Marco kneeled on the soft ground of the forest floor, tears leaking from his coffee colored eyes. He had let her slip away again. And this time it might be for good. Guilt flooded through him like a waterfall, all his emotions pouring out at once. Why didn't he talk her out of it when he still had the chance? She could be dead soon, and it would be all his fault. Again. He had let her slip out of his grasp, and in return for his carelessness, he got a heartfelt speech and an announcement of possible suicide.

Marco thought of the Mewmans, River, but especially Moon. How would she react to hearing that her daughter had gone missing again? Angry? Sad? Scared? Marco didn't know her well enough to predict. With a sigh of defeat, Marco laid himself onto the floor, closing his eyes in order to think. He wasn't achieving anything useful here by moping in the grass. He needed to take action. He had a plan in mind, but first, he had something important to do. The boy dug through the pocket of his sweatshirt for his scissors, pulling them out only moments later. With a deep breath, Marco spoke to the air before opening up a dimensional rift. "Take me to Moon."

The teen reappeared back in the cabin where he had started at, right where he intended to end up. He seemed to be getting better with his accuracy. Glancing around the room, he was relieved to find that Moon was still sound asleep, undisturbed by earlier's shenanigans. At least he wouldn't have to talk to her face to face. Marco suddenly stopped his scan of the room to focus on a small star purse on the floor where Star had been not too long ago. With a worried sigh, the latino stepped towards the purse, unzipping the top until it opened completely. Out he pulled a small notebook and pencil. Why they were in there, Marco was not completely sure, but it worked for his purposes, so that was all the mattered. Closing his eyes to begin his focus, the boy began preparing his words in his head.

"Dear Moon,

I apologize I can not tell you this in person, but I will be leaving to retrieve and protect your daughter. She ran off to try and defeat Eclipsa by herself, and even she agrees it could possibly turn into a suicide mission. I make it my sole voe to protect Star at all costs, no matter what it takes. Do not try to follow me, you are in too weak of a state. Goodbye for now, my Queen.

Sincerely,

Marco Diaz"

The letter ended up being short, but concise, which was all that Marco needed. He felt bad for leaving at such short notice, but he had no choice. He needed to get back to Star before something horrible happened. Or maybe even… she would die. The boy shivered at the thought, trying to push it out of his mind. If he was to try and protect, he couldn't have the negative outcomes on his mind. He needed to be constantly focused. For her sake.

Taking yet another deep breath, Marco prepared his thoughts in his brain. In order to use the dimensional scissors, the user needed to think about where they were going. Yet another thing in Marco's life that required focus. Taking a deep breath, Marco stated yet another phrase. "Take me to Star. For her safety, and my sanity." And at that he was gone from sight, stepping into the untracked lands of the dimension of Mewnie.

As Star reappeared in the general area of the castle, she broke out into tears. She had left her best friend in ruins, all because of her. He was probably so worried… so scared for her safety. Like she was for his. She knew with all her heart that Marco would try to come after her, regardless on if she objected or not. After all, that was what friends did. However, she knew that she would have to fight till her last breath to protect him, and if she died in the process, so be it.

Refocusing her mind, the princess turned back towards the castle, a dark purple aura seeming to emit from it. If she was to accomplish her mission, she needed to push her emotions to the side. Or at least for now. Her hair blowing in wind, the warrior began her journey towards the enormous, towering castle.

The terrain surrounding the royal grounds was surprisingly rugged, as if something had ripped the earth from the ground itself. Brushing off the thought, Star continued, her mind clouded with determination. Through the windows of the keep, Star spotted the hat of her captor on the dresser of the royal bedroom, which only continued to make her blood boil. She needed to get this over with quickly. For the sake of her kingdom, and her sanity.

Moments passed as Star continued her trek, each one being used to formulate her plan. Ever since her fight with the ghastly lizard, the princess had started to plan out her attacks. Even if the mission did end with death, at least she would be able to say she gave it her all. Her plan consisted of the following:

Star was to go into the castle, alone, to track down her evil grandmother. Then she would cast a spell at her in an attempt to kill her with one blow. After that failed, she really wasn't sure. Her lack of confidence made Star shiver, but she couldn't give up weight of all of Mewnie and other dimensions as a whole were on her shoulders, and she did not like the feeling.

