N/A: Howdy Y'all, Flamey here! Ok, I'll admit it, yes, Unbroken Bonds was once 100K long. Why did I decide to rewrite it? Well, when you write 100K words in two months, you find that the quality of said words are rather… poor. This also gives me the chance to add a lot more to the previously undescriptive chapters. What can I say, the more the merrier!
Also, thank you all so much for your support. Some of you have reached out and offered your ideas and opinions on Unbroken Bonds (all of which are 100% welcome). It honestly brings me immense joy to see so many people enjoying my writing, especially since I'm far more of a left brain than a right one.
Anyway, here's wonderwall.
Unbroken Bonds
Chapter 3
Expected Surprises
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Stararar! Ya gotta slow downnn!"
Steering left and right to avoid piles of crumbling debris, Marco found himself in a challenging race as he tried to keep up with the swiftly speeding Star. He was being pulled ferociously by the hand up to what he assumed would be her bedroom, or at least what was left of her bedroom. Catching glimpses of the scenes around him as he flew down hallways and stairwells, he almost caught a shallow depression at how ruined and torn the once beautiful palace was. Instead of majestic tapestries and relics, it was ripped varnish and graffiti from castle thieves decorating the many walls of the estate, a sad sight for what was once a formidable show of Mewman resolve.
Swerving to a stop before her tattered door, he had less than a second to collect his breath before he was quickly dragged inside, sealed in with the slam of the wood door. The first thing he was met with was a blinding flash of light and cold air, stunning him as his senses adjusted to the new environment. Unlike the dark and damp hallways of the ruinous castle, Star's room was beaming with artificial light and a climate controlled atmosphere. Her room was a complete contrast to the rest of the estate; its floors noticeably barren of any mold or crumbling debris.
As his pupils painfully dialated to the light, his mind immediately found itself confused as to how her room was in such a pristine condition. "Hey… why isn't your room all… decrepit?"
"Maybe it's because my room was attached to your house. Guess when we 'eighty-sixed' magic it got snapped back."
There was a certain venom in her voice that seemed to rub him the wrong way, a snarl he hoped he didn't cause. In her defense, there wasn't a single aspect of the day that he could think of that could be considered remotely positive, save for their new found relationship. Other than that, the day had been filled with heartbreak and despair, with Star having to give up her birthright only after confronting her treacherous mother. Even after spending a year with the woman, he wasn't entirely sure how to comfort her when she was having one of her 'unhappy Star' moments. For a majority of her episodes, just talking it out would prove useful; in most cases.
"Soooo… long day, huh?" He said as he walked over to sit at the edge of her canopy bed. As a looming silence filled the room in the place of his words, he began awkwardly drumming his hands on his legs as he awaited a response from the visibly distraught Star. She had made her way to the opposite end of the room, all while intentionally ignoring his attempt at starting a conversation. As the seconds ticked by, with the only sounds being the rhythmic drumming of Marco's nervous hands, her patience finally snapped for the young boy.
"Can you please stop doing that!? I can't hear myself think!" She shouted, her voice forcing Marco's slouched back into a straight posture.
"Oohh, ahh, s-sorry…" he responded, his eyes wide with shock and his hands stationary on his black jeans.
The moment the words left her mouth, Star realized what a blunder she had made. As soon as she realized what she had done, she turned around to face Marco, her hands running up to cup her mouth. "Oh corn! Sorry, Marco, I-I didn't mean to yell…"
"Nahh, it's… it's all good. I get that you're a little… stressed out," he whispered, his eyes averting hers as she silently prayed she didn't hurt his feelings.
"No, it's not… I shouldn't've yelled at you. You're like, the only person in my corner…"
"What, no. Star, you've got tons of people in your corner. You got me, Eclipsa, your dad, your mom." As soon as his words reached her ears, she found herself unable to retain her villainous laughter. Hearing him reference her mother, she bursted into a fit of maniacal laughter, keeling over with her hand on her stomach as she tried to reign in her sad guffawing.
"What… What's so funny?" He asked, tilting his head in confusion to Star's out of character response.
"No, no no, it's just, *chuckle*, you think my mom's on my side!" she howled, trying her best to separate her voice from her laughter.
"Well, she is, isn't she?" Questioned Marco, who was now completely befuddled with her laughter.
"You kidding me? Marco, all my life I've been wondering, 'Jee, my mom sure can be a pain sometimes' or 'wow, that's a bit of a harsh response for a little mistake'. Most of the time I would just shrug it off as tough love," she started as she paced over to Marco, "But now, now I finally know the reason."
"And… that is?" He asked sheepishly, leaning back as Star inched closer and closer to him, their faces just inches apart.
"She hates me!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air as Marco gripped his ears, reeling back from Star's scream. "She thinks I'm a failure, that I'm lower than mediocracy, that I'm some misfit princess. Didn't you hear her?"
"Look, Star, it's been a long day, maybe she just said something she didn't mea-" "And then, and then she has the audacity to go behind everyone's backs and help Mina. Mina! Mina freaking Loveberry."
Marco was nearly paralyzed by Star's deminor, with her leaning over him and shouting in his ear as he slowly inched further away from her red and fuming face. It was a typical Star Butterfly rage moment, save for her usual magical rampage saved only for times such as these. It was only until the room quieted down did she realize how into his face she had gotten, essentially pushing the poor boy into the mattress of her canopy bed. As her anger subsided she slowly withdrew herself from the bed, turning around to shun herself from Marco as she nervously grabbed her elbow in worry.
"S-sorry about that. I just got a little carried away" she whimpered, her small body somehow shrinking even smaller in the tense atmosphere of the room.
As he slowly climbed back up to sit on the bed, he felt a tinge of guilt seeing Star so twisted with emotions. Taking into account the many aspects of the day, he wasn't surprised when she eventually snapped, not accounting for her earlier shouting match with her mother. Standing up he walked over to the slightly quivering blonde, offering his hand with a reassuring squeeze. "Listen, I know today's been… Well, it's been a lot. Let's just, ya know, look on the bright side. We're here, and…"
"...We're together." She finished, returning his loving squeeze. Flashing him a kind smile, she spun around to start towards her bed, making sure to playfully whip her golden mane against his face. When she reached her bed she leaned forward and flopped down against its soft surface, letting out a sigh of comfort before turning over to lay on her back. Watching Marco follow suit, a second, much more coy smile grew across her lips.
"Mind if I…?" Asked Marco, looking down at the sprawled out Star, her hair fanned out in a glorious spectacle.
"Oh, yeah, sure," she said while patting the seat beside her. Feeling the bed conform to its second user, Star rolled over on her side to face Marco. It was obvious to her that he was somewhat uncomfortable, being in such a close proximity to his now girlfriend. For the past year and a half she had known him, she found herself in a variety of situations when they were in close quarters. Hugs, claustrophobic adventures, friendly and sometimes borderline-intimate cuddling while watching movies; all had been fair game when they were just friends. But now she knew she'd have to start from scratch to slowly work up to the boy, knowing he'd be strenuously cautious around her.
