Multiverse Heroes: Magical Destinies(AmphibiaxSVTFOExTOH)

Back in Mewni castle, Marco, Anne, Luz, Marcy and Amity were on the search for Sasha, hoping to tell her about Hekapoo's return.

"Sasha! Where are you!?" Marco called.

"We got a surprise for you!" Anne hollered.

"Yeah, it's literally out of this world!" Luz joked.

Marco scratched his head in curiousity, "She's not here. Where could see be?"

"Well it is a big castle, there's only so much ground we can cover," Amity pointed out.

"Should we try splitting up?" Marcy asked.

"Hold on a sec, let's think it through," Marco said. "Didn't Sasha mention needing to talk to Grime?"

"Right, she did," Anne said.

"Where is Grime?" Marco asked.

"Probably in Amphibia," Luz said.

"So let's go there quickly," Marco said, pulling out his scissors. "We'll find Sasha, and Higgs, and let both of them know about Hekapoo coming back with her team."

"Sounds good to me," Anne said.

"Also, Anne, you can tell Sasha that you're dating Luz," Marcy said. "I'd love to see her reaction."

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she said, 'called it'," Marco said.

"Yeah, she was pretty jealous at first that I made friends with Anne so fast," Luz said. "Now I'm her girlfriend."

"Hey if she gets mad, then you can really tick her off by making out in front of her," Amity teased.

"Amity!" Luz scolded.

"I'm just teasing," Amity said.

"Say, did you two actually kiss yet?" Marcy asked, earning a blush from both girls.

"Uh...well..." Luz awkwardly rubbed her head.

"...We did, actually," Anne bashfully admitted.

"Already kissing? Wow, you two must really be in love," Amity teased, much to the annoyance of the girls.

"Come on Amity, it's embarrassing to talk about," Luz said. "Especially in front of you."

"Why? I told you I'm not jealous," Amity insisted. "Not like Anne got together with you just to spite me. Right Anne?"

"No way I would do something like that," Anne said. "But, Luz did have feelings for you once so she might feel like she's being unfaithful to you."

Amity looked genuinely confused, "But we never dated. I admit that I liked Luz as well but since we weren't dating, neither of you did anything bad."

"You're right Amity, they didn't do anything bad, but they might feel like they have," Marco said. "I know from experience how awkward something like this can be."

"Wasn't that because of the Blood Moon Curse?" Amity asked.

"Uh..." Marco bashfully rubbed his head. "Well, that's partially true. But it goes beyond that as well."

Marcy looked momentarily confused, "Marco, is there something I should know about?"

"Uh, no, not at all," Marco said. "Look, don't worry about Star, I've made up my mind on who I want to be with."

"Oh, yeah, I'm totally fine, I have no doubts," Marcy said. "But just in case something is worrying you, I hope I'm the first to hear about it."

"You will be, I promise," Marco said, using the scissors to open the portal to Wartwood. "Come on, we're wasting time."

Marco went into the portal, followed by Anne and Luz. Amity began stepping through, momentarily turning to face a slightly concerned Marcy.

"Hey, you're not having any worries yourself, are you?" Amity asked.

"Who me? Why would I worry?" Marcy asked.

"So you're not concerned about Marco's friendship with Star?" Amity asked.

"No way, I know I'm the only girl for Marco," Marcy said. "Uh, barring any 'fun' we might indulge in."

"Right...fun," Amity said, blushing a bit.

"What about you? Are you really alright with Luz and Anne?" Marcy asked.

Amity waved it off, "Like I said, I'm totally fine. If I wanted to date Luz, I should have made my move sooner." She then began to recall something, a slight look of disappointment forming on her face. "Well, I did but I guess that wasn't enough for her."

Marcy looked a bit concerned by the reaction on display from the witch girl, "Uh...Amity?"

Snapping out of it, Amity focused on the task ahead, "Uh, sorry, guess I spaced out."

That did concern Marcy a bit, but she knew there were other things she had to worry about. "Well, let's hurry and meet with the others."

On the other side, Marco was leading Luz and Anne through Wartwood, the latter taking a moment to survey the town.

"Feels like I haven't been here in forever, I really should check on the frogs here more, since I'm kind of their local hero," Anne said.

"What makes you their local hero?" Marco asked.

"Dude, have you not seen the statues they made of me?" Anne asked, gesturing to one nearby. "See? Pretty cool."

"...What are you doing?" Marco asked, confused by Anne's stance.

"I'm dabbing," Anne said.

"Dabbing?" Marco asked, the boy furrowing his brow. "You can't be serious! You actually bought into that craze!?"

"Hey, dabbing's cool, right Luz?" Anne asked.

"I um, don't know a lot about trends," Luz said. "I am the local weirdo in my town after all."

"Even if she knew, she won't do it," Marco said. "Luz has self-respect."

"And what is that supposed to mean!?" Anne asked in disbelief.

"Uh, guys?" Luz asked.

"You know exactly what it means, doing something that's trendy never works out, because it goes out of style in like five minutes," Marco said.

"Guys...?" Luz said, trying to get their attention.

"It only goes out of style because of haters like you who feel the need to ruin everyone's fun!" Anne shouted.

"Guys...!?" Luz shouted, still not getting their attention.

"At least our fun isn't built by fraudulence!" Marco said.

"¡Ey! ¡Deja de discutir ahora mismo!" Luz shouted, finally getting their attention.

"Whoa, chill Luz, we're standing right here," Anne said.

Luz narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend, "Don't you get cute with me."

"Probably better to focus on finding Sasha," Marco said. "Let's go see if Buff Frog knows."

"We can also check the Sundew House," Anne suggested. "Maybe the Flour house too."

"All good ideas, let's start with the first," Marco said, leading the girls away.

Emerging not too far away were Amity and Marcy, the two looking for their trio of friends.

"I hope Anne, Marco and Luz didn't get too far ahead of us," Marcy noted.

"They should be around," Amity said. "Who do you think they would ask first?"

"Probably Buff Frog," Marcy said.

"Do you know where he lives?" Amity asked.

"I think so," Marcy said. "If anything we can find Grime. I think he's residing at the Sundew House."

"Alright, let's check there," Amity said and followed Marcy.

At Buff Frog's house, Marco along with Anne and Luz had made themselves comfortable among the young tadpoles running around.

"Wow, they grew up fast," Marco commented. "They all have full bodies now."

"Dah, they getting bigger every day," Buff Frog said. "Makes me proud to be their papa."

"A single parent raising so many kids, that takes dedication and determination," Luz said. "Such an admirable trait to have."

"Yeah, you're a trooper dude, "Anne said.

"All it takes is love, patience and-Hey! You two!" Buff Frog focused on two of his sons who seemed to be playing hockey with a mop, broom and a rock. "That is outside game! If you break another window, that comes from your allowance!"

"Okay..." the boys picked their stuff up and left the house.

"Do not go too far, and do not bother Mr. Flour for more muffins, you will ruin your appetite for dinner, again," Buff Frog said.

"Way to lay down the law," Anne said.

"For real," Marco said. "But as for why we came here, have you seen Sasha by any chance?"

"Sasha? She is blonde girl, correct?" Buff Frog asked.

"Yeah, with a scar on her face," Anne said.

"How did she get that scar?" Luz asked.

"She lost a swordfight against me," Anne confirmed.

Marco curiously glanced at Anne, "You scarred her face?"

