Marcocrushed Chapter 2, a star vs. the forces of evil fanfic

Chapter Two: Back to Earth

"HOW DID THINGS GO SOUTH SO FAST!?"

Marco's voice was quickly drowned out by the sound of another explosion, followed quickly by a deafening roar. Marco slid across the floor, narrowly avoiding a wave of angry flying books. He barely had enough time to get back to his feet before he found himself jumping to the side and narrowly avoiding a heavy swing by an enormous axe-wielding suit of armor.

An enormous ball of fire filled the air above, as Tom flew around yelling angrily. As he darted through the flames, he soon found himself weaving around a barrage of flying chairs, staplers, loose pieces of paper and pencils. All of the seemingly random office supplies were outfitted with a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth, and small black wings. The chairs snarled, the staplers screamed and the pencils roared as they quickly filled the air and began swirling around Tom.

Tom gave an angry yell as his entire body suddenly exploded into another massive ball of fire, turning everything around him into ash.

On the ground, Star was launching spell after spell at an incredible rate as she jumped, leaped and punched her way through an army of heavily armored creatures. After narrowly avoiding a few swipes and jabs from various swords and claws, Star jumped backward and launched herself off a wall in order to land a spinning kick directly into one of the creatures faces. As the creature stumbled backward, looking dazed, Star put her wand in her mouth and held it between her teeth before leaping on top of the creature and using it as a springboard to launch herself higher into the air.

Flailing wildly, Star only barely managed to grab a hold of the bookshelf high up on the wall. Wasting no time, she immediately began scurrying upward. As she climbed the bookshelf, the armored creatures quickly began piling up on each other underneath her and were soon making their way up the bookshelf to give chase. Star angrily kicked at the creatures as they began to swipe at her heels. Eventually, she made it to the top of the shelf. After pulling her wand out of her mouth, she quickly began to jump from the top of one enormous bookshelf to another, as Tom continued to weave around in the air- as a new wave of office supplies seemed to rise up out of nowhere.

Marco ran across the floor as quickly as he could, narrowly dodging and weaving as everything around him seemed to close in on him at once.

Star, Tom, and Marco were in the middle of their sixth excursion to a magical library. At first, it looked like the library had been abandoned- and for a moment, it looked like they were in for a quiet day as the three of them split up in search of any information they could find on Eclipsa the Queen of Darkness.

All of their previous efforts at 'library hunting' had ultimately proven fruitless. They had found no new information and instead gotten chased by cursed books and crazy librarians. It was beginning to seem like a useless endeavor. And so, Star had decided that this 'library hunt' would be their last one. And of course, it had quickly proven itself to be by far the craziest.

As Marco ran from the large axe-wielding suit of armor, he quickly found himself being chased by a wave of armored creatures. All he could do was continue to run through bookshelf after bookshelf, narrowly avoiding spears and arrows as he did so. Eventually, Marco could himself cornered in a tightly packed area, filled with piles of books and a loose collection of papers. The piles were all big enough to touch the ceiling, and they all seemed to be threatening to collapse under their own weight at any moment.

Marco grimaced as he spun around to find the army of armored creatures slowly closing in on him. He was trapped in a dead end, surrounded by impossibly tall piles of books and papers. Marco took a short breath, as he struggled to think. His mind and his heart were racing at an incredible pace, making it difficult to focus.

Suddenly, one of the creatures launched itself at him. It looked like a crazed ball of limbs flying every direction, as its claws shredded every book it passed on its way toward Marco. Marco had no time to think. So, acting on pure instinct, he positioned his feet as best he could and met the flying creature with his fist.

There was a loud 'crack' as his fist connected with the creatures armor plating, and Marco gave a pained yell through clenched teeth as he felt his hand explode with pain. However, surprisingly his fist was not what made the loud 'cracking' sound. Marco blinked with surprise as the creature suddenly exploded upon impact- as if he had just punched through a giant egg.

And just like if he had just punched through a giant egg, he suddenly found himself covered in slimy goo. Marco blinked, as he looked down at the pile of greenish black goo and pieces of shattered armor.

Then, he howled in pain as his hand suddenly reminded him how much pain he was in. Looking at his hand, he was relieved to see that he could still move his fingers- which likely meant that he hadn't broken it. He had, however, managed to cut an bruise it against the creatures dull grey armor. Marco quickly buried his hand into the pocket of his hoodie.

Ahead of him, the armored creatures had suddenly paused their attack- having been made weary after Marco's sudden show of force.

Marco took that opportunity to look down at the shattered remains of the armor, and stomp on a piece- breaking it into big pieces. Marco frowned. '...It's like it's made out of ceramic or something... What kinda armor is this...' he thought. '...Maybe it's just gotten brittle after laying around for who knows how long...'

Turning his gaze back to the creatures, Marco took a few more breaths. From what little he could see of the creatures actual bodies through gaps in their armor, it looked like they were all made out of the same black and green goo. Inside their helmets, Marco could see yellow eyes glowing somewhat ominously. Some of them had two yellow eyes, while others had one big one, and others still had anywhere from three to a dozen. All of their armor was in different shapes and sizes, but they all had the same dull grey color as the one he had just broken with his bare fist.

Marco took a deep breath. If he used his hands and feet, he could probably break a few more of them- but there was no way he could take down so many of them. He would likely wind up breaking all of his limbs pretty quickly, and then it'd be all over.

So- what could he do?

His dimensional scissors seemed to have stopped working as soon as he entered the building. The same had been true of Star's wand- at least at first. Tom and Star had managed to find an enormous crystal embedded in the ceiling that had apparently been blocking Star's magic. But- for some reason, it didn't seem to work on Tom's.

Tom had managed to destroy the crystal just after they were attacked by the large axe-wielding suit of armor. Once he had done that, it seemed for a moment like everything was going to be okay. Then, parts of the walls and ceiling began opening up and turning into mouths filled with teeth and tentacles. And then the waves of evil office supplies showed up. Then the armored creatures, and the-

Another deafening roar ripped through the air, making the entire massive library tremble under its force.

Marco grimaced.

There was also a dragon. Because apparently everything else just wasn't enough.

Marco shook his head. Destroying the crystal had made Star's wand work again- but not his dimensional scissors. Which meant that portaling was off the table. The entrance had also been sealed by a magical barrier, making escape seem impossible.

Marco grit his teeth as the hoard of armored creatures continued to close in on him. Star would find a way to break through the barrier so that they could escape- he was sure of it. All he had to do was survive until then.

Looking around at the enormous stacks of books all around him, Marco could feel a plan start to form in his mind. It wasn't a particularly smart- but it looked to be the best option he had on such short notice. As the horde of armored creatures began to move faster and faster toward him, Marco turned to one of the tall stacks of books beside him and began to push against it. When the stack failed to move, Marco let out an impatient grunt before spinning around and landing a heavy kick into the base of the stack. Part of the stack began to wobble, and it didn't take long for the wobbling to start to spread outward.

Marco gulped. '...I hope that's enough...' he thought.

The hoard of armored creatures let out a high pitched battle cry as they finally reached Marco. Marco ignored them for as long as he could, keeping his focus on the tall stack of books all around them. Suddenly, there was another explosion- and the pile of books that had already begun to wobble were finally sent over the edge. As the enormous stack of books began to collapse into the others, Marco leaped into the air. Avoiding a vast array of claws, swords, and axes, Marco jumped from the head on one armored creature to the other in a desperate scramble to escape the dead end before he was crushed by books.

Behind him, enormous piles of books began to collapse into each other at an increasingly fast rate. There were no thoughts running through Marco's mind at that moment- only an incredible surge of adrenalin. Behind him, the armored creatures that he had used as stepping stones were already being crushed by piles of books. And as all of his surroundings began to collapse at once, all he could do was push himself to move even faster in order to avoid the same fate.

It didn't take long for him to see the clearing up ahead, but it felt like an eternity. Just ahead was the main library hall. All he had to do was avoid the clawed hands grabbing at his legs as he jumped from one creature to the next. Just as he jumped from the last in the long line of armored creatures, he felt a set of claws catch his leg. Marco grimaced, but he had no time to think about it- as he soon found himself landing with a loud 'thud' on a large table, bouncing off it, and then being sent tumbling across the floor.

Marco wasted no time in getting back to his feet, just in time to watch the last of the impossibly tall stacks of books collapse, leaving the hoard of armored creatures crushed in a seemingly uncountable number of books.

Marco looked down at his leg and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. There was no blood- a good sign. As he turned his attention back to the pile of books, he felt his injured hand twitch with pain. Frowning a little, he was about to give it a closer inspection when he noticed a sudden blur of motion in the corner of his eye.

Marco jumped to the side just in time to avoid an enormous giant axe that seemed to have fallen from the shadows. The axe split the table in front of him and embedded itself into the floor. Marco breathed a heavy sigh as he watched an enormous suit of armor reach out and pull the axe out of the floor.

"Oh, come on..." he muttered.

As the enormous suit of armor raised its axe to try again, Marco ran forward between the suit of armors legs and kept moving as quickly as his legs would take him. Angry office supplies swooped down at him as he ran, and it didn't take long for him to come across another small group of armored creatures.

Above, Tom continued to fly around burning away anything that was stupid enough to get close. As he weaved around in the air, he suddenly found himself narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws of a giant golden dragon. The dragon looked like a hulking mass of muscle and thick golden scales that seemed to glow as it flew through the air. Its face was gnarled and mean, and it had three enormous horns jutting out of its head. One smaller one protruding from its forehead, and two large horns that seemed to curl around the base of its skull like a boney crown.

As the dragon unleashed a torrent of bright golden flame, Tom barely managed to weave around it- yelling angrily as he did so. "Ow! That's hot! And it hurts! How!? How does it hurt!? You got some kind special dragon flame thing goin' on or something!?" he yelled, as he narrowly the dragons teeth once more. The dragon seemed uninterested in answers Tom's loud questioning, and instead launched another massive torrent of golden flame.

"Will you quit it!? You're making me look bad over here!" yelled Tom. "Why can't you just be one of those 'wise old dragons' that don't ever actually do anything!?"

Suddenly, the golden dragon swooped to the side in order to avoid a blast of giant narwhals.

"Tom!" exclaimed Star, standing on Cloudy as she rose into the air. "Stop yelling at it! You're only gonna make it madder!"

"Sorry, Starship..." said Tom, as he flew over to her. "I was kinda going for a whole 'make it mad so that it stops thinking clearly' thing- but... You're right. It's, uh-... It's not really working out that well."

Star grabbed onto Cloudy as she pulled them both out of the way of another swarm of office supplies. "Yeah, I kinda think the dragon's angry enough already... You got any other idea's?" she asked.

"I don't know... Why don't you try bustin' out that 'butterfly-form' thing I've heard so much about?" asked Tom.

Star slowly shook her head. "...Sorry." she said, before jumping off of Cloudy just in time to avoid another swoop of angry office supplies. Star landed on Cloudy somewhat ungracefully and took a moment to collect herself before guiding Cloudy to fly closer to Tom. "...For some reason, I can't really get 'Butterfly Star' working right now... Anything else?"

"Well... You could try freezing it, maybe?" asked Tom, as he weaved his way around the dragon, narrowly avoiding a swipe from its tail.

Star quickly steadied herself on cloudy and held her wand out in front of her. "Okay, sure! You might wanna get outta the way first?!" she yelled. Tom quickly flew away from the dragon, leaving lines of fire in the air in his wake.

"Uh-... Super Freeze Over Explosion!" yelled Star, before a massive burst of blue energy leaped out of her wand. The blue energy quickly surrounded the golden dragon- and for a moment, as it began to form ice began to form around the dragon, it seemed like it was going to work. Then, the dragon opened its mouth- and took a deep breath, quickly inhaling any trace of the blue magical energy, along with a few shards of ice.

Star blinked, as the dragon gave a satisfied burp before swooping down towards her.

"Okay- That's not good!" she exclaimed, as Cloudy sped through the air as fast as it could, leaving a long rainbow in its wake.

"Star!" exclaimed Tom. As he joined Star in the air, they both began to weave around in a spiral as they continued to avoid the dragon's jaws. As they flew together, they left streams of fire and rainbow co-mingling in the air, making for a beautiful scene.

"Alright, let's start coming up with a Plan B- okay, Starship?" asked Tom, as he flew closer to Star.

Star smiled. "Yeah!" she exclaimed, her voice bursting with excitement.

On the ground, Marco had managed to find a shield lying on the ground and was currently using it to block an attack from a wave of angry office supplies. For over quite a while now, he had done nothing but run, jump and dodge things- and it was definitely taking its toll. His entire body was soaked with sweat and greenish-black slime- and his body was running almost entirely on adrenalin at this point.

It was getting more and more difficult to keep going, and he could already feel his movements begin to grow sluggish. Marco did his best to pace himself, but being attacked from all sides all at once made it more than a little difficult for him to find the time to catch his breath.

Marco grit his teeth as he pushed himself forward. Running across the floor and using his newly acquired shield as a battering ram to break his way through any armored creatures that got in his way. Once again, their armor shattered into pieces, sending globs of blackish green goo flying all over the place. As he ran with his shield held up to block another wave of angry office supplies, Marco suddenly found himself slipping around on the freshly goo covered floor.

Marco grimaced as he struggled to stay on his feet. The library was barely lit, making it extremely difficult to navigate. For the most part, Marco had been using the dull orange glow from Tom's fire above to make his way around. Every now and again, he'd trip or bump into something- and then have to stave off another attack while he struggled to get back on his feet.

Eventually, Marco found himself stumbling into a small dark room. And for a moment, he thought that he had found a place to finally stop and take a breath. Then, there was a sudden flash of light. Marco gave a frustrated growl as he quickly rubbed his eyes. Behind him, he heard a loud 'click'.

Marco did his best to force his eyes to adjust, before slowly turning around to find that the door he had just entered through was now closed- and covered in giant silver chains.

Marco sighed. And as he turned around again, he couldn't help but breath an even heavier sigh.

The room was smaller than he originally thought, and every surface was colored a dull white. Hundreds of golden symbols began to light up on the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. And Marco watched as each symbol began to move- floating around freely on each white surface before meeting in the middle to swirl around in massive circles. In the middle of the room sat an enormous crystal casing with a floating golden orb inside. The orb was emitting so much light that it was difficult to look at directly.

None of that was what made Marco breathe his second sigh, of course. In fact, even to a relatively experienced adventurer like himself, his surroundings looked rather stunning. What had caused the sigh was the fact that the room was filled with at least a dozen armored creatures. And they all had their glowing yellow 'eyes' trained on him.

And he was trapped.

Marco frowned in thought as the armored creatures began to close in on him, each one of them brandishing a large, deadly weapon. Some of them were holding enormous spiked maces, others were holding pairs of serrated swords, and a few more appeared to be brandishing a large spear with a chainsaw hastily duct taped to the end.

