A/N: Hey, welcome to the new chapter! It's been a month since we updated this book and it's because we've been juggling two other books at the same time (one of which is a Steven Universe book we just finished)
It's insane to realize that we started writing fanfics all the way back in 2015 and that we haven't changed our style much except for some polishing on our writing and reducing/improving our humor – hopefully. It's hard not to feel old when I realized recently that Dipper and the others are all in their 20s now and that Gravity Falls came out nearly 7 years ago! This's our second Gravity Falls book and our nineteenth fanfic book overall and I'm excited to see how far we can keep going.
I won't lie and say it's been easy this whole time as my interest has waned on some books (Bleach and Big Hero 6) and I've been jaded several times from lack of feedback after working hard on chapters for days on end, but I'll keep going as long as I can. If you've been here this whole time, since the first GF book or just started reading then thank you. Hope you enjoy the chapter.
LAND OF THE MAESTRO
"LOOK WHAT we have here! The Order of Merlin serving themselves up to me right in the open." The tall pink woman grinned as she walked around and turned to Hansel. "And I can't believe you're here too! Is this your gift for me after all this time, noodles? You shouldn't have."
Hansel remained silent and looked around, assessing the purple wasteland lit dimly by the half-destroyed sun above as Time Baby's soldiers, the Vasto Lorde and the tall woman, one of Time Baby's Generals, surrounded them. He tried to think as he looked to his friends Brian, Lemon and Pacifica and the newbies Dipper, Mabel, Alfonse, Finn, Wendy, Jake, Star, Marco, Janna, Tom and Mary wondering if they were indeed capable in battle.
From the little he saw when he first met them, they displayed knowledge of combat and magic, but he wondered if it'd be the same against the Vasto Lorde. The two high level Hollows that devoured souls were feared by all in the Order of Merlin and they always fled when they were detected them from afar. But with their immense physical superiority, the assault vehicles surrounding them and the Time General present, fleeing wasn't an option. What were they to do?
"Play Time, you found us, just like I hoped." Hansel said finally.
"What?" Dipper said in confusion and Pacifica hushed him.
"Oh, I knew you'd come to your senses." Play Time hovered toward Hansel. "I've missed you."
"… Yeah, me too …" His voice grew hoarse. "Why don't we just talk for a little while? There's no reason to fight here at all."
"Mmm, I'm listening." She said. "What do you have to say?"
He smiled slightly, gesturing to Lemon and Brian to slowly leave with his hand he held behind his back while dropping a ball on the ground. "How's about old times or we just catch up? I bet you have a lot to tell me, don't you?"
"Oh, you're so sweet!" She giggled and flew back. "Okay, so Time Baby got the Generals and I these new weapons that we can concentrate our power into, right? And I thought they were clunky until I saw this Kingdom Hearts look alike key! And Leroy just loved it!" Her pet chicken on her shoulder clucked.
Hansel nodded as Play Time chattered on, glancing to his right and seeing Lemon and Brian backing up slowly and getting to the Hover Bikes with Dipper, Pacifica, Mabel, Alfonse, Finn, Jake, Wendy, Star, Marco, Janna and Mary. He felt relieved, returning his eyes to Play Time who smiled at him when he realized he hadn't seen Tom!
He began to panic when the brunette-haired boy lunged at Play Time with a punch and crashed into her key as she quickly blocked him and smacked him aside, sending him hurtling back. "Ah, you were trying to distract me!" The pink woman frowned at Hansel then grinned. "You're so sweet!"
Tom flipped over in midair and forged a red energy ball in his palm. "Hey, I'm not done yet!" He flung it at her.
Play Time destroyed the fireball with the flick of her wrist and teleported up to him, punching him hard in the gut and knocking him back! Play Time twisted her key before her as Tom fell, conjuring a large trampoline behind him that bounced him back to her and she summoned a massive basketball above her head, smashing it onto him and driving him into the dirt!
"Tom!" Mary cried and flew toward him, creating balls of telepathic energy in her hands.
"No, Mary, stop!" Pacifica called out to her.
"A cucumber discovered the light bulb and Emily Blunt is Lawrence Fishburne's father; it all makes sense now!" Play Time snapped her fingers as she muttered to herself.
"What?" Mary became confused.
Play Time noticed Mary approaching and raised her hand, creating a force field around her and the others that froze them in time! "Toyota cars are the best Pokémon!"
"Wait, Play Time, don't kill them!" Hansel came up to her, dropping a ball on the ground behind him.
"Noodles, you got me strong fighters to play with! I should thank you later!" Play Time giggled and bounced about in the air.
"You don't want them, they're not interesting; look how easily you took down that one." Hansel said.
"I knew you'd fit in with us!" She held her hand out to him. "Come and take your place among the Time Baby Force!"
Hansel froze as Play Time smiled at him when the giant basketball on top of Tom exploded into flames as he tore his way through it, shooting at Play Time once more! Tom threw a wild punch at Play Time and she dodged easily, kneeing him in the ribs and chucking him downward, blasting a light beam at him out of her key that burned right through his stomach!
"Tom!" Mary cried out in horror.
