ACT XIII: Comet, the Underestimated Chapter 26: Meteoro's Wrath

Prologue:

Mewni. Eclipsine's Castle. ~330 Years Ago…

Eclipsine was at his wit's end. He and Globgal had been on the run for almost four years now, and the MHC was still hunting them. As far as he knew they still had no idea where their monster haven was located, but he still couldn't risk being found.

He had just returned from the Under-Realm, having been invited by a fellow practitioner of Dark Magic; King Carrion Beetle, the Gravedigger. It was a tempting offer; Eclipsine and his family would be given safe haven in exchange for a favor in the future. But Eclipsine sensed a malicious soul within the Beetle-King and politely turned down the offer. However, he did have a chance to meet a new friend while traveling from the Under-Realm into the Demon Realm, and even saw fit to gift her with an amulet he had created to store the magic wisdom of his predecessors after leaving the Great Book of Magic behind.

Once he returned to Mewni, Eclipsine handed his Scythe of Shadows to Viktor Bulgolyubov for safekeeping as he made his way upstairs to the nursery. Globgal had just finished feeding Meteoro when her husband walked in. The monster queen smiled and handed the baby over to him before making her way back downstairs. Eclipsine happily cradled his son with one arm and used his other to pick up the toy he had personally sewn for him.

"Aw, did you miss me, Baby-Buddy?" Eclipsine cooed as he playfully shook the toy in front of Meteoro, enticing a giggle from the infant. "Did you and Bo-Bo miss papa? Well, don't you worry, Baby-Buddy. Papa's not going anywhere again for a long time…"

Little did Eclipsine realize that that would be the last time he saw his son smile.

End Prologue.

Echo Creek, CA. Earth-Realm.

The flaming portal was supposed to open up in front of the Diaz-family residence, but instead, the group found themselves further down the street. Regardless, Marcia pocketed her scissors while Comet continued to hold her phone and read about the invitation. In truth, she had no idea what this party was even about; all that mattered was that it bought her time to figure out a way to make Comet feel better after the massive bombshell that had been dropped on him at Eclipsine's trial.

Marcia had never seen Comet so upset, and it broke her heart that she couldn't think of a way to fix it. But how was she supposed to make him feel better after he'd just learned that everything he knew about his family history was a lie? Thankfully, she was brought out of her depressing thoughts by her boyfriend's voice.

"Huh, I didn't know they made special showers for babies." Comet remarked in an impressed tone as he read the invitation. "Human babies are more independent than I thought."

"Comet, what the fuck are you talking about?" Marcia arched an eyebrow as she leaned over to look at the invite.

"It says so right here." Comet shrugged, defensively. "'Baby shower.'"

Marcia rolled her eyes. "Comet, that means someone's having a baby."

"A dirty baby?" Klutzy asked, fluttering over Comet's shoulder to see the invite for herself.

"Perhaps it's a ceremony to find mothers who can wash it properly." Kyle suggested, equally curious.

Marcia shook her head in exasperation before the group finally reached her home's front door and rang the doorbell. Moments later, Angelo opened the door and wrapped his arms around Marcia. "Marcia! You got the invitation!" He smiled, happily. "I was worried our texts wouldn't be able to travel through alternate dimensions!"

"Yeah. Nice to see you again, too, dad." Marcia smiled and hugged her father back. "So, who's having the-?"

"Is that my Marcie?!" Rosa's voice called out from the living room before making her way towards the door. Once she arrived, Marcia and Comet were both shocked to see her larger stomach.

"Mom?!" Marcia spluttered in shock. "You're pregnant?!"

"Yup!" Rosa grinned and happily patted her plump belly. "We found out two weeks after you moved to Mewni! And in just seven more months we'll get to meet either little Rodolfo Diaz or little Marcia Diaz, Jr.!"

"Oh, my gosh, Marcia! This is amazing!" Comet beamed as he excitedly shook his girlfriend's shoulders, having momentarily forgotten about his woes. "You're gonna be a big sister!"

