Forgotten Ventures

Ch. 1

New Beginning

~ EDIT ~

The Darkness was absolute, and in its scale, there was no end.

As one man walked alone through the void, he came across a sight like water in a desert.

Before him was a fire, a lowly campfire whose flames gave of a green light, both comforting and cold. He stood just far enough from its reach that he felt neither the heat of the flame, nor the cold of its light, and yet? He felt drawn to it. In its flickering flames there came a promise of power, a power he so desperately needed to see his goals achieved. But still he remained just shy of its reach, for with that promise of power came a treacherous sickness, a lust for strength and revenge to fill him until he was completely and utterly broken.

The man scowled at the flame.

It was so much, yet so little. It was a testament to what he had lost, and the fragility of what he had left. It was the battle that had been raging in his homelands for centuries, it was the battle within that burned for justice where there was only suffering. But most of all, it was just a piece of her, a mere fragment of what he could scavenge. As he stood on the precipice of recreation and resurrection, this force was both standing in his way, and the only way forward. He knew better than to take it, he knew that by taking it, he would sign away all that he was, and all that she had been. But without it, he would never have peace. He would never be whole again.

So, as he had been commanded, by that darkness from just beyond the horizon, he took a step closer. Closer to the fire, but closer to her.

The flames brought warmth, they soothed his aching bones, and they filled the hollowness of his heart. He could feel the soft embrace of those he'd lost, as for the first time since he'd lost her, he felt like he was complete. The humble little campfire was happy to give more, letting him step closer to fill his thirst and warm his spirit. It blazed a brighter green and filled him with memories he'd all but forgotten, and the man felt his suspicions ebb into the darkness. No longer was he surrounded by the void, but instead, given the soft glow of a life he'd left behind. A life that was stolen from him.

But, with that promise of peace and contentedness, the fire drew him closer with the promise of power.

He could see in the flames a rolling vengeance, and a plan seen through to the end. He could see his strength given no limit, and he could see his enemies brought to heel before him. He was all powerful with the flames before him, and there were none who could stop him. An absolute might that would fuel his lust for greatness and the demise of those who had wronged him: The Mewmans.

They had committed every atrocity imaginable to his people, they had wiped his kind from existence, and still they hungered for more. He could see that that hunger would lead to the starvation of his soul, with no subjugation of revenge great enough to sate it. In the fire before him, he saw that hunger, but he also saw the means to end it. He could fix his broken world, he could mend the torn countries to what they were in the age of… Those two. For a small price to pay, he could be whole again, and so could she.

The man lost to the darkness, betrayed by his gods, and stripped of his spirit, took a final step closer to the flames within his soul. He knelt down, and gently reached for the insignificant blaze, and at his touch, it roared to life, igniting the void with a blinding green. The burning heat of the campfire consumed him, a fire that could never be satisfied burning away everything he had left. His memories, his emotions, his plans, it ate them all and burned them into something new. Something twisted against the darkness.

But despite the pain, despite the way her power ate at his very being, he relished in it. Perhaps it was by some twist of his mind, but he saw himself brought closer to her. Her magic was going to be her salvation, and through him, she would be brought back. Through him, they would fall. All of them would burn…

The man jolted back, his eyes wrenched shut against the light of the campfire. He struggled to restrain the magical power coursing through his veins, igniting his blood into a hellstorm. He needed to keep control, he needed to fight back, or he would be corrupted, and consumed.

Little by little, the flames crept back, forced towards the fire pit as the man hissed out a breath of agony. It was torture trying to control her strength, but he was winning. For now, he was still in control, and her magic was letting him in. That being had made good on it's promise, and he now felt an ocean of power at his fingertips. He felt all of her might at his disposal, and soon, she would be brought back by the very same magic that now consumed him.

He smiled for the first time since he had lost her.

"I'm coming for you, my love. Wait for me, and forgive me for what I do. I may be broken when you return, but you can fix me, I know it. I will atone, and you will live through their sacrifice."

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

It was a fair morning in the sprawling and ever-changing kingdom of Mewni when the sun finally broke free of the dark horizon, illuminating the rich purple sky into a subtle pink. To the Northeast, the Jagged mountains stood high, guarding the land below like towering sentinels of rock and stone. to the Northwest, the shores of the waterfolk kingdom glistened like an ocean of jewels.

