Multiverse Heroes: Magical Destinies(AmphibiaxSVTFOExTOH)

It was a terrible sight to behold. Despite his attempts, despite the friends he had, Marco was too late to save the girl he loved.

Standing before him was the sinister sight of what looked like Marcy, but at the same time, was someone much different, or so she claims to be. He couldn't fully process it, he did not even know if he could.

Amity couldn't believe it either, she desperately wanted to save her dear friend, to save someone so close to the boy she cared deeply for. The plan was an obvious failure, and she was witnessing the consequence.

"KIng Andrias...what have you done?" Olivia asked.

"What I needed to do," Andrias said. "With this, my family's greatest goal is one step closer to fruition."

"Sure took you long enough," The Core's voice said, which sounded like many voices speaking in unison. "I had to wait even longer than planned thanks to the sudden arrival of the Mewmans, as well as those demons from the Boiling Isles."

"Yes, I do apologize for that," Andrias admitted. "I hoped to get you your suitable host sooner, but our friends here got in the way, and my ally Emperor Belos wasn't much help himself."

"Well, better late than never," The Core's voice said, then gestured to Marco and Amity. "Now, tell me, who exactly are these two?"

"The boy's name is Marco Diaz, like Marcy, he is a human from Earth," Andrias explained. "The girl here is called Amity Blight. She is a witch from the Boiling Isles."

"A human and a witch teaming up," The Core's voice said. "Quite an odd pairing."

"No odder than you," Amity said. "Who are you anyway? What have you done with Marcy!?"

"She is fulfilling her more needed role," The Core said. "As a vessel for power."

"A vessel?" Amity asked. "You need a teenage girl for a vessel? You couldn't go with anyone else?"

"She's very intelligent, perfect for what we are," The Core said. "She will make a fine host as we embark on our plans to conquer the multiverse."

"No..." Marco said, getting the Core's attention. "That is not happening. I won't let it! I am not letting you use Marcy to commit horrible atrocities! She doesn't need that in her conscious."

"You fool, she has no conscience," The Core said. "She is merely one of us."

"Liar, that's not true!" Marco shouted. "I know Marcy's in there somewhere! She's a fighter! She wouldn't give up so easily!"

"She did not have much of a choice, you foolish child," The Core said. "I'm sorry to tell you, but the girl you've fallen for is no more."

Marco angrily clenched his fists, then ran at the possessed girl, grabbing her by the arms and yelling in her face. "Marcy! I know you're in there! Snap out of it!"

Andrias pulled Marco off the girl as the boy resisted, "Knock it off, you're just making a fool out of yourself."

"Let me go, dammit!" Marco shouted, the boy focused back on his possessed girlfriend. "Marcy! Don't give up! You have to keep trying!"

"I told you boy, Marcy Wu is no more," The Core said.

"That reminds me, what should I call you?" Andrias asked. "Should I just call you 'The Core' or maybe Mar-Core?"

"You know, you bring up a good point," The Core said. "From now on, just call us 'Darcy'. The ones who will rule the multiverse!"

"There's no way we're..." Amity raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Wait, Darcy? Are you serious?"

"That's right," The Core said. "I am now, Darcy Wu."

"...Huh?" Amity asked in disbelief, with the nearby Marco looking just as confused. "You're seriously calling yourself 'Darcy'? If you're going to come up with a new name, you could be a little more clever than replacing the first letter of Marcy's name with another letter. This is just lazy!"

"It's not lazy, it's clever," Darcy said. "I am Marcy, but Dark. Dark Marcy. Darcy for short. It's a reference to one of Marcy's favorite video games. We searched her memories and decided it's the perfect name for us."

"Makes sense I suppose," Andrias said.

"No one asked you!" Maco shouted. "There is no Darcy, there is only Marcy Wu!"

"We're still Marcy, just Dark," The Core said.

"Wow you're cringe!" Marco said.

"Wait, is Marcy still in there?" Andrias asked.

"Not quite, this is her body, but her mind is locked up really tightly," Darcy said, pointing to the back of her head. "It appears we've inherited some of her quirks though. We have a craving for Red Velvet Cake with Blueberry Frosting."

"That's Marcy's favorite..." Marco lamented.

"Yes, and now it is Darcy's favorite too," the Core said.

Amity face palmed in frustration of The Core's logic and personality, "Mind if we go back to that stupid Darcy thing again? I still find the name stupid."

"Hey, we explained it," Darcy said. "Maybe you're the one who's stupid."

Amity did everything she could to resist hurting this being, opting to continue her point. "So, by that logic, if you took over my body, would I be Damity? Or if you took over Marco, would you be Darco?"

"Maybe, might depend on your preferences," Darcy said.

"What are you exactly?" Marco asked.

"That is the consciousness of all of Newtopia's past Kings," Andrias said. "When the King passes, said King uploads his consciousness into The Core. There might be a Queen or two in there, my memory's hazy."

"Someone didn't keep up with his homework," Darcy taunted.

"...This is so ridiculous," Amity said as she summoned her Abomination. "So first thing's first, I'm going to free my friend. Then I'm going to utterly destroy you, for three simple reasons. One, your reasoning is dumb as shit."

"Well that's rude," Darcy said.

"Second, you have my friend hostage, and I kind of hate seeing my friends taken as hostages," Amity said.

"Define hostage," Darcy said.

"No," Amity replied. "Third...I just plain don't like you."

"You don't even know me," Darcy said. "How could you not like someone you don't even know?"

"Need I go back to the part where you literally took my friend hostage!?" Amity asked.

"To be fair..." Darcy began, seemingly unaware of Amity's increased annoyance. "You still didn't explain what you meant by 'hostage'."

"Son of a...!" Amity sent her Abomination after Darcy, the creature grabbing and holding her in the air. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't thrash you!"

"You realize this is your friend's body, right?" Darcy pointed out. "You hurt us, you hurt her."

"This is literally what a hostage situation is!" Amity shouted.

"See, it wasn't so hard to explain, now was it!" Darcy broke free of the abomination, leaping away as it tried to grab her again. "Still, there's something admirable about you. Why fight when we can join forces?"

"Us? Join with you?" Amity asked in disbelief.

"Not a chance!" Marco shouted. "Just give me my girlfriend back!"

"Oh the youth, never considering the big picture," Darcy said. "No matter, if you choose not to join us, then we will have no choice but to dispose of you."