Tom felt heat sear through him, blood bubbling in his mouth as he looked down and saw a large hole burned into him! His hands shook as he touched the rim of the wound, feeling the sting of cold air running past his scorched spine and intestines when Play Time dove down at him, grabbing his face and dragging him across the ground below! Tom cried out in pain and she cackled evilly and raised her hand, summoning a massive sword up ahead, pushing his head toward the blade!
"Get away from him!" Star yelled finally, raising her wand to the sky and shattering the time bubble she and the others were bound in! "Atomic Narwhal Blast!" She cried as she fired a stream of photonic narwhals out of her wand that destroyed the giant sword Play Time drove Tom toward!
Play Time raised her brow as the weapon fell apart before her and Star teleported up to her, smashing her in the face with her wand and sending her flying several feet back, chasing after her! Mary flew up to Tom as he wheezed weakly on the ground and the Vasto Lorde came alive as Play Time was attacked, rushing in after Dipper and the others along with Time Baby's soldiers!
"Man, we're so dead!" Lemon backed up.
"Not if I can help it." Dipper opened Journal Number Four and levitated it before him, throwing up hand signs and causing the ground before him to break apart!
"Whoa, when'd you learn that?" Mabel said in surprise.
A Vasto Lorde teleported behind Dipper and reached for his head when Jake punched the beast down with an enlarged fist, swirling his body up above the monster into a gigantic anvil and smashing down onto it! Jake panted as the dust settled, seeing if he downed the creature when he saw that the Hollow had caught him with one arm!
"Oh man!" Jake panicked.
The Hollow raised its sword to cut down Jake when Wendy cracked her axe against the earth, breaking open an abyss beneath the Vasto Lorde that sucked it in, freeing Jake who jumped away. Wendy, Jake, Finn, Dipper, Pacifica, Marco, Janna, Brian and Lemon scattered as the Vasto Lorde focused on them, trying to flank them from both sides.
By the mountains, Star flew across the purple valley and shot towards Play Time, channeling magic through her wand when it suddenly broke down and turned into feathers! "What the?" The Mewman gasped and the Time General teleported up to her, punching her hard in the gut!
Star gave out a silent scream as the wind was knocked out of her and Play Time grabbed her leg, spinning her around and chucking her down to the earth below, and Leroy the chicken spat a plasma beam at her, driving her further into the ground! The pink woman smiled to herself and flew after the princess when sudden arcane magical runes appeared on the ground below, followed by a light that shone from the hole Star had fallen into!
"Interesting." Play Time said.
Star burst out of the depths, her entire body aglow in heavenly light, and she conjured a new wand in her hands, waving her arms and summoning two ethereal dolphins with gigantic eyes on their bellies that wove around her in a circle! "Lunar Starlight!" The princess cried, creating a school of magical sea creatures that sped towards Play Time, covering the sky in their mystic glow!
The astral fish shot towards Play Time blasting a volley of energy beams at her and the pink woman carved through them like butter as she flew up to Star unscathed, stunning the girl who couldn't react in time! Forging her key out of light, Play Time struck Star across the head, knocking her back and she froze her in a chrono-sphere as she fell, smacking her in the gut and drawing blood out of her mouth, casting her into a mountainside below!
On the ground nearby, Finn and Wendy jumped back deftly as a Vasto Lorde swung its Zanpakutou blade at them, creating distance between them and allowing for Wendy who swing at it with her axe! The Hollow acted quickly however and caught the blade with its bare hand, tossing her into the air like a ragdoll and swiping its claws at her when Finn came to her rescue, chucking several bombs and drawing its attention to him! The adventurer dashed at the monster and slashed its side with an Adamantium Sword, but it barely cut into its flesh!
"How?" Finn froze with shock at this and the Vasto Lorde growled, crashing its foot against the earth and sending him and Wendy flying back from the resultant shockwave that somehow cut them as they crashed several feet back!
Amongst some rocks few feet away from them, Brian and Lemon engaged the last remainder of Time Baby's soldiers, crouching behind boulders for cover in a laser rifle shoot-out while Marco and Janna waited behind them. Growing impatient, Lemon clasped her staff before her and muttered a spell, creating an invisible screen in front of some of the soldiers that reflected their blasts back at them!
Using the opportunity, Brian ran out of cover and toward some of the soldiers who opened fire on him, their shots deflecting off a force field he summoned around himself at the last moment! The men were stunned at this and Brian jumped between them, punching them aside like ragdolls and grabbing one by the leg, casting him into the air and against a few other soldiers nearby!
The Time soldiers became impatient and threw out pen shaped devices that enlarged into large poles as they landed and emitted electrical waves out that forced Brian, Lemon and Hansel behind cover. The last six soldiers advanced when Marco jumped out of cover and engaged them when they least expected, beating them down with rapid karate kicks and punches that snapped their bones and knocked them out instantly!
One remained standing however and tried to fire on him from behind when Janna blew a cloud of dust at him from behind that caused him to pass out on the ground. "Damn, how'd you get this good practicing at that shitty dojo?" Janna asked.
"I've practiced while fighting monsters with Star." Marco said, kicking aside a soldier who stirred awake.
Nearby, Dipper watched as Jake futilely tried to best the second Vasto Lorde with strength and he flipped through the Journal that floated before him. Hansel and Pacifica ran around the Hollow, dropping balls on the ground until they encircled the monster.