And at the center of the wide and waking kingdom sat its capital, a soon-to-be bustling hub of trade, produce and wares, but at the center of that? There one could find Castle Butterfly, a looming structure of warm, pastel colors and imposing stone. It stood proud against the horizon for miles around, and in the capital it brought a sense of security against the rabble of the outside world. Around the illustrious castle, Villagers began rising from their sleep to begin a new and glorious day, as some members of the kingdom found sleep to be a much sweeter promise than what the day had to offer.

Star slept soundly in her sprawling bed, letting a few soft snores escape as the smell of morning dew wafted through the window. After a long night of pre-partying, it was hard to say exactly when she finally managed to fall asleep, but she was hardly to be blamed. Excitement will keep even the most hardened warriors awake.

A few brave and warm rays of sunlight blazed across the Jagged mountains before the sunrise and made their way into Star's room, filling it with radiant oranges and yellows as they came to rest against Star's disfigured sleeping form. Some wisps of her abating dream told her she had something to do, or at the very least, she was expected to do something and wouldn't, but she was too enraptured by her snooze to give in yet.

"Uuggghhh," she groaned as the hours of sleep she had endured had left her craving more. "Five more minutes Manfred," she mumbled to no-one as the sun lit up her bedroom even further, the minutes ticking by. She smacked her lips, rolling around amongst a plethora of bedsheets, trying to grasp at her fleeting dreams. Oddly enough, they involved a remarkable amount of chips and cheese, a weird land she felt like she recognized, and someone whose company brought her immeasurable comfort. A boy… His eyes… they were deep pools of chocolate she could drown in…

Suddenly, she bolted upright and a broad, toothy smile flared across her face. "Oh, my, corn! It's finally here! It's here, it's here, it's here!" she shrieked before roaring out of bed and across her room, carefully avoiding the scattered messes to begin preparing for the big day. Her 14th birthday, to be exact.

It had been a tradition going back generations- as most traditions did -for the next queen of mewni to receive the most prized and coveted artifact of the royal family: The royal magic wand. The single most powerful artifact for magic wielding in the universe.

"Jeez! What time is it!? Why didn't anyone wake me up!?" she complained as she nearly pulled her knee-length blonde hair from her head in a frenzied attempt to straighten it.

"AHHHHH! I have so much to do today! I hope I'll have time to use it after the ceremony! Ponyhead's gonna lose. Her. Mind!" She thought aloud as she almost tore her dress putting it on. Truthfully, the ceremony wasn't until eight, and she easily could have slept another hour and still had time for breakfast. But for Star Butterfly, she didn't want to waste a single moment of today on such trivial things as eating, or walking. No no no, those activities were for people who didn't possess a magic wand.

As she saw it, she had next to no real chores or duties to complete before the event, which meant that her schedule was clear as crystal for whatever drew her interest. She could practically hear the Warnicorn Forest calling her name as she frantically ran out of her room and down the castle stairs, destroying a considerable amount of decor in the process. She slowed her pace as she stepped by the empty throne room, peeking around the doorway. When no nobles, dukes, squires, knights, or parents could be seen, she sprinted through the hall past the kitchen, around the bend, and past the large rotunda of an entrance.

"Finally," she breathed as she hurriedly dashed out of the castle and down the slowly crowding street towards the city's entrance. She was careful not to be seen by the royal guard, not that she wasn't allowed to leave, but mostly so she wouldn't have to hear her mother drone on about duty and responsibility and image and blah blah blah. Again... 'Really, what's the point of a grand ceremony if I can't make a grand entrance?' She thought to herself as she began sprinting down the busy street, "it's my birthday, so mama Star's gonna party how she want's."

O - O - O - O -O -O -O

There were only thirty minutes until the ceremony was due to begin, and there had been no sign of a reckless Princess since the castle wound up for the day's preparations. Queen Moon Butterfly stood next to her husband, King River Johansen-Butterfly at the apex of the throne room, a growing crown of subjects and nobles pouring in from outside, and growing more impatient by the moment. Though, they weren't alone in that regard, as the Queen took to checking the grandmother clock to her right every twelve seconds.

