ACT I: Skywind, King of Hours Chapter 4: Dimensional Doo-Wop

"So, what you wanna do, is you wanna go down that cobblestone road, there."

"Cobblestone road. Okay."

"Then, what you wanna do, is take a left at the neighborhood with the skeletons and cobwebs."

"Skeletons and cobwebs, got it."

"And there's this old building with a chapel. Used to be a church, but the wack job used it as a laboratory that started this plague. But don't worry, he made the vaccine before he died, so you should be fine."

"Chapel. Alright."

"Oh, but if you see a river of blood, you've gone too far."

Skywind eagerly scribbled the directions down on his notepad. It had been twenty years since the destruction of Dimension 811, and the King of Hours was still nowhere near as close to finding a spell that would undo the damage as he hoped to be. Nevertheless, his perseverance had led him through multiple dimensions, gathering bountiful knowledge.

Over the years, the Magical High Commission were required to return to their own duties, leaving Skywind to finish the quest on his own. The only one to stick with him through the journey was Indexia, and only because it was her duty to serve the royal family. Currently, they was traveling through the dead world of Dimension 223-Z in search of an chemical solution for the spell.

"Thank you, again, my good man."

"Hey, no problem." The corpse reached out to shake the king's hand, only for his arm to pop out if it's socket. "Ah, geez. That's embarrassing. Hey, can I go back to my grave now? This is starting to hurt."

"Of course, my undead friend. I believe you have helped enough." Skywind waved his scepter in front of the reanimated cadaver, ending the spell and sending the dead man back to his eternal rest. "That was much easier that the last dimension."

"Indeed, my liege." Indexia nodded.

A few hours later, the duo had acquired the potion's formula and returned home. Skywind beamed with pride as he observed his queen overseeing another successful harvest. Gem-ivine kissed her husband as he passed by, and led the farmers to the marketplace for distribution. And yet, the king kept his eyes glued to his spellbook.

"Hi, daddy!" Solarius, the six-year-old prince of Mewni, ran up to his father at full speed and wrapped his arms around the king's leg. The sudden shock finally provoked a reaction from the distracted scholar. "I went for a walk on the docks today and saw a lot of boats! And there was this girl with green hair, and she had her own ship! And Milo was there, too! He and I practiced fighting for when we become knights!"

"Oh, really?" Skywind chuckled. "And why do you want to be a knight, Solarius? You're already a prince."

Solarius pouted and crossed his arms. "Being a prince is boring! I don't even get to do anything! But if I become a knight… I'll hunt the monsters down and slaughter them! I'll see to it that they never harm another mewman ever again!"

The king just smiled and rubbed his son's crimson locks. "Do me a favor, Solarius; never grow up."

"I'll try." The boy nodded.

"Now, why don't you go play with your mother. I need to retreat to my study." Giving his boy a pat on the head, Skywind finally headed up to the castle.

"Dad!" A girl dressed in a fabulous suit rushed up to the king, walking alongside him as he continued on. This was Jeshica, the Uncalculated, Skywind's first born child and only daughter. After Solarius was born, the poor girl lost her chance to be ruler. However, even though she didn't have her family's magic, she still had her magnificent brain. She spent most of her time with the best scholars and tutors the kingdom had to offer, making her as brilliant as she was fashionable.

"Oh, hello, sweetie." Skywind smiled. "I'm a little busy right now. Can this wait?"

"No, but look!" She held out a scroll littered with calculations, and pointed at each equation with the feather pen she kept in her hat. "Okay, I've done the math, and I think I've come up with a more effective way of growing and harvesting the crops! Maybe even grow something other than corn! It's a little more expensive, but it'll be way better in the long run! We just need to-"

"Your mother has the crops under control, Jeshica. Nothing to worry about." Her father interrupted.

"B-but, dad, I really think that-"

"Not now, Jeshica." He snapped. "I need to get back to work."

"Oh… okay, dad… bye." Jeshica stuck her pen back into her hat and walked back to her room, throwing the scroll into a waste bin on her way.

Meanwhile, Skywind cracked his knuckles and began the preparations for synthesizing the formula. Once Indexia had conjured up the necessary elements, she retired to the Great Book to rest. But Skywind's experiment didn't stop. Over the next thirty minutes, he diligently mixed each ingredient carefully, until it was ready to boil. But just as he set the flame, his squire's voice came over the intercom.

"My liege?!"

"AH!" Startled, Skywind blasted the lock to his door with the scepter. Indexia popped her head out of the book to survey the damage before eyeing her king. "We both saw that. Rosaline did it." He muttered before taking the microphone into his hand. "Yes, Rosaline? What is it?"

"Well, I hate to interrupt you, but a blue carriage just pulled in. The guy had a royal crest, so I just let him in. He should be there in a few minutes."

