It was time for the teams to set out. They had missions to complete, and advantages to make for themselves.
Marco led his team toward a factory marked on a map that Sasha had given him. It was, as planned, a group with him, Star, Kim, Ron, Brandy, Gus and Willow.
Brandy was carrying a bag of mushrooms as promised, though the girl already looked exhausted from doing so.
"How much longer do I have to carry these mushrooms?" Brandy asked, the girl looking very annoyed.
"Just a bit longer," Marco pulled out a note. "Sasha has some very specific instructions to go with that stuff."
"Are we almost there?" Brandy asked. "We've been walking for way too long now."
"It hasn't been that long," Ron said. "We even took a cart ride here."
"Yeah, one pulled by some icky, disgusting snail," Brandy lamented.
"Well sorry they don't have fancy limousines in what's basically a global sized pond world," Kim pointed out with great sarcasm. "You don't even have to do much, the rest of us are handling the hard stuff."
"Hey, have you tried walking forever with these shoes?" Brandy asked.
"Sorry, I don't wear hideous footwear," Kim commented.
"Hey!" Brandy shouted as she placed the bag down. "I'll have you know that these are vintage!"
"Brandy, please be careful with that bag," Marco said. "Sasha said it's very important!"
"They're just mushrooms," Brandy said as she too one out. "How important can they be?"
"She gave me great detail on where they need to go," Marco said as he held out a piece of paper. "Just please handle this carefully. Treat them like if they were expensive clothes you just got and you would just die if any of them got wrinkled."
"Yeah sure," Brandy said as she picked the bag back up. "Of course, I wouldn't put fancy clothes in a bag like this."
"You know what he means, Brandy," Star said.
"We're almost there anyway," Kim said, "Come on, keep pushing forward."
The group finally arrived at a factory, one that was heavily guarded by Andrias's robots, along with some of the Abominations that worked with Belos. Marco observed from a distance with his binoculars, making some plans.
"Alright, according to Sasha's notes, these guards change shifts every two hours," Marco said. "If we try trashing the place now, more guards will just come and see the damage, then summon for reinforcements."
"So what's the plan?" Gus asked.
"Well first, we can't do anything here until the shield gets taken down," Marco said.
"What shield?" Ron asked.
"Some type of barrier that doesn't let anyone go through," Marco said. "Grime's notes say that there's a power station nearby that should deactivate the shield. Once that's down, we bomb this place."
"So, who goes after the power station?" Kim asked.
"If you want my opinion..." Star spoke up. "I believe that Marco and I can handle this place while the rest of you can find that power station."
"Actually, I need Brandy here," Marco said. "She has the mushrooms."
"Yeah, and I still don't know why," Brandy said.
"She can just go with them too," Star said. "Where is this power station?"
"Up that cliff," Marco said, gesturing nearby.
"Uh, no, I am not climbing up a cliff like that," Brandy said. "Everyone else can."
"Grime did say that place was harshly guarded," Marco said. "If so, I should be the one going up there."
Star looked ready to volunteer herself when Kim spoke up, "That's fine, you stay en route. I can lead the other part of the mission."
"Okay, that's great," Marco said.
Kim then presented a radio to Marco, "We'll keep in touch with this. If anything goes wrong, don't hesitate to call me."
"You got it," Marco said, then turned to Star and Brandy. "Let's go team."
"Right behind you!" Star said, eagerly following while Brandy dragged the mushrooms along.
"This better be worth it in the end," Brandy lamented.
Star whispered to Marco, "What are those mushrooms exactly?"
"They're bombs," Marco said.
"Oh..." Star's eyes widened. "Wait, they're bo-!"
Marco covered Star's mouth in worry, "Shush...not so loud. Sasha didn't want Brandy to know because she's afraid she'll freak out."
"But Marco, that's dangerous," Star said, trying to resist the urge to yell.
"I know, that's why I'm keeping an eye out for her," Marco said.
"Hey, what are you two chatting about?" Brandy asked.
"Uh, nothing," Marco said. "Come on, let's hurry!"
Elsewhere, Anne and her team had arrived not too far away from their own factory. They were already exhausted, having gone through a lot to get here.
"Anne, I love you and all, but you suck at navigating," Luz said.
"Hey, I told Sasha I didn't want to read the map!" Anne said.
"To be fair, I did mark it out for you," Sasha said. "Besides, how else are you going to be leader?"
"I already told you; I don't want to be leader!" Anne said.
"Let's just hurry and get back home," Amity said. "And Sasha, you're leading the way. I am not walking into anymore quicksand!"
"Ugh, fine," Sasha said.
Anne looked ahead and spotted a factory, the girl hoping that this was the end of the trip.
"Hey Sash, is that the place?" Anne asked.
"That's it," Sasha said. "We need to bring down that factory. It's going to take some work though."
"I'll say," Molly looked down below. "Getting across that canyon won't be easy."
"Pfft, give me a challenge," Luz said as she slid down the cliffside. She then pulled out a glyph and generated some vine magic to spread leaves across the canyon. "Path made!"
