Hey there, folks! Welcome to the fourth chapter of "Maroon and the Earth-Ni Protectors." Man, it's absolutely WILD that I'm already halfway through Book One. Anyways, have a good read, 'cause you're in for a treat!


"MAROON AND THE EARTH-NI PROTECTORS!"

BOOK ONE: TURF WARS

CHAPTER FOUR: A WRECK IN THE WOODS


Ruin. Destruction. Desolation. These were the things Austin Capers awoke to, once he regained consciousness after being brutally mauled by the legendary Seth of Septarsis. Horror befell the boy as he looked upon the familiar settings of Earth-Ni, and saw that the whole city was ruined and devoid of life. Not a single living soul could be seen, except for one man in a tattered, hooded cloak, who was sitting down on a pile of rubble.

"You there!" Austin called out to the mysterious man, only to hear no response. He walked a bit closer, and called out again. "What happened here?"

The man sitting on the rubble let out a deep sigh, and said "Everything I feared..." The vagabond's voice made Austin shudder, as it had a familiar sound he hadn't heard in over a year. Now, he was certainly on edge.

"This land...this...aberration...was razed to the ground. Completely destroyed by extradimensional filth; All because you couldn't stop them." The vagabond snarled, and turned towards Austin to stare him down; Austin froze up in fear upon seeing his face. This was no ordinary man; It was Austin's own father Oberon Capers, better known as the ruthless Commander Cobalt...

Austin's heart rate accelerated when he saw his father again; His last memory of Oberon was being stabbed through the abdomen by him. Not the kind of father-son bonding one would want to have.

"I'm not scared of you." Austin spoke, as he stood his ground.

"I'm not the one you should fear, boy. It's Butterfly you should be afraid of.." Oberon snarled. It seemed he never shed his hatred of all things alien, especially Star Butterfly.

"Star's ten times the person you ever were!" Austin rebuked, already seething with rage.

"Is she? Look around you, boy. All this destruction...all this damnation...is because of her."

"You're lying!" Austin angrily shouted. After dealing with Manfred and the Dreaded Beasts, he was getting awfully sick of bigoted xenophobes.

"It doesn't matter. That alien freak got what she deserved, anyways." Oberon remarked. Austin suddenly felt like he couldn't move, and was suddenly pulled towards his estranged father by an invisible force. He looked down at the ground to see a truly horrifying sight; A corpse, buried under the rubble his father sat on. A corpse...with heart marks on her cheeks...


Suddenly, Austin jolted up and shouted in fright; When he looked at his surroundings, he realized the horrifying sights he witnessed were nothing more than a nightmare. The first thing he noticed was that he was in a lot of pain, especially in his arm, torso and back; He also had a pounding headache.

Secondly, he realized where he was; He was lying on a cot in a hospital room, and he was hooked up to a machine that monitored his vital signs. Instead of the Maroon suit, he was now wearing a blue hospital gown.

Lastly, he saw a group of people in his hospital room, clamoring towards him once he awoke; Aunt Rita, Uncle Dez, Star, Marco, Tom and Janna were all present.

Suddenly, Austin was crowded by his aunt, his uncle, and even Star, who all hugged him. While he was truly touched, their hugging also flared up his wounds, and he groaned out in pain.

"Sorry!" Star apologized.

"I wouldn't do that. Your friend sprained his right arm, broke a couple ribs, and has a mild concussion. He's lucky that's it." The doctor explained, as she handed Rita and Desmond a file regarding Austin's condition.

"Oh, this is awful...what happened to you, Oz?" Desmond asked.

"I...uh...well...there was this cave..." Austin stumbled, the details of last night hazy in his mind, due to his head injury. "I don't really remember what happened."

"I do." Tom spoke, as all heads in the room turned to him. "He went into a cave to find the monsters who attacked the park."

"They're called the Dreaded Beasts." Austin corrected. Unfazed, Tom kept recounting last night's chilling events.

"When Janna and I found Austin, he was getting the crap beaten out of him by a huge monster. I hit it with some fire to save him, but when he looked at me..." Tom paused, still haunted by the piercing amber glare of the Septarian. "You're not going to believe this, but the leader of the monsters...was Seth!"

