"HALLELUJAH!" Voiceful Ruby cheered. "For the day of judgement nears. Here by the grace of our lord can we live another day in the peace of man and mortal, the peace undisturbed by the foul alien forces of this strange new world Mewni, where their monsters and men roam far and wide, bringing war and destruction where they go. But fear not, my children. For it is by the miracles of thy lord and master that we will be kept away from harm. BEHOLD!"

There above a pile of metal scrap, crumbling soil and burning garbage, above Lady Wrathmelior's near lifeless grey body, there the boy stood. His skin was cracking, and he was coughing even more violently now. With clear smog emanating from his incredibly heavy breath.

On his right hand, clawing into the flesh on the neck of the Underworld's Lord. Dave could barely keep himself awake amidst this pain. It wasn't up to him either way. He wanted to sleep, but by a will above his own he was forced into this waking world.

On the boy's left hand – Tom's limping lifeless body.

The steam of his skin was starting to take its toll on the corpse's skin, eating away at every molecule it could get its teeth on. The demon's eyes were empty, soulless. Resting far from the world of the living and deep into oblivion.

And yet by some unholy miracle – Tom began to move.

The body limped off of Marco's sharp grasps. His legs were unstable and skinny, lacking in muscle fibers and nutrients. His arms were draping off their hinges like earrings swinging back and forth at the mercy of gravity. And his eyes were still empty, lacking any depth behind his pupils.

From afar it was easy to see his delicate wobbling legs on top of the large demon lady.

From afar it was easy to see the steam coming out of his burning skin.

From afar it was easy to assume he was alive.

But Marco knew better.

Because from where he stood, there was no heartbeat.

And thus, Marco cackled hard underneath his heavy breath.

"Behold, my children," Voiceful Ruby shouted. "It is a miracle. The miracle of god! It is the work of our lord and master, for it is by his grace and will and darkness that we see the revelation, the truth. So come one, come all my children, and accept his glory unto thy lives."

"How does it feel, Wrathmelior?" Marco laughed painfully with his gruff voice, "To have your son's corpse here above you as you slowly wither away? He's dancing on your grave, Wrathmelior! HA HA!"

"Marco?"

A voice sounded from behind, making Marco turn his head.

It was Kelly. She had begun armoring up, donning a thick plate of steel that no blade could enter. She had tied her hair back, now wearing a pair of goggles secured tightly on her head instead of the usual spectacles.

Behind her were two familiar faces.

"I brought them here… just like you asked," said Kelly.

"HOO BOY," Mina yelled from behind, stretching her arms and legs, "it feels SO good to have all these awesome magical powers again. I feel like I'm a hundred years old again."

"Speak for yourself," Rasticore stepped forth with his lumbering beefy arms. "These physical mortal limitations irk me. I won't be at full capacity in a while. What a pain."

"I don't know what on earth Marco is thinking bringing in the two of you," said Kelly. "You especially, Mina. I don't trust you, especially after what you've done."

"Someone's nerve is touched, eh?" Mina smirked. "Upset that I had to step in and do your job for you? Do the one thing you and the rest of your pathetic Commission couldn't do? No matter. I'll rip those nerves out of your spine so you won't have to feel anything anymore."

"Hush now, children," Voiceful Ruby descended between the lot of them. He was now in his new purple garment with golden and grey trims, a sign of his rebirth. His eyes glowed green and his voice echoed far and wide.

"We must follow the teachings of our god," said Ruby. "In order to spread the gospel of evil. That is his will."

"That is his will," they all said in unison.

In a brief moment of loud coughing that caught everybody's attention, Ruby brazenly stepped forth towards the body of Lady Lucitor, where Marco stood above with Tom still dancing lifelessly on top. There he struck his lute excitedly to catch his attention, and knelt down in front of the mighty body before him.