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Diaz!" Kyle beamed.

"Indeed, this is a grand occasion!" Lady Dama nodded.

"Gosh! A lil' baby!" Klutzy cooed, happily, only to scratch her head in confusion. "But if it's still in Mrs. Diaz's tummy, how're they gonna wash it?"

Marcia, herself, was just as excited - she had always wanted a little sibling growing up - but her mind suddenly caught up to something her mother had said. "Hold on… if it's a girl you're gonna name her 'Marcia, Jr?' That - that's not how it works! You don't name your daughter after your daughter!"

"But look!" Angelo pulled out an ultrasound photo and pointed to a dot on the baby's face. "She's got a cute little mole! Just like you; Marcia, Sr!"

Marcia almost continued arguing, but upon seeing how happy Comet was for her parents, as well as how happy everyone in general seemed to be feeling, she could only smile.

"Well, I am happy for you, mom. Uh… here." Marcia awkwardly wrapped one arm around her mother's shoulders and barely pulled her close. Suddenly, she felt someone grip her shoulder. She turned her head in surprise to see her father glaring at her.

"That woman spent thirty-two hours squeezing you out of her body and that's all she gets?" Angelo asked, rhetorically.

"Oh, uh, w-well, I, uh, I didn't want to, uh-"

"Give your mother a hug." Angelo ordered, sternly.

"Y-yes, sir." Marcia whimpered and wrapped both her arms around her mother in a warm embrace.

Angelo smiled again before turning to see his former house guest. "Comet! It's good to see you again, bud! Come on in, join the party! Help yourself to the food! Jonah and Jackson said they'd be coming over soon! I know they'll be happy to see you again!"

Comet smiled brightly at Angelo's invitation. "Thank you for having me, Mr. Diaz. And you, Mrs. Diaz. I… I'm very happy for you both. This baby's so lucky to be born into this life…" The mewman's lips began to quiver as his eyes water. "A life with certainty and truth…"

Rosa let go of Marcia and moved to comfort the boy. "Comet, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I just… I'm glad to be back." Comet whimpered, starting to cry. "I really needed this…"

Marcia let out a sad sigh. "Oh, boy, this is gonna be harder than I thought."

Castle Dragonfly. Mewni.

After Comet had left for Earth, Mars sprung into action dealing with the aftermath of the trial. Keeping Eclipsine by his side, his first course of action was to call a meeting with the other leaders of Mewni and explain the MHC's treason and Eclipsine's pardoning. However, under Eclipsine's suggestion, Mars omitted the part about him not being a true descendant of the Dragonfly family. Next, he explained that he would be leaving with the King of Darkness to find Meteoro.

Once the meeting had ended, Mars set about gathering his armor and explaining to Lake how she'd be in charge for a while. At the same time, Eclipsine took advantage of his newfound freedom to wander around his old castle. He entered the library and brushed his fingers along the rows of books until he came upon his grandfather's series on alternate dimensions, his aunt's DIY project novel, and even his father's biography.

"We're all back together." Eclipsine whispered, happily, to himself.

"Mars Bar, you can't be serious!" Lake exclaimed from the other room. "I understand that what the Magical High Commission did was wrong, but allying yourself with the King of Darkness?! The mewman who… has relations with monsters?!"

"I can hear you, my dear." Eclipsine called out, casually. "And for the record; a monster. I have a relationship with a monster. One monster. I am a staunch practitioner of monogamy. And she does have a name; Glo-"

"Alright, enough bickering." Mars interrupted, putting on the last piece of armor. "Lake, regardless of what Eclipsine has done, he's currently the only one who can help me find the Commission. I want you to stay here in case Comet comes back. And if he does, make sure he holds on to this."

The king handed the Dragonfly scepter over to his queen and gave her a quick kiss. Lake nodded in understanding before watching her husband and Eclipsine set off towards the Forest of Certain Death. Riding horseback, their first destination was the castle Comet told them about where Atrocious had kidnapped him and Marcia. But as they traveled, Mars couldn't help but wonder what his new partner's intentions were.

