Chapter One: Nightmares and Goblin Dogs

Marco awoke in a cold sweat. He was still trembling as he slowly sat himself up and buried his head in his hands. After taking a few deep breaths, the trembling slowly receded.

Marco groaned. He was drenched with sweat, and his head was pulsing with pain. As he slowly peeled himself out of bed, he grimaced at the brightness of the Mewni sun. Marco slowly shuffled his way toward his bedroom window and closed the curtains.

'...What... ...What time is it?' he wondered, as he wiped at the river of sweat pouring down his face. 'Oh, yeah... River broke my alarm clock... He thought it was some kind of monster or something... And then... Glossaryk tried to eat my second one... What-... What happened to the third one? ...Oh, right... It exploded. I should've known that buying one from Quest Buy was a bad idea...'

Marco breathed a heavy sigh as he made his way toward his wardrobe to retrieve a fresh pair of clothes.

'...Since nobody bothered to wake me, I guess that means Star doesn't need me today...' he thought. Marco grimaced as he felt a familiar knot in his stomach. As he pulled out a fresh new hoodie, he felt a tremble in his hand. He had been having a lot of nightmares recently, and they all seemed to follow a similar theme.

They were also getting worse. And all Marco could think to do about it was try to ignore it.

Marco took a deep breath and shook his head. 'Let's... Let's try some happy thoughts... Like-... Uh... I wonder what they're serving for lunch today at the dining hall...'

Marco's stomach grumbled at the thought.

'Yeah... That... That might be nice.' he thought. 'But first... I'd better take a shower and stuff... I just hope River didn't clog the drain again... Or eat my shampoo... Or my toothbrush... Or my loofah... Hmm- Maybe I should stop keeping stuff in the bathroom...'

As he left his room, Marco could already feel some familiar thoughts and feelings creeping back to the surface. 'Nope- You're not gonna win, brain. Today is going to be a good day. And I'm not going to let you ruin it.'

Unfortunately for Marco, trying to think happy thoughts always seemed to do nothing but tempt fate.

"For the last time... I'm afraid you are simply not allowed to enter the royal dining chamber. No matter who's squire you claim to be."

Marco grit his teeth.

He had already suffered through an ice-cold shower in the Squire's quarters because the royal showers were mysteriously 'unavailable'. And once he had gotten out, he had found his change of clothes replaced with a clown costume along with a particularly unkind note from the other squire's. After making his way back to his room in a puffy clown costume and getting changed again, he managed to stub his toe on his desk and then fall on to a cactus. After spending some time pulling several needles out of his back, he finally made his way down to the dining hall where he usually ate with Star and her parents- only to be stopped at the doorway by a heavily armored royal guard.

"Look- I know Star isn't here with me like she usually is... But you've got to remember my face by now! It's been weeks!" exclaimed Marco.

The royal guard huffed. "I do not have to remember any face other than the ones I serve! And you have no right to refer to the Princess by name, peasant. I don't know what childish game you think you're playing, but I have dedicated my life to protecting this sacred, beautiful place from the likes of you." he growled.

Marco blinked. "You mean... The dining hall? I mean, it's pretty and all but-" he muttered.

"Yes, the dining hall! This is the single most important place of them all! More important than the laundry, the bathroom, or even the throne room! This is the room where our beloved royalty sits down to feast upon the finest meals Mewman kind has to offer!" exclaimed the royal guard. "It is a den for the sacred! A refuge for those that stand above all others! Plus- it's also super expensive! Like, super duper. And amazing, too! The Mew-Goose is cooked to absolute perfection, and all the cereal is served with the freshest Yelzak milk!"

Marco's stomach gave a frustrated growl as the royal guard launched into a long-winded speech about all of the different foods that were served in the dining hall. As the guard began to passionately rant and rave about the wonders of the dining room chairs, Marco simply turned around and walked away. He was in no mood to deal with another member of the Mewni Kingdoms unstable staff.

As he made his way down the hall, his stomach continued to grumble. Quickly compounding his already sour mood. Doing his best to ignore the sounds coming from his stomach, Marco tried to force himself to think about something else.

'...Star's probably hanging out with Tom again..'

Marco immediately felt a tight pain in his chest and scowled. 'Really, brain? Straight away, you go there? What's wrong with you?' he thought.

Marco shook his head. 'Just... Try to think about... Not that... Something else... Like... What am I going to do today? ...Let's see... I guess maybe I could just go back to my room and train... I still have Sensei's old VHS player along with all of those Karate tapes...' he thought. 'Or... Maybe I should get back to studying Mewnian writing... If I keep it up, I think I'll be able to do the crossword puzzle in the Mewni Times...'

Marco paused for a moment as his stomach whined for his attention once more. It was no surprise that it was so insistent. He had already skipped dinner the night before and slept through breakfast.

Marco sighed. "...I don't think I'm gonna be able to wait for dinner..." he muttered. "...Maybe I should just try and sneak into the Royal kitchen... Hmm- Something tells me I'd just wind up being chased by a bunch of angry cooks and crazy ingredients... I guess I could... Try stopping by on Earth... Maybe... Get a burrito..."

Marco felt a painful twinge in his chest. He hadn't visited Earth at all since he left. In fact, he had been avoiding doing so at all costs.

Once again, Marco bit down on another swell of painful emotions.

"Maybe... Maybe I'll just try the Goblin Dog truck..." he muttered.

With a mildly discontent sigh, Marco pulled his dimensional scissors out of his pocket and opened a portal. As he stepped through it, he felt a familiar tingle run through his entire body. And, in an instant- Marco found himself standing in the middle of an enormous desert terrain, decorated with enormous rock formations and a few sickly looking trees.

For a split second, everything looked peaceful. And then, very quickly, Marco was forced to cover his ears and cringe as the Goblin Dog jingle filled the air at such a colossal volume that the ground was trembling under his feet.

"ROY!" bellowed Marco, as he quickly approached the Goblin Dog truck. "ROOOY!"

A tiny goblin wearing a nametag that read 'Roy' was standing inside the food truck with his face down on the counter. Marco grit his teeth, as he nudged the small goblin with his elbow. "ROY! TURN IT DOWN! YOU'RE GOING TO CAUSE AN EARTHQUAKE! OR- WELL... MAYBE NOT- BUT YOU'LL RUIN YOUR SPEAKERS! AND MY EARS!"

Upon noticing Marco's presence, Roy let out a heavy sigh as he propped his head up on a napkin dispenser. Breathing another heavy sigh, Roy slowly reached over and flipped a tiny switch on the wall beside him. All of a sudden, the deafening jingle came to a stop.

"...You need to go back to the end of the line..." muttered Roy.

Marco blinked and turned to look at him. There were three creatures standing in line behind him. At the end of the line was a large slug man with a shirt that read 'If You Can See This, I Love You'. In the middle of the line was a somewhat familiar looking big chicken wearing a bib with a picture of a goblin dog and a pink heart on it, and at the front of the line stood a tall squirrel girl wearing a black leather jacket with a skull and crossbones on it. All three of them were wearing enormous headphones and appeared completely dazed as they stood in place, swaying from side to side.

"Uh... Are those people okay?" asked Marco.

"I said- ...Get to the back of the line!" bellowed Roy.

All of a sudden, the squirrel girl standing behind Marco snapped out of her stupor. "H-hey! Are you... Are you cutting in line!? Line cutter! I've been waiting for-... I don't even remember anymore!" she exclaimed.

"I'm not trying to cut in line! I just wanted to-"

"I don't wanna hear any excuses, line cutter! It's people like you that perpetuate the constant, overwhelming cruelness of existence!" exclaimed the squirrel girl.

"I'm not trying to perpetuate anything! I was just-" Marco began, only to be interrupted once more. This time by some angry squawking from the big chicken, and some slurred, lazy words from the slug man. Marco sighed as everyone shot him dirty looks.

Ignoring the loud hissing and cries of 'line-cutter' from the creatures in line, Marco cleared his throat. "Roy..." he muttered. "What'll it take for you to keep the music turned off?"

Roy gave a lazy sigh and moved his head just enough to meet Marco's gaze. After staring each other down for a little while, Roy slowly gestured toward a jar with the words 'Tips' scrawled across it, along with several badly drawn dollar signs.

Marco sighed as he rummaged through his pockets until he finally retrieved his wallet. Without saying anything, Marco pulled out a few bills and stuffed them into the jar. Roy gave a happy snort- which was quickly followed by another long sigh.

"...Thank you. Now- back of the liiiine..." muttered Roy.

The creatures standing in line all watched this happen with a mixture of shock and horror. "Y-you mean... We... We only had to tip you?" muttered the squirrel girl, her eyes twitching slightly as she spoke.

Roy simply gave a tired shrug.

As Marco walked past, the squirrel girl suddenly stopped him with her tail. Marco blinked as the squirrel girl looked at him with tears forming in her eyes. "I-... ...Thank you. Thank you so much..." she said, her voice quivering with emotion.

"Uh... Sure. No problem." muttered Marco, as he buried his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. As he made his way to the back of the line, he couldn't help but notice the glaring lack of a crowd. Such a short line was completely unheard of- especially during lunch hour. 'I wonder if somethings going on...' thought Marco. 'I hope Roy hasn't just decided to spend the day messing with his customers... Again...'

Time seemed to pass very slowly as Marco waited in line. It didn't help that Roy was apparently committed to doing his job in super slow motion. Eventually, the squirrel girl scurried away- holding her Goblin Dog as if it were her most prized possession. The big chicken simply swallowed it's Goblin Dogs whole and left an egg on the counter as payment. Roy didn't seem to notice or care, as he simply crammed the egg into the cash register and closed it with a loud huff.

Finally, the slug man slivered his way over to the counter. Very slowly. And then, it began to recount it's lunch order. Very slowly.

By the time Marco finally made it to the counter, his stomach was practically roaring.

As Marco stood in front of him, Roy gave a heavy sigh. "...Welcome to the Goblin Dog truck... Can I get you a Goblin Dog?" asked Roy in a disinterested tone.

Marco nodded. "Uh- yeah. Give me, like... Four. I'm... I'm really hungry." he said.

Roy sighed and gave Marco a lazy nod. The two of them held eye contact for a little while before Roy let out another heavy sigh. "Sorry, sir. We're all out of those." he muttered.