This plan was immediately thrown out the window as Star quickly bolted forward to latch herself onto Marco's side, shutting her eyes and wrapping her arms around his toned torso. She let out a muffled purr as she tightened her grip, forcing herself closer against him. The lightning quick move shocked the young latino, forcing his body to go rigid as his face swelled with a crimson glow. Sure, light pecks and hand-holding were one thing, but this action of intimacy proved too much for the teen.
Looking up at his now beet red face, she let out a contented giggle as she took in the embarrassment she inflicted on the poor boy. "Aww, is lil' old Marco not gonna snuggle with his super cute girlfriend?" She cooed as she slowly inched up to lie face-to-face with Marco. After a few seconds of complete silence, Star began to worry that her act of intimacy caused some sort of heart-stopping stroke, something she wouldn't put past the young boy. Loathingly unlatching a hand she kept around his torso she brought it up to wave in front of his face, trying to break his deathly transficture with the ceiling.
"Uhhh, Mewni to Marco, come in?" She asked, her coy smile devolving into a concerned frown.
'Y-Yeah, all g-good," stuttered Marco, his voice cracking as his eyes continued to stare straight up towards the roof of her canopy. "Just… just didn't expect that."
"Oh, come on, Marco. Why's it gotta be awkward" groaned Star, sitting up to make sure Marco noticed her fake pouting. "You never had a problem with it before…"
"Well, before I wasn't your boyfriend and your dad didn't have super high expectations for me since I was basically his right hand man, and oh my god I'm gonna let him down" sputtered Marco as his hands flew to cup his face.
"What're you talking about?" Asked Star, amazed by Marco's swift mental gymnastics.
"When we all met up at the intersection your dad was like super friendly with me, and he was all fine with us dating. I don't know why, but I just really don't want to let him down."
"O-Ok, so, let me get this straight," started Star, who was now propped up by her elbow beside Marco, the two in the comforting shade of her bed's roof. "You're gonna be all weird about cuddling, because you want to make my dad proud?"
"I mean, when you put it like that it does sound a little silly…" added Marco, whose blush had almost crept its way off his cheeks.
"Marco, it's not a little silly, it's like, super duper silly! Why on Mewni would daddy care about that? He likes you, Marco; end of story."
"Ok, ok," chuckled Marco, sitting up to mirror Star's position, "I guess I'm being a little irrational. I just, I really want this to work out, ya know? You're awesome, Star, and I just want everything to be perfect."
"Marco, besides all the bad things that've happened today. Which, I guess accounts for most of the day," started Star, who almost found herself lost in her own reassurance. "It is perfect, we are. I mean, Marco, I can't think of anyone else ever that gets me like you do. I want things to be awesome too, and they are!" Squeaked Star, who threw on a megawatt smile to drive her point home.
"Really?" He asked, immediately finding the question redundant as he was certain her answer wouldn't change.
"Yes, Marco, really. I know that whatever happens, we're gonna do it together, as a team," she said as she scooted closer to the calmed boy. "A super cute boyfriend-girlfriend team!" she exclaimed as she ecstatically threw her arms around Marco. Instead of entering a mild cardiac arrest like last time, he received the hug with a much more accepting mindset, wrapping his arms around her lithe torso as she did the same to him.
"Mhhmhm, much better" she purred as she dug her head into the center of his chest. As he felt her arms tighten around his abdomen, Marco shifted his hand to run up along her long golden mane, resting atop her head to gently massage her scalp. Her hair was incredibly smooth, something he had always suspected was due to magical intervention. As he held her head close to his chest he lowered his to plant a quick peck on hers, having to force himself back up despite the savory strawberry aroma that tempted him in.
Fueled by his quick and alluring kiss, she slowly picked her head up to stare ardently into his chocolate-brown eyes, sure to keep hers half-lidded to add to her hopefully seductive look. As she slowly crawled up to lie face to face with the surprisingly collected Marco, she fanned her hair out to act as a pseudo-curtain, shielding the two in a close and compact bubble. "What was that?" She asked, leaning a tad more into him as she sank down against his chest.
"I didn't say anything," he responded, his face illuminated by the golden light sneaking past her hair.
"I think you've got a little something right here" breathed Star as she signaled to his supposed food particulate.
"Huh, that's weird, I don't feel anyth-'' he whispered before his lips were swiftly stolen by Star's. As soon as she had confirmation that she had caught her prey, she sank the rest of her weight against Marco, lying flat against his lean chest. Even with his apprehension screaming in his ears, Marco found himself reciprocating the kiss, again wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her tighter against him, eliciting a high-pitched 'eep!'.
Having been given the unspoken permission she craved, she tilted her head against his and slipped her nimble tongue out from between her lips to run against his, begging for entry. Feeling Marco stir slightly with her act of progressed intimacy, he let out a short sigh before parting his lips, allowing Star the entrancy she so desperately craved. Things had completely spiraled out of the realm of plausibility, for both Marco and Star. However, neither teen seemed to care, as their focuses were solely caught by their loving partner.
Oh my corn, how the hell could I live without this, imagined Star as she let out a low and muffled moan into Marco's parted mouth. As the two continued to fight each other for a loving dominance, neither were able to hear the hushed footsteps of an approaching figure closing in on Star's door. The two were nearly spooked out of bed as a series of sharp knocks shook them back to reality. Swiftly sitting up, Marco rammed his head accidentally into the bed's wooden headboard, resulting in a loud bang that further startled Star. "Ahh, coming!" She shouted, more focusing on Marco's injury rather than her nighttime visitor. Receiving a quick thumbs up from a silently panicking Marco, Star slipped out of bed to address her visitor.
Whisking her door open, she put on her best welcoming smile, which was immediately tarnished when she laid eyes on her guest.
"Oh, what's up?" she said coldly with a bored posture.
"Eclipsa's returned and I've set some tea for us. We'd love for you to come down and chat," started Moon, trying her all to continue her warm and lighthearted impression.
"Aaaalright," groaned Star, turning back to catch a quick glimpse at Marco, who was trying his hardest to act cool in the worst possible situation he could imagine.
"Oh, and Marco dear. River asked if you could join him in the armaments, he said he'd like to introduce you to… a friend," finished Moon before she turned and walked down the dank hallway.
Sitting up from Star's bed, Marco walked over to join the blonde teen at her doorway. Turning to face each other, they leaned in to offer one another a final kiss. Pulling back from the peck Marco's collar was caught by Star's hand which pulled his ear against her lips. "You got lucky, buster. Next time, mama Star gets what mama Star wants."
Finishing her quote with a final, final peck on the cheek, Star turned to skip happily down the decrepit hallway, following after the light of her mothers lantern, leaving Marco to stand stunned by her ultimatum. God, I love that girl.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Moving her fingers with careful precision, Eclipsa swiftly readied her drowsy infant for a peaceful night of rest. It had been possibly the most excruciating, devastating and utterly surprising day she'd ever have the misfortune to witness. From Moon's betrayal, to her husband's injuries to the complete cleaving of magic. "Butterfly magic"she whispered to herself, her heart conflicted on whether or not the recent turn of events were for the better or the worse.
