A blinding flash of light accompanied the portal passage. When Hekapoo could see again, she found herself in a semi-arid field. There was tan/yellow grass with a few green patches and a dead, or dying, tree nearby. She turned to look around and found a small home nearby. Looking to the side of the home, it was clear this was a ranch of some kind rather than just a single home. She decided to try to ask about the shard there first. If they didn't know, she'd head for civilization and try there. She moved fast enough to cause the dust beneath her feet to fly up in a single burst. The winds sent some of that dust toward her, making her go into a second-long coughing fit. After recomposing herself, she went to knock on the door.

Before she made contact, the door swung open. Standing behind it was a young, gruff man, likely in his mid-to-late-teens. Dark haired, brown eyed, mole under his right eye… very familiar, but at the same time unlike anyone she'd met. He dressed in a white, button-up shirt and a pair of jeans with a pair of black boots. He glared at her and practically raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell are you? And what the hell do you want?"

This took her by surprise, but she couldn't quite understand why. She took a second to regather herself before speaking. "I'm Hekapoo…"

The young man chuckled a moment, "That's quite the name…"

Hekapoo took a deep breath before continuing. "Look, I want to ask you something."

"DIAZ!" Another voice echoed over the field from behind them.

The young man rolled his eyes and moved Hekapoo aside. Now unobstructed by the door, Hekapoo could see the young man had a weapon at his hip. He stood, waiting on the porch as a horseman approached them.

Atop a black stallion was an older man with greying hair dressed in full black attire similar to the young man's. He stepped down from the horse and walked up to the young man. The two glared at each other for a few minutes before one of them spoke.

The young man broke the silence, "What do you want, John?"

"Is that a joke?"

"It's coming from one."

"Cut the shit, Diaz."

"Then get off my property. We've talked about this, I'm not selling the property."

"You know you can't hold this place forever. Money will run out soon enough and you'll have to sell eventually. Why not sell it now and get a good price for it?"

"I said, get lost!"

"Fine. But I'll be back." John got back on his horse and started to trot off.

"If you ever do come back it'll be too soon!" Once the horseman was gone, he turned his attention back to Hekapoo. "Now, back to you…"

Hekapoo was surprised by what happened for a while before she got back to herself. "Diaz?"

"Yeah. That a problem?"

"No. Just… Mind if I ask your full name?"

After a few seconds, he spoke again, "Marco Diaz. Was that your question from before?"

"No… that's a new one."

"Then get your question out and get going."

Hekapoo now understood why it felt so odd seeing this young man. She took a deep breath before speaking, "Look, I need to ask if you've seen or heard anything about something that just feels out of place, no matter what anyone does with it."

Marco raised an eyebrow. "You know how crazy you sound right now?"

"That's a no, then…"

"Sorry, then… Seems I can't help you." He paused a moment, looking at her for a while. "How the hell do keep that fire going above your head?"

Hekapoo seemed confused, "Uh… It's just kind of there. I don't do anything to keep it going."

Marco narrowed his eyes toward her for a few seconds before taking a step toward her. He blew out the fire above her head, clearly trying to see the process to light the fire. Sure enough, the flame returned without provocation from Hekapoo. Marco took a step back seeing that. "Okay… Maybe not so crazy." After a while, he sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Right then. So, there's a crazy… thing, that doesn't belong here?"

"It'll take a little while to explain everything."

Marco nodded and walked passed her again, opening the door wide and moving to the side. "You can explain it over some coffee. I feel I'm going to need it soon enough…"

\/

One explanation later, Marco sat back in his chair and sighed. "That's a lot to take in…"

Hekapoo leaned forward, "So, any idea where we can start?"

Marco closed his eyes and tilted his head back, taking a deep breath. "An idea… We can start by asking at Butterfly Rest."

"Butterfly Rest?"

"The saloon in town. Run by the Butterfly family for a good while now, hence the name."

