Ace of Spades

by Bazinga007

Marco discovers that nothing is impossible and the unreal is all to real. A magic well and a spunky princess. Marco helps Princess Star to be a better princess. But she's not the only royal seeking Marco's aid. Mewni has a few skeletons in the closet. Star and Marco attempt to right the wrongs of Mewni.

4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, what's up? Now, few things I wanna cover. First off, I have a feeling you guys like Something More way more than you guys like Ace of Spades, and just want me to go back to Something More. Well, I would like to tell you that's too damn bad, and you're not getting any more Something More until I say so.

Second, I take it you guys were a little disappointed in how little time Toffee spent in the spotlight. I refuse to apologize for it though. You gotta understand that Toffee is just the warm up act, he's not the main antagonist of this story. Plus, who's to say this story is done with him?

You guys also seemed disappointed with how little Neverzone time Marco got. He was in there for fifteen years, how much of that material was I supposed to use? The whole point of putting Marco in the Neverzone was to give him more combat skills and to show everyone in the meeting room what he was capable of.

As for Star and Marco; one more chapter, and they'll really start to see just how well they work together. But, not this chapter.

Enjoy!

I do not own 'Star vs the Forces of Evil'.

---

(Chapter 4)

Marco blinked himself awake. He rubbed the spots out of his eyes and looked around. When he saw where he was, Marco did a double take. He was back in Echo Creek. There was no mistaking it, Marco was back in the Echo Creek Park sitting on a bench. Marco was overjoyed and felt like crying in relief, but then he remembered something: This was where he had first met…

Marco turned his head. "...Eclisse."

Sure enough, sitting next to him on the park bench was the shadowy English lady herself. Eclisse wasn't feeding any pigeons this time, her attention was fully on Marco. She beamed at the boy with pride and joy, like he had just brought home a trophy. "Hello, my dear." Eclisse said. "It would appear you're everything I could have hoped you would be."

Marco looked around at his surroundings. It wasn't like the last time he had seen Eclisse, everything looked and felt so real. But Marco knew better, he turned to Elisse and gave her an accusing glare. "I'm not actually back home, am I?"

Eclisse responded with an apologetic shrug and smile. "I'm afraid not, dear. This is just another memory. I thought it would be nice to speak on familiar grounds this time."

Marco took a deep calming breath, something he'd been practicing lately. "Eclisse, why are you in my dreams? Why did you and Glossaryck lead me out of my own freaking dimension? What? The hell? Do you want from me?!"

Elisse raised her hand to her chest. "Marco, there is no need to be hostile. After all, me and Glossy have done nothing except show you both the truth and your own potential."

"Eclisse, I have… Glossy? Really?... Okay, that's hilarious. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Glossy shows up in my bedroom, you show up in the park, and then I wind up in Michael Bay's take on a Cinderella and Aladdin crossover!"

Eclisse tilted her head in confusion. "...Michael... Bay?"

"Yeah, meaning it sucks, is completely unnecessary, and my main question is why?" Marco glared right into Eclisse's eyes. "Why?"

Eclisse held Marco's gaze, guilt creeping into her face. She reached over and placed a hand on Marco's shoulder. "Glossaryck and I have been looking for someone like you for a very long time." She began. "We needed to find someone that could help the Butterfly family… and help my family." she added that last bit with a hint of bitterness. "Glossaryck found you, don't ask me how, when you were about five, and pointed you out to me. He said you could help, and that I should keep my eyes on you until the time came." Eclisse smiled. "I've watched you grow, I've watched you learn, I've watched you rise and fall. Do you truly have no recollection of me?"

Marco took a minute to think about it. And when he did, he suddenly remembered when he was seven, and a bad storm had hit Echo Creek. Seven year old Marco was terrified of the loud thunder and bright lightning, and the howling winds made Marco shiver under his sheets. But suddenly, he felt that he wasn't alone. He could hear someone whispering to him, putting him at ease. When he did finally fall asleep, the last thing he saw was a pair of warm, glowing, purple eyes.

Marco looked back into those same eyes. "You… were there."

"Whenever you felt sad or afraid, I was the voice in your head telling you all would be well." Eclisse grinned. "Also, I'm the one you convinced you to make that Jackie girl that Valentines Day gift during the eighth grade. I know you tried to make it anonymous, but she knew it was from you, dear. Don't fret, she loved it."

Marco felt like he should have been angry. This weird lady he didn't even know has been watching him since he was five years old because a small bearded man told her about him. Honestly, it sounded like a call to make to 911. But as hard as Marco tried, he just couldn't find it in him to be mad at Eclisse. She spoke about him with pride and love, as if Marco was a nephew to her. And after seeing her memory of how she lost her baby…

"I know Glossaryck and I have been unfair to you, and I'm sorry for that," Eclisse continued. "But were we wrong about your potential? You survived fifteen years in the Neverzone, you saved the lives of those two Monster children, and then you saved the princesses of St. Olga's. Whom, by the way, who managed to greatly impress." Eclisse smiled slyly. "Seems to me you have more than a couple of shots at marrying into royalty. Although, I personally like that Janna girl. The quirky ones are always the most fun."

Marco blushed. He then recomposed himself and let out a sigh. "Look, Eclisse. I know you and Glossaryck see a lot in me, and I'm flattered, really. But, I'm not your guy. I'm not some daring hero or some brave knight in shining armor. I'm just an awkward teen who's good at math and bad at socializing. I don't know why you or Glossaryck think I can help either of you." Marco looked at Eclisse solemnly. "I'm sorry about your baby. I really am, from the bottom of my heart. But I can't help you find her, and I can't help Glossaryck by being Princess Star's tutor. Call it cowardice, call it lack of ambition, I don't care. I'm just not up for all of this."

Elcisse gave Marco a sad but understanding smile. "What you do next will be up to you, my dear. No one is going to force you to do anything. But think on this: Who else do you know that could have pulled off what you have? Do you think your friend Ferguson could have survived a day in the Neverzone, much less fifteen years? Do you think that lazy boy Oskar could have saved anybody's life? Everyone knows that you are something special, Marco. Everyone but you, oddly enough."

Marco blinked at Eclisse in surprise. Looking back on it all, Marco realized he really had defied the impossible. The anxious boy swallowed down the lump forming in his throat. "Well… now that the rescuing and Neverzoning is over, what else do you guys need from me? Glossaryck wants me to tutor the Princess, but can't he do it? Honestly, the Princess seems a little too… explosive, for me to handle."

"What Glossaryck can do and will do are two incredibly different things, believe you me." Eclisse commented rather sourly. "As for the Princess; that one I like. Me and Glossy see as much potential in her as we do in you. Eclisse smiled proudly. "She reminds me of myself when I was her age. A young and beautiful rule breaker, who no one agrees with but no one can tame."

Marco studied the red spades on Eclisse's cheeks. The only other people Marco had met so far with cheek marks were Princess Star and Queen Moon. "Are you and Star related or something?" he asked.

"I'm… a distant relative. Quite distant indeed." Eclisse smiled mysteriously. "Listen, Marco. What Star needs now more than anything is someone who can both understand her and help her. Glossaryck believes you can."

Marco looked down at the ground. "I… I just want to go home."

Eclisse nodded. "If that is to be your choice, then so be it."

Marco looked back up at Eclisse. "You're… not upset that I won't help you?" he asked.

"You've already helped me more than you know, love. I have no right to ask you for any more."

"What did I do for you?" Marco asked in confusion.

"Oh, never you mind. But know this," Eclisse leaned over and planted a kiss on Marco's forehead, reddening his face in the process. "I am grateful to have met you, Marco. You may think of me a creep for watching over you all this time, but I truly do care about you." Eclisse stood up from the bench and smiled at Marco. "If you change your mind about Glossaryck's job offer, then I hope you'll look into what happened to my daughter. I… need to know what happened." Eclisse closed her eyes tight, then reopened them. "I really do hope you change your mind."

Marco stared at Eclisse, unable to figure out how to respond. Finally, he went with this, "If I do change my mind, and I'm not saying I will, but if I do, then it would help to know who you are exactly." The issue had been bugging Marco for a while now. The name 'Eclisse' sounded suspiciously made up.

Eclisse rubbed her gloved hands nervously, as if she was afraid to answer. "History is written by the victor, never by the victim." she answered, succeeding in only confusing Marco. "Remember when I told you that things aren't always as they seem?"

Marco nodded.

"You've seen Mewni. You've begun to recognize it's true monsters." Eclisse turned around. "Farewell, my dear boy. I wish you a happy future." and with that, Eclisse walked off, fading away as she did like a mirage.

Marco began to feel his eyelids grow heavy, the park began to fade away like a dream. Marco closed his eyes.

When he opened them back up, he was in an infirmary. The room had stark white walls and pink beds lined up in rows. Marco looked around, he didn't see anyone else in the room, and there was a surprising lack of medical equipment. There were no heart monitors or anesthesia machines or anything like that. Just some buckets of water with rags floating in them and some syringe needles filled with something on the nearby tables. Marco gulped when he saw the still bloody knives and hacksaws.

Just then, two people entered the infirmary. One of them was the Queen herself, the other Marco assumed was the doctor; a tall, pale woman with ice-blue eyes and charcoal hair tied in a bun wearing a black, medieval doctor's robe. The doctor looked like she belonged in a morgue rather than a hospital. The thought made Marco shudder.

Relief washed over the Queen's face when she saw Marco. "You're awake." said Queen Moon. "Oh, thank goodness."

