Tom only sighed as he sat in his room, bored. Training to become king of his kingdom has its perks, but after a while, it feels like he'd be doing the same actions since he started.

You'd think being a prince means having lots of friends and having fun, but unfortunately, it's quite the opposite. Tom sadly barely has any friends, and if he did, he's too busy to hang out with them as becoming a king is his parent's number one priority for him. At least his parents aren't like Star's, where they'll force him to learn without her consent.

Star...

It's been so long since he thought of that name. The first girl he ever befriended and got into a relationship with, but also the first girl who broke up with him. His first and last relationship. If only he could take everything he has done and ever did.

The yelling...

Those cruel words that he spat out on her...

The irreversible actions...

Tom face-planted into his pillow as all the events from his past relationship started to roll back in. He regretted everything he had done to Star, and there was no way she'll want to see him again. If Tom were to, he'll have to face her parents again, which he hopes he won't have to, especially Star's dad. He was the scariest when he confronted him after their breakup.

What type of person was he back then? He was so possessive, and everything about his relationship with Star was embarrassing. Why was he like that? He'd gag if he wanted to.

Tom was lucky enough to start having therapy sessions after their breakup. It was a sign that he needed to change, and he was more than glad he did. Where could Tom have ended up if he didn't? He doesn't even want to know. Brian's therapist has assigned tasks to help him calm his nerves, and they've been proven to work.

Maybe if he proves to Star that he's changing, could she maybe... Want to start over again?

Tom jolted up as he heard a fiery portal open downstairs, telling him that his parents had returned from their meeting, but something wasn't right. Tom knows that meetings, especially urgent ones, typically last for two or more hours, but seeing his parents coming home early, something must have happened. What could've made them arrive home early?

The teenage demon slowly opened the door to the large red hallway of the castle, trying his best not to cause his door to make a creaking sound. He didn't want his parents to know he was there but wanted to understand how the meeting went.

Tom slowly tip-toeing down the red hallway. Tom could hear his parent's voices bounce against the wall as they echoed into his ears, but it wasn't understandable. From the tone of their voice, it sounded like the meeting didn't go too well as their voices were much quieter than usual, muttering almost.

Making it into the stairwell, Tom could see the outline of his parents from the shadow on the wall. He had enough distance from his parents that he could understand almost every word their saying.

Sitting on the first step of the stairs, the demon focused his ears on his parent's conversation.

"That... meeting was not what I expected," Dave sighed.

"I could say the same," Wrathmelior replied in her demonic language, but Dave understood every word, and so did Tom.

"I'd never thought I'd see Moon and River and even Hekapoo argue together in the meeting room," Dave added. "That was the last thing I'd thought they'd do."

Tom muttered, 'What?' as he couldn't believe what he was hearing from his parents. What's going on in the Butterfly kingdom?

"I knew Moon was crazy and strict, but I never thought she'd be like that..." Wrathmelior said. "Did you see King Pony Head's expression when Moon mentioned their princess?"

"I did, and it wasn't nice to look at. I literally cringed at the mention of St. Olag." Dave replied, a little disturbed by King Pony Head's facial reaction in the meeting room.

"But you know what I'd never thought would happen? River and Hekapoo teaming up together." Wrathmelior whispered out.

Tom made a confused expression at the unexpected comment. Why would River and Hekapoo team up? What were they trying to achieve? And most importantly, could this cause the whole meeting to be closed early?

The demon was eager to know more about the meeting, but he couldn't just go up to them and ask them directly, they'll just say that 'it's not important'. His parents love hiding information from their son for no reason and it bothered him a lot. If he doesn't attend it, he won't get any information out of it.

Tom has attended a meeting conference before, and it'll be the first and last meeting he'll ever attend before he becomes a king. He's parent's told him that being in a meeting room requires these characteristics: Patience, a good temper, and maturity. Unfortunately, he doesn't have any of these characteristics.

"I know teaming up against Moon is risky, but I think it's a step in the right direction," Dave replied. "At least Star's safe now. She can finally rest and live life without Moon pushing her into things. I feel genuinely bad for her, you know?"

"Yeah, I agree. With Star being on Earth now, maybe she could change."

Wait... Star's on Earth now? How did she manage to escape the castle?! He knew that Star was a scared and sensitive person who was afraid to come out of her comfort zone, but he would've never thought she could escape from her mother's grasp, let alone to another dimension. How could she go to a new dimension when she doesn't have her own pair of dimensional scissors?

