ACT IV: Eclipsine, King of Darkness Part 5: Making Choices

Globgal's eyes widened in pure terror as her love fell to the floor. With a loud, primal shriek, the size-shifter broke her chains and lashed out at her abductors. While she was busy with the Spiderbite guards and Milo Loveberry, Alphys rushed to the king's aid. Jeshica tried to help her friend, but a sudden ache in her chest forced her to her knees as a sharp pain ran up her arm.

"Oh, shit! Oh, shit!" Rhombulie was on the verge of a breakdown. "Hekapoe, what did you do?!"

"I-I don't know!" The blacksmith grabbed his horns, nervously. "I was aiming for the monster! Not him! Omnitraxus, don't just stand there! Get it!"

The guardian of time and space tackled the rampaging monster to keep her pinned. Globgal snapped her jaws and struggled with all her might, but the nigh-omnipotent woman was too much for her. "Give it up, you filthy beast!" Omnitraxus ordered. "You're not getting away!"

Meanwhile, Alphys had undone her ascot and put pressure on her son's wound. She didn't dare try to remove the scissors, lest she risk worsening the wound. "Jeshica, can you give me a hand, here?! Jeshica?" The sea captain turned to see the prime minister was now on the ground, clutching her chest. Startled, Alphys stood up. "Jeshica?! What's wrong?!"

"M-my heart…" Jeshica muttered between gasps.

Regaining consciousness, Eclipsine saw his wife in the thrall of Omnitraxus and forced himself onto his elbows. Using his teeth, he pulled the glove off of his right and and aimed his palm, charging up a lethal spell. "Cosmic… cannon!"

A wide beam of dark magic struck Omnitraxus in the head, melting the skin from her skull. "AAAH! My face! My face!"

Globgal used the distraction to her advantage and rushed to Eclipsine's side. Scooping him into her arms, she bolted for the nearest exit, trying to find a way out of the castle. Thankfully, her love kept himself awake long enough direct her through the halls. Eventually, they made it to the dungeon. "Okay, we're here. Now, what?" She asked, anxiously.

Coughing and spluttering, Eclipsine turned his attention to a painting of Alphys. "C-captain… permission to… come aboard." Much to Globgal's surprise, the painting winked at them, and opened up to reveal a hidden passage. With the last of his strength, the king smiled at his wife. "Don't w-worry… I'm not going to say I… told you so…"

"Eclipsine?" Globgal gently shook her beloved as she ran through the passage. "No! Stay awake, Eclipsine!"

Less than an hour later, Globgal had escaped from the kingdom, passed through the Forest of Certain Death, and back to her temple. Eclipsine's condition hadn't improved during the trip, and the size-shifter worried this was the end. After violently kicking down the door to the main entrance, she called out to anyone who was still in her castle for help. Her friends gathered around as she laid her husband down on the floor.

"What happened?!" Mina gasped.

"Somebody get help!" Globgal sobbed. "Please! Somebody do something!"

"I-I don't know what to do!" Viktor stammered. "No one here is a doctor!"

"Ahem…"

Globgal and the other monsters bolted upright in surprise. There, standing before them so confidently, was Madame Indexia of Contents. Globgal wiped the tears from her eyes and bared her fangs. "Have you people no shame?!" She hissed. "Have you come to finish the job?! Have you?!"

"Fear not, young Globgal…" With her hands behind her back, the miniscule mage hovered closer to the huddled group. "I come not to harm, but to offer help."

Globgal snorted. "As if I'd believe that! Your Magical High Commission just tried to kill me and Eclipsine! Now that you know he and I have been wed, why wouldn't you want to kill us?!"

"Because, my dear, my only purpose in life is to serve the royal family, not the Commission." Indexia promised. "Furthermore, of all the kings I've ever known, Eclipsine has been my favorite. He has been a good student, and an even greater ruler. And I shall not allow him to suffer the indignity of perishing by those narrow-minded bigots he was forced to work beside."

