Ok, ya dicknuts. It's been a wild ride but it's time to put this story away. Maybe tie up a few loose ends because I'm an idiot. Don't worry, I'll keep going after this with another story but it won't be to as grand a scale as this was. I put way too much into one story and suffered the plot holes trying to do my best to fix it. Good enough for now, I guess. I never claimed to be the best.

But, unlike the best, I still respond to reviews~

Guest Sorta: I mean, I could but you would never know (unlessIfindyourhousehahahahahahaha). Wait, you don't cry? Evar? What are you, fucking emotionless?

Celebrity Martyr: Shit, man, thanks for that. I get a lot of support in the reviews but it's nice to see it from someone who's basically been here from the start. Also, I finally got around to listening to the entirety of Revolution Radio and now I understand your name. GG

MrSkittles: What can I say? I have a very... unconventional sense of humor. This end is gonna make you hate me but whatever, I don't care. After all, I'm the best to you. Also I hate skittles. Heh...

Guest: Let me answer those three (four) things:
1. Thank ya
2. uhhh... plot.
3. plot.
4. ...plot.
I took some "creative liberties" (that's an author's excuse for shitty writing and plot holes they can't account for). Sue me.

ChelJosh: We all eagerly await the new episode in January. Until then, have some shitily annoying writing.

Li'l Sleuth: Oh don't be a fucking pussy. I ain't goin' anywhere. Actually though you're scaring me, I never thought people would rely on me for mental comfort when i started. Shit, now I'm obligated to continue this fucking thing.

Enjoy, faggots. (Another awesome song for a title. I believe I've mentioned Mr. Joel before...)

Chapter 26

Only the Good Die Young

Marco never saw Star again. At this point I think it's safe to say that since this is the end of our story together. But please, let me explain:

After the little excursion at Ludo's castle and the time travel 'spell' was executed Marco went back to his meaningless dreary life in Echo Creek, California. The only difference was the memory of a little lie that Star had told him.

'I'm the only one that will remember anything.'

She was wrong, they were both wrong. They couldn't have known it at the time but everyone (alive) that was present in the ~12 yard radius around Star after the 'spell' went off was caught in a bit of a time shield. That is to say, even as Time can remove memories it can preserve them with just as much ease. Marco, Janna, Ludo, even Celeste, all remembered everything after they had warped back in time. No one said anything of it, though, except to reassure that they weren't the only ones that remembered. Ludo and Celeste established that it was to never be talked about and went on their ways. Marco and Janna did the same.

Obviously, the toll was hardest on Marco. The love of his life, though he never could admit it, was in another dimension with no means of connection between the two and the only hope he could ever have of seeing her again was the hope that she may come back just like she promised nearly 4 years in the future of another time line that now ceases to exist. Though it hurt him more now than it would if he had never remembered he knew it was something he could deal with. After all, he had dealt with it before and under harder circumstances.

But she never did come back. Marco waited for the longest time but no, there was never any sign of Star. It had been far longer than the first 3 year period he had painstakingly trudged through before, reaching nearly the 5 year mark before Janna had given him a piece of advice. He decided to talk to Janna about it again after going paranoid over the fact that she might not be coming back. Marco and Janna had stayed close through the years, knowing they were the only ones in this world who knew of the existence of Star and her home. Janna saw the state that the boy was in and decided that it would be best if he wrote it all down on paper, a therapeutic story telling.

Marco complied, knowing it may be all he had left to remember Star by even though he knew she would never leave his mind. He was halfway through the story when it became apparent that maybe he could use this to his advantage. He changed the names of the characters who resided on Earth but decided that there was no reason to change Star's or anyone else's name who was back on Mewni. It's not like anyone would recognize it.

But he was wrong.

Marco published the book in December of the year 2021, just in time for the holidays. It hit the shelves as the best selling sci-fi book of the year almost instantly. It didn't take long, however, for Mr. and Mrs. Diaz to recognize the half of the story that Marco had left unaltered. Knowing they had never told the boy any of this, and that he shouldn't know about any of this, they confronted their son.

It was this day that Marco learned about his parents' true origins and how his mother had actually come from Mewni. Marco recalled the passage in the Mewberty book he had read so long ago and questioned his mother on her lack of cheek spots. "There's always a way to hide the truth" is what she told him. They still refused to tell Marco exactly what relation they had with the king and queen and how they became the Earth Ambassadors but they did give Marco the pair of dimensional scissors they had saved. Marco could only curse himself for not finding them himself.

Without thinking and without a moment wasted Marco was back on Mewni again, portal cut straight from the living room. The guards took him to see the King and Queen after being told he needed to see the princess right away.

Moon and River were surprised to meet someone who wanted to talk to Star. This surprise faded when they learned he was the son of Angie and Rafael. The poor boy hadn't even heard about what happened to Star yet.

