Summary:
Nothing … and that's the problem
Well this was a disaster. The entire Commission was down other than Heckapoo, and apparently Gems had souls. Peridot … was coming to terms with the latter, considering Lapis was the one who vanished.
While she had no love for the commission, and she knew for certain the feeling was mutual, it was still nonetheless a tragedy for anyone to lose their lives at any given moment. Steven was coping a little better than she expected with his 'gem buddy' being absorbed, though she chalk that up to Kelly distracting him with a goblin dog date.
With most of the mhc out of action, it fell onto Moon and Garnet to confront the hybrid themselves. Meteora got stronger by absorbing souls in general, so they had to keep the numbers small in the very likely chance they would lose the fight.
Their chances were not made any stronger when they had a last minute tag along in the form of Eclipsa. "I still think you shouldn't come along." Moon stated, staring at the woman with distrust.
"In case you have forgotten, the Magical High Commission utterly failed to combat Meteora, and that was with the water mancer by their side, it is obvious that magic and brute force alone won't be enough to confront my daughter." Eclipsa defended.
"I believe that's the point Moon's trying to make."Garnet stated bluntly. "She's your daughter, you'll likely side with her."
"And like I keep telling everyone, I consider Steven to be my grandchild/nephew. Same goes for Star." Eclipsa reminded them. "I won't condone anything that puts them in harm's way."
"Fine then." Moon spoke. "You'll distract her, then I'll attack with the darkest spell."
"That spell I'm afraid was a one time use, unless you want to make another deal like last time." Eclipsa explained.
"And what deal are you after this time, more candy?" Moon asked rhetorically.
"The only deal I would ask for is you not attacking my daughter with lethal intent, but that negates the whole point of having the spell in the first place, doesn't it?" Eclipsa smirked cheekily.
"Fine then, I'll try another spell that deals a lot of damage." The Queen grumbled as they followed the trail of giant footprints that were alongside the floating black eyed citizens of Mewni. "She's only grown bigger with every soul she's absorbed."
"I'd always hoped she'd take after her father more…this wasn't exactly how I envisioned it to be." Eclipsa said with a nervous chuckle.
"The man really should have just left Shastican alone." Garnet spoke bluntly once more. "At least one decent parent in her life would have fixed this mess before the line got crossed." She'd make sure to snap a spine for hurting Steven and Star like that.
"That's how it always is, the argument of nature vs nurture." Eclipsa said, staring solemnly at the lifeless bodies floating by. "What and who do we allow to shape ourselves? How do we respond to circumstances beyond our control? Are we the products of our lineage, or the products of our environment?"
"If it was the latter, Sapphire would've still been a blind follower to Blue Diamond, and Ruby would've just been another mindless drone out of a million faceless drones."
"If it was the former every queen would have been as lovely as Jushtin." Eclipsa countered.
"It's a question we'll never know the answer to." Moon cut them off. "How much farther, Garnet?"
She adjusted her visor. Once again, the magic in Mewni made seeing the future foggy, but she had enough experiences to learn to navigate through the could [Meteroa absorbing lizard soul. Hiding in trees. Eclipsa talking to slightly pacified Meteroa ] "In another hundred feet, we'll finally cross her path."
"Understood." Eclipsa nodded. Garnet really hoped whatever Moon cooked up could damage the woman … The future wasn't looking bright.
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Meteora stared into the puddle of water, the abyss staring back. The voices raging on loudly within her skull, pounding on every presence of her sanity.
She's only ever had this problem in the early days, back when she just started taking souls without experience. But Ms Heinous learned how to deal with them, keeping them trapped in a box until the fire ran out … but now Meteora has more than the box could handle.
The power…it was intoxicating, invigorating, and very pleasing…but every second it felt like a fight on the inside to keep that power contained. It's why her body continued to grow more and more in size and strength, less resembling a Mewman and more of a monster…more like her daddy.
Like every 'good girl' of Mewman, she was told tales of the monsters that plagued Mewman, especially stories of the Prince of Darkness Globgor. Every Time she heard the stories as a child though…she was never afraid of them. They felt…weirdly comforting, a fierce and mighty man that all feared and respected.
