ACT IV: Eclipsine, King of Darkness Part 4: The Greater Evil

Globgal Dragonfly was awakened by the warm rays of sunlight creeping through her window. A soft smile spread over her lips as she found herself face-to-face with the Mewman king who had won her heart. Eclipsine shifted for a moment before finally opening his eyes. Globgal stretched her neck forward to give him a gentle peck on his lips.

Three years had passed since Eclipsine took the throne of Mewni and secretly married his love, Globgal. More often than not, the young Mewman found himself overwhelmed with the kingdom's problems; everywhere he turned, there was a debacle needing his attention. Jeshica and the Commission helped as much as they could, but they insisted that he learn how to govern the kingdom on his own. In addition to that, there was still the frustrating fact that more than half of his people feared him as their king.

However, he always managed to find time to visit his beloved wife. Of course, their relationship wasn't perfect, what with the two of them being separated most of the time; and like most couples, they often engaged in petty squabbles. But despite everything, they stuck together through thick and thin.

"Good morning, darling." He yawned, happily, sliding out from under the covers. "You didn't leave any noticeable marks this time, did you?"

"Uh… no, not really." She lied, gazing at the scratches in between her husband's shoulder blades.

"Stay in bed for a minute." Eclipsine tied up his robe, making his way to the door. "I'll have breakfast ready in a bit."

"Whatever you say~" She purred. Still enjoying the afterglow of the previous evening, Globgal wondered what she did to deserve such a loving companion. After a few moments of massaging her still-tender areas, the size-shifter realized she had yet to grow back to a more comfortable size. With her fingers intertwined, she stretched her hands high above her head and focused on stretching her muscles to increase their mass.

But when she opened her eyes again, nothing had happened.

"What the…?" Shaking her head, she got down on her hands and knees and stretched as hard as she could, but still nothing. "Why can't I…?" Suddenly, a faint memory crept into her mind. Once when she was a child, she overheard two other size shifters talking about a condition that prevented them from altering their size for a long period of time. With wide eyes and a nervous gulp, she slowly moved her hand over her stomach.

"... uh-oh…"

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, a certain king was happily making breakfast for his beloved wife and playing a guitar he fashioned out of an animal's skeleton. Checking his pocket watch, he saw that he only had an hour before he needed to return to the castle. But until then, he was free.

And this freedom was thanks, in part, to the secrecy his mother provided. Shortly after Eclipsine's public marriage to Shastica Spiderbite, he accidentally let it slip to the old sea captain that he had found true love on his own. Without mentioning her identity as a monster, the king explained how he truly loved Globgal and that he would not have been happy without her in his life. Alphys, wanting her child to be happy, promised to keep his secret and cover for him whenever he wanted to visit Globgal. In exchange for a chance to meet her herself, one day.

Eclipsine stopped reminiscing once he realized the food was ready. He set his makeshift instrument against the wall and grabbed his spatula to scoop up the omelets. He was just setting the plates down on the table and lighting a pair of candles when he noticed Globgal tip-toeing towards the door. "Where are you going?"

"Uh, nothing! That smells delicious!" She screamed, trying to smile.

"Well, don't just stand there with your tummy rumbling! Come on over and dig in!"

The Mewman king happily pulled her chair out for her and then took his seat across from her. However, he was a bit concerned when she didn't seem interested in talking to him. He was about to ask if she was feeling well before something caught his eye. Curiously, Eclipsine rested his hand over his head, then moved it over Globgal's. She was still the same height as him.

"W-what are you doing?" She giggled, nervously.

"Usually after our… ahem, private time is over, you grow a few more feet to remind me that you're the dominant one in our relationship. But so far since last night, you haven't even grown an inch. Why?"

Globgal swallowed hard; she was certain that he wouldn't notice. Beads of sweat soaked her fur as she cleared her throat. She needed to say something. "Um… well, I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Oh, I like surprises." Eclipsine leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. "What is it?"