"I wonder how she's doing now," Wrathmelior added. "I bet she's enjoying her new life. Oh, how I wonder what Earth is like. I hope it isn't some nasty dimension. Star's such a nice beautiful girl. Hopefully, nobody strips her from her innocence."

"Let's hope nobody does that," Dave replied. "Speaking of worrying, how do you think River and Hekapoo are doing?"

"Didn't Moon put them into the interrogation room?" Wrathemelior asked. "I remember the two of them being forced out."

"Oh yeah..."

"Let's... try and move on from this. I don't like remembering what happened in there." The female demon said.

Tom, still sitting on the stairs, looked into the distance as he tried to register everything that his parents summarised. From what he understood, a lot happened and changed in just a couple of days. River and Hekapoo planned an escape from Star to Earth, and Moon managed to catch them. Star's still out on Earth, and he doesn't know whether she's okay or not. Tom needed to know.

Tom stood up from his spot and walked towards his room quietly, not letting his parents know that he heard everything. The teenager can't help but worry about his ex. He doesn't know if this 'Earth' is a suitable dimension. For all he knows, she could be crying for help and nobody's there to rescue her.

He needed to think of a plan.

"Make sure to send all your answers, okay?" Janna said as she was about to walk to her house.

"Why can't you just work on it yourself?" Marco replied, rubbing his face in frustration. "It sounds like I'm doing all the work for you!"

"That's the point, Diaz..." Janna smirked as she brought her face close to his as she tried to assert dominance over her childhood friend. "If you don't do what I ask, your wallet will magically vanish. Poof..."

"Okay, fine! I'll do it!"

Marco replied as he sighed. "But try and work on some of the questions on your own, okay? You're not gonna learn anything if everything's off someone else's answer."

"Aww! You still care for me even if I tease you?" Janna cooed as she pinched Marco's cheeks. "I'm surprised you still do."

"Of course, Janna," Marco replied as he gave in to his friend's shenanigans. "We've known each other since we were little."

"Haha, I know. It's been so long hasn't it?" Janna replied as she smiled at the memory of while they were young. "It's crazy how we're still friends."

"Well, that's what happens if your parents are friends as well, right?"

"True that," Janna replied. "Anyways, I gotta go now. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yep! See you tomorrow!" Marco waved as he walked down his footpath and towards his front door. Pulling his keys out of his pocket, he inserted the key and opened the door.

Stepping into this household, Marco's eyes went to his parents as they watched their 'telenovela' with the sound almost maxed out. Marco sighed as he hoped that their neighbours couldn't hear it. The last thing he wanted was to annoy his neighbours and get a noise complaint from them.

It's happened before, but luckily they were friends with the neighbour, and they were understanding about it. But one time is too much if you think about it.

Rafael was the first to notice Marco. "Marco! You're back!"

"How was school, sweetie?" Angie added through the loud noise coming from the television.

"It was good," Marco replied, closing the door behind him before anyone could. "Where's Star?"

"She's in her room, you should talk to her. I can tell she's been bored the whole day." Angie replied as she rearranged herself on the couch.

"Hopefully, she'll be able to go to school tomorrow," Marco replied as he walked toward the stairs. "I've shown her all around the school so that she could see what it's like in school."

"Ah! No wonder she asked if she could attend school."

Marco swiftly turned his head towards his mom in excitement. "Really?! Did she ask?"

"Yep! It looks like you have another friend to walk to school with." Angie replied with a wide smile.

"Yesss!" Marco through a fist into the air as she rushes up the stairs.

Angie laughed at her son's amusement as she turned to face the television in front of her. Rafael, who was next to her, chuckled as he shook his head. He turned to her as her face did the same. Marco's energy will never cease to amuse them.

Marco made a brief stop in his room to place his school bag down before rushing to Star's room. He couldn't wait to show his friend what school is like. He could imagine all the fun things they'll do together.

Marco walked up to Star's door and knocked several times as excitement coursed through his veins.

Star's door opened, revealing the blonde he calls his friend. With a wide smile, the girl yelled out, "Marco!"

"Star, I heard the news!" Marco replied as thrilled as his friend. "Are you excited?!"

"Of course I am! Why do you think I asked your mum?!" Replied Star as she grabbed Marco's hand in exhilaration.

"Yess! You don't know how long I've waited for a new kid to come to our school!" Marco said. "It's been so boring for so many years, but since you're joining, it'll be so much better!"