"Daddy … where are you?" Mommy was free, but Daddy was still locked away somewhere. Maybe she should ask that flaming girl before stealing her soul too. The satisfaction in taking out most of the Magical High Commission so swiftly was great, albeit brief. In the end, it wasn't them that earned her full ire…but the family that stole her life…the so called 'Butterfly' line. How dare they continue to use that name without any sense of guilt! How dare they continue to live their lives as if they've done nothing wrong!? HOW DARE THEY…!?
"Are you alright?" Rasticore asked, taking a seat next to her. "You haven't said a word since the last village."
"Yes … just need … to control my thoughts." The swirling maelstrom of voices and feelings.
"Ah..my lady…You know I support you in all that you do, and I see you as nothing less but as the absolute perfect princess." Gemini said, sitting on the other side of her. "But…is this truly the path that'll make you happy?"
"It will, it has to." She answered. "Breaking Mewmans brought me happiness I never knew I needed, but now I see it for what it is." She clenched her fist. "They all took everything from me, I'll never have a moment of peace as long as the Butterflies are around!" She shouted to the world.
"Yes, it is…therapeutic to see you get the justice you deserve." Her long time servant continued on. "But you've practically absorbed over half the kingdom by this point…there's not going to be much to rule over when you're done."
"I can rule over the monsters. They'll return and we can have parties and fun."She kneeled down to the two of them. "You, Rasticore, shall be my King and knight."
"Oh…ah…that's quite the honor…me…a king…" The lizard looked suspiciously shaky at that. "Don't you think we're…going a little fast?"
"… Too fast?" She asked in confusion. "We shared the same bed, and cuddled for hours as we talked." Something to comfort her whenever Princess Turdina ruined her day.
"Yeah, that's great, and you're really hot right now, being all angry and giant and all that, but ever since you've been embracing your monster side, it's like everything on fast forward, now we're talking about mass world domination and marriage, when I'm just a simple assassin."
"I guess it was a bit has-… What's wrong with marriage?" She asked in bafflement. "I was saving that for a few years ahead, but … you act like you never intended to go through with it!"
"Well, like I said, I'm an assassin, it's sort of a habit for me to just…move from target to target after a while…it's fine…the problem is me, not you! You're great. I just…sort of move on quickly."
Her servant, Gemini, looked at the bastard . "And you say this to the Mistress, who abandonment issues have driven her to mass slaughter and world domination?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and disappointment evident in his voice.
"Oh, like you have any room to talk about that! You're a robot just like the millions at that crappy school, for all I know, you're just following along with whatever happens!"
"I work for the Mistress out of my own free will, if I will be destroyed for her sake, then so be-" She wrapped water around Gemini, slowly crushing him as she glared at Rasticore with hatred.
"Wow…I actually didn't expect you to do something like that. I mean, the guy was annoying for sure, but.." He noticed the glare she was sending him. "Look, I really don't want this to turn into a fight, It's just me…"
"I completely understand." She answered.
"… You do?" He asked in bafflement.
"Yes, you move on quickly. Everyone has a quirk or two."
"Oh … I'm so glad you understand-"
"But you know …. If you never had the ability to leave, you may appreciate it more." She spoke with glowing eyes.
"Oh….oh….ohhh." The scaly idiot likely realized just how much of a stupid bastard he was. "I screwed myself, didn't I?"
"Just a bit. But don't worry." She smiled. "Now we can be together forever!" She began draining his essence, leaving the lizard dead for a change.
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"You know, as terrifying as it may be, and as terrible as it is for us, I'm glad she has the backbone to not let jerks like him take advantage of her." Moon rolled her eyes as Eclipsa watched her hybrid daughter take out the only allies that she had.
"Actually I'm pretty sure that's just the Lapis in her deciding being forcefully merged with your lover for all of eternity with hate and agony is better than being alone." Garnet responded without remorse.
"Well now I know what I'll be talking about with her during the next tea session…if there's a next time at all." Moon grumbled as she prepared to dip down into Butterfly mode.
