This is the last Janna focused chapter for a little while, with the next chapter being one final detour before we cut back to Star/Marco. Special thanks goes out to both RickRolland and Blackwolf for feedback on this chapter.


The soothing moonlight shone down over Echo Creek, like a warm blanket keeping everyone warm and happy during pleasant dreams. Matching that calming atmosphere was a sense of complete quietness, with only the stray passing car and the crackling of the street lights making any semblance of sound.

But another sound joined them, being the bitter sobbing of Janna Ordana as she hugged herself and sat on the Diaz's Rooftop. Through glassy eyes, Janna was staring at the fading crescent moon, with daybreak almost soon making it invisible once more.

Thinking of the Sun, her mind couldn't get the damned scene from the dream out of her mind. Star looking squarely in her direction, her cold blue eyes smugly looking at her horrified brown ones. As if she knew she 'won' some unspoken war.

Janna grit her teeth, hugging herself tighter and cursing the forces of fate that took Marco from her. Part of her wanted to scream in frustration, covering her face as images of Star holding a half-naked Marco in her arms kept playing on loop. And seeing him just completely accept things, going all the way with this stranger…

Why?

She wiped her face, looking up at the crescent moon once more.

Why does this hurt so much?

Janna wasn't no stranger to seeing Marco with other people. For years, girls in school always had their eye on her Safe Kid and she even didn't mind Jackie having her time with Marco. But the realization of how 'real' this felt hit harder than any of those.

Imagining Marco 'going all the way' with someone, rattled her bones. More so knowing he willingly acted on it.

Maybe… Maybe the Blood Moon is controlling him?

She looked up, hoping that damned moon would answer her question. But was instead met with the fading crescent moon, its final gazes of moonlight shining over the houses around her.

Taking a deep breath and composing herself, Janna relaxed her legs and let them dangle off the roof as she looked at the friendly moon. Unlike the Blood Moon, which took Marco from her, the Crescent Moon just shone down on Echo Creek like a gentle guardian.

You bring back a lot of good memories.

Janna closed her eyes, reflecting on the many times her and Marco sat on the roof together. She was surprised his parents never caught them sitting on the roof, but she never cared. When they were on the roof together, it was just the two of them against the harsh world.

No noise, no static, and no drama. Just two best friends alone together.

When things didn't involve blonde airheads and magical moons.

She sighed in content, her pleased smile turning into a thin line on her lips.

Should… Should I just accept he's gone?

Janna sat upright, hugging her legs and eyes narrowing.

He moved on from me, and Echo Creek. So why should I even bother thinking he's still alive? Might as well be…

She was so lost in her thoughts, Janna didn't hear Ocram carefully scramble his way on the roof. After some trouble, he found footing and sat down next to her.

Janna turned toward him, a smile returning on her face seeing him awkwardly wave at her. He tried speaking again, but nothing escaped his mouth. He sighed, looking at Janna pleadingly for some reason.

"I'm alright, just… Reflecting on things." She rubbed her arm as her smile turned into a thin line. "Had some nightmares but it'll pass."

She put on a brave face, lying through her teeth like usual.

"As an evil Witch, I have to relish in the darkness, you know?"

Ocram reached over and took her hand, giving it a firm squeeze. Janna looked at her hand, her facade breaking.

"...Even you don't by my excuse, huh?"

He shook his head, scooting closer and holding out his arms as Janna hugged him back. She looked back up at the crescent moon, getting lost in its ethereal glow. Ocram looked up at the moon himself, though he wasn't as awestruck as Janna.

"It's really hard trying to… accept all of this." She started, eyes locked at the moon and her voice cracking. "Marco was my best friend and he… I guess the dork really had a firm hold on my tainted heart."

Ocram hugged Janna tighter.

"My dream… Well, it's likely a vision more than anything."

Janna was silent for a moment before she closed her eyes and focused on the troubled vision.

"I was in a Hellish looking place and you wouldn't believe it. It looked like how I always imagined Hell would look like." She smirked, shaking her head in disbelief. "I even met a cute succubus too. It would've been cool if… I didn't end up seeing Marco and Star go to town with one another…"

She couldn't go further than that, feeling if she continued tears would fall down again.

"He always was my Safe Kid, my little dork with a heart of gold. Now? I don't know." She opened her eyes, letting the tears fall. "How could he just… Abandon all of us?"

