Preface

Now, since I know the rules and regulations of this site, I won't be teasing you with just a preface, but with a chapter as well. I'm required to do that. Now, what is this new story from such an elusive and unknown persona such as myself? It's…a sequel. That's pretty much it. I hate open ends, they feel lazy, therefore this was pretty (obviously) planned, so now I will proceed with the regular proceedings and write the preface, as a respected self-appointed author would do. By the way, this is…me. I am a very sarcastic, ironic and self-deprecating, borderline self-loathing individual. Unless you caught on to that, already.

This is a SEQUEL, all caps for underlining the fact that you have to read at least the last 2-3 chapters, in order to understand whatever I had written here. If you wanna go the extra mile and read it all, for character development and such, yada-yada-yada, you're, obviously, again, free to do that. But you should really read at least the last 2 chapters. Repetitive reminders aside, we begin our journey through the 'amazing' mind of myself.

This is the first story I had actually planned out, that didn't go out just as a dream that kept me up at night and then, bippity-boppity-boo, three days later, a chapter emerged, along with a character. Nope, this time, I went with the 'professional' approach (one that has been sufficiently acclaimed and hated upon), so I carried out a lot of investigations…I realize that this is only a fanfic, but I don't see any reason why to mistreat it. It's still a work of fiction, be it just manipulating elements that some other, much more talented people had created. Now, this approach consists of basically, establishing a battle plan. It should give a more structured appearance to the story, so it can fit with the pattern a nineteenth century literary current has established. You should catch on what it is after the first chapter.

To sum it all up, I would like to conclude these three paragraphs of meaningless and tedious fodder and delay by saying that I'd appreciate if you'd punch me down. I have appreciated the praises, and they have always made my day, but I appreciate a well-structured and righteous critique more.

Also, this is not a preface in any way, is it?

The thing you should read before diving in:

s/12367248/1/The-Power-Within

The sun rose from the horizon, as tired as usual, shining its eternal light over the land. It was as warm as usual, that perfect temperature, right between the blistering heat of the summer and the strangely candid cold of the fall. As it rose, its joyful rays served as the alarm clock of the many inhabitants of the kingdom of Mewni. Not only that, it also fulfilled its most important purpose. That of showcasing the scorched ground of the courtyard.

After a fire burns, it's said the soil needs decades to become fertile again, and when that time arrives, it will be a rebirth that only the sweet breeze of spring can bring. However, nothing is known about a healing powers-reducing almighty blast that had completely obliterated an immortal Sartorian. Toffee's ashes were still there, the wind too weak to carry them into the oblivion of the realm. They were bound to forever be a thorn in the eyes of those who gazed upon the royal crops. In the nearby woods, Rhombulus' prison was still there, the simple minded brawn of the Magic High Commission, forgetting that what he does cannot be undone. It's strange to see how light reflects through a magic crystal, the size of a fallen tower.

Needless to say that because Star had burnt down the crops, the Kingdom has taken quite a turn for the worse. Don't think that famine and starvation had consumed the land, yet…The poor people and whatever they were growing inside their homes were completely unscathed, as their strategical positioning saved them from the wicked Toffee's attack. They didn't even know there was a war going on, until the gates have been flooded with swarms of rats and spiders. When the night has fallen, the peasants have fallen as well…asleep. They were a simple people, not easily woken up, not easily disturbed. When the cupola fell, they just turned around on the other side. Getting up the following morning to see how their royalty had experienced the negative time of their life really got them moving…towards their mundane tasks. They still had their own problems to take care of.

The aristocracy was, however completely destroyed. Their residences were inside the castle and their role in society was limited. They were nothing but natural born complainers, whining all the time about how their precious homes were laid to waste. The Sartorian had managed to demolish precisely that part of the palace that would put more pressure on the Queen, as she was forced to accommodate them all in their time of need. And they were nothing but grateful…They rewarded her with their endless protests, almost criticizing her for not saving their sorry buttocks, when they did absolutely nothing to help. They just laid on their backs, contemplating from a safe distance, the vicissitudes of the battle, some cowering in fear and hiding under their beds, while some were passively vociferating their support.

