Hey everyone! I FINALLY UPDATED HOLY SHIT
Pardon the curse. I've been working on this all summer and for no good reason too. I've been delaying forever... RIP.
But, here we go! Enjoy this fic!
Marco entered the kitchen, yawning as he grabbed a bowl and a box of cereal. What was it about not going to sleep early that made him so tired?
"Good morning, Marcoooo~" the princess sang as she entered the room.
"Hey Star." He mumbled, still half asleep. "You seem to be in a good mood today…"
She giggled. "That's because today's a special day!"
Marco's eyes opened, fully awake now. "It… is…?"
Star stared at him with a blank face before breaking out in laughter. "Haha, oh Marco. You're so silly. Good joke! Oh! Hand me some of that cereal!"
He handed over the box, watching his friend pour out her breakfast. Today was something special? But… how come he can't remember what it was? It's not a holiday… Mewni or Earth. He made sure to try and memorize all the important Mewnian dates. Is today an anniversary? The first time he met Star? No, that was in September… It's not her birthday… is it? Wait, is it? Did he ever ask when her birthday was? Panic and fear set into his mind. Marco gulped, slowly glancing at Star who was happily eating her cereal. No… no, it couldn't be her birthday. She would've told him about it long ago! ...Right?
"Marco-"
"Y-YES!?" he answered, faking the worst smile of all time.
Star blinked. "...Uhhh… I was gonna ask if you had any plans for today. But if you do, I don't-"
"Yeah! I mean, no! I don't have any plans! Totally free. After all, it is that day today… uhh… yeah. All special and stuff. Heheh..." Oh man, it really is her birthday, isn't it? He didn't even get her a present!
The princess smiled. "Great! Because I have some pretty cool stuff planned for today. I hope you're ready Diaz, cuz things are gonna get a little wild," she whispered, pulling out a list of activities to do.
"Haha, r-right… uh… what exactly do you have planned-"
"Shhh, it's a secret, Marco! If I tell you, it'll ruin all the fun!"
"Right, right. Totally get it."
Star looked down at the paper and smiled. "Alright! First on our list is the this one arcade dimension called Blitz n' Chips and trust me, it's amaaaaziiiiing~ Went there with Ponyhead one time. We won the grand prize at one of the machines there."
"Sounds like a tons of fun, heheh..." Marco mentally sighed. Perfect. Maybe he can win a prize and make that her present… no, wait, that'd be too shallow. It needs to have meaning!
"Great! Then let's get going, Marco!" She cut open a portal and grabbed the boy's arm.
"Hey, wait, I'm not done breakfa-"
Marco landed onto the colorful, tiled floor as he heard the air filled with chatter, electronic alarms blaring with each prize won, and the sound of coins being dispensed at each machine. He looked up with confusion and saw a stadium sized arcade room packed with several different interdimensional species playing as well. Some humanoid beings, others… well… he wasn't sure how to describe them.
"Uhhh…"
"Ohhh, nice! Looks like we came here on a slow day!"
"This is a slow day?" Marco got to his feet and scanned the arcade. "I'd hate to see it on a busy day…"
"C'mon Marco, let's go get some coins."
"Um… maybe I should pay. You know, since today is… well…"
Star laughed. "Don't be silly! I wouldn't do that to my best friend on today of all days."
"Heh… riiiight." Marco scratched his head. Man, is he going to feel guilty later.
The two spent the first few hours exploring the hyper advanced arcade stadium, finding games that seemed similar to the ones on Earth and Mewni on top of the unfamiliar alien-like machines that attracted the other dimensional creatures. Star was right at home, cheering and enjoying every moment of it, while Marco stuck close to the princess, not wanting to get lost in this seemingly endless arcade. Despite his precaution, Marco couldn't help but feel like someone was watching.
"Hey, Star? Maybe we should-"
"Huh? Yeah, yeah, hold on Marco. I'm almost done with- OH COME ON! Not again. I keep falling for that same trap."
Marco looked around the large room, the uneasy feeling still lingering. "Star?"
"Oh, Marco! I forgot to sign us up for a chance to win a neeblet. Can you go to the front and write our names in?"
"Star, I'm getting a bad feeling ab- a neeblet?"
"It's a thing that does stuff. It'll be cool, I promise. In fact, I probably should've gotten that as a present..." she said absentmindedly.
Marco sighed at her ambiguous description. He put away his worries for Star's sake and looked around for the 'front'. "Um… where's the front desk?"
Star pointed to her left, not taking her eyes off the screen. The boy wandered in the direction, moving past the interdimensional creatures playing their own games. "Sorry, excuse me. Sorry. Watch out. Coming through." After several minutes of being pushed around and getting lost, he finally made his way to the 'front'. He could see multiple booths lined up against the wall where portals would open up and reveal a new customer. Marco approached the front desk. "Hello?"
"HELLO!"
Marco jumped back and fell to the ground. He looked up to see a familiar face. "Wait, aren't you the guy that sells goblin dogs?"
