ACT I: Skywind, King of Hours Chapter 1: The First Travel

Long ago, in the land of Mewni, the monsters ruled with an iron fist. Mewmans from across the land lived in constant fear of confronting the vicious beasts. Every day, a new species of monsters would arise to terrorize the settlers. For a time, it seemed that the Mewmans would go extinct.

But that all changed one day. A great leader of a Mewman colony, Brian Dragonfly, led his people through a harsh winter, finding solace in a giant tree stump. While they were there, they discovered that the stump provided the protection they needed from monster attacks and gave them time to ration their supplies. Under Dragonfly's lead, the Mewmans quickly adapted to life in the stump, building a strong bond of friendship between them.

Once the winter passed, a sturdy castle had been built around the stump to act as a safe haven for all Mewmans. Not long after, a mystical force beckoned to Brian, bringing him to the heart of the Mewman sanctuary. The magical energy sensed the nobility and courage within his soul and chose him as its wielder. The magic took shape, forming a powerful scepter capable of granting whoever held it incredible abilities.

Impressed by this, the Mewmans unanimously appointed Brian Dragonfly as the first King of Mewni. From that day on, the Dragonfly family ruled over all Mewmans; protecting the land from monsters, providing resources for the people, and of course, passing the mantle down to a worthy successor. And for the past twenty-seven generations, the lineage of Dragonflies have dutifully safeguarded the realm, all thanks to the magic of the scepter.

"Bollocks."Skywind scoffed, and set the history scroll back on its shelf. "Where is the evidence? Where is the proof? Are we seriously supposed to just accept this hogwash?!"

A soft knock at the library door made the king's ears perk up. "Um, y-your majesty? I-I must ask that you keep your voice down."

"Oh, uh, of course, of course."

It had been ten years since Skywind had inherited the throne from his father, Hymnal, and yet he was still looked down on for being a non-believer. Although, it wasn't entirely his fault; he preferred to put his faith in logic and reasoning rather than blindly following popular opinions. This often put him at odds with both his father and Mewni's Magical High Commission.

The only people who ever respected his viewpoints were his wife; Gem-ivine, his best friend; Gordon, and his teacher; Madame Indexia. And the latter of whom was wiped from existence when the original Great Book of Magic was destroyed in an unfortunate fire that nearly consumed the entire castle.

Skywind glanced down at his family's scepter, studying the unique design. According to his father, the scepter would magically take on a form that best reflected the wielders personality. In Skywind's case, the scepter was a golden rod with a winged clock at the top. While this baffled most people he associated with, he felt this was most appropriate. Time was his only constant companion in life; he took pleasure in studying ancient history and ruins, and using those studies to strategically predict the future. Over time, he learned to use the powerful magic in his scepter to alter the chronological flow of his dimension's timeline.

Unfortunately for him, his responsibilities as king forced him to use his magic for much less exciting purposes. The citizens of Mewni were highly incompetent, and incapable of sustaining themselves. Every week, the peasants would gather around the castle and await for their king to have food magically rain down from the sky. Not only that, but with the constant threat of the monsters, the scepter was the kingdom's only hope for survival.

"It's not easy being king…" Skywind sighed to himself. Levitating down from the library's top floor, he made his way outside to the royal carriage. Once inside, his mood immediately brightened at the sight of his family. "Hello, love." He greeted his wife with a peck on the cheek before turning to the baby wrapped in a blanket. "And hello, little Jeshica."

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Gem-ivine asked.

"Yes… and I've given a lot of thought on what I want to do." He replied, ominously.

An hour later, the royal family arrived back at the castle. Rosaline, Skywind's duly appointed squire, jumped down from the driver's seat and opened the door for them. "Your majesty." She bowed.

"Thank you, Rosaline." Skywind nodded. "Would you be so kind as to assemble the Magical High Commission, please? I need to speak with Omnitraxus Prime."

"Whatever you wish, King Dragonfly."

Skywind watched Rosaline dutifully march inside as he led his family to the nursery. Little Jeshica was peacefully sleeping as Gem-ivine gingerly laid her down in her crib. "She's beautiful. Isn't she?"

"Of course, she is." Skywind agreed, sadly. When the king learned that his child would be born a girl, he was slightly disappointed. Not with her, of course, but with Mewni's strict patriarchal society. He truly loved his daughter, but the kingdom would never truly accept her as their ruler.

But at the moment, his main focus was on other things. Before the Commission could arrive, he needed to study a few incantations from his new edition of the Great Book of Spells. The coming task would be dangerous, and would require dangerous magic. He groaned in frustration as he dug through the mess that was his private study, until at last, he found what he was looking for.