"See, my queen? You must trust my abilities." the doctor said in a monotone voice that matched her appearance.

"Yes, thank you, Dr. Chills." the queen replied. "Could you give us a moment, good doctor? I wish to speak to Mr. Diaz here alone."

'Ruh roh.' Marco thought. Although the Queen didn't appear angry at all, every teen knew that it was never good when an adult asked that.

Dr. Chills gave a respectful bow. "As you wish, your majesty. I will go see if any… new parts, have arrived." The doctor left the infirmary. Marco could have sworn the room's temperature slightly rose as she did.

"Dr. Chills, huh?" Marco asked. "It's a… good name for her."

"Yes, most of her patients say they felt already buried in the ground under her care. But rest assured, when it comes to the medical profession, she's the best there is… and also the only." replied Queen Moon.

"You really oughta get her a nurse at least. Maybe someone named Nurse Happy or something like that, to even the scale." Marco suggested.

"We tried that. Adding to the fact that no one wants to work with Dr. Chills, Dr. Chills prefers to work alone." Queen Moon put a comforting hand on Marco's shoulder. "But enough about that, dear. How are you feeling?"

The Queen's English accent, cheek marks, and care reminded Marco of Eclisse, making it hard to concentrate. "I, uh… feel a little drained. Like I just held up a mountain." That was the truth. Marco didn't even have the energy to lift his head off of the pillow.

The Queen nodded. "Yes, after what you've gone through, you need to rest."

"What I've gone through?"

"Glossaryck told us everything." said the Queen. "How you fought your way into St. Olga's, how you rescued the princesses, how you rescued my daughter." the queen's gaze became full of respect. "As a queen and a mother, I can't thank you enough for saving my beloved Star from Toffee."

'Toffee.' Marco suddenly remembered the lizard's demise. He remembered picking up the wand, he remembered the feeling of raw power flowing through his body. The power burned at first, but then felt incredible. And as Marco raised the wand and turned Toffee into ash-

Marco shook his head. "I… I would rather not think about Toffee."

"I know it must have been scary. Toffee has that effect on people, I know. But I need to know," Moon's grip on his shoulder tightened and the look in the Queen's eyes turned a bit desperate. "What happened to Toffee?"

Marco gulped. "I… I-"

The infirmary doors bursted open. "Huzzah! The boy lives!" King River shouted. He raised a wine bottle in the air. "Marco, my boy! Get out of bed and join me in celebration! My little Star has been brought back safe and sound thanks to your efforts!"

"River!" Queen Moon scolded. "The poor boy needs to rest, so let him be! And for the love of the Stump, put some pants on!"

River looked down at his fur undies. "Oh come now, Moonpie. What law says you have to celebrate wearing pants?"

In a cloud of pink smoke, River was suddenly wearing a pair of blue trousers. Star walked through the doorway looking pretty annoyed. "Dad, just wear the pants, for everyone's sake." she said. The princess was no longer wearing a pink dress nor did she have her hair braided. She wore her green squid dress combo outfit with her hair hanging down to her ankles. Marco thought she looked a lot better like this, more natural and free. She still had her wand with her. Marco gulped at the sight of the relic.

The king sighed. "No one ever lets me have any fun around here."

Star was about to respond, but when she saw Marco her face lit up. "Marco!" she ran over and nearly tackled him out of the bed with a hug. "You're okay!"

The King and Queen both raised a questioning eyebrow. Marco's face reddened, but only partially from embarrassment, and mostly from lack of oxygen. "Princess… can't… breath." Marco weezed.

"Oh, sorry." Star released Marco, who breathed the air back into his lungs. "Soooooo, how ya feeling?" the princess asked.

"Not too bad." said Marco. "A little exhausted, but I'm okay."

Star pulled out her wand. "You want me to magic you up anything? 'Cause I can."

Marco's eyes widened in panic as he remembered what Star was capable of with that thing. "Uh, I'm good, thanks."

Star shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"Star, you haven't even thanked Marco for saving you yet." said Queen Moon. "Perhaps you should."

Star's happy face withered, replaced with a bitter look. "Well, maybe you should apologize for sending me to my death." the princess replied without even looking at her mother.

"Star, I had no idea all of this was going to happen." the queen said. "I sent you to that school to help you."

"Help me?!" Star turned to the Queen angrily. "I almost got the life drained out of me! Literally! You sent me there because you didn't want to be the one to deal with me!"

"All I want is what's best for you!" The Queen answered. "You are the one who makes that a constant ordeal!"

Star looked like she was about to retort some pretty angry stuff, but Marco coughed loudly into his fist, getting her attention. "Look, Princess. What's done is done, none of us can change that. There's no point in getting mad at your mom, so just let it go."

To the absolute shock of the King and Queen, Star calmed down.

"I'm going to my room." Star said as she left the infirmary.

Once she was gone, Queen Moon stared at Marco in disbelief. "How the corn husk did you do that?" asked the Queen.

"Normally, she blows up like a powder keg." the King said. "It gets pretty ugly."

Marco shrugged.

"Well… back to my previous question." Queen Moon leaned closer to Marco. "Toffee. What happened to him?"

Marco gulped. "I-"

"Chased off the lizard as you once did, my queen." Glossaryck floated out from behind Marco's bed. "Toffee is gone, he won't be returning any time soon."

"Glossaryck." The Queen greeted coldly.

"Oh come now, Queen Moon. Are you still mad at me?" the genie asked innocently.

"Yes, you left us frozen in the meeting room while Monster's invaded a school to get their hands on my daughter!" the Queen responded angrily.

"You couldn't have done anything that would have saved Star," Glossaryck pointed at Marco. "but he could."

Queen Moon rubbed her temples. "I grow ever so tired of your obscurity and your insistence upon being so."

"If I had a kernel of corn for everytime a Queen of Mewni said more or less the same thing to me." Glossaryck floated down onto Marco's chest, much to Marco's annoyance. "You can't say I was wrong, though. This kid kicked ass and saved lives. And now, he is owed a debt by the royal Butterfly family, as well as many other families across the multiverse."

The Queen just glared at Glossaryck in response. "When you are feeling better, do join us for supper, Mr. Diaz. I would like to properly thank you before you decide to return home." Queen Moon turned and left through the door. "Come, River." she called.

"Fine." the King grumbled. "But I'm drinking this wine. I didn't bring out the vintage stuff for nothing." The King followed his wife out the infirmary and closed the door behind him.

When they were gone, Marco swatted Glossaryck off of his chest. "I don't want to tell her about me going full on Voldemort on Toffee, but she has the right to know that he's dead."

Glossaryck floated off of the floor and dusted himself off. "She doesn't need to know that." he replied. "And besides, there's no way you could have bounced around the matter of how you killed the Immortal Monster."

"Well, can we at least discuss what in God's name happened at that school?" Marco asked. "What happened to me?"

Glossaryck's diamond eyes focused on the latino boy. "Do you remember how you got to Mewni? Do you remember the well?"

Marco blinked. "The… well?" memories rushed into Marco's head; finding a well full of liquid gold, getting pulled into the well.

A strange, beautiful world, like a sea of gold. Someone leading him through the world. Someone who sounded so strong, yet so sad, when they spoke.

Marco brought his hand to head. "Ughhh, headache."

Glossaryck nodded sagely. "The Realm of Magic has that effect on any who enter. It renders their minds to mush with a feeling of total ecstasy. The pure power of the Realm overpowers the minds of the meager like a drug, power is indeed the most potent drug of all."

"Realm of Magic?" Marco asked.

"The source of all magic throughout the multiverse. It was from the realm that I first emerged, a being of pure magic. Later, the first Mewmans were exposed to the Realms' power. Star's ancestor, however, got the most of it. I gave Moe Butterfly the wand as a way to link the magic that dwells within her, to the source of that magic: the Realm."

"So the wand is like some kind of handheld Tesla Tower." Marco said. "A direct link to the magic of the realm."

"You're in the ballpark." said Glossaryck. "But to tell the truth, the Queens don't even need the wand. They're like living Tesla Towers themselves, able to tap into the magic if they manage to dip down far enough. The wand is more of a practice baton for until they get the hang of dipping down."

Marco rubbed his chin in thought. "So you're saying that I went through the same procedure Moe Butterfly went through. I was exposed to the Realm of Magic and now…" Marco brought his hands up and stared at them. "I'm magic?"

"Bingo! Give the boy a prize!" Glossaryck exclaimed. "You got soaked with the essence of magic, just like Moe did. But here's the thing: Even before the first Mewmans found a way into the magic, they were still a semi-magical race. The first of the Mewman race were born from starlight by the Mother Moon, who saw how dumb her kids were and just sort of never kept in touch."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, you won't find that last bit in the history books. Anyway, you, Marco, as a Human from perhaps the least magical place in the multiverse, were affected a little differently. When you held the wand, it awoke the pure magic that had been soaked inside of you. And to put it simply," Glossaryck paused for dramatic affect. "It turned you into a Mewman."

Marco shook his head like he was trying to dislodge that bit of info. "Woah… what!?"

"Well, you're not really a Mewman, per say, but you are less human now." Glossaryck said.

Marco felt his heart beat faster. "So… just so I understand this… the magic acted like some kind of mutagen, and turned me more… Mewmanlike?"

"Yup."

Marco shrunk down into his sheets. "So… I'm not human anymore?"