"Um… I, uh… well, I-I need to stay this size, because, um… I, uh…" Globgal truly wanted to tell her husband about her morning discovery. But as she looked into his innocent, magenta irises and felt the warmth of his loving smile, she lost all confidence. "I'm… practicing."

"Practicing? For what?"

"Well, Mina's been helping me with a Mewman disguise so that… I can meet your mother."

"REALLY?!" Eclipsine's eyes sparkled with delight. "That is wonderful! Oh, I always hoped you'd be willing to try something like this!Oh, there's so much to prepare! I'll have to tell her your favorite type of tea, and about your vegetarian substitutes, and…" The young king ceased his prattling as he noticed Globgal's nervous expression. He smiled, softly, and held her hands. "Oh, darling. I know this must seem a bit demeaning to you, but I promise this will only be temporary. We will tell my mother the truth as soon as we're certain that she won't try to kill you."

"That's… comforting." Globgal smiled, weakly.

Eclipsine checked his watch again, sighing in disappointment. "Well, I must dash. We'll talk more about this later. I'm rather interested in seeing how you plan to disguise yourself."

With a final kiss farewell, the Mewman king departed back towards his kingdom. Once he was gone, Globgal sighed in frustration, rubbing her stomach. "How am I gonna tell him?" She pondered to herself. Unfortunately, she was so preoccupied with her current problem, she didn't notice the mysterious figures hiding in the shadows.

Meanwhile, Eclipsine adjusted his suit and tie as he exited the Forest of Certain Death. On his way to the castle, he spotted a group of teenagers bullying a little girl. With a wave of the sceptor and a sly smirk, Eclipsine discreetly cast a spell on the cruel boys. Suddenly, they fell to the ground, screaming about spiders and snakes that weren't there. The girl got back on her feet and looked to see her monarch tipping his hat to her.

At last, he reached the main entrance to the castle and headed towards his office. Unfortunately, as he made his way down the grand hallway, he could hear a shrill, obnoxious voice growing louder.

"Shastica, it's been four hours." Jeshica groaned. "You need to wear a ballgown for the Lucitor's ball."

"Then quit wasting my time with these tasteless designs, Jeshica!" Shastica shouted, rudely. "I wouldn't be caught dead in any of these dresses you've shown me!

"You'd have to be dead for eight years just to fit into them." Eclipsine chuckled as he passed the shrewd queen.

Jeshica snorted at her nephew's remark, but Shastica was not amused. "Are you implying that I'm overweight?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." The king shook his head, smirking. "You're undertall."

"Fine! What do you think I'd look good in, dear husband?"

"A sealed mausoleum." Eclipsine quipped a final time and headed up to his room. His smile only grew wider as he listened to the bitter woman rant and rave, furiously.

By the time he reached his office, the Spellbook suddenly opened up, and it's guardian popped out from in between the pages. "Greetings, my lord." Indexia bowed. "I need to speak with you."

"Can it wait?" Eclipsine set his scepter aside and prepared to tackle the mountain of paperwork. With a heavy sigh, he dipped his feather pen in the jar of ink and began scribbling his signature over the numerous important bills. "I've got to complete these papers before my meeting with the delegates."

"I'm sorry, Eclipsine…" Indexia hovered in front of her master. "But this concerns your father."

Eclipsine's hand froze in place as his eyes darted towards his teacher. "Go on."

"Well, I was looking over the dagger used to kill Solarius, and I discovered something interesting." The blue mage conjured up a small vial filled with a sickly green, viscous liquid. "The substance that was coating the dagger wasn't poison, it was venom."

"Is there a difference?"

"Yes, actually. Poison comes from plants, venom comes from animals." She explained. "This one in particular appears to belong to a genus of spiders. But what's interesting is that this type of venom isn't found in any spiders that are indigenous to the Forest of Certain Death."

"What are you saying?"

"Someone - a Mewman - sold the monsters the venom."

