The beast roared at the door and charged at it. Marco held on for dear life as the massive creature busted through the door, ripping it out of the solid stone wall it was attached to. With a massive crash, the steel door fell inwards, and clattered to the ground. Marco looked back at where the door was supposed to be. A huge hole was smashed through the thick stone walls, and long jagged cracks ran up the wall to the ceiling.
"Maybe just a little much force?" Marco said, and patted the creatures head. The creature purred and rubbed it's face into Marco's hand affectionately. Marco smiled.
I'm coming for you Star. He thought, looking for the end of the room.

The cave was long. To the point of it not being a room anymore. The vast space stretched out until all that could be seen was a red line on the horizon.
"Well." Marco said from atop his new friend. "This is not fair. She can't expect me to cross a room with no end." Marco punched his palm, making a smacking sound. The beast rumbled. This was the last room. He had to cross it. Star and the other princesses would be waiting for him. Mostly Star.

That thought surprised him. WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? He wondered. What was Star to him? He banished this question from his mind.
Star is waiting for me, I have to do this. He thought. The beast walked across the hard stone ground, carrying Marco ten of his steps for every one of it's. The red horizon gradually got closer, and closer, and closer. Until it turned into a wall. A solid rock wall. No door.

"What?" Marco exclaimed. "This can't be it!" He slid down from the beast and felt the wall. Solid stone. "NO!" Marco yelled and slammed his fist onto the wall. He had to get to the other side. He had to! The beast wandered to the left and looked up, it's tusks gouging lines in the rock. Marco walked under the creatures head and looked up.

"What do you see?" He whispered. Suddenly, the beast backed off a few steps, letting out a high pitched whine. Marco searched for the reason. And found it among the twisting vines and cracked rock that made up the ceiling. "Star?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Haha, you lousy piece of scum, even that thing wouldn't hurt him." Miss Heinous didn't look amused. "We'll see if he even knows what it is, and it could just kill him by stepping on him you know, if I scare it enough." Star scoffed.
"It's so docile, it wouldn't hurt the one person who showed him kindness." Miss Heinous just clicked the security camera, showing a doorframe filled with white. Suddenly, she screeched suddenly, and ducked under the table. Just in time too, because a thunderous boom shook the cave, and dust rained down from the ceiling.

"What was that?" Star asked.

"Your BOYFRIEND's latest go at rescuing you." Miss Heinous' muffled voice sounded from under the table Star was strapped to.

Star said nothing this time. HURRY MARCO. She thought. Miss Heinous cackled evilly. The effect was kinda dulled because she was hiding under the table, but she tried nonetheless.

"Marco won't make it past the third room." Miss Heinous said confidently. "You won't let him."

"What?" Star asked. She'd seen St Olga's brainwashing first-hand, but it wasn't powerful enough to get her to turn on her Marco was it?

"I've improved the brainwashing procedure incredibly." Miss Heinous announced proudly. "And- Wait. Why am I telling you my plan?" She asked scowling. "I'm not that much of a stereotypical villain am I?" For a moment she looked worried. Star took advantage of that.

"The hero always wins you old hag. If I had my wand, I'd be out of here already, but I don't, and that's why Marco is riding a monster through the underworld to rescue me." Miss Heinous looked ill.

"I didn't want a regular prince saves princess story." She snarled, and flipped a lever, before leaving the room.

"Uhh, whats happening?" Star asked, mildly concerned, as the lights went off and a new, bright green one turned on directly over her eyes.

"What the?- AHHHHHHHHHHH"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Star?" Star heard her name, and saw the one who uttered it. She saw everything. Felt everything. But she could do nothing. She couldn't stop herself as she dropped from the ceiling. She was forced to watch, out of eyes that weren't hers, forced to hear Marco's shocked gasp through ears that fed a different persona. Star was helpless. Trapped inside her own body. A body that was going to kill her best friend. One that would stop her from finding out what he truly meant to him. Star let out a helpless yell of rage.

"AAAAARRRGGGGHHHHH" Why was the brainwashing so successful? She said, inside her head. Her body stood incredibly still. It's eyes locked onto Marco's. Then, It attacked.

The body dropped from the ceiling with one thought in mind- Kill. It ignored Marco's questioning "Star?" Star looked into Marco's eyes. IM SORRY. She thought. The body attacked.