"Royal crest?" Suddenly, Skywind's eyes widened in terror. "Oh, no… Rosaline! Stop that man! Do not let him get to me!"

"I already let him in." She replied. "He's unarmed, and he's not a threat."

"I don't care! Just do as I say!"

"Well, he's on his way? What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know! Just tell him I'm not here!" He shouted into the microphone. "Do not let him-!"

"Hey, Sky! Are you up there?!"

Skywind groaned, rubbing a palm over his face. "If I say 'no' will you go away?"

An elderly man in a sharp suit, with dual music note-shaped birthmarks on both cheeks, entered the room. "I can see you're as chipper as ever." He scoffed at his son's tone.

"Hello, dad…" Skywind sighed. This was the former king of Mewni, Hymnal, the Fashionable. Remembered for his carelessness and narrow-minded behavior, the kingdom was most relieved when he stepped down from the throne. But above all, his own son looked down on him with contempt and a bit of resentment. "What are you doing here? I thought you were spending your retirement in a volcano home."

"Well, I was. It really does wonders for the pores." Hymnal smiled, rubbing the smooth skin on his face. But the older man shook his head to focus. "But, I heard that you were pushing yourself a little too hard."

"How'd you hear that?"

"Huh?"

"I said 'how'd you hear that?'"

"What?"

Skywind rolled his eyes. He had forgotten about his father's growing deafness, so he had to raise his voice. "I said, 'how did you hear that?!'"

"Oh, I hear everything!" Hymnal replied. "From what I was told, you've been trying to come up with some ultra-powerful spell, or something. And you've been neglecting your family in the process. Take my advice; you should go on a vacation. Just relax! You can bring the kids to my place at the volcano! Because, y'know, you keep saying that you'll visit and then, heh-heh… well, you never do."

Skywind leaned back against his desk and rubbed his temples. "Look, I appreciate that you want to help, dad. I guess. But I don't need you to tell me how to run the kingdom. I never told you how to."

"Are you kidding me?" Hymnal gawked. "That's all you ever did! The first words that ever came out of your mouth were 'you're doing it wrong!'"

"Well, you were." Skywind shrugged.

The former king was growing impatient. "Look, just take a break! Get out of this room! Go downstairs! And enjoy your family! Need I remind you that your daughter's birthday is in two days?"

"I've already had the royal blacksmiths fashion her a birthday tiara." Skywind sat back down at his desk, opening the Great Book of Magic to jot down his notes. "They'll have it ready by then."

"You can't be that foolish!" Hymnal snorted. "If you actually spent any time with your daughter, you'd know she prefers hats! Rings! Necklaces! She hates tiaras because it reminds her that she can't be ruler!"

"How would you know that?"

"She writes me letters. Unlike a certain someone." Crossing his arms, angrily, Hymnal continued with his lecture. "And if you don't smarten up, she'll spend the rest of her life thinking that her own father hates her!"

"That is ridiculous!" The king refuted. "Jeshica has never complained to me about feeling neglected!"

"Of course, she hasn't, you knucklehead!" Hymnal gave his son a firm slap upside the head. "No child is just gonna straight up tell their father that they're dying inside! She's probably blaming herself for your ignorance! You spend more time studying than you do with your own family! And if you keep it up, you're gonna regret it for the rest of your life!"

"Oh, what would you know about family?!" Skywind snapped. "All you ever cared about was your damn clothes!"

"Oh, so now this is my fault?!"

"Well, you didn't exactly set a very good example! After all, you let the Great Book of Magic go up in smoke, while you saved that damn fashion book as if it were your own child!"

"All I wanted was for you to help your subjects look presentable! Is that so wrong?!"

"Oh, I'm sorry that I don't obsess over what the hell I'm wearing as if my life depends on it! I mean, did it kill you that I just picked a random page and rolled with it?!"

"I died a little inside, yes!"

"... I don't need your help, dad." Skywind brushed off his shoulder and turned his back. "Now, please. I'm very, very… busy."

Hymnal sighed in defeat; there was just no reaching out to his son. "Well, suit yourself." He conceded and made his way to the door, noticing the damage done to it. "Uh, you know, you're door lock is busted."

"Yeah. Rosaline did it." Skywind replied, not looking up.

"Ah. Well, in that case, she also knocked over a vase on her way up." With that, the former king of Mewni began his descent.

After he had left, Skywind found himself unable to write. Leaning back in his chair, he gazed out the window. There, sitting in the castle's garden, was Jeshica. The girl delicately plucked a daisy from it's patch and placed it in her hair. As Skywind continued to observe, he saw her pick up a stick and wave it around as if it were a magic wand.

"Indexia?"

"Yes, my king?"

"Do you… do you think dad was right? Am I… neglecting my daughter?"

"Well, I never thought these words would slip through my lips, but… yes. I believe Hymnal had a point. You have been a little too caught up with your work."

