A/N: So I've had the ideas for this story in my head for the last few week or so and I just had to write it down. This story will be long. I was going to wait till December to post it but I figure that I should give you lovely readers something fresh from me. Anyways, I hope you peeps like this and strap in because this chapter is the longest one I've done!
Disclaimer: I do not claim the right to Star vs. the Forces of Evil or any of the characters in the show. They belong to Disney and the show's creator, Daron Nefcy. I do, however, claim the right to the plot as well as any original characters that may appear in this fic. - Sky
Echo Creek was a peaceful little place where nothing interesting ever happened. Some even called it boring, but things like entertainment were usually subjective.
Angie Diaz thought certainly thought so and she loved the drastic change in scenery from her earlier years.
Less fighting.
She looked out of the kitchen window and saw her six-year-old son running around in the backyard with a couple of friends he made in school a few days ago. Her son, Marco Ubaldo Diaz, was playing tag with two girls: Janna Ordonia and Jackie Lynn Thomas.
He looked so happy, which made her happy.
Angie couldn't help but shake her head at little Janna since she could tell that the small girl was going to be trouble in the future. The way her eyes sparkled when someone told her not to do something gave it away, along with her constant abduction of her son's crayons but she ruled that as a cry to get Marco's attention. As for the other one, well that was a little more complicated since she knew, like a mother always does, that her little baby boy had a crush on little Jackie.
A frown began to form on her face as she remembered what her son would most likely go through in the future, how she had made a promise to an old friend regarding her son. A promise that may bring harm to him as well as difficult life choices, but she knew better than to doubt her son's potential… But she still wanted to prepare him for whatever situation he may face when the time came for him to be called. She had stalled telling her son long enough.
Angie glanced at the clock and saw that it was starting to get late, the setting sun in the distance being another indicator that her son's playtime had to be cut short. She opened the door that lead out to the backyard and stopped when she saw her son's innocent smile as he continued to play tag with the other two. She wished he could stay innocent forever. What mother wouldn't want to shield their child from life's dangers and cruelty?
But she knew she couldn't stop the mystery that is life but did know one thing.
Her son was special and would do great things for others, but not on Earth, so she had to prepare him starting today. She didn't know when they would come for him, so the sooner they start the better. "Marco, honey, it's time to come inside. It's getting late." Angie announced to the children.
The three of them froze in place and looked sad at the news, but knew better than to argue against her. The girls didn't want to eat broccoli as punishment for being difficult, especially Marco.
He hated broccoli.
"Aww man. [Turns to the two girls] Sorry guys, we'll play some more tomorrow?" Marco asked timidly.
"It's okay, Marco. We'll see you tomorrow. We wouldn't want to upset Ms. Diaz anyway, right Janna?" asked Jackie with a raised eyebrow.
"Hmmm, yeah, sure. But Marco's it, or else he won't get his crayons back."
Before Marco could reply Janna bolted out of the backyard gate, quickly followed by Jackie once she rolled her eyes at her friends antics. "See you tomorrow Marco!" yelled Jackie, while waving back, once she reached the sidewalk in front of the Diaz residence.
Marco timidly waved back, not noticing his mother walking up behind him. She reached down and lifted him into her arms causing a squeak to escape his small frame, her barrage of kisses causing him to giggle shortly after. "[Smiles] Come on sweety, there's something I have to talk to you about. It's very important."
Marco looked up into his mother's warm emerald eyes and noticed that something was wrong. He could tell when his mother was hiding something from him, since she wasn't very good at hiding it in the first place. The strained smile she was showing made him feel slightly uneasy.
"M-Mom, is everything okay? You're not hurt are you?" he asked innocently.
Angie didn't answer.
Once the two were inside, she sat on the couch with her son on her lap. Angie took a deep breath, trying to gain back her composure so she could tell her son about his probable future, even if just a little.
"Hijo, Mama has to start getting you ready for things you might face in the future. So your playtime with your friends is going to be cut-in-half from now on because of it."
"But w-why?... Did I do something w-wrong?" asked a teary-eyed Marco.
"Oh no no no, sweety, you didn't do anything wrong… If anything, it's all my fault." Angie said with a sad smile.
"What do you mean, mama?"
