Light of the Sun and Stars

by thDorkMagnet

His whole life Marco Diaz has been raised by monsters, living under the cruel rule of their leader, Toffee. But one day Marco escapes into Mewni where he meets a magical princess and Mewman like himself, who begins teaching him all about her world. Together they will learn about life, love, and the lights within each of them, as they change their world forever.

44. The Hand of Fate

Chapter 43: The Hand of Fate

Hey everyone! The new chapter is finally here for your enjoyment! I meant to get this one out in January but then I got sick with Covid. Don't worry I'm fine but it did sadly delay all my projects since I had to focus on getting better. Which is why this chapter is out so late. But hey, bright side it's done now! And I really think you guys are gonna like this one.

So this chapter is a bit of a mystery, it's not gonna make much sense at first but it will all come together at the end trust me! This is one of those chapters I've been holding onto for years now and I'm so, so excited for you all to see it! So I won't keep you and let you just jump right into the thick of it! Enjoy everyone!

Disclaimer: Star vs and all its characters belong to Daron Nefcy and Disney. All rights go to them.

The first thing Marco was aware of as he opened his eyes was the fog that clouded his mind. His head felt like it was underwater, his consciousness swimming in and out of reality, making it difficult to focus. It took him a few seconds to even realize he was laying down. He squinted his eyes, his vision unnaturally blurry, like it had forgotten how to work for a brief period of time. Marco off-handedly wondered if he should be concerned about all this but the fear was quickly swallowed by the fog. he didn't move at first, his limbs were too heavy, so instead he just lay in bed and waited for his head to clear. After a good minute, the fuzziness in his brain started to die down and his vision cleared enough for him to get a good look at his surroundings.

That's when he realized he wasn't in his bed.

Marco sat up quickly, causing his head to spin again but that was the least of his concerns as he looked around the dark room he had woken up in. The boy panted nervously a few times, his heart hammering against his chest in fear when he realized he knew this room. It was his room at Buff Frog's cottage. The boy rubbed his eyes a few times, just to make sure he wasn't seeing things but another quick glance around the silent room confirmed it. He was in the Monster's cottage.

"How did I…" Marco whispered softly, perplexed by this strange situation. He tried to remember how he could have ended up there but his mind was drawing a blank. He recalled Star and him watching the sunset together like always and Star's sweet kiss goodnight when they parted ways, his girlfriend turning in early out of exhaustion over the day's activities. He had hung out with Jackie and Janna for a bit, the two girls teaching him how to play some Earth card game called "poker", although apparently poking your opponent was not part of the rules. Janna was incredibly good at the game and had beaten both Jackie and him with ease. After that, he had told Daisy and Violet a quick bedtime story before heading to his own bed, tired but satisfied with his day. The last thing he remembered was settling under the warm sheets in his bed at Butterfly Castle.

So how had he gone from there to here? Marco frowned, looking around the room in confusion. That was when something new caught his eye. All his stuff from the castle was here too, as if the situation wasn't strange enough already. Normally his room at Buff Frog's place was more or less bare, it was more a glorified place to sleep than anything else, since Marco spent most of his time there with the Monsters. So how had all his stuff been moved there overnight?

Marco realized laying around in bed was not getting him anywhere, he needed to investigate this mystery further. He hopped out of bed and moved over to his open closet, pulling down one of his prized hoodies. He examined it for a moment but couldn't find anything off about it, as far as he could tell it was the same set of hoodies he normally wore. He slipped it on without a second thought, not caring he was still in his PJ's underneath. He was starting to get freaked out and needed some sense of comfort, and since Star wasn't here one of his hoodies would just have to do.

Marco creaked open the door to his room, trying to make as little noise as possible. He looked around the empty hallway for any signs of life but saw nothing out of the ordinary. And yet, something felt off to him, something about this whole thing just wasn't quite right. It took him a few seconds to put his finger on it but when it finally came to him, the surrelness of it all left him stumped. It was too quiet. Normally, Buff Frog's cottage was always full of some kind of chatter between the many Monsters that lived there. At all hours of the day he would always be able to hear Beard Deer and Lobster Claws arguing about something or Big Chicken's clucking or Bearicorn's atrocious singing. But now there was nothing. Not even the loud snoring of Potato Baby as he went about his day. Just silence. And it unnerved Marco.

But then as if some force of the universe had read his mind, his ears picked up a small sound echoing through the barren hallway. Humming. Someone was humming. And from the sound of it, it was a woman's voice. Now Marco's interest was thoroughly peaked and his need to investigate won over his growing anxiety instantly. Taking a deep, calming breath, Marco ventured out into the hallway, slowly tip-toeing in the direction he thought the humming was coming from.

From what he could tell, it seemed like it was coming from downstairs and Marco tried to quietly creep that way. But to his surprise, he picked up on something he had missed before. The hallway was smaller somehow. Before, Buff Frog and the Monsters had made enough rooms so that any Monster who wanted one could have a place to stay. Now the hallway had been shortened and the number of rooms cut down significantly. There were only four rooms upstairs now, counting his, and Marco was beginning to wonder if he was still dreaming. It certainly would make more sense than his dad's house being reconstructed overnight. Marco slowly descended the staircase, his thoughts and heartbeat racing with each step.

The humming grew louder and he tried to place a face with the voice but his mind was drawing a blank. It was clearly a woman's voice and something about the tone reminded him of Lily when she was putting Daisy and Violet to bed. There was something instantly soothing about the simplistic melody, almost like… he had heard it before? The woman's voice as well, was oddly familiar, some distant memory tugging at the back of his mind although he couldn't quite see it yet.

He reached the final step of the staircase and gazed over to the kitchen, finally spotting the source of the humming. A woman stood by the oven, her back to him as she fiddled with sizzling pans full of delicious smelling food, her hands working quickly to cook the meal. Marco could only stare at her in shock, wondering why and how some strange woman had snuck into his dad's home to cook breakfast. His head spun with questions as he wondered what the right course of action was here, he had never been taught what to do in this kind of situation.

So he did the first thing that came to mind, he spoke to her. "Hello?" he called in a tiny voice which shook from nerves and confusion.

The woman stopped what she was doing and slowly turned to face him. Marco could see the confusion in her eyes before a warm smile widened on her face as she spotted him. There was a small flash of recognition there, although Marco couldn't say the same since he was still sure he had never seen this person in his entire life. Although, some deeper part of his mind seemed to be trying to tell him something, though he had yet to determine what, as it fought to escape the fog.

"Good morning, Marco. Did you sleep well?" the woman said as she cleaned her hands on the fancy apron she was wearing, her tone bright and she spoke with a level of familiarity that sent Marco's head spinning.

"Do I… know you?" the hooded teen asked, an eyebrow slowly raising. Those words must have triggered something because he felt the memory fight harder to free itself, but the fog clung tightly and refused to let go.

The woman seemed surprised by this response, her head cocking to the side to observe him and her eyebrows pinching together in worry. "What do you mean, sweetie?" she asked.

Sweetie, Marco thought, now feeling even more confused. And the memory fought even harder. Marco tried to ignore the battle going on in his brain as he asked, "Did my dad hire you or something?"

The woman laughed at this, her voice light and achingly familiar and it made Marco's heart clench for reasons his mind had yet to decipher. "Marco, you aren't making any sense," she said and her eyes shined with some form of affection that felt completely foreign to Marco. "Is this some kind of game?"

Marco felt the memory strain to get free, tearing at the fog as it tried to push itself to the front of his mind. He opened his mouth to reply but the word froze there, he was too confused to speak. Some part of him told him to observe the woman and he began to pick up on small details, auburn hair, green eyes, pink cheekmarks. Okay that's a good starting point, he told himself. Now focus on those things.

Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail but it did little to stop the unruly curls. Her eyes were warm and inviting and some deep part of him seemed to recognize the stare. Her stare. And her cheekmarks were-

The fog finally broke under the weight of the memory as realization hit him like a ton of bricks. No, it couldn't be, he told himself, unable to believe who was standing before him. He nearly choked on a sob as he managed to say in a small, broken voice the word he had been longing to say his entire life.

"Mom!"

She merely smiled back at him, giving the gentlest of nods but Marco could barely see it, because his eyes were flooding with tears.

He had to be dreaming, he had to be! There was no way she was here! She- She was supposed to be… But she wasn't! Somehow she was here. Alive! Alive and smiling at him with a warm, comforting look with just a hint of concern. The look sent waves of pain to his overwhelmed heart and he lost all self control as he sobbed openly. His legs were shaking so badly it was a wonder he was still standing.

"Marco, what's wrong?" he heard his mom ask but he was too emotional to speak, instead he just continued to sob. Some unseen force must have given him a push forward though because he ran towards his mom on shaky legs and threw his arms around her in the tightest hug of his life. He clung to her with all his might, afraid to loosen his grip even a little, afraid if he did the universe would take her away from him again. And he couldn't handle that. His heart swelled with some emotion unfamiliar to him and yet so right he allowed it to consume him. He wanted it to consume him. Wanted this wonderful feeling to last forever and then he could just stay in his mother's arms until the end of time.

Despite the overwhelming joy he felt, he still heard a few questions lingering at the back of his mind, wondering how she was alive, why she was here, how she had gotten there, if Buff Frog knew? But none of that mattered because his mother was here! His mother was alive!

"I-I-I can't believe you're here!" Marco sobbed, shock and joy and a million other emotions consuming him at once. He tried his best to memorize this moment, to let every single detail implant itself into his brain. The warmth of his mother's body, the tender touch she had on his back, her smell which was exactly what he had imagined, like flowers and sugar all rolled into one. All things he had never thought he would ever be able to experience. "You're alive!" he croaked, his voice hoarse from all the tears.

"Well of course I am, Marco," Angela replied, sounding equal parts confused and concerned. "Why would you even say that?"

Marco finally pulled away from her, rubbing at his tear-stained eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie, sniffling pathetically. Not that he cared. "B-Because of the fire, B-Buff Frog said that… you both…" He paused, the words still hard to say. "He said you didn't make it," he managed to choke out.

His mom stared at him in sympathy for a moment before leaning down and giving him a simple kiss on the forehead that caused the tears to burst anew. "Ohh, Marco. You just had a bad dream is all," she told him cupping his face in her hands and gently wiping the tears from swollen cheeks.

Marco was too stunned to speak. Not that he had much of a chance to as he heard the sound of creaking wood behind him, followed by a new voice, "What's going on?"

Marco turned and when his eyes landed on the tall, muscular form before him there was no mistaking it this time who he was looking at. The goofy smile and gentle eyes exactly how Buff Frog had described him to Marco. "Dad!" Marco exclaimed, now attacking his other parent with a tight bear hug, much to his father's surprise.

Rafael was unfazed by his son's surprise embrace, Marco's small form incapable of toppling the strong form of his father. However, his dad did tense up slightly in surprise, before hugging him back. He was crying so much at this point, he was having trouble seeing straight. Hugging his real dad was exactly the same as hugging Buff Frog he concluded, the same build, the same warmth, the same everything. But he didn't mind that at all, he loved hugging his adoptive dad, his embrace always making Marco feel safe and loved. And this hug felt no different.

"Well, what's gotten into you this morning, Marco?" Rafael asked, patting Marco gently on the back, while looking to his wife for help.

"Marco had a bad dream," Angela explained to her husband and Rafael nodded in understanding.

"Ahhh," he replied, before telling Marco gently as he pulled out of the hug. "Well there is nothing to worry about, Marco. Everything is okay now." And then he ruffled Marco's hair the same way Beard Deer always did.

Marco could only nod in response, rendered speechless by the tightness in his throat and heart. This was more than he could have ever imagined. He had always dreamed of something like this happening but now that it was… he didn't even know how to feel. His heart was now a tangled web of emotions, all twisted up into knots of desire and want and he couldn't even fathom trying to undo such a massive web. He had so many questions. So many things he wanted to say. So many things he had been dreaming about saying. But instead all he could do was stand there and stare at his parents with tear-filled vision, his mouth hanging open in shock.

His parents didn't seem to notice this at all though as they simply began a friendly conversation, Rafael keeping a hand on Marco's shoulder as they did.

"Well I'm glad everything is alright, I was getting a bit worried," Rafael said, his smile so warm. Just like Marco had always thought it would be.

"So was I," Angela said with an equally hearty smile, the warmth in her gaze enough to melt glaciers Marco thought. Her green eyes landed on him for a moment before adding, "I know bad dreams are scary sweetie, but none of them are real."

"It's nothing a warm breakfast can't chase away, anyways," Rafael added, before he and his wife shared a laugh (music to Marco's ears), her hand resting on his dad's chest for a moment.

"I couldn't agree more," Angela replied, before kissing her husband lightly on the lips.

Marco's heart fluttered at the sight, suddenly reminding him of Star and for a moment he was snapped out of his trance as he wondered where his girlfriend was. Or where any of his friends were for that matter. Or the Monsters. Or-

"Marco." A voice cut into the hooded teen's thoughts, snapping him back into the moment. He stared at his mother with a lost look, before she said to him in a gentle, calming tone, "Why don't you go upstairs and wash up while your father and I finish breakfast, okay?"

Marco immediately wanted to object. He still had no idea what was going on or how any of this was happening and he worried that leaving his parents alone for even a second would cause whatever mysterious force had decided to bring his parents back to him in the first place to change its mind and rip them away from him all over again, leaving him stranded. But he couldn't bring himself to argue, not when his parents flashed him a look of concern as he just continued to stand there dumbly, waiting for him to respond.

So despite every fiber of his being screaming at his parents to just hold him and never let go, he instead headed for the stairs. He ever so slowly scaled them, looking back at his mom and dad every few seconds to make sure they were still there before they were finally out of his sight, Marco begging the mysterious force to let them still be there when he went back down.

…

Marco let the sound of running water wash over him as he gripped the sink's sides tightly in his hands, trying to take deep, steading breaths. Now that the hooded teen had a moment alone to think, his mind felt like it was running a marathon. He had so many unanswered questions that he felt like he might faint from the lack of answers. How were his parents alive? How was that even possible? He had been told his whole life that his parents were dead, that there was no force in this world that could bring them back to him.

And yet downstairs right now, his parents were very much alive. Alive and making breakfast as if the last fourteen years of his life hadn't even happened. Marco wondered if maybe this was all some sort of dream. It had to be, right? Because there was no way everything he had ever known had been the dream. Or maybe this was fate giving him a second chance at life, to experience what it was really like to have two loving parents rather than one.

But how was that possible? What force in the universe could bring his parents back from the dead like that? There had to be some other explanation, right? The fog quickly filled his head and he felt the room sway slightly around him, his eyes still focused on the running water from the sink as he waited for the wave of dizziness to pass, watching in fascination as the stream of water seemed to bend to impossible angles as it flowed endlessly into the sink. Marco leaned in closer, mesmerized by the bizarre sight, the fog in his brain making it difficult to focus on anything else. He thought he heard a voice saying something in his head but he couldn't quite place it, the words fading into the fog as quickly as they had come.

Just make sure you stay safe, okay.

Don't worry Star, I'll be fine. I'll be back before morning.

A loud ringing sounded right next to Marco's ear and the boy snapped out of his stupor in fright, jumping a good foot in the air before stumbling away from the sink. His back hit the wall behind him and he let out a shuddering breath as the fog quickly fled from his mind- or rather crept back into the farthest reaches of his mind where Marco couldn't venture. The boy panted a few times, putting a hand over his racing heart as his eyes jumped to the side of the sink where a familiar cellular device sat. Marco cocked his head to the side as he stared at his phone, which vibrated uncontrollably, the annoying buzz making his ears and head ring.

Marco was sure he had never programmed this sound into his phone before and if he had he would have changed it immediately because the obnoxious ringing it was producing was almost enough to make his ear's burst. Desperate to stop the sound, he swiped the phone off the sink, but the moment he did the ringing stopped. Marco breathed a sigh of relief as his ears were freed from the incessant noise but this was quickly replaced with confusion as he glanced down at the device in his hands and found himself staring at nothing but a black screen.