Once the spellbook opened up, a small, blue woman with white hair and a pink gem in her forehead popped out. This was Madame Indexia of Contents, the living embodiment of magical energy in Mewni. Skywind was confused as his mentor brushed off her yellow dress and levitated above the pages. "Good morning, m'lord." She bowed, in respect.

"Indexia? What were you doing in there? I haven't seen you in years. I thought you had perished."

"Oh, fret not, my king. I did not succumb to the flames, as you all believed. I was merely dealing with one of my new creations; Rhombulie." Indexia explained before looking at the book.

"You've done me proud by starting a new magic book of spells." She pinched the bridge of her nose as she shook her head in disappointment. "Especially, since your father failed to save the original text from that dreadful fire."

"Well, surely, the Great Book of Spells couldn't have been more important than the Great Book of Fashion, right?" Skywind shrugged, sarcastically.

"Perish the thought." His teacher agreed. "Additionally, I wish to congratulate you, my liege. For while I was away, I was told that your wife has given birth. You must be proud to finally have a son to take under your wing."

"Son?" Skywind replied, perplexed. "Oh, I'm afraid you were misinformed, Madame. I have a daughter. A beautiful little girl. Her name is Jeshica."

"A daughter?" Indexia's eyebrow arched up in surprise. "Such a thing has never happened to your family before."

"So I've been told." The king groaned. "But for now, there are more pressing matters that require our attention."

The Magical High Commission, the enforcers of law and order in Mewni, patiently waited for their leader's arrival. Lekmat; the Commission's chancellor, magic healer, and observer of entropy, and Omnitraxus Prime; the living embodiment of the space-time continuum. Allegedly, these beings were created by Indexia to assist her in maintaining order in the multiverse, and they treated their job with the utmost seriousness.

Soon enough, Rosaline entered the meeting room with her chin held high. Clearing her throat, she unveiled a scroll and read it aloud. "Ahem, presenting his most royal majesty, protector of the realm, savior of the people, master of the scepter's magic… Skywind, King of Hours."

Skywind calmly strode into the room, bearing a magnificent cape upon his shoulders. But his composition was ruined as Rosaline blasted a note from her bugle. "Do you have to do that every time you announce me, squire?!" He asked, irritably.

"Uh, yeah. Best part of the job." Rosline retorted with a cheeky grin.

"Anyway…" The chrono-scholar turned his attention to the Commission. "Thank you all for agreeing to come on such short notice. Particularly, you, Omnitraxus."

"I am pleased to serve you, my king." Prime's physical form was too large to enter the castle, so she communicated through an enchanted crystal ball. "How might I be of service?"

"As you are all aware, I have spent much of my free time studying Mewman history." He explained. "Like most tales of the past, the royal copy his full of inconsistencies. However, one part of the story remains the same: the stump and the scepter. If we could go back in time to the dated moment when King Brian inherited the scepter-"

"You believe that you can prove whether or not the story is correct?" Omnitraxus interrupted.

"I never believe. I hypothesize." Skywind corrected. "But there's more to it than that; what if we could journey to other worlds beyond our own timeline? I have been observing multiple different dimensions through my scepter."

Lekmat bleated in defiance, which Indexia translated. "The chancellor is against the idea, my king. And I agree. Mewni needs it's king. In addition to the famine, the threat of a monster attack is constantly looming over the kingdom."

"Precisely!" Skywind exclaimed. "Mewni has always struggled with the monsters and other problems because we've never looked beyond the reaches of our own land! There's a whole multiverse of untapped resources out there!"

There was a long silence before Omnitraxus spoke up. "Unfortunately, traveling through time is not that simple, your majesty." The skeletal face vanished from the crystal ball, replaced by an image of two ropes. "Imagine this rope as the timeline. When someone or something travels backwards, it ruptures the time barrier which sends cascading waves of chronometric energy against the natural flow of time. When that happens…" The first image of the rope unraveled and broke in two.

"... it snaps. Now, there are some instances in which extreme measures can be taken to repair the worst of the damage done to the timeline…" The rope tied itself back together in a strong knot as she went on. "But traces of the change will always be there. Worse yet, there are certain moments in history whose consistencies are crucial to the integrity of the timeline. The story of King Brian, the Stump, and the Scepter is one of those moments. Any change made to that moment - no matter how infinitesimal - could have devastating impacts on the present."

While Lekmat, Rosaline, and even Indexia were bored to tears by Omnitraxus' lecture, Skywind listened, intently. The king of hours was subconsciously planning a way around the laws of physics as his guest continued. This time, the second rope was brought into focus. "Now, there is a way to safely carry out a time quest without damaging our present. As you stated earlier, King Skywind, there are multiple dimensions that coexist in spaces between our own. Each dimension is different, some slightly, other's radically. If we were to cross through the dimensional barrier and travel backwards outside the usual realm of time, we could harmlessly observe the past and return with minimal consequences."