The size-shifter looked to her friends, wondering what they thought of the situation. After a few unsure shrugs and skeptical looks, her eyes wandered back down to her beloved husband. Eclipsine's condition was getting worse with every passing second, and there was nothing she could do about it. Her only option was to trust Indexia. "Okay…" She choked out. "Do it. Save him, please!"

Indexia moved her left arm out from behind her back, revealing the pair of dimensional scissors that had harmed Eclipsine. "It is already done." She replied, calmly.

Globgal immediately pivoted on her heels to find Eclipsine's wound had miraculously disappeared. But as she knelt down to cradle him in her arms, his heartbeat was still too fast and too weak. "It didn't work!" She cried. "Why isn't he better?!"

Indexia placed her palm against her king's wrist and the jewel in her forehead shone as she probed the young man's mind. "I could only heal his physical wounds."She explained. "But his spirit is weak and growing weaker. He has been betrayed by his own kingdom; he feels unable to go on. If you want him to live, you must give him a reason to live."

Hearing this, Globgal leaned down to whisper into Eclipsine's ear. "Listen to me…" She sobbed, holding him closer. "Get up… get up. You have to get up, you obnoxious, prattling little Mewman… because you're gonna be a father."

At the mere utterance of those words, Eclipsine's heartbeat grew steadier. Noticing this, Globgal gave him a soft peck on his lips, which in turn made the young man's eyes flutter open. He looked up at his wife with a startled yet affectionate gaze. Globgal and Indexia helped him up, and backed away to give him space. After a brief moment to catch his breath, Eclipsine approached his love. "I… become… father?" He asked, shakily.

Without speaking, Globgal grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly. Despite it being too early for any activity, Eclipsine's dark magic allowed him to sense the growing life within her womb. The king's lips curved upwards as tears of joy ran down his glowing cheeks. He cupped Globgal's face and gave her a loving kiss. "Thank you… my queen." He whispered, happily.

Suddenly, the two lovers heard a collection of startled gasps and terrified screams surrounding the main entrance. A few braver monsters attempted to fight the intruder, but she fired her pistol into the ceiling to drive them back. Eclipsine and Globgal waded through the crowd to see what all the commotion was about, only to find a familiar green-haired naval officer standing before them.

"So… it is true." Alphys holstered her firearm and gazed into her son's eyes. "I always wondered why you were so particularly secretive about the woman who stole your heart, Eclipsine, but now I know why."

"Mother…" Eclipsine's mouth went dry. "I… I didn't want you to find out like this, but… Globgal is my wife and I love her." As he held the size-shifter's hand for support, he noticed that his mother's gaze showed no signs of disgust or judgement. "Is… is Aunt Jeshica here, too?" He wondered, aloud. "She deserves to know the truth."

"Eclipsine… something happened after you escaped, um…" Alphys tried to find the right words. "Seeing you hurt like that... she had a heart attack… she didn't make it."

Eclipsine's heart sank; a terrible dread plaguing his conscience. Although she wasn't as radical as her younger brother, it was no secret that Jeshica shared his hatred of monsters for what they had done to her mother. Despite what his mother told him, Eclipsine couldn't help but think that his aunt's demise was more than just a simple heart attack. "When she saw me with Globgal… she died of a broken heart…" He thought, sadly. The young king fell to his knees, crying. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Alphys couldn't bear to see her son like this, and knelt down to hug him. "What the hell do you have to be sorry about?" She whispered, tearfully. "You fell in love. There's no shame in that. I am so proud of you. And Solarius would've been, too."

The mention of his father's name forced Eclipsine to choke and sob even harder, wrapping his arms around his mother. "It's okay… let it out…" She offered. Once her son finally calmed down, however, Alphys released her hold on the king and marched towards his monster wife. By the time she reached Globgal, the size-shifter was shivering from anxiety. The room fell deathly quiet for what felt like an eternity, but the sea captain took a deep breath and uttered a simple question. "Do you love him?"

