Cubert was tired.
The journey to Gravity Falls had been long and hard. If he had to walk one more mile, his feet would surely fall off. Buff Frog was currently setting a strong pace a few feet ahead of him and Pony Head was floating along. It was like that man -frog- had an endless reserve of stamina.
Or will.
Whatever the case, Cubert wasn't sure if he would've made it half as far without Buff Frog and Pony head. While they were searching for Star for different reasons, they pushed each other to keep moving.
A team is stronger than a man by himself.
Buff Frog had the most experience on Earth and was able to read maps and road signs. Pony Head could float up above the trees to search for important landmarks. At first, it was Cubert's determination that kept the group moving, but his strength had faded with every day and Buff Frog was the one that kept everyone moving forward now.
It made him feel like he didn't contribute much to the group anymore. Which, to be fair, he didn't. The only thing he really brought to the table was the message he needed to give Star.
Finding Gravity Falls hadn't been that hard, all they'd had to do was follow the maps. Finding where Star was in Gravity Falls turned out to be much harder. While no one seemed surprised at the giant frog-man and floating unicorn-head, they all steered clear of the trio. It was like they'd had a bad experience with monsters before or something.
"I'm tired of this," Buff Frog grumbled, sitting on a log by the diner, "No one will talk. I did not come this far to fail."
"Maybe you should go talk to them," Pony Head said to Cubert, "You could pass as a human."
Cubert was about to reject the idea but decided to think things through. Humans were vile creatures that had killed many of his friends. Yet, they needed their help in order to protect Star and eventually save Queen Moon. Would he let his hatred stop him from completing his goals?
And this way he could be useful to the group again.
Cubert nodded and headed into the diner, trying his best to look as human as possible. His nose wrinkled in disgust when he opened the door.
"Pick any seat you like," the woman behind the counter said. It seemed one of her eyes wasn't working and the booths looked like they were supposed to be replaced a decade ago. They were covered in stains and the seams were coming undone. The barstools were in mildly better condition, so that's where he went. It also put him closer to the only person in the building.
"Here's a coffee," She had an off-white mug filled with a black liquid that spilled onto the counter when she set it down, "Oh dear, give me a second and I'll fix that."
Cubert took a small sip and nearly choked. This stuff was horrible.
The waitress noticed his look and handed him a small pitcher of milk.
"I haven't seen you around these parts before," her one eye narrowed in suspicion.
"I'm looking for my brother and sister," Cubert blurted out before he could think. Stupid, he chided himself, Star and Marco aren't related. He should've run through some lines before he'd walked in here.
Apparently, he'd said the right thing though, because she gave him a big smile.
"Oh, well why didn't you say so. I saw those two back at the Mystery Shack the other day. When you leave, take a left and then follow all the signs that Stan's put up. You can't miss them," she turned to go into the kitchen before adding, "Oh – and don't worry about paying me for that coffee, it's on the house. Those two helped me out a lot last summer."
That was fine by Cubert because he didn't have any money to pay anyways. He took another sip to appear polite and then left.
Buff Frog and Pony Head were waiting for him and they set off. It was less than twenty minutes before they saw themselves coming up on a run-down house in the middle of a forest. They hid in the tree line and waited for the familiar flash of blonde hair.
"And you are sure this is where Star and Marco are?" Buff Frog asked after they waited for another half hour. They had seen numerous humans, but no mewmans.
"Well, this is where the lady said the brother and sister were."
Pony Head turned towards him.
"Wait. Is that what we're going off of? You can't be serious. There are probably tons of kids in this town."
"It hadn't seemed important…" Cubert's face reddened. He'd been so happy to have a lead that it'd never occurred to him that the waitress could be talking about someone completely different. All he'd told the others was their next destination.
This misstep could be disastrous. Every second Mina and her army were getting closer and they couldn't afford to make a mistake like this.
"It might not be problem," Buff Frog said, "Star and Marco were with other humans last I saw them. They looked related."
"Go," Buff Frog pointed towards the cabin, "Find out where Star is."
Taking a deep breath, Cubert stepped into the clearing. When nothing happened, he took a step forward. Then another. And another.
The diner had been easy to go inside of because it was a public restaurant. Not including the giant billboard on the roof, it looked like this was someone's house – and Cubert had seen firsthand what humans did to trespassers.
But this was for the queen. For Star. And to make up for his mistakes.
Sooner than he was ready for, Cubert was standing in front of the door. He knocked three times.
An old man in a wife-beater opened the door. He had a scraggly beard and had a slight hunch in his back.
"Great, another traveling salesman," he rolled his eyes, "get lost before I make you, there's only enough for one scammer in this town."
Any other time Cubert heard a threat like that, he would've walked away immediately. However, he had caught a glimpse of blonde hair behind the man that was so bright that it could only belong to one person.
Cubert tried to run inside but the man punched him straight in the gut.
"Didn't you hear me kid, I said get out of here."
The wind was knocked out Cubert and he struggled to catch his breath as the man continued to glare at him. The man looked ready to pounce.