Hekapoo nodded slowly before picking up the pace a little. "That makes sense…"

"Okay, if that's the plan, we should get going now so we can make it to town before the saloon gets too full." He stood and walked around the wall to a back door.

Hekapoo followed him through the door and to a nearby stable. They approached a chestnut-coated mare with patches of white on the face. She watched as Marco grabbed a saddle from the wall and started to wrap the leather belting around the horse.

He turned to her as he did, "You ever ride before?"

Hekapoo thought for a while. "Not any horses…"

Marco nodded and stood back up, using the stirrups to get onto the horse's back. He used the reigns to move the horse out and held a hand down to her. "Come on up."

Hekapoo was somewhat used to riding behind Marco by this point, but the horse was not as accommodating to her attire as a dragon-cycle was. She had to sit with her legs off to one side and twisting her body a bit to hold onto his shoulders. She was caught off guard when the mare kicked a bit and took off.

Hekapoo had ridden with Marco often enough to have long since been used to travel like this. However, there were a handful of things that made this feel… off. For one thing, the horse was a very different beast to the dragon-cycle. The horse wasn't a bad creature for travel. A bit bumpier, but only by a bit. The strangest part, though, was her partner. As she held onto Marco's shoulders, it all felt wrong. Not wrong, per se, but definitely odd. Even in his adult form, she could always tell that Marco was a kind soul despite his jokes and adult-form's scars, accented by how he would occasionally look back or try to talk to make sure she was still there and alright. But this Marco felt different. His demeaner, his stance, the silence, the way his eyes stayed on the horizon… He felt out of place to her, like he wasn't himself. Hekapoo shook her head at that thought. This wasn't her Marco… Not her Marco, rather the Marco from her realm… This was confusing as is…

About an hour had passed in silence and Hekapoo was getting bored. She leaned to the side and saw no sign of civilization on the horizon just yet. She sighed, and her boredom finally overcame her. "Hey… Mind if I ask you something?"

Marco looked back at her a second and then back to the world before him. "Sure. Go ahead."

"Why did that guy try to buy your land? If you don't mind my asking…"

"Nah… It's fine. If I had to guess, John would do what everyone else would, rip the place apart searching for gold…"

His silence after that made it clear that if Hekapoo wanted a conversation, it was up to her to keep asking questions. "Then, what's stopping him from going through your parents?"

Marco was silent for a few seconds. "Guess your dimension really is different…"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean, Miss Hekapoo, is that I'm on my own out here."

There were implications behind what he said, but she wasn't sure she wanted to think about it. In the end, she still asked, "As in… You moved out here and bought the property?"

"As in, I'm the last living Diaz in Echo Creek."

Hekapoo had a familiar feeling run up her spine. It was the same as when Queen Moon lost her mother to Toffee's attack on the castle. "Then… they're…

"Dead. Yes. Have been for about a year now… At least for Pa…"

"I'm sorry to bring it up… I didn't know…"

"It's fine. You get used to it out here."

"How do you get used to that?!" There was a level of indignation. She had seen so many people come and go during her life. Many of them had lost important people around them or have to give them up resigned to their fate during her trials. Hekapoo had seen what events like that had done to people of all kinds. None of them would ever say they could be used to the death of loved ones like that.

"Miss Hekapoo, how many people have you seen since we left?"

"What?"

"How many people have you seen since we left for town?"

"Um… none?"

"Right. Not too many people are willing to live out here. As a result, those who do don't have much in the way of governments to keep things in line. Are you following me so far?"

"I get it. Lawless outskirts often become hot beds for crime."

"Pretty much. Murderers are nothing new out here. There's also the lack of medical care. Makes it easy to end up six feet in the ground at the drop of a hat…"

"Then why live out here?"

"Why live anywhere, Miss Hekapoo? It's just how we are." He pulled back on the reigns and slowed their pace.

Hekapoo looked up to find they had arrived in town. As they moved down the street, they were attracting more than a few looks from the crowd. Okay… to be fair, she was drawing attention. Mothers moved their children behind their back as they passed. Hekapoo was slightly used to this. She would revel in the feeling any other time in various dimensions, but she was in a hurry and recognized this would make things difficult.