"River, don't you think we should consider postponing the ceremony?" she asked as the two began the arduous process of allowing their servants to prepare them for the event. She didn't much care for all the pomp and prep that came with being royalty, nor keeping face amongst a slew of rivaling royal families, but as today was the single most important day of her daughters life so far, she would have to make due. Although it became more apparent as the minutes ticked by, that that sentiment was not shared by her daughter. "I hardly feel comfortable allowing her to wield the kingdom's strongest weapon and tool so freely before she's had more proper training. Perhaps just a few more weeks, just to be sure there won't be any issue in front of the kingdom?"

In truth, Moon had given Star plenty of training, but it wasn't a foreign idea that any type of teachings given to her daughter fell upon deaf ears. Countless hours of classes often resulted in Star simply doodling, or drooling about using the wand. It was a terrifying prospect, but River wasn't as familiar as Moon was with Star's...antics.

"Nonsense, my dear!" King River replied happily, stroking his parted blonde beard, "She'll have all the training she needs from the spellbook once she's ready, and you know that more training isn't going to break her Johansen spirit! Haha! I'm sure she'll do just fine!" Though his smile faded as his wife nervously paced about the throne room, shooing away her attendants.

"But what if she's not ready? Surely we can wait a short while longer before allowing her to start destroying the kingdom." Moon asked as she began fidgeting with the wand in her hands. "I'm worried about her, River. This is a 'big deal', as she would say, the entire Kingdom will be watching, and we can't let her ruin a reputation she's already all but trampled into the dirt!"

"Moonpie, you know as well as I do that she doesn't care for her reputation, she just cares about being who she was meant to be: Star Butterfly," he offered, "We just have to see what happens, my love. If she isn't ready to use the wand, then we can consider more drastic measures. Remember, she's still young, and far from being as skilled as you were at her age."

"That may very well be true", Moon speculated, still not happy with his proposal, "But the circumstances of my 'training' were far different, you know that. I pray she never has to go through what I did, and I also recognize that her needs do not match my own. But we can't afford to take any chances, we have to-"

"You worry too much, Moon-pie," River interrupted as he grabbed her hands to stop her pacing, and pulled her closer. For all his shortcomings and faults, he knew how to captivate her attention, and he knew how to calm the storm of her nerves. "We just have to let her try. We can manage that much I'm sure?"

Moon wore a nervous but tired look on her face. She hadn't been sleeping much in the days prior, but she softened her frown and smiled as she kissed the top of her king's head. "I don't like it, but I suppose we can. Come. We don't have long before the ceremony is due to begin," she said, moving to take her place, and shooing a cluster of crumbs from the King's beard.

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

Meanwhile, across the protected fields of corn and farmlands surrounding the kingdom, Star found herself creeping behind a massive warnicorn. His mane was long, but strikingly fierce, his horn sharp and ready to skewer anything that got too close. His body was covered in scars, and what seemed like...were those tattoos?

"He's just a big 'ole sweetheart, aren't you, handsome?" Star mused, creeping closer through the waterweeds. As the warnicorn drank from the shallow pond nestled amongst the trees, she darted out from the rustling bushes and jumped onto the back of the beast, her hands gripping its mane as it took to screaming and bucking wildly, snorting in fury.

"Haha! Look who just became my new favorite warnicorn! That's right cutie pie, it's yoouuu!" She yelled as the muscular and brutally rageful monster of a warnicorn fought to regain its freedom from the unruly little blonde on its back.

"C'mon honeybear! We have a ceremony to get to!" She yelled before digging her heels into his ribs. 'HoneyBear' reared back in snarling frustration and took off, thundering down the dirt road as Star effortlessly steered him towards the castle. She smiled from heart crested cheek to heart crested cheek as she got closer, hoping to make it in time for the best day of her life. So far.

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

"River. I'm beginning to worry. Where do you think she's run off to?" The queen asked. The ceremony began fifteen minutes ago and they hadn't heard a word from the knights and servants about where Star could be. Not that this was the first time, but on such a day as this, 'of all days,' she seethed.

"Don't fret, love. Do you really think OUR daughter would miss such an event as this? Say what you will about her punctuality, or her commitment to her duties, or… well her responsibility as a noble in any regard… But surely she wouldn't miss this for the world," the king replied in a bored and tired voice.

As if on cue, the floor of the castle began rumbling, like the whole room was having a private Mewniquake as Moon's eyes snapped open at the realization. "Oh no. Please. NO NO NO!" The queen silently yelled as the doors of the throne room suddenly burst open, splintering to pieces as a crazed, massive, and VERY angry warnicorn thundered in, its hooves sparking against the stone.

