Multiverse Heroes: Magical Destinies(AmphibiaxSVTFOExTOH)

The following morning came, and new tasks were afoot. Star needed to make her way over to the island of the Pie Folk to find her mother.

First she was eating breakfast alongside Marco, Luz, Anne, Marcy, Amity and Sasha. To keep Star cheered up, Marco brought some Sugar Seeds for her, hoping it would ease her mind.

Despite it being her favorite breakfast, Star wasn't in a very talkative mood, a situation well understood by Marco. The girl was still missing her mother, but at least she had a lead on where she might be.

"Wonder what she could be feeling right now? Trapped with them Pie Folk," Star lamented to herself as she messed around in her cereal bowl.

"She could be feeling fine," Marco said. "I mean, maybe she's happy there."

"How can she be happy surrounded by those freaks?" Star asked. "You saw the carnival yesterday, full of weirdos."

"Especially that one guy, Eric," Sasha said. "I can't believe he actually willingly dresses like a woman, like what kind of-"

"Ahem..." Marco said, getting her attention. "Does Turdina ring a bell?"

"Yeah, your point? "Sasha said, to Marco's annoyance.

"Well you know where your mom is, so you can prepare properly," Anne said.

"Yeah, just grab a bunch of guards and storm the island," Luz suggested.

"Whoa, dial it back," Marco said. "We don't know for sure if Moon's there, last thing Star wants to do is cause a commotion only to come back empty handed."

"Honestly Marco, that may not be a bad idea Luz had," Star said. "I mean, where else could my mom be? She's clearly trapped with the Pie Folk."

"No, think rationally," Marco said. "Things are already kind of rickety as is, Mewni still hasn't adjusted to the change in power. If you make one of your first orders to be to march onto an island like that, it could lead to a big mess, even a war."

"Plus even if Queen Moon is there, if you go in ready to fight, they might do something to hide her or pretend she's not there," Amity said. "Stealth may be the best chance you have here. Go in quietly, search for your mom, and leave without getting caught."

"Quietly huh? Hey Luz, know any invisibility spell?" Star asked.

"I do...but you have to hold your breath for it to work," Luz said.

"Ooh, and I have a lot of island to cover," Star said. "Alright, we shall embark soon then."

"Hold on, we still have one other issue," Marco said. "Marcy, it's been a couple of weeks now, you need to drop off that Calamity Box to King Andrias."

"Oh right..." Marcy recalled. "I guess I should."

"Yeah, don't wait on our behalf," Anne said. "With the scissors Hekapoo gave us, we can go home any time."

"If you want, I can drop it off," Sasha said.k

"It's fine, I promised Andrias the box, I should be the one to give it to him," Marcy said.

"We'll all be there, it was a group effort," Anne said. "Lets do it now so that we can focus more time and energy to helping Star."

"Hey listen, don't worry about me alright, go do what you need to do with King Andrias, I'm going to get ready for my trip," Star said.

"Star, I know you're worried, but don't forget, you're not alone, you have friends with you," Marco said, placing his hand on her forearm. "We can share your burden."

"Aw, thanks buddy," Star said, finishing up her breakfast. "All done here."

"I'll take your bowl," Marco said, noticing that a marshmallow was remaining. "Still one left."

"Aw, he'll be lonely," Star said, then took a marshmallow out of her mouth and placed it next to the one in the bowl. "Now he has a friend."

Star got up and made her way to the throne room to further plan the infiltration to the Pie Folk Island.

"I'll go and get the Calamity Box," Marcy said, getting up herself and heading to Star's room.

"Well I guess we have a plan," Anne said. "Well Marcy, Sasha and myself do. Luz, Amity and Marco have to make their own choices."

"I'll go with you Anne, feels fitting," Luz said. "What about you Amity?"

"I can go with you, I guess Marco will have to go with Star alone to this place," Amity said.

"Not alone, he can bring Kelly, or Tom, or even Gus and Willow," Luz said. "What do you want to do Marco?"

The girls noticed that Marco was enamored with the two marshmallows that Star left behind in her bowl.

"Uh, Marco?" Anne said.

"She paired them up so they wouldn't be lonely," Marco said, his eyes watering. "It's so adorable!"

Anne awkwardly glanced at Sasha, Amity and Luz, none of them sure what to make of this. Anne decided to speak up again, "Uh yeah, good old Star, always making sure everyone has a friend."

"It's messing with my gut..." Marco jumbled his stomach around. "Now I feel all hot..." He gestured to his back. "And sweaty."

"Whoa! Some of us are still trying to eat!" Sasha said.

"Marco, what's going on?" Luz asked.

"I'm crying..." Marco said, tears running down his face. "Why am I crying?"

"Marco, it's just a pair of Marshmallows," Sasha said.

"But it's adorable! Just like Star is," Marco said.

"...She's what now?" Anne asked.

"Every time I think I'm over her...this happens," Marco said. "She does something so sweet, so adorable, so lovable. I just feel...uh, why are you cracking your knuckles?

Sasha was seemingly readying herself to wind up a punch, "No reason..."

"What do you mean no reason, you wouldn't...Anne why are you rolling up your sleeves?" Marco asked.

"Many reasons, heat, itch to move...swelling of muscles," Anne said, rubbing her arm.

"You girls are freaking me about a bit," Marco said.

"Um, Marco, while this is strange, what you're saying is odd in its own right," Luz said. "It almost sounds like you're in love with Star."

"...I think I might be," Marco said. He nearly regretted it as both Anne and Sasha lunged at Marco, with Luz and Amity holding them back respectively with a vine glyph and abomination spell.

"Whoa chicas! Please do not hurt the boy," Luz said.

"Try to take a deep breath," Amity said.

Reluctantly both Anne and Sasha eased up, but not without dropping their glares at the now worried boy.

"I choose my words very poorly," Marco said.

"In love with Star!?" Anne shouted. "Marco, you're dating Marcy! You can't be in love with another woman!"

"I know that!" Marco said. "I don't want these feelings; I don't want to be in love with Star. She has a boyfriend, and I have a girlfriend! But, it seems like this has happened before."

"Before?" Luz asked.

"I just feel so strange around Star, I mean sometimes it's fine, being around Marcy did distract me from those feelings but...now they're all rushing back to me," Marco said.

"You know, in hindsight, it's a really good thing you two weren't in that photo booth too long then," Sasha said. "Imagine you two started making out in there."

"Well that's before started dating Marcy," Luz said. "But that would still be bad since Star has a boyfriend."

"Honestly, that might not matter," Sasha said. "When Marco and Marcy hooked up, Star seemed a bit disappointed. She might have feelings for Marco too."

"We gotta figure this out," Luz said. "Find Star, we'll get to the bottom of this."

"Luz, is now really a good time for that?" Marco asked. "Star's too worried about her mom, Marcy wants to bring that Calamity Box to Andrias...also come to think of it, isn't there anything on the Boiling Isles you need to do?"

"Not really, Belos and his Coven are still missing," Luz said. "Though, there is the fact that he did something to Meteora."

"And the fact that he tried talking to me," Anne said. "I mean, I'm still not sure but I'm ninety-nine percent sure I heard his voice."

"What would that guy want with you anyway? I'm the one who kicked his ass," Sasha said.

"Geez, one problem after the other," Marco said. "I have no idea what to do regarding Star either."

"Maybe I can help," Janna said, her sudden appearance startling everyone, with Marco getting into a kung fu stance. "Easy karate kid."