Eclipsine could hardly believe his ears. Ever since the beginning of his campaign against the monster hordes, Solarius was one of the most popular kings among the people. Everyone adored him for the sense of security he provided. "So why would someone want to kill him?" The new king wondered. "Who could gain from his demise…?"

Just as he asked himself that, his mind automatically thought of a single person. "Of course…" He growled, internally kicking himself. "How could I have been so blind?!"

"My lord?" Indexia followed her master down the hall as he charged his scepter with dark magic.

Eclipsine marched straight towards the conference room where a trade deal was currently going on between the Jaggy Mountains, the Water Folk, and the Spiderbites. Alphys and Milo were also present to provide security, so they had no reason to stop Eclipsine as he barged in.

"Well, look who has finally graced us with his presence." Duke Mercury of the Jaggy Mountains snorted.

Eclipsine ignored the comment and aimed his umbrella at Warner Spiderbite, summoning a hand of purple magic to lift the politician into the air. The other delegates and the Magical High Commission gasped in horror at their ruler's actions, but Eclipsine couldn't have cared less. Just as his grip on the scepter grew tighter, so did the magical hand's grip around Warner's neck.

"My Stump, boy!" Milo gasped. "What the H-E-double-hockey-sticks do you think you're doing?!"

"Baron Warner Spiderbite!" Eclipsine declared, angrily. "You are hereby under arrest for plotting the assassination of King Solarius Dragonfly!"

"W-what?!" Warner spluttered. "What are you babbling about?! I did no such thing!"

"You're lying!" The magic-wielder bellowed as he further tightened his grip on the Baron.

"Eclipsine, stop!" Jeshica grabbed the scepter, trying to take it from the young king. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"He's guilty!" Eclipsine tugged the umbrella out of his aunt's grip before pulling the vile out from his coat pocket. "This venom - the venom that killed my father - comes from spiders! Warner sold the venom to the monsters so that my father would die and I would be forced to marry Shastica! Guards! Commission! Arrest the traitor at once!"

("Eclipsine!") Lekmat bleated. ("You cannot just barge in here and make baseless accusations like this!")

"Baseless accusations?" Eclipsine spluttered in fury. "The venom comes from spiders! My aunt has spent years stockpiling spider venom to try and find a cure! Warner could have gained access to her supply and bartered with the monsters to-!"

"That is speculation." Hekapoe cut in. "You can't prove it with just a bottle of venom. Now, I suggest you take a moment to calm down-"

"You think I'm insane." Eclipsine spat, bitterly. "Why am I not surprised? After all, you never trusted me in the past, why should it be different now?"

"With all due respect, your majesty." Omnitraxus held up her hand to calm the king. "It's not a matter of whether or not we trust you. It's just that without substantial evidence it's simply your word against his."

"That bastard has been trying to trick my father from the very beginning!" The dark king bellowed, frightening everyone. "He had a motive! He convinced my father to marry me off to his bitch of a daughter just so he could enter the royal family! He had my father killed just so he could have more political power! He is guilty! I demand justice!"

"Justice, eh?" Warner chuckled, as he still dangled in the air. "Rather hypocritical attitude, if you ask me. What with your little secret, and all."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I think you know." Warner smiled, mockingly. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice all the times you've been sneaking away from the kingdom? Granted, I had to hear of this behavior from my daughter, first, but I soon understood what she was talking about."

"Eclipsine?" Jeshica held her hands over her heart. "What does he mean?"

"Yes." Bartholomew Barnacles of the Waterfolk agreed. "Come to think of it, I've noticed him going off on his own quite frequently as well."

Eclipsine shared a concerned glance with his mother as the delegates flocked to Warner's side. The Magical High Commission eventually freed the Baron from Eclipsine's creation and helped him to his feet. Rhombulie was the first to speak up. "Your majesty, what is he talking about?"

"If you won't tell them, I will!" Warner Spiderbite had now turned the entire room against the young king. Eclipsine didn't know what to do; he simply stood in the center of the room, listening to his subjects demanding whatever secret the baron was talking about. He felt like a frightened animal cornered by predators. At last, the wicked Spiderbite spoke up. "Very well! Ladies and gentlemen of Mewni, lend me your ears!"

