A/N: Whew! Wasn't sure when I'd ever get this chapter out. It felt like it would take forever. But, it's finally done and here for your enjoyment.
"I say, this place really does look like Mewni."
Manfred made the remark just seconds after exiting the portal. He, Mina, and Toffee were standing on the bank of a wide river. The surrounding terrain and trees were identical to what Mewni looked like prior to the merge with Earth. Manfred covered his eyes as he squinted into the bright sunlight. The sky was brighter than on Mewni, and the sun seemed stronger in this dimension than on the new Earth-ni. But other than those small details, it felt as if they were back home.
Mina also took in her surroundings. While it was definitely impressive that such a similar dimension to Mewni existed, Mina wasn't really interested in sightseeing. As far as she was concerned her time was being wasted. She strode over to where Toffee was standing, near the water's edge of the river.
"Take it all in, you two." Toffee addressed them with his arms wide. "If I hadn't told you about the true nature of this place, you'd swear you were back on Mewni."
"Yes, Toffee. It's all very nice and impressive looking." Mina noted curtly. "But where are all the people of this dimension? It looks like we're in the middle of wilderness."
"We're not very far away from the nearest settlement, Mina." Toffee replied. "It shouldn't take us too long to get there if we walk quickly."
"Follow me, then." Toffee motioned for Mina and Manfred to join him as he began walking on the bank of the river.
"Wait a minute…" Mina interrupted. "We followed you here to this dimension, just as you requested. Now it's your turn to hold up your end of the bargain. Tell us why you went to Earth to kill Marco Diaz."
"Is it not possible to walk and tell a story at the same time?" The septarian arched his eyebrow at the Solarian general. Mina glared back at Toffee but realized he had a point. She motioned to Manfred to follow her and they began walking along the riverbank next to the lizard.
"So, as I was saying, I came to Earth to kill Marco Diaz. After being able to open a portal, I decided that the best course of action was the most direct one. I wanted to be as swift and brutal as possible, therefore I portalled right into his bedroom."
"How the hell did you manage to do that?" Mina asked incredulously.
"You forget Mina, I was in charge of Ludo's minions after I kicked him out of his own castle. I knew of the location on Earth of both Marco Diaz and Star Butterfly for a long time. How else did you think I managed to lure the Princess back to Mewni to destroy her family's heirloom? I sent Ludo's minions to Earth to kidnap her boyfriend right in his own house.."
"Actually...I believe that the princess and the Diaz boy were not a couple at the point in time you're referring to." Manfred interjected.
"Thank you for that information, Manfred…" Toffee shot back sarcastically. "You could have fooled me. I suppose Star Butterfly destroyed the most powerful artifact in the kingdom just for fun then?"
He turned to Mina. "How long was the entire kingdom clueless when it came to those two?"
"There were always rumors going around, but I didn't have the time to pay much attention to them." Mina responded nonchalantly.
"I was not as clueless as the others in the kingdom." Manfred quickly added. "I had my suspicions that there was something between those two, even when she was with Prince Lucitor for a second time. But who would I talk to about my suspicions? I was merely a servant."
"Nevertheless…" Toffee continued. "When I arrived in his bedroom...I was very surprised that he wasn't there. I thought at first that maybe he was out and would be returning later, so I laid in wait for him. But he never showed up. Frustrated I began to search his room, and after looking through his desk I found something very interesting. It was a letter. Marco had written a letter to Star confessing his feelings towards her. He wrote about breaking up with a girl on Earth, and how he needed to be with her on Mewni again. He closed the letter by saying that he was coming to live with her and the royal family. It became apparent that I had miscalculated. Marco Diaz wasn't on Earth after all...he was on Mewni. What I had a hard time understanding was why he never sent the letter if he was planning on living on Mewni full time."
"Yes...I thought it to be quite rude and totally lacking decorum to just drop in like he did when he began living at the castle." Manfred agreed. "But the princess made him her squire, and he was untouchable after that."
"Unfortunately, I realized I made a miscalculation." Toffee's voice became bitter. "As I realized that I had wasted my time, a voice behind me brought me back to reality. It turns out that I wasn't as discreet as though I was. When I turned around to face the voice, it was two uniformed police officers standing in the doorway with their weapons trained on me. Apparently, Marco's parents were at home, and had contacted the authorities about an intruder in their house. I suppose I could have made a bad situation even worse by resisting, but I was still so upset about Marco not even being on Earth that I chose to go quietly."
"That might have been a good decision, Toffee." Mina concurred. "Earth police have been known to be quite violent and sadistic at times. In my few interactions with them, they often reminded me of my time in the Solarian Army…"
"Point taken..." Toffee remarked dryly. "In any case, I was taken to the local police outpost where I was placed in a cell. Before that I was placed in a cramped room and questioned about who I was, where I was from, why I was in Marco's house. Obviously, I said nothing so they decided to keep me locked up until I talked. But then...I discovered I had a friend on Earth. You met him earlier."
"That fancy dressed lawyer guy who showed up to help us got you off the hook as well?" Mina was fairly shocked at this revelation.