Marco blinked. "You're... All out of what?"

"Goblin Dogs."

"...Really?"

"Nope. It was all a teeest..." said Roy, as he lazily waved his arms in the air for emphasis.

Marco stared at him for a while. His instincts were telling him not to bother asking any questions, and just take his Goblin Dogs and go. Unfortunately, Marco couldn't help himself. Maybe he was just feeling bored... Or maybe he just didn't like seeing anyone else look so miserable.

It was probably a mixture of both.

"...Roy? Is, uh... Is something going on with you?" asked Marco.

Roy sighed, and slowly shook his head. "Me? No- I'm perfect in every way, and everyone knows that..." muttered Roy. "No... It's just... Well- it's lookin' like the old Goblin Dog truck is driving on its last legs. And not just 'cuz we had to replace those last year..."

Marco blinked. "...Wait, what?"

"Nobody likes Goblin Dogs anymore! They're all into stuff like Pixie Pizza's and Imp Burrito's... There's just no room anymore for lil' ol' Goblin Dogs..." said Roy.

"Well... Maybe if you had a sales strategy that didn't involve forcing your customers to answer riddles and fight it out for a place in the line..." muttered Marco.

Roy huffed. "You sound just like all my Boss's. 'Don't shoot stuff at the customers, Roy.' 'Don't lead the customers into high-speed chases in the food truck, Roy'. You know what your problem is? You don't have vision!"

"Uh-huh..." muttered Marco.

"And now... They're even threatening to sell my food truck and my spot to Troy. Troy! Can you believe it!? You know what he'd make in a food truck? I've got no idea- but I bet it's be something terrible! Just like Troy!" exclaimed Roy. "And he's just desperate to take this place from me, I know it... And at this rate he's probably gonna get it."

Marco rubbed the back of his neck as he struggled to think of the right thing to say. "...Look... Roy... I'm sorry you're having a tough time and all... And-... And I wish I could say something encouraging... But- y'know... Sometimes... Sometimes you just gotta let go. And... And who knows... Maybe you'll wind up finding something even more special." said Marco. "It's... It sucks, but... But maybe..." Marco's voice trailed off, as his face fell into a confused frown.

Roy huffed. "Are you sure you're not confusing choosing to 'move on' with just 'giving up'?" he asked.

Marco blinked.

Before he could open his mouth to say anything, Roy suddenly pulled a large silver platter of Goblin Dogs out from under the counter and sat them down in front of him. "Here. Take it. And make sure you enjoy 'em, because they might be the last Goblin Dogs that ever come outta this place..." said Roy.

"Uh... Thanks?" muttered Marco, as he picked up the platter.

Roy let out another long weary sigh and laid his head down on the counter. "...That'll be six hundred and fifty dollars..." he muttered.

Marco stared at Roy for a moment. Finally, after letting out a weary sigh of his own, Marco balanced the platter in one hand while he fished out his wallet with the other. After paying Roy, Marco carried the platter over to a nearby picnic table and sat down to eat. After practically inhaling the first two Goblin Dogs and coming dangerously close to choking, Marco did his best to pace himself as he ate. As he chewed on his third Goblin Dog, Marco looked around.

'...I'm all alone again.' he thought. '...That's been happening a lot lately...'

Marco felt his chest tighten again.

Time passed by slowly as he ate Goblin Dog after Goblin Dog. Eventually, he found himself stuffed full beyond all reason- and yet, the platter still seemed almost entirely filled with Goblin Dogs. Marco stared at the pile of food for a while, feeling a wave of queasiness crash over him. "...There's no way I'm gonna be able to finish all these..." muttered Marco. Pushing the platter away from him, Marco sat his head down on the table and sighed.

'Okay... So-... What now?' he thought. 'Star hasn't called... So... She probably doesn't need me.'

Marco sighed again as he felt himself grow drowsy.

'...I haven't been sleeping very well recently. Those... Nightmares-... They just never stop...'

Marco took a deep breath.

'...Oh, well... I guess it's not like I have anything else to do today...'

With that, Marco closed his eyes. And it wasn't long until sleep eventually took over.

It seemed to take a while for him to realize that he was falling. When he finally did, he began screaming and clawing desperately at the darkness around him. But there was nothing to hold on to. Nothing to stop him from falling ever deeper into the endless black void below.

The blood moon was floating far above him, lighting the darkness around him in a sickly crimson glow. As he fell, the light quickly began to fade. Marco reached his hand out, as if he hoped to touch the moon. Only to watch the moonlight fade between his fingers.

Now, everything was dark. He could no longer see himself, nor could he hear the sound of his own screams. His entire body began to go still, as his hands and feet slowly began to fade into nothingness. It was a cold sensation. As if parts of his body were going numb and breaking apart.

Time suddenly came to a stop. A wave of emotions began to rose up from his chest and poured out of him. Memories began to flash across his mind before fading away. But he could no longer picture them. Instead, the memories seemed to exist as long strings of complex emotions. As they all poured out of him, he could feel his journey reaching its end.

As Marco's body finally dissipated, he tried with all his might to make a noise. To find his voice, despite having every part of him fade away.

And finally, he did.

"...Star."

His voice seemed to echo throughout the void.

"...I..."

"...I-"

Marco's eyes fluttered open, and once again he found himself trembling and drenched in sweat. He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes with his sleeves and took a few deep breaths. As he struggled to stop the trembling, he felt something touch his shoulder.

Marco froze.

"Karate Boy."

Marco breathed a deep sigh of relief as he turned to find Buff Frog standing beside him.

"...Hey." he muttered, his voice cracked and raspy. "What, uh... What're you doing here?"

Buff Frog seemed to study Marco's face for a moment, his eyes filled with concern."...Well, I was just coming here to try one of those... Er-... 'Goblin Dogs'. I have heard many good things from Miss Star Butterfly." said Buff Frog. "...And-... What about you, Karate Boy?"

Marco thought for a moment and then gave a weak shrug. "...Just... Having lunch." he muttered.

Buff Frog's head-flippers fluttered a little. "...Lunch? But it is already being very late in the evening." said Buff Frog, as he gestured toward the horizon. Marco turned around slightly to find that the sun had almost completely set. Marco stared at the red glow of the sunset for a moment and then shuddered. Without saying anything, Marco buried his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. He rummaged around for a few minutes, before finally retrieving his phone.

Staring down at his phone's screen, he let out a small sigh. '...No missed calls...' he thought. '...Well, I guess that's a good thing.'

As he put his slowly slipped his phone back into his pocket, he noticed something sitting beside him and snoring loudly.

Marco blinked.

"The... The sleeping shrubbery was already being there when I arrived." said Buff Frog, as Marco stared at the pile of greenish-blue hair sitting next to him. It seemed to take him a moment for him to recognize it.

"...Kelly." he muttered.

At the sound of her name, Kelly suddenly sat up straight. "I'm awake!" she exclaimed. After taking a moment to remember where she was, Kelly gave an embarrassed chuckle as she brushed her hair away from her face. "Wow- falling asleep on a picnic table... That's probably not a good sign. No offense, Marco." she said, as she adjusted her glasses and shot Marco a friendly smile.

Despite looking like a sweaty mess, Marco couldn't help but return the smile. "Hey, Kelly." he said. "It's good to see you."

Noticing the curious stare that Buff Frog was giving them, Marco cleared his throat. "Uh... Buff Frog, this is my friend Kelly... Kelly- this is my friend Buff Frog." he said.

Kelly blinked as she noticed Buff Frog stand off to the side. "Oh! Uh-... H-hey..." she muttered, stumbling over her words a little as she spoke. "Sorry... I get kinda nervous when I'm meeting new people..."

Buff Frog blinked, and his head-flippers fluttered. "Oh- Er, do not worry about it..." he muttered. "...I am sorry, Karate Boy... Did I-... Did I interrupt something?"

Marco and Kelly gave Buff Frog a blank look. It seemed to take a few seconds for them to realize what it was that Buff Frog was implying. When it finally clicked, they both shook their heads in perfect unison.

"No, no- I was just... I came by a little while ago, and I found Marco sleeping with his face on the table here... I was gonna wait for him to wake up and stuff, but... I guess I wound up falling asleep too. Sorry about that, Marco." said Kelly. "I uh... I thought you might've needed the sleep."

Marco smiled a little. "Don't worry about it, Kelly." he said.

As he watched Marco and Kelly interact, Buff Frog stroked his chin, looking thoughtful. "I see..." he muttered.

Noticing the look of suspicion in Buff Frog's eyes, Marco gave a nervous cough. "Uh... Buff Frog? You... You can sit down if you like..." he muttered.

"Oh- Okay... Do not mind if I do..." he said, as he took a seat across from Marco and Kelly. "Say-... Are you... Going to eat this?" he asked, gesturing toward the platter of leftover Goblin Dogs sitting in the middle of the table.

Marco blinked. "Oh... Well, they've kinda been sitting there all day, Buff Frog..." he said.

"You should never be wasting food, Karate Boy." said Buff Frog, in a disapproving tone.

"Well... If you want them, you can have them..." said Marco, with a slight shrug.

Buff Frog gave a happy croak and wasted no time in picking up the platter and tipping over, sending the Goblin Dogs tumbling into his gaping maw. After a few minutes of disturbing slurping and chomping sounds, Buff Frog set the platter down on the table again and gave a hearty burp. There was a moment of silence at the table, as Buff Frog quietly picked at his teeth with his fingers, and Marco stared at him- looking equal parts horrified and impressed.

Eventually, it was Kelly who broke the silence.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "You just ate like two dozen Goblin Dogs in minutes! That's almost the world record!"

Buff Frog smiled and nodded. "Yes... Is one of my greatest talents." he said, before giving another loud burp. "I could have gone pro... But... I pulled my stomach during championships... Never quite recovered."

Kelly gave a sage-like nod. "Yeah... I've been there."

Marco smiled as he watched Buff Frog and Kelly spark up a conversation about eating contests that quickly moved into the subject of favorite foods. Ponyhead had once told him that Kelly was a very shy person. And whether or not that was actually true, she had always been incredibly easy to talk too. At least for as long as he had known her.

Kelly and Buff Frog's conversation continued for a few minutes, but eventually- and somewhat inevitably- the subject came up that Marco had been doing his best to avoid.