"But, I… I do love her."

"Why are you telling me? She's the one who needs to hear it."

Skywind looked back outside, seeing how energetic his daughter was being with the stick now. He pushed himself away from his desk and made his way downstairs. On his way, he tripped over a waste bin just outside of Jeshica's room, and found a scroll inside. He opened it up and skimmed over all the math several times, impressed by how much effort she had put into it. "Indexia… tell Rosaline to clear my schedule for the rest of the day. I've got some reading to do."

Hours later, Jeshica had her arm linked with a close companion as they made their way to her room. "Thanks again for coming, snuggle-bear. I really needed to see you."

"Anything for you, my princess."

Just as they opened the door, the young Mewmans screamed in fright as they found the king sitting on her bed. Skywind, startled by their sudden entrance, fell backwards onto the floor and yelped in pain.

"Dad?! What are you doing in my room?!"

"Jeshica! I'm so glad to see you!" He spluttered. "Listen, I… I'm sorry, I haven't spoken to you in a while. I was so distracted by this stupid quest that I… well, I forgot what's really important to me. So, I read your scrolls. Every note, every calculation… and I like it."

"You do?" The princess gasped. "W-which part of it?"

"Are you kidding me? All of it! It's brilliant!" The king praised his daughter. "And such brilliant ideas deserve to be applied. So, after we arrange for a meeting with the Commission, I want to make you Mewni's official Prime Minister! Responsible for all trade deals, political gatherings, crop rotation, and much more! If you feel up to the job of course."

"Dad, this is wonderful! I accept!" Jeshica hugged her father, tight, jumping up and down in excitement. Then, she took her male companion into her arms and gave him a long, loving kiss. It wasn't until she remembered that her father was still present that she pushed herself off of her lover. The princess shifted uncomfortably in place and stepped closer to the boy. "Um, dad… this is my fiance. Duke Spiderbite of the Spiderbite Kingdom."

"Oh…" Skywind was flabbergasted. "W-well, it's nice to meet you, my boy."

"The pleasure is all mine, your majesty." The Duke bowed, awkwardly.

"So… uh, when's the big date?"

"Um… a few weeks from today."

Skywind's heart sank. His own child was getting married, and he hadn't even heard about it until the last minute. "Oh, I see." He said, sadly. "Well, I should probably get these scrolls ready for your presentation for the Commission. And, uh… I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together." The king slowly made his way to the grand hall of the castle, letting a single tear slide down his cheek.

"Wait…!" Jeshica spoke up, again. The king stopped in his tracks and quickly turned on his heels. "I mean… if you're not busy, we'd really appreciate it if you made an appearance."

"... really?"

"Yeah…" She smiled, tearfully. "I know it would really make me happy… daddy."

A warm feeling swelled in Skywind's chest, as his daughter's radiant smile reflected onto his own face. At last, he opened his arms and brought her in for a loving embrace. "Then I wouldn't miss it for the world." He whispered. "Oh! I have something to show you! Come with me!"

Before the two lovebirds could respond, Skywind grabbed both of them by the arm and dragged them into his study. Jeshica was horrified to see all of his accumulated notes on his two-decade quest had all been burned to ashes. "Wha-what is this?" She gasped. "I thought you were trying to rebuild Dimension 811? Try to give the worms their home back?"

"I was." The king nodded. "But not anymore. These studies are no longer needed for my quest."

"You found a way to rebuild the dimension?"

"No. Sadly, I didn't." He explained. "But I did find another dimension similar to their home. It has no predators and plenty of vegetation. And I would like you, and your betrothed, to join me… to finally see this quest through to the end."

"Dad, I… this is so exciting!" Jeshica squealed with delight. "I've always wanted to visit another dimension with you!"

"Then what're we waiting for?" Taking out his inter-dimensional scissors, Skywind opened a portal and motioned towards the vortex. "Shall we be off, Ms. Prime Minister and… I-I'm sorry, what's your first name, son?"

"Alonso." The Duke replied, happily.

Skywind's eyes widened and his mouth went dry. Jeshica had never seen her father look so surprised in her entire life. "You're kidding me…" He said, at last.

"What?" The boy didn't understand why his ruler was suddenly grinning from ear to ear.

"Here's something I've always wanted to do…" Skywind took the children's hands into his own, his smile growing ever wider. "ALLONS Y, ALONSO!"

With that, the King of Hours and his two fellow travels stepped through the portal into Dimension 812.

Ticktock, the clock talks,

But secret are its powers.

The only one to break its spell

Is Skywind, King of Hours.

To Be Continued!

After giving it a lot of thought, I decided that denying Jeshica and Dirhenno their own chapters would disrupt the whole point of this fan fiction. So, get ready to learn about the brief chapter of Jeshica, the Girl-King!