"Yes. As you are both aware, you are allowed representation when you are detained by the authorities on Earth...or Earth-ni I should say. Mark Sterling came by my cell the next day and told me that he had heard reports about a strange prisoner being held at the police station. He led me to a private conference room and told me to tell him everything. So, I did. I told him my entire backstory. Who I was back on Mewni, and how I ended up on Earth. The next thing I knew, I was walking free out of the police station next to him. I was told later by Mark that the police were violating my rights and he had threatened to sue the Echo Creek Police Department if they didn't release me."
"Pardon me, Toffee…" Manfred interjected. "But weren't you being held for breaking into a private residence? Isn't that a serious crime on Earth?"
"I thought it was as well...until I was told that my defense was that I was thrown into this dimension against my will. I was disoriented and scared and I wasn't in any way responsible for my actions. Not only that, but the police acted improperly in detaining me and there was no evidence of me forcibly entering the Diaz home, nor was I threatening the family. As it turns out, Mark was so persuasive in his argument that the police ended up dropping the charges against me and let me go."
"I suppose you neglected to tell Mr. Sterling about your plan to kill Marco Diaz?" Mina deadpanned.
"I did leave that detail out initially…" Toffee smirked.
"I still can't believe how easy it is to get released from jails on Earth…" Manfred shook his head.
"But I did tell him my entire story and my true intentions eventually," Toffee continued. "There was something about the man that told me I could trust him. Not to mention that I did owe him a debt of gratitude. When he took me to an establishment for a celebratory drink, I told him that I was unable to pay him for his services. He then suggested that I work for him as a way to pay off my debt. He also told me that he was actually quite intrigued about my story and how I'd ended up on earth. It was then that I told him exactly what I had intended to do with regards to Marco Diaz. Mark was actually quite nonplussed about me wanting to commit murder. Apparently, he has represented many unsavory characters in Southern California with regards to the criminal justice system. As far as he was concerned, I wasn't the worst person he'd ever met..."
"So that's why we ended up meeting you in a really nice house…" Mina snarked. "You've been working with your lawyer friend the past couple of years defending the worst criminals in the dimension!"
"Actually, we ended up with that house because one of our clients was killed in a drug deal gone wrong. The poor bastard didn't even realize that he signed ownership of his house over to Mark upon him dying. He was never really that attentive when it came to paperwork..."
Toffee chuckled. "These criminal types think they're invincible sometimes...but they're not. That's why they need a good lawyer…"
Mina just shook her head in disbelief. Toffee was still the biggest villain she'd ever come across. He had no honor or morals...and yet here she was, being forced to work with him. The situation had come about because the family she had pledged loyalty to for years had betrayed her. She swore to herself that they would feel the brunt of her wrath...but she also made a mental note to keep a close eye on Toffee. He had the upper hand for now. But there might come a time where she could exploit his arrogance and use it against him. Especially if she was to lead a group of fellow Mewmans in combat.
"Look…" Toffee pointed in the distance. "We're almost there."
The sight he was pointing at was a settlement along the banks of the river. Right away, it was obvious from how the collection of buildings and huts were constructed that it was a Mewman settlement. It was also only a very short walking distance from where the group was. Mina, Manfred, and Toffee spend their last few steps of their journey walking in silence. Soon they were approaching the edge of the settlement. No one came out to greet them, however. In fact, most of the residents were going about their business and didn't notice the three of them as they walked into their midst. There were some stares of confusion from some of the residents, although it may have been more to do with Mina and Manfred being still dressed in Earth clothes, which made them stand out from the Mewmans dressed in their usual garb.
They certainly weren't concerned that a former Septarian general and leader of a former monster rebellion against Mewni was leading two strangers through their village. Of course, this wasn't Mewni either. After walking some ways towards the middle of the settlement, Toffee stopped his group suddenly. They were in front of a round hut that was fairly large in size.
"We're here." Toffee announced. He led them through the curtain covering the only visible door and inside the hut. The hut had two rooms. A smaller front room which was sparsely furnished, and a larger back one. Mina and Manfred were led by Toffee to the back room, where standing around a square wooden table in the center were two figures. Mina and Manfred gasped as the two individuals turned to face their guests, and revealed themselves to be Septarians dressed in battle armor, swords at their sides. They both looked just like Toffee, except that one had a darker green skin tone, while the other had lighter brown colored skin.
"Mina...Manfred...I'd like to introduce you to Caramel and Pudding. These are my two most trusted Lieutenants in this dimension. A long time ago they escaped here to flee the persecution brought upon them by the Butterfly dynasty. Now, they're working with me to exact not just my revenge...but theirs as well."
"Which one is which?" Mina asked with an arched eyebrow.
"My name is Caramel." The lizard with the lighter brown skin spoke up. "The one next to me is my brother in arms, Pudding."
"Seriously?" Mina arched her eyebrow at Toffee. "What is it with you Septarians and your ridiculous sounding names? Are you going to introduce me to your friend named Fluffy next?"