"Great work," Sasha said as she slid down the cliff. "Is it steady though?"
"Of course," Luz moved some leaves aside with her feet. "There's wood underneath. You just need to maintain your balance."
"Awesome, now we're going to need lookouts," Sasha said. "This place isn't too guarded from what I've been told, but it helps to cover all bases."
"Hey Sash, how do you know so much?" Marcy asked.
"Grime's soldiers as well as many resistance members have been doing recons of Amphibia, and all of Andrias's factories," Sasha said. "I more or less have an idea of what to expect, but my plans aren't fool proof. I could be working with outdate data, which is why I need everyone to exercise complete caution."
"Alright, so do you need someone to stand guard?" Luz asked.
"That would help," Sasha said. "You and a partner could-"
"I'll volunteer!" Amity said, all eyes now on her. "Uh, if that's okay. Two witches are better than one."
"...I'm not sure, I like to have teams evenly divided," Sasha said. "Having a witch with us could be beneficial. Unless Anne has a different idea."
"Why me?" Anne asked.
"Well, you know a lot about witches, you're dating one," Sasha said.
"Just because Luz and I are together doesn't mean I know a lot about witchcraft," Anne said. "Most of the time we just talk about our favorite anime and manga."
"Movies too, and our fun adventures," Luz said.
"But honestly Sasha, I think we should just let Luz and Amity stand guard together," Anne said. "They'd have good chemistry, and I think you, me and Marcy can do our own thing. Familiarity is a good source of teamwork too."
"Wow Anne, that's a good idea," Sasha said. "An idea worthy of a great leader I might add."
Anne's eyes briefly widened before narrowing them at Sasha, "You're doing it again."
"Doing what?" Sasha asked.
"Don't you get cute with me," Anne warned. "You're trying to make me leader again."
"Well you did come up with a good plan, one that Luz and Amity seem to like," Sasha said.
"She's kind of got a point, Anne," Luz said. "You came up with a good plan."
"Luz! Come on!" Anne said.
"Look, you both came up with good plans," Amity said. "For now, let's just go with Anne's idea. It's the best one she's had all day at least."
"Yeah, it's the best..." Anne glared right at Amity. "Wow..."
"Just saying," Amity said.
"Alright, you two go on ahead," Sasha said. "Anne, Marcy and me will handle the muscle work while Molly holds onto those mushrooms like her life depends on it. Because they do."
"What does that mean?" Molly asked.
"It means if you mess up, we'll all die," Sasha said in a tone that sent shivers down Molly's spine. "No pressure though."
"Right...no pressure," A very nervous Molly said as she followed Sasha. "Everything's going to be just fine..."
As the group left, Luz turned her attention to Amity, "Honestly that's why Anne should be leader. Sasha's still not the best socially. She's trying, and I respect that, but the girl needs to really read the room."
"Can't be helped," Amity said. "Anyway, let's follow Sasha's plan, with Anne's perfect suggestion. You and I can team up together, just like the old days."
"Oh yeah," Luz placed her arm around Amity, garnering a blush. "Lumity against the world!"
"...Lumity?" Amity asked.
"Yeah, kind of like how Anne and Sprig like to say, 'Spranne against the world'," Luz explained as she pulled away. "It seems like a fun thing for us to do together."
"Right, sure..." Amity said as she awkwardly rubbed her head. "Come on, we should hurry."
"Right behind you," Luz said as she followed Amity.
Back at the secret base, Dipper was still making some backup plans with Ford with suggestions from Buff Frog, Eda, Olivia and The Magic High Commision.
Meanwhile Tom was seen sitting sadly at a table with Kelly by his side, lamenting what just happened.
"I don't get it, I thought Star was very happy with me," Todd said. "Why would she just break up out of nowhere?"
"To be fair, you two haven't been spending that much time together," Kelly said. "She might have been thinking about this for a while."
"It's true, she's been on her own a lot lately," Tom said. "I thought it was normal. She was stressed out about so many things. Her mom disappearing, becoming Queen, the stuff with Eclipsa, Belos, Andrias. It's definitely been a lot for her."
"Yeah..." Kelly said, the girl now curious about something. "For any of these, have you done anything for Star?"
"Anything like how?" Tom asked.
"Like...did you comfort her?" Kelly asked. "Were you there for her?"
"Well, I tried, but it really looked like she needed some space," Tom said. "Besides, Marco would handle that stuff pretty well."
"Uh-huh..." Kelly replied. "Do you see the problem here?"
"What problem?" Tom asked, earning a glare from Kelly.
"The fact that every time something happened with Star, you were barely around for her," Kelly said. "Marco was the one around when she needed someone."
"Wait, are you saying that Marco did what I should have done?" Tom asked.
"Heh...he finally gets it," a nearby Maddie said as she hopped onto the table. "You poor boy, you have no idea what you found yourself in, do you?"
"What are you saying?" Tom asked.
"Star needed someone to tend to her needs, to make her feel safe and happy," Maddie said. "Sorry to say Tom, but you provided her with nothing of worth."