They had Marco explain why he even knew who Star was since they had strictly told his parents not to tell Marco anything unless they gave the ok. Marco decided to start from the very beginning, and retold his story so far. He told them about how the two met, about how they had sent Star to Earth to appease the locals, about how the two became friends at school, about how the two had met father time, about how the two had danced under the blood moon, about how they had survived a house explosion, about how they had parted on Christmas, about how he waited nearly 4 years just to talk to her again, about how they reunited, about how he became king, about the war that took so many lives, about how Toffee had forced Star's hand in erasing everything, and finally about how he somehow kept all his memories from all that. Moon and River were baffled.

When Marco asked if he could see Star again the Queen decided it was her turn to tell a story.

A few years ago Star came to her parents with an idea in her head. She had a way to finally stop the tension between the Kingdom and the Wastelands. She was laughed off at first but the girl was determined. She went out to Ludo's castle herself just to talk to the little madman. She came back with even better news than the first time. The two had talked for some time about the possibility of merging their two nations into one society, a way to bring peace to both peoples. It put her parents in a corner, though, practically being forced to go along with their daughter's plans. Moon was especially opposed to the idea to begin with but her husband had managed to talk her into it saying "it may be time we try something new, nothing else has worked". Star was ecstatic. She had finally done something right, something that made her look worthy of being a queen. There was going to be peace in these lands for the first time in centuries. It took awhile but with a bit of construction and a lot of effort on the end of the civilians half the Kingdom was on it's way to full monster assimilation within a year. There were quite a few people, however, who could not be persuaded by peace. There's one in every crowd, the one person who doesn't agree with progress, the one person who doesn't want to stray from tradition, the one person who hates peace.

Moon was choking up at this point, unable to continue with her story. River held her close and continued with the story himself.

The man's name was Maxwell and he wasn't known for any crimes against the state. He was one who loved Mewni, loved what it had become. He was ready to pick up a sword and die for this place. When you have someone with that amount of nationalism embedded into their mind you know they aren't going to take it lightly when their whole world is turned upside-down. He wasn't exactly all for the idea of allowing the enemy of the Kingdom to just waltz in the gates and start living his people's life and taking his people's jobs. He believed the only solution was to off whoever's amazing idea it was to let the monsters in. Star was walking down the street one day checking on how everything was going in the district current taken up by resident monster-citizens when it happened. A knife to the throat. Ironic, really. Maxwell didn't get far, he was subdued by a rather large frog-man with a thick accent. It had been nearly 4 years since that day.

Marco found himself in tears.

He ran out of that room in denial, skipped right through anger and bargaining, and dropped into a bout of depression when he made it back to his room on Earth 2 minutes later.

He told Janna of what happened the next day.

Janna helped to comfort Marco throughout the next week.

Marco and Janna got to talking to the Queen about what was going to happen about the kingdom sometime in the next month.

Though he never forgot Star and still holds her dear to his heart, Marco and Janna started to date again through the next year.

Marco and Janna graduated from college and eventually married. They took Mr. and Mrs. Diaz back to Mewni and started a life there. They had a few kids who grew up well.

Moon and River died together one night, passing silently in their sleep. With no heir to take up the throne the counsel of advisers were hard-pressed to choose a new Queen to lead the Kingdom. They took everyone's opinion into account and eventually the monarchy was abolished, soon to be replaced with an oligarchy. It wasn't perfect but it was all in good faith. Monsters began holding positions of power, Ludo himself even got in, but this was met with hatred. There was a lot of work to do but at least they were trying.

Toffee was never seen again, he fled from the dimension after Star and Ludo struck their deal. No one knew it, of course, except for those who see all. Those like me.

I have watched over these two separate Timelines with a lot of intrigue for quite some Time now and I figured it was something worth sharing. Not much happened in this one after the monarchy was abolished so I shall end my story here.

I have personally played a key role in stories like this all over the multiverse. There are plenty to be told and plenty that I shall tell. You probably remember me from chapter 10. I helped to nudge this story along the path that it took, I interacted with its characters, and I have passed my knowledge onto you: the people on the other side. Though I can't see your face I can hear you and I know you are no more significant than those in this story.

We are all just characters in a grand scheme, a story to be told throughout the ages, living through the pages of a book written long ago. You spend the little bit of Time you have enjoying a good story consisting of people whom may or may not exist. A worthy cause, I have always said the most important thing in life is the enjoyment of a good story regardless of medium.

Well, I hope you all got a kick out of this story, because it's the only Time it will ever be told outside its own Timeline. It's Time, now, for a new one. If you remember what I told Marco back in chapter 10 about how his portals were not traveling to separate dimensions then you remember me mentioning separate universes. There are an infinite number of universes out there with an infinite number of worlds in each. I can look over every single one and pick out any that I want to look at. I think we should keep the same characters as last Time but change the situation up a little.

This first story that I've told you is what the kids like to call a "Reality AU", AU accurately standing for 'Alternate Universe'. I decided using this as a base story to judge the rest off of would enhance your reading experience. The next 'AU' I have queued up on my monitors is an interesting one, it's one where Star and Marco- you know what? I think I'll leave it as a surprise for now. You're all gonna love it.

Until next Time, my friends. This is Father Time wishing you all farewell.

I'm not done yet.

No, not even close.