And at the edge of the two sides of the same coin, lay the Queen, torn between the multiple responsibilities she had. She was a woman of utmost composure, never losing her calm even when the situation was dire, however this didn't stop her from feeling overwhelmed. She had to repair the castle, support the nobles, had the burden of safekeeping Toffee's remains, so that they can be encased in crystal by Rhombulus, in the most solemn of manner and to top it all off, she still had her own personal problems. This battle had served as an extremely thorough reminder that she is no longer what she used to be. In the prime of her youth she was the strongest there was, but now she was nothing but a mere shadow of what she once stood for. She more than made up for it in military prowess and tactical thinking, but it wasn't the same. Now, more mature than she had ever been, she missed the good old times, when she could still evade from the tediousness of royalty and actually relax…But, those thoughts were poisonous to her mind. Especially in the mental state she was in. She didn't need to let her guard down, rather she had to focus more than ever, so that she would rise from where she had fallen, and with her, her kingdom shall rise as well. The first step to this ascension? Well, there is no kingdom without a castle, is it, now? Therefore, she was right on the scaffoldings, being the self-appointed architect that would bring the lost glory to Mewni.

"Would you mind bringing that pile of bricks here, Rhombulus?" she asked the only member of the Commission still present on site.

"Awww," the crystal clear monolith sighed. "Why was I the one left to help with the cleaning?"

"Because you are the only one whose abilities can actually help. You'd prefer Omnitraxus turning my kingdom into a black hole?" she replied nonchalantly, still focused on the blueprints before her

"Fine…You know, for how much we had worked on this castle, it still looks the same as the day we began?"

"Three months, and it's because it was pretty much damaged beyond belief, after the cupola we're staying in had been blasted off and fell through all the floors, until it hit the ground. This castle had been built in a decade, it can't be fixed in an instant," the Queen answered while drawing a series of lines on the architect sketches.

There was a long silence between the two, each focusing on his own task. Rhombulus was acting as childish as ever, asking questions without passing them through the filter of thought, beforehand.

"Have you heard anything of Glossaryck?"

"I've told you before and I don't know how many times I'll have the nerves to repeat it. Glossaryck is roaming the universe, hopping through dimensions searching for any traces of evil, Toffee might have left behind. I believe you're also wondering about Hekapoo, right?"

"Yeah, where is…" he didn't get to finish the question, because the Queen interrupted him.

"She is unaccounted for at the moment. After the fight, she had simply vanished. The Magic High Commission is in some sort of recess at the moment, as we are all shook due to recent events. Best we don't force ourselves back together. Besides, I can't say I miss her, but it's more a matter of shame, than it is of hate. I've kept a lot of secrets from the Commission, and she was my most vocal scolder, so this separation is nothing if it isn't welcome…"

"Why did you do that?"

The Queen stopped, her pencil's tip breaking all of a sudden. She sighed and couldn't look at him, but rather she gazed upon the horizon, seeing the damages done to her kingdom: the burnt field, the broken down gate, the fallen trees in the forest near the castle. All this, could've been avoided should she had gotten past her unending pride and confessed her shortcomings to the Commission. But, alas, 'royal secret from royal shame' echoed in her mind, as she failed miserably, and paid dearly for her mistakes.

"Pride," she answered simply, digging her head down in the blueprints once more. Rhombulus tried to continue his obnoxious array of questions, but she had sealed her lips. Now she was blindly focusing on the mindless, tedious task of drawing meaningless lines, awkwardly trying to avoid conversation.

In the span of three months, only a couple of rooms have been completely repaired, those that were expressly needed in order for the kingdom to still have some sort of organization. Living quarters were only second in priority to treasury, royal guard barracks and the storage. Therefore, all the citizens whose activity took place inside the palace, had to make do, especially its inhabitants. The aforementioned nobility had to use one of the furthest ancestors of the bed: animal pelts. It's obvious they were severely displeased with the condition, and their reaction was on par with their feelings. Even the Queen had to cut down on her luxury; she had the same treatment.