"C'mon! You're just saying that." Star replied.

"No, I'm being serious. I think everyone's going to love you!"

Star smiled at the comment from Marco. No one has looked forwards to meeting her. But the girl couldn't help but feel nervous at the same time. Star's hoping there won't be too many people surrounding her during her first day. Having too many people's attention could cause Star to have a panic attack which has happened once in the past, and she hopes to leave it like that.

But as long as Marco's by her side, she knows that it's going to be alright. He knows how calm her down.

"That's nice to hear," Star replied as she smiled. "Anyway, are there any requirements before I attend school?"

Leaning against the doorway, Marco said, "You'll need a bag that'll allow you to bring all your stationary and textbooks, but the school will provide your textbooks, so don't worry about that."

"Is that all?" Star asked. She thought there'd be more. "Are there no clothing requirements like uniforms?"

"Nah, we don't wear uniforms here in our school, but I think private schools do."

"Ah, okay. So that means we can wear anything we want?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I'll wear the same thing every day, you know?" Marco spread his arms apart, showing his everyday clothes. "Just a plain red hoodie and black pants."

"I'm pretty sure everyone knows that, Marco," Star said, teasingly as she smirked at her friend.

"Hey! I think it suits me very well. You can't go wrong with red and black." Marco crosses his arms as he tries to prove his point. "Especially red."

"Okay, you proved your point." Star could only giggle at Marco's antics.

"So your mum said I have an interview with the principal tomorrow. Is there anything I should know of before I attend that?"

"If I remember, there's nothing too important about the interview. All he'll be asking is what's your name, what's your favourite hobby, and what you want to be in the future."

That sounds simple enough for Star to handle. The girl hoped that there won't be any questions that'll get into her private life.

"Since we've got that all sorted out, do you want to hang out in my bedroom?" Star asked as she stepped to the side, allowing her friend to enter her room. "I've been bored all day."

"Yeah, sure!"

Today has been eventful for Moon. From her daughter escaping the castle and her husband betraying her, what else could be there in store for her?

Moon walked down the guarded hallways towards the interrogation room, where she held River and Hekapoo captive until she was done questioning them. As she stepped through the red-carpeted floor, the blue-haired queen mental wrote down questions inside her mind before she arrived. Moon needed as much information as she needs to find her daughter again.

To the right of her were two strong-looking knights guarding the door between them. They weren't just any regular knights as they both wore pitch black armour and a black and gold sword to show anyone around them they were not allowed to be taken lightly. Their purposes weren't just for guarding the castle but also to protect and guard anything the queen requested and kill anything Moon wanted.

Finally arriving at the dimly lit interrogation room, the queen stood in front of the door as the guard on the right opened it for her, revealing two familiar faces sitting on their chairs with their arms chained to the table. A smirk slowly appeared on her face seeing their bodies slumped in despair. It was amusing to her.

A small chuckle came out of Moon's mouth as the door behind her closed.

"Look at you two, hopeless as an orphan waiting for your parents to find them. What's wrong?"

"What do you think?" Hekapoo spat back with a frown.

"Oh, I just want to hear it from you two. It feels good for someone to admit it." Moon sat on the opposite side of the table, getting ready to ask her questions. "Now, enough stalling. I need more information about the whereabouts of my daughter, starting with you, Hekapoo."

The magical being raised an eyebrow at the request. "I thought I told you everything you needed to know."

"Oh, I know that Star is on Earth, but what is Earth like? Why did you choose Earth? Is there anything I should know about that place?"

"Why would you like to know?" Hekapoo replied with a low growl. Her frown deepened at the queen in front of her. "For all I know, you're going to bring her back and torture her. I bet you don't care about her safety."

"I DO!" Moon yelled out unexpectedly as she slammed the table hard, causing the two on the opposite side to jump from their seats. "Why do you think I'm getting her from that horrible place called 'Earth'?!"

"You don't even know the type of place Earth is!" Hekapoo yelled back from her chair. If it wasn't for her being tied to the table, she would've killed the queen by now, even if it meant getting herself getting demoted and executed. The magical being can't take the queen's antics anymore.

"That's why I have you two here," Moon replied calmly. "I want to know what this 'Earth' is like."

"Earth is like Mewni in a way, but more advanced in many aspects," Hekapoo replied. "The people there look almost exactly like a Mewman. That's why we chose Earth for Star to hide in."

Moon could only nod. "And you thought leaving her by herself would've been a good idea?"