"Hey, that's not true!" Tom said. "I've hung out with Star. I've taken her on dates."
"You also placed a curse on her," Maddie said. "Ever wonder how she felt about that?"
"Uh..." Tom scratched his head in wonder.
"Does she even care about you? Does she even respect you?" Maddie asked. "You have not done much worthy of either, so it shouldn't be a mystery as to why she barely spends time with you."
"Hey, you're being a little mean," Kelly said.
"He's the one who wants to know why Star could possibly want to break things off with him," Maddie said as he focused back on the demon. "Marco spent a lot of time comforting Star whenever she was stressed out. And if it wasn't Marco by her side, then so were Gus and Willow. Two people that Star basically just met."
"You mean the two kids from The Boiling Isles?" Tom asked.
"That's right," Maddie said. "They, along with myself, saved Star's mother from the Pie Folk that one time. Where were you during that little incident?"
"I was..." Tom rubbed his chin. "Actually, I don't remember."
"Well I remember a lot of things myself," Maddie said. "Marco may have been Star's favorite to talk to, but she and I have gotten pretty close ourselves. She confided a lot of things with me, things you probably don't even know about."
"Like what?" Tom asked.
"Sorry, can't tell you, it's a secret," Maddie teased as she glanced once more at Tom. "I gotta say though, Star's very beautiful. It was such a treat to spend the time with her that I did. How close have you gotten to her beauty?"
"Well, I've kissed Star," Tom said.
"Did you enjoy it? Did you relish in it?" Maddie asked. "Or, did you take it for granted? Like everything about Star?"
"Hey, I don't need you telling me that I took Star for granted!" Tom said.
"I don't know, seems like you did," Maddie said. "Those sleepovers I had with Star really let me know who she values. She values Marco, she respects Anne and Luz, yet she almost never talks about you."
Tom grumbled in annoyance, "That's not true!"
"Oh it is," Maddie said. "What's funnier is that she and I spent a lot of time in The Never Zone. We've gotten pretty close. I can safely say that I am a very trusted friend of Star's. A girl like that was possibly wasted on you."
"That's it, I'm not taking this crap," Tom said as he stood up. "I'll prove that I can be just as much of a trusted confidant as anyone Star knows! Especially Marco!"
"Yeah? Good luck with that," Maddie said as Tom stormed off.
Kelly furrowed her brow in annoyance, "What was that about, Maddie!?"
"Hey Tom was the one sulking and wishing he knew why Star dumped him," Maddie said.
"Don't you think you could have handled it better then!?" Kelly asked.
"I got him off his feet, didn't I?" Maddie pointed out. "Now he's motivated to fight."
"Yeah but...wait," Kelly realized what happened. "Actually...yeah, I guess it was kind of good that you did that."
"Star told me that Tom was the type to be motivated when he felt like his honor and manhood were threatened," Maddie said. "So I gave him a kickstart."
"I guess that...hold on," Kelly said. "I thought you said that Star never talked about Tom."
"I said almost never," Maddie pointed out. "She did talk about him from time to time, she just mostly talked about Marco. Like how he challenged Marco to Ping-Pong, and won. By a landslide."
"Landslide isn't enough, an army of ants had a better chance against a dinosaur," Kelly said.
"Given how strong Marco's become lately, I think he'd definitely even some odds," Maddie said.
"Yeah, he's gotten so much better lately," Kelly said, the girl now blushing a bit. "He's so cool."
"Someone's got a crush," Maddie said, this snapping Kelly out of it.
"I don't...I just admire Marco, that's all," Kelly said.
"It's fine, I think he's cute too," Maddie said.
"Well it hardly matters, he's got Marcy," Kelly said. "Assuming that doesn't go bad."
"Guess we'll see," Maddie said. "I do hope for the best for Star. She's really nice."
"Have you really gotten that close with her?" Kelly asked.
"Uh-huh..." Maddie now had a blush of her own. "I think she's amazing. She's a Queen I would definitely show my undying loyalty to."
"So, are you planning to move to Mewni then?" Kelly asked. "After all this is over I mean?"
"Not sure," Maddie said. "I actually wanted to stay in the Boiling Isles to go to Hexside. I couldn't do it lately for obvious reasons, but if I can help it, I want to finish up there so I can become a real witch. Maybe later I'll consider moving to Mewni, and becoming Star's witch bodyguard. I can even use my connections to get my dad a job there so he and my sisters can live in Mewni too."
"Sounds like you have things planned out," Kelly said.
"For now," Maddie said. "While I'm waiting on that, I should focus more on Belos and Andrias."
"Yeah, let's slay those two before moving on," Kelly said.
"Don't gotta tell me twice," Maddie said.
Nearby while Higgs looked over some plans, Tom got her attention. "You! Knight Girl!"
"My name's Higgs," The girl clarified while barely taking her eyes off her notes. "What is it, Tom?"
"I'm ready to go on that mission," Tom said.
"What mission?" Higgs asked.