Marco's eyebrows pinched together as he turned on his phone and began searching through his contacts to find out who the mystery caller had been but found nothing. There was no sign his phone had even received a call that day, which made no sense. He had just heard it ringing. Unless, it had all been in his head somehow.

That's when Marco wondered how the phone had ended up beside him in the first place. As far as the hooded teen could remember he hadn't been carrying his phone with him and it hadn't been in the bathroom when he had first gotten there, so for it to mysterious appear next to him and start ringing to let him know of a mysterious caller who didn't apparently exist was just… too much for Marco's overworked brain to handle.

None of this made any sense at all. First, his parents were actually alive. Now his phone was stalking him. This had to be a dream. There was no other explanation. Marco's head grew fuzzy for just an instant and he decided to splash some cold water on his face to hopefully clear his head. Tom had told him it was a method he would often use when pushed to his limits. Maybe this was a similar situation.

Marco cupped his hands under the still running faucet, letting his hands fill with cold water, watching it run over his fingertips for a moment before splashing it up into his face. The numbing cold felt good on his skin, making an involuntary shiver jump up his spine and bringing his senses back on high alert. The fog was gone with a vengeance now and the boy was happy to have a clear head to work with, once more. The water stung his eyes some and so he felt numbly around for something to dry his face off with, his hands brushing up against a soft material. A towel.

The hooded teen dried his face off with the towel, taking his time as he did so, allowing his mind to wander once more. He still had so many unanswered questions and he wasn't sure if he should play along with whatever was going on or find some way out of it. What would Star do if she were here? What would any of his friends do? Would they want him to just enjoy himself and be happy? That's what Marco wanted but he wasn't sure if he should. What was the right answer to all this?

Marco finally dropped the towel back onto the sink, letting out a long sigh and quickly switched off the running water, plunging the bathroom into silence. His gaze slowly raised to the mirror in front of him, absentmindedly staring at his reflection for a second. But when he finally focused on his mirror image, he gasped, moving back away from the mirror in shock and fright, a hand rising up to his face on instinct. The hooded teen gaped open-mouthed at his reflection for a moment, too stunned to even blink, while his fingers felt all along his cheeks, searching for any imperfections in the skin there. But there was nothing out of the ordinary, save for the obvious thing.

Marco's warm, red sun cheekmarks that had been a part of him since his birth were gone, vanished from his cheeks almost overnight and in their place were a pair of light blue crescent moons. Marco couldn't stop staring at them, over how awkward they looked there on his face. They didn't fit, they were so opposite to what his cheekmarks were supposed to be that he could barely believe he was even seeing things right. They were so much duller, they didn't glow the same radiant level Marco was used to, they just seemed almost bland in comparison. Buff Frog had once told Marco that his suns were fitting because of the warmth he showed to everyone, so what did it say about him now?

Marco closed his eyes trying to concentrate on changing his cheekmarks back to their original form. It was a technique Mr. Candle had taught him, although he had said it wasn't used very much, usually cheekmarks changed naturally on their own and for only a short period of time. The hooded teen tried to concentrate on breathing like he had been told, thinking only of the shape and form his cheeks would take, before he felt warmth flood his face and a bright flash of light behind his eyelids.

Marco blinked open his eyes, grinning at his reflection as he saw his twin suns back where they belonged, glowing just as brightly as they always did. But a second later, the glow faded and with a muted 'pop' his cheekmarks returned to their dull blue form, the curved shape of crescent moons replacing his wonderful suns.

Marco frowned, puffing his cheeks up in frustration at his failure, thus stretching the moons into a bizarre smushed angle. He leaned his forehead against the glass mirror, letting out a deep sigh. What the heck was going on around here? Could all of this seriously be real? Now on top of everything his cheekmarks were wrong. If this was a dream then it had to be the weirdest one ever! This was worse than the time he dreamed he was getting attacked by a cat with a face that looked just like Buff Frog, while the other Monsters and his friends floated away on large red balloons.

Marco tried everything he could think of to get rid of his new cheekmarks, he scrubbed at them with his hands, a washcloth, splashed more cold water on his face, everything, but nothing worked. The boy was still stuck with the wrong cheekmarks. Now all Marco could do was stand there in stunned silence, staring at his reflection in the mirror and frown. Well, it looked like he was sadly stuck with these for now.

Marco brushed a finger along the new markings, letting out a long, depressed sigh. Well that was one downside to whatever reality he had just stepped into. Still he wouldn't let such a small thing like that crush his spirits. Not when his mom and dad were alive for corn's sake! Speaking of which, he should probably get back to them before they wondered where he was. Marco quickly shrugged off all the bizarreness happening around him and quickly headed for the stairs. He would just have to figure out what was going on later.

He still didn't know if this was fate or just some bizarre dream but one thing was for sure, Marco wasn't going to miss this chance. Who knew if he'd get a chance like this ever again. Which meant he had to make the most of it.

…

Breakfast with his parents was everything Marco had ever wanted it to be and more. He had dreamed of this day for so long. Of course for most of his life he hadn't really known what a family breakfast even looked like but here he was, a part of one at last. He had always loved being amongst Star and her family during one of their family meals but he always felt deep down like he didn't belong there, like he was an intruder trying to fit in even when Star's family made him feel welcome. It just wasn't the same. He was an outsider. But here and now, sitting across from the two people he had longed to know more than anything in the world, he finally felt like he deserved to be a part of this meal.

Not that he had done any eating yet. How could he even think of food at a time like this. He ignored his growling stomach that interjected his decision to starve, but it was vastly ignored due to the overly large swelling in his heart. His heart felt like it wanted to explode and all Marco could do was sit there in stunned silence as his parents chatted pleasantly amongst each other. He could smell the fresh cooked bacon and eggs, the smell trying to get him to change his mind but the boy could only focus on his parents and only his parents.

He smiled softly to himself as he memorized this scene, his parents every gesture and inflection, storing it away deep in his mind while his heart consumed the pleasant memories to feed on instead of actual food. And to Marco it was even more filling. He loved the way his mom laughed at his dad's jokes, her voice bubbly and sweet- like honey- and she would always throw her head back, like she had to give the laugh enough room to escape. She would occasionally give her dad playful shoves that wouldn't even faze Rafael's muscular form.

He loved the way his dad ate his breakfast, he would pick up entire pancakes whole and tear off a bite in his mouth, rather than using a knife to cut it. And his bites were big, just like the rest of him was. It was fascinating to watch and Marco decided he wanted to try and eat like that too. For a moment, Marco questioned his sanity, other than moments with Star, he couldn't think of a time he had payed this much attention to someone before. Ever. Especially doing such ordinary tasks like eating or talking, but to the hooded teen it was the greatest thing he had ever seen in his life. And Marco realized he would gladly watch it forever if he could.

His parents finally picked up on his staring and turned to him with concerned and confused expressions. "Marco, aren't you going to eat?" his mother asked softly.

It took Marco a few seconds to respond, he hadn't really heard the question, too busy memorizing his mother's puzzled expression (she had the greenest eyes ever!) to really process what she said and all he was able to muster in his feeble brain was a very halfhearted, "Yeah, sure."

When the boy made no move to eat, his parents shared a look before his dad asked slowly, "Is there something wrong, Marco?"

"Normally you love my pancakes. Did I put in too much flour?" his mother asked worriedly and Marco felt his heart twist.

"N-N-No! I love your pancakes, they are so good!" Marco exclaimed, picking one up with his fork and stuffing it whole into his mouth. He chewed for a moment, trying not to let his discomfort show with his parents watched him wearily, swallowing the food far too early and struggling to get it all down his throat. Once he was finally able to breath through his mouth again, he gave his parents a syrupy smile. "See? Yum." He rubbed his belly for extra emphasis, still grinning ear to ear.

His parents didn't seem convinced by the act though, Angela asking softly, "What's really going on, sweetie?" She sounded exactly like he had always pictured his mom would sound like, so calm and patient and caring. It made Marco swallow hard to avoid breaking down into tears again.

Marco bit his lip, trying to think of a way to explain this to his mom without sounding too crazy. He still didn't quite understand what was happening and he wasn't sure if he could put into words the sheer joy he felt at experiencing something he never thought he'd have the chance to be a part of. Something so simple and mundane and yet it meant everything to him and Marco wasn't sure if that should be concerning or not. "I'm just…" he finally began, but he took another second to ponder his words. "...really happy to be eating breakfast with you guys, is all."

"You say that like it's the first time," Rafael commented, his eyes full of sympathy for his son and Marco wanted him to just wrap his arms around him and never let go.

Marco shrugged. "Guess it's just… because of my bad dream."

Rafael nodded, giving his son a sad look and patted Marco's hand softly. "I understand. Dreams like that can really mess with your head. It's best to try and ignore them, though."

"Well I think I know what will make you feel better," his mom declared, standing up from the table with a confident look on her graceful face.

"You do? What?" Marco questioned curiously. He had no idea what his mom had in mind but he couldn't help but feel eager to see it.

"How about a box of your favorite cereal?" Angela said in a sing-song voice, winking at her son as she pulled the box down from a cabinet, shaking it a few times.

Marco couldn't help but grin and nod, excited to have a bowl of his favorite breakfast food. But then he realized that would mean not getting to enjoy the breakfast his mom had made for him and he quickly changed his mind, shaking his head back and forth rapidly. "Uhh, no thanks! I want to eat your breakfast instead, after all the hard work you put into it and everything!"

"Oh Marco, I don't mind," his mom quickly waved him off, while shooting her son a reassuring smile.

"No, no really!" Marco exclaimed, jumping up from his seat and waving his hands in front of him. " I want your breakfast! I can have cereal anytime! I want to eat what you made me!"

His mother seemed surprised by this but just shrugged and stuck the box back on the shelf. "Alright if you insist."

Marco breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down in his chair, his mom doing the same. The pleasant conversation continued, only this time he made a point to actually eat his food even if he was too enthralled by his parents to really care about anything else. He payed no mind to his happy taste buds- who were at least enjoying the meal- his attention was still entirely directed on his birth family. "That nightmare must have really messed with your head if you don't even want your favorite cereal," his dad commented, taking a sip from his coffee mug.

"I guess," Marco replied with a mouthful of food. He expected his parents to scold him or tell him his proper manners much like he saw Moon doing to Star on the rare occasion she spoke with her mouth full but his mom and dad didn't seem to mind.

"If you need to talk about it you can," Angela offered, giving him a soothing look and placing both hands over one of his.

Marco swallowed the large bite in his mouth before shaking his head. "Actually I think I'd rather talk about you guys." This was it. He would finally get some answers on what his parents were really like. Not just stories, but memories, something tangible, something he could hold onto, so whenever this dream decided to end he could at least have something real to cling to. But he really hoped whatever was happening to him wouldn't end.

"Like what?" his mother asked, cocking her head to the side in a very familiar way. Is that what Marco looked like when he would do that? Is this where he got that odd habit from?

"Like everything!" Marco exclaimed eagerly, his eyes beginning to sparkle with joy. "Your hobbies, your interests, things we like to do together as a family, all of it!"

Rafael chuckled slightly, before commenting, "You already know all of that stuff, Marco. You sound as if this is your first time ever speaking with us."

Marco looked shly down at his plate, feeling a little insecure due to the comment. His hands fiddled nervously with his fork for a moment, trying to think of a way to respond to that. He didn't want to alarm his parents or make them suspect his weirdness was anything more than a bad nightmare, he wanted to enjoy this moment with them, not fill it with awkward explanations he wasn't sure they'd believe anyways. They had already been quick to cast it off the first time, after all. So as much as he burned with curious desire, he knew he had to play along with all this… for now. "R-Right, my bad. Guess it was just the… dream messing with my head is all."

Angela gave him a soft look before stating, "You don't have to apologize, Marco."

Marco nodded but decided to quickly change the subject, "Um, so dad, how's-" Marco bit his lip trying to think of something vague to ask that might yield more answers. "...uh, work."

Rafael nodded absentmindedly while leaning back in his chair. He seemed suddenly distracted by the question, staring off into space with distinct, lidded eyes while a small grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, giving him a vaguely childlike look. It was kinda odd to watch happen, if Marco was being honest. "Oh it's going well," his dad replied in a far-off tone, like he wasn't really there but rather wherever his thoughts had taken him. "I should have my newest piece done before the end of the week."

"Oh that's wonderful news, Rafie!" Angela declared, clapping her hands together.

"Yes, I found a really nice clearing with such a beautiful waterfall and luscious, pink hilltops. I hope my masterpiece can even capture a fraction of its beauty," Rafael continued, clearly enjoying talking about his work. Marco could tell it was something he took a lot of pride in.

"I'm sure it's beautiful, honey," Angie replied, kissing her husband's cheek and causing him to blush.

Marco was starting to get confused, were they still talking about his dad's job designing houses? So he asked in a hesitant tone, "The house?"

"What house?" Rafael asked, now looking as lost as Marco felt.

"The one you're making," Marco said and now both his parents gave him befuddled frowns. "You are talking about a house, right?" he asked in a hushed tone, ducking his head low to hide his embarrassment. Why couldn't he seem to say anything right to his parents? Everything he said only seemed to cause them to give him weird looks.

"Marco, I haven't been in construction since you were born," his dad replied in a baffled tone, an eyebrow slowly rising.

"Oh," was all Marco could think to reply, suddenly wanting nothing more than to duck under the table and hide. Instead he settled for scrapping absentmindedly at his plate, pushing his eggs from the left side over to the right to join his half-eaten pancakes, silky syrup still dripping off of them. "So then, what are you talking about?" he risked asking, hoping he didn't sound anymore like an idiot than he already did.

But his dad didn't seem to mind this time, his lips parting in another proud smile, as he declared with a puffed out chest, "My new painting. If all goes well I might be able to get this one hung up in the art museum on Earth."

"Oh which one?" Angela asked curiously.

"The really famous one I told you about," Marco's dad answered excitedly. He seemed giddy at the idea and it made Marco smile, despite his discomfort. "If I can get it hung up in there, I'll be famous!"

"That's wonderful news, Rafie!" his mom exclaimed, giving him a wide, encouraging grin.

Marco sighed in relief, glad the attention was off of him now, he didn't want to risk saying anything else embarrassing. Still it was pretty exciting to hear his dad was a famous artist in this world/dream/whatever? He hadn't realized his dad had such a strong interest in art. It was a neat little fact that Marco would have to be sure to remember.

His attention shifted now to his mom, hoping he could find out something new about her. He just had to figure out the right way to ask. "So, mom?" the red-clad boy began, clearing his throat to try and gain more confidence in his face and tone. "How is the garden doing?" he asked, hoping this vague answer would grant the same results.

His mom's eyes shimmered joyfully at the question, her cheekmarks doing a little dance on her cheeks and lighting up bright enough to almost blind Marco. "Marco, how sweet of you to ask," his mom cooed and the boy felt his cheeks flush but he grinned at saying the right thing and making his mom happy. He felt an odd warm sensation in his chest, kinda like what he felt whenever Buff Frog complimented him, only… different. Stronger and hungrier. Like his body had been waiting for this response his whole life. Probably because it had.

"Are you sure you really want to know?" his mom asked, giving him a sheepish grin. "It's pretty boring stuff."

Marco nodded eagerly, feeling himself leaning forward in his seat, desperate for some new information on his mind. To know something, anything new.

His mom brightened even more (if that was possible) at Marco's sudden interest and she giggled a little to herself before finally indulging her son's burning curiosity. "Okay, well since you want to know. The garden is looking really great! It's not quite where I want it but still I'm very happy with how it's coming along. The burning roses are almost in bloom and the lilac lilies have never looked better. It's probably due to the new fertilizer I'm using. Of course the Moontide Tip's are gonna be hard to add in since they are used to very specific growing conditions but I think if I just-"

Marco listened intently as his mother rambled on about her garden, hanging on her every word as he drank in the conversation. He still couldn't believe this was real. Was he really here, listening to his mom talk about flowers? It was all he ever wanted and he begged whatever forces in the universe that had given him this wonderful dream that he never woke up from it. He could sit there and listen to his mom talk for hours.