Angie lifted Marco off her lap and sat him on the couch. She walked over to a drawer that he noticed was always locked, but never questioned what was inside after his mama told him it was "grown-up stuff." Marco saw his mom pull out a small golden key from her pants pocket, barely managing to make out a tiny symbol that looked like the sun on it.
After getting what was inside the drawer, Angie walked back to the couch while hiding what she took out behind her back. She sat down and didn't say anything for a few minutes, trying to think on what to say and what to save to tell him later once he was older. Marco's eyes widened once he saw his mama pull out an ornate but sharp object the size of his arm from behind her back. There was a small symbol of what appeared to be an hourglass on the hilt.
"This, Marco, was a dagger I used when I was a teenager [smiles sadly] back during my crazy teenage days before I had you [pinches his cheek lovingly]... Sweety, when you're older, you will go on an adventure as I did to a faraway land where you will protect a family member that belongs to one of mama's friend. You will see beautiful things and meet amazing people… as well as see some… bad things. [Smiles with determination] But don't worry, mommy's going to prepare you for that, okay?"
Marco was so confused.
Was someone going to take him away from his mama and why? Was it dangerous?... Who would take him and what adventure was she talking about?
Who would he be protecting?
"W-what kind of ad-adventure?" he asked nervously.
"Hmmm, do you remember that fantasy movie we saw with magic and big castles?"
"L-Lord of the Rings?"
"Well, it's kind of like that except that you will mostly be in the castle and talk to mama's friend about things she tells you to do so you won't be fighting evil monsters… I hope anyway," she whispered the last part to herself.
"... Okay?... But, if I'm just going to stay in a castle, what do you need to prepare me for?" he asked slightly less nervously since he did love fantasy related things.
Angie smiled sadly at her son and slowly petted his head, "You probably don't need it but your mama just wants to make sure you're safe and p-prepared to handle a-anything that comes to your way… I'm sorry..."
Angie suddenly broke down into tears and tried to hide behind her hands. She felt terrible for putting her son in such a position but couldn't go back on her promise since they would just take him by force because of the magical bonded-legal agreement. She wouldn't be able to outrun them either. Her crazy friend may be on her side but not the others, especially the one with horns.
Angie felt small hands touch hers and slowly pull them away from her face. She opened her eyes and saw her son's blazing determination in his chocolate brown eyes. The same determination she had seen on her husband before she left…
"Don't worry, mama, I'll prepare for the adventure so please don't cry. I'll try extra hard and I'll even eat my broccoli so don't-"
Marco's words were cut off by his mama's embrace. Her strawberry-like scent instantly calmed his nerves and allowed him to sink into her warm and welcoming arms. His mama's hugs were the best.
"I'm so lucky to have you, Marco." They slowly pull away from each other, as Angie wipes a couple of tears from her eyes, giving her son a big smile. "You make me so proud and will surpass your mama in no time, I'm sure of it! In fact…" Angie reached around her neck and unhooked something, gesturing for Marco to hold out his hands. She slowly placed a silver pendant, with the same hourglass symbol he had seen on the dagger, in his hands. "It's your destiny to do great things, Marco. I just know it."
The smile she gave her son spoke volumes on how much she believed those words to be true. So much so that Marco believed her, and couldn't wait to continue making his mama proud. He was going to be a little sad that he wouldn't be able to play with Jackie and Janna but this seemed more important.
His mama had tried to hide her concern regarding this 'adventure' but he could feel that whatever he was going to be thrown into in the future would require him to be the best he could be, especially if his growth affected his ability to protect someone.
He hooked the pendant around his neck and looked up at his mama, giving her the biggest smile he could muster.
'Don't worry, mama, I'll be a good boy and listen to you. I'll make you proud.'
* 10 Years Later *
Echo Creek High was your average high school, but with less graffiti in the bathroom stalls. The majority of students were uninteresting, lacked colorful personalities, and the classes were as engaging as a wet-half eaten piece of toast.
Marco was currently sitting in his math class as his teacher, Ms. Skullnick, tried to explain to the class about 'imaginary numbers'. He glanced around the class to see if he was the only one paying attention and chuckled internally when he saw his classmates bored out of their minds. One student was sprawled out on a chair as if his soul had been sucked out of him. A fly landed on his eye and didn't even blink at the nasty-uncomfortable situation he was in.