"Hey, I didn't want to fight her, but if I didn't, this town would have been enslaved by Grime's army," Anne said. "We made peace obviously."

"It takes good comradery to move past something like that," Buff Frog said.

"Well, moving along, have you seen Sasha around, Buff Frog?" Marco asked.

"Last I saw was probably from hour ago," Buff Frog said. "She desired my assistance in bringing down the enemy. I told her I would only go if Star Butterfly ordered it. I am waiting for good plan before I fight."

"We all are, and thankfully we found some good allies," Anne said. "We were just about to let Star know, but we wanted to see if Sasha was around too. Unfortunately she is not at the castle."

"You don't think Sasha went along with her plan, do you?" Luz asked.

"No way, Sasha's nuts but she's not stupid," Marco said. "She wouldn't go after Belos and Andrias on her own, would she?"

Anne began to grow nervous, many thoughts flashing through her mind regarding her friend, as well as any worry she might feel. "I just can't see it. Sasha is headstrong and arrogant, but she's also big on strategy. If Buff Frog told her that he just needs to wait on support, then I believe that's what she's going to do."

"I hope so, she did sound a bit impatient before," Luz said. "But maybe it's just me worrying."

"Why don't we check the castle again, she might still be around," Marco said. "Better yet, maybe she and Higgs just hit the town or something."

"I hope that's all they did," Anne said. "Let's just go and double check, I do not want to take any chances."

"Yeah, we should hurry," Marco said.

Just as he was about to leave, Katrina had gotten his attention, "Hey, Marco. When would we be able to see Star again?"

"Soon, right now she's trying to help her mother out with something," Marco explained.

"Okay, let me know when she wants to play again, I'll be waiting for her," Katrina said.

"Might be soon, Star did want to host another Cornball event, and she hoped to invite some monsters this time around," Marco said.

"Uh, I do not believe that will work out," Buff Frog said. "Mewmans and monsters may not be ready to coexist."

"Give it a chance, it might work out," Marco said.

"A sporting event sounds fun, we can even invite some Frogs and Newts," Anne said. "Maybe Toads, help more worlds feel unified."

"Maybe some Witches can join too?" Luz theorized.

"I like the spirit you kids have, but do not get carried away," Buff Frog said. "Things like this must be step by step. Do too much, and you may drive many away."

"Yeah, you got a point," Marco said. "Stil, think about Star's offer, it might make her really happy."

"I do that," Buff Frog said. "I will be seeing you another time."

With that, Marco left with the two girls, both of them making their way back into town, quickly surverying the area.

Marco had one thing on his mind however, "I just remembered, we left Amity and Marcy behind."

"You left your own girlfriend behind?" Anne teased. "Shame on you Marco."

Marco furrowed his brow at the bushy haired girl, "Real funny. Keep in mind we're trying to find Sasha."

"I haven't forgotten," Anne said. "Let's go see if they're around."

"I thought we were looking for one girl, not three," Luz said.

"Technically we're looking for two," Marco pointed out.

"You know what I mean," Luz said. "But I suppose we gotta find Marcy and Amity now too, make sure everyone's all together."

"Shouldn't be too hard finding a witch and a human in a town full of Frogs," Marco said. "Let's hurry."

Meanwhile Amity and Marcy had made their way over to the Sundew House, though as they neared the residence, they spotted Grime walking over while finishing a slice of cake.

"That hit the spot," Grime commented. "So nice of Mr. Flour to give me this cake. Free of charge too. Though I wish he didn't have that look of fear in his eyes. Better than that death glare his daughters were giving me however."

"Excuse me, General Grime!" Marcy called, getting the Toad's attention.

"Ah, Marcy Wu, I see you have that witch girl with you as well," Grime pointed out.

"I'm Amity, just so you know," the girl introduced.

"Right, Amity, such a nice name," Grime said. "So, what can I do for you girls?"

"We're looking for Sasha," Marcy explained. "Have you seen her around?"

"Last I saw her, she was storming off in a huff," Grime said. "She had unsuccessfully tried to convince Buff Frog to join in a raid of the castle of Emperor Belos. Then she considered just a three-person team of her, myself and young Higgs."

"She wanted to raid Belos's castle?" Amity asked in disbelief. "That's such a stupidly risky move. Belos has security everywhere."

"Didn't she raid it before?" Marcy asked.

"Last time she had more backup," Amity said. "And even then that was risky. This time it would have just been her, Grime and a newbie. She couldn't even take over Andrias's castle with an army."

"To be fair, my army got blocked off by you girls," Grime reminded. "Had the Toads invaded, Newtopia would be ours."

"Had you invaded, your troops would have been annihilated by Andrias and Belos," Amity pointed out.

"Hey come on, let's not get into this," Marcy pleaded, then focused back on Grime. "So you haven't seen Sasha since?"

"No, it was not too long ago however, so I'm not quite worried," Grime said. "Whenever she gets angry, she usually goes off training. I'm sure she's fine, she's a tough one that Sasha is. That's why she's my Lieutenant. The pride of two Kingdoms."

"Can she be a knight for two different Kingdoms?" Marcy asked.

"I'm not against it, besides it would not harm the Toads to be allied with Mewni," Grime said.

"Well Marco did admit that he was knighted several times in the Neverzone, so Sasha being knighted twice by two different rulers is not that unusual," Amity said. "But, none of that matters right now."

"Yeah, we still need to find Sasha," Marcy said. "Let's head back to Mewni."

"Thank you for your time, General Grime," Amity said.

"My pleasure," Grime replied. "Do keep me up to date on Queen Star's plans."

"Is she still considered Queen? Her mom's back after all," Marcy said.

"Moon's not in the proper condition to take her role back yet, so Star is still the Acting Queen," Amity said.

"Right, makes sense," Marcy said. "Come on, let's hurry."

Grime waved the girls off, though a look of concern clouded his mind. "I do hope that Sasha has not done anything she should not be doing."

Eventually the two groups had reunited near the center of town, Marco being the first to call it out, "Amity! Marcy!"

"There's Marco, Luz and Anne," Marcy said, gesturing to her boyfriend and her two friends.

"Hey amigas, sorry we left you behind," Luz said.

"It's fine, we had a chance to talk to Grime, so it all worked out," Marcy said.

"That's amazing, we just had a chance to talk to Buff Frog," Marco said. "Apparently Sasha went to see him about invading Belos's castle, but he turned the idea down."

"That's what Grime said, and apparently Sasha wasn't happy," Amity said. "I think she intended to invade without assistance too, but Grime seemed to talk her out of it."

"Wait, she actually considered that?" Anne asked in disbelief.

"Sure sounds like it, but come on, would Sasha actually be that crazy?" Marcy asked, the girl feeling nervous. "I know she likes to win but even she wouldn't risk her life like that."

"Well, it is Sasha we're talking about," Luz said. "She has that fierce determination."

Anne shook her head in disagreement, "I just can't see it. Sasha's not that cocky."

"Let's just hurry back to Mewni," Marcy said, grabbing her scissors. "Hopefully there's absolutely nothing to worry about."

The girl had created a portal for her and her friends to step through, finding themselves back in the hall of Mewni Castle. Sasha was still on their minds, and the words they got from Buff Frog and Grime were still fresh in their minds as their concern for Sasha grew.

"Where should we start our search? "Marco asked.

"Grime mentioned that Sasha liked to train whenever she was mad," Amity brought up.

"Let's check the courtyard then," Marco said, leading the girls away.