The snorting beast trampled and ran about the throne room, scaring everyone in it except for one, completely elated person: The young princess riding it. She beamed her parents a smile while her steed boomed ever closer to the thrones, her laugh echoing through the halls as the crowd of nobles and peasants alike scattered and screamed.

The warnicorn began running straight for the king and queen, who wisely ducked to avoid it, though they both shared an unfazed and bored expression, as if they had been through such an event before. Star easily dismounted the creature in a graceful backflip before it slammed head first into the wall behind the thrones. The wall exploded into chunks of rock and wooden bracing as the warnicorn shot through, surely seeking to wreak havoc on the townspeople in the distance. But that was someone else's problem.

After landing and regaining her composure, Star eagerly bit her lip and began cackling as she reached for the magic wand she coveted. Though, she found that with each lunge for the artifact, it was pulled further out of her reach."Star," Moon began with a warning tone as her eager daughter repeatedly tried to grab the object of ultimate power and subjugation in the universe, "This wand is a big responsibility."

No doubt an understatement given in layman's terms even Star could understand.

"If it were to fall into the wrong hands, the universe could be destroyed!" she warned, keeping her daughter at bay as best she could, "There are forces out there that would stop at nothing to see this kingdom brought to ruin, and this wand is capable of doing so in an instant." But her words were nothing compared to the screaming excitement of every fiber in Star's body as she swiped the wand from her mother's hands.

Within seconds, the wand began to glow as it was enveloped in a purple swirl of magic. It continued to glow white-hot as it transformed from a gilded handle with a gem on the top, to more of an excitable purple semi sphere with a handle capped by a heart. Two white wings fluttered on either side of the flat face that was decorated with a yellow star-shaped gem surrounded by hearts.

Star gasped as she held the new wand close to her face, eagerly taking in every detail of its new design. Her eyes bulging out of her head, she finally managed to calm down, presenting herself as she figured a princess would during such an occasion. She twirled the wand around casually in an attempt to dispel her parents' look of dismay, eager to show them what she could do.

"Don't worry mom. I can tooootally handle it!" Star offered with an enthusiastic smile draped across her face. Though the next five minutes filled with fire, terrified screams, and all manner of horrific sounds of a kingdom in disarray? They begged to differ completely.

"She can't handle it," Both rulers affirmed together in a flat, but completely unsurprised tone as they watched the kingdom fall apart. Given how quickly Star had nearly destroyed the entire kingdom, it was safe to say that one of them was undeniably right.

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

"Noooooo!" Star cried loudly as she was dragged across the castle ground, clutching the Queen's dress in her hands. Royal knights had been loading her things onto a large carriage pulled by massive creatures that resembled chimeras, seemingly unfazed by the display. "I can be good! Please don't send me to St. Olga's reform school for wayward princesses!" She let out an ear piercing scream at the mere thought of being sent to such a sinister place, but it fell upon deaf ears.

"Sweetheart. We're not sending you there." River offered calmly, coaxing Star to finally stop screaming.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, dusting off her dress and meeting her parents with an anxious grin. She was relieved at that statement, but that relief was quickly cut off as the queen muttered, "Yet," in a dry tone. She eyed Star with an apprehensive gaze as her husband spoke. Not that she was justly angry, but in part due to the fact that she'd spent forty minutes repairing the kingdom, apologizing to the subjects, and coming to terms with her next decision.

"We're sending you away to erm… 'train' in a safer dimension," he pointed out, "A place called Earth."

Star felt a chill plunge down her spine as a strange feeling washed over her. She didn't know exactly what it was, but something about this new place seemed to scream at her. It sparked feelings of comfort, jealousy, fear, and… love? "Earth?" She questioned, listing her head to the side. Images flashed through her mind of that land from her dream, like a fleeting memory with more...cheese. And triangles. 'And... that face...' she thought, unable to move.

"Manfred! Open the portal!" River shouted as Star was shown onto the carriage. Manfred delicately prepared a pair of scissors and thrust them into the air in front of the carriage. Instead of breezing through the air, the blades caught onto a rift, and cut through the very fabric of space itself. As he began cutting upwards, the rift split wider until he grabbed both sides and widened it to a large circle big enough for the carriage.

