Forgotten Ventures

Ch. 7

Big Changes

EDIT ~

Marco began packing his things as the class bell signaled that another day of monotonous schoolwork was finally through. Another day of testing, lectures, yelling, and for Marco specifically, replicated lessons. Everyone eagerly began charging for the door, hopeful for escape as Ms. Skullnick took to handing out the evening's homework assignments. Another facet of his old life he didn't miss. Maybe it wasn't too early to shoot for his GED after all.

Miss Skullnick was still the same as always, too, not that he really expected her to look or act any differently. She still eyed the students with contempt, though she treated them better as the recent weeks had passed. Just like last time, Star had unfortunately turned her into a troll and wasn't able to reverse the transformation. She tried her luck with dating some more than desirable monsters, but that ship sailed, burned, and sank. Again.

Taking his homework assignments and walking out into the hallway, Marco took to surveying the evening's punishment for Algebra. It was one of the subjects he'd been particularly forgetful of, but the indistinct sound of a skateboard cruising towards him drew his attention before his mood could plummet. He turned to face the approaching noise, unsurprising to find Jackie skating down the hall. Also like last time. She flashed one of her signature nods to him, but tired of the same routine, Marco wanted to try and shake things up. Little changes here and there couldn't possibly provoke catastrophe, right?

"Hey! What's up, Jackie? That thing just for show, or do you know how to really ride it?" Maybe that was pushing it?

But to his surprise, Jackie immediately wheeled around and kicked her board back, using her momentum to jump, flip, and twist it around several times before landing with a grunt. She skidded to a stop a few lockers down from his. "As it's known on the boardwalk: the Gazelle flip. How's that for riding it?" she asked, beaming him her usual brand of relaxed smile.

Marco stared at her, speechless before he pulled himself back to the present and shook his head. "W-wow. I knew you were good, but not that good! That was... that was amazing!" The most he'd seen her do was her routine ride around school after the final bell and some audacious moves when they were dating. Seeing her in action like this was far down his once-curated list of steps to get her to notice him. She grinned and kicked off down the hallway on her board before looking back and inclining her head. "I'll see you on the 'flip side' Marco!"

Marco stood there like an idiot, smiling as he reminisced over how much fun the two had together. Maybe it was a little brief, but when they were actually friends? She never offered a dull moment. But of course, that wasn't the only time he had to look back on. He couldn't help but let his mind wander back to that familiar time and place; on the dock at sunset when she told him exactly what he needed to hear. He pushed her away with his obsession to be on Mewni, to have that adoration and gratitude for doing something... meaningful with his life. He was so overcome with his idea that he was a warrior, a knight, and a hero, that he pushed everyone away. Only to be reminded of his actual position when he crawled back to Star.

He never minded being her royal squire, but he knew he was meant for more than just errands and bookwork. He looked back at Jackie as she skated away. 'This time, I'll make the most of our friendship. I promise,' he thought to himself before turning the other way and walking down the hall. He didn't make it very far, though, before Star ran up to him smiling ear to ear. "Marco!" She yelled, pulling him into a crushing hug, "Jackie talked to you! Like full sentences and everything! And you didn't get all sweaty!" She beamed at him, but Marco answered her with a puzzled look on his face. He had told her he had a thing for Jackie a week prior to help ease the tension since their conversation, but this was still a bit much.

"Uhhh, yeah? She did a cool trick and rode off. It was pretty neat, never seen her do something like that."

Star bit her wand and eyed him a bit more closely. "I have got to set the two of you up," she commented. It was the early signs of a familiar train wreck he hoped to avoid this time around. Thankfully, Marco had prepared for her oddly obsessive compulsions with his love life.

"Star you don't have to do that. I want my future relationships to happen naturally. I don't like the idea of coaxing anyone into liking me." He spoke as if by rote, but he was sincere; his words were nothing but the truth. To his immediate relief, she frowned and shrugged it off. "Whatever you say, Marco. I for one don't mind a little bit of coaxing if it gets my besties the goods."

"You say that now," he muttered under his breath.

Thankfully Star didn't hear him. "I don't see the big deal, it's not like you're lying, or tricking her... or putting a weird curse on her." The two made their way down the halls, Star skipping along as she spoke. "Besides, why are you even worried about hitting it off with Jackie? Don't you already know how it turns out? You could even skip some steps this time around if you really wanted to."

