Original Idea by: Scraps
Characters created by: Daron Nefcy
Chapter 2: Freedom
{*}
The Boneheart: Present Day
{*}
As expected, The Boneheart was a large dome made of bone, aside from that, there was nothing more than rocks floating around in a black sky. In fact, it seemed that the whole place was floating on a lone rock in the darkness. As a portal opened, star rolled out of the portal and stood up with a triumphant pose, with Marco walking out of the portal with caution before Star looked back to him and yanked him to her side.
"There it is Marco!" Star said with stars in her eyes as she pointed to the eerie gate of the Boneheart. "The source of my nightmares, and the answer to all our problems."
"Wait…how is this my problem again?" Marco asked Star. "Aside from the fact that I should be working on my homework right now."
"Just let me have this moment." Star replied softly as she released Marco and approached the gate, studying the large femur on the front of the door.
"Hmmm…there must be a secret to this door Marco." Star said to the approaching Marco as she began to chew on her wand. "No one would leave this unguarded unless…"
Marco simply walked up to the Gate and pushed it, causing the huge bone door to open with a loud creak.
"…they forgot to send someone to guard it?" Marco said as he gestured to the door.
"Good thinking Marco!" Star said as she slapped her friend hard on the back before she ran into the building. "Now let's find ourselves a Nova."
"Heh…" Marco chuckled as he caught up to his bestie.
"What's so funny?" Star asked as she chuckled with him, using her want to illuminate the dark hallway.
"Oh, it just that in astrology, we learned that a Nova is actually a term for stars." Marco explained with a chuckle before his laughter trailed off and he turned pale.
"What's wrong?" Star said with a nervous chuckle.
"It's just that... a nova is a term referring to the...death of a...star." Marco replied blankly.
As the two teens ventured into the heart of the Boneheart, there was not a single sound from either of them.
{*}
The Boneheart: Nova's Prison: Present Day
{*}
As they reached the center of the Boneheart, Marco and Star saw a large black crystal in the center of the huge chamber, illuminated by a hole in the ceiling. The crystal was shaped like a large rounded cube and there was a small bowl on a pedestal with a blade welded into the center.
As Star and Marco approached the cube. Star squinted as she looked into the crystal, seeing the image of a man standing in the center. As she continued to examine the crystal. Marco noticed a slab of black rock next to the bowl and as he read it, he turned pale again as he turned to Star.
"Star, I think whoever put him here clearly wants him to stay here." Marco said with a concerned tone as he looked to Star who was already shooting beams of narwhals and leech bombs at the cube, which dissipated as they touched the cube.
"What?" Star said in confusion as she fired a butterfly beam at the cube, only for it to dissipate on contact. "What makes you say that?"
"Well according to this tablet, the only way to release this Nova guy, you will need to fill this bowl with blood." Marco explained as he looked at the bowl next to him.
"Ew…" Star replied in disgust as she stuck her tongue out. "Welp, don't worry Marco, we'll just grab ourselves a blood beetle and he'll do the rest."
"No Star you don't understand…" Marco said as he looked to Star with a concerned look. "…it has to be *your* blood."
Star flinched at the sound as she looked at the cube. She then walked over to Marco and the tablet and looked at it.
"This prison shall not be broken by the strongest bodkin n'r the swiftest spell. Only with a key of sanguine from the ruling family of Mewni shall one find release."
"Wow…" Star said with a surprised tone as she looked up from the tablet. "…dark."
"See what I mean Star?" Marco explained as he turned Star towards him. "It's a clear sign that this guy is bad news. Let's just go home and forget about this. Okay?"
Star looked towards the crystal cube and then back to Marco. She then remembered that although he was occasionally a stick in the mud and "The Safe Kid", he was right about a lot of things.
"Okay Marco…" Star said with a small smile as she created a portal with her dimensional shears.
"Alright…" Marco said as entered the portal with a yawn. "Glad that you came to your senses."
As Star walked towards the portal, she looked back to the cube and sighed before she entered the portal, which quickly vanished.
{*}
Two Hours Later
{*}
Within the heat of the Boneheart, another portal opened before the crystal cube. Out from this portal, Queen and King Butterfly emerged, arming themselves towards the cube. Only to see that it was intact and unscathed, with no Star Butterfly in sight.
"Ah! I knew it!" Queen Butterfly gloated as she sheathed her sword. "I knew Star would not free Nova."
"No you didn't." King Butterfly said with a chuckle. "We both though she would, especially since "someone" forgot to sharpen the dimensional shears and charge them, resulting two hour delay in travel.
Queen Butterfly gave an irritated groan as looked to the cube and approached it. As she leaned in and squinted her eyes, she saw the palm of a large bluish green gauntlet slam on the glass in front of her face. This was followed by a low howling scream from the cube. As the two rulers of Mewni watched the gauntlet return into the darkness of the cube, a low muttering and light weeping could be heard. Queen Butterfly simply scoffed as she walked away. As she did, King Butterfly approached the cube and placed his hand on the surface. Seconds later, a small hand emerged and placed itself on the glass where King Butterfly's hand was.
"I'm sorry Nova." King Butterfly said softly, seeing a bright purple eye gaze back at him from within the cube. "I'm so sorry...my boy..."
"Dear!" Queen Butterfly addressed coldly as she summoned a portal with her shears. "Get away from *him* this instant!"
King Butterfly sighed as he pulled his hand away and slowly walked away from the cube. Looking back, he saw the hand was still touching the wall of the cube for a few moments before it returned to the darkness within the cube. As he approached his Queen, he looked to her with a look of hurt and empathy.
"I know you still care for him darling, but he made his choice." Queen Butterfly explained as turned towards the portal. "Now he has to deal with the consequences."
"He's still our son!" King Butterfly objected to his Queen, stopping her in her tracks. "He may have done what he did but still deserves our help and compassion, not to be locked away like a rabid animal. All he wanted to do was-"
"Become a monster!" Queen Butterfly interrupted as she clenched her fist. "And I have no love or care for monsters."
