.
Disclaimer: a hot take on A Fallen Knight. H'What?!
Chapter XX
Bad End
XxXxXxXxX
Marco sat in a dark cell.
The sound of water dripping somewhere was annoying but after for so long…it was something he could tune out. It wasn't hard after all…
He'd been in the cell for nearly a year.
With Mina smashing through the tower and nearly killing everyone in it; they fought valiantly but only a Dip Down Queen Moon and Princess Star could body the insane Solarian. Who immediately denied what she did and accused both Marco and Star of stopping her from stopping from destroying Meteora, the child of Eclipsa.
The Queen of Darkness…
Marco clenched his jaw at the name.
She was mighty calm the whole ordeal, not even batting an eyelash when Mina crashed right next to her or when she threw around Marco, Star, Moon, River, Hekapoo, Rhombulus, Omni, Tom and Ponyhead
"And why would she?"
Marco thought bitterly, "She was the one who addled her after all…when her mother passed she made a spell and made the Solarian warriors turn on each other; thinking they were fighting enemies and when they realized they killed their comrades, well…Mina's loyalty kept her from offing herself throughout the years…"
Marco could remember the Queen's gloating, after Mina was subdued and 95% of the knights of the kingdom beaten to a pulp by Mina, she took the wand and happily skipped away. Oh, they fought to keep her down but after Mina had thrashed them they could barely keep up with the Queen of Darkness.
Except him. He turned the Traitor's Sword on her. And that got her…to panic.
"YOU DARE TURN THAT SWORD AGAINST ME?!" came a shrill cry, the queen's spell buffeted Marco but he cleaved through them easily, "AFTER ALL I HAVE DONE FOR YOU, MARCO! YOU ARE TRULY THAT SWORD'S NAMESAKE!"
Marco grunted at each blow, his vitality powering each swing, he managed to bring Eclispa down with a blazing arc and she scurried back, fear stricken at the sight of Marco marching upon her.
Only to have him fall to his knees and faint. Unable to stay awake from the sword's sapping powers.
Eclipsa sneered at the sight and with a booming voice, announced she was free and couldn't have done it without Marco and Star; and she would come for Moon and all of Mewni.
Queen Moon was beside herself with rage.
She locked up Mina. And she locked up Marco as well.
He grimaced at the memory.
He stood in front of Queen Moon, King River and Princess Star. In shackles. With a few hundred knights, hastily bandaged and glaring at him. The MHC were not far from him either and looked upon him in disgust.
"What do you have to say for yourself, Marco?"
"I—!" "What did Eclipsa promise you?" "She—!"
"Why did you help her escape!?"
"I DIDN'T! SHE'S JUST TWISTING THE SITUATION!"
Marco went on and on why he wouldn't help her until he was huffing for air even as the knights pointed their weapons, Moon looked as if she was questioning her decision to interrogate Marco, he was just a Squire after all…
"…I think you're right…I'm sorry, its just, it's Eclipsa…of course its Eclipsa, she would say that." Moon sighed, she walked down the dais and with a glowing hand undid the shackles, "I'm so sorry Marco, what came over me. You're Star's friend, you've been always good to her; you wouldn't—!"
Marco gasped as Moon's magic severed the last chain and brushed against his cheek, the moment it did his cheeks lit up with crescent moons.
Moon stared as Marco felt color leave his face. He yells and pleas to the royals fell on deaf ears as he was dragged away. Star cried as Moon questioned her, River in between his wife and daughter, his eyes were daggers on Marco.
If I got locked away
And we lost it all today
Tell me honestly would you still love me the same?
"Star! STAR! NO! LET GO OF ME!"
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE STAR! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA!"
"I-I didn't—"
"Moon-pie!"
If I showed you my flaws
If I couldn't be strong
Tell me honestly would you still love me the same?
Marco stared as a furious Moon appeared hours later in front of his cell,
"I, Queen Moon Butterfly, hereby sentence you, Marco U Diaz to life in prison…you are stripped of your rank and privileges as a Royal Squire. I sincerely hope helping Eclipsa was worth it to you, boy."
"You can't do this!" Marco pleaded, she gave him a cold look. "Ah yes, even your sword has been confiscated: it was your possession. Now it is Butterfly Royal Heirloom, a passable replacement since you are the reason for Eclipsa taking the Royal Wand."
"You can't have it. That sword only obeys me."
"Are you sure?"
Marco's jaw slammed on the floor when Moon held aloft the sword…but it changed, it was elegant but it had a certain elegant refinement to it. Something akin to Moon's tastes.
"It did shock me an awful amount of times, but when I managed to think through the pain I said you were unworthy, how you helped Eclipsa, a renegade Queen and a poor master you would be to it, well…see for yourself."
She tilted the blade reflection to him and all he could see was his distraught face. She left without a word as he stumbled back into the darkness of his cell.
Right about now
If I judge for life, man, would you stay by my side?
