Took a bit longer to finish this one because I had a lot of work to do also and prioritised working on my novel rather than this fanfic (20 Chapters are done. 5 more to go then it's off to proofreading, polishing and looking for a publisher!) Also, my Beta reader went missing (can't contact her) so yeah, hopefully she's alright... The next update should be this Saturday.

Replies to the latest reviews:

SugarQueen97: Um, what do you mean by that? And anyway, the ending is best described as bittersweet.

Rock Raider: Didn't you read? They're not gonna get officially married yet, but just postpone it until a more appropriate time. But yeah, they're done with Earth for now.

archivewriter3: NO! They are not! Read the plan!

Bedrock Armor: No wedding! You had one in the previous fic! And Marco's parents have always been insane, tbh.

Thank you for your understanding and enjoy the chapter ^^!

Disclaimer: I do not claim the right to Star vs. the Forces of Evil or any of the characters that appear in the show. They belong to Disney and the show's creator, Daron Nefcy. I do, however, claim the right to the plot as well as any original characters that may appear in this fic, and would kindly ask you to inform me should you want to use anything from this fic in your own story. -jolleIQ

Beta read by ElleFreak.

Story cover by Luzz015. Be sure to check her out on DeviantArt!


Chapter 9.5

Just a Dream

Dreams are a strange phenomenon. They take us into worlds unimaginable to the conscious brain. Sometimes they seem so real that we wake up wondering whether or not they were dreams, other times they send us on adventures of epic fantasy and science fiction, but rob us of the memory after we wake. Truly cruel things, these dreams.

And yet, sometimes these dreams impact us more than we thought, in more ways than just one.

Marco was walking down a long, winding path amid what he perceived as odd plants of some sort that looked like weeds with long stems and oddly fluffy leaves shaped like stars and moons. All were coloured red, one shade or the other, and the sky was tinted in ever-changing colours, mixing and melding as thought one had captured thousands of rainbows and stuffed them into a barely-functioning blender and was forcibly mixing them together, yet the individual colours refused to give way.

Honestly, it was making him feel a bit nauseous.

Still, dreams were dreams, and he'd dreamt enough to know when they were just dreams. He didn't always catch on straight away, but the chances of a place like that being real were nigh zero.

That being said, there was no fighting a dream. It was a ship sailing through uncharted waters on a current that flowed as it pleased and fighting it was a fool's errand. So Marco allowed himself to be taken adrift on the boat and walked down the winding path, hoping that it would eventually lead him to a place that didn't look as though someone had puked rainbows all over the sky.

"Gross..." he muttered.

'Tis not a pleasant thing to say about my domain, mortal.

Marco's gaze darted from left to right in search of the source of the feminine voice. He saw nothing.

"Um, hello?"

Nothing.

Marco shrugged.

Probably just the wind whispering coherent sentences into his ear. Yep. Totally just the wind.

"C'mon, I'm not an idiot..." he murmured annoyedly, and said in a louder and more demanding voice, "Who's there? This dream is weird enough and I don't need some mysterious voice talking to me to make it weirder!"

A dream? You mortals and your lack of comprehension of the celestial and the otherworldly...

Was the voice mocking him?

And more importantly, who did it belong to? No matter how much he looked about himself, he could not see a single person in his vicinity, so unless one of the flowers was talking to him - which wasn't entirely impossible, now that he thought about it - there was just no source for the voice to come from.

Over here, the voice told him.

He looked in the direction.

Nothing.

No, here!

"I don't see anything!"

Oh for the love of- Look up, mortal!

Finally, after following the voice's instructions, Marco spotted a faint org of red light hovering towards him slowly. It looked like a miniature version of the sun, only much dimmer and surrounded by a reddish glow.

Marco stared at the light and reached out to touch it, upon which the light recoiled.

I think not, mortal. Lest you wish to perish this instant, I would advise you to abstain from grasping this form of mine.

Marco withdrew his hand and nodded. This dream was certainly becoming interesting.

"Uh, who are you?" he asked, upon which the voice replied.

I am Tarlala, mistress the of Blood Moon. I have been waiting for your arrival, mortal. Welcome to my domain.

Marco stared unblinkingly at the orb of red light hovering before him.

Tarlala? Hadn't he heard that name somewhere before?

"Oh, right! That goddess from those books Tom brought a while ago!" Marco exclaimed loudly, then looked around awkwardly. "I just said that out loud, didn't I?"

Indeed. But it matters not, for any who finds himself in my domain is subject to my will, and even their thoughts cannot be hidden from me. So speak truthfully, mortal, for I am not fond of lies.

"What exactly is your domain? What is his place?"

My domain is all that you see around yourself, mortal. This is my corner of this plane of existence wherein my will is absolute. You find yourself here only because I've allowed it.

"Uh huh..."

What was this orb talking about?

It wasn't lying about being able to read his mind, for as soon as he asked the question within his head, he received an annoyed answer.

You would not comprehend all even if I was to reveal to you the purpose of your presence but know that I have brought you here for a reason, mortal. Marco remained silent and the orb continued.