"They're all set!" Pacifica yelled.
"Let's see how you like this!" Hansel said and pressed on a remote detonator.
The bombs at the monsters feet erupted in seismic waves that shook the earth and pulled the Vasto Lorde down, forcing the beast down to a knee and allowing for Jake to punch it down with an enlarged fist! Finding the spell he wanted, Dipper thrust his hand forward and summoned a floating transmutation circle before him, causing lava to surface around the monster the dog fought!
Jake paused as he saw this and the molten rock spread out and shot out in sharp spikes that impaled the Hollow from all sides! "Holy shit!" Brian said as he recuperated. "He actually cut a Vasto Lorde!"
"He's just as powerful as the legends said!" Lemon added, grinning. "Woo! Go, Dipper!"
"Amazing …" Hansel said.
Marco frowned however as the Hollow remained motionless. "I don't think we can celebrate just yet."
"Yeah, I don't like this either." Janna backed up.
A sudden cold filled the wasteland as the skewered Vasto Lorde finally budged and it broke through the rocks as it stepped forward, howling at the sky monstrously and causing the earth around it to shake violently! Finn, Wendy and Mary, who was beside Tom who was unconscious, turned to see the two Hollows stalking towards the others, feeling the air grow heavy as the monsters emitted a powerful aura as they moved.
"Uh, Finn, do you happen to have a portal gun on ya?" Wendy asked and the boy shook his head 'no'.
"I think it's about time we had some fun!" Play Time smirked and snapped her hands, summoning an energy dome around the group, trapping them inside!
The two Vasto Lorde stood before Dipper and the others who were behind the barrier and aimed their horns at them, collecting black energy above their heads and preparing to fire! Star rose out of the mountains in the distance and saw what was happening, crushing her wand in her hands and teleporting before the barrier!
"Star?" Marco squinted as the princess appeared before them.
Star slammed her hands together and exuded cosmic energy from her arms, shining a bright light from her eyes as the Vasto Lorde opened fire! Play Time cackled as the Hollows shot at her and the princess caught the blasts with her bare hands, stopping the attack square in its tracks and planting her feet into the ground!
"What!?" Play Time exclaimed.
Star cried out in pain as the black energy began to push her back, causing her skin to crack and break apart as the Vasto Lorde kept firing on! Battling the pain, the Demi-Valar turned her arms and redirected the blast back at the Vasto Lorde, annihilating one of them instantly in the wave and knocking the other off its feet from its sheer force!
Play Time, Dipper and the others watched in shock at what Star had done and the princess took a step forward and collapsed on the ground in a heap. "You Demi-Valar really are powerful," Play Time noted, "But too bad, you gotta die now!" She created a plasma ball in her hand and chucked it at Star!
"Star!" Marco cried and reached out to her when a massive portal appeared behind him and the others that began to swallow them in!
"No, no, no!" Play Time flew down at them, failing to reach them in time as the gateway took them away!
MARCO STUMBLED forward, confused as he realized that the barrier had disappeared and they had appeared somewhere else. Seeing Star on the ground, he quickly ran to her side and saw that she was unconscious. "Star, hang on."
"How did we get here?" Jake asked.
"Did someone come to our aid?" Alfonse asked, regretting speaking as he felt pain in his chest.
"Someone opened a portal." Dipper said.
"How? I thought normal portals don't work here." Finn said.
"Well, that's the only explanation." Dipper said, turning to the others. "Was it any of you guys?"
Pacifica squinted as Hansel, Brian, Lemon and Finn shook their heads. "Are you sure it wasn't you, Dipper?"
"No, I didn't do anything."
"Well, when'd you get that good with magic?" Pacifica asked. "That's like Dr. Strange levels of power." Dipper didn't answer.
Janna tried to think and realized. "I think Marco opened the portal …"
"What? I don't have any powers." Marco said as he lifted Star off the ground.
"The timing is too convenient to be anything else."
"Guys, we need to get Tom help quickly!" Mary finally yelled, looking at the boy's wound. "He's not gonna make it if we leave him like this."
"Oh man …" Pacifica said.
"But how're we gonna do that? Where the hell are we even?" Jake looked around.
Lemon pulled out a small device and read the area's coordinates, smiling as she recognized them. "Follow me, there's someone who could help us here."
Lemon walked on and led the others as they helped lift Star, Tom and Alfonse who were badly injured from their battle. They trekked across the new deserted plane they were in, avoiding hidden geysers around and temporal tears that Lemon, Brian and Hansel steered them clear off as they were nearly sucked in.
After minutes of walking, Lemon stopped at a rock, confusing the others as they were in an empty area. "Okay, here we are." She said, placing her hand on the boulder.
"What? I don't see anything here." Marco said when a Norn rune appeared on the rock. "Oh, more magicky stuff."
"I seek entry into the Land of the Maestro." Lemon said. "It is I, Lemon Liu Kang – I've brought friends who're in dire need of help."
"Oh, don't tell me you're a fucking Shao Ling Warrior or some shit." Janna said.
"Not that I know of." Lemon shrugged. "I did nickname myself after an old comic character though." A series of light runes appeared in an arc in the air around Lemon, shaping into a giant doorway before her. "Let's go." Lemon walked through and vanished.