King Butterfly hesitated as the Queen stepped into the portal. The King then sighed as he looked to the cube once more and then stepped into the portal.
{*}
Diaz Residence: Star's Room: Present Day
{*}
Star just laid in her bed as she stared at the ceiling, she could not find the ability to sleep as she thought about the prison and the being known as Nova. She then began to think about her fights with Toffee and Ludo and then her thought shifted to her friends and the people she met through her adventures... with Marco...
...and then her thoughts shifted to Marco...just Marco...
As she thought about him, she then felt her heart begin to beat faster. For some time now, she was developing a strange feeling towards him, a feeling she never felt before, and it felt strong, stronger than her feelings for the boy known as Oskar. As she turned in her bed and tried to fall asleep, she became so frustrated, she grabbed her pillow and screamed into it.
But as she pulled her head from the pillow, she heard the call from her magic mirror. As well as the voice of her mother, the powerful, and sometimes scary Queen Butterfly.
Star quickly rushed up to the mirror and made a mocking salute.
"A den-sun!" Star shouted as she saluted. "All hands up speck!"
"Very funny Star!" Queen Butterfly sighed as she was sharpening her pair of dimensional shears. "I just wanted to see how are you doing on earth?"
"Everything is a-ok Mom!" Star said with a cheerful demeanor. "Everything has been quiet since Toffee was taken care of and Ludo and his cronies have been a lot better since they began operating that whole food market in town."
"I...see…" Queen Butterfly said as she gave a suspicious look. "How have you been though? Has anything strange happened recently?"
As Star was about to explain her dreams, a voice in her head suddenly told her to stop, and instead say:
"Nope!" Star lied with a grin. "As I said, everything's been hunky-dory!"
"Are you sure?" Queen Butterfly asked her daughter. "Because Glossaryck told me you asked him something about a "Nova".
Star hesitated as she tried to think of an excuse. Then she remembered what Marco had told her back at the Boneheart.
"Oh yeah, it was a question for about studying stars." Star lied again, she had years of practice to perfect the art. "I think Marco called it…Asstomericky? Anyway, I couldn't find what I was looking for so I asked Marco to help me."
"Alright then." Queen Butterfly said with a sigh of relief as she smiled towards her daughter. "Just call me if you have any issues involving Mewni, alright."
"Got ya Mom!" Star said with a toothy grin as she hugged the mirror. "Love ya!"
"Of course darling." Queen Butterfly replied with a warm smile. "I love you too."
The two gave their good byes as the mirror shut off. Star then sighed in relief as she turned around and saw her pair of dimensional shears on a nearby table. As she walked towards them and turn back to the mirror, she saw her reflection in the mirror, and for an instant, she saw the man with black hearts on his cheeks and the bluish green gauntlet reaching out to her before he vanished.
"I'm gonna find out who you are and why you want me." Star said as she grabbed the shears and opened a portal. "Even if I have to break ya out of that prison myself."
{*}
The Boneheart: Nova's Prison: Present day
Star stormed out of the portal and approached the bowl with the blade within it. As she looked at the blade in the center, she looked at her hand.
"I want to believe what Marco said was true and I feel that for whatever reason, you deserve to be locked up in there" Star said as she looked up to the crystal cube, seeing a tall figure standing inside, almost as if it was waiting for her to continue. "But I feel like I know you and I want to know why, and to do that...I have to free you."
Star looked back to the bowl and placed her hand on the blade in the center. Taking a deep breath, she stabbed her hand through the knife, yelping in pain as she felt the blade pierce into her skin and through the back of her hand. As she pulled her hand away, she pulled out a roll of gauze from her purse and wrap her wounded hand up. Star watched as her blood slowly trickled down the blade, touching the base of the blade and the bowl. As soon as it did, the pedestal and bowl sank into the floor.
"Okay…I did it. I gave you my blood." Star shouted out loud as she clenched her hand. "Now what?"
Suddenly, Star saw the crystal cube before her began to crack like an egg, purple light and black smoke emerged from the cracks as a bellowing roar was heard from within, the whole chamber rumbled and shook like Ferguson's stomach during lunchtime as the cube began to crack even more. Suddenly, the cube shattered with a huge pulse of light, knocking Star onto a wall. As the teen shook her head and rubbed it, she looked up and saw that the cube was gone, but a familiar man was kneeling where the cube was. The man was on his hands and knees, wearing a suit of armor and had a bluish green gauntlet on his right arm. Star then recognized him as the man from her dreams and quickly stood up, approaching him with her wand armed towards him.
As soon as Star was beside him with her wand aimed at his head, the man grunted and coughed as he slowly stood up. Star watched as he slowly turned towards his liberator and looked at her. As soon as he did, his eyes widened as he reached his hands towards her.
"Star…?" The Man asked softly as he reached towards her. "Star is that you?"
"Yeah…I'm Star Butterfly from Mewni." Star said cautiously as she aimed her wand at the man. "You're that Nova guy, aren't you? You're that guy who's been in my dreams."
In that instant, the man smiled and began to laugh as he brushed back his hair with his hand and wiped tears from his eyes. Star looked at him cautiously before he replied to her.
"Of course I am!" Nova said with a cheerful expression. I'm Nova Butterfly, I'm your brother!"
Star paused as she looked to the man with a shocked and confused expression. After a few moments she replied with a simple but elongated…
"Whaaaaaaaat?"
"Yes, I'm your brother. Nova." The Man replied as she approached the young teen, only to halt as she aimed her wand at his face.
"Listen, I have no idea who you are." Star said in a commanding voice. "But I have no brother, and if I did, and I don't, he would be an awesome and cool brother, not some crazy wierdo locked up in a weird prison."
Nova stepped back before he place his hand on his chin. He then looked to Star and smiled.
