So this is my first attempt at putting something of my own on this website. I hope you guys like it and I'd appreciate feedback. I may not be able to respond to feedback or comments that often because of school, but I'll do what I can!

Star leaned against the balcony, looking down on the people of Mewni, normal citizens going about their daily lives. Merchants shouting, children playing, farmers tending to their livestock; the same things that happened every single day. The princess sighed as she turned back to her room and flopped down onto her bed. "Boooooring," she sighed. "Everything here is so boring, but without Marco…"

It had been almost a year since the princess had returned to the castle on Mewni, leaving her life on Earth behind. Her parents decided that, after almost two years on Earth, Star had mastered the wand's powers, or at least learned to control them well enough to no longer be a danger to the people of Mewni. However, by leaving Earth, she was also forced to leave Marco behind. Though the best friends had planned on visiting each other, Marco still had yet to show up. Star had left her dimensional scissors tucked under the mattress of the guest bedroom before she left, since she wasn't supposed to have them anyway, and informed Marco of their presence there, but it almost seemed like he had completely forgotten they were there.

"Where could he be?" Star asked herself, as she rolled to her side to stare at a framed picture of the duo making silly faces at the camera. A moment later, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," she called. Her bedroom door opened to reveal her parents standing in the doorway.

"Star dear, it's about time for your etiquette classes. You may have learned to handle the wand, but that doesn't mean you're prepared to rule Mewni."

"Fiiiiiiiine," Star moaned as she crawled out of bed and dragged her feet down the long corridor towards the classroom.

"Darling, when will she get over that boy? All she's done since she returned is moan about how much she misses him," said King River Butterfly. "Did we really go about this the right way?"

"Of course, River. She and that boy were becoming too close, and we can't risk Star marrying someone who isn't royalty," came the response from Queen Moon Butterfly.

"Yes, but erasing the memories of everyone she met on Earth? Doesn't that seem a tad… extreme?"

"Oh hush. That's no longer any of our concern. What's done is done. Now we need to focus on making Star into a ruler fit to succeed the throne."

And with that, Mewni's rulers walked down the hallway back towards the throne room.

Meanwhile, on Earth, something felt off for the half-Latino, safe-kid of Echo Creek. Actually, something felt off for nearly a year, almost as if someone's presence was completely missing from his life. It was a feeling he was unable to shake. It stayed with him from the moment he woke up to the moment he fell asleep. An energy or sense of excitement and wonder was no longer present, though he couldn't actually remember a time where his life was energetic or exciting. But still, something seemed wrong. So, one Friday, he decided to bring it up with his friends at lunch.

"Hey, guys. Something's been bugging me for a while now," Marco said as he sat down with Ferguson and Alfonso.

"Shoot."

"Does something seem… I don't know… off to you?" asked Marco.

The other two boys stared at him. "What do you mean?" asked Ferguson.

"I'm… not sure."

Once again, Marco was met with blank stares from his friends.

"Look, guys, I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like there's something… no, someone… missing. Like there was someone who we saw every single day, and now they just… aren't here."

"I don't know, man. I think all the stress of school might be getting to you," replied Alfonso.

"Yeah, man. You might be losing it," commented Ferguson.

Marco sighed and opened his mouth to respond, when Jackie Lynn Thomas rode by on her skateboard. "Oh, hey! Jackie!" Marco called, shocking the boys at the table and surprising Jackie as she turned around.

"Uh, hey Marco. What's up?" asked Jackie.

"I know I might sound crazy, but does it feel like something's missing? Like there's an energy that was around last year that just isn't here anymore?"

Jackie stared at him for a moment, then looked towards the ceiling in thought. "Now that you mention it, this year does seem a little… bland compared to the last few years, but I can't really say why. It does seem a little boring around here, though."

"Thanks, that all I needed," Marco replied. Jackie nodded and skated away. Marco turned back towards his friends and saw them, mouths agape, shocked expressions frozen on their faces as they watched Jackie leave.

"Uhhh, guys? You okay?"

"DUDE. You… you just talked to… to… to… Jackie," stuttered Ferguson.

Marco expression changed to one of confusion. "Yeah? And?"

"A week ago, you could barely look at her without turning as red as a tomato! Now you're having a full, coherent conversation?!" shouted Alfonso. "Where the hell did all this confidence come from?!" Marco stared at his friends, then in the direction that Jackie had rode off in. He opened his mouth to say something, but then the bell rang.

"Well, we better get to class guys," Marco said, then he walked away, leaving his friends dumbfounded.

Later, after school, Marco walked into his house, which was empty since his parents were out for the weekend. He was still haunted by the feeling that something important was missing. He walked up the steps, but rather than enter his own room, he found himself standing in the doorway of the empty guest room.

The room was plain, containing only a twin sized bed, a dresser, a wardrobe, and a nightstand. Despite the fact that it hadn't been used since Gustav's last visit, almost three years ago, the room was incredibly well maintained. The bed was neatly made, the carpet was clean and vacuumed, and the furniture was spotless, thanks to Marco, who found himself cleaning it every few days, even though there was no real reason for him to waste his time.

Marco stood in the doorway for a moment before entering into the room. He stared at the bed, then yanked the mattress off. There, sitting on the box spring, was a pair of scissors. The handle was red, with a large diamond sitting at the center, and the blades sparkled in the light. They looked familiar, yet Marco didn't know where they could have come from.

Marco picked up the scissors and turned them over in his hand. He opened a closed the blades a few times, then jumped back suddenly when he heard tearing. He looked over his clothes, making sure his hoodie hadn't been torn, then looked up, only to come face to face with a swirling portal. Yet, somehow, he wasn't scared, or even surprised. This almost seemed… normal.

Without thinking, he reached over with the scissors, and cut the portal, making it large enough to walk through. He looked at the portal, then down at the scissors in his hand, and sighed.

"What the hell am I doing?" he whispered. Then he put the scissors in his belt loop and walked into the portal.

And that's chapter 1. Thanks for reading and I'll update this as soon as I can.