The others, though confused, followed in after her and were in awe as they suddenly into a gigantic kingdom that spread out around them, squinting as an artificial sun shone brightly above them. Ancient Greek and Roman architecture filled the design of the buildings that cascaded up a hill towards the castle that stood over everything in the distance. The group walked on curiously, amazed at the exotically dressed people, mutants and magical creatures that roamed the streets.
"Well, this's fancy." Janna said.
"Lemon Liu Kang." A soldier said as he descended from a hovering light disc. "The Maestro awaits you in the castle." He looked at Tom, Alfonse and Star. "The Nightmare Nurse shall take care of those three."
"Thank you." Lemon said, walking down the long road to the palace. "Come on."
Following her through the city, the group were welcomed into the palace where nurses guided Mabel, Marco, Janna and Mary to the wards where they took Star, Tom and Alfonse. Separating from the others, Dipper, Pacifica, Hansel, Brian, Finn, Wendy and Jake followed Lemon and two royal guards down the golden halls to doors of the throne room.
The guards opened the massive doors and gave way for Lemon and the others as they walked toward the end of the room where a green muscular giant with long white hair garbed in gold and bronze armor sat on an imposing throne. "Dad!" Lemon said excitedly and went up to him with her arms spread wide.
"Dad?" Wendy raised her brow.
"Lemon, what is this!" The giant slammed his fist on the armrest, sending tremors through the room.
"Aw, what'd I do?" Lemon stopped in her tracks.
"You were careless! You teleported here and now Time Baby's forces will know where we are!"
"Well, it was complicated." Lemon shrugged. "What, you didn't want me here?"
The green giant growled. "Well, at least you're safe." He relented and the woman came up to him and hugged him, only able to go around his arm.
"Okay, I'm lost here, what's happening?" Wendy asked. "How's that guy – Your Highness – your dad?"
"He's her adoptive father." Hansel said. "They call him The Maestro, though he was probably known in your time as the Hulk. He's one of the very few people that're many centuries old."
"Wait, that's the Hulk? Like the Avenger Hulk?" Dipper asked.
"Ah, that takes me back." The Maestro said with a wistful smile.
"Oh look, you made the green bastard get all emotional." Brian mocked. "It's not a good look, bruh."
The Maestro glared at him, frightening Dipper and the others, and he laughed loudly, gaining a chuckle from Brian. "Ah, it's good to see you too, you piece a' shit."
Hansel deadpanned. "I never understand you two."
The Maestro's laugh died down. "Seeing as you're friends of my daughter, you can stay here as long as you want. Feel at home."
"Uh, t-thanks." Finn laughed, frightened by the giant.
JANNA TOUCHED Star's forehead as she sat at her bedside with Marco in a large beige round room where she lay on a white bed under covers, getting worried as she felt warm. "How is she?" Marco asked.
"Her fever's getting worse." Janna said. "Something's wrong."
"Well, of course something's wrong – she took a blast from those demon horned monster things."
"No, this's different." Janna got to her feet. "Step away from the bed?"
"Huh, okay …" Marco did as he was told though confused.
Janna drew out three candles from her backpack and placed them on the floor around Star's bed and she drew out a handful of flour from her pocket, blowing it before her and making the candles come alight on their own and create a whirl of fire that spread towards the ceiling! Marco, stunned, drew out a small Bible and rosary and muttered a quick prayer.
Janna raised her brow as she looked at Marco. "Huh, a Catholic …" She nodded nonchalantly. "I think I hate you now."
The fires swirled around Star for a few moments and the princess awoke with a start, looking around as the flames receded, and she started panting. "Where am I?" She asked and grunted.
"Shh, shh, shh, just relax." Janna quickly came up to her. "You drained yourself of your power during a fight, so you're gonna need to rest a little."
Star nodded slightly and laid back, looking to Marco who held her hand and squeezed it gently. Marco became relieved as she rested then he turned to Janna. "How do you know magic like that?"
"It'd take too long to explain honestly." Janna said. "How'd you open the portal though?"
Marco tried to refute this, but then thought for a bit. "I don't know honestly. I guess it just happened because I wanted to protect Star. Kinda like Goku going super Saiyan."
"Yeah, yeah, sure, ya weeb." Janna scoffed.
Star sighed. "What're we going to do?" She held her hand up, failing to summon her wand. "There're most likely more Vasto Lorde out there, so how're we gonna defeat them if one attack drained me this much." She chuckled in anger. "I guess the Valar were really holding my hand when I fought Tom back then."
"You simply lack balance." Janna said. "You need to become one with your magic and your inner self to unleash your full potential."
"What does that mean?" Star asked.
"I'll show you." Janna said.
MABEL WATCHED with worry as a nurse checked the heart monitor beside Alfonse's bed as he lay unconscious and bandaged in a large ward. "Is he going to be alright?" Mabel asked.
"He lost a lot of blood, but he should be alright soon." The nurse said. "You said he was attacked by Time Baby's forces?"
"Yes, we found him surrounded by them."
"That doesn't match the energy signatures we found." The nurse said. "Whatever hurt him wasn't the Time Baby Force or from earth in fact."
"What?"
"There's more he may not be explaining to you."