Marco saw the punch. He saw it coming, and he could have dodged but he didn't. Star wouldn't hit him for trying to save him, would she? So when the punch caught him right on the jaw and threw him into the dirt, he knew something was very wrong.

"Ow! Star?!" He yelped, nursing his bruised jaw. When Star said nothing he looked to her. She looked conflicted.

"What did Miss Heinous do to you?" He asked softly. Marco stood up. SHE DOESN"T HAVE HER WAND OR I WOUD BE DEAD. He thought. WHICH MEANS THAT THIS IS A HAND TO HAND FIGHT. Marco grimaced, not sure if this was a fight he could win. 30 year old Marco surfaced. I CAN DO THIS.

The next exchange was a series of punches and blocks, each fighter moving blindingly fast, Star went for a sudden burst of punches, and Marco backed away, before ducking under Star and lifting her, tipping her over and rolling away. Star rolled as she his the ground, and bounced back onto her feet. The two opponents circled warily. Marco tried again.

"Star. I know your in there. Please, come back."

Star heard the pleading tone, but was powerless to do anything. She saw the look of desperation on his face, but her body refused her commands.

"Come on Star, whatever Miss Heinous did to you, I need you to fight it.'"

"I'M TRYING!" Star screeched out. "I'm trying…"

Marco saw none of her internal struggle. All he saw was a tightening in her posture, and he ducked just as the hook was thrown, ending behind Star. He was ted no time, grabbing both her arms and holding them up, before using his grappling cord on his forearm to tie her legs together. Star tripped, unable to keep her legs in the position to stand, and Marco did the same to her hands, above her head. He stood up and caught his breath.

"Okay Star, it's time we finish this." He said and reached into a hidden holster on his side.

Star saw him pull out the wand. Mentally, she recoiled, physically, she stopped struggling.

"Nonononono." Star said as she struggled against her mental bonds, harder then ever. Marco was going to give her the weapon that she would use to kill him. She tried to give him some clue, some idea that she would't hesitate to kill him after the bonds were broken, tell him that she didn't want to kill him but would be forced to.

"Marco…" She whispered.

Marco placed the want in her hand.

Star felt the wand.

Marco saw the ropes vanish.

Star felt the magic that vaporised the ropes.

Marco felt the punch that knocked him onto the ground.

Star felt her fist collide with his face.

Marco saw her raise the wand.

Star refused to bring it back down.

Star doubled over, hacking violently, as Marco rushed to her.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Star threw her arms around him.

"I'll take that as a yes." Star pulled him closer and held him for a while.

"We need to go." She said after she pulled away.

"I know, but what am I going to do with my new friend?" Marco asked, pointing to the massive monster. "It's not exactly going to fit in my room."

"It'll fit in mine." Star said. "Now lets go, we have a Heinous to catch.

"Your on." Marco grinned. They were back. They were a team. They were unstoppable together.

A loud rumble shut them up.

"Oh no." Star went pale.

"What is it?" Marco asked.

"This dimension is cracking, it's no longer stable, and will collapse into the deep void, and if we don't get out of here, so will we. Marco could already see the void, coming through the cracks in the ceiling and floor. He drew his scissors and opened a portal. Wasting no time, he got ready to jump through, but stopped.

"What are you doing go?" Star exclaimed.

"Him, what about him?" Marco asked. Star looked at the pearly white monster.

"We can't save him, it's too late."

"No…" Marco whispered as the ground fell away from under it's feet and it disappeared into the endless void. Star stopped messing around, and tackled him through the portal into her room.

"What were you doing?" She shrieked. "If you get stuck in the endless void, you'll never be seen or heard from again!" She waved her arms around a bit as if to make the point clearer.

Marco was about to reply, when he saw darkness behind Star.

"Star, watch out!" He yelled and pulled her back, as two massive tusks, followed by spiky white face with a neck covered in frills exploded from the darkness.

"It's a, it's a Void Swimmer!" Star gasped. "They swim through the endless nothing and consume the darkness to keep it a force of nothing, and keep the evil from tainting it. They are so rare, this must be a baby that was separated from it's herd, and took a liking to you!" Marco smiled.

"If he can travel through dimensions without using scissors, I'm happy. Lets find Miss heinous." Marco said.

"I agree, but first, lets have lunch." Marco hugged Star.