So we're getting a slight ratings bump lol, more so for the action in the later chapters because this story is about to go places...otherwise, enjoy!

Spotlight

The muted sound of snickering woke Marco early one morning, and he immediately feared that someone had broken into the castle. After becoming King of Earth-ni a mere week ago, it was natural to fear political enemies, even though the people seemed to love him. Usually, the only lurkers in the Monster Temple were young human and monsters fans who wanted an autograph or audience with the king and queen. Marco was amazed at some of the creative ideas they came up with, but Alfonzo and Ferguson's dimension-wide rule D&D match was not feasible. At least not yet. Archibald was supposed to escort unwanted visitors out, telling them to reach out during office hours. The king preferred his privacy when he retired to bed unless something immediate threatened the kingdom. If they're fans, they'll go away on their own, Marco let his eyelids droop and sleep reclaim him.

But the laughing refused to go away. Minutes later, Marco's ears picked up the sound of equipment jostling outside his door. He imagined metal, plastic, and glass rattling as if someone was building something in haste. I guess I'll investigate, he reluctantly slipped out of bed and into a robe. On the way to the door, the boy also grabbed a broom, just in case. People didn't normally bother others at six in the morning. The sun still hid below the horizon, shedding weak light over the dimension that barely lightened the sky enough to see. It better not be ENN, Marco groaned at the idea of the press camping outside of his room again. Tabloids loved to sneakily take pictures of the ruler to stick in horribly-written, fabricated stories.

When Marco finally opened the door, he was greeted by blinding stage lights and camera lens peering coldly into his soul. What is this? He shielded his bleary eyes and batted at the microphone shoved in his face. Is StarFan13 being creepy again? Marco wondered, but when sight returned to his eyes, he noticed a blue floating horsehead instead, confirming his worst nightmare.

"Good morning King Earth-ni Turd!" Pony Head practically yelled. "And welcome to the Pony Head Show!"

At last, Marco encountered a fate worse than death. For some reason, Pony Head still stubbornly held onto her failing show even though Mewmans and monsters tended to watch cable like humans did. And who would blame them since the princess' show was nothing more than an hour of extreme narcissism? Even Star, her best friend, didn't watch it and hardly sounded concerned when Pony Head cried over her low viewer count. She mentioned something about finding a new gimmick to attract new viewers, and unfortunately for Marco, he was that gimmick. Oh great...the tired king yawned and scratched his back.

"C'mon, Turd, wave to your people," Pony Head nudged him. "You're on a new segment called 'Get to Know Your Leader!' I'm going to follow you around like all day to capture the intimate moments of your life."

"Oh no you aren't," Marco put his hands on his hips. "Also, who's even watching this? Ten people?"

"That's where you're wrong, Earth Turd," Pony Head cackled. "Er'body is watching because I got Seahorse to hack a bunch of servers and stuff. So whether you have a mirror or computer or one of those talking boxes, you have no choice but to watch this live stream!"

"But that's seriously illegal…"

Seahorse chuckled from behind the camera, "Oh, I know. I can go to jail if I get caught." He sounded disturbingly nonchalant about confessing his crimes to the entire dimension.

It took Marco's tired brain a moment to register what he just heard as part of him thought he was just having a bad dream. But when he fully realized what was going on, he frantically tried to shut the door while Pony Head attempted to break into his bedroom. He couldn't let Earth-ni see him in his bathrobe and with disheveled bed hair! As king, Marco had an image to uphold! Yet that wasn't the worst thing his dimension could see...he had a major secret to conceal from curious eyes. While he fought Pony Head for control of the door, the boy failed to hear a sleepy voice call his name. "Marco? What's going on?"

"STAR?!" Marco and Pony Head exclaimed at the same time but for different reasons. Her voice caused the boy to lose his concentration, and the door slammed open, revealing a yawning Star sitting in his bed. The whole dimension was about to learn about what their royals really did at night, and it wasn't exactly Parking Lot Tycoon. Embarrassed, Star covered up her nightgown with the comforter, and her cheeks turned red like the Blood Moon.