Marco felt his cheeks turn a shade of red that matched his hoodie before moving his attention to the passing lockers. "Yeah... but I'm doing things differently this time, so I don't really know what could happen. Like I told you, I'm not gonna use my 'future vision' as a crutch to get Jackie to date me. That's just weird." He'd hoped the idea of making it sound wrong would discourage her from taking an interest, but Star stopped her skipping to stare at him with an offended frown.

"Wha- How come you get to pick and choose the easier future, but I don't? Maybe I wanna have things turn out peachy too, Marco," she huffed. At her jab, Marco felt trapped. She made a pretty damning point, but his choice of reasoning was as same as it was after the Galleons Grave incident.

"That's because you don't know how all the future junk works out," he answered with more than a modest barb to his words. "I'm not an oracle, Star. And I really don't like the idea of being the master of your fate. You just have to do what feels right and focus less on the consequences. Like last time."

Star glared at him, ready to retort his flawed and rude idea of her decisions when a sudden *Pwop* sounded between them. They traded a short glance before She looked down at her wrist, finding that a single, paper-thin, purple heart had formed on her skin. Her eyes went wide, but she hissed out a carefully restrained breath before she could start hyperventilating.

"Marco... We need to leave. Now." She spoke in a manner that all but defied her usual conduct. Marco went wide-eyed before tearing off his hoodie and frantically wrapping it around her face. "Wha- Marco! I said we have to leave like right-now right now, not try on your hoodie!" she argued in a muffled voice, but Marco ignored her. She adhered to the red fabric and pulled it lower as Marco propelled her down the hallway, ducking into a currently unused classroom.

"I know, I know, but if it's anything like last time, we won't make it home and you'll just wind up terrorizing the city." He closed the door behind them and pulled the blinds to the room. He'd been mentally preparing for this, but it was still sooner than he'd been ready for. "Maybe if you don't see any boys this time, it'll pass and you'll be fine until we get home." He looked at her and sat on the far side of the room.

Star, to her credit, sat down at a desk and hugged her knees opposite Marco. How and why he had any knowledge about such a sensitive subject was an answer she'd squeeze out of him later, but for now, she tried to slow her breathing... focus on something less raunchy... and gradually peeked out of the hoodie. "Marco... no offense, but I don't think this is a good idea."

*Pwop*

*Pwop pwop pwop*

Marco stiffened, sitting forward at his desk. "...Why?"

She pulled the hoodie down the rest of the way, her eyes wide with dilated pupils as miniature heart-shaped petals tumbled from her arms and face. "Because... you're a boyyyyyy".

Marco felt the color drain from his face as he stood gradually, inching for the door. "That's... a really good point," he found himself agreeing. Option one was a bust, so that left him with a less-enticing option two. "Okay, I'll try to find Glossaryk and ask him if there's anything that might... maybe delay it a bit. Just sit tight and try not to go chasing guys around the school okay?"

Her cheeks flushed as she huddled in the center of the room, harvesting hearts from her face and arms. To his growing terror, they seemed to sprout back as fast as she removed them. "Please hurry," she whispered as more petals fell from, well, seemingly everywhere. He gave her a concerned nod before ducking out of the room to find Janna.

He wasted the next five frenzied minutes sprinting up and down the halls of the school before he finally found her. This time she was in the cafeteria looming over the spellbook, presumably trying to decipher its cryptic languages and magic incantations. Marco skidded to a halt and practically threw himself over the table as she jerked the book back and out of his reach. "Sup, dude? You seem extra sweaty today."

Pushing past the implication that everyone just thought he was sweaty, Marco pulled himself up and loomed over the spellbook. "Janna! I need to borrow Stars spellbook... right now," he demanded in a voice capped with an edge of unease. Thankfully, Janna seemed to grasp the idea that this was more serious than a few harmless stolen wallets. She also noticed he had several pudding cups in his hands.

"Um... sure, man," she muttered, turning her usual charm down a notch, given his tone of urgency.

Janna stepped back as Marco knelt over the spellbook. "Glossaryk. I need your help," he asked, as politely and calmly as he could manage. A small, blue-skinned humanoid creature dressed in a tan robe and sporting a beard that split down the middle emerged from the abruptly turning pages.

"I am known as the- wait. Do I know- have we met before, kid?" With urgency, Marco shook his head. Glossaryck frowned and stroked his parting beard. "Hmmm. Then, go away. I don't have time for social calls, you know. And you don't look anything like a princess." He spoke in a voice that seemed far too smug for such an inconspicuous creature, but Marco knew better than to play into his demeaning charade.