Star gasped in shock, while the others all looked at her confused. "SETH? Of Septarsis? THAT guy?" The former princess clamored in surprise. "I thought he died centuries ago!"

"So did I, Star..."

"Wait, wait, hold on. Who's Seth of Septarsis?" Marco asked, clearly out of the loop. Seth's name was feared all over Mewni by Mewmans and monsters alike, but on Earth? Different story.

"Seth was...this terrible, hateful monster who wanted all mewmans to die!" Star exclaimed.

"He's a Septarian, like Toffee or Rasticore. With him alive, Earth-Ni could be in deep trouble." Tom added, as Marco groaned.

"Just great. Another evil, unkillable lizard monster running around. Just what we needed." Marco sarcastically remarked.

With the tragic news of Seth's return, Star was feeling very nervous. From firsthand experience, she knew rogue Septarians were no laughing matter. To make things worse, magic was the only thing that could truly kill one, and it was gone with the wind...

Star's train of thought was turning negative fast, but she was distracted when she noticed the others had flocked to Austin's hospital bed. Janna was showing everyone a clip she recorded, of Maroon fighting Seth in the Dreaded Beasts' lair.

"Woah, you fought this guy?" Marco asked.

"I guess so. I just wish I could have stopped him..." Austin sighed in a melancholy tone. As the boy moped over his failure, Star had a sudden realization. In her mind, the spark of a brilliant idea had just lit!

"Hey, guys?" Star asked her friends. "Could you all just step outside with me for a bit? There's something important I want to talk to you about."

"Sure, Star." Marco responded, as Tom and Janna nodded "yes" in approval. The four teens walked out of the room and into the outside hallway, leaving Austin alone with his aunt, his uncle, and the doctor...


"So, what do you want to tell us?" Marco queried.

"Well...I've realized that Austin can't take Seth on alone. Even at full health." Star noted.

"Yeah, we know." Janna remarked.

"What I'm saying is, we should help him out...by becoming superheroes!" The Mewman giddily exclaimed, while the others just stared at her blankly.

"Y-you're kidding, right?" Marco asked, as Star frowned in disappointment.

"Of course not! Back when Maroon first started out, we became partners and fought Cobalt Watch together. Doing that stuff made me feel so confident, and besides; With everything that's going on, Echo Creek needs heroes more than ever."

"No offense, Star, but I don't really think I'm the superhero type." Janna said.

"You sure about that? After all, you helped save Austin's life." Tom retorted, making her smile faintly. "Honestly, being a superhero sounds pretty nice. Since the dimensions merged, us demons have been getting a bad rap on Earth."

"Tell me about it. A whole bunch of people thought the freakin' Rapture happened." Janna added.

"I agree with Star. Doing hero stuff sounds like a great way to tell people demons aren't all bad." Tom concurred, making Star smile.

"See! All of you could be amazing heroes! Janna has her hypnotism skills, Tom has his demon powers, and heck, Marco was even the original Maroon!" Star gushed, as Tom looked towards Marco in sheer surprise. Marco just shrugged and nodded nonchalantly.

"I don't know about this, Star. I'm glad you're passionate about this, but last time I played superhero, I got brainwashed and nearly killed you. I can't let that happen again..." Marco sighed.

Despite his reluctance, Star had a surefire way of convincing Marco to get back into the hero business; She stared him down while making her saddest, most adorable face. "Won't you please be my hero?" Star squeaked, melting her boyfriend's heart. Now he couldn't say no.

"Alright, Star. I'll be a hero if it makes you happy." Marco quavered, when Star squealed with joy, and suddenly kissed him on the lips, making the boy turn beet-red.

"Woah, get a room, you two." Janna cleverly retorted, as the couple shared a loving embrace...


Meanwhile in his hospital room, Austin was now on his own two feet, with his right arm placed in a sling. His body still hurt pretty bad, but at least he was walking again.

"So...can you keep our nephew's secret identity safe?" Dez questioned.

"The personal lives of my patients are strictly confidential." The doctor replied. "However, would he mind signing his autograph for my son Jeremy?" She asked, as she handed Dez a sheet of white paper on a clipboard.