Pony Head grew a creepy grin on her face, "Oh my corn, guys, Queen B-Fly is in Turd's bed. Oooh, scandalous...What were you two doing last night?"

"None of your business!" Marco gritted his teeth. "We were just playing video games."

"But where's your talking box? And are those love bites…?"

Star and Marco refused to look at each other, and the boy struggled to keep his hands off his neck. My parents are watching this...he realized in horror.

"Pony, what did I tell about randomly filming people?" Star exclaimed. "It's super rude!"

The princess snorted, "But the best way to get genuine reactions is to surprise people, so SURPRISE! Tell me, what's your king like in—" Marco unplugged the microphone just inside.

"This show is over," Marco hastily shoved Pony Head, her boyfriend, and the cameras out of the room. Maybe he could use the earlier confession as evidence to throw them in jail. Hijacking the airwaves had to count as domestic terrorism. If not, he was determined to get Pony Head on jaywalking and littering. He had seen her do both, and the Waterfolk kingdom had a massive campaign against throwing trash in the waterways. They punished wrongdoers with death in their kingdom, although Star and Marco negotiated them to lessen the punishment to a fine and community service. Beheading people for accidentally letting trash fall into a stream seemed a bit harsh. We can make a special case for Pony Head though, Marco considered the idea.

Somehow, Pony Head wriggled out of his grip, "Geez, if you were just playing video games, then you wouldn't be so defensive. Y'all gimme your reactions in the comments. Let me see those predictions about marriage and royal babies."

"Get…out…" Marco finally wrestled her out of the room and shut the door. Fuming, he reached for his phone to text Archibald to fetch Higgs and the King's Guard. They should have Pony Head out of the castle within thirty seconds.

Once silence returned, Marco sat on his bed and let out a sigh of relief. "I don't get why you're friends with her sometimes," he shook his head.

"Yeah…me neither," Star reluctantly agreed. "Pony Head can be a lot to handle sometimes."

"Only sometimes?"

"Okay, more than sometimes."

Marco laughed and cupped her cheek, "Admit it, I'm your favorite best friend."

"Maybe…" She said bashfully.

He moved closer, watching his girlfriend blush in the golden rays of the sun. She seemed to glow brighter than the morning, which caught Marco's breath for a moment. "Star…" he sang her name. "C'mon…"

She grabbed a fist full of his shirt to bring him close enough to touch noses, "Maybe if you show me, I'll consider."

That's a challenge I'll accept, Marco placed a hand on her lap, moving his lips to hers. Suddenly, he caught sight of a blue shape hovering outside of his window, and he lurched backwards.

"Earth Turd and B-Fly are about to get heated in there!" Pony Head laughed through the window. "I'm going to give you the play-by-play of all the action."

I'm gonna destroy her! Marco promptly got up and yanked the curtains closed. Now, he came to a dilemma. Pony Head knew they were in their room and was probably trying to figure out a way in past the guards. Therefore, if Marco and Star stayed in their room, they would be trapped, subject to the princess's sordid gossip and rumors about them. We have to sneak out, he concluded while tapping his chin. That was the only way to save their reputations. "Wanna sneak out with me?" He asked.

The suggestion made Star's face light up, "How naughty, Mr. Diaz…"

"Not like that," he blushed, "Although, I think we should go to our secret meadow…"

"Where no one can find us," she finished his sentence. "I like your style. We'll make an adventure of it. We might have to get creative about getting there."

I wish we could use the scissors, Marco stared at the gleaming blades on his nightstand longingly. Star reached for her phone and set out a message, then said, "Help is on the way, so let's get ready."

The noonday sun hurt Marco's eyes when a shadowy figure opened the trunk of the car. "Rise and shine, Diaz," Janna blew a bubble with her gum, leaning against the rusty green bumper. "We're at your final destination."