"When you were only three years old, the guard accidentally fell asleep while watching you, you broke into mother's chambers and stole her wand. You then nearly burned down your play room and turned the guard into…"
"…A giant eggplant horse with the face of a dog and clams for feet." Star finished as she lowered her wand and stared at Nova with a shocked expression on her face.
"You asked mother if you wanted to keep him as a pet." Nova explained with a chuckled and wiped his eye with his gauntlet. "She was so mad at you, saying you would never be worthy wield the wand at this rate. But look at how big you've grown."
"Okay, I'm both confused and amazed at what is happening." Star said as she rubbed her arm, winching as she clasped her wounded hand. "I'm…Conmafuzed."
"Here, let me see." Nova gently approached Star and placed her injured hand in his hand and then he placed his gauntlet over it, with a quick flash of red light, he removed his gauntlet and the gauze. Star looked at her hand with surprise as the wound was gone, leaving no scar or anything.
"Wow!" Star said as she looked at her hand and then to Nova with awe. "How did you do that? I can't even do healing magic that well...or at...all."
"I can do more than just heal wounds Star." Nova replied as he pointed his gauntlet at Star's head and placed his finger on her forehead. "I can also repair lost memories."
In that instant, there was a flash of light and Star saw memories flow into her head. Certain memories, such as when she rode a carriage by herself as an infant, now had Nova chasing her instead of her father, and when she and her other Bestie Pony Head were being chased by monsters for stealing their gold, she saw Nova come to their rescue. As her new memories synched within her mind, Star looked to Nova and a grin began to grow on her face, her eyes sparkled like Ferguson's eyes when he sees food.
"Do you believe me now Star?" Nova asked Star as he gave her a warm smile.
Star's grin grew until it stretched across her entire face. Her eyes grew like dinner plates as she stared at her long lost brother.
"Um…Star…?" Nova said with concern as he waved his hand in front of her face. "Are you alright?"
Star began to make a low pitch squee which began to increase in pitch as she quickly pounced on Nova and threw him onto his back, before he could say or do anything, Nova was ambushed by the loud screaming of his sister in right into his ear.
"I HAVE A BROTHER!" Star screamed into Nova's ear. "I HAVE AN AWESOME AND COOL BROTHER!"
"I know." Nova said as he picked Star off of him and stood up, rubbing his ringing ears. As he looked back to Star, she was clinging to his gauntlet and gazed upon it with awe and wonder, just like Ferguson does when he sees a taco placed before him.
"Ooooh…it's just like the one in my nightmares." Star said as she began to chew on her wand. "Why is it glowing blue?"
"I'll explain everything when we leave." Nova replied with a chuckle as he pulled her wand out of her mouth. "Now where can I rest for the night? Being imprisoned in a timeless void can do numbers on one's internal clock."
"Oh! I know just the place!" Star said with a sing-song voice and a grin as she whipped out a pair of dimensional shears.
{*}
Diaz Residence: Kitchen: Several Hours Later
{*}
It was a simple Friday morning, Marco woke up with a yawn and walk sluggishly down the stairs and into the kitchen, as his eyes and brain were still booting up, he grabbed a box of cereal from the cupboard and a carton milk from the fridge before he sat down and began to eat his cereal. As he did, he looked around to see a note from his parents on the fridge, a laser puppy sleeping on the floor near the couch, Star Butterfly sitting across from him with a smile and stars in her eyes, and a tall man with blond hair, black hearts on his cheeks, and a blueish green gauntlet sitting beside to him.
"Sup." Marco mumbled as he looked to Nova took a bit from his cereal.
"Hello…human." Nova said as he examined the contents of the table. "I trust you slept soundly under my sister's care?"
"Uh-huh, I sure did." Marco mumbled. "You have a very compassionate sister."
"I am aware of that, human." Nova replied as he picked up the box of cereal and studied the cover before putting it down beside him. "By the way, my name is Nova, at in the Nova that was imprisoned in the Boneheart."
"Nice to meet you Nova." Marco replied with a mumble as he bit into another spoonful of cereal.
Nova then turned to Star, who was still standing at the opposite end of the table with a wide starry eyed grin on his face, and shrugged.
"Is this normal?" Nova asked as he looked to Marco with a curious expression as he snapped his fingers in front of his face. "Is this how all humans act?"
"Give him a minute." Star replied instantly as she extended a finger upwards while keeping her smile on.
As the two siblings continued to watch Marco eat his cereal, it took a minute and a half for the thought about the new guest to finally slink into brain. In that instant, Marco eyes opened wide as he stared at Nova. Marco then yelped loudly, spitting out his cereal as he shot up from his chair and made a karate pose towards Nova.
"What the what?" Marco shouted at Nova, his arms aimed towards the unexpected guest. "Who the heck are you? What are you doing here?"
"SURPRISE!" Star shouted as she jumped in front of Marco and created a rainbow above Nova, who she then gestured to with as much flair as physically possible. "Say hello to my long lost brother: Nova Butterfly!"
"Nova?" Marco asked with concern as he continued to aim his hands at his unexpected guest, who began to brush glitter off his pauldrons. "As in the guy who was in your nightmares? The guy who was imprisoned in that bone place and you promised to forget about? That guy...is your brother?"
"I understand your concern human, but rest assured, I have no intention of being trouble." Nova said as he stood up and placed his gauntlet against his chest in a salute. "However, I admire your dedication to the protection of Star, it is good to see my little sister's protection is in good hands, even though they are the hands of a...*ahem*...lesser being."
"Hey!" Marco said as he approached Nova and pointed his finger at the Mewnian. "I'm no lesser being. I'm a green belt in karate and I've helped Star save the multiverse while you were playing "Shawshank Redemption"."
"I don't know what that is, but I'll assume that was supposed to be an insult." Nova said as he approached Marco, staring down at the boy before him. "However, keep in mind that I have been killing monsters and saving lives long before you were even conceived."
"Hey guys, chill out." Star interjected as she stood between the two boys and pushed them back. "No need to get all "done zupedy" on each other."
