A/N: Hey all! So, if you read the prologue chapter then you already know what this is! I figured there's no better place to start then at the beginning, so this will take place immediately after "Doop-Doop."

Day 1:


Tom sat by the window in his carriage, absentmindedly staring at the hellish flames racing past him before flipping open his compact and checking to see if Star had called to change her mind about going on this trip with him… for the fifth time in the five minutes since he'd left. He kept playing the day's events over and over again in his mind, mentally kicking himself over not seeing Star's hesitation about wanting to go on the trip earlier, about their final conversation, and his false bravado about making the trip amazing even if he was going solo. Truth was, he had zero idea where he wanted to go or what to do now, and something Star had said was really bothering him. He closed his eyes and thought back…

"No, I really don't know where to go… or what to do."

"Star… you're… you're acting like you don't wanna go! You do wanna go, don't you?"

"I think… I'm really excited to not be a princess. And, now that Mewni doesn't need me, now that I'm free!... I think, I need time to figure things out."

"But I…" Tom had switched sentences suddenly, realization that Star didn't want to go crashing into him hard enough to make him change the subject. But he could remember with crystal clarity what he'd been about to say. "But I thought you wanted to move on… with me." He'd been so sure when Star had first said yes to this idea right before Eclipsa's coronation that this was going to be the moment where the next phase of their relationship, the next phase of their lives, got started. Freed from the near constant insanity that had dominated their lives since they'd gotten back together after his botched demoncism, they could finally just… be together. Small wisps of smoke curled up and around him as he struggled to get a hold on his temper. Taking in a deep breath just like he had with Star a short while ago, he tried to focus.

"I'm sure Star will come around soon," he said to himself in the empty carriage. "Maybe I did try and spring this trip on her a little too quickly. I guess it would make sense for her to want a safe place to think after everything." But shouldn't that safe place have been with you? You are her boyfriend after all, where else would she go? The nagging thought refused to fully leave Tom's mind. Shoving it into as far back a mental corner as he could manage, he did turn his attention back to the more immediate issue, namely where he was going to go. The whole idea had been to let Star pick some, if not all their destinations for a couple month long vacation around the multiverse. Flipping through the atlas he'd given her, he sighed once more at seeing page after empty page listing dimensions but no circles indicating where she'd wanted to go, not even a doodle or a random not suggesting she was thinking about it. Ok, so even if Star hadn't picked anywhere to go, he definitely could! He was holding an atlas to the entire multiverse and a chariot that could take him anywhere!

Tom rapidly started flipping through the pages with his eyes closed, back and forth, back and forth until finally stopping and the jamming his finger down somewhere in the open section. Opening his eyes, he discovered he'd selected the Gilos dimension. According to the multiverse guide, it was a land of lush pine forests, tranquil lakes and temperate weather. Evidently it was also inhabited by a race of 30-foot-tall creatures Alfonso had named Hekasporites which were said to be harmless and vegetarian. "They appear to have poor eyesight and so focus on flowering plants with bright, distinctive colors as their blah, blah, blah," Tom read out loud to himself before growing bored. A tranquil land full of fascinating giants and a chance to go camping and just chill sounded perfect to him right about now. It was settled! Banging on the roof of his carriage, Tom shouted out, "To the Gilos dimension, and step on it!" He could feel the vehicle swerve, if it were possibly to do such a thing in an endless column of fire that traversed space and time, before holding onto the couch cushion as his skeletal horse burst forth from the ground, creating a deep fissure that spat out a gout of flame before settling back down.

Stepping out of the carriage, Tom took a deep breath and sighed at the fresh, unspoiled air. He might have been a demon, but even he could get a little tired of the constant smell of sulfur that constantly permeated the underworld. Of course, Mewni and Earth had both been much worse. Pig-goat dung and the choking exhaust from human cars were both offensive to the senses and it was easily one of his least favorite things about visiting either Star or Marco. Shaking his head to clear thoughts of them aside, Tom dismissed his carriage before realizing he didn't have his bags. He must have left them with Star and Peetie on Mewni. Oh well, with a nonchalant shrug he snapped his fingers and another portal of fire opened before him. Reaching in, he pulled out a second, identical set of luggage to the one he had brought with him to Mewni that morning. "Gotta thank Marco for teaching me how important it is to pack a spare," Tom said to himself before picking a random direction that looked like a trail and following it. The well-worn path wound through the forests on a slight incline, Tom casually glancing about at the welcoming canopy which seemed to vibrate with the intermingled songs of different birds and chittering of other creatures whom he couldn't quite make out in the leafy shadows. Before long though, he spotted a break in the trees at the top of a small hill and after reaching it found a beautiful scene.

A massive, crystal clear blue lake stretched outward, nestled among the base of several jagged peaks. The lake shore was a densely packed mound of pebbles that gave Tom a relatively smooth surface to walk on as he explored the water line for a bit. Glancing down, he could see small fish milling about in the shallows, and he even saw the top fin of something much… bigger, as it briefly broke the surface in a graceful arc before submerging. Spotting a tree a little ways back whose roots were in the process of entangling a boulder, Tom decided that it looked as good a spot as any to have lunch, his grumbling stomach reminding him he hadn't eaten all day.