Ocram let go of Janna, taking out his notepad and writing something down. He showed it to Janna.

'You really think he's moved on? Or you think this Star person is controlling him?'

Janna shook her head, hugging herself and a bitter scowl forming on her face.

"With how he acted around her? I doubt it. He's never that confident around anyone. And they apparently had sex before I even showed up. So… No, he's making his decisions willingly."

She clenched her fist, furry focused on Marco for hurting her like this.

"How could he do this? Doesn't he know…"

Ocram tapped her shoulder, canceling her angry thoughts with a concerned smile. He held up his notepad and Janna wanted to laugh at Ocram's seemingly innocent question.

'If I'm his clone… Maybe I could make a guess?'

Janna shrugged her shoulders and let Ocram write his guess down. She focused on his face and saw it contort between smiles, frowns and a confused grimace. He eventually settled on something, showing her the notepad.

'He likely found purpose with this Star person and is being loyal to her. But you told him how you felt. So maybe… Maybe he never felt the same way?'

Janna gave him a harsh glare, her brown eyes flaring with dark magic for a split second.

Ocram gulped and looked away from her. Seeing him cower in fear, she sighed and gave him a softer look.

"You really are different from him, being able to be real like that. And give yourself more credit, Ocram."

She threw her arm around his shoulders, giving him a friendly smirk.

"I can turn you invisible but other than that, you have a firm grasp on the wheel." She folded her arms. "I treat my minions like equals."

Ocram smiled, looking at his notepad and writing in it again.

'Well, I'm here at least. And sorry if I upset you. Just… Trying to understand all this myself.'

Janna smiled, taking his hand and giving it a firm squeeze.

"Don't sell yourself that short, Jackie's pretty jealous you've latched on to me."

Ocram shrugged his shoulders, making Janna burst out laughing.

"Man, you really are a different breed of Diaz, aren't you?"

The two sat in content silence, looking up at the sky and smiling. Janna pointed at the crescent moon, with Ocram's eyes focusing on it as the sun slowly swallowed it whole.

"The reason I love looking at the moon so much… It's flawed, but beautiful."

Ocram gave her a look, but intently listened as Janna continued.

"Each cycle of the moon represents something, but I think the crescent moon is the most beautiful."

She sighed, laying on her back and fully relaxing herself. Ocram tried to mirror her but he winced at the roof's edges somewhat digging into his back.

"It's not fully formed, but it's still shining just as bright. To me, it feels like the crescent phase is the moon's true form."

Her smile turned somber, eyes looking away from the moon.

"A broken thing, trying it's best to stay strong."

Janna felt a piece of paper land on her chest, picking it up as Ocram looked firmly at the moon, it fading into the sky as the Sun proudly shined through the fluffy white clouds. She read it and her eyes widened as she read it aloud.

"Broken things can be the most beautiful."

She could only look at Ocram awestruck, heart pounding in her chest. He turned toward her, giving a genuine smile as the warm light of daybreak shined down on his body.

If Janna squinted hard enough, she could see Marco sitting in Ocrams place.

Ocram blinked, rubbing his neck sheepishly and mouthing 'sorry' after noticing Janna staring at him. Taking his hand, Janna shook her head.

"I… I don't mind, but just be careful with that. Might do something crazy with you and don't think you'd want that."

Ocram gave her a confused look but his mind eventually connected the dots. His face turned nine shades of red, throwing up his black hoodie in embarrassment.

Some things never change.


"What's with all the…" Mrs. Diaz rubbed her eyes, body not fully awake yet. But she heard a lot of noise in the kitchen and was ready to grab the family bat, but Mr. Diaz told her to just 'come down'.

She understood why, seeing Janna wipe sweat from her forehead and fixing the last plate of eggs, bacon and fluffy pancakes.

"Oh, my demons haunted me so I woke up early. Figured I can make some food for you guys."

Mrs. Diaz gave her a thankful look, walking over to the coffee pot and getting it brewed for everyone. Janna noticed the surprised gaze Mrs. Diaz gave her but she shrugged it off.

It was more Ocram's doing than mine, just following his pointers.

If she knew one thing about Marco, and she knew more or less everything about the dork, it was that he was a good cook.

Wonder if he…

She shook her head, ignoring the cursed image of Marco making bacon and eggs for the blonde harpy. Taking a deep breath, she sat down and started munching her food. Janna looked toward the window, seeing a floating plate and a fork moving around.