"Alright, talk." Mars spoke up. "Why'd you ask me not to tell the other rulers that Comet and I aren't your descendants?"

"I suspect they would have made a plea to have you dethroned." Eclipsine shrugged, casually. "And we couldn't have that. We'll need the bureaucracy for the next phase of my plans."

Mars arched an eyebrow. "And what, pray tell, would that be?"

"Uniting mewmans and monsters into a peaceful society." Eclipsine smiled. "After we've found my son, of course."

Mars frowned. "Eclipsine, I understand your desire to protect your son, but he's no longer Meteoro. The abuse he's suffered at the hands of the Commission has changed him. He's killed hundreds of innocent people. He might not even remember you."

Eclipsine's smile faded. "I have to try. I promised my beloved-"

"King Mars!" A voice called out, bringing the two kings to a halt. Yelena Bulgolybov, the frog monster friend of Comet, had agreed to meet the duo enroute and offer safe guidance through the Forest. Armed with her harvesting scythe to cut through overgrown shrubbery, she led the group towards the castle. But what caught Eclipsine's eyes was the purple crystal attached to the blade.

"If you don't mind my asking, Yelena, where did you get that scythe?"

"What, this?" Yelena glanced at the farming tool in her hand. "It is a family heirloom that has belonged to the Bulgolybovs for centuries. Why?"

"No reason." Eclipsine smiled, touched by the fact that Viktor had kept the tool for so long. "It just reminded me of an old friend."

"Well, come along. My babysitter charges by the hour."

At last, the trio reached the abandoned castle and began searching for clues as to where Atrocious was headed. As he shifted through the rubble, Eclipsine stumbled upon Meteoro's old nursery. The former king made his way to the bookshelf and found a dusty stuffed animal sitting atop it. He sadly brushed the dust off of the toy and tucked it into his coat.

"Your majesty! This way!" Yelena called, earning the duo's attention.

The frog woman had found tracks leading deep into the forest. But what made these footprints so interesting was that they seemed to increase in width and depth with each step. The trio immediately set out tracking the footprints, and soon discovered that as they got bigger, the trees had been cleared away to blaze a trail. While Yelena continued ahead, Mars noticed Eclipsine's melancholy expression and sighed.

"Okay, let's assume you're right. Let's say that Atrocious - erm, Meteoro - does remember you; what exactly are you expecting him to do when he sees you?"

"I don't know, Mars." Eclipsine admitted. "But I must have hope. He's still my son. I must believe that I can save him. Him and his mother."

Before Mars could say anything else, he realized that Yelena had disappeared. The duo nervously scanned the surrounding area until they found an open clearing. A blinding flash of light drew their attention to Yelena's motionless body just as her head went limp to show her pitch-black eyes. The pair of kings retreated behind a large boulder just in time to see Meteoro stand up from the soulless body. He had grown thirty feet tall, his tail, fangs, and claws were regrown, and his body was covered in a coat of purple fur. His eyes glowed with green dark energy as they finished absorbing the frog woman's soul.

"He has Dark Magic." Mars whispered, fearfully.

"Mm-hm." Eclipsine nodded.

Meteoro growled as he tossed aside Yelena's soulless body. With his energy replenished, the size-shifter stomped back towards the mountain he had been clawing through.

"This is bad." Mars remarked. "We need to stop him before he grows too powerful."

"Wait, let me try something…" Eclipsine took the stuffed toy out from his pocket and slowly made his way towards his son. "I'm sure he'll remember me."

"What are you doing?!" Mars whispered. "Stop!"

But Eclipsine merely shrugged back at the king and cautiously approached the giant monster. Each step the monster took created a tremor that rattled Eclipsine's bones, but still he pressed on. An accidental step on a twig alerted the towering monster, who quickly turned around and fired another beam of green dark energy, just narrowly missing the target.

"Wait! W-wait!" Eclipsine trembled as he held up the stuffed toy. "Before you kill me… I brought you something!"