"Hosanna, oh lord," he cried in joy. "I see that you have found yourself accustomed to this new mortal body. Oh, look at the strength of the Flesh. Marvelous I say. I am amazed of the limits reached by a mere mortal teenage boy. The meat rots away in the presence of the lord's unholy divinity, but the boy's noble spirit and his painful resistance nurtures the evil, as such counterbalancing the negative effects. Just goes to show that if our lord wills it, it will be – Hallelujah."

"Oh, great and merciful lord of evil," Mina stepped forth also equally brazen, bowing her head, "I shall be of incredible use to you when I strike this world with righteous Vengeance. Please maketh me your right hand of fury."

"Don't listen to her," cried Ruby. "It is by my word, word of Heinous, word of coercion that we have gotten humanity to our side. A powerful weapon milord, forged from my hatred of you in the past, reshaped into new revelation, thus a more useful form birthed from your wisdom and new perspectives, hallelujah."

"ENOUGH!"

It was a strong voice. A voice beyond strength and will. A voice that could echo across the multiverse. Every creature within the vicinity quaked as the shockwave of his word vibrated through the thin air, delivering the smog from his breath. Marco was strong, too strong. And yet the wrinkles on his forehead still formed, and the coughing from his throat kept on getting heavier by the minute. His body was falling apart, his skin was rotting beyond any logic, and yet they all knelt before their great almighty lord.

"Go fetch me that flying horse head," Marco said, rubbing his eyes. "The one Festivia is in. Go get me the God of Indulgence."

"Right away…" said Kelly, still somewhat reluctantly, "Marco…"

"You best GIVE IN soon, Kelly," said Marco. "Your sentience is of limited use to me. I need Flesh. Tom here is a hunk of Surviving Flesh. He dances at my command. Is he more useful than you?"

"No…" Kelly muttered, "no…"

"Then prove it."

"Y… yes… my lord."

"Good," Marco coughed violently once more, spewing onto a napkin some strange black liquid that began oozing uncontrollably from his mouth. Not good, he thought. Still not done, still need – to fully give in.

"Crikey baloney!" Mina cried, "There are still monsters and these weird Mewman looking aliens all over the place. What are they still doing here in our glorious homeland Mewni? Shall I get rid of them for you, o' lord?"

"Find…" Marco coughed, "find your sword… the blade that carves monsters… then you shall cleanse this earth."

"Aye aye, captain," Mina saluted. "Those monsters won't know what hit 'em. This looks like a job for – MINA LOVEBERRY!"

The girl leapt away into the deep thick jungle over the highway without a second thought. It was baffling how quick she disappeared into the bushes.

"What mission do you have for me, your grace?" Ruby asked nervously.

"Take the corpse," Marco pointed towards Tom, "and show the people the miracles… my miracles…"

"Yes, very good. Right away milord."

"Remember, Ruby," said Marco. "You know what happens if you backstab me with any of your Heinous intentions?"

Ruby nodded:

"An eternity of pain, I'm aware."

"Get to it."

And so Voiceful Ruby took his lute, adjusted his collar, slicked his hair back, and lured the dancing demon corpse along with the sound of his cheerful music. The hunk of Flesh followed instinctively, wobbling along with its feeble legs and silent heart.

"You trust that loud buffoon with the hunk of Flesh?" Rasticore asked.

"She has valuable skills that are of use to me," said Marco.

"What if he turns your back on you?"

"Impossible," said Marco. "I have Betrayal under my thumb. It's all coming together. My throat is clearer now. I don't cough as often. That is good… still… thirsty… could use a soda."

"If you say so."

Amidst the empty barren wasteland of a cold cruel world hidden deep within a layer of dark moist jungle and crumbling snow mountains, a shockwave cracked open in a space above the air, and there a hole of strange unthinkable lights burst wide open. Three shadows came crashing through the light, violently landing onto the rock-solid surface.

Janna had not expected her day to get any weirder than it already had. Two worlds, one magical, one not, coming together into a strange cosmic unification, a bizarre hybrid. And yet the weirdness never stopped. Normally she would've been thrilled to experience this chaos. But something was different. This – was way too big for her. For any of them.