As she laid the now snoozing Meteora in her crib, the gleeful mother took one last look to admire her family. Snoring in a deep slumber beside her was her faithful husband, completely fatigued from his near-death experience. Even after everything that had happened, all the misfortunes they had faced, she could finally rest assured she'd have her family. "After all, family's everything" she uttered as she silently slipped out from her borrowed room.
Her room was a spare connected to the winding halls of the castle's lower levels, with the higher levels being destroyed or unfit for habitation. Even in its disenchanted state, she couldn't complain about a free room. However, what confused her was how the monster temple, her home for the past six months, had found itself absent in their new world. What confused her even further was what exactly happened. She had been a magical scholar for over three centuries, be it conscious or crystallized. And over those years she had never had the fortune of learning about events such as the one she was living in.
This, however, wasn't a surprise to the ancient woman. She had only ever dedicated her studies to her magic: Butterfly magic. Never to the others scattered throughout the cosmos. Studding other forms of magical manipulation never truly made sense to her. We have the blessing of our own form, why learn another?
Her thoughts were gracefully interrupted by the wave of fragrance seizing her senses. During her deep state of contemplation, she had unbeknowingly stumbled upon the castle's rose garden. Despite the considerable wear the guarded orchard had sustained, it still retained its indistinguishable beauty, as if it were an impenetrable bashton cozied between the twisting halls of the historic manor. For Eclipsa, the title of 'Bashton' was certainly no understatement. Throughout her staggered lives she had always migrated to the rose garden in times of crisis or dilemma. Besides the occasional guard or nosey noble, it was a guaranteed sanctuary of peace and quiet; something the former queen desperately craved.
Deciding she could keep her fellow girls waiting for just a little while, she took the liberty of resting on one of the few stone benches dotted throughout the garden. Relaxing against the cold back of the seat, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. For a brief moment all there was was her, the garden, and the sky. It wasn't as if she craved a vacation from her friends and family, quite the opposite in fact. Right now they needed her more than ever, and she knew it. But knowing what was in store for her in her future, she'd be remiss not to spend a fleeting moment by herself where all in the world was right.
Gazing up at the sky, she noticed a faint detail the untrained eye wouldn't see. Dashed across the usually blue and white sky were inklings of purple and black, a sight that seemed to trigger something deep within her. In a mere moment, the aura of the garden had turned from a bashton of peace to a prison of mysterious energy. Although to her, this new arua was anything but mysterious. Infact, to her it was both familiar and downright terrifying. As she slowly came to grasp the situation, her hands began to sting with pain, forcing her to let out a muffled yelp of pain.
Grasping the ends of her gloves and chucking them aside, she quickly examined her hands for any sign of damage, only to find her horrible pain gone without a trace. She turned over every inch of skin along her hand, only to find the pair completely free of any injury. Strange, She thought, completely dumbfounded by the last few seconds. Looking back up at the sky she found it again dazzled with blue and white, a much more familiar starshow than the darkened one before.
Must be this damned castle, she rationalized, blaming her strange hallucinations on the repugnant and spore-infested air of the once glorious castle. Standing up to retrieve her gloves, she couldn't help but catch the dim glimmer of a purple marking staining the back of her hand. Quickly pulling her hand back to inspect the marking, she found it again barren of any anomaly. With a sigh she again reached down and this time successfully retrieved her gloves, slipping them back onto her hands and subsequently strolled out of the anomalous orchard.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Damn meeting, damn family, damn magic…" Whispered Star, just mute enough for her mother not to her. She had intentionally slowed back behind Moon in an act of passive retaliation, making sure to follow her mothers orders but doing so in a manner which silently voiced her disagreement. She knew she was acting childish, more akin to her personality pre Toffee's return than to her present's. She was fully aware her pouting wouldn't accomplish anything, nor her cursing, nor her passive resistance. But what else could she do? For the past few months she had strived and slowly risen to become the person she was destined to be, to be a beacon of responsibility and reason. But the past twelve hours completely devastated that work, reverting her status back to nothing more than a young woman who had a strained relationship with her mother. It was as if everything, and nothing had changed.
What she despised most of all was her newfound dependance on her mother, the woman that had put near millions of lives in danger to get what she wanted, only to be let off scot free along with handsome rewards. In her mind, she was either a master planner, or a terrible fool. A woman who had manipulated and betrayed her people to try to return to being top dog, a position she supposedly had craved during her voluntary exile. Star was no longer someone who could go where she wanted whenever she wanted. She had been seemingly reverted back to a girl following her mother's every word: and it sickened her.
The only glimmer of hope she had left was in Marco, the 'boy' she had supposedly risked it all for. But in reality, he was her all. Sure, she loved her family, her friends and her loyal companions. But no one could ever stand up to what Marco meant to her. He wasn't only her best bestie, boyfriend and whatever else she needed, but he was also her guide, her equal, her perfect balance. He may have been a little wary around her when they first met, that tends to happen when your understanding of the universe gets flipped on its head. But soon after an unbreakable bond formed between the two, one that stands unbroken even after all the events that had transpired during the past eighteen months.
Now, all she wanted was to spend her days living as a normal person, in an acceptably normal world. But no, she couldn't get her happy ending. She would have to live day in and day out the same life she had loathed ever since she realized what a trap she had been placed in. The thought nearly blinded her with rage, so much so she couldn't notice the actual stone pillar right before her until her face had properly collided into its cold surface.
"Oww.. damn pillar" she shouted, punching the cold marble just for good measure. Without knowing it, she had somehow made it back down into the foyer of the castle. She had supposedly followed her mother in some sort of autopilot as her attention was focused on her madening thoughts.
"Oh. Star, dear, are you alright?" Asked Moon, who tried to comfort the slightly injured Star.
"I'm fine" hissed Star as shrugged her mother's falsely warm hands off her shoulders and stomped off towards the room's interior. The common room had certainly retained its charming characteristics better than most of the castle, with its fireplace not caved in and its furniture not worn and broken. Noticing the fireplace had been lit and was roaring with life, she marched her way over and sat down on an open sofa surrounding its mantle, only to notice from the corner of her eye a quiet Eclipsa silently enjoying a cup of tea.
Perking up as she made eye contact, Eclipsa swiftly set her cup down and slid over to engulf Star in an actual comforting embrace. "Oh, Star. Thank corn, you had me and globby sick! From what Moon had told me, I knew you were safe, but I just couldn't be sure 'till I saw you." The short woman's words were a rush of genuine yet restrained emotion as she reassuringly hugged Star, who in the meantime was processing a great deal of feelings regarding Eclipsa and her mother.
"Star, are you alright?" Eclipsa asked, flashing the cold faced Star an inquisitorial glance.
"Yeah, totally totally…" Replied Star, who carefully scooted out of range from Eclipsa.
"So… you've been talkin' with my mom," started Star, who was shifting glances between Eclipsa and Moon, "on your own free will…"
"Yes… Is there something… off about that?" asked the purple lady, who had calculatingly backed away from Star.
"Is there anything not off about it? I mean, jeez, am I the only sane one here? She was trying to kill you, like, two seconds ago!" Exclaimed Star, holding up three fingers before quickly changing them to two as she caught her mistake.