Or is you gonna say goodbye?
Can you tell me right now?
If I couldn't buy you the fancy things in life
Shawty, would it be alright
Come on show me that you know
Marco sat in his cell, he was fed. Enough. Not to be starving but neither to be content either.
He only had enough to last him to the following day… And as if his torment wasn't enough. The knights ridiculed him. The guards ridiculed him.
Sir Lavabo tried to see him when he could but when he stopped abruptly…Marco got worried. He begged for information, doing and saying humiliating things did the guards finally tell him that Sir Lavabo was sent on a quest.
A month later.
Marco received a very somber Moon, telling him that Sir Lavabo had perished during the quest. His will stated that Marco attend the funeral if anything had happened to him. Moon denied the request and Marco roared and raged in his cell.
"LET ME OUT! YOU CAN'T KEEP ME IN HERE…YOU CAN'T…PLEASE…SIR LAVABO…"
"Tsk, he died cause of you, ya dirt bag Royal Squire. He thought the quest would set ya free." the guard spat.
Now tell me would you really ride for me
Baby tell me would you die for me
Would you spend your whole life with me
Would you be there to always hold me down
Marco had other visitors.
Kelly caught wind and tried to visit him. She tried to slip him a file but was quickly found out and detained. She was banned from Mewni for the rest of her life.
Higgs didn't say much, she stood in front of his cell and glared at him. Balled up in her fist was Sir Lavabo's coat of arms, she was training to be the next the Knight of the Wash.
Tell me would you really cry form
Baby don't lie to me
If I didn't have anything
I wanna know would you stick around
Star visited him once and fled when he cried out to her. Reached out for her. He heard Tom at the very end comforting her.
Star visited him again, half a year later.
She had been thoroughly questioned by her mother, spilling everything she knew and what the two of them had done. She was beyond angry, but Star being her daughter she could only do so much, but Marco was not safe from her wrath.
Marco pleaded with her, begging her he had done nothing wrong, that Moon was punishing him because she could not execute Mina, a Solarian was not something easily killed, no beast nor Monster could, not since the time of Queen Solaria. What she didn't know was the sword's could truly do... So Marco was what she flexed her will upon instead.
"I told her everything, Marco."
"We should have told her at the start."
The princess shook her head,
"I should have said so sooner, then maybe…"
"Eclipsa played us from the start, Star. She must have been a jolly good time doing it too."
"Marco…"
"Star, you don't think you're Mom is going to keep me here forever? She's going to throw back to Echo Creek—"
"Marco." Star said louder, he stopped, "Marco. I think my Mom is seriously going to keep you here. Ever since the Wand was lost, and Eclipsa is free, its been hard to keep Mewni under control. It's mayhem out there, Marco. Mom said we're so close to a Civil War."
Marco stood there, unsure what to do.
"…Mom said I should start acting like the princess I'm supposed to be; I had my time to be wild and crazy with my friends but with all of this…I have to step up to my birthright, Marco."
"W-what are you saying, Star?"
"Mom…doesn't want me to keep seeing you Marco. Tom's really worried too."
"What?! I understand your mother, Star but—"
"She said she's going to crystalize you."
"…no, Star, no, not that! I could be stuck in there for—you got to get me out, Star! That's inhumane! Look what happened to Eclipsa, she went 300 years into the future because of it!"
"You think I didn't want this Marco!? I begged, I cried, I tried everything Marco! I did everything I could so she wouldn't do it!"
"Star…"
"When I'm queen, I'll get you out of your crystal, Marco, I promise. I'll be older…and you'll be still 15 but then you're free right?"
"Star think about what you're saying…my parents, my friends…I'm going to be the same as her, as Eclipsa…I'll live in a different time, Star!"
"Well, its better than being dead Marco!" Star snapped, "What else can I do? What could you do!?"
Star slapped her hand over her mouth, "…no, Marco I didn't mean it like that."
Marco just stood there, fully realizing what had happened: he was powerless, at the mercy of those outside of the cell…
In his spiraling despair he didn't even register Tom's voice calling out to Star, the princess looked back at her best friend, she said something but it didn't reach him. Her eyes welled with tears before she turned away,
"Good bye…Marco."
"Star please—Star no!" Marco cried.
If I got locked away
And we lost it all today
Tell me honestly would you still love me the same?
If I showed you my flaws
If I couldn't be strong
Tell me honestly would you still love me the same?
"Hey, meat bag." Marco looked up, Hekapoo stared at him from beyond the cell bars, "I shouldn't say this but your big day is coming around the corner."
"…"
"Hate to be the smithy to say it but you blew it up big time; if only ya been honest with lil ol' Hekapoo. You wouldn't be wasting away in some dank cell."
"…"
Hekapoo shook her head, "…I thought you were smarter than this, better than this, you really made me think you were one in a lifetime, well in mine it would be forever…but you just had to lie for her, your princess."