MARY'S EYES widened with glee as Tom's wound slowly closed as she hovered her glowing hands over him as he lay in bed in another ward. "How am I doing this?"
"Your power is more malleable than his." The Nightmare Nurse said as she watched. "You're equal in power, but his is more destructive while yours is more malleable and adaptable."
"How do I thank you for teaching me?"
"Thank me by not interrupting me while I'm at work." The Nurse snapped at her and walked off, grumbling to herself. "The Maestro always has to call me in; I've got a job to do too, y'know!"
Mary winced as the woman slammed the door behind her, sighing as she saw Tom's wounds heal and the hole in his stomach seal. She sat back and dismissed the energy, watching the boy as he lay when he began to stir! "Tom?"
"M-Mary?" He grunted as he came to.
"Tom!" She hugged him, pulling back and sitting on the bed beside him. "You're alright! I thought I messed up for a second!"
"Messed up? What're you talking about?" Tom asked as she moved back and he saw that his wound had closed. "What? How?"
"A nurse here told me what to do." Mary said. "I guess there's more to our powers than we realize."
"Whoa … thanks." Tom smiled and she punched him in the chest. "Hey!"
"What were you thinking flying in like that? You wanna get killed?"
"Hey, I had to fight her or we were gonna die."
"Not like this." Mary said. "You're never this careless. What's going on?"
Tom remained silent for a bit. "It's nothing, I … I was just careless is all." He laid back in bed. "My bad."
"Well, you had me worried." Mary said. "Don't do something like that again or I might not be able to bring you back."
Tom chuckled softly and looked to the ceiling. "… I wanted to see if I was still strong after my powers were sealed away; I still need to protect you."
"Tom, I don't need you to protect me." Mary squeezed his hand gently. "We're in this together, remember?"
"I know, I know, I'm just …" He sighed. "I dunno."
"You do care about me, don't you?"
"Pfft, no."
"Yeah, you keep saying that, but I'm pretty sure, you do." Mary turned him to face her. "I'm happy you see me more than a friend."
"Uh, what're you –," Tom tried to say when Mary pulled him in and kissed him, redness spreading on his cheeks as it was the first time their lips met.
Mary held Tom's neck as she pushed her tongue into his mouth, blushing herself as he kissed her back and reclined onto the bed. Her breathing became heavy as she straddled him and pressed her tongue against his, grinding her hips on him when his hands roughly grabbed her round ass, making her gasp softly. Smiling at his eagerness, she began to spread kisses on his body from his neck downwards, descending and unzipping his jeans below.
MARCO HELD Star and Janna's hands as the trio sat in a circle in the middle of a magic ring drawn in chalk on the floor of Star's ward. "What are we doing here exactly?" He asked.
"We're going to enter Star's mind and break whatever she set up to limit her powers." Janna said.
"What I set up? Why'd I wanna depower myself?" Star asked.
"Sometimes the power you have can be frightening, so you create barriers within your mind that stop you even without realizing it."
"Hey, kinda like Superman!" Marco said, irritating Janna.
"I'd honestly like to leave Sheldon here behind, but I don't know you as much as he does, Star." Janna said.
"We have lived in the same house for four years, so." Star shrugged. "How does this work?"
"Just shut your eyes and focus." Janna said. "I'll guide us in."
Star sighed and she and Marco shut their eyes, allowing Janna to begin chanting a spell that made the symbols on the floor come alight. A runic lock appeared on the door behind them and Janna's voice loudened as he eyes glowed, creating a magical arrow between the trio that fired ribbons of light into their foreheads!
MARCO INHALED sharply as he walked through the light and he found himself in a park in San Fransokyo, calming down and seeing people roaming around. He squinted as he wondered what was going on when a giant puppy moved past him and fired lasers beams out of its eyes into the sky, causing the entire realm to shift in a psychedelic aurora.
"This's Star's mind alright." Marco noted.
"Huh, it's calmer than I thought it'd be." Janna walked up to him and chuckled. "What the fuck are you wearing?"
Marco raised his brow then frowned as he saw that he was dressed in a checked shirt, suspenders and had thick glasses on. "Screw you, Star, this's how you see me!?"
Janna held her sides as she laughed when she realized her hips were much flatter. Confused, she ran her hands on her chest and didn't feel her breasts either. "Huh, I guess she thinks I'm a guy – I can understand that."
Marco grumbled to himself when he saw a massive pillar-like object towering over everything in the distance. "What is that?"
"Whoa, that's my –," Star's voice came from behind them as she appeared and she cut herself off when she realized. "Wait, you're not supposed to see that!" She waved her hand, causing the object to vanish. "Whoa, how'd that happen?"
"This's the realm of your subconscious." Janna turned to the princess and jerked back as she took a look at her. "Well, I haven't seen that in a while."
"Huh?" Star looked at her hands, seeing that there were four of them and she felt her wings flap on her back, realizing she was in her Mewman form. "I guess this's how I see myself."
"You think I'm a nerd, huh? And the shitty nineties types too!" Marco growled.
"Uh, I'm sorry, that's what I think a really smart earth guy looks like."
"You think I'm smart?" Marco smiled slightly
"Alright, let's get down to business." Janna walked up them, grabbing her crotch.