The boy let out a gruff sigh and shook his head. "I really need your help. I promise I'll explain another time, alright? Stars in trouble. She's about to go through mewberty again and I need to know how to slow it down so I can get her home without destroying the whole school!"

He heaved a sharp breath, hoping Glossaryck would at least consider complying but found another roadblock in his way. "Hmmm. You said again. And I know Mewman royalty only goes through this once. Are you from the future, my boy?" Glossaryk's tone remained as smug as before. As if he knew the answer to every question before it was asked. It was annoying at the best of times, but right now it was infuriating.

Marco furrowed his brow before positioning three cups of chocolate pudding before the spellbook. "I said I'll explain later. Less asking, more helping star." Glossaryk stared hungrily at the pudding cups. His eyes darted to macro and back several times before he sighed, foiled by pudding yet again. "Sorry young man. It can't be stopped or slowed down. As I'm guessing you've experienced, it must run its course uninterrupted, or else there could be dire consequences in the frame of permanent changes, mood swings, and frivolous things like the destruction of property. Something I almost certainly told you...*ahrm* last time."

The two stared at one another in a turbulent stalemate, But ultimately it was Marco who gave in, not that he had much choice. "Fine then. You win," he muttered before turning to race back to Star. "Thanks for nothing."

0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0

Star sat in the center of the still and empty classroom, picking off little purple heart petals as more 'Pwopped' onto her skin. She felt as though she'd been stuck for hours peeling them, but anything was better than braving the halls. A large pile was developing as her frustration- both varieties -began to come to a head. There was less commotion outside the classroom now that most of the students had gone home for the day, so the odds of an incident were dwindling. it was tempting, to say the least. She could figure that a quick sprint home would result in little to no backlash, right? What was the harm in... checking.

She stood up and crept to the door, peeking out from the small window just in time to catch a glimpse of a pack of muscular and toned bOyS in swimsuits. Oh, the sultry and ragged thoughts that immediately paraded around her head made quick work of her. She stared at the BOys for a moment before she gasped, catching herself. In a mad scramble, she ran back to the center of the room and seized Marco's hoodie, wrapping it around her head. "I'll be... okay... I just can't... look at... any...BOYSS." That one word was like a magnet to her thoughts. It was evil, it was toxic, it was... She paused, holding the red hoodie tighter against her face, inhaling sharply from the nose.

*Pwop Pwop*

*Pwop*

*PwopPwopPwopPwop*

Hundreds of purple hearts fell from behind the hoodie and spewed off of her skin as a smile crept from underneath the red fabric. "MARCOS A BOYYYYYY," Her voice was heavy, husky, and hoarse, almost as if it wasn't her own. Within seconds, thousands of hearts had appeared and began to fill the room, piling around her and the hoodie, shrouding her beneath them. But she didn't care. Whatever part of her that did was already changing.

0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0

Marco ran as fast as he could back to the empty classroom he'd left Star in, wincing every time he passed a dude with particularly strong smells, good or bad. One of the problems was that he didn't know any of the specifics of the transformation, like what could trigger it or if it was even a random thing."Why do I keep wasting my time with that guy? I never get a straight answer out of him," he lamented. "Can't just give me a 'yeah kid, no idea, kiss your butt goodbye and hope she doesn't KILL you!?'" He made sure to stop every now and again to advise students to leave immediately or face wrath like no other at the hands of everyone's best friend. Thankfully, people were pretty used to weird stuff around here, so not many argued or ignored the warning.

He stopped just outside the door to the classroom, his wide eyes not deceiving him. There, just inside the room that now gave off a deep purple glow, was a jungle of vines and hearts. and at the center sat an enormous heart-shaped mass of them. Marco took a tentative step back. It didn't take a genius to know that if he set foot in there, it would unleash a creature he had no chance of stopping. But if he just left, who knows how much damage she'd do. With deliberate care not to make a sound, he crept forward and peered through the window to see the mass was actually beating. It gave off a gentle thrum of energy, not unlike a transformer. What caught Marco's eye, in particular, was a bright red piece of fabric wrapped around the base of the heart. "The hoodie!" he whispered before clapping his hands to his mouth.