Once Meteoro's eyes glanced down at the toy, they returned to their natural lavender hue and a soft gasp slipped through his lips. He cautiously stomped closer to Eclipsine and knelt down to get a closer look. "... Bo-bo?" He whispered as he gingerly picked up the King of Darkness and held him close. "Is it… really Bo-bo?"

"Yes… yes!" Eclipsine sobbed, happily. "Yes, Bo-bo! You do remember!"

"What's a 'bo-bo?'" Mars whispered in confusion to himself.

"But… papa made Bo-bo…" The giant size-shifter smiled, softly, as he began to cry tears of joy. "Are you my… papa?"

"Erm…" Eclipsine felt a bit uncomfortable. "You know, I'd prefer 'father-'"

"WHAT?" Meteoro's eyes began to glow with menacing power once more.

"Eh, but 'papa' is just fine!" Eclipsine replied, nervously. "What should I call you?"

Meteoro smiled once again and sat cross-legged on the ground. "'Baby-Buddy.'" He declared.

"Ooooo-kay." Eclipsine smiled, awkwardly.

"Papa, where have you been?" Meteoro asked, innocently.

Eclipsine bit his lip, trying to come up with the right words. "Well… some very terrible people locked me up in a dusty old crystal. They were a maladjusted, close-minded lot. Led by a rather nasty king."

"Hey!" Mars quietly spluttered in offense.

"But, that is an error bygone. All that matters is that we've found each other again." Eclipsine continued with a smile, which in turn made Meteoro smile. "And now that we're back together, I'm hoping we'll have all the time in the world to catch up on everything we missed out on!"

"Like what?" Meteoro tilted his head, slightly.

"Um… I don't actually know…" Eclipsine admitted. He and Solarius had only a few precious moments together, unlike conventional fathers and sons. And considering that Meteoro was three years old when he was taken from him, he never had a chance to learn from experience. But he had to come up with something to say to keep his son placated. "Things like… camping trips! Bedtimes past eight! Ice cream for breakfast!"

"I hate ice cream." Meteoro scowled, bitterly.

"No ice cream, then! What would you like instead? Anything you want."

Meteoro turned his attention back towards the mountain and his gaze hardened with determination. "The throne of Mewni." He declared.

"Oh…" Eclipsine frowned, worriedly. "W-well, um, the current king and I have been working together rather well, lately. I'm sure we could negotiate a compromise-"

"Papa, we need not compromise!" Meteoro declared. The monster gently set his father back on the ground and stood up to direct his attention to the mountain he'd been clawing through. "I can sense a power far greater than the scepter hidden within that rock! We can claim that power for ourselves! We can take back our kingdom! And crush anyone who dares stand in our way!"

Eclipsine followed his son's gaze to the mountain and the spade-marks on his cheeks began to glow. Even with his connection to the Dark Dimension weakened due to centuries of imprisonment, he, too, sensed the dark power hidden deep within the mountain. But where Meteoro saw a means of conquest, Eclipsine shuddered as he saw nothing but destruction and chaos in the future.

"Meteoro, wait!" Eclipsine shouted, earning the monster's attention once again. "That power is too dangerous! You mustn't tamper with it!"

"What?" Meteoro blinked in confusion. "But, papa, you've wielded dark magic for years!"

"That's because I've practiced using it!" Eclipsine explained, gently. "It took me years to form a symbiotic link with the Dark Dimension so I could use its power! But if you try to abuse that power it will consume you!"

"No, no, papa, it'll be fine!" Meteoro smiled with pride as he pointed to the lifeless body of Yelena. "See! I can use dark magic, too! And the power within that mountain will enhance our magic! Together, we-!"

"No, Meteoro, no!" Eclipsine interrupted, sternly. "I understand that you've been hurt! But this is not the way to make it right! Abandon this path you've set yourself on and come home with me!"

Meteoro frowned at his father's tone. "Are you… saying no to me?!"