"It's "one-uppity" Star." Marco corrected as he approached Nova and sat back down in his chair.
"Nova, I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind." Marco said to Nova as he took a bite of cereal in a proud manner.
Nova sighed as he sat down in the chair across from Marco, with Star sitting in the chair beside both of them, looking towards each of the boys with a look of excitement as the "Diaz Interrogation" began.
"So Nova, Why were you, the so called "brother" of Star and a so called "hero", locked up in that bone prison in the first place?"
"I was imprisoned there by a...monster long ago." Nova explained to his Marco as he looked to Star. "I tried to kill her, but she had the upper hand and imprisoned me within the Boneheart. I had no means of escape, only with the blood from my family would free me. But the parents believed that I was dead, so I was to be sentenced to an eternity of isolation…until Star found me."
Star tilted her head and let out a small "Aww!" before Marco rolled his eyes and continued his questions.
"Alright, but then why doesn't Star have any memory of you." Marco asked as he squinted his eyes in suspicion. "We both went to the realm of Father Time and I saw her memories, and neither of us saw you in any memories."
"Oh! Oh! Marco!" Star interjected gleefully as she tugged on Marco's Pajamas. "It turns out that all my memories of Nova in my head were suppressed and altered with a magic spell."
"Really?" Marco said with a suspicious tone as he glared at Star's brother. "So he just...repaired your memories...just like that?"
"Of course." Nova explained as he raised his gauntlet and placed it on the table. "With the right knowledge of spells, combined with a powerful magical artifact, one can reverse any magic, such as an amnesia spell, in an instant."
"Uh-huh…" Marco replied as he pointed his finger at Nova. "But what about her nightmares! What did those come from?"
"She must have been wearing out the spell on her own and her suppressed memories were emerging through her dreams." Nova explained as he stroked his chin. "However, that would normally be impossible unless she was in direct physical contact with a powerful magical object, like her wand, for a constant period of time."
Both Marco and Nova then looked at Star, who was watching the two walk while resting her elbow in the table, resting her head on her hands, and gnawing on her wand.
"What?" Star said while chewing on her wand. "What are you looking at?"
"Well that explains that." Nova commented with a chuckle as he pulled Star's wand out of her mouth before he looked back to Marco "Now have I fulfilled your curiosity and proven myself to you, human?"
"Just one more question." Marco said as he pointed to his gauntlet. "What's up with that thing on your arm?"
"Ah! You mean "The Gauntlet"?" Nova replied as he raised his gauntlet and pointed to it. "This is an ancient artifact that the Gods had created for the ancestors of the royal family. Within this gauntlet, is perhaps very essence of magic itself. With its power, I can manipulate the energy of the Universe around me, or create a massive army with a simple command. The power of this artifact is limitless. "
"Woah!" Star said with awe as she chewed on her wand and rubbed the Gauntlet with her hand, feeling the energy vibrate. "So it's like my wand, only better?"
"Of course." Nova replied as he placed Star in his lap and pulled the wand out of her mouth. "In fact, the very energy from the Gauntlet was used to create the wand. However, like the Gauntlet, that part of history became lost in time. Until I discovered The Gauntlet and used it to conquer my foes and fight the monster that imprisoned me."
"Awesome!" Star said as she gazed at her brother with awe before she glanced at the clock, which read 8:23 AM.
"Ohmygosh! Marco! The bus is almost here!" Star screamed as she pounced towards Marco and shook him like a rag doll. "We're gonna be late for school!"
Marco calmly stood up before he screamed loudly and bolted up the stairs and into the bathroom while Nova and Star remained in the kitchen. Nova then looked out the window and saw the yellow school bus outside.
"Is he expecting that…thing?" Nova said as he pointed towards the bus.
"Yeah, but he won't make it in time." Star replied as she poured a cup of apple juice and downed it with a sigh
"I'll be the judge of that." Nova said as he stood up and walked towards the door.
{*}
Sixteen Minutes Later
{*}
Marco finished putting on his shoe as he was hopping out the door. As he looked up, he saw stopping to see the school bus was still before his house, he then saw Star waving her hand out the window while Nova was standing beside the school bus with his gauntlet aimed towards the bus driver.
"I halted this "school bus" for you." Nova said as he gestured towards the bus. "You may continue when you are ready human."
"Uh…thanks...I think." Marco said to Nova as he entered the door, passing the bus driver, who was pale as a corpse, shaking like a leaf and all the hair on his body was white as snow.
"Th-th-there wa-was a ro-room…" The bus driver stammered quietly as Marco entered the Bus. "…an r-r-room with n-no lights…"
As Marco saw the students staring at him, he meekly sat in one seat next to Star, who poked her head through the window and looked towards her brother.
"Aren't you coming with us bro?" Star said to Nova. "You totally have to try this school thing out. It's awesome!"
"I'll be with you shortly Star, I need to take care of a few things first." Nova said with a grin as he waved his hand. "In the meantime, you go enjoy yourself."
Nova then looked to the bus driver and nodded his head lightly. The driver stomped on the accelerator and the bus shot down the road like Ferguson towards the cafeteria. Nova watched as the bus drove off into the distance with a young girl waving her arms out the window and cheering loudly. Nova smiled as he turned around and walked back into the house.
{*}
Diaz Residence: Several Hours Later
{*}
As Nova entered the house, he walked into the kitchen and began to look around. Looking through the cupboard and the fridge, he noticed the note stuck to the door and began to read it.
{*}
Dear Marco,
Your mother and I are visiting your abuela for the next week. We wanted you to come with us, but your abuela didn't want to see you for some reason.
We have left you some meals in the fridge for the week and some money on the counter. Remember to clean up after yourselves if you and Star decide to have some fun.
Love you always,
Mom and Dad.