"This isn't right..." Marco said, the boy grabbing the girl by her shoulders. "Marcy! If you're in there, snap out of it! Don't let this thing control you!"

"Sorry, but she's busy right now, so we suggest..." Darcy took a step back, holding her head. "What...is?"

"What's going on?" Andrias asked, both Marco and Amity looking just as confused.

"R-run..." Darcy said, her voice sounding singular, and more like Marcy. "You...gotta...AGH!"

"Marcy!" Marco called.

"Impossible, is she resisting?" Andrias asked.

As Darcy stumbled back, still holding her head, Marco still tried to reason with her. "Marcy! Are you-"

"Just run!" Marcy shouted. "NOW!"

"Marco, let's go!" Amity said, using her magic to knock the guards aside as she pulled Marco and Olivia away.

"Hey! After them!" Andrias ordered as the guards went after the deserters.

Amity led Marco and Olivia down the hall, taking a look back as Andrias's guards began closing in on them. "What a pain."

"I can keep them busy," Marco said, pulling out his sword.

"No, we stay together!" Amity said, readying her magic. "Better yet, you still have your scissors?"

"Yeah..." Marco pulled them out. "But what about Marcy?"

"I don't want to leave her behind," Amity said, using her magic to attack some guards. "But there isn't much we can do for her right now!"

"There's gotta be something!" Marco said, using his sword to parry a spear. "Let's take her back with us!"

"That might not be wise," Olivia said. "She could be a threat to Mewni and Queen Star."

"Acting Qu...wait, what am I saying!?" Marco kicked an enemy back. "Anyway, Star might know what to do!"

"Or this possessed Marcy might cause trouble herself!" Amity said, whacking a monster back. "We can't risk it!"

"So what? Do we leave her behind!?" Marco asked. "I can't do that to Marcy! Besides what would Anne or Sasha think!?"

"Marco, I know it's a hard choice to make, but we have to make it!" Amity said. "Until we can figure out how to save her, she's ironically safer here! I know Anne and Sasha will be unhappy, but bringing her back to endanger everyone won't make things better!"

"But she's still in there!" Marco said as he pulled his scissors out. "Maybe if-"

"Watch out!" Amity jumped to bring Marco to safety just before some robots blasted him.

"Eliminate those invaders!" Andrias ordered. "They are not to leave the castle grounds!"

"Marco, we have to go!" Amity ordered.

"Okay fine!" Marco looked to the hand where he held the scissors, coming to a terrible realization. "Wait, where are my scissors!?'

"Oh come on, don't tell me you lost another pair!" Amity scolded, using her magic to fend off the attackers.

"Hey, you're the one who knocked me over, so..." Marco immediately clammed up the moment Amity glared at him. "I should have just held on tighter I guess."

"Just look for them, they couldn't have gotten far," Amity ordered.

Marco scanned the floor as quickly as he could, spotting the scissors not too far away, "There!" He went to grab them, but barely avoided a blast from a robot. "Whoa!"

Amity whacked the robot with her abomination magic, and took out a few more as Marco went for the scissors.

"Don't let him escape!" Andrias ordered as more robots went after Marco.

"Marco! Open the portal!" Amity called.

"On it!" Marco was about to do as asked, when Darcy grabbed him from behind. "H-hey!"

"Going somewhere?" Darcy kicked Marco just as she grabbed the scissors. "Ooooh, my army can do some real damage with this."

"I don't think so!" Amity went to attack but Darcy sidestepped and kicked the girl aside.

"Someone's in the mood to die," Darcy said as she held out her hand. "Hey, metal heads, how about arming a soon to be conqueror?"

Amity went to attack, the girl finding herself locked in a grip against Darcy.

"I will save my friend from the likes of you!" Amity shouted.

"Wow, nice hero speech," Darcy taunted. "Still, I gotta say, there's something about you that feels a special link to Marcy."

"Well yeah, I'm her friend!" Amity said, trying to overpower the girl.

"No...it's something else," Darcy said, feeling momentarily confused.

"What are you even-?" Amity's questioning was interrupted when Darcy flipped her over.

"It hardly matters right now," Darcy said. "Just prepare for your end!"

Marco grabbed Darcy from behind, trying to subdue her, "Marcy! I know you're in there! You gotta fight back! Destroy this thing!"

"Wow you're stubborn!" Darcy elbowed Marco in the ribs a few times, then turned around to punch him across the jaw. "It's a shame, I think Marcy really likes you. Even with her locked away, we can almost hear her calling out for you."

"Give her back to me!" Marco went to attack, with Darcy forcefully holding him back.

"It's actually kind of interesting," Darcy said. "Even if it was for a brief moment, the fact that she overpowered us just to talk to you is an admirable feat. We can tell she really loves you."

"Yeah, and I love her!" Marco headbutted Darcy, knocking her back a bit as he readied another attack. "And I won't let you-"

"Hold on a second!" Darcy warned, keeping her hand out. "Need we remind you that for every bit of damage you unleash onto us, that Marcy is the one who feels it? Even if you free her, she will be left with nothing but injuries, because of you."

"You're really starting to piss me off!" Marco shouted. "Leave my girlfriend's mind and fight me like a man! Or like men! Whatever the hell you are!"

"We could, but we worked too hard to get this body," Darcy prepared for more fighting. "We're not giving up that easily"

Marco was in a tough spot. Even if he hurt Darcy, that also means hurting Marcy. Of course he had to free her, which may mean roughing her up. But deep down, Marco wasn't sure if he had it in him to really hurt his girlfriend.

"If...you had a chance to take over another body, would you?" Marco asked.

"Hm? What are you getting at?" Darcy asked in suspicion.

"Marco!" Amity called while fighting away more guards and robots. "Whatever you're planning, remove that thought from your mind right now!"

"No! I gotta try something!" Marco turned to Darcy. "What if I offered to be your host? Would you leave Marcy be?"

"Hm...interesting offer," Darcy said. "No one's ever been willing to be our host. Then again we never actually asked anyone."

"Do you accept my offer?" Marco asked.

"It's a tempting offer..." Darcy said. "Buuuuuut, no."

"No!?" Marco asked in disbelief. "Come on! I'm offering you my services!"

"Listen, if we wanted just about anyone, we would have done so sooner," Andrias said. "We could have taken Sasha Waybright. Or we could have taken Belos's Nephew. We needed someone smart enough to handle us, and honestly, the only other person we would have considered is that witch girl over there."