Listen carefully, mortal. A great evil is rising, an evil that has corrupted that which I created and that which has been bestowed upon you by my divine light. An evil that must be stopped before the cycle is repeated anew.

Marco stared at the orb blankly.

"...so, since this my dream, can I make a bike or something appear? Like, one that looks like a dragon."

...why do I even bother with you mortals?

"Give him a break, the dude thinks he's sleeping."

"What the-" Marco was startled by the familiar voice and turned his her right to find Janna emerging from a fiery portal, wearing her usual sly smirk. "Janna? What are you doing in my dream?"

"I have come because I am the one you truly love, and your subconsciousness is trying to tell just that!" she exclaimed in an overly-dramatic and obviously-fake manner that Marco didn't buy for one moment. Even in his dreams, Janna was Janna.

The orb of red light floated over to the girl, hovering in front of her face, and spoke angrily.

Leave my domain, trickster! This is no place for your kind!

Janna crossed her arms.

"You know, for someone whose will is 'absolute' around this place, you seem to have trouble kicking me out."

Do not toy with me, half-breed! My rage is the last thing you wish to invoke!

"Somehow, I'm not really concerned about that."

You wretched little-

As Marco listened to the exchange of Janna and Tarlala, he scratched his head in confusion. He'd had weird dreams before, from racing on giant snails that hit the speed of light, to turning into a giant monster and stomping over entire cities, but none of the dreams was so detailed or so realistic. Dreams truly were a natural wonder.

"Look, kitty," said Janna, and the orb fell silent. "Trust me, when Marco is convinced about something, you are not gonna sway him. The dude is dead certain that this is a dream, so you'll save yourself a lot of trouble if you just go along with it. But hey, why trust me, right?"

You are overstepping your authority, trickster!

"Ah! But am I wrong?" Janna replied with an edge of confidence to her voice, to which Tarlala sighed tiredly.

All that power at your disposal and you choose to frolick around and use it for your own entertainment...

"Guilty as charged," said Janna, and fell silent.

The orb seemed to consider something (although Marco wasn't sure how an orb could do that, but then again, this was his dream) and spoke.

Very well, trickster. Now leave! You need not hear-

"Oh, trust me, I do."

Had I the power to undo you, I would.

"But you don't."

"Um, look," Marco spoke up, getting in the middle of the orb and Janna. "I'm not sure what's going on here, but are you guys saying that this isn't a dream?"

The mortal is wiser than you give him credit for, trickster.

"Trust me, when he wakes up, he's gonna think the opposite."

Marco arched an eyebrow at Janna.

"So this is a dream?" he asked, unsure what to think.

It matters not, said Tarlala. Now, mortal, your time here is limited, so we must conclude these talks soon. Listen carefully, for I've not the patience to repeat myself.

"Ok, I'm listening," promised Marco.

Oh, I know who you are, mortal, assured Tarlala. Now, know that I have brought you here to both issue a warning and offer a proposal.

"A proposal?"

Indeed. You are unaware of this, but the path you are on leads to the destruction of your worlds as you know them. I've not the time to explain all in great detail, but soon, very soon, you shall find yourself at the heart of the fray, and your actions alone shall determine the outcome. I've seen your future, mortal, and the outcome of your current path is rather unfavourable. Quite a calamity, if I may add.

Marco wasn't sure what this thing was talking about. But he figured that he may as well play along since he literally had nothing else to do.

"Well, I don't really want something bad happening, I guess, so how can I stop it?"

Oh, I can help you stop this calamity. For a price, that is, Tarlala, mistress of the Bloodmoon, told Marco through their telepathic link. The orb glided over to him and stopped only when it was less than a hair's breadth away. Marco flinched and gave a reluctant nod, somehow finding this to be the only good response. "Ok. What do you want in exchange for your help?"

Nothing much; I just want to see the one who imprisoned me here all those aeons ago pay for her treachery! And you, mortal, shall help me have my revenge!

Before Marco could respond, the world around him began collapsing. The sky itself slowly shattered and fell and the red flowers withered, turning black as coal.

Trickster, the orb said to Janna, I know not why you chose this mortal, but I trust you shall be watchful of him.

Janna shrugged.

"Sure, it's not like I've got anything better to do."

Very well. Now, mortal, said Tarlala, speaking to Marco. You may touch my form, and the contract shall be made, and leave the rest to me.

Marco only stared at the orb blankly.

This was definitely one hell of a weird dream.

Nevertheless, he accepted the offer and grasped the orb with one hand, upon which it glew brighter than the sun, blinding him. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself just where he thought he would find himself; lying in his bed located in the royal quarters of Castle Butterfly. He sat upright and looked around, then sighed and laid back down.

"Phew, so it was just a dream after all."

Relieved, he shut his eyes and drifted to sleep, failing to notice the faint red moonlight illuminating the room for a moment before vanishing.

Just a dream... Yes, just a dream...

End of chapter 9.5


Well then...

C ya!