"Hardy-har-har," he glared and slowly crawled out of the tight space, groaning at the pain in his side. What does she keep in here? Marco saw the books, shrunken skulls, and other weird objects that had been stuff in there with him. The better question was why did he let Star talk him into letting Janna help them? Janna who never had good plans. Janna who never did good things to him. It was her suggestion that they crawl through miles of secret tunnels under the Monster Temple for hours until they reached her car parked by the base of the hill. It was her idea to have Star hide under blankets in the back seat while Marco rode in the trunk. During the long ride, he thrashed around, screaming in terror at his dark fate. Maybe it was better that he couldn't see; her driving was atrocious.

Star hopped out, no worse for wear, "Thanks for the lift, Janna. Here's your money."

Her hand eagerly folded around the wad of bills Marco had given his girlfriend. They were so lucky that he still collected his six-hundred-and-fifty-dollar royalty check for the Princess Turdina dolls. "That's why they call me 'Odd-Jobs' Janna," the girl smirked as she counted the bills. "I'll do anything for a price. Now, I gotta clean up job to do at the Diazes' place. Have fun."

The car squealed as the wheels struggled to grip the carpet of slippery pine needles and old leaves on the forest floor. Eventually, it freed itself, kicking up a cloud of debris before sliding down the slope. That poor thing isn't going to last a year, Marco flinched when the license plate fell off. And when did Janna learn how to drive? The last he heard, the girl flunked out of driver's ed and was deemed too unsafe to even get a learner's permit. Then again, who was he to question the one-and-only Janna Ordonia? She had her ways and that was that.

When the car had left, the forest calmed again. Birds returned to their perches and started singing on the summer breeze, and small animals scurried in the undergrowth, hoping the cover would protect them. Marco inhaled deeply and spread open his arms to welcome the dappled sunlight from the canopy, which warmed his body. Now, this is how I want to spend my day with Star, he unrolled a picnic blanket and lay down under the branches of a stout oak tree, inviting his girlfriend to join him. They cuddled together, listening to each other's breathing and the sounds of nature. Nothing can ruin this, he ran his fingers through her golden, sun-kissed hair. The light shimmering in her excited eyes stole the breath from his lungs, and Marco gave her a quick kiss. Faint hearts temporarily outlined her cheeks, reminding him about the mystery of the magic. It was gone, but not gone at the same time. The mystery perplexed him.

"Do I have something on my face?" Star tilted her head in curiosity.

"Do I have something on my face?" Marco echoed when he caught the look of surprise on her face.

Star smiled and traced the shape of the moons on his cheeks, "I don't understand why they show up when we kiss."

"I mean, they don't only appear when we kiss," he reminded her with a chuckle, blushing slightly.

"Are you tempting me?"

"Maybe…"

Star pressed her forehead against his, "Well, we are alone, Wild Man."

Yeah, he grinned as she slowly unzipped his hoodie. Just as the blonde leaned in for a longer kiss, a blue creature jumped out a bush and scared the living daylights out of the teens. Star became so angry that Marco thought she was going to pluck Pony Head's horn out of her head. In fact, he had to restrain her. If they were going to kill the princess, they'd have to wait until there weren't any cameras watching.

"—And we're back with the Pony Head Show!" Pony Head announced. "It looks like we came at a great time. Am I right, B-Fly and Earth Turd? Y'all weren't coming out here to watch birds…"

"No comment," Marco gritted his teeth.

Seahorse handed Pony Head a tablet while still holding the camera, "We have viewer questions, my dear."

"Ooh, thanks, boo," she blew him a kiss. "Now, let's see what you curious peeps wanna know about our leaders. I'mma start with one from StarcoFan13. She writes: 'Hey, Star, am I still your favorite fan?'"

Not even subtle, Marco rolled his eyes. Part of him wanted someone to ask about his ideal leadership style, or how he and Star would tackle the complex issues of the cleaved dimensions. But he doubted that the kinds of people who watched the Pony Head Show were intelligent enough for those kinds of discussions.

"Uh…" Star tried to answer, but Pony Head scrolled down on her tablet.