"…"
"The sad part is: she wasn't even your princess. Face it, dirt bag, you should have told Moon that Star was doing all that crap with the portals, that she was talking to Eclipsa, everything. Sure it would ruin your friendship and relationship but its better than dying in some cell forgotten, your family and friend never ever EVER finding out what happened to you! Oh, Marco you fucked up big time."
"…"
"Ah. You really were one of a kind. See you around. Or not."
Hekapoo waited for a hot minute before she left, done tormenting the teen. With her gone, Marco finally let his tears dribble down.
"…I should have…"
Let's get it down
All I wanna is somebody who really love me much
A girl that I know I can trust
To be there when money lost
If I did not talk nothing else to give but love
Would that really be enough
Gotta need to know
Now tell me would you really ride for me
Baby tell me would you die for me
Would you spend your whole life with me
Would you be there to always hold me down
Tell me would you really cry form
Baby don't lie to me
If I didn't have anything
I wanna know would you stick around
Marco watched the steady drops of water.
He had done everything.
Raged through his cell.
Punched every stone in it until his fist bled.
Yelled at the top of his lungs at the injustice and his innocence in the entire matter.
Tears wet the stone floor as he lamented his fate and that of others he knew...Kelly didn't deserve to be banned, nor Sir Lavabo losing his life and worst of all the loved ones he left behind in Echo Creek.
Sometimes he would wake up screaming, drenched in cold sweat that Star indeed kept her promise but after 30 years of being happily married, or worst that he watched silently as Tom took his crystal prison and tossed it into a portal to an unknown destination, where he was never found. Each day was longer than the last and some nights he dreaded to sleep in the fear of the following day would be the one that would forever seal his fate.
He was filthy and scrawny in the 20x20 cell, his bed no better than a thin blanket and a threadbare rag wrapped around a rock to make it bearable to use as a pillow, light shone from above through a narrow shaft, just enough to illuminate his filthy prison.
Marco laid back against the stone wall, waiting for the meal that would fill his shallow cracked ceramic bowl. For a time he thought of just refusing the food and just starve to death, use his blanket as a noose and other macabre thoughts to end his existence but every time he thought he mustered up the courage...his teachers, his friends, his parents came and stopped him from following through.
"What do you want me to do?" Marco croaked, he gazed out of the cell and hunched down, "I can't escape this prison and...if I can't even do that, I...I don't deserve the Traitor's Sword...Buttercup and Oblivion wasted it upon me...Queen Moon is going to pass that sword down as if it was her own..."
The mere thought of it...the person that chained him owning the sword that bestowed upon him by his teachers, who trained and encourage all the time in the glade, who trusted him!
Marco felt his hair stand on ends. "I trained long and hard to be worthy of that sword! What has Moon done?! What has she done to deserve my sword!" he looked up at the stone ceiling.
"THAT SWORD BELONGS TO ME! YOU CAN'T KEEP IT AWAY FROM ME!" Marco roared as he stood up, the guard came running around the corner and snarled at him.
"Ya shut yer trap boy!"
"BRING QUEEN MOON HERE NOW!"
"I ain't going to tell you again!"
"BRING HER HERE NOW!"
"I don't like your tone." he mocked. Marco readied to bellow at the Mewman again, but the guard lifted his quarterstaff and shot it through the cell and knocked Marco against the stone wall, knocking the wind out of him. Gasping for breath, Marco watched as the guard spit on him and left, grumbling about the hours and the prisoners he had to watch over.
Marco felt a strangled cry escape him. But his eyes burned with fury at the strike. He held out his hand and thought of it squeezing around the guard's fat neck, "AH!"
Without warning fire exploded around his hand and he sat up waving around, something metal clanged against the wall, he looked at his hand before looking at the wall: his sword laid on his bed. He scrambled for it and lifted it up, it retained the elegance that Moon besmirched it with, he growled and waved it a bit before it trembled and turned back.
He smiled at it before a sinister smile replaced it, he glanced at the cell bars and yelled, "HEY GET OVER HERE!" Marco didn't notice the sword begin to bend and curve at the hilt, forming a jagged look.
He heard the stomps of the guard and he cocked his arm back, the sword lit up at his command. The guard appeared across him ready to yell and his quarterstaff already cocked to him again when he froze seeing Marco. His eyes went wide at the sight of Marco savagely smiling at him, the Traitor's Sword ablaze.
"HEL—!"
He didn't get to yell anymore than that as Marco swung as hard as he could and a brilliant blazing arc came screaming out and sheared through the cell and severed the guard in two.
Marco smiled at the carnage before he cut his cell apart and walked out, he was malnourished and weak, but he never felt more alive! He smiled darkly as guards came running to see the disturbance, he smiled even wider as the sword lit up again, the guards screamed and the entire castle shook afterwards.
Moon gasped when the sword vanished from her hands, she blinked at the loss of the Royal Butterfly Sword and her thoughts raced who could have it: Marco.