"Watch your tongue, Mewman!" the darker green lizard named Pudding spat. "Or I'll cut it out of your head!"
For emphasis he pulled his sword out of its sheath and pointed it at Mina and Manfred. Manfred looked like he wanted to faint again. He leaned against the wall to steady himself. Mina, however, wasn't scared.
"You're lucky that Queen Solaria has been long gone, lizard!" she glared at the Septarian. She would be all too happy to cut you down with her blade if she were standing here by my side! Your so-called immortality is no match for Solarian Magic!"
"You dare say the name of the person who butchered and persecuted my people!" Pudding shouted. "You dare invoke the foul magic that killed so many of my brothers in arms!"
Pudding began to advance around the table to confront Mina.
"Calm down, Pudding..." Toffee calmly stepped between them in an attempt to take the temperature down a notch. "You as well, Mina."
"Toffee…" the Septarian named Caramel spoke up. The tone of his voice was much calmer, but it was obvious there was some rage behind it. "Have you lost your mind? Do you expect us to be able to work with a Solarian fanatic like this?"
He addressed Mina directly. "I know all about you Mina Loveberry. I know what you did to Monsters in the past along with Queen Solaria. You waged a genocidal war on my people...and as a member of the generation that survived your assault, I haven't forgotten nor am I willing to forgive you for what you've done."
"We're not here to litigate the past, Caramel." Toffee interjected. "Even though I understand your pain all too well."
Toffee looked down at his hand. It was the one with the finger that had previously been severed by Queen Moon all those years ago.
"There will be no conflict between us while Mina is here." Toffee addressed the room. "Mina will be in charge of training the Mewmans. You two will continue to train the Monsters. No one will need to come into contact with each other any more than necessary. Everything will work out just as I have planned it. Is that clear?"
An uneasy silence was the only response he received.
"Good." He motioned to the two Mewmans. "Now then you two...follow me. This hut is for eating, and also my workspace. I'll take you out back to your living quarters. Once you're both settled, I'll fetch you and you will get your first set of orders. Understood?"
Toffee made his way to the back door of the hut. As he passed, he glanced at Pudding who retreated back behind the table. Mina and Manfred followed suit, although they did their best to avoid the eyes of both Septarians that followed them the entire way to the exit.
Tom stretched out his legs as he sat in his chair. It was a lazy summer Saturday afternoon, and he was currently occupying a spot at a table on Marco's patio. The two young men had just spent the previous evening spending some quality guy time together. In this case it meant spending almost the entire night playing video games online, eating pizza, and finally crashing in the early hours of the morning. Marco's parents and baby sister were all gone for the evening, allowing Tom and Marco complete run of the house.
Meanwhile, Star and Janna were doing the equivalent over at Jackie's house. Star had desperately wanted a girl's night for some time now, especially given all the events that had transpired. So, Jackie had graciously offered her house, seeing as her parents were on vacation and wouldn't be back for some time. Janna had picked up Star at the Diaz house the night before, and also delivered Tom to Marco at the same time. Judging from some of the pictures that were showing up on the boy's phones, it looked like the girls were having an especially good time together. Jackie Lynn Thomas was famous for her "party drinks," and this was no exception. It was obvious that the girls were drinking, but it didn't bother Marco too much. Spending time on Mewni, and being allowed to drink alcohol with Star and her parent's numerous times-even though they were underage-had made Marco much more open minded to how he viewed alcohol consumption.
Marco exited the door to his kitchen and joined Tom at the patio table. He slid a can of soda pop in front of Tom, and proceeded to open his own can.
"Thanks buddy." Tom acknowledged as he followed suit.
"Any time, dude. It was great to be able to catch up and hang out last night."
"Yeah…" Tom agreed. "We totally needed some time just to chill out and do normal guy stuff."
"Well, you can thank Star's mom for that." Marco remarked.
"Queen Moon?" Tom was perplexed. "I don't get it."
"She's not Queen Moon anymore." Marco corrected him. "She's just a regular Mewman now and doesn't consider herself royalty. But anyway...Star's mom contacted her a few days ago and wanted to have her visit for some Mother/Daughter quality time. Except Star was still a bit upset about what happened at the Monster Temple and finding out that Hekapoo is still alive."
"Wait? Hekapoo is still alive? I thought her and those Magic Commission guys would have died since magic was destroyed."
"It's...complicated." Marco admitted. "What's worse, is that Star thinks that her mom and Hekapoo are working together because Hekapoo convinced Moon to help Star destroy the magic. Star really doesn't trust Hekapoo at all. Plus, there's a few other things going on between them."
"But I thought that things were good between Star and her mom? At least that's what it seemed like before all this happened." Tom motioned his arms around at the brand-new world that had been created.
"Oh yeah...you were stuck in the magic dimension when Moon betrayed Eclipsa and admitted that Mina was working for her." Marco realized.
"Really?" Tom's three eyes blinked in disbelief.