"Janna, stop sneaking up on us!" Marco shouted.

"One of these days it's going to get you killed!" Sasha said.

"Wouldn't be the first time I've faced death," Janna said.

"What do you want from us?" Amity asked.

"Well I heard about Marco's embarrassing situation, so I figured I could help out however I can," Janna said. "And I know one good solution."

Marco groaned in annoyance, "I swear, if you're thinking what I think you're thinking-"

"Hypnotism," Janna said.

"I am NOT letting you hypnotize me again!" Marco shouted.

"Wait, she hypnotized you before?" Luz asked.

"She can put him to sleep at the snap of her fingers," Amity said. "I've seen it happen."

"She also made me hate my favorite food!" Marco said. "Just thinking about Nachos makes me want to vomit now."

"Didn't you name your motorcycle creature after Nachos?" Anne asked.

"It's the only way I can still love them.." Marco said. "Besides, it's more the food itself that makes me queasy."

"Why did you make him hate Nachos?" Luz asked.

"For fun," Janna said.

"...That's messed up," Luz said. "Look, we'll figure something else out."

"Yeah, we don't exactly trust you with our friend," Anne said.

"You mean that same friend you and blondie nearly assaulted?" Janna asked.

"How long were you even standing there?" Marco asked. "Are you always nearby or something?"

"Marco, what have I told you about asking me questions you don't want the answer to?" Janna said.

"Look, I admit that Sasha and I nearly got heated, only because we made a pact once that if we ever dated a guy and that guy wasn't faithful enough, that our friends would take it to him," Anne said.

"Damn right we would," Sasha said. "Marcy's our girl, if you break her heart, we break your bones."

"I don't want to break her heart, I really like Marcy," Marco said.

"Didn't you spend a few months together in the Neverzone?" Luz asked. "I know that places lumps your memory into a fuzzy ball but shouldn't those months still mean something?"

"Marcy and I have definitely...bonded as of late," Marco said, the boy blushing a bit. "Thing is, I just randomly start feeling emotions for Star. I need to make these feelings go away for good. Because the last thing I want is that one day, me and Marcy are married, raising beautiful children together while I work at my non-merciful job as she's taking care of the house, all seems happy with us, and then...marshmallows."

Marco's story, while making sense to the girls, did get a confused reaction out of them due to his wording.

"Don't worry Marco, that story just isn't realistic enough to happen," Sasha said. "Marcy would be the one working rather than you."

"Sasha!" Anne scolded.

"I know this sounds bad, but I hope you believe me when I say that I will try and do anything to ensure that I maintain my relationship with Marcy," Marco said. "I will use magic to erase my feelings if need be."

"Does anyone even know the magic required?" Anne asked.

"Who would we even ask anyway?" Sasha asked. "We can't ask Star, that'd be an awkward thing to ask from her."

"Moon's a no go, she's still missing," Anne said.

"So is Eclipsa," Amity said.

"Think Eda might know a spell?" Luz asked. "Or maybe a potion better said."

"If you need potions, we can ask my brother," Amity said. "Might be a weird way to introduce Marco to my siblings though."

"I still say we should do the hypnotizing thing," Janna said. "I just need twelve hours alone with him."

"Not happening!" Amity said.

"There's only one thing to do," Marco said, grabbing the bowl. "I have to tell Star."

"Pretty sure we just established that doing so would be awkward," Sasha said.

"I know, and it's not something I want to do but, awkward or not, I have to do this," Marco said. "Otherwise the vision of marshmallows is going to plague me for a really long time and I'd rather this not affect my relationship with Marcy."

"You really think this is a good solution?" Janna asked.

"What else can I do?" Marco asked, grabbing the bowl. "Wish me luck."

The boy left the room, leaving the other girls behind for the moment, feelings ranging from pity to confusion.

"Well, this is gonna be awkward," Janna said, quickly heading in Marco's direction. "Time for a front row seat."

"Is she serious?" Amity asked.

"Yeah, for real," Sasha said, heading her direction. "I want that front row."

"Not what I meant!" Amity shouted. "Ugh, those girls."

"You know, we should be there too," Amity said. "Marco might need us."

"Yeah, he would definitely need us," Luz said. "But just so that we're on the same page, you're not going because you want to potentially beat him up, do you?"

"I promise that I won't," Anne said. "Unless he upsets Marcy."

"Anne!" Luz scolded.

"Hey I just want to be sure that Marcy doesn't get heartbroken," Anne said.

"Marco's bothered by this too, at least he cares enough to be honest," Luz said. "Now come on, he needs our emotional support."

"Yeah, sure," Anne said, joining Luz and Amity in finding Marco.

In her room, Star was seen packing her suitcase as Gus, Willow and Maddie helped to stack clothes.

"This stuff feels nonstop," Gus said, placing a stack on the bed. "How long areyou going to be away?"

"Not sure, but I wait to be a little more prepared," Star said. "If I need to sleep out there, I'll need the necessary supplies."

"Just make sure you don't get conned out of it," Willow said.

"I won't," Star reassured, then felt something nuzzle against her leg. She looked down to find one of the laser puppies. "Aw, my cute little puppy." She lifted the creature up to press her nose against it. "How are you feeling?"

"That's adorable," Willow said.

"Yeah, too adorable," Maddie said. "Cute's not my thing."

"Come on, just because you're a witch doesn't mean you can't like cute," Gus said. "Amity likes cute."

"Well I'm more old fashioned," Maddie said.

Marco came into the room, seeing Star with the puppy, making him clench up more, "Oh boy..."

"Hey Marco, what's up?" Gus asked.

"I...have something to tell Star," Marco said.

"Is it urgent?" Came Tom's voice, his sudden presence startling Marco.

"Oh...you're here too?" Marco asked.

"He just stopped by," Came Marcy's voice, the girl holding the Calamity Box.

"Oh right, I totally forgot you came here too," Marco said, the boy sweating. "I did not think this through."

"Marco? What's wrong?" Star asked.

"Wait up!" Janna said, finally showing up, pulling up a chair and eating some popcorn. "This should be good."

"Wait for me!" Sasha said, coming into the room, followed shortly afterward by Anne, Luz and Amity. "We wanted to be here for...emotional support."

"You're so full of it," Amity said.

"Great...anyone else want to be an audience?" Marco asked.

"Ooh! Audience huh?" Came the voice of Polly as she, Sprig, Ivy and King entered the room. "What's the audience for?"

"Great...well at least this saves time but..." Marco turned to Star, holding the bowl. "This pains me."

"My little baby marshmallow friend?" Star asked.

"You mean delicious marshmallow friend," Tom said, about to grab a piece.

"Tom!" Star said, taking the piece.

"What? There's still one more," Tom said.

"Exactly," Star and Marco said simultaneously. "I/Star didn't want that Marshmallow to get lonely, so I/she gave her a friend! Now it's all alone, how do you not see that!?"

It took Star a second to realize she said that at the same time as Marco, the girl dropping the piece into the bowl, taking a step backwards.

"Wow, that was just weird," Anne said.

"Almost like they rehearsed it," Luz said.

"Star, the thing is...I really like you, and everything about you," Marco said.

Janna immediately turned her attention to Marcy, the girl looking confused for a second. "Uh, Marco, it's great that you and Star are friends, but you should word your statement better, that almost sounded like a love confession."

"Yeah...I know it does," Marco said. "That's why I'm worried."

Marcy's heart sank a bit, "Marco, what are you getting at?"