Dez gave the clipboard to Austin, and he signed it under the name Maroon, with the message "Stay cool, Jeremy!" and a little doodle of his helmet. "No problem, Dr. Birnbaum." Austin retorted as he handed her the autograph. As if on cue, Star and the others all re-entered the room, and the Mewman ex-royal told Austin about their heroic idea.

"Let me get this straight. You guys wanna become...superheroes?" Austin questioned with eminent doubt in his voice.

"We sure do." Star replied.

"Look, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with this. I don't want anyone else to get hurt doing my job, especially you guys."

"No offense, but right now you really can't do your job." Marco commented, as Austin sighed deeply in agreement.

"Plus, Tom and I were the ones who saved you from Seth. We risked our lives just as much as you did." Janna added, surprising Austin.

"Wait, really? Thanks, I...I really underestimated you guys."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tom asked, when Star decided to quickly change the subject.

"Anyways, I think it would be great to help our community, especially now that Seth's back. You don't have to work alone anymore." Star offered, as Austin smiled.

"Alright, you got me. If you guys wanna help me out, I'm all for it." Austin replied, making Star cheer with joy.

"Yay! We're superheroes!" The blonde joyously exclaimed.

"Not yet." Aunt Rita suddenly spoke, as the teens stared at her in confusion. "You'll need some costumes first. Rita Jean-Marcelin, Parkersburg's number one fashion designer and your new best friend." She introduced. "Come with me, and I'll make you four the most stylish superheroes in the state!"

"Awesome!" Tom exclaimed.

"Well, your aunt seems pretty cool." Janna remarked to Austin, as she, Marco and Tom started to follow her out of the room.

"You coming, Star?" Marco asked.

"You guys go ahead, I'll catch up with you later." Star replied, as her friends walked out the door. Now, the hospital room had only four occupants; Her, Austin, Desmond and Dr. Birnbaum.

"You sure you don't wanna go with them? Trust me, you'd love hanging with Aunt Rita." Austin commented.

"I'll do that later. Right now, I wanna talk with you about something." Star responded.

"What is it?"

"As much as I wanna do this, I'm a little nervous. Janna has hypnosis, Tom has fire powers, Marco's got martial arts; With magic gone, what do I have?" Star quavered.

"Hmm...well, you have your heart. With your kindness and determination, you're as much a hero now as you were back then." Austin consoled, making his friend smile warmly.

"Aww, thanks! But seriously, you're crazy smart. Can't you make me something cool to fight bad guys with?" Star queried. Austin wasn't sure what he could make for her, but got an idea when he remembered something he heard yesterday afternoon.

"Well, I heard rumors of something big exposed by the cleaving. If we find it, I could use part of it to make something amazing."

"Really? Well, let's go!" Star giddily exclaimed.

"You heard her, Uncle Dez!" Austin called out to his uncle, who was reading a magazine. "Fire up the Dezmobile, it's time for an adventure!"


At the upscale Capers household, Rita led the three other teens into Austin's lab. This room was where he worked on projects like the Maroon suit. Since the move-in, Rita also used it as her makeshift fashion studio.

"Welcome to Studio Rita, my darlings." Rita said warmly. The teens looked around to see sewing machines, various colors and types of fabrics, and even a 3D printer, among other wonderful things.

"Thanks for doing this for us." Marco responded.

"Oh, it was my pleasure, Marco. Ozzy never lets me make his costumes. Yours will be much more stylish." Rita bragged.

Marco, Janna and Tom all sat together on a red-and-gold striped sofa. Then, Rita handed them clipboards with blank sheets of paper, and pens with the initials "RJM" monogrammed on them in silver lettering.

"Alright, my darlings. It's time for some brainstorming!" Rita exclaimed. "Just write down your powers, skills, and any ideas you have for your costume. Then, I'll make your wildest dreams come true..."

Rita left the trio of teens to their own devices, and they all started writing down their costume ideas. After fifteen minutes, the fabulous fashionista returned to collect their papers.

"Ooh, I like what I see. You kids sure are creative! Now sit tight and help yourself to some sparkling lemonade, while I work my magic!"


About an hour later, Rita finished making Marco's costume. Now, it was time for him to try it on.