Then, suddenly, something sparked in that back of Marco's head. He suddenly remembered something from a movie he had watched with Jackie several months ago. It had been an amazing movie, and an amazing night- one of the few truly enjoyable memories he had made during his time on Earth after Toffee's defeat. During his long 'croissant girl' phase.

Marco took a deep breath, as he felt a familiar sense of guilt and sadness raise up into his chest at the thought of Jackie. Marco did his best to shake off the negative feelings, and instead focus on his memory of the movie itself. There had been a particularly exhilarating action move somewhere in the beginning of the movie. And Marco remembered telling Jackie that if the situation ever presented itself, that he would try and do it himself. They had even made a bet about it.

Marco couldn't help but smile a little.

"It's kinda crazy when you think about it... But hey, if there's anyone I know who'd be able to pull that off... It'd be you, Marco."

His heart seemed to rise and sink at the same time as he remembered Jackie's voice. Shaking it off, Marco took a deep breath and held his shield out in front of him.

"Alright... Let's see if this'll work..." he muttered.

After taking a deep breath, Marco suddenly spun around and threw the shield like a disc. The shield quickly made contact with the first armored creature- and there was loud 'smash' as the shield bounced off of its chest, leaving an enormous crack in its wake. But, the shield didn't stop there. After ricocheting off the wall, it bounced off of another armored creature- bursting through the creature's helmet like it was nothing. The shield very quickly began to pinball all over the room, and Marco soon found himself having to duck out of its way.

The shield continued to bounce around for an impossibly long time, ripping through anything that got in its way. It burst through limbs and left cracks in their chest plating that would soon be turned into gaping holes when the shield finally made its way back for a returning visit. Eventually, the shield embedded itself into casing around the golden orb that sat in the middle of the room- and finally came to a stop.

Marco slowly stood himself up, and let out a low whistle as he looked over the thoroughly destroyed remains of the armored creatures. There was blackish green slime and pieces of armor strewn all over the place. It was actually a pretty grizzly sight, but Marco couldn't help but be impressed.

"That was so cool!" he exclaimed. Feeling a sudden surge of excitement, Marco spun around. "Star! Did you see-" Marco cut himself off as he suddenly remembered that he was standing alone. Outside, he could hear another deafening roar from the dragon, followed quickly by what sounded like Star yelling another spell.

"...Right..." he muttered. A wave of disappointment crashed in on him in an instant, quickly followed by a deep sense of shame. He was disappointed that Star had missed seeing him do something cool, and ashamed that he had wanted a moment to show off in front of her.

With a sad sigh, Marco slowly made his way toward the glowing golden orb and pulled the shield out the crystal barrier surrounding it.

"...What are you doing here?"

Marco had no time to react to the sound of the voice, as his arms and legs were suddenly bound by a thick papery material- and he suddenly found himself pulled back into a wall. There was a loud 'thud' as Marco's back slammed against the wall, and the impact left him dazed momentarily.

Suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, a girl was standing in front of him. She was wearing an open book on her head, and its long pages seemed to stretch out as if they were acting as her hair. Her skin was white and papery, and she was wearing a pair of circular glasses that were much too big for her face. Behind her glasses, she had four bright red eyes, two on each side of her face. She didn't appear to have a nose, which made the question of how her over-sized glasses were sitting on her face all the more vexing. And her mouth appeared to be filled with several rows of razor-sharp teeth.

She was wearing tattered, grey robes that were covered in layers of dust and cobwebs. Her eyes were tired and angry, and it seemed clear that she had just been awoken from a very long sleep.

"...You've come for the knowledge, haven't you?" she spat. "Well, you'll never get it. I am Libraria- and it is my sole duty to protect the ancient knowledge that resides in this place."

Marco blinked. "...Libraria?"

The girl gave him a short nod. "Yes. Now- let me see what your name is." she said. Just as Marco opened his mouth to offer it himself, the girl placed a hand on his forehead- and all of a sudden, his vision went blank. Flashes of memories began to play out in front of him, all at once- as Libraria seemed to reach inside of his mind and look around.

After a few short seconds, she pulled away- and Marco gasped as his vision quickly returned to him.

"Marco Ubaldo Diaz. You are from a dimension that exists far from the reach of the realm of magic... And yet your here. And why? Following around the new princess of Mewni like a lost puppy?" Libraria growled. "It's quite refreshing to find a being capable of grasping how pathetic and worthless it is all on its own... But I must say, it is also rather unpleasant. Have you ever considered therapy?"

Marco took a deep breath as he struggled to shake off the sick feeling of having someone look into the deepest parts of his mind without his permission. "...Look- just tell us if you know anything about Eclipsa... Or-... Or anything else about Mewni's history with the monsters... A-and... And then, we'll leave." he muttered.

Libraria's eyes narrowed. "Oh, so we feel as though we're in a position to make demands, do we?" she hissed. "Why don't I disabuse you that notion?"

Marco felt the retrains around his arms and legs tighten up, and Marco instinctively held his breath in anticipation. Suddenly, his entire body was engulfed in a painful burst of golden electricity. Marco screamed through clenched teeth as he was quickly overwhelmed by a powerful agony. Thankfully, it didn't last long- and Marco was soon fell limp in his restraints.

Libraria huffed. "...I don't know why I'm wasting my time with the likes of you, anyway." she muttered. "If that really is the princess of Mewni and the prince of the Underworld out there... Then I may well be in more trouble than I first thought..."

"Exactly." said Marco, causing Libraria to jump in surprise and let out a high pitched shriek.

"Why're you still conscious?" she spat.

Marco shrugged. "I dunno... I guess electrocution isn't a great way to knock people unconscious?" he said.

"What!? How dare you impugn the mighty name of electrocution! Electrocution can anything it wants too! Including knocking people out, telling amazing stories or even just helping to make a really good grilled cheese sandwich!" exclaimed Libraria.

Marco stared at her for a moment. "...You've been alone here for a very long time, haven't you?" he asked.

"Silence! I am Libraria the Mighty and the Knowledgeable! And I can make friends any time I want too! I'm just... Very intimidating!" exclaimed Libraria.

Marco blinked. "Uh... Okay. ...You know... I bet Star'd be more than happy to be your friend if you'd just help answer a few questions..." he said.

Libraria seemed to consider this for a moment, before quickly shaking her head. "Silence I say! You cannot tempt me with the offering of bonds of friendship, no matter how much I yearn for it! My duty is absolute, and no pathetic little boy is going to stand in my way!" she exclaimed.

Marco slowly raised an eyebrow. "...You... Yearn for it?" he muttered.

"Who told you that!? Did you read part of my poetry collection before you brought it down on to my security slimes!?" exclaimed Libraria.

Marco blinked, as he recalled the enormous stacks of books and papers that he had collapsed earlier. "Wait-... All of that was... Poetry? ...Was it... Was it all... Written by you?" he muttered.

"Of course! I have been the guardian of this place for eons! I've nothing but time on my hands to spend writing, or sleeping, or hanging out with electricity..." Libraria seemed to trail off for a moment, before quickly shaking her head. "Be silent! I can't have you distracting me right now! I have to figure out a way to destroy two members of magical royalty!"

"Uh... No, you don't."

"Yes, I do!"

"No... You don't."

"I do! It is my duty to see anyone who dares to enter this place utterly destroyed!"

"But... Couldn't you... Not do that?"

"And become the laughing stock of the Society of Magical Guardians of Knowledge!? Never! Those S.M.G.K jerks would never let me hear the end of it!"

"But... Wouldn't you also get in trouble if you destroyed two members of Mewni's royal families? I'm, uh-... I'm pretty sure they're kind of a big deal in all the dimensions..."

Libraria huffed. "It'll be fine. Those royal types lose people all the time. They just get new ones- that's how it's always been. To them, continuing the royal lineage is more important than any individual member!" she exclaimed.

Marco frowned. "...That's really messed up."

"Existence is messed up! Now- if you don't stop talking, I will have to rip you limb from limb and bathe in your entrails! And I do not want to have to do that... It'll ruin my hair, I just know it. It'll be all bloodstained... I'll wind up having to cut it off and wait for new pages to grow. And that takes way too long!" exclaimed Libraria, as she waved her hands in the air, seemingly for emphasis.

Marco thought for a moment. "...Okay... But- before I stop talking... Can I-... Can I just ask... What is that orb thing?" he asked, gesturing toward the orb sitting inside the crystal casing.

"Oh, that's just the magic heart for the security system here. It's really important. And it was crazy expensive, I mean- don't even get me started." said Libraria.

"So... That orb thing controls everything around here? ...Is it also what's stopping dimensional scissors and stuff from working?" asked Marco.

"Yep." said Libraria. "It'd be real bad for me if anything were to happen to it. Real bad. I mean- I guess, in a way, I'd be okay... But, y'know- I'd have to buy a new security system and I so do not wanna deal with that drama. It's just... Oof. It bums me out just thinkin' about it."

Marco gave a short nod. Then, all of a sudden, he pulled against his restraints with all of the strength he could muster. Libraria watched with a dumbfounded expression on her face as Marco suddenly tore himself out of his restraints and leaped toward the crystal case that held the golden orb.

Staring into the crystal case, Marco's mind raced as he struggled to think of what to do next.

Libraria chuckled to herself, as she held up the shield that Marco had used before. "Sorry, little boy. That is super reinforced crystal. And I've got your weird spinny... Disc-ey... Thing... Huh. That's weird... Why-... Why can't I think of what this thing is called? Oh, this gonna drive me crazy..." she muttered.

Marco grit his teeth, as his attention suddenly turned to a good sized gap in the crystal casing. This was where the shield had embedded itself earlier, leaving behind a wide fissure in the crystal. The gap was too small for Marco to stick his hand or even his fingers inside to try and touch the orb. But, it did look like the crystal had been significantly weakened.

Taking a long, deep breath, Marco quickly figured out what he needed to do. While Libraria was distracted with the shield, Marco put his feet into position and grit his teeth. '...My right hand is already a little damaged... But it's also usually my strongest punching hand... So-...' he thought, as he looked down at his hands. '...I think I'll use that one. ...I just hope my hand doesn't shatter into pieces instead...'

With a deep breath, Marco drew back his fist just as Libraria noticed what he was up to.

"...Wait! Don't-" said Libraria, only to have her voice suddenly drowned out by loud 'crack', as Marco swung his fist into the crystal casing with as much force as he could muster. His fist quickly broke through the weak spot in the crystal and landed directly into the golden orb. The orb exploded in a flash of blinding light as soon as his fist made contact with it- and the force was enough to send Marco reeling backward.

Outside, the angry office supplies suddenly began to fall to the floor, as the armored creatures collapsed into piles goo and broken armor, and the enormous suits of armor came to a sudden stop. Star and Tom had swirled around with each other and launched enormous pillars of pink energy and fire respectively into the air, hitting the golden dragon from below. The dragon opened its mouth to consume the magical energy, only to suddenly pause. All of a sudden, it disappeared in a puff of smoke. The powerful pink energy and fire continued to travel, eventually rising up into the ceiling and exploding with incredible force. The entire library trembled under the force of the explosion, and Star and Tom soon found themselves staring up at an enormous hole in the ceiling.

They stared at the hole for a moment, and then looked over at each other.

"We... We did it!" exclaimed Star, as she suddenly jumped off of Cloudy and wrapped her arms around Tom mid-air. Tom laughed and winced a little under the incredible crushing force of his girlfriend's arms, before flying down to the ground to return the gesture.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "That was awesome! You were awesome!"

"You were awesome-er!" exclaimed Star. "I can't believe we just beat a dragon together! That's gotta be on the top of every 'relationship goal' list ever!"

"Yeah! It was on the top of mine, and I didn't even know it!" said Tom, smiling brightly and laughing as he spoke. "It's amazing how incredible we are as a team!"

Star grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!" she exclaimed. Star and Tom shared a long and delirious laugh together, as they both felt a wave of exhaustion and relief crash over them.

Eventually, Star took a deep breath to calm herself down. Tom was quick to follow, and for a while, the two simply stood there in silence, holding each other in their arms. Finally, Star gave a weary sigh.

"...I think this might have to be the last time we go out library-hunting..." she muttered.

Tom blinked. "Wha-... How come?" he asked.

Star sighed. "...We're just... We're not getting anywhere doing this... At this point, it feels like we're just throwing ourselves into danger for no reason at all... And when we do that, I'd kinda prefer there to be a reason." she said.

Tom chuckled to himself. "Oh, yeah? Since when?" he said, in a playful tone.

Star smiled. "...I dunno... I-... I don't really wanna waste time anymore... Y'know?" she muttered. "...After the whole Toffee thing... I guess I realized that time really is precious... And I wanna spend as much of it as I can... On stuff that really matters. Stuff like being the best princess I can be... And-... And helping the monsters."

Tom nodded. "Yeah... I get that. And it's super awesome of you." he said.

Star smiled brightly. "Thanks." she said.

The young couple shared a short, tender kiss before finally breaking apart.

"If I'm gonna get answers... Then it looks like it's going to have to be from Mom... And Eclipsa. It's-... It's gonna be hard... I've tried a bunch of times already and gotten nowhere... Mom won't say anything, and Eclipsa keeps talking in circles... But- I'm not gonna give up!" exclaimed Star.

Tom chuckled. "Yeah... I know you won't." he said, with a loving smile. "Those two don't have a chance... No matter how incredible they are... They're no match for Star Butterfly."

Star grinned and quickly wrapped her hands around Tom for another bone-crunching hug. "Thanks." she said, her voice sounding somewhat uncharacteristically serious.

Tom returned the hug once again, and then suddenly blinked. "Wait-... I, uh... I feel like we're forgetting something..." he muttered. All of a sudden, Tom and Star shared a worried look.

"Marco!" they exclaimed, in perfect unison.

"What?"

Tom and Star blinked, and turned to find Marco standing nearby. His features were very disheveled, and he appeared to be covered in blackish green goo and a layer of soot. As he stood there, he kept his hands buried in the pockets of his hoodie. His eyes were tired and downcast. But as Tom and Star made their way toward him, he forced himself to hold eye contact with them and offer them a friendly smile.

"Whoah, man! You look like you've really been through the gambit!" exclaimed Tom.

"Yeah." muttered Marco. As he spoke, he couldn't keep his voice from trembling ever so slightly. He was already completely exhausted, and holding himself together in front of Tom and Star took everything he had. Taking a short, deep breath, he clenched his left hand. Immediately, he felt an incredible burst of pain. His eye twitched slightly.

"Are you okay?" asked Star.

Marco closed his eyes for a moment, as he slowly unclenched his injured hand and took another breath. Looking into Star's deep blue eyes and seeing the genuine concern in them... Hurt. He wanted desperately to simply be happy that she cared about him. But instead... It was just painful. Still, he looked her in the eyes and faced it head-on.

"...Yeah. I'm okay. I'm a little tired after all of that running away and stuff, though..." he muttered.