Star was wandering the empty hallways, thinking how vivid, how lively they were before. Whereas now, a lone, lost servant could be spotted in this wing, in the past, she remembered how she managed to slip away from the careful gaze of her nanny and blend with the crowd. She didn't know at the time, that there was the school, and the university, as well. She entered a classroom and was met with an immense blackboard for the first time in her life. Seeing something so dark, was scary for just a toddler. She cried in a corner, head on her lap, letting her little gold diadem, the symbol of royalty, fall. For a baby, time passes slower, therefore it could've been hours for her, yet minutes for the rest, especially since she was scared, and dismayed, afraid of that black monster. Her eyes were going dry, when she felt a heavy, wrinkly hand on her head. Between hiccups, she looked up, showing her reddened blue eyes to the formally dressed old man. She couldn't read at the time, yet she knew he had a small badge, reading 'professor', but the other name was unintelligible.

"Aww, why does such a beautiful girl as yourself feel the need to fill the air with her sorrowful sobs?" he said, his voice of a pleasant warmth. It was as if the most skilled bard of the land had blessed her with the most outstanding ballad…You know a person best when you look into their eyes, they say. She felt like she knew this man all her life, just by hearing him.

"I…I'm scared," she stuttered, speaking with that broken language, little children use, innocent, yet unpolished by years of experience.

"Oh, and what monster had dared to strike fear in such an untainted heart?"

She couldn't speak, but instead she pointed to the immense blackboard from behind the old professor. He chuckled, joyfully and then, still smiling, leaned down to be at the same level as the crying princess. His joint and hips, weren't helping and he couldn't help a groan as he bent his knees.

"Oh, that ancient thing. Don't worry, he is not savage, he is rather docile. Let me show you," he said offering her the same wrinkly, bony hand as before. She grabbed it, instantly and, after a painful readjustment, the two began to waddle towards the 'monster'.

"We use things like these," the old man said, showing her pieces of chalk, one white and the other colored. "We have learnt to tame this beast using these magic items. He had become our closest friend, ever since. In return for our friendship, he offers us his body, so we can express ourselves."

He started drawing different shapes of varying sizes on the blackboard, using the colored chalk to aid him in impressing the little girl. He wasn't an artist, but, still he knew how to pretend to be. He combined triangles, squares and circles to create a little unicorn, a flower, and a crown. Star was mesmerized by that. What magic was it that allowed him to create something from…dark void? Seeing her wide eyes, he turned to her and said:

"This big monster has allowed us to use our…'spells'," he chuckled," to paint his body in whatever we want. We use him to let our ideas be known to many other people. Why be selfish, when we can share what we do and create to all those who want?" He leaned down to her, but only slightly and presented her his brightly tinted pink chalk. "Here, have a go!"

He then drained all the strength left in his reservoir, and used it to lift her on his shoulder. He was wobbling a bit, but it was stable enough so she didn't fall. At first, she was still scared, facing the clear black of the board, but after a candid "Go on, it doesn't bite" she finally touched and dragged the chalk on the 'monster's' skin. There are no words to express the ineffable and raw joy of the little girl as she drew a flower…

Distressed cries were heard clearly in the uproar of the students who were roaming the hall, while on break.

"Star! Star!" the Queen yelled, as she made her way in the chamber, the students respectfully making room. She stopped when she heard her daughter's laughs filling the air with the innocent chuckles of an infant. "Oh, Mr. Owlful," she exclaimed a bit surprised.

"My Queen?"

"What brings you in my humble school?"

"My daughter," she said looking at the little elated girl on top of his shoulders. Owlful's look changed from an ancestral joy to fear and sorrow, as he hastily put the girl down. She ran towards her mother and hugged her tight. The old professor bent down, still grunting, staring at the floor:

"I beg forgiveness, your Majesty…I had no idea she was the princess."

"You know the law, professor…You'll have to come with me," the Queen said, somewhat mercilessly, as two guards appeared from behind her…

"Oh, Star! There you are!" Scott's voice woke her up from her dream. "You're late!" he scolded her.

"Sorry, I couldn't find the classroom you said you'd be in."