They stopped in front of a large, two story building. There was a large sign over the swinging doors with a picture of a butterfly flying around the words [Butterfly Rest]. Marco got down from the horse and tied the reigns to a post outside the building. "We're here."

"I can see that." Hekapoo dropped down onto the ground and the people around them took a step back. She turned with a slight glare at the people around them.

Marco grabbed a small satchel from his horse's saddlebag and tossed it to her. "You'll need this."

"What is it?"

"About $20. It should help get your information without making you a target."

"You going somewhere?"

"As a matter of fact, I need to take care of something else here. You can take care of yourself, can't you?"

"Of course, I can."

"Then, good luck." Marco walked off down the street and waved back to her as he did.

Hekapoo turned toward the saloon. Moving one of the doors out of the way, she entered the establishment. It looked like a large, single room tavern area with a few tables that seemed dedicated to gambling of some kind or another. She walked over to the counter and waited for the bartender to walk over.

After a while, a shorter man with longer blonde hair and a bushy beard walked over and crossed his arms, "How can I help you?" He looked rather familiar to Hekapoo, but a bit taller. He wore attire similar to other bartenders she had seen in her own world.

Before Hekapoo answered, a woman with light blue hair, wearing a style similar to Marco and John (likely a widespread style in this dimension), walked out. This woman helped put the mental puzzle pieces together to see that these were Moon and River Butterfly.

Hekapoo took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm looking for someone that might be able to help me with something."

River and Moon glanced toward one another before River added in, "Depends on what you need…" They were both on guard, likely because Hekapoo seemed so strange to them.

"I need help finding something that seems… out of place around here."

Moon looked skeptical, "That's… cryptic."

Hekapoo sighed. "It's kind of hard to explain…"

"Maybe I can help~" A young woman sat down next to Hekapoo. She wore a dark red dress with a pair of boots and black gloves. Her dark hair was tied back in a ponytail. She seemed familiar. In fact, Hekapoo had just met her. She was one of Star's friends from Earth.

"Is that right?" Hekapoo was skeptical of the human before her but decided to humor her. "Alright then, any ideas?"

"I could tell you, but that's not how things work out here. If you want something, you give something."

Hekapoo had met plenty of people like this in her travels. "Fine then. Since I'm pretty sure you're offering information and I'd have to do all of the actual work, I'm willing to pay you twenty dollars. Ten now, and ten after I find what I'm looking for."

The western Janna looked stunned a moment. "Right then… That sounds fair." After Hekapoo gave her half the promised total, she put the bills away and leaned onto the counter, resting her head in her hand. "So, something out of place then?"

"No matter where it is, it feels wrong here. Anything out there with a reputation like that?"

"Hmm… Now that you mention it… There was something not too long ago…"

They were interrupted by the sound of a gun shot from the streets. Hekapoo rushed outside, half expecting a storm or some kind of attack, having never heard the sound before. The only thing to meet her gaze was Marco with arm outstretched and holding the offending weapon. Across form him, a man clutched his own hand, blood flowing down from a wound clearly inflicted by Marco. Hekapoo couldn't help but look on in shock. It almost felt wrong seeing Marco cause such an injury.

Marco put his weapon away and walked over to Hekapoo, "Any luck?"

Hekapoo snapped back to the present and nodded, "Yeah. At least I better have." She turned back to Janna.

Janna had followed her out and looked between the two. "So… Diaz does know how to make friends~"

Hekapoo snapped her fingers to try to get back on topic. "Don't forget, I paid for information."

Janna nodded a second before clearing her throat. "Right… Well, word on the grape vine is that some big shot in the next town over had just such a thing stolen from his bank."

Hekapoo's eyes narrowed. "That's a bit of a problem."

"Not really," Marco started to untie the horse from the post, "There's only one gang big enough and with the huevos to pull that off."