"Alright, Marco! Your suit is ready!" Rita called out, as Marco took the last sip of his lemonade, got off the sofa and walked to the stall he'd be changing behind. "I must say, I'm a big fan, considering how you knocked out my insufferable brother-in-law."

"Yeah..." Marco awkwardly responded. He entered the private stall, and started changing into his new custom outfit. Once he finished putting it on, Rita started announcing into a microphone to hype him up before his entrance.

"Once, he moonlighted as the original Maroon; Now, Marco Diaz will use his martial arts skills and enhanced swordsmanship to fight crime as the courageous Martial Boy!"

Marco strutted out to Rita's introduction, wearing his stylish new super-suit. His outfit consisted of a red-and-black unitard with hoodie-like features, plus shiny gold bands on the shoulders and thighs. From heel to knee, his legs were covered in white bandage-like wraps, and he had black shoes with specialized soles as well. To top it all off, he wore a black domino mask, and in the middle of his chest was an "M" insignia.

Marco turned to Tom and Janna, and asked them what they thought.

"Lookin' sharp, Diaz!" Janna remarked, as Tom gave two thumbs-up.

"Man, I can't wait for Star to see this..." Marco beamed as he thought of his beloved. If only she was here with him right now...


But just what was Star doing, anyways? Right now, she and Austin were sitting together in the backseat of Dez's company pickup truck, dubbed the "Dezmobile." Austin had changed out of his hospital gown to his usual attire; A purple T-shirt and black shorts. On the other hand, Star was wearing her blue narwhal dress, with striped blue leggings and purple boots.

Soon, the truck arrived at its destination; A clearing leading to some extraterrestrial-looking woods. "Alright, here's your stop. I'll be waiting for you here. Good luck and have fun!" Desmond cheered, as the two friends exited his truck.

"Goodbye, Uncle Dez!" Austin responded, as Star waved goodbye to him. Then, the duo started heading into the forest.

"So, what are we doing here, anyways?" Star wondered.

"Well, according to someone on the internet named Starfan13, somewhere in this forest is the wreck of the Dauntless." Austin explained.

Dauntless. The very word brought up bad memories in the minds of both teens. The Dauntless was a flying warship built by the Earth-based, anti-alien terrorist group Cobalt Watch, which was led by Oberon Capers. It invaded the realm of Mewni, and nearly caused a war between two worlds. Luckily, it was brought down by Star, Marco, and Austin; For the latter, it was his very first mission as Maroon. Ironically, the two worlds meant to war against each other were now merged as one...

"The Dauntless? Why do we need to go there?"

"Well, since the defector gave me its blueprints, I studied the warship's design for months. It was able to thrust itself through the air with its mighty repulsor engines, which were powered by a series of energy cores." Austin explained, confusing the former princess.

"...And?"

"If we get one of those cores, I could use it to power..." Austin spoke, when he suddenly held his tongue.

"Power what?"

"A surprise. You'll find out eventually."

"Oh, YAY! I love surprises!" Star joyously cheered. Austin continued walking through the forest, when he suddenly tripped over a log, fell on the side where his broken ribs were, and yelled out in pain.

"Austin!" Star cried as she rushed to help her friend. "Are you okay?" She asked as she knelt beside him, and took his hand "Come on, lemme help you up." She said, as she helped him back up to his feet. "That was quite a fall, dude."

"Y-yeah..." Austin sighed, as he looked down at the log that tripped him, his face going a little red. For some reason, Star helping him up just made him feel strange...but not in a bad way. Unsure of his feelings, the boy just continued on his journey to a wreck from the past...


Back at Studio Rita, it was now time for Janna to try on her costume.

"Janna! Come with me, my fabulous friend." Rita called out, as the troublesome teenager begrudgingly left the couch.

"Good luck!" Tom blurted out.

"I swear to God if it's pink..." Janna thought to herself, as she took the freshly made costume and headed into the changing stall. After she finished putting on her outfit, Rita hyped up her reveal with an announcement.

"She's bold. She's sneaky. She's a master thief and a hypnotist to boot; For the first time ever, I give you the one and only Snatcher!"