He felt tears form at the edges of his eyes but he didn't even try to wipe them away, he didn't want to look away from his mom's smiling face for even a second. And so all he did was smile softly and nod on occasion just to make sure his mom knew he was listening. He risked a quick look over at his dad and he too seemed to be listening to what his wife had to say, although slightly less attentive than Marco was being.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Angela cut herself off, blushing a deep red as she muttered, "Oh no, I've been talking for way too long." She hid her face in her hands. "I'm sure you both find this all extremely boring."

"Not at all," Rafael said, putting a comforting arm around his wife and bringing her in closer to him. "I find it all fascinating and if it matters to you, it matters to me."

Marco nodded his head, his throat too tight from all the emotions to speak as he tried to casually brush the tears away.

"Well that's sweet of you two," Angie said, still looking down with a slight blush on her cheeks. "But I know my love of gardening isn't nearly as important as your paintings, Rafael."

"Don't be ridiculous, Angie," Rafael said, kissing her cheek. "Give yourself some credit where credit is due."

"I think they're important!" Marco exclaimed, jumping up from his seat in his rush to comfort his mom. Was she crazy? Everything his mom said was important! The very fact that she was there at all was a miracle, so of course what she had to say meant something huge to him!

"Aw, Marco!" Angie cooed, giving him a loving, motherly look that made Marco's heart expand just looking at it. "That's so sweet of you! What did we ever do to deserve a good boy like you?"

Marco could barely contain his joy at being told that, a wide, goofy grin plastered all over his face as he looked between the loving faces of his parents. He wanted to scream to the hilltops or maybe dance all around the kitchen to show just how grateful he was to have his once-dead parents tell him they loved and appreciated him but he was frozen to his seat, his heart too full to do anything but feel. Feel happier than he thought was ever even possible.

"So Marco, any big plans for the day?" Rafael asked, interrupting the wonderful moment, not that Marco minded, the idea of chatting with his dad was just as exciting.

Marco shook his head, while inwardly wondering if that was true. Did he have plans?

His mother answered this question for him though as she said curiously, "Oh, I thought you and Star were going out on a date today?"

Marco didn't respond to that right away, taking a moment to think over this information. So Star was in this weird reality too, that was a huge relief. Maybe he could ask her what was going on. Star always knew what to do, she'd help him figure all this out for sure. His mom had said they were going on a 'date' of some kind. Marco had no idea what plans he and Star had made in this world, hopefully his blonde girlfriend would know whenever she showed up. Unless he was supposed to go to her?

He looked over to his mom, who was still waiting expectantly for him to answer and he smiled back at her. "Uhh yeah, right. The date. Totally didn't forget about that," he said in the most confident tone he could muster but it sounded halfhearted even to him.

His mother's eyebrow slowly arched before she and Rafael shared a laugh, causing Marco's cheeks to blush bright red, not understanding why his parents were laughing at him. Angela shook her head before saying in a light, teasing tone, "Oh Marco. I swear, you'd forget your head if it wasn't attached to you."

Marco gave a little awkward chuckle before replying hesitantly, "Uh, yeah. Good thing my head is attached then." His weak little joke only seemed to make his parents laugh harder and the hooded teen couldn't help but grin in victory. He liked it when they laughed, especially over something he said. It felt right and gave him this warm, fuzzy feeling all over. He should try and make them laugh more if he could.

"Still, it's a good thing we reminded you of your date, Marco," his dad now pitched in. "Girls don't like to be kept waiting, y'know." Rafael gave his son a wink and Marco cocked his head to the side curiously.

"They don't?" he asked.

Rafael gave him a disbelieving look. "Come on, Marco. Don't tell me you forgot all those lessons I gave you on the right way to treat a woman?"

Marco cringed, really wishing he had any clue what his parents were talking about and he reluctantly shook his head.

Rafael buried his face in his hands, muttering something under his breath that Marco couldn't quite make out.

"Well that's alright," Angela pitched in, upon seeing her son's sad expression. "Star seems pretty crazy about you. I doubt there's anything you could do to change that." She turned to her husband with a telling look. "Right Rafael?" she said pointedly, even elbowing him in the side for emphasis.

Rafael yelped but quickly replied, "Uh yes, of course! You and Star are partners in crime, nothing could part you two!" His parents then both gave him wide, goofy grins that made Marco feel much better to see, his discomfort vanishing in an instant. Although this whole experience felt new and strange to him, the way his parents spoke reminded him of Buff Frog. His dad had always been good at reading his emotions and knowing exactly what to say. Marco wondered where his adopted father was at, actually. He had gotten so distracted by his parents being alive, he hadn't stopped to wonder where the rest of his extended family was.

"So where are the others?" Marco asked, watching his parents closely for their reaction.

"Others? What others?" His mom retorted, both her and Rafael giving him quizzical looks.

"Y'know the Monsters," Marco said, feeling his heart rate starting to increase, trying to fight down the worrying thoughts. What if something happened to the Monsters in this world? What if they didn't exist at all?! As great as it was to have his parents, he didn't want to lose any of the Monsters who had raised him! Still he did his best to keep his calm as he added hopefully, "Beard Deer. Bearicorn. Big Chicken. Buff Frog."

"What about them?" Rafael asked, still not quite getting the question, but Marco's fears were at least stilled. At least he knew they were alive, the last thing he wanted was to trade his old family to get this one back.

"Well, where are they?" Marco pried, leaning forward in his seat.

"Hmmm, that's a good question," Angela said cryptically, tapping a finger to her chin in thought. The hooded teen's whole body tensed and he sucked in a breath, waiting to hear the fate of his family. "Last I heard most of them moved to that one Monster village near the mountains. What was it called again?"

"Hydra's Point, I believe," Rafael helpfully supplied and his wife snapped her fingers in remembrance.

"That's the one!" she shouted excitedly.

"Wait, Hydra's Point? Why would they live all the way out there? Don't they need to be nearby to help Buff Frog rule the Monsters?" Marco asked, this conversation only making him more and more confused, if that was possible. His head was starting to hurt and, what was worse, he could feel the fuzzy feeling starting to return at the back of his mind.

"What do you mean, Marco?" his dad replied, a curious look on his face. "Buff Frog doesn't rule the Monsters. His father does."

"Unless, Volkoz retired," Angela suggested but Rafael shook his head.

"Old Volkoz? You know that Monster is as stubborn as they come. He'll rule over his kind until the day he dies."

So wait? Marco wondered in his head. Does that mean Buff Frog's dad is alive? Just like mine? This just gets weirder and weirder by the minute. This wasn't adding up, there was no way everyone could still be alive… unless?

"But-" the boy began, only for his voice to crack against his will and he swallowed hard. His mouth felt dry now and he felt his tongue choking off the words before they could be uttered. Part of Marco didn't want to bring him up, to destroy this peaceful, happy moment by speaking that vile creature's name. But he had to get answers and this seemed to be the best option for that right now. And so as much as he hated to do it, Marco let out a shaky breath and asked in a tight voice, "...but what about Toffee?"

Just saying the name sent tremors down Marco's spine and he expected the same from his parents, watching them closely for a negative reaction. Instead they gave him blank looks, his mom simply asking, "Who?"

Marco's mouth fell open, his jaw nearly resting on his forgotten stack of pancakes, as he just looked between his two parents in disbelief. They had to be joking or sparing his feelings, right? There was no way Toffee didn't exist here. That was just too good to be true. But his parents showed no signs of lying to him, instead their faces were the picture of innocence as if the very name Toffee didn't send terror into their hearts or remind them of the grim fate they had suffered at his claws. Unless, that had never happened. All the terrible, unspeakable things the lizard had done had never come to pass because he had never existed in this world in the first place. If Marco hadn't been sitting down he would have collapsed to the ground from how much his knees were shaking. Toffee wasn't real here. He was just a nightmare in Marco's own mind.

Seeing his parents giving him concerned looks he quickly shook his head free from the thoughts, using one of his sleeves to wipe away a few tears that had surfaced at the corner of his eyes. He could tell his mom and dad were waiting for an explanation on who Toffee was but Marco didn't want to think about the lizard Monster anymore. If he wasn't real in this world then the boy didn't want to ruin this second chance at life by bringing the lizard's evil into it. His darkness didn't need to corrupt this peaceful existence. "Nevermind," the boy croaked, his throat still tight and constricted.

Angie and Rafael looked close to pressing Marco on the subject but the hooded teen quickly changed the subject before his parents got the chance, "So, uh, what's Buff Frog up to then? Since his dad is still in charge."

This seemed to break the uncomfortable tension that had started to grow at the table, Rafael's goofy grin and Angela's calming demeanor returning at last, any stress or anxiety they had showed melting away from their features. "Oh, you know your godfather," his dad said with a hearty laugh. "That frog is just as stubborn as his dad."

"He probably gets it from you two," Marco blurted out and his parents stared at him in surprise for a second before bursting into laughter.

"Probably," Angela agreed, nodding her head while trying and failing to hold in her giggles. "We did have a tendency to rub off on him."

"Mostly you," Rafael commented, turning to his loving wife with a teasing look.

Marco watched his mom's eyes spark with ferocity as she grabbed onto her husband's shirt collar and pulled him closer so that they were face to face. "You wanna run that by me again?" she asked, her face and tone as playful as could be, the smirk a mischievous curve of lips.

"Well, you are proving my point, my love," Rafael calmly replied and Angela's smirk grew before she leaned in and claimed her husband's lips for her own. Marco felt more tears in his eyes as he watched the intimate moment between his two loving parents. It reminded him a bit of him and Star.

Once his mom decided the kiss was over, however, she practically shoved her husband away, saying in a frisky tone, "Now you better hurry up and finish your breakfast, young man, before I demonstrate just how stubborn I can be."

Rafael made a big show of stuffing food down his throat, eating like his life depended on it, much to his wife's and Marco's amusement. Mother and son's eyes met across the table and Angela asked in a warm tone, "So, Marco, what's with all the questions all of a sudden?"

Marco shrugged. "Just curious is all."

His mom's gaze softened. "Are you missing Buff Frog?"

Marco nodded. "Yeah, I just want to make sure he's alright."

"Oh I'm sure he's just fine, Marco. Don't worry," his dad said, his voice so confident it did ease Marco's fears. But only a little. For some reason, Marco was sure there was something about his frog father he was forgetting. Something important. But he couldn't quite put his finger on what. The fog returned to fill Marco's brain leaving him dizzy and confused, but he heard the next words spoken by his mom as clear as day.

"He's waiting for you in the swamp."

"Huh?!" Marco exclaimed, giving his mom a startled look. The fog was making it hard for Marco to concentrate but the way his mom spoke unnerved him. Her voice was so calm and devoid of emotion, it was eerie and it left a bad taste in his mouth. And something about her words sent the boy's brain reeling. He saw flashes of muted colors, murky browns and dull greys, all bathed in silver moonlight. But as soon as the fog had come it was gone, leaving the hooded teen panting for breath. "Wh-What did you say?" he asked numbly, still trying to regain his senses after the shocking experience.

"I said 'Buff Frog can take of himself'" his mother explained in a bright, happy tone, completely unaffected by the weird moment and back to her cheerful self, as if nothing had happened at all.

The hooded teen couldn't quite grasp that. He had been so sure she had said what he heard. Was he hearing things? He figured that was the simplest answer but something about that just didn't feel right. He couldn't shake the feeling there was more to it than that. Marco opened his mouth to retort, but before he could question her further there was a knock on the front door, drawing everyone's attention onto it.

"Oh that must be Star!" Angela said joyfully, rising up from the table and practically skipping towards the door. At the mention of Star, Marco's face lit up in a smile, feeling his cheekmarks glow even if it was the wrong color and he raced his mom to the door, wanting to be the first one to greet his loving girlfriend. Finally, something familiar that he understood. With Star's help they could solve this bizarre mystery, Marco confident they could do anything as long as they did it together.

Angela noticed him rushing for the door and courteously stopped, allowing her son to greet their guest first, a small smile on her face. Marco slammed the door open and yelled excitedly, "Star!" But the smile dropped from his face as he froze upon seeing his girlfriend, staring in shock at her new appearance. While most of Star was the same as the last time he had seen her, such as her stunning blue eyes and cute pink cheekmarks, her hair had been cut significantly shorter. Her once flowing locks of hair trimmed to just above her slender neck, curling slightly on their own. And while she looked adorable in this style (just like she did with everything else) Marco had not been expecting this sight and it took him a moment to process just how different his girlfriend had become overnight.

Star didn't seem to notice his awkward gawking though, just smiling in greeting and raising a hand in the air. "Hi, Marco. Good morning," she said sweetly.

"S-Star?" Marco stuttered, his eyes lingering on her blonde hair, still trying to process what he was seeing. "Wh-What happened to your hair?"

Star stared at him in confusion, an eyebrow slowly raising. "Huh? What do you mean? Is there something wrong with it?"

"N-No, no!" Marco immediately interjected, not wanting to give his girlfriend the wrong impression and make her doubt that her hair looked anything but adorable. "It looks great, really! I love it and everything buuutt why'd you cut it? I thought you liked long hair."

Star tilted her head to the side, giving him a long look. "What are you talking about Marco? I've had it this length for over a year, don't you remember?"

Marco didn't know how to respond to that, just staring at his bestie dumbfounded unsure how to respond.

"Geez, Marco, where's your head at these days," a voice said from behind Star and Marco leaned over so he could see around his girlfriend, a smile brightening on his face as he spotted Tom and Janna.

"Hey guys!" he greeted cheerfully, not expecting to see the two there but still happy nonetheless.

"Sup, dude," Janna said in her typical smug tone and Marco was relieved at least one person was acting the same. Tom simply waved back.

"So you ready to go?" Tom asked nonchalantly.

"Where are we going?" Marco asked in response and the three gaze him odd looks.

"Don't tell me you seriously forgot about Jackie's big skateboarding show, that's all she's been talking about for months," Janna said in a teasing tone.

Skateboarding show? Marco wondered to himself. Did that mean his friend was a professional skater in this world just like she always wanted.

"Which is why we all agreed to make it a double date, remember?" Star said, trying to help jog her boyfriend's memory.

"Wait what?!" Marco screamed in disbelief, looking between Janna and Tom with a shocked expression. His eyes slowly gazed down and he gasped as he finally noticed Janna and Tom were holding hands. "Janna! Tom! Your dating!"

"Duh, where have you been?" Janna responded, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"You feeling okay, Marco?" Star asked in concern.

Before Marco could respond his mother appeared behind him, putting a protective hand on his shoulder. "Hello Star," she greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Mrs. Diaz!" Star replied back, giving her a courteous wave, a bright smile gracing her pretty face.

"Janna, Tom," Angie added, nodding over to the young couple who waved back and gave small greetings back.

"How have you been?" Angela asked, her attention back on her royal vistor.

"Oh, pretty good, can't complain," Star said politely, shrugging her shoulders.

"That's so great to hear!" Angela cheerfully exclaimed, before she offered, "Would you all like to come in for some breakfast?"

"Nah, that's alright," Star declined with a small shake of her head. Tom and Janna also gave their objections to the proposal.

"Oh please! We insist! Right, Marco?"

His mother and Star now looked over to him for an answer and he managed to stutter out in his confused haze, "U-Uh s-sure."

"Well, if you're sure it's alright," Star said, still hesitating to take advantage of their hospitality.

"Of course! You are always welcomed in our home," Angela declared, moving aside to allow everyone in. "Any friend of Marco, after all, is welcome here anytime."

The blonde looked back at her other two friends who hadn't made any moves in. "You guys coming?"

"Nah, I already had a big breakfast," Tom said, raising a hand to decline the kind offer.

"We'll just meet you both there," Janna added, before turning and dragging her boyfriend away with her. "Come on, babe. We better go, so we can get good seats."