Munching down on a pig-goat and honey mustard sandwich, Tom couldn't help but smile at the scenery. This is what he'd wanted the trip to be like. Hopping across dimensions on a whim, maybe to have a crazy adventure one day and then a relaxing moment of quiet like this one the next. If only Star had… Tom's thoughts were interrupted by a large boom echoing through the trees. Standing up suddenly, Tom's eyes widened at the absolutely massive creature that came slowly walking through the tree line. Looking like a cross between one of those "giraffe" things Marco had shown him once with a massive neck, and the horns and cloven feet of a bull, the demon prince could only watch mesmerized as it bent its enormous neck down to drink deeply from the lake. Tom could clearly see the beach ball sized gulps of water pushed down by its neck muscles, thinking that several gulps could probably drown him before the creature picked its head up and looked directly at him. For a moment, Tom thought of running, but then remembered that the guidebook had said these things were harmless. So he didn't move when the creature started walking towards him, and he didn't move when it had gotten close enough that its immense shadow completely obscured the sun from his eyes, or when the creature started bending its head down towards him. No, it was only when he narrowly dodged the beast trying to bite his head off did Tom take off in panicked flight, willing flames to shoot out of his feet faster. "I thought the guide said these things were herbivores!" He shouted to the unanswering wind, the loud panting of the creature behind him the only noise he could hear. Well, that and the sound of his heart hammering in his ears, this was terrifying!

Diving down into the canopy, Tom raced among the trees attempting to lose the creature, the beast pushing aside the towering pines the way other would effortlessly sweep aside cornstalks when moving through a field. Suddenly, he spotted a small opening, a hollow underneath one of the trees! Summoning his flames once more, Tom put on a last second burst of speed, diving into the hollow and crashing into the hard-packed dirt at the back of the shallow cave with a dull thud. Holding his breath, Tom could see one massive leg of the Hekasporite come down in front of his hiding place. The creature didn't move for several moments, and Tom was worried he would run out of air before finally, mercifully, the creature appeared to move on. Even then, Tom dared not do more than take the shallowest of breaths until the creature's footfalls finally faded from his ears. And then he exploded. "What the heck was that about!" Tom roared. Pulling out the book, he flipped back to the dimension's entry. "This stupid book said those things only eat plants! Here! Right here! They appear to have poor eyesight and so focus on flowering plants with bright, distinctive colors, purple and pink hues being among the easiest to see and therefore the most desirable. Avoid letting them see any color purple if at all possible…" Tom stopped reading and slammed the book shut with a groan of frustration. Before long though that had turned to laughter. Loud, uncontrolled laughter. "Oh man, that was crazy! Ha! I knew this was gonna be an awesome trip!" Stepping out of the hollow, Tom flew back to the lake and found his pack still sitting by the tree. Spotting the setting sun in the western sky he glanced around once more. "Well, guess this is a good a spot as any to make camp."

A short while later, a slightly askew but serviceably pitched tent and a warm fire were erected; Tom sitting in front of the latter with bags of smores ingredients laid out in front of him. Roasting a marshmallow to a perfect charred black, he gingerly slid it between the chocolate square and graham crackers before taking a large bite and humming in contentment as the sugar overload washed over his taste buds. "Just like Star makes em…" he said quietly. Checking his phone, he saw that she still hadn't reached out to him. He wanted to give her space, but he was also near bursting wanting to tell her about the crazy encounter he'd had earlier. A story about him almost getting eaten was sure to bring a few laughs. He thought about calling her, but not wanting to come off as pushy, ultimately settled on a text instead. Unable to help himself, he then stared at the screen, hoping that he'd soon get a reply to the stream of texts he'd sent describing everything that had happened. After a few minutes with no reply, he sighed dejectedly and decided to call it a night. Tomorrow, he'd pick a new dimension to head off to, some place with more to do. The scenery was wonderful and all and it was a great way to decompress, but Tom didn't want to have to run for his life every time he encountered another Hekasportie. Changing into his pajamas before crawling into the tent and zipping up the flap, Tom tucked himself into a bright red sleeping bag. Taking one last look at his phone and still seeing no response, he shut it off for the night and closed his eyes. "Maybe she'll answer me tomorrow…" he mummed before sleep claimed him.

Meanwhile, back on Earth Star's mirror compact was busy vibrating, alerting her she had several new messages, but she didn't pick up, as that would have required a free hand. And at the moment, both of her hands were fully occupied cradling little Mariposa in her arms as Marco placed one arm around her while Mr. and Mrs. Diaz looked on approvingly.

"It's so good to see you," Marco whispered gently.

"Yeah. It's… it's good to be back."


A/N: And that is a wrap on chapter one! Were you expecting that little Star insert there at the end? Her activities back on earth might make the occasional appearance depending on the situation, haven't fully decided yet. But still, what did you all think of the chapter? Reviews, suggestions, and PM's all welcome and hey, if you did like it, feel free to give the story a follow so you can see when the next chapter comes out! And if you liked this and want to see my other writings, head on over to my profile. Almost everything else there is a either a stand alone one-shot or in my one-shot collection titled "Across the Star(s)." If you're looking for a longer fic, I am also publishing an M-rated story called "My Life, My Kingdom, My War."

Review Replies:

ROTHEM: Hey thanks man! Hope you enjoyed the first official chapter!

Ghostwriter434: Glad you liked the concept and glad you're also doing SVTFOE content, we can always use more here! Hope this first chapter met your expectations!

Blackspiderman: Yeah, season 4 is easily my least favorite because it feels like so much got crammed in at the end. Not enough to ruin the show for me like some other people I've seen, but I can get where they're coming from. But hey, it does leave possibilities like this open so I guess there's always that silver lining. Glad you liked the premise and I hope you liked chapter 1!

Hope to have chapter 2 out soon! Thanks again everyone for stopping by.