He looked dead.
As Marco's eyes and attention continued to wander from the interesting realm that is math, and probably a dead student, he caught sight of his two best friends since elementary: Janna and Jackie.
Janna had changed drastically throughout the years, going through every phase imaginable that a teenager could think of, but mellowed out about a year ago, much to her parent's relief. Her attire consisted of a dark sky blue jacket with a green tank-top underneath, a black skirt with lace at the bottom, and a pair of brown boots. Her black hair had grown past her shoulders, now reaching to the middle of her back. The reason she would grow her hair out was to cut it pixie-style and donate the rest to help anyone who needed it.
She occasionally wore her green beanie nowadays, opting to have her hair out in the open which Marco had to say was a good look for her.
The one thing that hasn't changed about Janna was her personality. She was still a troublemaker and spent half her time in the school's detention with Ms. Skullnick but, due to something that happened back at the start of sophomore year, she spent less time there and more with her friends, mostly Marco.
Marco and Janna had grown closer throughout the years, which was surprising to everyone because of their opposite natures, but their relationship worked, mostly due to Marco bailing her out from trouble. However, he enjoyed and appreciated her company and would be lying if he said that some of her personality hadn't rubbed off on him, much to his mother's slight disapproval.
Marco noticed that Janna was scribbling something on a piece of paper, which he was one hundred percent positive wasn't school related. Her eyebrows were knitted together as if she were concentrating extremely hard on whatever it was that she was working on. She suddenly rose her gaze and met Marco's, chocolate browns meeting caramel.
She lifted the paper for him to see and was impressed at what he saw.
It was a semi-rough sketch of the entire class, even the seemingly dead guy at the back, but what caught his eye was the drawing of him. Janna had depicted him looking towards her direction, which was odd since he had just started doing so less than a minute ago. He had to admit her artistic skill was freakishly good.
Marco gave her his two thumbs-up of approval, causing her to smile and return back to her drawing.
He shifted his attention to Jackie, who was sitting two seats down from Janna's right and saw her resting her head on her hand, bored out of her existence.
Jackie had stayed the same casual-free individual that she was throughout the years, taking up skateboarding since she liked "the way the wind felt in her hair" as well as surfing. However, that all changed when she was hit by a car next to the skate-park by the beach. The bastard tried to flee the scene but was stopped by her fellow skateboarders. Marco clenched his fists in anger at the memory but unclenched them immediately.
It wasn't worth wasting his energy getting angry over the past.
Jackie was hospitalized for a couple months and came out of it with only a fractured rib and leg. The doctors had told her and her family that she was lucky to be alive since the rib could have punctured her lung, causing internal bleeding, and could have drowned in her own blood before she reached the hospital. The near-death experience had rapidly changed her outlook in life and decided to show who she really was underneath the cool-laid back facade: a girl with many emotions who was afraid of situations she couldn't control and could easily get angry like everybody else, Marco is one of the unlucky few to experience it first hand.
After getting out of the hospital, Jackie changed her usual wavy hairstyle for a pixie cut, keeping the blue streak in her blonde hair, and decided to go about life the way she truly wanted. She added even more sport related activities on top of her skateboarding and surfing like soccer, tennis, golf, football, volleyball, you name it.
Jackie did it all because she wanted to experience it all.
She was, as Janna called her, an "adrenaline junkie."
She even took up kickboxing for fun, but mostly for self-defense after some creeps on the street tried to hit on her and get a little handsy. However, Marco was there to set everything straight after coming out of a store across the street from them. Those three poor souls (bastards) had to get hospitalized after being beaten half to death.
Anyways, Jackie loved kickboxing since it was one hell of a workout and truly enjoyed it. After a few years of hard work and training, she was a force to be reckoned with. However, she left the gym after her instructor tried to put the moves on her. Long story short, he won't be having kids ever.
Due to those circumstances, she would spar with Marco at the school's gym every now and then to keep up her form. It wasn't awkward or anything since he had stopped having a crush on her after the incident, realizing that he preferred to be more like a protective older brother to her rather than something more and didn't regret his decision.
One of the downsides of her current life was that her schedule was usually always booked which ate at her time with friends during the day, so they opted to hang out at night for a few hours at the Diaz residence.