Well, at least he can eat in peace. Hopefully the Masons don't mind seeing a ghost.

"So, cariño… The usual nightmares?" Mrs. Diaz sat down, sipping her freshly brewed cup of coffee and taking a bite out of her bacon. "Remember you always had those during sleepovers."

Janna sighed, getting up and getting a cup of coffee of her own. The aroma of freshly grounded beans soothed her troubled mind.

"Let's just say it was… A vivid display of passion."

"Oh my…" Mrs. Diaz covered her mouth.

Oh my, indeed.

Janna took a creamer from the fridge and poured some of it into her coffee mug. Taking a sip, she sighed in content. Her tired body sat back down, seeing Jackie and Mr. Diaz walking into the kitchen.

Jackie was surprised at the meal before them but Mr. Diaz had a knowing smile. Jackie looked toward Mrs. Diaz, wanting to thank her for the good-looking breakfast. She shook her head however, nudging her head toward Janna.

"No way," Jackie sat down, using the fork to check for 'surprises' in the pancakes. "Where are the spiders? Or marshmallow bats?"

"Give me lip and I'll spit in your food next time, Puta." Janna smirked, leaning back in her seat and enjoying Jackie's annoyed pout.

"Thank you hija, a good meal always brightens up the day as they say." Mr. Diaz got an empty mug from the cabinet, getting a '#1 Sensei' mug and getting himself coffee as well. "Never knew you could cook."

Janna stabbed her fork in a pancake and picked it up.

"Learned from spying on my dork, he was pretty good at this stuff. And…" She held the pancake to her lips, a frown forming on them. "...Nevermind." She put the pancake down, sighing and slugging down a large swig of coffee.

Jackie raised an eyebrow as Janna glared into her plate.

"Something wrong dear?" Mrs. Diaz spoke up. "If you need to talk about anything, we are here for you."

"At least you guys are…" Janna grumbled.

Jackie narrowed her eyes, picking up on Janna's implication. Sensing her friend's judgemental gaze, she harshly turned to her.

"What? Am I wrong?"

Jackie folded her arms and frowned.

"No, you're not wrong. But… We all miss him, alright?"

You didn't see him sleep with a damned blonde bimbo, did you Jackie?!

She wanted to shout at her friend but Janna clenched her fists, focusing on happy thoughts. But her mind refused to go away from the dream last night. Her mind was so clouded, she didn't notice Mrs. Diaz reach across the table. She gently touched Janna's hand, giving her a soft gaze.

"He was just like this when Mariposa left us."

Janna blinked, being at a loss for words. The silence on her end pushed Mrs. Diaz to continue, closing her eyes and fighting back tears.

"He… He closed himself off from everyone. And you know how Marco gets when he focuses on something."

Janna looked away from her, feeling like crap. Memories of numerous times Marco either focused on only his training, studies or whatever played on loop. Whenever he was upset about something or his damned stubbornness bubbled to the surface, Marco shut the entire world around him out.

And now he's focused on Star.

"Yeah…" Janna harshly munched on her food, now tasting like ash on her lips. Jackie gave her another curious look but Janna's dower one made her give up, focusing on finishing her meal.

Tense silence lingered in the colorful kitchen, warm sunlight shining through the semi-open window. Eventually, Mr. Diaz broke the ice and threw his hands up in the air, getting everyone's attention.

"Come on, familia. We celebrate the passing of loved ones as they move to the next world." He clapped his hands together, giving everyone a somewhat forced smile. "Let's just feel blessed that just like our Diaz's before us, Marco is watching over us right…"

Janna bolted up, interrupting Mr. Diaz.

"How do you know he's watching over us? For all we know, he's moved on… Finding something better."

Janna walked away from the table, ignoring the burning gazes from Jackie and Mrs. Diaz.

"Janna."

She froze, stopping inches away from the door. Mr. Diaz's stern voice pinned her in place. Janna refused to turn around, not wanting to show them her tearful eyes.

"We respect the dead's wishes."

Janna gripped the door knob, feeling ready to rip it off the hinges.

"Regardless if he's with us right now, or in our hearts… Marco will never be truly gone."

"Just like MarMar, right?"

Janna opened the door, running out of the warm embrace of the Diaz Household and into the cold reality of the world around her. Refusing to see the heartbroken faces of people she called family.


Sitting alone by the Echo Creek Riverbed, Janna covered her face in shame. After walking alone for an hour or so, she eventually found an old stomping ground that Marco and her visited from time to time.