"Marcy, just so you know, Marco does not want to hurt you in any way," Luz said. "He even said he wants his romantic feelings for Star to go away."

"Romantic!?" Marcy shouted in despair.

"Luz! I wanted to break it to her gently!" Marco said.

"Are you...breaking up with me?" A now teary-eyed Marcy asked. "For Star!?"

"No! I'm not, I swear!" Marco said. "I have feelings for you too Marcy, but now Star and her marshmallows, it's just so confusing!"

"I'm confused too, do you like me or Star?" Marcy asked. "I'd rather not do a harem."

"Well that sucks for Anne, Luz and Amity," Sasha teased, earning a glare from all three girls.

"Marcy...I'm sorry, I never wanted to hurt you," Marco said. "I will do anything to get rid of these feelings for Star, but I don't know why they're so powerful."

"It's my fault, actually," Tom said, gaining everyone's attention. "Marco, Star, you're both cursed."

"Cursed?" Star asked.

"You remember the Blood Moon Ball?" Tom asked. "It's actually called the Blood Moon Curse."

"Uh, I don't follow," Star said.

"The curse is that two souls would be bound under the light of the blood moon, and I took you because I hoped it could be us," Tom said. "But it chose you and Marco."

"So we're cursed, and you never told us!?" Star asked.

"Well I kinda figured you knew too," Tom said.

"Clearly I didn't!" Star shouted. "For real, how would either of us have even known!?"

"I mean, it seemed obvious in hindsight," Tom said. "Why else would the light center on you and Marco?"

"I thought it was a fun party light!" Star said.

"What about Marco?" Tom asked. "I know you have feelings for him, why do you think I've been so jealous?"

"Wait, you have feelings for me?" Marco asked.

"I knew it," Sasha said, then took an elbow from Anne.

"Not now!" Anne scolded.

"Tom, why would you keep this a secret!?" Marcy asked. "If your girlfriend likes a guy and I'm dating a guy who might like your girlfriend, shouldn't you like, tell everyone involved!?"

"Kind of a dick move there, Tommy," Sasha said.

"Please do not call me 'Tommy'," the demon boy said.

"Wait, so is this curse permanent?" Gus asked.

"It might not be," Tom said.

"Good, so break it!" Star demanded.

"I don't actually know how too, I learned about this from my grandfather," Tom said.

"Ugh! Figure it out then," Star said, packing up. "I have to head to the Island of the Pie Folk."

"Hold on, you're still going?" Sasha asked. "Even though you know you're cursed?"

"I need to find my mom, she takes top priority," Star said. "Once she's found, then we can remove this curse."

"Would you be able to contain yourself?" Sasha asked. "Or Marco for that matter?"

"What do you make of this Marco?" Amity asked. Not receiving an answer right away, she turned to the boy who was still staring at the marshmallows. "Uh, Marco?"

"You mean, all this time...my strange feelings, was because of a curse?" Marco asked. "...Does this curs affect my other feelings?"

"I mean, I don't think they should," Tom said. "Whatever feelings you have for Marcy should be genuine."

"What were you even thinking when you did this?" Amity asked.

"Look, I was just a jealous idiot back then," Tom said. "I hated Marco because I couldn't see why Star would date a lowly human."

"Geez, sounds like you and my mother would have gotten along well at one point," Amity said.

"I mean, my family does know yours," Tom said. "If you ask your mom about my parents then-"

"I have no interest in doing so, thank you," Amity said.

"Look, I'll get this curse broken," Tom said.

"This should have been broken long ago," Amity said. "I mean, didn't you think this could affect your relationship with Star?"

"Alright, let's not dwell on this," Gus said. "Tom messed up, but at least he was man enough to admit it. If he says the curse can be broken then at least let's go off of that. Arguing about the past won't fix our future."

"Gus is right, at least Marco figured out the problem," Willow said. "And if there's a way to fix it, then that's a good sign."

"Again, I'm not entirely sure," Tom said, earning some glares. "I just don't want to raise anyone's hopes."

"If it's a curse, then there's usually a way to reverse it," Amity said. "Go ask your grandfather how to get that done."

"I might find him in one of the demon realm libraries," Tom said.

"A library? In the demon realm?" Maddie asked, the girl sinisterly grinding her hands together. "Sounds fun..."

"Uh...sure," Tom said, a little creeped out.

"Alright, you do that, I'm heading on my trip," Star said. "When I get back, you better have answers on how to fix this."

"Uh, sure, okay," Tom said.

"On the bright side, once I rescue my mom, she might know what to do as well," Star said, leaving with her stuff. "I'm heading off."

"Oh wait, we need to get ready too," Marco said.

"Actually, Marco, I'd rather you not be there for this," Star said. "I don't want to risk any unnecessary distractions."

"Huh? But Star, you and I usually go on adventures like this together," Marco said. "I mean, sometimes we go solo if we have to but most of the time we're a team."

"I know but this time, I just need to handle it alone," Star said.

"Star, you can't go alone, it might be dangerous," Tom said.

"Ugh, fine," Star turned to three of the witches in the room. "Gus, Willow, Maddie, you're with me."

"Me? But I was gonna go with Tom," Maddie said.

"Tom's a big boy, he can handle this himself," Star said.

"Ugh, fine," Maddie lamented, then turned to Tom. "Bring me back some books."

"I'll see what I can find," Tom said.

"Let's go you three," Star said, gesturing the trio with her.

"We'll see you all later," Gus said.

"Good luck Marco, if things go wrong, come to me, I might no a way to help," Willow said.

"Wow, that's nice," Marco said as they left. "Wonder what Willow has in mind?"

"Probably you," Sasha said, taking another elbow from Amity.

"Not funny!" Amity shouted.

"Hey she's your friend, you tell us what she might be thinking," Sasha said.

"Just because I'm her friend doesn't mean I'm a mind reader," Amity said.

"Hey wait, when Star asked for assistance, why did she ask for Gus, Willow and Maddie only?" Anne asked. "What about us?"

"Probably because of how closely associated we are with Marcy and Marco," Sasha said. "I mean, we are pretty tight knit."

"How tight knit?" Sprig asked.

"I know what each of them looks like when they're naked," Sasha said, earning massive blushes across the room, save for Janna, who found this hilarious.

"Holy shit, you actually saw each other without clothes!?" Janna asked. "Quick, be honest with me, how big or small is Marco's junk?"

"Janna!" Marco shouted.

"Hey we're all friends here," Janna said.

"Wait, what junk?" King asked.

"Yeah, I'm kind of confused here," Polly said.

"Oh right, we got baby frogs and dogs here," Janna said.

King groaned in annoyance, "Why does everyone keep calling me a 'dog'? I'm a demon!"

"Just like Tom here," Janna said. "Yo Tom, eve see a demon like this little guy?"

"His name is King," Luz corrected.

"Right, King," Janna said, focusing back on Tom. "So? Anyone like him?"

"Personally, I haven't seen others like King, not up close," Tom said, turning to King. "Where exactly did you come from?"

"Some weird island where Eda found me," King said. "I don't exactly know my origin, that's why I entered that big race a while back, so I can get on national television and hope someone in my family notices me."

"No sign yet?" Sprig asked.

"No, I've asked Hooty to check the mail too," King said. "Then again, he's not the most reliable guy half the time."

"Half? That's generous," Amity commented.

Luz was about to scold but truth be told, much as she loved Hooty, she knows he can be a bit strange at times. "Hooty has his moments where he can be of help."