Star smiled. "Yeah. Sorry about all this..." she said. "Things kinda went outta control pretty quickly."

Marco nodded. "Yeah..." he muttered. "But, we're all okay now. That's what matters."

Star let out a long yawn and rubbed her eyes. "We should get outta here... I think I'm gonna need a nap or somethin'..." she said.

Tom nodded. "Yeah. Me too... Hey, are you still on for dinner with my parents tonight? I mean, I could cancel if-" he began, only to be interrupted when Star suddenly slung her arm around his shoulders. "I wouldn't miss dinner with the Lucitor's for anything." she said, with a bright smile. "I've been looking forward to it. After a quick nap and stuff, I'll be ready to go!"

Tom smiled. "Awesome. I'll make sure we get the best dessert the Underworld has to offer." he said.

Star grinned. "That sounds amazing. Underworld desserts are the best." she said, before turning to face Marco. "Are you sure you don't wanna come along? I'm sure Tom's parents would love to meet his karaoke buddy." she said, with a playful wink.

Marco politely shook his head. "No... I think I'll just hang around the castle and... Well, probably sleep. A lot." he said.

Star laughed. "Well, I can't say I blame you. Oh! Maybe you could give Ponyhead a call! You guys'd totally tear it up if you hit the Bounce Lounge together!" she exclaimed.

Marco shuddered. "...I think I'm exhausted enough already..." he muttered.

Star laughed again. It was a sweet sound, and it was enough to make Marco's lips twist into a genuine smile, albeit a small one. Tom glanced over at him for a moment and seemed relieved to see Marco smile, even for just a moment.

"Well... I think I'm gonna head over to my room." said Marco, with a long yawn. After quickly pulling out his dimensional scissors and opening a portal, he paused for a moment. Turning around, he smiled at Star and Tom once more. "Have fun tonight, you two." he said.

Star stared at him for a moment and frowned a little. "...Are you sure you're okay, Marco?" she asked.

Marco nodded, never losing his perfectly crafted smile. "Of course I am." he said.

"...Are you sure? You-... Well... You kinda seem... I dunno... A little... Off." said Star, as she rubbed her chin with her wand.

Marco came very close to letting his smile waver. His entire body was engulfed with a fierce storm of jealousy, frustration and a sudden, deep sense of overwhelming loneliness. All of these emotions came crashing in on him all at once, as he watched how close Star and Tom had become. Quickly overwhelming all everything else was a crushing sense of shame.

He wanted desperately for the smile on his face to be genuine. The right thing to feel in that moment, as he quietly told himself over and over, was happy. Star and Tom seemed to make each other happier than he had ever seen them. They were there for each other. They had each other's backs. It was everything he could ever want for either of them. And yet, the same bitter feeling kept swelling up in his chest like bile.

Marco grit his teeth a little and took a sharp, deep breath.

"I'm fine." he said. "Just... A little more tired than usual. That's all..."

Tom frowned. It seemed obvious that Marco was hiding something, at least time. Tom was just about to open his mouth and press him for information when he suddenly found himself interrupted by Star.

"Well, I'm gonna need my Squire well rested and ready for anything by tomorrow! So make sure you to get yourself a good, long rest!" she exclaimed.

Marco nodded and offered her a small smile. "Sure thing, Star." he said, as he gave Star and Tom a short wave goodbye. "Have a good time, you two." he said. His voice was sincere, but the sadness in his eyes was not lost on Tom.

"...You-... You too, man." said Tom. "And, uh- thanks for hanging out with us again. It's always fun."

"...Yeah." said Marco. "It is."

After giving another short wave goodbye, Marco stepped through his portal and disappeared. Star and Tom stood in place, as they watched the portal slowly fizzle out. Once Marco's portal had disappeared, Tom felt Star's grip on him suddenly tighten.

Tom moved his gave over to Star, and found her staring blankly into the middle distance. Her eyes overflowing with a wide range of unreadable emotions, but more than anything she looked... Afraid.

Tom bit his bottom lip, as he struggled to think of something to say. "...I-... I'm worried about him too." he eventually muttered.

Star gave a slow nod. "...Yeah..." she whispered. "...But-... He'll be okay. I'm sure of it."

Tom stared at Star for a moment, and then shifted his gaze downward. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't seem to find the words. In the last few months, Marco seemed to have changed. He didn't smile as often, and he longer seemed to have much enthusiasm for the things he used to love doing. Like making nacho's or playing video games. It seemed as if he had dedicated everything he had to being Star's squire. And when he wasn't 'on duty', he simply disappeared into his room.

Tom couldn't quite figure out how to approach him about it. And so much time had passed already, that it seemed kind of hopeless. Honestly, Tom had hoped that Star would've figured out a way to snap him out of it by now- but... She hadn't. And instead, it only seemed to have gotten worse.

Tom sighed. Throughout his life, he had only ever had a few friends- and he tended to go through them pretty quickly. No doubt as a result of the petty and spoiled attitude he had cultivated while being raised as royalty. Combined, of course, with the rage issues he had always had.

As he grew up, it had quickly gotten more and more difficult for him to make actual friends. Marco was the first real friend he had made in a long time. And it had happened before his first attempt at a demonicism. Marco might have been the first person in his life to fully accept him, even with all of his flaws.

It had meant a lot to him. Marco had become his friend during a time in his life when Tom had begun to think that he'd never have friends. At the time, he had been fine with that idea. Star was supposed to be all he needed. But when Tom suddenly found someone else to hang out with... It made a real difference. Even if 'hanging out' mostly just consisted of playing video games, table tennis and singing karaoke.

Tom frowned.

Both Star and Marco had helped him a tremendous amount in helping put him on the path to becoming a better person. And he would always be grateful to them both.

And now... Marco needed someone's help. It was getting more and more overtly obvious every time he saw him. But no matter how hard he thought about it, he simply found himself at a loss. Talking about feelings had never really been his strong suit. Plus, he had kind of expected Star to be the one who tried to fix whatever it was that was bothering him. But it was beginning to seem like Star was just as confused as he was.

Eventually, Tom breathed a slow, heavy sigh.

'...Star's right. Marco... He'll be okay.' he thought. As he quietly told himself that, he felt a pang of guilt.

He was lying to himself. And... He suspected that Star was doing the same. Doing their best not to notice the look on Marco's face... Or at least, to try to play it down. Because they were afraid of what might happen if they tried to face it head-on. It felt like if they did... Then they might only make it worse. And he might only drift further away. And neither of them wanted that.

But maybe that was just an excuse they had come up with to avoid facing something potentially confusing and painful.

Somewhere deep down inside... Tom suspected that he knew what was really bothering Marco. Or at least... Part of it. And of course he did... After all, he had been through the something very similar himself.

Tom grit his teeth. He wanted desperately to see his suspicions proven wrong... But the evidence was slowly getting harder and harder to ignore.

Slowly shaking his head, Tom took another deep breath. '...It'll be okay.' he told himself. 'This... This whole thing... It'll pass. And Marco'll go right back to normal. And-... And everything... Will be fine.'

As Tom and Star walked away from the ruins of the library and began to make small talk, Tom continued to repeat the same sentiment over and over in the back of his mind. Hoping somehow that if he silently willed it to be... It would come true.

After exchanging promises to meet up again in the underworld for dinner with the Lucitor's, Tom and Star went their separate ways. But not before sharing a short, sweet kiss.

As they went their separate ways, both Tom and Star secretly hoped that with enough time... Everything would work itself out. Their lives had already changed so much recently, and they could both feel the pressures of being royalty closing in on them fast. Any control they had over their lives seemed to be falling away with each passing day. And all they could do was try and roll with the punches.

And quietly tell themselves that everything was going to be okay.

Unfortunately for them... It wasn't.

Somewhere within the quiet depths of the ruined library, Libraria suddenly popped up to her feet. Her entire body was covered in soot and slime, and her eyes were burning with an incredible fury. "...He did it. He blew up my security system... And then-... And then he just walked away..." she hissed. "Well, guess what Marco Ubaldo Diaz... You... You are going to regret doing that. I shall make sure of it."

Libraria's high pitched laughter filled the air, echoing throughout the empty ruins of the library. Eventually, her crazed laughter died down to a low pitched giggle.

"And-... And... I think I know just where to begin..."

Everything had fallen away.

His body...

His senses...

His memories...

They had all faded into the darkness a long time ago. All that remained were the tiniest shreds of his mind. And pretty soon, they would be gone too.

As his remains continued to drift across the darkness, he could feel the last pieces begin to fade.

This was the end.

And as he felt himself finally disappear into the void... He couldn't help but wonder why he had been fighting for so long. This was where he belonged.

It was what he deserved.

It seemed so obvious now.

He had no reason to continue the way he was before. Existing... Was a struggle. And a painful one at that.

Fading away... Felt soothing.

He was finally letting go... Of everything.

With him gone... Everyone would be better off. And so would he.

The final piece of had finally begun to disappear.

Once it was gone... Everything would be over. There would be no more struggling.

No more pain.

No more anything.

Suddenly, a small golden light appeared amidst the darkness. The darkness seemed to cower from it, allowing the light to expand into the shape of a girl.

As she stood there, emitting an incredible warmth, Marco could suddenly feel his hands again. And without thinking, he quickly reached out to her. As he did, his formless body seemed to scream out in protest.

He was a part of the darkness now. He wasn't supposed to touch the light.

The light would hurt him. The light... Would destroy him.

But he wouldn't stop. He seemed to force his body back together as he pressed himself forward.

The pain was overwhelming... But he couldn't stop.

Soon, he found himself screaming.

His mind began to wage war with itself. Part of him wanted to lie back... And let himself fade away. It would be so easy... And it would put a stop to the raging storm of emotions that had put him there in the first place.

But... He also knew that he couldn't.

Even if she didn't need him anymore... He had to be there.

He had to try...

It didn't matter what price he had to pay. He would pay it. Over and over again.

Then, suddenly- he felt something tug against him. Marco screamed again, as he felt himself being pulled further and further away from the light.

The darkness was fighting back.

His ears were suddenly filled with whispers. Telling him that it wasn't worth it. That anything he could do for her could be done better by someone else.

"You are nothing..."

"You always will be..."

"All you do... Is stand in her way..."

"And cause more pain..."

"And you'll ruin everything..."

"All over again..."

Marco screamed as he struggled to pull against the tendrils of darkness.

He was losing. And he knew it.

And as he continued to struggle and scream...

He began to wonder once more...

Exactly what it was he was fighting for...

Marco's eyes slowly fluttered open, and once again he found himself lying in bed, drenched in sweat. For a little while, he simply lied there. His breathing ragged, and his features trembling ever so slightly.

It was dark, and he guessed that he had slept past the Mewni sunset. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at that. The Mewni sunset was always colorful and majestic. One of the few things that seemed to be able to take his mind off of everything else. The window in his bedroom had a perfect view of the horizon, and he had gotten into the habit of opening it up and sticking his head out to enjoy the cool breeze and the beautiful view in the evening.

He couldn't be sure what time it was now- but he was sure that it well past sunset.

Taking a deep breath, Marco suddenly felt a jolt of pain. Wincing a little, he slowly brought his injured hand up to his face to inspect it. When he had arrived in his room, it had only been around ten in the morning. He remembered being surprised, considering how long he had been trapped in that library with Star and Tom. Then again- there was always the possibility that time worked differently in that dimension, much like Heckapoo's. Either that or time slowed down when you were running for your life.

Either way, after marveling at the time, Marco had been quick to pull out his Emergency First Aid kit from under his bed and begin hastily treating his injured hand. He hadn't done a particularly good job- no doubt because of how completely drained he had felt after the whole experience. In fact, he had felt so worn out that he soon found himself collapsing into bed and falling asleep- without even worrying about cleaning himself up first.

Marco sighed, as he stared at his hastily bandaged hand. It had stopped bleeding, and he could kind of move his fingers. But not without having to endure quite a bit of pain.

Feeling sweaty, bloody and dirty, Marco peeled himself out of bed and made his way over to his bedroom window. Outside, the moons of Mewni hung majestically in the air. Bathing the kingdom in a gentle, pale glow.

As he stared out at the moons of Mewni, he felt a familiar swell of emotions. Marco breathed a heavy sigh as he gently pressed his forehead against the cool surface of his bedroom window. Feeling the same tumultuous storm of emotions every day was exhausting. More exhausting than any adventure he had ever had. And he could feel it wearing down his psyche.

"H-hey! Hey Marco! It's me... Your phone. Your weirdly outdated looking phone... I mean-... It is a smartphone and all... But it just seems... Really retro for some reason... Maybe it just looks so lame because it's owned by you."

Marco felt a shiver run down his spine at the sound of the voice. Biting his lower lip, he very slowly turned around, filled with incredible dread at what he might find waiting behind him.

"...Janna?" muttered Marco.

"No- I'm not behind you..."

Marco moved as quickly as he could to check under his bed.

"Not under your bed..."

Marco frowned, before quickly racing over to his closet and swinging it wide open.

"Not the wardrobe, either. C'mon, Marco- didn't you hear me? I said I was your phone."

Blinking in confusion, Marco slowly made his way over to his desk. Where he found his phone, lying beside a small pile of books on Mewman language. His phone's screen had lit up, depicting a picture of his parents with a small phone symbol underneath bouncing up and down.

"Yeah. That's right. I'm in your phone, Marco Diaz... Hmm... I wonder how long I can keep recording this personalized ringtone... Woah! An hour!? That's crazy. Well- I guess I'll just start reading from your middle school diary. Loudly. Aw, man... I really hope you're in the middle of dinner with Star's parents or something..."

Marco quickly snatched up his phone and pressed his finger on the small icon at the bottom of the screen.

"Hello, Marco."

Marco breathed a sigh of relief when he heard his mothers voice on the other side of the call. "...Hey, Mom." he said. "Sorry I took so long to pick up... Apparently, Janna's been messing with my phone again..."

Marco's mother gave a soft giggle. "Oh, that Janna... She's a real trickster, isn't she? Remember when she filled all of your drawers with whipped cream? Or the time she filled your school desk with whipped cream? Or your locker..." she said, sounding wistful. "...Huh. You know she used to do a lot of stuff with whipped cream. It's nice that she managed to branch out a little over time."

Marco sighed. "...Not for me, it isn't." he muttered. "Although... I guess I'm glad she grew out of that phase... I heard that she was planning to try and fill up my whole room at one stage..."

Marco's mother laughed again. "...I think I might've had to have a talk with her mom if she had managed that... Although... That certainly would've been quite impressive... In its own way." she said.

Marco paused for a moment. For most of his young life, he had regarded Janna as somewhere between the bane of his existence- and a friend. It was actually quite difficult to really put a label on their relationship. It was always completely incomprehensible. Much like Janna herself.

"...Anyway." muttered Marco, deciding to change the subject. "...What's up?"