Meanwhile Hunter was still waiting in his cell, the boy lamenting his situation. He still waited for the day that Belos would come for him, and hopefully his friend Cloak-Bot.

"Young man?" Came a voice. Hunter turned to face Hop Pop, the man standing near the cell.

"Who are you?" Hunter asked.

"Just a concerned man," Hop Pop said, placing his hand on the bars. "Listen sonny, I don't know what you're hoping to accomplish by just waiting here, but you know you could make life so much better for yourself if you choose to cooperate with Queen Star."

"I have nothing to cooperate about!" Hunter said. "My Uncle will be here any day now!"

"It's been weeks my boy, you should know by now that your uncle probably ain't coming," Hop Pop said. "Even if he does, it don't seem like he's even in a rush to come and save you."

"He will, he's my family, and family helps one another," Hunter said. "Now go away, I don't need to hear it from you."

Hop Pop sighed in worry, "It's such a darn shame. You're so young, with so much to live for. You shouldn't be here; you should have been out enjoying life. You've got the youth for it. Why Emperor Belos turned you into this, I will never know."

"He wanted me to be strong, that's why!" Hunter said. "In life, you can't always count on anyone to look after you. You have to be strong enough to look after yourself."

"Son, you're in a cell, waiting for someone who just ain't coming," Hop Pop pointed out, hitting Hunter a bit hard. "How are you looking after yourself, when you have to rely on someone who in all likeliness, doesn't even care about you."

"...Just go! You don't know what you're saying anyway!" Hunter shouted, angrily standing up and walking toward the Cell, staring down at the old Frog. "Who are you to lecture me anyway? Just because you're some old guy, doesn't mean you're my grandpa! You're my enemy, just like your grandkids and their human friends! I'm not letting any of you try to trick me! I can handle myself just fine!"

Hop Pop looked down in shame, before lightly chuckling to himself, "You know, you almost remind me of how I was when I was younger. I had that exact same stubbornness you do now. Some say I can still be a bit stubborn, always refusing to accept my own limitations. I'm lucky to have three great grandchildren whom I trust to always be there for me."

"Three? I thought you only had two?" Hunter asked. "That Frog Boy and the little Tadpole Girl?"

"Far as I'm concerned, Anne Boonchuy is my third grandchild," Hop Pop said. "Family isn't always blood after all, that's why Eda Clawthorn is so close to Luz Noceda, it's why she fully adopted King. Well, King took more initiative in the last part, but it showed just how close they were. Family is those who stick together, and you...well, I guess if your idea of a family is one who can let someone else wait for weeks for false hope, then I guess you have the family you want."

"..." Hunter had no immediate words, he simply took his seat again, staring against the wall. "Well, guess you all got what you wanted."

"None of us want this," Hop Pop said. "Son, I don't know you all that well, and maybe I shouldn't even care for ya given that you and Cloak-Bot have tried to hurt my grandkids. But I'm a father, or rather, was a father before I lost my son." This got Hunter' attention. "For me, seeing a young man your age caught up with this type of nonsense is not the easiest thing. I know you can do better for yourself."

Hunter still felt unsure about everything, "I just...I can't turn away now. Belos gave me a home, how do I turn against someone who raised me?"

"You might have me there, I can't exactly say I'm surprised by your loyalty," Hop Pop said. "Quite honestly, it's sickening to me knowing that someone like Belos could manipulate you like that. Even more knowing that Andrias tried doing the same to Marcy. Thank Goodness she had friends to help her. Honestly, they'd be good friends for you too. I just hope you give that a chance one day."

"That'll never happen," Hunter said. "They hate me."

"No, they're good kids, plus I hear Luz seemed fond of you," Hop Pop said, turning to make his leave. "At least consider it."

"Yeah, sure..." Hunter said, in an almost sarcastic way. As he heard Hop Pop leave, he called out to him. "By the way...I'm sorry to hear about your son."

"I appreciate that, I miss him and his wife, but just because you lose someone physically, doesn't mean you lose that love," Hop Pop said. "Have a good rest of your day, son."

Hop Pop had fully made his leave, Hunter sitting and lamenting his situation more, feeling conflicted with himself, and really questioning everything.

"Uncle...where are you?"

Meanwhile in Star's room, Maddie was seen reading out of the Book of Spells, with Willow and Gus working on some magical experiments nearby, using plants and illusions.

"Hey, is Star okay with you reading her family's book?" Gus asked.

"She seems fine with it," Maddie said, then gestured to Glossaryck. "And that blue guy hasn't said anything either."

"I have a name, you know," Glossaryck said.

"Did you really train all the other Mewman Queens?" Gus asked.

"Yes, why does everyone seem to ask me that?" Glossaryck asked. "Is it because of my youthful demeanor? I assure you that I've been around from the very beginning."

"So, does that mean you knew Eclipsa?" Willow asked.

"Hm, let's see, former Queen of Mewni, and I trained all the Queens, so...yes," Glossaryck said.

"Was she really...you know, full of Darkness?" Willow asked.

"The whole Queen of Darkness thing was a bit exaggerated," Glossaryck said. "Yes, she did practice dark magic-"

"Wait, which chapter!?" Maddie asked.

"Maddie dear, you're a potion user, that's a book for actual spells," Glossaryck said. "It's practically useless unless you have Star's Wand, which is currently under reserve until Star births a child."

"Wait, so if no one's using it...can I have it?" Maddie asked.

Glossaryck face palmed, "No, you can't, because you are not in training to be the next Queen of Mewni."

"Well that's a bummer," Maddie said, going back to the book.

"Now, as I was saying, Eclipsa did practice dark magic, and she was a bit mischievous," Glossaryck said. "But she was not quite evil. Did she have potential? Possibly, but she was not as irresponsible as the Magic High Commission made her out to be."

"You knew about the switch too, right?" Gus asked.

"Of course," Glossaryck said.

"Shouldn't you have said anything?" Willow asked.

"My duty is to train the Queen of Mewni, whomever that might be," Glossaryck said. "Whether it was Meteora, or Festivia, regardless of my personal opinions, I had to do my job."

"Still, couldn't you have said anything at all?" Gus asked. "Didn't you create The Magic High Commission?"

"Even if I did, they don't listen to me," Glossaryck said. "Being their creator means nothing, it's no different than kids who rebel against their parents."

"...I kind of miss my parents," Willow said. "I should stop by and see how they're doing."

"Same, my dad's probably really worried," Gus said.

"My dad is probably worried too, and my sisters," Maddie said, closing the book. "Maybe we should-"

Suddenly they heard the door open, and coming into the room was Star, the girl taking note of everyone, "Looks like everyone's here."

"Hey Star, have you checked on your mother?" Gus asked.

"I did, I came back to get the Book of Spells to show her," Star said.

"I got it for ya," Maddie said, holding it up.

"Thanks, I..." Star furrowed her brow. "Hang on, have you been reading out of it?"

"Yeah, you're cool with it, aren't you?" Maddie asked.

"Maddie, this isn't some novel, this is a very important Book of Spells," Star said. "All of the great spells from my ancestors are in here."

"Marcy's read out of it," Maddie said.

"That's because I told her she could," Star said. "I get that you're curious, but this needs to be handled with care."

"Uh, sorry about that," Maddie sheepishly said.

Feeling sympathy for Maddie, Star shook it off, "Its' fine, I suppose you can read it. I do trust you after all, you're part of the reason I have my mom at all."

"It's nothing," Maddie said.