"Which is where you can casually throw popcorn at the unsuspecting crowd without getting caught, right?" Tom retorted.

"You know me so well," Janna cooed, before kissing her demon on the cheek.

Marco watched the two until the door was shut, barely paying attention to anything else. Okay, that had to be the weirdest thing about this reality so far. A pleasant surprise to go with all the other improvements this world had.

Meanwhile, Angela was busy ushering Star over to the table, the two chatting happily the whole way. Marco trailed along behind the two women, watching in complete disbelief as they talked like they had known each other for years instead of meeting each other for the very first time. The way the two interacted so naturally you'd think Star actually knew them. And not just as the highly-regarded legends only known through stories and anecdotes like Marco, but actually knew them. But how was that possible? This had to be Star's first time meeting them too, right?

Maybe Star is just playing along, Marco suggested to himself and that made some sense. Star was a much better liar than Marco, it had been proven to him several times in the past. Maybe Star had picked up on what was happening and decided to pretend to be a part of this world, just like him. Orrrr maybe this was just all a dream and she was actually Dream Star and not the real one. Although the longer he was here, the less sure Marco was of that theory. This was nothing like his other dreams… at all. It all felt too real to be something his brain dreamed up for him.

Marco sat down at the table, staring between his mom, dad, and girlfriend curiously, while munching on small bites of his breakfast. The three were getting along great, chatting happily with one another about stuff Marco was too distracted to pay attention to. All he could think about was just what the heck was going on around here?!

He decided he needed to ask Star but that wouldn't be easy to do with his parents hanging around. Marco tried to come up with a good excuse to get Star alone so he could talk to her but his brain came up blank. Marco looked up from his half-eaten plate just in time to notice his parents getting up from the table and moving over to the sink to start the dishes. Marco knew this was his best chance. "Star, I need to talk to you," he muttered, snatching Star's arm and pulling her into the living room and away from his parents. Star seemed confused and startled by this but she didn't fight back, allowing the boy to drag her into the next room although she did weakly protest, "Hey! Marco, what about our breakfast?!"

His mom and dad turned to the pair, his dad asking, "Are you two going to finish your breakfast?"

Star opened her mouth to respond but Marco beat her to the punch as he said cheerfully, "No, we're good!"

Star let out a little whine as she was dragged into the living room, staring longly back at her delicious, unfinished pancakes.

Once the two were out of the Diaz's earshot, Star asked with quite a bit of concern, "What is it, Marco?"

"Something weird is going on around here, Star," the hooded teen said.

"What do you mean?" she asked, the worried look on her face only increasing.

That caught Marco off-guard since he was sure she would have already known how abnormal this whole situation was but she seemed clueless. He stared at her open-mouthed for a moment before explaining, "Y'know, all the weird stuff that's been happening all day. It's like we've been taken to a totally different world or something." The boy was now pacing back and forth as he was finally able to voice his thoughts out loud, knowing it was safe to confide in his trusted bestie. "I mean, it's great and all but it's also insane y'know! My parents are alive, Star! That- That shouldn't even be possible! And that's not all! Other weird stuff has been happening too! Like my phone called me and there was nobody there and my cheekmarks are moons and your hair is short! Can't you see how everything here is weird and different and- and just not normal!" The boy was close to shouting at this point but luckily the running water from the sink and the clanking of dishes hid Marco's outburst from his distracted parents.

Star didn't respond to this, instead she just seemed to be studying him closely, her pupils darting around a bit as she seemed to be trying to get a read on her troubled boyfriend. Although her face appeared blank, Marco could see beyond her stoic mask, easily seeing straight through to the real Star underneath. He could see the small hint of fear and worry hidden deep within her that she was struggling to keep contained and he felt his heart start to race. Why would she look at me like that?

Finally she spoke, slowly and evenly, like she was being careful of her wording to avoid upsetting him, "Marco, I… have no idea what you're talking about."

Marco felt like he had just been knocked down by some unseen force, every part of him going on alert, while his brain and heart raced trying to make sense of what was happening and clashing with each other at every turn. "What do you mean?!" Marco hissed, leaning in closer to his girlfriend and the blonde royal backed away a bit, which caused the hooded teen's nerves to reach a new level of panic on itself. "Don't you see how crazy all this is?!" He was starting to breathe irregularly now. "I mean, it's cool that my parents are alive but-"

"Marco," Star interrupted, putting comforting hands on his shoulders and looking him straight in the eye. "You aren't making any sense."

Marco was too stunned by this to reply, only managing to weakly mutter, "B-B-But-"

Star led him over to the couch, pulling him down on it with her as she said slowly, "Deep breathes. You're panicking." She began to rub circles on his back, which did help soothe his mind as the edges of fear slowly began to fade. It was all just too much for him to take in at once. Too many changes at once. But Star's gentle touch was warm and familiar and it managed to bring Marco back to himself.

Star noticed him begin to calm and whispered softly, "Feel any better?"

The boy nodded and the blonde royal wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Okay, good. Now tell me what's going on. Maybe I can help if I understand what we're dealing with."

Marco nodded again, before sucking in a deep breath. "I'll try," he muttered, not even sure where to begin. Slowly, uncertainty he began to relay the events of that morning, how different everything was, how nothing was as it was supposed to be, explaining what his regular life was like when needed. At first he was afraid Star would think he was crazy but her face remained impassive as she listened in silence. This encouraged Marco as he began speaking more rapidly and going into even greater detail, hoping that Star would somehow have an answer for all of this. It was a long shot but it was all he had to go right now.

When he was done, Star simply nodded thoughtfully and tapped a finger on her chin. "Hmm, so let me get this straight, your saying that this reality, this world is totally different from your old one and that somehow you've ended up and you don't know how or why?"

"Yes, exactly!" Marco breathed, so relieved Star was actually following him. "Do you believe me?"

"I mean, I don't know why you would lie about it," Star replied, looking as confused as he felt. "Besides, you're a terrible liar so I know for a fact you aren't lying to me."

Marco couldn't help but laugh at that. "So do you know what I should do?" he asked seriously, biting his lip.

Star shrugged. "I'll be honest, Marco. I don't know what to tell you. I mean for me, this is my world. This is all I've ever known, y'know. But from what you've told me, it sounds like this is a second chance for you."

"What do you mean?" Marco asked curiously.

"Well you said yourself your parents aren't around where you're from and if you ask me this world is much nicer than the one you left," Star replied, casually leaning back on the sofa. "I mean is it really such a bad thing to be here."

"Well, no," Marco said hesitantly.

"Look if you really want my opinion I think you should make the most of this opportunity. Don't question it, just enjoy this chance to be with your mom and dad. A chance like this isn't going to come again. So why try and fight it."

"Yeah," Marco muttered, thinking this over in his head. "Yeah, you're right." He gave her a bright smile. "Thanks, Star."

"Hey, that's what girlfriends are for," Star replied humbly, giving him a tiny wink that made his whole face flush.

Then to Marco's surprise, Star jumped to her feet, disturbing the small moment they were having as she said in a casual tone, "Welp, guess I better get going then."

"Wait, you're leaving?" Marco questioned, surprised by that. He figured Star would want to be a part of all this or at the very least stay with him until this whole crazy situation was over.

"Yeah, I don't wanna be in the way," Star said with cheerful ease. "Today is about you and your parents, not me."

"Well you still don't have to leave," Marco exclaimed, hopping up from the couch. He didn't want his girlfriend to think she wasn't welcomed there just because he would be busy getting to know his parents. "I know it's not the most ideal date but-"

"Marco, it's fine," Star quickly interrupted giving him a loving smile. "I just want you guys to have your space is all. Besides, Jackie would be pretty upset if neither of us showed up to cheer her on."

Marco gave her a tight smile, part of him still feeling bad for sending his girlfriend away, even unintentionally. "Well if you're sure it's okay."

Star nodded. "It is. I'll just tell Jackie and the others you were feeling sick, okay," the blonde replied, practically skipping for the door. She paused in the doorway, looking back at her boyfriend as she added, "Just promise me you'll make the most out of this, okay?"

"I promise," Marco said, crossing a finger over his heart to prove his honesty. It was a trick the twin's had taught him.

Star smiled back at him, her eyes looking sad for just a second as she whispered something under her breath, almost too quiet for Marco to hear her. "I hope you find what you're looking for in time."

And then she was gone, leaving Marco to question that final sentence in the silent loneliness of the living room. What had she meant 'in time'? Did Star know something he didn't? Marco already suspected his time here was limited but just by how much?

"Oh did Star leave already," his mom's voice cut into his thoughts, drawing his attention onto his parents. The two Diaz's frowned at the front door, looking slightly hurt and betrayed by Star's sudden exit.

"How odd," Rafael commented. "She didn't even say goodbye."

"She was just in a hurry," Marco quickly lied. "Uh, family emergency or something." The hooded teen scratched nervously at the back of his neck, uncomfortable about lying to his parents but he couldn't think of a way to explain her real reason for leaving without having to tell them everything. And that just wasn't an option.

"Oh, I hope everything is alright," Angela said, her lips pressing together in worry.

"I'm sure everything's fine!" Marco said way-too-quickly, not wanting to panic them. "It's probably just Star's Uncle Lump misplacing his body again." He gave them a tight smile, hoping they bought the weak lie.

Rafael shook his head, before saying dramatically, "Ah, yes, that Lump is always so forgetful."

Marco sighed in relief, thankful his parents weren't questioning him any further on the subject.

"So, Marco, I guess that means you're going to the concert alone then," his mom said.

'

This was it. "Actually I was thinking I could spend the day with you guys," Marco sheepishly admitted, rubbing the back of his neck again, his awkwardness just refusing to leave him alone.

"Well sure, Marco!" Rafael heartily exclaimed, looking caught off-guard but excited nonetheless.

"We'd love that," his mom said, folding her hands in front of her heart with a loving gleam in her eyes.

Marco smiled, feeling his excitement bubbling in his chest.

"What did you have in mind?" his dad asked, giving his son another pat on the head that made his whole body spark with joy. That was a question he had been waiting his whole life to answer and he didn't have to think at all about his response.

"Everything," Marco whispered wistfully.

...

Over the rest of the day Marco learned many new things about his parents.

He learned that his mom was a sore winner after they played a few board games together and she bragged over and over again everytime she won. Although when Marco one once, Angela took it in stride, clapping her hands and praising her young son for his accomplishment, which made Marco feel ten feet tall.

He learned his dad had terrible jokes after he cracked out a book of knock-knock jokes that made his wife cringe and groan in distress the moment it was spotted. Although a few of them went over Marco's head he made sure to fake a laugh at each one. The delighted grin on Rafael's face made it worth endearing the same repetitive joke over and over again. Although he did genuinely chuckle when his dad turned to Angela with a smug look and said pointedly, "See, Marco likes my jokes."

Marco learned his mom was a bit messy as he helped her out with the gardening. She definitely didn't mind getting dirty as she vehemently ripped weeds from the ground with no mercy. Marco struggled to even pull out one and by the time he had pulled out three his mom had a whole basket nearly filled to the brim with the undesired plants. When the two were finally finished with their tasks, both mother and son were covered head to toe in dirt and mud. Angela didn't seem to mind at all, using her hands to scrub off the dirt from her cheeks, which only managed to smudge it more on her face. Needless to say, a shower was in order for the both of them after that.

Marco learned that his dad was a whole different person when he was painting. Rafael went from the fun, goofy, if not a bit scatterbrained man Marco had spent all day getting to know into an incredibly precise, calculated and careful artist whenever he was working on one of his paintings. The moment the canvas and paints were in front of him, his brow furrowed and his eyes were narrowed and serious. The hooded teen had just watched his dad paint in awe for nearly an hour, fascinated by the talented grace his dad had when creating his masterpieces. His strokes were delicate and precise, his paintbrush smoothly gliding along the canvas as beautiful shapes and colors began to form. Each brushstroke was treated with care and importance and Marco was starry eyed at the talent his dad held, wondering if he could paint beautiful masterpieces like his father someday.

Marco learned that both his parents loved to sing, especially cheesy love songs. When the hooded teen had noticed the karaoke machine shoved into the corner of the living room and innocently asked about it he had no idea it would lead to an all out concert in their living room. His parents loved singing along to their favorite love songs, usually sharing the spotlight together and trying to out-sing their partner. Marco laughed and clapped at his parents' awkward but honest attempt to entertain their son. Whenever he took the stage however, he could hardly be heard by the amount of cheering and clapping coming from his parents. You'd think he was performing for millions of people rather than just his parents but the boy thrived in the attention. He didn't think he'd ever felt more free in his life and when he was finally through with the various numbers of encores his parents insisted on, his throat was sore and his cheeks were flushed but he had never been happier.

When things finally began to wind down for the day, Marco's cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. He couldn't think of a time when he had ever been happier. The hooded teen had forgotten all about the mysterious circumstances that had brought him there, he was too busy loving every second of the time and attention his parents were giving him. Marco was practically glowing as he sat between his two wonderful parents, beaming ear to ear and holding a steaming cup of tea in his lap. The aroma from the tea alone was making Marco's mouth water but he didn't dare take a drink as he just watched his dad's reaction closely as he brought the cup up to his lips and took a small sip. Marco held this breath, waiting for the verdict from his father, who took a second to analyze the taste before swallowing.

"Well?" Marco asked impatiently, leaning closer to his dad.

Rafael grinned and nodded his head, saying in a proud tone, "It's delicious."

"Yes!" Marco cheered, nearly jumping for joy but remembered at the last second he had his own cup of tea in his lap and forced himself to remain seated and semi-still. "I'm so glad you like it!" he shouted, his eyes shining with pure joy.

"Well of course I did," his father said, ruffling his son's hair and making him giggle. "I've always loved your mother's special tea and knowing you helped make it is even better." He then gave his wife a teasing look. "Maybe someday you'll share your secret recipe with me."

Angela grinned as she took a long sip from her own cup, keeping her husband and son in suspense. As she lowered it back down she just whispered slyly, "Not in a million years."

His dad sighed dramatically, saying a very fake whine, "I can't believe my own wife is hiding her secret recipe from me."

Angela rolled her eyes, before commenting, "Only because you can't be trusted to 'improve' the recipe."

"Oh come on, Angie that was years ago!" Marco's dad whined and the young Diaz burst out into laughter. Once his laughter died down, he just looked between his two loving parents as they playfully bickered, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

This day had been one of the best in his life. The only thing that even compared to it was the day he met Star. After so, so many years of living under the cruelty of Toffee's rule, dreaming of escaping, dreaming of seeing anything but the dingy grey of the castle he resided in, he had never, ever thought he would end up here. He had sometimes pondered to himself the idea of his parents being alive but since he had no information to go off of other than they were dead, it was difficult to think of anything beyond a few vague daydreams or pretending they were there playing with him.

But now, they were here. They were alive and he had something tangible to grab onto. He had more than just a few stories, he had experiences, memories, things that made them into real, actual people he could think fondly of. And the best part was, he was now a part of those memories, a part of their lives and they were now part of his. Some deep part of him kept crying out from the hidden parts of his head, reminding him that this wasn't right, that none of this was how it should be. But he shoved that voice down and ignored it, some starved part of him clinging onto this fragile illusion with all its might and hoping nothing would ever shatter it. If this was a dream, he hoped he didn't wake up.

"So did you have a good day, Marco?" his mother asked, once her and her husband had calmed their teasing.

Marco nodded vigorously. "Yes! This has been the best day of my life!" the hooded teen happily exclaimed.

"That's wonderful," Rafael said, patting his son on the back. He shared a look with his wife before adding, "We had a great day too."

Marco happily slurped up his tea, letting the sweet taste drift down his throat and he hummed happily. "Wow, this is even better than the tea Buff Frog made me," the boy said contently, licking his lips.

"Buff Frog?" Angie questioned, looking down to her son in confusion. "When did he make you tea?"

"Oh, uh, a while back I guess," Marco answered vaguely, doing his very best to dodge the question.

