ACT XIII: Comet II, the Underestimated Part 23: Atrocious Actions
TRIGGER WARNING: Torture of a minor.
Somewhere in the Forest of Certain Death
General Milo Loveberry had survived many things thanks to the spell Solarius had placed on him. He had been crushed by the mighty fists of rock-monsters, burned by the acidic skin of slime monsters, and he had even been eaten alive by a few size-shifters. And yet, every time, he got right back up without a scratch and continued fighting until all of his enemies were dead before him. And he continued to fight on in Solarius' name centuries after his demise. So it came as no shock to the immortal general when he shrugged off a magic blast from Prince Comet's scepter that flung him halfway across the Forest of Certain Death.
Although, it did sting like the dickens.
Regardless, General Loveberry had made a promise to his best friend that he would defend the Dragonfly bloodline from all threats, no matter the cost. Even though Prince Comet had betrayed his people by assisting the monsters in building a weapon, it was not too late to redeem him. Unlike Eclipsine, Comet was still young and could easily be reeducated on how dangerous the monsters were to mewman society.
Once he made it back to the last spot where he'd found the prince, Comet and his squire were long gone. However, further inspection of the dirt revealed that the duo may have been abducted. His mission was still in play; he had to rescue the prince. And so he set out to trace the kidnapper's footprints to the source.
Unknown Castle, Mewni.
The disgraced former headmaster of St. Olaf's Academy for Wayward Princes had been in hiding ever since two meddlesome princes had unfairly turned all of his students and their parents against him. Not only that, but now the Magical High Commission - the very people who had helped keep him in power for the last three hundred years - had now betrayed him and made him an enemy of the kingdom. So what if he used some strange power to steal the souls of the worst princes under his care to keep himself young enough to keep doing the job? They were never missed. Regardless, Atrocious was now the most wanted man in all of Mewni.
Despite this, he managed to take refuge in an abandoned castle built on a cliff just on the outskirts of Forest of Certain Death. After a few days to recuperate, the villain began to plot his revenge. Unfortunately, with only his worthless subordinates Pisces and Capricorn to rely on, Atrocious was forced to hire a monster bounty hunter to track down the two princes responsible for his troubles and bring them to him. Worse still, Rasticore proved to be an utter coward who refused to take initiative and breach Castle Dragonfly security to capture the princes.
However, a recent discovery called for a change of plans.
Pisces and Capricorn - being worthless cannon fodder that would do anything to please their master - were ordered to track down the princes and bring them into captivity. Rasticore's orders were to head back to St. Olaf's and recover the remains of the Academy's namesake. In the meantime, Atrocious set up two operating tables in the castle's medical wing to prepare for his guests, began rebuilding the robot who raised him, all while listening to heavy metal music blasting in the background to help him focus on the more meticulous aspects of his tasks.
At last, Pisces and Capricorn returned with their prey and strapped them to the tables. Atrocious grinned as he grabbed a pair of smelling salts from his pocket and used them to wake his captives up. Needless to say, Comet and Marcia were terrified at the sight of rusted surgical tools surrounding them.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Atrocious grinned, wickedly. "Prince Comet Dragonfly and 'Prince' Dudebro-"
"WHAT?!" Comet and Marcia shouted.
"Huh? I said, 'what do we have here?! Prince Comet-!"
"WHAAAAT?!" The couple shouted again.
Atrocious groaned and walked away from the tables towards the boombox. Once he turned the volume down to where the music was barely audible, he returned to the operating tables. "Sorry about that. I like to listen to some music while sharpening my tools."
"You need a new hobby." Marcia huffed, bitterly. "I recommend gardening. I could give you a few pointers. If you let me out of these chains, I could show you how I plant my foot somewhere in between your lungs and colon."
"Ah, such bravado, Dudebro." Atrocious sneered. "We'll see how long it lasts after I've carved out your lungs and dangle them in front of your face!"
"Yeah, well, you're pretty tough when you're threatening someone strapped to a fucking table!" Marcia spat back.
"Three hundred years…" Atrocious growled. "Three. Hundred. Years! I built up a reputation of turning insubordinate princes with no potential whatsoever into some of the greatest leaders in the history of Mewni! And you two managed to tear all of that down in one evening! And for what?! I read your file, Dragonfly; you hated those princes just as much as anyone!"
"That doesn't give you the right to kill anyone!" Comet replied, bravely.
"Shut up! You will only speak unless spoken to! I am in control here!" Atrocious traced a finger around the heart-shaped mark on Comet's left cheek before slapping it, roughly. "But I need you for something, right now."
The prince tensed his body as the disgraced former headmaster gripped his chin and turned his head to the side so he could get a better look at the marks on his cheeks. As Atrocious studied his face, Comet noticed that his scepter was still tucked in his pocket. Better yet, the sharp edges of the wings around the bell were just a few millimeters away from the strap holding his wrist down. A plan began to form in his mind.