"Oh, you're being overdramatic." Glossayck said with a wave of his hand. "If you pour radioactive ooze on a turtle, and the turtle grows into a man sized turtle that likes to eat pizza and maybe fight ninjas, then the turtle is still a turtle, but he's also a freak of nature turtle. Just like you."

"I've already told you I hate you, right?"

"With every fiber of your being, yes."

Marco steadied his breathing. "Okay, we've gotta tell the Queen about this. Maybe she can-"

"If the Queen or the Magic High Commission were to discover that you have magic, you would either be killed or imprisoned for eternity." Glossaryck interrupted. "Only the Queens of Mewni are supposed to wield the power of the Realm, and you've managed to soak up quite a bit of magic straight from the source. You're dangerous, Marco, and the Magic High Commission will not take any chances."

Marco brought his hand to his forehead. "Is there anything else?" he whimpered.

"There is one more, incredibly important detail. But, it'll have to wait." Glossaryck yanked the blankets off of Marco. "You're having dinner with the royal family. So hop out of bed and look presentable!"

Marco rolled out of bed, literally, and fell to the ground. "It hurts just to move." Marco complained.

"Oh come on, you big baby. You just were magically mutated and channeled enough power to turn an immortal lizard man into dust, nothing serious. Now get up, take a shower, and comb your hair. Gotta get you looking decent for the dinner. By the way, I hope you like corn."

---

Star twirled her corn on the cob around and made it spin like a windmill on her plate. One hand had her fork in it and the other was holding up her head. The Princess looked bummed out, and hadn't even taken a bite out of her food.

"Star, don't poke at your food."

Star grumbled something under her breath at her mother and ceased the corns spinning.

"Oh, cheer up, dear. One would think you'd be happier now that you're out of school." King River poured himself a cup of wine. "Anyone else want me to pour them a cup?"

Star raised her hand. "Over here, pop."

"Only one cup, though." the Queen said. "I don't want another Golden Harvest Day incident."

"To be fair, it was my idea to let the pig goats out." the King said. He rubbed his beard. "Or was it? Honestly, that whole day was a blur, and I'm pretty sure I went to bed with a pig goat I thought was you, Moonpie."

"...One cup… each." the Queen did her best not to growl.

King River quickly poured him and his daughter a cup then put the bottle on the table and scooted it away from him. "Yes, dear."

"Your majesties." Manfred, one of royal servants, walked into the dining area. Manfred was a pudgy man with a sour, puckered face and long nose. He wore a sky blue tunic over a purple-grey shirt and leggings, with yellow feathered, blue and purple cap over his brown hair.

"Your guest, Mango Days, has arrived for dinner."

"It's Marco Diaz." Marco walked in behind Manfred. "For real? Mango Days? Where do people keep getting Mango out of Marco? Who do you even know named Mango?"

"About as many people as I know named Marco." Manfred answered. "And is that really what you're wearing to dinner? Let's find you something more formal to where before you dine with the royal-"

"It's fine, Manfred. You may leave." said Queen Moon.

Manfred bowed. "As you wish, your highness." Manfred turned around and left.

Star seemed to perk up a bit when she saw Marco. "Heyyyyy, new friend!" she patted the chair next to her. "I saved you a spot!"

Marco looked at the large, elegantly crafted wooden table. Even if Star hadn't saved him a spot there were still plenty of other places to sit. The table looked able to fit twenty people, but it only had the Princess and her parents. Marco looked around at the fancy and expensive decor. A crystal chandelier with butterfly designs hung over the table. The room was decorated with vases, plants, and beautiful oil paintings. Marco could've bought himself a camaro just by selling the tablecloth.

"Is everything alright, Marco?" the Queen asked.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry." Marco walked over and pulled up a seat next to Star. "I'm just not used to the… finer things."

"Ah, you come from a humble home, eh lad?" the King asked.

Marco nodded. "Yup. Familia pequeña, hogar pequeño, pueblo pequeño, pero corazones grandes."

Star stared at Marco like he had spoken another language… Oh wait, he did. "What the corn was that?"

"It's Spanish. It's something mi abuela, my grandma, used to say. It means small family, small home, small town, but big hearts."

"Your grandmother sounds like a very wise woman." the Queen commented.

Marco smiled wistfully. "She was, yeah."

An awkward silence hung in the air, until Queen Moon coughed into her fist. "Well, how about we get you some food, hmm?"

"That sounds nice. The only thing I've eaten for the past two days were mushrooms."

The Queen reached over and picked up a golden dinner bell. She wrung the bell and almost immediately, a chef came and presented Marco with a silver platter and lid.

"That's what I call service." Marco muttered.

The chef lifted the lid, revealing the meal underneath. The chef had prepared a corn casserole that smelled out of this world, some honey butter skillet corn, golden sweet cornbread, and a large, buttered corn on the cob.

"Here, my boy." King River poured Marco a cup of wine and slid it across the table to him. "Some quality corn wine to wash it down."

Marco knew he was under the age limit, but that just applied to his world, and he didn't want to be rude. So, he took a sip of the wine. It tasted like someone had cremated a corncob and used the ashes to ferment the wine. Marco did all he could not to show his disgust.

"You guys really like corn, huh?" Marco asked, praying he didn't sound insulting.

"But of course." Queen Moon replied. "It's the kingdom's prized crop. The Mewmans of Mewni have been surviving off of corn since time immemorial. Corn is incredibly important to us. We eat it for every meal everyday."

"That's no fib." Glossaryck entered the dining room and floated over to the seat next to Marco. "The sewers of Mewni look like they have a bad case of yellow measles."

Marco put his fork down. "Really didn't need to hear that right before I started eating."

"Yeah, me neither." Star added.

"Glossaryck, what are you doing here?" the Queen asked.

The genie summoned a large cup of pudding and began slurping away at the stuff, further decreasing Star and Marco's appetite. "Well, I do work here. I thought that after all these years of serving the Butterfly family, I would at least have a spot at the dinner table." Glossaryck swallowed his pudding, cup and all. "Also, since I'm sponsoring the boy, I thought I would be present for when you offer your proposition."

Marco looked over at the Queen. "Proposition?" he asked. Marco already had a fearful idea of where this was going.

"That can wait until after dinner." the Queen said in a warning voice that told Glossaryck to be quiet.

He wasn't though. "Might as well come out with it, Moon. Marco, the Queen wants to hire you to be Star's new tutor. Help her with her studies, aid her in practicing her magic, chaperoning her when she goes out, stuff like that."

"Oh my corn, that would be so much fun!" Star cried. She grabbed Marco and shook him back and forth in his seat. "Take the job! Take the job! Take the job! You would be the one tutor my parents hire who isn't a total pill!" Star suddenly stopped shaking Marco and looked at him curiously. "Wait. You're not a total pill, are you?"

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuugh." the dizzy Marco responded.

Star smiled. "Nah. You're cool."

Marco blinked until he couldn't see spots anymore. "Look, Queen Moon. I appreciate the offer, but I don't think I can take the job."

Star frowned. "Aw, why not? If you don't take the job, my parents are just gonna hire some tool to tutor me."

"Actually, since you turned your last tutor into a pig goat that got run over by a carriage, we can't find anyone else brave enough to tutor you." said King River.

"She did what now?" asked Marco.

"It was an accident." Star said casually. "And besides, his grieving widow got over him really quickly. So no real harm done."

"...Yyyeeeaaahhh." Marco reached into his pockets to grab his dimensional scissors and escape, but remembered that the Princess turned them into a butterfly. "So, listen. I just remembered, I need to get hell out-I mean, I need to-"

"Mr. Diaz." Queen Moon interrupted. "I do hate discussing business at the dinner table. Perhaps we should finish dinner, then you and I can discuss my proposition later in my study."

"Besides, Star turned your scissors into a butterfly. So it's not like you're going anywhere." Glossaryck chipped in.

"Could one of you just send me to Earth real quick, just so I can tell my family I'm okay?" Marco asked. 'And then never go anywhere near Mewni or Britta's Tacos again.'

"I would really prefer it if you and I discussed my proposition first." said Queen Moon. Marco did not fail to hear the hidden message of I am the Queen and I'm not asking in her tone.

Marco gulped. 'I might be the only person to ever say this, but I miss American government.'

---

Heinous went inside the phone booth and read the number on the card Toffee had given her. If she was going to get answers, then Heinous knew she would have to do as the lizard said. She dialed in the number and tapped her foot impatiently as the phone rang.

"Greetings, I am Rasticore Chaosus Disastervaine. Professional assassin." a deep and menacing voice answered. "I'm in the middle of a job right now," Heinous could hear a chainsaw and a scream on the other end of the line. "I can call you back ASAP to discuss your offer."

"I don't have time to wait, I must speak with you now!" Heinous replied.

Heinous could hear Rasticore grunt in aggravation. "Ma'am, I take my job very seriously." there was another scream, but it was quickly silenced by a loud 'snap'. "I can't leave a job just to give you the special treatment."

"Oh? What if Toffee is the one who told me to call you? Then could I get that special treatment?" Heinous asked, hoping that would actually work.

The line was silent for a while, except for the sound of someone begging for their life in the background. "Alright, I'll be right there." Rasticore said reluctantly. "Can you give me your location or the location of where you would like to meet?"

"I would like you to meet me here. I am in-"

"Hold on, let me get a pen so I can write this down. You got a pen, bud?"

"Here! Take it! Just let me live!" Heinous heard someone cry.

"Thanks." there was a roar of a chainsaw, a blood curdling scream, then no more scream. "Okay. Where would you like to meet, Miss…?"