"Star, please, there's no need to shout," assured Eclipsa, who had somewhat recoiled from Star's barrage of words. "We've talked, like adults, and she's offered me a sincere apology."
"Apology-shmology! That's not enou-"
"Star!" Shouted Eclipsa, her voice now much more rash and stubborn. "If you wish to do right by me, then please respect my choice. All I wish is for us three to sit and talk as adults, not childish enemies."
Moon had been smart to let things play out without her input. River's clever choice of words had stuck with her throughout the night, a sorrowful reminder of her sins. It seemed that her best chance of redemption was to leave her daughter to her own devices, and hope she would eventually find the will to either forgive or forget her. In the meantime, she thought as she finished preparing Star's cup, why not enjoy some nice tea.
"Here we are, Star," chirped Moon as she carefully lowered the steaming cup before Star, "Wild Lily, your favorite." Making sure to flash Star a caring smile, Moon turned around and slowly paced back to fashion her own drink, making sure to skip on the copious amounts of sugar Star usually demanded come with her tea.
"Thanks…" uttered Star, just loud enough for it to sound genuine, but also with a buried venom on the side.
"So," started Moon as she sat down opposite of Star around the short table, "what's there to chat about?"
"What ISN'T there to chat about is the better question" sided Eclipsa as she took a prolonged sip from her nearly empty.
"Yes, quite," chuckled Moon as she covered her mouth with the back of her hand. "How 'bout we start with the Mewman shelter. Now, tonight's bound to be tough, but if I can call out to meet with the human government next dawn I'm sure we could coordinate so-"
"Uaaghhhh!" Exclaimed Star as she reclined deeper into her cushioned chair. The groan was one more of disappointment than displeasure. Not that she wasn't displeased, in fact she was quite livid. But with the day's events weighing on her combined with her lackluster lust to defy her mother, she found herself only able to summon a low groggy boom of disappointment.
"Seriously? It's been, what? 5 seconds since we've got here, and we're already trying to usurp power."
"No, Star. It's not like that," defended Moon in a gentle and quiet voice. Much like Star, she found her will to berrade her daughter mysteriously lacking; a good thing since her new aim to rebuild her relationship with her daughter would require a more gentle approach. Carefully placing her tea down upon her saucer and clearing her throat, she urged to explain her proposal. "It may not be our land but it certainly is our people; we can't just ask the humans to shelter the thousands of us, now can we?"
"I mean, they would if we did. Earth isn't like other places, people here are really, really nice" voiced Star, who still spoke with a light bitterness in her words.
"Not to doubt you Star, as your experience is most definitely a valuable asset. But in the realm of politics, it takes two gifts to make a deal. I've learnt that the easy way," she paused, brushing a stray hair from her face and taking a quick sip of tea, "and the hard way, as well."
"Not here," continued Star, her voice now more empowered as she really began defending her point. "I mean, my time spend here is a little over a year, and even after all the crazy stuff we- *ahem* I did, they still love me."
"That may be true for you, Star. But when humans come face-to-face with the real Mewni, they're natural reaction will be to condemn us." Star was surprised to hear Eclipsa speak up in support of Moon's argument. It was true that the two had seemingly made up with each other over the few hours after her mother's betrayal, but Eclipsa siding against the powers of reconciliation was a surprise she certainly didn't expect.
"Not that we don't believe in the soul of mankind, we just can't risk optimism in such a disastrous moment," Moon claimed, trying to ease the discussion with an easy reconciliation.
"Okay, sure it's a bit unreasonable, but it's not like we can do anything. To be real, the decisions shouldn't even be up to us"
"Well then who should?" Asked Moon, her patience wearing out for this hopeless argument
"Not us, that's for sure. I mean, we're the reason we're in this mess in the first place. I know you don't believe humans will want to help us out, but you atleast have to acknowledge that it's a better alternative than us trying to reclaim power that doesn't belong to us."
The room was filled with an awkward silence as Star's words washed over the eldest monarch. She was right, after all. What had the monarchs of Mewni ever done to deserve such power. Especially now, in a time where over the last year all they had done was introduce turmoil, redistribute their belongings and literally teleport them to a different reality. Even after all her years as queen, having spent those learning how to rebuttal and support her claims in disagreements, she couldn't find the words to disprove her daughter.
"Perhaps Marco could offer some counsel on this issue," added Eclipsa, who turned her head to look questioningly at Moon.
With a chuckle, the blue haired woman's mood improved as she thought of the young boy. "Let's not rely on it. Knowing where Marco's heading this instant, I doubt he'll have the energy to help us out."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Alrighty, take a left here - mind the pressure plate - ahh, here we are."
Stopping before a large circular door, Marco paused to regain his balance he had narrowly lost over the prior few minutes. "I, uhh *huff* I didn't know the castle went this deep."
"Yes, we may have gone a tad overboard with our boring" chucked River, amused with his paternal humor. "This chamber was built millenia before I arrived, even thousands of years prior to Eclipsa's rule. It was made as a testament to Mewman revolve; a dedication to our valor and glory."
"Neat," chirped Marco, who still had garrisons of questions. "So, why all the booby traps?"
"Behind this door lies the most ancient and valued relics of our era. Weapons and artifacts so prized, we were forced to build this elaborate labyrinth to defend it," rymed River, who again chuckled at his accidental pun.
"So, why'd ya bring me here?" Marco asked, realizing how redundant of a question it was, but one ultimately needed. To be frank, such a precarious journey in addition to an already jam-packed day left his stamina with much to be desired. His attention span for things that weren't critically important had definitely retreated, leaving his curiosity very contained.
"I thought we could spend a little bonding time over the most famed weapons of our history," River replied, throwing an arm around Marco's shoulder.
"Cool," he replied, his voice slightly oxolating over the promise of extraordinary munitions. If anything was known to get him in the mood, it was legendary weaponry. That, and one very curvaceous blonde.
"Right on. Now, our first task is to open this bloody door," sighed River, who clearly didn't revel in the assignment. "This damned seal was always a pain to get around. I could never venture down here on my own, since it requires the might of two warriors to open."
"Oh, so it's like, really heavy?" Asked Marco, a little confused as to how River's strength couldn't surmount to that of two ordinary warriors.
"In a way, yes, in another, more literal way, no. It requires the will of two worthy people to open, said to be a safeguard against 'those who haven't been deemed fit to relish in the awe of our past.'" Compared to his other shows of empowered speech, River spoke about the seal with a strong loathing, something Marco only heard him speak with in regard to a lack of food or alcohol. "In my opinion, it's rubbish. I say any who make it past these defenses are more than worthy warriors to enter the hall."
"Can't you just, like, dig down from the top and completely bypass the door?" Asked Marco, asking the question he had for every heist movie he'd had the misfortune of watching.
"No," replied River sharply as he turned to face the stone wheel guarding the hall's entrance. "You see these? These are arcane inscriptions. So ancient they date far past the first Queen, so far back in fact there was no distinguishable difference between dark and common magic."
"What's arcane mean?" Marco asked, his knowledge of magical distinction never surpassing the brief education he had on Butterfly magic.