"So, how's Star?" asked Kelly. "I haven't seen her for a while."

Marco shrank in his seat a little under Kelly's gaze. "...She's... Well-... She's going through a lot." he muttered.

Buff Frog nodded. "Yes... I heard about the, er-... 'Monster Dance' that she threw with the royal Mewman youth... It was sad to hear about how it turned out..." said Buff Frog.

"Yeah, it kinda got outta control at the end there... But, y'know- I think it was a step in the right direction. And Star's probably not gonna let a little set back like that hold her down." said Kelly.

Marco smiled a little, despite himself. "...Yeah. She's really awesome that way..." he muttered, in a wistful tone.

"So... What exactly happened, anyway? I didn't really get the chance to ask... I overheard a few things, but- I don't think I ever really got an accurate description." said Kelly.

Buff Frog nodded. "Yes, me as well." he added.

Marco sighed.

"...Well, everything was going fine... But, then- people started disappearing. And pretty quickly, the Mewman kids started blaming the monsters for it. Things started going south from there... I mean- it was mostly just arguing and stuff... But then, we found out who it was that was... Stealing people." said Marco. "It turned out to be this crazy person named Mina Loveberry. I, uh-... Star and I had met her before... Quite a while ago. Apparently, she used to be this big hero or something..."

Buff Frog shuddered. "...Mina Loveberry you say... This is a name I've not heard since I was but a young tadpole... Some of the scariest campfire stories among us monsters are about 'Loveberry the Merciless'..." he said.

Kelly blinked. "...I thought I heard that she went crazy and disappeared..." she muttered.

"Well... That's half right, at least." said Marco. "We, uh... We found her living in the basement. She had been capturing everyone who crossed her path. Tying up the monsters, and letting the Mewman's go... Although it did look like she kinda roughed them up first..."

"...If the stories I have heard are true... Then they were lucky to still be alive." said Buff Frog.

Marco nodded. "Yeah... I don't know what she would've done if we hadn't found her when we did." he said.

"So- what happened next? Did you and Star fight her off and save the day?" asked Kelly.

Marco shook his head. "...Not quite. That was about the time Miss Heinous showed up... Things got really crazy after that." he said.

Buff Frog scratched his head. "Who is this... 'Miss Heinous'?" he asked.

Marco shrugged. "Well... She's kinda my mortal enemy, I guess. I mean- she certainly seems to think she is. She actually showed up a couple of times while I was on Earth... You know... After the whole 'Toffee' thing. She's not really all that threatening when she doesn't have a pack of goons at her beck and call." he explained. "Anyway-... Well, like I said- things got pretty crazy. But the short version is that it turns out Miss Heinous is actually related to Star. And... She's Eclipsa's daughter."

"Whaa-? You mean... 'Eclipsa Queen of Darkness' Eclipsa?" exclaimed Kelly. "But, wait- That... That doesn't make any sense... Isn't Eclipsa... You know... Ancient?"

Marco nodded. "Yeah... Honestly, I'm not really sure what the deal is there either... Star, uh-... Star doesn't really like to talk about it. At least-... Not with me." he said.

Kelly blinked. "...What do you mean?" she asked.

Marco winced a little, instantly regretting his words. "...Nothing. Anyway, so-... After the party, Star was kinda down for a while. I, uh-... I tried to cheer her up, but... I... I wasn't able too. But, uh-... Tom... Tom really stepped it up his game, and... Well... He's helped her a lot. They've been hanging out almost every day recently. Star's been trying to track down some records of her family history. Queen Moon hasn't really been all that helpful with that stuff, though. I think she's afraid of what Star might find." said Marco.

Buff Frog scratched his chin. "...Star has told me about this." he said. "I tried to find anything I could on this 'Eclipsa'... But every monster I know had never heard of her. ...I believe that most of the records of her existence have been destroyed."

Kelly scratched her head. "Really? I heard about her in grade school. I mean- it was more of a folk talk than anything else, but... Most people I know have at least heard her name."

"...We tried a few magic library dimensions, but all we found were a bunch of books with fangs and wings... Along with a couple of crazy librarians." said Marco. "I mostly just spent my time getting bitten and chased around. By both the books and the librarians."

"Did you find anything?" asked Kelly.

"No... We didn't. I think-... I think Star took it pretty hard... But-... Like I said, Tom's been doing a really good job of being there for her." as he spoke, Marco could feel swell of pain in his chest. He quickly grit his teeth and did his best to push it down. Feeling Buff Frog and Kelly's gaze, he gave a few fake coughs and hoped that it would be enough to disguise his pained expression.

"A-anyway... The last time we all went library hunting was about a week ago. Since then, she's been doing a lot better." he said. "She's decided to re-double her efforts on Mewman/Monster equality, and... Trying her best to become the best princess she can be. And she's made real progress. She's already changed a lot... Of course- she's still the same Star deep down."

Marco paused for a moment, as a small smile crept up on his face. "She's really strong. Probably the strongest person I've ever met... And I know nothings gonna stop her." he said. "...She really is... The most incredible person I'll ever know."

Once again feeling Buff Frog and Kelly's gaze on him, Marco blushed. "A-anyway... So-... Yeah, I think everything's going to be fine with Star." said Marco.

"That is good." said Buff Frog. "And... What about you?"

Marco looked down at the table for a moment and frowned a little. "...I'm fine." he muttered. After a brief pause, Marco quickly shifted his gaze up to Buff Frog, and then to Kelly. "What- uh... What about you two?" he asked.

There was a brief period of silence as Buff Frog and Kelly exchanged worried looks, before turning their attention back to Marco. Eventually, Kelly broke the silence by clearing her throat. "Well... I, uh... ...I haven't really been doing too well..." she muttered.

Marco quickly turned toward Kelly, his features instantly filled with concern. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Kelly brushed a few tufts of hair out of her face and gave a long, weary sigh. "...I don't know... I just... I've had kind of a 'funk' going on, you know?" she said. "I've... Been feeling it for a while."

"...Is it about Tad?" asked Marco.

Kelly gave another long sigh. "...Well, not exactly..." she muttered. "I mean-... Kind of... It's, uh-... It's kinda hard to explain."

Marco gave her a kind smile. "Why don't you give it a try? I'll listen to whatever you have to say." said Marco. "Or- you know... If you're not comfortable, then that's fine too. Whatever works for you."

"...Sometimes it can help a great deal just to talk these things out..." said Buff Frog. "If I am intruding, then I can go..." he offered.

Kelly slowly shook her head. "No, it's fine... You can stay, uh-... Sorry, what's your name again?" she asked.

"My name is Yvgeny Bulgolyubov. But... Friends call me 'Buff Frog'. And any friend of Karate Boy's is a friend of mine." said Buff Frog.

Kelly smiled. "Thanks." she said. There was a brief period of silence at the table, as Kelly struggled to think of what to say next. Eventually, she gave a long, frustrated sigh as she ran her hands through her hair. As she pulled her hands away, her hair seemed to frizz out in all directions. With another sigh, Kelly did her best to pat her hair back down before again. It seemed to take a few minutes of messing around on her part, but eventually, Kelly found her voice.

"...So... A while ago, my on and off again boyfriend and I... We broke up." she began. "It-... It'd kinda been a long time coming. Tad and I... We hadn't really 'clicked' like a normal couple in a long time. We just... Started arguing a lot. And then... One of us would come back, and apologize to the other... We'd remember all the fun we used to have... And then before long- we were back together again. We, uh... We stayed like that for a while."

Kelly sighed. "...Eventually, I realized that I had to break the cycle. It was hard... But I knew it was the right thing for both of us. Unfortunately... I couldn't really get Tad to see things that way. He... Well, I guess he thought that it was just another fight... And that we'd just end up getting back together again." said Kelly. "...And to be honest... I couldn't really blame him. We'd both been stringing each other along so such a long time... That it almost felt like that was just the way things were supposed to be. But... One day, I realized... That I wasn't happy. And I know Tad wasn't either."

Kelly glanced up at Buff Frog and Marco, and couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious under their gaze. Kelly pulled her hair over her face just a little, and took a deep breath.

"...So... The same day I was trying to convince Tad that this new break up was a real one... It just so happened to be the day of the Soul Rise. Ever since I was kid, I used to love sneaking out to the underworld beach and watching it. ...It was kinda like my own special little thing. No matter what kinda stuff I was going through... The Soul Rise always made me feel better." said Kelly. "For as long as I could remember, I'd never missed one. And I didn't want to start... Especially because... Well... That day, I think I really needed it."

"Star and I had already planned a big beach picnic for the occasion... But Tad was still living in my hair. So, I told him... That I wanted him to leave before the Soul Rise came... And it kinda spun into another big argument. By the time the big beach picnic started, I... Well, I was doing a lot of thinking. See, I knew... That I had to move on. And Tad did too. But... No matter how much thought I put into it... I just-... I couldn't think of a way to break it off for good... Without hurting Tad more than I already had." said Kelly. "But then... You came by to check on me... And... Everything just seemed to spill outta me. Sorry about all that, by the way..." she continued, as she turned to face Marco.

Marco smiled. "Don't worry about it..." he said. "I... Well, I wasn't really all that much help in the first place. I think... I think Tad already knew that he was just making you both miserable. He was just clinging on because... He was scared of what letting go would mean."

Kelly gave a wistful smile. "...Yeah." she muttered. "It's... It can be really hard... Moving on from something like that. But- you know... It can also be kinda exciting. Because all of a sudden... You're free. And you realize that there's a whole bunch of stuff out there to do... Stuff to explore, and people to meet... All you have to do is get back out there and find it. And... Maybe you'll find something better than you could have ever imagined."

Buff Frog smiled. "That is a beautiful thought, Shrubbery Girl." he said.

Kelly blinked. "...'Shrubbery Girl'?" she muttered.

"Oh! I am sorry. I, er-... Forgive my old brain, she is failing me. Your name... It was... Diane? No, no... Deborah? Er... Dana?" asked Buff Frog.

"Uh... No. It's 'Kelly'." said Kelly. "I don't where you're getting all these 'D' names..."

"Ah, yes, of course! I am very sorry Miss Kelly." said Buff Frog.

Kelly smiled a little. "You know what... 'Shrubbery Girl' isn't too bad. Let's just say that only my friends can call me that... 'Buff Frog'." she said.

