! Oh, it will be a sweet kind of present to the both of us. To see Marco getting the tar beat out of him and making him pay for doing this to us! Hehehehe…".
A devious plan was now underway in the Underworld!
(Author's Notes: And… cut! That is it for this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this one! More to come, and this is just book one of the trilogy series!
Before I say or do anything else, I want to give praise and glory to the Lord. Thank you God for giving me the courage and conviction to push on forward with this story! Thank you Jesus Christ in being there for me and my family! Thank you Lord for this wonderful gift of imagination that I hope to continue to use in your name & to let said gift flourish! Thank you Lord for everything!
Just so you know, I had the fight between Queen Moon and King Khan be similar to one of the original Dragonball episodes I watched some time ago. I have the complete DVD series, by the way. In any case, I had it to be made similar to the fight between Goku and Tienshinhan when they fought in the Finals at the World's Martial Arts Tournament. And also I mixed in the Focus Attack technique utilized by Ryu in one of the Street Fighter games but saw it mostly in the Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U. I have said game, still need to complete everything on it…
So to be clear, Queen Moon or Marco have not mastered the Focus Counter technique. They can use it, but haven't mastered it yet. In my view, mastery comes when one can use the move effectively as one does breathing. Like how Goku truly mastered his signature Kamehameha Wave technique by utilizing it in many ways, such as bending said beam of energy to follow or go behind enemies or using his own feet to launch the wave to propel himself like a rocket like he did against Piccolo in his first match against him in the World Martial Arts Tournament.
Queen Moon has won the match, maintaining the alliance between the other royal families & the Butterfly house. And winning it thanks to using a move that Marco showed her, and that he is still working on to perfecting. We also see the introduction and modified origins of Mina Loveberry! And also the fate of Buff Frog and his children! I really hope to have brought some honor and dignity to said characters.
Angel and her fellow Pony Head sisters have managed to find something big! And will be digging in more to uncover what has happened to Marco… and why he has been in contact with a very powerful deity. Ratatusk is on his first mission by his new employer, and he seems to already collect some interesting info… what will he do with said info now? And his next course of action?
Eclipsa goes back to the past a little, but soon remembers Marco's words on focusing on a future… and it's one she hopes that he will choose her and finally be able to start a new family! And finally, Tom is now scheming to make Marco pay for being 'punished' by his parents and not doing anything more fun with Star.
I really hope you enjoyed this, and I am very glad to see a familiar Author reviewing this once more! Thank you very much Isom! Good to hear from you again, and I hope to see more long reviews from you like before in the future!
Be prepared to see more surprises in future chapters!
Now for the questions! Ahem…
What do you think about the new Mina Loveberry here? And also what do you think of Buff Frog being the new Royal Monster Emissary?
What do you think of Jan-Jan's, Whistine and Khrysthalle's unique abilities? What do you think their reaction will be when the time comes for them to find and put together all of the pieces of the puzzle that surrounds Marco?
What would your thoughts be on seeing the fight between Khan and Moon? And also what would you be thinking at seeing Moon utilize Marco's own Focus Counter technique against Khan?
What would you say to the two royals after the match ended? What do you think Ratatusk's next move should be?
What kind of advice would you give to Eclipsa concerning her daydream on the future? And what Toho movie should she see after the 1954 Godzilla: King of the Monsters movie?
And finally this… What do you think Tom has in store for Marco when he does find him? And what will happen should Lilacia and Star be brought into the fold of his plan?
R&R, no flames, enjoy and leave LONG reviews!)