"The one Sasha wanted me to go on with Star," Toms said.
"Bit too late for that," Higgs said. "Everyone left."
"Then I'll go join them," Tom said as he disappeared into a portal.
"Hey wait!" Higgs called. It was too late, Tom had left. "He doesn't even know where it is!" She then shrugged it off, "Whatever, he'll be back later."
"Um, excuse me," Came Gretel's voice. "Hickory, is it?"
"It's Higgs," the girl again had to introduce. "What do you want Greta?"
"Actually, it's Gretel," the girl said. "Like the story Hansel and Gretel, which is about a witch, who I gotta say, after meeting these Boiling Isles girls, might be a bit of an inaccurate-"
"Is this gonna take long?" Higgs asked, the girl slowly losing her patience.
"Right um...so I was wondering, is there anything that I should be doing" Gretel asked. "I am a superhero after all. I have powers. Like in comics."
"Just a reminder, I didn't grow up on Earth," Higgs said.
"Oh right, you're from that Medieval Place," Gretel said. "You look a character from the show England with Dragons."
"What's an England?" Higgs asked in both confusion and annoyance.
"England is country on Earth," Gretel said. "My country is called 'America', it's also where Sasha and her friends live."
"Right, the place with Democracy or something," Higgs said.
"Exactly, we get to pick our political leaders," Gretel said. "It's so cool living in America, it's the land of opportunity you know. People from other countries move there sometimes for a better life. Like my mom. She's from a country called Venezuela and-"
"Look kid, I'd love to hear more about Earth's different countries, I need to manage things here while Sasha is on her mission," Higgs said.
"That's the thing, I want to do something," Gretel said. "Staying here is boring. I want to go out and do cool things."
"This isn't a game, kid," Higgs said. "We're in the middle of a war that's affecting the multiverse. Everything we do needs to have a reason. I can't just send you off just because you're bored and have nothing to do."
"But I have all this power!" Gretel said. "I can fly everyone here to the moon and back in like, five seconds. Wanna see?"
"DON'T!" Higgs warned, this startling Gretel and many around. "Kid, this really needs to wait, alright? Park your butt on the table there and wait for the assigned teams to return."
"...Okay fine," Gretel said as she flew over to the table.
"What an annoying kid," Higgs said.
"Um, excuse me," Came Kevin's voice. "That's my sister."
"Do you really want to taste mud again?" Higgs warned.
"Okay, I'm just saying that with all the danger out there, she'd be a great ally to have," Kevin said. "Of course I'd need to be there but-"
"Look," Higgs interrupted, the girl really losing her patience. "Like I told your sister, this requires careful planning. Now do me a favor, and park your ass next to your sister so I can work."
"Well..." Kevin said in defiance as he marched off to take his seat.
"Geez, some of these people Sasha found across the multiverse are such a pain," Higgs said. "I still can't believe Sasha trusted that whiney bitch Brandy with those mushrooms. All because that girl really wants Marco's bone."
"Pardon me, Higgs," Grime said, getting the girl's attention.
"Do you need something General Grime?" Higgs asked.
"It's about the group that King River was leading," Grime said. "We sent out a few messenger birds to reach them, but so far, none have returned. We have no way of confirming their safety."
"Do you think King River might be in trouble?" Higgs asked.
"I cannot say for certain," Grime said. "But if we can send out another party, that might increase the chances of success."
"Who can we send out?" Higgs asked. "Sasha already brought her team for one of the factory destroying missions along with her two childhood friends. They also brought those witch girls, Luz and Amity, and some girl named Molly. Princess Star is on another mission with Marco Diaz, two other witches, those teen agents and that mutt Brandy."
"My word, you have been busy," Grime said. "Is there anyone else who can assist?"
"We could have asked Tom Lucitor, but he left because he's jealous of Marco," Higgs said as she looked over some notes. "I suppose there's also that Woolett girl Kelly, and that frog witch Maddie. I could also try asking Hunter if he's ready to go."
"Can any of them fly?" Grime asked. "That would cover ground much faster."
Suddenly Gretel was seen floating next to Higgs, "Did someone say...fly?"
Higgs glared hard at Gretel, feeling almost regretful of what she was about to say, "If you can fly, then go find King River and his party."
"On my way!" Gretel said and flew off. A second later she came back with questions. "Which one is King River? Also where did he go?"
"King River is a short man with a yellow beard," Higgs said. "He should be with a creature named Globgor, a red monster that is really hard to miss."
"Okay got it," Gretel said and flew off again.
"Gretel! Wait!" Kevin called as he followed after his sister.
"There really should be an age limit on who we ask to help," Higgs said.
Nearby Hunter was seen tending to his Palisman, "This war should be over soon, Flapjack. Then maybe one day, we can rebuild." He looked around at everyone present. "Of course that will take some time. Many worlds were affected by this."
"Hey there Hunter," Sprig said as he sat by the former Golden Guard.
"Oh hello..." Hunter tried recalling the boy's name.
"I'm Sprig," he introduced. "Sprig Plantar."