"Quit touching yourself." Marco frowned.
"What? I can't have fun with this? Jeez." Janna pocketed her hands. "Fine, now that we're here, we can get started." She turned to Star. "I don't necessarily know what you're afraid of, but it should manifest itself in here. You need to overcome your fears and accept them in order to access your full power." She held her Adam's apple. "Man, my voice sounds pretty hot."
Star sifted her mind as she understood what she meant, feeling a panic overcome her when suddenly a barrage of dildos came flying at the three out of thin air! "What the!?"
"Oh, come on Star, for real?" Marco yelled as he evaded the projectiles.
"So this's what's on your mind most of the time, huh?" Janna stood calmly as the toys pelted he.
"This isn't supposed to be happening!" Star said when a giant laser puppy devoured her whole and ran off!
"Star!" Marco called out when a white liquid sprayed over him, making him freak out as he feared the worst when he saw a massive cow on top of him. "Why!" He threw up his hands and a Sumo Wrestler tackled him!
"Star, you need to calm down!" Janna called out as the laser puppy frolicked about. "If you don't get a hold of yourself, we're going to die in here!" She ran toward the dog when a large muscular man grabbed her and ran off. "On second thought, don't calm down just yet!" She smiled as she felt the man's muscles.
"Wait, does that make the guy gay cuz you look like a guy?" Marco asked and the Sumo Wrestler tackled him again. "Come on!"
"Don't ruin this for me!" Janna snapped at him.
IN THE physical world, Dipper, Pacifica, Finn, Wendy, Jake, Hansel and Brian sat on the steps of a courtyard in the palace grounds, watching people walk past them and gazing upon the city in the distance. They chose to relax and take in the scenery after Lemon left them to check on something and they enjoyed the quiet time they had together chatting when Hansel rose to his feet.
"I'm gonna go out." Hansel said.
"Where? We've only been here a few hours." Pacifica said.
"I need to plot a safe path back home; I can't just sit by and be away from Exterra."
Hansel began to leave and Pacifica nudged Dipper, gaining a groan from him. "I'll come along too."
Hansel glanced at him for a moment and continued walking. "Suit yourself."
Dipper felt the coldness in his voice, but followed him anyway, exiting the palace grounds and leaving the kingdom via the main gate. The cold of the outside quickly made Dipper tense up and he tried to keep up with Hansel who seemed to move faster the further they went. He tried to come up with a conversation after a few minutes of walking, having tried several times in vain, and he became impatient.
"Okay, can you tell me what problem you have with me, man?" Dipper stopped. "We just met, but it feels like you hate me for some reason."
"Well, well, you can read minds too, huh?" Hansel mocked and turned to him. "What next? You're gonna levitate and predict the future?"
"What're you talking about?"
"The Order of Merlin you created has ruined people's lives!" Hansel said. "Yeah, we've saved some because of it, but the lives of many children have been cut short as they're thrust into war the moment they show any affinity for magic and they no longer have normal lives! Everyone in the Guild now is so devout and complaisant to the legends and stories of your battles with Bill Cipher and other cosmic beings that they'll willingly throw their lives away and die just to follow in your footsteps!"
"Now hang on, hang on, I haven't done anything yet, I just wanna graduate High School." Dipper frowned. "You can't blame me for something I haven't even done yet."
"Well, it's too late for that now, Pines; 'cuz look at the way the world is now. We could've left the earth when we had the chance, but we had to follow your legacy and try to be heroes and look what it's got us. You threw your life and family away and now other people are doing that too."
Dipper frowned as he watched Hansel walk off, sifting his mind as he remembered his deal with Truth. What did he truly sacrifice to get Pacifica back? Troubled by such thoughts, he pocketed his hands and continued on with the older man, not saying a word to him after.
TOM ROAMED the halls of the palace, feeling a little groggy, and he tried to find the others. He rubbed his neck as he tried to guess where they'd be when a commotion to his left caught his attention. He looked down to a round dusty training ground on the ground below through the pillars in the hallway and he smiled as he saw it, jumping down and flying toward it.
He descended to the grounds and found several people cheering on makeshift stands and looking down a large arena they surrounded. Squeezing through the onlookers, he came up to the railings and watched in awe as two huge hybrid bat vultures swirled around in combat, one spraying ice and the other spiting fire at each other, creating a mist that blew toward the audience. Elated, he jumped over the railing and ran toward the platform where the battle took place when two human guards hovering on light mandalas intercepted him.
"No civilians are allowed here." One guard said. "Only those permitted to train here are allowed in the Strength Pits."
"Oh, come on." Tom whined.
"Hold on …" The other guard squinted at Tom. "His energy signature is impressive. You can join the battle when these two are finished."
"Sweet." Tom grinned then shuddered as he heard a loud crash and a bat/vulture fell off the platform in a battered heap.
Excited, Tom climbed onto the platform and watched as the other creature flew about celebrating its victory and left the arena, looking around and seeing Pacifica, Finn, Wendy, Jake and Brian watching amongst the audience. "Wait, is that Tom?" Jake asked.
"Huh, guess the guy heals up pretty quick." Wendy said.
"You know, I genuinely forgot about him? Like, I've spent nearly no time with him before I ended up here." Pacifica realized.