An eyebrow slowly raised on his mom's face. "I didn't even know he knew my secret tea recipe."

Marco panicked, quickly saying, "Well you taught him how before you-" The word caught in his throat, unable to speak that awful truth. He didn't want to think about that anymore. That wasn't his reality anymore. He took a large swig of the tea to try and clear his throat of the disgusting word.

"Before I what?" his mother asked calmly, putting a comforting hand on her son's knee.

Marco shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "N-Nothing. It's not important."

His parents gave him questioning looks but they dropped the subject, much to Marco's relief. Instead the hooded teen decided to bring the conversation back to more positive things, saying, "So, uh, speaking of Buff Frog. Maybe we could invite him over soon? So you could teach him the right way to make your famous tea."

"That's a great idea, Marco!" his mother agreed with a nod of her head. "I'm sure he'd be delighted to see us again."

"It's been- what?- a few months since the last time he came for dinner?" Rafael asked, looking over to his wife.

"Something like that," Angie agreed.

"Great then, I'll call him right now!" Marco shouted excitedly, grabbing his phone off the coffee table in front of him. He couldn't wait to have his parents and adopted parent in the same room with him. It would be a dream come true. But when Marco flipped on his phone he saw that there were three missed messages, all from Buff Frog. The boy frowned and clicked on the last one, putting the phone to his ear.

There was static at first before Buff Frog's voice cut in at random moments, making it impossible to decipher, "Marco… need… please ... find you… love you." The click as the message ended caused Marco to shiver. Even jumbled he could tell his dad was worried and panicked and the 'love you' at the end put Marco on edge. Was something wrong? Was his dad in trouble?

Feeling panic begin to flood his system, he shakily clicked the second message, but it was even more jumbled than the last one, the hooded teen only able to make out two words, 'swamp' and 'come'.

Now the fog was back, filling his brain and making it difficult to see straight. Marco was dizzy and disoriented, like his head was underwater. Everything else around him began to fade to nothingness as he cautiously clicked the first message, afraid of what he would find but too far in to back out now. Besides, if his dad was in trouble, he had to help him. But to Marco's surprise it wasn't Buff Frog's voice he heard come out of the tiny speaker, it was his.

"Hey dad."

"Marco, I apologize bother you so late but is a situation."

"I know, I just got the message. I'll be there in a minute."

"Alright, see you then, my son. Love you."

"Love you too, dad."

Click.

And just like that the fog took full hold, making the reality around him bend and sway, while Marco finally recalled the memory that had brought him there in the first place.

…

"Alright everyone, we need search this swamp from top to bottom. There are three Monsters missing and we still have no idea who or what took them."

"Are we sure they didn't just leave and not tell anyone?"

"I know I wouldn't stay here. This place smells disgusting!"

"It's a swamp, idiot! What were you expecting?!"

"I don't know. Maybe an air freshener or two?"

"You're a moron!"

"Please, friends is enough fighting for one night. Must focus on rescue mission, remember?"

"Yes, boss!"

Marco was half-listening to his family's conversation, his attention also occupied by this phone, as another new message popped up on the screen and he laughed out loud at the funny and cute cat picture Jackie had sent him. Even though it was late at night, his friend had been nice enough to stay up with him and the two had been happily corresponding with adorable pictures of cats. The boy selected a cat pic from the many, many he had saved on his phone and pressed send, greeted a moment later with a smiling face. Marco looked up briefly from his phone to check on the Monsters but they were still discussing plans.

Marco felt his chest constrict as he remembered the reason they were out there so late at night and he swallowed hard. When he had got the emergency alert on his phone, he had felt an overwhelming sadness and concern for the poor innocent souls and offered his services without hesitation. Star had been less enthusiastic about the whole thing when he had woken her up to let her know where he was going but he had quickly convinced her though, promising her he would be safe and careful and wouldn't leave his family's side for even a second.

But it seemed none of that was necessary. The hooded teen wasn't really needed there since Buff Frog had brought the whole gang of Monsters to help with the search party. Marco was more there out of obligation, not necessity and even though he had offered his help multiple times, his dad had insisted that he let them handle things.

Marco couldn't really blame his dad for wanting to keep him out of it, since the Monsters had apparently disappeared under 'mysterious circumstances'. There were three Monsters missing in total, two males and one female, all of which had lived in the swamp their whole lives. But over the last few days, they had just vanished, disappeared into thin air. The other residents of the swamp had of course been freaked out and called for help, going to their leader and even making the cautious decision to involve the Monster representative, which had been a great sign to the MMPC's success.

But there wasn't much for Marco to do now that he was here since his family was handling everything. Meaning the boy was forced to find some way to entertain his tired mind and cat pictures always managed to do the trick for him. He did want to help but he also knew there was no way his dad would let him do anything more than 'supervise' the whole search party, so he'd just have to stick to playing on his phone and hoping the Monsters would be found.

"Lobster Claws, I want you stay with Marco," Buff Frog ordered and the crustacean saluted his leader.

"You got it boss, I won't let him out of my sight," the Monster minion said in the most serious tone he had but with his naturally goofy voice it was hard to tell.

Buff Frog nodded before leading the rest of the Monsters into the dense swamp, most of them grumbling about the smell or the disgusting mud they were having to trudge through or both.

Marco shifted uncomfortably on the large rock he was sitting on, trying not to think about the possibility his own family could go missing the same as the other Monsters and he quickly put his focus back on his phone to keep out those thoughts.

He saw Jackie had sent him a series of pictures featuring a pig wearing a business suit and he couldn't help but coo at how cute it was. Lobster Claws noticed this and leaned down asking, "What'cha lookin' at?"

"Oh just some cute pictures Jackie sent me," Marco explained, turning his phone slightly so the lobster Monster could see it too. Lobster Claws eyes widened and began to shimmer and shine like he had just seen the greatest thing in his life.

"That's so cute!" he whispered in disbelief.

Marco nodded his head in agreement, thankful to have something to think about other than the immediate danger his family was in. "Yeah, isn't it? I have a whole bunch more saved on my-"

"So you mean there's more!" Lobster Claws exclaimed, tapping his claws together excitedly.

Marco nodded, before handing his phone to the monster, selecting the file he had of just cute pictures. "Yep, see for yourself," the hooded teen replied pleasantly. Lobster Claws jumped at this opportunity, quickly settling down next to his charge and swiping through pic after pic giggling and awing at each one. With Marco's main source of distraction gone, the boy felt his nerves begin to rise and he brought his legs up to his chest, curling up as much as he could to try and provide himself some comfort, not to mention heat since the swamp was very cold tonight.

For a moment Marco just listened to the world all around him, honing in on each little rustle of a bush or snap of a twig, trying to pinpoint where each member of his family was. But it was nearly impossible for him to tell what sounds were coming from where or who and soon gave up the task. Instead he decided to pace around a bit and stretch his legs but making sure to stay within Lobster Claws sight. Or what would have been in his sight had the Monster looked up from the phone once. Marco couldn't help but chuckle to himself at the goofy expression on the crustacean's face. But his smile dropped as he thought of his family, searching the possibly dangerous swamp without him. He hoped they all made it back safely.

Marco's worried thoughts were interrupted, however, when he felt something wrap around his ankle. The boy started to look down to see what could have grabbed onto him when he felt whatever it was tug sharply on his leg. Marco was thrown off balance and landed hard on the muddy ground, coating his face in mud and blinding his vision.

Through his distorted vision he saw Lobster Claws leap to his feet and run towards the boy shouting, "Marco!"

Marco coughed up mud before yelling back in panic, "Lobster Claws, help!"

Then he felt the grip on his ankle tighten and he was tugged backwards, his body dragging through the mud. The lobster Monster threw out a claw for Marco to grab onto but he missed by mere inches, the Mewman boy being pulled away at too fast a rate for the out of shape Monster to match. Marco flailed around, trying to get a grip on the squishy mud he was being dragged through but it was pointless.

Soon he couldn't see Lobster Claws anymore. The mud and who knows what else splashing in his face was making him cough and hack not to mention making it impossible for Marco to see his surroundings. He could no longer hear the Monster's shout for him, only his own racing heartbeat pounding in his ear. Marco's ankle ached from the cruel treatment and he couldn't seem to spot his assault and kidnapper.

The Mewman boy was powerless as he was dragged away from his family and into the darkness of the unknown. The last thing Marco remembered was falling off of something and a bright flash of light… before he woke up in his bed in the wrong house, wondering how he got there.

…

Marco shivered violently as the memory ended, leaving him visibly shaken from what he had just experienced again. He had no words to describe what he had just seen or remembered or whatever it was but it had left him trembling. He let out a few short gasps as if he had forgotten how to breathe in the wake of that nightmare. His parents were quick to act as they saw their son panicking, wrapping comforting arms around him and mumbling worried and comforting phrases at him which Marco couldn't focus on. He was too busy trying to decipher what he had just seen.

He wanted to believe it wasn't real, that what he had just seen was a bad dream or something, one of the flashes he would get from time to time but this felt different. It was too real. Normally Marco would just see or hear Toffee but the lizard Monster was not in this one. This felt more like a memory than just a hallucination. And if it was real then…

"The Monsters!" Marco screamed, jumping up from the couch and startling his parents. The two older Diaz's stared up at their son in worry while the teen took a moment to clear his thoughts before turning to his parents with a serious expression on his face. "I remember something now. There were three Monsters that went missing in a swamp. I don't… remember which one yet but I know they are in danger. Something took them- and me I think. But somehow I ended up here instead. But that isn't the point! We have to go help them! They could be-"

"Whoa, whoa, Marco," Angela cut him off, standing up herself and waving her hands in the air. "You're rambling, sweetie."

Marco nodded, knowing she was right and tried to calm himself down, taking slow, even breaths.

His dad also stood, asking, "Now what's this all about exactly?"

"Okay I was with Buff Frog and the other Monsters and we were searching for these three Monsters who went missing, in a swamp. I think something took them and whatever it was tried to take me or did take me, I'm not really sure. But the point is they could be in danger and we need to go help them before something bad happens to them!"

His parents shared a look, their expressions causing Marco's heart to clench in his chest. He had been expecting them to instantly agree to help, for their kind nature to take over but instead they seemed… hesitant. They didn't look the least bit concerned even knowing lives could be in danger.

"You said Buff Frog was already there?" Rafael asked.

Marco nodded, trying not to think of what could have happened to his other dad while he was here, wherever here was. "Yeah and the others too."

The bright smiles returned to his parents' faces but instead of filling Marco with joy like before, their expressions were sickening to him. They suddenly looked unnatural and fake and the boy took a step away from them in surprise. "Well if Buff Frog is there then there is nothing to worry about," Rafael said with a simple shrug of his shoulders. As if nothing was wrong. As if they didn't even care!

"B-But what if they need help?" Marco asked, struggling to process this new side to his parents. All the stories he had been told had said they were helpful and quick to do whatever they could to protect Monster kind.

And then his mother said something so wrong and so unlike her that it left Marco floored. "I know you're concerned, Marco, but it's not our job to get involved. The Monsters can look out for themselves."

The hooded teen didn't even know how to respond to that, staring at his mother in disbelief that she would say such a thing. He cast a quick look at his dad to see if he saw something wrong with his wife's statement but he seemed totally okay with it, a nonchalant grin on his face. Marco wondered if his mom was just trying to mess with him, attempting some kind of weird joke but her face displayed no hints of remorse or humor. She wasn't kidding. She had meant what she said.

Marco took another step back and shook his head, suddenly disturbed to be near these two. This was all wrong. How had he not seen it sooner? "No," he said firmly, trying to ignore the pain in his heart and the nauseating flips his stomach was doing. He practically glared back at his 'parents' as he finally saw them for what they really were. Imposters. "My parents would never say something like that. They were heroes and they gave everything to help the Monsters and me! And I may not have ever met them or known them like others did…" He swallowed, feeling a tight squeeze in his chest and the beginnings of tears in his eyes but continued nonetheless. "... but there is one thing I'm sure about my parents and that's that they would never, ever let Monsters suffer when they could do something to help."

His 'parents' faces were blank now, no emotion showing on their faces and that unnerved Marco to no end. "Marco, please don't do this," his 'mom' said, her voice a dull monotone, lacking all of the life it had had before. "This is everything you wanted, right? To be with us?"

"Marco, we love you," his 'dad' pitched in. "Just don't fight it, okay. And then you stay here with us forever. Just like you want."

Marco's heart was racing now, terrified by the new changes in his fake parents. They were now just emotionless puppets, lacking any emotion or feelings at all. And that sent shivers of fear down his spine. He began to slowly back away from them but his 'parents' began closing in on him, taking slow, silent steps towards him which caused Marco to panic. "No you aren't my parents!" he screamed and turned to run.

But suddenly something latched onto his hood and dragged him forcefully back. He choked and struggled as he was viciously dragged farther into the living room, the once peaceful sanctuary now taking on a dark, demanted turn as he watched with blurry eyes the furniture in the room begin to melt into dark puddles of goo. Marco squirmed, trying to break free of the vice-like grip holding him hostage but no matter what he did he couldn't escape. His 'parents' or whatever they were, would not relent their grip, no matter what. The light from the setting sun that had been shining in through the windows was gone, leaving the room now bathed in shadows.

But Marco wished for the darkness back as the walls around him suddenly burst into flames, engulfing the whole house in fire and ash. Marco screamed, the heat already unbearable and he squirmed harder, fighting with everything he had to get away. Voices began to ring in his head, their words too jumbled to understand but they still sent shivers of fear down his spine.

He was still being dragged backwards, although the distance seemed impossible at this point and he could see the front door slowly fading from his view. Or no, wait! It was fading altogether. So were all the windows in the house! Soon he would be trapped in a burning inferno with two imposters that seemed to have bad intentions for him. And so, desperate to escape and fueled on by his fear and confusion, he did the only thing he could think to do. "Let go!" He jabbed his elbows in the directions he guessed his 'parent's' faces were, feeling his stomach churn with regret, even knowing they weren't his real family. He expected to hear a grunt of pain or something but they made no sound, even as he felt the bone connect with something, ignoring the sharp pain that followed.

He was dropped a second later and immediately ran for the door. All around him ashes and fire rained from the sky. He could feel the flames licking his skin but never quite burning him. The heat was oppressive, his entire body coated in a layer of sweat but he did his best to ignore the discomfort and just focus on escaping.

The door was getting closer but it was nearly invisible at this point, almost indistinguishable from the wall around it. Marco tried to press himself to move faster but was halted when he stepped in something slick and gooey. He looked down to see the floor had melted into a dark puddle, holding him in place. The hooded teen tried to fight his way out but the substance held on like glue.

"Marrrrrcoooo," a pair of inhuman voices called behind him. He turned slowly, terrified of what he might see before letting out a high-pitched scream. His false parents no longer even resembled the originals, their bodies swollen and misshapen, their limbs stretching to impossible lengths, and their blank faces now holding nothing but pools of black for eyes, black lines dripping down their cheeks like tear streaks. Marco screamed again and continued to fight to free himself. He could hear them approaching. Could hear their wheezy breathing as they continued to hiss his name, sounding more like possessed snakes than people.

"Stay with ussss Marcooooo," the voice of 'Angela' begged.

"We can be happy together," the voice of 'Rafael' added.

"This isn't real!" Marco screamed, tears of defeat in his eyes. "You aren't my parents!"

And just like that he was freed from whatever gross substance had kept him trapped in place. Marco blinked, unsure where the stuff had gone. But at the wild, animalistic growl he heard behind him, this was all but forgotten as he ran for the door once again.

The moaning and screams grew louder and louder as Marco finally turned the brass handle of the door, which was now nothing more than a hint of what it was meant to be, it's color and form more or less gone. But, to Marco's immense relief, it opened and he didn't even bother to see what was on the other side as he went to slam the door behind him. Something grabbed onto the other end of the door and Marco screamed again.