On that cue, Janna strutted out from the stall and into the spotlight, wearing her new hero duds. Her outfit consisted of a dark green hooded jacket, with a tight black undershirt underneath it; teal pants with gray boots and knee pads, and a gray belt with a gold-colored buckle. On her face, she wore a domino mask just like Marco's, to conceal her identity. To top it off, resting on her jacket was a pocket watch for hypnotizing enemies.

For some strange reason, Janna's new outfit really caught Tom's attention; Turns out she didn't need a stopwatch to hypnotize him. Marco noticed his friend's seemingly infatuated state, and waved his hand in front of the half-demon's face to snap him out of it.

"Earth-Ni to Tom." Marco discreetly remarked.

"What?" Tom obliviously retorted, as Janna made her way towards the couch where the two boys were sitting.

"I wasn't sure about the whole hero thing at first, but this suit is pretty rad." Janna commented, as she sat down between Marco and Tom. "Check this out." Janna suddenly swiped Marco's wallet from his pocket, with nary a trouble.

"J-Janna!" Marco stammered in exasperation.

"Rita wasn't kidding about the "master thief" thing." Tom remarked. As Janna flaunted Marco's wallet around, the safe kid just crossed his arms and let out an annoyed groan...


In the Mewnian forest recently brought to Earth by the Cleave, Star and Austin were still trekking towards the wreck of Cobalt Watch's fallen warship.

"I feel uneasy going back to the wreck...it's the last place I saw my father." Austin solemnly sighed, as Star turned her head towards the boy. "You know, I had a crazy nightmare about him before I woke up."

"I feel you." Star uneasily responded. "I had some pretty bad dreams last night, too. I guess you've got the daddy issues, and I've got the mommy issues." She remarked, piquing Austin's interest.

"Wait, mommy issues? Could you elaborate on that?" Austin asked, as a slightly pained expression befell the girl's face.

"During the Solarian crisis, Mom ended up betraying us, and conspired with Mina to form the Solarian Warriors." Star quavered.

"Wait, really? That's horrible!"

"Yeah, but I forgave her after we destroyed magic...or at least I think I did. Things are still pretty icy between us."

"Oh...must be real awkward living with her, now." Austin commented, as Star nodded in agreement. "Hey, speaking of parental issues; Did you ever find out what happened to my dad? Not that I'd want to see that bigoted jackass again; I just want closure."

"Sorry, I never found out what happened to him. Mom never told me, surprise, surprise." Star groaned. Austin was unsure how to feel about this; While he by no means wanted Oberon back in his life, he still felt uneasy about the vagueness of his father's fate...


In the cushy confines of Studio Rita, Marco and Janna were waiting on the couch; Janna was texting on her phone, while Marco was drawing something on a piece of paper. The two teens were waiting while Tom changed into his freshly tailored superhero costume.

"Three suits in one day? Man, she's good." Marco complimented.

"I pride myself on efficiency, darling. That's the Jean-Marcelin promise." Rita sardonically bragged. Once she saw a lilac-colored hand peek out from the curtain and give a thumbs-up, it was time to announce the third Earth-Ni superhero's debut.

"Tom Lucitor is the demon prince of the Underworld, but he's no hell-raiser. He'll protect Echo Creek with his high-speed flight and fiery powers; Ladies and gentlemen, the Violet Devil!"

Once Rita introduced him, loud metal music started playing as Tom leapt out from the curtain. His new outfit included a three-eyed pair of goggles with white lenses and gray rims, a maroon-colored vest with flame patterns, black sleeves with orange, three-eyed skull graphics on the shoulders, spandex leggings colored a muted violet, and orange boots.

The half-demon started doing acrobatic flips and twists, as he fired short bursts of fire from his fists to flamboyantly show off. He kept throwing fiery punches and kicks to impress a certain someone, when one of his fire attacks hit a roll of fabric, and it combusted into burning flames.

The sprinklers set up all over the ceiling quickly activated, and the water sprayed from extinguished the fire; However, the sprinklers also managed to get everyone soaking wet, much to their chagrin.

"Smooth moves, hot shot." Janna sarcastically retorted, as she crossed her arms in annoyance. Clearly embarrassed, Tom turned away as his face turned a deep purple.