"I mean, it's better than you taking care of her," Hekapoo replied a bit too calmly. "There could be someone who adopted her already and-"

"I DON'T WANT ANYONE NEAR HER!"

River and Hekapoo were taken aback by Moon's unexpected exclamation as their eyes widen. With everything she's done to Star, the last thing that thought was Moon worrying about who approaches her daughter.

"Why are you so worried about people going near Star?" River raised an eyebrow at the strange reaction a second ago. "She'll finally be able to develop social skills, confidence as well as independence. Maybe, she found a friend. Think about all the great things Star will learn from Earth's culture."

Moon growled at the response from her husband. "Yes, that is good too, River. But that's another problem I have to worry about. Imagine all the horrible influence Star will learn from Earth. All the hard work I've done will go to waste. I'm afraid that by the time I return her, it'll be too late."

"More like, all the horrible things you've done to her," Hekapoo added as she looked to the side, disinterested.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Moon turned to her husband with an expression telling him that nothing occurred a couple of seconds ago. The queen had enough of the dimensional hopper. "When did you start planning all this, River? How long have you been planning this behind my back?"

"Quite a while now. Maybe for a couple of months." River replied with confidence in his voice. "It started as a small plan, but over time, it became a full-on plan. With a bit of refinement, I showed the whole thing to Hekapoo, and she added her little ideas. By the end, we were going to show it to Star but turns out, my daughter was already steps ahead."

Moon didn't give any reaction whatsoever and it slightly triggered River and Hekapoo. They expected some sort of anger out of Moon to show their dominance but weren't satisfied, unfortunately.

"What is your plan now, Moon?" River asked. "Since you know where Star is now, are you going to be leaving now?"

"I heard there's another attack from the monster kingdom. I'm going to have to do something about that because they're not going to stop any time soon. But once I'm done with that, I'm going to do a little family reunion with Star. Maybe a special one that she's not going to expect."

"Ready for your first day?" Marco asked Star excitedly, standing with Star in the living room waiting for Rafael.

"You seem a little too excited there, Marco." A small chuckle came out of Star as she replied. "But, I'm still a little nervous about this, not because of school, but meeting new people. I don't know what they'll think of me."

"That should be the lasting you should be worried about because you've got me!" The Latino boy pointed to himself. "I'll be around you until you get yourself settled in."

Star smiled at her friend. "Thanks, Marco."

Angelica could only smile from the background as she watched the two teenagers talk to each other. Angie booked a meeting with the principal to apply for Star to the school, and if she was, to be honest, she was happy for her. With Marco's help and a bit of courage, she noticed Star was coming out of her nervous and formal lifestyle, and that's a good thing.

When Angelica first met Star, she already knew something was bothering the teenage girl. The blonde girl appeared tired and always on high alert like someone was constantly watching in the distance. That worried the mother. Angie always wanted to know what caused Star to appear and act the way she was a while ago. She only hoped that she could explain everything when she was ready.

The sound of footsteps came from the stairs as Rafael walked down ready. "Alrighty, kids. You guys ready?"

The two teenagers nodded with their bags already on their backs.

"Alright! Let's get to the car!" Rafael whipped out his keys, and everyone walked out the door.

The car parked at the curb as Rafael shut the engine off. All four doors of the car opened letting the driver and passengers come out of the vehicle and into the outside.

Star watched as all the students outside walked with their peers into the entrance with their bags on their backs, ready to study. As soon as the meeting is over with the principal, she'll be the group of students who lives a normal life. The life she always dreamed of having ever since she started training in line for becoming queen.

Once again, Star stood outside the school as she took in the whole building. The girl knew she's been repeating this thought a lot over a couple of days, but her life had changed so much since she met Marco. She can't be thankful enough for how much he's helped her.

"Okay, kids. Let's head to the office. We don't want to be late." Rafael said, locking the car with his car keys.

Stepping foot onto the school grounds with her friend by her side, she doesn't know that her life has changed for the better.

"You ready, Star?" Marco asked, looking at his friend with a smile.

"You know it, Marco." A smile formed on the girl's face.

The four walked through the busy halls of Echo Creek Elementary to find the office where they had to sign Star up for Star to start learning. Star took in the environment around her as they walked down the walkway. Through the door window, she could see the classrooms that Marco showed her yesterday. In just a couple of minutes, she'll join the rest of the other students sitting at the desks.