"A short time ago, when I used my power of rejuvenation against a monster, these symbols appeared over my scars." Much to Comet's shock, a pair of green clover-shaped marks flashed over Atrocious' cheeks. "Look familiar? I thought so. Now, what did you do to me?! What was that spell you blasted me with?!"
"Wha-?! I didn't do this!" Comet denied, earning another slap from his captor. "So, what now, Atrocious? Are you going to hold us hostage until my family gives you back your precious school?" The prince asked, as he slowly rubbed his back pocket against his wrist.
"Ha! You wish!" Atrocious laughed and slapped Comet's cheek again. "But if you had nothing to do with this, then I have only one other person I can consult."
"Hey!" Marcia snapped, even as their captor walked away. "You do that to him one more time and I'm gonna kick you in the balls!"
A few seconds later, Atrocious returned with what appeared to be a dead body draped over his shoulder. He dropped it to the floor, knelt down, and tore off its head. With a snap of his fingers, Capricorn was by his side with a toolbox. Atrocious set the dismembered head on a workbench and turned on a lamp, revealing that the corpse was actually a robot. Atrocious grabbed the toolbox from his minion and slammed it down next to the head, searching for the proper equipment for his task.
Marcia cringed as she watched Atrocious tear into the robotic head with pliers and a soldering iron, feeling a chill run up her spine the longer she watched. At last, Atrocious finished his work and carried the head over to the two operating tables.
"Prince Comet Dragonfly, this is St. Olaf." The madman grinned. "Father, to you, this is Prince Comet Dragonfly."
["Hello and salutations, young man!"] The severed head chirped, cheerfully. ["Welcome to St. Olaf's Academy for Wayward Princes! I will be your headmaster for the next four years-!"]
Atrocious impatiently smacked the head. "We're not at the academy, father. This prince burned it down."
["Oh, my! That is quite the conundrum, isn't it?!"] The robot's left eye fell out of its socket, allowing a stream of sparks to fly out towards the captives. ["Such behavior requires strict discipline! I recommend a total of seventy-two hours in solitary confinement with no food or water!"]
"You've lost your edge, father. That's far too lenient. But that's not what this is about." Atrocious huffed and spun the head towards a blank wall. With another snap of his fingers, Pisces pushed a projector into the room and handed a cable to her master. Atrocious roughly plugged the cable into a port in the back of Olaf's head and leaned in close. "Now, father… I want you to show me exactly how you found me."
["That would be in violation of the Magical High Commission's orders-"]
"Well, those orders are countermanded, headmaster." Atrocious growled, menacingly. "And considering you've been reduced to a head on a table, I suggest you obey my orders."
["... commencing memory playback."]
While Comet continued scraping the wing of his scepter against his restraint, he and Marcia watched with interest as the robot's memories began to play through the projector and onto the cobblestone wall. Once the static cleared, the black-and-white imagery of St. Olaf's memories appeared through the robot's eyes as he taught a trembling student.
["Congratulations, Archduke Roberto of the Sweetroll Kingdom!"] St. Olaf clapped, mechanically, for the traumatized royal youth. ["You have completed your tutelage six months in advance! You now possess proper etiquette, proper posture, and proper manners! Unfortunately, St. Olaf's Academy for Wayward Princes does not offer any compensation for advanced learners, so you will not be leaving any time soon! However, I do believe you have earned an extra two-and-a-half minutes of reading time in the library!"]
["Y-yes, Headmaster St. Olaf."] Archduke Roberto whimpered.
Suddenly, a bell rang out through the halls of the academy. St. Olaf escorted the student back to his room before answering the door; it was the Magical High Commission with Hekapoe holding a monster toddler in his arms.
["Greetings and salutations! Welcome, Madame Omnitraxus Prime, Sir Hekapoe, Madame Rhombulie, and Madame Lekhmat!"] The robotic headmaster greeted, enthusiastically. ["How might I be of assistance?"]
["Here, Olaf."] Hekapoe handed the monster toddler to the robotic headmaster. ["By order of Queen Shastica, take this atrocious thing and make sure it never comes back to Castle Dragonfly."]
["As you wish, Sir Hekapoe."] St. Olaf nodded as he accepted the toddler.
The imagery on the screen returned to static once again as the scene ended. Atrocious smacked the robot's head again to play the next memory. The next scene showed Olaf carrying the crying toddler into his own private quarters. While his orders implied that he was to kill the child, Olaf saw potential in him as a successor. As long as he never went back to Castle Dragonfly, this 'Atrocious' was free to be raised as Olaf's own son.