"Too far and in between," Amity said.

"Point is I haven't really noticed, I'd check more but since I don't have my own pair of scissors I can't just freely travel between realms," King said. "Eda won't let me have my own either, she's worried I might end up getting lost."

"I mean it can be dangerous, and tempting," Marco said. "If you had a pair, what's to stop you from searching the realms for your family on your own?"

"...Good point," King said. "Still, maybe I should stay at the Owl House for a bit, for all I know my family tried coming by."

"We should all go," Sprig said. "We'll ask Lilith to take us."

"Uh, would it be safe for them there?" Anne asked.

"Yeah, so long as they're not outside when it's raining," Luz said. "Oh, and they should be careful what they eat."

"They should be careful in general, not a place kids like them should be left unsupervised at," Amity said. "Though Lilith can handle watching over them."

"Well, at least let Hop Pop know if you're going to stay at that house," Anne said.

"Cool, it'll be like a sleepover," Sprig said. "One that can last for days, weeks, even months."

"Whoa, that's a lot," Anne said. "Remember we still need to go to Amphibia to deliver the Calamity Box to King Andrias."

"Actually since we have time, lets just do that now," Marco said.

"Uh, if we are, let me go find Grime first," Sasha said.

"Sure, meanwhile Marcy and I can-" Anne noticed something was off. "Where did Marcy go?"

"Oh she left a while ago, while you were all talking and figuring out what exactly King was, she just walked out of the room," Janna explained.

"You're only mentioning this now!?" Anne shouted in annoyance.

"Hey she's your friend, you should have kept a closer eye on her," Janna said.

"Why you..." Anne grumbled in annoyance. "Ugh, no use getting upset. Sasha, let's go find Marcy."

"Wait, should I come too?" Marco asked.

"Uh, maybe later, this feels like something Sasha and I should handle," Anne said.

Marco sadly nodded, "Yeah, I suppose so. I should go take this bowl to the kitchen...after I find a permanent home for these little marshmallows."

"Or, you could just eat them," Ivy said.

Marco gasped in shock, "How could you say such a thing!? Were you not listening to what Star said?"

"Well if you eat them, then they'd still be together," Ivy said. "Plus you don't want to all weird about those marshmallows either, not helping you in this situation, especially with Marcy."

"Yeah, don't value marshmallows over your girlfriend," Polly said.

"I probably shouldn't," Marco said, making his own leave.

Luz felt sympathy for Marco, she could clearly see this was bothering him and he needed some support, "I'm gonna check up on Marco."

"I'll join you," Amity said.

"Good, you two can do that while Sasha and I check on Marcy," Anne said. "We'll make sure she and Marco maintain their happy ending."

"And I'll sit back and finish this popcorn," Janna said, popping another piece into her mouth.

"You're cruel," Anne said as she and the others made their leave.

After Marco got rid of the bowl, he took a seat on a nearby table, thinking over his situation. "I really goofed up, I should have managed my emotions better. I can't believe I can even still have feelings for Star, and I thought I had something special with Marcy."

As he lamented his situation, both Amity and Luz had caught up to him.

"He looks so depressed," Luz said, feeling sympathy for the boy. "He's usually so happy and peppy too."

"Marco's the type of guy to lift the spirits of others, but I get the feeling he can't apply that to himself," Amity said.

"Well that's where we come in, now let's cheer our good friend up," Luz said.

As Marco continued to lament, he noticed that both Luz and Amity were sitting down next to him. "Oh, hi girls."

"Hey buddy, how's it going?" Luz asked.

"You know how it's going, I stupidly upset my girlfriend because I still have lingering feelings for my best friend," Marco said.

"Oh is that all?" Luz said, earning a stern glare from Marco and a slight one from Amity. "What I mean is, mistakes happen, and you didn't mean to upset anyone."

"But I did, I can't just brush this off as a simple mistake," Marco said. "I have to find a way to make amends."

"And you will," Luz said. "For now, just turn that frown upside down, I mean things could easily be so much worse."

"This really isn't helping," Marco said.

"How's about letting me try," Amity said.

Luz nodded in agreement, allowing the girl to take over, "Sure thing."

"Marco?" Amity said, getting the boy's attention. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it, you really did kind of goof up today. But, to Luz's point, things really aren't too bad. I mean, even if Marcy is a bit hurt by what happened, she could be a lot angrier. She didn't get mad at you, she didn't tell you off, if anything she's more upset at Tom because he's partially responsible for this."

"Partially? He placed a curse on Marco and Star, all because he was jealous of their friendship," Luz said. "Basically this is all his fault."

"He knows he messed up and to his credit, he is trying to fix this," Amity said. "I can't fully blame Tom because I was just like him at one point. I used to think less of humans too, and I used to be a bully. I mean, Willow was my childhood friend and at one point I was being terrible to her. Honestly Luz, if you never showed up, I'd still be a bully, and too afraid to leave my mother's shadow."

"Man, your mother really left a terrible impact on your life," Marco said.

"That's an understatement," Amity said. "The point I'm making here is that we all make mistakes. I made the mistake of nearly turning into my mother, Tom make a mistake in his curse and you mistakenly admitted you might have feelings for Star. But Marcy seems like a really understanding girl, and she knows it's from the curse so she can't blame you."

"Yeah, she's in shock but she'll recover," Luz said. "Anne and Sasha are going to make sure of that."

"Try to forgive yourself, you meant no harm," Amity said.

"I'll give it a shot," Marco said. "Still, what if Tom can't find a way to reverse the curse, or what if the only way to do so is impossible? I don't want to break Marcy's heart but I'm worried that's the direction I'm heading towards."

"Well, when you're with Marcy, you don't think about Star, do you?" Luz asked.

"No, it's just her," Marco said.

"And when you're focusing on her, it's loving thoughts, isn't it?" Amity asked.

"Yeah, I enjoy spending time with Marcy, she makes me happy," Marco said.

"Focus on that, don't rely on someone breaking the curse for you, break it at your own free will," Luz said.

"Me? On my own?" Marco asked.

"Well maybe not totally on your own, we'll help you, but yeah, use your own willpower," Amity said.

"One thing we can respect when it comes to you Marco, is that you've got incredible determination," Luz said. "You don't let anyone stand in your way, you're willing to take danger head on, like a real man would."

"You did lead the charge against Meteora, and even when things looked bleak you never gave up there," Amity said. "When Belos's army was invading, your determination didn't waver then either."

"Yeah, you helped push his coven back to keep Mewni safe," Luz said.

"When we were training with Hekapoo and her clones overwhelmed us, you stepped in without a second thought and showed her up," Amity said.

"And recently when myself, Amity, Anne and Marcy got stuck in the Neverzone, you wasted no time coming to find us," Luz said.

"Come to think of it, I still never fully forgave Marcy for that," Amity said.

"Not the time..." Luz reminded.

Amity sheepishly nodded, "Right, point is that you've never given up before, don't start now, and especially not with Marcy."

"I don't want to but, today just put so many things in hindsight," Marco said. "If I had known about this curse sooner, and broken it, or never got it in the first place, what would be of me and Star?"

"You didn't always have feelings for her, is that right?" Luz asked.

"No, she was just a clumsy girl I once met, she was an exchange student at my school who pulled off some weird shenanigans," Marco said. "I remember one time I tried teaching her how to ride a bike, she didn't know how to stop."

"Don't you have to just turn backwards?" Luz asked. "Or use handbrakes."