If she was, to be honest, Star was excited to know what it's like to be a regular teenager. She didn't care whether it was going to be challenging. At least she doesn't have to endure pain to become royalty. Plus, she had the Diaz family to help her navigate through the obstacles, and all she had to do is ask. Something she couldn't do back in Mewni.

Turning to face in front of her, she noticed a wooden door in the distance with a sign that said 'Principal' engraved on a golden plate with a tinted window.

"That's the principal's office over there." Marco pointed to the wooden door. "Don't worry too much about him. He's pretty laidback and funny."

Star nodded as they approached the door. "Okay. So he's going to interview me, and that's it?"

"Yep! But I won't be able to come because I'll have to go to class soon, but my mum and dad will accompany you throughout."

"At least it's better than being alone," Star replied. The thought of the interview made her feel nervous. No one had interviewed her yet, and she was glad, but with no experience of how it goes, Star was afraid that she'll make a mistake.

"Well, hopefully, everything will go well with the interview." Marco smiled at Star. "I've got to go to my locker before I head to class. I don't want to ruin my perfect attendance score. I'll see you soon." Marco walked back to where they came from and into a crowd of students.

Star turned her head to the side as she felt Angie place her hand on her shoulder. "Let's head inside. The principal's waiting for you."

Rafael gently knocked on the door to hear someone inside yell, 'Come in!'.

Opening the door slowly, the trio saw a man sitting on a chair. The principal wore glasses and had a moustache. Clothing-wise, he wore a black blazer and a tie in between. Star thought he was slumping on his chair, but turns out he was naturally small just by how straight his back is.

The trio walked towards the desk, and each sat in their chair, with Star sitting between the parents.

"It's nice to see you again, Rafael and Angie." Skeeve gave the parents each a handshake. "And just to let you know, Marco's doing a terrific job in school. Pretty much a perfectionist."

"That's great to hear, but hopefully, he's not pushing himself too much," Angie replied rather worriedly. "I keep telling him to relax when it comes to school work, but he refuses for some reason."

Marco was right about the principal. He generally seems like a nice person you'd want to get to know well.

The man then turned to Star, where a massive grin appeared on his face as he reached out his hand for a handshake. "Hello there! My name is Edwin Skeeve, but you young lady can call me Principal Skeeve if that's alright with you."

"Hello, principal Skeeve. My name is Star Butterfly." Star smiled as she returned the handshake. "It's great to meet you, sir."

"Haha! No need for the formalities, Star." Skeeve chuckled. "But I appreciate it."

"Sorry, forced habit," Star replied, a little embarrassed.

"So, you must be another exchange student, am I right?"

"Umm..." Star wasn't able to answer as she wasn't sure what an 'Exchange Student' is. "What is a-"

"She is!" Angie answered immediately with a little chuckle at the end. "We were hoping that we could enrol her into his school today."

"Of course! Star would love our school, and I can say for sure that the rest of her cohort will too." Replied Skeeve. "Now, if you don't mind, Star, I'm going to ask you a couple of questions."

"I'm ready," Star replied, determined.

"Can you describe yourself?"

Star's determination somehow fell apart. How can a straightforward question be one of the hardest to answer? The saddest part about herself is that she doesn't know much about herself. Her whole life is her being taught why it's vital to become a queen and how to rule a kingdom. Star never had the time to think about herself and what she wanted.

Star fidgeted with her hands as she tried to think of an answer. "U-Umm... Well, I do like small walks on the pier to clear my head at times. I remember a couple of days ago, Marco introduced me to the pier, and we had a great time together."

"It sounds like you know Marco." The principal replied. "How do you know the smart guy?"

"We accidentally bumped into each other on the way home. We became friends after that."

"That also means you've met Janna too, am I right?"

"Yes. Marco told me that they're childhood friends." Star added.

"That's right. They seem to be inseparable as they're always with each other." Principal Skeeve leaned back into his chair. "That's what happens once you've known each other for so long. The bond between you and your friend is almost impossible to break. Almost like somethings bound you two together forever."

Star was taken back a little at the reply from the principal. "Wow... I... Never thought of it that way."

Skeeve's eyes went wide as his cheeks reddened. "Oh! Hehe, I got a little carried away there, sorry. But before I get off topic, I have one more question to ask before our little interview's done."

"What is it?" Star asked curiously.

"What do you want to be in the future?"

Did Star have any choice but to become a queen? As soon as she was born, her role was decided, leaving Star frustrated, but on Earth, it looks like she was given a choice.