"In short all it is is the magical embodiment of spells written in a linear form. Arcane magic is handy for enchanting objects, other than that, they're pretty much useless."
"But here, they create an impassable barrier shielding the hall in all places save for the seal," he finished all while still admiring the hieroglyphs.
"Ooh, ok," responded Marco, his many questions seeming to have almost been fully answered. "So wait, is Arcane magic super old or these super old," he asked, pointing to the many inscriptions marking the door.
"Oh no, we had them written a few years back during the Mewman-Septarsis war incase Toffee ever broke through our magical vanguard."
"Hmmh. Well, couldn't he have just gotten someone else and opened the door himself?" Pondered Marco, not noticing River's eagerness to enter the chamber poisoning his words with a faint annoyance.
"See, that's where I come in. To enter, one entrant must be a living monarch of Mewni. Be it current or abdicated."
"Now, let's get this chap open!" Shouted River as he rushed over to the side of the door to stand near one of its enormous stone buttons, mimicking Marco to do the same on the opposite side. "Now, on three, you must push with all your might. Not half of your strength, or some arbitrary percentage, but all of it. The seal is very specific on the quality of its guests."
"Alright," sounded Marco, his voice a little unsure about his ability to complete such a task. Placing both of his hands on the cold, gray surface of the large stone button, he sucked in a deep calming breath, letting it out through open teeth as he focused intently. The labyrinth surrounding the hall's exterior fell to a near perfect silence: so quiet he could hear the flutter of the wings of dark onlookers flying about in the cavernous opening. Feeling his focus strengthen with each breath, he preyed his eyes open and glanced over towards River, who had assumed a similar stance with both hands firmly placed against the accompanying control.
"Ready?" Boomed River, his voice carried off in echo by the cave's many walls.
"Ready," replied Marco, his voice sounding off down the caverns and cave systems of the opening.
"Ok then. On my count," started River, whose voice had already manifested a noticeable strain. "Three, two…"
"One!" They both shouted in unison as they pushed with all their might against the two enormous slabs. Hearing the shrieking of the sliding stone they pressed onward, not noticing the slow movement of the central seal. As they continued pushing, the circular seal guarding the entrance dipped lower and lower into the hole directly beneath it, allowing strains of golden light to escape out from its confines. Soon the buttons became increasingly harder and moments later refused to budge. Feeling the button come to a complete stop, Marco turned towards the now open entrance of the hall, noticing and admiring the elaborate patterns of dancing light traced around the stone floor lining the entrance's perimeter.
"Whoo," panted River as he struggled to regain his breath, "either I'm getting weaker, or these stones are getting more stubborn!"
"Come, I have much to show you," bellowed the blonde king as he gestured for Marco to follow him inside. Crossing the threshold, he was amazed by the design of the inner hall. Golden strips lined walls of alabaster and marble, decorated with looming paintings and elaborate tapestries strung across entire walls. The art of said flairs were rather classical, all being detailed self portraits or depictions of what he presumed to be victorious generals posing over victorious battles. Try as he might, he couldn't seem to find the origin of the majestic golden light. As if the room itself contoured such a radiance to match the importance of the artifacts inside.
Sat at the far end of the room were two identical large cases, fitted with glass and arrangements of gold and silver outlines. Inside said cases, even from a distance, were the clear figurettes of various forms of weaponry. Broadswords and daggers, bows and javelins. Everything and more a young growing warrior could ask for. This for Marco was especially the case, as from the moment his eyes met the displays he couldn't peel them away.
"What're you waiting for?" asked River as he paced to stand adjacent to Marco, "they aren't going to admire themselves, are they?"
Receiving the all-clear from River, Marco paced down to the twin displays, all while listening to River's informative monologue. "Most attribute the grandiose of our empire to our many righteous queens. Granted, there were a handful who both governed the masses and the battlefield, but none could our might be more attributed to than our Comandantes. From masters of the waves, to conquerors of the continent, no man could possibly rival the cunning or wit of these generals."
"Each, without expectation, carried a weapon that would destine go down in history; this was a qualification for endowment after all. Once a Comandante died, their weapon would be inducted into this hall along with a tapestry of a major achievement, giving them everlasting life in our legends and myths. Unfortunately, due to fears of desecration, this once open hall was privatized within the castle, leaving those able to learn of such feats those who wish to keep them silent."
"Whadda's that mean?" Asked Marco, who was splitting his attention between River and the immaculate hall.
"It means that only royals could study and observe the accomplishments of these great generals. Have you ever met royals, Marco? They tend to rebrand others' valor as their own to steal political power. Thus, each and every one of these feats of military brilliance are now remembered as the works of royal knights or fearless monarchs." Finished River in a tone very much displeased with his explanation.
Stopping just before the encased weaponry, the pair let the air fill with silence as they observed the many aged artifacts. During his years chasing Hekapoo along with his experience in and out of squireship, he learnt of many of the artifacts before him. And unfortunately, River was correct. Every single armament on display, in the eyes of the school of squires, belonged to an esteemed noble or gallant night. None were attributed to these Comandantes all around him.
"You're right," uttered Marco, astounded and shocked to learn the true wielders of the legendary weapons. "They told me this one was from Lord Reinheart - and they said this one was from Prince Raymond!" he exclaimed in a mix of anger and conclusion.
Placing his arm around Marco's shoulder, River let out a deep sigh of disappointment. "Even after convincing Moon, the court refused to reveal the true warriors who wielded these fine specimens. The battle of Sunlake, the Strife of Halleria; they all now belong as victories for the nobles, not for them" he said as he panned around the room, gesturing to the many Comandantes.
"Wait, you're king. How come nobody listened to you?" asked Marco.
"A common mistake of an autocrat is to believe they are just that: an absolute ruler. We may be the highest nobility, but we aren't the only nobility. In truth, many lords have more control over their respective territories than we do, loyalty too. If a large majority of the court rules against our proposals, we have little more than the power of rhetoric to govern with."
"Why not just give 'em all the boot?" Joked Marco while also wanting to know the answer.
"There are such things as civil wars, my boy. A key contributor of which is precisely that. People don't like to be subjugated by a foreign power, especially when your only natives with political stake are shown the way out." River said sternly with a hint of humor.
"Huh. So all these guys have just been… forgotten?" Marco asked as he again turned back to face the weapon showcase.
"Not all of them," touted River, as he adjusted the young teen to stare directly towards a bright, glimmering blade. "You surely know the tale of this one, right?"
"That's uhh, ummm. Tha-That's Atlas!" he yelled, his eyes perking up with excitement about being in close proximity of the legendary sword.
"Right on, young man. This here is Atlas, the sword wielded by Octavious in the first Mewman-Septarsis war. Said to have slain the neigh-immortal Seth of Septaris, the most feared and cunning lizard ever known to Mewmanity." River beamed with what appeared to be pride as Marco identified the historical weapon. "It was forged in the depths of Mount Avarius. Its magical nature makes it impossible to dull, break or tarnish, along with the handy ability to slay any creature the universe can conjure." He added, his tone getting extremely serious and narrowed as he mentioned its keen ability.
"So if it can kill lizards," started Marco who was piecing together his next question," How come nobody used it on Toffee?"