"Yeah, because your mother wanted to keep the 'quaint atmosphere' and refused to let me label at least this deserted wing…Come in," the boy said stepping inside a nearby room. She followed him inside. There was an enormous hole in the wall parallel to the door, which doubled as a balcony and a window. A lonely desk was in front of the blackboard mounted on the wall, about fifteen feet apart. On it, there was a little notebook, and a shining pink pen, with the initials ''S.B' engravedon it. Star sat down on the small chair, which creaked under her weight.

"Are you ready to start?" Scott asked, leaning down on the desk that followed the chair's cry, prompting him to jump up.

"Well…not really. I don't even know what we're supposed to be doing here…" she answered simply.

" Okay, then let me repeat what I've been reminding you continuously for the past month…You can't let your guard down and just slack off forever, therefore, your mother had given me the task of, and I can't underline enough how much I am quoting from Moon's glossary of ideas, 'turning you into the Queen Mewni deserves and needs'. As a result, I now have to teach you how to be prim, proper, eloquent, diplomatic etcetera."

Star's ready smile turned to a frown as she realized what she had gotten herself into. She should've just gone with the initial thought she had this morning and meet up with princess Pony Head and the gang and just spend the day with them, as she did, whenever she was confronted with a task she didn't really enjoy. But, since this time, for the first time, actually, it was Scott who asked her to do something unpleasant, she decided to just humor him, just this once, as he had done before…

"Wow, I can't believe you bought all that," he said laughing. " I must be a better actor than I gave myself credit for."

"Nah, you're actually as transparent as a window," she chuckled, refusing to admit that he was right. Again.

" Sure…Now, since your mother was nice enough to give me a vague enough instruction that I can manipulate for the good of both of you…I have devised an extremely thorough curriculum that should accomplish the goal Moon has set for you," he replied as he took three pieces of paper out of a drawer of the professor's desk.

"What are these?" she asked taking a good look at what was written on the clear sheets. She had never seen a timetable before.

"The classes we'll be having. Your mother is trying to cut down on your recklessness, and I can't help but agree with her. I believed that a strict schedule can help."

"And why are there three?"

"Well, since I don't want to say I know you better than you do, I designed three different timetables, each with completely different classes, that would help us achieve our goals."

"I think I'll choose this one," she said handing him the one labeled 'humane'

"Of course…the only one without Maths, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said with a smirk profiling in the corner of her mouth.

"Oh, you," he replied with a smile. "I guess you don't want to start today, right?"

"I don't want to start at all…but a delay would do. You wanna do something today?"

"As much as I wish to spend some quality time with you, for the first time since my birthday, that I still don't know how you found about, I can't…I'm the one in charge of the nighttime repairs today, so I think I'm going to call it a day for now. See you around," he said exiting through the door.

That was odd…Ever since she met him, he had yet to use a door…He usually just opened a portal and would go through it, wherever. Why the sudden change of heart? And when did he ever complain of sleep deprivation. If she remembered it well enough, he, himself told her he didn't have to rest. Maybe he was just trying to sync up, and step down from the magic world for a while. After all that he had been through, it's best he would distance himself from all that ruckus.

Now, since it was the middle of the day, what could she do? She wasn't in the mood to go out, so…her attention was directed to the timetable, lying on the floor, the one she had chosen. Didn't really care much for what it was written on it at the moment when she handed it out to Scott, so maybe it's best she repays his effort with the least she can do. Her classes were things she had never heard about…Philosophy, ethics, conduit…These were holding off Monday and Thursday, the rest of the week was filled with magic classes, coming in different shapes and sizes, 'Dark Spells Course' and 'Combat Training' being the ones that repeated themselves the most, trying to accentuate the lack of creativity in his titling process. There was something peculiar about the piece of paper though. It seemed that a lot of things were erased from it, especially near the magic classes' part. It wasn't clear what was removed, but it clearly was a question to ask. Tomorrow. Now, she was in the mood to go out.

