A/N: I don't own Star vs The Forces of Evil or anything else mentioned

Chapter One: Extremists

The smoke stung Manny's eyes as he opened them to see a blurry image of the scene around him. Miracle City was always known for a city filled with violence, what with its abundance of villains constantly either fighting for territory or robbing some establishment, but what had just transpired was unlike anything a super-villain in Miracle City had ever unleashed before. Whenever any act of violence was carried out, it was mostly to rob a bank or fight a superhero, the villains never targeted public areas such as schools, for they held a certain level of honor to never put the lives of the young on the line in their plans to gain power throughout the city.

But today, that rule didn't apply. Today, Manny's home town had been turned into a warzone, and sadly like all warzones, there were casualties. The attack on the school came without warning. No grandiose entrance, no speech of a madman shouting about revenge, just a man dressed in a strange suit of armor who walked onto school grounds, drew a sword, and began to slash and stab every child his blade could reach, all the while calling for Manny's blood. Upon seeing the horror unfold around him, Manny Rivera spun his mystical belt buckle and transformed into his superhero/supervillain alter ego, El Tigre, and leapt into battle. However, much to the surprise of the young hero, the stranger was more than a match for the mystically empowered boy and managed to beat him back.

Just when all seemed lost, Manny's father, White Pantera, arrived on the scene. Together, the father and son team fought the unknown madman out of the school and into the streets city streets. As the battle went on, Manny's friend, Frida, along with his grandfather the supervillain, Puma Loco, went about tending to those were had been cut by the stranger's sword, thankfully saving all for had been cut by the madman's sword. Meanwhile, Manny and Rodolfo continued their dual with their sword-wielding adversary. As the battle waged on, the two heroes soon began to realize that this was no ordinary man.

His strength and agility was equal to that of the Rivera's mystically empowered alter-ego's and his skill with a blade was unmatched. Every slash and block by his sword could hardly be countered by kicks and punches by the duo. However, despite not being able to keep up with his sword, Manny and his father still kept him at bay thanks to them working together as a team. But just when victory seemed close, the unthinkable happened. The stranger's eyes suddenly began to glow a dark shade of purple as his body surged with energy that sparked from his skin.

Already sensing danger, Rodolfo grabbed his son and quickly ran from his adversary. But his efforts where in vain, for when he was only several yards away, the strangers suddenly exploded in a ball of magical light. The light obliterated everything it touched and turned the people who could not get away fast enough in contact with into a pile of scorched bones. The resulting shockwave from the blast quickly caught up with White Pantera and his son and struck them both, thus rendering Manny unconscious in the process.

When the young hero finally reawakened, he was surrounded by a world scene of utter chaos and despair, however, there was something more troubling on his mind at the moment. When the shockwave struck the Rivera's, Manny was flung from his father's arms, leaving him left wondering where his parents had gone. He quickly scanned the area with his eyes for any signs of his dad. As he did, he could survey the total chaos that unfolded around him. Screams of both the dying and the frightened filled the air as smoke from the now destroyed buildings that were in the blast radius climbed high into the above Miracle City. No villain, not even someone as wicked as Sartanna, was capable of such a horrific act of violence.

Just then, Manny heard a low groan of pain coming from a nearby pile of rubble. El Tigre raced over to the wreckage and began to pull it off of whoever was trapped under it until finally discovering that it was in fact his missing father. He had seen his dad beaten down before, but the burns and other deep wounds across his now broken body was unlike any other injuries he had sustained his career as a superhero. His breathing was shallow and his eyes remained closed.

"C'mon dad, wake up!" Manny shouted at his dad as he shook him "please, you gotta wake up!"

"The resulting explosion in Miracle City from the terrorist attack resulted in the deaths of thirty-five people. It has also left Miracle City's protector, White Pantera, in critical condinition" the newswoman continued on the screen "This is now the tenth suicide bombing from the unknown group of terrorists only as 'The Mewman Liberation Army'. Both the authorities and the government are baffled as to who and what this group wants or where they came from, but are determined to put a stop to this group activities before another attack can occur"

"Yeah, like they said they would five suicide bombings ago" General Hawk commented harshly, clearly angered by the images he was seeing on the screen

Dr. Director let out a long sigh upon hearing that, but the leader of G.I Joe had a point. Ever since these random attacks started six weeks ago, the governments of the world had been unable to stop them. Like the news reporter had said, the group came out of nowhere and began their attacks on every corner of the world. While at first it seemed that these bombings were focused on random non-major cities and towns with the exception of New York and France, the GJN figured out that there was a method to all this madness, for every town or city that had been targeted was protected by a superhero of some kind. It was almost beginning to feel as though someone was looking to start a fight.

The United Nations was in total disarray as to what the motives of this so-called Liberation Army, but had no leads and instead turned to the only people who could solve mystery and stop this group. As the head of the Global Justice Network, Dr. Director had a massive network of operatives at her disposal who were constantly feeding her information from across the globe, but even they could find hardly anything about this suicidal militia. After the sixth attack occurred, some of her agents managed to scrape up a small bit of information that wasn't much to go on at first until a bit more digging, and if it meant the end of these suicide bombings, then she was willing to share it with her new allies.