"You're friends with Anne Boonchuy," Hunter said.
"That's right," Sprig said.
"She's a very brave girl," Hunter said. "I remember Uncle Belos commenting on how much potential she had despite not being a witch."
"Anne said he's been stalking her or something," Sprig said.
"That's a weird way to put it, but he was fascinated by her," Hunter said. "Even more when she achieved that Blue Haired transformation. It almost sounded like he was afraid of her power."
"So, Belos does have something to fear, good," Sprig said. "It won't be long before we see the last him, and King Andrias."
"Andrias, such a mysterious guy," Hunter said. "Despite wanting to take over, he actually never seemed as bad as Belos."
"Huh, what does that mean?" Sprig asked. "Andrias is totally evil. He betrayed Marcy and nearly killed Marco."
"I will admit, he is cruel," Hunter said. "The difference is that all of the cruel things Andrias did had a purpose behind it. He never sought out to really hurt anyone. So long as you did your job, he had at least some respect for you. Of course, he did try to blow up Cloak-Bot for constantly failing, but he still gave both of us a chance."
"Seems like you're undermining just how much of a jerk he is," Sprig said.
"Thing is that with Belos, I didn't notice it at first, but in hindsight, he was terrible," Hunter said. "He actually seemed to enjoy the pain he caused others. He was cruel just for the sake of being cruel."
"He does seem pretty scary, even more so than Andrias," Sprig said.
"Whenever Andrias did something evil, he never smiled much or took pleasure. His acts of evil were punishments for messing up. Cruel punishments, but never his first thought," Hunter said. "Belos however, he always had that sadistic look in his eyes when he tortured our enemies, including prisoners. He took comfort in their pain."
"Geez, the more I hear about this guy, the more I hate him," Sprig said.
"Andrias is bad, that much is true," Hunter said. "Belos, he's just evil. Very few can stand against him and live to tell."
"Like Luz, right?" Sprig asked.
"Yeah, Luz is one of a kind," Hunter said before thinking it over. "Well maybe not, Anne's just as amazing. Those girls make for quite a team."
"I hope they're enough to stop Andrias and Belos," Hunter said. "Especially with that other duo with them."
"You mean Drakken and Shego?" Sprig asked. "I think with Kim and Ron on our side, we'll be fine."
"Yeah, I guess," Hunter said.
"Anyway, me, Polly and King were about to explore this place for hidden treasure," Sprig said. "Wanna join?"
"Sure, that sounds fun," Hunter said.
"Great, follow me," Sprig said as he left with Hunter.
Elsewhere, Gretel had flown around while carrying Kevin, the boy having caught up to his sister.
"I still don't see a short and bearded guy or a buff red guy," Gretel said.
"Keep looking, there has to be..." Kevin noticed a commotion not too far away. "There!"
Nearby, King River was seen helping in destroying some robots, but the battle proved difficult for everyone around.
"Die you vile fiends!" Yunan declared as she used her weapons to cut some robots.
"Away with you!" Globgor said as he punched some away.
"Accursed fiends!" Darrius declared as he destroyed a few with his magic.
More of them continued to come, much to River's worry, "There's just too many!"
"Then we keep fighting!" Globgor said.
"That must be them," Gretel said as she placed Kevin down. "Give me a second."
In an instant, Gretel destroyed each of the robots with power punches, to the surprise of River and company.
"My word!" River turned to Gretel. "Your power, it's amazing!"
"Thanks beared guy," Gretel said.
"Gretel! That's the King!" Kevin scolded.
"It's fine lad, my crown means nothing in this world anyway," River said, then turned to Gretel. "Again, I do thank you girl."
"It's no trouble...AAAHHH!" Gretel shouted in worry.
"What's wrong!?" River asked.
"Aw...such a cute little guy," Gretel said as she gestured to Eberwolf, who looked very confused. "He's like a little puppy."
"That is not a puppy, that is a wolf," Darrius said.
"Still, very cute," Gretel said.
"Geez, don't scream like that, you made it seem like there was danger," Kevin said.
"Oh there is danger," Gretel said as she pointed to the snake with the robot parts to it. "See? Giant Snake. That's what had me worried."
"I completely forgot about this fellow," River said as the snake got closer.
"Gretel, if that scared you, why'd you talk about the wolf!?" Kevin asked.
"Because he's cute," Gretel said.
"Gretel!" Kevin scolded.
"Don't worry, I got this," Gretel said as she winded her punch up. "Super Giant Snake with Weird Machine Parts Punch!"
She then sent the snake flying off with one punch, the girl dusting her hands off afterwards.
"Did anyone else see letters as that girl was speaking?" River asked.
"Gretel!" Kevin called out in worry. "Should you have just punched it away like that!?"
"Oh what's the worst that can happen?" Gretel asked. "It's gone, everyone's safe, and there's no chance of my actions having any type of consequence."
Back with Sasha's team, she had used her swords to destroy some turrets while Marcy used her crossbow.