"The benefit of hindsight, I'm afraid. Seth was certainly a genius unlike any other, but Toffee, he was a force of nature: a dealer in thunder and death. He kidnapped our greatest blacksmith and had him forge an armor set so powerful, it could nullify the effect of dear old Atlas, rendering the blade useless."
"Save for the strength of the wand, nothing could penetrate the armor. The only exception for this rule was if the soul of the user could conjure the strength to penetrate the armor, something even our strongest mages couldn't do." Said the bearded man with a tone of optimism.
"Oh, ok," uttered Marco, trying not to come off as uninterested in his response. "Sooo, why'da bring me down here."
"I was thinking," started River with a grin as he pulled out a pair of elaborate keys and fitted them to the case's lock, "I could introduce you to some of my dearest friends."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Star stared intently at the ticking wall clock from the perch of her bed, her hands lay along the edge of her canopy with her head laid atop them. She had been in this unusual position for the last fifteen minutes; although to her, it was much more like a century. She had waited impatiently for a knock on her door or a call from her phone signaling Marco's return. But alas, her brave squire was presumably still preoccupied by her father.
"Uuuughh. So boaaarrd!" She groaned, flopping back against her mattress to lie limp above her comfy linens. After a long-lived meeting with her mother and Eclipsa, Star found herself exceptionally bored as she waited for Marco to climb his way back up to her quarters. Save for a few moments watching a line of ants or folding and cleaning her slightly unkempt room, she had spent the entire time staring down the minutes before he returned.
"All I want is my super awesome boyfriend alone with me in my room, is that so much to ask?" she complained aloud, full well knowing the berating of her ceiling wouldn't get her anywhere. "Actually, wait, no, that might get misinterpreted. I-I mean, not that I don't want that. Like, it's perfectly natural to think that way, and I-I'm sure he thinks that way t-too. And it's not like I haven't thought about it, like, a lot. I mean, a lot, a lot, like an unhealthy amount a lot. Even when I was with Tom…"
Corn, am I disgusting, she thought to herself, full well knowing her relationship with Marco was exponentially stronger than hers with Tom even during their courtship. "Uuuhhh, why does this stuff have to be so confusing. I just want to erase that part of my life. Like, poof, completely gone and out of my head."
"What do you think, Mr. Beanie?" she said, turning on her side to face her adorable penguin plush. Standing at an intimidating eleven inches and sporting a fancy little monocle, Mr. Beanie had been her universal source of consultation for as long as she could remember. Probably cause my mom's a stuckup asshole, she thought and immediately regretted it. For as much as she was disgusted by her mother's actions, there was a noticeable part of her that wanted to mend their torn relationship.
Lifting her hand in front of her plush's mouth, she began mimicking the inanimate penguin in a southern-cowboyish accent. "Oh, I don' know Starrr. You just gotta' be more open about yer feelings!"
"You're right Mr. Beanie, if it were only that easy."
Sitting up and gathering the plushie in her arms, she strolled out of the lit interior of her room onto her personal balcony. The summer breeze flowed through the fabric of her blue nightgown as she came to a stop near the edge of the balcony. Her choice in clothing was no accident, choosing to retire into a somewhat scandalous piece of nightwear for Marco in an attempt to lure him to stay the night. Nightgown or not, I'm still the cutest girl he'll ever see. The skyline of the amalgamated city drew spectacular shapes of black and purple over the horizon; a lack of artificial light casting the countryside in a dark layer of shadow. It was as beautiful as it was intimidating. She knew that when she woke up tomorrow, she'd come face first with the hardest times of her life. "But I don't care," she said, her voice as cool as the faint breeze. "Because I'll have him, and that's all that matters. I'll take any responsibility, as long as I get to go through it with him."
She stood there, her back to the castle and her face scanning the new view she'd be met with every morning. Something was off, however. She had seen blue moons, red moons, many moons and no moons at all. What she hadn't ever seen, was a dark, distinct, purple moon. One that coincidentally shown down on her domain with a fierce vengeance.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Backing up against the edge of the large oval, Marco again checked his grip on the sword's surprising well kept pummel. "You sure this is a good idea? After everything that's happened today?"
"Marco. One does not learn when full of air, but rather when drenched in sweat."
"I thought you just wanted to spar?" He bellowed in response, seeing a slight chuckle rise out from the short Butterfly.
"My boy, everything's a learning experience," he chirped, setting his sword high against his ear in preparation for their duel. "Ready?" He asked, already knowing the young boy would say nothing but yes.
"As I'll ever be," he responded, his hands nervous over the leather handle.
It had been a strange series of events that led him to agreeing to spar against the elder Butterfly. After opening and passing around a few of his personal favorites, River began subtly hinting the pair could 'try them out' some time. Unfortunately for Marco, in River-speak, that time meant right now. To say the day had left him fatigued was an understatement and a half. Between the battles and the intense strain his body went through using Star's wand, he had little energy left to spare. So much so he even lamented the fact he'd have to walk home, sometimes, even for a brief second, contemplating whether or not just to stay the night.
Once River had mentioned the possibility of a practice duel, he had a feeling it'd be tonight, and he quickly lept into action to back down from the offer. However, unluckily for Marco, River was an excellent orator as he was persistent. After just a few 'my boy's, he had found himself clipping Atlas's sheath to his belt and relacing his shoes in anticipation for their fight. Of all the weapons he had ever fought with, he never once had the opportunity to test out an ancient historic relic. Given the chance, he would have most likely declined, as there would be a high probability the fragile metal would break in his hands. Even so, under the pretenses that Atlas in all notions was physically unbreakable, he accepted after only slight hesitation.
"Now again," echoed River, "light strikes to the jerkin; nothing to break the leather. Nothing against the skin, and a little effort when against steel, no leaving the ring either." His voice was sharp and monotone as if he were reading off an instruction manual, clearly being a veteran in the art of dueling.
"Ok, ok," Marco said with a bit of shakiness in his voice. His tired calves and lazy eyes left him with a clear disadvantage from the start, not even taking into consideration he'd be very cautious while dueling such an experienced man such as River. Most of his fights in the Neverzone were made of quick, strong blows that would quickly immobilize or disarm his opponent. Here, that would be nearly impossible.
"Alright then, you start with the first strike." Placing one foot over the other, Marco bagan circling around the edge of the ring, followed soon by River as he matched his opponent's movements. During his battle-hardening stay with Hekapoo, he had learned the art of detecting tells: little movements your opponent would make before launching themselves at you. It could be as noticeable as them pulling their weapon above their heads, or as negligible as a twitch in their brow or the dilation of their pupil. For Marco, River had the real advantage here. Not only would the seasoned warrior have a better grip on noticing telegraphs, but he would also be on the defensive at the start, two things that would almost certainly give him the upper hand.
After circling around each other for a bit, Marco had had enough time to formulate a rudimentary plan. Instead of always staying on the offensive and trying to power his way to a swift victory, he would act defensively and wear down River little by little with quick, powerful perry's. This would be tough since he'd have the misfortune of starting on the offensive, but it would be more than easy to lose it. From his build, he was certain the seasoned king would be more infatuated with strength over speed, something he would have to utilise to great effect in order to maintain any chance of victory. This, of course, was all a wild assumption that at the moment of its conception could have been wildly inaccurate. Still better than nothing.
