The Quest in San Lorenzo

"O.K., Marco. You can do this." Marco Diaz was walking along the school lockers, taking deep breaths. "Just ask Jackie to watch the new Jungle Movie. If she says no, just nod and walk away. If she says yes, goal! But then you have to keep your excitement down until the date. Then you have to decide what clothes to wear. And how to act and what food won't stick in your teeth. And-"

Marco paced around, listing everything that can do wrong, just as Jackie walked away.

Star walked up to him and noticed Marco being Marco. "Marco, what did I tell you about predicting the future."

Marco snapped out of it and looked around. "Jackie left, did she?"

"Yep." Star placed her hand on her hip. "You already have 'talking' done. You just need to ask her out and then do more talk. And also give her candy and take her to the moon to fight moon people."

Marco placed his hand on his forehead. "I know. I know. But every time I want to ask, I just think of what to do to prepare and I imagen everything that goes wrong."

Star thought of a solution to Marco's problem. "I think I have the answer. What you need to more courage."

"Star, I fight monsters."

"I mean girl courage." Star took out her Dimension Scissors and opened a portal. "And I know just the place." Star grabbed Marco's wrist to pull him in, but asked him something real quick. "Hey, is it during school hours or after?"

"It's-"

"Good!" Star dragged Marco right into another dimension.

"Here we are!" Star and Marco were now in a rainforest, with plenty of exotic plants growing around them in the humid land, tamed by no man.

Star lowered her head to sniff a large purple flower, which tried to bite her head off. "I sometime come here to train."

Marco looked around. "Train? What's living here?"

"Spiders." Star devilishly glanced around. "They get reeeeeeaaaaal big in this place."

Marco got into his karate stance. "Luckily I don't have arachnophobia."

"Instead you have askingJackieonadate-phobia." Star said as she and Marco walk down a path. "Since all giant spiders are girls, you can ask them out."

"WHAT?!" Marco jumped up a bit. "You want me to ask spiders on dates?!"

"Uh huh." Star leaped into a tree and poked her head out. "These spiders are gigantic and can melt your face! After you ask them out and pee yourself in fear, you'll realize that asking Jackie out is nothing."

Marco just stared at Star with disbelief. "Star, that's not going to work."

Star jumped out of the tree, with beetles running through her hair. "Marco, you just got to believe! Like those two over there." Star pointed at two blonde children coming out of the jungle. One was a girl in a pink dress with a pink bow, two stocks of hair on the side of her head like brooms, and a unibrow. The other was a football headed boy wearing a plaid shirt and a small blue cap. The kids looked very surprised to see the two teens.

"Woah, where'd you guys come from?" asked the boy, holding a book.

Helga looked around. "At least you're not blood sucking pirates."

Marco raised his eyebrows in shock. "Pirates? Are they after you?"

"Blood sucking!" Star grabbed the girls shoulder and shook her. "Do not be afraid! We have garlic!"

The girl pushed the girl off. "Get off me, princess. No one touches Helga G. Pataki that way!"

"How'd you know I'm a princess?"

Helga stared at the girl with confusion. She then noticed how they were dressed. "Hey Arnold, these two looked like they came right out of suburbs."

"Ha, that's where you're almost wrong." said Star. "We came from school!" She drew out her wand and created a rainbow. "I'm a magical princess from another dimension." Then the rainbow caught on fire, which spread onto a tree.

"STAR!" Marco frantically looked around. "Use your magic extinguishes that!"

Star did as Marco said and shot water from her wand, putting the fire out.

"That takes care of that." Star brushed her hands together. "Now where were we?" Star noticed the shocked look on the kids.

"H-H-Helga!" The boy backed away. "What's going on!?"

"I have no comment for that, Arnold!" The girl named Helga backed away with Arnold. "Who are you people anyway?"

Star was about to repeat the rainbow, but Marco stopped her. "Sorry about that." Marco cleared his throat. "I'm Marco Diaz. That magic girl over there is my best friend, Star Butterfly. And we are from another dimension."

The kids just stared in aww. "I have enough on my plate today." Helga marched by and shoved Marco away. "Come on, Football head. The faster we find the green eyes the quicker we can get that Corazon thing for that pirate."

Arnold glanced back at Helga and the teens. "But … but…. We can't just steal it."

"STEAL!?" Star somersaulted to block Helga and drew out her wand. "So you're pirates, eh." Star charged her wands as Helga yelped, but Arnold came in.

"NO STOP! Our friends are held for ransom."