"We... Get to have a choice?" Star asked.

"Well, of course, you have!" Skeeve laughed out. "Anyone become anything."

"I still don't know yet. Should I have an idea already?"

"I might have asked too early. People around your age are still discovering what they want." Skeeve replied. "But you still plenty have time. Look around your surroundings. You'll find what you like."

"Okay."

"Well, that's our little interview completed." Skeeve pushed a pile of papers to the side. With a smile, he then asked, "And guess what?"

"Yes?" Star replied with worry in her voice.

"Welcome to Echo Creek Academy!"

Inside a dimly lit bedroom, Tom stepped in front of his mirror as he took in the midnight black outfit he was wearing. During his time alone in his room with nothing else to do, Tom decided he should start forming a plan inside his head. It began as a suggestion, but then more and more ideas popped into his mind, and all of a sudden, the plan was created.

After the separation between Tom and Star, the demon wasn't allowed to step into Mewni again due to his aggressive actions towards his ex, and if he were caught in their land, he'll be sent back home. With all of this combined, he'll have to sneak in. Tom thought of creating a portal inside the kingdom, but after hearing the Butterfly kingdom going into lockdown, he'll risk getting caught.

The prince timed his plan around the time when demons rested, meaning it would be night in Mewni. His parents are asleep, but the guards roaming around the castle aren't, so that meant that he has to be careful when portaling. Tom doesn't mind the guards as their job is to 'guard', but they can be too much sometimes.

'Okay... All I have to do is escape, portal to Mewni, find where River and Hekapoo are, and check on Star. If there's a chance, I'll probably bring her back to my place.' Tom mentally said as he stared at himself in the mirror. 'Oh! And to break out River and Hekapoo. Can't forget them either... Very important.'

From the outside, Tom felt severely nervous, shown by his hands. He couldn't help but fidget with his fingers, sweat seeping from his skin. He's never done something like this before. Hopefully, it'll be his first and last time doing this.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Tom cleared his mind and only focused on the plan. If anything goes wrong throughout the whole mission, he'll only blame himself for his actions. He needed to know if Star was alright. You could never be too sure.

'Alright. Let's portal to Mewni.' Bringing his arms up, Tom's eyes started to glow as he started whispering out demon rituals, causing a fiery portal to summon Mewni.

Returning to normal, the demon didn't waste any time entering the portal.

Tom landed gently on the grassy field of Mewni as cold soft breezes swept across the demon, who was staring at the full moon above him. As Tom turned around, through the grassy hills, he could see the tip of the Butterfly Kingdom in the distance. After a couple of years of being away from the Butterfly kingdom, he could see a couple of changes from the last time he visited.

Even if he hasn't been in the Butterfly Kingdom in a long time, already he could tell something was going wrong. Naturally, the Butterfly castle would have fewer lights on, but he assumed that the whole lockdown must be the contributor. Moon is taking the entire 'Star's missing' situation seriously.

With how far away he landed from the kingdom, Tom knew he had a long walk ahead of him.

Tom hid behind a large bush as he approached the front gates of the kingdom carefully. He noticed two mean-looking guards standing between the entrance to the kingdom. Those guards meant business with their pitch-black armour that camouflaged into the night. He wasn't surprised that he noticed them last minute but was glad he did. He didn't want to know where he'll end up if he were to be caught.

With the guards being in the way of his plan, luckily Tom brought the grappling hook that he made. The castle was surrounded by a wall to protect its residents from outsiders, and above them was a fence. Throwing his hook up, Tom tugged on the rope to make sure that the hook was hooked to the fence. Fulling believing the hook will hold, Tom wasted no time climbing over the fence.

Tom landed on the cobblestone footpath of the kingdom. He was lucky enough to not encounter any guards as he guessed all of them were inside the castle or outside. With this thought in mind, his plan became a little easier.

'Alright, now just to bust inside the castle...'

Getting into the castle through a window was no easy job for Tom. There were instances where he was almost caught by some of the guards but was lucky enough by blending in the dark corners of the castle due to his dark-coloured suit. The same could be said for the elite guards that were roaming around the castle.

Tom sat in one of the dark corners of the hallways when he felt nostalgia flow into him as he took in the memories of him and Star running through them. Memories of when he and Star were younger, running around in the hallways chasing each other until they were too tired to run.

But he wasn't here to remember. He's here to find Star.