Buff Frog let out a hearty laugh. "Yes, of course. Let us do that, 'Shrubbery Girl'."

Marco smiled. "...I think I'll just stick with 'Kelly'." he said.

Kelly gave a playful shrug. "Whatever floats your boat, 'Marco Ubaldo Diaz'." she said.

Marco blinked. "Wait- How do you know my middle name?" he asked.

"Oh, Star's Earth friend told me. I mean- her other Earth friend." said Kelly.

Marco scowled. "...Janna..." he muttered.

"Yeah, that's her! She also gave me a copy of your birth certificate for some reason... And a handful of baby photos. You were a really cute baby, by the way." said Kelly.

Marco gave a heavy sigh. "...Is there any way I can get those back from you?" he asked.

"Uuhhh... I think I wound up giving those to Star... And I think she wound up making a bunch of copies and spreading them all over Mewni." said Kelly.

"Wha- How did she 'accidentally' do that?" asked Marco.

Kelly shrugged. "I dunno. It was a while ago now, so I don't really remember all the details." she said.

After taking a moment to wonder for the umpteenth time why Janna seemed to think pranking him was so much fun, Marco gave a heavy sigh and shook his head as if to rid the subject from his mind. "...Sorry, I think we got a little side-tracked there..." said Marco. "Kelly... You said that you were in a... A 'funk'. And... I don't think you quite got around to telling us why."

Kelly sighed. "...You're right." she muttered, as she absent-mindedly adjusted her glasses. For a moment, it looked like she had lost herself in thought. Then, all of a sudden- she let out another long sigh before setting her head down on the table. "...I... I don't know..." she muttered. "Things... Things've been a lot better for me since I broke up with Tad. You know? I can do whatever I want, whenever I want... And I don't have to feel the weight of sadness and guilt weighing down on my chest... Or my hair."

"But... You know-... Sometimes I look around... And... I start to wonder if... If I'm alone now. I mean-... All my friends have stuff going on, especially Star... And I'm just kinda... Roaming around on my own. It was fun at first- having a little 'Kelly on Kelly' time for once... I went on a couple of adventures... Exploring ruins and fighting giant sea creatures... And it's really fun and all-... But afterwards, when you're just sitting by yourself by a campfire... Well... It feels... Lonely." she said. "And-... And to be honest... I'm kinda disappointed in myself. I mean, I got what I wanted... But-... But I'm still not... Happy. And it's messed, because... I hurt Tad for this. And... I gave up on a whole chapter of my life to start this new one... And... It's like... If I'm not... Really happy-... Then... What'd I even do this for? Was it even worth it?"

Marco placed a hand on Kelly's shoulder and gave her a comforting smile. "...Sure it was, Kelly. You deserved the chance to try and find your way into a happier life." he said.

Buff Frog gave a serious nod. "Yes, Shrubbery Girl. Karate Boy is right- Trying to move on was being the right decision... You said it yourself. You're happier now. Feeling sad or lonely from time to time does not negate this... Is being natural state of existing as living creature." said Buff Frog.

A soft smiled graced Kelly's features. "...Thanks, you two." she said, as she brushed a tuft of hair away from her face. "I'm sorry if I'm... Blathering and junk. I just- ...Well, I haven't really gotten to talk to anyone about all this stuff... It, uh... It's already helped a lot."

"Hey, if you ever need to talk- Give me a call. I'll always make time for a friend in need." said Marco.

Kelly smiled. "...Thanks, Marco." she said.

"Yes, Shrubbery Girl... One should never be afraid to talk to their friends. Even if it is feeling uncomfortable... Or painful... Is always best to talk these things out with people who care about you. Isn't that right, Karate Boy?" asked Buff Frog, as he shot Marco a look.

Marco shrank a little in his seat. "...Yeah..." he muttered, as he turned his gaze away from Kelly and Buff Frog.

Suddenly, Marco felt Kelly place her hand on his shoulder. From across the table, Buff Frog stood up and leaned over to place his hand on Marco's head.

"Marco..." said Kelly. "...I came wandering over to the Goblin Dog Truck because... I was feeling lonely. And... I wanted to bury my misery in magical meat products. But then... I found you. Sleeping here, with your head on the table. You were... Trembling. And-... And there were tears running down your cheeks. When I saw you like that... I just-... I was at a loss. The only thing I could think to do was sit next to you... And try and be there for you."

Marco kept his gaze trained downward as Kelly spoke.

"Marco... I-... I never asked you exactly what was bothering you on the night of the Soul Rise. Mostly because... Well, it wasn't hard to figure out. And... We still kinda barely knew each other. But... I'm asking now, Marco. Please. Tell us what's wrong... And let us try to help." said Kelly.

Marco remained silent.

"Karate Boy... Ever since the night you came to visit... I have done my best to be keeping an eye on you. But... I have not done this very well. I have been busy with so many things... The job that Miss Princess Star Butterfly gave me as 'Monster Expert'... And my beloved Buff Babies... They keep me busy at all hours. And... While I was doing this... You-... You seem to have gotten worse." said Buff Frog. "This is my fault... I have been knowing about... You're situation... And yet-... I have done so little. I am so very, truly sorry..."

Marco frowned a little, and shook his head. "...It's-" his voice cracked as he spoke, and Marco paused to clear his throat. "...It's not your fault, Buff Frog. Not at all. I'm the one living my life... And I'm the one who keeps messing it up."

Buff Frog gave a sad sigh. "This may be true, Karate Boy. But this does not mean that you are not allowed to ask for help. You are owing it to yourself... Keeping everything inside like this... It is destroying you." said Buff Frog. "I... I am knowing very well how difficult it can be to trust others. I have spent a great deal of my life alone... And then, I dedicated it to someone I thought was friend- but who was instead just a selfish brat. If it weren't for my Buff Babies... I might still be alone. And traveling a much darker path."

"I am knowing how painful it is to feels... Karate Boy. To feel so alone... And I also know how difficult it is being to reach out when it feels so very hopeless. But, I am asking you... We, are asking... As people who care about you... As your friends... Tell us what is going on." said Buff Frog.

Kelly gave a slow nod as she tightened her grip on Marco's shoulder ever so slightly. "Yeah. Remember... You said... You'd always make time for a friend in need. Let us do the same for you, Marco. Please." she said.

Marco slowly looked upward to meet Kelly's gaze and paused for a moment. Her eyes were overflowing with incredible compassion and warmth. Turning his gaze over to Buff Frog, he saw the same thing. They were both sincere. They were both incredibly worried. And they both truly cared.

Marco felt his chest tighten, and his stomach began to tie up in knots. Marco looked down again and took a deep breath.

"...I-... I haven't..." as Marco spoke, his voice began to tremble slightly. With an annoyed grunt, Marco shook his head and took a deep breath. "...I haven't talked to anyone about... What's bothering me... Mostly because... I didn't wanna have to admit to anyone else." he muttered. "Because... Because doing so means admitting to how big a screw up I really am. How stupid and arrogant..."

Marco paused for a moment to shake his head again. He didn't want to let his emotions take over. If they did- it would make it more embarrassing than it already was.

As Marco took a few shallow breaths to calm himself down, Kelly gave a quiet gasp. "...Marco..." she muttered. "You-... You can't really believe that about yourself..."

Marco frowned a little as he breathed a heavy sigh. "...I-... I don't know. I think-... I think I do. But... I don't know how much of that is just... Feeling sorry for myself. And angry." he muttered. Taking another deep breath, he turned to face Kelly. "...After the whole thing with 'Toffee'... The lizard-guy who almost destroyed magic... I went back to Earth. I-... I thought I was doing the right thing. Earth... Is my home. It's where all my friends and family are... But... When I got there, all I could think or talk about was Mewni. And-... Star."

"I just wouldn't shut up about it... And... It ruined my relationship with a girl I really cared about. I-... I hurt her. All because I couldn't move on. And honestly-... I don't know if I even really tried." said Marco. "...After we broke up... I decided to go back to Mewni. It-... It was something I'd daydreamed about a lot... Going back... And-... And seeing Star again..."

"But-... When I did... When I... Barged my way back into her life... I found out that she-... Well... She had already done what I never could. She'd moved on..." said Marco. Even though he was doing his best to pace himself, he still couldn't stop the tremble in his voice. "And that... Well-... It hurt. It hurt a lot. But I-... I guess I thought that maybe... Over time... We'd be able to go back to the way things were. If-... If I could just achieve that... Then... Maybe everything would be okay. But... I can't."

Turning away from Kelly, Marco looked down at the table once more.

"...Coming back to Mewni... Was the biggest mistake I've ever made. All I've done... Is annoy Star... Get in her way... And-... And make myself... Miserable." said Marco.

Kelly frowned a little, as she gave Marco's shoulder an extra squeeze. "That's not true, Marco! You've spent almost all your time helping her!" she said.

Marco shook his head. "...It's not... It's not enough. Anybody could be her squire." he muttered.

"It's more than that, Marco! You've been supporting her all throughout the drama with the Monster/Mewman relations... And her magic... Even her family stuff with Eclipsa!" said Kelly. "You've helped her so much already..."

Marco slowly shook his head. "...Star-... Star would've been fine without me. She's-... Well... She's Star. For as long as I've known her, she's always been able to handle anything that came her way." he said.

"Yeah- But... But you were there. You were by her side." said Kelly. "You and Star... You've been through so much together... You-... You can't think that it didn't make a difference..."

Marco was quiet for a moment, as he felt an immense swell of emotions come bubbling to the surface. He could already feel the sting of tears in his eyes- and for the first time in a while, he didn't bother trying to stop it. It was too difficult, and he was already emotionally exhausted. The nightmare he had was still replaying itself somewhere in the back of his mind... Haunting him like a painful curse.

All of his feelings... They were too heavy. They were crushing him- and had been for a long time.

"...Maybe... Maybe that was true before. ...But... Things have changed. Star's dealing with so much right now... And all I'm doing is dragging her down." he said. "I-... I realized it on the night of the Monster/Mewman party... When everything started spiraling out of control... There was nothing I could do. I can't-... I can't fight ancient magical warriors... And-... And I can't... I can't be there for Star... At least-... Not the way other people can..."

"...You mean Tom." said Kelly.