Mere moments later, the sprinkler finally ceased its wet wrath. "Next time, save the pyrotechnics for your missions." Rita scathingly remarked, further humiliating Tom. "Now, is that everyone?"

"You haven't done Star yet." Janna replied.

"Where is that beautiful blonde butterfly, anyways?" Rita queried in the form of a flattering compliment.

"She told me she went off with Austin for something important." Marco answered.

"Ah, I see. I just hope she looks after Ozzy; I don't want him getting hurt even more."

"Hey, Rita? Could you do me a huge favor and start working on Star's costume?" Marco asked, as he handed her the sheet of paper he was drawing on. "I want to surprise her."

Rita looked over the paper, and marveled at Marco's design for Star's new outfit. "This is simply marvelous, Marco! You're a real fashionista yourself."

"So, can you do it right now?"

"Just sit tight, my boy, and I'll make that girl a suit she'll never forget..."


Soon, Star and Austin came across a cliff, which overlooked a nearby valley. Here, they saw their destination; The wreck of the Dauntless. The huge dreadnought was now defunct and mostly looted, and lots of thick, teal vegetation had grown over it. To top things off, the ship was partially submerged in a pool of strange black liquid, something that clearly surprised Star.

"No...It can't be!" Star exclaimed, as a befuddled Austin glanced at her.

"What is it?"

"It's...probably nothing. Maybe this is just where the Echo Creek mud pits ended up." Star nodded. All of a sudden, another surprising sight caught Austin's eye.

"Look over there! It's a group of people." Austin commented, as he pointed to a little more than a dozen people in medieval-looking garb, who were heading towards the clearing where the Dauntless lay. From the distance which they stood, Austin couldn't tell exactly who they were, but Star knew otherwise once she saw a stuffy-looking fellow in a fancy blue outfit.

"Manfred." Star growled in a clearly disgusted tone.

"Manfred? Who's that?" Austin inquired.

"He was Mina's right hand man. You've met him before; He was leading the protest at the park yesterday." Star responded.

"Oh yeah, him." Austin groaned, still appalled at the former Solarian's attempt to publicly shame Star. "What are they doing here?"

"I dunno, but it can't be good."

"Let's get the core, and get out of here." said Austin, as he handed Star a black metal bracelet.

"What's this?" Star asked.

"It's one of my utility bracelets. Just wear it on your wrist, and snap your fingers to activate the different gadgets on it." Austin explained, as he slipped the other bracelet on his good arm.

"What do we need those for?"

"Just in case we run into trouble. Now let's make this quick."

Star donned the other utility bracelet on her right wrist, and the two quickly headed out towards the wrecked warship...


Mere moments later, the two teens came across the pool of dark liquid that the Dauntless rested in. Star knelt down, took out an empty bottle, and filled it with the mysterious substance.

"What are you doing?" Austin asked quietly, making sure not to alert Manfred's mob to their presence.

"You'll see..." Star whispered, as she stashed the bottle away. The two then headed around the black pond to the posterior end of the ship, where the repulsor-powered engines were located. However, the high-tech energy cores the teens were after were in an elevated position just out of their reach.

"Well, crap. What are we gonna do now?" Austin wondered, when Star suddenly got a bright idea.

"Get on my shoulders." Star commanded, in a dead serious tone. Austin's throat went dry, and his face flushed a little red.

"Are you s-serious?" He meekly stammered.

"Just hop on already."

Austin sighed, and lurched over to Star, who was now crouching to allow him on her shoulders. The boy shook slightly as he climbed onto Star's back, and rested his legs on her shoulders. Luckily, she found Austin easy to lift, thanks to the superhuman strength she inherited from her father.

Despite being on the shoulders of Star, Austin still couldn't reach the energy core. So, he cleverly activated the red energy blade on his utility bracelet, and cut the small battery out from the ship, causing it to fall right into his grasp.

"Got it." However, as soon as he got the core, he started involuntarily leaning backwards, and fell off Star's shoulders. He let out a loud yelp, but before he could fall in, Star acted quickly and caught him in her arms. Feeling strangely enraptured, Austin blushed furiously as he helplessly gazed into the former princess's eyes.

"Umm...Austin?" Star droned.