As if by command of his outburst, six handprints formed on the semi-translucent interior surface of the heart. Marcos' eyes grew wide. he caught his breath and pivoted to sprint as fast as he could. He didn't see the heart slowly split in two, leaving a purple and lavender mass at its base. Star had completed her transformation; he was well and truly screwed. She had grown four extra arms, and her skin had turned a deep shade of purple. Her hair, a light lavender tint, formed two long buns on either side of her head. She had grown a large pair of beating purple wings that buzzed behind her, propelling her through the air. Her eyes burned white hot in the shape of hearts to scan the area for signs of life. And BOYS.

Marco could hear her wings flapping down the hall after him. She was gaining, and fast. He bolted around a corner and hugged the wall as the mass of purple buzzed past him. When the noise died down, he let out his breath and finally tried to collect his racing thoughts. He furrowed his brow and glared in the direction she went. "Shes going wreck the school again if I don't find a way to stop her. Maybe this time I can portal her to her room. Or maybe..."

Marco silenced himself as he saw a single purple heart flutter harmlessly to the ground in front of him. His eyes went wide as he looked up slowly, but he already knew what was lying in wait. Star stood perched above him on the roof, kneeling like a gargoyle and grinning like a lost puppy. "Ohhh noooo," he whispered, before darting forward with a very determined princess in mewberty chasing his heels.

"Marcooooo," it breathed, her voice ringing in his ears. He kept pumping his legs but chanced a risky glare at her. "This is so not what happened last time and you know it!" He shouted back as he sprinted down the halls. He could feel her stare on his back and the subtle shift in the wind as she drew closer. She could almost reach him now. Marco ran down a long hallway and whizzed by Janna and Glossaryk, the latter of the two looking up in equal parts surprise and amusement.

"Never mind running its course! Don't let her catch you, my boy! There's no telling what she'd do to you!" Glossaryk called after him, obviously more occupied with the cup of pudding in front of him. Marco kept running but shouted over his shoulder, "What does it look like I'm doing?!"

Star, who had kept an uncommitted and even bored expression thus far, suddenly frowned and halted her momentum on a dime. 'Too looong… need…boyyy.' Marco ducked around a corner and after a short breath, peered back before he too began frowning. There was ear-grating music in the air, like two rusty nails being driven down a chalkboard with a synthetic beat. He watched as mewberty Star approached the source, following the sounds like a moth to a flame.

Looking in the direction of the harrowing music, Marco noticed it was actually coming from Oskar and his keytar. He was sitting on the hood of his car, jamming out to God only knew, and didn't notice Star looming over him. He didn't even look up before laughing to himself and bobbing his head, asking, "Hey Star, you like the music? It's a song about like, doing the dishes y'know?" All the while he continued to play. Maybe it would be like last time, maybe Oscar's music and presence would change her back?

Mewberty Star kept impossibly still, save for her buzzing wings. She tilted her head to the side and leaned closer. Oscar finally took an interest in the creature's advance when she suddenly opened her mouth wide to reveal rows of fangs, glistening with saliva. She hissed at him before picking up his entire car and throwing it across the school grounds, the terrible music never stopping. Horrified, Marco darted from the hallway towards her and could only hope for the best for Oscar. This had to stop.

"Star! Stop right now!" Marco shouted from down a hallway adjacent to the lot. He winced when she turned back to leer at him. 'This didn't work last time but at least now I have her attention.' She stared at him in silence before smiling wide, her fangs retracting. Before he could react, she buzzed over to him faster than he could process and grabbed his wrists, pinning him to the wall and coating his hands in a solid layer of hearts.

"Got…. yooouuu," she huffed cheerfully enough, not that her proximity elicited the same from her captive. "Neveeerrr...Lleeeeaaaave." She managed a vacant smile. Or something as close to one as you could get, being a mutant butterfly monster from space. Marco glared at her and looked around. Nobody was in immediate danger, so diplomacy would have to be option three. He let out a weary sigh and calmed his nerves, rooting himself. "Star you need to focus on my voice," he soothed. From her suddenly captivated stare, her attention seemed to be pretty easy to grasp. So far so good. "Focus on me, okay? You're scaring people. You're scaring me, so I need you to calm down, take a deep breath, and change back."

She stared at him, a smile never leaving her face as she reached out a hand and brushed his cheek. It was an act laced with tender affection, but the primal look in her eyes didn't ease his nerves. "Marcoooo. Staaaaaaay." She whispered. He blushed as she touched his face and tried not to look as terrified as he was. "I'm not going anywhere Star, trust me. Think of it like fighting a monster and push back. Focus and fight it." She frowned slightly and retracted her hand slowly, blinking a few times as though she had a hard time understanding him.

