Marex, the second son of Rex and Marie, sat alone in a prison cell. He read through a few books that he requested to pass the time, while Rex and RJ watched him from the outside.

Both of them stood in utter and complete shock.

"There's...no way..." The Defender uttered, "A second son? I think I'd definitely remember having a second son."

"He's from another dimension. One where he was born." RJ responded, "But he's...a villain."

"Mom and I don't raise villains. Something isn't right here. Was he supposed to be born here? When? What time? What day?"

"I don't know, but he's two years younger than me. Two years...did he say his birthday?"

"July seventh." RJ answered.

Rex counted back about nine months, trying his best to remember the time from when RJ was two years old.

He gasped, "The power outage."
"The what?"

"Um, I'll...don't worry about it. But it all kind of adds up now."

Marie suddenly entered the cell block, and waved to her husband and son. Rex had called her, and told her to meet up with them. They had a lot to discuss.

"Hey, what's going on?"
"Starlight." He turned, "Okay, uh...this is a bit complicated.

"Complicated?"

"...I should talk to you. Away from RJ."
"Yeah, sure."

The Defend pulled his wife away from the cell, and towards the end of the cell block. Before they separated from RJ, she gave Marex a quick glance.

"Who's in the cell?" She questioned.
"You are not going to believe this."

"Try me. I'll believe anything at this point."

He held her hands, and leaned in closer to her. He didn't want her to freak out, but she had to know the truth.

"The boy in that cell is our son."
Marie blinked, "RJ? But he doesn't look like him."

"No. Like...our other son. He's our second son from another universe. In another dimension we have another kid."

"...what?!" Marie whispered in disbelief, "We do?!"
"Apparently, and unfortunately. He's the bad guy."

She frowned, "When were we supposed to have him? I can't think of a time we ever thought of having a second child."

"RJ was two. Based on the information we gathered from him, he was probably supposed to be conceived very late October. The night of the Stardust Fall Festival. I'm guessing."

"Oh, right. I remember. We, um..." The Princess blushed, "We wanted to do it that night, but the festival blew the entire town's power out. It was a disaster."

"Because I didn't check the power sources. They had been glitching out all week."

"And duty called. Actually, that was the one day I forgot to take my birth control! Oh my gosh. I didn't think it would be such a big deal."

Rex ran his hand through his bangs, and leaned against the nearby wall. He sighed deeply. "What the heck, Man? This kind of stuff only happens to us."

Marie touched her chin, as she took a moment to think. She had read about other dimensions, and what made them unique, but never once thought she could use the information.

"Goodness. It must be true."
"What? What's true?"

"There's a theory about dimensions written in books. Sometimes, a sudden thought comes into your mind, and that is your dimensional choice. In one dimension you act on it, and in one you don't. The night of the festival...I thought about reminding you to check the power sources, but...I didn't."

"Why didn't you?" Rex questioned

"I don't know. I just...thought maybe you already worked on it." The Princess rubbed her arm, "Oh my gosh. I literally cost us the birth of our second child."

"No, hey. Don't think like that. We...we didn't plan on having a second kid anyway."

"But that doesn't mean he's any less important. He's our son, Honey. Why is he here? And why is he a villain? This wasn't what I imagined at all. Especially since RJ turned out so sweet."

The Defender pointed towards the cell again, and held his wife close to him. He wanted to comfort her through the situation.

"His name is Marex."
"Marex. How cute. It's our names together."

"Yeah. He's Sixteen. He's working with this other guy named 'Surge'. They're trying to take over this dimension, but I think they need each other to do so. You know, because he's also a blue xylen. Dude...we gotta stop making blue haired babies."

"That does sound rather troublesome."

"You're better at talking to people. Why don't you ask him some things? Scribble Cop gave us a keycard for the cell."

"...okay." Marie agreed.

The couple walked over to the cell again, where the Princess took some time to observe her son from another dimension.