"Damn that boy!" the queen cried as she quickly made for the prison, just then she tripped as the castle shook. She blinked looking around before more followed before she ran and pulled a rope cord, signaling an attack.
"Guards! Knights! BATTLE STATIONS!" Moon yelled down the halls as she raced for the prisons, sweat formed on her brow and neck as explosions followed the rumbles.
She turned to another hall before she raised a magical barrier to block a blazing arc that nearly blindsided her.
"Darn."
"…Marco."
The queen saw the Ex-Royal Squire before her, he wiped his chin with his sleeve and tossed an goblet aside, bread crumbs and sauce on his shirt, it looked like he raided the Dining Hall before finding her.
Marco smiled at her, not the one she was accustomed to, no.
It was a livid one.
She could feel the utter hatred fueling it.
"How did you get my sword."
"YOUR SWORD?" Marco barked with laughter, he shook his head mockingly, "IT WAS NEVER YOUR SWORD. I TRAINED DAY IN AND DAY OUT FOR THIS SWORD, ALL YOU DID WAS STEAL IT FROM ME."
"How dare—!"
Moon didn't get a word out as he unleashed a blazing dark arc that cleaved through the barrier and sent her flying through the castle.
Marco let out a wounded battle cry then laughed, "Don't you ever…ever talk about as if this was yours!"
He chuckled stupidly for a second, he paused feeling something drip to his lips and he wiped at his face with his sleeve seeing vivid blood.
"…well fuck…I better get out of here…" Marco mumbled as he thought where they could have put his scissors, his memories murky after his confinement and indulgence of destruction.
He paused again before rolling away as Star came zooming in down the hall in her Butterfly Form. Marco sluggishly got to his feet and held the sword in perfect poise contrary to his condition,
"Ah, Star…good to see you again."
"Marco what are you doing?!"
"Busted myself out…you see I realized…if I went with your stupid plan, what's the assurance you'd let me free?" Marco questioned, he paced to the side as Star did the same, "For all I know…you could have left me there...alone, forgotten in some godforsaken place."
"I would keep my promise, Marco!"
"That's not good enough!" he roared, "I follow your plan and what? I go back to Echo Creek 10, 20 years later, if at all? What of my friends and family, hm? My parents would be heartbroken looking for me, what would happen to them, hmm?! No, you should have just let me free."
"Well, you're free now, so stop doing what you're doing!"
Marco laughed at Star, she felt cold sweat run down her back, "I am free…and I intend to stay that way, Star…"
He raised his sword, there was no time for his scissors, he would just have to
He leapt back as Star tried to blast him.
He turned to look at her a glowing hand pointed at him; furious she would stop him!
"You're really doing this then, Star!?"
"Marco, I can't just let you go!"
Marco scoffed, he leveled the sword at his best friend,
"Like mother like daughter, I suppose!"
He ran forward his sword dragged on the floor as Star made herself a magical blade and the two traded blows.
Or just one.
The Traitor's Sword gleefully broke the blade to pieces, eyes wide Star didn't process the sudden destruction giving Marco time to channel lightning from the sword to his hand and blast her into the wall.
Star coughed as she slid to the ground from the attack as Marco coughed up blood and knelt, feeling the damages catching up to him.
"Stay away from my little girl, knave!"
Marco rolled away as River came at him with a double-bladed battle axe, he snarled at the man responsible for humiliating him for weeks back on Earth. And Star's heart shot up to her throat knowing that.
"RIVER!"
"BACK YOU FIEND!"
Marco stood up even as blood poured out of the corner of his mouth and nose,
"YOU TOOK E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G FROM ME, RIVER!"
Star and River watched in horror as Marco held the sword up high, it chattered viciously as it grew jagged angry teeth, it lit up black writhing flames,
RETRIBUTION!
A thundering crash came as the arc came, Star held up her hand and blasted it with her golden death ray pushing it just enough. River screamed and leapt away, if it wasn't for the blast it would have killed him no matter how far or what he cowered behind.
The arc however still took half of the castle with it in a mighty explosion, Star sat there shaking at the sight of her castle nearly smeared off the face of Mewni. River was somewhere alive, his groaning confirming it.
Star shakily stood up, completely drained of strength, it took everything to stop the arc.
"Hmph, not bad. Let's try that again."
"!"
Star looked up startled to see Marco ready to unleash another arc, the sword up high once again.
"Marco, no!"
He glared at her before brought the sword down, cutting open a rift instead, he coughed up more blood, he wiped and looked at her in disgust,
"...as much as I want to never see you again, Star.
YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST OF ME."
And Star watched as her best friend walked through the portal.
She wouldn't see him again 3 years later…
[Three Years Later…]
Moon was laid in a crater.
Star groaned as she picked herself up.
River roared at Marco,
"How dare you show your face here again Marco! First hiding behind your Ward now you—!"