Now, anyone else in Eclipsine's shoes would be intimidated by a thirty-foot-tall size-shifter with purple fur and glowing green eyes glaring down at them. However, Eclipsine's paternal instincts had completely kicked into overdrive at this point. He didn't want his son to hurt himself by trying to control dark mewtonium with no actual training, nor did he want him to hurt anyone else by draining their souls from their bodies. So, the King of Darkness crossed his arms and put his foot down. "Yes! I am!"

Mars nervously bit his fingernails in anticipation, worried about how Meteoro would react. However, instead of draining Eclipsine's soul from his body, the size-shifter prince merely pouted and stomped back towards the mountain to continue carving his way through it.

"Meteoro Glandelex Dragonfly, don't you turn your back on me!" Eclipsine scolded, chasing after the monster. "You turn right back around and come home with me this instant!"

"Alright, I've had enough of this!" Mars grumbled before magically conjuring a sword and jumping out from his cover. "Meteoro Dragonfly, for your crimes as Headmaster Atrocious, you are under arrest!"

"Mars, no-!" Eclipsine called out.

"You! The usurper!" Meteoro growled and lunged towards Mars.

In response, the undaunted king rolled out of the way and sliced at Meteoro's leg. The monster roared in pain before swatting his attacker aside with his tail. Mars shrugged off the blow, activated his mewberty form, and took to the sky. Even if he wasn't a true Dragonfly, he still retained the magic inherited from the scepter. Eclipsine could only watch in horror as Meteoro tried to blast Mars out of the sky with his soul-draining eye beams. However, Mars proved too swift and agile for the monster to land a direct hit. And while he couldn't hit such a small target, Mars had little trouble blasting a significantly larger one.

Eclipsine ran towards Yelena and checked her pulse; although she no longer had her soul, she was still alive by all other counts. His eyes shifted towards the scythe she had been using and he instinctively picked it up. Once in his grasp, his spade-marks shone with dark power, as did the crystal tied to the blade. Eclipsine had reclaimed his Scythe of Shadows.

Meanwhile, Mars had pinned Meteoro against a large oak tree with a massive beam of concussive light. Despite the monster's thrashing, Mars was convinced he could keep him restrained until he either passed out or died. But his concentration was suddenly broken once someone tackled him further up into the air. Eclipsine had used the power of the scythe to reconnect with the Dark Dimension, fly to intercept Mars, and stop him from attacking his son.

As Mars struggled against Eclipsine, the power of the scythe was having a reactionary effect on his own connection to the Dark Dimension. The dark blue veins on the king's wrists began to climb further up his arms, Dark Magic painfully surging through his nervous system as it clashed with the Light Magic he was used to. Meteoro took advantage of the distraction and fired another soul-draining beam at Mars, causing a devastating explosion that took out much of the surrounding flora.

Moments later, Eclipsine woke up to see Meteoro had left him behind to head back to the mountain. "Meteoro… no…" He reached out in vain, struggling to get back on his feet. "M-Mars…? Mars, where… where are you?"

The King of Darkness looked up to see Mars was still in his mewberty-form, hovering high in the air. Suddenly a portal to an unknown realm opened up in front of the king and he slowly flew towards it. Eclipsine called out to him, but gasped in shock once he saw Mars' face. The undaunted king's body was contaminated; Dark and Light Magic fighting against one another inside his system.

"Mars! Mars, wait! Wait!" Eclipsine reached out to his friend, but it was too late.

The portal closed and Mars disappeared. He tried to find his Scythe to reopen the barrier, but it was nowhere to be seen. Glancing back towards Meteoro, the monster had resumed digging through the mountain, unaware that the blast had blown the Scythe of Shadows out of Eclipsine's hands and lodged it into his back. The King of Darkness looked down at his hands; his connection to the Dark Dimension had been temporarily restored, but he was still far too weak to stop Meteoro by himself.

"I need help." He remarked to himself before running back towards Castle Dragonfly.

To Be Continued!

Author's notes: Please, leave a review.