"These are all, like, boring," she complained. "Someone gimme something juicy...ah-ha! xxFireLord666 asked: 'Star, why are you sleeping in Marco's bed?'"

Why Tom…? Marco slapped his hand to his forehead. Did he seriously want an answer?

Gleefully, Pony read a few more responses, "Just in, NotMarcosMom asks 'When will I get some grandbabies?' Actually, these are like such good comments, oh, Monsterlover300 says 'Don't forget about safety.'"

"That's it!" Marco had had enough of everyone getting into his personal business. Grabbing Star before she could say anything embarrassing, he whistled for Nachos to bail them out. The loyal dragoncycle swooped out of the sky and carried the couple away.

"I think we finally lost them," Marco tumbled off of Nachos when she landed on the top of a desolate mountain on the far outskirts of town. The poor dragoncyle panted in the heat, letting her tired wings droop into the dusty ground. "It's okay, boo-boo," he hugged her. "You can rest now. You've been a good girl all day."

They had been flying around Earth-ni for the better part of the day, trying to evade Pony Head and her infernal talk show. The chase took them all over the dimension: through the city, around the other kingdoms, down the freeway, and over the field of Mewni corn. On the plus side, it was nice for the fleeing leaders to have such a great tour of their land. Marco learned a lot about his new home. For example, he had no idea that most of Earth-ni was an uninhabited wilderness, combining the forests on Mewni with Californian scrubland. Outside of Echo Creek proper, and the kingdom, the world was empty and uncharted. Who knew what lay in the farthest regions of the world? One day, I'm going to take Star on a great adventure to find out, he smiled. It was great to know that there was plenty of adventure and unsolved mysteries left.

Star joined him on the ground, "Pony Head can't find us here, I don't think. She can't read maps."

"Can she read at all?" Marco replied sarcastically.

"I have no idea."

The sun set behind them, and Star and Marco sat high above the edge of the known world. He gave her a quick kiss, smiling at the beautiful hearts that flashed on her cheek. "Hey, Star," he took her hand, "I think we should look into this."

"Into what?" She questioned. "Oh, you mean the cheekmarks."

"Yeah...I have a weird feeling that they're important somehow."

"But they aren't as important as the Pony Head Show!" Like a bad rash, Pony Head somehow managed to appear in their lives again.

Angry, Star stomped over and tossed her friend's tablet over the side of the mountain, where it tumbled towards an abandoned green car. Satisfied, she turned her wrath on Pony Head, "What do you want from us? I just want to spend the day with my boyfriend and not have everyone in our business! Is that so hard?!"

Pony Head tried to put on a sad face, "I just wanted to cover the new leaders of Earth-ni so everyone could get to know you. Like you didn't have to be so mean…"

Pity softened both Star and Marco's hearts, and the boy sighed, "We didn't mean it like that. It's just you have been kinda intrusive. If you want us to speak on your show at any time, you could always ask." Honestly, he wanted his subjects to get to know their new leaders, but in a more organized fashion.

The princess stopped sulking, "I didn't mean to be a pest. I just want to help you guys. But I promise to ask next time."

"That's all we wanted," Marco nodded.

"Hey, guys… I have one tiny question. Do you wanna answer a question in front of our live studio audience?" Suddenly, bright spotlights from helicopters landed on Star and Marco, and a large group of their supporters appeared on the hill, cheering and chanting their names. I take back my apology, the boy shielded his eyes from the glare. There was no way out of this situation. He had to give in, or else Pony Head would hound him until the ends of the dimension.

Reluctantly, he grabbed the microphone, "Okay, what do you want to know?"

"We wanna know why Star was in your room earlier!" StarFan13 shouted, and the crowd agreed with whistles and thunderous applause.

Welp, here goes nothing, he sighed, "You wanna know what Star and I do at night? Well, here it is. We—"

Beanie and Horns

"Heard you got a demon problem," Janna smirked on the porch of the Diazes house. The door opened slightly, revealing three sets of concerned eyes in the crevice.