Shaking her thoughts to the back of her mind, Star muttered, "Goodbye, Mewni", to herself as she leaned out the back window of the carriage, wondering when she'd next see the beautiful pink sky and magnificent towering structures of her homeland.

The party rode forward through the portal, sent off to another part of space that beckoned to her in a familiar way she couldn't quite comprehend yet. Though no-one saw a strange, muscular, frog-like creature cowering behind the bushes, watching as the Royal family embarked for another dimension.

"Heh heh heh heh", it laughed to itself as it sank down into the bushes. What a good day it was, now that he stood ready to report the new information that Star Butterfly, and more importantly, her wand, had left the safety of mewni.

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

In the distant dimension that housed the planet Earth, earlier that same day, the sun crept out from behind the city skyline in the distance as the small town of Echo Creek, California was just starting to wake up. The soft orange sky began to take on a bluish tint as the minutes crept by, and the air was warmed by the rays of light that began to wash over everything in sight.

In a small house, tucked to the side of town and littered with cacti and sculptures, a young fourteen-year-old Marco Diaz was wrestled from his sleep by the coming day. He groggily opened his eyes and yawned as he rose from his bed and began his morning routine. A shower, brushing his teeth, picking out a suitable outfit; He had a big day today, filled with squire duties, swordsmanship training, and of course, hanging out with his bestie.

As he got dressed, and the hours of sleep were shaken from his body, he reminisced over the festivities he'd get to take part in throughout the day. Visiting another dimension with Star, exploring Mewni, training with the few knights that actually liked him, and much more. It was a thrilling life for an otherwise ordinary person, but he loved every second of the otherworldly adventure.

Finally dressed for the day, Marco smiled. It had taken a lot to get here. A lot of sacrifice, a lot of awkward situations, and… well a lot of mistakes. But today, that was going to change. Today he would try to put all that behind him and more forward as Star's loyal friend, and hope that she would share the same sentiment. They'd forget the awkward moments and just live, like old times, before things got so complicated.

He reached for the door, about to leave his room when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Craning his neck towards the door to listen, he heard familiar voices from outside. Voices he hadn't heard in weeks, and upon realizing that they belonged to his parents, he furrowed his brows, releasing his grip from the doorknob.

"That's… weird..." he shuddered as he backed towards the center of his room. There was no way his parents could be outside. It wasn't like it was impossible, but...they should be in another dimension. The Earth dimension, he thought to himself. With no scissors of their own, how did they get there? And why had they showed up unannounced? It wasn't unlike them, but they knew better than to crash a royal palace. Not that he did.

He was confused, and suspecting a surprise in the works, but one look at his window told him all he needed to know. The sun was shining gracefully out over the sky, which blazed a calm, cool, collected… Blue.

"No..." he muttered softly. "The sky on Mewni is... pink... right?" He knew it had always been that way, as he had spent close to four months on Mewni. The soft color of the atmosphere outside chilled him as he took a step closer to the window.

"There's no way. How is that even possible..." he said softly with a look of complete confusion and worry on his face. Maybe some form of magic on Star's part had shaken things up. But no, Queen Moon would have fixed it, or at least annoyed Star enough for her to fix it.

"There's no way." He repeated again, this time with an expression that dared the world to prove him wrong. He knew he was on Mewni. There was no way he couldn't be, besides a drunken bender that took him to his home dimension, or another kidnapping. But after opening his door, and stepping outside into the hall, he took in the chilling surroundings.

Before him was the quaint hallway of his childhood home. Exactly how it had always been. He glared at the world around him, expecting his best friend to be playing a joke on him. But as he walked down the warm wooden stairs to the living room, he was only further proven wrong, as it was exactly as he remembered. Right down to the worn stairs he stepped over, creaking in the exact same ways.

'How did... I should still be on Mewni...' He thought to himself. He would have spent the next lifetime contemplating where he really was, or if this was some kind of game, had it not been for a familiar voice that jarred him out of his thinking.

"Que paso, mijo! It's a nice day for school! Though, if you don't hurry, you might miss the bus," His father, Raphael Diaz shouted from the kitchen. He and his wife, Angie Diaz, were sitting at the dining room table, idly chatting as Marco approached them. His mouth dropped open for the third time since waking up, while he simply stared at the space around him. Everything was so real, had he really gone home and forgotten?