"The bike didn't have handbrakes, and when I told Star to go backwards, she said it's weird because bikes are meant to go forward," Marco said, laughing at the memory. "Thankfully our friend Oscar was there to help but still, it's actually really adorable in hindsight."

"I guess it is, but try not to focus on that, last thing you want is for that to be like the marshmallows," Luz said.

"Right...still, it makes me wonder," Marco said. "Like, the first time I was in love with a girl, it was Jackie Lynn Thomas. She was quite the beauty, with those cute freckles, blonde hair with a blue streak, and...I know this is kind of a lecherous thing to say but, she had them hips."

"It's fine, you're a guy, you're allowed to like that stuff," Luz said.

"I know, but I did like her for more than that," Marco said. "She was always very mellow, like I could be around her and feel so calm, which was an interesting personality for a skater. Like that girl could ride a skateboard like a Goddess."

"Skateboarding huh? Fitting for a girl from California," Luz said.

"I was head over heels for her, like I was convinced that girl would be my wife one day," Marco said. "Then things happened, and it started when Star once admitted she had a crush on me. She did it at a party, in front of all my classmates, and in front of Jackie. I didn't know if she meant it or not, since she was going through some stuff. She was on her way back to Mewni because of some trouble with Ludo, Toffee and other dangers."

"Ludo is that little bird guy, right?" Amity asked.

"And Toffee is that really dangerous solider who led an army that nearly conquered Mewni," Luz said.

"You're both correct," Marco said.

"Still, confessing like that in front of your girlfriend?" Luz asked.

"Things seemed calm for a bit afterwards, Jackie and I still went on dates while Star did her thing in Mewni," Marco said. "She kept in touch with Janna more than she did with me, probably because of how awkward things were between us. But eventually, I guess my feelings for Star did overwhelm me because Jackie ended up breaking things off."

"Was it because of the confession or something else?" Luz asked.

"To this day, I'm still not sure, maybe she noticed my feelings because of this stupid curse," Marco said. "I can't even be sure if it was the curse because I always thought Star was cool. Still, despite my efforts, I couldn't keep my relationship with Jackie. I remember being so bummed out about it too, and slightly jealous of Tom and Star."

"It must have broken your heart," Luz said.

"Big time…" Marco said. "Then things changed when met you girls, and Marcy. If I recall, it was very shortly after we defeated Toffee and Eclipsa returned that Amity here ended in Mewni with Lilith, and when we found you in Amphibia, Luz."

"You and I got stranded there and that's when we met Anne and Marcy," Amity said.

"I didn't know at the time, but meeting Marcy was one of the best things that could have happened to me," Marco happily recalled his time with the girl. "She was so clumsy and adorable, and in a way, reminded me of Star. That's one reason worried about this curse affecting my feelings for her." Marco sniffled a bit, wiping a tear from his eye. "I don't want my feelings for Marcy to be fake. I don't like the idea of my emotions just being illusions made up of a curse! It's not fair to Marcy to be just some replacement for Star when I should love her as her own person!"

Marco wiped his eyes some more, both Luz and Amity nearly on the verge of tears themselves, seeing how much this bothered Marco reminded them just how pure he is at heart, and they couldn't stand seeing a nice boy reduced to this."

"Marco," Luz pulled the boy into a hug. "I wish I could do something to make these worries go away."

"Me too," Amity said, also wrapping Marco in a hug. "It's sweet how much you care though. You're a good guy Marco, your resolve is matched only by your compassion."

"Sorry you have to see me like this though, I know I need to be tougher but I already went through this type of heartbreak once before, I can't do it again," Marco said.

"You shouldn't have to be sorry, no one wants their heart broken," Luz said. "You just really care about Marcy and that's a good thing."

"But I don't know if my feelings are real," Marco said. "The only thing I'm more afraid of than my heartbreak is hers. I'm afraid to hurt Marcy."

"You won't, because you know deep down that despite the similarities, Marcy and Star are not the same, not even close," Amity said.

"Sure they're both Genki Girls, but Marcy more of a bookworm who loves doing all types of research into different cultures and understanding how the world works, plus she comes across as more resourceful," Luz said. "Star's smart but she seems to act way more on emotion than Marcy, and does things on a whim. She's too narrow-mindedly focused to the point of Tunnel Vision while Marcy sees a much more broad horizon."

"I hope you girls are right," Marco said. "I just...I gotta make sure I don't mess this up. Marcy and I...we've really bonded as of late, especially in the Neverzone. Fast as those months seem, much like it feels like a dream, it still has a place in my heart. I want to do more with Marcy, I want to show her more of my interests, some of my favorite spots on Earth and in Mewni."

"You'll have that chance," Amity said. "We'll be there to help."

"Any tips on how I should try bonding with her?" Marco asked. "Like, more than I have?"

"Just keep doing what you're doing," Amity said.

"Yeah, helps to also show interest in what she likes," Luz said. "Like, what's her culture at home? What are her traditions? Maybe she knows a second language. I know that if I dated someone, I'd be thrilled if that someone learned Spanish. It's not a requirement but I'd appreciate the gesture."

"Well she mentioned being Taiwanese, not sure how to speak the language though," Marco said. "I don't even know if she speaks it, though given her intelligence, she probably knows that language and so much more."

"She was able to translate some ruins in Amphibia, she used a book but it's still impressive that she knows their language," Luz said.

"Sounds amazing," Marco said.

"Question, you said Star had a crush on you, in front of everyone," Luz said. "Did Tom happen to be there too?"

"No, otherwise things would have been so much worse for me," Marco said.

"It's funny how Star never mentioned to Tom that she might like you," Amity said. "I mean, she could have been trying to hide it, but part of me wonders if she even wanted to hide it. Like she doesn't seem as remorseful as you're feeling now, if anything she sees it as more of an inconvenience than anything."

"Star doesn't like confronting her feelings on certain things, she probably thought this was a crush that could pass," Marco said.

"No offense to Star, but she sounds immature as a person," Amity said. "Kind of selfish too."

"She's not that bad, she's just easily stressed out," Marco said.

"Which you can't say of Marcy," Luz said. "Stay optimistic."

"I'll give it a shot," Marco said, standing up. "Thanks girls, I need to go and think to myself for a moment."

"You got it Marco," Luz said as the boy made his exit. "So...how do you think we did?"

"Hard to say, I just hope he'll get passed this," Amity said.

"Me too, he's a really nice boy, he's got that gentleness you wouldn't see in a lot of guys," Luz said.

"He's also strong when he needs to be," Amity said. "Girls need that in a guy, someone who's strong but knows when to bring that wall down. He's a perfect boyfriend honestly."

"Sure is..." Luz said. "Say, Amity, speaking of dating. Are we going to try again? Like, I know we had that fight in the Neverzone but..."

"I honestly can't even remember the details of that, it feels so long ago," Amity said. "But, I do recall it being about Anne."

"I'm sorry if anything I did upset you," Luz said. "Maybe I'm just as confused as Marco is right now."

"Do you like Anne?" Amity asked. "Like, do you think you have feelings for her?"

"Does it matter? I don't even know if she would like me back," Luz said. "At least I know you would."

"Luz, I would love to date you but if there's anything we both learned today, is that uncertainty in regard to romance could lead to hurt," Amity said. "I want to date you, but if you're not sure about dating me, then I don't want to take any chances."

"Yeah...I get that," Luz said. "I'll figure it out soon, I promise."