"We heard you clean up supernatural things," Mr. Diaz said through chattering teeth. "Can you help us? We have a serious problem."

There was nothing "Odd-Jobs" Janna couldn't handle, especially when it came the creepy and the supernatural. That was her specialty. Ever since the Cleaving, the girl spent her days riding around the dimension in the old car she salvaged from the junkyard looking for work. The best way to make money off of people is to take advantage of their unique needs, and the Cleaving created many. Fences and telephone poles were littered with fliers requesting the services of someone who could help their problems, and Janna conducted her job with no questions asked. If there were buckets of ectoplasmic goop that needed a proper burning, she did it. If there were animal parts to smuggle, she moved them to the right customer. If a monster needed to hide evidence that he ate a dog, Janna brought a couple of shovels. But her favorite tasks involved demon exorcisms—they formed a special place in her heart. When the Diazes called her about a demonic presence in their backyard, the girl piled her dusty books in the trunk along with candles, and a vile of holy water she stole from a church. Again, no questions asked.

Janna nodded with a smug grin on her face, "I'm sixteen; I can handle a demon. Now show me where this bad boy is, and I'll have him disposed of before you spell H-E-L-L."

"H-E-L- oh…" Mrs. Diaz covered her mouth. "Nevermind, he's out back. Be careful, he's been here for months, just in the same spot."

The girl nodded, "Gotcha, lemme get my supplies."

She lifted the trunk of her car—careful to mind the rusty hinges—and brought out the books, holy water, and candles. Shuffling them under her arms, she entered the backyard, ready to face the foe haunting the quaint suburban home. At first, she saw nothing unusual: a few cacti, some rocks, a patch of grass withered by the hot sun, and a tool shed. There was also a headless dog statue, which Janna paused to take a picture of before returning to her case. Even without the usual signs of demonic activity, the girl wasn't fooled. Upper-level demons tended to be sneakier, concealing their evil under a cloak of normalcy. The best way to find them was to smell them out. Using her nose, she caught faint whiffs of burnt-toast traveling on the wind from behind the shed. Easy, she stalked to the outbuilding and carefully anointed the ground in a protective barrier of sugar and holy water. A couple of lit candles completed the ward. With the beast contained, Janna grabbed her favorite weapon—a shovel she called Grave Digger. Sometimes demons needed a bit of persuading in order to leave.

"I know you're there! Show yourself, demon!" She shouted. "Come easy, or I'll get you out the hard way."

"Go away…" A deep voice growled, sounding like thunder. "I require solitude."

Judging by the growl, Janna could tell she was dealing with a prince or another higher-up from the Underworld. Getting rid of his wouldn't be an easy feat, but it could be done. She tightened her grip on the shovel, "I'm afraid I have to send you back from whence you came."

"Wait? You can send me back to the Underworld?" The demon hissed.

Janna rocked back on her heels, "Well, that's why I'm here, demon."

"I know your voice…," Fire spread from behind the shed as a purple creature emerged from the shadows, crawling on all fours like a feral cat. Three blood-red eyes glowed in a sinister triangle above a row of fangs that descended from a frowning mouth in a jagged row. Sweeping horns erupted from a mess of wild pink hair that stood up as the demon continued forward. This is the ugliest demon I've ever seen, the girl raised Grave Digger for a strike until she realized that it was Tom. The pink hair gave him away.

"Tom?" Janna bit her lip to keep from laughing. "What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" He lashed his tail, arching his back. "Do you think I'm ugly too…?"

"Oh absolutely," Janna laughed. "But I still like your eyes."

The demon curled his tail over his long claws, "That's good. Star and Marco visited me the other day and screamed. Can you help me out of this form? I miss my pretty face."