"Oh." Star pointed the wand upwards and released the attack, striking a bird that fell to the ground. "Why didn't you say so?"

Marco felt concern and asked about their friends.

"You see, we're here on a class trip, but when we went on this boat, a punch of pirates kidnaped us." Arnold said.

"And now the leader guy, Sambrailo or something, is making us take this treasure belonging to some Green Eyes tribe." Helga pointed at Arnold. "And the guy thinks those savages will just happily hand it to ol Football head here because of his …" Helga was not looking a bit concern. "Parents."

Marco noticed Arnold's mood lowing when she mentioned he parents.

"It's really a hard time now." Arnold said. "I don't know how we're going to stop La Sombra and save our friends."

Star chewed on her wand for inspiration and he hearts on her cheeks turned in to lightbulbs. "Marco, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Marco smiled and pounded his fists. "Oh yeah."

"Hugs!" At the pirates' hideout, a giant teddy bear now held the pirates captive in his big hug.

"Awww, I wanted to beat their faces to the ground." Marco sighed as he watches Arnold's class talking.

"O.K. I would like to make some announcements." said a fat and bald man who must the principal. "But right now my mind is going crazy from the kidnapping and whatever those two just did."

Some of the classmates examined the teens as some of the boys and girls stare at them with googly eyes.

"Can we just go back to camp and eat? I'm hungry!" shouted a fat kid. Star then created a pile of corn for the boy. "Alright!"

Star looked up into the setting sun and smiled. "It's getting late. Come on, Marco. You still need to ask a giant spider on a date."

A black kid who's hair was in the shape of a cylinder looked at them. "Ask what out?"

Star smiled gleefully and looked around the children. "I'm teaching my best friend how to talk to girls!"

Then they all laughed at Marco, making the karate boy blush in humiliation.

"I mean he's real terrible at it. He has this crush on the same girl since kindergarten." She then looked directly at Helga. "Can you imagine how pathetic it must be? Loving a person for so long and never having the guts to admit your feelings?"

Helga immediately backed away. "We're leaving you guys, NOW!"

The chaperones gathered the children and ordered them to walk back to came, but Arnold was feeling kind of down. "But what about …. My parents?"

The class just froze and looked at the boy, conflicted with themselves on what to say.

"What's up?" asked Star.

"Star." Marco whispered to Star. "I don't think this is going to be a happy story."

Arnold walked to the teens and rubbed the back of his head. "Well about nine years ago my parents left for these jungles, and never came back."

"Why?" asked Star with sympathy.

"They were botanists who were going to help cure this disease for the Green Eyes."

"Green Eyes?" asked Marco. "And this happened nine years ago. Are the Green Eyes …"

Arnold then realized the horrible fate the Green Eyes must have met.

"Naw, they're fine…" said Star.

"Wait, what?" Everyone turned to Star.

"I come here every now and then to fight wild animals. I sometime even go to the Green Eyes' City and party!"

Arnold eyes lit up. "Can you show me?"

"Sure. We'll get there in style." Star created a hot rod bus for the class. "Get in, I'm drivin!" The class glanced at the bus and Star's crazy stare, and voted against it. "Well I'm from a Kingdom, we don't have votes!"

In the ancient city of the Green Eyes, the people were just minding their own lives, until the bus came and crashed into a temple.

"We're here!" Star said with joy as everyone else ran out, praising in joy that they're alive.

"I'm O.K." said a red headed boy who arms were puffed up with allergies.

The Green Eyes noticed and recognized Star Butterfly, and screamed in terror. "Star's back!" "We're doomed!" "Watch out for the rainbows!" The people ran away in fear as the class glared at Star.

"Don't worry, this is normal." Star alerted the class.

Arnold ignored Star and yelled out to the Green Eyes. "Hey, my name is Arnold! I'm Miles and Stella's son!"

"AND ANSWER HIM, PRONTO!" shouted Helga with rage.

The Green Eyes lifted their head from their hiding spot and noticed the football headed boy. "It's true! Our Messiah has returned!" The Green Eyes ran to Arnold and lifted both him and Helga up.

"Cheer for Arnold, and ….. this girl!"

They cared the two towards a temple as Helga protested.

Star and Marco looked around, equally as confused as the rest. But they decided to follow them where they placed Helga and Arnold before a large statue of Arnold.

As a priest was preaching, Star started giggling. "Hey Marco. I just realized his head is shaped like a football."

"I feel so bad for the mom." Marco said as the Priest finished.

"Now to sacrifice the both of you."