"It's kind of a long story, and truthfully something that I haven't really been wanting to talk about with anyone else other than Star. She did forgive her mom somewhat for aligning with Mina, and Moon realized that it was actually a huge mistake that could have led to the monsters being wiped out, but they both agreed that they still needed to talk things out between them. So, Star's having brunch with her mom. Or at least she was. When I messaged her last to tell her that we were hanging out on my patio, I think she was on her way back."
"Wait…" Tom was incredulous. "You're telling me that Star went out and partied last night with all her girlfriends, and likely got even less sleep than we did, and then was going to meet her mother today?"
Marco arched his eyebrow. "Why are you so concerned?"
"Because, dude. I used to get super nervous around Queen Moon whenever I spent time with Star when we were dating. Even the second time we got together...I always felt like I had to be really careful with her mom. It wasn't just because I was royalty, or because there were the two kingdoms to think about. I just...sometimes she could be really intense. She always held Star to a high standard, so I'm actually kind of scared how she'll react to her daughter showing up after a night of partying."
"Honestly...I never felt that way around Moon." Marco shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe that's one of the many reasons why me and Star are best friends...because I never got nervous or intimidated around her mom. As for Star meeting her mom after a night of drinking and partying with her girlfriends...that's kinda why she wanted the party in the first place. She wanted a stress-free night with her friends before she had to deal with her mom."
Tom blinked at Marco again in disbelief.
"This is how Star deals with these sorts of things. It's why she loved Earth so much and loved living here with my family. She could be free to do whatever she wanted and not have a bunch of royal responsibilities to worry about, or be forced to act in a certain way."
"Wow…" Tom finally spoke. "That's impressive. I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how you two handle yourselves in tough situations. I don't know...maybe I shouldn't have been so stubborn and encouraged the both of you to get together way sooner…"
His words were interrupted by a low rumbling noise in the distance. Slowly the noise started getting closer to Marco's house, until it sounded like it was right out front of the property. The noise turned out to be a combination of the engine of a muscle car and old school West Coast Hip Hop being blasted from the car's speakers. Janna and Star had arrived at Marco's house on Avocado Terrace.
"It sounds like Janna finally got her new bass sub installed." Tom remarked dryly over the din.
Marco just stared at his friend blankly, still trying to hear himself think over the wall of sound. It was a good thing his parents and sister were out for the day, although the neighbors that were still at home were probably going to file a noise complaint at this rate. As quickly as it had invaded their space, the music suddenly stopped as the car was shut off and the sounds of car doors opening and closing soon followed. As well as peals of hysterical laughter coming from two female voices. The laughter and voices soon made their way around to the backyard of the Diaz house.
As the two females came around the corner of the house, Marco and Tom were greeted with quite a sight. Before them stood Star and Janna looking like they'd had the greatest evening out ever. Star was dressed in the green dress she used to wear almost every day, along with the rhino boots and leggings she also used to wear almost every day, as well as her distinctive red horned headband. She was also wearing one of Marco's red hoodies, which basically belonged to her now. Marco had tried to convince her to at least wash it once in a while, but Star had refused saying she didn't want to lose the smell of "her Marco."
What was completely different was that Star's hair was done up in two huge, comical looking braids that stuck out at almost ninety-degree angles from her head. It required huge effort on Tom's part not to burst out laughing at how his ex-girlfriend looked. Marco, meanwhile, didn't find his girlfriend's hairstyle all that weird. But he was wondering why Star was wearing a face full of makeup, almost as if she was ready to go out again that night. Marco just chalked it up to his girlfriend being who she was, and he expected nothing less from her and loved her for it.
On the other hand, his oldest Earth friend was puzzling him. Once again, Janna was dressed up like she was about to go out on a date. Her hair and makeup were done, and even more surprising was the fact she was wearing a pink top along with a black skirt. Before he could even ask Janna what was up, Star let out a squeal of delight and bounded over to where Marco was sitting. All in one motion she jumped into his lap and threw her arms around his neck. Then, she proceeded to mash her lips against his. She also effectively blocked his view of anything else in front of him.
Janna just rolled her eyes and took a few steps over to Tom. Trying to be a gentleman, Tom was about to get out of his chair and offer it to Janna, when she pushed him back down into it and then proceeded to sit down on his lap. This was more than a little surprising to the half-demon, since Janna wasn't at all about public displays of affection. Regardless, he wasn't about to complain either.
"Hi Marco…" Star cooed on the other side of the table after breaking the kiss. "I missed you…"
"I noticed…" came his slightly out of breath reply due to having his oxygen abruptly cut off.
"I'd just like to point out that hasn't even been 24 hours since you last saw each other. You also live together." Janna commented.
"What's your point...Janna Banana?" Star snickered all while gazing into Marco's brown eyes.
"Did everything go ok with your Mom?" Marco tried changing the subject.
'So, here's the thing…" Star began. "I woke up this morning with only about an hour to spare before I had to meet my mom. Jackie was super awesome letting me use her shower to at least clean up a bit. Then, Ponyhead insisted that she do my hair and makeup. She wanted me to look great...even for my mom. Janna gave me a ride in her car to the castle, and I got there with a little bit of time to spare."