"It isn't nothing," Star said. "I really appreciate what you do for me Maddie. You, Gus and Willow. You three are a big reason I was able to rescue my mom, and I am forever grateful."

"We're just happy to help," Willow said. "I know if something like that happened to one of my dads, I'd be just as worried."

"What do you mean, one of your dads?" Glossaryck asked.

"Not important right now," Gus said. "Point is Star, we were more than happy to help."

"Plus we got to go on some pretty fun adventures," Maddie said. "I can see why Marco probably loved hanging out with you."

"Right..." Star said, suddenly feeling weird. "Anyway, I'm going to check on my mom. Anyone want to come?"

"Maybe later, Willow and I still have some work to do here," Gus said. "Hexside has been cool with us not being in class often since we told them about Mewni, but they do expect us to finish work on a timely basis."

"I can come," Maddie said, leaping onto Star's shoulder. "I'm caught up with my work anyway."

"Alright, I guess it's just us," Star said, leaving with Maddie. "Bye for now, everyone."

"Bye Star," Willow said as the Acting Queen left. "Such a nice girl."

"Very kind, but a bit naive at points," Glossaryck said.

"Naive how?" Gus asked.

"Star tends to have Tunnel Vision, she does things without considering consequence," Glossaryck said. "That has always been a massive weakness for her, and not behavior befitting a Queen."

"She doesn't seem that bad," Willow said.

"Given how she reacted to her missing mother, she did not handle it like a Queen should have," Glossaryck said. "She neglected a lot of her duties just to find Moon."

"That's not a bad thing, she was worried about her mother," Gus said. "Totally reasonable reaction."

"Reasonable, perhaps, but still foolhardy," Glossaryck said. "A Queen must prioritize the safety of her Kingdom. Star took too many risks trying to find her mother."

"That's bogus! You can't expect a girl Star's age to just focus on finding her mom, she didn't even ask to be Queen," Gus said.

"She was training to be Queen, she should have expected this possibility," Glossaryck said. "Look, I'm aware of how harsh that sounds, Moon went through something similar. But she knew the importance of what a Queen was meant to do."

"The difference is that Queen Comet was killed by Toffee, while Star believed Queen Moon was still alive," Gus said. "If Star hadn't said anything, she'd be stuck on that island, making pies forever. Good pies I'll admit, but still."

"That's not Tunnel Vision, she's a girl who just really wanted her mother back," Willow said. "Queen or not, she deserved the chance to find her mother."

"Perhaps you're right, but this is not her only folly," Glossaryck said.

"If she makes a few mistakes, that's fine, it makes her no different than anyone else," Gus said. "Mewni's still standing, everything worked out."

"And how long before it's not standing?" Glossaryck asked. "How long before these mistakes allow it to fall?"

"It won't happen," Willow said. "Not with us around."

"Got that right," Gus said.

"Well, I must admit, you're very determined kids," Glossaryck said.

Meanwhile Star was walking through the castle with Maddie still on her shoulder. At the moment the Acting Queen had a lot on her mind, ranging from her mother to other things.

"Something bothering you?" Maddie asked, getting Star's attention. "You look kind of sad."

"Oh, do I?" Star asked. "I guess I'm just worried about my mom."

"Isn't she improving?" Maddie asked.

"A little, but I'm worried things can still go wrong," Star said. "Plus, after all this, what if she still isn't ready to be Queen again? What if I fail her?"

"You just gotta do your best," Maddie said. "And don't worry about the Queen thing. You got us, we'll take good care of you."

"I appreciate that, but honestly, I was hoping to have a little more time before being a full time Queen," Star said. She then brought out a picture of herself and Marco on the beach, the girl tracing her finger across it. "This beach day may never even happen."

"When is it supposed to happen?" Maddie asked.

"I don't know, I just got it from Father Time with little to no explanation," Star said.

"Gotta say, the idea of Time Travel sounds pretty amazing," Maddie said. "Is there a magic spell for that?"

"I doubt it, and it should stay that way," Star said. "Imagine those villains learning a spell like that."

"Yikes, that would not be good," Maddie said. "Still, maybe you should take a beach day, you need to take your mind off your worries for a bit."

"I can't, I don't want to slack on my Queen duties," Star said.

"Even Queens need breaks," Maddie said.

"I know, but-" Suddenly a portal opened next to Star, and from it, Higgs was aggressively tossed through, the girl crashing against a table.

"Was that Higgs!?" Star ran over to the knight, with Maddie glancing back at the now closing portal.

"Who could have...?" Maddie wondered.

Star ran over to the recently appointed Knight, "Higgs!?"

"Uh..." Higgs was in bad shape. Her face had bruises, her left eye was swollen, blood was coming out of her mouth and her armor was heavily damaged. "Qu-Queen Star?"

"Higgs!" Star knelt beside the girl, for once not bothering to correct her title. "My goodness, who did this to you?"

Maddie leapt off of Star's shoulder, checking over Higgs as well, "Whoever did this was not holding back."

"Belos..." Higgs said.

"Did you say 'Belols'?" Star asked. "Is Belos behind this!? Did he hurt you!?"

"Belos...Sasha..." Higgs said.

"Sasha?" Star asked. "Wait, was she with you?"

"Hey, I know you're hurt, but you gotta talk," Maddie urged. "Tell us what happened!"

"Plan, failed..." Higgs said. "Belos...has Sasha..."

Star frantically searched around, "Hey! Can I get some medical assistance here!?"

A bit later, Marco had returned with the girls, having searched the entire courtyard, and finding nothing of importance.

"Geez, Sasha's just about nowhere to be seen," Marco said, wiping some sweat off his head. "I'm really starting to get worried."

"Let's try not to panic, I'm sure things will work out just fine," Anne insisted, though her tone suggested she too wanted to panic.

"You don't think she went to the Boiling Isles," Luz suggested, the girl genuinely worried about the idea.

"No way, she's got some wanted posters placed throughout Bonesborough," Amity said. "If she tried going there, she'd be caught for sure."

"Well she's got to be around somewhere, she wouldn't just disappear," Marco said. Suddenly some medics ran past him. "Huh? What's going on?"

"Did someone get hurt?" Luz wondered.

"Looks like it, but who?" Marco asked. Worry began to fill his mind, along with everyone else. "Let's book it!"

The group of teens ran in the direction of some doctors and medics, finding themselves a few halls down from the Throne room where Star was seen overlooking a situation, with Maddie beside her.

"Star!" Marco called, getting the Acting Queen's attention.

"Marco!" Star ran to hug the boy, holding him tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay, I was worried about you too."

"Uh...yeah, I'm fine," Marco said, hesitantly returning the hug while awkwardly glancing at Marcy. The hug did get her attention, but she didn't seem to mind. Rather she was wondering what was happening.

"So glad to see the rest of you," Maddie said.

"Maddie, what's going on?" Anne asked.

"Check it," Maddie said, gesturing to an injured Higgs. The girl was currently getting patched up, and still in a daze.

"Higgs!" Marco broke away from Star's hug to check on his fellow knight as she was placed on a stretcher. "Higgs! What happened!?"

"Hey, ease up," Maddie scolded. "She's probably got a concussion."

"Right, sorry," Marco said.

"Marco..." Higgs got his attention. "Careful...Belos is...he has..."

"Higgs?" Marco asked in worry.

"Sasha in danger..." Higgs mustered, despite her pain. "Save Sasha..."