Due to the severity of these attacks that were clearly caused by metahumans, the United Nations insisted that the Global Justice Network work alongside earth's two greatest groups of protectors to better combat these mysterious and savage attacks. The first was G.I Joe, a U.S based special defense force that defended the world against the ruthless terrorist organization known as Cobra. At first, many people suspected that this was the latest plot for world domination by Cobra, but these bombings did not match the M.O of the organization. The leader of the Joes, General Clayton 'Hawk' Abernathy, was more than willing to work with the GJN, for he and his soldiers were enraged that they also hadn't been able to stop these horrific attacks sooner.

The second was a great honor to be working with in this time of need: the Autobots. Ever since Optimus Prime and his noble race of alien machines reawaken on earth after centuries of slumber to help defend mankind from the tyranny of Megatron and his Decepticons, the Autobots were well-respected allies to the people of earth. Optimus and his warriors saw the planet as their second home since their home world, Cybertron, was turned into a barren wasteland from the eons of civil war that had been waged across it. when they heard word of these attacks by these strange metahumans, they offered their aide in stopping whoever was responsible for these suicide bombings.

Admittedly, Dr. Director was at first unsure if she could work with the two different factions. While the Joes and the Autobots preferred to work out in the open, the GJN worked from the shadows, giving them the opportunity to take down their targets without dealing with the press. However, Dr. Director saw the potential in pooling the three faction's resources together and accepted this alliance between them. currently, the three heads of each group were meeting at one of the GJN's remote outposts in Nevada to discuss their options on who best to stop the Mewman Liberation Army in private.

"This cannot be allowed to continue" Optimus stated solemnly before asking the director "Have you managed to find anything?"

"It's not much, but it's a start" the head of the GJN replied

"Well, let's see it" the general insisted

She then switched the giant screen behind her from the news to what looked like the images on a camera phone.

"We acquired this phone from the wreckage of the first bombing that occurred in Amity Park" she began "we've withheld it from the press and have been analyzing it ever since"

Dr. Director then began to play the recorded footage for her allies to watch. It started out with blurred and shaking images as the phone's now deceased owner fumbled around with his camera as he tried to get a good shot, obviously frightened by what was taking place before him. The three military leaders could hear the sounds screaming and explosions as the cacophony of battle could be heard above all the chaos. Once the person finally managed to focus on the source of the conflict while hiding behind some rubble, the three leaders saw the images of Amity Park's protector, Danny Phantom, locked in combat with the first suicide bomber. Danny Phantom was among the first of the new wave of metahumans and young superheroes that began to appear across the globe only a few short years ago. From Shezow in Megadale to Ladybug and Cat Noir in Paris, these new heroes helped in the never-ending war against forces of evil.

From the still shaking camera, Dr. Director and her allies watched as the ghostly hero trade blows with the soon to be suicide bomber. Much like before in the other cities, these members of the terrorist group would unleash a devastating attack that would draw out the city's protector which then they would fight until the attacker blew himself up in a ball of energy. This battle was no different, for during the fight, the militiaman's eyes glowed brightly as his body surged with energy. Already sensing danger, Danny turned intangible in anticipation for the oncoming explosion.

"Long live Mewni!" the man cried out "long live the Mewman Liberation Army!"

With that, his body exploded into a ball of light that swept out into the area around him. The blast consumed everything in its burning light until it reached the man holding the phone. he let out a scream of agony before the footage stopped completely, leaving the leaders of G.I Joe and the Autobots in stunned silence for several seconds until General Hawk finally spoke up.

"What the hell is Mewni?" he asked, "Some kind of distant planet? Is this the start of another invasion?"

Earth was no stranger to visitors from other worlds, nor to invasions from them for that matter. The first evidence of earth being invaded by another race from across the stars came from ancient relics and sites of unexplained origin. It wasn't until much later that they discovered that a civil war between two alien factions, much like the war between the Autobots and Decepticons, occurred thousands of years ago between a race of beings known only as Gems. While the war ended eons ago, there was still a small remnant of the Gem rebellion that defended earth who resided in the small town of Beach City that the GJN kept tabs on. There were troubling signs that another war was on the rise, but the last rebels seemed to keep their enemies at bay, for now that is.

Then of course there was the ongoing war between the two factions of Cybertronians that continued to this day, one that sometimes dragged the Joes into it due to Megatron's partnership with Cobra. Optimus Prime and his soldiers remained steadfast allies to the world they now called home. However, the war between the two factions caused the Autobots to be unable to protect earth from another invasion force. Twice New York fell under attack by alien forces. The first was by a race of beings known as the Krang, brain-like creatures that hailed from another universe known as Dimension X who occupied Manhattan for months until they were finally stopped by an unknown group of metahumans. The second was from an insectoid warlord known as Lord Dregg, who came to unleash his vengeance upon those who had wronged him and make the people of earth food for his children. Thankfully, the same group of metahumans managed to stop Dregg's plans. It was after Dregg's attack on New York that the leaders of the world would make certain that should another alien invasion occur that they would be prepared for it.