"Oh, well... I just wanted to make sure you remembered that our special 'Diaz Dinner Party' is happening tonight. Guest's are supposed to start arriving within the hour, actually." said Marco's mother.

Marco blinked. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered his parents mentioning something about a 'special dinner party' just a few days ago.

"...That was tonight?" he gasped.

"I knew you might forget... You've been so busy on Mewni recently..." said Marco's mother.

Marco gulped. As he stood there, he caught his reflection in his bedroom window. He was a complete mess. Physically and emotionally. His clothes were crusty and wet with layers of dust, dried goo, and sweat. His hastily bandaged hand made it look like he had just punched a blender or something. And his eyes had dark circles around them, and all of his facial features seemed to radiate a deep sense of weariness.

"...Uh-... You know... Mom... I'm-... I'm not sure I'll be able to make it tonight..." he muttered. "I-... I thought I might just try and catch up on my sleep or... Or something..."

Marco's mother breathed a soft sigh, and immediately Marco felt a burst of guilt come crashing down on him.

"...Listen, Marco. Ordinarily... I would be happy to let you off the hook. But... We haven't seen each other in person for quite a while now... And-... Well... This party... Is a little special. Your father and I... We-... We would really, really appreciate it... If you could find the time to come eat with us."

Marco breathed a heavy sigh. There was absolutely no fighting that. Her voice was brimming with incredible sincerity. It almost sounded like she was pleading with him. There was simply no way he could say no.

"...Alright. Okay... I'll head over in-... Uh... In a moment." muttered Marco.

"Thank you, Marco. I'm very glad to hear that." she said. Marco could hear the smile in his mother's voice as she spoke. "And don't forget to bring Star and any other friends you might have made on Mewni! We wanna meet them all!"

Marco froze. At the mere mention of her name, Marco immediately felt a painful tightening in his chest.

"Uh-... Star... Won't be able to make it. She... She kinda has an important royal dinner of her own to attend tonight..." muttered Marco.

"...Oh." whispered Marco's mother. It was obvious that she had noticed a change in her son's tone of voice, but she didn't bring it up. And Marco was quietly grateful to her for that.

"Well... Have you made any other friends on Mewni that you could bring over? The more the merrier, I always say!"

Marco blinked and thought for a moment. "...Well... I guess I do know some people... But-... It might be kinda short notice... I don't know if they'll be able to make it..." he muttered.

"Well, give it a try! And don't forget to mention that your father and I will be cooking plenty of amazing food for the occasion!" exclaimed Marco's mother.

"...And what occasion is that?" asked Marco.

"That's a secret! You'll have to come to the dinner to find out!" exclaimed his mother, sounding very excited.

Marco sighed. "...Okay. But-... I don't really know if they'll take to Earth food as quickly as Star did... So-... So, just make sure to make some cobbed corn or something... Just in case." he said.

"Sure thing! How many people are you going to bring?" asked his mother.

"...Well... Two, I guess... But-... Well, one of them might need to bring his kids with him. So-... It uh... It might go up to over a dozen." said Marco.

"Oooh, well that sounds lovely. I'll be sure to let Raphael know." said Marco's mother. "We'd better make sure everything's ready... See you soon, sweetheart. I love you."

Marco smiled a little. "...Yeah. Love you too, mom." he said.

After pressing the 'end call' icon on his phone, he quickly began messing around with the settings on his phone in order to remove his new ringtone. Eventually, Marco breathed a heavy sigh. For a little while, he considered not calling the two other Mewni friends he had in mind. He didn't want to bother them, after all. Especially at such short notice.

But then, he paused.

Buff Frog and Kelly were his friends now. And they had told him specifically to reach out to them when he needed to. It had been almost a month since the incident with Roy and the Goblin Dogs, and so far, even though he had meant to... He hadn't reached out.

Marco frowned. It was so much easier to just wallow in misery by himself. And so difficult to ask anyone else for help... To drag them into his emotionally draining situation.

But... He owed it to them. They deserved to know that he trusted them enough to ask for help... Even with something that seemed so silly. If they couldn't come, then that would be fine too. But they deserved to make that decision themselves, and not have him make it for them.

Taking a deep breath, Marco ran his uninjured hand through his hair.

Plus... Deep down, he wanted to hang out with people that didn't send him spiraling into an emotional abyss every time he looked at them.

He knew that it was his fault that he felt that way around Star and Tom. But he couldn't help it. When he hung out with them... He always felt like a third wheel. Together, Star and Tom made an incredible team. They were powerful, dynamic, and it seemed like they could do anything together. And he... He was just... Unnecessary.

But with Buff Frog and Kelly... It felt different. Around them, he actually felt happy. Which had become a very rare feeling for him.

Marco took another deep breath and held up his phone. His phone was equipped with a magical phone line, courtesy of the pixies. Of course, he rarely ever had the occasion to use it. For the longest time, the only 'magical' phones he had numbers for were Tom and Stars. But now, he had Buff Frog and Kelly on his contact list as well. Along with Ponyhead, for some reason...

Marco felt himself start to sweat, as a familiar air of nervousness quickly took over. Marco gulped and did his best to shake it off.

"Alright... I'm gonna do it. ...I hope you guys don't mind too much..." he muttered. "Well... At least, if you can come... I'll be able to introduce you to my Super Awesome Nacho's."

Marco smiled.

"...Yeah. I guess... I guess I just have to hope that everything doesn't wind up spinning out of control like last time..." he muttered.

Marco had never been a particularly superstitious person. But in several hours time, even he would have to acknowledge the foreboding nature of what he had just said.

As Marco stood in the middle of his old living room, he took a long, deep breath. Looking around, he couldn't help but feel an incredible wave of nostalgia. He had been on Mewni for less than a year now. And yet... It almost felt the same as it had when Marco made his return to Earth from Heckapoo's dimension. Everything seemed simultaneously familiar and yet, oddly unfamiliar. It felt like it had been forever since the last time he had watched TV or lazed around on the family couch.

Of course, nothing had really changed in the Diaz household. But that didn't seem to stop the oddly alien feeling of walking around in the house he had grown up in.

Marco sighed, as he stood in front of the couch and stared at it for a little while. The memory of eating chips off of his cape in front of the TV felt like a lifetime ago. He had been through a lot of adventures since then, including a handful of portal-closing escapades with Heckapoo. As he stared down at the couch... He couldn't help but wonder if he had managed to change at all from the 'croissant girl' he had become several months ago.

Honestly, he wasn't sure.

"Karate boy!"

Marco barely had time to register the sound of Buff Frogs voice, before he suddenly found himself tackled to the floor by the Buff Babies. Although at this point, Buff Kids might be a more accurate descriptor. They had all grown quite a bit in a relatively short amount of time. They had developed arms quite a while ago, and now they had even developed torsos and tiny flippers on the sides of their head. They appeared to be slowly developing into smaller, cuter versions of Buff Frog. They were still pretty small, but they had certainly changed a lot since the time Marco and Star 'tadpole-sat' for them.

"Karate Uncle! Karate Uncle!" the Buff Kids chirped, in perfect unison. "We're here! We're here!"

Marco smiled as he slowly sat himself up. The Buff Kids were crawling all over him, croaking with excitement as they bounced up and down.

"It's been forever, Karate Uncle!" exclaimed one of the Buff Kids.

"Yeah! We can all speak now! And sing! Katrina taught us!" exclaimed another.

Marco chuckled as he watched the Buff Kids tumble over each other in excitement. Soon, he noticed a small yet muscular figure sit down beside him. Marco blinked, as Katrina slowly leaned over and hugged him with a pair of tiny yet muscle bound arms. "It's great to see you again, Karate Uncle!" said Katrina. "Are you-... Are you doing okay?"

Suddenly, all of the other Buff Kids quickly followed suit. Grabbing and hugging him wherever they could.

"Yeah! Are you doing okay?"

"We heard that you've been sad!"

"Don't be sad, Karate Uncle!"

"Yeah! I know- Why don't we try telling you some jokes!?"

"Dimitri's really good at joke stuff... Tell a joke, Dimitri!"

"Yeah! Go, Dimitri!"

The Buff Frogs began to croak in unison, as they all loudly cheered. Eventually, the Buff Kid who had been hanging off the back of Marco's neck suddenly let go and scurried hopped around to stand in front of everyone. After producing a small, red bowtie seemingly out of nowhere and tying it around its neck, the Buff Kid cleared it's throat and gave a loud croak.

"Ladies, Gentlemen and other! My name is Dimitri Bulgolyubov!" announced the Buff Kid, with the appropriate amount of flourish. The other Buff Kids loudly croaked and cheered, as Dimitri took a bow.

Marco couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he watched the young Buff Kid play entertainer.

"Thank you, brothers and sisters! You're all too kind!" exclaimed Dimitri. "Now... Karate Uncle... Tell me... Why are frogs so happy?"

Marco blinked and scratched the back of his head. "Uh... Because they've found a way to live rich and fulfilling lives while existing inside a brutal ecosystem?" he muttered.

Dimitri grinned. "Nope! Because they eat anything that bugs them!"

Immediately, all of the Buff Kids began to fall over themselves as they croaked with laughter. And Marco was quick to join them.

"Thank you! Thank you! Now-... Karate Uncle... Tell me-... What's a frog's favorite sport?" asked Dimitri.

Marco thought for a moment and then gave a playful shrug. "...I dunno, Dimitri. What is a frog's favorite sport?" he asked.

"It's croak-ay!"

Once again, the Buff Kids burst into laughter. Marco blinked for a moment, as he didn't seem to get the joke. At least not right away. Eventually, however, it did finally click in the back of his mind. '...Oh, like croquet... I get it.' he thought, with a light chuckle. '...Wait- they have croquet on Mewni? Just how much stuff does Mewni have that Earth has? I feel like we share more stuff than we should, considering they're in different dimensions and all...'

"Alright, alright... Last one, everyone! ...Karate Uncle... What kind of shoes do frogs wear?" asked Dimitri.

Marco pretended to think for a moment, and then gave a playful shrug. "...I dunno, Dimitri. What kind of shoes do frogs wear?" he asked.

"Open toad!"

Marco laughed along with the other Buff Kids, as Dimitri took a bow. As the Buff Kids croaked and cheered, Marco couldn't help but feel pleasantly surprised by the actual, genuine happiness he felt fluttering around in his chest. Just moments ago, he felt like he had been drowning in despair. And now, all of sudden... He wasn't. The childish smiles of the Buff Kids were incredibly infectious.

"Marco? Is that you?"

Marco blinked as he looked up from the Buff Kids to find his father standing in front of him, looking mildly confused. Marco stared up at him for a moment and then smiled as he got up to his feet. Marco's father was dressed in a familiar old suit. It was had big yellow and black stripes, and it was decorated with various splashes of paint in all colors. The suit also seemed to sparkle in the light. It was what he tended to wear on more 'formal' occasions. He was also wearing a pink frilly apron over it, with the word 'Love' stitched across the front. His hair looked a little shorter than Marco remembered it, and his mustache had grown much bigger and bushier.

"Hey, Dad. What's-" Marco was cut off mid-sentence when his father suddenly pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

"Mijo! Oh, it's really you! You've grown so much, I nearly didn't recognize you!" exclaimed Marco's father.

Marco squeaked a little under the force of the hug. "Uh-..." he muttered. "...It's- It's only been... A few months..."

"It has been several months! Several months without seeing my little boy!" Marco's father exclaimed, as he slowly released Marco from the hug, allowing him to breathe a little easier. "I am very glad to see you again, Marco. Look at how much you've grown! You might even be taller than I am someday!" he continued, laughing loudly as he tousling Marco's hair. "You really are growing into a man right before my eyes, aren't you?"

Marco smiled a little. "...I guess so." he muttered, as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "...Uh-... Dad? ...I'm sorry I haven't... You know... Visited much... I just-... Uh... I've been kinda busy helping Star..."

"Yes, yes, I know... You have your own life now, Marco. I understand... I can't say I fully approve of you taking so much time off school and such... But I understand." said Marco's father.

"...Thanks, Dad. And-... Sorry, again." said Marco.

"Do not worry about it! You are here now, and that's what matters! Speaking of which-... Marco? Would you please introduce me to your friends?" asked Marco's father.

Marco blinked. "Oh-... Uh, sure." he said, before turning to find Buff Frog standing in front of them, carrying several of the Buff Kids in his arms, while others sat on his shoulders and on his head.

Marco smiled. "...Thanks for coming, Buff Frog." he said.

Buff Frog returned the smile with an enthusiastic grin. "Is being no problem, Karate Boy! I am very honored to have my family invited to fancy Earth home." he said, before turning to Marco's father. "And I am very thankful for you to be having me in your home. My name is Yvgeny Bulgolyubov! But, you may call me Buff Frog. ...Er- forgive me, I cannot engage in the practice of 'shaking hands', as they are full of my children."

Marco's father opened his mouth to speak, only to be suddenly interrupted by a chorus of croaking from the Buff Kids.

"Hello, Mr Diaz! I'm Alexi! It's super-ultra-mega exciting to be here! We don't get outta the swamp a lot..." croaked one.

"I'm Boris! You've got a super cool house, Mr Karate Uncle's Dad! Although, I do kinda think it could use more mud..." said another.

"Good evening, Mr Diaz... My name's Anastasia..." said another one, in a quiet voice.

"I'm Dimitri! I'm gonna be the greatest comedian in monster history! I've been workin' on my pun-fu recently... One day, I shall be a master!" exclaimed Dimitri.

"I'm Anya! You look really big! Is Karate Uncle really gonna be as big as you are someday?"

"Yeah- And is he gonna get a patch of fur just above his mouth like you've got? 'Cuz, I dunno if it'd suit him... I'm Igor, by the way!"

"My name is being Mikhail. I speak with accent for some reason... Why do brothers and sisters not speak with same? Is very strange..." croaked another of the Buff Kids, in what sounded like a thick, near-cartoonish Russian accent.

"I'm Leo! And, I was born attached to my brother Mikhail! See! Look! It sure is nice to meet you, Mr Diaz! Wait- Should we call you Mr Diaz or Mr Karate Uncle? I'm not sure... Oh, boy- I hope we're not being rude..."

"Can it, Leo! Quit bein' such a worry-wart over every little thing! I'm Irina, by the way. The cool one."

"Hello! I'm Nadia. It's awesome to meet you, Mr Diaz! Daddy told us to be really polite, and not mention the time we ruined your house and threw up all over the place! So- I won't. No matter what you do to me! You hear me!? BWA-HAHAHA!"

"Dude, Nadia- Chill out... Can you not, like, go through a sentence without laughing maniacally? That can't be good for your chakra's, man... I'm Sergei, by the way. Awesome to meet you."

Finally, Katrina gave a petite cough as she cleared her throat. "...And I'm Katrina. It really is nice to meet you... And thank you again for inviting us into your home." she said.