However, before that, he needed to make the monster look more like a mewman. He set the boy down and went about preparing to change his appearance. He turned on the stove and set an iron on top, then went to his workshop to grab a few tools. First, he picked up a file and began roughly sanding down the boy's horns, claws, and fangs. Next, he picked up a pair of sheers and cut off the boy's tail. 'Atrocious' screamed and wailed in agony, causing his clover-shaped cheek-marks to glow brighter than the stars in the sky.
["Now, now, young man…"] St. Olaf lightly scolded as he inched the red-hot iron towards the monster boy's cheeks. ["Boys don't cry. Once I have removed your imperfections, I will mold you into the perfect teacher. Who knows? Perhaps one day, I will be working for you… you could be headmaster one day…"]
The young 'Atrocious' screamed in agony as Olaf used the iron to burn off the clover-shaped marks on his cheeks.
["After all… what father wouldn't want what's best for his son?"]
Having seen enough, the adult Atrocious smashed Olaf's head with a single strike of his fist. A deathly silence filled the air, save only for the deep exhales from Atrocious' nostrils. The dark green clover-shaped symbols glowed brightly over his scarred cheeks, flashing in sync with his growing rage.
"Whoa… okay." Marcia remarked. "Suddenly, I understand why he's such an asshole."
Atrocious snarled in Marcia's face. "DO NOT START WITH ME, DUDEBRO!" He growled. "I don't even know who I am anymore! For all I know, 'Atrocious' isn't even my real name!"
"Wait…" Marcia arched an eyebrow in spite of the situation. "Did you… did you actually think that machine was your dad?"
Atrocious was about to slap Marcia across the face, only to be pushed into a nearby wall by a narwhal blast. Comet had successfully broken free from his restraints and used his scepter to save his girlfriend. The prince jumped in between the squire and the headmaster, aiming his scepter in a defensive position just as Atrocious freed himself from the wall.
"Stay back! I'm warning you!"
Despite the prince's warning, Atrocious growled as his eyes began to glow. Being all too familiar with the life-draining blast, Comet instinctively summoned a magical shield just in time. Suddenly, the combined power of Comet's scepter and Atrocious' eye beams caused a chain reaction that sent out a shockwave that destroyed the wall behind Atrocious. As the stone crumbled to dust, it revealed a secret room; a dust-covered nursery. While Comet was still groggy from the tranquilizer, Atrocious seemed more interested in the nursery and made his way inside with a blank expression. Taking advantage of the situation, Comet slowly made his way towards Marcia's operating table.
Pisces and Capricorn followed their master into the nursery, watching him gingerly brush his fingers over the dusty crib and the rocking chair with peeling paint. The glowing clovers reappeared over his cheeks as he knelt down to pick up a pair of toys that resembled a familiar mewman king and a red-furred monster.
"Um… what have you got there, master?" Pisces asked, nervously.
Atrocious glanced down at the toys in his hands before looking up at his minion with an innocent gleam in his eyes. "Dolls… these were two of the three dolls my father made for me… Bo-bo… where's Bo-bo?"
"Um… 'Bo-bo?,' sir?" Capricorn asked.
Comet had freed Marcia from her bonds and was just about to carry her out to safety, but the human squire stubbornly broke free from his grasp and picked up a piece of wood with every intention of beating Atrocious to death with it. But once Comet spotted the toys in Atrocious' hands, he reluctantly held an arm in front of his girlfriend.
"Bo-bo was my favorite toy." Atrocious explained. "It was… the last toy my papa ever made before the bad people took him away… mama tried to stop them, but… they still got me… they took me away from my home… gave me to Olaf… let him mutilate me…"
"Your… father made those toys?" Comet asked before spotting a symbol carved into the crib. "I know that crest… this… this was the castle Eclipsine ran off to with his monster bride!"
"That is preposterous!" Pisces sneered, motioning to her master. "This castle belongs to Headmaster Atrocious! Son of Headmaster Saint Olaf!"
"No… I remember… I remember everything…" The disgraced headmaster stood up, revealing the glowing clover-shaped marks on his cheeks. "I am… I am the one and only son of Eclipsine Dragonfly!"
"Wait a minute…" Marcia could hardly believe her ears. "If Atrocious is Eclipsine's son, then that means… that means he's a prince!"
Comet, likewise, was utterly dumbfounded. "I-it means… he's a Dragonfly."
"It means…" Everyone turned to see General Loveberry standing in the doorway, muscles bulging and mouth foaming with crazed rage. "He's a MONSTER!"
"No! No, no, no, no, no, no! Loveberry, wait-!" Comet was knocked aside by the muscular general as he charged at Atrocious.