"Mom? Dad? Do you uh… do you know what I'm doing here?" He asked, hoping they could enlighten him on the situation. "I think I might have come home by mistake, and I'm sorry I didn't call first. Unless I did?" He was hopeful for some answers, but they weren't going to be as helpful as he had hoped.

"Well mijo, we do live here too. At least, when we aren't on vacation." Raphael replied with a chuckle. Marco stared for a moment before shaking his head, careful to avoid a classic 'Marco-moment' for no reason. There was every chance he was on Earth, but where were his scissors? How did he forget everything… no, he still remembered last night, he and Star had stayed up late watching 'Frankenfest!'. He had to be on Mewni, and something was up.

"No, you don't. How did you get to Mewni? Why does the castle have more of the house here?" Marco caught his breath. "Where's Star?" he asked with an anxious look. Maybe the spell she had used on his room had spread? Or grown? If so, Star could be in danger-

"Marco, are you feeling okay?" His mother asked, suddenly more concerned, "Who's Star? And what is this 'Mewni' you're talking about?"

His father asked, equally concerned, "Did you have a dream that stuck with you? Was it a nightmare, mijo?"

"No, you guys. This is serious," Marco replied dryly, getting angry. He didn't want to give in to frustration, but there was a chance they were under some sort of spell too. "Star! My best friend! She lives just on the other side of the castle!" Marco shouted as he headed for the door. "I'll show you!" This was getting annoying, and he didn't want to miss out on his duties, waiting for Star to jump out or for someone to finally let him in on the joke.

He marched to the door and opened it quickly, fully expecting to see a sprawling village or a towering castle to prove this was all a joke. He instead froze in place, staring through the threshold in shock, as all the color drained from his face. Outside his front door stood none of the splendor and scenery of a castle, but a simple street with a pleasant morning sky shining above it. The same street he grew up on, in the same city he grew up in.

"Son, if you feel under the weather, tell us. We won't send you to school if you're sick." His father asked in a steady voice. But Marco wasn't giving up. "No dad, I don't feel sick. Im fine, just...sick of the joke at this point," he replied, keeping his jaw set as he stared out the door.

He heaved a shaky breath and turned around, feeling as though he was dreaming. There was a different feeling in the air as he walked calmly to the living room, searching for any sign of Star. However, there was none. No laser puppies, no picture of her, no movies on the floor, but most shockingly, there was no damage.

"Dad, do you know anything about an exchange student that stays here?" he asked calmly, but with a tinge of his classic worry leaking through.

Seeing the look on his son's face, Raphael began to take on an edge of seriousness as well, leaning forward and setting his morning paper down. "My boy, we haven't had any visitors stay here for at least a year. Are you... sure you're okay?" he asked, chancing a look at Angie.

Taking a slow breath to calm his nerves, Marco spoke with ease, a practice he had perfected with Star, whenever she got on his nerves. "Yeah... I'm fine," he answered, giving his parents a smile, "Dad, what day is it by the way? just curious."

Raphael looked at Angie, who shrugged, and returned his gaze to Marco. "Well mijo, it's January 18th. Why?"

Marco reeled as he began to silently question how far this would go, if this was really a spell or a prank, and how detailed they all planned to make it. He was probably actually on Earth, but surely they were both in on this. It definitely stunk of Star, the more he thought about it.

"And uh...what...year is it...?" For some reason, he felt as though he didn't want to hear the answer to that question, but part of him was also sure that any second now, Star would just jump out and surprise him, so there was no need to worry. Maybe this was all a prank.

"The year? It's still twenty fifteen, Marco, now tell us what's wrong, what's gotten into you?" His mother asked impatiently. She didn't want to let him go to school when he was asking such strange questions, but he suddenly calmed down completely, releasing a slow, almost laughing breath.

"Okay. Thanks, mom. Yeah, I guess I just had a bad dream or something. Don't worry about it," he replied as he calmly walked to the kitchen to collect his waiting bag. So detailed...

"Are you sure?" Angie asked, still concerned with his well being as he leaned in to give her a quick hug, pulling back to smile at them both. He looked fragile, especially so whenever he looked around. He was normally pretty wound up, but this was different.

"Yeah, mom. I'm fine," he lied, still reeling from the realization that he wasn't in the same dimension that he fell asleep in. Or maybe he was,, and it was a horrific amalgam of the two? "I just need to get to school, see some friends, get some fresh air and I'm sure I'll feel better."