Crawling out of the dark corner, Tom checked the hallways for any disturbances, and luckily, there weren't, allowing him to quietly return to the hallways. His next objective is to find the holding cell where Hekapoo and River were.

Tom knew the holding cells laid deep in the depths of the castle where light doesn't reach its people. The problem is the guards roaming around that area. He remembered Star explaining back then that there were several guards near the imprisonment. So there's going to be a slight problem.

Distracting the guards to enter the jail area was no easy task. As soon as he saw the guards at the doorway to the jail cells, he had to make up a plan on the spot. But he was glad it was over, and now he was inside the holding cells where all the Mewni's criminals lie.

When entering the prison area for the first time, he never thought it would be this dark and poorly maintained, but he should've expected it since this is where all the criminals would deserve it. The place was scarcely lit up, the flooring was highly uneven, and it reeked truly bad.

As the teen started walking through the hallway of cells, the cellmates noticed him walking in his black attire, causing the prisoners to go crazy.

"Oi! THERE'S A BLOKE THERE THINKING HE'S ALL THOUGH!"

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

"GO BACK TO YER MAMA! YER NOTHING WITHOUT YER MAMA YOU USELESS PRICK!"

To be honest, Tom's terrified at the sudden yelling. The insults that were sent directly towards him did nothing luckily as he knew he could attack them if they were any danger to them. But as of now, he'll just endure them.

What surprised him though was the large number of monsters that were being held inside the prison cells. Tom thought Moon would've returned them back to their place, but it looks like she was going to keep them imprisoned. They were all separated by mewmans and monsters being in separate cells.

Walking past the other jail cell, in the distance, he could see a cell that looked different from the rest. Using logic, it must be the cell that was holding the people he needed to talk to. The yelling and insults got drowned out by Tom's sudden determination after seeing the abnormal cell in front of him.

'They have to be there... Please be there...'

Slowly walking up to the door, he pressed his ear against it to hear the voices inside the cell. The whole room was enclosed with no windows or small gaps to see who was inside.

Lucky, he could hear voices on the other side.

"I can't believe what your wife did that back there..."

"I could say the same." River replied depressingly to Hekapoo, who was sitting next to him.

The two were sitting on the cold cobblestone ground, chained to the wall behind them in the most uncomfortable position. Their rear ends were aching from how long they were sitting on the ground. They were informed that Moon was going to come back for more questioning for some reason, but from how long they were sitting with nothing happening for hours, the two of them don't know if it was still happening.

The whole room was sealed off from the outside with the metallic window to the side as the only thing keeping them sane, with it only telling them whether it was day or not. If they were in a room with just walls, they'll only last a couple of hours before they both go insane.

"Look, I just want to say I'm sorry that ruined the plan," Hekapoo muttered as she stared at the ground in front of her. "With everything she has done before, I literally thought she was going to execute me."

"No, no. Don't apologise. I would've done the same, to be honest. You never know what she's going to do next." River replied with a chuckle at the end.

"But it's your wife we're talking about." Hekapoo gave River a confused look. "I expected you to defend her."

"Who would defend someone like her?"

Hekapoo couldn't help but swiftly turn her head to the person next to her. Now that's another thing she didn't expect from River, but she could only agree with him even though the comment was harsh.

"You got me there, River." Hekapoo chuckled as she leaned against the dirty wall behind her. Taking in a deep sigh, she said, "You worried about what she's going to do with us?"

"No." River replied confidently.

"What?!" Hekapoo looked dumbfounded at his confident response.

"I'm not worried because I know we're in the right in this fight against her." River has determination in his voice. "I know what she's done to her, and the same could be said for anyone who is friends with us. We have evidence."

A smirk appeared on Hekapoo's face. "I like where this is going."

River nodded. "I have a feeling things are finally going to change here."

Suddenly, the metallic door in front of them rattled, causing their attention to focus on the door. If they were to be attacked, they're helpless. Sweat was forming on their head, thinking it could be Moon on the other side, ready to hurt them.

Then, something unexpected happened. The door handle slowly became red hot as if someone was about to break them out, but why? Who was on the other side, and why were they breaking down the door?

"Who the heck is on the other side?" Hekapoo whispered to River. "Do you know anybody who could do that?"

"No! I was going to ask you the same question since you could summon fire and everything." River replied, still staring at the door. He wasn't sure what was going to happen to them.

The two of them noticed that the door handle became bright orange, leaving it impossible to touch without leaving a scare.