"There will be, I'm sure." Eclipsa nodded. "I'm going to go talk to her now, both of you stay hidden." The queen of darkness spoke, before walking out, slowly approaching the woman.
"I still say this is a bad idea." Moon groaned as she and Garnet kept themselves hidden.
"I agree, but Meteora is emotionally vulnerable unlike Toffee was, this is a weakness that can be exploited." Garnet said with her usual monotone.
"Together … the bastard …" They spoke in a daze. "Why…why does everyone keep going away…why do I always end up rejected…?" The monster said in a tone that indicated the emotion of sadness.
"I don't know, some people don't realize how good they have it, even if it's screaming right in their face." Eclipsa said casually as if she was walking up to an old friend. The monster turned fast, eyes blazing with fire. "Hello there." The woman waved as if there was no threat of death.
A few seconds later it stopped. "Mo-mommy?" They asked, slowly crawling to the woman. "Is that you mommy?"
"Yes…Yes Meteora, it's me, it's your mother." The Queen of darkness wiped away her tears as she approached the large woman, gently caressing her face as their foreheads connected. "You have no idea how long I've waited to see you all grown up."
"Mommy you're free!" They hugged the former queen. "Oh how I missed you! We have so much to catch up on! We can spend time and play games as a family."
"Oh my, it feels like only yesterday I was holding you in my arms, now your holding me in yours. Now I really feel old." Eclipsa chuckled as the two shared a laugh.
"Are they serious right now?!" Moon shouted her whisper. "This is a matter of life and death, not a family reunion!"
"It can be both." Garnet held onto her shoulder, likely guessing she would jump in an attack while the two were distracted. "Eclipsa hasn't seen her baby in three hundred years, I can relate to the feeling." She turned that visor filled look right at her. "Imagine if you were in her shoes with either of your children."
She stared at the scene, a small sigh escaping her lips. "Damn it all … such a complicated mess." Family was the best and worst. No wonder Steven was so messed up with his feelings about Rose.
"Don't worry mommy, I'm going to fix everything!" She shouted out. "Then we can find Daddy, and it'll all be alright!"
"There's no way in hell I'll let her release Globgor..!" She whispered again, and this time, Garnet had to really hold her back.
"And once we do, we can take back the throne like it was meant to be! The Kingdom will be ours, and the true Butterflies will rule again like we're supposed to."
"That sounds….like a plan you've certainly thought a lot about." Eclipsa hesitantly said, sweat forming from her brow. "But why waste all this time in Mewni anyway, when there's a whole universe to explore?"
"Because … because it's our home." The woman answered. "We were born here, we were meant to have a throne, but the bastards didn't want us." She smiled. "So we'll take it back, we'll make them suffer like we have!"
"Oh you know what they say." Eclipsa gave a nervous chuckle. "An eye for an eye makes the world go blind."
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, watch." The woman grabbed her own arm … and ripped it off.
"Meteora, why?!" Eclipsa, as well as the rest of them, looked like they were about to throw up.
"Give it a second …" With a faint pink glow, bone began forming. "Ever since I took the Rose Guards son's power, everything I have got better. And now I can heal like Rasticore could!" She smiled and laughed as if it was a childish joke. "It's no longer an eye for an eye, we can rip out all their eyes and still see everything!"
"Meteroa…I left the throne for your daddy for a reason." Eclipsa said as the hybrid looked confused. "Being Queen, hell, being princess, it was suffocating, especially looking over the boneheaded and ignorant people. And between you and me, it hasn't done any favors for the current queen." Even if that was for the sake of pacification, Moon was still very offended. "But we can forget all that and do whatever we want!"
"But…but what I want is the throne of Mewni!" She shouted. "I was denied the chance to say no to begin with! Just because I'm some freak nobody with family wants around!!" The woman began growing bigger. "Why should that pink brat get what I should've had! Why should any of those Butterfly Brats get to live while I've suffered three hundred years of hell! If she wasn't so feisty, I would've absorbed her along with her brother and eliminated the line for GOOD!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Instantly forming Butterfly mode, Moon charged and blasted the monster with blue strikes of lightning. "You will never lay a hand on any of my children ever again!"