"Her mom was probably really impressed that her daughter was able to show up on time." Janna added.
"I'll bet," Marco remarked dryly. "Did you tell your mom what you were doing last night?"
"Only that I was with some girlfriends and we went and ate Chinese Food, and then we went bowling," Star giggled. "She doesn't need to know anything else. Although, it's not like I didn't go out and have some drinks and a good time when I was a princess."
"Still...the laws are a bit stricter in this country than the other dimensions we've been to." Marco pointed out. "Are there any liquor stores left in Southern California that will accept your fake ID, Janna?"
"Oh, Marco…" Star giggled. "Didn't you know that Chloe is twenty-one years old? I never knew that she was a couple of years older than Jackie either, but she took care of all the adult drinks."
"I took care of the other fun, legal for me to buy now, stuff..." Janna added proudly.
It took Marco a few moments to process everything. His ex-girlfriend was not only into women, but was with a girl older than all of them. What did Janna mean by "other fun stuff?" It was then that Marco happened to smell his borrowed hoodie, and inhaled a pungent odor.
"You let her smoke weed and then took her to see her mom?!" Marco cried out. He tried to glare at Janna, but one of Star's giant braids blocked his view.
"It's ok, Marco," Star kissed him on the cheek to reassure him. "I took off your hoodie and left it in Janna's car before I met my mom."
"Yeah, Diaz," Janna piped up. "You need to relax. We all had your girl's back."
Seeing Marco was about to have a "moment," Star gently booped his nose. That had the desired effect of calming him down.
"So...who was all at this party?" Tom inquired.
"Janna, Jackie, and Chloe, obviously. Ponyhead...obviously," Star motioned to her hair. "This is her handiwork. Also, Kelly, and Sara."
"Who's Sara?" Marco didn't recognize that name.
"Starfan13," Star replied. "Sara is her real name. She looks really different now too. She wears contacts instead of glasses and had her braces removed."
"Did you boys have a good time last night?" Star asked Marco with a smile.
"Yeah...we had some good guy time together." Marco nodded.
"Yeah...it was tons of fun." Tom agreed with him as he held his arms around Janna.
"Perfect…" Star grinned even wider at Marco. She then proceeded to start kissing him again, only this time it became deeper and more passionate between them. Janna sighed as if she knew where this would ultimately lead. She hopped off Tom, but also grabbed his hand to pull him up off the chair.
"Well...I think it's time that we got going...right Tom?"
"Uh...sure?" Janna started pulling Tom abruptly away from Star and Marco.
"Thanks for having me over Marco! Bye Star. Good to see you as well." Tom managed to get out before he was dragged off.
Star stopped kissing Marco and turned her head to one side to acknowledge her friends. "Thanks for the rides today, Janna! See you Tom!"
"Take it easy, dude...see ya Janna," Marco called out as well.
"Have a good time you two..." Star added with a smirk. She was about to start kissing Marco again when he stopped her.
"Wait…" he put a finger up to her lips. "Janna's wearing pink for the first time in years, and looks like she's dressed to go out again. Plus, she just dragged Tom away from here. I've know her since Kindergarten, and there's only one rational explanation-even by Janna standards-to her looking like that. I can't believe I'm actually asking this question...but are Tom and Janna?"
Star giggled while nuzzling his cheek. "You're so cute...no wonder I fell in love with you. To answer your question, Marco...yes. We finally got Janna to admit last night that they're dating. She tried really hard to deny it, and don't tell anyone I told you this, but I think it's also really serious. As in, we could be looking at the new Queen of the Underworld sometime in the future."
"Great…" Marco deadpanned. "Janna in charge of the underworld, and in command of an army of demons. Who actually thought that this was a good thing?"
"Quiet you!" Star scolded him playfully. "I think they're perfect for each other. Not only that, but I'm super excited to attend their wedding with my awesome boyfriend as my date."
"At least if we find another "magic" photo booth, it won't be as awkward as the last time…"
Star burst out laughing. "You're the best, Marco Diaz…"
"Now...come on…" she added in a sultry tone while putting her arms around his neck. "Mama Star missed her Latin Lover last night…"
Meanwhile, as Star and Marco were having their couple time, Tom and Janna were doing the same around the front side of the Diaz house. As soon as they were deemed far enough away from the other two, Janna stopped and faced Tom, and pulled him down towards her so she could plant a long lingering kiss on him. It came as yet another shock to him, but Tom did manage to reciprocate the affection. After quite some time, they broke apart. However, Tom was still perplexed at Janna's hot and cold behavior.
"Sorry I dragged you away back there, but being around those two-especially when Star is in lover mode-can be awkward as fuck sometimes."
Janna grabbed his hands to assure him. "But just because I find those two nauseating at times, doesn't mean I don't want to do all the same things they're doing to each other right now with you."
"That's a relief," he sighed. "Although...you realize we just made out in the middle of Marco's front lawn?"
"You're such a comedian…" Janna remarked dryly.
"Uh...thanks?" he remarked
"Now...let's go," she grabbed Tom's arm again. "Your mom was cool enough to get us those dinner reservations at that high end restaurant close to your lake house. We don't want to be late and make her look bad."