Janna's look turned grim, "You can't be serious… You can't seriously think the two of you could take on the Red Hand."

"The what now?" Hekapoo thought the name sounded positively stupid.

"The Red Hand Gang," Marco finished getting their horse ready to ride out again, "so named for the saying, 'having blood on your hands.' They're a group of outlaws that have made the countryside their personal playground."

"Still a stupid name."

"Never said it wasn't." Marco placed himself on the horse's back and turned toward the western side of town. "You ready or not?"

Hekapoo took her seat on the horse behind Marco and they were off as quickly as they arrived. They crossed the semi-arid countryside at a full gallop. In time, they found themselves surrounded by mountains. Marco led the horse, and by extension Hekapoo, through a small pass in the mountains. A minute into the pass, he pulled back on the reigns and dismounted.

Once Hekapoo stepped back down, Marco sent the horse off from the area. "This is where things get messy."

"Sounds fine to me." Hekapoo pulled out her dimensional scissors and separated the halves to create two small swords. Fire licked at the steel as they walked down the pass.

They approached a small encampment in a valley between the mountains. Some men walked around the camp, most carrying weapons of some kind. They all looked like they hadn't had a decent night's sleep in days. It's very possible that they lived in the camp in the mountains rather than in town. This wouldn't be out of place in a mobile military force. However, their lack of uniforms or larger group structures gave away their true organizational structure. They were nothing more than a group of bandits and ne'er-do-wells. Hekapoo was going to charge in only to be held back by Marco.

He tapped her shoulder and pointed down into the camp. Among the men was someone who was clearly the leader of the band, a dark-haired, one armed man wearing a black poncho. His scars showed him to be a seasoned warrior and he walked with an air of superiority among the men. He walked with another man, dressed in a black outfit with greying hair.

Hekapoo looked confused, "Isn't that the guy from this morning? What was his name again?"

"John. And yes… that's him. Certainly explains how he got so wealthy so quickly…" Marco looked over to the one armed man. "And that guy…"

Hekapoo turned to Marco, "You know him?"

"We've met…" His voice was filled with anger.

"Okay then… question is, does this help us or… Wait?! Where are you going?"

Marco stood up and started to walk down into the camp. When he reached the edge of the camp he shouted, "HERNANDEZ!"

The one-armed man turned toward the shouting to find Marco walking toward him. John tried to hide himself away but knew he had been discovered. The one-armed man turned toward Marco and growled a bit, "And what have we here?"

"A son of a murdered father. My name is Marco Diaz and I'm here to avenge Rafael Diaz!" Marco moved his feet across the ground and let his hand hover over his holstered revolver.

John saw the situation unfolding and thought this would be the perfect time to deal with two birds using a single stone. He smirked and shouted out to the gang, "Double pay for whoever puts that kid in the dirt!"

The band of thieves all looked like they were seconds away from jumping Marco for the reward. But the one-armed man, whom was apparently named Miguel Hernandez, waved them all back and stepped forward. "So, a duel? You think that'll save your pa's honor or something?"

"No. I just want my chance to kill you for what you've done."

Hearing this, Hekapoo charged in and up to Marco. "Wait a second! Are you crazy?!"

Everyone around them looked on toward Hekapoo like she was the devil on Earth. They all moved away from Hekapoo and Marco, save for Miguel who stood his ground. The one-armed gunman stood there like nothing was different before him. He, however, also didn't move toward his gun. "So… you're the old sheriff's kid, then?"

Marco's anger remained as he spoke. "That's right! And now he'll have justice!"

"I've killed too many for justice to serve them all, boy." Miguel dropped into a stance similar to Marco's, "Is it really justice you're after?"

The world around them seemed to slow. There was nothing else around them that mattered. Even Hekapoo felt inconsequential in that moment. She tried to move, tried to diffuse the situation, but her actions were halted hearing three gunshots ring out over of the valley. A metallic ping followed as Miguel's gun fell onto the rocks. Each of Miguel's limbs had been hit, each having a bleeding wound robbing him of strength. He fell to his knees, unable to support himself anymore.