"Alright, good," Amity said, the girl hopefully that Luz will make a proper choice.

Meanwhile Marcy was seen on the rooftop of Mewni castle, overlooking the horizon, trying to figure things out on her end.

"Hey Mar-Mar," Anne said, getting her attention as she and Sasha made their way over.

"Hey Anne, Sasha," Marcy said, feeling less than her usual pep.

Anne sat by one side of Marcy while Sasha sat by the other, the two looking to the distance with their friend.

"So, how are you feeling right now?" Anne asked.

"Alright, I guess," Marcy said.

"You guess?" Sasha asked. "Come on Marcy, you know you're way more vocal about your feelings than that."

"You know you can tell us what's bothering you," Anne said. "And I know you're bothered by this curse business between Marco and Star."

"It's nothing, really," Marcy insisted. "I'm fine."

"It's alright if you're not though," Anne said. "You don't have to bear a burden alone, let Sasha and I bear it with you."

"Girls, I appreciate this, but I promise that I will get over this," Marcy said. "I get it, Marco and Star are cursed so that they're in love with each other, it's really no big deal."

"Marcy, really?" Sasha said. "It is a big deal, you literally just said your boyfriend is in love with another girl."

"Hey it's all good, not like things would have lasted anyway," Marcy said, the girl forcing a smile on her face. "I mean, yeah Marco is a nice boy, super sweet, always thinking of others, treats me like the world, but hey, it's not like good things are expected to last. Everything worth holding onto in life gets away eventually, probably not even worth the effort to hold onto it in the first place. I should just accept that life is destined to suck and there really isn't much you can do about it."

"Uh...wow," Sasha said. "You honestly think that?"

"Yeah Marcy, you never give up on anything, why now?" Anne asked.

"Because, Anne, this might just be beyond even my capabilities!" Marcy shouted. "Ugh, to think that I actually thought I could land a steady relationship with a boy, what a joke that was."

"Marcy, come on, you shouldn't be giving up this fast," Anne said.

"Yeah, exactly," Sasha said. "Tom already said he's working on a way to undo the curse."

"So Marco can be free and can devote himself to you," Anne said.

"But what if there is no way to reverse it?" Marcy asked, a tear forming in her eye. "What if Star and Marco are destined to be together? I mean, it makes sense in hindsight, those two have been through a lot. Some even seem surprised that I'm dating Marco, and wondering how long it's even going to last."

"Wait, who's been saying that?" Sasha asked.

"Just some guards and a handful of civilians," Marcy said. "I didn't say anything because I know you girls would probably beat them up or something."

"Well yeah, this isn't any of their damn business," Sasha said.

"I don't want to risk getting in the middle of some destined romance, I don't want to put myself through that type of pain," Marcy said, facing her head down as she continued to tear up. "So I figured I'd just accept things as is and get it over with."

"So that's it? You're just going to let Marco go?" Anne asked.

"I don't want to but what choice do I have?" Marcy asked.

"You always have a choice, Marcy" Anne said. "You can choose to give up or you can make sure you keep your man."

"Marco's a great guy and believe it or not, he seems just as bothered by this," Sasha said.

"Yeah, he doesn't want to break your heart," Anne said. "I think you make Marco really happy and he doesn't want to give up on that happiness."

"You really think so?" Marcy asked.

"You heard how heartbroken he sounded," Sasha said.

"You should have heard him when he realized that he might like Star, believe me Marcy, he's head over heels for you and wants to stay that way," Anne said. "Don't give up on Marco, because I don't think he wants to give up on you."

"Yeah, you're right," Marcy said, wiping her eyes. "I don't know what I was thinking but I can't just give up yet. I've never given up before when I wanted something, and I'm not gonna start now. Marco means a lot to me, I just feel like he's the one and I can't just let him get away. If there's a way to break this curse, then we'll find it, even if we have to go through hell to do it."

"That's the spirit, Mar-Mar!" Sasha said. "Screw destiny, make your own future!"

"I will!" Marcy said, chuckling a bit. "Honestly, I do feel a bit silly now. I hope Marco doesn't think I'm mad at him, I mean he didn't ask to be cursed."

"He might think so, if I were you I'd find him and clear the air," Anne said.

"Yeah, good idea," Marcy said, standing up. "Come on, let's find my boyfriend."

Meanwhile Marco had been taking a walk, thing about everything. He wanted to fix things with Marcy but was still at a loss on how to do it. He needed to speak to someone who knew Marcy, but he wasn't sure about asking her friends right now. They're already talking with Marcy and if things go bad, they would more than likely just take her side and demonize Marco even more.

He grabbed his scissors and entered a portal, one that took him Newtopia's castle.

As he did, Olivia had passed by, Marco attempted to get her attention. "Excuse me miss?"

"Ah!" Olivia shouted, turning to a now sheepish Marco. "Do NOT sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry about that, I just need to see King Andrias," Marco said.

"And you are?" Olivia asked.

"...Marco, a human. I came here a few weeks ago with a witch girl named Amity," Marco reminded.

"Oh yes, I remember you," Olivia said. "Well, come with me if you wish to speak to King Andrias."

"Okay," Marco said, following the newt.

In his throne room, Andrias is seen looking through some old records, and some newer ones that Queen Moon had recently lent him.

"If only there was a way to further examine Mewman magic, I'd go if I could but I shudder to leave this Kingdom unattended at a time like this, last thing I need is those Toads trying to take over while I'm gone," Andrias said. "I should really make time to dispose of them before-"

"King Andrias?" Olivia said, Andrias snapping out of it.

"Oh hello Olivia, what brings you here?" Andrias asked.

"This boy has returned," Olivia said, gesturing to the guest.

"Hey, it's me, Marco," The boy introduced.

"I remember you, yeah you were with that witch girl," Andrias said. "You're friends with Queen Moon. How are things going in Mewni?"

"Bad, Queen Moon went missing, and Emperor Belos is still out there plotting something," Marco said. "Right now, Star is the Queen, but she considers it temporary."

"Oh wow, I had no idea," Andrias said. "I mean, I heard there was some commotion but..."

"Sorry, guess no one's really filled you in," Marco said.

"Yeah, usually Marcy would but she's been in Mewni for some time," Andrias said.

"She's been trying to help out, that's why she hasn't delivered that Calamity Box to you, even though I keep reminding her," Marco said.

"When Marcy sets her sights on something, she's determined to see it through," Andrias said.

"Yeah, she's a great girl, just recently the two of us started dating," Marco said.

"Ah yes, I did hear a peep or two about that," Andrias said. "Mostly from Yunan, she's been bragging about it."

"She's a great girl, and I really like her, but recently, I may have screwed up," Marco said.

"Screwed up how?" Andrias asked.

"I...accidentally revealed that I had a crush on Star," Marco admitted. Slowly but surely, Olivia seemed to be reaching for a weapon of sorts, Andrias quickly gesturing her not to, forcing a smile when Marco was in his line of sight. "It's dumb, I know, and honestly it's not even real. It's a curse that a demon placed on me."

"Why would a demon do that?" Andrias asked.

"Long story, but he hated me for liking Star since that's his girlfriend, and ironically cursed us to be together," Marco said. "His jealousy was his undoing."

"Talk about irony," Andrias said.

"I want to make things right with Marcy, because I really do believe my feelings for her are real, I just need to make sure they over power even this curse," Marco said. "You know Marcy pretty well, anything you can tell me that will help? I'd ask her friends but I feel awkward about that."