Marco gave a slow nod. "...Yeah. I mean Tom. He's-... Well, he really proved himself that night. Not only can he fight for Star in a way I'll never be able too... But he can be there for her... And help her... In a way that I just-... I just can't." he said. "And-... And I know I'm being... Jealous... And dumb... But-... That night... Watching those two together... I couldn't help but wonder... Why am I even here?"

"And-... And of course, I know the answer... And-... And it's just so... Dumb... And-... And selfish... And I-... I can't..." Marco's chest seemed to tighten so much that he could barely breathe. A lump had formed in his throat, and he could feel his hands start to tremble again. Marco took a deep breath, as tears began to slide down his cheeks.

"...Give me a moment." he muttered, as he wiped his face with his sleeve. Taking a few more deep breaths, he glanced up at Kelly, and then at Buff Frog. Both of them were staring at him with such genuine sympathy... It made him feel a little guilty. Part of him wanted to tell them that their sympathy was wasted on him. That he was just being stupid- and to ignore him.

But he couldn't. He needed to this- and he knew it.

After taking a long, shaky breath, Marco clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. He needed to share with them his closest secret. The thing he had kept locked away so tight that even he had been unaware of it. Marco drew another deep breath, as he struggled to find the words. The words for the thing he had only admitted to himself once... And then spent all of his time trying to suppress.

"...I'm... I'm in love with Star." said Marco.

Neither Buff Frog nor Kelly looked all that surprised when the words finally left his mouth. But then, he hadn't really expected to surprise anyone with that particular revelation. If what Tad had said back at Lava Lake Beach was any indication, then it was probably pretty obvious from an outside perspective. But for him... It was Earth shattering.

He had always known that he loved her. At least platonically. And for the life of him, he couldn't seem to figure out when exactly that had changed. There were several moments over the course of their friendship that he had felt something a little... Different. But at the time, he had simply ignored it. And now... All of those feelings had swelled into something enormous.

It was painful... And sad... But, there were also times when it felt... Incredible. It felt exhilarating and deeply fulfilling to have someone in his life that he truly loved. If only he could have been happy with that... If only he could just be happy for her and Tom...

The jealousy felt like acid in his veins. And it was complicated by his own lack of self-esteem. The feeling of worthlessness that had become so pervasive ever since his return to Mewni. He had always had problems with self-esteem... But never like this. It probably didn't help that the thing that used to be such a reliable remedy... The thing that had helped him through some of his darkest moments... Was Star.

She had helped him so much. And he wanted desperately to return the favor... But-... He couldn't. There was a distance between them now that he couldn't cross.

"Karate Boy?"

Marco blinked, as he was suddenly brought back to reality by the sound of Buff Frog's voice. "Oh-... Sorry, I was... Thinking..." he muttered.

Buff Frog offered him a sad smile. "...I- ...I am not really knowing what to say to you... Karate Boy. I have been having very little experience in the field of... 'Love'. But... Well-... I'm sure you already know... That you cannot keep going on like this. You need... You need to change something... Because, Karate Boy- despite what you seem to think... You deserve to be happy." said Buff Frog.

Kelly gave a slow nod. "...Yeah. Don't-... I mean..." she muttered, as she seemed to struggle to find the right words. "It's not 'selfish' to be in love with someone."

Marco frowned. "...But- But what if I'm just doing all this because... Because I'm jealous? And-... What if... What if I'm just bitter because she was able to move on and I wasn't? How... How is that not just... Awful?"

"Marco... Even if that was a part of what you're going through... That wouldn't make you 'awful'. It'd just mean that you have complex, messed up feelings- just like everyone else. You can't curse yourself just for that. I mean... Think about it. You have all of this stuff swirling around inside you, and yet- You're still always willing to offer Star your help. And not just her... But me, too. Don't you see how incredible that is?" asked Kelly.

Marco shook his head. "That's-... That's not 'incredible'... Of course I'm gonna help... It's the right thing to do. It's what I'm supposed to do." he said.

Kelly stared at him for a moment, with sadness in her eyes. "...Marco..." she muttered, feeling at a loss for words.

Before she could think of something to say to him, the ground beneath them began to shake. Kelly blinked, as the table they were sitting at began to rattle violently. A deafening horn blared off in the distance, causing Marco, Kelly and Buff Frog to wince and clutch at the sides of their heads in perfect unison. The horn rang out a few more times, rattling everything around them as it did.

Wincing and growling in pain, Marco, Kelly and Buff Frog looked around to try and find where the sound was coming from.

Eventually, their gaze settled on an enormous plume of dust rising up in the distance. Looking closer, they could see the dark outline of a truck approaching at an incredible speed. It didn't take long for the outline of the truck to grow larger and more detailed. It looked like an enormous monster truck crossed with van. It was painted jet black, with large dark purple and green serpents painted across the sides. On its roof sat an enormous silver megaphone, through which the impossibly loud horn sound would blare every few seconds.

Within about a minute, the truck had suddenly started skidding around in the dirt before coming to a slow stop just a short distance from the Goblin Dog truck. The black truck's door swung open in a dramatic fashion, and a small figure jumped out from the driver's seat, bounced off of one of the trucks enormous wheels, and landed on the roof, behind the silver megaphone.

The small figure pulled out a small receiver and cleared it's throat.

"Ahem... Hello? You guys hearin' this okay? Yeah? Good..." muttered the small figure, his voice booming through the silver loudspeaker. After taking a moment to clear it's throat again, the figure took a deep breath, and Marco instinctively covered his ears as best he could.

"RRRROOOOY!" bellowed the small figure. "IT IS I! TROY! I HAVE COME TO CLAIM WHAT IS NOW RIGHTFULLY MINE!"

Kelly gave a frustrated yell as she quickly stuffed as much of her hair as she could in her ears. Buff Frog, meanwhile, seemed to be clutching at his head-flippers for dear life. As the small figure spoke, Marco slowly rose to his feet and took a few steps closer in order to get a better look.

The small figure looked exactly like Roy. So much so, that Marco couldn't wonder if it was Roy- that is until Roy himself suddenly jumped out of the Goblin Dog truck, angrily shaking his fist. Comparing the two Goblin creatures, the similarities were obvious. They were both the same size, they both seemed had the same crazed look in their eyes, and when the other Goblin began to shake his fist back at Roy- it looked like they were mirroring each other's movements.

The only noticeable difference was that the other Goblin creature had a pencil thin mustache on his upper lip. They were both even wearing the same red and white uniform.

"You'll never take this spot from me, Troy!" bellowed Roy. "I worked hard to find this place! To build up a clientele that I could be proud of! And that I could mess with whenever I felt like it! I'll never give it up!"

Troy huffed. "YOU'RE ARROGANCE KNOWS NO BOUNDS, ROY! THIS PLACE BELONGS TO NO ONE FOOD TRUCK! IT WAS MEANT FOR ALL OF US!" he bellowed.

Roy crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. "Nu-uh. I reserved this place for my truck legally. I got the permits and everything." he said.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IN PERMITS!" bellowed Troy.

Keeping his ears covered with his hands, Marco walked over to the two arguing goblins with an annoyed look on his face. "Hey! Haven't you two ever heard of noise pollution!?" he bellowed, before looking up at Troy. "And you! You're talking into a giant megaphone! Those are designed to amplify the volume of your voice! You don't need to yell into it!"

Troy huffed. "HA! LOOK AT YOU! HAVE YOU DEVOTED YOURSELF SO DEEPLY TO THE DOG THAT YOU'VE BECOME ONE YOURSELF!?" he bellowed. "I SHALL NEVER TAKE ADVICE FROM A SLAVE OF THE GOBLIN DOG!- although, I guess you do make a good point, 'cuz I could wind up blowing the speaker or something and losing my deposit... BUT STILL! I SHALL HEED NO WARNING! I SHALL SIMPLY HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO WRITE OFF A GIANT BROKEN MEGAPHONE ON MY TAXES!"

"That'll never work, Troy! You can only write off megaphones if you're running an ice-cream truck! Have you not even read the Multi-Dimensional Food Truck Guide Book!?" yelled Roy, with a high pitched chuckle. "You're such an amateur!"

"I AM NO AMATEUR! I HAD MUCH BETTER TEST SCORES THAN YOU AT FOOD TRUCK UNIVERSITY AND YOU KNOW IT!" bellowed Troy.

"Oh, really? If I remember correctly, you only got those scores because you kept cheating..." said Roy. "And no one ever called you on it because your daddy ran the school..."

"SILENCE!" bellowed Troy. "I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M EVEN ARGUING WITH YOU! I DIDN'T COME HERE TO DO THAT!" he continued, as he flipped a small switch on the side of the large silver megaphone. "I CAME... TO DO THIS!" bellowed Troy. Suddenly, the megaphone began to sparkle. Then, just as Troy launched into a maniacal, villainous laugh, the megaphone exploded into a big puff of smoke. As the smoke slowly cleared, an enormous silver cannon was left standing where in place of the megaphone.

Troy continued his maniacal laugh for an uncomfortable amount of time. In that time, Marco was quickly joined by Buff Frog and Kelly, all of whom shared a wary glance.

Eventually, as he struggled to gain his breath, Troy finally straightened himself up and readied the cannon. "Behold!" he bellowed. "My Ultimate Soda Streaming Cannon! This thing fire's pure 'Smile Dip' brand soda! The soda so deeply, intensely infused with sugar that it's banned from almost every dimension... Why? Well, because it has been seen to dissolve more than just teeth... But anything that dares stand in its way!"

As Troy launched into another fit of laughter, Buff Frog turned to face Marco. "...I am not hearing a word he is saying, now... Are you?" he muttered.

Marco shook his head.

Kelly nodded in agreement. "Yeah... He's, uh... He's kinda high up there on that Super Big-Wheels thing..." she muttered.

Marco blinked. "...'Super Big-Wheels thing'?" he muttered, giving Kelly a curious look.

Kelly gave a short shrug. "Yeah... What would you call it?" asked Kelly.

Marco thought for a moment. "Well... I guess 'Super Big-Wheels thing' works as well as anything else." he said.

Buff Frog nodded. "Yes. Is very descriptive." he said.