Ms. Diaz made the best cookies and Marco had a huge plasma TV, so the choice was obvious.
As if noticing she was being looked at, Jackie turned around towards and saw Marco looking at her. She stuck her tongue out at him in a playful manner which he quickly returned, causing Jackie to snort at how silly his face looked.
"Mr. Diaz, would it kill you to pay attention in class?" said Ms. Skullnick in a booming voice, causing the entire class to snap out of their daze except for the guy at the back.
"The better question, Ms. Skullnick, is if that guy back there isn't dead because I don't think he has moved in the last twenty minutes," he said with fake concern, earning a few chuckles from the students.
"Very funny, Mr. Diaz, but since you clearly know everything about imaginary numbers, how about you do this example on the board?" the math teacher said with a smirk.
"Oooh, I would love to enlighten the class with my intelligence, Ms. Skullnick, but we don't have time for my genius."
"I don't care-"
RIIIINNNGGG!
The entire class erupted in cheers at hearing the deafening-angelic ringing of the bell that allowed them to leave the horribly empty pocket devoid of joy that was Ms. Skullnick's math class.
The guy who was presumed to be dead was miraculously revived by the bell and, with god-like vigor, ran out of the classroom screaming "FREEDOM!" at the top of his lungs down the hall. The other students followed suit, leaving Marco and a very annoyed Ms. Skullnick behind.
He walked up to her desk and handed her a folded piece of paper.
She slowly opened it and scoffed at what she saw.
"Well, Mr. Diaz, it seems you completed the chapter problems, even the ones I didn't cover with ease, again." Ms. Skullnick said slightly impressed, after seeing him do this all year round. "You're definitely getting into a good college the way you're going."
"Thank for the positive reinforcement but, enough about me, [leans forward] how are things with Principal Skeeves?" he whispered, a cheeky smile plastered on his face.
Her eyes lighted up as a faint blush spread across her face, telling him all he needed to know.
"It's been going great! Those dinner suggestions you gave me worked. He loved the nachos side dish!" she said happily.
"I'm happy for you, Ms. S. [Starts to head towards the door] Have a good summer break and tell Skeeves 'Hi' for me." He stopped halfway through the door and glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, and maybe don't do a math lesson on the last day of school? Finals were last week."
Ms. Skullnick chuckled at his suggestion, thinking of giving it some consideration.
"Have a good break, Mr. Diaz," she said with a smile.
Marco simply nodded and headed down the empty hall, now devoid of students. He couldn't blame them. The start of the three-month-long summer break was tomorrow and he would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to it.
Jackie had promised to teach him how to surf, after constant begging, and Janna had bought the entire collection of Godzilla movies, along with other great classics, so he was looking forward spending Movie-Night Thursdays with his two friends over the break.
He also had training, which he had come to love over the years.
His fit physique was a testament to that.
Marco knew that his mama's friend could come for him without a moments notice but, after some thought, decided to enjoy his time and life, except for a few things, like a relationship since it wouldn't be right to up and leave someone to help a stranger...
Wait, wasn't he training to do just that?
After clearing his locker out of books and other things, he headed towards the school's exit. He was going to miss school, but everyone needs a break now and then from the repetitiveness of it. The one thing he absolutely wouldn't miss was the school lunches.
He swears to everything holy that the food was meant to kill the students by how bad it was.
As soon as he pushed past the doors, he felt something slam onto his back and slender arms wrap around his neck, slightly staggering him, but continued to walk away from the school.
"[Chuckles] Am I getting mugged?" Marco said sarcastically.
"You wish, Safe Kid. [Flicks him on the head] So what took you so long? Was the troll giving you a hard time?"
Marco brushed off her comment and crossed the street with Janna riding on his back, looking both ways, to head down the sidewalk that leads to his house. He didn't mind Janna being handsy with him, like some girls who had tried to be, oddly enough since he didn't like the attention.
He looked ahead and spotted Jackie a block away, sitting on a bench, working on her skateboard.
"Basically, she just told me that a have a good chance of getting into a good college. Then I cleared my locker, but the funny thing is that I didn't find my keys. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
He felt Janna tense, causing him to smirk.
"U-Uhh, no. Forget about your dumb keys and college for a second. You should be focusing on your match tonight, which I will be attending of course. I enjoy watching you beat people up too much." she said with a sly grin.