"Goblin dogs? Ohhh, you must be talking about my brother, Roy! My name is Troy."
"Roy and Troy, huh?"
"Our parents weren't very creative. So what can I do for you, kid?"
"Well..." Marco rose to his feet. "I'd like to sign up for a raffle for a... neeblet?"
"Sure thing. Line's over there," the little goblin man said, pointing at the enormous line.
Marco narrowed his eyes. "Your brother had something like this before. This isn't just a trick to see who's worthy of signing up, is it?"
"Oh, that. Yeah, Roy likes to do that for some reason. This is business here, kid. I can't keep the lights on if I pull pranks like that here."
"So... no tricks?"
"No tricks."
Marco looked back at the line which only grew longer as he waited. "How long's the wait?"
"Should be an hour, tops."
"An HOUR!?"
"Hey, look on the bright side! It's a slow day today, so you won't have to wait for a week like those poor souls there," the goblin said, pointing at the a group of malnourished monsters.
Marco sighed. "Great..." He stood in line and thought for a moment before turning back to Troy. "Hey, what IS a neeblet?"
"What's a neeblet? Pfffft HAHAHHAHAhahaha... ahhh, good one, kid. Love the joke."
"What? No, I'm being serious-"
"Riiiight, sure you are. Haha... alright, now don't distract me. I gotta get back to work. Don't worry, the line shouldn't take long."
Marco crossed his arms and pouted, mumbling to himself, "but I don't know what a neeblet is..."
He looked forward, ready for the long wait, but something caught his eye. He squinted, trying to make out the figure. It... looked like a bird... and... wait...
"Can you watch my spot for me? Thanks," he said to the monster in front of him.
"...What...?"
Marco ran off to follow the large figure, pushing past the crowded room. He found an opening and stuck his head through. Marco gasped.
"That's it, girls. She has to be around here somewhere! The wand is glowing with magic!"
"Ludo..." Marco whispered. "Oh man, this is not good... I gotta warn Star!"
"YOU ARE A WINNER!"
A small crowd cheered for the princess as she completed one of the most difficult games in the dimension. Tickets spewed out from the machine rapidly as Star jumped in place.
"I can't believe I won! And I didn't even have to cheat yet."
"Star!"
"I didn't cheat, I swear!" she said, holding her hands in the air.
Marco passed through the others, panting as he finally made it to Star. "We have go! Now!"
"What? Why?" Star gasped. "Did we win that raffle already? Ohhh nice work, Marco. I knew you could do it!"
"No, not that. We really need to go now! There's-"
"Woah, slow down there, Marco. I just beat the hardest game in this place and won the biggest jackpot of all time. We gotta exchange these tickets at least. Besides, there's another gift I want to get today! I think you'll like it. I know I will."
"I appreciate it, Star, but we're in danger right now!"
"In danger of losing more money on these games, maybe."
"Starrr!"
"Hello!" Star cheered in a cute manner.
The boy groaned, taking a deep breath before continuing. "We have to go. Ludo is-"
"Right where I need to be." The two turned to find Ludo riding on top of his spider with the eagle. "Star Butterfly! I'm here for that book of spells!"
"Ludo!? Marco, why didn't you tell me he was here!?"
"Are you kidding me!?"
"Ahem..." Ludo raised his broken wand at the princess, emanating an ominous green color. "The book."
Star sighed. "Look, can we do this another time? We're trying to celebrate a birthday here and you're kinda ruining everything."
"A birthday party? You two are having a party and didn't even bother to invite me!?"
"Why would we!? You try to kill us all the time!"
"Kill is a strong word. I just want that BOOK!" Ludo shot a bolt of green energy at the two. Marco quickly pushed Star out of the way, just barely feeling the hot sting of the spell.
Star gave her friend a quick smile before glaring at Ludo. "I don't even have the book with me! Go away! You're ruining ruining the birthday!" She took aim with her own wand and fired a narwhal blast at the green monster.
Ludo took a direct hit, flying back against one of the arcade machines. He growled, quickly getting up to his feet. "Go get 'em girls!" The spider and eagle began to attack the two kids. Marco nodded at Star before charging in. The large spider spit it's webs at Marco but missed as the boy weaved through each shot. He kicked the spider away but was tackled by the eagle onto the ground.
Star gasped. "Marco!" She ran over to him but a blast of green energy blocked her way.
Ludo growled. "Oh, how did I miss?" He fired three more shots at the princess who elegantly dodged the spells.
"Hyper sonic apple beam!" The wand began firing a barrage of delicious apples, burying Ludo under a pile of fruit. She smiled for a brief moment before another blast of energy blew the apples away. "Aw man..." The monster rubbed his head before firing more blasts at the girl. She raised her wand up before slamming it to the ground. "Diamond bubble shield!" The blast of energy bounced off the shield, firing dangerously at all directions, almost hitting Marco.