I do too, Janna rested Grave Digger on the ground. Luckily, the demon expert knew all about the Berserker form. When extremely upset or scared, demons turned ugly in response. It was a baffling adaptation, and the books never gave an explanation as to why aside from theories about demon hormone regulation. There was only one way to change them back, and Janna had to execute the ritual correctly or else the world would explode. She stepped over the containment line and started to stroke the feral demon behind the ear. "Who's a handsome boy?" She cooed, watching the demon tense and shake.

Tom purred loudly and rubbed his body against her legs contently. Demons had fragile egos, so to fix them, they must be praised and coddled. Gradually, Tom reverted to his normal teenaged-boy self, and he rolled away from Janna. "Thanks," he muttered in embarrassment.

"I'm the best at my job," she bragged. "Now, can you please tell me why you're in the Diazes' yard?"

He sighed, sitting on the ground, "Oh, Janna, I'm glad Star and Marco found a way to be together, but I'm stuck on Earth-ni and can't get home. I've been trying for months to dig a way into the Underworld, but I've made very little progress." He pointed to a small hole that was only a foot wide and a foot deep. Broken plastic spoons lay scattered around the hole, the casualties of a futile project started by a desperate, sad creature. This is honestly the saddest thing I've ever seen, Janna snickered.

"Wow…" the amusement carried into her speaking voice. "First, you could have borrowed Grave Digger. A shovel would have made this easier. Way easier. And I have a jackhammer too—Jack the Ripper."

"You mean...I've been wasting months of my life when there was a better way!" Angst made Tom explode into his Berserker form again, and the girl rolled her eyes. Teenage male demons were seriously the worst when it came to drama. Old demons were physically more powerful, but they were less whiny and explosive. To deal with them, Janna dispatched them with Grave Digger and cast them back into the inferno. Tom required counseling, which was out of her expertise.

Calmly, she sat on the ground and petted the fiery demon again, "Can you chill out? I'm here to help."

"Sorry…" Tom snarled and returned to normal. "Having a rough time."

"I can tell," Janna smirked. "How long have you been out here?"

"Ever since the Cleaving," he replied. "It wasn't too bad at first. The Diazes gave me food, but one day, I scared the neighbors and set the fence on fire in rage. I think that's why they called you."

"Yeah, this is suburbia, you can't burn down people's property. Don't worry, I can get you to the Underworld."

Tom perked up, "You can?!"

"Of course," Janna helped him to his feet. "But we're doing it my way, so you gotta tag along on a few calls."

The demon wrapped his arms around her in a tight, warm hug and purred, "You're such an amazing girl, Janna."

"Yeah…" she secretly blushed. "Now, let's get going."

"I can't," Tom sighed. "You're containment line prevents me from leaving."

"Gimme five minutes to clean it up," she reached for Grave Digger.

A few hours later, Janna tossed a wad of soiled rags on Tom's lap in the passenger seat of the car. "Another satisfied customer," she cleaned off her hands. "You missed out, Tom. This spirit was a big one and very angry. You can always join me on a call."

"Hard pass," the demon mumbled, tossing the rags to the back.

Janna wordlessly climbed in the driver's seat and started the engine. The AC rattled when it cut on, but the cold air was a sweet relief after hours of convincing an attic ghost to leave. She really liked living in the Morrisons' house, but the human hosts were not as appreciative of her presence to say the least. Eventually, casual persuasion wouldn't cut it, and Janna had to resort to other methods. Hopefully, the ghost would find a better place to haunt in the Underworld. I would have offered her a place at my house if my attic wasn't already full of spirits, Janna needed to thin some of them out just in case she found a worthier prize.

"Now," she let the car idle for a minute. "My schedule is free, so we can start looking for a way to the Underworld."

"We can?" Joy filled Tom's eyes.

"Buckle up, buttercup, it's gonna be a long, fantastic journey," she cut the car on and floored it, zooming down the quiet suburban streets at sixty miles an hour. Dog walkers dragged their pets out of the way and parents snatched their children to the side when the old car started to ride partially on the sidewalk. All the while, Janna laughed, especially when she ran the redlight at the end of the street, causing other cars to swerve out of the way. Tom's eyes grew wide, and he clutched the edge of the seat for dear life.