{*}
Nova glared at the last two lines of the letter before he plucked the note from the fridge and burned it in his hand. He then walked up the stairs of the house and into Marco's room.\
{*}
As he looked around at the room, he saw a large red book sitting on Marco's desk. As he opened the book, he saw it was filled with photos of Marco and Star. As he looked at the photos of Star and Marco along with Pony Head, Star and a sick Marco standing before a wrecked bus, and a photo of Star, Marco and his family. Nova then picked up the photograph and looked at it. He saw Star and Marco hugging each other as Mr. and Mrs. Diaz stood beside each of them, both of which were hugging the children. As Nova continued to look at the picture, he felt a small pain in his chest.
"How lucky are you Star, to be with creatures that portray such compassion for you." Nova said as he took his fingers and touched the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Diaz, burning through the photo as he did so. "But I wish you could see the truth as I have."
As Nova watched the photo disintegrate within his hands, he turned the page of the album and stopped at a whole section dedicated to a girl with platinum blond hair with a single mint highlight, eyes of aqua, and freckles. As he examined the pictures, he picked up a photo of the girl riding a skateboard. Nova saw the red heart drawn around the girl and he then flipped the photo over, revealing a message written on the back in fancy cursive.
"Jackie Lynn Thomas"
"It seems the human has an interest in mating with this female." Nova said as he placed the photo back in the album. "That could prove to be quite useful."
Nova then looked around before he left Marco's room and approached Star's room.
{*}
As he opened the door, he was greeted to a group of strange creatures, who were throwing water balloons and shooting each other with squirt guns.
"Hey, aren't you Star's bro?" The small bearded man asked as he shot water at the pig which was flying overhead.
"Yes, that's right." Nova replied as he watched the angry flying pig swoop down and drop a water balloon bomb on the small bearded man. He then used his gauntlet to create a barrier that protected him from the large water wave. "I'm Nova Butterfly."
All of the "residents" of Star's room stopped attacking each other and all greeted Nova with a simultaneous "Hi Nova!" before they continued to attack each other. Nova then sighed as he began to trek through the battle field, creating a barrier for the water balloons and deflecting the stray squirt gun fire. As he watched the clown known as Kevin shriek as he ran into the war zone with water balloons strapped to his body. Nova stood before Stars bed and but a barrier around the entire area, just as the entire exterior of the barrier was drenched in water. Nova then approached Star's desk and noticed the pink journal titled "My Diary". Nova looked around and saw that all the creatures outside were lying on the floor, unconscious from Kevin's attack. Nova then picked up the diary and opened it.
{*}
Day 1:
Marco is such a nice guy! He's allowing me to stay at his house, which is AWESOME! I can't wait to learn more about my new bestie.
{*}
Nova smiled as he skimmed through several pages and stopped at another page.
{*}
Day 236:
Marco was captured by a monster named Toffee and he nearly killed him. I had to use the whispering spell on the wand to free him and it destroyed Ludo's castle and Toffee in the process, but why idk, but at least Marco is safe.
After we returned home, I wanted to apologize to Marco for being a jerk to him before he was kidnapped. So I tried to make his famous Nachos, but I almost burned down the house and created an evil army of tortilla chips. However, after all that, Marco told me he already forgave me and that simple "I'm sorry" would be enough.
I'm glad that Marco forgave me, but why do I feel so...sick...?
{*}
Finally, Nova flipped through the book towards the last entry in the diary, what was odd about this one was that unlike the previous entry, which had drawings of small animals and random little cartoons on the borders, this entry was just the words, even the color of the ink was different. In addition, there were several marks on the page that were about the size of a small drop of water, much like a teardrop. Nova also noticed that the bottom of the entry was written more erratically than the top half
{*}
Day...I don't care anymore:
I love him...I love Marco, my bestie, and I don't know what to do anymore.
I don't know how it happened and I don't know why. I'm different than him in so many ways, I endangered his life and put so much stress on him and yet, he's always got my back. But every time I think about us, I remember Jackie Lynn Thomas. Every time I see him look at her, express his feelings for her I just want to...to ruin it for him, use my magic to make him pick me over her, to *force* him to love me, but when I think about doing those things to him, I get so sick. I almost threw up in class today and had to leave early. When Marco confronted me about that I told him I wasn't feeling well and he took me home and made sure I was comfortable.
I'm in love with someone who's in love with someone else, and every time he fails with Jackie, I want to show him how I feel. But I can't, and seeing him go after her makes me so sick. I...I can't stop loving him.
I can't stop crying...it's getting harder to hide it from Marco.
Please...please Marco...please love me.
{*}
Nova set the diary down and sighed as he rubbed his face. As he turned towards Star's bed and processed what he just read, he saw an object sticking out from underneath. Nova then reached underneath the bed and pulled out the Magical Instruction Book.
"By the Gods..." Nova said with a Smile. "She actually has it."
Nova quickly opened the book and turned the pages until he stopped at a page with a large Black Hand within a circle with a while diamond in the center. Nova then looked at the palm of his gauntlet, which had a diamond shaped emblem in the center, and smiled as he looked back at the page. As he studied the page, reading several writings that were within the lines of the drawing, Nova noticed the red flower drawn inside the center Diamond and the little red cat drawn next to the hand.
"You had no idea, didn't you Star?" Nova said with a chuckle as he continued to read the scripture.
Suddenly, Nova saw a small blue cloud appear above the book, and as the cloud vanished, there was a little blue man sitting in the air before Nova. It was Glossaryck, the embodiment of the Magical Instruction Book and a recovering pudding addict. As he solidified in the air, the blue genie had his back to Nova.
"I know what this is about Star, and no I'm not saying another word." Glossaryck said with a huff as he entered a full lotus position. "I will not fall for your temptations anymore. So speak your piece, because I'm not saying anything more about Nova."
"What's there to say?" Nova asked as he crossed his arms, watching as Glossaryck jolted before sweat began to develop on his large blue head. The Genie then turned slowly to see the Mewnian sitting before him.
"Hello Glossaryck." Nova said in a cold tone as he stared down the small spirit. "Long time no see."