Mr Diaz stared blankly at Buff Frog and the Buff Kids for a few short seconds, clearly overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of names and voices. However, he was quick to shake it off give a hearty laugh. "Well, it is lovely to meet each and every one of you!" he exclaimed. "And don't you worry about the little 'incident' that occurred while Star and Marco were babysitting you... Accidents happen."

Nadia twitched, as she suddenly bounced off of Buff Frog's shoulder. "...How did you know that was us!? Did someone rat on me!? Who was it!? Who's the mole!? The frog-mole!?" she exclaimed. "You won't get away with this! I will never forgive such betrayal!"

Mr Diaz blinked, and slowly scratched the back of his head in confusion. "...Uh... Star and Marco told us... Because... We asked." he muttered.

Nadia blinked. "Oh. Oh, well that's fine then. Hey, Daddy- it turns out they already know it was us! We don't have to keep it a secret anymore!"

Buff Frog gave Nadia a patient smile. "Yes, Nadia. Thank you." he said.

Mr Diaz gave another hearty chuckle. "Yes, yes... Water under the bridge. So- My name is Raphael... But you may call me whatever you feel most comfortable with." he said. "By the way- Mr... 'Buff Frog' was it? Are you the same frog-man that helped my son when he was kidnapped by that... Lizard-man? Er-... Tofu? Was that his name? Eh- Not important."

"Er... I would not say I 'helped' much... But-... I was there..." muttered Buff Frog.

"Oh, I see... But- You also helped when that 'Tofu' guy attacked the castle that Star lives in... And if I remember correctly... You also helped to break my son out of a dungeon of some kind?" asked Mr Diaz.

Buff Frog nodded. "Ah. Yes. This I did do. It was nothing... I am always happy to be helping Princess Star Butterfly and Karate Boy." he said.

Mr Diaz slowly shook his head and smiled. "It certainly was not nothing. And I want to thank you... Mr Buff Frog. Thank you for being there to help my son... And thank you for being a friend to him during his stay on Mewni."

Buff Frog gave a toothy grin, as he slowly let down the other Buff Kids, who quickly hopped away to start investigating the rest of the house. "It has been my honor to know your son, and be counted as his friend." he said, as he slowly stood himself back up. "He and Princess Star Butterfly have helped me a great deal."

Mr Diaz chuckled again. "Well that's lovely to hear... Oh! You should come out to the backyard and meet my wife! She would love to meet you and your lovely children." he said.

Marco blinked. "...The backyard?"

"Yes! As it turns out, we ended up buying way too much food and inviting far too many people... So, we decided to make it more of a barbeque event! Your mother is setting up the tables and such as we speak... Speaking of which- I'd better get back to helping with that! We want to make sure everything is ready before more guests start to arrive!" exclaimed Mr Diaz, before rushing out into the kitchen and through the back door.

"Ah- Buff Babies and I can help as well. Buff Babies! Come! We are going to help Karate Boy's parents with preparations!" said Buff Frog, directing his voice up the stairwell where most of the Buff Kids had ran off to.

"Da-aaad... We're not babies anymore..." came a voice from upstairs.

Buff Frog smiled. "You will always be little ones in my eyes, Irina! Now, come! All of you! The sooner everything is ready... The sooner we might get to try Earth food for first time!" said Buff Frog.

All of a sudden, a stampede of Buff Kids came storming down the stairs. "Alright! Let's go!" they exclaimed, in unison.

Buff Frog chuckled to himself as he followed the Buff Kids out of the living room.

Once the Buff Family had made their way outside, Marco suddenly found himself standing alone in the living room once again.

For a few quiet minutes, Marco simply stood there. Then, he slowly made his way over to the couch and sat down. He knew that he should have followed Buff Frog and his father out to the backyard to help with setting everything up, but he was still exhausted from his morning at the library and the restless sleep that followed. Taking a deep breath Marco slowly closed before letting out a long, heavy sigh.

Sitting on the couch, he immediately felt more comfortable than he had during his entire stay on Mewni. Everything seemed to melt away, and he soon felt a rare sense of calm wash over him.

After the call from his mother, he had launched into a feverish attempt to clean himself up as best he could. He had started with another cold shower in the squire's quarters. Then, he found himself consulting the Knight of the Wash, Sir Lavabo, about his injured hand. Sir Lavabo apparently had quite a lot of experience with injuries during his long tenure as knight of the wash, and although he seemed a little 'off' at times, Marco trusted him a lot more than he trusted any of the so-called 'royal doctors'. He had visited them twice before, for some of the bruises he had collected during various 'incidents'.

Both times, they had tried to throw him into a bath full of squirming creatures called 'ice-leeches'. And apparently, that treatment only had a forty percent mortality rate. Sir Lavabo's medical knowledge and practices more closely resembled that of an Earth doctor. Lavabo had been quick to disinfect the various cuts on his hand once more with a sparkly concoction of his own- and then sew up some of the bigger cuts with a thread and needle. Then, he wrapped Marco's hand perfectly with a long white bandage. After that, he had sprayed the bandages with an odd, sparkly solution that had hardened the bandages into something more resembling a cast.

So far, Marco had kept his injured hand buried in the pocket of his hoodie. He wasn't really trying to hide it- he just... Didn't want to bring it up. The last thing he wanted to do was worry his parents.

Once his hand had been taken care of, Marco had been quick to dress himself in a fresh pair of clothes. He had been in such a hurry during all of this, that he hadn't stopped to appreciate how good it felt to be clean again until this very moment.

Breathing a contented sigh, Marco smiled.

It felt good to be home again.

"Pfft- No, no... You'll wake him..."

"I mean, yeah- That's kinda the point of it..."

"Is there anything else? Like... We could get some hair gel or something and turn his hair into a real masterpiece..."

"Oh, sure- Or... We could bust out the hair clippers."

"I- uh... I feel like that might be taking it a little too far."

"Oh, come on! If you're gonna prank, then you've gotta commit!"

Marco stirred a little, as he heard two familiar voices begin to argue with each other in hushed tones.

"I can commit to a prank! I just feel like there's gotta be a line, y'know? I mean-... Especially when your not pranking for revenge or anything..."

"How do you know I'm not pranking for revenge?"

"...Are you?"

"No. But-... Look. It's just not fun unless you try and push the boundaries, y'know? Pranks are art. And great art comes from taking chances."

Finally, Marco's eyes fluttered open, to find Janna and Kelly standing in front of him- their faces close to his as they whispered to each other. He stared at them for a moment, before coming to the sudden and dreadful realization that he had fallen asleep on the couch. And Janna Ordonia was standing in front of him.

Marco let out a high pitched gasp as he suddenly leaned forward, causing both Kelly and Janna to jump backwards in surprise. "Janna!" exclaimed Marco. "What- What did you do? Did you glue me to the seat again? Or fill my shoes with water? You know how much I hate having wet socks!"

Janna rolled her eyes, but he couldn't hide the smile on her face. "Relax, Marco... We only had time to mark up your face a little..." she said, as she held up a large felt-tip pen and winked at him.

Marco let out a long, heavy groan as he leaned back into the couch. "...Come on, Janna..." he muttered. "Would it kill you to just let me lie in peace for once?"

Janna shrugged. "I dunno... I haven't really tried..." she said.

Marco breathed a heavy sigh, before shooting Kelly a look when he noticed her stifling a giggle.

When she noticed the expression on Marco's face, Kelly shot him an apologetic look- but she couldn't seem to wipe the playful smile off her face.

Marco sighed again. "...Well... Do either of you have a mirror or something so I can check out your handiwork?" he asked.

Kelly grinned as she quickly reached into her hair and pulled out a good sized hand mirror. After handing it him, she continued to do her best to hold back on her giggles as Marco looked into the mirror.

His face was covered in dozens of words and pictures of various sizes. There were spiders and flies drawn across his cheek, the words 'Ninja Kisser' written around his mouth, a one-eyed triangle wearing a top hat and tie drawn just below his eye, a picture of a trophy with the words 'Number One Loser' drawn on his other cheek, and something written across his forehead in big letters.

It read 'I Love XXXX'. Looking at it closely, it was obvious that the X's were covering up the word 'Star'. Marco slowly rose his hand up to his forehead, and then looked over at Kelly.

"...I crossed it out for you. Sorry- I was busy drawing the quadruple dolphin with arms coming out of its mouths on your neck there. It's also spurting out rainbows and puppies- but it was kinda hard to do with one color. Not my best work." said Kelly.

Marco nodded, before shooting Janna a dirty look.

Janna rolled her eyes. "What? She's not here... And anybody who is here probably figured that out long before you did. Like me, for instance." she said.

Marco sighed. "...That's still not cool, Janna. I don't go around writing your secrets in big letters for the whole world to see..." he muttered.

"Pfft... Like you even know any of my secrets..." she muttered.

Marco raised an eyebrow. "...Your favorite color-"

"Shut up."

"That poster you have hanging up in your locker... The one you keep underneath that 'Heavy Metal' poster..."

"Wha-... Hey! Shut up!"

"And then there's Mrs Bunny..."

"I will literally tear out your innards, Marco. With my hands. My bare hands." said Janna, bringing her hands out in front of her as if to prove her point.

Kelly slowly shoved the hand mirror back into her hair, and gave Janna a curious look. "...Mrs Bunny?" she muttered.

Janna let out a long, annoyed groan. "...It's-... It's just this little... Old... Pink... Thing... That I-... I keep on my bed. Under my pillow most of the time... That's all." she muttered.

"It came in a set. I've got the blue Mister Bunny upstairs." said Marco.

Kelly raised her eyebrows, and Janna twitched. "...Alright, Diaz. I warned you. I will now be taking your innards." she muttered, before lunging at him with her hands. Marco quickly caught one of her hands, and struggled to dodge the other. As she swiped at him, Marco blinked when he noticed that Janna's fingernails were looking particularly sharp.

"Hey- Quit it, Janna! We got them when we were kids... It's not that embarrassing!" he exclaimed.

"Shut up and give me your innards!" yelled Janna.

As she watched the scene playing out in front of her, Kelly couldn't help but smile. "...How long have you two known each other, anyway?" she asked.

"Forever." said both Marco and Janna, in perfect unison.

While Marco continued to hold Janna at bay, Kelly slowly adjusted her glasses. "...Huh. That sounds really cool... I kinda wish I had a friend I'd known for that long..." she muttered.

"Nobody said we were friends." growled Janna, as she continued to swipe at Marco. Looking down, she noticed that he was keeping one of his hands buried in the pocket of his hoodie. Something about the fact that Marco was trying to hold her back with only one hand quickly renewed her thirst for blood.

"Give me Mister Bunny!" she exclaimed, as she swiped at him again.

Marco frowned. "No way! Mister Bunny is perfectly happy living in my room! Besides- If I gave him to you, it'd only be a matter of time before you set him on fire or something..." he muttered.

"Whether or not that's true, he'd be better off at my house! He's just gathering dust up in your room!" exclaimed Janna.

"Uh- I think it does matter, Janna!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"It does so!"

"Does not!"

"Does so!"

Finally, Janna let out a frustrated sigh before pulling away from Marco. "Fine. Whatever." she said, in a huff. "I dunno why I'm wasting time arguing with you about this... It's not like I can't steal him away any time I want..."

Marco rolled his eyes, as he slowly pulled himself out of the sofa and on to his feet. "Uh-huh." muttered Marco. "Now, if your done trying to remove my innards-"

"I will never be done." said Janna.

Marco ignored her. "-Then I think I'm gonna go up to the bathroom and wash all of this stuff off my face." he muttered, before pausing to give Janna a serious look. "...Unless... You-... You didn't use permanent marker again... Did you?" he asked.

Janna gave Marco an evil grin. "...Why don't you go find out?" she hissed.

Marco breathed a heavy sigh, before turning his attention to Kelly. "Hey, Kelly... Thanks for coming over on such short notice... I know it's-... Well... I know it's a little weird for me to just suddenly invite you over like that. And... I'm really glad you came." he said.

Kelly smiled. "Sure thing, Marco." she said.

As she watched Marco leave, Kelly took a deep breath. Looking around, she couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the alien nature of her surroundings. Kelly was no stranger to dimension-hopping, and she had seen quite a lot during her various escapades. But Earth was the first dimension that she had ever heard of that was, supposedly, completely free of magic.

Kelly slowly rubbed her chin in thought. Just standing in the middle of the living room gave her an odd feeling. It was like something was missing, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She had to guess that it had something to do with the lack of any trace of magic in the air. It was actually quite interesting.

Janna breathed a heavy sigh as she sat down on the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table. Kelly watched her for a moment, as Janna picked up a remote and turned on the TV. Turning her attention to the television, Kelly blinked as a particularly loud commercial for a car began to play on the screen. Keeping her eyes trained on the television, Kelly slowly made her way around the coffee table and sat down next to Janna.

This wasn't her first time on Earth, of course. She had come to Earth once before on the night that Star put out a call for an 'Emergency Friend Meeting'. When she had arrived last time, the entire house had been filled with people. This time, they all appeared to be gathering outside, behind the house. Kelly hadn't ventured outside to mingle with the other Earthlings just yet- and frankly, she was more than a little nervous at the prospect. When she had stepped out of her portal and into the living room, she had been greatly relieved to run into a familiar face right away.

Kelly glanced over at Janna, who was laughing hysterically at what appeared to be an ad for a new horror movie. 'Milkman 2: The Milkening'. As Janna snorted and laughed at the image of people running in terror from an innocent looking man holding a bottle of milk, Kelly quietly adjusted her glasses and then turned her attention back to the television.

Kelly didn't really know Janna all that well. All she really knew about her was that she was one of Star's trusted Earth friends. They had met a few times while hanging out with Star- but they had never really held a conversation about anything that didn't involve Star, Marco or pranking. As they sat on the couch together, Kelly quietly rubbed her chin as she wondered what might make a good topic of conversation.

It seemed like Janna was perfectly happy not to engage in awkward conversation, and a big part of Kelly wanted to leave at that. She had a habit of getting incredibly awkward around people she barely knew, and the last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself in a new dimension.

However, some time ago she had promised herself that she would try and be more outgoing when it came to talking to people. After all, she had reached out to Marco in a time of need- and he had been essentially a stranger at the time... They had only really spoken once before, after all. And that had turned into a new and valuable friendship for her.

Kelly took a deep breath. Her motivation for reaching out to Marco had been tied up with her break up drama with Tad. Honestly, she might have opened up to nearly anyone who had approached her in that moment. But she was truly grateful that the person who had approached her was Marco. They had both really needed a friend that day.

"Hey, Kelly..."

Kelly blinked, as she was suddenly knocked out of her train of thought by the sound of Janna's voice. Looking a little surprised, Kelly turned to face Janna- only to suddenly have her feeling of surprise increase dramatically. The expression on Janna's face was serious. And even though Kelly had only known her for a short amount of time, she strongly suspected that it was rare to see Janna look that way.