The hooded teen turned to see the grotesque form of his 'parents' trying to pry the door open, their extra limbs grabbing and snatching at him. "Stay with us! Stay with us! STTAAAYY!" They chanted the same phrase over and over, the noise deafening as it echoed all around Marco, filling his head until it throbbed in pain. But still Marco refused to give in, pulling on the door with all his might and sending a swift kick at the two creatures' hands causing them to let go as they yowled in pain.

The door slammed closed with a deafening thud. And there was just silence.

Marco panted heavily as he struggled to catch his breath, leaning against the door for support, too overwhelmed with adrenaline and terror to think or act. He couldn't describe what had just happened to him and he never wanted to. He just wanted this whole nightmare to end.

Finally, he cast a quick glance over his surroundings, trying to decipher where he was. He was in an endless black void, no light or color anywhere to be seen. The only sounds he could hear was his own breathing echoing back to him. Marco stood up straight, looking around desperately for something, anything to get him out of there. He was so lost and confused. He just wanted to go home. He just wanted to see Star again. To see his family, his real family. The young Mewman was about ready to cry after everything he had just gone through.

But before his emotions could completely break down, he saw a flash of green somewhere in the dark space that surrounded him. Hope filled his chest. He smiled and took a step towards it calling out excitedly. "Hello! Is someone there? Can you help me?"

There was no reply, but he did notice the green speck was getting closer, growing in size as it approached. "Hello?" Marco called again, less sure this time. Something about this felt… off. Soon there was a second green speck next to the first one and they both approached him at a steady speed. Marco took a step back uneasily but still clung onto the fragile faith that whatever this thing was could help him.

And then any hope he had shattered as he saw the specks for what they really were, a pair of green-slitted eyes. And the body attached to them suddenly stepped out of the shadows and into view. He could see the wide, twisted smile, the slicked-back hair, the dark suit, all of it just as he remembered it. Pure terror filled Marco's being as he stared into the face of his nightmares, his entire body shaking as he struggled to even breathe.

Toffee just smiled back at him, his expression one of dark pleasure. "Hello, Marco. Did you miss me?"

…

Deep in the darkest part of the swamp, a prone form lay in the mud. The body was unmoving except for the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed in and out. The unconscious form was caked in the squishy mud he lay in but the bright patches of red from his clothing stood out like a beacon of color against the dark, colorless swamp. He was oblivious to the world around him, lost in his dreamworld, in the illusions he had been fed to calm him, leaving him exposed, helpless.

And unfortunately, the boy in red was not alone.

Suddenly from the shadows a long, dark tendril slithered out of its hiding place, making its way slowly towards the helpless form. Its body was a mere tentacle, dark purple and dripping with slime and it moved towards the boy with purpose and hunger. Slowly its coils wrapped around the boy's leg, moving slowly upward. It looped itself around the defenseless child again and again and again, with each rotation it gained more and more control of its victim. Next it was the stomach and torso, before moving upwards to the chest, and then around the frail neck.

It was careful not to squeeze too tightly there, knowing full well how delicate its next victim was. The Mewman was nothing but skin and bones, hardly a meal fit for its highly-evolved taste but the organs of such a creature were a delicacy. Certainly much more tasty than the last several Monsters it had consumed. If not for its need for survival it wouldn't have bothered with such disgusting appetizers, but then it was just its luck that a Mewman wandered into its domain.

The boy in red whimpered in his dreamlike state, suddenly agitated by whatever horrors had taken over his mind and the tentacle creature tightened its grip on the body, holding its squirming victim still. Although the Mewman wouldn't wake from his forced slumber the creature knew that there were others searching for him and his incessant noises would only attract them.

He would have to make this quick then.

What a shame, it had been looking forward to taking its time with its meal.

Oh well.

With that, part of the tentacles body split open with a sickening squelch, revealing a row of sharp, jagged teeth. With a simple tug of its strong limbs the hoodie ripped open revealing a tender belly, still moving up and down in time with the Mewmans breaths. But not for long.

The tentacles fangs dripped greedily as its mouth opened wide slowly approaching the exposed flesh, already tasting the delicious meal that was about to come.

…

In another corner of the desolate swamp, the sounds of loud sobbing could be heard echoing through the treetops, waking any creature unlucky enough to be in hearing distance of the obnoxious wailing. The high-pitched noise was soon muffled as Lobster Claws buried his head in his claws, still bawling, while the other Monsters did their best to console him, patting him on the back and trying to say something soothing, but they looked just as devastated. "It's all my fault!" Lobster Claws cried, tears streaming down his hard shell. "I was this close to reaching him…" The crustacean held his pincers an inch apart to show the others, before howling in agony, "...but I faileeeeddd! And now Marco's gone, because of me! Why?! Why was I born with these weak, useless claws!"

With that the lobster Monster went back to loudly sobbing. Bearicorn and Potato Baby were still trying futilely to calm their hysterical friend, while the other Monsters started to nervously mutter amongst themselves trying to decide on a new plan of action. All but their fearless leader, who seemed to be frozen in shock. Buff Frog had been silent since returning to the spot, the others had been quick to panic and demand answers from the troubled Lobster Claws but the amphibian had been responsive. He seemed to be lost in a daze, staring emotionlessly at the large, expansive swamp.

The frog Monster took a second to rub his tired eyes, trying to clear his mind enough to concentrate. He had a pounding headache and the loud wailing from his companion was not helping it any. But that was nothing compared to the swirling guilt that consumed his entire being. How could he have been foolish enough to leave Marco in such a dangerous place? It was his job to protect him, no one else's. He had sworn not only to Marco but to his old friends. What would Rafael and Angela think of him now? If something happened to Marco-

Buff Frog tried to push back the horrifying images that filled his head but he had the images seared into his brain. Before turning back he had already found the missing Monsters… or what was left of them. He couldn't let Marco succumb to the same fate. Not his poor, precious boy. Not the light of his life, the only remaining connection to his deceased friends. He would die before he let Marco suffer the same fate. But the swamp was massive and finding his son would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. They couldn't afford to waste time. They needed to find him, now! Before he ended up another victim of this dreaded night.

The Monster leader took in a few deep breaths, stealing his nerves as best he could. Now was not the time to panic but the time to act. He wouldn't allow himself to fail. He wasn't sure he could take another heartbreak. With newfound resolve, he turned to the others and said in a stony tone, "Lobster Claws."

All sound ceased as every eye focused on him and him alone, the crustacean looking nervous and ashamed. "No more tears. Must focus on finding Marco."

"Yeah but it's my fault, he's-" the Lobster said defensively only to stop when Buff Frog raised a hand to silence him.

"Is not your fault. Is mine. Marco is my son, my responsibility. But now is not time for that. We need focus on getting him back, no matter the cost."

"But how?" Bearicorn asked hopelessly. "We don't even know where to look."

Buff Frog never took his attention off of Lobster Claws, knowing he was the link to finding his missing child. "You said he dragged away from you?" he asked, his fists clenching at the very idea of such a thing.

Lobster Claws nodded, trying to wipe away his drying tears. "Yeah, over that way," he pointed in the direction he had last seen Marco. The frog Monster bent down, examining the ground as closely as he could, looking for any clues to lead him to his son. But the floor was too dark to see much without night vision and he yelled for Beard Deer to bring him a torch. Once the path was lit, Buff Frog was able to see something out of the ordinary on the small patch of mud. There were skid marks.

He traced the lines with his fingers before raising his head to look up ahead of him. He could see a tiny patch of brush that had been distrubed, looking like it had been forcefully parted and hadn't quite recovered, scattered leaves on the ground showing the extent of damage that had been done. And there was a small scrap of red clinging to one of the thick branches, a torn piece of cloth that could only belong to one person.

Buff Frog felt hope fill his chest, a determined look on his face as he stood. The others were watching him expectantly, waiting to hear their orders, Beard Deer speaking up and asking, "What is it boss? Did you find out where Marco went?"

The frog Monster nodded, before saying in a solemn tone, "Da. They left trail behind, we can track him." The other Monsters seemed relieved by this, Lobster Claws finally cheering up knowing there was hope, but not Buff Frog. He couldn't allow himself to be caught up on emotions right now. He had to focus on finding Marco, nothing else. And wherever his little boy was, he better be alive. Because if something happened to him, he would make whatever took Marco regret it.

Just like the lizard had.

…

Marco couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. He was paralized with fear. All Marco could do was stare up at the dark figure before him in sheer terror. He was shaking so hard his legs had given up on him, bringing him to his knees. The boy's breath became hollow and weak, going into a full-blown panic attack. His brain scrambled for an explanation, for some sense in this moment of impossibility. This had to be a mistake, a dream, something. Toffee couldn't be here. He just couldn't!

But no matter how much Marco denied it, tried to will the manifestation of all his fears away, the lizard continued to stand there, lording over him with a sinister smile. Marco swallowed hard before stuttering in a broken tone, "H-H-How are you…. you- you can't be real." The boy crawled backwards, trying to put some distance between him and the Monster. "You- You're dead! S-Star told me…" his voice trailed off as the last of his courage drained from his body.

Toffee didn't react right away, simply staring Marco down for an agonizingly long time, but it felt like the lizard's dead, emotionless eyes were burning into his skull. Finally, the businesslike Monster responded, shaking his head and saying in a false caring tone, "Oh Marco." A step forward from Toffee sent Marco scrambling backwards on hands and knees, unable to take his eyes off the terrifying figure.

"Did you really think you could be rid of me that easily?" the lizard asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "That you could escape me?"

Marco shook his head, scared tears dripping down his face. "No, no! This can't be real!" he squeaked out.

"Do you deny your eyes?" Toffee asked, his tone growing more and more sinister with every word. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Did you doubt my warning?"

Marco choked on a sob, his feet finally responding to his silent pleas, instincts taking over as he jumped to his feet, attempting to flee from the Monster. But he didn't get far, Toffee's sharp claw latching onto the back of his hood, dragging him back before throwing him forcefully to the ground. The hooded teen screamed in pain as his back collided with the ground, the air knocked out of his lungs, leaving him coughing and choking for air. His hands were on his neck as he struggled to breathe, his terrified mind forcing flashes of his last encounter with the dreaded lizard to surface in his mind, making it even harder to breathe.

Toffee, meanwhile, stood over him with a vicious snarl on his face, his eyes flashing with danger and death. Until out of nowhere he bent down to Marco's level, giving the terrified teen a malicious grin. "I told you before, Marco. That no one could save you from what I had planned." The lizard ran a claw through the teen's hair, making him shudder. "And deep down, you knew that, didn't you?"

Marco was full on sobbing now, tears streaming down his face as he shook his head violently back and forth, hoping that would somehow snap him out of this horrific situation. But nothing changed the fact that he was trapped and alone, helpless to whatever grim fate Toffee had in store for him. "Please…" Marco pleaded, his voice a small whimper. He wasn't sure who he was pleading to, whether it was for Toffee to let him go or for Buff Frog or Star or someone to come and save him but this plea went unanswered.

"Oh Marco," Toffee cooed in a false caring tone that made Marco nauseous. "It's much too late for that." The lizard's voice turned hard as he continued. "Your fate was sealed the minute you defied me."

Before Marco could decide to run or fight back, he felt something tight clench around his throat. Instantly, Marco felt the precious air being pushed out of his lungs and he panicked. He began to scream with the little breath he had, clawing at the arm holding him in a vice-like grip but it didn't loosen. Instead, it only tightened.

The hooded teen was lifted off the ground by Toffee's strong arm, left dangling in the air by his frail neck. He kicked his legs back and forth, trying to do… something, but it didn't work. He was still losing air. The tears wouldn't stop flowing but his screams died in his throat as he was deprived of more and more oxygen, turning into nothing but a raspy wheeze.

This was somehow worse than every nightmare he had ever had, his last brush with death by Toffee's claw nothing in comparison to this. It was as if all the memories and trauma had combined together to make him suffer. His brain searched desperately for a way out but it was getting so hard to think. He felt like he had been choking for hours now, being dangled in the air like a puppet on a string. It was all too real, the tightness at his throat, the burning in his lungs, the cold wetness on his cheeks. It was all wrong. But he couldn't escape it.

And Toffee just stood there and smiled, watching the life drain from his victim's eyes with a look of pure glee.

I'm gonna die, he thought, struggling to hold on to the small bit of consciousness he had left, his mind fogging over. I-I-I can't- There's no way out of this. I-I'm gonna die here. Star, Buff Frog, everyone, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

He was fading, becoming another shadow in the darkness that surrounded him. Soon there would be nothing left. He wanted to keep fighting but he was so tired and in pain. He just… he just wanted it to stop.

"You see what happens when you fight back, Marco," it was Toffee's voice but it was oddly different. The lizard's cold monotone was now layered with a deep, sinister growl that seemed to be vibrating through Marco's skull. "When you get curious." The last word was spoken with a hiss. "You should have stayed in the dream I gifted you boy. Your final moments could have been peaceful. But now you will die in a nightmare. And nothing you do will ever change that."

Marco felt his heartbeat slowing, felt every function in his body screaming in agony before giving up their fight. The last of his strength left him as he went limp. This was it. It was over.

It was all… over.

No!

There was a flash of light against his aching eyelids and the light filled him with strength. With courage. Just when he thought all feeling was gone, there was a burning in Marco's cheeks, white and hot and powerful. It spread through him, causing his insides to burst with electricity and fire. The hooded teen saw the people in his life, all the people he loved and who loved him appear one by one before his eyes: Star, Jackie, Janna, Tom, Pony, Kelly, Higgs, Lily, Daisy, Violet, Buff Frog, Beard Deer, Lobster Claws, Potato Baby, Bearicorn… his mom and dad. He couldn't give up yet. If he wasn't going to fight back for him, then he would do it for them. For the people who gave his life meaning.

And with his newfound strength, Marco raised up his trembling legs and kicked.

…

Just before the slimy creature could sink its fangs into flesh, something miraculous happened. The boy's cheekmarks began to glow. And not the dim, dingy color like most Mewmans but light up brighter than the sun's they represented. This caused the tentacle creature to recoil, hissing in pain as burning magic and intense light attacked its unguarded form. It's tight grip loosened on the brightly dressed victim and the Mewman slipped out of its weak grip and back into the cold mud before the light of his cheeks returned to their normal hue.

...

Somehow, this new tactic worked, the blow to the lizard's chest enough to make Toffee stumble back and drop his victim, the hooded teen collapsing to the ground. Marco gripped his neck, breathing sporadically, expecting to find scars where Toffee's sharp nails had been but there was no damage. He was fine. Even though a second earlier he had been dying, there was no evidence of that fact. His breathing was back to normal, no coughing or wheezing needed to regain proper air flow. It was as if nothing had even happened at all.

Marco blinked, Toffee's words from earlier ringing through his head. None of this was real. It was all just a dream. Which meant…

The hooded teen looked up to see the lizard staring at him again, only this time the malice was gone, replaced instead with wide-eyed confusion. "How did you…" 'Toffee' started to say but Marco cut him off.

"You're not real," he said, his voice shaking and tight but still there was conviction there.

'Toffee' gave him a scared look before hiding it behind his expressionless mask of indifference. "Really and what would give you that idea. Did it not feel real a moment ago when I was choking you to death?"

Marco shivered at the memory but forced his fear down, keeping a determined look on his face. "No. None of this is really happening. You're a fake."

'Toffee' tilted his head to the side. "Am I now? Perhaps I need to demonstrate just how real I am." With that he took a threatening step forward.

Marco felt his instincts scream at him to run away but he held his ground. As weak and afraid as he felt, he refused to let it show, to give in and give up. He took a deep breath, stealing his nerves as he faced his greatest fear, face to face. "You can't hurt me, because you aren't Toffee. Toffee is dead! The Monsters killed him and he's not coming back!" Each word was a struggle to get out considering his chest was squeezing tightly from fear, his heart pounding painfully against his ribcage, but still he voiced them. And with every sentence he felt newfound strength and power fuelling him.