The night has fallen and the castle was sleeping, except for Scott who was frantically dragging around sacks of cement and piles of bricks, making the work of a crew all by himself. With the help of carefully and cleverly placed lamps, he managed to light up the area, without deranging anyone from down below. He looked at Rhombulus who was still around to help.

"You've done enough for today, Rhombulus. Go home!" he said, seeing how the monolith was yawning, while holding on to a massive post.

"Are you sure you can handle it all by yourself? 'Cause if you can't, I got no problems, I can stay."

"Thanks for the offer, but I can manage. Go home and rest, now. We'll need your strength and spirit tomorrow as well," he said friendly patting the colossus on the back, as he dropped the long post. It crashed a newly repaired wall, causing Scott to sigh. Rhombulus panicked and opened a portal, trying to flee, ashamed.

"Don't worry about it, I'll handle it. I always do, remember?" he laughed, but it wasn't his laugh. Rhombulus noticed a little bit of grief in his laughter…He didn't worry about it, and blamed his carelessness for it.

Returning home, he was greeted by the same pointy furniture, glowing as bright as ever. No disturbance in the crystal orb, no green hole in the background, all an imperturbable calm, as cold and eventless as ever. He was tired after a day's work and magic beings need to rest as well, from time to time. He walked down the corridor filled with the ones he had frozen over the time, his head hanging low and his eye closed. Exhausted, he opened the door to his bedroom, only to realize what had actually happened…Turning back to the long hallway, he saw that all the evil-doers he had encased in crystal as centuries passed under the suspicion of being malevolent and mean-spirited…they had all vanished. Rhombulus freaked out, and started running amok, checking every single place to assure himself that this wasn't all just a figment of his drained mind, but in place of every statue there was nothing but a hole…Only one crystal begged to differ. Where it once stood encasing the Queen of Darkness herself, there now lay a note:

"Thank you! You've made the job of finding allies much easier for me, Mr. Bobblehead. I hope, I didn't cause your freakishly weak mind to go crazy. If I indeed have, well, don't worry. It won't be for long. Celebrate!"

He didn't wait a second more. In an instant he called forth a meeting of the Magic High Commission, and opened a portal to their headquarters. After a bit of waiting, the Queen and Hekapoo have shown up, and, since Glossaryck refused to appear, Rhombulus presented them the reason for his…mistimed call. Needless to say their reaction was completely called for.

"YOU LOST ECLIPSA?" Hekapoo yelled.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know that someone can break my unbreakable crystals?"

"Indeed, you couldn't have known," the Queen agreed. "However, this news comes when it's the most unneeded…We just went through a war, we can't stand another one for the time being…We need to regrow, to repair…"

"And do you think that whoever did this cares? Look at the note he sent us. 'You've made the job of finding allies much easier for me.' Looks like this was nothing but a battle…We won it, but the war still goes on," Hekapoo exclaimed infuriated.

"No need, to raise you tone, I fully understand. Still, the situation is dire, and we need to figure things out before it is too late. We should wait for Glossaryck to return. He might be able to shine a light over this whole ordeal..."
"I agree with the Queen here!" Rhombulus said, as if he just woke up from a deep slumber.

"Fine by me, but, Moon. We need you to be prepared…I understand what your kingdom has been through, as the battleground and all that, but…we can't win without Mewni." There was remorse in Hekapoo's voice…

"Then, will you come and help with the repairs as well? As soon as I get my castle in working order, I can offer my full assistance, but until then I can't promise anything."

"I…I can't. I've got my own problems to take care of, and they are not any of your concern. Besides, you don't need me to pile on anything at the moment. Rhombulus should be able to help along with that magic boy of yours…" she said, ending it with a sigh.

"Here," Rhombulus said holding the note in his left snake hand. "You should see it too." The second the Queen laid eyes upon the note, she froze…She recognized the handwriting and the uncanny style was something she had grown accustomed to. However, she managed to grab a hold of herself. She grabbed the note and pretended to study it, but never returned it to Rhombulus. After that, the three present members had split apart, each going to his own dimension. Moon couldn't sleep well that night. She kept thinking at that note, and the fact that it seemed to have been written by none other than Scott…