"Why … why is she …" Meteora looked at her, then at Eclipsa. "Mommy, did you betray me?"
"No..No…Meteora it's not like that!" Eclipsa's cry was droned out as Garnet launched her gauntlets at the monster, each strike they made sending the hybrid back just a little.
"They always betray me …" Meteroa's body began to glow bright pink. "EVERYONE BETRAYS ME!!!" They were all enveloped in the shockwave of the scream.
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"Moon, Garnet, what are you doing!?" Eclipsa shouted to the idiots as they all recovered from Meteroa's latest attack.
"She just admitted to wanting my daughter dead, there's no more room for discussion!" Moon shouted. "Just stay back and let me and Garnet handle it."
"She certainly packs a punch." Garnet shook her head, getting the rubble off her square head. "Last chance to surrender, Meteroa. I don't want to hurt you."
"Funny…because that's all I want to do to all of you!" Meteora, still glowing pink, shouted as she quickly flashed right in front of them, having moved so fast they barely had the time to notice it with a blink of an eye. It was only by Garnet enlarging her fist and gauntlets that the attack didn't manage to turn them all into paste.
"No more talk!" Moon shouted, blasting the woman with more lighting and magic. "You won't raise a single hand against my family ever again!" The woman shouted as she continued attacking her daughter.
"No, no, no, no, don't do this!" Eclipsa cried out. Before, she thought she was ready to accept what needed to be done, but seeing it happen…after finally getting to talk to her baby, to touch her soft fur after so many years…
"I'm sorry, Eclipsa, but I don't see us talking her down at all." Garnet sighed as she pushed her out of the way and joined in on the assault, attacking ferociously with a storm of blurry punches.
"I'll DESTROY YOU ALL!" Meteroa shouted, firing off her magic practically randomly, missing as the two fighters dodged, taking the souls of every living creature that happened to be in the way.
"You will destroy nothing more after today!" The queen shouted, blasting her daughter with a continuous stream of magic. "Garnet, keep her pinned!" The fusion attempted to do so, but her daughter managed to swat her away every time.
"Meteroa, Please, I love you!" Eclipsa shouted, and her daughter actually paused for a section, looking surprised. "I know you haven't heard those words in a very long time, but I'm here to say them now!" Eclipsa cried. "Please…please come back to me.
"Mommy …" Her daughter screamed as a large ball of magic knocked her to the ground. "Mommy … they're hurting me …" Her little girl whined as she was continually attacked.
"Don't listen to her Eclipsa!" Garnet shouted, using giant hands to hold the girl in place. "If you do anything the consequences will be disastrous!!"
"Just stay out of the way!" Moon screamed, blasting her daughter with wave after wave of magic. Each scream of pain Meteora cried out sent another spike into her hurt. "I am ending this!" Moon's eye glowed white along with her face emblems…she was dipping down…she was aiming to KILL her baby…
No…no… NO! Reaching deep within herself, deeper than she's ever gone before, Eclipsa felt a warmness rise within her face. " NO! " Eclipsa's eyes glowed a matching white to Moons, directint the attack away from her daughter as cracks of magic filled their veins.
"Eclipsa!" Garnet shouted.
"I can't let you hurt her." Eclipsa cried. "She's … family."
"There's no talking to-" Moon was cut off by a blast of green magic, an explosion erupting that sent the two of them back.
"Moon!" Garnet called out as Eclipsa's ears rang. "Eclipsa, what have you do-?" Garnet's voice was cut off as that same magic blasted her as well.
"I knew Mommy was a good person." Her daughter smiled as she absorbed the fusion. The gem screamed, her body's color fading as three lights went into her daughter, who gave a laugh. "Wow, three for the price of one!"
"Meteora…please…" The world was fading to black.
"Don't worry Mommy…when you wake up, the world will be a better place." She heard her daughter stomp away as she attempted to locate Moon.
"Moon…where…where…" She spotted the fallen Queen…one of her eyes turned pitch black, the other brimming with stars in their eyes. Looking like a frightened animal, Moon waved her hands, and opened a portal that was a myriad of colors, before disappearing into it. "I'm…sorry…" The darkness overcame her vision as she passed out.