The longer she looked at him, the more she could see. He actually didn't look too different from RJ at all, since they both took on more of Rex's features.

However, his hair was lighter and slightly wavy like her own. He also appeared to be on the opposite end of RJ's personality. Given his intense concentration on books, and his overall studious demeanor.

Under his cloak, he wore a sweater over a white shirt and a matching blue tie. While RJ, of course, wore his hoodie and sweatpants.

Other than that, he was a perfect match to RJ'

Rex unlocked the cell for Marie, then turned towards her.
"Just call if you need anything."

"I will. Thank you, Honey."

The Princess walked into the cell, and Marex looked up at her. The door closed behind her, as she smiled, and sat down on the other bed on the opposite wall.

"What do you want, Mom?"

"Mom? Right." She rubbed the back of her neck, "What else would you call me? I just...wanted to make sure you were okay. You sound like you've had a rough day."

"More like a rough life."

"...I'm sorry. But I'm sure your father and I love you very much. Why did you turn to villainy? We surely didn't raise you to be like this."

"No, you didn't." Marex replied, "But you still made me this way. Once I joined Surge, he showed me the truth. I was an unwanted child. RJ was the favorite, and I was just in the way."

Marie shook her head, "I'm sure that's not true, Baby."
"The look on your faces says it all. You didn't even want a second kid."

"Well, maybe that wasn't our original plan...but I'm sure we still love you. We raised you, didn't we? I'm sure we fed you, played with you, tucked you into bed, and read you stories. Didn't we do all that?"

Marex recalled his life as a son. He couldn't deny that what Marie said was the truth. They did in fact do all those things.

He was treated equal to RJ. As far as he knew.

However, Surge had other plans for him. He was under a brainwashing spell. One that would keep him under his control, even apart. After all, his xylen power was the most important thing to him.

His eyes flickered, as the happy memories left his mind.
"I don't care if you did or not. Because you never loved me. It was all fake."

"...I'm sure it's all a misunderstanding. Because Dad and I would never hate our own son. All our love is genuine. You are better than this. I know you are."

Marex averted his gaze and decided to remain silent. He doubted his mother, but still found comfort in her words.

Marie frowned, and stood up from the bed. She stepped up to him, and embraced him gently. As gentle as a mother's love could be.

"I love you, Baby."
"...you don't even know me."

"Even so, you're my son. In any dimension, I will always love you." She separated, and touched his cheek. "And you. You came from Dad and I. So, I know that somehow, somewhere, you have twice the love."

She kissed his forehead, and suddenly, he had flashbacks to his childhood. He remembered how meaningful every kiss, and 'I love you' was.

He started to feel bad, and regretted being so rude. The kiss had seemed to weaken the spell over him.

He wasn't their child there. Or even remotely a thought. He wondered why Marie loved him so much.

He wondered if he still loved her. After everything. But the spell should have made that impossible. True love just wasn't possible.

The Princess straightened up, and adjusted her dress.
"It's your choice in the end, but realize that we have to protect this world."

She turned, and walked towards the cell exit. In the next moment, Marex called out to her. Something within him was telling him to do so.

"Mom."

Marie blinked, and turned towards him again. Her hair swayed gracefully and her demeanor softened. She was so naturally motherly.

"Yes, Baby?"

He hesitated, but eventually spoke.
"Don't let me stay here. I don't like it. Can't I just go home with you?"

"Oh...I'll see what I can do, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks..."

She showed him a quick smile, before exiting the cell. She stood in silence, as her eyes watered.

Rex frowned, "Starlight...what's wrong?"
"I don't think I've ever seen someone so sad. Where did we go wrong?"

"There's no way we were in the wrong. There must be another explanation for this."

The Princess hugged her husband, and he gently returned it, running his fingers through her long hair.

"I've heard stories like this before. Tales of two brothers. The oldest is always destined for greatness, while the youngest is somehow always destined for evil."

"Come on. Those things are just ridiculous."
"...Thor and Loki. Sam and Dean. Mario and Luigi."