Once he was ready, he breathed in a deep breath, sprung up his legs, and unleashed both as he sprinted forward. Midway down the arena he went from a straight trajectory to a series of sharp movements, trying his hardest to keep River guessing where he'd strike. Knowing no matter where he sent his sword it would most certainly be blocked he struck down against the man's ribs, unsurprised to see his blade caught by his opponents. Already expecting this, he fell backward into a deep backstance to create some distance between the two. He had almost perfectly performed the prerequisite for his defensive strategy, as he had situated himself in a great position to counter or perry any attack made by River.
In the few milliseconds he had before River came crashing down on him, he eyed the man up and down for any sign of a tell. His goal was to discover his tells early so as to gain a considerable and effective advantage over him. Fearing he might not have one, his doubts were dashed at the last moment when he noticed the slight curling of the ex-king's fingers around his sword. Bingo, he yelled internally, ecstatic over his quintessential discovery. Already expecting a counter attack, he raised his blade horizontally to catch his opponent off guard. However, just inches from being blocked by Marco's blade, River quickly redirected his sword to fly around and snag Marco's side.
Marco's reaction was dangerously delayed, leaving him almost no time to duck down and roll to the side to evade the zooming sword. He immediately popped back up into a short stance, his eyes wide in shock. River had executed the redirection without a single telegraph. Not only was this some extraordinarily bad news, but his previous tell was most likely him taunting the young man.
"Almost gotcha there," grinned River as he reset his sword; this time outstretched in front of him rather beside his head.
"You're still gonna pull your punches if you hit me, right?" Worried Marco, who somehow only now realised the level of risk he entertained by sparing with edged weapons.
"Is that a serious question?" His words were very jovial and full of humor. "Trust me, Marco, I've only ever cut down one of Star's suiters."
Gritting his teeth, Marco felt a wave of reasurances and determination with the mention of Star. Before, the king's sarcasm would have frightened him half to death. But now, now all it did was give him the wind he needed to go on.
"You just gonna stand there?" Marco taunted, fighting off the temptation to blow a raspberry at the monarch. Seeing River bound forward, he stepped back and locked his blade with his. Knowing a stalemate was exactly what he didn't want, Marco lunged to the side and swung against the blonde man's unprotected back, only to hear the clash of steel against steel. Turning back to face him, River made another advance forward, wiping his blade up over his head to clash down against Marco. Instead of taking the risky chance at striking at his unprotected abdomen, Marco raised his blade up and redirected River's straight into the ground, finishing his block with a solid front kick right into his opponent's stomach.
Reeling back from the strike, it was now River's turn to recover from an unexpected attack. "Whoo. Utilizing your full repertoire, a strong trait for any real warrior!"
"If you think that's cool," touted Marco, who was now grinning ear to ear, "then just wait till you see what's next!"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Moon leaned over her peeling wooden table, pen in hand and completely lacking any words to write with. Come on, you've done thousands of these, she complained to herself, almost disappointed with her writers block.
Since she'd retired to her putrescent room, Moon had spent her time authoring a quick letter addressed to the local government; a compromise she had made with Star in regards to taking control over the situation. A part of her agreed with her daughter's rhetoric, not wanting to intrude on a situation that she had almost convinced herself would be handled by the Humans. However, a smaller but more vocal part of her whispered deceiving thoughts. This is what you wanted, right? You wanted to be back in control again, right? You wanted to see your people thrive again, right?
It was true; her arguable betrayal of Eclipsa was slightly motivated by her lust to regain the throne. Not as a megalomaniac, but simply to restore the natural order of the past three-hundred years. Sure, it wouldn't have been ideal for Monsters, but it could be argued that they had done much more than needed to deserve their crude lifestyle. Every few years there would be an inevitable monster raid that would kidnap or kill a handful of Mewmans, only for them to send a few battalions to drive them off. This had been going on for hundreds of years. Instead of diplomacy, both sides reverted to violence in an attempt at overthrowing the other. It wasn't her intent to repress the monster civilization, rather her only realistic option other than total surrender or genocide. Many times had they sent out missionaries or diplomats to offer some form of peace treaty, only for their bodies to be sent back with a note written in illegible english. There were also significant instances where they had formated rather formidable armies in an attempt to rid the Mewmans from the land; Toffee's attempt being the latest and most successful of the bunch.
She did indeed love Eclipsa like a sister, but her reforms and redistributions had left thousands of her once subjects impoverished or homeless. To be fair, it was a painful irony. Many monsters traded their lives for that of Mewman and vice versa. Was there a distinguishable superiority belonging to her people over monsters, no. Did they deserve to have their lives swapped for those of the ones they hated, maybe. But in her eyes, there was nothing stopping the monsters from cultivating their own society, not hellbent on the destruction of Mewmankind, but rather on the development of their own. In reality, the question on who should have what was unanswerable, there was just too much to take into consideration.
"Ugh, forget it," she groaned, crumbling the parchment into a tight ball and tossing it into a nearby trash shoot. It wasn't as if the letter was a life or death necessity, more like a quick heads up on what's about to happen.
Picking herself up off her chair, she undid her hair and paced over to a nearby window. It had been hours since the sun had set. The scenic views of Echo Creek were now covered in a thin layer of darkness, illuminated only by the refracted light of the moon and the many stars sprinkled over the sky. The temperate, sea christened air matched with the routine crashing of waves and wristeling of palm trees trapped her senses in what she could only call paradise. It was as if nothing were wrong in the world; like today was no different than yesterday, and the day before that. But Moon knew better than to fall for such optimism. Tonight may be peaceful and picturesque, but tomorrow would be a day of blood, sweat and tears. They would find out just how catastrophic the cleaving of theirs would be.
But for now, there were only the tranquil sounds of the nearby ocean, something she surely could get used to. Looking over her shoulder, she noticed the time told on the wall clock. 10:43, just what are those boys doing, she pondered, knowing full well River should have wrapped up his 'boys night' by now. Yawning and stretching her arms out towards the ceiling, she arched her back and smacked her lips. Today would certainly be a day she remembered, but what was most important for her at the moment was a good night's rest. Slipping beneath her surprisingly well kept linens, she stretched again, and lowered her lavender sleep mask.
Something was off, however. Instead of lusting for sleep, like she should have been, her eyes loathed the position of being closed. Her body was tired, but she was restless; like she still had something left to do before she set off for sleep. Sitting up in bed, she slipped off her sleep mask and peered around the room. She had only ever seen Earth's moon once, a time that, ironically, wasn't its ordinary color. From what Star had told her during most nights it was a pale cratered white dot, not unlike Mewni's moons. However, that description didn't seem to fit the one she was seeing now.