"Where…" Moon stood up, dusting herself off, "where are we? What is this place?"

"This…" the brunette stood up, helping Janna up along the way, "is the Neverzone. Apparently, this used to be one of our old homes or something."

"Our?" Moon raised her eyebrow.

But before she could question things further, a second shockwave cracked open in a space not far from here, and there another hole of blinding light opened up. Behind it four more shadows approached. Of the four it was easy for Moon to recognize at least three of them.

"Ludo?" Moon squinted her eyes, "Buff Frog… and… is that… one of the Avarius boys?"

"Queen Moon!" Buff Frog cried in the distance, and with no hesitation leapt forth to give her a big hug. "Ah it is good to see you. I worry for you and your family ever since we were on that cliff. Is Star Butterfly alright? Where did she go? What happened? I did not get chance to speak with her."

"Good to see you, too, Buff Frog," said Moon, "but it's… a long story. And frankly I'm not entirely sure what is going on either. What are you doing here, by the way? And why is Ludo and his brother here with you?"

"Queen Moon," Ludo laughed nervously, "it's been quite a while, hasn't it? Last time I saw you, the Butterfly castle was in ruins, ha-ha."

"Yes, I'd rather not relive that memory, thank you," said Moon. "What are you all doing here? And who is that… girl…"

Moon had only now begun to notice the unmistakable cheek marks on the girl following them behind. Her mind raced through all the questions and confusion. She could've sworn the magic had been destroyed, thus cheek marks along with it. And yet here this girl stood, bright as day. With her purple monster tail and the mark of the clubs on her cheeks.

"Meteora?"

"Yes, Mrs. Butterfly," the girl smiled. "It's me… hi…"

"Wait, if you're that monster girl," said Janna, "then you must be…"

"Yup," the brunette smiled, "hi everyone. I'm Mariposa."

Taking one closer look at the young girls' features and it all eventually became absolutely unmistakable. The brunette's skin complexion, her brown eyes, the mole – just like her brother. And the monster girl's tail, her purple skin, curly hair, and those magenta eyes. She truly did take after her father.

"What on earth is going on?" Everybody said in unison, either out loud or under their breath.

"Well… I suppose it's best to get to the point," said Meteora. "There's no easy way to say any of this."

"We came from the future," said Mariposa.

That instance, a million sparks of thought exploded everybody's tiny mortal mind in a degree that not even they themselves could describe or even understand. Moon had read of countless time manipulation abilities and scenarios within the magic book of spells. Skywynne the Queen of Hours, one of the most powerful queens in Mewman history. But to see travelers going in and out of the logical timestream, to see something so bold and risky. Either these girls were being very stupid, or the situation had gotten so dire that they had resorted to this last-ditch effort.

Moon began praying for the former.

"Not this future," Mariposa explained, "another future, a future of an alternate universe. A future where the two worlds, Earth and Mewni, never got cleaved together."

"What is it like in the future?" Janna stared at them with wonders in her eyes, "Are there flying cars? Flying dragons? Or… flying car dragons? Dracar? Cardragon?"

"Well, if we don't do something soon about the current crisis there may not be a future at all," said Meteora, "everywhere, in every universe, in every multiverse."

"I don't understand," said Moon.

"He is called the God of Evil," Mariposa explained. "For whatever reason, he had taken over the body of… my brother…"

"It all started with one death," Meteora stepped in, seeing as Mari was tearing up, "one death of a demon. Tom Lucitor, Prince of the Underworld. It's a strange death."

"And an impossible one at that," said Mariposa. "Normally incomprehensible under regular laws of nature and physics."

"Well that was what we were going to find out with Wyscan the Granter," said Moon, "before you interrupted us."

"Apologies, Mrs. Butterfly," said Meteora, "we just don't trust Wyscan. He exists outside of the conventional universe. He answers only to Desire, a force above our reality. He can't be trusted."

"Plus, I suppose… it is partially my fault," said Mariposa, "for luring the God of Betrayal along with us. In her presence, alliances and trusts do not exist. Anyone can turn their backs on a whim if she wills it."