"Star!" Cubert yelled as he prepared for the next blow… but it never came. Slowly, Cubert opened his eyes to see the man once again rolling his eyes.
"Great, another freak," He mumbled as Star came to the front door with Slime Monster.
"Is that you, Cubert?"
He nodded. Cubert couldn't help but blush slightly at being remembered by one of the royal family. It was a rare honor.
"I'm so glad to see you!" She gave him a hug, "How did you know where to find me?"
His response was cut off by Pony Head's screech. She launched herself into Star's arms.
"Pony Head?!" Star exclaimed, "I knew you'd made it out of the castle!"
Her smile disappeared when she saw Buff Frog.
"What happened to your children?" She asked, with tears threatening to fall in her eyes.
"They are safe," he replied, "but there is much to talk about."
Star gave him a hug, full of relief, before becoming serious. She knew that if Buff Frog was here, it was important.
"Let me get the others."
(Line Break)
Things were much worse than Star could've ever thought possible.
Honestly, Mina had completely vanished from her list of problems, but now she was at the top of the list. Not only did Mina have her mom held captive, but she'd amassed an army that was heading right towards them!
Why couldn't she have just disappeared? Her once idol had been nothing but a thorn in her side.
You know what they say about meeting your heroes.
"Maybe we can reason with her," Mabel said. Star considered it for a moment but knew that it was impossible. Mina was a madwoman, and everyone from Mewni knew it. Marco knew it too, but he wasn't here. Star had looked but couldn't find him. She'd just have to fill him in later. Even with his betrayal concerning the flash drive, Star cared deeply for him and respected his opinion.
"We've tried," Star said, "Multiple times. She's insane, but she's also smart. She'd beaten us on Mewni and was about to force all of the monsters off of a cliff before I'd destroyed the realm of magic.
"What we need to do is prepare for battle," Slime Monster said, slamming his fist on the table, "I am sick and tired of that woman and we have the numbers to stop her now, with more monsters arriving every day thanks to the help of the locals."
Star stared at him. She'd thought that leaving him with the manotaurs would increase his self-esteem, not his bloodlust.
"They're not warriors," she countered, "You'd be sending them to their deaths."
"What would you rather us do? Live the rest of our life cowering in fear?" Slime stood up, "I've let fear rule me my entire life and I'm sick of it – as I'm sure every single person beneath me is. Without magic, Mina is just another mewman who can be killed. We know this area better than she does and we could set up traps."
"What you're saying is madness!" Star couldn't believe this.
"I'm with Star," Grunkle Stan chimed in, "I'm all for a good bar brawl, but this is madness. You heard the scrawny kid, they have a basement full of weapons and I doubt they just left them there. They're not coming here to throw a birthday party and I don't want my shack to become a blood bath."
"It's my shack," Ford said tentatively, "and I think I might have something that could level the playing field."
Star noticed Dipper's eyes widen as Ford took a breath for dramatic pause.
"Dipper and I have been working on something that I believe could help. We went back into the alien spaceship a few days ago and reprogrammed the security bots."
"Alien Spaceship?" Soos gasped.
"Back again?" Stan grunted.
"Security bots?" Mabel did not look happy to Star. It looked like she knew where this was heading.
"They are heavily armored spheres with enough stopping power to end any conflict on Earth. I've kept them hidden from the public because I didn't want them falling into the wrong hands, but these are desperate times. They were originally designed to detect fear, but they can detect any emotion or genetic strain."
Mabel turned to Dipper with tears in her eyes. He'd kept something from her. Again.
"When were you going to share this with the rest of us?"
"It's a last resort," Dipper rubbed the back of his neck, "Just in case."
"Just in case what?" Star said with a dangerous edge in her tone, "Just in case you needed to kill a certain group of people?"
Star pointed her finger at Ford, "And who said that you were the right hands? Nobody should have that much power."
"I will do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of my species," Ford said, "I do not want to hurt anyone, but I will not ignore any options. I could've kept this a secret from everyone but I am trying to help you, Star. If we use these bots in the battle, then we could set an example for the entire world. That we have the power to enforce peace."
"Peace?" Star laughed darkly, "You just said that they would be used to protect your species, not mine. We would be enslaved by fear and you would be a god."
"Power is the last thing I want!" Ford exclaimed.
"Then don't use them!," Mabel cried out, "This isn't something my Great Uncle Ford would ever consider. Threatening millions of people is not the right way."
"It's how humans work, as sad and discouraging as it is," Dipper said, "Once the nuclear bomb was used, it ended the Pacific Theater and World War II. Now, they are war deterrents and are probably the reason there hasn't been a Third World War. These robots could serve the same purpose."
"You've had two world wars and you expect me to listen to your advice?" Star couldn't believe how messed up humans were, "You humans are no better than Mina!"
The table descended into madness as everyone started to yell over one another. Suddenly, Slime Monster slammed his fist on the kitchen table and everyone was splattered with slime.