"Shut. Your. Fat. Gob. River." Marco drawled as lightning struck the Mewman and smashed him across the floor, the axe he threw at the last second bounced off the Dark Knight.
He dusted his blood stained hoodie, looking at the cut that was made and looking at the skin beneath.
"Automata, you're a wonderful Elemental, did you know that?"
DIE IN A HOLE, MONSTER!
Marco smiled, he looked across the castle, and sighed happily: everything was on fire and nearly collapsed at his doing.
He glanced at his back to see the Magic High Commission groaning at their collective ass beating he gave them. Omni laid face down, Rhombulus was put through a wall, and Heckapoo…
She struggled against Ignis, the Fire Elemental as she put her in a full nelson and held her down even as she swore up and down what she would do to Marco.
"Shut your trap you wench!" Ignis hissed before she made Hekapoo head-butt a pillar.
Marco smirked at that, "I wish your sisters were more cooperative." "They would if you let them!" "Ah, that's fine, you're the only one that I really care about." "You should care about them too! C'mon Marco, you promised to treat them better!" "…ah, alright, I can't say no to that pout." "I. AM. NOT. POUTING."
Star looked up to see Marco snickering at a blushing fiery woman, for a brief moment she could see the Marco she knew…the kind Marco, the dorky Safe Kid of Echo Creek, her best friend.
"DIE!"
"Sit down River."
Marco swayed under an axe blow before he blasted the king with frigid ice from his hands.
"Papa!" Star yelled as her father flew out of view, the sound of ice shattering spoke his fate.
Marco's head snapped to her and she shrank at the sight of Marco's eyes.
All black except for a deep glowing sinister green for his iris,
"Ah, Star, so glad you're awake."
"Marco please…you don't have to do this…any of this…" Star pleaded as the Dark Knight smiled at her and with each step he made, loud crunches of wood, stone or bones was beneath it, echoing across the destroyed castle, the kingdom was no better.
He came charging through the front, all by himself.
At least that's what they thought.
Then from his fingertips came blasts of the elements, fireballs, waterspouts, tornadoes and earthquakes were at his command. He tore through with ease and if that wasn't enough he brought his Earth technology with him: guns. Lots of guns.
Plate armor were nothing to a hot lead bullet.
He hosed knights left and right before he ran out of targets.
Moon and herself tried to stop him but he invited them to attack him, he even stood still for some spells and to their dismay he muscled through it.
And they fought.
From the town to the castle doorstep.
And inside of the castle, top to the bottom.
Marco was having a grand time.
He told them he was toying with them, if they were Eclipsa, well…he would be fighting for his life.
"Oho! You're toying with us are you!" Moon snarled as she channeled her powers, Marco nodded amused,
"Oh. I am. You see, ECLIPSA gave me this scar." He pointed at his left eye, "Before I killed her that is. Her. Meteora. And Globgor."
Moon and Star stood there in shock.
He smirked,
"Oh, they pushed me to the brink. Remember there were a couple really bad Mewni-shakes, by the way stupid name, Earthquakes, EARTHquakes, much better, anyways that was the result of me and Eclipsa duking it out. Ahhh~ good times. Nearly died too…didn't you ever wonder why the Wand came back to you?"
[FLASHBACK TIME]
Eclipsa stared as her kingdom was aflame by the Dark Knight she created, he rained down lightning and meteors from on high before he came crashing down sending tremors.
Her subjects and minions, who were still alive tried to dispose of the Dark Knight, died painfully as he brought up spires of ice, steel, stone, wood and glass, impaling them and left there.
She thought of fleeing but when he announced that it wouldn't matter, he would set the entire Mewni ablaze to smoke her out. It solidifies her choice.
Run.
She didn't get far.
Meteora, Globgor and herself saw the Dark Knight race after them and sent them crashing into the ground.
"Grrr, Dark Knight? Hah! I've fought those! Killed and ate them!" Globgor boast, Eclipsa's face drained in color as Marco wasn't even fazed by the threat, in fact he smiled.
"Well, Globgor, I hope you wont disappoint your reputation precedes you…Prince of Darkness. Let's see whose darkness is deeper!" "Hmph, lets!" "NO! Globgor stop! He has the Traitor's Sword! It can kill Immortals! What do you think will happen if it cuts you! We have to run!" "Then we get rid of the sword then he's dead!" Meteora yelled.
"Sure, here you go." Marco tossed the sword at their feet, "Here also a pair of Dimensional Scissors! Throw it somewhere far, far away from here. Because I don't need that sword. TO. KILL. YOU. ECLIPSA."
Marco smiled as the three stared at him, as he had lost his mind.
Eclipsa cut open a portal with the scissors and kicked the sword into it.
The moment it closed, Globgor and Meteora leapt at Marco, he smirked and grabbed Meteora and threw her over his shoulder. Globgor turned titanic and scooped him up and closed his fist, feeling the body in his palm.