"Heinous. Miss Heinous."

"Miss… Heinous… today's date… Sorry, this is all just for the books. Now, location please?"

"Dimension Beta-704. Ten miles north of St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses."

"...Wayward… Princesses. Alright, see you soon."

The line went dead. Heinous hung up the phone and stepped out of the phone booth and into the dessert night.

"I wonder what a phone booth is doing out here in the desert?" said Gemini. "There's like, nothing and no one around. Who would put a phone booth here?"

"At least it was convenient." said Miss Heinous.

A blue, X-shaped portal appeared in front of them. From out of the portal stepped the scariest Monster that Heinous had ever encountered. He was a Septarian like Toffee, but much bigger and much more intimidating. His green, scaly body was ripped with muscle. Except for his left arm, which was made of metal. He wore black pants with darker boots, and a purple cloak hung from the lizards neck. His left eye was gone, replaced by a purple crystal. The Monster's face was set in a snarl. In his non-metal hand, he carried a chainsaw, still slick with blood.

Gemini hobbled behind his mistress in fear. Miss Heinous stood her ground and stared into the Septarian's eyes unafraid.

"Miss Heinous?" asked the Monster.

Heinous nodded. "Rasticore, I presume."

"You said Toffee recommended my services?" Rasticore asked curiously. "Why would he recommend me to the likes of you?"

"The two of you know each other?" Heinous asked.

"We fought together against the Butterflies. I watched as Queen Moon blasted off Toffee's finger." Rasticore's good eye narrowed. "So I ask again; why did he tell you to hire me for a job?"

Miss Heinous pulled out the envelope Toffee had given here and offered it to Rasticore. "Toffee told me to give you this."

Rasticore took the envelope and used a claw to open it. He pulled out the letter inside and began to read it. When he was done, he growled and looked at Miss Heinous with suspicion and skepticism.

"'Will liberate the Monsters', huh?"

"Will you take me to the Monster Temple or not?" Heinous was growing more impatient by the minute.

Rasticore snarled. Then he crumpled the paper in his fist and put it in his pocket. "Yeah, I'll take you there." the lizard growled. "But do you even know what we're supposed to find there?"

"Answers." replied Heinous. "Now, take me to the Monster Temple."

"If you say so… boss." Rasticore replied sarcastically. He pulled out his chainsaw and yanked on the cord, but had a little trouble getting it to start up.

"Ah, come on-"

Rrrrrrrr

"Stupid thing-"

Rrrrrrrr

"Cheap prototype-"

Rrrrrrrr

"Should have just gotten the scissors like everyone told me-"

With one last pull, Rasticore got the chainsaw running and used it to cut open an X-shaped dimensional portal. He then turned to Heinous. "This way, oh great savior." Rasticore mocked with a cruel smile.

Having enough of his rudeness, Heinous reached up into the lizard's mouth and grabbed his forked tongue. She pulled down until she was eye level with the startled Septarian. "Mind. Your. Tongue." she hissed.

Heinous released Rasticore, who stood up and covered his mouth with his hand. He stared at Heinous with newfound fear. "Er… right. Yes, this way… ma'am." he said before hurrying through the portal.

Heinous didn't enter right away. She just stood there and stared into the portal, still as a statue. 'Time to find out who I really am.' She thought to herself before finally walking through the portal.

---

"I hope you enjoyed dinner, Marco." Glossaryck said as he led the boy through the castle. "I'll be honest with you though, I have no idea why these Mewmans are so crazy for corn. I mean sure, it's their main crop, but it's ridiculous what a Mewman will do for a cob of corn."

"Vete a la mierda, pequeño asqueroso." replied Marco bitterly.

"Hmm. I don't know Spanish, but that sounded rather hateful. You're not giving me the business too, are you?" Glossaryck asked.

"I have been magically mutated by magic goop, transported to this nightmare Disneyworld, chucked into a post-apocalyptic world where I spent fifteen years, guilt tripped into fighting a bunch of Monsters, to save a bunch of Princesses, most of whom tried to rip my face off, and now, I'm going to be offered a tutoring job by a magic Queen. This all has happened in almost two days with little breathing room, all because of you and your crazy bullshit." Marco said angrily. "I think I have the right to be a little bit pissed."

"This has all happened incredibly fast for you, and I'm sorry for that." Glossaryck replied with surprising softness. "I personally blame it on lazy writing, though."

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing. The point is," Glossaryck stopped floating and turned around to look Marco in the eyes. "I chose you because I have never, in my entire existence, met someone as capable as you. Aside from Star, of course. I just wanted to put your capability to the best of it's abilities, to aid you in recognizing your full potential."

Marco's gaze lost some of it's anger. "So… why do you want me to be Star's tutor?"

"Because the Princess needs your help. And you may not realize it, but you need her help as well."

Marco tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Glossaryck smiled. "I think you're the one who told Star to, and I quote, 'be the best you that you can be'. Perhaps you should let Star teach you how to do the same."

Marco flexed his fingers anxiously. "I like who I am right now."

"There's always room for improvement." Glossaryck turned back around. "The Queen's office is down the hall, third door on the right. If you want to become an even better Marco, then you should take the job. Otherwise, you'll live the rest of your life as the Marco you are now. Nothing new, nothing exciting. But who's to say that's not the better choice, eh? Either way, it shall be your choice. That I promise."

Glossaryck flew out a nearby window, leaving Marco alone to think.

Even without Glossaryck's directions, the Queen's office would have been easy to find. The door was the fanciest door in the hall, with intricate designs carved into the wood. Marco took a shaky breath, then knocked on the door.

"Come in." the Queen's voice called out.

Marco opened the door and stepped into the Queen's office. He had to admit he was impressed. The shelves of books and folders were neatly arranged and the piles of papers on the Queen's desk were stacked in perfect columns. Everything in the office, from the inkwell to the map of Mewni hanging on the wall, seemed to be placed in it's assigned location. It reminded Marco of how he organized his own bedroom. The Queen herself was seated behind her large, splendid desk in a grand, velvet chair, scribbling away on a piece of parchment with a feather pen.

Marco cleared his throat. "You wanted to see me, Queen Moon?"

"Ah yes, Marco. Take a seat, please." The Queen said without even looking up from her work.

Marco did as the Queen said and pulled up one of the two wooden seats in front of the Queen's desk. Queen Moon finished whatever she was working on and put her quill back in it's inkwell. She then rolled up the paper and stored it away in one of the desk drawers. After she was done, the Queen folded her hands on the table and gave a small smile. "My apologies, a Queen's work is never done. Now, since you already know why I have summoned you, I'll just skip straight to the point. I want you to be my daughter's tutor."

Marco rubbed the back of his head. "And I should be frank and tell you that I don't think I can take the job, Queen Moon."

"You would be handsomely rewarded." Queen Moon tempted. "Thrice our own weight in gold, and even more if you manage to impress me with your results."

"Again, no, thank you." Marco replied. "I just want to go home."

"You would be permitted to visit your home during your time off." said Queen Moon. Marco raised an eyebrow, it almost sounded like the Queen's tone was becoming pleading. "You would be given a room in the castle to stay in, as well as be granted full access to the castle's luxuries and accessories."

"No. Thank you anyway, Queen Moon." Marco responded. "Now, could you direct me to the nearest dimensional portal-"

"I can give you your own manor with a lake side view."

"No, thank you."

"Servants?"

"No."

"A squadron of fighters that will obey you without question?"

"Uh, no."

"...Courtesans, perhaps?"

"Not that type of guy!" Marco shouted, red-faced with his hands waving in front.

"Well, what do you want?" the Queen asked, beginning to sound frustrated. "I am the magical Queen of Mewni. Anything you could ever imagine having, I can give you. Now name your price!"

"Look, I'm sorry, but I can't take the job." said Marco. "You gotta look at this from my perspective. I didn't even know other dimensions existed until two days ago. Where I'm from, magic and monsters don't exist. This is just… completely bizarre to me, and I'm starting fear for my own sanity. I just want to go back home to my family. Who, by the way, are probably worried sick." Marco raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want me to accept your offer so badly?"

The Queen's stern gaze softened. She let out a tired sigh before speaking. "Why do you think I had my daughter sent to St. Olga's?"

"Princess Star thinks it's because you don't want to deal with her." Marco responded. "She thinks you think she's a failure, Queen Moon."

The Queen looked pained from hearing that. She seemed ready to argue against it, but instead, continued with what she was saying. "I want to be a good mother for Star, but I have to be a good Queen for Mewni as well. And the kingdom must always come first. Star will one day take the throne and be Queen, but she is reckless and unpredictable. She cares nothing for royal procedures or etiquette. Always sneaking out and going to parties, getting into trouble pulling pranks and stealing, all of the property damage in and out of the castle, and I'm not even going to get into what happened when she inherited the wand." The Queen shuddered. "So many burn victims. I can't get to her, she doesn't ever listen to me, and Glossaryck is, as usual, little to no help. She won't listen to any mentor that I assign to her either."

"What makes you think she'll listen to me?" Marco asked.

"Glossaryck told me about how you managed to help Star get the hang of her magic, if only temporarily. That's how you and Star were able to send Toffee running, yes?"

Marco began to sweat. "Y-yeah. The wand's magic is… scary stuff."

"In Star's hands it very much can be, yes. But you were able to get her to wield the wand without any backfire."

"And all it took was a near death experience." Marco commented.