"...Thanks for-... For being Marco's friend." she muttered, somewhat awkwardly. It was obvious that she was feeling uncomfortable with being sincere. Kelly didn't know it, but it was especially difficult for her to be sincere on the subject of Marco. It made her feel deeply uncomfortable, even when Marco was out of the room.

Janna sighed. "...Aw, man... I hate this whole... 'Sincerity' thing. It's gonna give me an ulcer... Or-... Make my head explode or something..." she muttered. "...But-... You know... I kinda... I kinda make it a habit to keep an eye on ol' Lame-o Diaz... And-... Well, I know that his time in Mewni hasn't exactly played out the way he hoped. Or the way I'd hoped, to be honest. I mean-... I knew he was gonna be awkward and mess stuff up a bunch... That's what he does. But-..."

Janna breathed another heavy sigh, before slowly rubbing her temples. "...I-... I kinda..." Janna frowned a little as she struggled to find the right words. "...I was kinda hoping that Marco and Star were gonna be happy together, y'know?" she muttered. "...And... It kinda sucked that it didn't work out that way... I mean-... I was bummed out when I heard that he and Jackie split up... Mostly 'cuz Jackie's my friend- and... I know it was hard for her. But, y'know-... She made the right call. For both of them. And... I guess I thought that... At the very least, it'd mean that Star and Marco'd finally get together... Or-... Or something. I'm pretty sure that was the reason Jackie broke up with him in the first place... 'Cuz he had lame sparkles in his eyes whenever he talked about Star... And he never seemed to realize it."

Janna's expression quickly went from tired to frustrated. "I can't believe that stuff wound up working out this way... It's like watching a really dumb soap opera." she muttered. "And now... Marco-... Well, I think he might've started... Spiraling. Again. He's always had a bunch of issues and whatever... Actually, I thought Star had really helped to fix a lotta that. But now... Well, the whole thing's starting to, uh... Crush him. He thinks he's hiding it well... But he's really not..."

"...Honestly, I don't have the time, patience or energy to even try and help Marco with that kinda junk. And besides- that's not really what we do. Our relationship is more 'Prankster' and 'Prankee'. And, y'know... I like it that way. It's always been cool to have someone that I can really stretch my 'mischief' muscles around. Without ever having to worry about hurting a 'friendship' or anything like that..." said Janna.

Kelly blinked. "...Are you really sure you're not... You know... Friends?" she asked.

Janna gave a weary sigh and slowly shook her head. "Nope. And y'know- I don't really wanna be. Friendships can be a lotta hassle. And... It's kinda nice to have someone I don't need to hold back against." she said.

"...Okay." said Kelly. Honestly, part of her wanted to grill Janna even further- but she decided to give her a break and let it go. She already seemed to be having trouble being so sincere already, after all. There was no need to push it any further.

"...Look. The whole point of... Of all this lame 'honesty' stuff I'm spewin' out... Is-..." Janna breathed another heavy sigh and rubbed her eyes. Being sincere had already seemed to have drained almost all of her energy. "...I just wanted to thank you for being his friend on Mewni. He, uh... I know he doesn't have a lotta people there to pour his little heart out too... And-... And I just wanted to say... Thanks... For being one of those people... For him. I know you and Buff Frog are gonna help him get outta this latest 'slump'. And... I appreciate it. After all- It's really not as fun to prank 'sad Marco'. It's better when he's got a little more fire in him."

"...Thanks, Janna. I'm more than happy to be there for Marco as a friend. He's a good guy." said Kelly.

Janna snorted. "I mean- he's a 'Marco' guy at least..." she muttered.

Kelly chuckled to herself. "Yeah. He's very Marco." she said.

"Unfortunately..." muttered Janna.

Kelly smiled a little. "I would say... Fortunately." she said, in a playful manner.

Janna rolled her eyes a little. "Not for him it's not." she said, before suddenly heaving herself off the couch. "Now- What do you say we go up to the bathroom? Marco oughtta be figuring out right about now that I used permanent marker..." she said.

"Oh- I actually switched the permanent markers with regular ones." said Kelly.

Janna proudly puffed out her chest. "Yeah, I thought so... Which is why I switched them again, for permanent ones!" she exclaimed.

Kelly nodded. "Yep. I thought you might've... Which is why I pulled a double switch." she said.

Janna blinked. "...Woah... Really?" she muttered.

Kelly nodded and grinned. "Yep! Which is probably why Marco hasn't come screaming down the stairs to yell at you." she said.

Janna gave a low, appreciative whistle. "...Wow. You know- there's not many people out there that can stay a step ahead of me. I think you just earned some of my respect, Kelly. Take good care of it- I don't give it out very often." she said.

Kelly laughed. "Sure thing, Janna. And thanks." she said.

Janna stretched her limbs and breathed a slow sigh. "Well- I guess it's time we head out back. Mr and Mrs Diaz are amazing at cooking... It's really the only reason I let my Mom drag me over here..." she said. "C'mon- I brought a bottle of 'Blazing Ultra Firey Hot Sauce'... You wanna pour some on random food items and see who can eat the most without passing out?"

Kelly thought for a moment and then grinned. "Yeah!" she exclaimed. "Oh- wait... You're not gonna trick Marco into drinking that stuff or something, are you?"

Janna rubbed her chin, as if she was considering it, and finally shook her head. "Nah. This stuff is too awesome to be wasted on people who can't appreciate it. Plus, last time, he just passed out right away. He's a total lightweight."

Kelly blinked. "Wow... So it's that powerful, huh?"

"Oh, you have no idea..."

As Kelly and Janna made their way out to the backyard, Marco slowly came down the stairs looking fresh-faced. When he noticed Kelly and Janna talking and laughing amongst themselves as the discussed the finer points of hot sauce, he smiled. Seeing Kelly hanging out with what appeared to be a new friend made him happy- even if that friend was Janna.

'...I just gotta hope that Kelly doesn't pick up a thirst for pranks... I really only need one 'Janna' in my life...' he thought.

The full moon peaked out from behind the clouds as a cool breeze swept across the town of Echo Creek. The town was usually pretty quiet at night, especially in the suburbs. Tonight, however, was proving to be an exception.

The Diaz backyard was filled with people and buzzing with activity. Everyone seemed to be talking with everyone else. Some of them were standing in the grass, while others were sitting at the tables as they loudly talked, laughed and cheered with one another. As Marco made his way over to a table tucked away in a corner, he gave a few polite waves to the few people he recognized. Soon, he found himself being smothered in bone-crunching hugs from various members of his extended family. He was hugged by two of his aunts, received a rough handshake from an uncle, had his hair tousled by another uncle, and then he was hugged, tousled and pinched on the cheeks by a few of his cousins.

After avoiding narrowly avoiding a noogie from one of his older cousins, Marco noticed his grandmother sitting by a small table with a punch bowl on it. Marco slowly made his way through a crowd of people and walked up to his grandmother with a soft smile.

"Hey, Grandma..." he said. "I can't believe you're here! I guess Mom and Dad's 'big announcement' must be an even bigger deal than I thought!"

Marco's Grandmother looked up at him slowly and gave a warm smile. "Ah... Hola, Marco. Is very lovely to see you... You are looking well! Although... Maybe a little too skinny..." she muttered, as she reached her hand out and pinched Marco's cheek. "Are you eating okay in that magical alternate dimension you told me so much about?"

Marco smiled. "Sure... They've got a lotta crazy stuff over there... I'd like to show you one day, but-... Well, Mewni can be really dangerous. Even for the people who've lived there their whole lives." he said.

Marco's Grandmother frowned a little. "...And yet... You are staying there?" she asked.

Marco nodded. "Yeah... It gets kinda crazy most of the time... But- you know... It's rarely 'boring' at least." he said with a shrug.

Marco's Grandmother smiled. "I see... You really are growing up, aren't you?" she asked, he voice sounding wistful. "I suppose you're friends can no longer call you the... Uh... 'Safe kid'- huh?"

Marco smiled a little, but there was slight strain behind it that did not go lost on his Grandmother. "Yeah..." he muttered. "...But- you know... I don't think I've grown up that much just yet..."

Marco's Grandmother opened her mouth to speak, when all of a sudden Janna and Kelly raced up to them, grabbed the punch bowl and huddled together before tipped it over into their gaping mouths. Once they were done, Janna let go of the punch bowl and breathed a dramatic gasp. Kelly kept her grip on the punchbowl and carefully placed it back on the table.

"Aw, man! That-... Wow! I think- I think I'm seeing spots!" exclaimed Janna, as she waved her hands in front of her.

Kelly removed her glasses to wipe her eyes with her sweater. "Oof-... That... That was... That was crazy..." she muttered through labored breath.

Marco crossed his arms over his chest and gave the girls a look. "...So. I'm guessing you two went overboard with the hot sauce?" he asked, looking judgemental. "I told you, Janna- That stuff isn't fit for human consumption! And I'm pretty sure it's illegal almost everywhere!"

"Shut up!" exclaimed Janna. "You will never rain on my spice parade!" she continued, waving her fist angrily at Marco before turning to face his grandmother. "Hey, Gramma. It's good to see you again." she said.

Marco's grandmother smiled. "You too, Janna." she said.

"Alright, Marco- We're gonna go hide out at that table over in the corner until your Mom and Dad's big announcement. And you're coming too. Why? Well, because I hold a tremendous sway over your actions." said Janna.

Marco frowned. "...I was headed over there anyway..." he muttered.

Janna gave a loud snort. "Yeah- You keep telling yourself that." she muttered. Janna gave Marco's Grandma a polite wave before spinning around and making her over to the table in the corner of the yard. As she watched Janna push her way through a crowd of people, Kelly slowly adjusted her glasses before turning to face Marco's Grandma.

"Uh-... Hi! I'm-... I'm Kelly! I- uh... I'm Marco's friend on Mewni!" she exclaimed. As she spoke, she looked visibly nervous. Still, she did her best to push through it.

Marco's Grandma blinked. "...Oh. I thought Marco's friend from 'Mewni' was named... Er... 'Estrella'." she said.

Kelly gave her a confused look, and Marco cleared his throat. "Uh-... This... This isn't her. Star couldn't make it... This is one of my other friends from Mewni." he said. "Kelly, this is my Grandma."

Marco's Grandmother blinked. "Oh. I see. Well- It is lovely to meet you, Kelly." she said.

Kelly gave a nervous chuckle as she rubbed the back of her head. "Y-yeah." she muttered. "Uhh- I think I hear Janna calling for- ...Uh... Something! Yeah! She needs a whole bunch of something. So- I'll just... I'll just go get that for her." Kelly continued, before awkwardly turning around and running off.

Marco's Grandmother chuckled a little. "...She seems nice. A little shy, it seems." she said.

Marco smiled. "Yeah... She's a lot of fun when you get to know her. It can just take a little bit of time for her to come out of her shell." he said.

Marco's Grandmother slowly stroked her chin and nodded. "I see... I see... Well, why don't you go join her before Janna breaks out that hot sauce of hers again?" she asked.

Marco smiled and nodded. "Sure! Love you, Grandma!" he exclaimed, before wrapping his arm around her to give her hug. Marco's Grandmother blinked when she noticed Marco keep one of his hands in the pocket of his hoodie while he hugged her. Before she could ask about it, Marco shot her a quick, bright smile and gave her another 'goodbye' before running off into the crowd.

By the time he had weaved his way through the crowd and sat down next to Kelly at the table, Marco was practically out of breath. "Aw, man... I can't remember the last time Mom and Dad packed this many people into the same place..." he muttered, as he ran his uninjured hand through his hair. "It's kinda crazy... Sorry if it's a little overwhelming, Kelly... I guess I underestimated how hectic it was gonna get..."

Kelly smiled a little. "It's fine... I'm used to going to parties and stuff. I'm a card-carrying member of the 'Bounce Lounge Crew', remember?" she said.

"Oh, yeah... I guess you've probably been to a bunch of parties that were much crazier..." said Marco.

Kelly nodded. "Yeah, but I always have my friends around... I don't think I'd be able to take it on by myself..." she muttered.

Marco laughed a little. "Yeah... Me too. Parties always used to make me really nervous... And, they still kinda do." he said. "They're definitely a lot more fun when you have friends around."

"Hey! Are you two just gonna sit there and talk about boring stuff, or are we gonna play a game of 'Spin the Hot Sauce'?" asked Janna, as she slammed her bottle of hot sauce on the table.

"No." said both Marco and Kelly, without so much as breaking eye contact with each other.

Janna huffed. "...Fine." she muttered. "But one day... Mark my words... We will play 'Spin the Hot Sauce'. And it'll be a memory you'll never forget... No matter how hard you try!"

Marco ignored Janna and was just about to continue his conversation with Kelly when something suddenly landed with a soft 'smack' in the middle of the table. Marco and Kelly both blinked, as they turned to find Katrina standing on the table. "There you are!" she exclaimed, before hopping in place and waving her arms in there. "Hey! Everyone! They're over here!"

All of a sudden, there was a cascade of loud croaking as all of the Buff Kids seemed to materialize out of nowhere, and began to join Katrina on the table.

"Karate Uncle! You were asleep on the couch for a while, huh? Check it out! We got to try some Earth Burgers!"

"Yeah! They're awesome!"

"I put some worms in mine, and it made it even better! You wanna try?"

As the Buff Kids hopped and croaked cheerfully, Buff Frog made his way through the crowd and took a seat next to Marco. "Karate Boy. Shrubbery Girl. Is nice to see you both." he said, with a warm, toothy grin. Marco and Kelly returned the smile, and Buff Frog quickly turned his attention to the Buff Kids. "Babies! Please to be sitting down on seats." he instructed.

As the Buff Kids quickly hopped down onto the seats next to Janna, none of them seemed to be able to contain their excitement.

"Ooh! Hey! You must be 'Shrubbery Girl'! We saw you in the Goblin Dog commercials that have Daddy and Karate Uncle in them!" exclaimed one of the Buff Kids. Very quickly, the attention of all the Buff Kids was suddenly focused on Kelly- causing her to shrink back just a little.

"Oh! That is her! That's awesome!" exclaimed another one of the Buff Kids.

"It's an honor to meet you, Shrubbery Girl! We're the 'Buff Kids'. 'Cuz we're buff, we're kids, and we're awesome! And everyone knows that every awesome group needs its own name!" exclaimed one of the Buff Kids.

"Yeah! Like how you, Daddy and Karate Uncle are the 'Tremendous Trio!" exclaimed another Buff Kid.

Kelly smiled a little, as the Buff Kids launched into their routine of introducing themselves. It took a little while, as there were twelve of them in total. Plus, a few of them had insisted on stopping halfway through their introduction to ask for her autograph.

Kelly couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable with the sudden barrage of questions by the Buff Kids, but she did her best to hide it. As she did her best to keep up with the deluge of questions, Marco quietly inched closer to her and offered her a supportive smile.

Janna watched this with a raised eyebrow, but said nothing.

"How do you carry that enormous sword?" asked one of the Buff Kids.