"So much for a Dark Knight…what!?"
"Peek-a-boo!" Marco grinned as he pushed the hand open, he smiled at the giant, Eclipsa stared, as did Meteora.
"Grrr!" Globgor tried to close his fist but Marco kept it open, the size-shifted used his other fist and punched the Dark Knight.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Globgor howled as he pulled back his fist: broken.
"Oof, that sorta tickled~!" Marco mocked, he pushed the hand wide enough for him to escape, but not before he snapped one of giant's fingers before flipping him over, almost cartoonishly.
The land rippled from the crash.
Eclipsa was sent flying into the air before she hit the ground, Marco landed before her, smiling.
"Oh, Eclipsa, this wont end well for you."
"When my family is at stake: nothing is out of limits, Marco."
And fighting ensued.
Eclipsa, Meteora and Globgor were fearsome.
Taking three of them were suicide; a fools errand.
But Marco relished such a thing.
They were handful 3v1; dogging Marco at the start.
Even without the Traitor's Sword, Marco brought forth the elements down on them, magic bounced of him as he pummel Globgor into the side of the mountain with his Imperial Fortress: Alexander Mode until the size-shifter could barely blink let alone breathe. Before that he was casually tossing the Monster, they tried smashing him with boulders and trees, but he shrugged them off and broke Globgor's toes for their troubles.
Meteora seeing her father thrashed tried her luck and Marco slammed her with bouts of Force of Nature and Wrath of Nature; she ended up like her father.
Eclipsa unleashed her most powerful spells.
Dark magic contamination spread to her neck but Marco wasn't denied, he blasted her with combination elements, whirlpools filled with glass and katanas, flaming shurikens, lasers from above, mudmen that exploded, screaming birds made out of electricity and hate, all manner of things that she never expected from the boy.
It was a battle of attrition and Marco showed no signs of stopping or slowing, every time Eclipsa came with a spell or invented one, so did Marco combining elements and making her pay for it.
The queen fought until she was on her knees, gasping for breath, she raised the wand to blast him but Marco kicked out of her hand. She cried at the pain, the pain all over her body before she gave one last command:
"Fly…back…to the…Butterfly Kingdom…"
"Wasteful. Ah well that's my next stop anyways."
"What…are you…how could you…get this strong…you're just a filthy human…nothing about you…"
Marco slapped her.
Hard.
"Human. Hah. Yes. Well this human just wrecked you, your husband and your heir."
"…how?"
Marco smiled,
"I had a great teacher."
[FLASHBACK INSIDE OF A FLASHBACK TIME]
"Fuckin'…bastard…"
"Hah…hah…well damn…you're a tough one, StudMuffin."
Marco tried to grin as he laid against the wall with a couple bullet wounds, as StudMuffin, his teacher for the past 3 years laid in a pool of his own blood.
"I…shouldn't…have trained…you…"
"Hmph…really now? Regretting it?"
"…bastard…why…"
"I needed to be good…you were the best…I wished you didn't stop me, Stud, I really respected you, when you said I was your protégé…it meant the world to me."
"Then…don't do…what you're about to do…" he wheezed, Marco smiled, "You know I want revenge. Once I have it: then everything will go back to the way it was."
"No…no…it wont…"
Marco groaned and stood up, he limped over to the merc and placed a hand over his chest, he blew off his legs and arms.
"Hear me now Elementals, if you don't want to die inside this meat bag, I'm giving you a way out. But you're going to do what I want when I want, none of the sass you usually gave my mentor."
AS IF WE'RE GOING TO YOU!?
AFTER WHAT YOU JUST DID!?
WE'D RATHER DIE!
"…I see, alright then: the hard way. Ignis."
What?
Wait, AHHH!
Marco groaned as the Elementals were ejected out of StudMuffin and seeped into him, he quickly chained the Elementals to his will, his skin bubbled and jutted as if knives were beneath his flesh. He groaned and wrestled control over them, Ignis stood behind Marco, demure and guilty, Stud looked at her in disbelief,
"Ignis…why?"
"…because I know what he went through, he deserves justice."
"…Ignis…please, Marco…don't hurt them...that's my last request."
"...fine, I'll honor that request: on the grounds they don't give me a hard time."
"…ya little fucker…"
"…I'll miss you, Stud." Marco whispered, Ignis patted his shoulder as the two watched the life leave his eyes.
[FLASHBACK OVER, BUT NOT FOR THE FIRST ONE]
"Your teacher must be sooo proud."
"He was…until he wasn't."
"Ah, more treachery."
"Well, I had one more, but that—AAAHHH!"
Eclipsa took his gloating until he looked away, cutting him with a poisonous Butterfly Knife magick from her palm.
"Too bad for you, Marco…that's old magick, it'll never heal and you'll die from it, there is no cure." Eclipsa cackled.
Marco stumbled back and held out his hand, flames wrapped around it before it revealed the Traitor's Sword.