Aligned perfectly in view of her bed was a dark, almost violent purple sphere. Staring at it, she began to feel tingles run down her fingertips, ending down just below her wrists. The more she stared at it, the more noticeable the pins and needles became, so much so that it soon became unbearable. But she couldn't look away. Her eyes were glued to the shaded moon, so much so that when she tried to blink, she found herself completely unable to move. The fires dancing along her fingertips soon started crawling up her forearm. They bent and curved around her elbow and ran up along her shoulder, leaving a scorching pain wherever they went. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move a single muscle of her body; all she could do was stare wide-eyed at the purple moon.
As the searing pain ran up around her ears, Moon could hear distinct voices chatting just below her level of understanding. She could hear them, them being plural in this instance, speaking in all directions. She could just barely make out small words, words like 'shade', 'prince', 'angle'. She couldn't even feel the pain any more. All her senses could perceive was the shaded moon and the strange, whispering voices. The choir of voices soon began raising their tone, up until a point where their words meshed together into one conglomerate mess. Until suddenly, it all stopped.
She felt as if she were thrown back down against the bed, the mattress dipping and rebounding under her weight. Regaining control of her vision, her eyes darted around the room, now noticing the once purple celestial satellite a now pale white with blemishes of grey. Looking down at her covers, she slowly unveiled her previously burning hands, which were now just a pure alabaster white. It was like nothing had happened at all, like it was one big dream of hers. Even now the thought of it happening felt totally unreal to her, like it was some form of paralysis or hallucination. Yawning again, she no longer had the will to prop herself up as she promptly fell back against her comfy mattress. Slipping her night mask back on, she shut her eyes and drifted peacefully into the warm arms of sleep.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Alright, alright Marco, you got this! He thought to himself as he dodge a careening swing from River. You're up, you're quick, you're nimble. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee! It had been just a few short minutes since the two had started their practice duel, and for Marco, he felt as though he was on top of the world. The pains of the day gave way to newly invigorated muscles as his battle high drove him forward. It brought him back to the blissful, rage-intensive days of the Neverzone, something this duel had seemed to do a lot. Either way, his defensive strategy seemed to be going along without a hitch. So much so, that he began formulating his final attack.
He wasn't one hundred percent certain, but he was mostly confident that River was tiring himself out. In his day he may have been the cream of the crop, but right now he had a tactical disadvantage in endurance compared to the young and agile Marco. Seeing this, and immediately figuring a way to introduce it to his plans, he started piecing together a short series of moves to finish the duel. The rules were simple, all you had to do was knock the other opponent down and subdue them, something he was sure he could do with a few well placed strikes and kicks.
Swinging his blade to redirect one of River's signature falling strikes, Marco started eyeing up an opening to end their match. All he needed was a single moment where River's side was open and unguarded, something he figured wouldn't be too impossible to find. With his plan ready, he continued redirecting and out-weaving his slightly lethargic opponent. Slipping out from another sharp swing from River, he noticed the hulking man step back to catch his breath. "You really got me *pant* flustered over here, bucko" he breathed while wiping away the sweat pooled up on his brow.
"Yeah, I call it 'The Hekapoo Classic'," he chuckled, finding the name much more than fitting. To be honest, his strategy was partially inspired by that of Hekapoo's, which mostly involved dodging and swift attacks.
"Yep, you can say that again," returned River, "she really knows how to get outta harm's way, I'll tell you that!"
"Wait? You've fought her?" He asked as he let his guard drop before immediately resuming it.
"Yeah, she had me chasing her for a few years 'till I finally caught up with her. An experience, I'm told, you're all too familiar with?"
"No way!" Gawked Marco, who almost completely dropped his sword, "You went through the trials of Hekapoo!"
"The very same. Now, less talky, more fighty. I've almost caught my breath over here!" Hearing this shocking news, Marco immediately snapped back to reality as River dashed forward and swung his sword hard down against his head, splitting the where his head had once been. He had luckily reacted quick enough to get out of dodge, but almost not quick enough to catch River's second attack. Stopping his blade with his, he quickly threw him off and rolled backwards. And then, he noticed it. His push off left River stumbling in the other direction with his shoulder totally unguarded.
It was now or never, not knowing if he would get another chance Marco immediately darted forward. Just a few feet away from the stumbling man he coiled up his legs and jumped high in the air, letting his feet angle themselves to land right on River's shoulder. His plan was to land on his shoulder and momentarily stagger the king, creating an opening for him to toss him to the ground and claim victory. Unfortunately for him, River recovered from the stalemate just milliseconds before Marco's impact. Looking up and to his left, he swiftly dropped his blade and grabbed ahold of his legs. This utterly shocked Marco, who had up until this point practically claimed victory.
Feeling his feet be pulled down by River's hands, he quickly secured his grip on Atlas for what he assumed wouldn't be a soft landing. Still trying to fight against the dense ex-king's hands, he was subsequently spun around in circles until finally let go to fly across the room. He tumbled through the air in an unmajestic fashion before landing haphazardly beside his sword. It was a devastating failure for what should have been a match ending move, especially given the circumstances were near perfect. Even when faced with this colossal failure, Marco still tried to push himself back upon his feet, only having enough strength to sit on his knees.
The air had been completely knocked out of him, leaving him with a burning pain crying out from his lungs. Alongside his gasping for air, he noticed a sharp pain arise from his left hand. Looking down to inspect his palm, he noticed a long gash now saturated with blood carved into his hand. It wasn't anything to call home about, but it was certainly enough of an injury to elicit a response from the historically safe kid.
However, his response wasn't one of fear, but of pure empty mindedness. Staring down at his hand, he felt the sting of the wound slowly fall away, paired with the now faint calls of River from across the room. All he could hear was a noticeable buzzing in his ears accompanied by an unparalleled feeling of nothingness up and down his body. Still gazing down at his hand, he failed to notice the darkening purple hazing his vision as the ringing of his ears took over. As his vision was continuously corrupted with purple, he couldn't see the small tendrils of purple flame rise from his open wound.
His body, now moving on its own, rose up from his knees and stared straight at the wall ahead. It closed its fist and vanquished the magenta flame burning across his wound. "Marco, are you alright?" Called River, who had grown quite worried over the silent boy.
Instead of responding, all he did was turn his head to stare harshly across at River. "Marco, I'm sorry if you're hurt, but you have to respond."
And respond, he did. Dipping into a low stance, he held his hand out to Atlas which came flying back to him in a stream of velvet. Eyes burning with purple he raised his sword above his head and jumped high in the air towards River. His body was almost engulfed in a glowing, purple flame, one that flourished all over the stone room as Atlas came into contact with the edge of River's blade. The force of the impact caused the two to careen apart towards other ends of the room. As both of their bodies hit the floor, Marco's consciousness came flooding back to him in a sea violet. He woke up just in time to witness the last of the purple flames die down around the room, replaced by the burning orange ones of the many torches lining the wall.
He had absolutely no recollection of the past few seconds, only remembering the stinging of a wound that had miraculously healed over his gap in consciousness. Looking up and over towards the slouched River, he caught his eye contact in a painful silence. The two stared at each other for what could have been seconds or hours, only broken by River's croaking voice.
"M-Marco… What was that?"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Yep, go on, let me hear it.
Not only did I take 3 months to write this, but I also left you on a cliffhanger!
Anyway, I'm back and better than ever, see yall next time
Flamey out.