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Prologue

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Star Butterfly was walking through the castle halls, carrying some drinks and a few snacks she got from their kitchen. Well, she wasn't carrying them around, exactly, but floating them near her with a levitation spell. And needed to. Because she grabbed a lot of them.

She had her long yellow blond hair tied into a ponytail and was dressed in plain pajamas. An appropriate attire since she was hosting a sleepover at her room. And invited most of her closest friends. Pony Head, the flying unicorn head, her best friend since forever. Marco, her friend turned squire who helped her out when she was on earth. Janna, her gal-pal where they bonded over the weirdest of things. Kelly, a girl with magical hair and one of her oldest confidants. And Tom, Star's boyfriend, the demon prince of the underworld.

Star made her way to her room. Getting ready to start the evening with a little movie marathon. Tom brought in some obscure flick that he promised was something good. Marco was happy enough to provide a couple of Mackie Hand movies, but Star managed to convince him to choose only one. Janna, meanwhile, suggested a horror film. An old one, but it could give Star a few excuses to snuggle up with Tom. And after that? Who knows.

It's been so long since they all had a chance to get together like this again. Star was busy with all her princess duties, dealing with a few mishaps and troubles. Her mind was constantly on the kingdom and what actions might lead to its downfall, more so than thinking about its success. But this night wasn't about those. This night was only about this night. And how nice was it to finally relax? To only worry about what to do next for a change. Though, she does hope these nights won't become a rarity as time moved on.

She shook her head, trying to remove those sorrowful thoughts. As she didn't want to be a downer stepping back into her room. But as soon as she opened the door, a peculiar sight greeted her. Marco sat behind Janna, holding her in a tight embrace as he squeezed her and kissed her neck ever so tenderly. And no one seemed to question it.

"Marco, stop." Janna giggled. "C'mon, people are starting to stare."

"Sorry. Too much?" Marco replied.

"Then what happened next?" asked Kelly in pure excitement.

"Bet you this is where he crashed and burned," commented Tom proud in his assumptions.

"Obviously!" Ponyhead chimed-in. "Ain't no one not see that one coming."

'What was going on?', Star wondered. 'None of this made sense.'

Or did something happened in her few minutes walk from the kitchen and back? But was it even possible? Star was about to speak up and question everyone when a young girl with long yellow blonde hair rushed through the door and into the room.

Star, more confused than ever, failed to recognize the identity of this strange girl. Or know where she might come from. Star knew she was standing at the doorway. So the only way to pass was physically through her and yet…

She looked closer at the mysterious stranger, piecing together who she might be. And it took Star a while to finally recognize her. It was herself? Another her, another Star?

An ocean of questions crashed down on her mind. Tumbling her in its endless waves. Threatening to drown her at that very moment. She stared at the imposter, believing it didn't exist. That her mind was simply playing tricks. A psychosis from the stress at her princess duties. She tried to ignore the illusion but it was hard to do so as the doppelganger's bright yellow hair engulfed the entire room with its hue. And everything it touched, as far as it could spread, melted into a puddle beneath her feet. And that puddle soon grew and grew.

And there Star stood. Above a shimmering golden sea that stretched on 'til forever. Underneath a clear blue sky. The sun was nowhere to be found but it was bright as though there was.

She tried to back away slowly, thinking that it would somehow reverse the events. To get herself back to the kitchen. Where she took those snacks that were still floating around her. But as soon as she moved, the golden pool beneath her started to rise. A pillar was formed in front of her, no taller than she was and wasn't much of anything at first. She moved again. This time the top half of the pillar flattened and bored a hole inside itself. She expected to see the rest of the sea and the sky behind it but instead, she saw a void.

A void that called to her in a silent voice. An allure so great it was too enticing to ignore. She couldn't escape, didn't want to. And as she stepped closer to stare into the blackness of the hollowed space, she saw a sight she couldn't fathom. Visions of a world that seemed so untrue.