"Huh? Me?" Amity asked.

"We heard you're quite intelligent, if for whatever reason we couldn't get Marcy, you would have been considered for a decent substitute," Darcy said. "But, we have Marcy, and that's all we-HEY!"

Marco tried forcefully removing the helmet, "I'll free you Marcy!"

"Moron! This is going to do more harm than GOOD!" Darcy punctuated that with a knee to Marco's stomach. "Someone toss me a sword already!"

"No!" Amity went to stop Darcy but Andrias blocked her back with his own sword.

"Don't do anything foolish now," Andrias warned.

Amity glared at the King and sent her abomination to attack, just as Darcy finally got her sword.

"Now then, time to end this," Darcy said, holding the weapon near Marco.

"Marcy! Wait!" Olivia called. She went to stop the mind controlled girl, but some guards blocked her path.

"Buzz off, lady," Darcy said, keeping her sword up. "After we're done with these you, you're next. No one betrays us and lives!" Marco leapt to disarm Darcy, but she elbowed him in the face to knock him back over, and raised her sword. "Die!"

"Marco!" Amity called.

Just as Darcy struck, her sword stopped inches away from Marco, the possessed girl unable to lower it.

"Come on! Not again!" Darcy tried again, but once again she stopped short. "What is going on!? What's with this stupid body not doing what I'm ordering it to!?"

Darcy held her head as she stepped back, with Marcy's voice coming up again, "I won't...hurt Marco...!"

"Marcy! You are in there!" Marco cheered. "Come on! Fight it! I know you can-"

Darcy grabbed Marco by the neck, squeezing her to suppress his wind pipes. "Will you shut up!"

Marco did his best to pry the hand away, though he was easily tossed aside and back onto the floor, coughing a bit. "Looks like you don't have total control."

"Well, I do like all that Marcy likes, and she seems to really like you," Darcy said. "How could some silly crush overpower me like that?"

"Silly crush!?" Amity asked in disbelief. "It's not some silly crush! It's true love! Marcy loves Marco!"

"You're kids, you don't know what love is," Darcy mocked. "That being said, I guess I can't kill this boy. Not yet at least."

"If you can't kill Marco, good luck trying to kill the rest of our friends," Amity said. "Especially Sasha Waybright, Anne Boonchuy and Luz Noceda."

"I'll work on that, for now, I suppose I'll let you two live," Darcy said.

"I can eliminate Marcy's friends, and her lover," Andrias said as he knocked away the Abomination.

"Pfft, if you could, you would have done so by now," Darcy said. "Fact is you're pretty useless."

"Me? But, I delivered Marcy to you," Andrias said.

"After nearly losing her," Darcy said. "Honestly your buddy Belos is no better, why you chose to work with him is beyond me. It's thanks to him that we're currently feeling some pain."

"I was healing you, but Marco and Amity got in the way of that," Andrias said.

"Yes, because you let them into the castle," Darcy said. "Fortunately it's nothing we can't handle, but expected the King of Amphibia to be better." Darcy's voice took on a singular tone once again, this time resembling more of an older newt. "But, what else is new for the son who has let me down on multiple occasions. Especially after that trouble your so-called friends, Leif and Barrel caused."

Andrias turned away in shame, leaving Amity curious. Whoever these beings were, the fact that they could talk down to Andrias was quite amazing.

Darcy turned back to Marco, "But honestly, maybe I can make some use out of you."

"Oh now you want my services?" Marco asked. "I offered to be your host!"

"I think I have an idea that can benefit both of us," Darcy said, lifting the boy up. "We need to control this girl, but Marcy desires you. So in an act of compromise, we'll give her you."

"What do you mean, give her me?" Marco asked, then felt Darcy's hand stroking his face. "Uh..."

"I think you can figure it out," Darcy said, this freaking out everyone present.

"Uh..." Andrias wasn't sure how to react to what was basically his ancestors flirting with Marco.

"Oh dear Titan..." Amity lamented.

"My goodness..." Olivia commented.

"Wait...are you...flirting with me or something?" Marco asked in disbelief. "Aren't you like a bunch of old guys?"

"Don't think of The Core, think of Marcy," Darcy said, leaning in close. "She wants you, she craves your touch."

Darcy wrapped her arms around Marco, getting in close to his face. While Marco liked being with his girlfriend, this was not how he wanted her. "Listen, Darcy was it? I'm flattered but, I don't know how it can work."

"Yeah, this is very uncomfortable," Andrias said.

"Well what did you think would happen when you used a teenage girl as a vessel?" Amity asked. "If it was mostly if not all men, maybe next time get a guy's mind! Not that you should but still!"

"Hey, I didn't pick Marcy, The Core did," Andrias said. "It's not even The Core that wants Marco, it's Marcy's desires. It might be overpowering The Core itself."

"Wait, so it's not itself?" Amity asked.

Marco wasn't sure what to do, though subconsciously he hugged Darcy back. The boy did really want his girlfriend, he just wasn't sure how to go about it from here. As he hugged her, he felt around and found the Dimensional Scissors that Darcy had placed on her person.

In a moment of desperation, Marco pulled Darcy into a kiss, using it as a means to distract her as he fumbled around for the scissors. This caused some disgust for Amity, Andrias and Olivia. Even the guards looked away, not sure what to think about this.

Marco was slightly bothered, but focused only on Marcy as he pulled the scissors away. Before long, he broke the kiss, still feeling awkward, but somewhat satisfied. "Marcy...if you are in there. I love you, and I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Darcy asked, then took a punch that knocked her to the ground as Marco opened a portal behind him.

"Get in!" He threw Olivia inside, then rushed to grab Amity's hand. "Come on!"

"Hey! Wait!" Andrias went to stop Marco, but he was too quick and had jumped through the portal with Amity just in time. "NO!"

Darcy groaned as she stood up, feeling unhappy by Marco's deception. She felt even more unhappy once reality set in for those in the Core itself.

"Andrias..." Darcy said, getting the King's attention.

"Uh, yes?" Andrias asked.

"First off, you let them escape, again!" Darcy scolded. "Second...did you REALLY let us kiss that boy!?"

"Uh..." Andrias felt awkward. "Well..."

"Ugh, I can't believe Marcy manipulated our will like that!" Darcy said, spitting out in disgust. "Her bond is too strong, we need to improve our connection. With any luck, Marcy will be done for good!"