"It can't be helped," Meteora assured. "We knew the risks going in."

"And what exactly are these risks?" Asked Moon. "Who exactly are we dealing with? How did Tom Lucitor die? Who killed him?"

"Well… the short answer, Mrs. Butterfly," said Meteora, "is the God of Evil."

"But it's more complicated than that," said Mariposa, "did you happen to find a pair dimensional scissors somewhere around?"

"Um… yes," said Moon, "in a box under a typewriter. It appeared out of nowhere. There was a note, it said that it was the last pair of dimensional scissors in the multiverse."

"This multiverse," Mariposa corrected, "there are others."

"What you need to understand about the dimensional scissors is the source of its powers," Meteora explained, "where it draws energy from, and how it functions in a universe where magic has been destroyed. The last dimensional scissors are more symbolic than anything else. Maybe symbolic is the wrong word… hmm… representative. Yeah… no… it's hard to explain, because the scissors don't just make magic portals. They ARE magic portals, literally. An all-purpose nigh omnipresent device capable of travel through any door, any archway and any street that had ever existed – the literal essence of travel itself. With it, you can travel to literally anywhere in existence, or even nonexistence."

"What exactly does the scissors have to do with Tom and how he died?" Moon asked.

"Everything actually," said Mariposa. "You need to understand the scope of things. Understand how powerful these… deities are."

"The queens of Mewni are incredibly powerful three-dimensional goddesses capable of breaking a planet in half if they feel so inclined," Meteora explained. "Now imagine a four-dimensional god, or a fifth-dimensional abstract existing a whole layer above all the creatures in the lower reality, because what is a painting to a painter? What is a mortal to a god? That's the kinds of beings we are dealing with here. Beings so big time and space deform around their mass, so powerful they can see into different timelines and possibilities. That's the Magic High Commission."

"The scissors draw energy from a pool outside of creation, above time and space, where the Commission and their true omnipotent forms reside," said Mariposa.

"And the God of Evil…" said Meteora in a somber tone, "he towers above even them."

"Whoa."

"We theorize," said Meteora, "that the God of Evil from one universe uses his vast perspective of the multiverse to look into alternate realities in order to find and kill the Tom Lucitor in the neighboring universe, thus triggering a domino effect, birthing a new God of Evil from that universe. Rinse and repeat, ad infinitum."

"How exactly he kills Tom is still a little unclear," said Mariposa. "It's what we're still trying to figure out."

"How on earth do you know all this?" Cried Moon, with a million thoughts still exploding through her mind. "How do you even travel between the realms if you don't have a pair of scissors?"

In that moment, the two girls, clad in strange spandex, almost as some kind of futuristic space suits, both pulled out from their pockets what looked like fountain pens. They were sharp and coated in a golden shine with peculiar details and patterns engraved between the metal. The black handles were also equally shiny with even stranger more mechanical patterns lighting up what seemed like plasma innards of these pens. The pens were larger than usual, large enough to force the girls into grabbing them with their whole palm. These were definitely not meant for writing.

"We come from a time," Meteora explained, "where the worlds have evolved, replacing magic with technology. It's a new world. The age of magic and queens had passed where we come from. Now replaced with a new pantheon of science and metaphysics."

"All of this technology is possible," said Mariposa, "because one of our world's greatest heroes never gave up after the two worlds got separated. Not even when death took our loved ones or even when the God of Evil enslaved all our friends. She never gave up."

"She?"

Another portal opened up, exploding with furious shockwaves, blinding their eyes with strange colors. The dust flew in Moon's eyes, obscuring the shadowy figure who stepped out of the portal with righteous confidence. She rubbed her eyes, trying to see who it was.

Moon rubbed them again, still unable to believe what was in front of her. Convinced it was her faulty eyes that were playing tricks on her.

Truth was – her eyes were perfectly fine.

"Hi…" the girl in the portal waved her hand. "Mom."