"Marcoooo..fight?"

He was about to protest his ability to do much of anything when there was a loud, sickening, tearing noise from two hallways down. His heart climbed to his throat and his eyes drew wide. Star's attention never left him. It was like she couldn't hear anything but him- or ear-grating music- so he chanced a quick glance towards the odd noise. A green light radiated from the intersection of hallways, and heavy footsteps echoed against the linoleum. It was all Marco needed to hear to let his nerves fire off warnings. "Star!" he whispered as loudly as he could. "Star, you need to let me go right now! That guy from the club! He's back!" His voice never left a whisper, hopefully buying him enough time to reason with his captor. But Star continued to stare at him for another moment before abruptly fluttering away.

Marco felt his heart stop as the footsteps drew closer. Realizing he had no way out and the assassin was just around the corner, he weighed his options. The ones that came to mind were bleak at best, but he had to do something. He fought against his bindings, but they wouldn't budge. They felt as strong as concrete and didn't even offer an inch of play. Finally, Marco relaxed enough to assess the situation, looking down… the hallway…

His eyes widened as he saw the mysterious man from the bounce lounge strolling around the corner, casually walking up to him as if mocking his predicament. In the daylight, it was easier to assess the stature and size of the man. He was well built, his armor was fairly worn in, and his blades offered only grim possibilities. He stood about two heads taller than Marco and twice as broad, his steps calculated but menacing.

"Well. Well. Well…" He spoke with a modest elegance, his voice was resonant and soft, but it dangerously walked the edge of insanity. Like a bomb about to go off in a quiet library. "You certainly made things easy for me, so I won't bother complaining. Your reputation undersold your skill as a warrior, Marco Diaz, and after the fight you gave me in the Lounge, I was beginning to wonder if you were even really human. But I suppose that's of little value now. …I was hoping we could speak for a moment, maybe come to an understanding." He removed his helmet, leaving an elongated face covered in aging wraps that tucked behind frills that fanned out behind his head. It was eerily reminiscent of Rasticore but more rugged. "A modicum of respect is owed for someone like you, but I won't waste time standing on ceremony. You and the girl have something that I need, if the old stories retain any merit. Give them up easy, and I promise to leave you both alone, unharmed. Resist, and I'll rip them out of you both, along with the wings of that Butterfly." He pulled down the wraps on his face to reveal a mouth of jagged teeth, and skin that seemed to have been burned all over. He was a Septarian…?

Marco did his best to give nothing away. There were millions of questions flooding his head, but that could wait for when his life wasn't in danger. He glared at the man before throwing a kick straight into his jaw with a loud *crack*. The Septarian stumbled back to clutch at his face before pulling out one of his scimitars. "How's that for easy?"

The Septarian grinned. "A shame that we get to do things the fun way. How about we start with your ankles, and then we can-" His words were halted by a set of lockers slamming into his side with all the force of a semi-truck, shooting him down the hallway to roll into a heap.

Marco barely had time to react before a fluttering Star flew up to him and ripped him off the wall with ease. She wore a vacant glare as she flew down one hallway before veering left into another. Down the winding hallways she bolted, stopping only once she felt the location was adequate. She deposited Marco in front of a classroom and looked him over, her six hands touching his shoulders, arms, chest, and face. "Marco... Okay?" she asked softly.

For a moment he was too shocked to answer, but at her tilted expression, he let out a shaky sigh. "Marco is okay, Star. Thank you." He watched her carefully, wondering why she seemed to be able to speak this time. Maybe last time she just didn't have much to say. He didn't allow himself to think about it too long, as there was a reinvigorated and dangerous man lurking in the hallways of his school.

He pulled out his scissors, splitting them into daggers, and began running towards where the man had been thrown. But Star glued one of his feet to the ground. "Marco...Staaay." She started to hover closer to him when a wave of green magic rolled through the hall, sending lockers and the two teenagers flying.

They landed a few dozen lockers down and skid to a stop, readying themselves for the next attack. Marco held his scissors aloft while Star hovered silently in front of him. Her posture gave away nothing but hostility, and for the moment he was fine with that. The Septarian came charging around the corner toward Marco, dragging his blades against the tiled floor. When he saw Star, however, he stopped. He regarded her with wary appreciation before softening his expression to one of a cordial levy.