"Wait, are you sure that's a good idea?" Andrias asked. "Marcy is valuable to us after all."

"Oh please, we just needed her body to possess, the girl herself isn't that useful otherwise," Darcy said. "Unless, you yourself have a problem with my plan? You're not going to miss Marcy, are you?"

"Who me?" Andrias asked, the King shaking his head. "No, of course not. What's done is done."

"I should hope so," Darcy said, making her way through the castle. "Let's go."

As she left, Andrias looked out the window, across the empire that spanned for miles. "I wonder what Belos could be planning? Regardless of what happened, I do need to coordinate with him. See if we can stay out of each other's way, or if we will officially be enemies to one another."

In his throne room, Belos is doing some continued planning of his own, preparing for The Day of Unity that is to come in a few weeks. Near him was the crib which Meteora played in, the girl trying to get Belos's attention.

"I will play with you in a second, Meteora. Work must be done," Belos said, then rubbed the girl's head. "Do not fret, if my plans work, then you will have a multitude of worlds at your disposal. You will be the Queen you were meant to be."

"Queen!" Meteora clapped.

"Clever girl," Belos said.

"Hey!" Belos!" Came The Collector's voice. "Yoo-hoo!'

"What do you want?" Belos asked.

"Just checking in on ya, and seeing what you're up to," The Collector said. "So, the big day is coming soon, isn't it like a week away? Two the most?"

"It will come when it comes," Belos said. "But the day is drawing closer. I can see it in the tides that wash above our shores."

"Oooh, cryptic," The Collector said, imitating a puzzle piece. "And, you remember our deal, right? Are you going to do it soon? KInd of waiting here."

"You will have to stay put," Belos said.

"But you said you were going to free me!" The Collector whined. "You promised!"

"I intend to keep that promise," Belos insisted. "But things are complicated right now, and I cannot have you running amok."

"Oh I can tell things are complicated," The Collector said. "You looked so mad from that last fight. I thought you were gonna go all..." Collector pretended to be Belos and imitated his true form.

"Well aren't you the imaginative one?" Belos said, then took notice of Meteora's giggles. "At the very least, you do quite well at entertaining infants."

"Hey, what about King Andrias?" The Collector asked. "Are you going to take over his world too?"

"Possibly," Belos said. "It may be of some use, but Andrias is not someone you want to make an enemy out of without proper preparation. Fortunately, I am fully prepared to do what I must for the world that I envisioned."

"What about our guests?" The Collector asked while hopping along the walls. "Like that old frog? Or that monster girl? Better yet, that witch lady."

"That frog is a mere hostage, who's only worth is to send a message to Anne Boonchuy," Belos said. "Hekapoo and Eda do have much more use to me, assuming they're willing to cooperate."

"And what's going to happen to the Queen of Mewni?" The Collector asked. "Better yet, what's going to happen to that Luz girl? Or your nephew?"

"Time will tell," Belos said.

"Geez, can't you just give me a straight answer?" The Collector asked. "You're so boring to talk to sometimes."

"Yet, you try to engage in conversation regardless," Belos said, rising from his seat as he picked up Meteora. "I must meet with Mrs. Blight. Remain here until I return."

"Pfft, not like I can go anywhere," The Collector said as Belos made his leave.

Back in Mewni Castle, Star was joined by Anne and Luz outside of Hunter's Cell, trying to reason with the boy.

"Hunter, for the last time, your Uncle is NOT on your side!" Star said. "He tried to sacrifice you to kill us! So why are you so bent on trying to protect someone who quite honestly, does not give a damn about you!?"

"It's complicated, you wouldn't understand," Hunter said.

"It's not complicated, you're just being stubborn!" Star said.

"Uh, Star, let me," Luz urged, taking her moment to speak. "Hunter? You remember me, right? Luz Noceda? Remember when we were in Latissa?"

"What do you want, Luz?" Hunter asked, the boy feeling very annoyed.

"Listen, I understand how you must feel," Luz said. "You're conflicted. You want to be loyal to your family, but that same family was pretty quick to dismiss you. I bet you're still trying to figure things out too."

"The only thing I need to figure out is how to regain my honor," Hunter said. "My uncle only did what he did because I failed him. If I can get back on his good side-"

"Dude, are you hearing yourself!?" Anne asked in disbelief. "Your uncle nearly got you killed, and you still want to side with that lowlife?"

"He's my uncle, you don't turn against family," Hunter said.

"He turned against you though," Anne said. "If he's going to do that, then he doesn't deserve to call you his family."

"It's not even the first time," Luz said. "I'm pretty sure that Kikimora tried to have you killed as well. You do not have any friends in Belos's Coven."

"Oh, so am I supposed to call you my friends?" Hunter asked. "Keep dreaming."

"It's not about us being your friends or not," Anne said. "It's about you figuring out the right thing to do."

"Hunter, you deserve better than for Belos to have tried to use you for bait," Star said. "Is that the type of person you really want to serve?"

"I have no choice," Hunter said.

"Huh? You so have a choice!" Anne said. "Is Belos the type of guy you can honestly trust not to betray you again?"

"Go back to him now, and I guarantee he will screw you over somehow," Star said. "You won't win with him."

"Just go, I don't want your pity," Hunter said.

"We're not giving up on you," Luz said. "Look, I promise you can have a better life. You don't need Belos for that. We can take you in."

"So, this is a recruitment process?" Hunter asked.

"No, this is a chance to have real friends," Star said.

"Am I supposed to believe that you could be my friend, Star Butterfly?" Hunter asked. "Better yet, Luz, do you really think you and I could be friends after everything?"

"Yes, I honestly believe that," Luz said. "Because it's what I want, and deep down, I think it's what you want."

"Hunter, we had a bad start, and I know things have gotten heated between us," Star said. "But, I can't turn away from this chance. You can do so much better with us than you could with Belos."

"We'll watch over you, and treat you like real friends would," Luz said. "That's what you need right now. Good friends. Beyond that, you need a real family who will watch over and take care of you."

"Knock it off!" Hunter said. "You really think it's that easy for me to just up and go with you!? You're asking me to betray my uncle, who's watched over me since I was a kid! He's always known what's best, so what makes this any different!?"

Star huffed in annoyance, "Geez, are you really that much of a lost cause? It can't hurt to trust us, not like you can do any better. How hard can it be to just turn away?"

"Easy Star, this type of thing is never easy," Anne said.