"It's time, Roy! Either move from this spot, or I'm going to reign sugary hell-fire down on you and your puny little 'Goblin Dogs' truck!" yelled Troy, as the silver cannon whirred to life. First, it began to emanate a series of clicks- then, parts of it began to glow. Large tubes began to sprout out from all around the cannon, reaching downward and attaching themselves to the body of the truck. As of the tubes began to glow, Troy fell into another fit of maniacal laughter.

"Uh... Roy?" said Marco. "I can't really hear what the other guy is saying anymore... But, uh-... I can't imagine him aiming a big cannon-thing at your truck is a very good sign..."

Roy huffed as he slammed his fist against the counter. "Oh, yeah? Well, guess what? I'm not gonna be intimidated. This place means everything to me, and I don't wanna give it up. Not to him, and not to anyone else!" he exclaimed. "Plus- I spent a bunch of money on a security system after my third visit from the sparkly, golden butterfly-thing. Might as well use it."

Marco watched with a mixture of concern and dread as Roy rummaged around underneath his counter, while the sound of the cannon whirring grew louder and louder. Eventually, Roy popped back up with a small remote in his hand. "Found it!" he exclaimed, as he held the remote out in front of him. "Now, stand back... I'm not really sure if this thing works properly. I kinda picked it up on the black market..."

Marco barely had time to register what had been said before Roy slid a pair of sunglasses on his face and pressed a small red button on the remote. All of a sudden, the Goblin Dog Truck was enveloped in a flash of light. Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly winced and made a series of angry noises as they rubbed at their eyes. Their vision was temporarily whited out by the sudden flash of light. Their vision recovered slowly, and only in blurry patches. Eventually, as their vision grew clear, they found themselves standing in front of an enormous metal cube. It seemed to have formed itself around Roy's Goblin Dog truck.

Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly shared a confused glance.

Suddenly, a series of enormous silver spike began jutting out from every side of the metal cube. This was quickly followed by a loud crackling sound as enormous sparks of powerful electricity jumped from one large spike to another. Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly stared blankly at the enormous, spiky electrified metal cube while Troy continued to monologue on the roof of his truck.

"Okay- I'm all set! Got my emergency chips... A water bottle... An empty bottle... Yep! I'm all set for the long haul!" came Roy's voice, emanating from the metal cube somehow. As the sound of potato chips being opened and hastily eaten filled the air, Troy's cannon finally stopped whirring and trained itself onto the spiky, metal cube below.

"Uh-... Roy? I think he's about to fire..." said Marco.

"...Hmm-... I can't hear anything in here. I wonder if they can hear me... That'd be weird." came Roy's voice from inside the cube, quickly followed by the sounds of someone loudly guzzling water.

"This is it, Roy... This is the end for you... And for Goblin Dogs..." muttered Troy, as he pulled a small lever attached to the cannon.

Marco quickly turned to Buff Frog and Kelly. "Everyone! Get down!" he exclaimed, as a torrent of multi-colored liquid suddenly came spraying out of the cannon at an incredible speed. The enormous stream of liquid crashed into the spiked metal cube with tremendous force. Marco quickly jumped and tumbled across the dirt just in time to avoid splash back. The few droplets of the liquid that landed on the ground immediately began to dissolve it. Emanating a loud hiss as the dirt bubbled up and turned black.

The large, spiked metal cube trembled a little under the force of the liquid but seemed to otherwise hold it's own. Unfortunately, this didn't last.

"Aw, man... That sounds pretty bad... Wait... Is he-... Is he using a Smile-Dip soda cannon or something?" Roy's voice continued to emanate from the cube, although only barely audible over the sound of the liquid smashing against it. "...Welp- Guess I'm doomed. That kinda sucks... But, at least I died the way I lived... Dissolving and screaming inside my food truck. In a way, I guess that's the dream..."

Marco slowly picked himself up off the ground as the large metal cube slowly began to melt away, revealing the Goblin Dog truck inside. "Roy! Get outta there!" he yelled, as the metal cube quickly crumbled and fell apart.

"It's okay, Marco! This-... This place... My truck... This job... It's my whole world! Without it, I'm nothing! If it's gonna end, then so am I!" yelled Roy.

Marco grit his teeth. "Don't be an idiot! Even if it seems like that's the only thing you live for, as long as your alive, you'll be able to find something else! Or even rebuild what you had! Sure, it might not be the same- But that's okay! Maybe you can make it better!" yelled Marco.

Kelly quickly made her way to Marco's side and cupped her hands over her mouth. "Yeah! If you just give up, then you're dooming yourself to nothingness from the start! Just fight! I know you have the spirit! And with it, you can get outta any situation!" yelled Kelly. "Just jump outta there! Quickly! If you jump off the counter then you'll be able to avoid the acid before it starts melting your truck!"

"No! If I did survive this, I'd be left with nothing! Then what? I just spend my time roaming the dimensions until I get myself killed by some other crazy creature!? Nu-uh! If I can choose how I go, then I choose to go this way!" yelled Roy.

Buff Frog joined Marco and Kelly, and took a deep breath. "I know what it is like to lose everything you are caring about! It is being terrible! But Shrubbery Girl is right! Giving up means letting the adversity win!" yelled Buff Frog. "It is being most painful thing to pick yourself up and collect the pieces when your world is shattered!... But you can do it if you just try! You just have to take first step! It doesn't matter what direction! Just move!"

"Wait... Are you talking about metaphorical stepping, or literal stepping right now? 'Cuz I think if I was gonna try and escape, then that bush-girl's idea has a better chance of working..." said Roy. Just as the words left his mouth, a river of liquid fell on to the roof of the Goblin Dog truck. As the liquid flowed across the roof of the truck, it suddenly came crashing down over the space with where the counter sat. With his only method of escape now blocked by a wall of sugary acid, Roy gave a simple shrug.

"Woop- Look's like I spoke too soon." he muttered.

Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly exchanged panicked looks as they watched the Goblin Dog truck begin to dissolve. Marco took a few shaky breaths as he closed his eyes and struggled to think. Then, his eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, as he pulled his dimensional scissors out of his pocket. Wasting no time, Marco opened a portal and stuck his arm into it. After feeling around for a moment, he pulled his arm back and, along with it- Roy. Holding Roy by the scruff of his uniform, Marco breathed a sigh of relief as Buff Frog and Kelly cheered.

Marco quickly closed the portal, but kept his grip on Roy strong.

With the Goblin Dog finally reduced to a puddle of bubbling filth, Troy let out a long, hearty cackle. "Yes! I did it! Bwahahaha! It's over, Roy! You're over!" he bellowed.

Hanging limply in Marco's grasp, Roy let out a heavy sigh. "...It's over..." he muttered. "My Goblin Dogs... My precious... Precious Goblin Dogs... They're gone..."

Marco frowned. "...Can't you just get a new one?" he asked.

Roy huffed. "That is such an insensitive question to ask. Also- Yes. But... When it's destroyed by a fellow Food Trucker... It's kinda different. There's kind of a rule of 'Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers'. Which means... Now he owns the rights to my Goblin Dogs truck and my special spot... And with how unpopular Goblin Dogs have been lately... There's no way they'll issue me a new one. ...I'm gonna wind up stuck at an 'Elve's Eclair's' or something, I know it..." he muttered.

"Is better than melting in bubbly sludge..." muttered Buff Frog.

Roy rolled his eyes. "Pfft- You're only saying that 'cuz you haven't ever had to work there. Trust me- it's the single most painful, wretched nightmare you could possibly imagine." he muttered.

Noticing the small figure of Troy laughing loudly to himself, Kelly adjusted her glasses in thought. "...Hey, can you hear what that little guy is saying up there?" she asked.

Roy sighed. "...He's bragging and stuff. Also- 'little guy'? He's just as tall as I am, thank you very much."

"I stand by my previous statement." said Kelly.

Standing on the roof of his truck, Troy finally calming his hysterical laughter to a low giggle. "Alright... Operation complete. Huh... You know... Now that I think about it... It doesn't feel quite as fulfilling as I thought it would... Oh, well... If this isn't enough, I guess I'll just try and take over the universe and stuff. Yeah... That sounds cool." he muttered, as he put his hand on the lever attached to the cannon. "Welp-... Guess it's time to put an end to the water-works... It's been fun. Maybe I'll use this thing on any customers who dare displease me..." he muttered. With a slight grunt, he pulled at the lever- only for it to break off in his hands.

Looking down at the lever, and then back up at the cannon, he gulped.

"Oh... Oh, that's not good." he muttered.

All of a sudden, the cannon began to loudly whir again, as the tubes connecting it to the truck began to glow brightly. On the ground, Marco, Buff Frog, Kelly and Roy looked up just in time to see the cannon start moving around erratically. With a high pitched yell, the group quickly split apart just as a torrent of sugary acid was sent spraying toward them.

After tumbling backwards and landing perfectly on her feet, Kelly looked up at the cannon and grit her teeth. "The cannon's gone crazy!" she yelled, as the cannon continued spraying all over the place- covering large pieces of land in liquid and dissolving it. With an annoyed sigh, Kelly buried her hand in her hair. "We-... We gotta stop it! Before it dissolves everything!" she announced, as she pulled a sword as big as she was out of her hair. After taking a moment to take a calm breath, Kelly lifted her sword up over her head and gave a loud war cry as she ran toward the cannon.

"Wait- Kelly!" yelled Marco.

"She is right, Karate Boy! There are other food trucks with other monsters nearby!" said Buff Frog, before leaping toward the cannon with a loud war cry of his own.

Marco watched as Kelly jumped on to one of the trucks enormous wheels, and bounced herself up to the cannon. With another loud yell, she swung her sword around and into the cannon. Only for her sword to simply bounce off. Undeterred, she tried again- this time stabbing down on what appeared to be the cannon's controls. The cannon paused for a moment- and then started jolting around even more erratically.

"Oops- That's my bad." said Kelly.

Buff Frog landed on the side of the truck and grabbed at one of the tubes connecting the cannon to the truck. "Maybe if we pull these off- She will stop!" yelled Buff Frog, as he pulled against the tube as best he could.

Kelly nodded. "It's worth a shot!" she yelled.

Marco watched them with an anxious expression on his face, his feet firmly rooted to the ground.

"...Aren't you gonna try and help your buddies?" asked Roy.

"Shut up, Roy." said Marco, his voice betraying an odd sense of calm. Roy did as he was told, as Marco took a long, deep breath. Then, all of a sudden- he had an idea. Lifting Roy up to his face, Marco gave him a serious look. "...Don't do anything stupid." he said, before setting Roy down on the ground.