The emotional anchor was hurting her progress, so much so that she could feel the tears slowly coming back in her , just as she was about to let out her sorrows, the sound of a dimensional rift opening and closing came from directly behind her. However, when Star finally brought herself to turn around, there was nothing but a bush rustling slightly to her right. She considered searching the shrub, but pushed off the thought quickly, letting her emotions come pouring back in. She needed some time to herself.

Moon awoke from her slumber with a start, the pain from her arms suddenly spiking. Groaning with pain, she propped herself up, leaning on her arms. Looking to her left, and then to her right, she realized that both Star and Marco had left the cabin. "They must have gone for a morning walk together." she thought to herself, a smile coming to her face as she imagined it. The former queen was certainly happy that Star had Marco to protect her through all of her shenanigans. Skeeves couldn't have chosen a better family.

However, Moon was pulled out of her happy thoughts by a crinkle to her left. Glancing over, Moon discovered a small notebook in the shape of a star. Curiosity suddenly flooding her mind, the woman grabbed the notebook and flipped it open, quickly realizing it was her daughter's. After flipping through a couple of pages, the handwriting suddenly changed from messy to very neat, which brought her curiosity to a peak. She quickly used the glow from her arm to better read the text, only to be terrified by what she saw.

The note stated that her daughter was in grave danger, and that Marco had left the safety of the cabin to rescue her. As sweet as the gesture was, it was also very stupid. Eclipsa was one of the strongest women to ever exist, with her magical skill at its peak. If Star could barely hold her own against her, an Earthling like Marco stood no chance! Worry suddenly clouded her mind, blocking out the pain from her pulsing veins. Now it was her turn to be the savior.

Moon hastily picked herself up, thoughts gathering her thoughts. In order to complete her plan, she would first need her own pair of scissors. Luckily, she knew just where to get them. Grabbing the purse and hoisting it over her shoulder, Moon then began her march out of the cabin and into the unknown.

The Forest of Certain Death may seem scary at first glance, but after a while, it became quite boring. Each tree looking nearly identical and the deadly plants were easily avoidable. Moon was able to navigate the forest with ease, determination fueling her every move. She had only been to this place once, so it was rather surprising that the former queen seemed to know the general direction of the hut. The woman was starting to finally thank her daughter for bringing her here in the first place.

After hours of travel, Moon finally arrived. The shack resembled a squash, with the same density as a giant hollow stump. The outside was sparsely decorated with circular windows, each with wooden boards dangling from the bottom. With a deep breath and a few more steps, Moon reached the wooden door and knocked.

Only a moment passed until the door had been opened, a dark, looming monster standing to the doorway. However, instead of being afraid, the queen stuck out her hand. "Hello again, Buff Frog." Instead of accepting the simple handshake, the frog instead pulled the woman into a tight hug, which she gladly accepted.

"Queen Moon! Welcome back to my home! How can I help you?" the father spoke, cheeriness filling his voice.

"I'm afraid I have some terrible news. May I come inside?" The smile suddenly vanished from his face, instead replaced with concern. Nodding his head, Moon followed the frog back into his home.

The inside of the hut was just as Moon remembered it: cozy and wet. But there was no time to admire the scenery. Now was a time to talk business. "Buff Frog, Star is in grave danger. I'm afraid it's.. Eclipsa."

Just the sound of the name sent shivers down the man's spine, the mention bringing back bad memories. He knew of the queen's magic, knew of its power. The sheer thought that his little sweet potato was in danger because of her only made him more scared. However, despite his thoughts, he kept his mouth shut, waiting for whatever was next.

"Marco went after her to protect her, but I fear that he may not be strong enough to get the job done. Therefore, I have decided to go myself. I make this choice because as her mother, it is my job to ensure her safety. And I will continue to do my job until the day I die. Any questions?"

The frog cleared his throat before speaking, being slightly intimidated by the woman's confidence. "Moon, do you have plan? I know about her magic, and I also know her magic is stronger than even yours, especially when you are in this state. Are you sure that you want to go through with this?" he asked, worry and fear filling his face.

"I have never been so sure about anything in my entire life. Now, where are your dimensional scissors. I can't save my daughter of I am bogged down by travel time." At that Buff Frog wandered off into another room, only to return moments later, scissors in hand.

"Please, be careful."

Moon grabbed the scissors from his outstretched hand and tore yet another hole in the dimensional rift. "I'll be as careful as I can be. Thank you." And at that, the queen stepped through her portal, into the vast unknown.