Anne helped Molly through the field while providing cover with her tennis racket and sword combination as she got the girl closer to the generator.
"Here it is," Anne said as she used her sword to pry open a hatch to reveal some circuitry. "Sasha! We're here!"
"Excellent," Sasha said as she destroyed the turrets. "Now we just blow the place up with the mushrooms!"
"Alright," Anne picked one up, thought was very confused. "Wait, how should we do this?"
"You're smart, I know you can figure it out," Sasha said as she destroyed another turret.
"Huh? Sasha, you're the one who made the plans!" Anne said. "Can you please just tell me what to do?"
"I'm always ordering you around, you're smart, I know you can figure it out," Sasha said with slightly forced encouragement.
"Sasha! Now isn't the time for this crap!" Anne said. "Can you please tell me how this works!?"
"It doesn't look difficult, just stick the mushrooms in wherever," Molly said. "Though I don't know how they're activated."
"I think you just press on the cap, like so," Anne said as she pressed on the cap. She then realized what she did and threw the mushroom as far away as she could before it exploded. "That was close."
"Look, I'm just going to stick these in," Molly said as she placed the mushrooms inside in positions that made sense to her. "It shouldn't be too hard, I've seen stuff like this in movies and video games."
"Right, movies and games, perfect logic," Anne said with some mild sarcasm. "Let's just hurry before we run into trouble."
"Actually, this place isn't too bad," Marcy said as she destroyed one last turret. "I honestly expected this to be harder, but it wasn't."
"I picked a time when this place was less guarded," Sasha said. "It's weird that there's less people than I expected. Then again I did ask for King River to cause a distraction, so I guess all the guards are still dealing with him."
"Wow, that was clever of you Sash," Marcy said, this boosting Sasha's confidence. "At least we don't have to worry about any danger."
Suddenly the giant snake landed near the girls, freaking them out as it raised its head.
"Uh, okay, one minor question," Anne said before gesturing to the snake. "What in the heck is that thing?!"
The snake roared at the girls as it went to attack, with Sasha slashing it with her swords, Marcy firing her crossbow and Anne sword and racket.
"It's not dying!" Anne said as she slashed again, then dodged.
"Anne! You gotta come up with a plan! Quick!" Sasha said as she struck again.
"Will you stop asking me Sasha!? I can't plan things out like you can!" Anne strike again with her racket. "I'm not a natural born leader, you are!"
"Last time I was leader, it nearly ruined our friendship!" Sasha said as she struck once more.
"That didn't nearly ruin our friendship!" Anne said. "Your bad attitude did! But you're changed, so it's all good!"
"How do you know I changed!?" Sasha asked.
"You wouldn't be so worried about being bossy if you didn't!" Anne leapt on the creature's back to stab it, hoping to slow it down. "The old you would have just told us what to do without care. The new you actually does care enough to take the feelings of others into consideration!"
"Sasha, we don't mind you being leader," Marcy fired her crossbow again."Just don't get carried away and be open to input. That's all we want from you."
"...I...I'm not sure," Sasha said.
"Well I have an idea!" Molly said as she grabbed a mushroom. "Take cover!"
She used the fungus like a grenade and hit the monster in the face. But it just drew its attention toward her.
"Uh..." Molly tried again, to no avail. "Oh crap, this isn't working. Scratch!"
Scratch suddenly materialized, the ghost seen reading a magazine before realizing what was happening. "Hey I was in the middle of-" He then saw the snake and panicked. "Cheese and Crackers! What did you bring me into kid?!"
The snake lunged at Molly but Scratch pulled her away just in time.
"Scratch! Can you go find Amity and Luz!?" Sasha asked. "They should be nearby!"
"Yeah sure," Scratch said as he flew off with Molly. "Let's go kid."
"Thanks Scratch, I owe you one," Molly said.
"You better," Scratch said.
Meanwhile Luz and Amity were seen keeping an eye out for danger. While Luz checked on her glyphs, Amity took the time to speak up.
"So...how have things been lately?" Amity asked.
"You know Amity, you've been there for most of it," Luz said. "Things are crazy."
"Yeah, I guess," Amity said. "So, it looks like your mom knows about all this."
"Literally my biggest fear," Luz said.
"Oh yeah, I remember that from Grom Night," Amity said. "Out of all the things that you were afraid of, I didn't expect it to be that. This is coming from someone who has her own issues with her mother."
"Yeah, I feel weird now knowing that you had it worse," Luz said.
"It's fine, this isn't a competition," Amity said. "Besides, we worked things out then."
"Oh yeah, in such a unique way too," Luz said. "We did that cool dance and defeated the monster together."
"It was the most fun I had in Hexside," Amity said. "Genuine fun, when I didn't have to bully Willow or anyone else."
"You and Willow seem to be getting along again," Luz said.
"Yeah, lucky for me," Amity said, the girl thinking about her oldest friend.
"You seemed worried yourself that night too," Luz said. "You got a glimpse of your own fear."
"Yeah, I did," Amity said. "My fear was you not wanting to be my g...my friend."