"...You too, I guess." muttered Roy.

With another quick breath, Marco ran toward the truck with his dimensional scissors held tightly in his hand. "Guys! I'm gonna try something!" he yelled, as he norrowly avoided a powerful stream of acid. Climbing up the monster trucks wheel, Marco bounced off of it and onto the roof of the truck. "Buff Frog! Do you think you could throw me into the air!?" he yelled.

"Yes, but-" Buff Frog began, only to be interrupted.

"Do it! Throw me straight up, in front of the truck!" he yelled.

Buff Frog swung himself up from the tubes and landed on the roof of the truck. Standing with his legs widened, Buff Frog lowered himself down and offered Marco his hands. "Stand on my hands, and I will throw you up as best I can!" he yelled. As Marco slowly got up on to Buff Frogs hands, Kelly looked up at him with a confused look on her face.

"What're you doing?" yelled Kelly.

"Uh-... Potentially risking being bathed in some kinda super acid?" muttered Marco.

"Don't die!" yelled Kelly.

"Yeah, I'm gonna try my best... Do it Buff Frog!" yelled Marco.

Buff Frog launched Marco into the air, just as the cannon swung around to knock him off the roof. Bouncing off of one of the trucks big wheels, Buff Frog came very close to landing in a puddle of acid. In the air, Marco was doing his best to avoid acid as well- which mostly meant flailing around a lot. As the cannon swung around again, Marco thrust his scissors into the air. There was a loud rip, as a large dimensional portal opened up as he fell to the ground.

Landing with a loud 'thud', Marco grimaced as he felt the wind get knocked out of him. Struggling desperately to get to his feet, Marco took a few deep breaths. "Ke-... Kelly! Open-... Open the door of the truck! Can you get it turned on!?" he yelled.

Kelly quickly swung over to the door of the truck and tried to open it. Finding it locked, Kelly simply stabbed it with her sword and ripped it away. "Yeah! The keys are in the ignition!" she yelled.

"Great! Turn it on, and put something heavy on the gas pedal!" yelled Marco.

Kelly turned the keys, and the truck slowly grumbled to life. After shoving her sword into her hair, she reached inside once more and produced a large dumbbell. Looking around at the pedals for a moment, she found one marked 'Go' and set the dumbbell down on it. As the truck began to move forward, Kelly quickly jumped out.

Marco huffed as he felt his ribs scream in pain. Then- he noticed that the truck was now barreling straight toward him. With a high pitched yell, Marco jumped to the side just in time for the truck to drive into the large interdimensional portal he had opened.

Somewhere very close to the Earth's sun, the truck suddenly burst out of a portal and slowly floated into the fire.

Marco breathed a heavy sigh of relief, as he collapsed to the ground. Breathing heavily, he felt something touch his shoulders. Slowly turning himself over, he found that it was Kelly and Buff Frog.

"You did it!" said Kelly, her face bursting with enthusiasm.

Buff Frog nodded, slowly. "Yes. Very good job, Karate Boy." he said.

Marco gave a pained chuckle as Buff Frog and Kelly helped him to his feet. "...I couldn't have done it without you guys..." he said. "...Unfortunately, it's not quite over yet. Buff Frog... Can you launch me up so I can close the portal? But this time... I think I'd like you to catch me."

Buff Frog smiled. "Yes. Sure thing, Karate Boy."

After successfully closing the portal and landing with a slightly less painful 'thud' in Buff Frogs arms, Marco groaned. "...Okay. Now it's done..." he muttered. "I... I just hope Heckapoo doesn't get mad at me for opening such a big portal..."

Breathing a collective sigh of relief, Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly sat back down at the picnic table to collect themselves. After wiping at his sweaty face with his dirt covered hoodie, Marco looked up at the sky. The sun had set, and the area around them was now being lit by the dull glow of two golden moons.

"...Okay. That's done. So-... Where were we?" asked Kelly.

Buff Frog and Marco stared at her for a moment.

Kelly smiled. And in an instant, all three of them suddenly burst into laughter. None of them really knew why- it was probably a mixture of the adrenalin still coursing through their veins, along with feeling totally emotionally exhausted. Either way, in that moment, the three of them felt a strong bond form between them.

Unfortunately, their moment of elation was soon interrupted.

"Whoah! Did you guys catch that!? Those three... They just wrestled a silver acid spitting dragon!" yelled a voice in the distance. Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly blinked as a group of creatures of all shapes and sizes started appearing all around them.

"No way, man! It was a silver snake that was projectile vomiting the acid! I mean duh- Haven't you ever read a book!?" came another voice.

"What does book readin' have to do with it? We were all pretty far away..." said another.

All of a sudden, Roy jumped up on to one of the creatures heads and bounced off it, landing with a flourish on the picnic table in the middle of Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly. "Welcome, ladies, gentlemen and other! What you just saw was one of my competitors being bested by none other than the Goblin Dogs official mascots! The Tremendous Trio!" he exclaimed.

"Wow!" exclaimed a voice from the crowd. "Is there any way for us to purchase merchandise displaying these characters and show support for the company and or product they represent?"

Roy grinned, as he produced a pile of t-shirts seemingly out of nowhere. "So glad you asked! Come over here for you complementary 'Tremendous Trio' T-Shirts! Wear one and receive one Goblin Dog during your next visit for only full price!"

"Wow! Full price! How reasonable!" exclaimed a voice from the crowd.

Kelly slowly leaned over toward Marco. "...Is he... Is he throwing his voice?" she whispered.

Marco could only shrug.

"But that's not all! Check out these special video's of the entire event! Available on DVD or Magical Rune for only three money units! Whatever money units you like!" exclaimed Roy.

"...Wait- How'd you film all that stuff?" asked a voice from the crowd.

Roy snorted. "Well, I've got every inch of this place outfitted with magic cameras and microphones. Obviously." he said.

The crowd seemed to all nod and agree, before quickly forming a line in front of the table. As Roy began handing out t-shirts and DVD's, Marco slowly leaned toward him. "...What are you doing?" whispered Marco.

Roy shrugged. "Well, I dunno-... I guess I decided to try and take all your advice to heart... And try to build somethin' new. So-... I think I'm gonna try and build my very own Goblin Dog restaurant. Having mascots is just the first step." he said.

Marco scratched his head as he noticed the crudely drawn versions of Buff Frog, Kelly and himself printed on every t-shirt.

"...I see." he muttered.

"Don't worry- I'll make sure all three of you get royalty checks in compensation for using your likeness. And for saving my life, I guess. It's only fair." said Roy.

Marco blinked, slowly. '...Huh... So-... Now I'm 'Princess Turdina' and... A member of the 'Tremendous Trio'? ...That's... Pretty cool.' he thought.

Buff Frog frowned a little. "Er-... I am not being sure that I want my likeness being used to sell things..." he muttered.

Roy paused for a moment to rummage around in his pockets and produced three small pieces of paper. Roy quickly gave one each to Marco, Buff Frog and Kelly before spinning around again to continue handing out t-shirts. "Here's your first cheque's... Have fun an' stuff..." muttered Roy. "Oh- and... Don't worry- I removed all of that 'heartfelt conversation' stuff from the footage. Nobody likes seein' people talk forever like that..."

Buff Frog glanced down at the check, and his eyes suddenly bugged out of his skull. "Woah!" he exclaimed. "...My- My Buff Babies... They can go to expensive Monster University... And-... And they'll be able to eat every day!"

Marco smiled, before looking over at Kelly. "...How do you feel about this?" he asked.

Kelly thoughtfully stroked her chin as she stared down at the cheque. "I feel... Like I could get an amazing sword with this thing..." she said, with a bright grin.

Buff Frog walked around the table and wrapped Marco and Kelly in each of his arms. "This-... This is amazing day! I am so happy!" he exclaimed, as he gave Marco and Kelly a strong squeeze. "...But most of all- I am happy to have made new friend... And to have reunited once again with an old one. Shrubbery Girl... Karate Boy... I am being eternally grateful."

Marco and Kelly shared bright smiles.

"Yeah... Me too." said Marco.

"And me three." Kelly added as she stashed her cheque in her hair.

The 'Tremendous Trio' laughed together and signed autographs for their sudden adoring crowd for about an hour, before Buff Frog looked up at the moons and made a noise. "...I am being sorry, friends. It is past dinner time, and I must get back to Buff Babies." he said, before turning to face Marco and Kelly. "...Karate Boy. Please remember to talk to me and Shrubbery Girl before wandering around aimlessly and falling asleep on picnic bench. Shrubbery Girl... The same. Do not ever forget that, no matter what- you will always have people out there who care about you."

Marco and Kelly gave Buff Frog a smile- before suddenly finding themselves squeezed together by Buff Frogs powerful arms.

"I am meaning this. You are both still kids... With much in the future to be looking forward to. Do not sadness keep you down forever. Remember that there is always another path." said Buff Frog.

Marco and Kelly slowly and awkwardly returned Buff Frog's mighty hug. As they watched him open a dimensional portal and disappear, Marco and Kelly waved goodbye with smiles on their faces. When Buff Frog disappeared, their smiles slowly faded- but not completely.

With Buff Frog gone, Marco and Kelly walked away from the long line of people collecting merchandise from Roy and made their way down a long dirt road. The area around them was covered in patches of dissolved dirt, and they both had to do their best to avoid any leftover puddles of sugary acid.

"Today turned out to be a lot cooler than I thought." said Kelly. "Do things always get so crazy when you're around?"

Marco shrugged. "...You know... I used to think that Star was the cause of it-... But... She did come to me... So-... Well, who knows?." he said.

Kelly smiled. "Yeah... Who knows..." she muttered. Taking a deep breath, Kelly stretched her arms out in front of her and then let out her breath with a heavy sigh. "...I'd better head home too. My folks have been kinda worried about me recently... I'd better not worry 'em to much more." she said.

Marco raised an eyebrow. "...Your, uh... Your a little scuffed up... Won't that make them worry?"

Kelly laughed and shook her head. "Nuh-uh. They'll just think I've been out sparring... Or exploring. Either way... I think they'll be relieved to see me doin' stuff that's a little more... Me. Not just hanging around places and wondering what to do with myself." she said.