"[Scoffs] You're one of a kind Janna, one of a kind... As for my match, I think I got it under control. Besides, I'm not doing this for the trophy, I'm doing it for the practice. It's not often I can fight a fellow black belt, you know."
Jackie spotted them from where she was sitting and waved at them, which Janna returned for both of them since Marco had his hands preoccupied with holding her legs in place. She stood up and began to walk with her two best friends.
"[Rolls her eyes] Marco, don't you get tired of carrying Janna around like a backpack?" Jackie said jokingly.
"Hey! Don't try to sabotage my free ride!" Janna fumed but quickly winked at Jackie causing the blond to shake her head.
"Girl, you've been hitching a ride on Marco since middle school. Don't you think his back hurts from carrying your large behind around?"
"[Blushes] H-He's not complaining… Besides, I don't weigh that much, right Marco?" she asked with a nervous smile.
"Hmmm, well, no, not really. [Looks at Jackie and smirks] She's much better than my actual backpack since she can talk and tell jokes. I don't think a fifty-dollar backpack does that."
"Maybe you should return it before the warranty expires," Jackie whispered loudly with a cheeky smile.
"Hey! I can hear you!"
Marco fake-winced, "You're right, Jackie. I think this one's faulty." he said with a chuckle.
Jackie couldn't hold back the laughter that had bubbled inside of her and couldn't stop herself after the laughing fit began. Marco soon joined after her, which earned a glare from Janna.
"I hate you guys," she said annoyingly, but then joined in with her friends.
The three laughed for a couple more minutes, stopping at a light to cross to the other side of the street. Janna, out of nowhere, began to tickle Marco's neck which caused him to freak out and tried to get her off. Jackie saw her two friend's silliness and busted out laughing until a few tears formed on her eyes. Janna looked like she was riding a bull by how erratic Marco was trying to get her off his back.
She had to admit that Janna would have made a great bull rider.
"JANNA! S-STOP!" Marco cried out as he continued to try to shake her off.
"Make me, Diaz!" she said with absolute joy.
Marco suddenly felt the weight on his back disappear, confusing him for a slight second until he turned around and smiled at who he saw.
It was his mother, Angie Diaz, placing Janna on the ground next to her as if she weighed nothing.
"Now, Janna, what have I told you about riding my son in public?"
Jackie snorted at the sexual innuendo, while Marco groaned. Janna's face was glowing tomato red, which was out of character of her. Angie enjoyed embarrassing her son's troublemaker friend, a little too much, especially when she was giving her son a hard time. "Come on, what did I say?" she asked again, a smile trying to break through her serious facade.
"... To only do it… with his approval." Janna whispered, wishing she could disappear from the embarrassing situation. Her cheeks were flaring and wanted nothing more than to run far away from where she stood. She'll get even with Marco later for having his mom embarrass her… It was justified, shut up.
"Hey, Ms. Diaz, how have you been?" Jackie asked, trying to spare her friend from any more embarrassment.
"[Smiles] I'm doing fine, Jackie, thank you for asking. Now [turns to her son] what have I told you about letting girls ride you?" she said with a frown, which he knew was fake.
"[Rolls his eyes] I don't have time for this, mom. I'll see you guys at the match and don't yell this time, please," he said to Janna and Jackie with a smile. The two girls nodded, embarrassment evident on their faces, and began to head down the street where their houses were, which weren't that far from his.
"See ya, Marco," Jackie said coolly and turned back to face the direction she was walking in.
"I'll be expecting a party after your win tonight, Marco! Pizza would be nice!" yelled Janna, who had run down ahead of Jackie to the other side of the block for some odd reason. Marco just waved back at his two friend's retreating forms in the distance.
Marco felt a tap on his shoulders and turned around. His mom was looking at him with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. He sighed, knowing where she wanted to take the conversation. He bowed and gestured towards the direction of their house, "My lady." he said in a mock regal tone.
Angie rolled her eyes at her son and headed down the sidewalk, enjoying the evening breeze, which was rare during this time of year. Marco caught up to her and both of them walked in silence for a few minutes.
"So… Janna likes you." Angie said in a teasing tone.
"I knew you were going to bring it up. [Sighs] Mama, could we not get into this again? Plea-"
"Do you like her back?"