As if on cue, a small family of ducklings glided across the mostly clean water. Their yellow feathers looked all cute, making little chirps the moment they spotted Janna.

"Hey little guys, been a while huh?"

The mama duck jumped out of the water. Mama flapped its large wings and waddled toward Janna, giving her a curious look with her beady black eyes.

"Don't have much on me, but here."

She dug into pocket and took out a granola bar. Breaking it up into a few pieces, she gently threw them on the ground. The Mama studied them before making a loud 'quack', telling her babies they can eat the food.

Janna felt a warm smile forming, watching the little ones enjoying the surprise meal.

"Ah, you like animals too, don't you?"

Janna blinked, looking around for the voice's source. A knowing giggle got her attention, turning to her right and seeing the phantom of a strange old lady sit down next to her.

Rubbing her eyes and hoping her chips from the Stop and Slurp earlier weren't spiked, she still saw the phantom.

The phantom looked very much out of place in Echo Creek, wearing a poofy purple dress and having a rather old-fashioned hat on her head. The phantom even wore purple gloves, matching her almost enchanting magenta eyes.

"Oh posh, you aren't seeing things." She snapped her fingers, making a loaf of bread appear in her hands. Snapping it in half, she passed the other half to Janna. "Here you go, dear. The little guys need to eat up."

"Sure…"

Janna sniffed the bread, giving it a curious look before breaking off a small piece. She threw it on the ground, sighing in relief that the ducklings enjoyed it. Her and the surprise stranger gave the entire loaf to the ducklings and the mama, enjoying the content silence with…

"Eclipsa, dear. Pleasure to meet you… Janna was it?"

"How do you know my name?"

Janna felt oddly at ease with Eclipsa but part of her screamed 'run away'. And that voice oddly enough sounded like Marco's.

But he's not here, is he?

She shook her concern off, nodding at Eclipsa.

"Always willing to help future Dark Magic casters. They are the future legacy of Mewni, after all." She winked at Janna.

Mewni…

Janna bolted up, giving Eclipsa a pleading look as a realization dawned on her.

"Y-You know how to get there?"

Eclipsa for a split second grinned but an unassuming smile replaced it. She held out her hand, as if asking Janna to take it.

"I can show you, if you are interested. But I have my conditions, of course."

Janna sat back down, giving Eclipsa a hard look.

"Getting major 'evil witch' vibes from you. And while I dig that, you got marks like her." She pointed at Eclipsa's spade cheek marks. "Could just be another one of those Butterfly bimbos trying to ruin my life."

Janna huffed hot air, eyes narrowed at the empty lake.

"Tired of this shit, no offense lady."

Eclipsa laughed, clearly amused at Janna's distrust.

"Oh my, you are a sharp one aren't you?" She scooted closer to Janna, sitting right next to her and looking into the lake. "You were Dreamwalking and saw where Star was on Mewni, correct?"

Janna bit her lip, nodding.

"And where might that be, if you don't mind me asking?"

Janna felt Eclipa put her gloved hand around her shoulder.

"...Heartbreak Hotel, in Hell?"

Eclipsa pulled Janna into a hug.

"And what did you see, during your dreamwalking?"

Janna fought back a storm of emotions. But she just felt 'safe' in this strange woman's arms.

"That my best friend is moving on from my life." She felt tears come down her face. "It hurts. It fucking hurts."

"There, there… Let it all out dear." Janna hugged Eclipsa tight, letting all her pent up feelings release like a sealed dam. Despite being a phantom, Eclipsa felt warm as a real person. "I was in your position, actually."

Janna sniffled, letting go of Eclipsa and wiping her face.

"Really?"

She nodded, looking up at the sky and smiling at a memory.

"When I was your age, I fell in love with a charming monster named Globgor. I was no stranger to sleeping around, as I was a curious Butterfly princess you see."

So the airhead doesn't fall far from the fucked up tree, huh?

"Huh… But you found him and what? Ruled over Mewni or some crap like that?" Eclipsa sighed, shaking her head and folding her arms.

"If only it was that easy, dear. See, monster love is forbidden on Mewni."

Why?

Janna wanted to ask but Eclipsa started crying.

"Oh my, this is very hard for me to bring up. Don't mind me, but I will maybe tell you the full story another time."