Globgal was baffled. "... I beg your pardon?"

"Well, I obviously can't control him; he's free to make his own decisions in life." Alphys crossed her arms over her chest. "But even so, I am his mother and I want him to be happy. So, I repeat; do you love him?"

The size-shifter trembled under Alphys' gaze. Somehow, she felt that even if she could increase her size at that moment, the sea captain would still frighten her to the core. But as she looked back at Eclipsine, she felt a bit more confident. "Ma'am…" She said, at last. "I love him more than life itself."

Alphys softened her gaze and sighed. "Then will you promise to take care of him?"

"Of course, ma'am."

"Then you have my blessing." With that said, Alphys turned back to her son and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Goodbye, Eclipsine. Stay safe."

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"Well, if the MHC finds me, they'll undoubtedly try to use me to get to you." She reasoned. "I'll sneak back to the docks later tonight, and get to my ship. There are plenty of forgotten islands in the sea that used to serve as Solarian military camps."

"Will I ever see you again?"

"Maybe someday." She stroked her boy's cheek with an affectionate smile. "But until we see each other again, never forget how much I love you, my boy."

With a final hug goodbye, Eclipsine watched his mother depart into the dark forest.

One week had passed and the former monarch had thought long and hard about how to fix the current situation with Mewni. He had been outed to the public as a monster-sympathizer, the scepter had been left behind during their escape, many monsters still did not trust him, and he now had a child on the way with no method of supporting them or his wife. Luckily, his mind eventually conjured up a plan to solve all of his problems.

If he could defeat the King of Darkness and take the throne, he would prove himself to the entire monster nation and earn their respect. With that out of the way, he would have a government at his side once again, and enough backbone to confront the other Mewman kingdoms to finally bridge the gap between the two conflicting societies. The only problem was the lack of his scepter. He could still channel dark magic through his hands, but at the risk of causing permanent damage to his entire physiology. And yet, there seemed to be no alternative.

Led by his closest friends and a handful of other witnesses, Eclipsine followed them into the deepest and darkest corner of the Forest of Certain Death, armed with a sword and shield. The further the went, the more the thick fog began to dim the light from the torches. At last, the party came upon an old wooden bridge that crossed a murky river. Hanging from a dead willow was a sign that read "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."

"This is as far as we go, Eclipsine." Viktor patted his friend's shoulder for comfort. "We watch over Globgal until you return, but the custom states you must challenge the King of Darkness alone."

Eclipsine nodded, kissed his wife, drew his sword, and slowly crossed the bridge. Once he reached the other side, his party was completely out of sight and he was all alone. "WHO ARE YOU?" Eclipsine nearly fell over from shock, but stood his ground. With the fog so thick, all he could see was a dark silhouette as high as the trees surrounding him.

"I am Eclipsine Dragonfly!" He said at last. "Former King of Mewni! Friend of monsters! I have come to challenge you for the right to lead all monsters!"

"YOU ARE A FOOL!" The voice bellowed. "I AM THE DESTROYER OF LIGHT! I AM HE WHO HAS RULED THE MONSTERS FOR AS LONG AS TIME HAS EXISTED! LEAVE NOW, OR FACE THE SAME FATE AS YOUR ACCURSED FATHER!"

Despite the crippling fear the gigantic monster instilled in him, Eclipsine held his ground. Summoning a purple flame from his palm, he channeled it through his sword. "Do not underestimate my resolve!" He shouted, and swung his sword at his opponent. The purple flame sliced through the tall monster's arm. Eclipsine just barely managed to move out of the way before the limb crashed beside him. However, as he stood back up, he saw that it wasn't an arm, but a rotted tree branch. "What…?"

"Uh… H-HOW DARE YOU STRIKE ME, MEWMAN?!" The voice spoke up again. With his nerves now a bit more at ease, Eclipsine noticed that the voice seemed to be coming from the monster's feet. "LEAVE NOW BEFORE YOU TRULY ANGER ME!"