Marco shook his head at how pushy his mama could be but knew that when she wanted to know something, she would get to the bottom of it no matter how many times he brushed off her questions.
"What does it matter? I can't have a relationship because I may need to 'abruptly' leave to Mewni, remember?" he said somewhat melancholic.
Angie frowned at hearing her son's tone. She wanted nothing more than for her son to be happy and to enjoy his youth. Sure, she didn't exactly like the Ordonia child but she had grown on her. Her and Janna's mother were good friends after all, and the same could be said about Jackie's. Who wouldn't be friends after seeing their kids get in trouble as a group constantly throughout the years? She was glad to have taught her son how to talk his way out of situations, which the girls' parents were also grateful for.
Regarding her son's love life, if he wanted to date Janna then she would support him all the way. She didn't have parents growing up so she vowed at an early age to always be there for her own children and support them as much as possible.
It was just heartbreaking to hear her son talk as if he couldn't do something he wanted to in his life, as if the trip to Mewni would cut all ties to his life on Earth…
"That doesn't really answer my question, Marco," Angie said sternly. She could tell the topic was getting on her son's nerves, but she didn't care. It was her job as a parent to make her son open up to her.
"Mama… please. I don't want to talk about it."
"Just answer the question and I'll stop bothering you."
"..."
"Do you like Jan-"
"I DON'T KNOW!… I don't.. know."
Angie was surprised at hearing her son yell at her. He had never yelled at her, and she had accidentally dyed all his hoodies yellow in the wash once, but now saw a glimpse of how conflicted her son truly was under his carefree attitude.
She wanted to hug him, but couldn't due to a growth spurt he hit last year making him tower over her five-foot-one frame with his six-foot-two, so she patted his back instead. Her arms wouldn't reach around him anyway, she's tried...
"Honey, your trip to Mewni isn't going to last forever. It's temporary so you'll be back."
"[Sighs] We've been over this, mama. I don't think it's fair or right to just up and leave on someone you care about without telling them the reason why..."
The rest of the way home was held in silence.
Angie's guilt was eating away at her, as it slowly had for all these years, for not telling him the entire truth and was kicking herself for keeping it from him for so long, but no more!
She would tell him after they got home from his karate match and hopefully, it would be enough for him to tell Janna about the situation.
*Mewni*
It was dark.
Small rays of moonlight had managed to enter what appeared to be someone's room but, thanks to the small amount that did, several things could be visible inside.
The walls were grey and dull. A large mirror was laying against the wall, facing the opposite way, as if never intended to be used. The edge of a bed, with light purple sheets, was barely visible. Sadly, the balcony and the moonlight that was coming from it wasn't near enough to get a good view of the entire bed. The bleached curtains that 'decorated' the room were closed, stopping any sort of light from the outside world to come in uninvited. But the most noticeable thing about the room was the air.
It was cold and stale, devoid of any joy or color.
It was depressing.
*Knock Knock Knock*
No response.
*Knock Knock Knock*
"Star, open the door, our mother is waiting in the throne room for us… You're the only one who isn't ready… Please, open up." said a slightly British-regal accent pleadingly.
After a minute went by without a response, the room's door was broken off its hinges and a girl wearing a purple Victorian-era dress walked in, laying the broken door against the wall.
"I'll fix it later. Star come on-"
Her words caught in her throat when she saw her sister, thanks to the illumination from the hall, sitting on a chair in the middle of the room. She was facing towards the balcony, a light breeze gently blowing some of her golden locks from her face, revealing broken heart-shaped marks on her pale cheeks.
The girl walked closer to her sister, forced to clear her throat after inhaling the cold air.
It felt like drinking a glass of ice-cold water.
The girl made her way over to her sister, stopping right behind her as she gently placed a hand on her. She could feel her bony shoulder through her nightgown.
"Star, come on... I'll help you get ready... I'll even brush your hair with my comb, you know, the one you like and make you pretty like-!" she said cheerfully.
Her attempt at cheering Star up did not work. Star nodded and stood up slowly from the chair, using her sister's arm for support. Once on her feet, they came face to face. Star opened her mouth to say something but struggled on the words, as if the words themselves burned her.
"Do… you.. th-think… this time… will… be different?.." Star managed to stutter out weakly.