"Quick, get Lady Higgs to the infirmary," Star ordered as Higgs was finally stretchered away.

"Poor Higgs, she looked really hurt," Luz said, nervously glancing in Higgs's direction.

"Yeah...thanks to Belos," Marco angrily lamented, alerting the other girls.

"Belos?" Marcy asked.

"Yeah, she was muttering something about Belos," Maddie said. "I guess she went after him, and lost."

"She wouldn't do that alone, would she?" Luz asked. This answer caused immediate worry for the others.

"She wasn't alone," Star said, adding to those same worries.

"Yeah...she mentioned Sasha," Marco said, worry running through his body, a feeling shared by the other girls as their worries were completely confirmed. "She said to 'Save Sasha'."

"Oh no..." Anne could not believe her ears. "Sasha...she actually went...She went and...and..."

"I cannot believe this!" Amity shouted in frustration. "Sasha went after Belos!? Alone with Higgs!? What the hell was she thinking!?"

"Hey, settle down," Maddie urged.

"Settle down!? After hearing that Sasha went and did something completely stupid!?" Amity asked. "Belos is too strong to go after alone! He's got an entire Coven to fight for him, not to mention that he has King Andrias by his side. Even if they got to Belos alone, he's very powerful! He could have killed them, assuming he doesn't kill Sasha!"

"Don't even bring up that possibility!" Anne frantically stated. "If Higgs said, 'Save Sasha', that means she's still alive!"

"For now, who knows how long that might last?" Amity said.

"Amity, please, don't make us worry more than we already are," Luz said. "We just need to rescue Sasha."

"Easier said than done," Maddie said. "I don't want to be a downer, but we're talking about Emperor Belos here. Someone that even Eda Clawthorne seemed really worried about."

"For good reason, Belos is Emperor for a reason," Amity said. "We gotta bring the fight to him."

"Hey, I want to save Sasha too, but we need to be smart," Star said. "If we rush in, we might be running into a trap. For now, let's just take a second to cool our heads and think of a plan."

"Just send your army in," Marcy said. "At least long enough to rescue Sasha."

"I don't want to potentially sacrifice my army like that," Star said. "I feel like a rescue of this caliber requires a smaller group."

"Star, that small group mindset got Sasha captured and Higgs terribly injured," Amity said.

"I think it can work with the right volunteers," Marco said. "Remember, there was a reason we went to find Sasha."

"A reason? What does that mean?" Star asked.

"First...I suppose the girls and I have a bit of a confession to make," Marco said. "You know how you had the Magic High Commission?"

"Yeah?" Star asked.

"Do you remember what happened to them?" Marco asked.

"They apparently betrayed the Kingdom while me, dad, Maddie, Gus and Willow went to find my mom," Star said. "Then they left without a trace before I could properly punish them for their wrong doings."

"Right, so here's the thing," Marco said. "Me and the girls went to go find them."

This took Star by surprise, "Wait, really? When was this?"

"Not too long ago, we went into the Neverzone," Marco said. "It took us some time in there, but we found them. Hekapoo, Rhombulus and Omnitrax Prime."

"They were off living in an old cave," Amity said.

"Wow, I'm a little surprised," Star said. "What happened when you found them?"

"We convinced them to come back," Marco said. "So they're on our side again."

"Wait, hold up," Star said, the girl looking a little displeased. "You recruited The Magic High Commission after they betrayed us?"

"Hey we forgave Sasha for her betrayal, so it's only fair that we forgive Hekapoo and the boys," Marco said.

"Couldn't you have run this by me!?" Star asked. "They turned against my Kingdom after serving it for centuries, all this after we found out about what they did to Eclipsa, Globgor and Meteora. I even found out that Festivia was a Pie Folk Girl! Thanks to them, I'm a descendant of Pie Folk!"

"To be fair, that's not something that could be helped," Marco said. "You probably would have been born anyway, just as a Pie Folk girl rather than a Mewman Princess."

"Well...I'm still mad!" Star said.

"Star, if I could forgive Sasha, you can forgive Hekapoo," Anne said.

"You forgave Sasha because she's a childhood friend who made a stupid mistake," Star said. "Hekapoo and her brothers made several mistakes, and their betrayal was the last straw for me."

"Star, I know how you're feeling, but if Hekapoo wants to make amends, we owe it to her," Anne said.

"Sometimes a little kindness goes a long way," Amity said. "If it wasn't for Luz, I'd still be a bully. For all I know, I could be your enemy right now. I might have ended up just like Hunter."

"Hunter..." An idea lit up in Maddie's head. "That's it! We'll offer a trade. Hunter for Sasha! This way we don't have to risk getting into a fight."

"Whoa, you want to trade Hunter back to Belos?" Luz asked.

"Not like we have any use for him," Maddie said. "Plus, if it gets Sasha back, then I call that a win."

"I'm not sure that's going to work," Luz said. "I don't think Belos cares that much about Hunter to want a trade. He barely made any attempt to get him back."

"It might be worth a shot, but I do admit, this idea may not work so well," Star said.

"It could," Marco said, surprising everyone. "Right now, we just need to get Belos's attention."

"How?" Anne asked. "How can we safely contact Belos."

"Oh Anne, ye of so little faith," Luz said, gently stroking her face. "Trust me, mi linda novia."

Anne's face began to turn red as she awkwardly turned away, "S-sure."

Amity seemed briefly bothered, then felt Marcy gently rubbing her back, hoping to keep her friend's emotions under control.

Star however seemed a bit confused, but given that she too noticed Amity's reaction, she had an idea what was happening. Maddie wasn't sure what was going on, but didn't seem to care as much.

Not too longer later, a pair of robot guards were seen patrolling near Andrias's Castle in Newtopia. While he was not currently home, the guards remained ever diligent.

A portal opened near one, and the moment it noticed, the robot and his ally were pulled in and a scuffle was heard just as the portal closed.

In Belos's Throne room, he along with his Coven of Kikimora, Raine and Terra were seen gathered around a cage containing a tied up Sasha. Joining them was Andrias, who had just came through the portal to see what was happening, as well as Ludo, who was currently babysitting Meteora.

"I must say, the fact that you came alone shows great courage," Belos said to the struggling Sasha. "Even your raw strength could barely contain Kikimora's spell initially."

"Not bad for a human," Kikimora said.

"Just wait till I get out, you're all dead, you hear me!?" Sasha shouted, angrily leaning against the cage. "I'm going to fucking annihilate you!"

"Such uncouth language," Terra said, glancing at Meteora. "And right in front of such young ears too."

"Ludo, perhaps it'd be best if my daughter were not around such vulgarity at the moment," Belos said. "If you don't mind-"

"Sure, whatever," Ludo said, and proceeded to leave.

"She's not your daughter, asshole!" Sasha shouted at Belos. "She's Eclipsa's daughter! The same Eclipsa who you mercilessly killed!"

"Be fortunate you do not share her fate," Belos said. "But, that can change if you are not careful."

"Look, we really don't want to hurt you, we just want to work with you," Andrias said, kneeling by the cage. "I can tell just by lookign at you, that you have a lust for power. You were so keen on taking over my Kingdom not too long ago, and you were willing to betray your best friends to do so. I admire that. You learned early on that friendship is merely an illusion, that the bets things in life must be take by any means."

"Please, I'm nothing like you," Sasha said.

"So, you never betrayed anyone, is that it?" Andrias asked.