"Then it's settled." Skywind smiled. "How can we pass through the barrier?"

Omnitraxus face reappeared with a dismal frown. "I'm afraid that feat is beyond my power, my lord."

"Bugger…" The king cursed. "Is there any way we might accomplish this?"

Indexia sighed, heavily, and landed on the table in front of her master. "There might be… long ago, I created a being alongside Omnitraxus and Lekmat for the soul purpose of engineering interdimensional travel… I christened him as Hekapoe, Master of the Eternal Forge."

"But… that doesn't make sense." Skywind grew curious. "Why is he not a member of the Commission? He sounds like he would be most useful."

"Oh, in many ways, he is." Indexia went on. "But he is a ruffian and a miscreant. He takes pleasure in toying with those who seek his help. And thus… I banished him to a pocket-realm."

"Hmm… that would put a damper on things, wouldn't it?" Skywind replied. "But you could get us to the pocket-realm, correct?"

"Of course, I could." She boasted. "And being the king, if you order me to take you there, I will have no choice but to obey. But I will warn you once more; Hekapoe is a dangerous entity, not to be trifled with."

Skywind considered his teacher's warnings. If what Omnitraxus had told him were true, he could risk destroying his kingdom at the earliest point in time. On the other hand, he thought back to what inspired him to take up the time quest in the first place. His father had proven himself to be completely inept as ruler before retiring to a vacation home in a volcano. Even the lowly peasants looked down on him with contempt.

Ever since his eighteenth birthday, when he first took the throne, Skywind feared that he would be doomed to repeat his father's history. But such an idea displeased him, greatly. He wanted to make a name for himself before passing the scepter down to his daughter. At last he made up his mind. "Assemble the people!" He ordered.

Hours later, Skywind had made the official announcement of his departure. Gem-ivine would be in command of the land until his return; governing the royal guard and mapping out the land needed to start building plantations for food crops and other necessities. The king was rocking his beloved child to sleep one last time before his departure when his wife surprised him from behind.

"I truly appreciate how much faith you have in me, my love." She purred.

Skywind set Jeshica in her crib and took Gem-ivine into his arms. "Well, while I'm gone, I'll need someone intelligent, kind, and reliable to be in command… and since I don't know anyone like that, you're my best option."

The queen chortled as she playfully slapped her husband's arm. "I will miss you." She confessed, bringing him into a kiss.

"And I will miss you." He replied as the hourglass cheek-marks glowed brightly.

"Your highness?" Omnitraxus beckoned from outside. "It's time."

With a final goodbye, Skywind flung his satchel over his shoulder and joined his hearty crew. Joining him on his quest was Rosaline, Indexia, and Omnitraxus to provide protection and guidance. "Is the magical barrier I created still holding?"

"Yes, my king." Indexia assured as she opened the portal to Hekapoe's dimension. "So long as the wand is in your possession, no Mewman will be harmed inside that barrier."

"Well, then… what are we waiting for?!" He beamed, proudly. "Allons y, my friends!"

A dull, deafening silence filled the hallway. "Uh… what?" Rosaline inquired.

"Oh, it's an Earth term!" Skywind explained, eagerly. "You see, a sub-faction of humans who call themselves 'the French' speak their very own language! Apparently, it's common for different areas of that dimension to speak a different, conflicting language. It's actually chronicalled in a book called 'the Bibb-Al,' in a chapter called 'the Babel Tower-'"

"You're rambling again, m'lord." Indexia cut in.

"Right. Thank you, Indexia." Skywind readjusted his outfit. "Anyway, 'allons y' roughly translates to 'let's go there.'"

"Okay, you could've just said that." Rosaline pointed out, tiredly.

"Yes, I could have, but then you wouldn't have learned anything." The king prattled on as his crew members proceeded through the portal. "Also, something funny, there exists a name for males on Earth called 'Alonso!' Which sounds similar to 'allons y!' So, theoretically, if I were to travel with someone named 'Alonso,' I could say 'allons y, Alonso!'"

To Be Continued!

Author's note: to the anonymous guest who left the first review; Jushtin and Dirhhennia (or Jeshica and Dirhhanno) don't have their own chapters because according to the book they either had the right to rule taken away from them by their parents(Jeshica), or had no interest in ruling(Dirhhanno). They will be making appearances in other chapters, but they may be minor. The the other anonymous guest who left the other review, I will be taking some inspiration from the book of secrets, but I might make my own adjustments.

Please, let me know what you think so far!