"I figured it wouldn't be easy, but Hunter's making it impossible," Star said. "Look, I know what it's like to be betrayed by others and let down. I remember how much I admired Mina Loveberry. My whole life I wanted to be as great as her. Then she turned into a jerk who bullies people for power, and suddenly everything I knew about her was fake. That bugged me, but life goes on."

Hunter just narrowed his eyes at the girl, and focused back on the wall in front of him. "How shameful."

"Hey!" Star shouted. "Come on, didn't my story make sense to you in any way!?"

"Star, no offense, but I don't think it's a story that Hunter can relate to," Anne said. "There's a difference between being let down by your hero, and trouble with friends and family."

"My story's about disappointment," Star said.

"There's all kinds of disappointment," Anne said. "What Hunter's feeling is uncertainty, because a lot of things he believed were all lies."

"And what I believed wasn't?" Star asked.

"How close were you with Mina?" Anne asked.

"Well, pretty close," Star said. "I wasn't super best friends with her, but she was my personal idol, and the main reason I wanted to improve."

"Well Belos wasn't just Hunter's Personal Idol," Anne said. "Belos is his family. I know what it's like when you thought you could trust someone you know, not realizing that deep down, that person's presence can slowly poison you."

"Huh?" Star asked.

"You spend your whole life looking up to and admiring someone you know on a personal level," Anne began. "That someone claims to be there for you. That someone claims to know what's best for you. That someone tells you something, and you believe it without question, because you're afraid to disappoint that someone. You would do anything for him, or her, because you know if you don't, then you lose out your family, or your friendship."

Hunter glanced at Anne in curiosity as the girl continued speaking.

"Even when reality hits you hard, and it hits hard for sure...it's just not enough to waiver your determination," Anne said. "You still wonder deep down if things could be better, because you spent so much time building a type of relationship, you just don't want it to go to waste. Then you trick yourself into thinking things really do get better. But deep down, you're afraid to do something, because you already saw the signs, and did nothing. You were blinded by your feelings, and then you paid the full price."

"Oh...wow..." Star said, the girl practically speechless.

Anne turned to the boy in the cell, "Hunter, I know how you're feeling, because it's how I felt once. I felt betrayed by my best friend Sasha, a girl I've known for like several years. Now, I will admit, we kind of made peace, but even I'm not sure if things will be the same. Maybe you can make peace with your uncle, but you gotta really ask yourself. Is it possible? Is it even worth it? Your feelings count too, and I think you need to do what's best for yourself."

Hunter turned away in shame, unsure what to think, "I just never thought I'd be in this situation. I thought if I did everything my uncle asked, then he'd love and care about me. Everything I did, I did it to make him proud."

"We get that, but it seems to me like while trying to make your uncle proud, you lost yourself along the way," Anne said. "Your whole identity became all about pleasing Belos, and not doing what's best for you. I personally don't think it's fair that you had to go through all that."

"I know you have no reason to trust us, since we were once enemies," Luz said. "But, we've made friends with enemies before."

"General Grime isn't exactly someone I would have considered a friend, but he's definitely loyal and still on our side," Anne said. "Honestly, he's kind of cool to be around. I don't hang out with him much but he's friendly enough."

"I used to really not like Amity, and once I hated Lilith," Luz said. "But in time, both of them grew to be good friends of mine."

"Why did you hate Lilith?" Star asked.

"She used to work for Belos, and she tried to kill Eda," Luz said.

"I can verify that Lilith was at one point willing to do away with The Owl Lady," Hunter confirmed.

"Wow, she must have been a TOTALLY different person," Anne said. "But, she changed, and so can you Hunter."

"...I just can't," Hunter said. "I can't turn away from my uncle."

"Look, maybe you don't have to," Anne said, earning curious glances from Luz and Star.

"Uh, Anne, you okay in the old head there?" Star asked.

"Look, maybe Belos can change," Anne said.

"Anne...it's Belos," Luz said. "He's done some pretty terrible things."

"Like impaling your best friend through the chest!" Star said.

"And enslaving The Boiling Isles," Luz said.

"Kidnapping Meteora," Star added.

"Turning Eda's Family against each other," Luz said.

"Killing Eclipsa!" Star emphasized.

"Tricking everyone into thinking Mewni's a terrible place, AFTER invading it!" Luz clarified.

"Okay, maybe I'm reaching," Anne said. "But, try to think about it from Hunter's point of view. Who knows, maybe he can change Belos."

"Belos tried to kill Hunter," Star reminded.

"So? Grime tried to kill me," Anne said. "Luz said Lilith tried to kill Eda. We can all still be friends, can't we?"

"I heard that Amity Blight tried to kill Luz," Hunter said.

"Pfft, that's an exaggeration," Luz said. "She just hated my guts, she didn't want me dead."

"That's not what I heard," Hunter said.

"Hey, Sasha and I got into a sword fight," Anne said. "Twice!"

"Anne, I know you want to see the good in others, and that's really kind of you," Luz said. "But don't get carried away. Like, imagine thinking that Andrias could turn good too, especially after what he's done."

"Yeah, like nearly kill Marco," Star said.

"And tricking you and your friends into completing that Music Box," Luz said.

"Okay, let's not get into this again," Anne said. "Point is Hunter, with your help, we can probably weaken Belos's forces enough so that he has to surrender. Then he gets locked up, put in jail, and you two can try bonding again. Don't think of it as betraying your uncle. Think of it as you care enough about him to want him to be better."

"...Can I at least have Cloak-Bot back?" Hunter asked. "He's the closest I had to a friend in a while. Besides my Palisman...which I lost."

"Oh, it's not lost," Luz said, getting Hunter's attention. "Star has it in her room."

"I was told it's a type of magic and I wanted it somewhere safe," Star said. "If you promise not to betray us, you can reunite with him."

"And we'll let you have Cloak-Bot too," Anne said. "Just keep him under control."

"I will," Hunter said.

"Now, we do have some basic rules for your Freedom," Star said. "You can't be by yourself, someone needs to keep an eye on you. We'll give you some leeway, but you will need to earn our trust."

"The good thing is that we want to trust you, if you show that you want our trust, it will be more than appreciated," Luz said.

"Alright, I'll give it my best shot," Hunter said. "But, you're sure we can fix things with my Uncle?"

"We'll do our best," Anne said. "Can you tell us anything about him? Like his goals? What drives him?"