"So you can't hurt me, not ever again! And that means I don't have to be afraid of you anymore." Marco furiously shook his head before correcting himself, "No, I'm not afraid of you! Toffee has no power over me! And neither do you!"

The world around him was shattering, the dark abyss around him crumbling to dust but Marco's focus was on the false lizard, he no longer had control of his tongue, it was as if he was speaking on his own. It was liberating, standing up to that which he had feared for so long, an odd mix of pain and relief and healing.

"So if all you are here to do is to scare me, then you can just GO AWAY!" He screamed the last words at the top of his lungs, putting every negative thought and feeling into the desperate shout, letting himself feel all the pain that came with it, before letting it go. His eyes snapped closed, hearing the sounds of shattering glass fill the void before he was falling...

Falling…

Flashes of colors all around him.

Falling…

The sounds of a million voices ringing in his ears, both calling to him and cursing him.

Falling…

A loud inhuman wail from some desperate creature, losing its control.

Falling, until…

Marco's eyes snapped open. He sat up with a jolt, a deep gasp escaping his lips from the startling experience. He was cold, his body shivering against his will but he was covered in sweat, probably from whatever nightmare he had just escaped from. He was laying in something wet and squishy and he could feel it on his own body. A quick look down gave him the answer to this conundrum. Mud. He was laying in mud.

The boy in red was still disoriented from his nightmare, his adrenaline keeping his heart beating fast as he waited to calm down from his many scares that night. But it seemed that night wasn't quite through with its horrors as a deep voice whispered to him, "How did you escape?"

Marco looked up, only to feel his whole body tremble. A dark purple tentacle with dripping fangs hovered over him menacingly, its body contorting back and forth as if struggling to hold itself back. "How did you free yourself from my prison? No creature, man or monster, has ever escaped my trap."

Marco couldn't respond, only stare at the creature in fear, watching its odd movements in fascinated horror. "So tell me, how did a weak little fleshbag like you escape."

When the creature received no response again it became agitated and could no longer hold back its violent nature. "Answer me!" the thing hissed in frustration, stretching out towards the child, ready to tear it apart for an answer. Maybe the answer was inside the child and the only way to discover the truth was to spill the Mewman's blood and devour it. It wasn't the perfect plan but this creature was too hungry to wait any longer.

Marco finally snapped out of his stupor, rolling out of the way of the slimy beast, causing it to strike the muddy ground instead. The creature was shaken up by this for only a second, before it launched itself at the hooded boy again at lightening fast speed. Marco screamed and sat up to avoid getting hurt, the tentacle flowing past his back.

But the creature wasn't giving up yet as it tried to next wrap around the Mewman's body to hold him still. It managed to loop itself around Marco twice before Marco smartly ducked underneath just as it tried to tighten its grip. The boy now ran through the sticky mud, trying to climb out of the large hole he was trapped in. He did his best to climb up the wall of mud before him but couldn't get a good hold, his fingers simply slipping through the muddy surface and with each new attempt it only made him dirtier, the boy soon coated in a layer of mud.

And then the tentacle creature was back, yelling angrily, "Escape is futile, boy!" Marco looked over his shoulder to see the beast approaching and took a step to the side just barely avoiding the attack. The creature tried to use its long body to slap the boy and Marco took another quick step back, too quick it would seem as he slipped in the mud and fell.

The tentacle laughed, a low rumbling growl at the back of its throat, a wide, toothy smile on its face as it hissed sinisterly, "Your fate is sealed, Mewman. You will not escape me. You will die alone here and then I shall feast."

Marco just stared up at the creature in fear, feeling a hopelessness start to fill his chest, until he heard a familiar, comforting voice call to him. "Marco!" For a second, the hooded teen wondered if this was another illusion, if this beast was making him hear the voice of his frog father just before the end but then he heard it again, much clearer this time. "Marco!"

The boy looked up and saw there, at the top of the hole, was Buff Frog stretching out an arm towards him, his face calm and calculated despite the severity of the situation. "My son, jump to me!" he yelled, the panic in his voice betraying his outward appearance. Marco seizing his opportunity did just that, leaping as high as he could, stretching out a hand towards his dad. The frog caught his son in mid-air, gripping the boy's hand as tightly as he could without hurting him.

But before he could pull Marco up and to safety the tentacle creature wrapped around the hooded teen's ankle, Marco letting out a yelp of pain and surprise as it tightened hard enough to bruise. "No! You Monsters will not take away my meal! This Mewman is my prey! And I will devour him like all the others!" Marco could feel the vicious tugging on his ankle, the vile creature trying to drag him back down to his pit of death and away from the warm, safety of his dad. Marco looked up at Buff Frog with a worried expression, father and son locking gazes for a second as the teen let out a plea for help, "Dad!"

Buff Frog, however, remained stone-faced, not allowing his emotions to get the better of him, ignoring the tight squeezing in his chest so he could focus on what needed to be done. With a single breath he simply commanded, "Release my child, now!"

The tentacle laughed a deep sinister laugh. "Or what? What can a fool like you possibly do to-"

"You mean fools!" a new voice shouted, Lobster Claws now appearing on the edge of the cliff, holding a lit torch in his claws. The tentacle slightly recoiled from the burning light, just being that near a lit flame irritating its sensitive skin. "And I think we can do something to get Marco back," Lobster Claws continued as more and more Monsters appeared around the edge of the pit, each holding their own lit flame. "Last time I checked, scary, tentacle creatures aren't a big fan of flames, am I right?"

"Choice is yours, either free Marco or burn," Buff Frog said in a threatening tone.

"Your bluffing, you wouldn't risk hurting your precious child," the creature replied.

Marco, taking his chance, lifted his free leg and kicked the creature as hard as he could, the creature hissing in pain, caught off-guard by the initial strike and leaving it disoriented. This was enough for Buff Frog to pull Marco out of the tentacles' slimy grip and safely into his arms, wrapping strong, protective arms around his tiny son before yelling to his allies, "Now!"

Every Monster besides Buff Frog quickly flung their torches down into the pit, several striking the tentacle creature on the way down, causing it to shriek. Soon the entire pit was ablaze with bright flames consuming the creature's form as it writhed in agony. Marco looked away from the sight, burying his head in his dad's chest as he listened to the tortured cries. The smell of burning flesh reached his nose and he shuddered involuntarily. Finally, the wails grew softer until stopping altogether.

The swamp grew eerily quiet after that and something about the silence was too unnerving for Marco to handle, hugging his dad tighter. He felt his frog father brush a claw through his hair before asking softly, "Marco, you alright?"

Marco nodded, finally allowing himself to breathe again. He forced himself to look in the direction of the pit again, seeing only smoke and ash down below. He let out a shuddering sigh before asking, "What was that thing?"

Buff Frog's face darkened for just a second as he glared down at the pit that had held his son prisoner. "Is known by many names in Monster society but most common for Mewmans is 'Monster Arm'."

"Monster Arm?" Marco repeated. That didn't fit it at all. Monsters were nice, well most of them.

Buff Frog nodded. "Da, ancient Mewmans believed the creature was severed Monster claw that gained intelligence. Obviously, is not the case."

Marco nodded silently in agreement. He gave his Monster family a grateful smile, until a thought occurred to him. His eyes widened as he gasped, asking Buff Frog worriedly, "The other Monsters! Did you find them? Are they-"

A sad look flashed across Buff Frog's face before he slowly shook his head. "Sadly, I afraid creature got them first."

Marco felt his heart twist, staring woefully down at his feet, the sorrow of more innocent lives lost consuming him for a moment. If only he had been able to do more. Buff Frog noticed this look and began to rub loving circles into his son's back, saying comfortingly, "Is not your fault, Marco. Most were already gone by time we got here."

"Yeah, not to mention almost nobody is able to escape from the Monster Arm once it targets you," Lobster Claws supplied helpfully.

"Why is that?" Marco asked curiously.

"It's skin secretes poison that causes you to hallucinate. It traps you in a dream it controls to keep you from fighting back."

Marco gasped at that, suddenly everything making sense. He had thought the dream was just a coincidence but it turned out… that creature had made him see that. It had shown him a perfect life before snatching it all away from him. He couldn't believe anything could be so cruel and heartless.

"You're lucky we showed up when we did," Beard Deer spoke up, giving the boy a loving ruffle through his hair. "Otherwise you might have ended up in one of it's crazy hallucinations."

"Umm, actually," Marco whispered, giving the deer Monster and his dad a nervous smile. "I, uh, I think I was stuck in one of those dream things."

"Wait seriously!" Beard Deer exclaimed. All the other Monsters stared at their youngest in shock, even Buff Frog looking taken aback by this. Marco nodded slowly, feeling a little uncomfortable from everyone's gawking faces all trained on him. Why were they acting so strangely towards him all of a sudden? "What?" he muttered shyly, feeling his cheeks starting to heat up.

"Nothing, it's just…" Bearicorn started to say only to trail off.

"Nobodies ever gotten out of one of those thing's illusions before!" Lobster Claws declared loudly.

"How did you ezzzcape?" Boo Fly asked and the other leaned forward curiously.

Marco bit his lip nervously, not sure how to tell his Monster family what had happened (he wasn't sure if he understood it all that much himself), just settling for a shrug.

"You don't have say if don't want to," Buff Frog told Marco, his tone much softer than the other startled Monsters, going back to rubbing calming circles in his son's back.

Marco nodded a few times before deciding it was best to get it off his chest, sucking in a deep breath before giving the best explanation he could come up with. "Well when I was in there… I saw T-Toffee." His voice shook a little but he swallowed his fear and continued. "I was scared and I thought… I thought I was gonna die. B-But then all of a sudden I thought of you guys. And Star and Jackie and the others and I just- I don't know- got braver I guess. I told Toffee that he wasn't real and that he couldn't hurt me and that he wasn't real. And then I woke up. That's all I remember."

Marco closed his eyes tightly as he let the initial fear that flooded his veins pass through him. His whole body tensed up but after a moment or two it left and he was able to relax again. He blinked a few times before casting weary looks around at his family, concerned how the Monsters would react to what he said. He knew Toffee was a difficult subject for them all and he didn't want to upset them anymore than he already had with his disappearance.

But surprisingly the Monsters were remarkably calm, their faces lacking the fear and worry he had been expecting. Instead they all simply flooded around him and gave him a tight group hug, holding him in a warm, protective embrace that left Marco feeling fuzzy all over. The Monsters stayed quiet, only Buff Frog speaking as if they had been planning for this very thing beforehand. Which seemed very unlikely to Marco considering how bizarre all this was.

"I know was hard for you to face fear, Marco," Buff Frog said soothingly, placing his head on top of his son's. "But confronting fear is big step to healing. I promise you, someday memory of Toffee will no longer hurt you. And with time you will continue healing."

Marco didn't know what to say to that and so chose to remain silent, just soaking in the warmth and kind words of his family. Just thinking of the lizard Monster still made his heart beat painfully in his chest and sent every nerve in his body on edge, but he felt a little stronger than before. Like maybe, he could face Toffee and this time he could really win.

Everyone pulled out of the hug, several with tear-stained faces but Buff Frog kept a strong gaze with his son saying in a loving voice, "And if ever need to talk about anything, you can tell us, okay?"

Marco nodded, wiping away the tears from his own eyes with the back of his sleeve, smearing mud all over his cheek. Buff Frog smiled at his son and gave him a soft pat on the back.

"I still can't believe you actually broke out of a Monster Arm's illusion!" Lobster Claws declared, everyone else muttering their agreement. The serious expressions of his Monster family were gone in an instant, replaced with the same goofy levity Marco knew and loved. "I thought that was impossible!"

"Am not surprised," Buff Frog said. "After all, Marco is son of Rafael and Angie. Old friends were full of surprises."

"Oh yeah that's true," Lobster Claws agreed.

Marco's breath hitched at the mention of his parents, the memory of his dream now hitting him full force. In all the terror and near-death experiences he had been too distracted to remember the fake time he had spent with them. But now that everything had calmed he could remember every moment perfectly. He felt torn, unsure how to feel about the whole thing. On one hand, he had enjoyed himself, spending time with the two people he would never truly know. But on the other hand, it wasn't real and he knew this but for some reason he still thought of the whole incident… fondly. And he didn't know why.

He really needed to talk about it with someone and he decided now was as good a time as ever to take his dad up on his offer, giving him a sheepish look before muttering, "Ummm…"

This somehow grabbed his dad's attention and the rest of the Monsters for that matter as they all stared at him expectantly. "Yes, Marco. What is it?" his dad asked.

Marco started to twiddle his thumbs, trying to hide his awkwardness over talking about what happened or maybe he was just trying to distract himself from the slight pain the memories caused him. Either way, it wasn't working. "There's something else I need to tell you." He paused, trying to find the right way to word this next part. "When I was in there, I saw mom and dad."

He gauged Buff Frog for his reaction, watching as the frog Monster's eyes widened before they flashed with pain and some emotion Marco couldn't even begin to decipher. Marco felt his stomach twist with guilt, he knew this would be a difficult subject for his dad. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything at all. "I see," was all Buff Frog said and even that seemed to be a struggle to get out.

Marco decided to just continue and get the whole conversation over with. "I know they weren't really them, but they acted just like how I imagined they would. And they were just how you always described them dad. I know it's really stupid but… I-I kinda enjoyed the time I got to spend with them, even if it wasn't really them." He looked down at his feet. "Does that make any sense?"

He could feel his dad's eyes staring into him for a moment before hearing a deep sigh. "Da, that is only natural," his dad finally said. "If I in your shoes, I do same thing."

Marco rubbed his arm, feeling new tears start to form in his eyes. "It's just that… I-I miss them all the time but I never really knew who I was missing. I knew it couldn't last, I knew it wouldn't. But I just wanted one day to know what it would be like to be with them."

"Do you wish you hadn't woken up?" Buff Frog asked hesitantly. He didn't sound sad though, more nervous, apprehensive.

Marco shook his head. "No. I mean, maybe a little. But that wasn't real. This is my reality and even if it isn't perfect, I think- I think they would want me to keep moving forward."

Buff Frog nodded, before pulling his son into another long hug. "I know it hurts to miss them but that doesn't mean all memories of them must be bad."

"When I was in there," Marco whispered, feeling the tears starting to fall. "I really felt like I loved them. Even if they weren't real, I think the way I felt about them was."

The frog Monster didn't reply at first and Marco felt his heart clench with every pained second, wondering what his dad would say. Did he think he was crazy? Would he tell him to let that all go? To just forget about it and move on? But instead of all of those Buff Frog said the words he wanted to hear most, "Then hold onto feeling. As long as you do, they never really gone."

Marco nodded his head slowly, relieved at his father's helpful advice, and he let the feelings clawing at his chest out. He took a few strained breaths, letting the tears drip down his face as a mix of sorrow, grief, and love flooded his sore body. He looked up at his dad, who was watching him closely, and managed to choke out, "Thanks, dad."

"You welcome, Marco," his father responded, cupping his son's face in his claws, gently wiping the tears and mud off his cheeks, and giving him a loving grin. "Believe me, I know feelings all too well."

"How do you deal with it?" Marco asked tightly.

Buff Frog considered his response. "Mostly I have you," he finally responded. "But I suppose… one day at time."

Marco sucked in a deep breath and nodded, the painful feeling finally subsiding. Once that was gone the hooded teen was just left tired. He suddenly found the swamp around him swaying and he stumbled a bit, his dad put a steading claw on his back. Marco's eyelids felt like lead and he couldn't figure out what had worn him out more, getting nearly devoured by a tentacle creature or thinking of his parents. Either way, he needed a bed. And a bath as it just occurred to him he was covered in mud and it was starting to dry and itch. He would give anything to be comfortable right now.

Buff Frog took notice of Marco's exhaustion and helpfully said, "How 'bout we take you back to castle and get you cleaned up."

Marco, despite his fatigue, looked up at his dad and asked sheepishly, "Um, actually if it's okay, do you think I can spend the night at the cottage with you guys?"