"This doesn't have to escalate to broken bones and severed limbs. Please. Don't make this difficult," he muttered, glaring at them. But just as cordial as his demeanor seemed, he soon winced, clutching at his head like it might explode. His next words came with a hurried strain like he had to force them out. "I need… your magic. I have to have it… she needs me." Star glared at him and shot six lines of sticky hearts toward the lockers behind her. Without a word she pulled on each of them one at a time, sending them flying toward their assailant at ripping speeds. Apparently, she wasn't interested in talking to him.

The Septarian suddenly stiffened, his eyes going wide as his posture changed. He went from a wounded lean to a rigid, low stance as fast as a breath. He used his swords to slice through the lockers with ease, stepping closer as each flew past him. After the last locker was thrown, Marco charged from behind it, catching him off guard. He went in for an easy slash across the man's chest but found his blades skating over the assassins. Sparks flew as they exchanged attacks, one clang ringing after another.

Star saw the two struggling and flew straight for Marco. She grabbed his hoodie and threw him back down the hallway before sending a kick to the man's ribs. He doubled over by the sheer momentum she put into it before catching a solid punch to the jaw by three sets of fists. He stood back and eyed Star carefully, wiping the purple blood from his jaw. "The fabled Queen herself, capable of rending mountains and rewriting fate itself... Let's see just how lofty the legends WERE!"

He brought up his swords and caught her next punch against the flat side, barely surprised by the force that pushed him back. He pulled his right sword back and drove the hilt towards Star's midsection, an oddly careful and reserved strike not intending to maim, but she shot a string of purple heart glue and yanked him around her and into a locker. Before he could retaliate, he dodged a punch that burrowed into the metal behind him, leaving three fist indents where his head was. Star spun and was about to deliver a kick to his neck when he grabbed her leg and threw her down the hallway.

She skidded to a stop and looked up at him with muted contempt. She shot four strings of hearts toward the tile beneath her and broke into a sprint. Pulling as hard as she could, she slung them at the Septarian. He dodged the first three tiles that came singing through the air, but the fourth one found its mark against his chest. It shattered against his armor and knocked him down to stumble. Before Star could rush into an attack, he thrust his palm forward and blasted another wave of bright green energy. She had no time to react. Marco watched as she was thrown far down the hallway, slamming into the lockers at the end.

The Septarian winced, one of his hands creeping towards his head, but he stopped himself. "You both deserve the accolades given to you by your subjects," He muttered. "But I've come too far to leave empty-handed. There are no reservations now. If you will not submit, then to hell with history."

Marco ran up to Star and grabbed her, pulling her down from the dent and running down the hallway adjacent to theirs. "Star I don't know if you can hear me but we have to work together. I need you to focus." She stared at him without an ounce of expression and very slowly nodded. That was probably a good sign. "Alright then. I need you to launch me at him as hard as you can, and then distract him with lockers. Can you do that?"

She very slowly nodded again, a smile forming on her face. "Bad boyyyyyy," she breathed heavily. Marco shook his head and gripped his knives. "We seriously need to talk about your interests in guys when this is over."

Not one to converse on a topic they were both aware of, she readied a string of glue against Marcos' back and waited for the man to approach them. As if on cue, he strolled down the hallway, hacking anything that wasn't nailed down to pieces. "This is your FINAL CHANCE! SUBMIT, AND I WON'T WASTE PRECIOUS TIME TORTURING WHAT I NEED OUT OF YOUR CORPSES!" He yelled, his voice booming down the hallway.

"Now," Marco whispered. Star nodded and swung him around several times before releasing him in the direction of their attacker. He held a scissor blade in front of him, his eyelids peeling back from the wind. The Septarian braced for a heavy attack, but right before Marco connected their blades, he opened a portal and shot through like a bullet. The Sptarian flinched, peered around, and waited. He'd read of the boys' techniques; here and now wasn't the time to treat them lightly. He was on edge but was caught off guard by several lockers whizzing at him.

He dodged to the side and sliced the next locker right down the middle, sending both halves to his sides. Another locker came flying at him but he jutted his fist out and shot a beam of green energy through its center, narrowly missing Star. He held up his blades and was about to rush her when he heard a tearing sound behind him.

He spun to parry an incoming blade as Marco shot out of another portal and drove a solid kick to the back of his right leg. The man winced and fell to one knee, throwing both swords up to avoid catching a scissor with his teeth. Marco spun around to deliver a kick to his chest and sent him flying right into a locker Star had hurled at him.