"At least you don't have to worry about that," Luz said as she placed her arm around a now bashful Amity. "You're my best buddy now Amity. Nothing's going to keep us apart."
Amity began blushing, "Do you really mean it?"
"Sure, you and I have done a lot together," Luz said. "Sports was fun, then there was that stuff in the library with Edric and Emira. I remember that I hurt your feelings. I still regret it."
"Don't, I'm already over it," Amity said. "Besides, I haven't always been nice to you, so I did deserve it."
Luz shook her head in disagreement, "You didn't deserve that. I'm lucky you forgave me."
"Well, you mean a lot to me Anne..." Amity said. "Listen, I gotta know. That night when I kissed you on the cheek."
Luz looked confused for a second before remembering that instance, "Oh yeah, it was the night before I met Anne."
"There's something...I mean...it's not easy to say," Amity said. "That Grom Night thing, it was-"
"Amity! Luz!" Molly called from nearby, much to Amity's annoyance. "There's trouble!"
"What's wrong!?" Luz asked.
Not too long later, Luz and Amity had returned thanks to Scratch and Molly, having seen the giant snake.
"What in the heck is that thing!?" Luz asked in disbelief as Amity sent her abomination monster out to fight the giant snake.
"That's funny, Anne said the same thing," Molly pointed out.
"Talk later! Take this thing down, now!" Sasha ordered.
"Hey, no need to be bossy," Luz said as Amity's abomination got squashed.
"Luz! She's the leader! Listen to her!" Anne ordered. "Now let's take this thing down, now!"
"Fine, only because you asked me to Anne," Luz said as she used her vine magic to constrain the snake. "Got it!"
"Good work," Anne said. "What now Sasha!?"
"Luz, how long can this spell last?" Sasha asked.
"The vines are strong, but it won't hold this sucker down or long," Luz said.
"Alright, everyone run, I'm going to set this place to explode!" Sasha said.
"You heard the girl, move your butts!" Marcy said as everyone made a run for it while Sasha set the Boom Shrooms to explode.
The girl quickly followed her friends as they crossed Luz's bridge shortly before the factory was completely obliterated.
Sasha nearly fell into a gap but Amity used her abomination magic to catch Sasha and bring her to safety.
"Thanks Amity," Sasha said as she was pulled up.
"No trouble, Sash," Amity said, then glanced at the factory. "So, does this mean the plan was a success?"
"Big one," Sasha said.
"Where did that snake even come from?" Luz asked.
"I don't know, and I don't care," Sasha said. "Let's just go back, I need a drink."
"A nonalcoholic drink, right?" Anne asked, much to Sasha's mild annoyance. Not that the girl could stay mad.
"Never change, Boonchuy," Sasha said. "Also, thanks for still wanting to trust me. I still feel like I need to earn it though."
"We'll get there," Anne said.
"So...do you want to lead the way back?" Sasha asked.
"NO!" Luz, Amity, Molly and Marcy shouted, then looked away awkwardly when Anne began to glare at them.
"I'm going to remember this," Anne said in a warning tone.
"Love you..." Luz playfully said, much to Anne's annoyance and Amity's disappointment.
Meanwhile with Marco, he too had some success, but not with ease. He used his sword and mace to destroy some turrets while Star used her magic to blast everything.
"You're not match for me!" Marco shouted as he eagerly destroyed the turrets.
"Laser Beam Blast!" Star said as she destroyed a whole section of turrets, putting them all offline.
"So far so good," Marco said, then turned to Brandy. "Okay its safe now!"
"Are you sure!?" Brandy asked from the distance.
"Yes, we're sure!" Marco said. "The power station should be down soon!"
"In that case, I'll just come when it's fully down!" Brandy called.
Star shook her head in annoyance, "What a pain."
"Go easy on her," Marco said.
"Ugh, you're such a pushover for girls," Star said, then glanced at the factory. "So, we gotta blow that up."
Marco picked up a rock and threw it at the facility, with electricity destroying it. "Still protected. Once Kim's team destroys the substation, we should be good."
"Kim's cool, I like her style," Star said.
"Yeah, he's amazing," Marco said.
Star quickly tried to think of something, "So...back together again. Us fighting as a duo. Fun times."
"Oh yeah, fun times," Marco said. "You've gotten so great at magic since we first met. I'm amazed that you no longer need your wand."
"Yeah, I basically leveled up," Star bragged. "Just like you with that Red Belt."
"Think I should go for Black?" Marco asked.
"If you want to make it official," Star said. "But you're already a great fighter regardless of the belt. I bet even Mackie Hands himself would be proud."
"You really think so!?" Marco asked in glee before striking a pose. "Awesome! Imagine I get to co-star in his next movie!"
"I'd definitely watch that," Star said.
"Man, it's been so long since we talked about that," Marco said.
"Yeah, with Anne, Luz and everyone else coming along, things just got so crowded," Star said. "Don't get me wrong, I do love them. They're amazing friends and I always want them around. But sometimes, I feel like we're drifting apart."