Such a tease…

Janna felt pressing for questions on her past would be a fool's errand, so she focused on the ones that mattered to her.

"So how do I get to Mewni? I… I want to get my friend back and to teach Star a lesson." Janna got up, clenching her fists and feeling furry come over her. "She stole him from me and needs to…"

Janna turned to Eclipsa, having a pleading look in her eyes. She ignored the almost smug Eclipsa was making, not caring about the details for once.

"I will guide you in the right direction." She held out her hand. "Just… Take my hand and I will give you a small…"

Janna was going to take her hand but felt Ocram leap before her, brown eyes narrowed like daggers at Eclipsa.

"Oh my… You made a familiar?"

Ocram didn't budge, a look of pure murder in his eyes. He watched Eclipsa's every move like a hawk. Janna noticed Eclipsa looking frightened, backing away somewhat.

"Cool it, Ocram. She's going to help us get to Mewni, okay?"

He mouthed 'what?!' and shook his head.

"She's my only ticket to Mewni, please… Let's hear her out."

Ocram gave Janna a hard look, eyes darting between Eclipsa and her. Eventually he relented, letting his guard down and folding his arms.

"You… You let your familiar have free will?" Janna tilted her head at Eclipsa's question. "Ah… Something I can teach you another time then." She held out her hand again, with Janna taking it.

"So what? Sign my name in blood or something?"

Eclipsa grinned, squeezing Janna's hand. A surge of pain shot through Janna's body, a loud scream escaping her mouth as dark magic flowed through every fiber of her being.

Janna fell on her knees, spitting out blood and looking at her shaking hands. Ocram made a leaping strike at Eclipsa but she vanished in an instant.

Go to the well… Embrace the familiar taste of poison, to find your love.

Eclipsa's voice was the last thing Janna heard before she passed out cold on the warm stone.


Janna groaned in pain, mumbling curses as the cursed Sun shined in her face. Vision blurred, she rubbed her throbbing skull, faintly recalling meeting Eclipsa and shaking the woman's hand.

But how did…

She looked around her, seeing the familiar rusted seats and tables of Bartia's Tacos greet her.

Still smells like weed. Guessing Oskar is working today, huh?

Looking down at the table, her eyes widened. She saw both her hands have strange purple marks, snaking up to her wrists.

"I never got a tattoo before, what the…"

She gingerly touched her wrist, wincing at the sharp pain snaking up her body. Hissing from the pain, she carefully looked them over and tried to make out the pattern. They looked like a spider web, with its various strings coming from her center palm.

Clenching her fist, Janna could feel something dance inside her heart. A power she never felt before. The sound of a plastic tray hitting the table got her attention, looking at Ocram giving her a relieved smile. He passed her a burrito and a drink.

"Anyone freak out seeing 'Marco' running around again?"

Ocram pointed to Oskar, laughing dumbly behind the counter and taking another puff from his vape pen. Janna smirked at the sight, happy something in her life has been consistent.

She looked at the table, seeing Ocram's notepad. The page it was on had a lot written on it, with Ocram pointing at the notepad. Janna put down her barito and carefully read the paper.

'Eclipsa left after you got knocked out. I was going to text Jackie but figured that was a bad idea after this morning…'

You were spying on us, huh?

She continued, giving him a thankful look.

'...So I took you here and used Marco's money stash to get some things.'

Janna looked up, seeing Ocram having a backpack on his person.

'Figured you were going to head off to Mewni, so got supplies and a change of clothes. Hope you don't mind me wearing red, I had to rush getting things out of Marco's room.'

You dork.

"And what makes you think we are going to Mewni? I don't know how…"

Find the well… Embrace your poison…

Eclipsa's words rang in her skull, making Janna blink in surprise. She looked toward Ocram, who was writing something down in his notepad.

'Maybe after we get Marco back, this Star person can get the dark magic out of you. You reek of it.'

"Like hell I'm gonna ask for her help!" Janna scoffed, harshly biting into her food. Ocram reached over, holding her hand and giving a genuinely scared look.

You're lucky you look like him.

"We can figure this out on our own, alright? Besides, pretty sure we can find a demon or someone that could do a better job anyway."

Maybe that succubus from the Heartbreak Hotel could help me out, she seemed willing to talk about dark magic with me in the dream.

Ocram nodded, but didn't look convinced. He started writing again and once he finished, got up and began pacing around the food court.

Janna took a sip from her drink, thankful it was Cherry Cola. She picked up his notepad and her eyes widened.