"I didn't want to betray them! They turned against me!" Sasha said. "I was so willing to share Newtopia with them!"

"By them, do you mean all of them? Or just Anne Boonchuy and Marcy Wu?" Andrias asked. "You seemed to treat those other humans poorly, like that Luz Noceda girl. Or is it perhaps because she saw through your deception?"

"Luz is quite talented at such a thing," Belos said.

"And what about Marco Diaz?" Andrias asked. "Or Amity Blight?"

"They weren't my friends at the time," Sasha admitted. "But, I consider them friends now. I wouldn't turn against them."

"What if I offered you, the right price?" Belos asked.

"I'm not interested in your offer," Sasha said. "You can go to hell for all I care."

"Such an insolent youth," Kikimora said. "My Lord, let us just be done with her!"

"Not yet, she's worth more alive," Belos said. "Unlike that other one."

"Where's Higgs!? What did you do to her!?" Sasha shouted.

"She's alive," Andrias said.

"For now at least," Belos finished.

"You two...are so...DEAD!" Sasha shouted, banging against the cage. "I'll kill the both of you myself! Slowly, and painfully!"

"Wow you're unhinged," Andrias said, a little weirded out. "So, what shall we-"

Suddenly a portal was opened, projector was thrown through, whacking Kikimora on the head. "Ow!"

"My word!" Terra said in disbelief.

"Whoa, are you alright?" Andrias asked, helping Kikimora up.

"I'm fine, thank you," Kikimora said, glancing down at the projector. "Where did this come from?"

"Belos!" Came a voice, one familiar to the Emperor.

"Do my ears deceive me? Or is that Luz's voice I hear?" Belos asked.

"Luz?" Sasha said in disbelief.

"I know you're there Belos!" Luz's voice was heard again. "Answer me!"

Belos looked at the projector as it suddenly displayed Luz's upper body. "I see you now."

"I hear you kidnapped our friend, and we want her back!" Luz demanded.

"Is that so? And explain why I should concede to your demands?" Belos asked.

"Because we have something of yours!" Luz said.

"Yeah!" Anne came into view. "We have your nephew!"

"Of course Anne's there too," Andrias said.

"That you Andrias? You piece of garbage!" Anne shouted. "Don't think I forgot about your betrayal!"

"Or the fact that you attacked us with a giant robot on Christmas Eve!" Luz said.

"Hey if you had just given up sooner, you wouldn't have had to worry about Christmas, because you would have already been destroyed," Andrias said.

"We're going nowhere here," Marco's voice was heard saying, just as he came into view. "Belos, you have Sasha, and we have Hunter. So we propose a trade. We'll bring Hunter to you, and you give us Sasha. Do we have a deal?"

"Looks like they want to trade prisoners," Andrias said. "Well Belos, Hunter is your nephew. Will you take that offer?"

"Yeah, show some love for your family!" Anne said. "You do care about your own nephew, don't you?"

"...So, you will be coming here to deliver Hunter?" Belos asked.

"You got it," Marco said.

"No tricks?" Belos asked.

"Hey our word is as good as yours," Anne said.

"So long as you hold your end of the deal, we'll hold ours," Luz said.

Terra seemed to have second thoughts, "Sir, if I am being honest, this feels quite risky."

"It might be, but it is Hunter," Andrias said. "Quite honestly, I'm surprised it took this long to even consider getting him back. But of course it makes sense, bringing him back was not going to be an easy task, but this is a good moment for you, Belos."

"Yes, you are correct," Belos said. "Alright, Luz. You and your friends have yourselves a deal. Come by tomorrow afternoon in front of my castle, and we'll make the trade."

"Tomorrow!? No, we want her now!" Marco warned.

"You will do as I ask, or there is no deal," Belos warned.

"Wow, so that's how you want to play it?" Anne asked. "Fine, we'll go by your rules."

"Sasha better be kept safe in the meantime," Luz warned.

"Do not worry, I shall not place any harm onto her," Belos insisted. "You have my word."

"We better," Marco said. "If you hurt her in anyway, your face will hit every wall in your castle, and I will make sure you and Andrias end up in a dragon's belly."

"Big words, tah-tah for now," Belos said as Andrias turned off the projector.

"Well, that happened," Andrias said. "What now?"

"Now, we plan," Belos said. "Our enemy is coming to us, this is the best opportunity to wipe them all out."

"Wow, it did NOT take you long to go back on your word, now did it?" Sasha asked.

"Are you surprised? In war, you do what you must to win," Belos said. "But I will keep my word about not harming you. Quite frankly, I'd much rather have you in my Coven."

"There's no way I would ever join your coven, you egotistical bastard," Sasha said.

"I wouldn't saty that, I have ways of persuading others," Belos said, snapping his fingers to summon some guards. "Place her in the dungeon."

"This isn't over Belos, first chance I get, I'm going to demolish you!" Sasha warned as she was taken away. "All of you are going to be flattened underneath my boot! Especially you Andrias!"

"Sure, single me out the most," Andrias said. "Stupid brat."

"She is quite feisty, I admire that," Belos said. "She might even make an excellent personal trainer for Meteora one day."

"Planning ahead, smart," Andrias said. "Speaking of which, what is your plan to rid ourselves of those bothersome kids?"

"We will need to act cautiously," Belos said. "I suspect that they will anticipate our betrayal, so we do not quite have the element of surprise."

"Which means we need to have a plan even they might not suspect," Andrias said.

"Precisely, but it will be much more difficult than I would like to admit," Belos said. "However, so long as Sasha is in our mercy, we have the leverage."

"Just make sure that when the plan strikes, to leave Marcy alive," Andrias said. "I need her for my part of the plan."

"Of course," Belos said. "I am quite curious about that myself."

"Also, it could be a good chance to interrogate them about potential Time Travel," Andrias said. "This way we can possibly gain access to Toffee and his army."

"Honestly, I do wonder if I need Toffee," Belos said. "My plan works just as well with your army's assistance."

"I'm flattered, but we need someone who understands the Mewmans," Andrias said. "Yeah we have Ludo, but he's kind of useless."

"Makes for a decent babysitter," Belos said.

"I suppose even trash has its use," Andrias said.

Unbeknownst to the two, Ludo was listening in, glaring at the rulers as he held Meteora. "Trash huh? We'll just see about that."

Back at Mewni castle, Star took possession of the projector, the girl amazed by the technology. "This might come in handy later."

"Great plan, Luz," Anne said, kissing the girl on the cheek. "You rock!"

"Aw, thanks," Luz said, blushing from the affection.

"So, are you two dating now?" Star asked.

"Yeah, we made it official while we were in the Neverzone," Anne said.

"Interesting," Maddie said. "Not gonna lie, I thought you'd end up with Sasha instead, Anne."

"Sasha? Why her?" Anne asked.

"I'm not sure, I think she was into you," Maddie said. "I could be mistaken though."

"Well, I'm dating Luz, and that's how it's going to stay," Anne said, earning another glare from Amity.

Star noticed as well, sympathizing with the Blight girl, "That's great and all, and I appreciate the confirmation. But we should focus on what we need to do."

"Right, so obviously we can't trust Belos or Andrias to keep their word," Marco said. "They're totally going to try and pull a fast one on us."

"Yeah, that much is obvious," Amity said.

"Which means we need to plan ahead," Marcy said.

"So when it comes to the exchange, myself along with Luz and Anne need to be present, we're the ones they expect," Marco said.