"Regardless. You've made more progress than anybody else. Including me." the Queen added that last part with a bit of sorrow in her voice. "You have survived against Toffee and fifteen years in the Neverzone, you're a sharp, studious young man, you have manners as well as honor, and I believe you are the perfect person to tutor my daughter."

Marco drummed his fingers against his leg. "I… don't think I can."

"I do." said Queen Moon. "My hope is that you can connect with Star. To be her friend, to be able to talk to her without her blowing up at you. I need you to help her be the princess that she needs to be."

Marco swallowed down his anxiety. "You're asking me to get involved in a reality that I'm still trying to wrap my head around."

"I'm not asking you to abandon your reality for this one." the Queen responded. "I'm simply asking you to give this one a chance. I need your help, Marco. Star needs your help. And to a further extent, you might say that Mewni needs your help."

Marco could see Eclisse and Glossarycks faces in his head, wondering if they planned this exact moment. Marco had a choice, he knew that. Leave, and never come back, or stay, and become a magical princess's tutor and companion. Marco kept telling himself to just say no, to tell the Queen to screw off but not in those exact words in fear of being smited on the spot. But something held him back, and Marco had no idea what it was. Maybe it was the exciting thought of spending some time in another dimension for a while, maybe he wanted to learn more about being magical, maybe he wanted to help find out what happened to Eclisse's baby. Or maybe, it was thought of what he could achieve in a world like this. Glossaryck said that taking the job would turn him into a better Marco, and he couldn't deny that that didn't sound tempting.

Also, if Marco was gonna be honest with himself, he really didn't want to ditch Star. The Princess seemed really nice. A bit over the top and drastic, but nice. Marco remembered how defeated Star looked when Toffee was about to kill them both. Marco was able to get her out of her funk, and she nearly took down Toffee because of it. If what Glossaryck and Queen Moon said was true, then Marco might be the only person that could help the Princess out. But if Marco wanted to just say the hell with the princess and leave, then he could.

Marco let out a long, aggravated groan. "Oh, what the hell. I hated working at Britta's Tacos anyway."

Moon blinked. "So… was that a yes?"

"Yeah, fine. I accept your offer. I'll be Princess Star's tutor." Marco replied.

"Wonderful!" Queen Moon stood up from her seat. "Marco Diaz, I cannot thank you enough for this, but I'll certainly try." she reached across the desk for a handshake. "It will be a joy having you with us."

Marco shook the Queen's hand. "Well, that's awfully kind of-"

Queen Moon's grip tightened with surprising strength. Her smile remained, but her blue eyes began to glow with power. "Remember, Mr. Diaz. I am permitting you, a teenage boy, to spend a large amount of time with my daughter, a teenage girl. I am fine with the two of you becoming friends, but if anything… untoward, were to occur, then before I hand you over to my barbarian husband, you will know the full wrath of a Queen of Mewni."

Marco shivered and sweated under the Queen's stare.

"Am I understood, boy?"

Marco nodded his head frantically. "Understood. Oh so very understood." he squeaked.

"Good." the Queen released her iron grip and the glow from her eyes faded away. "Now before we make your employment official, perhaps it is best to discuss the arrangements with your parents, hmm?" Queen Moon pulled open another desk drawer and pulled out a familiar pair of purple scissors.

Marco's eyes widened as he rubbed his sore hand. "My dimensional scissors! But, how?"

"They belong to you, Marco, of course the scissors would find their way back to their master." Queen Moon explained.

Marco took the scissors. He stared at the dimensional cutlery in shock. "So… I can go back home now?"

"And me and the King are going with you." Moon said. "To help explain things."

Before Marco could reply, King River burst into the room with a large morning star in his hands. "Did he take the job?" he asked.

"Yes, dear, but I already threatened him." Moon responded.

"What?" King River let the morning star fall to the ground. "But, Moonpie, I had a whole thing planned." the King whined. He sounded genuinely depressed. "I was going to show him the torture chamber, and then where I would decapitate him, and then where I was going to mount his head after I decapitated him."

"You can still do your plan, River."

"No I can't, you already scared him." the King complained. He crossed his arms in a huff. "I bet you did that tightened grip, glowing eyes thing didn't you?"

Queen Moon rolled her eyes. "Put some pants on River, we're going to Earth."

"Oh, I don't want to!"

"Put some pants on, or go to Earth?"

"Both!" the King rested his fists on his sides, above his fur undergarments. "You know I hate pants, and I don't want to go to some backwater-"

"River."

"...Okay, fine." King River rested his morning star on his shoulder and pouted. "Earth better have some good food and liquor."

"I think you're gonna like Earth." said Marco.

"Yeah, I'd better." River mumbled under his breath as he walked out of the Queen's office.

Once he was gone, the Queen sat back down in her chair and pulled out a couple of papers and scrolls. "Meet me and my husband outside the castle in an hour. We'll need you to cut open the portal." She picked up her pen and began writing. "Do as you wish in the meantime."

Marco pocketed his scissors and did a small, awkward bow. "Thank you, Queen Moon." he said before he left out the door.

A few seconds after Marco was gone, Glossaryck flew into the room through the open window. He floated in front of Queen Moon and lounged on his side in the air. "So he took the job, huh?" he said with a smile. "I had a feeling he would. As humble and generous as Marco is, he wouldn't pass up an opportunity at greatness."

"He is a boy from a dimension where magic is merely myth," the Queen replied without even looking up from her work. "He didn't want this job, that much was very clear."

"And yet, you begged him to take the job."

Queen Moon looked up from her work and raised an eyebrow. "I needed someone to tutor and chaperone Star. That is why he is here, is he not? You went out to find someone that could tutor her, yes?"

"I went out to find someone that could help, and I did." Glossaryck sighed. "My Queen, I watched you grow up into the woman you are now. I can read your thoughts without the use of any magic. You don't want a skilled tutor by Star's side, you want an expendable living shield that you know will jump into harm's way to protect her."

Queen Moon's eyes widened in shock. "I would never-"

"You can't keep secrets from me, Moon. No matter how hard you try."

Moon held Glossaryck's gaze defiantly for a half-minute, then the Queen deflated in defeat. "I need to make sure Star is safe." Moon replied. "If Toffee is still out there, then I need someone to protect Star as well as someone to educate her. Marco is the prime candidate for the position, he can do both. And yes, if something were to happen to him, I would feel no joy for his harm, but I would feel joy knowing that my daughter is unharmed."

Glossaryck's face was an unreadable mask. "Marco will prove to be more than just an expendable asset, Queen Moon." he said in a voice without emotion. "I chose him for a reason, and that reason was not to be discarded once you feel like his usefulness has run its course."

The Queen narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why are you so interested in the boy? Why do you wish to see him tutor Star?"

Glossaryck smiled. "Iron sharpens iron, my dear Queen. Iron sharpens iron."

---

Raphael sat at the kitchen table and whittled away at his wood carving. As the wood shaving fell on the old newspapers he had spread on the table, the carving began to resemble a cactus. Wood carving was something Raphael liked to do when he was nervous or anxious, and knowing that his boy was missing made him both.

Angie came down the stairs and slumped down in the chair across from her husband. The two of them were still in their pajamas, neither of them getting much sleep for the past two days. "I finally got Mariposa to fall asleep." Angie pulled out a baby monitor and set it on the table. Very slowly, as if the thing might've been rigged to explode, she turned the monitor on. There was only silence on the other side. Angie let out a breath. "Good, still asleep."

Raphael chuckled. "She misses Marco. It's crazy how much Mariposa loves her big brother."

Angie smiled. "Yeah. Remember when Marco first held Mari in his arms? He held her so carefully, like he was terrified he might drop her. Mariposa just snuggled up against Marco and fell asleep, with a happy little smile on her face." Angie's smile faded away and a tear escaped her eye. "Oh Raphael, I would give anything to see our boy again."

As soon as she finished that sentence, a blue, circular portal appeared in the living room, scaring the daylight out of the married couple. But when they saw who had stepped out of the portal, all the fear evaporated from the both of them.

Marco walked up to his parents and smiled. "Hey, mom. Hey, dad. I'm back."

"Marco!" Both of his parents ran up and embraced their son. Marco returned the hug, overjoyed to finally be back home with his family.

When they ended the hug, Marco's mom grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him sternly in the eyes. "Where have you been?!" she demanded. "You had us worried sick!"

Raphael pointed at the blue portal. "And do we even want to know what that's all about?"

"Uuuuuuuuum," Marco scratched the back of his head. "That… is kinda related to mom's question, dad."

Before Mr. and Mrs. Diaz could question their son any further, two more people came through the portal. One was a tall woman with large, blue hair, and the other one was a short and stout man with a grand yellow beard. Both of them were dressed in fancy garments and both wore golden crowns on their head.

Angie released her hold on Marco and blinked. "...Hello."

"Greetings." the woman said. "I am Queen Moon Marmalade Butterfly the Undaunted of the Kingdom of Mewni."

'Marmalade?' Thought Marco.

"And this is my husband, King River Johansen-Butterfly the Hearty."

"A well earned name, I shall admit!" the king boasted.

"We are here to discuss a job proposal that your son has agreed to." The Queen gestured to the kitchen area. "Might we all take a seat? We have much to discuss."

---

Ludo stared down at the mass of Monsters from his tall throne. Although, even with the big throne with large horns, the two skull braziers hanging above him, and Beard Deer and Bearicorn both armed and flanking him, the stack of pillows that Ludo sat on made it difficult for the rest of the Monsters to take him seriously. The small bird Monster narrowed his eyes angrily at the crowd shouting out at him.