'The way to Mewni is here, somewhere. I can sense it. Give me a moment to make a distraction.'

Distraction?

Janna gave him a look as Ocram jumped over the counter and landed right in front of Oskar. He screamed in horror, but Ocram pressed a pressure point on his neck. He was knocked out cold, foaming at the mouth.

Ocram shot her a thumbs up, making Janna spit out her drink.

He really takes after me, so proud of him.

She vaulted over the counter and followed Ocram as he looked around the gross kitchen area like a hound dog. Janna touched the counter tops for a moment, frowning at the grease touching her fingers.

Janna wanted to wince at the grossness of the kitchen but the scared faces of other staff amused her. They were mumbling about a ghost haunting them, likely stoned out of their minds like Oskar.

"Yeah, I'm the one that made your little ghost." Janna leaned in their face, her eyes flashing purple for a split second. "Want me to turn you into chop meat? I could."

Ocram turned around, giving her a harsh glare.

"What? Their lives would be more exciting being food."

Ocram shook his head, opening the door to the storage area. Janna sighed, shoving hands into her pockets and following Ocram down a flight of stairs. They eventually found a strange area, looking more like a cave than a typical walk-in box you would find in a restaurant or fast food joint.

Janna stared at a mural, being partially covered by dirt and grime. Walking toward it, she rubbed some of the dirt away and was able to see more of the mural. A small man was at the very top of the mural, a water of some kind coming out of his hands and mouth like a fountain. And surrounding him were boats and human-like people.

"Unicorns?" Janna noticed the horse-like creatures at the bottom, smiling as they were sitting in the water. "I'm pretty sure they don't exist."

Ocram noticed Janna looking at the mural, rubbing his chin deep in thought. They looked at each other before the two collective shrugged their shoulders.

We can worry about that later.

She made a dark grin.

I could maybe get some answers out of Star later anyway.

They walked deeper into the cave, passing by empty boxes of chop meat and other crap used for the various tacos and burritos.

Note to self, burn this place to the ground when I get back.

Ocram seemingly mirrored her thoughts, having this disgusted look on his face as he carefully walked over excess crap laying around. The two eventually found something that stuck out more than anything in the cave-like area.

It was a well, of all things. Its stonework looked very medieval, the stones yellowed and charred oddly enough. Janna looked into the well, seeing nothing inside it. Just a dark abyss, beckoning for someone or something to be thrown down into it.

Ocram tapped her shoulder, holding out his hand. She mouthed 'oh', realizing she was holding on to his notepad. He took it, giving her a thankful smile and wrote something in it.

'Maybe we need to cast a spell to trigger it or something?'

Janna looked at his notepad, rubbing her chin deep in thought at his question. She held out her hands over the well, closing her eyes and focused.

Embrace your poison, to find your love…

Eclipsa's words rang in her mind like a siren, encouraging her to tap into her dark magic. Focusing hard on the image of Marco, Janna grit her teeth as she felt the darkness snake her arms whole.

Ocram rushed over to Janna, but she shook her head.

I need to do this…

He remained still, looking at Janna with deep concern as the dark magic covered her entire body and nearly consumed her whole. Janna then opened her eyes, a harsh purple replacing brown as she shot a surge of darkness into the well.

She screamed, an almost demonic roar escaping her lungs that could be heard across Echo Creek as Janna shoved her hands deeper into the well. Ocram looked on in horror, rushing over to Janna despite her protests. But a loud blast from the well sent her flying into his arms.

He caught her and gently carried her shaking body, nervously walking toward the well.

"D-Did I do it?"

Janna mumbled, her voice hoarse and tired.

He nodded, putting her down near the well. Her eyes widened at the well now being filled with golden and purple liquid, mixing together in harmony.

"I… I did that? Wow"

Ocram nodded, giving her a concerned look on his face. Janna looked over her arms, eyes widening. She pulled up her sleeves, seeing darkness completely cover her arms now. Pulling up her shit somewhat, Janna noticed the dark tant covering her stomach too, just coming short of touching where her heart should be.

Then she looked into the well, seeing that her eyes were now purple. Very much matching Eclipsa's own eyes upon further reflection.

Janna didn't have time to focus on the small things. She was overjoyed at being able to make a portal to Mewni, hugging Ocram. He hugged her back, though not as tight as she embraced him.