"Hey, you don't have to worry about that," Marco said as he placed his hadn on her shoulder. "You'll always be my best friend Star."
"Thanks..." Star said while blushing a bit. "Hey, so about The Blood Moon Ball."
"You mean when we got cursed?" Marco asked.
"Yeah, it was a fun time aside from that, wasn't it?" Star asked.
"Oh sure, I had fun," Marco said.
"Did you really?" Star asked. "Part of of me is worried that you only had fun because of Tom."
"Tom had nothing to do with it," Marco said. "I had fun even before the curse. Any time I got to spend with you was fun."
"Oh...wow," Star said, the girl feeling strange. "That's sweet of you to say."
"Look, I know how worried you were, I was too," Marco said. "I thought my feelings were fake, but I always felt happy around you Star. I promise, that no matter what, I'm always going to be your friend, and I'll always be part of your life."
Star felt some relief, even if she had that nagging feeling in her head. After all, Marco was still taken, and she had to figure something out.
"So, Marco...I feel weird bringing this up," Star began. "But...you remember that party everyone in our class had to celebrate the end of the schoolyear?"
"What about it?" Marco asked.
"Do you remember one moment in particular...?" Star bashfully brought up. "When I said that-?"
"Ugh, what's taking so long!?" Came Brandy's voice as she walked over, much to Star's annoyance. "When can we go? I'm so tired!"
"Brandy...I thought you said you didn't want to come," Star said while trying not to lose her patience.
"I got bored, okay?" Brandy said with some sassy sarcasm. "Are we almost done?"
"I'll check with the others," Marco pulled out his walkie talkie. "Hey Kim, how are things?"
"Oh...just fine," Kim nervously said as she turned to a nearby robot. "Except there's this giant robot snail guarding the substation."
"Magic harder!" Ron ordered.
"I'm doing my best!" Willow snapped back.
"Yeah, it's a bit of a hassle here," Kim said.
Marco's eyes widened in worry, "Star?"
"Yeah, let's go," Star said as she ran off.
"What about me!?" Brandy asked.
"...Star, I'll stay with Brandy, you go help him," Marco said.
"Ugh, fine!" Star dashed off in fury while Marco stayed with Brandy.
"Hey um...thanks for carrying the mushrooms, I appreciate it," Marco said.
"Finally, someone respects me," Brandy said. "Is respect really that hard to give to others?"
"That is a good question, you should reflect on that," Marco said.
"Eh, I don't have time for that crap," Brandy said as she pulled out her make up and adjusted her lipstick. "Still, you got it down, that's all that matters to me anyway."
Marco could see why everyone found Brandy annyoying. Somehow, he found her behavior slightly endearing.
Meanwhile...
"WARNERCORN STAMPEDE!" Star blasted the robot and completely destroyed it.
"Whoa..." Kim said, the girl in disbelief at Star's raw power. "That was actually really badass."
"Dang right it was," Ron said.
Kim grabbed the walkie talkie, "Marco, we're ready."
"Awesome," Marco said and grabbed the mushrooms. "I'll place these Boom Shrooms in, you start running."
"Okay, I guess..." Brandy's eyes widened in worry. "Did you say Boom Shrooms!? Why are they called that!?"
"Run!" Marco said as he ran with Brandy, pulling the girl by her wrist as the factory exploded.
Brandy looked behind in shock and horror, realizing what had happened. "All this time...I was carrying bombs!?"
"Yeah," Marco said.
Brandy's eye twitched as she shouted in rage. "WHISKEEEEEEEEEEEERS!"
"...Whiskers isn't here," Marco said, causing Brandy to feel foolish.
"Uh, sorry, force of habit," Brandy sheepishly said before correcting herself. "SASHAAAAAAAAA!"
Meanwhile at his castle, Andrias was receving word of what was happening. "What do you mean the factories are offline!?"
"Data is unknown," A Robot Frog said.
"Figure it out!" Andrias shouted while pinching between his eye. "Robots..."
"Annoying, aren't they?" Belos said as he walked in with some Abomination Guards. "Even these creatures aren't completely perfect. But they do well enough."
"My factories got attacked, I suspect Marcy's friends are behind it," Andrias said. "Make sure to tell Mrs. Blight to keep an eye out, her place of work might be next."
"Fret not, she is prepared for all inconviniences," Belos insisted. "Any foolish attempts will be met with failure."
"I should hope so," Andrias said. "By the way, where are Shego and Drakken? I have not seen them as of late."
"I am not sure," Belos said. "I do not govern their actions."
"It may be wise to do," Andrias said. "After all, our alliance with them is not a stable one."
"Do not worry, they are of little worry to me," Belos said. "And they should not be of you either."
"If you are truly confident..." Andrias said. Of course, he still had his fears regarding the two.
Not too far away, while Drakken was making his plans for Belos and Andrias, Shego was making plans of her own to deal with the eventual betrayal. She was not going to allow anyone to one up her.
The two continued their plans while the heroes prepared for the next step as both sides continued to try and one up the other.