"True. But unlike you, I still have to get ready. By the way, you look totally amazing right now…"
"Aw...thanks, Tommy!" Janna beamed at him. "So, we'll head back to your place and you can get yourself equally good looking for me!"
Tom blushed at her pet name for him. "Are you sure you don't mind waiting?"
"Dude...you have two game systems and a big screen TV. I'll survive. Just don't keep me waiting too long. I don't want to have to pull your cute, naked backside out of the bathroom…"
Janna took his hand and guided him towards her car. All the while Tom had an even bigger blush growing on his face.
The sun was setting in the west as Star and Marco lounged on Marco's bed. Not long after Tom and Janna had left, Angie, Raphael, and Mariposa had returned. After taking one look at the position Star and Marco were in-not to mention seeing Star's hairstyle-Angie couldn't help but start taking numerous pictures of the two of them with her phone. She also declared that they were the most "adorable couple" since her and Raphael. This led to Star almost falling off Marco's lap in a fit of laughter, along with complete and utter embarrassment on Marco's part. This led to a demand from her son that Angie never share the pictures with anyone outside of the immediate family although Angie refused to make any promises.
After supper, Star and Marco retired back to his room. Star's hair was back to normal, and they had both changed into comfortable sleep clothing. They were trying to watch a show on Marco's television, but Star felt her lack of sleep finally catching up to her. She found herself wanting more and more to just fall asleep on Marco's chest instead of looking at the screen. Her boyfriend also realized that Star was fading fast, but he wanted to keep her awake as there was something he needed to ask her.
"Hey…" he spoke softly to her. "You never really told me how things went with your mom today."
Star raised her head up to look at Marco.
"It was...ok." she replied carefully. "We...came to an understanding."
"Meaning?"
"She apologized again for the whole thing with Mina. She also apologized for not being the best mom at times in the past. But now that she's no longer queen, she really wants to have a fresh start for both of us. I agreed with her, and I said that the first step was to not keep any major secrets between the two of us anymore."
"Did you tell her about your whole evening then?"
"Marco!" Star huffed. "That's not a major secret! I meant that we agreed to talk things out between us, especially if one of us is upset about something."
Marco nodded. He was trying to find a way to bring up a delicate subject with Star. One that involved a former member of the Magical High Commission.
"Hey…" he began. "Did I tell you that I talked to Talon?
"Mmm...no." Star half yawned.
"He wanted to see me again and hang out. He's finally getting adjusted to being in this world now, but he still wants to spend time with someone he's familiar with."
"So...what you're saying is you want another guy's day?" Star replied sleepily.
Marco sighed. He was trying to approach the subject delicately, but it was getting to the point of him having to just come out and say it. For emphasis, he pressed pause on the remote that was nearby to stop playback on his television.
"Star...Talon wants to come and see me, but so does Hekapoo."
This caused Star to sit up on the bed. She looked at Marco with an incredulous look on her face, but otherwise stayed silent.
"Star." Marco began gingerly. "I really want to hear how Talon ended up in this dimension. I never got much of a chance back at the Monster Temple because you wanted to leave."
That comment earned him a hard look from Star.
"I'm not blaming you or anything." he added quickly. "I know you were super upset on that day with what happened. I was perfectly fine with getting you back to my place as quickly as possible to keep an already bad situation from getting worse."
"Yeah…" Star said bitterly. "Because it wasn't already a giant shitshow. Mina and her goons attacked the Monsters. I beat her up, and got arrested for my trouble. I got you arrested too. Then…after my mom and Penelope come to our defense-not to mention lie to the cops-to keep us from ending up in jail, guess who shows up? Hekapoo...back from the dead, apparently..."
Star lay her head back down on Marco's chest. The events of not too long ago were still fresh and raw in her mind.
Marco sighed again. "I'm not trying to make you upset, Star. But I thought that if you were able to work things out with your mom, then why not be able to work things out with Hekapoo?"
What followed was a long period of silence. Star just lay her head on Marco's chest, but said absolutely nothing. Minutes passed, and yet nothing was said between the two of them. Panic started to creep into Marco's mind, as he began to wonder if he had made a huge miscalculation. Why did Hekapoo upset her so much? Did she really believe that the former High Commission member was going to steal him away from her despite Hekapoo's repeated denials?
"When?" Star mercifully broke the uneasy silence.
Marco was happy that she had finally spoken to him, but wasn't quite sure what her question meant.
"When do you want to see Talon and Hekapoo, Marco?" Star inquired again.
"I don't know...maybe in a few days?" Marco replied back. "Maybe even next weekend? I can see when my parents will be going out with Mariposa again, and then we can invite them over to hang out in the backyard by ourselves. It will be private conversation between the four of us."
Star raised herself up again to look Marco right in the eye.
"Ok, Marco. Even though I have lots of reservations about this, I'll do it. I'll do it, most importantly, because I love you. I love you so much that I helped create this new dimension with you. If I can do that, I think I'll be able to handle Hekapoo."