"Stop it!" Eclipsine shouted.

"Your king, the man sworn to protect you -"

"I said stop it!"

"Has been having a clandestine affair with a monster!"

A collective gasp filled the room as all eyes landed on the king. But Eclipsine merely crossed his arms, trying to keep calm. "Well… that's his word against mine."

"Actually, it's its word against yours." At the snap of the Baron's fingers, ten Spiderbite soldiers barged into the room. The delegates screamed in horror at the sight of a size-shifter, wrapped in chains and forced to the ground. The monster snarled and snapped at the Mewmans in a vain attempt to free herself. Warner smiled at the sight of Eclipsine looking so terrified. "My spies have been following you into the Forest of Certain Death for months! And now, your monster will pay for your mistakes!"

The Commission took over from the Spiderbite guards at that point. Omnitraxus held Globgal in place, while Lekmat and Rhombulie kept Eclipsine away from her. The king's mind was racing; he was trying to think of how this could have happened. "Why hasn't she grow bigger?" He thought. "Why is she letting them do this?!" But it wasn't until Hekapoe prepared to stab his beloved with a pair of dimensional scissors that his critical-thinking brain took over. "Why am I letting this happen?"

Thinking quickly, Eclipsine kicked a torch from the wall onto the floor and increased its temperature and intensity with a dark enchantment, earning everyone's attention. The king held the scepter over the fire as his gaze locked onto the Magical High Commission. "Release her!" He ordered. "NOW!"

"Or what?" Hekapoe scoffed.

"Or I'll destroy the scepter."

"You wouldn't dare." Omnitraxus declared. "That scepter has been in your family for twenty-nine generations! You wouldn't throw all of that away for the sake of a filthy monster!"

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Eclipsine loosened his grip just enough for the magic umbrella to slip down. Watching the Commission jump in fright brought a confident smile to his lips. Time to negotiate. "Now! Back away from her! All of you! Every step you take towards the wall, is a step I take away from the pyre."

Just as he hoped, the Commission obeyed. Soon enough, the king was the only one close enough to touch Globgal. Rhombulie tried to rush him, but a swift faux-throwing motion from Eclipsine quickly persuaded her to keep her back to the wall. The room fell deathly silent as the king lowered himself, leaning over to his wife's ear.

"Listen to me very carefully…" He whispered to the size-shifter through clenched teeth. "I'm not sure how long I can keep them like this. Follow me into the dungeon if you want to live."

"Follow you into the dungeon if I want to live? How do you figure that?!" She whispered back, angrily.

"Because there is a secret passage down there that you can use to escape!" Eclipsine tried to keep his voice down, but it was becoming apparent that the Commission was growing restless. "You're just going to have to trust me-"

"They're up to something!" Spiderbite shouted. "Enough of this! Stop him!"

Eclipsine barely had enough time to react before Globgal finally broke free from her restraints. The scepter slipped out of his grasp and rolled dangerously close to the purple flames. Instinctively, he reached out to grab it, but tripped over Globgal's tail. The size-shifter was out of control, violently slashing and clawing at the Mewman guards.

"Alright, I've had enough of this!" Hekapoe took out a pair of dimensional scissors and aimed it at the monster.

"GLOBGAL, LOOK OUT!" Eclipsine abandoned his pursuit of the scepter and jumped in front of his lover.

"AAAAAIIEEEEEEEE!" Jeshica screamed in horror.

Eclipsine choked and gagged as his eyes wandered down to the source of his sudden pain; a pair of dimensional scissors piercing his chest. Warm streams of red trickled down his body and pooled onto the floor. The king fell to his knees as his world went dark.

To Be Continued!

Author's notes: Oh, my god. I am so sorry it took me so long to update. But my new job in the union has me working ten hours a day, seven days a week, and I barely have any free time now.