Eclipsine ignored the warning and stepped closer to his opponent. To his surprise, the King of Monsters' body was nothing more than an old, dead oak tree. The green-haired Mewman chuckled and continued to search for the source of the voice. After brushing through the leaves and sticks he found a small insectoid monster hiding behind a makeshift megaphone and plucked it off the ground by its wings.

"So… you're the mighty King of Darkness, eh?" The former monarch of Mewni could hardly stifle a laugh as he pinched the insect in his fingers. "Now, normally I am a bit squeamish about taking another's life." He said, darkly. "However, according to my friends, you had a hand in my father's demise."

"P-please!" The insect whimpered. "W-what happened to your father was nothing personal! Have mercy! Take the title! Just let me go, and you'll never see me again!"

"Hmm…" Eclipsine smiled, coyly, as his fingers tightened around the pathetic bug. Ultimately, his pity for the small being won out. "Very well, you're free to go for now. But if I ever see you again… I will avenge my father."

"Oh, thank you!" The bug cried in relief. "Thank you, thank you!"

As he flicked the bug into the wind, Eclipsine happily released a breath of relief. Now, as the newly appointed King of Darkness, he proudly strutted back across the bridge to his wife and friends. "He… he did it!" Eijiro cheered. "Eclipsine killed the King of Darkness!"

"Actually, I didn't kill anyone." Eclipsine corrected. "You see, I-"

"He's still alive?!" Mina shrieked. "You wounded the King and walked away?!"

"The end is near! He will seek revenge!" Viktor panicked.

"No, guys, it's okay." Eclipsine tried to calm his friends down. "It's alright. It's just a tree!"

"Come again?" Mina asked, skeptically.

"The King of Darkness isn't real." He clarified. "It's just a giant, dead tree. Some kind of bug monster was pretending to be a giant to trick you all into following his orders."

"And where is this bug monster?" Eijiro questioned.

"Oh, I sent him away." He replied. "We'll never see him again."

The others mumbled to each other, quietly. It was evident that they did not believe him, so Eclipsine decided to show them he was telling the truth. "Globgal, come with me." His wife shook her head, but he stepped forward to reach for her hand. "Globgal, do you trust me?"

"What?" She asked.

"Do you trust me?" He repeated, calmly.

Globgal shuddered at the thought of directly confronting the King of Darkness, fearing for both herself and her unborn child. However, her eyes wandered down to the scar on Eclipsine's chest. The scar that might not have been there if she had trusted him to lead her to safety. At last, she took a deep breath and squeezed Eclipsine's hand. "Okay… I trust you."

With that, Eclipsine led his wife over the bridge and to the tree. "See? I told you." But as he looked back, he saw Globgal had let go of his hand and was hiding behind a rock. She was still afraid.

"Alright... watch this." Eclipsine picked up a branch, and with all his strength, slammed it against the base of the tree. Globgal jumped back in fright as her husband proceeded to cup both hands around his mouth. "HEY, SPLINTER HEAD! YOUR MOTHER WAS TURNED INTO A ROCKING CHAIR! YOU ROTTING PILE OFWORM-INFESTED TERMITE FOOD!"

"What are you doing?!" Globgal half-whispered/half-shouted. "Are you crazy?!"

But Eclipsine simply crossed his arms as he continued looking up at the massive dead oak. After a few minutes of silence, he turned back to his wife. "Would a malevolent monster king let me say that?"

Seeing the logic in her husband's statement, Globgal felt her fears begin to fade. Against her better judgement, the size-shifter moved out from behind her hiding spot and knocked her knuckles against the old tree. "I don't believe it…" She scoffed, indignantly. "This whole time, our entire society has been afraid of a tree?"