She gave him a small but sincere smile. Marco-for his part-visibly relaxed as he realized Star wasn't overly mad at him for wanting to have her patch things up with Hekapoo.
"Marco?" she inquired quietly. "Can you turn the TV off? I don't think I can keep my eyes open for much longer here. I'd really like to go to sleep now."
Marco just nodded, and reached for his remote to turn off his TV. He placed it on the nightstand, and turned off the bedside lamp at the same time. Both of them crawled into bed and Marco pulled the covers up over them. As usual, they both fell into each other's embrace. Marco gave Star a tender kiss on her forehead to wish her goodnight. While she enjoyed the affection her boyfriend was showing her, Star needed something else before she could fall asleep. She gently took his head in her hands, and pulled him down to her waiting mouth. The two of them lay there kissing each other softly for what turned out to be a lengthy amount of time before they finally broke apart. With both of them feeling satisfied, it wasn't long until they achieved slumber.
Exactly a week later, Star and Marco were back on Marco's patio as the rumble from two dragoncycles passed overhead. A few seconds later the beasts landed in the side yard of Marco's house. Two riders clad in black jean jackets, pants, and boots dismounted from the living creatures, and made their way over to the patio where the two teens were sitting. They both lifted the helmets that covered their faces, revealing Talon and Hekapoo.
"Marco!" the large eagle like creature cried out.
Marco got out of his chair and approached his friend. Talon grabbed the young Latino in a huge bear hug that lifted him completely off the ground.
"Hey...I missed you too, dude!" Marco wheezed as he felt the air being sucked out of him.
"So...I guess the whole tough guy routine is just an act, huh Talon?" Hekapoo jibed.
"Hey! Marco is my riding bro!" Talon shot back as he put Marco back down on the ground. "Talon always takes care of his bro's that ride with him!"
"Aww...you've got a bromance going!" the redhead smirked at them.
Even though Star wanted to maintain a serious demeanor while she was around Hekapoo, she was having trouble maintaining a straight face at the antics going on in front of her.
"Hey, Star!" Talon saw the blonde girl sitting at the table. "It's been a long time since I saw you last!"
"Well...yeah. The last time you saw me we were fighting for my homeland." Star nodded. "But now, we're all in this brand new world."
"Yeah...what's up with this place? It's like Mewni got dropped completely into another world!"
"Well buddy..." Marco went and sat down again. "Why don't you pull up a chair and tell me how you ended up here? Since you weren't able to tell us the last time we saw each other on that crazy day a while back."
"Totally!" Talon pulled one of the chairs next to the table over and sat down. Hekapoo pulled up a chair next to him.
"So...like yeah. I was hanging out at the Dragon Spit telling all my friends how I totally saved Star's kingdom, when someone came in as was all like...yo Talon! And I was all like...yo what?! So, then they told me to come outside and check something out. So, I went outside...and I saw this crazy looking swirly thing in the sky…"
As soon as Talon had mentioned a swirly thing in the sky, Star put her hands to her face and slumped down towards the table.
"Star? Are you alright?" Talon asked.
"She's...fine. Go on..." Marco looked at her hesitantly although he knew exactly why she was visibly upset.
"Um...ok. So, when I saw this swirly thing in the sky the first thing, I thought of was to go and see what that big swirly thing was. It actually felt like I needed to fly towards it...like it was calling me or something. So, I got on my dragoncycle and started flying towards it. Except...as I got closer to it, it started getting smaller! So, I flew as fast as I could towards it...and then just as I thought I wouldn't reach it there was a flash of light and what sounded like an explosion...and then next thing I knew I was riding on pavement on what looked like a big highway…"
Star began moaning into her hands softly next to Marco. Marco looked at her nervously trying not to freak out from what Talon was telling them. Just how many portals did the two of them create? Why were all their friends ending up in the new Earth-ni dimension?
"So, I was on this highway...and I saw all these vehicle type things heading straight for me!" Talon continued completely unaware of Marco's inner turmoil.
"I was like...oh shit! They're coming straight at me! So, I made a hard right turn and got off the road and onto this grassy area just in time before they hit me head on! It was then I noticed there was a whole bunch of traffic to my right going in the same direction on another highway, so I pulled over to that side and joined them. Then...I saw a big sign overhead saying Bakersfield Exit, as well as another big sign saying Los Angeles and an arrow. Then I remembered...Hey! My buddy Marco lives in a place called Los Angeles! So, I figured I'd keep on riding until I got to Los Angeles. I followed the road for like a long, long time. Finally, after going through some hills I ended up going through this big valley with lots of buildings and houses and then I passed over some more hills and then...I saw this huge city right in front of me! I didn't know where you lived was so big, dude!"
"Ok, Talon." Marco interjected. "From what you've described to us, it sounds like you passed through a portal that took you to Earth-ni and it sounds like you ended up just outside of Bakersfield, California driving on Interstate 5...in the wrong lane at first. But you kept driving until you got to a place called the San Fernando Valley. Then you drove through the valley and over the Hollywood Hills until you ended up driving into L.A. itself."
