This author does not own the Star vs. the Forces of Evil franchise. This story was written for personal amusement.
The point-of-divergence is when Star and Marco realize Ms. Heinous is Meteora Butterfly, daughter of Eclipsa Butterfly…
Mina Loveberry stood triumphantly over the pathetic figure of Meteora Butterfly as the bastard offspring of the evil queen Eclipsa and her monstrous consort clutched her misshapen arm.
"Well ain't this a pretty picture. First, Eclipsa wakes up, and now look who comes a'cryin. Tech-ni-cal!"
Star's jaw dropped in astonishment as she inspected Ms. Heinous's arm, and then blinked as she parsed Mina's statement.
"Wait… Eclipsa? What does she have to do with this?"
Marco scratched his head. "Yeah, can someone fill us in?"
Mina Loveberry frowned, and pointed at the huge mural of Eclipsa and Meteora that adorned the wall.
"Don't you ding-dongs know anything? She's her mama!"
Marco's eyes opened wide, and his mind raced. "Eclipsa is Heinous's mother? But how? Eclipsa is hundreds of years old! Besides, that would mean Heinous is a… a… princess!"
Star's jaw dropped. "It means… she's a Butterfly."
Mina morphed into warrior mode, brushed aside Heinous's one-eyed henchman, and began advancing on the old woman.
Star lunged forward to protect Ms. Heinous… and fell flat on her face. She turned as she struggled to regain her footing, and a look of shock crossed her face. "MARCO! GET OFF ME!"
There was a scream, a flash, and the room fell oddly silent.
Star kicked her traitorous friend off her, jumped to her feet, and raised her wand at Mina. "Rainbow fist!"
Marco yelled as Mina slammed into a wall. "Mina! Get Gemini and Rasticore… the one-eyed thing and the lizard man! I'll get the monsters!"
"MARCO DIAZ! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Marco ran up to the wooden door. "Guys! Keep your heads down and stay inside until this fight is over! Don't get caught in the crossfire! Are you all here?"
The monsters nodded. Marco tried to grin. "Good." He slammed the door shut, and bolted the door.
He hurled himself into the high-octane magical battle playing out in Meteora's nursery. "Star, STOP NOW!"
"MARCO, STAY BACK!" Marco threw himself at Star, and tackled her to the ground. Marco heard Gemini scream. "STAR! STOP! LET ME EXPLAIN!"
Star pointed as the smoking pile of ashes that had once been Ms. Heinous's torso, and the charred remnants of her severed head. "MARCO! Mina killed Heinous! She'll kill everyone here!"
Marco tried to find the right words. "Star, if Mina doesn't, you'll lose Mewni!"
Star punched Marco in the jaw. "No, no, no… I'll lose Mewni if the monsters who came to my party go home in body bags…"
Ignoring the taste of copper in his mouth, Marco once more threw himself onto the princess. "Star! Heinous is Eclipsa's daughter!"
Star turned to her once-friend. "Exactly! A nice woman lost her daughter tonight, and I'm going to avenge her!"
Rasticore screamed, and Mina floated over to the chamber full of monsters, murder in her eyes.
Star let loose a Warnacorn Stampede, and Mina slammed into the far wall. Rough hands grabbed her wrists, and, turning the tables on her squire, she forced him to the ground, her hands on his throat.
Marco desperately tried to talk. "Heinous has a claim to your throne! Think!" Star's eyes opened wide, and she loosened her grip, even as Mina staggered to her feet.
Star released Marco as the implications of Heinous's ancestry began to set in, and stared at the rapidly cooling cadavers on the nursery floor. "No, no, no…"
Marco grabbed her shoulder. "Star, Eclipsa was Queen before your bloodline – your mom, grandma, whatever… overthrew her and assumed the throne. As Eclipsa's daughter, Heinous… might have just as good a claim to the throne as you do."
Star shook her head in disbelief. "No, no, no, Eclipsa can't be queen, she ran off with an evil monste…"
Star's hopes, dreams, and aspirations fell away as the machinations that had landed her line on the throne suddenly became as clear as crystal. No, not crystal – more like shards of a shattered diamond.
Her bloodline - herself, mom, grandma, great-grandma – had claimed their right to the throne – legitimacy - by proclaiming Eclipsa evil, especially for running away with evil monsters, and thus unfit to rule. Legitimacy wasn't quite as good as actual power, but it helped.
The power to assume the throne had of course been acquired by wheeling and dealing with the feudal lords, especially those with an eye on monster-held lands.
Marco bit his lip as his friend's face fell. "But monsters aren't evil, aren't they? And you said Eclipsa is innocent of being evil until she is pronounced guilty in…"
Star's face turned to stone. "…a fair trial. Due process." Her voice was faint.
Marco exhaled. "And if they find her innocent…"
Star felt a lump in her throat, and tried not to cry. "…does she get her throne back? And can she pick a new heir?"
Star sat onto the floor, her back against the cold stone walls. Marco's heart broke as he saw the look of utter defeat on his friend's face.
Mina, her hands glowing with destructive power, floated up to the room in which Marco had so maliciously imprisoned the monsters – the witnesses. Marco gulped, and Star looked up.
Marco nodded before Star had the opportunity to think.
There was a terrible ghastly silence.
There was a terrible ghastly noise.
There was a terrible ghastly silence.
"Star!" Tom loped down the last flight of stairs. "I heard noise down here, but then it stopped for a while, so I…"
He caught sight of the charred remains of the monsters in the cell. "Oh my... Star! Are you all right?"
"They're all gone. All gone because of me…"
Marco got to his feet. "Tom, get Queen Butterfly. There's been a terrorist attack. Tell the Queen to come in person. We're looking at some pretty nasty magic, so we might need her on point."
Tom frowned. "What's a terrorist attack?"
Marco bit his lip. "An attack by outlaws. An attempt on Star's life. Just… get the Queen." He turned to the monsters he had personally condemned, sighed, and lied through his teeth. "They… got caught in the crossfire."
Tom ran off, and Marco pulled Star to her feet. "Star, I know you're a little shaken because of the attempt on your life, but you need to call your mother. Now."
"Call… Mom."
Marco grabbed Star's phone, and soon began whispering intently into it.
Star walked into what remained of the cell.
She had invited them to the party. She had enthusiastically approved of the location. The fight had been over her future. And she had stood idly by as her squire condemned the monsters to an undeserved death for her security.
Star scooped up a palmful of ashes, and let them flow through her fingers.
So this was what dynasties were built on.