"Mewni is not a planet that exists in this galaxy, General Abernathy" Optimus informed him

"That's what we were afraid of" Dr. Director said, "I fear we're looking at another invasion from another dimension"

"You mean like the Krang?" the leader of the Joes questioned "how can you be sure?"

The head of the GJN then switched the screen to several images of a young girl with long blonde hair and what looked like hearts on her cheeks. In her hand was what looked like a wand with a star in the center of it with two wings on each side of it. some of the images showed the girl fighting what looked like hordes of monsters alongside a young boy around her age in an orange hoodie and black pants.

"This is Star Butterfly" the director began "we were keepings tabs on her after hearing reports of magic based activity occurring in the town of Echo Creek in California"

"What does she have to do with the bombings, director?" Optimus inquired

"Because she claims that she's a princess of Mewni" the head of the Global Justice Network answered

Both Optimus and General Hawk were taken aback by this statement. It was surprising to the both of them that such a young and seemingly harmless girl could have any connection to such a savage group like the Mewman Liberation Army.

"When she was living here on earth, she had taken of residence with the Diaz family" Dr. Director continued "that was, until three months ago when she mysteriously departed back to her world. Two weeks after she left, he received reports that the Diaz's only son, Marco, somehow managed to travel to her world. we thought that would be the last we would see of her, but these attacks say otherwise"

"So, she was just a scout for these attacks?" Hawk asked

"I do not believe so, General" Optimus proposed "It is unlikely that she would fight these monsters you see on the screen just for fun. Furthermore, if she is a princess in her world, then why would she scout this planet herself instead of someone more qualified to do so?"

"You don't think these attacks and the princess are connected, do you?" Dr. Director surmised

"I do not" the Prime confirmed "in fact, I believe these attacks are coming from an extremists group that is acting outside the will or even knowledge of their world's rulers"

"Prime's got a point" the general agreed "if he's right, then we can't authorize an attack on an entire world just because of the actions of a select few who are trying to start trouble. We can't in good conscious blame an entire race of people for something only a small number of them did"

"Then are you suggesting then?" the director questioned

"I will attempt to make contact with this world's rulers and speak with them personally" Optimus explained "if there is indeed no malice among the Mewman rulers, then we shall assist them in bringing this terrorist group to justice together"

"And if there is?" Hawk asked

"We shall do what's necessary, General" Prime replied in a sullen voice "But until such time has come, I will not condone any act of violence on our behalf that will lead us into open war"

"And until you do manage to speak with the rulers of Mewni, what then?" Dr. Director demanded in a tense voice "we're supposed to just sit and wait for the next attack to happen?"

"It will not come to that" the alien robot assured "I will return to my base and have Wheeljack and Preceptor begin making the proper means as to reach out to Mewni"

"In the meantime, I'll have my men continue to interrogate the Diaz's for any more information on Star" Dr. Director added on

Optimus and General Hawk paused for a moment upon hearing that. Dr. Director had failed to mention earlier was to what happened with the Diaz's until now, and it was clear by the expression on her face that she had no qualms about it.

"What do you mean, interrogate?" Optimus asked sharply

"They were harboring a potential enemy of the state, I had to bring them in for questioning" the leader of the GJN answered without hesitation "I've informed that I will have them both deported if they do not tell us everything they know"

"You will do no such thing!" General Hawk denied harshly "Those people are not the enemy!"

"But we can't take that chance!" the director snapped back

"You are going to hand the Diaz's over to my team for protective custody at once, or so help me god I'll go straight to the U.N about this!" Hawk demanded "Is that understood?"

"I don't think you—" Dr. Director attempted to say

"Is that understood, Director?" the general repeated in a sharp tone

The head of the Global Justice Network grimaced at that remark. She wasn't the type of woman who enjoyed being talked down to in anyway shape or form, let alone from someone who clearly had no concept of the rules of espionage. But she couldn't afford losing this alliance, for she knew that the U.N would come down harshly for it, perhaps even look for a new head of the network in the process. this was one of the reasons she was hesitant to work alongside the two groups, for she knew that how she fought a war would not sit well either faction.

"Fine" she finally relented with a tense voice "I'll them transferred to your team in the next forty-eight hours"

"Twenty-four hours" Hawk sternly corrected "and not a second more"

Dr. Director begrudgingly nodded to the general's demands. With that, the two other military leaders turned and departed from the outpost. As they stepped outside, Hawk posed a question to his old friend.

"Do you really think they'll listen to you?" He asked

"I can only hope that they do, old friend" Prime replied "We must let diplomacy be our first and foremost weapon before any war can begin"

"And what if they really are behind these bombs?" the leader of the Joes questioned further

Optimus didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked up into the night sky and gazed up and the blanket of stars before him. His optics narrowed as he looked at the one that was his distant home world as the memories of the countless dead buried on a decaying world filled his mind. It was something he would do at cost to prevent happening on Earth.

"Should come to that…then, General Abernathy, we shall do what we must to protect this world" he finally answered in a slow, sage-like voice