"Down there!" A voice suddenly barked. Austin snapped out of his daze, and both he and Star looked up to see Manfred, along with twelve hostile mewmans wielding sickles, pitchforks, daggers, and other crude weapons, all leering at them.

"Oh, crap!" Star exclaimed, as she suddenly dropped Austin.

"It's the rotten rebel princess, and that lewd-handed boy!" Manfred shouted, as the two teens tensed up. "SEIZE THEM!"

With the former servant's harsh command, his armed cronies started charging down the hill towards Star and Austin. Austin quickly extended his good arm and snapped his fingers, firing an energy blast from his wrist that hit and stunned one of the incoming goons. Star parroted his moves, and took down another Mewman who was wielding a spear.

The two kept firing their wrist-blasters, but eventually, there were too many hostiles for them to handle. The two teens turned tail, and started to flee as Manfred's mewman resistance pursued them. Austin rotated his mechanical bracelet to its grappling hook setting, and snapped his fingers; Unfortunately, it wouldn't activate, as it was malfunctioning!

"Crap, it's jammed!" Austin cursed. "Star, use your grappling hook!"

"But how do I use it?"

"Just tilt the bracelet to the right, aim your arm where you want to shoot, and snap your fingers!"

As the two kept running from their foes, Star raised her right arm, and pointed it at a sturdy tree on the cliffside above them.

"They're gaining on us!" Austin cried, as the ruffians came closer and closer. Suddenly, Star wrapped her free hand around Austin's torso and snapped her fingers. The grappling hook activated, and stuck itself into the tree she aimed for. The device then reeled itself in, pulling Star out of harm's way, and Austin with her.

As they ascended into the air, Austin's strange, unresolved tension with Star reached its pinnacle when he looked up at the girl who rescued him, with her auric hair flowing in the wind as she rose through the air whilst carrying him. Oh boy, was this gonna be awkward...

Once the two safely landed on the elevated cliffside, they could hear a furious Manfred calling out to them.

"You will RUE the day you trifled with us, Star Butterfly!" The former Solarian squawked.

"Go eat a bear turd, Manfred!" Star angrily shouted back. "Come on, let's get out of here..." She told Austin, and they left the wreck of the Dauntless where it lay...


A couple minutes later, once they were farther out from the defunct dreadnought where their enemies resided, Star and Austin sat down under the base of a sturdy tree to rest.

"Wow, that really went south. Are you feeling okay?" Star queried.

"Well, I'm still hurt from when that lizard kicked my ass, so..."

"Yeah, but are you okay, like, emotionally? I noticed you've been acting kinda weird recently, is everything alright?"

"Oh, crap! She knows. SHE KNOWS!" Austin worriedly thought to himself, as a drop of sweat ran down his neck.

"If there's something wrong, you can tell me." Star said in a warm and caring tone. Austin then sighed, knowing he'd have to get the unresolved feelings he harbored off his chest...

"Alright, fine. Star, I feel really awkward telling you this, but...I have a crush on you." Austin quavered as he slightly cringed, unable to look her in the eye. Star was at a loss of words; There were quite a few seconds of awkward silence until he spoke again.

"Look, the last thing I want to do is break you and Marco up; You two are literally made for each other. Heck, I don't even WANT to be in a relationship right now, with my vigilante status!" Austin profusely explained, as he looked down on the ground.

"Well...how long have you had it for?" Star wondered.

"Since my first mission with you and Marco. After I got stabbed by Cobalt, I nearly died...but you saved my life with your magic." Austin spoke. Star then felt a pang of guilt once he mentioned magic, as she destroyed the very forces Austin owed his life to.

"It got worse the day I moved...the day we kissed."

"You kissed me first, ya dork."

"After I ended up in Parkersburg, I thought about you all the time...but not in a creepy way! And it just got worse since you saved my life all those times today. I guess I thought of you as...an angel or something."

"Trust me, I'm no angel..." Star sighed, with a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"Look...I just wanted to get all these bottled-up feelings off my chest. Please, don't think any less of me because of this, I still want to be friends. Just friends."

A kind smile befell Star's face, and she leaned in to give Austin a hug, and a friendly peck on the forehead. "It's alright, Austin. You're a great guy, and I'm sure someday, you'll find that special someone." She complimented, making her friend feel much better.