The former headmaster was taken completely by surprise and Loveberry tackled him through another wall and suplexed him into the operating table Comet had been strapped to earlier. At the same time, Comet had been knocked unconscious by the blow, leaving it up to Marcia to pocket his scepter and carry the prince to safety.
"Atrocious, you are under arrest for high treason to the crown!" Loveberry declared as he body-slammed his opponent.
Atrocious rolled out from under the general and delivered a swift uppercut to the general's chin. Shocked by the sudden strike, Loveberry stumbled backwards and tripped over a stray wrench laying on the ground. Atrocious grabbed a sword from a nearby suit of armor and prepared to impale the intruding general through the chest, unaware that Marcia had snuck up behind him.
"Say 'adios' to your huevos." Marcia sneered before slamming her foot up in between Atrocious' legs. After Atrocious painfully slumped to the floor to cup his crotch, Marcia picked up Comet in her arms and ran towards the exit.
The sharp pain had somehow triggered something in Atrocious' body, causing his canines to immediately grow out and sharpen. Once he got back on his feet, Atrocious instinctively touched one of the fangs, making a pinprick on the tip of his finger that drew blood.
"You disgust me!" Milo sneered, tackling Atrocious once again. "Somewhere, in the afterlife, Solarius is weeping at the idea that his bastard son tainted his lineage with filthy monster blood!"
Atrocious snarled and instinctively slashed his hand at his new attacker. Surprisingly, razor-sharp claws grew from his fingertips and sliced through Milo's flesh. The general - despite being shocked - reacted accordingly and maneuvered away from the monster. Grabbing a crossbow from a nearby suit of armor, he fired several bolts at his enemy. But Atrocious' tail also miraculously grew back and swatted the arrows away in midair. Milo angrily discarded the crossbow and magically added more muscles to his body, tackling Atrocious out of the building.
"Master! No!" Capricorn shouted and jumped after them, with Pisces close behind.
Castle Dragonfly, Mewni.
Comet woke up in the castle's infirmary, bolted upwards, and immediately scanned the room for Marcia. Thankfully, she was sitting right next to him, getting her arm bandaged by a nurse. Once the nurse left to get more bandages, Marcia noticed her boyfriend was sitting up.
"Oh, thank god, you're awake." Marcia sighed in relief and got up to hug Comet.
Comet smiled and hugged her back. "How'd we get back here?"
"By the skin of our teeth." Marcia huffed, tiredly. "While Loveberry and Atrocious were fighting, I carried your unconscious ass out of the forest and back to the castle. Y'know, you are deceptively heavy."
Comet blushed, lightly. "Yeah, sorry. Johansens are genetically beefy. Oh, my Stump! Marcia, your cheek!"
"Relax!" Marcia flinched and instinctively moved away from the prince's touch. "It's nothing; just a scratch. I think what we should focus on is the massive bombshell that got dropped on us tonight; Atrocious is Eclipsine's son."
"Yeah…" Comet sighed and leaned back against the wall and shuddered. "That means he's related to me… I've got to tell dad."
Marcia tried to stop Comet as he hoped down from the bed, but the prince was determined to deliver this information. They had to tell Eclipsine that his son was still alive. They had to figure out why the MHC gave Atrocious to St. Olaf. And if Comet had to argue with his father for the rest of the night to get to the bottom of it, he would.
With Marcia right behind him, Comet found the room Mars and Eclipsine were in and kicked the door down, ready to talk. But the sight of his father peacefully conversing with the King of Darkness silenced him. Likewise, the pair of kings were speechless at the sight of the prince's tattered clothes. The trio could only silently stare at each other before Comet finally found his voice.
"... hey." Comet greeted, plainly.
"Hey." Mars and Eclipsine replied, equally plainly.
Meanwhile, deep within the Forest of Certain Death, Pisces desperately searched for her master and sister through the thick shrubbery. She had stumbled upon an unconscious General Loveberry by the creek, so she hoped that that meant Atrocious had won the fight. Thankfully, she heard rustling coming from up ahead and sprinted towards the noise. But what she saw sent chills down her spine.
Atrocious was bathed in a glowing dark-green aura of energy. The skin grafts on his cheeks shriveled up and peeled away to reveal his own flesh which had proper clover-shaped marks. A tail burst from the waistband of his pants and slithered down to the ground. Lavender fur also began to sprout from his arms and legs. Once he finished draining Capricorn of her soul, the former headmaster had grown ten feet tall and dropped her lifeless husk to the ground.
"M-master…?" Pisces gulped, nervously. "Headmaster Atrocious?"
The ten-foot tall monster turned back to his minion with glowing green eyes and cheek marks. "My name… is Meteoro."
To Be Continued!
Author's notes: As always, please leave a review. BTW, did anyone catch that joke in the last chapter about Festiville? Get it? Festi-ville? Festival? I'll see myself out.