"Sorry to disappoint then…"
Marco opened both his eyes, each one pitch black.
Eclipsa gasped.
However, only one had a glowing green iris.
"Huh. I really did lose the eye. No matter. I wont be dying any time soon anyways."
"W-what—what are you!?"
Marco towered over the queen, his sword glistening in the moonlight and firelight from the distant kingdom that was on fire still.
"I'm not a Dark Knight, hah, far from it: I am a Fallen Dark Knight."
Then the sword came crashing down.
"Hey, can you fix this?" Marco stood on an asteroid and pointed at his useless eye.
The Fell Dragon looked at it,
No. It's gone. The Fell activated after you lost the eye. You asked for:
The Strength to Defeat Your Enemies.
Bravo. You chose a great definition for your Fell powers.
"Yeah, well, I guess I'm going to be using an eye patch. Just like that crazy coot said I would. I could be B*g B*ss now."
I have a better idea. Here.
Marco watched as the dragon pluck out its own eye and held it out to him, he did the same, he held down his bile as he pulled out his useless left eye and tossed it aside as the dragon implant its own.
Well, how do you feel.
"…powerful."
That eye of mine can: dispel illusions, night vision, thermal vision, see vast distances, predict movement or copy it if you wish, cast illusions, hypnotize, discern foreign text, negate certain magick, clairvoyance, see through objects and other stuff I can't care to remember.
Marco tilted the sword and looked at his new eye, it was green alright but instead it the glowing iris formed around the blackness in the shape of a four pointed shuriken.
"This is some next level N*ruto."
A what?
[FLASHBACK END]
With Marco's dragon eye taking on Queen Moon, Princess Star, King River and anyone else brave enough to challenge him was child's play. He broke Moon apart, her Butterfly Form with the Wand was nothing with the Traitor's Sword, Fell powers and eye and the Elementals plus all the training he received; and guns. In the end he quite literally tore the magick out of Moon and threw down from the top of the castle.
Star took the Wand and tried her luck but Marco simply smashed her, floor after floor and every pillar and staircase he could find.
Higgs, brave Higgs. She came charging in, decked in her Knight of the Wash garb, he told her to leave while she can, she didn't need to die. She refused and Marco regrettably honored her with a fight to the death, as all knights would have wanted. He left her buried in the Wash.
He faced River without a shred of mercy, he told the King that he tore through Mewni before getting to their kingdom. In one day he took out the Big 8, gave them an hour to muster their forces before he tore across the place within an hour.
Spiderbite was set ablaze.
Jagged Mountain was leveled. It was plains now.
The ocean was dried up.
Cloud Kingdom crashed into the ground. Then it exploded.
Pigeon Kingdom had cats. Lots of cats.
Lucitor experienced a bitter winter. Tom, oh he fought, now he didn't.
Johansen Kingdom was no more.
The King went into a berserker rage but Marco matched the King in his fury and the two knocked each other senseless. Until River was sent flying out of the castle only to return with an axe and then smashed into the floor by lightning.
Before River returned the MHC tried their luck.
Marco quite literally did the same thing he did to Omni like he did Globgor: beat him. Rhombulus tried to incase him but he kept breaking the crystal.
"…I just realized, all you do is encase people in crystals, do you do anything else?"
"I can punch your face!"
"…oh my god, how are you the muscle of the MHC."
"RRRRAAAAAAGH!"
Marco punched his head until he stopped moving, leaving cracks all over it before throwing him through a wall.
Hekapoo watched the entire fight transpire, she came up to him and he glowered at her, "Alright meat bag, what do you want." "Revenge. You locked me up, accused me of being in league with Eclipsa, tortured me for it, unjustly—!" "Alright, alright, geez. Will it make you feel better if we were locked up for a year, like you?"
Marco narrowed his eyes, "Do you think that will appease me? After all you did to me?! All of you...you don't know what you did to me in that forsaken cell! You most of all! You think what you said didn't cut me to the marrow?! None of you will escape my wrath."
Hekapoo sighed, she pulled out her scissor blades, "Have it your way."
Marco smirked, "Hah, no. Cat fight." "What, scared—cat fight?" "Cat fight."
Ignis leapt out of his body and tackled Hekapoo, she tried to flare her off her but Ignis just took the heat.
Star came back to fight.
Marco put her back down.
Leading back to this moment…
"Ah, Star, so glad you're awake."
"Marco please…you don't have to do this…any of this…"
Marco chuckled, "Why? Because you're getting what you did to me? You left me in that cell helpless, alone, fighting for my life. You knew I was innocent...but you did nothing."
Star watched in horror as march forward, his sword glistening, his eyes devoid of kindness…
"STOP IN THE NAME OF THE SUN!"
"…okay, who said that." Marco looked around.
"I did."
Marco frowned seeing a teenage walked out of the shadows, decked in a red hoodies, navy jeans and boots, sporting red hair with yellow horns sticking out of them, her oranges eyes on him.