"Thanks, Star. Glad we can still be buddies." Austin said, when Star handed him the bottle of black liquid that she harvested earlier.

"Here, take this."

"What is this stuff, anyways?"

"I've seen it before; It used to be liquid magic. If anyone can get it to work, it's you, smarty-pants." Star explained. Austin smiled and accepted her gift, then the two got up and started heading back to Desmond's truck.

"You know, you handled your whole secret crush thing a lot better than I did, when Marco dated Jackie." Star complimented.

"Wait, Marco dated Jackie? As in, Jackie Lynn-Thomas?" Austin responded in surprise.

"Mm-hmm."

"Man, what a player..."


Later at the studio, Rita had just finished up the last costume she was commissioned to make; The outfit reserved for Star. Once her work was complete, she summoned Marco to look it over.

"So, what do you think?" Rita inquired.

"She'll love it." Marco confidently replied.

Not a moment later, Star and Austin entered Rita's studio, weary after their turbulent adventure. Both teens were surprised to see their friends in their recently-crafted superhero costumes. (Which they had to change into after the whole sprinkler incident.)

"Woah, you guys look fabulous!" Star cheered upon seeing Janna and Tom in their new duds. Star became even more enthralled when she caught sight of Marco in his new "Martial Boy" guise.

"Woah, MARCO!" Star exclaimed, as her jaw practically dropped.

"Who's Marco? Call me Martial Boy." Marco playfully joked, as he picked Star up bridal-style, making her giggle uncontrollably. As the couple flirted with each other, Austin was enthralled to see Star happy with the boy she truly loved.

"So, when do I get MY costume made?" Star asked.

"Actually, it's just behind that curtain. I designed it myself, with the help of a friend." Marco answered, as he glanced at Rita, and gave her a wink. Star walked over to the stall to change, as Marco anxiously awaited her verdict.

Moments later, everyone jolted in shock when they heard a loud shriek come from the changing stall. Marco quickly rushed to the booth to see what was wrong, when Star suddenly jumped out in her new costume.

Star's brand-new outfit included a short pink dress with a butterfly symbol on the midsection and frilled white shoulder-covers, matching white gloves, salmon-and-purple leggings, similarly colored purple boots, and a pink mask shaped like a butterfly's wings.

"I LOVE IT!" Star cheered in a state of pure joy, as she tackled Marco to the ground, and smothered him with a flurry of grateful kisses.

"Lady Butterfly, everyone!" Rita jokingly announced, as Star and Marco continued to make out on the ground.

"I told them to get a room." Janna condescendingly remarked.

"Like they'd use it." Tom added.

At first, Star had no idea what she wanted to do with her life once the age of magic and queens came to an end. But today, something changed in her for the better. Today, she knew she wanted to be a hero...


At the wreck of the dreadnought, Manfred snobbishly watched over his goons as they recovered from the injuries they received during the earlier altercation. "This is appalling. How can we banish all monsters from Mewni when those rotten ruffians keep getting in our way?" He rhetorically asked, with vitriolic hatred brewing inside of him.

One particular mewman was on top of the ship, curiously prodding at the engines. Suddenly, he struck one of the energy cores with his mallet, and it detonated a concussive blast that sent him flying into the pool of corrupted magic below. The loud boom startled the entire gathering.

"What was THAT?" A terrified mewman cried.

"That...is the key to victory..." Manfred replied, with a sinister idea already brewing in his mind...


And...done! We may be halfway done, but that was just the beginning; Pretty soon, things are gonna get CRAZY!

Also, on the subject of shipping, you may be interested to hear that Marco isn't the only character I'm pairing Star with in this series. In fact, I'm pairing her with MANY characters, including...

Safe Kid

Princess Turdina

Earth Turd

Martial Boy

Yammy

Karate Boy

Angie and Rafael Diaz's son

Mariposa's big brother

Jackie's ex-boyfriend

and Maroon (the first one)

I kid, I kid. Just having a little fun. As for Austin, I can confirm he's getting a love interest eventually, although that's gonna be later down the road in Book 2. Anyways, thanks for reading, leave a review, and enjoy the rest of your day!