The other Monsters all collectively 'awed' at the adorable question, each one giving Buff Frog eager smiles, practically begging him to say yes. But this was unnecessary as the frog Monster merely smiled and said in a loving voice, "I would love that very much, my son."

Marco was relieved to hear that and felt the last of his energy give out, starting to collapse. But Buff Frog was quick to scoop his son up into his arms as if he weighed nothing, holding him gently and safely against his chest. "Rest, my son," he whispered sweetly, watching the boy's eyes close. "You earned it."

And there in the dark, dangerous swamp Marco was finally at peace, knowing his family would protect him from any harm. Both the ones living and those who watched over him from beyond.

And that does it for this chapter! I really hoped you all liked it! This chapter was such a blast to write and I hope it was to read too! This was one of my top ten favorite chapters in concept just because it was such a big step for my boy Marco. He faced two of his biggest traumas in one fell swoop and came out on top! This chapter was such an important step in Marco's growth and it's one of the reasons I decided to hold it off for a bit despite how much I wanted to put it in earlier.

And I really did get to hit everything I wanted to in this chapter which was great! I like to consider this chapter a direct sequel to Rafael and Angela Diaz just because it addresses a lot of the stuff I set up in there. Also I hope the twist was satisfying. I'm sure a lot of people were expecting it to be another dimension or something but I wanted to stick with my original plan. I thought this would be an interesting way to put in Monster Arm since I know no one would expect it hehe.

So I'll be honest with you guys, despite the fact I'm not sick anymore, it's drained my energy really bad and I'm still struggling to get back to 100% so I'm not sure when I'll be able to get the next chapter out. It's hard to write when I'm too exhausted after work to think :( sorry guys. I really want to get it out quickly because that's what you guys deserve but I have to be realistic here. I'll do my very best though and hopefully my energy will return soon. In the meantime, I hope you guys stay safe and happy and continue to be the amazing people you are! Thanks for supporting me and for being patient, I'll see you all in the next one!

Bedrock Armor- Oh no, haha X'D I've been there! Hopefully it was worth losing sleep over haha. Oh yeah! I totally remember that, it still sounds like an amazing idea honestly! The planning phase is very important for a story! I'm glad you are taking your time to get everything for it set up because trust me, just winging it and writing as you go is a big challenge! Not to say it can't be done but it's not how I roll. Oh man, that's me dude! My brain is all kinds of weird! I can quote Disney movies all the way through but couldn't tell you a single one of my teachers names in Elementary school. My brain is very selective in what it considers important XD.

Oh yeah dude please do! I'd much rather you sleep, haha. Maybe they came back afterwards and just kicked him out of town! And then Pie King afterwards XD Gotta say that would have been amazing, Team Starco gets their revenge! Also Janna totally put a curse on him, hehe.

Oh man that sounds delicious! I would love to try something like that! My mom has this amazing recipe called No-bake cookies which I know aren't an original recipe but hers are just the best thing! Man family desserts are so amazing right! Yeah I love protective Star too! I don't know why myself I love it but I guess it's just cause I want my boy to be warm and safe all the time so I get to use Star for that. And I just find it so sweet the way she looks after him!

Gamelover41592- Thank you! It was a really fun ride to write! And yeah you know I love my cute endings, hehe. Glad you enjoyed it!

Guest- Awww thanks so much! I'm glad to be back even if it did take a while haha. I love suggestions but I can't guarantee I'll use them. This is such a fun idea! I would love a chapter about this! I'm not sure if I can squeeze it in or not, especially for season 2. This one has gone on for too long as is. I actually did have a whole separate fanfic in mind where it's young Marco being raised by the Monsters since we didn't really get to see it but boy I am too swamped for time for another project! Anyways I hope you liked the chapter!

LockandKey989- Thanks! I really love it too! And yeah Kelly finally coming into her own! About time! She didn't need to be stuck with Roy all her life.

SonGozen32- Yay, I'm so glad you liked it! Thank you so much haha. Yeah I wouldn't do that XD He did not deserve to win after the stunts he pulled. Oh boy, I hope you enjoy this one!

AmazingStorytime- Haha yeah! I really wanted Kelly and Marco to have a bond over cooking! And I didn't want to leave Kelly out of the story altogether since she is a pretty great character in her own right!

Sugar- Yeah I had a feeling you would react that way but I had to throw in the joke XD I love the idea of Marco making ship names and never realizing it. For the record I don't ship it even if I did think all three ships on their own had their strong points. I just found it funny XD and yeah Tom's response summed it up perfectly. Pfft well the problem with that is, she didn't think of that from the beginning. But yeah that would have been such a great joke to slip in! Hahahahaha of course Janna would have the common sense but prefer watching them almost fail XD

Yeah I admit I'm not a big Kellco fan. I feel the same as you it was really forced and came out of nowhere. They really didn't even give it time to work. I feel like it was just an excuse to keep Marco from ending up with Star too soon. I mean they did break up off-screen, it clearly wasn't that important to the writers to develop it. I think Kelly works a lot better as a dear friend to Marco and the gang. She could have made a great supporting character and I am sad she never really got to have a character arc in the last season. Lol, I'm with you! Mine may not be as realistic but it is a good lesson to teach!

Monkey lover 911- Thank you! Yeah I'm doing my best to include as many as I can! Oh I think so hehe ;D Well she didn't want her victory soured by Roy and Pie King. Gustav however was just so happy to win! And oh boy, what happens next may just surprise you! Thanks, right back at you! That's a very important thing to be right now! Aww I will! And you are an awesome reader, friend!

Starco4everr- Thanks so much!

Guest- Uhh yeah. I know this one took a long time. I really couldn't tell if this was a joke or not, haha.

Dex Cipher- Awww YAY! I'm so, so glad you had so much fun with this one! I'm flattered honestly! Yay, that was my goal! I wanted it's simplicity to lead to some really fun interactions and moments! Oh yeah honestly I get that! To me those can be really tricky to get right! Haha I don't think there is anything wrong with cliches as long as you know how to use them. It's not about not having cliches, it's about taking advantage of them to make your story richer. Yeah, I agree with this, they cannot be the central conflict otherwise the story feels dull.

Yeah this chapter was not really about plot, it was all about the characters. Yeah, finally my girl gets some recognition! I really feel like she doesn't get much attention from the fanbase, especially those who don't ship her with anyone and I wanted to fix that. I personally have a blast with her personality and I'm so glad I got to show off her pretty rich character actually. Oh yeah gotta love the trio of dorks! Haha oh yeah, Tom was meant to be unlikable in his first outing but Marco's ooc was entirely just a mistake on my part, not Pony, oops. (But if you want to blame Pony I'm not stopping you) Yeah! I wanted them to be a fun supporting cast to Kelly in her big chapter! Oh I'm so happy to hear that! That was my goal! I'm so glad she's one of your faves on here now!

Eee, I'm so glad to hear that! Yeah gotta love that character development for Kelly! I'm so glad she's out of that terrible job! Oh yeah, no worries I wouldn't do that, I know it would be a big disappointment, especially after everything Pie King did to ruin everything. Oh yeah I don't blame you there! He put Toffee to shame in some places. I mean his purpose was to be unlikable so y'know I did pull that off well at least haha. I'm glad he got the emotional reaction out of you I wanted. Anger! Not that I blame you, he was such a jerk and I'm happy to be done with him.

Yeah, thanks! Annnddd you are right. That is a problem. Star would be more considerate of Kelly's feelings than that. I actually changed that from my original plan too, since this was already planned out and Kelly was grateful for the help. There I go trying to add in drama where it wasn't needed XD. Well my story isn't perfect, that much is for sure. And Star would totally think before dropping that on Kelly last minute. Especially since she's been there before.

Haha thanks for the review, I always love hearing your thoughts! Haha, it's all good! I knew people would vote for this one last honestly. There wasn't obvious Starco in the description for this one and people read this story mostly for the Starco. Plus, Baby and Mewberty are pretty big events in the show, this one was all new stuff.

Okay till next time! You take care too! And also, you are so welcome! I love your stuff and I had to pay tribute to a personal inspiration of mine!

DC the cat- Oh I'm so sorry to hear that dude! I hope you and your family are doing alright and that you are taking the time to recover and heal. I wish you and your fam the best! I hope things brighten up for you soon! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing despite your circumstances! I'm glad my story brought you a little joy in this difficult time :)

Aww thanks! I'm so glad they both got to grow, especially Kelly since she hasn't gotten much time to shine yet! Yeah I'm really glad they were both foils for each other! Way to pick up on that! Yeah their wants and their needs were very different and I'm glad they realized that by the ending! Janna: Yeah, not gonna happen. It's too easy.

Y'know I actually forgot Gustav wasn't his real name XD I guess on here it is. Yeah rules on competitions in Mewni are more of guidelines ;) Well the idea was that each had their cooking stations made to their specifications and so of course Pie King wanted to show off his money and power with his. Yeah, he's a royal jerk alright! I mean it's not often Jackie is fine with seeing someone suffer but he did deserve it! And who's to say he didn't get cursed after the fact, it does take a while for that to appear y'know. Huh, that's a good question honestly. I hadn't really considered that. Originally he was supposed to be the ruler but I can't deny it would make sense he would just give himself the title. I think this one should be left to interpretation haha. You are right though, if he is the leader of Pie Island you'd think he'd have some common sense not to make Star angry. Oh well they all learn that lesson at some point, sometimes the hard way. Yeah the ending was a really nice twist I think! I was originally planning on her winning but a friend of mine suggested the change and I really liked it! It works so much better. Also, maybe? I mean, the job is more of a title so he can be with Kelly. I doubt there is too much to worry about. *cut to Tad frozen solid by Yadda Yadda berries*

Dang! Still that's a shame it isn't more well remembered. It's funny how the influential stuff gets lost to time in favor of the more popular things that take notes from it. Wow, even Star Wars took a page straight out of that book huh? It's a really neat story all the same! I like that it covers centuries in the future and the psychohistory stuff is really interesting!

Ohhhh that makes sense! Dang there are so many! Also can we agree that Marco and Star would 100% be violet lanterns, cause y'know their love could probably power them for infinity XD

Oh good idea, thank you so much! If I ever edit the old chapters I'll be sure to change that. Understandable thanks for the review all the same!

P.S- here's hoping! And Happy belated Valentines. I thought of all my friends and readers for that day since you guys are the reason I'm still going strong with this story and so many others!

RJWritingInk- Oh man, same. Hence why I made them such evil villains in this one. Yeah, we're lucky enough two people didn't turn out as messed up as the rest of their people. I mean at least we can say Festivia didn't grow up in that environment. Foolduke is just a freaking saint I guess. Oh yeah, I have to agree. Even if her reasons were wrong, at least Festivia got a much better life out of it. He at least lost all of his credibility. But yeah, I think banning is the kindest punishment they could give. Cheating during a competition this important to dimensional peace could result in a beheading. But I mean, Star probably isn't that cruel… probably.

Oh yeah, he could benefit from some time in the slammer agreed. I am! It's all good! I know it was long and also I mean, I still haven't reviewed yours yet ^^; I will get on that right away, especially since I won't have this chapter weighing on my brain so much.

SrBatataMole- Oh yay, it's so nice to meet you! Glad to have you as a fan of this fic! And thank you so much! That's very, very sweet of you to say! I'm really proud of my fanfic and I'm happy in your opinion it's number 1 in Star vs fanfics! I mean that's a huge honor cause there are so, so many great ones out there! Yay, yay, yay! I'm so happy to hear it! I put so much of my heart and soul into these chapters (which is partially why they take me a while) and I'm always so happy when that effort is rewarded! Oh yeah, I know what you mean, I do the same thing with some authors and artist I enjoy! Still sorry for making you wait so long! I hope this one lives up to your expectations! Oh yeah I do my best to breathe life into each and every one of the characters (and I do think I peaked early with Toffee as a villain hehe). Yeah, I am aware of this sad flaw honestly. I would love for them to be in it more but it's hard for me to find good places to fit them in. When I was planning this whole story out, I actually didn't pay the parents any thought and I'm not sure why. I would say it was cause they really started coming into their own in season 3 and 4 but I mean I feature characters who've had one episode appearances in canon. So now I'm doing my best to squeeze them in where it's appropriate. There are a lot of characters for me to juggle. I have actually considered a chapter like this honestly! I will probably push it back to season 3 cause gosh this season is way too massive and I need ideas for season 3 honestly but thank you so much for the suggestion!

Oh yeah Janna is a personal favorite of mine! She is such a blast to write and I'm glad she's got some layers to her! Oh yeah, Kelly deserves more love! Moon and River should get more depth and since this is your first review I'll write a short thing with them right now!

Today had to be the most boring day, Moon had ever had as queen. Normally, this wouldn't bother her. After all, a day to relax rather than running around trying to fix everyone's problems should be celebrated and worshiped. But since she was so used to be constantly busy, Moon found she didn't know what to do with herself whenever things did slow down.

There were no emergencies, no crises amongst the citizens, no meetings with commission, and she had the paperwork mostly done thanks to some help from Lily. Which meant all that was left for her to do was sitting on her throne looking regal. Which wasn't easy to do when you were bored out of your mind. She had listened to the clock ticking away the seconds for a good hour and a half, had counted the number of pillars in her throne room (three times!) and just done anything to occupy her mind. But that was hard to do when you were sitting alone in your throne room with no one to even keep you company.

Moon let out a deep sigh, finally understanding her daughters old arguments about how "lame and stupid being bored was".

"Hello Moonpie," the voice of her husband, echoed through the empty room and Moon smiled brightly at some company.

"Hello, River," she greeted back, almost forgetting to keep up her appearances and wave to him. But she caught herself at the last second. She was on the throne, she couldn't allow herself to be anything but regal.

"How are you, my darling?" River asked, with the same hearty tone she had fallen in love with. He gave her a knowing look as he added, "You seemed like you could use some company."

Moon held off the urge to sigh again, instead giving a curt nod and replying, "Yes, that would be lovely if you wouldn't mind."

"Of course not," River said, plopping down in the seat next to her with no regard for manners. Normally she would scold him but she was just glad to no longer be alone. Besides, it was one of those reasons she had married him in the first place. She had grown up in such a strict, suffocating environment that dating and later marrying River had been liberating for her.

River leaned towards her in his chair, observing her with playful eyes, "So, how many pillars are there in this room?"

Moon flushed, surprised he had seen through her royal mask and could tell just how bored and suffering she was. She opened her mouth to deny the claim but felt it die on her tongue. There was no use in keeping secrets from River, he saw through her with ease. "23," she replied simply.

River nodded. "It's odd how there are an uneven number, isn't it?" He said it like he had had this thought many times before. Moon wondered just how much he was paying attention during important meetings in the throne room.

"I was just thinking that!" Moon exclaimed, losing all manner of dignity in her excitement. Leave it to River to pull the fun, playful side out of her.

River chuckled, before stating, "It's driving you crazy, isn't it?"

Moon groaned and nodded. She then began to ramble on about plans to speak to the royal designer and get another pillar built in the throne room while River just listened to his wife, grinning ear to ear.

Hope you liked that haha. And I didn't notice at all! Your review is really sweet and honestly it was just the push I needed to finally get this chapter out! That is so sweet thank you! Thank you so, so much! It means the world to me to hear that, honestly!

Haha, I've been there! I hate when that happens XP Oh yeah Jackie has more development on the way, actually. In a chapter or two she's taking the spotlight and I can't wait to show her off more cause she's seriously one of my favorites in the show and in my fic! Yeah Rasticore would be nice to get some development. Sadly I think I wrote myself in a corner a bit. He has to stay out of the way until the finale and so I don't think he's gonna get the depth he deserves. Oh man, Tom's family is really cool! That would be so nice! Maybe in a future chapter! Oh don't worry, haha, I'm not done with this fic! I really am dedicated to seeing this through till the end! Even if it these chapters do take me a while to get out! Oh man, that's so sweet! I do dream of someday publishing a real book but for now I'm content with my fanfiction! Thanks so much for reviewing!