"He just wants to get rid of wild magic and unify the worlds," Hunter said. "He thinks that will achieve peace."

"How?" Star asked.

"I'm not sure, I just went along with it," Hunter said. "All I know is, Uncle Belos says magic is dangerous, and if left unchecked, it can do irreparable damage."

"Well, I hate to say it, but Belos does have a point," Star said. "Magic is dangerous. The Magic Dimension is the worst."

"Magic Dimension?" Hunter asked.

"It's magic galore," Star said. "Not a good place to go to. Otherwise you'll lose your mind and go insane."

"Oof, I do not want to do that," Hunter said.

"Do you have any info on Andrias?" Luz asked.

"Not a lot, he just wants to do what's best for his Kingdom but he doesn't tell me much," Hunter said. "Maybe Cloak-Bot might know."

"Right, we still need to repair him," Star said. "We'll just ask Jess and Ally to do it."

"STAAAAAR!" Came Sprig's voice as he ran over with Polly, King and Frobo! "Star! You're not going to believe it!"

"Whoa, easy little froggy," Star said as she bent down to his level. "What's up?"

"We saw Marco!" Sprig said.

Star's eyes widened in disbelief as she pulled Sprig in by his vest, glaring right into his eyes. "Don't pull my leg, kid."

"I'm not! He's really out there!" Sprig said.

"With Amity too!" King said.

"And Olivia!" Polly added.

"Wait, really!?" Anne asked.

"No way, they're all safe!?" Luz asked.

"Come on!" Sprig said, leading the girls away.

Hunter opened his unlocked Cell, feeling a bit confused, "Should I just...Eh, I'm gonna go with them."

Outside the castle walls, an exhausted Marco had arrived at the gates of Mewni alongside Amity, the two tired from their trip.

"Geez Marco? Why'd you open the portal so far out of town?" Amity asked.

"Just in case one of Andrias's men tried to follow us," Marco said. "I didn't want to risk them getting into the castle. Besides, it wasn't that long of a walk."

"It sure felt like one after having to fight for our lives," Amity said.

"Look, we're here, we're alive, let's just be grateful for that," Marco said as he opened the gates.

"Marco!" Polly called as she ran and leapt into his arms, hugging the boy tightly. "You're alive!"

"Whoa, hey Polly," Marco said, returning the hug and gently stroking the girl's head.

"Hey! Amity!" King called as he walked over with Sprig and Frobo. "Wow, you made it back in one piece!"

"Yeah, lucky me," Amity said, then took note of the robot. "Is that Frobo?"

"Sure is," Polly said, leaping onto the robot. "Jess and Ally fixed him up. Now he's good as new."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Marco said.

"I'm glad that worked out for you," Amity said.

"Amity!" Luz ran in and pulled Amity into a really tight hug, lifting her into the air in the process. "Oh I'm so happy you're alive!"

"Whoa, easy there Luz!" Amity said, the girl blushing from the contact. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Wow, she's happy to see you," Marco said.

"Marco!" Star ran in and pulled her best friend into a tight hug as well. "I knew you'd make it! You always pull through!"

"Uh...yeah, I am," Marco said, the boy blushing himself from the contact.

"Olivia!" Anne ran to greet the newt woman. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"I certainly did not expect to be here," Olivia said. "But I am happy to be away from Andrias's castle."

"Andrias?" Star pulled away as more of their friends came. "That's right, he took Marcy."

"Yeah, he did," Marco sadly said. "And I tried getting her back but...it didn't work."

"You tried getting her back?" Anne asked.

"Wow..." Higgs said, speaking up. "So, you managed to return."

"That's amazing," Gus said. "But how? Did you have scissors?"

"Or did you find another way?" Willow asked.

Maddie leapt onto Star's shoulder while glaring at Marco, "Spill the beans."

"Yeah, what's this about trying to get Marcy back?" Luz asked.

"After Amity and I got knocked through the portal, we actually landed not too far away from where Talon lives," Marco explained.

"Talon?" Kelly asked, walking over with Tom. "You ran into Talon?"

"Yeah, Amity and I ended up in his dimension," Marco said.

"Wow, talk about luck," Tom said.

"Ugh, I should have checked there first," Star said. "It's just that the odds of you ending up somewhere familiar were so low."

"Well, we ended up there, and Marco was able to get Talon to lend us his scissors," Amity explained.

"But instead of coming straight here, I had gone to find Marcy," Marco said. "Which meant that me and Amity went to Newtopia Castle."

"Talon came with us, but he got himself caught in like the first two minutes of arrival," Amity said. "But he did create a diversion for us to sneak around."

"That's when we ran into Olivia," Marco said. "She took us to where Marcy was."

"It was not a pleasant sight for any of us once we got there," Olivia said.

"So, is Marcy alive?" Anne asked.

"She is, Andrias was healing her," Marco said.

"Wait, really?" Luz asked, with Hunter having arrived himself, but kept a distance. "Actually, come to think of it, Andrias did say he needed her alive. Even when Cloak-Bot was after us, the order was for Marcy to be taken in alive while the rest of us were to be terminated."

"He had a reason," Marco said. "He wanted Marcy to be a host for this...weird machine thing. He called it The Core."

"The Core?" Anne asked. "Wait, a host?"

"Andrias...he placed Marcy on this machine..." Marco said, already hating the memory. "It strapped her in, and hooked up to the back of her head."

Anne grimaced at the thought, both Polly and Sprig looking visibly uncomfortable as well. Maddie also felt sympathy for her friend, as well as how Marco looked just describing it.

Luz seemed terrified as well, her imagination running wild and showing the girl some unpleasant imagery.

"It was terrible...she called out to me and...I couldn't..." Marco clenched his hand, trying to fight back a tear. "I couldn't save Marcy from the machine. It latched on and took her."

"Marco did his best to save her," Amity said. "I tried on my end too, but Andrias's evil plan worked. The Core had synced with Marcy."

"What is The Core?" Star asked.

"It seems to hold the subconscious of every prior ruler of Amphibia," Marco explained. "Hundreds if not thousands of years worth of Royalty in one little machine."

"So, the minds of several Kings are taking over one teenage girl?" Star asked.

"It chose Marcy because of her intelligence," Amity explained. "Seems like not just anyone could latch onto the machine. The host needs to be exponential."

"Marcy is a very intelligent girl," Marco said. "She not only has amazing knowledge by Earth standards, she quickly figured out how things worked in Amphibia too."