"I will not sit here while my fate is decided for me! These robots need to be destroyed – and if they can't be destroyed then the person that controls them will do!" He lunged for Ford and put his hands around the older man's throat. Dipper tried to tackle Slime Monster, but flew through his body. He tried to fight Slime again but was pulled away by Mabel.
"Stop it Dipper!" She cried, pulling him into a bear hug.
Stan was up next and smashed Slime with a chair. Enough of him was moved that it loosened his grip on Ford and he was able to break free.
Star just sat there in the chaos. Her mind was tearing itself apart and she could only sit and watch as people she once considered friends were trying to kill each other. She had no idea who to help – they were all monsters in her eyes. Tears spilled from her eyes and she longed for the days when she could just go on an adventure with Marco and live a carefree life. She longed for the days when smiling was easy, when she could be carefree. She'd heard Marco talk of religion, but she'd never understood the concept of Hell until now.
This was her Hell.
Before Slime could recover, Ford pulled out a gun with a lightbulb. He quickly messed with the dials and then started shooting people in the head with it.
Star's mind went white.
.
.
.
(Line Break)
He had to get everyone back into a seat as quick as possible before the effects wore off. Everyone at the table had dazed faces for a few more seconds and Ford was able to take his seat and control his breathing so that he didn't appear tired. Even though his mind was still as sharp as ever, his body was beginning to feel the decline of old age. It was a shame he couldn't upload his mind into an android yet as he is possible in a few of the other dimensions he'd visited. Now that was real technology.
Ford realized that the memory gun was sitting on the table and discretely hid in his coat, but he saw Dipper get a glimpse at it. That kid was way too smart.
"So, Slime, what did you want to tell us about?" Ford said, getting the conversation moving. It would help if everyone thought that they had just zoned out for a minute and not realizing that they were all thinking the same thing.
Slime Monster gasped slightly before telling the group about Mina and her plans. Ford wasn't too concerned. A deranged cerulean warrior would've been higher on his list of worries if she still had access to the realm of magic. Now she was just a regular mewman and his security bots would be more than enough to handle whatever she could throw at them.
It'd been stupid of him to bring them up in front of the group. Of course they wouldn't have understood that he was trying to avoid committing genocide. But the guilt had been eating away at his soul and so he'd let his emotions cloud his judgment.
Never again.
He had to stay strong – it all depended on him.
It was interesting, to hear the exact same conversation play out in front of him. All he had to do now was think about what to say when the moment came. He needed to change the outcome in his favor.
"What we need to do is prepare for battle," Slime Monster said, slamming his fist on the table, "I am sick and tired of that woman and we have the numbers to stop her now, with more monsters arriving every day."
"They're not warriors," Star countered, just as she did before, "You'd be sending them to their deaths."
"What would you rather us do? Live the rest of our life cowering in fear?" Slime stood up, "I've let fear rule me my entire life and I'm sick of it – as I'm sure every single person beneath me is. Without magic, Mina is just another mewman who can be killed. We know this area better than she does and we could set up traps."
"Now hold on," Ford jumped in, "There is no reason to get angry here. I will not have any fights between friends. Let me explain what I have in mind and we can go from there."
Everyone nodded – some more hesitantly than others – and Ford continued.
"I don't know if killing Mina is the best option because it wouldn't solve anything," Star breathed a sigh of relief," Death will only lead to more death. If we kill Mina, someone else will take her place. What we need is a plan that will trap her – something that won't leave her as a martyr for others to rally against. Somehow, we need to publicly disgrace her and her movement."
They all chewed on what he said for a minute or two until Dipper spoke up.
"Cubert, you said something about Mina holding Star's mother out of revenge, right?"
"Queen Moon said that Mina wanted her to watch the world burn," He confirmed.
"So, what are the odds that she would be brought here? To watch an army march against her seemingly helpless daughter?"
Cubert thought about it for a minute before nodding in agreement.
"So, if Star is able to stall Mina, maybe a few of us could find her and set her free. With both Star and Moon advocating for peace, what are the chances that the mewmans will still attack?"
Ford had to give Dipper credit; it was a good plan. It wouldn't work, but it could be plausible enough to convince the others.
"Moon has a lot of mewman support and Star and I have the support of monsters," Buff Frog said, "It is possible…"
They spent another half hour ironing out the details. Ford pretended to pay attention and gave tips on how to slip past the enemy lines to find Moon, but another plan was coming into focus in his mind. He needed to make sure that this was the last battle of this war.
Even though the others hadn't agreed with it, the security droids were still humanity's best move in this game of global chess.
He would do what was necessary.
AN: Admit it, you're surprised it didn't take half a year for me to write a chapter. This next semester shouldn't be nearly as busy as last semester and I've dedicated a good amount of time in my schedule to finish this story up before summer (it's nearing the end but there's still a good amount left to tell). What did y'all think of the chapter? I was writing the conference seen and realized that I was writing things that would drastically change the rest of the story but I was having fun so I kept going and realized that I could keep by using the memory gun. This way you can see how high the tensions are without everyone blowing up. Hopefully y'all enjoyed it and I'll get to working on the next chapter.
See ya!