"Well, he's not exactly charming." Finn shrugged.
The Maestro watched from an elevated stand few feet away from the group and he sat up as he saw Tom and he sensed his energy. He decided to keep an eye on him and a humanoid frog announcer came to the stage. "Lord Maestro and people of the kingdom, we have our first challenger from the audience, a brave soul with glimmering potential who shall face Aquaus, the Lord of the icy sea!"
The announcer frog gestured to his right as a large clownfish with muscular humanoid arms and crab-like legs slid on a rim of ice onto the arena, flipping into the air and landing in a pose that sent the onlookers in an excited frenzy! "Whoever knocks their opponent unconscious or out of the arena is the winner and said winner will wait in the backroom until the finals of the tourna –," the man tried to say when Tom burst past him and punched the fish hard in the gut in a split second, sending him crashing on the ground below!
The audience fell silent in shock as the fish fell unconscious and they cheered excitedly for Tom who cracked his knuckles as he remained standing. "Alright, bring in more guys, this'll be a cakewalk." Tom cocked his neck.
"Uh, but it's not the finals yet." The announcer said.
"Do as he says." The Maestro cut him off with a booming voice. "I shall allow it."
"Why, of course!" The speaker said and yelled to the nearby guards who stood by the doors leading to the platform. "Bring in three more fighters!"
The soldiers glanced at each other in confusion and slammed the buttons adjacent to the doors, allowing three armored humanoid creatures – an eagle, lizard and a warrior made of gum –, into the arena. The battlers eyed Tom curiously as they got onto the platform, circling him and drawing out rusty enchanted blades and shields.
The lizard roared and dashed at Tom with a swing of his blade, cutting into the boy's flesh as he simply stood in place! The reptile froze in shock and the boy drove a hard fist into his midsection, drawing out spit as the monster nearly threw up and Tom kicked him in his side, sending him flying onto the ground and off the platform!
The audience grew more excited at this, but Finn frowned and looked closely.
The gum man shoots his arm out at Tom, turning it to liquid, and Tom punches right through the sludge, ignoring it as it burned his arm, and he fired an energy ball at the creature as his fist met his face, knocking him out of the arena! The eagle, panicking, simply shot down at him and Tom teleported behind him, cracking his leg over its head and smashing it onto the arena floor!
The audience was arrested in excitement as they watched and erupted in cheers as the bird fell limply and went unconscious. Finn frowned and moved toward the railing. "Something's off with him."
"What do you mean? He won." Wendy said.
"That's my point." He said as he jumped over into the arena.
"Huh?"
Finn walked toward the platform and the guards came down to stop him when they saw the Maestro wave the adventurer in, giving way as he went up and met Tom. "Tom! I challenge you to a fight." Finn said.
"What?" Tom turned to him.
"What is he thinking? Has he seen how strong he is?" Pacifica freaked out amongst the audience.
"I want to see how good you really are." Finn took a fighting stance. "Bring it."
Tom laughed. "Don't cry when I beat you down."
Finn scoffed as Tom flew toward him and he sidestepped at the last second, grabbing his neck and slamming him onto the ground. "Do you think you can beat me like that?" Finn said as he pinned him down.
Tom growled and threw him off, frowning as the blonde man flipped through the air and landed deftly behind him, bouncing around and mocking him as he shadowboxed. Enraged, Tom threw a barrage of energy balls at Finn and the hero jumped over them, running on air with the charms on his boots, and kicking him in the face!
Tom shook his head and rushed at him with wild kicks and punches coated in red energy, only hitting the air as Finn evaded all his shots and kicked him in the gut, making him skid back. Tom roared as his anger boiled, causing the earth to shake beneath his feet and Finn threw a pendant at Tom that shot out metallic whips that wrapped around him and bound him in place!
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, I thought you were more powerful than that, McCarthy." Finn chuckled.
Tom's eyes twitched as he tugged at the reins and he yelled in rage, his energy manifesting in a powerful aura that shattered the binds and cracked the earth beneath him. Finn became serious as he saw this and he drew out his 4D Sword from his backpack, waiting for him to attack when Tom suddenly vanished.
Tom appeared behind Finn, ready to attack when the air around him suddenly shifted like glass and he saw reflections of himself around him, making him freeze in confusion. "When will this finally sink in, Tom?" Finn's voice echoed all around him. "You can't defeat me."
Tom's energy rose and burst out of him violently, shattering the glass around him and returning him to the Third Dimension as he ran toward Finn who awaited him from across the arena. His energy surged violently and he threw a punch at him when he met the Maestro's hand as he jumped between them and caught him, sending out shockwaves that knocked everyone around them off their feet!
Tom breathed heavily as he felt The Maestro completely overpower him, his aura receding as the giant stood over him. "Alright, that's enough." The Maestro said. "Focus on your breath and calm down."
Tom began to pant and his aura disappeared, leaving him weak-kneed as he fell to the ground and panted. Sheathing his blade, Finn walked past the two and exited the platform. "You're fighting like you're afraid, Tom – this isn't you."
The Maestro watched Finn leave and turned to Tom who began to shiver on the ground. "Let's talk."