"Well, romance is not my forte, but I can give you some pointers and tips, at least about Marcy to help you out," Andrias said.

"I'd really appreciate that, and don't worry about the box, once this is done, she's bringing it over, no more delays," Marco said. "By tomorrow the latest. We have no more distractions right now since Star left Mewni for a bit to find her mom."

"That's risky, leaving your Kingdom unattended," Andrias said.

"Eh, The Magic High Commission will watch over it, they already control things as it is," Marco said. "So can you help in anyway?"

"Sure, take a seat lad," Andrias said. "Let's talk man to man."

Meanwhile Luz had made her way back to Star's room, wanting to see if King was around while Amity went to talk to Lilith. "King? Sprig? Anyone around?" She looked around the room and spotted something. "Star's Book of Spells!"

Luz looked around a bit before going to open it, though as she was about to, she heard a voice call out to her, "I wouldn't do that."

"Huh?" Luz turned to see Glossaryck. "Oh it's you, that weird little blue guy."

"I have a name, it's Glossaryck," the little man said. "And I wouldn't touch that book."

"Is it forbiddon or something?" Luz asked.

"Well technically, yes," Glossaryck said. "That book is for the Butterfly Family, it contains magic and history meant for them."

"Marcy got to read it," Luz said.

"Because Star was around to give permission, that and she just wanted to learn more about Mewman History, along with the history of the Butterfly Royal Family," Glossaryck said. "But I don't think you're in this for a history lesson, you want something more. You want to know about the magic."

"Kind of," Luz said.

"Let me explain something, the magic in this book, along with Mewman magic in general...it's not like whatever you've been learning in the Demon Realm," Glossaryck said. "Witches have their own magic, just like demons, and other creatures in the multiverse. You seem to want to learn Mewman magic, and honestly, that just isn't going to happen."

"That so?" Luz asked. "Are you saying humans can't learn it?"

"Of course they can, after all Mewmans are descendants of humans that found this realm, even Marco has used Star's wand." Glossaryck said. "I'm just warning you that it's not like like Demon Realm magic. You need a wand to learn the spells, they're kind of a gateway, and you lack the wand because you are not a relative of the Butterfly Royal Family."

"Well that's a bummer," Luz said. "Still, I am curious on how it differs from what witches do."

"There's plenty of differences, magic is not an umbrella term after all," Glossaryck said. "Unless you get adopted into the Butterfly Family, I wouldn't put any hope into learning Mewman magic."

"Speaking of the Butterfly Family, did you know about Meteora?" Luz asked.

"Let's just say I know this family well," Glossaryck said. "Not that it matters, there is only so much I can do. When it comes to politics, that's out of my domain. Unless it affects magic, then it's none of my business."

"What's your relationship with Hekapoo and the others? Like are the the only ones capable of helping the Butterfly Family?" Luz asked.

"Curious, aren't you?" Glossaryck asked.

"Some terrible stuff has happened that may directly affect The Boiling Isles because Belos did something to Meteora," Luz said. "And this Meteora stuff happened because the Magic High Commision didn't wan someone who's part monster to be Queen, which is terrible by the way."

"Again, that's out of my hands," Glossaryck said. "Though I will admit that I am the one who created the Magic High Commision, but unfortuantely they don't seem to care about my opinion these days."

"You created them? So you're like their dad?" Luz asked.

"I suppose so," Glossaryck said. "And I do know that they're far from perfect, if I could I'd just repace them but believe it or not, doing so is quite the hassle. I can't just make them disappear and they won't leave without a fight."

"Well I have to ask this, if Mewman magic is different than Demon Realm magic, what does Belos want with this place?" Luz asked.

"I cannot answer that, I do not understand his motivation," Glossaryck said. "We've hardly had contact with the Demon Realm, at least the Boiling Isles. Belos is a big mystery to myself as well, and I don't know what he wants with Meteora. That is something you will have to figure out."

Luz sighed in frustration, she wasn't getting the exact answers she wanted, "Tell me one more thing. What's the deal with this Toffee guy? Is he that powerful? Sounds like he's caused quite the commotion himself."

"Well, he was powerful, personally I never forgave him for what he did to Moon's mother, Queen Comet, she was actually one of my favorite students," Glossaryck said. "What made him a threat was that he was nearly indestructible. No matter what you did, he could regenerate easily. It took dark magic that Moon learned from Eclipsa to stop him in the first place, and powerful magic from Star to finish him off the second time."

"Well I hope he's gone, I think Amity mentioned once that Belos was very interested in Toffee," Luz said. "Is there magic that can revive the dead?"

"Theoretically yes, just like there's methods of time travel," Glossaryck said.

"Wait, Time Travel?" Luz asked.

"Just keep your eyes and ears open," Glossaryck said, making his leave.

"Wait, hold on!" Unfortunately the little man was gone. "Dang, he left." Luz curiously turned back to the book, "I know he said it's pointless to look but...eh, maybe I shouldn't waste my time. I just hope we can find Belos before it's too late."

Meanwhile Anne was walking down the halls toward the kitchen. Since Marcy was hungry, Anne politely decided to get something for her friend.

"Hope this is the right way to the kitchen, probably should have considered that before offering to get a treat for Marcy," Anne said. "Eh, I'll ask directions."

As she walked by, she felt a cold chill, looking to see if a window was open. But there weren't any in the hallway.

"Must have been my imagination," Anne said as she kept walking. She eventually passed by a mirror, stopping to check on it, mostly her hair. "I swear, no matter what realm I always get leaves stuck in my hair. Am I just turning into a tree or something?"

The mirror then took the form of a familiar presence, "Well you have quite the powerful bark."

"GAH!" Anne stumbled backwards as the figure became more familiar to her. "Belos!?"

Suddenly he disappeared and reappeared behind her in one of the Butterfly Portraits, "Good to see you, Anne."

"Dude, are you like following me wherever I go now? First the Pie place now here? What is with you?" Anne asked.

Belos disappeared again, Anne frantically looking around to find him, "You are unaware of your powers, aren't you? what a shame, it was quite impressive the day you fought Meteora."

"Powers? Wait, you saw my fight?" Anne asked. "I thought you just showed up at the end for no reason! You were watching the battle?"

"Of course, I had to know the strengths and weaknesses of my foes," Belos said. "Especially girls like you and the others from Amphibia. Three human girls with a lot of power, and out of all of them, you interest me the most."

"Surprised, wasn't it Sasha that kicked your butt one time?" Anne asked.

"I will admit, she is strong, and I do hope to pay her a visit again soon," Belos said. "You however, you just remind me of myself in my youth. You're cautious but full of adventure."

"Don't compare me to you, creep," Anne said. "Sounds so cliche of a villain, probably trying to get in my head or something. Why don't you come out and let me kick you around a bit?"

"In due time," Belos said, appearing once more, this time it being an image of himself before Anne. "After all, your power is all a part of my grand plan, question is if you will be."

"What does that even mean!?" Anne shouted as Belos disappeared. "Hey! Where'd you go!?" She frantically looked around. "Belos! Where are you!? Belos!?"

"Anne!?" Came Eda's voice, the woman running over alongside Raine. "You alright kid?"

"It's Belos! He was just here!" Anne said. "Or sort of here."

"We know," Raine said. "We felt his presence as well."

"Seems like he's not down for the count quite just yet," Eda said.

"What is he even after anyway?" Anne asked. "Why does he want me? He keeps mentioning my power, but I'm just a human girl. I don't know magic like Luz does."