"Not to mention her research on The Boiling Isles and how witch magic works," Amity added.

"Can't forget how well versed she is when it comes to Mewman Magic," Maddie added. "She did like reading out of Star's Book of Spells."

"That means The Core has access to all that," Star realized. "Marcy just gave Andrias extra knowledge on Mewman Culture and it's Magic!"

"Whoa Star, Marcy didn't give Andrias anything," Marco said. "Andrias put Marcy in that machine!"

"A machine that has access to her mind!" Star said. "Ugh, maybe letting Marcy read that Book of Spells was a bad idea. I should have listened to Glossaryck."

"Easy Star, just because Marcy has knowledge, doesn't mean The Core will know how to use it," Anne said. "It's like, if I read the book, what could I do with that knowledge?"

"Besides, any information Andrias or Belos could have wanted out of The Book of Spells is something they could have gotten from Ludo," Marco said.

"The Book of Spells?" Hunter asked, finally getting everyone's attention. "I don't think Ludo said anything about that. He acknowledged a book, but not it's contents."

"Wait...Hunter?" Marco squinted his eyes. "That you?"

"What's he doing here?" Amity asked, the witch girl looking a little displeased.

"Don't worry, we finally talked him into joining our side," Anne said.

"Yeah, Anne here thinks Hunter can convince Belos to turn good," Star said.

Amity had no immediate words, she merely turned her attention to Anne, "Is it true? Did you really say that?"

"Um...kind of?" Anne said.

Amity continued to glare, before bursting out in laughter, "No freaking way, you honestly think that lunatic could turn good!? My mom likes him, and my mom's a cold, calculating, poor excuse of a mother!"

"Hey, ease up Amity," Luz implored. "Anne's just trying to help."

"Well, it sucks," Amity said. "There's no hope when it comes to Belos, he's just that evil! Believing otherwise is just delusional!"

"Luz here thinks Andrias can turn good too," Star said.

"Oh hell no, that guy's way too evil," Marco said. "I mean, it's sweet that you girls can see the good in others, but by this point, I just can't see it happening."

"You know...my uncle...he wasn't always like this," Hunter said. "I think he really does want better worlds. He's just not going about it the best way."

"No duh, Hunter," Amity said. "Sorry to say, but your uncle's a miserable old bastard who wants everyone to suffer."

"But I've seen a good side to him, and Andrias," Hunter said. "One of the things he wanted when Cloak-Bot and I went to Earth, were some books to read. Marcy got him into this book about Wizards and Witches. My uncle hated it because he says they're inaccurate but it shows he has a nicer side."

"Trying to have us all killed isn't exactly proof that the guy's nice in any way," Marco said. "I get you're being optimistic, but try to be realistic too."

"After what we saw Andrias do to Marcy, there's no way we're letting that go unpunished," Amity said as she generated magic from her hands. "I will make him suffer myself if I need to."

"You two are vengeful," Polly said. "I kind of like that about you."

"Let's focus on what's important," Star said. "Marcy's being controlled by this Core thing. One that has the minds of other rulers. Is there anything else we should know?"

"I didn't get much out of it, I was too busy trying to free Marcy," Marco said.

"There is an advantage," Amity said. "Despite controlling her body, it seems like The Core hasn't been able to completely lock Marcy's mind away."

"Yes, she did resist a few times," Olivia said.

"Oh sweet, so she fought back against mind control?" Anne asked. "Go Marcy!"

"Marcy definitely remembers things she used to like," Amity said. "Such as Velvet Cakes with Blueberry frosting."

"Oh she loves those," Anne said.

"And, she also remembers Marco," Amity said. "Even when we were fighting her, The Core could not hurt Marco in any way, because Marcy wouldn't allow herself to hurt him. So if she had that type of control against Marco, she might have that control against all of you."

"That is reassuring," Anne said.

"Howev, and not to be a downer, but considering that this mind controlled Marcy is aware of that..." Star turned to Marco. "She might just work on ways of overcoming it."

"Well she did seem surprised, as did Andrias," Amity said. "So it could be a major miscalculation on her part."

"Did she try to hurt you, Amity?" Sprig asked.

"She did, but it wasn't life threatening," Amity said. "She did say we were linked somehow, I'm not sure what she meant."

"Linked to The Core?" Star asked.

"No, linked to Marcy," Amity said. "I don't get it, what's our common link?"

"Well, The Core did admit that if it couldn't get Marcy, you'd be a close second as an option," Marco said. "So maybe that's it?"

"Probably," Amity said. "Point is, we need to go back to Amphibia as soon as possible to save Marcy."

"That is at the top of our list, but we have other problems," Star said. "Right now, many of our friends are in danger."

"Danger how?" Marco asked. "What happened while Amity and I were gone?"

"Right after you got stranded, the rest of us began to retreat," Star explained. "In the process, some of our friends got left behind."

"Hop Pop and General Grime for starters," Anne said, the girl immediately comforting a worried Sprig and Polly.

"Yunan got left behind too," Maddie said, this revelation worrying Olivia.

"Eda also got stuck," Gus said. "She's with Belos right now."

"Same with Hekapoo, Rhombulus and Omnitrax Prime," Kelly added.

"That's not good," Marco lamented. "Also, it should be worth noting that Talon also got left behind. He's alive, but he's in Andrias's dungeon."

"So, as you can see, we have plenty to rescue ourselves," Star said. "Right now, we may need to prioritize the friends that got left behind."

Marco grumbled in annoyance, "I get why you feel that way, and I guess it makes sense. Their lives are important too. I don't want anything bad happening to Eda, or Hop Hop, or even Hekapoo. But, it's going to be hard to put Marcy aside."

"Who says we need to?" Amity said. "If we split our forces, we can try again."

"We can't afford to split, we need to focus our attack all at once," Star said. "Otherwise, we're doomed."

"This is tough for me," Anne said. "I want to save Hop Pop, but I also want to save Marcy."

"We're not choosing, we're doing both," Star said. "As it stands, Marcy is safer because she's on Andrias's side for the time being. Meanwhile Belos could do away with Eda and the others at any time, we have to prioritize saving them now!"

"Then let's go," Sprig said. "I'm ready to fight now."

"Not without a plan," Star said.

"Again with the plans?" Tom asked. "Where's the Star that would just rush into danger without a care in the world?"

"That Star left when Acting Queen Star had to take over," Star explained. "Look, I want to save everyone but if we do something stupid, we'll get killed and there won't be anyone to save the multiverse."