Both he and the locker tumbled down the hallway, bashing into anything in his path. He corrected himself and skidded to a halt, dragging his scimitars into the tile. He made to deliver another blast of magic to the boy, but Marco saw it coming. He slid low, feeling the heat of that green magic singe a few hairs before he corrected himself. The Septarian gripped his blades and shook with fury. "I WILL NOT BE BEATEN BY TWO CHILDREN!" He bellowed. He thrust his hand into the ground, cracking it as waves of energy shot out in every direction. Marco leaned into the unavoidable wave and prepared for the worst, but he found it weaker this time.

He was about to move for another strike when a leather-clad fist jutted through the smoke. It struck right in the center of his chest. Star, in the middle of her advance, stopped for a fraction of a second as time slowed in her wake. Green magic shot like a million-volt sledgehammer against Marco's chest. The concussive force sent his vision tumbling as he was blasted back and into a wall. The crunch of his impact was either due to the wall, his bones, or both. He slumped down and groaned, gasping for his chest.

"MARCO!" Star shrieked. She was about to fly after him when a blade swung across her path and barely missed her, slicing an inch off the top of her wing. She skidded against the tile before whipping around with all six hands ready, facing the man in one fluid motion. Her glowing white eyes and blank expression managed to convey her displeasure with the man, but he didn't seem to consider it when he made to press an attack. He lunged for her with his swords drawn, but with every thrust and swing, she dodged like it was nothing.

Every movement he made was met with only air. She ducked and curled around his sword and grabbed his leg, throwing him into the air before shooting a string of glue at him and pulling him back down to earth like a meteor. He slammed to the ground, gasping and cracking more than just the tiles. Before he had even stopped moving, a blur of purple and lavender shot from the dust and latched onto his wrist. He felt an unstoppable force throw him headfirst through a wall and into a classroom in a storm of bricks and glass. He hit the far wall through a mass of desks, but his endurance was staggering.

He pushed the debris aside and stood slowly, clutching his ribs. He readied his blades for another strike. Star shot through the hole and delivered a powerful kick to his chin before he had even registered her arrival, sending him flying through the ceiling with a deafening *boom!* In the air, he managed to right himself just in time to see Star hovering next to him. She brought up all six fists and balled them before cracking a smile and driving them into the Septarian's chest. In the span of one second, he was sent back down to the hallway, plowing through a set of lockers and rolling to a stop. This time he didn't recover immediately. He managed to slowly stand, watching Star approach with careful regard. He grit his teeth and squeezed both blades in his hands as an echoe of cracking, mending bones filled the corridor.

"Evidently… I haven't gathered enough," he rasped, "But rest assured. I will hunt you both… down to the ends of the universe… to bring her…" He gasped and popped his shoulder into place before bringing both swords down to cut a portal. He all but fell through, and this time it didn't linger.

Star looked at the spot he had landed with an empty expression, before turning quickly to Marco and zipping over to him. Her wings buzzed as she stared at him, the only sound in the school. She reached out tentatively and touched the side of his face, eying the bit of blood that dripped over his left brow. "Marcoooo…" she shuddered as if the sight of him made her uneasy. "Safe?"

He managed a slow nod before pulling himself up from the floor to sit. The guy was gone, so he could relax for a moment. "Thanks to you, yeah. Marco is safe," he confirmed before grabbing her hand and pulling her into a tight hug. "But I'm more glad Star is safe."

She pressed her face into his shoulder, her lips pressed in a contented smile. Six arms wrapped around him to squeeze him closer. He didn't notice the hearts falling from her skin in droves, piling onto the floor around them. Star slowly returned to normal, her wings shrinking down and her extra limbs morphing back into her body. Her eyes fluttered to their usual blue as she gently floated down to Marco's level, a torrent of thin purple hearts fluttering down.

Marco released her from the hug, happy to see her back to normal. Or as normal as she could really be. She returned a sheepish grin and eyed their surroundings, her smile wilting into an embarrassed cringe. "Ooooh boy, I guess I really did a number the school huh? This happened last time?"

Marco looked around at the dilapidated hallway. There were shattered tiles everywhere, holes in walls, destroyed lockers… His answer was a distressed shrug. "No…? Last time you didn't try to kidnap me, and we didn't have to fight off some crazy Toffee clone."

"Who?"