"QUIET!" Ludo shrieked. "You dolts are giving me a headache with all your shouting!"

Golo the elephant Monster pushed his way to the front of the crowd. "We will not stand with you, Avarius! We follow Toffee!"

"And Toffee is nowhere to be seen!" Ludo pointed his staff at Golo. "So like it or not, you work for me now!"

A large warthog Monster pushed his way up next to Golo. He was ripped with muscle underneath his ripped white shirt, black pants and boots. His right hand was replaced with a three pronged fork. "YOU THINK WE'RE GONNA WORK FOR YOU?!" the pigman roared.

"Yes." Ludo answered.

"YEAH?!"

"Yes."

"YEAH?!"

"Yes."

"YEAH?!"

"Yes."

The pig monster bowed his head in defeat. "Okay." he whimpered.

Golo pinched his brow. "Meatfork, you spineless asshole."

"Listen up!" Ludo stood up on his pillows and almost lost his balance. He glowered at the crowd of Monsters below with as much command and dignity as a two-foot bird on a stack of pillows could muster. "You all stand within Castle Avarius! This castle was built by my grandfather, the great Monster King, Albacudo Avarius! With or without Toffee, I hold the strongest claim to leadership over monsterkind!"

The crowd mumbled amongst themselves. Some still didn't sound convinced, others sounded like they were reluctantly agreeing with Ludo.

"You dare call yourself a Monster King?!" One yokel crawdad Monster shouted. "I'll have you know that Yvgeny Bulgolyubov is the top choice for Monster King!"

Ludo snarled. "And I'll have you know that that overweight toad used to work for me! That's right, he followed my orders!"

There was more murmuring among the Monsters. Ludo sat back down on his pillows and took a breath. "Look, this discussion can wait. Right now, we need to focus on what happened at St. Olga's, and what we're going to do next. Toffee's plan failed, much to my expectations. So, we need a new plan to steal the Butterfly's magic wand."

"Well, what did happen at St. Olga's?" Golo asked.

"According to Bearicorn and Beard Deer here, some Mewman in a weird, red tunic knocked them both unconscious and made his way into the school, then that large badger guy reported that before they could get to the princesses, he and his men were beaten by a Mewman boy in a red tunic." Ludo cocked his head. "Seems like the princesses had a heroic, young prince or something swoop in and rescue them."

Golo's eyes widened. "A boy in a red tunic? That's the guy that saved my son and his friend from the Mewnian knights!" there was much anxious and excited murmuring amongst the Monsters.

"Silence!" Ludo commanded. "I don't care what he did, he's the reason the assault on St. Olga's failed!"

"Yeah but boss, maybe he just likes to help people, regardless of who or what they are?" Bearicorn suggested.

"Why are you sticking up for the boy in red?" Ludo asked. "Didn't he beat crap out of you?" Ludo turned to Beard Deer. "You have anything to add? He strangled you, right?"

Beard Deer nodded. "Yeah, boss. But, he made sure not to kill me. As he hung on my back and choked me into unconsciousness, he did it with care." Beard Deer looked away and put a hand on his heart reverently. "I salute you, boy in red." Bearicorn did the same.

Ludo blinked slowly. "...Right… Where were we?"

"We should learn more about this boy in red." Golo suggested. "Even Toffee seemed a little interested in him."

"We don't need the boy, we need to find a way to get to Princess Star." said Ludo. "Once we have Star and the wand, Mewni will once again belong to the Monsters!"

"Even if we do find a way to get to the Princess, she's armed with the most powerful relic in the multiverse." Meatfork said. "I sure as hell ain't going near her. I heard she burned down the Mewman town square."

"Well then, what do you suggest?" Ludo asked. "We need a way to get close to her. Any volunteers for-"

"Mazter Ludo, mazter Ludo!"

Boo Fly flew into the throne room and above the crowd of Monsters. The fly Monster flew right up to Ludo's throne. "Mazter, I have news regarding the Princezz!"

"Oh?" Ludo tilted his head. "Do tell."

"Apparently, the princezz iz getting a new tutor." Boo Fly began. "Zome kid named Marco. Zcrawny boy with a mole under hiz right eye. Wearz a funny, red, cotton garb."

Golo gasped. "That's him! That's the boy in red!"

"...Hmmmmm." Ludo rubbed his chin in thought. "So this kid's becoming the princess's tutor, huh?"

"Whatcha thinking, boss?" Bearicorn asked.

Ludo stared off into the distance and narrowed his yellow eyes. "...I'm thinking… we should introduce ourselves to this… Marco."

---

Angie took a sip of her tea. Her hands shook a bit as she did, suggesting how nervous she really was despite her calm attitude. "So… the King and Queen of another dimension. What's that like?"

Angie and Raphael sat across the table from Moon and River at the kitchen table, with Marco seated between the two married couples. They all drank tea that Angie had insisted on making for their guests. Queen Moon raised her mug and took a sip of her tea. "The Kingdom of Mewni is a rich and prosperous one." she said. "What you'll find most intriguing about our world is the magic of it, and I mean that quite literally."

"How do you mean?" Raphael asked.

Queen Moon's hand began to glow blue, and her mug began to levitate in the air. Angie and Raphael stared at the cup in amazement.

"Oh… so that's how you mean." said Raphael.

"Indeed. From what your son tells, your world is subject to the laws of science. But in our world, we call reality what you call fantasy." Moon said.

"And don't think making a mug float is the most magical thing there is to see." King River remarked. "I've seen my wife transform into a terrifying, six armed, butterfly woman who could blast apart boulders with a flick of her wrist!" River sighed lovingly. "She was glorious."

"Awwwww." replied Angie.

"River!" the Queen complained, her cheeks reddening around her diamonds ever so slightly.

"What? You were." River replied innocently.

The Queen sighed and brought her hands together. "Mr. and Mrs. Diaz, I understand that your son is a bright student who frequently tutors the… not so bright students?"

"Why yes, and we couldn't be more proud of him." Angie answered.

"Well, our daughter is in need of a good tutor. We would be willing to pay well for his services."

"You want him to tutor your daughter?" Angie asked. "The Princess of your kingdom?"

Moon nodded. "That is correct."

Angie rubbed her chin in thought. "A princess, huh?" she glanced at Marco. "That sounds… rewarding."

"Tutoring a princess, huh?" Raphael pondered. "Sounds like a way better summer job than cooking tacos."

"Marco will be well taken care of." Moon assured. "He'll stay at the castle, free of charge, and have full access to the castle."

"That sounds wonderful!" Angie looked over at Marco. "And you're okay with this, sweetie?"

'Yeah, if getting guilt tripped and threatened with execution counts as being 'okay' with this.' "Yeah, mom. I think this could be a great opportunity for me." Marco said instead.

"Well, okay then. If you say so, then we trust you, sweetie."

"I'm with your mother, son." Raphael said. "Spending a summer in a foriegn country free of charge? Heck, I'll go with you."

Mariposa's crying sounded off on the baby monitor.

"Oh wait, right. We had another kid."

Marco got up from his seat. "I got it."

"Oh thank goodness. Go ahead, Marco." Angie said.

Marco walked upstairs. Leaving the Diazs and the Butterflies to talk.

Angie tapped her tea mug. "So… do you two ever think about having another baby?" Angie asked.

"Oh, goodness no!" River exclaimed. "The one kid is enough!"

Marco could hear Mariposa's crying when he reached the top of the stairs. When he got to Mari's room, he pushed open the door and walked inside. He turned the baby monitor off so his parents couldn't eavesdrop before walking over to Mari's crib. He looked in the crib at the crying baby.

"Hey, Mariposa. Did you miss me?"

Mariposa opened her eyes, when she saw her brother smiling down at her, her eyes lit up like christmas lights. Mariposa fell into a fit of giggling and babbling as she reached up and grabbed the air. "Mawco! Mawco!"

Marco picked Mariposa out of the crib and cradled her against his chest. Mariposa reached up and grabbed a hold of Marco's lip.

"Ah, ah, ah, I issed oo tu." Marco pulled his lip out of Mari's grip (that rhymes). "I missed you too."

Mariposa grabbed Marco's finger. Marco smiled lovingly at his baby sister. "How about a bedtime story?"

"A story sounds pretty nice."

If it wasn't for enduring fifteen years in the hellish lands of the Neverzone, Marco would have screamed at the top of his lungs and crapped himself. But instead, he just let out a frightened squeal and spun around with Mariposa still in his arms. Standing in the corner of the room with a grin on her face, was none other than Janna Ordania.

"How about the story of where Marco Diaz, Safe Kid of Echo Creek, ran off to for the past two days?" Janna crossed her arms. "I honestly don't know whether to be proud or pissed. You're finally doing irresponsible things, but Echo Creek is even more boring without my favorite dork to prank. Not to mention that I'm the police department's top suspect for your disappearance. Gonna need you to clear that up for me later, BT dubs."

Marco took a few calming breaths to lower his heartbeat back down. "Janna. What the heck are you doing in my baby sister's bedroom?"

Janna walked up to the started teen boy. "Actually, I was in your room looking for your wallet hoping you didn't take it with you, when I heard your parents shout your name. I eavesdropped on the conversation between you and your parents and the Queen of England and the King of Erebor down there, but am I really supposed to believe that you actually went to a magical dimension? I'm gonna need some proof for that."