"She's got a point," Maddie said.

"But we'll go first thing tomorrow morning," Star said. "That's when we'll end this senseless drama for good!"

Everyone glanced around, each of them coming to an agreement, and opting to go with Star's suggestion.

"Alright, let's get to this as quickly as possible," Marco said. "We'll stop Belos, Andrias and save Marcy."

"Everyone here in agreement?" Amity asked.

"Uh...can I suggest something?" Hunter asked.

"...What?" Amity asked.

"What are the chances that you choose diplomacy?" Hunter asked.

"Depends on if either Andrias or Belos piss me off, which is a very high possibility," Amity said.

"Let's make some plans," Star said. "Oh, and I suppose I should let Edric and Emyra know that Amity's safe."

"Seems like your mom's working really hard on something for Belos, Amity," Anne said.

"Sounds like it, hopefully we can get her to reconsider," Amity said.

"Oh, I got a letter from my father," King said while holding up the paper.

"Wow really?" Marco asked.

"I want to go see him, but with this whole war coming up, I should probably wait," King said.

"Don't worry, we'll make time," Amity said. "By the way, where's Sasha?"

"She got drunk last night and is probably hung over right now," Star said.

"...Sasha got drunk!?" Marco asked.

"Oh yeah, I was there," Higgs said. "She felt guilty about Marcy, and you two, so she ended up drinking her sorrows away."

"Wow, I kind of feel bad," Marco said.

"Don't, she did something stupid," Star said. "Just get moving."

Plans were put into motion, Star worked with everyone to come up with the best strategy, or at least what she thinks might work. Many had input, but confidence was not that high.

The group planned until nightfall, when everyone went to sleep. Anne and Luz went to their room and immediately went to sleep. Anne herself would take the bed at Luz's insistence while the latter took to the sofa.

Marco made his way toward his room, and upon entering, found a strange surprise on his bed, "Sasha!?"

Laying on his bed was Sasha, with what looked like a mug, "Hey, Marco...is that you?" She stood up, seemingly slurry. "Or did I have way too much to drink?"

"Where have you been all day!?" Marco asked, walking into the room and catching Sasha just as she stumbled.

"I'm good, I just tripped," Sasha insisted, then glanced up at the boy. "Wow, it's really you. I'm so glad you're safe."

"Sasha, were you drinking again?" Marco asked.

"Just a cup...or maybe ten," Sasha said.

"TEN!?" Marco shouted.

"Hey, not so loud," Sasha said, the girl holding her head.

"That better have been an exaggeration," Marco warned. "Ten is way too much to have!"

"Okay, maybe not ten, but I did have quite a bit," Sasha said.

"Sasha, you don't need to drink like this," Marco said. "You're too young."

"It's fine, I've seen my parents do it," Sasha said. "Everything will be okay."

Marco shook his head in annoyance as he lifted Sasha off her feet, "Let's get you to your room."

"Oooh, brave knight carrying the young maiden," Sasha teased. "I love the strong arms of a real man."

"Don't start," Marco said as he turned around. "I'm dating Marcy, remember?"

"I know, the lucky girl..." Sasha started laughing a bit, before her joy turned to sorrow as tears streamed down her eyes. "Mar-Mar..."

"Hey, are you alright?" Marco asked.

"...Not really..." Sasha couldn't hold back her emotions, and for the first time before Marco's eyes, the girl began crying, hugging Marco for security. "Oh I really screwed up, didn't I!?"

"Whoa! Easy!" Marco said, nearly stumbling over.

"If I had just waited, I never would have gotten taken hostage!" Sasha cried. "Then Marcy...she wouldn't have gotten hurt! Then you and Amity wouldn't have gotten lost! Then all the others..."

Sasha continued crying, Marcy taking a moment to sit on the bed as he tried comforting the girl, "Sasha, it's alright. We'll save them! I already brought Amity back, and I can promise you that Marcy's alive, well totally safe."

Sasha sniffled a bit, looking up at Marco amidst her tears, "She is?"

"Yeah, and we're going to save her tomorrow," Marco said, gently rubbing Sasha's arms. "We're going to save them all."

Sasha still felt distress, but was slowly cheering up, "Thanks Marco." She then laid her head against Marco's chest. "I know I'm a wreck. I've been trying very hard to make amends to everyone for my screw ups. All I have to show for it is my best friend being kidnapped by Andrias, and leaving someone else that I deeply care about at Belos's mercy."

"You're worried about Hekapoo too, right?" Marco asked.

"Hekapoo's really special to me," Sasha said, blushing a bit as she said that. "She's cool, and so badass. She made me the woman that I am, and I just want her to be proud of me. I...I just want to be with her again."

"It will happen," Marco said, gently laying Sasha on his bed. "Look, you can stay here for tonight, I don't want to leave you alone and drunk."

"Well, Higgs should be there too, but I don't want her seeing me like this," Sasha said.

"She's already seen you drunk," Marco said.

"Not drunk...crying," Sasha wiped her eyes. "I have to be strong for her, and there's nothing strong about crying."

"I don't know about that," Marco said. "Even the strongest warriors need to cry. It's a normal human emotion. True strength is being honest with yourself."

"Heh...you're so sappy," Sasha said. She leaned in to kiss Marco on the cheek. "Thanks, for putting up with a lot of my crap I mean. I'm glad Marcy has someone like you, I kind of wish I did."

"Hey, just be yourself, alright?" Marco said. "Be mindful of course, but don't stray too far from who you are as a person, because you're pretty badass yourself."

Sasha blushed at the compliment, "It sucks, I probably won't remember half this conversation tomorrow."

"I'll remind you," Marco said. "Goodnight Sash."

"Night Marco," Sasha said, heading off to sleep as Marco went to his sofa. He took one last glance at Sasha before calling it a night himself.

Everyone was sleeping, except for Star, who was seen glancing at her portal scissors. "Marco and the others got years of training thanks to these. I wonder..." She tore open a hole into the Neverzone, contemplating on going inside.

"Star?" Maddie said, getting her attention.

"I have a chance to do years of training," Star turned to Maddie. "Do I risk my life in there to get that training?"

"Maybe not alone," Maddie said.

Star focused on the portal, before making her decision. "Guess I should do what's best for my Kingdom."

The group had one final assault planned, and with luck, they hoped to pull it off, or lose everything.