"N-N-N-N-Nova! What a surprise!" Glossaryck chuckled nervously as he began to sweat bullets. "So you're out of the Boneheart now? Good for you buddy!"
"Enough." Nova commanded Glossaryck as he aimed his gauntlet towards the blue imp. "I have returned to finish what I started and to extract my revenge. But to do so, I will have to silence you."
Wha-wh-what do you mean?" Glossaryck asked Nova with a shudder. "I c-c-c-an call in sick if y-y-you want."
"No, that won't do." Nova replied as he charged his gauntlet. As Glossaryck looked away and closed his eyes. He heard the gauntlet activate, but nothing happened, when he looked back to Nova, he was holding a silver pudding cup.
"This cup will grant you an unlimited supply of pudding in the flavor of your choice." Nova explained as he pulled out a spoon. "Such as…vanilla…"
In that instant, the pudding cup filled with vanilla pudding, and Glossaryck felt an itch on his body.
"…or butterscotch" Nova continued as the cup's pudding turned to butterscotch pudding, this caused Glossaryck to sweat as he tried to look away, but it was as if he was stuck in place, watching his most treasured desire sit right in his face.
"Or should I mention…chocolate?" Nova asked as he looked down to the pudding cup, only to find that it was gone. He then saw Glossaryck scarfing down the pudding by hand, crying his eyes out as he watched the cup refill with pudding.
"As long as you keep silent about me, that cup will never empty." Nova said as he lowered Glossaryck into the book and slammed it shut. "It was a pleasure doing business with you Glossaryck"
As Nova stood up and began to walk towards the door, he then noticed the large mirror on the wall and approached it.
"Mirror…mirror on the wall…" Nova said with a cold tone. "…call no one."
As it began to call "No-One", the image of a light blue humanoid slime creature appeared in the mirror.
"Hello? Who's there?" No-One asked. "Are you that stripper I ord-"
Nova raised his gauntlet towards the mirror and punched the mirror as hard as he could, the gauntlet pierced through the mirror and shattering it to pieces. As he bent down and picked up one of the shards of the mirror, he looked back up to the broken mirror and smiled as he turned around to walk away.
"Sorry…" Nova said with a chuckle as he placed the mirror shard in his pocket. "…wrong number."
{*}
Echo Creek Academy: Miss Skullnick's lair…er…I mean…classroom: Half an hour later
{*}
Marco and Star sat and stared at the huge troll that was writing on the chalkboard, this was Miss Skullnick, a school teacher who was unfortunately transformed into a troll due to Star's antics. However, the teacher has been quite used to it since then.
"Today we'll be talking about the concept of differential calculus." Miss Skullnick growled as she moved towards her desk and sat down. "Which you will probably use in your everyday lives to accomplish everyday tasks."
"Oh! My! Gosh!" Star squealed with an anticipated grin. "I wonder if I can use this calcronsus to improve on my magic. Or even help Nova!"
"Star, Miss Skullnick was being sarcastic." Marco explained to Star with a sigh. "Remember our talks about taking things too seriously."
"Nope." Star said with an innocent grin as she grinned gleefully ahead towards the chalkboard.
Marco sighed as he the felt a finger poke his shoulder. Marco turned to see the Jackie Lynn Thomas, the girl of his dreams, looking straight at him. Marco felt his heart stop in place and his brow dampen with sweat as he stared into the aqua eyes of the girl sitting behind him.
"Hey Marco." Jackie said to Marco. "Could I borrow a pen?"
While he continued to stare into Jackie's eyes like an awkward zombie, he picked up his pen and handed it to her. As she took it from his hands, he felt her finger come into contact with his skin. From this moment onward, the skin cells of Marco's hand that were within the range of contact would forever be miniature shrines to this moment, when Marco Diaz held the hand of Jackie Lynn Thomas for almost a Nano second…ugh…
"Thanks Marco." Jackie said as she leaned back to her desk and began writing. Marco then nodded as he leaned back into his desk and pulled a spare pen from his pocket. Trying to disturb the hidden wand that was forged from that second of contact.
Star, who was watching the whole thing, felt even sicker that she had never felt before. Star took deep breaths as she tried to calm herself down, noticing that she was starting to bend her desk as she gripped into it, her attention was drawn towards the sight of the principal of the school opening the door and gesturing to the class.
"Here's her classroom, just as you requested Mr. Butterfly." Principal Skeeves said nervously as he wiped sweat from his balding head.
Star's previous feeling vanished like a hamburger placed in front of Ferguson as she watched Nova, who was wearing a dark grey sweater with the Mewnian crest on the front and tan slacks, enter the classroom and looked around. As he noticed the smiling Star and the nervous Marco among the students, he smiled and waved his gauntlet towards them.
"How did he even get that thing through the sleeve?" Jackie whispered to Marco, who shrugged nervously.
"Hi Star…hello human... other humans." Nova greeted the class. "I'm Nova Butterfly, and I'm here to observe this so called academy, but I assumed that you all were here to train physically?"
"Well we do have something like that Mr. Butterfly." The Principal said with a nervous smile. "We call it "Gym class."
"Is that so?" Nova said as he noticed a red apple on the table and picked it up with his gauntlet. As he clenched it in his hand, the apple began to ripple as it turned into a solid gold apple. Principle Skeeves eyes grew into dinner plates as he gazed upon the golden apple while the students awed at the sight.
"I wish to see this "Gym"." Nova said with a smile as he tossed the apple towards Skeeves, who caught it with a gleeful smile. "…and I would like my sister to accompany me if you will allow it."
"Anything you want sir." Principal Skeeves said with a grin as he walked out of the room, still gazing at the golden apple in his hands. "Anything you want."
As Nova looked towards the class, he saw Miss Skullnick sitting at her desk. Nova then flinched back in horror as he quickly aimed his gauntlet towards the troll teacher.