Marco pulled out his dimensional scissors. He cut open a small portal and an identical portal appeared behind a surprised Janna. Marco stuck his head in the portal and it popped up through the portal behind Janna. "This proof enough or do you wanna meet a vampire goat?"

Janna looked back and forth between the two portals, her regular chill mask momentarily gone. "Uh, meeting a vampire goat sounds promising, but, this is good enough proof."

Marco took his head out of the portal and it blinked away. He pocketed his scissors and reached up to rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Listen, Janna. About… about what happened at the cemetary. It was… that was… I-"

"Feel the need to apologize, even though you didn't do anything wrong?" Janna guessed. "You want to tell me that you think I'm great but you don't feel that way towards me, and that you're really sorry about what I did?"

Marco blinked, his mouth hanging open from having his words taken right out of it. "Um… y-yeah. More… or less."

Janna rolled her eyes. "Dude, I get it. You're not into me. That kiss was a spur of the moment thing, nothing to get worked up over. Look, is my current plan to hypnotize you into marrying me one day? Of course it is, who the hell else would I want to get with in this damn town? All the other guys are either repulsive or downright stupid. But that doesn't mean I'm desperate to be your baby mama. You're a great guy, Marco, and all the girls know whoever you choose to impregnate is set for life."

Marco and Mariposa both just stared at Janna. "...I… I appreciate your honesty and your bluntness, Janna." Marco finally replied.

"Mawco." Mari added.

"Speaking of girls you wanna impregnate, Jackie's at the beach. She likes to walk down the shoreline at night before the sun sets. But I bet you already knew that, didn't you ya stalker?"

Marco blushed fiercely. "I'm just… I'm just gonna put Mariposa to bed first."

---

Star stared out her bedroom window with her head resting on the palm of her hand. Star's bedroom was as big as a small house, with three different floors. All three floors had clothes and trinkets thrown across here and there. If there was one thing Princess Star was not, it was tidy and organized. Though she claimed to have her own weird file system in the messy room, which was why Star forbade any of the castle staff to come in and clean up the place.

Star let out a tired sigh. In her other hand, she tapped her wand against her leg.

"Something on your mind, kiddo?"

Star yelped and spun around into a fighting pose. But when she saw who it was, she calmed right back down. "Oh. Hey, Glossaryck."

Glossaryck smiled. "What's bugging you, Star?"

"What? Nothing's bugging me." Star put on an unconvincing smile and hopped on her heels. "If anything is bugging anyone, it's thinking that something's bugging me that's bugging you."

"Yeah?" Glossaryck asked. "You sure nothing's bugging you? Nothing at all?"

Star sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine. So maybe something is bugging me."

"Which would be?"

Star crossed her arms and huffed. "You're the all knowing guru, you tell me."

"As you wish. You're not as stoked as you let on about getting a new tutor."

Star's eyes widened in shock. "Well…" she rubbed her arm nervously. "No… maybe not."

"You're finally getting a tutor that you might be able to connect with. Wanna tell me what the dealio is?"

"Uh, first off, please don't ever say 'dealio' again. You're old. Old people should not try to sound young. Second," Star looked away. "I guess I'm afraid of feeling a little… inadequate next to Marco." she confessed.

Glossaryck raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Inadequate?"

"Well, yeah!" Star exclaimed. "The guy survived fifteen years in the Neverzone and earned himself a pair of dimensional scissors, he saved the princesses of St. Olgas from Monsters and now they all wanna sleep with him, and he chased away Toffee! Freakin' Toffee!"

Glossaryck just blinked.

"And he didn't even know magic existed until like, two days ago, and the guy saved my life!" Star took a breather from her rant. "He's the reason I did so well against Toffee with my wand, and that wasn't even enough. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to have him be my tutor. I just… don't want to get shown up, ya know?"

Glossaryck stared at Star with a blank face.

Then he burst into laughter.

Star glared at Glossaryck as he laughed, looking ready to bring the wand down on him. "Thank you for your counsel, Oh, wise and great Glossaryck. Your compassion knows no bounds."

Glossaryck wiped away a few tears as his laughter ceased. "Star, you are a magical princess capable of blowing up buildings and summoning talking clouds. Don't think that Marco, the kid from a non-magical, backwater dimension, will be the one who feels inadequate?"

Star blinked her eyes. "Well… when you put it that way…"

"Star, Marco is not here to be your superior, nor is he here to be your inferior. Don't think of him as your teacher or mentor, just think of him as your friend. As your equal."

Star tiled her head. "As a friend, huh?" Star smiled. "I should do something nice for him when he gets back!"

"That's a thought." said Glossaryck.

"Yeah!" Star exclaimed. "I'll magic him up something awesome!"

"Okay, wait. Maybe hold back on the ma-"

"Maybe I'll turn his bed into a comfy dragon! Or give him magic shoes that make him run extremely fast! Or maybe I could give him laser eyes! How cool would that be?!"

"Yeah, all of those things sound like they'll backfire horrendously. Star, just-"

"Maybe I'll give him super strength! Or super intelligence! Or super… something else!" Star twirled her wand in the air, zapping a nearby pair of pants in the process and turning them into an otter. "Whatever I land on, he's gonna loooove it!"

Glossaryck bit his bottom lip. "Mmmmm, maybe I should've just kept my mouth shut."

---

Jackie breathed in the salty, sea air. She watched the ocean sunset, thankful she lived in the western states. An ocean sunrise would have been nice too, but Jackie never got up that early. Jackie loved to come to the beach every night to watch the sunset, although she always brought some pepper spray just in case she wasn't alone.

Jackie thought about Marco, and how they were going to walk down the beach together. She wondered what had happened to him. She would've given anything to see him again, just to know he was safe.

A blue portal appeared in front of Jackie, and a guy jumped out of it. "Hey, Jackie, I'm-"

In her frightened state, Jackie pulled out her pepper spray and doused the guy's eyes.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the guy brought his hands to his eyes and fell to the ground. "IT BURNS! IT BURNS!"

"Marco?!" Jackie said when she realized who she just pepper sprayed. "Oh my god, I am so sorry!" Jackie knelt down next to Marco. "Are you oka-wait, sorry. Stupid question. Oh god, it must hurt like hell."

"That is a serious understatement to the amount of pain that I'm feeling right now." Marco replied in a strained voice. He removed his hands from his eyes. They were red and the tears were flowing like open faucets. "I take it that stuff wasn't cheap, huh?"

"Yeah, sorry. My dad makes sure I'm armed with the top notch spray." Jackie apologized.

"Tell your dad he got his money's worth."

Jackie snorted. "Will do. Are your eyes getting better?"

"No, they still sting crazy bad and if it wasn't for your voice I wouldn't be able to tell if it was you." Marco said.

"Oh damn."

"Yeah, I'm gonna need a minute."

Jackie lifted Marco's head up and rested it on her lap, causing Marco to blush. "Well, while you're waiting for your eyesight to come back, you wanna tell me why you just jumped out of a freaking portal? Where the hell did you go; Narnia?"

"Eh, close. I fell down a magic well and ended up in a kingdom of monsters and magic queens and-you know what, it's a lot like Narnia, huh? Anyway, I ended up in a place called Mewni, which is basically a way more messed up version of Narnia, and the Queen offered me a job to tutor the Princess."

"Woah, moving up to royalty. Bet that's gonna pay good." Jackie remarked.

"It better, I heard the Princess turned her last tutor into a pig or a goat or something."

"Yeesh. Janna at least never turned you into an animal." Jackie tilted her head curiously. "By the way, have you talked to Janna yet?"

Marco gulped. "Yeah, I did and… I think the safest thing to say is that she was honest with me."

"That's good to hear."

Marco sat up from the sand and Jackie's lap. He brought his hands together and twiddled his thumbs nervously. "Listen, Jackie." he looked into her eyes as best as he could with his pepper sprayed ones. "I'm gonna be working in Mewni for the summer, so I won't be around for a while."

Jackie blinked her marine-green eyes. "Yeah?"

"But…" Marco took a breath. "But… I was hoping… that… we could… still do this. Meet up on the beach… and stuff… minus the pepper spray."

Jackie grinned. "You want me to be your girlfriend." it was a statement, not a question.

Marco's face matched his eyes in hue. "Y-y-yeah. I would… very much like that."

Jackie tapped her chin in thought. "Weeeell… I did just pepper spray you, so I guess I owe a few dates."

Marco's heart began to beat faster. "So… was that a yes?"

"Take a wild guess." Jackie said before pecking Marco on the lips.

Marco came close to fainting on the spot, but the pain in his eyes kept him from doing so. Jackie stood up and dusted the sand off of her shorts. "I gotta get going, my parents start to worry if I'm gone too long." she smiled down on Marco. "Let me know when you're free for a date." Jackie walked away, leaving Marco feeling pretty good about the future.

---

Outside of the leering Monster Temple, an X-shaped blue portal appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Miss Heinous, Rasticore, and Gemini emerged from that portal. Heinous looked up at the temple as the portal blinked out of existence. The building was both outlandish and grand, like an eccentric work of art. The temple had been built into the mountain, the large, rock carving of a monster had been built into the side of the mountain. The water that came out of the mouth made it look like the stone monster was drooling.

"Well, so we're finally here." Miss Heinous commented bitterly. "And it only took, what, six attempts?"

"This thing gets buggy right after a kill." Rasticore protested. "Whenever I chainsaw someone, I normally stick around for a bit to let the thing cool down. Look through their stuff, grab a bite to eat out of the fridge, use the toilet, or just run if the heat's on me."