She held on to him tight, feeling her body grow numb. Ocram held her up, his eyes dilating in fear.

"Come o-on, we should jump in before whatever I did cancels itself out." Ocram let her go for a moment, as she tried vaulting over the well. But Janna fell on her knees, wincing at the pain coursing through her body. "Damn, this magic stuff takes a lot out of a girl, huh Ocram?"

She wanted to scream at the raw agony coursing through her body, feeling like her viens were on fire. Every little movement was like sharp needles were touching her where she went. But the adrenaline pumping through her body helped her fight through this agonizing pain, getting on her feet again and taking a heavy breath.

Ocram rushed over and threw his arm around her for support. He was going to pick her up but heard the sounds of someone running toward them. Standing in front of Janna protectively, she weakly gripped on to the well for support as they both realized who was approaching them.

"There you guys are!" Jackie shouted, huffing from exhaustion. "I've been trying to call you for hours!"

Janna gave Ocram a look, before his eyes widened at the realization of her phone being in his pocket.

He gave Jackie a weak smile, mouthing 'sorry' and wrote down in his notepad. Ocram was going to show Jackie what he wrote but she pushed him aside, harshly jabbing a finger into Janna's chest.

"What the hell was that back at the Diaz's?! I get you're torn up but they lost their son, Janna! Have some damn…"

Jackie blinked, realizing the state Janna was currently in now. Just that simple finger jab made Janna fall on her knees, wincing in deep pain.

"W-What happened?"

Jackie tried helping Janna up but she shook her head. Turning toward Ocram, Jackie gave him a harsh glare.

"D-Don't yell at him." Janna coughed, wiping some blood off her lips. She ignored the fact her blood somewhat looked like tar now. "He warned me that dark magic would mess me up." She got on her feet, taking a deep breath and composed herself.

Jackie looked at the well behind Janna, walking toward it with widened eyes.

"So, this is where Oskar gets his supply from?"

Janna laughed, shaking her head with half-lid eyes.

"Nah, it's a portal."

Ocram gave Jackie a piece of paper from his notepad, rushing over to Janna and giving her support. Jackie read it, eyes narrowed before they dilated.

"Marco… He's really still alive? And he's on this… Mewni place?"

Janna nodded, a dark look on her face making Jackie back up in fear.

"Yeah… And someone took him from me. Her name is Star Butterfly and I'm gonna teach her a lesson for stealing away my best friend." Janna hobbled her way over to the well, using Ocram's grip on her for support.

Jackie ran over to them, standing in front of the well.

"...What? You want to come with us?"

"No… Maybe? I don't know!" Jackie clenched her fists, her normally chill demeanor completely gone. "I can believe you made him somehow but a magic portal? Another world? And a Butterfly girl stealing Marco from you?"

Jackie made a crazy laugh, fighting back manic tears.

"This is crazy, girl!"

Janna didn't look phased, a pissed off glare staring right through Jackie's soul. She stood up tall, not needing Ocram's support as the dark magic kept her standing.

"...Knew you wouldn't believe me. Fine. Back off and don't get in my way, girlfriend."

Jackie recoiled at the dark twinge in Janna's voice but she didn't budge. She took a step forward, putting a gentle hand on Janna's shoulder.

"I didn't mean it like that… But even you have to admit all this magic stuff is scary. I mean…" She gave Janna a somber look, eyes looking all over her darkness-stained body. "Going through with this might kill you."

Janna looked away from Jackie, part of her believing her friend's words. Eclipsa did give off evil grandma vibes and reminded Janna of her favorite Disney villain from that Sleeping Princess film. But even knowing that, another part of Janna simply didn't care.

The mental image of Marco being in the arms of a gloating Star Butterfly was ingrained in her mind, and refused to leave no matter how hard she tried to ignore it.

"Then let it kill me." Janna mumbled, walking ahead. "I want… I will get him back." She looked into the well, clenching her arm as the pain shot through her body again.

See you soon, Diaz.

She fell into the well, with Ocram and Jackie jumping in after her. She closed her eyes and awaited whatever awaited her next.


This was a really fun chapter to write, making it very clear that Janna is firmly going down a darker path for the rest of the narrative. Next chapter is going to shift to a POV you likely didn't expect but a change of plans inspired a really fun idea for a specific character. Though, next chapter is going to come likely later next week since I want to plan out some things for the upcoming Marco/Star chapters.

Thank you all for reading and hope you stick around!