Marco still had his gun pointed at the defeated Miguel, a thin veil of smoke still emanating from the barrel. He took a few breathes before he suddenly jerked forward to shoot him again. Marco halted when Hekapoo ran into his way and blocked his shot.

Marco's anger was boiling over again, "Out of the way!"

"Marco! You have to stop!"

"Get… out… of MY WAY!"

"Marco! This isn't you! You don't want to do this!"

"The hell I don't! I want nothing more than to put him down! This is justice for everyone he's killed!" Marco pushed his way passed Hekapoo and placed the barrel of the gun directly on Miguel's forehead.

Another person from the gang built up the courage to try to shoot Marco for his payday, only for his rifle to be cut in half by a Hekapoo clone. This sent the camp into a screaming panic. Everyone in the gang, including John, ran off as if to escape the Devil himself.

"Marco! This isn't how justice is served! You need to bring him in to stand trial!"

"No! Last time someone tried that, he shot my father! This is necessary!"

Miguel seemed calm in that moment. He was unafraid of Marco. A cursory glance of the situation showed that Marco wasn't really holding the gun onto Miguel's head. Rather, the one-armed gunman was holding his head up to Marco's shaking pistol. "Then why am I alive right now?"

Marco's resolve shook a moment, "What?"

"You were able to shoot my limbs without killing me… I could tell your first shot was to my hand, disarming me, and the next two took out my legs. All before I could return fire… You could have killed me three times over before I ever get the chance. Yet you didn't."

"Shut up!"

"You're just like your father…"

"SHUT UP! You don't deserve to talk about him! He sparred you! Let you live!"

"He took my arm from me…"

"He let you live! And it got him killed! I won't make the same mistake!" Marco's hand was shaking. It was difficult to tell whether it was from rage or hesitation. He had to use his other hand to keep his weapon steady.

Miguel never flinched during it all. "Then get it over with, kid. I can't fight back, I can't move, and you've had that gun to my head for a good long while now. So, either kill me or take me in."

Marco's shaking started to subside. His arm fell to the side and his shoulders sagged, tears beginning to fall from his eyes.

"Honestly… You made the right choice kid…" Miguel was later found by the Echo Creek law enforcement tied to one of the gang's horses with a note reading, [Courtesy of Marco Diaz.]

Meanwhile, Marco was half-heartedly helping Hekapoo search through the camp for her prize. His mind went back to the events that just unfolded. His heart and mind told him he did the right thing. But he thought back to how he felt in the moment. Would he have been able to hold himself back without Hekapoo getting in the way? Would he have been able to live with himself if he couldn't? His thoughts were interrupted, and he dug into a larger crate. "I think I found it!"

Hekapoo ran over to him, "You sure?"

"Well…" Marco pulled out a crystalline shard, clearly a broken piece of a larger structure, that glowed in the desert sun with a brilliant orange hue. "It feels kind of wrong holding it, so it fits your description."

Hekapoo took the crystal in hand. To her, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. "Yeah… I guess this must be it." She turned her attention back to Marco. "Thank you for helping me out."

"Don't worry about it."

Hekapoo nodded. In some ways, it was like…

"I'm going to stop you right there."

Hekapoo blinked in confusion, "What?"

"I could see it in your eyes… You're comparing me to the Marco you know. It's the same look you gave me when you arrived and after the duel with Miguel… I'm not the Marco from your world. So, stop comparing us." He stretched his back and took in a deep breath. "Best for you to get going. Memory serves, you said you were in a hurry…"

Hekapoo slowly nodded and turned toward the mountain's pass. "Right…" She ran off at a speed that made her seem to disappear. It took her only a few minutes to arrive back at the ranch and the portal to send her back. She looked down at the shard before locking her grip around it again. She took a deep breath and stepped back through the portal to home. She had a bit to think about when she got back…

/\

King: Hello again~ Hope you enjoyed the chapter. It took a little, but I got it out.