The boy jumped when he saw a flash of green nearly hit his face. "Staaarrrrr?"
"Sorry!"
Marco continued to run from the eagle, trying to avoid being carried away by the bird. He jumped on top of one of the arcade machines, readying himself for the attack. The eagle flew straight towards him for another tackle but missed as the boy jumped up and kicked it away. "Ha! Gotcha- woah!" Marco fell back as the spider web hit him, pinning him to the ground. He struggled to get out, freeing one of his arms from the web. The spider jumped on top of him, ready to take him away.
Star jumped behind one of the games, avoiding more of Ludo's spells. She glanced over and saw her friend pinned down. She pointed the wand at the spider. "Mystic ice wind!" An air of cold burst through the wand, blowing the spider away and freezing the web in the process. Using his free hand, Marco karate chopped the ice, breaking himself free. He ran towards Star and stood by her side.
The two monsters retreated to Ludo's side who readied his wand once more. "Alright then... let's try this again. Ahem... please give me the book?"
"Uhh... nnnnno?"
"Well I tried."
Another blast of energy shot towards the two. Star deflected the spell and sighed, looking visibly annoyed. "You just had to pick today, didn't you?" She gripped her wand and began to make a series of poses before raising her wand in the air. "Warnicorn stampede!"
Ludo's eyes widened as he remembered this particular spell. "No no no no no no! Girls, let's get out of here, quick!" He jumped on top of the spider and grabbed hold of the eagle's feathers, making their getaway before Star could fully cast the spell. "I'll get that book, Star Butterfly, if it's the last thing I do!" He shouted as he disappeared into the distance.
"I didn't even have it with me today!"
Marco raised an eyebrow. "He sure seemed scared of that spell."
"Yeah, warnicorn stampede hasn't been a very good spell for him."
"HEY! YOU TWO!" The pair turned to see Troy running towards them. "What do you think you're doing?"
Star shrugged. "Uh, saving the day. Duh."
"Saving the day, huh? Is this what saving the day looks like?" He pointed at the several rows of broken machines and lights.
"Well... more or less, yeah."
"Oh yeah? Well how's this for more or less. You two are never allowed to come back here!"
Star gasped. "But, but, but, but-"
Marco stepped in. "Hey, c'mon Troy, this isn't our fault. We were attacked by-"
"And you can forget about winning that neeblet."
"What's a neeblet!?"
The goblin grumbled as he walked away to call in security. Star leaned over and whispered, "I think we should go."
"Yeeeeahhhh, me too."
The two stepped out of the portal and back into the kitchen. Everything was still in its place, like nothing even happened.
"Well... that was fun, I guess."
Star let out a sigh and sat down at one of the chairs with a sad face. Marco took a seat and put an arm around her. "Um... I'm sorry Ludo ruined your birthday..."
The princess groaned. "I just wanted today to be really fun. I mean I had the whole day planned out for us and- wait... my birthday?"
"Look, how about this? Tomorrow, I'll take you someplace really special! My treat. I don't think I can tell you where since it'll spoil the surprise."
"It's your birthday today..."
"...What?"
The two stared at each other for a minute before bursting out in laughter. Star smiled and hugged her best friend once more. "Aww you thought it was my birthday today?"
"Heheh... y-yeah... kind of... forgot about myself there."
"Wow, Diaz. Even I'm not that forgetful." Marco raised an eyebrow, making Star turn her head. "...most of the time."
"Uh-huh."
Star stuck her tongue out at her friend, giggling at their banter. Their laughter slowly died down as they continued to gaze into each other. An awkward silence hung over them as they stared into each other's eyes.
"...O-okay! Well, thanks for the trip, Star. That was pretty fun."
"Y-yeah! No problem..."
"I'm just gonna go upstairs and... yeah..."
"Right! You do that!" The two nervously chuckled before meeting each other's eyes again. Another awkward silence...
"..."
"...Um... bye." Marco ran upstairs to his room, shutting the door.
Star put her head on the table, sighing to herself. "Happy birthday, Marco."
Well... that's the fic. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Been a long time and I hope I didn't lose my touch with this fic :P
REVIEW RESPONSES
Epitaxis: Why thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
EAurelian: I hope your starco heart had time to recover! God knows I gave way too much time... =_=
Captin Jar: Well, hopefully this one can make up for the short fic :D
svtfoekitten: lol thank you! That fic took me exactly 9 minutes to come up with! (9 whole minutes for such a short fic? I must be stupid :P)
Guest Sorta: Well, enjoy it while it lasts cuz I probably won't make another one in a while. Puns do kill me on the inside too. Even if I'm the one making them lol
Mr. Meseeks: lol love the Rick and Morty reference. And thanks! I'll try to update asap!
SonicE1337: Yeah, no problem! My god, mother's day? That means I haven't updated since... wow... that long... ffffffff... well, hopefully I update sooner than later. I'll be reading up on your fics too!
xXPokeFictionXx: Thanks!