"And you are?"
"Hestia. Dimension Breaker. Timeline Breaker. Timeline Cop. Pick your poison."
"Okay. How about dead?"
He sent a blazing arc at her but she swatted it away with her sword.
Marco blinked.
"...how."
"You think yours powers would work on me!?"
"Yes, the sword and Fell will—"
"Wait, hol' up," Hestia pulled out her phone, she scrolled through it before she nodded, "Okay, yeah, I can beat you."
"How can you be so sure? My Fell will—"
"Only on enemies. I'm your daughter, so it wont work." Hestia said simply.
Marco stared at her.
"My sword." "I have the same one." Hestia waved hers around.
"...whose your mother." "Her. Yeesh, is that Auntie Ignis? Hi! Wow, good times." "Um…hi, dear?"
"Doesn't matter!" Marco seethed, Hestia rolled her eyes, "Uh huh, go ahead Dad, see what happens."
He swung.
Hestia raise a brow.
"You see pops, when you went full 'Fell', never go full Fell, it gave you powers to stop your enemies but not me, your daughter, your family." "But my other powers! A gun?"
"I have a gun to. And really you're going to shoot me?"
"…ah—"
"No. You're not."
Marco stood there,
"But what happened to me, I—"
"Listen dad, I know what you've been through, its bad, but this timeline..." Hestia shook her head.
"I don't believe you're my daughter! And with—with her?! I'd rather have one with Kelly!" "Ouch, Auntie Kelly…I mean I don't blame you but if you're going to be like this Dad, I'm going to stop you."
Marco leveled the sword.
"You couldn't stop me if you tried."
Hestia spit to the side,
"Fine. I, Hestia Ubaldo Pendragon-Diaz, shall defeat you."
"Wait did you say—!?"
FLAME VALKYRIE!
Fire exploded all around Hestia, a flaming crown on her head and flaming wings to match. Her sword was swathed in flames, her eyes burned blue and the next thing Marco knew was him on the ground with the sword pried from his hand.
His dragon eye plucked out.
"You're such a troublemaker, Dad…alright, siblings lock down this dimension we'll sort it out later."
"Wait what!? How did you beat me so quickly?!"
Hestia looked at him, "Flame Valkyrie is sorta my latent power I inherited from Mom, you see I when I used it I can—"
"Hestia, let's go, I'm done!"
"Ah! Okay, coming Marcus!"
"…how many are there of you."
"12."
"…noice. What's going to happen now…"
"…well, we're going to sorta freeze this timeline until it can be evaluated properly. I'm not fit to do it yet…far from it, I mean I'm still a teen for your sake, when I'm older and hopefully wiser, I'll come to a decision about this timeline. And it wont just be me, my siblings will help me, my family too, my friends, my teachers, Grandpa Pendragon and even the Concepts if they aren't so moody."
Marco looked at the ceiling,
"I did a lot of bad things."
"I know, Papa."
Hestia sighed as she gazed upon the many timelines that were wrecked due to the disruption made from her mother and father's doing.
"There are so many of them…" Hestia groaned her head banging on a console, Marcus patted her on the back, "C'mon now, boop! We had good ones too." "Yeah, I know but it sucks that we gotta fix them…I really want to just get into some shenanigans :( "
Marcus laughed, "Hey, we spent years in some timelines, we had to pull you out of some." "I know. But Sunflower is worse." "Only cause Dad and Mom would spoil her rotten. I swear."
Marcus grinned before the siblings found another timeline in trouble, their base of operation on an asteroid orbiting Prima.
"Alright let's see...whoa, this one has a psycho Marco-clone…Darcy eh?"
"I mean we dealt with that before…right?"
"Dunno…let me go in solo first, might be real dangerous. For all of you! Hah ha!"
"…that's not funny."
"Sure it is~! How bad could Darcy be?" Hestia shrugged, before she ripped open a rift and leapt through.
XxXxXxXxX
Hestia enters the fray!
Oh, Darcy is indeed a fearsome opponent, without a doubt Hestia.
Who knows what it will take to defeat her.
Songs in order of appearance:
R City ft. Adam Levine - Locked Away
Also, avid readers complained about and wondered what it would have been if Marco had gone dark. Darker. Welp, not far from this. I cut around the corners real fast but you get the gist: not good. For anyone.
To be honest, Hestia could be her father but it'll be a real doozy for her, especially since 1. that's her father 2. she's super attached to Marco 3. sure she's fought trained and gone on adventures, but like her chapters never in the same degree of Marco who literally fought for his life. In time she'll beat him but not just yet.
[Also quick shout out to that Guest, who picked up the fact Star didn't have the Wand after Marco's break out, as I've said I sorta rushed production so some tidbits and inconsistency did trip me up. Much thanks!]
tu ne me reconnaiss pas?
I AM NRG
END OF TRANSMISSION
[24.05.2019]