"I did?" the large eagle like creature sounded confused. "Wow, Marco. I always said you were a smart guy, bro!"
"Alright...bird brain…" Hekapoo interrupted after being oddly quiet the whole time. "This is a cool story and all...but now It's time for me to tell everyone here the real story of what happened when you ended up in L.A."
"Uh...is that like...really necessary, Hekapoo?" Talon looked at her nervously.
"The real story?" Marco arched his eyebrow.
"Yes, Marco. A few days before we showed up at the riot at the Monster Temple, I was sitting at a biker bar that I had discovered on the Sunset Strip, having a nice cocktail. Of course, some of the locals had tried to put some moves on me, but I was able to handle them. I don't blame them for hitting on me since I was probably the best-looking woman that they'd seen in that place for quite some time. All of a sudden there was a big commotion coming from the parking lot. So, I get up and go outside, just in time to see this big dummy right here in the middle of a fight with a bunch of bikers. My first thought was...what the hell is Talon doing here? But...a part of me told me I needed to help him out as he was totally outnumbered. So, I joined the fray by kicking a couple of bikers in the back of the legs. Then, when a couple more decided to fight me instead of Talon, I dropped them by kicking them in a sensitive area. By then Talon had managed to knock another couple of them out, so I told him to get on his cycle and follow me the hell out of there."
"Yo...I still say I could have handled them!" Talon huffed. "Talon doesn't back down from any fight!"
"Oh...shut up you big dummy!" Hekapoo yelled back. "They were going to kick your chicken fried ass all over the parking lot if I hadn't showed up to save you!"
"Why were you fighting in the first place, Talon?" Marco inquired.
"Because…" Hekapoo replied. "L.A. is a big city, and even though Talon knew that you lived here, he had no idea exactly where you lived. He ended up driving around until he was exhausted and ended up crashing into the bushes in the parking lot of the bar I was drinking at. Then...some bikers went out to have a smoke a while later and one of them decided to take a piss outside in the bushes, and he ended up pissing on Talon who was passed out!"
"You'd want to kick the guy's ass too, Marco, if someone started taking a piss on you!" Talon cried out. Marco, meanwhile, was having a hard time keeping a straight face.
"Sorry about what happened to you Talon...although, not sorry." Hekapoo grinned at him.
"So...where'd you go and how did you end up at the Monster Temple on the day we saw you?" Marco asked while trying not to laugh at his friend's misfortune.
"I let him crash in my hotel room on the pullout couch for a few days." Hekapoo said nonchalantly. "As for how we ended up at the Monster Temple. There was still nonstop news coverage every day about Earth and Mewni coming together, and in all of that coverage was a story about Eclipsa and Globgor and all the monsters in the Monster Town. So, I decided that maybe I should go over there and reveal to her that I was in this world now. After all, I did save her life...along with all of you from that crazy bitch, Mina. I didn't know I would have to save Eclipsa and her family a second time though…"
"Ok...I need to interrupt your story for a moment, Hekapoo." Star suddenly interjected after dropping her hands from her face. She got up from her chair and walked around to the other side of the table.
"Hekapoo?" Star addressed the former Magical High Commission member. "I'm sure Marco wants to fill Talon in about everything that's happened since the Cleaving. Why don't the two of us let them have some guy time together, and you and I can go for a walk and we can have our own girl time."
Talon and Hekapoo just stared at Star blankly. Marco suddenly remembered that Star came to him a couple days before they were to have their two guests over and requested that she and Hekapoo "go for a walk" so they could confront the issues between the two of them privately.
"Uh...great idea, honey!" Marco agreed. Star tried hard not to roll her eyes at him calling her that.
"Honey?" Hekapoo arched her eyebrow. "Seriously...Marco? Has she got you completely whipped already? Anyway...didn't you specifically tell us you wanted all of us to come to your house to spend time together today?"
"It'll be ok, Hekapoo." Star spoke for her boyfriend while trying to sound genuinely cheerful. "Marco will be just fine while we go and have our girl time. In fact, Echo Creek Park isn't far from here. We can walk there and I can show you the view of the city from the top of the hill. You've never been to Echo Creek before Earth-ni happened...have you?"
"Uh...no…" Hekapoo answered hesitantly.
"Great!" Star answered energetically. "You'll love it. Follow me!
Star got up from the table and indicated to Hekapoo to follow her. The redhead first looked at Talon, who only had a blank, confused expression on his face. She then looked at Marco, who had what she could have sworn was the most fake, forced grin on his face. But seeing that she had no good reason to refuse Star's request, Hekapoo shrugged her shoulders, got up out of her chair, and followed Star towards the front of the Diaz house to begin their walk to the park.
A/N: I just want to say thank you again to everyone who's followed, favorited, or left a review on this story. It's been almost a year since I discovered Star vs. the Forces of Evil, as well as the great fanfics that have inspired me to write this story. If there was a good thing to come out of 2020, it was certainly that. As we're now in 2021, I hope everyone can stay safe and healthy. Things are getting better every day.
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