"They might expect myself and Amity too," Marcy said. "Especially since we all usually travel in a group."

"Good point," Marco said. "But we have some surprises. For one, we have Maddie."

"Right, I'm probably not even on their radar," Maddie said.

"You, Gus and Willow can play a big role in our plan," Marco said. "Maybe we can find Kelly to help us too, and Tom."

"Someone mention me?" Tom asked, the demon making his way over with Janna, the two looking a little roughed up.

"Tom? Janna?" Star asked. "What happened?"

"Long story," Janna said. "Just so you know, I really hate birds now."

"Uh...alright," Star said. "Well anyway, we're making some plans. Sasha got taken hostage by Belos, and we're trying to get her back."

"We're making a big trade tomorrow, Sasha for Hunter," Maddie said.

"But we know that Andrias and Belos will betray us, since they're scumbags," Marco said.

"So we're making plans, you want it?" Amity asked.

"Sure, I'm cool with that," Tom said.

"Us too!" Sprig called, making his way over with Polly and King. "We want to do our part."

"That's great, we'll work you into the plan," Anne said.

"Uh, Anne, are you sure?" Star asked. "They're kids."

"They've handled themselves well, and I think they have a lot to offer," Anne said.

"Got that right," Polly confidently said.

Star still seemed a bit worried, "Well..."

"Star, you've had Maddie help you, and she's the same age as Sprig," Marco said.

"To be fair, Maddie's a witch," Star said.

"One of the best too," Maddie said, twirling a petrification ball on her fingertip.

"But alright, if Anne says Sprig and his friends can do it, then I will trust her on that," Star said.

"We won't let you down," Sprig said.

"Alright, let's plan," Star said.

Nighttime came, with all the plans set, everyone decided to call it a day.

Amity opened a portal leading to her house, the girl feeling a heavy weight in her heart. Emotions were running wild within her. She hated this feeling, but she could not fight it.

"Hey, Amity?" Marcy said, getting her attention. "You want to come with me and Marco? We can make room for you."

"Thanks, but I think I need time to myself," Amity said.

"Okay, if you say so," Marcy said. She then pulled the witch girl into a hug. "I know you say you're alright, but if you're ever not alright, don't hesitate to come to me or Marco. We'll make you feel better."

"Yeah, I know," Amity said, blushing a bit. "I appreciate your generosity, but I don't want to rely on it if I don't need to. I just need some time to myself. If anything I at least have Edric and Emira to keep me company."

"That's the spirit," Marcy said, then kissed Amity on the cheek. "Have a good night."

"You two," Amity said, Marcy making her leave through her own portal. Amity took a deep breath, trying to make her worries disappear. "I got this."

Amity went through her own portal as well, this again not going unnoticed by Star, who was on her way to her room.

"It ain't easy, is it Amity?" Star commented, still dragging her feet to her room. "This is a feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone else."

It wasn't long before Star hopped stomach first onto her bed, placing her face in her pillow, sighing heavily from her long day.

"Being a Queen totally sucks," Star lamented. "All these weeks and I'm still not used to it. How did mom do it for years by this point?"

"Struggling?" Came Maddie's voice, the girl standing beside the bed.

"Where'd you come from?" Star asked. "Shouldn't you be going home or something?"

"I just wanted to check up on you," Maddie said. "You have me worried sometimes, I feel like you're always stressed out."

"That's because I am," Star lamented. "I miss the old days, where me and Marco used to do stupid stuff together. Now he's off with his new friends, and his girlfriend. He doesn't even stay at the castle these days, he's at home, with her."

"Sounds like you're a bit jealous," Maddie said, hopping on the bed and laying on Star's back. "That's not good for you. Living with jealous doesn't turn out well."

"You think I don't know that?" Star asked.

"Why are you jealous anyway? Aren't you dating Tom?" Maddie asked. "Oh, let me guess, you're tired of him, aren't you?"

"When you put it like that, it's kind of mean," Star said. "But, I suppose there's a hint of truth to it."

"Oh? Is that so?" Maddie asked.

"Don't tell anyone I said this but, I just don't know if Tom and I are meant to be," Star said. "It's not that I dislike him, or that he's a bad boyfriend. He's actually very nice to me and he treats me well. I should be happy, but for some reason I'm not. Does that make me a terrible person?"

"Hard to say, romance is not my specialty," Maddie said. "Closest I had to a boyfriend was Sprig, and that was more of his father trying to settle a debt than any genuine love."

"Settle a dept?" Star asked.

"I've mentioned this before, that I was Sprig's fiancé because his grandfather tried getting out of a debt with my father," Maddie said.

"Right, I think I remember," Star said. "I wasn't sure if you were joking or not."

"Nope, no joke, I'm totally serious," Maddie said. "Honestly though, I think I would have been fine marrying Sprig. But, he's better with Ivy, those two found romance on their own. Mostly at least."

"Mostly?" Star asked.

"Yeah, turns out Hop Pop tried pulling the same stunt with Ivy so he can cut a deal with her mother, Felicia Sundew," Maddie said. "Hopediah's a cool guy, but he can be a total sneak. Cheap too."

"Well at least Sprig's happy," Star said. "Me, I kind of want to break up with Tom, but how do I do that without looking like I was in the wrong for doing so?"

"Hey if you're not in love with him, the worst thing to do is string him along," Maddie said. "This way he can find someone who loves him for real and you can feel free. Maybe find a better guy."

"Problem is, what if that guy is taken?" Star asked.

"Yikes, that's not something I can help with," Maddie said.

"That's fine, this is something I need to figure out on my own," Star said.

"Well, you're not alone, I'm here for you if you need me," Maddie said. "So are Gus and Willow."

"Thanks Maddie, you're a great friend," Star said.

"Think nothing of it," Maddie said, then hopped off Star and the bed. "I'm heading to sleep. Do you need anything?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Star said. "I'll see you tomorrow Maddie."

"See ya," Maddie said, making her leave as Star pulled the covers over her.

"Time for some sleep," Star said, closing her eyes. "Assuming I can."

Outside, Maddie looked back toward Star's door, feeling some odd confliction, "Gotta say, her hair really smelled nice. She felt kind of soft too." Maddie then shook her head, "What am I saying? I guess I'm pretty tired myself, I should get to sleep."

Eda made her way through the halls, looking down the hallway where Hunter was.. Part of her still hated seeing Hunter locked up, and from what she's heard, things may get much trickier.

"Eda?" Lilith asked.

"Oh, hey Lil," Eda said. "Getting ready for bed?"

"I am, I just needed to fetch something for Moon," Lilith said.

"Think she's progressing fast enough?" Eda asked.

"She's progressing as fast as she can," Lilith said. "At this point, we just need a bit of patience."

"Patience is tough," Eda said. "It's such a shame though, lately it feels like kids can't even enjoy their lives these days. They're taking on responsibilities and hardships way too young."

"That is a shame, I will admit," Lilith said. "But it cannot be helped."

"Why can't it though?" Eda asked. "We should be doing more for them. Why are kids planning an attack on Belos and Andrias? That should be left to adults like you and me."

"There are hardly any others," Lilith said.

"Oh there's plenty," Eda said. "Besides us, we got Grime, Buff Frog, River, I bet even Hopediah is ready to throw down."

"I know, but the fact is, Luz and her friends may be our only hope," Lilith said. "I don't want this for her, but this is a destiny that is out of our hands."

"Pfft, we'll see about that," Eda said, storming off.