Kelly gave a simple shrug. "I'm a lot stronger than I look, I guess. Sometimes, I use two of 'em- but only in emergencies... Or if I feel like it." she said.

"Where'd you learn to fight?" asked another Buff Kid.

"Well, my family used to move around a lot... And a lotta times, when you do that- you wind up running into trouble. It wasn't anything too scary... Although I do think we cut it kinda close once or twice. Eventually, I decided that I wanted to be able to defend myself... To make it easier on everyone else. Plus- I always thought swords were really cool." said Kelly.

"Aw, that's so cool! Can I learn the way of the sword too, Papa?" asked one of the Buff Kids.

"Er-... Maybe when you are being a little older, Boris." said Buff Frog.

"What's your house like? Is it a swamp? Our's is a swamp!" exclaimed another Buff Kid, as it bounced up and down excitedly.

"Well... My family wound up finding this nice big tree... And we kinda live in that now." said Kelly.

"So you live in a treehouse!? Cool!"

"Yeah... The branches and leaves sorta mold into natural rooms and stuff. It's pretty cool. It does leak sap sometimes though... That gets kinda annoying. Plus, every now and again we gotta go to battle with this army of squirrels... But you know... It's cozy." said Kelly.

As Marco watched with a smile as Kelly patiently answered question after question from the excited Buff Kids. It was obvious that she was a little overwhelmed, but she was determined not to falter. Marco kept his gaze trained on her for a little longer, before slowly moving his eyes upward.

The sky was smothered with clouds, but he could just make out the image of the full moon behind them. Something about the moon seemed to make him wistful... And sad.

Marco felt a cool burst of air brush against his face and took a deep breath.

As he sat there, he could feel his mind begin to drift. And as usual, it seemed drawn to one subject in particular. '...Star...' he thought. Just thinking her name quickly brought a steady flow of emotions rushing back into him. '...I-... I know I'm... I'm a jerk. And-... And I know some messed up part of me has been... Resentful. And sad... Very sad. And-... And I hate that about myself, trust me.'

Marco sighed and slowly closed his eyes. Almost instantly, he could see her face. His heart seemed to skip a beat, and then sink. 'Deep down... I know I should-... Talk to you about it... I shouldn't be trying to keep it a secret... And then feeling hurt when you don't figure it out on your own... But-... It just... It's so painful. Even just thinking about it... I just... Lock up... And I wanna run away...'

Marco's eyes fluttered open again, as he looked around at the crowd of happy party-goers. There was so much energy in the air that it was almost intoxicating. There was so much laughter. So much joy.

And although he felt some of it, sitting there with his friends (and Janna) back on Earth... He could only feel a sliver of the happiness everyone else seemed to feel. The feelings of joy and comfort he felt swelling in his chest were being weighed down by everything else. And he could feel the smile on his face slowly fading with every moment that passed.

He tried desperately to keep a firm hold on the happiness he felt in the moment, but he knew that it was fleeting. All of it was. And soon enough, he would be back in his room on Mewni... Feeling miserable.

Marco sighed.

'Star... I think... I really am broken. And-... I don't know if I'll ever be okay...' he thought. 'But-... No matter what... No matter where you are right now... I hope you're having fun. I hope you're smiling. Even if it's not with me... No-... Especially if it's with me. Because... Because I can't make you happy anymore... I-... I can't even manage it for myself...'

"You look sad again, Karate Uncle."

Marco blinked and noticed Katrina sitting on the table directly in front of him, dangling her muscular legs over the edge. Marco stared at her for a moment and then sighed.

"...Yeah. Sorry, Katrina." he muttered.

"You don't have to be sorry, Karate Uncle. Everyone get's sad sometimes, y'know?" said Katrina.

Marco sighed again. "...Yeah..." he muttered. "I know. I just-... I was kinda hoping I'd be able to leave that stuff behind tonight. And... Y'know... I was almost there. But-... I just... Can't escape it... Can I?" he muttered.

Katrina blinked. "Sure you can. Getting over pain... It's difficult. But it's always possible. And there are all sorts of ways to do it. Sometimes, the pain'll just fade with time. Other times, you gotta try and face it head on... Or, maybe- you gotta try and make changes in your life... And move on. Have you tried any of those?" she asked.

Marco frowned for a moment, as he lost himself in thought. Eventually, he found his voice again. "...Moving on..." he muttered, as he felt a lump form in his chest. He had thought of it before, of course. And it seemed completely impossible. He had been deeply wrapped up in feelings for Star for longer than he even knew. And the idea of letting go of what was once such an incredibly powerful emotional connection...

It was as scary as it was painful. What would he even be like without that? It had become such a big part of who he was... If he no longer had any connection to Star... And if he managed to let go of the incredible storm of feelings that seemed to rage on inside him at all times...

Would he even be himself anymore?

And why... Why did that idea feel so frightening?

He wanted to change. He wanted to get stronger... That had been part of why he had gone to Mewni in the first place.

Marco sighed. "...Yeah, I-... I don't know what I'm doing anymore." he muttered.

Katrina smiled. "Well, that's okay Karate Uncle. Nobody really does. Just try and let yourself move along with the rest of the world... And you'll find yourself somewhere different. And, better or worse... At least it'll be different. Right?"

Marco smiled at the young Buff Kid, and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "...I hope so." he muttered. "Thanks, Katrina. I'm sorry you had to see me like this... I guess now you've joined Kelly and your Dad in the 'consoling the miserable Marco' club."

Kelly reached out her hand and placed it on his face. "...You're gonna get through this, Marco. I know you will." she said.

Marco smiled a little as he rubbed the little Buff Kid on the head, causing her to giggle.

'...I wish I could believe that.' he thought. 'I really do.'

As Katrina joined her brothers and sisters, Marco did his best to smile and laugh along with everyone else. It wasn't overly difficult- he was actually enjoying himself after all. But the whole time, he still felt the same painful weight in the pit of his chest.

This went on for about an hour. Then, all of a sudden, there was a loud and obnoxious burst of noise. Everyone at the party cringed at once and quickly turned to find Raphael and Angie Diaz standing at the back door, both holding large air-horns.

"Attention, everyone!" exclaimed Mr Diaz. "I suppose it is about time we told you all why we decided to throw this party in the first place!"

Mrs Diaz grinned. "Yes! But first... Is everybody having a good time?" she asked.

The entire crowd cheered.

"What about you, sweetheart?" asked Mrs Diaz. "Marco? Are you out there?"

Marco breathed a short sigh, before standing up on his seat and giving his mother a wave. Mrs Diaz grinned. "Ah! There you are! Everyone! A wave of applause for our little foreign exchange student! He came from very far away to be here tonight!"

Marco flushed a little as everyone turned to face him and started clapping. By his feet, Kelly, Buff Frog and the Buff Kids were all doing the same. Janna was, naturally, playing with her phone and ignoring everyone else.

Once the clapping had come to a slow stop, the crowds collective attention turned back to Mr and Mrs Diaz.

Mrs Diaz giggled a little at her son's flushed face and then turned to her husband. "Now then, dear... Let's not keep everyone waiting any longer, shall we?" she said.

Mr Diaz chuckled. "Yes. Let's not..." he said.

Mrs Diaz grinned as she watched the crowd lean in with suspense. "...As you all know, Marco was our little miracle. And we never thought that we'd be able to have another... But, recently... That has changed." she said, her smile widening as she spoke. "That's right everyone! I'm pregnant!"

The crowd immediately erupted into a round of cheers and congratulations, and Mr and Mrs Diaz laughed as they wrapped their arms around each other.

Standing at the table, Marco gaped for a moment. His eyes widened as he stared at his parents. "...I-... I'm gonna be big brother..." he muttered. For a little while, he simply gaped in disbelief. Eventually, however, he slowly closed his mouth. He wasn't sure what to do.

Or what to say.

Then, all of a sudden, he felt a smile creep on his face. "...A big brother..." he repeated to himself. "...That's... I-... I never thought..."

"Are you okay, Marco?"

Marco blinked, as he felt Kelly place a hand on his shoulder. All of the Buff Kids had bunched up together to stare at Marco, along with Buff Frog. Behind them, Janna gave Marco a curious glance.

As Marco turned to everyone else, his smile seemed to grow. "...I'm gonna be a big brother..." he muttered again. "That's... I don't believe it..."

Buff Frog smiled. "Congratulations, Karate Boy. You will have Karate Sibling soon... Should be very interesting." he said.

Marco nodded, as he slowly ran his hand through his hair. "...Yeah. Yeah, it will..." he muttered. For some reason, his dumbfounded smile simply refused to fade. And he didn't want it too. As he took a few deep breaths and did his best to process the sudden revelation, the crowd began to draw closer to Mr and Mrs Diaz as they burst with a collective excitement. There were many loud congratulations, hugs, and joyous laughter. As Marco stood by the table, he felt Buff Frog sling arm over his shoulders. Smiling, Kelly did the same. And very quickly, the Buff Kids began to climb up Marco's body, hugging him all over and croaking loudly and happily.

Marco blinked, as he felt a sudden swell of warmth deep inside of him. And all of a sudden, he found himself laughing along with everyone else. It was delirious. A result of snapping from one emotional extreme to another in such a short time. It was like a sudden overload of his senses. As he stood there, feeling warm in the embrace of his friends, and filled with emotion- he laughed. And continued to laugh.

"Er- Is this a bad time!?"

Everyone in the backyard blinked, as a loud voice came booming down from the sky. In an instant, the revelry in the Diaz backyard seemed to dissipate. As everyone moved their gaze skyward, a bright star seemed to shine through the clouds. As they watched it, the star seemed to grow larger and larger. And it took a moment for everyone to realize that it was actually a bright glowing object growing closer.

"You know what!? Too bad! I've waited long enough!"

The crowd slowly and quietly moved backward, making space in the middle of the backyard for what appeared to be a giant golden sphere to touch down on the grass. The golden sphere stayed there for a moment. Then, a large red circle appeared on its surface, making it look like a golden, glowing eyeball.

All of a sudden, Marco felt something move inside the pocket of his hoodie. Before he could do anything, his dimensional scissors suddenly ripped out of his pocket and flew toward the glowing sphere at an incredible speed. Buff Frog and Kelly let out a surprised yelp as their own dimensional scissors suddenly flew out from their hiding places and joined Marco's in being quickly absorbed by the glowing sphere.

A loud, maniacal laugh filled the air, and Marco let out a low groan.

"...You-... You have absolutely got to be kidding me..." he muttered.

Suddenly, the golden orb gave a near-blinding flash- and long sheets of paper began to burst out of the ground, stretching upward and wiggling around like enormous paper tentacles. As the orb flashed, several figures appeared to jump out of it. Dozens upon dozens of them. When the flashing finally stopped, the crowd found themselves staring at a group of intimidating humanoid figures.

They all the same shade of dull white, and stood perfectly still. Their heads were all perfectly round, with several glowing red eyes. Their bodies were wide and heavily armored, and their arms were large and bulky- while their legs appeared almost impossibly small. The white robotic creatures leaned forward in order to help prop themselves up with their bulky arms, and keep themselves from falling over.

Finally, a massive clump of paper burst out of the ground and quickly morphed itself into the shape of Libraria. She looked the same as before- her skin paper white, with four red eyes and wearing an open book on her head. Paper from the book seemed to stretch down her body, almost like hair. Her big round glasses still appeared to be far too big for her face, and yet they stayed perfectly in place- seemingly in defiance of all laws of physics.

"I am here!" she announced, before launching into another burst of hysterical laughter. As she laughed, one member of the crowd timidly rose their hand.

"...Uh... Who are you?" they asked.

"Silence! I am a vengeful creature of amazing, inconceivable power! And I have come here with a freshly purchased security system in order to exact my revenge on someone here!"

There were several loud gasps among the crowd.

"Oh no! What's Janna done this time!?"

"Are sure it was Janna? Maybe it was Eduardo!"

"Eduardo isn't even here!"

"Yes I am! And it wasn't me, it was obviously Sophia!"

"Shut up, Eduardo! Quit tryin' to pin stuff on me!"

Libraria growled, revealing several rows of razor-sharp teeth. "Shut up, all of you! I speak only of Marco Ubaldo Diaz! He is the reason I'm here! He destroyed my library! So now I will take his home... And transform it into a brand new vault of dreadful, cosmic secrets! It's only fair!" she exclaimed.

The crowd of people turned to look at Marco, with various looks of disapproval.

Marco rolled his eyes and pushed his way through the crowd to confront Libraria. "Hey! We only came by to ask a question! And then you locked us in and attacked us with an army of gooey armored things, angry office supplies, and a dragon!" he exclaimed.

The crowd raised their collective eyebrows and then turned their looks of disapproval toward Libraria.

"You destroyed my security system! I had that thing for twelve hundred magic cycles!" exclaimed Libraria.

"Only so we could escape with our lives!" exclaimed Marco. "How did you even find me here?"

"I plumbed the depths of your wretched mind, you wretched... Wretch!" exclaimed Libraria. "I've memorized every last memory of yours! And I've decided to destroy all that you hold dear, and take it for myself! ...Not counting Star Butterfly... Because... Well... She and the royal magic family are... Kinda powerful... And-... I'd get in trouble... Plus, she has Tom Lucitor on her side, so- Yeah. Pretty much unbeatable. But you and this miserable little town? Why- you're perfectly vulnerable. Robot squad! Capture Marco Ubaldo Diaz!"

As her command, the white, big-armed figures began to whir to life.

"Everyone get inside!" yelled Marco, as he took up his fighting position.

"Aww... But we wanna see what happens! It looks kinda cool..." came a voice from the crowd.

Marco twitched. "NOW!" he bellowed.

"Fine... Spoil sport..." hissed another voice from the crowd.

As the white robots began to close in on Marco, the crowd slowly made their way into the house. There was no rush or panic. Unbeknownst to Marco, they had all been warned that something like this might happen. After all, they had intended for Star Butterfly to be in attendance.

As one of the robots lunged at Marco, he quickly spun around and kicked the robot directly in the head. Marco grit his teeth in pain, as his foot lamely bounced off of the smooth surface of the robots head. The robot paused for a moment, as Marco hissed in pain. "Why-... Why can't you guys be made out of cotton or something?" he muttered, as he bent down to rub his newly sore foot.

"Marco! Heads up!"

Marco quickly jumped to the side, as the white robot swung its enormous arm at him. Marco narrowly dodged the swipe and watched with a slight grin as Kelly suddenly launched herself into the air, yelling her war cry as she pulled her enormous sword out of her hair. The robot lifted one its arms up to guard itself- only to have the arm suddenly chopped off.

The robot gave a loud beep, as a familiar looking blackish green goo sudden began spraying out from where its arm used to be.

Kelly and Marco stood back to back, as Buff Frog hurriedly collected the Buff Kids in his arms. "I will join the fight once Babies are secure!" he announced. Both Kelly and Marco gave a short nod, as the robot whose arm had been cut off began to flail around until all of the blackish green goo had spilled out of it. Once it had, the robot seemed to go still.