Afterwards, the person on the other side started to attempt to kick down the door causing a loud bang to bounce around the room, irritating the two prisoners. With one final bang on the door, River and Hekapoo were greeted by a person wearing a black suit with only its red-eyed pupils.

River frowned at the unknown person. "Are you associated with my wife by any chance?"

To River's surprise, the person who responded had somewhat of a teenager's voice. "Don't worry. I'm not."

The mysterious person stepped into the room slowly, making the two chained people worried about what was to come. With the type of power the person has, it could do anything to them.

"Then, what's your purpose with us?" River was still hesitant with the mysterious person.

The mysterious person then went for his mask and pulled it off, revealing a demon he never would've thought he would see again.

"YOU!" River yelled out loudly, causing the person and Hekapoo to jump. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE?! I THOUGHT YOU KNEW NOT TO COME BACK!"

A worried expression appeared on the demon's face. "I-I know I'm not allowed to come back, but I'm really worried about Star! I need to know if she's fine or not!"

"Like hell, I would tell you where she is!" River spat back.

"I know she's on Earth, the dimension where you sent her," Tom replied, still shaken by River's hostile attitude towards him. "I just need to know if she's okay in there by herself."

"I would ask anyone in the whole universe other than you to check on her! For all I know, you'll kidnap her, bring her back to your fiery kingdom and hurt her till she dies like the monster you are!"

Tom's hand turned into a fist as he summons fire from all three of them as his anger reached its peak at River's insults. "I'M NOT THAT OF PERSON ANYMORE! I HAVE CHANGED!"

River was unfazed. "Pft... People like you don't change..."

"That's enough, River!" Hekapoo spat out. Turning to Tom, she asked, "Look, how can we know we can trust you?"

The king's eyes widened at what he heard. "Are you being serious right now?! You're being fooled by this demon!"

"Shut it, River! I know what I'm doing, River! You're starting to sound like your wife!"

"I'm trying to protect my daughter! You'll understand if you were in my shoes! My daughter was in an abusive relationship with his monster!"

Hekapoo noticed the fire around them slowly died as Tom looked a little upset at the reply from River. She, for some reason, felt a little sympathy for the teenager. Hekapoo knew that Tom learned his lesson after their breakup, but there still could be some places where he can still improve.

"Look, we don't know whether Star's okay by herself on Earth. We need someone to check on her before Moon comes and steals her back. Tom could be that person to inform her of her mother's arrival."

Hekapoo noticed a sign on the king's face that he agreed with her statement. He tried to find another to disagree but couldn't find any reason not to.

River groaned before sighing. "Fine! But we still need to find a different person to do it. I'm not trusting this demon."

Hekapoo turned to Tom with an expression saying that she was being serious. "If you want to show that you've changed, prove it to River, now."

Tom saw the desperate look on Hekapoo's face, telling him she had no other plan. He needed to prove that he had changed for the sake of the Butterfly Kingdom.

"Mr Butterfly, sir. I want to apologise for every inconvenience I had your daughter endure during our relationship. I wasn't thinking straight during that time and was pretty immature." This got River and Hekapoo's attention.

"After my breakup with Star, that's when I finally released what I was doing wrong. Learning from my mistakes, I started to take anger management classes and I slowly took control of my anger. You may not forgive me, but I want to show you that I've released my mistakes and want to show that I've changed for the better."

Tom felt a little flustered from the stares he was getting from his apology. He's never really apologised before, and it honestly felt weird to him doing it the first time. At least he's going in the right direction.

Hekapoo turned to River to see his reaction and was glad he showed some signs that he was taken back. "What do you think, River? You think you can trust Tom?"

River sighed. "F-Fine! I'll trust you... ONLY this once! After this, I want you back in your home! Don't let this trick you into thinking I've forgiven you!"

"No, no! That's fine! I understand." Tom replied, feeling good about the situation. "Alright, let me get you guys out of this thing."

"NO, NO! You can't free us!" Hekapoo yelled out.

Tom stumbled back at the reaction. "Wow! Why not?"

"If noticed gone, she won't rest until she finds us. Once she does, she'll execute us!" Hekapoo can't see herself getting killed in front of millions of people. It's one thing she never wants to happen to her.

Tom was disturbed by the response. "Damn... I guess we have to plan in here then?"

"It's the only safe place for now." River replied sadly, but suddenly his face became serious. "We shouldn't waste any time talking. We need to make you a plan before Moon comes back. Who knows what she'll do to the three of us if she sees us like this..."