"Woah, Luigi turned evil?" RJ questioned.

"Once, yes. It was quite a mess." Marie replied, "Somehow that's just always how things work. Perhaps there's nothing we could have done."

Rex tried to attempt making her feel better. He smiled at her, and leaned down, touching his forehead to her's.

"That's not always true. I mean, look at me and Emmet. I'm older, and I'm the jerk. Not him."

"I don't think that counts, Honey. You're not really siblings. Even though...that's what our world thinks of you."

"Well...Serena then."
The Princess perked up, "Serena? Well, maybe not completely biological...but she is kind of like an older sister."

"Yeah! Much older." Rex cringed, "But the point is, you're younger, and cuter."

He poked her cheek lovingly, causing her to close her eyes, and let out a soft giggle.

"You weren't destined for evil, were you?" He continued, "You're as good as good can get. I literally do not deserve you."

"That would make sense but, we're sisters. Not brothers."

The Defender hesitated, then sighed deeply.

"There's no winning this one, huh? Gosh, I'm sorry, Starlight. Maybe this was fate, but know that we did nothing wrong...and there's still a chance of making it right."

"Yes...maybe there is." She touched his cheek, "And you totally deserve me. You're the best."

The two shared a quick kiss, before Marie looked into the cell again. "He wants to come home with us. Do you think Scribble Cop can arrange something?"

"I'm sure, but since he's still an active criminal. The result might be house arrest."

"Well...I suppose that's better than nothing. He just wants to get out of here."

Rex crossed his arms, "I totally understand that. I'm not the biggest fan of this place either."

—————————————————————

The family of four, which was crazy to think about, stepped into Rexcelsior.

Marex adjusted his hands, as he was still in handcuffs, and took some time to observe the surroundings. Everything was identical to his own version of the spaceship back at home.

It seemed like the home he had always known. The home he was born into. In the kingdom he was meant to help with, but would never be his.

After all, he was the younger brother. RJ would get everything once Rex and Marie stepped down.

With the thought in mind, he lowered his gaze, and looked at the electrical ankle brace placed around him, just under his pants and above his shoe.

He was under house arrest until further notice. He just wasn't trusted enough.

Eventually, Rex pulled off his handcuffs, finally allowing him to be free. Marex sighed, and rubbed his wrists.

"Sorry, Kid. That was Scribble Cop's one rule until we got you home."

"It's fine, Dad."

The Defender blinked, and shifted uncomfortably. The title coming from someone besides RJ felt incredibly strange. He shook off the feeling, and pointed downwards.

"Now, that ankle brace you have is hooked to Rexcelsior. You must know how house arrest works by now. You can't leave, that alarm will go off, and the police can track you."

"Yeah. I know."

"But other than that..." Rex continued, "You're more than welcome to anything in here. Mom will keep you fed. You can stay in the guest bedroom. Just make yourself at home, okay?"

"And in the meantime, Dad will work on locating Surge." Marie added to the conversation, "I'm sorry, Baby. I know he's your friend...but he's not a good person. We have to stop him."

Marex crossed his arms, "Whatever? Can I just go to my room?"

"Yes, of course, um-"
"I know where it is. I live here."

The youngest Prince of Stardust left the area without another word, retreating to the spaceship's built-in guest room.

Rex frowned, "I see what you mean about the sad part."

"It must be so strange. Everything is the same as his world, except...he's not in this one. How would you feel, Honey? If you were so important in one world, and suddenly nonexistent in the next?"

"Well, I'm actually positive there's thousands of dimensions I'm not in. It's an infinite universe. Infinite possibilities. It honestly doesn't bother me too much."

"Right."

"Unless there's a dimension out there where I'm still in love with Lucy." He continued, "Or I'm still considered the Special. Other than that, I'm cool."

"And I can't imagine a dimension where you're not my true love."

"You think there's one where you actually marry Night?"
"Man Upstairs. I hope not." Marie giggled nervously.