'There's no way this could be real. Star couldn't pull off a prank like this.' He thought to himself. But that nagging feeling that something was wrong wouldn't yield, no matter what.

'I'll have to play along and catch her off guard. I don't know what she bribed my parents with, but I'll catch her mid-slip and ruin this lousy prank. As if I have time for this, Star.'

Marco slowly walked to the door with an uneasy smile and waved his parent's goodbye. They were certainly committed, he noted. As he slipped out and closed the door behind him, Raphael turned to Angie with worry in his eyes and asked, "Who is this 'Star' person he is asking about? A girl from school?"

Angie looked at the door and sighed, her eyes creasing with unease. She knew Marco better than anyone, and she'd never seen him like this. "I have no idea. Hopefully… it's nothing serious."

Marco walked quickly to the bus stop, drinking in his surroundings and marveling at the detail put into it. An eager grin was plastered on his face as he pondered how he would catch Star in the act. As the bus rolled around the corner, two boys walked up behind him and gave him a pat on the back, their mannerisms and volume giving them away immediately.

"Marco! What's up, player! You look like you just rolled out of bed. Hope you're ready for Miss Skullnick's test today!" Ferguson teased, though he could see Alphonsos nervous expression from a mile away. "Not that… I don't think it'll be so bad. Probably just a quiz anyway." Shaking off the realization that he didn't even know what material it was over, Fergussen turned back to the new arrival. He was excitable at the best of times, and now was no exception, but he quickly fizzled into silence as he saw Marcos' face sink at his words.

Jeez, did everyone forget to study?

"She got you too huh?" Marco asked with a defeated sigh. What could she have possibly bribed Fergusson with? Not that he really wanted to know at this point. Ferguson looked at him, and after a few seconds rolled by, he smiled wryly.

"Well, yeah dude, everyone has to take the test, that's kind of how they work." At Marco's blank stare, Fergs offered an eye roll, folding his arms at his friend's stupor. "You guys must really think she has it out for you, huh?"

"She does though!" Alphonso shouted, "I'm pretty sure she eats kids! Handing out surprise tests isn't that far of a jump!"

Marco chuckled and shook his head before beaming a wide smile at Ferguson and Alphonzo. "I really hope this is all just some joke. Guess I'll just have to see what she has planned huh?"

Ferguson looked surprised, but before Alphonzo could ask what the heck that cryptic bit of cynicism was supposed to mean, the bus pulled around the corner to pick the three up. They awkwardly shuffled and climbed aboard sitting down near the back, but no one said a word. Marco decided to wisely sit alone, his smile fading slowly as he began to question his own theory.

'They have to be in on it. This is the same bus I used to ride every day, so it wouldn't be hard for Star to mimic this part. But when I get to school? Ohhh yeah, it'll alllll fall apart.' He grinned at nothing, but that pang of unease was still there. Something was wrong,, and whether it was a prank, a busted spell,, or something worse, he had every intention of finding out at school.

"I just… hope you're okay."

AUTHORS NOTE

Hello people of Fanfiction! Thank you so much for checking out my work, which is an adaptation of the Disney show, Star Vs. The Forces of Evil. I DO NOT own anything, I mean, 'cept the characters I made up, like, cmon.

~ EDIT ~

This chapter has been edited.

I am going through the story to correct errors, fill in gaps, and basically polish things up.

For those of you who have already read the story, I started it with zero literary skills, no prior history, and I went from there, as you no doubt noticed. I'm sure you've seen how the quality improves, and I want the whole story to hold to that improvement. So, if you see the EDIT up there, that means I've edited the chapter. Simple, right? If you haven't read the story yet, well, you'll notice what kind of improvement I mean once you get ahead of the edits. Hopefully I can sweep through and make it pretty, less cringy, and more fun for you.

ANYWAYS! This story was started near the end of season three, basically right after Booth Buddies came out, so that's where my immediate frame of reference starts, and ends. You'll understand as you go, trust me. You've hopefully read the synopsis, so that's Marco's reference, and yours too :D

Be patient, this story was a learning process, and damn did I learn a lot. Thanks for your consideration, and I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to leave a review if ya did, and I hope to see you further down the line! Thanks and see you soon! BUH BYYYEEE!

~Mr. Ronald Reagan