"Well Amity did say you exhibited great skill fighting Meteora," Eda said. "Belos might know something you don't."

"In any case, he's clearly still a threat to us, and with Queen Moon missing and Star off to find her, that leaves Mewni in a vulnerable state," Raine said. "I think it's best that some of us prioritize finding Belos as soon as possible."

"Do you even know where to look?" Eda asked.

"Not quite, but I might know how to track him down, I'll just need my team," Raine said.

"Need me to go too?" Eda asked.

"No, you stay here with the castle, if anything happens you have to protect the kids," Raine said. "I'll go after him myself."

"Are you sure about that? You know how dangerous Belos is, plus your brother's still out there," Eda said.

"I'm not worried about Darius, or Eberwolf," Raine said. "Look I'm not going to be alone; I have my team and if anything I can talk to Grime or The Magic High Commission."

"Eh, I don't trust any of those guys," Eda said. "But if you think you can manage...just try to be careful."

"Pfft, when am I not?" Raine said, then turned to Anne. "Listen, we won't let Belos harm you, just trust me."

"Sure thing Raine," Anne said. "And thanks."

"Hey, it's my pleasure to bring down Belos, he's a threat to me and my friends too after all," Raine said. "Just, if you can, try to stay near someone. I don't know why Belos is coming after you specifically but you'd be safer in numbers."

"If he does show up again, I'll be close by and ready to tear that fucker a new one," Eda said.

"You rock, Eda," Anne said. "Anyway I should find Marcy, and Marco too."

"Heard there's trouble in paradise," Eda said.

"It's complicated, but they want to fix it," Anne said. "They're just not sure if they can."

"Those two go well together, it'd be a shame if nothing gets resolved," Eda said.

"I think they'll be fine," Raine said. "Marcy's a smart girl and Marco is a very caring boy, they'll figure it out."

"For their sake, I hope so," Eda said, the woman feeling unsure about herself.

Raine could somewhat guess what she was feeling right now, and now feeling just as awkward as well.

"Well, let's get Anne to safety," Raine suggested.

A bit later, Anne and Sasha had reunited with Luz and Amity near Star's room.

"How'd it go?" Luz asked.

"We got Marcy back to normal," Anne said. "What about Marco?"

"We cheered him up, I think," Amity said.

"You think?" Sasha asked.

"We did our best, right now it's up to Marco and Marcy to fix this," Luz said. "But I have faith that they will."

"I hope so," Anne said, the girl looking over her shoulder.

"You alright?" Sasha asked. "You've been finicky since you went to the kitchen."

"I…ran into Belos again," Anne said, this worrying the girls.

"Again? What does he want with you?" Luz asked.

"I don't know, he keeps talking about my power," Anne said. "It's really creeping me out."

"Belos is definitely planning something, watch your back," Amity said.

"We'll help, we're not gonna let him hurt you," Luz said.

"Eda said the same thing," Anne said. "Raine's going to do something about this as well, said something about gathering friends, probably the anti-coven team or something."

"That's great, hopefully they can do something about Belos," Luz said. "But there isn't much they can do on their own."

"Eda was worried too, but for now, let's have faith in team Raine," Anne said.

"To think, Belos has a dangerous advantage because of the nonsense involving Meteora," Luz said. "I tried talking to that Glossaryck guy about it, he gave me nothing but vague answers."

"Oh right, he would have been around for all that stuff," Anne said.

"One interesting thing he told me was that he was the one who created the Magic High Commission," Luz said. "Oh, and that Mewmans are related to humans."

"Figured as much with the second, they look pretty much exactly alike," Sasha said. "Still, that means Hekapoo is Glossaryck's daughter so to speak."

"Yeah, they're not exactly a close family though," Luz said.

"I'll ask her about it," Sasha said. "I know she's been feeling a bit guilty, like she still thinks she made the right choice but she figures she could have been a little more open about it."

"Right choice? She traded a baby away, that baby turned into the monster that they feared she'd be," Luz said. "Hekapoo and her brothers brought this on themselves."

"Yeah, yeah, they had their humiliating loss, so they're even," Sasha said. "Meteora was definitely a beast, she even beat Mina, and she's said to be one of the strongest Mewmans."

"So, where is she anyway?" Amity asked. "I don't think anyone's seen her lately."

"Eh, probably off training, hoping to regain her fallen honor, because honestly, any interest I had in her plummeted when she took that 'L' so fast," Sasha said.

"I hope she's alright though," Anne said, then turned to Marcy, the girl leaning against a wall and munching on some chips. "Right now, I'm worried about Marcy."

"Me too," Luz said, the others agreeing.

Moments later, Marco was seen coming out of a portal, the boy coming face to face with his girlfriend. "Marcy..."

"Marco..." Marcy said, placing her chips aside.

Marco awkwardly walked over to the girl, still feeling awkward after today, "Listen...Marcy. I'm really sorry about all this, I never meant any harm. You believe me, don't you?"

"Of course, I know that you're not one to try and hurt others, you were just as confused as me," Marcy said. "I'm sorry if I didn't handle it well."

"No don't be, you had a right to be upset," Marco said. "Honestly though, today scared me, a lot."

"You were scared?" Marcy asked.

"Of course, I really like you Marcy, you mean a lot to me," Marco said. "I haven't been this happy since I dated Jackie Lynn Thomas. With all due respect to her, you might actually be a better girlfriend for me too. I mean, you have that love for adventure, you're full of energy, you're very intelligent and you just have certain things that even Star doesn't have. You're special in your own way, and that's what I've come to really admire about you."

This got a huge blush out of Marcy, the girl shyly pushing her hair back, "That was really kind of you Marco, thank you."

"Marcy," Marco took the girl's hand. "I really like you, I don't think I could like you more if I tried."

"Guess it's too soon to say 'I love you'," Luz theorized, the others agreeing.

"Aw...I really like you too," Marcy said, the girl's smile fading a bit. "But, what about Star? What about the curse?"

"I'm not letting that curse rule my life, I care about you more than I'm afraid of that curse," Marco said. "I am going to break it too, with or without Tom's help."

Marcy didn't say anything, she just leaned in to pull Marco into a kiss, the boy returning the favor, much to the relief of the girls.

"Oh thank goodness," Luz said. "They're still a couple."

"Had me worried for a second, but I had faith in them," Anne said.

"They deserve to be happy, well Marco does at least," Amity said.

"Amity..." Luz scolded.

"Well that's taken care of, what next?" Sasha asked.

"Star's going to Pie Folk Island, Raine's going after Belos, and King's waiting for a message from his family," Anne said. "As for us...we have a chest to return to King Andrias."

"Right," Sasha said. "The Calamity Box."

Marco himself remembered, "Marcy, tomorrow, first thing, we're returning that box to King Andrias."

"Yes, of course," Marcy said. "But why tomorrow?"

"Because now," Marco lifted Marcy off her feet "You and I have a lot of rekindling to do."

"Oh my..." Marcy said, the girl blushing even harder as Marco carried her off.

Janna came by, loudly munching on her popcorn, "They're totally gonna bang."

"Seriously?" Luz asked. "Also how much popcorn do you have?"

"Some things are better left unsaid," Janna said, making her leave.

"Weirdo," Anne commented.

"Still, let's wind down, seems we still have a lot to look forward to," Sasha said, the other girls following suit.

As Belos lingers, Andrias awaits his box and Queen Moon is still out there somewhere, plenty was still left unchecked, for now.