"Speaking of..." RJ interrupted, "Can you give Mr. Night a call? Rose is worried about Cyrus. He's still not talking to her."

"Still? Gosh, he still can't be mad." Rex sighed, "Alright. We'll see what we can do."

"She may not have loved him romantically, but they were still friends. I don't know, maybe he's scared of what his dad thinks."

"Hopefully Orion will be more understanding. I think he's just scared that his son will mess up somewhere. But he has to realize that Cyrus is not perfect." Marie responded.

——————————————————————

Marex walked into Rexcelsior's spare guest room, and closed the door behind him. He sighed, leaning back against it as he observed his utterly unfamiliar surroundings.

Back in his dimension, the guest room was his own bedroom. There, everything was different.

There were no large bookshelves, or a lounge area to form his own miniature library. His posters of famous historical figures, scientists, and television shows were absent.

Even the colors of the room were different. He enjoyed the dark blue walls, but the splashes of gray in his own room really added to his own aesthetic.

It was a unique shade of gray, made just for him. It was made from a mixture of the pink in his mother's hair, and the blue of his father's vest.

He'd kept that as one of his main colors, ever since he was a baby. It was meaningful to him. Even under Surge's spell, he still wore it.

After taking it all in, he walked over to the bed, and sat down on it. There wasn't much he could do, but there was a desk and television in the room, along with a built-in bathroom.

"Dad did a really good job with this place. It has everything we could ever need." Marex commented.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. He had a visitor. The Prince showed annoyance as he glanced at it.

"What?"

"Hey, it's me." RJ sounded from the other side, "Can I come in?"

"...I guess." Marex replied softly.

He watched as his older brother walked into the room. He smiled, and gave a quick wave.

"Hey, I hope you don't mind. I just wanted to check on you. It's cool having you here. I always kind of wanted a sibling. I asked for a brother for Christmas three years in a row." RJ admitted, "Santa's a little late, huh?"

"I'm not exactly your brother. I'm my RJ's brother."

"Yeah. That's right." The Prince rubbed the back of his neck, "It's still so cool though."

"Mom and Dad haven't aged a day since they met. They could probably still have kids. You'd get your wish, but it wouldn't be me."

RJ blinked, and walked over to Marex. He sat beside him, and grinned gleefully.

"I'm sure in your dimension, you're totally the coolest brother ever! Maybe things are different here, maybe I don't know you as well...but nothing can replace you. Not even another sibling."

"You're just saying that."

"Nah!" RJ pat his back, "I totally mean it. Maybe we're from two different worlds, but we're from the same parents. We both have Dad's dashing good looks, after all."

Marex relaxed a bit, taking in his older brother's positive energy. There were so many things that he remembered loving about him. Even if they had their differences.

RJ's outgoing nature and sense of adventure was inherited from Rex. He even showed it in his smile, and the way he talked, as if he picked up his father's accent and tone of voice.

The second brother was more soft spoken, with a crystal clear tone and a more graceful composure. Much like his mother.

"We're so different...and yet we got along so well."

"Of course we do. We're brothers." RJ paused, "We don't mean to hurt you, Marex. We want to help you, and that starts by setting you back on the right track."

"...I get it."
"I'm so glad that you do."

Finally the older brother stood up, and adjusted his hoodie. "Do you want me to get you anything?"

Marex thought about what he wanted, then proceeded to give a direct answer.

"Some books would be great."
"You like reading, huh? What kind?"

"Any really. Though, I enjoy history books and stories of heroes." He responded.

RJ smiled, "I'm sure Mom has stuff like that. I'll go take a look. Anything else?"

"Uh, um...no, not really."
"Gotcha! I'll be back soon!"

He left the guest room, leaving Marex to his thoughts. He started to wonder why he had turned against his family.

He wondered if he was wrong. He started to smile at his happy memories of his family. His perfect family.

Suddenly, the Prince's attention was caught by another sound. A strong, ominous knock. However, it was no longer at the door, but at the window in the room.