"When did you get your license?" he asked in a small voice.

"Bold of you to assume I have one," Janna winked.

Suddenly, a dragoncycle streaked across the road passed them with Pony Head and Seahorse in hot pursuit. Marco steered sharply, cutting off Janna on the road. You leave me no choice, she pulled into the opposite lane to pass him, forcing an oncoming truck to run onto the sidewalk. "Kiss my tail, Diaz!" she honked her horn at the mortified boy.

"Save me, Marco!" Tom knocked on the windows, crying to his bro as they passed, but his friend had his own troubles to deal with to save him.

"Ah c'mon, live a little," she laughed. "This is life in the fast lane."

When they arrived at the outskirts of town, the car gave up the ghost in the middle of the road. Janna tapped on the gas gauge, hoping that there was a drop left in the tank, but the needle stubbornly hovered over the E, refusing to budge. "Welp," she shrugged, "Looks like we're hoofing it from here on. Rust Bucket is outta juice."

She unlocked the doors, and Tom tumbled out, kissing the ground. "Holy inferno, we're alive!" He whispered in gratitude with his lips pressed to the asphalt. The sight made the girl roll her eyes, It's not my fault that you need a high IQ to understand my driving. Popping open the trunk, she grabbed her most important book and a few provisions, leaving everything else behind. Once they got in cellphone range, she'd send a text to Oskar to tow her car to the gas station and fill her up. One of the perks to driving a trashed car was that very few people were tempted to steal it, and even if they did, she would salvage another one.

"Come on, drama prince," she grabbed the demon by the wrist. "We gotta find the entrance to the Underworld. Now, while I haven't been there myself—I just send things there—" She brought out a map of the outer mountains around Earth-ni. "But I heard rumors that the entrance is hidden in these hills."

Around Earth-ni, the Californian sagebrush hills stretched into the Forest of Certain Death and higher snow-capped peaks above them. No one had ever left the main kingdoms to explore the region, so anything Janna knew about it came from hearsay. Oskar reportedly heard from this guy who knew this guy who saw a lizard man roaming the wilderness, but it was likely just a rumor. The boy was known for hanging out with druggies, and everyone knew druggies made up stories. Hmm, she scanned the paper for clues to shorten their quest—unless Tom wanted to go on an epic adventure. For some reason, the idea sounded tempting…

"Find any leads yet?"

"Getting there," she replied. "How about that mountain?"

"Are you asking, or do you know for sure?" Tom followed her gaze to one of the taller sagebrush peaks.

"Yes."

He muttered something under his breath but followed behind her as she approached the swell of the first hill. Good thing I wear combat boots, Janna flexed her toes in them proudly. Normally, they functioned to protect her feet from poisonous goop and demon fire, but they were comfy and durable enough for a serious hike. Under the blaring sun, they forged a thin trail up the side of the exposed hill. Buzzards circled overhead at the heat of the day, attracted to Tom's sluggishness as he lagged behind. "He's not dead yet!" She tossed a rock in their direction.

After a few straight hours of climbing, they reached the top and saw the arc of the sun trace a westward path over Earth-ni. Nice, Janna could see all of Echo Creek—her creepy playground—nestled in the middle of the vast dimension like a toy model. "Hey, Tom," she called to him. "Hurry up and see this."

Huffing, the demon collapsed at the summit, "Did we find the Underworld?"

"Nope, but look," she helped him to his feet. "I think the view is worth it."

Tom's eyes grew wide, taking in the sights of Earth-ni, "I must admit, I like the view. It's our...home…" Tears started to pour from his eyes, smearing his mascara into black blobs on his cheek. "I'm never going to see my parents again...am I? I want to enjoy this new world but...I've lost everything dear to me. Well, except for you. You're a great friend, Janna. I really appreciated our adventure."

His words made her feel a tad guilty, and Janna placed a hand on his shoulder, "Actually...I have someone to take you. For real this time."