She was staring at him. Marco felt his breath catch. "Uhhh, nobody important, just some guy, a Septarian or whatever," he rambled. Star didn't seem to buy it by the way she narrowed her eyes and made to question him. But before she could get a word in, a sudden, small buzz broke the silence. Her eyes shot wide open and her lungs filled with air.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" she shrieked. "I got my mewberty wings! Marcomarcomarco LOOK AT THIS!"

Marco nodded along and tried to focus on the damage surrounding him. It would take an army of Marcos to get the place back up to code by sunset. But with help? "You should be careful, just because you have wings doesn't mean you can-" He was cut off when Star grabbed his wrist and dove through the air. He didnt even have time to gasp before the two landed smack on their faces. Star peeled herself off the tile, her small purple wings buzzing uselessly on her back, though the left one was missing a small piece at the top.

"Sorry, I was kiiiinda hoping you were full of beans. My bad," she sighed.

Marco didn't move, instead deciding to enjoy his time on the floor, and maybe treat it as a lesson. "Thash ughkay. Nuh buggie," he mumbled. Star helped him up, with care for once, and he took to rubbing his sore chest. That punch was magic, as was much of every other attack the guy threw their way. "That guy... I think he's..." he trailed off, too many thoughts and possibilities fluttering around his head to think straight. The Septarian had said so much, it was hard to remember all of it. "We should… start cleaning the school," he noted. "They'll kill us if they see this mess. I can already hear Miss Skullnick screaming about detention until we're buried."

Star was sitting on her knees, desperately trying to Kickstart some flight judging by the buzz coming from her back. He had half a mind to think she was trying to escape the chore, but the result was funnier than ribbing her. When she didn't take off like a griffin, she let out a weary sigh and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, okay. You win."

After an hour or so of Star's magic cleaning and Marcos' almost magical organization skills, the school looked as good as new. Aside from a few missing lockers and a few spots on the wall that looked a little too well-painted. The two began walking home after assessing their injuries and finding mostly bruising and scratches. "So you don't remember anything?" Marco asked, the astonishment in his voice doing well to make Star self-conscious. Mewberty was a touchy subject, after all.

She shook her head and shrugged "Not really, no. Just bits and pieces of fighting that guy, and a couple of memories of chasing you down the hall." She winced a little at the recollection and gave him a playful shove. "Sorry about that by the way." She expected a preeeetty healthy dose of lecturing or whatever their dynamic was now, but Marco surprised her with a laugh, even patting her on the back. Careful to avoid the sensitive areas, of course.

"Haha, Are you kidding? That was awesome! you fought him like a flying storm of punches and lockers, and don't even get me started on the crazy move in the air! I could barely keep up with you!"

Star smiled to herself and looked down the street. Her cheeks took on a shade of ruby that was almost lost to the setting sunlight. "Well, I'm sure 'Mewberty Star' won't be making an appearance again, so you can rest your tush with ease, Marco." She chanced a glance his way and found his whole demeanor had shifted since earlier that day. He looked excited, passionate, and so full of energy, it was hard to believe it was the same guy! "Plus, you were pretty awesome out there too. Just sayin'."

A few more minutes of walking between them came and went, both of them gushing about their moves, their skillz, and of course, the mood sink that came with the next topic of interest. "What if that guy comes back?" Star asked. "He seems to really have it out for us, and if he's half as persistent as Ludo, we might need some extra firepower."

Marco made a show of scowling at her with squinted eyes. "Then we'll just have to make sure our next fight… is the last."

She blew a raspberry and burst into a fit of laughter, howling at the very idea. "Yeah, okay Macho Man, I think we'll be alright. As long as we've got the dynamic duo, nothing's gonna stop us."

Marco smiled, but this time he didn't feel that fire in his belly as before. Like a passing wind, he felt that sudden pit in his stomach, remembering the time they didn't have each other. The fight against Ludo, his return to Mewni, the long days pining and wondering what could happen. It was hollow for a little while, even if it did get better. Things sort of just… changed. "Yeah, haha, I'll always be here for you, Star. Whenever you need me."

She started skipping ahead of him but turned back with a bemused grin between her hearts. "That's the spirit, Diaz, two peas in a pod, a couple of bestest besties dishing out cans of butt-kicking on a daily basis. Maybe if we hurry home, we can enjoy some nachos, MAARRRRCOOOOOO."

He stared at her for a moment before the two broke into a run. "Not cool, Purple Mothwoman! My nachos aren't just some foody call you can make whenever you feel like it!"

"That wasn't a no!" She called back, her smile wide and sincere. "Loser has to pick the soggy ones off the bottom!"