MARCO YELLED as he fell through a vortex made out of giant tongues, closing his mouth as he felt their saliva lather over him! 'This can't be real, this can't be real, this can't be real!' he repeated in his mind as he went down the endless abyss when he suddenly fell to the ground in the middle of a cave. Realizing that he was in a different location, he got to his feet and looked around.
"Uh, Star?" Marco asked, his voice echoing as he walked down the tunnel and came up to a large locked door with magical symbols on its edges. "What's this?"
"We're inside my brain right now." Star's voice came as she appeared beside him in her normal form. "This's where I locked the spell book away."
"Wait, the spell book is in your brain!?"
"I put it here so I could access advanced spells whenever I wanted." Star said. "But after a while, I couldn't access it anymore. The only higher level spells are bits and pieces my connection to the Valar allow me, but that's it."
"Oh, come on!" Janna whined as she fell from the roof of the cave, angrily getting to her feet afterward. "Shit, I was about to read an ancient demonology book, but 'no', you had to pull me out of it!"
"Ugh, who cares, let's just get this crap over with." Marco groaned.
"Well, I will never fret, because I have achieved one of my ultimate fantasies!" Janna pointed to the sky. "To become a man!"
Marco raised his brow and turned to Star. "Star, please finish this already."
"Alright, that's enough of that." Star waved her hand, turning Janna back to normal.
"Aw." Janna complained.
"We're in my brain right now and this's where I put my spell book so I could access high level magic easily, but I've been locked out of it." Star said. "What should I do?"
"Well, I think you already know what you should do Star." Janna said. "You need to come to terms with what you're afraid of."
Star looked at Janna then at Marco, sighing. "I guess I'm afraid of all the responsibility that's been thrust upon me. It was hard enough learning that I'd become 'Queen of Mewni' in my twenties and I'd need to find a husband, but now having the responsibility of protecting the entire multiverse from being destroyed by Nightmare's become too much for me." She smiled at the two. "But I love you Marco and Janna, I love my friends and I love Mewni and if I have to make sacrifices to protect that, then I'll do it."
Janna bit her lip and Marco gave a sly smile as he saw her. "Are you gonna cry?"
"No, I'm not." Janna wiped a tear.
Star took a deep breath. "I'm ready to do what it takes to protect my friends."
Star looked to the locked door and felt an energy swirling within her, the hearts on her cheeks coming alight as the symbols on the door came alive as well. The chains shattered and the door opened to reveal a light that consumed the two!
BACK IN Star's room, the magical arrow snapped and the three fell back on the ground as they regained consciousness, getting back up and looking around the room to see that nothing much had changed. Star raised her hand and her wand appeared in her grasp, bringing a smile to her face as new symbols appeared on the rim around the star-shaped center.
"Woo! I got my powers back!" Star cheered in excitement.
"Man, that was a rush." Janna sat back. "Damn, your mind is just as wild as I thought."
"Uh, Marco, I-I'm sorry you nearly got hit with the, uh, heh ..." Star laughed awkwardly.
"I am never going in your room again." Marco backed away from her.
"Well, I'm drained." Janna stretched out.
"Yeah, seriously." Star dismissed her wand and sat back, a silence filling the room. "You wanna see what the others are doing?"
THE MAESTRO walked up to the top of a grassy hill in the valley surrounding the kingdom, turning back to Tom who looked around in distress. Sighing, he looked around. "I won't question on how you got this power, but I can tell that it's no ordinary strength."
"You're not?" Tom asked in surprise.
"I know what it means to harbor dangerous power; it can be overwhelming."
"I didn't mean to go all out like that; I could've killed my friend." Tom explained. "It's just that most of my power was sealed off recently and I'm afraid of what'd happen if I'm not strong anymore. How'd I protect my friends? … There's so much I've seen and their lives are at stake even if things went back to normal. What am I if I don't have this power?"
"The first thing you must realize is that you can't put the weight of the world on your shoulders, no matter how strong you might be; you only do what you can." The Maestro turned to him. "But your true power isn't in your physical abilities, but in your mind; what you do with what you have. In order to truly achieve this, you need to control your anger and not let it consume you. If your anger consumes you, everything will be lost."
Tom thought this over. "Then teach me, show me how to control it."
DIPPER FOLLOWED Hansel from a distance as he checked his scanners when he heard the hum of a vehicle come close, becoming tense and pulling Dipper down, hiding behind a nearby rock. He looked out and saw Time Baby's assault vehicles on patrol. "This's bad." Dipper said.
"We're not that far from the Maestro's realm; they're figuring out where we are!" Hansel said. "We have to get out of –,"
A cold suddenly filled the realm and shivers went up the spines of the two as they realized what that meant, looking behind them and seeing five Vasto Lorde teleporting into the area in the far distance!
"Oh man …"
A/N: That chapter ended up longer than I expected, but I'm happy with what we've got because I decided to give the writing a bit more time and focus than I have been lately. Now that the Mewman princess has her powers settled with, we'll go on a more Star-oriented journey in the next chapter!
So, what do you think about the story thus far? Did you like the Time Generals and the inclusion of different lore mixed in with the crossover we already have? Please leave any thoughts you have in a REVIEW because it really helps me get motivated to keep writing and don't forget to follow/favorite so you don't miss the next update (which will be sooner than a month, I promise).
Thanks for reading!