"WHAT!?"

Then the statue lifted up into the air and underneath was a tunnel. "Now the holy spiders shall deliver you deep into the depths of the underworld where you'll do battle with the God of Evil."

"Hold on! Wait!" shouted Arnold.

"I am not getting eaten by spider just because you think we'll fight the Devil!" Helga yelled, threatening to break one of the Green Eye's arms.

Marco shook Star's arm. "Come on, we got to save them!" The two jumped in and roadhouse kicked some of the guards. "There's no way we'll let you feed these kids to some spiders."

"Which reminds me…." Star shot some beams around to blast the Green Eyes away and took Marco. "Come on, down here are the spiders I'm talking about!"

"Star, wait!" Marco pulled away and shouted. "This is not how I'm going to confess to Jackie." Marco took a deep breath. "Look. Facing monsters and spiders is one thing, but love is another. We all feel the need to be with someone, and the fear of being hurt or rejected is just as strong. But rejection is nothing to fear, but are the keys to release the chains in one's soul, freeing to seek new love with confidence born from courage."

"Awwww, that's the most beautiful just made-up words you've ever said." Star's pupils grew large as her mouth formed a tiny smile.

And of course, Helga clearly heard that. "Hey Arnold." Arnold looked at Helga who was feeling her arm. "There's something I gotta say to you. So listen good. I … I …"

"SHREEEEE!"

Then a gigantic spider appeared from the path, hissing and moving its long legs around. Everyone screamed and ran away, but then two voiced shouted.

"Halt!"

The spider moved away and bowed to two cloaked beings walking up the steps. "Look who finally let the path opened." One of the cloaked figures said in a male voice.

"Now to teach you a lesson about trapping us there for too long!" shouted the second figure with a female voice.

Then they noticed the football headed boy. "Arnold…" The two cloaked figured removed their hoods to reveal a blonde man with a cleft chin and a red-headed woman with an oval head.

"Mom, Dad?!" Arnold ran to the two and embraced them. "You're alive!"

Seeing the reunion warmed everyone's hearts, even Star and Marco's.

"Marco ….." Star looked at Macro with beautiful eyes. "I want a baby-"

"WHAT!?"

"SPIDER!" Star held out a baby spider. "Can I keep him?"

Then the giant spider looked at Star and hissed in its own language. "My baby!" The giant spider rushed after them with tremendous speed.

"STAR!" shouted Marco.

"I got this!" Star aimed her wand at the spider. "Mr. Cleaner, Cliff Hanger!"

The wand cast the spell that engulfed the spider, the people, the temple, the jungle, and soon the entire world.

"Star, what just happened?" Marco and Star are now back in their own world, still in the school.

"Oh, I made sure none of that ever or will happen." Star blew on her wand to clear away the smoke. "It was the first spell I thought of. But I'm not too sure what the second part means."

"Well it saved us." Marco said, looking confused. "But now want to know about that boy's parents? And why the Green Eyes had them underground? And that pirate?"

Marco's question made Star's eyes lit up. "Huh, that's right. Well not our dimension. I'm sure they can handle it themselves."

Marco sighed, but noticed Jackie walking by. "Hey Jackie!" Marco called out to her. "I was thinking of us catching a movie this Friday. Interested?"

"Sure." said Jackie. "Pick me up at seven."

"O.K." Marco said calmly as Jackie walked away. "Star, I did it!"

Star grinned widely as she tip toed in place. "See, I told you to let go of your nostalgia and make way for the future."

"You didn't say that. You wanted me to ask a giant flesh melting spider out on a date."

"Oh yeah."

So Star and Marco laughed away as they head towards the sunset, without a care in the world.

But in the world the two have just visit, a vast shade of grey covered the planet. As far as the eye can see, there was no movement, no wind, and no voices.

Time itself no longer exists.

The Pirates in their hideout were standing in place, reaching for some gold they will never grasp. The Green Eyes were frozen in their daily lives of secrets that will never be learned. Miles and Stella slept in the darkness, never to reunite with their son again.

Hillwood; a town filled with people going on with their lives and heading for the future. A future they will never have.

Helga sat in her closet, writing poems for the boy she dreams of and the same she fears will reject her feelings. But there will never be a chance for her to confess her love she'd hide from the boy for years.

Inside a Boarding House, Arnold showed a journal to his grandparents. The hope that grew within the boy's pure and young heart will never grow or shrink. There is nothing now. No future, no living, no growth, no emotion, no closure.

Nothing….