Marex looked towards it, and looked in between the blue colored drapes. Behind the reflective glass, he saw a familiar face.

Surge. He had finally located him.

His eyes widened, and he stood up, immediately making his way over to the window. He opened it, and smiled at his friend.

"Surge."

"There you are. Do you know how many rooms I checked?" The villain paused, "Your hair's not blue. Why don't you have any power?"

"I...was pretty caught up. I was arrested, and now I'm...just arrested at home. I have an ankle thing that'll alert them if I leave."

"Well, what are you planning to do then? I doubt they'll actually catch you if you leave."

"But what if they do? We're still useless without that device." Marex stated, "It's um...safer if I stay here and work something out, but I can gain their trust and use that to my advantage."

Surge hummed, "Gain their trust, huh?"
"Yeah. They have friends that might have the power I need, but I need to get to it first. Remember, I need enough to power the device fully.",

"I'm not a very patient person, Dangervest."

"I know, just give me a couple days. That's all I need." Marex reassured him, "My brother is coming back soon, so...you better leave for now."

"Your brother? You haven't addressed him as your brother in forever. I thought you no longer saw him as family."

The Prince grew silent, and averted his gaze nervously. After taking a moment to think about everything in his life, he smiled slightly.

"Yes, well, um...it's just...that's what he is. My big brother. He's still the same, even here."

Very swiftly, Surge grabbed Marex's wrist, and pulled him closer to the window. There was an intense, angry pale blue glow in his eyes that reflected in the Prince's own.

His grip became slightly tighter, as his hand also glowed brightly. "Don't you remember? You hate them. They are enemies to us. I am the only one you can trust."

Marex's eyes shimmered and his expression faltered, becoming empty and dull. His once joyous thoughts had faded away into a resurfaced hatred. A false hatred, for his mother, father, and older brother.

The people he loved more than anything.

"Right. I'm sorry." He apologized, "I'll go along with my plan, and I will receive power. Meet with me in two days. That's all I need."

"Two days seems so long, but I'll allow it. Until then, I'll remain hidden so I don't attract any unwanted attention. You just do your job. Understand?"

"Yes. I understand perfectly."

"Good. Don't let me down, M. You're all I have right now."

Surge separated from the window, and ran off, into the sand covered area of Stardust. The sun shone over the horizon, causing the sand underneath it to sparkle.

It truly was a beautiful kingdom. One the Marex was born into. However, he spell made him forget all his happiness.

Only one thing was on his mind now, and that was finding a way to obtain power. It had to be enough to where it could actually be absorbed by his body. He had to find a way to accomplish his goal.

After a few seconds of being left alone with his thoughts, his older brother entered the room again. He held a large bag, filled with books he picked out from his mother's library.

"Here you go! I did my best, so I hope you like at least a few of them." RJ beamed, showing a smile.

He was just happy to help out Marex, any way he could.

He placed the bag on the bed, and directed his gaze towards his younger brother. "Mom mentioned that she was making cookies. I'll bring you some when they're done, okay?"

"Right...thank you."

For a moment, Marex reminisced on his mother's wonderful baked goods, but soon disregarded the pleasant memories.

"Again, we're here for you if you need anything. Just step out or call for us. Until then, we'll give you some space."

After his statement, RJ left the room, leaving Marex to his books, and his privacy.

The Prince reached into the bag, pulling out the various books that were given to him. He would be spending a lot of time in the guest room, but at least he wouldn't be bored.

"He brought me Systarian history books. Maybe there's some useful information in one of these. A place of power. A way of knowing how to overcome obstacles. Anything would be great at this point."

He took off his shoes and placed them neatly underneath the bed, and unclasped his cloak, throwing it aside and out of the way.

His brown hair now free, and his small quiff, similar to Rex's now visible. He sighed from exhaustion, as he leaned back into the fluffy pillow, and opened a book to read.

Surge was right. It was going to be a long two days.