They hitchhiked a ride from Oskar, who had arrived to tow Janna's car, and he dropped them off at her house. Confused, Tom stared wordlessly as the girl dragged him passed her oblivious parents and to the basement door. "I don't usually bring people down here," she began, fiddling with the locks, "But...I owe you."

When it swung open, the entire world spread hundreds of feet below them, giving Tom a complete overview of his home. Volcanos belched smoke and molten rock in their faces, rivers of lava generated red heat that lit up the darkness, and in the middle, the Lucitor castle points its jagged towers to the sky that should have been Janna's floor. "My home!" Tom squealed. "I can't believe the way to the Underworld is in your basement!"

"I can…" she rubbed her arm. "I knew the entire time, but I just really wanted to hang out with you and didn't know how to ask you…"

Believe it or not, "Odd Jobs" Janna had a human heart down under layers of dry humor and creepiness. She had no idea how to talk to guys or anyone who wasn't Star and Marco. It was hard being on patrol without a partner to talk to and hunt ghosts and demons with. She didn't know exactly what she wanted with Tom yet, but she always felt herself drawn to creepy guys. Surprisingly, the demon took her hand. "I meant what I said about appreciating the adventure. And yeah, you should've told me sooner, but if you ever wanna hang out or need another demon expert on your team, just call me. I mean, we kinda live together now."

They both blushed slightly at the realization, and Janna quickly cleared her throat to return the color to her face. "I'll take you up on that, partner," she nodded.

"Tom! You're safe!" They turned to see Dave and Wrathmelior squeezing into the basement from the house. The demon giantess wailed loudly, while the king rushed to his son. "We've been looking all over for you ever since we found a way out of the Underworld. The Ordonias are nice people." Suddenly, a knowing smile spread on both faces of the king and queen, "Oh, no wonder you didn't come home. You were busy with your new girlfriend."

Girlfriend?! Both Janna and Tom looked at each other, still holding hands.

Review Roundup

SilverWings (Ch 3)- If you know anything about my stories, I like to keep them interesting lol.

The Creativity Queen 101- Thank you! I don't mind keeping things strictly Y-7, but I like to imagine if the show wasn't on Disney, you'd get more mature themes. The show flirts with them certainly. Also, Mina is def crazier here lol. She's about to get even worse.

Aldal- Embrace the darkness mwhaha. Mina and Manfred are the power duo I didn't think would ever team up, but I like anyways. I can imagine Mina's domineering side being endearing and frightening to Manfred, who follows her around like a puppy. Also, beware of Mina with guns, and Moon's ambition...

Guest- They'll likely wait a bit to legally marry, but let's be honest, they've been married since the beginning of the show lol. As for Moon, we'll see about her. Thanks for following the story!

Guest- Mina never quits and always can get a following. Moon is largely...indifferent because she has her eyes on the real goal: the throne.

Anonymous- Yes, we now have guns in the hands of a crazed Mina! The real question is how will Mina and Moon impact Star and her new home. And I ship Minfred (Mina x Manfred). You can't stop me.

Luci96- Thanks! Moon has been through a lot, and can't quite understand what's going on because she's stuck in her ways. She thinks the old system will work when it can't anymore. But she also doesn't get Star's vision. Hopefully, she will one day.

Whiteling- Mina and Manfred have been living on the down-low for such a long time, and Earth-ni had too many issues to track them down at first, but yes, they should go to Azkaban! The Mewman-Solarian thing is going to get more fleshed out in later chapters, but I imagine not everyone is on board with the idea, especially not Mewmans who are friends with monsters. As for Moon...she'll get her karma. Trust me.

Xzbro- Moon should get the Worst Mother of Earth-ni Award.

Cure Orchid- Moon's been blinded with ambition, which is her character since her queen title is "the Undaunted." Hopefully, she'll change one day,

D4rK Sid3-The drama is just building, and the rest of the story will go to some dark places, hence the ratings hike. Everyone is out to get Star, and hopefully, she'll be able to deal with the mounting pressures.