Marco smiled. "Yeah..." he muttered.

In one smooth motion, Kelly pulled a small pair of dimensional scissors out of her hair and opened a portal for himself. Marco paused for a moment as he watched her, a curious look on his face.

"Hey- Do you mind if I ask... How did you get your dimensional scissors?" asked Marco.

Kelly shrugged. "Oh, I just use the family scissors. Most people I know have scissors that've been handed down a couple of generations." she said.

"...Huh. Okay."

"Why do you ask?"

"Hm? Oh- Just... Curious, I guess."

Kelly gave a short chuckle. "Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting your not a Mewman like Star... I guess a lot of this stuff is even crazier for you, huh?" she asked.

Marco smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. But... I've gotten used to it. ...Mostly. ...Kinda." he said.

Kelly laughed again. After exchanging goodbyes, Kelly turned to leave- only to suddenly pause. Turning around again, she met Marco's eyes with a serious look on her face. Taking a step forward, she considered hugging him. After considering it for a moment, however, she decided instead to simply place her hand on his shoulder again.

"...Marco. I'm-... I'm gonna do my best to remember what Buff Frog said before he left. ...You should too. Okay?" she said.

Marco sighed. "...Honestly, I don't know if I can promise you anything more than... That I'll try. It's, uh-... It's a lot easier to just... Fall back on negative patterns and stuff..." he muttered, as he rubbed the back of his head. "...But-... I will try. And I mean that. I-... I'd definitely like to hang out with you and Buff Frog again. We... We make a good team."

Kelly smiled. "...Definitely. I'll see you soon, Marco Ubaldo Diaz." she said.

Marco returned her smile and gave a short nod. "Yeah. Definitely. Kelly-... Uh... Wait, I don't know your last name..." he muttered.

Kelly chuckled. "Nope! You sure don't." she said, in a playful tone. Chuckling lightly to herself, Kelly gave Marco another wave goodbye and then disappeared into her portal.

Alone again, Marco took a slow, deep breath. Enjoying the brief feeling of happiness in the air. It wasn't going to last... But for the first time in a while... Marco felt... Good.

After standing there for a little while longer, Marco finally pulled out his own scissors and left.

Somewhere off in the distance, Troy suddenly popped up from behind a rock, thoughtfully rubbing his moustache. "...Well-... Looks like... I lost my truck... And inadvertently helped my mortal enemy possibly take a step up in his career. So... That's a set back." he muttered. "I wonder if that's a sign that I should stop holding bitter grudges and try and grow in order to become the best goblin I can be.

After thinking for a moment, he gave a short shrug.

"...Nah."

Marco stepped into his room with a heavy sigh. It was pitch black, save for the dull glow of the moons pouring in through his window. As he slowly slid out of his hoodie, he felt something in his pants pocket. Scratching his head, he walked over and turned on the light switch. It took a moment for the light to flicker to life, but when it did Marco was quick to pull the retrieve the mystery item from his pocket.

Holding it out in front of himself, Marco smiled.

'The Tremendous Trio' was printed across the front with hastily scrawled penmanship. Below, was a crudely drawn picture of their faces. Marco was in the middle, with Kelly and Buff Frog's smiling faces printed on either side of his. Below the faces, were small messages written in black marker.

'Visit me & buff babies. They miss you! Signed, Yvgeny Bulgolyubov.'

'Let's try sparring sometime! Would love to see the sword hand dance in action! - Kelly.'

Marco smiled as he read them. All of a sudden, he felt an incredible wave of emotion rise up from his chest. Taking a deep breath, he noticed another message written underneath the other two.

'Thank you. For everything. You've changed my life. All three of you. I will always be grateful. - Roy'

Marco blinked for a moment. "...That's... Kinda... Unexpected..." he muttered. He stared at it for a few seconds and smiled. He had honestly not expected Roy to give anything close to heartfelt thanks. And as he read it again, he couldn't help but chuckle a little.

He had made a difference for someone.

For some reason... That seemed to touch a special place in his heart. Looking down at the shirt, he felt tears well up in his eyes. He considered wiping them away at first. But instead... He just let them fall.

"...Thanks you guys. Thanks so much..." he muttered.

Then, all of a sudden- there was a knock at the door. And Marco instantly froze. It was as if he had suddenly been ripped out of a beautiful dream and then thrust into cold, hard reality. His heart skipped a beat, as a familiar voice emanated from behind his bedroom door.

"Marco? Is that you?"

"...Star." Marco muttered, his voice catching in his throat and he felt his heart flutter and then start to sink. Hearing her voice instantly brought a barrage of emotions, almost all of them happy enough to make him blush with embarrassment. But tinged with an all too familiar sense of sadness.

Clearing his throat, and taking a deep breath, Marco did his best to collect himself.

"...Star." he repeated. "Yeah, it's me."

"Good. For a second there, I thought it mighta been some kinda snail burglar."

"...Snail burglar?"

"Yeah. They're just like the regular kind, but... Slimy."

Marco chuckled.

"Is that a real thing, or are you practicing for another 'funny-off' with Fool-Duke?" he asked.

"Can't it be both?"

Marco and Star shared a laugh, and Marco felt a vice begin to tighten around his heart.

"...So, what's up?" asked Marco.

"...Can I come in?"

Marco blinked, and looked down at himself. He was drenched in sweat and dirt- and parts of his clothes were covered in holes. Apparently, he had a few more close calls with the acid than he thought.

"Uh-... Not right now. I'm uh... I'm in the middle of changing into my jammy-jams." said Marco.

"...Oh." said Star. "Well... I was just gonna say... Tom and I are about to head to the dining hall for dinner with Mom and Dad. Are you coming?"

Marco clenched his teeth. His heart felt like it was being squeezed by thorns, as wave after wave of jealousy, frustration, and shame slammed into him with terrible force. Taking a short breath, he did his best to collect himself. It had been a few weeks since she had personally invited him to eat with them... And a little longer than that since it had last actually happened.

Star had been incredibly busy. Tom too. And the Queen and King. It felt like everyone had so much going on in their lives... Except for him.

Marco squeezed the t-shirt in his hands and took a breath.

"...Sorry, Star. I'm-... Well, I kinda had a long, exhausting day..." with every word, it got more and more painful to speak. He wasn't lying to her exactly... But it still hurt to say. "...So... I think I'm just... Gonna go to bed."

"Oh... Okay!" said Star, in her usual cheery voice.

Something about it felt like a dagger in his chest. Marco grit his teeth as he silently hated himself for all of the feelings coursing through his body.

'You're such a jerk, Marco Diaz...' he told himself. 'Why... Why can't you just stop? Just-... Just...'

Marco took a sharp, painful breath and shook his head.

"Maybe next time, then. Tom and I have been working on this thing where we throw food at each others faces- it's kinda supposed to be like an extreme version of the whole 'feeding each other' thing. ...We're not really supposed to use stuff like soup or extra hot spicy peppers, though. We found out the hard way that that's... A bad idea. Anyway- maybe next time we'll have a tournament and you can judge who does the best job!" said Star.

Marco smiled a little, and nodded.

"...That sounds fun. ...Yeah. Maybe... Maybe next time..." he muttered.

"Yeah..." said Star. There was a brief pause, as they both seemed to wonder what to say next.

"...Goodnight, Marco!"

"...Godnight, Star."

And with that, she was gone.

Marco felt his legs go weak, and he had to lean against to door to keep himself from falling. Tears were forming in his eyes, and his brain had been reduced to mush. His mind swirled around in a painful, hazy blur as a made his way over to his bed and collapsed into it. It took a little while for him to piece himself together enough for him to string together a cogent thought. And when he finally did, most of them were about how deeply he loathed both himself, and the feelings he had that seemed to rattle him to his core at a moments notice.

Marco wiped his face on his pillow, and took deep, shaky breath.

'...I love you, Star. I love you so much... That I honestly can't picture my life without you in it. I love you so much that it keeps me awake at night. It haunts me... It terrifies me... It makes me feel wretched and disgusting... And it makes me feel like I could do anything in the world. And-... I'm sorry. Sorry that... That I'm such a useless friend... And squire...'

Marco pushed his face deeper into his pillow, as he felt an all to familiar sadness take over him.

'...I know you're better off without me. That's why... That's why I hate myself so much for wanting to be by your side. Because I want something that I absolutely don't deserve.'

His body trembled for a few seconds, before finally going limp.

Marco slowly turned over onto his back and breathed a deep sigh.

"How... How much of that is true? And-... And how much of that is... Just my brain?" he wondered, aloud. "Will I... Will I ever know?"

Marco held the 'Tremendous Trio' shirt out in front of himself and stared at it for a moment.

"...You guys. ...Thanks for... For letting me be your friend. I think-... I think I really need it."

Marco clawed his way through the darkness.

He was formless.

Lost.

But as he struggled through the dark, he felt something in the pit of his chest.

The darkness was pressing against him with incredible force. It made it hard to move, or breathe, or even think.

But the feeling in his chest lingered. It would not be smothered.

Pain screamed from every part of his body, but still- he reached out. Every part of him wanted to stop. To lay down and allow himself the peace of finally disappearing.

But he wouldn't let himself.

Not again.

Because all of a sudden, he had remembered something. That somewhere out there... There was a helping hand reaching out to him.

All he had to do was reach out...

To be continued...

(AN: So... That was long. And took effort. Let me just... Take a minute...

*whew*

Alright, I'm done! So, after receiving some very kind and complimentary reviews for 'My Dinner with Buff Frog', I decided to try my hand at a follow-up. Which, you probably already figured out- since you just read it. I'd just like to thank all the people who were nice enough to read and review that story. In particular, I'd love to thank robertkellett and Kirdei Antares for being incredibly kind and supportive. robertkellett in particular for being kind and patient enough to be willing to discuss this story at length, and put up with me via email. And of course- I'd also like to thank anyone who read this one. It's probably too long and too slow... But I liked writing it, and I hope you enjoyed my effort.

I do hope to continue this story... And I do have a pretty extensive plan of attack for it. But it'll probably depend on what people think of this first chapter. If no-one's interested, I might just leave it as another one-shot. So please leave a review or a comment to let me know whether or not I should!

Thanks again for reading this. It truly does mean a lot to me, and I hope you liked it.

Have a good day!)