Lilith sighed in worry. Her desire to agree with Eda mixed with her own concerns. "Don't do anything foolish, sister."

This back and forth was caught by Hekapoo, the girl still carefully maneuvering through the castle, knowing she was not fully welcome yet. She had to make peace with Star soon, and hopefully find the best way to make things up to her and her family.

"I gotta do what's right, it's my duty to serve the Butterfly Family," Hekapoo said. "Come tomorrow, me, Rhombulus and Omnitrax will bring the fight to Belos and Andrias, and end their reign for good."

At Marco's house, the boy laid in bed, thinking of his plan to save Sasha, while also feeling worried about the health of Higgs. He then heard the door open, seeing Marcy coming in, dressed to sleep as she crawled in bed next to Marco, the boy pulling her close.

"Ready for the plan tomorrow?" Marcy asked, hugging Marco.

"Yeah, I am," Marco said, genty rubbing her back. "It's going to be risky."

"Yeah, but fun too," Marcy said. "Not to mention, this is our chance to really hit a hard strike against Belos and Andrias."

"Got that right," Marco said. "I just hope Sasha will be alright until then."

"Sasha's tough, plus she's been a prisoner before," Marcy said. "I think Grime had her locked up for the first few weeks or something."

"That's rough," Marco said. "But yeah, Sasha's no pushover. Eases my worries a little, but I still would rather she was safe."

"It's sweet when you worry," Marcy said. "I love just how kind you can be."

"Uh, thanks," Marco awkwardly said. "So, Anne and Luz. Did you see that coming?"

"A little, they did seem quite fond of each other," Marcy said. "I do feel bad for Amity though."

"Me too," Marco said.

"She needs alone time for now, but I think she needs a bit of intimate bonding," Marcy said. "Similar to what we did for her in the Neverzone."

"Probably not something we should make a habit out of," Marco said. "I admit, I took pity on her, and it was kind of interesting but, I'd rather keep things between us."

"Yeah, me too," Marcy said. "I guess I took too much pity myself."

"Amity will be fine, she just needs to get used to this," Marco said. "Love can be tough though, it takes a strong will to get through the bad times it brings."

"Don't I know it," Marcy said, turning Marco to face her. "I love you."

"I love you too," Marco said, sharing a kiss with his girlfriend, allowing her to crawl over him, not breaking contact as they caressed each other.

"Marco..." Marcy said, taking a quick break. "I know you said you want to wait, but I really do want to be your other half soon. I've never felt so strongly about someone as I do with you. I don't want anything keeping us apart, I just want something to bind us together."

"Quite honestly, part of me wants this too," Marco said. "Might be hormones speaking though."

"Not for me, this is my heart," Marcy said, kissing Marco a bit more before breaking it off. "I want to travel the realms with you a bit, and I want to do it as a married couple. Call me impatient, but I know this is what I want in my life, and you know how stubborn I can be."

"Yeah, I love that about you," Marco said.

"One day Marco, I will make it official, and you will be mine forever," Marcy said. "That, I will promise you."

"Then one day, you and I can have those kids," Marco said.

"One day, or today," Marcy said. "Whichever comes sooner."

"Whoa, maybe not too soon but-" Marco was interrupted when Marcy started kissing him again, really getting into it as she let her passions run wild that night.

At Anne's house, it was bedtime in her room as well. Sprig slept on his hammock, King and Polly slept near each other on a little bed while Luz laid down on the sleeping bag.

"Luz, let me sleep there, you have the bed," Anne said.

"Anne, I'm fine with the floor, I slept there all the time when I stayed with Eda," Luz said. "It's much more comfortable than Hop Pop's basement, that's for sure."

"Still, I want you to enjoy my bed," Anne said.

"One day I will," Luz said, standing up to share a kiss with Anne. "I love how much you care though. you're a great friend, and an even more amazing girlfriend."

"It's no big deal," an embarrassed Anne said, feeling awkward knowing that King and the Plantar Kids were nearby. "Part of me wants to let you share a bed with me, but I'm afraid of how anyone's going to react, especially my parents."

"Right...they don't know we're dating," Luz said. "Should we tell them?"

"Let's wait until after this whole thing with Belos and Andrias ends," Anne said. "They may not be happy about us sharing a room if they know we're dating."

"Right, it might strike them as strange," Luz said. "Are you worried about telling your parents though?"

"No, not at all," Anne said.

"And they're okay with you being Bi?" Luz asked. "Wait, are you Bi?"

"I kissed Marco and enjoyed it," Anne said. "I'm definitely Bi."

"Me too, since I also kissed Marco," Luz said. "Think he's the same way?"

"Marco?" Anne asked. "Well, I can't tell, he strikes me as such a ladies' man. But then again, he does like to dress like a girl."

"...Think we should find a guy to experiment with?" Luz nervously asked.

"...Yeah, we should, for experimentation purposes only," Anne nervously replied.

"Yeah, experimentation, and totally not because I'm big on yaoi," Luz awkwardly insisted.

"Same, I don't even collect yaoi manga," Anne randomly said.

"Or watch anime like that," Luz said while suppressing a chuckle.

"We're totally normal girls, that's all," Anne awkwardly joked.

"Yeah...we're so far from normal," Luz admitted.

"Oh totally," Anne said. "Seriously, I don't think my parents care about my preferences."

"That's good, sometimes I worry about that with my mom," Luz said.

"Why? It's no big deal," Anne said. "If you tell her, just say so. Treat it like normal, and it becomes normal. Treat it like a big life changing deal, and you just make things awkward."

"I'll follow your lead," Luz said.

"I got you, okay? Don't worry," Anne said, pulling Luz into a hug. "You're my first girlfriend, and I will treat you like my queen."

"Aw, you're so sweet," Luz said, kissing Anne on the cheek. "So, does this mean you wear the pants in our relationship?"

"Me? I don't wear pants usually, I wear a skirt," Anne said. "And sometimes shorts."

"I wear shorts too, and leggings," Luz said. "But sometimes I wear pants."

"...I get the feeling we took this question way too literally," Anne said.

"Yeah, we're still weird," Luz commented.

"...You're cute when you're weird though," Anne said.

"Aw, so sweet!" Luz again kissed Anne. "Te amo, Anne."

"Te amo you too," Anne said, confusing the other girl.

Luz began to giggle a bit, finding Anne's reaction humorous, "Anne, the proper term is yo también te amo. That's how you say 'I love you, too'."

"Uh, right," Anne said. "También te amo."

"That's the spirit," Luz said.

"I'll try to practice my Spanish, so we can show affection to each other in two languages," Anne said.

"Why stop there? We can do it in Thai as well," Luz said. "I'm glad you want to share my culture, but I also want to be part of yours."

"I appreciate that, but I suck at Thai," Anne said.

"Then we'll learn it together," Luz said. "I already picked up a few words from your parents. Like, I can say 'Xr̀xy', which means 'delicious'. It's how I feel about your mom's cooking. Especially her coconut rice, if you can make me that, I will love you even more."

"Alright, that's a plan then," Anne said. "You teach me Spanish, and we'll learn some Thai."

"I love that idea," Luz said, then gently rubbed her nose against Anne's. "Let's call it a night. We have a big day tomorrow."

"Yeah, let's do that," Anne said, sharing a kiss with Luz. "Goodnight."

"Sweet dreams," Luz said, finally preparing for bed, alongside her girlfriend.

Big plans were made, as the battle against the two Kingdoms continued.