"MONSTER!" Nova shouted at he fired a beam of energy towards Miss Skullnick, who barely dodged the attack as she jumped out the window. As the smoke cleared, Miss Skullnick then stood up, brushed herself off and turned towards the giant hole in the wall and to her attacker.
"By the Gods!" Nova shouted with a wild laugh towards Miss Skullnick. "You're quite fast for an abomination! But this next shot's your harbinger, monster!"
"Hey, you're the monster here pal, what with that your terrible sense of manners!" Miss Skullnick shouted back. "…and I'm a teenager, so that's insult should be twice as painful."
As Nova aimed his gauntlet at Miss Skullnick again, Star swooped in front her brother and blocked him.
"Out of my way Star." Nova commanded Star. "I have to kill that…thing before it-"
"Nova stop!" Star shouted to her brother as she lowered his gauntlet. "She's not a monster. I turned her into a troll by mistake. She's no threat to anyone."
Nova looked to Star with concern before he looked up to Miss Skullnick, who scratched her backside as she grumbled and snorted loudly before she spat onto the ground.
"Are…are you sure she wasn't a monster already?" Nova asked with a concerned expression.
Star then climbed up onto Nova and looked him straight in the eye.
"Yeah, I'm sure." Star said with the lecturing style of a scolding mother. "Now promise me that you won't hurt anyone else while you're here. I'll tell you who you can attack, okay?"
Nova sighed as he lowered Star back onto the ground.
"I promise Star." Nova replied as he watched the little girl point her pinkie towards him
"What is this?" Nova asked as he looked at the extended digit.
"Pinkie promise." Star said with a dramatic tone. "It's Earth's most powerful pact of trust and a true sigh of friendship for certain communities."
Nova looked to Marco, who responded with a shrug. Nova then sighed grabbed the digit with his fingers and shook Star's hand.
"I promise." Nova said as he smiled towards his sister.
Star quickly smiled as she grabbed Nova's hand and pulled him out of the classroom.
"Marco come on!" Star shouted to her friend as she stuck her face back into the classroom. "We're going to gym!"
Marco looked around and then sighed as he stood up and walked out of the classroom, looking back and giving a peace sign before Star grabbed him by his hoodie and abducted him from the room. As soon as they were gone, Miss Skullnick walked back through the hole in the side of the room and sat before the remains of her desk.
"Alright, now that that's done with." The Troll teacher said as she addressed the rest of the class. "How many of you brats know what a function is?"
{*}
Echo Creek Academy: Gym: Several Minutes Later
{*}
Marco, Star, Nova, Ferguson and Alfonzo watched from the bleachers as the infamous Brittney Wong and her crew of cheerleaders begin their cheerleading session. As usual, the queen bee of the group was once again driving her squad into the ground. From what was going on, Andrea was exhausted from doing almost thirty somersaults in a row and was one jump away from a collapsed lung, Chantelle shattered her pelvis again from an unfortunate accident during a high dive and split, and Sabrina had nearly broke her spine from being crushed under the cheerleader's pyramid, resulting in a loss of balance in the pyramid that caused the whole thing to topple over.
"I said a pyramid, not a triangle!" Brittney Hitler barked through her megaphone. "Make it more pyramid-y! Now!"
"Are all of your leaders this cruel?" Nova asked as he watched the teenage tyrant scream at her cheerleaders. "Or is she a true monster?"
"That's Brittany Wong for you." Alfonzo said as he pulled out a sandwich from his backpack and took a bite. "She is the most spoiled and pretentious girl here."
"Is that so?" Nova said as he watched the teen's form a military line before the Queen Bee ouch. "Then perhaps I've been fighting the wrong monsters."
"Everything you've been doing has been terrible!" Brittney Jong-Un shouted at her cheerleaders. "You all are the worst excuse of cheerleaders I have ever seen, even the special ed dance squad is better than you sacks of fat!"
The girls groaned in pain as their hearts shattered from the cruelty of their head cheerleader's words. Andrea slowly curled up in a ball as she sobbed quietly.
"By the Gods." Nova said in horror as he watched Sabrina slump onto the ground in exhaustion. "Not even the Mewni dungeon-master was this cruel. Those poor humans don't deserve this, especially that human with the…*ahem*…distractive backside."
"Eh, what can you do bro?" Ferguson asked with a shrug.
Nova began to stand up, but before he moved, Star gave him a stern glare.
"Aside from killing or maiming her?" Star asked with a stern tone.
Nova raised his hand in irritation as he sat down and continued to watch the Nazi cheerleader walk up to Sabrina and lift her up by the hair. Nova felt a pang in his chest and his fists tighten as he watched the monster yanked her up and glared at her.
"…this goes especially you Sabrina!" Brittney Qaddafi hissed to the crying girl in her grasp. "You can't even hold up a fraction of a pyramid. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I'm sorry Brittney…" Sabrina whimpered as she tried to pry Brittney's hands off her hair. "I'm trying to do my best."
"Oh you will be." Brittney Castro hissed with a sinister smile as she tossed Sabrina onto the ground. "Cause until you can master the art of carrying a human pyramid on your back…"
Brittney then snapped her fingers as a pair of cheerleaders walked in with a large cinderblock in their hands. Sabrina looked with horror as they placed the large block of concrete before the teen's face with a thud. Brittney then sat on it and looked to Sabrina with an evil smile.
"…you will carry this cinderblock on your back like a mule until I say so." Brittney Putin explained with a grin.
As Sabrina begged her cheer captain for mercy, Brittany Bin Ladin simply slapped her across the face with her hair. laughing eavly as she watched Sabrina cower beneath her.
"Is what she's doing even legal?" Star asked Marco as she summoned a miniature rainbow and took a bite out of it, watching as Nova began to storm down the bleachers. "I don't know why no one's trying stop her."