"As I often told the princesses of St. Olga's; I want results, not excuses."

Rasticore growled. "Follow me. And watch what you touch! This is sacred ground." Rasticore led Heinous and Gemini up the stairs. Gemini had trouble keeping up with his gimp leg, but Heinous walked right behind the Septarian. As they neared the peak, Heinous noticed that Rasticore was losing a lot of tension, but not all of it. Whatever was getting into Rasticore, Heinous could feel it too. There was something about this place that called to the both of them, making the temple feel like a sanctuary that needed to be protected.

The two of them reached the entrance to the temple, a large, iron, double door with symbols and motifs etched into the metal. "I find it amazing that the Butterfly family allows this temple to stand." Heinous remarked.

"To them, this temple has no importance. They probably find it not worth the effort." said Rasticore. "Besides, as much as they hate Monsters, they fear the spirits more. No Mewman in their right mind would tear down a temple dedicated to the spirits of old." Rasticore walked up to the temple doors and pushed them open. The doors slid open easily enough. Rasticore sniffed the entrance and growled. "No one's in there now, but there was a whole mass of Monsters in the temple maybe a day or two ago. Might have been where Toffee gathered his forces before moving on to your school."

Heinous walked through the doors, and Rasticore followed. Gemini finally made it up the stairs and joined them. As Rasticore said, the temple was vacant of any life. Heinous, Gemini and Rasticore walked into the center of the temple's main hall. Heinous looked around with eyes wide open. This place felt… somehow familiar to her.

Rasticore looked over at Heinous. "Do you know what to look for?" he asked.

Heinous looked around. She began walking and Rasticore and Gemini followed. Heinous led the curious Septarian and confused android through the twist and turns of the temple. Heinous had no real idea where she was going, but something was pulling her deeper into the temple.

The three of them eventually came to a large room, big enough to hold a couple of houses, deep within the temple. The dust and cobwebs suggested that the room had been empty for quite some time.

Gemini looked around distastefully. "What is this ghastly place-"

They all froze when they saw the Monster.

Looking back, it was a wonder they didn't notice him the second they entered the room. For one, the Monster was huge. A hulking titan who was at least thirty feet tall. His large, reddish-purple body had dark purple tiger stripes along his shoulders and arms. His white hair was lightly tinted purple and hung down from his head, tied into a topknot on his scalp. He had four yellow eyes, the bottom two bigger than the top two.

He was also trapped in a giant crystal. His fanged open maw was halted mid roar. His face was frozen in both anger and anguish, as if being condemned inside the crystal was a fate worse than death and he knew that when he was imprisoned.

Rasticore let his chainsaw drop to the floor, he stared up at the Monster like he was a trapped god. "The legends are true." he said in awe.

Gemini looked scared of the giant Monster. He cowered behind Rasticore. "W-Who is that frozen fellow?"

"That… is Globgor the Size-Shifter." Rasticore knelt down in reverence. "The greatest Monster King our kind has ever known."

Gemini tilted his bald head. "I am not entirely familiar with Mewman or Monster history, but I have heard of a Globgor. The Prince of Darkness, the Plucker of Limbs, and so on and so forth. But, wasn't that hundreds of Mewnian years ago?"

Rasticore stood back up. "Indeed. And yet, here he is. Trapped, but preserved within this crystal prison."

"I take it the Mewmans were not a fan of this King, eh?" Gemini asked.

"The tragedy of King Globgor goes further than just the Mewman's blind hatred towards our kind." Rasticore explained. "Believe it or not, this guy fell in love with one of the Queens of Mewni, Eclipsa, the Queen of Darkness, and she fell in love with him. But no one supported their love, especially not the Mewmans. So they ran away together, decided to just forget Mewni entirely and leave it all behind them. But the Mewmans found out about them, and a hunt for the newlyweds commenced. Globgor and Eclipsa were found and brought back to Mewni."

"Oh dear." said Gemini. "Miss Heinous, I think we should leave this cursed place… Miss Heinous?"

Heinous had remained incredibly quiet. She stared up at the Monster King as if in a trance, her face a blend of curiosity and confusion.

Rasticore and Gemini glanced at each other. Rasticore coughed into his fist. "Uh, Miss Heinous? You okay?"

Heinous made no indication that she had even heard Rasticore speak. She just kept on staring at the imprisoned Monster.

She felt… a connection to him. A bond that she could not explain.

---

"So it's agreed." Queen Moon said. "We'll keep Marco at the Butterfly Castle during Earth's summer season."

"He'll be taken care of, right?" Angie asked.

"Not to worry, Mrs. Diaz." said King River. "For tutoring our daughter, he'll be treated like royalty."

"Will we be able to contact him?" Raphael asked. "I don't think our phone plan covers interdimensional lines."

"Leave that to us." Queen Moon said. "And besides, with his dimensional scissors, he can return to Earth whenever he wishes."

Angie and Raphael looked at each other, then back at the Queen. "We agree if Marco agrees." Angie stated.

Queen Moon was surprised by how much faith they had in their child. She wished she could trust Star as much as the Diazs trusted Marco. The thought made Moon feel guilty though, and ashamed for even having the thought. The Queen snapped her fingers and a rolled up scroll magically appeared in the air. "Well, when Marco comes back downstairs, we'll have him sign the contract and we'll all be good to go from there."

As if on cue, a blue portal appeared in the kitchen and Marco stepped out. He had a happy smile on his face, but his eyes were painfully red and watery.

"Marco?" Angie stood up from the table in concern. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, uhhhh," Marco pocketed his scissors. "...long story?"

"Hold still, Marco." Queen Moon pointed two fingers at Marco's eyes and a couple of blue lights shot into his eyes, healing them almost instantly.

Marco blinked his eyes in relief. "Thank you, Queen Moon."

"Wow. That magic's no joke." Raphael commented.

Queen Moon plucked the contract out of the air and set it on the table. "Now, Marco Daiz, all I need is your signature, and then we can move you into the castle." the Queen rolled out the surprisingly long contract. Half of it fell off the table and onto the floor. Queen Moon snapped her fingers and a writing quill appeared in the air in front Marco.

Marco grabbed the quill and walked up to the table. He did a quick read of the part of the contract that was on the table. It was mostly notices that the Queen and her court were not to be held responsible for a large variety of things that could happen to him. Marco gulped.

'I must be out of my mind.' Marco thought as he signed his name.

---

Heinous continued to stare at the frozen giant. She didn't even move, she was as still as a statue. Rasticore was running out of patience, but he decided not to push her. Instead, he walked up and placed a hand on Heinous's shoulder. "Miss Heinous?"

Heinous finally tore her gaze from Globgor and looked at Rasticore. She looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Is this what Toffee wanted you to find?" Rasticore asked.

"...I…" Heinous swallowed. "I don't know. He didn't say."

"Curse it, Toffee." Rasticore muttered. "Why do you always have to be so damn vague?"

"Are we supposed to break him out?" Gemini asked.

"Heh, Good luck." Rasticore scoffed. "I've seen that kind of crystal before. It's the doing of the Magic High Commission. It's unbreakable, no amount of damage we do will be able to so much as scratch that prison."

Gemini scratched his head. "Why didn't they just kill the big guy? Why imprison him?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe they were afraid of what Eclipsa would be able to do once he was dead." Rasticore guessed. "She excelled in the darker arts of magic. Everyone was scared of her because of that, but until she ran off with King Globgor, no one was brave enough to oppose their Queen."

"Wait, does that mean that Queen Eclipsa is also-" Gemini stopped talking when he saw that Heinous was gone. "Where did Miss Heinous go?!"

Rasticore and Gemini looked around, but Heinous had vanished. The Septarian sniffed the air. "I got her scent. She wears so much perfume, it's easy to smell where she went." Rasticore began following the scent. "This way."

Gemini hobbled after Rasticore, who followed the scent through the temple. They eventually came to a hallway that led them to a broken iron door. Rasticore and Gemini walked through into a nursery of some kind. The room was filled with old toys and other things. Everything was frail and covered in dust. It was safe to say no one had been in here for a long time.

Heinous was kneeling in front of an old crib. Rasticore and Gemini slowly walked up to either side of her. They saw she was holding some kind of doll, it kinda looked like the Monster King Globgor.

"What is this place?" Gemini asked.

"...It can't be." Rasticore carefully reached out to the crib. He wiped away the dust that was covering the wooden front frame. On the frame, the name Meteora was carved into the wood.

Rasticore's one eye went wide. "...It is." he whispered.

Gemini read the name. "Who is Meteora?"

"...Some stories speak of a child of Eclispa and Globgor," said Rasticore. "A child… that was lost."

Heinous remained silent.

"Egad." replied Gemini. "What do you mean lost?"

"Depends on the story, really." Rasticore answered. "But none of them have a happy ending."

Gemini gulped. "M-Miss Heinous, I think we should-"

"Do not call me that."

The force of her tone caused both Gemini and Rasticore to quickly back away in fear. "P-P-Pardon me… Ma'am?" Gemini whimpered.

Heinous stood up from the floor and turned around. She angrily wiped away the makeup on her cheeks, revealing the turquoise club cheek marks that decorated them.

"My name," her eyes became purple and reptilian. "is Meteora."

---

End of chapter 4. In chapter 5, Marco begins his job as Star's tutor… won't that be a blast?

Thank you for reading my story, please review and let me know what ya think.