"I think I might just film all this from over here." said Janna, as she held her phone out in front of her. "It's always nice to record our precious memories..."

"Please just go and be safe, Janna." said Marco.

Janna sighed. "Fiiiine... I'll go join all the lame people doing lame stuff." she muttered, in a huff. As she followed Buff Frog and made her way around the group of robots, she shot them a glare. "You guys're lucky you caught me without any of my weapons... Well- My good weapons, anyway..." she muttered.

Libraria let out a harsh growl. "You robots are supposed to be the top of line! How do 'top of the line' robots gets taken out by a simple sword!? You guys aren't even sword proof!? What'd I pay all that money for!?" she exclaimed.

The golden sphere pulsed, seemingly in protest.

"That's right I'm criticising you! You can't even drum up a good army of robots! What's the matter with you!?" yelled Libraria, as she thrust an accusatory finger toward the golden sphere. "You're not nearly worth what I paid for you!"

The golden sphere pulsed again. All of a sudden, only of the robots began to grow. It's arms and legs seemed to transform into long, powerful-looking tentacles, and it's head quickly expanded to twice its original size.

"Oooh! So you can improve! That's a nice feature." said Libraria.

All of a sudden, Buff Frog jumped through the air at an incredible speed. Landing on top of the newly formed tentacle-bot, Buff Frog immediately wrapped one arm around one tentacle, and another arm around another. With a loud grunt, Buff Frog pulled as hard as he could. There was a loud noise, as the tentacle suddenly popped out- sending jets of blackish green goo flying everywhere.

As the tentacle bot crashed to the ground, Buff Frog hopped away and landed next to Marco and Kelly. As the three of them stood with their backs to each other, the robots looked confused. And Libraria looked angry.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? COME ON!" she bellowed. As she began to launch a tired against the golden orb, Marco leaned down a little to whisper to Kelly.

"...Do you have anything I can use?" he asked.

"You mean a weapon?" asked Kelly.

"Yeah, a weapon. I'm not really trained to use any- but... It doesn't really seem like karate is a viable option right now." said Marco.

"...You could try grabbing and pulling. Worked for me just now..." muttered Buff Frog.

Marco gave a short nod. "Yeah- but if they keep changing like that... Well, something tells me we won't be able to rely on the same old trick over and over." he said.

Buff Frog shrugged. "We might be able to. But it is being good idea to have back up plan." he said.

Kelly buried her hand in her hair. "Uhh... Let's see... I've got a battle axe... A mace... A stapler..." she muttered, as she rummaged around. "Oh! Wait! I forgot... I found these things lying around in an old weapons store I visit... And I thought of you right away." she said.

Marco blinked, as Kelly handed him a pair of old metal gauntlets. They almost looked like an old knights armor, with thick metal plates formed around leather. The metal armor extended from the hands, and down the forearms. "Wow! These are amazing, Kelly!" he exclaimed, as he quickly shoved his uninjured hand into a gauntlet. After tightening the leather straps with his teeth, Marco held his breath as he slowly pulled the other gauntlet over his injured hand.

The bandages had been carefully wrapped around each finger, so his hand had not been completely bandaged together. But it still took quite a bit of effort to get the gauntlet fitted over it. Once he was ready, Marco took a deep breath. Now he had armor over his hands and his forearms. It wasn't quite a full suit or anything- but it was going to be enough.

Hopefully.

"They're supposed to be padded with magical material... But you should still try and be careful with them. We don't want you ruining your sword-hands, do we?" asked Kelly, with a slight grin.

Marco winced as he tightened the gauntlet around his injured hand. "Uh-... Yeah..." he muttered. Taking a slow, deep breath, Marco clenched his uninjured hand into a fist. "...Alright... So, speaking of 'plans'... Last time, I just had to destroy the golden orb... And whatever 'magic security system' she was using just shut down. So... I think we should try that first. What do you guys think?" he asked.

Buff Frog and Kelly nodded.

"Cool. Let's try and rush it together... Just- You know... Watch each other's backs, okay?"

Buff Frog and Kelly grinned.

"Always."

Marco grinned.

"Yeah. Always."

As Marco launched himself forward with Buff Frog and Kelly in tow, his smile never left his face. Marco gave a loud war cry as he pulled back his fist and punched a robot in the head- sending it flying off of its body. Very quickly, two more robots began to close in on him. One with an arm that turned into a large drill, and the other with an arm that had turned into a chainsaw.

Buff Frog dug his feet into the earth and grabbed the drill with his hands, and Kelly quickly held up her sword to block the chainsaw. Sparks flew over all three of them, as more robots began to close in on them. Each of them transforming in various subtle and not so subtle ways. As Kelly jumped backward to avoid another slash from the chainsaw, Buff Frog slowly lifted the drill-robot into the air and watched it spin around and around as he held its drill arm still.

Marco jumped forward, narrowly avoiding a robot that was swinging around a large saw blade. Marco dodged another swipe and gave a loud yell as he thrust his fist into its torso. The surface of its body cracked under the force of the blow, and Marco was quick to follow it up with another- and then another. Pretty soon, there was another burst of greenish black goo spraying all over the place.

Behind him, Buff Frog swung the drill-bot down on the ground with everything he had. There was a tremendous 'thud' as the robots head was buried into the earth. But as the robot began to flail around, it was obvious that it was not done. Thinking for a moment, Buff Frog shrugged before jumping on top of the robot as it flailed around in the dirt. Buff Frog wasted no time in wrapping his arms around the robots drill-arm, and heaving as he pulled against it. Pretty quickly, the drill arm was torn away from it, sending another spurt of goo gushing all over the place.

Kelly grit her teeth as she exerted as much force as she could into her sword. Her sword met the blade of the chainsaw once more, and then twice more. Each time there would be a loud 'clang', followed quickly by a stream of sparks. Kelly held her own easily against the chainsaw-bot, as it seemed to wave its weapon around seemingly at random. Kelly frowned as she caught the chainsaw with her sword once again. This time robot continued to press against her, sending sparks flying all over the place. Kelly could feel feet being pressed into the dirt under the force of the robots powerful strength. Then, all of a sudden, she smiled.

Taking a deep breath, she twisted herself around- cutting off the teeth of the chainsaw. The robot swayed forward, and Kelly was quick to pulled her sword back and plunge it into the chest of the robot. Just like the others, she received only a gushing splatter of greenish black goo for her trouble.

Marco was quick to dodge, punch and karate chop his way through the group of robots, and before long he had begun to close in on the golden orb.

"No!" bellowed Libraria. "Protect the orb! It's brand new! And I forgot to buy the insurance!"

More robots began to bunch themselves up in front of the golden orb, and Marco suddenly felt long sheets of paper burst out of the ground and wrap around his legs. Behind him, Buff Frog had just managed to bat away another robot using the large drill arm he had torn out of another robot. As he hopped out of the way of another robot- this one with giant scissors arms- Buff Frog noticed the golden orb beginning to rise up into the sky. Thinking quickly, he spun around in mid-air and threw the drill-arm with all the force he could muster.

The orb let out a loud beep before it was suddenly struck by the drill-arm. Immediately, it began to lower back into the ground as arcs of golden electricity began to spray out all over the place. The electricity scorched the grass and the nearby tables, as the orb began to glow brighter and brighter. All of a sudden, all of the robots began to spasm and grow. Forming various weapons all at once and all over their bodies as continually transformed from one shape to another.

Marco grit his teeth as he watched the orb pulse and spasm. The electricity pouring out of it quickly set fire to the wooden fence surrounding the backyard. Marco took a deep breath as he tore himself out of the thick paper bonds, and turned to Buff Frog and Kelly. Without wasting a moment, Marco ran toward the sparking golden orb. Narrowly avoiding the rapidly growing and transforming robots as they writhed and spasmed across the ground.

Standing in front of the golden orb, Marco took a deep breath as he felt the golden electricity spark all around him. Then, he grabbed the drill-arm that was sticking out of the orb and let out a painful scream. Doing his best to push through the pain, Marco kept his grip on the drill-arm and tried to push down on it.

"What're you doing?" bellowed Kelly, as she suddenly appeared by his side.

"It's not finished! It's only broken!" yelled Marco.

"Well then I'm helping you!" yelled Kelly.

"Me as well!" bellowed Buff Frog as he suddenly landed on the ground beside them. After taking quick deep breaths of their own, Kelly and Buff Frog grabbed the drill arm, wrapping their hands around Marco's as all three of them felt the same tremendous burst of pain. They yelled out for a moment, but were quick to bite down on their urge to scream. Glancing over at one another, they shared a nod- before they began to slowly drive the drill-arm deeper into the sphere. Arcs of golden electricity exploded out of the center of the orb, and enormous arcs of electricity seemed to flail around in the air as Marco, Kelly and Buff Frog pushed the drill-arm down as hard as they could.

Then- all of a sudden, everything stopped. The robots stopped growing and slowly began to deflate into their previous forms. The arcs of golden electricity suddenly stopped. And for a moment, the light in the orb seemed to go dead.

Marco, Kelly and Buff Frog glanced at each other for a moment.

"Er-... Do you think it is-" began Buff Frog, only to be interrupted by an incredible flash of golden light. Marco, Kelly and Buff Frog recoiled under the bright light, as a burst of energy shot out from the sphere, rising upward as an incredible golden pillar of light. The ground trembled underneath their feet, as the golden orb began to send out powerful shockwaves.

In that moment... Everything seemed to stop.

Marco felt an incredible heat sweeping over him. There was so much raw energy in the air in front of him, that it almost felt like he might ignite at any moment. As he stood there, with Kelly and Buff Frog, he felt something click in the back of his mind.

For the past few months... He had been wondering why it was kept going. Why he continued to live, when so much of his time seemed to be consumed by an ongoing and neverending sadness.

When he came to Mewni, he had dedicated his life to Star. He had become her squire. And he had made it his mission to do everything he could to help her in her journey to become the best princess she could be.

But recently... That had begun to seem like a hollow goal.

The role he had hoped to fulfill in her life... It was already taken by somebody else. And while he could trail behind and help her as best he could... It just wasn't the same.

So why?

Why keep fighting? Why keep getting up every day?

His love for Star no longer seemed like enough. It felt like a chain, dragging him deeper into the depths of despair.

But in that one moment, he suddenly realized something.

He had other people around to fight for.

To live for.

His friends.

His family.

They were all there.

They all loved him.

And he would do anything for them.

As Marco kept his grip on the drill-arm tight, he felt Buff Frog and Kelly's hands tighten as well.

And as Marco felt his consciousness begin to fade, he couldn't help but smile.

'...Thank you...' he thought. 'All of you... For the people kind enough to worry about me... I'll do it. I'll keep fighting.'

With that, everything went black.

When Marco's eyes fluttered open, he found himself lying in the middle of the singed backyard of the Diaz household. Everyone was standing around him, their faces flooded with concern. As he slowly sat himself up, everyone burst into an incredible cheer. All of a sudden, he was pounced upon by the Buff Kids and by his parents. Sitting down in front of him, Buff Frog and Kelly appeared dazed and confused- that is, until they were both suddenly pulled into the hug by Mr and Mrs Diaz. From amid the crowd, Janna watched the group hug with a small, genuine smile.

"What an incredible show!" yelled someone from the crowd.

"Yeah! Now I see why you decided to be a foreign exchange student in some kinda crazy magical wonderland! You and your friends are incredible!" yelled another.

Marco smiled brightly and from the bottom of his heart.

"Yeah. I'm really lucky."

Sitting at the dinner table, Tom lazily poked at his melted dessert. The big 'Dinner with the Lucitors' event had turned out to be a slightly more boring affair than he expected. And while he was glad for the reprieve considering the morning he had just had, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Breathing a heavy sigh, he looked over at Star.

"...Hey, Starship? You- uh... You're kinda spacin' out there..." he muttered.

Star blinked, and shook her head. "Oh! Sorry, Tom... I just... I thought I saw something out the window..." she muttered.

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? Like what?" he asked.

Star looked down at her food for a moment, the bangs of her long blonde hair hiding her face. "...Well, I thought I saw the moon change color..." she muttered.

Tom scratched his head. "...Huh. That's weird..." he muttered.

Star gave a slow nod. "...Yeah. But-... I was just seeing things. It- uh... It's normal now." she muttered.

Tom looked out the window for a moment and frowned a little. '...Wait- we can't see the moons of Mewni from the underworld...' he thought. Shifting his gaze back to his girlfriend, he couldn't help but notice that she seemed... Troubled.

Tom smiled a little. "Hey, I know... How about after desserts finished, we head out to the Bounce Lounge? I head they just set up a new karaoke thing... And I've been really pumped to try it." he said.

Star grinned and looked up at him with a familiar spark in her eyes. "That sounds great!" she exclaimed, before picking up her bowl and emptying its contents in her mouth. After wiped her mouth with a gloved hand, she gave a satisfied sigh before turning to Tom. "I'm done! What about you?" she asked.

Tom smiled. There was something about watching her suddenly chug a bowl of ice-cream that just seemed so... Star. Star had changed quite a bit recently. Ever since she decided to redouble her efforts at being the best princess she could be. He didn't mind the changes all that much, but it was nice to see even a glimpse of the old carefree Star he had known a long time ago.

Tom quickly slurped up the remains of his desert and got out of his chair.

"I'm ready when you are, Starship." he said.

Star smiled. "...Thanks." she said.

Tom opened a fire portal with a flick of his wrists, and gently took Star's hand in his. The young couple smiled at each other and walked through the portal hand in hand.

Sitting at the other end of the table, Tom's parents glanced at each other, looking mildly bewildered.

"...Well... That was rude."

To be continued...

(AN: ...So. I worked really hard on this... And... I hope you liked it. And, uh-... I'm sorry it got so crazy long. Apparently, I can't help myself.

I wanna give a warm and heartfelt thank you to everybody who reviewed the first chapter of this story... It really, really appreciate it anybody who takes the time to review this story and let me know what they thought. It helps to motivate me, and it's just really nice to hear from people who appreciate the work I put into this silly hobby of mine.

Very special thanks to robertkellet for continuing to be gracious enough to put up with me via email. His input was a big help in this chapter, and it wouldn't have turned out as well as it did without him.)

(PS: By the way, I'm sorry if anyone felt a little let down by Libraria's quick 'defeat' at the end of the chapter. In my mind, she had basically just spent a couple of hours in a Quest Buy purchasing a new security-orb, and then just immediately dropped in on the Diaz party. Not much planning on her part- so it made sense that it'd go down the way it did. I'm sorry if I didn't express any of this properly... I was trying to focus more on Marco- and I'd already stretched this chapter out to unreasonable proportions...)

(PPS: Also, please note that I'm keeping Star's perspective on things a secret on purpose. We'll see more about her thoughts later on...)