"Well, your interactions with this world, and the constant phenomena resulting from said interactions, caused a lot of things to become quite relaxed in terms of law and discipline, especially at school." Marco explained as he watched Nova storm down the bleachers. "It's actually quite sad when you think abo-"
Marco and Star watched in shock as Nova stormed down the bleacher up to the cheerleaders, picked up the cinder block with his gauntlet and tossed it into the air. The Cheerleaders, Brittany Mussolini, Sabrina, Star and Marco, watched as the cinderblock smashed through a window and landed outside onto a conveniently parked limousine with the gold initials "B.W" engraved on the sides. As Nova brushed off his hands, he turned to see the cheerleading tyrant looking right up to him, her face was as red as a chili pepper and her eyes were bloodshot with rage as she was snorting like a bull before a matador, or Ferguson before the lunch lady.
"Star told me that there were no monsters at this school." Nova said as he moved Brittney Hussein aside and picked Sabrina up and held her in his arms. "But as far as I have seen, she was wrong, dead wrong."
As he began to carry the weak Sabrina towards the bleachers, Brittany Jammeh appeared before the Mewni knight.
"Oh this won't end well." Marco said to Star as he placed his arms behind his back. "Let's hope he keeps his word like you said, but if he doesn't, then it's no real loss."
"Please move out of my way." Nova said to the enraged cheerleader before him. "I have a young girl to save, and I promised Star I would not kill you, human."
"EXCUSE ME? JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?" Brittney Stalin screamed at the Mewnian before her, her voice sounded like a duet of nails on a chalkboard and silverware on a ceramic plate, with a hand stroking a plastic wrapped couch added in. "DO YOU HAVE THE SLIGHTEST IDEA WHO I AM?"
"Well, from what I have seen and can tell, you are a spoiled rotten human who was probably handed everything on a silver platter and you believe that everything have a monetary cost." Nova explained as he carried Sabrina to the bleachers and laid her down on her back, he then pulled a white vial from his pocket and carefully held her head up and helped her drink it's contents. As he did, he grabbed a stray pom-pom and placed it under Sabrina's head before he turned his attention to the spoiled dictator behind him. "You clearly have no experience with independence or compassion and you expect everyone to kneel to you like a god. I have met countless creatures that are just like you…but to be honest they are much more…visually desirable than you."
A loud "Ohhhh!" could be heard from Alfonzo and Ferguson from the bleachers as the cheerleaders began to back away from the now steaming Brittany Tojo, knowing that insulting the beauty of the cheer captain is certain death.
Nova then looked to a concern Star, remembering his promise to her as he then looked to the enraged Brittney Kahn as she grabbed him by his sweater. He then raised his gauntlet up and smiled at her.
"YOU DON'T GET IT DO YOU? YOU CLUELESS MORON!" Brittney Zedong continued to scream at Nova as she started slapped him across the face with her hands, veins were protruding from the teen terror's forehead as her face was a red as the tomatoes that Ferguson runs away from. "I'M THE ONE IN CHARGE HERE! NOT YOU! IF I WANTED, COULD BUY YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER AND STILL HAVE CHANGE LEFT OVER TO BUY ANOTHER MILLION, OR A BILLION!, AND IF YOU DON'T GET IT INTO YOUR THICK SKULL THAT I…"
Suddenly, Brittney suddenly felt her voice fall silent as she began to make a muffled shout. As the teen touched her face, she felt a flat patch of skin where her mouth used to be.
"I believe the humans have a saying about "talking your mouth off?"." Nova said with a grin as he stroked his chin. "I'm surprised to see that it's actually true."
Brittney Pot then pulled out her makeup mirror and saw her face in the reflection, which was now missing a mouth. Brittney Gambia let out a mouthless scream as she dashed out of the Gym. The other Cheerleaders then looked to Nova, who looked to Star and Marco, the latter of the two was on the floor laughing himself into a coughing fit.
"What?" Nova asked his sister with a shrug. "I didn't kill her, did I?"
"I know." Star sighed with a raised eyebrow and a wave of her finger. "But did Brittney really deserve that?"
"YES!" shouted the entire student body towards the young girl, who was nearly blown on her back by the gust.
As Nova watched Marco helped Star up, he felt a hand tug on his sweater. Nova then turned around and saw Sabrina standing before him, fidgeting with her hands as she smiled meekly.
"T-thanks for protecting me, mister." Sabrina said with a small blush as she fidgeted with her hands nervously. "I never had someone protect me like that before."
"There is no need to thank me, it's in the nature of one like myself to provide protection to those who need it." Nova explained with a smile as he raised his gauntlet and summoned a small crystal flower and handed it to her. "Besides, a human of your…divine cuteness should not have to undergo such cruelty."
Sabrina gave a shocked gaze as she clenched the flower in her hand and looked to Nova with a startled gaze as her brain tried to process the information.
"Y-y-you…You think I'm…c-cu-cute?" Sabrina stammered as her face turned bright red, no one ever called her cute before. "
"Of course…I didn't offend you, did I?" Nova asked as he scratched the back of his head. "Because you're beginning to look as red at that other human."
Nova then watched as Sabrina fell onto the floor with a thud. As Nova sighed with a fant and picked the girl into his arms again, Marco then approached the Mewnian with a concerned expression.
"What?" Nova asked the human before him. "What's with that look."
"You do know she's sixteen right?" Marco asked Nova. "Because if you plan to...you know..."
"Human, I'm seventeen years old." Nova replied to Marco as he turned to him. "Being in the Boneheart halted my aging process, I am no older now than I was then."
"Ah!" Marco replied as he looked to Star, who was smiling at Marco.
"What?" Marco asked with a slight concerned tone. "I get it, your brother's a nice guy, happy now?
"Actually, perhaps you should talk to Nova about helping you with your "problem"?" Star said with air quotations. "He seems to have a way with the ladies."
Marco scoffed as he picked up his backpack, but then he watched as Nova helped Sabrina stand up, noticing his calm attitude towards a human that had obviously caught his attraction. The way he seemed to keep his cool as they gazed upon each other.
Perhaps there was a thing or two he could learn from the brother of his bestie, I mean, what's the worst that could happen?
{*}