"Oh, don't fret, darling." Eclipsine giggled. "My society is afraid of just a stump." Taking out his sword, he charged it with another dark enchantment and sliced off the very top of the tree. Soon enough, Globgal had convinced the others to cross the bridge and witness the facade for themselves. Grateful to him for opening their eyes, the monsters agreed to appoint Eclipsine as the new King of Darkness. Globgal lifted the "crown" and tried to place it over his head, but it was too big and slid over his whole body before she took it back off. After a brief, awkward silence, Eclipsine broke off a limb and stuck it into his hat. Thankfully, that was good enough for the other monsters as they lifted him into the air.

"ALL HAIL, ECLIPSINE! THE KING OF DARKNESS!"

Months later, Eclipsine and Globgal had been ruling over the monsters in peace and harmony. The couple decided that they would wait until after their child's birth to reach out to Mewni again. Eclipsine was so excited to become a father, he had spent most of his free time setting up a nursery and crafting toys for his child. Globgal loved watching her husband fuss over her and their unborn child.

After they learned from Indexia that they would be having a boy, Eclipsine begged his beloved for the right to choose a name. She agreed under the condition that he would tell it to her first. After a few bad ideas and disagreements, the couple finally settled on naming the boy "Meteoro."

Presently, the King and Queen of Darkness were relaxing in their private quarters, ready to turn in for the evening. As the magic mirror filled the air with a soft melody, Globgal massaged her swollen stomach as she rested in her husband's lap. The king, himself, could only smile with amusement; massaging Globgal's tail in an attempt to help her unwind.

"Mmm, I could get used to you being this size all the time~." Eclipsine purred as he nuzzled Globgal's neck.

"Don't." She replied, bluntly. "The minute after I give birth to your half-Mewman spawn, I'm growing at least three times bigger."

"I'm sorry." He replied, unnerved by her tone. "Is something wrong?"

Globgal didn't answer right away. "I… I'm scared, 'Clips." She whimpered. "What if… what if I'm not ready to be a mother? What if I turn out just like my parents?"

"Darling…" Eclipsine moved to where he was sitting right in front of his wife. "When you look at me, do you see my father?"

Globgal tilted her head and squinted. "Well, actually… aside from the goatee and cheek marks, you look a lot like your mom."

Eclipsine snorted. "Yeah. For some reason, firstborn children of the Mewman hierarchy tend to resemble their mothers more than their fathers. But I digress. My point is, I would never pretend to think that my father had never done anything regretful, but I like to believe that his love for me brought out the best in him. If not, he'd just be a madman who couldn't let go of the past. Now, when you told me that your parents abandoned you, I felt so sorry for you. But after I aided you in retrieving that idol and obtaining this temple, you still did not eat me as you had so often threatened to. And I know that that is because my love changed you as well. Love is at the root of everything. All learning, all relationships… Love or the lack of it."

Globgal choked back a sob, tears soaking her fur. "Do you really believe that?"

"Honestly, I believe that the greatest thing that we can do is to help somebody know that they're loved, and capable of loving." He smiled, affectionately.

Globgal couldn't contain herself anymore. She gripped the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a loving kiss. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and she broke the kiss to jump to her feet.

"What?" The King of Darkness jumped to her side, visibly concerned. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"He… he moved!" Globgal's eyes watered with joy. "I felt him move inside me!"

"What? Really?" Eclipsine let his wife guide his hand to her swollen belly. Sure enough, he felt the unborn child pressing against her womb, as if he were reacting to his parents' display of affection. The King of Darkness smiled brighter than ever before and wrapped his arms around Globgal. "HE MOVED!" He cried, happily.

To Be Continued!

Author's notes: Wow. I wasn't expecting so many reviews for that last chapter. TBH, I'm not sorry I left it on a cliffhanger. I love watching you squirm and suffer! MWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!

^^I said after posting this chapter of fluff, lol.

Also, some people have asked what Globgal looks like appearance-wise. Think Zoe Saldana's character in Avatar but with maroon fur and long white hair tied in dreadlocks. She also has four yellow eyes and sharp teeth.

Also, guys I really won't have much time to update. I just started classes again at the Union hall in addition to my ten hour shifts at work. So from now on, updates will be sporadic.