The girl gave her a sad smile and nodded, tears welling up in her eyes at seeing the state of her little sister, but she fought them back. "Yes, this time will be different, I promise… Come on. Mother can only stall the ceremony for so long."
The two girls slowly walked out of the room and into the light, leaving the hopeless and stagnant atmosphere in the room behind.
Marco was standing on the ring's mat and should be excited to fight an unknown challenger, to him, that was on his level in karate.
But he couldn't bring himself to enjoy this, which was odd since he loved karate. A look inside his room would make even a museum dedicated to the ancient art jealous.
Marco shook his head, trying to force himself to regain focus, which kind of work. He looked at his opponent and saw that he was well built, almost a little too much, and meant business. The scowl on his face wasn't giving off an 'I love hugs!' vibe, which was further established by the glare he was shooting at Marco.
'I think he may not like me.' he thought sarcastically.
Marco looked into the stands and had no problem noticing his mama and friends. The dojo's lighting was bright as all hell, which irritated his eyes. His mama appeared to be deep in thought by how blank her face looked. A look he would catch her doing in the middle of the night when she was holding her dagger, staring off into the darkness of the night.
As for Janna and Jackie, they were talking about something that must have been funny since Jackie began to choke on her strawberry drink while Janna laughed and patted her on the back to help with the coughing. What seemed a little odd was that Jackie's face was a little red. He guessed it was because she had choked on the drink and was embarrassed.
Apart from them, the stands seemed to be sprinkled with people he recognized from school and neighborhood, except for one strange individual. The individual was completely covered from head to toe in a dark brown robe, but the strangest thing was that the stranger seemed to be floating from their seat.
The necklace his mama had given him all those years ago felt warm on his neck for some reason, never having done that before.
Marco was snapped back to his match when he noticed a referee approach the middle of the ring, gesturing for the fighters to come to him. He quickly explained the rules and stepped back.
The muscular guy stepped up to Marco, which wasn't difficult since they were the same height, getting up in his face with a smirk. "I'm going to show you real karate, Marco, and expose you for the farce that you are," he said in a thick Russian accent laced with venom. Marco simply nodded and shrugged. "Sure. What's your name, again?"
The Russian frowned as if he had been offended, "The name's Vladimir." he spat.
"[Cracks neck] Well, Vladimir, let's have a good match," Marco said nonchalantly.
Marco stuck out his hand to shake Vlads but the Russian frowned and spat on the ground beside him.
Wow, rude much?
The referee saw that things were getting a little heated so he stepped in, separating them a little, and told them to prepare for the fight.
Vladimir did the whole theatrical pre-karate movements like in the movies before he got into his stance that Marco instantly recognized to be from lower levels of training, one foot forward while the body was angled sideways.
He had to admit that it was one of the easier stances to use to counter attacks and would have gotten into his own stance if he needed to. But he didn't so he just stood normally, feet slightly spread apart with his arms at his side.
The crowd wasn't surprised because they had seen Marco do more or less the exact thing he was doing now, even if it did look a little odd from a competitive perspective, in his previous matches.
Angie, no longer lost in her own thoughts, frowned at her son. She could tell he wasn't taking the fight seriously, something she had preached a million times to never do.
Janna had her eyes glued on Marco while she ate gummy worms, that definitely weren't Jackie's, and didn't want to blink, not wanting to risk missing a single thing he may do if she did.
She loved watching him.
Jackie, like Angie, was a little peeved on Marco's behavior. He always did that when it came to fighting and she had confronted him many times about it when the two sparred in the gym, feeling as if he wasn't taking her seriously at times, like if it were a game to him or something.
His response would always be "sorry" or "I was just messing around so relax" but her personal favorite was when he shrugged and said, "I'll try to be serious."
Try to be serious?
She cared about Marco a lot, maybe not as much as Janna since she could get a little freaky when it came to certain Marco related topics, but sometimes she wanted to smack him across the face for being so rude.
Acting as if no one was a true challenge for him.
However, Jackie knew she would feel bad afterward since he was doing it unintentionally, or at least that's what she told herself. One of the reasons she still practiced kickboxing was to one-up Marco and put him in his place, but it was obvious that she had a long way to go before that.
He had been a black belt since he was eleven, after all.
As for Vladimir, he was seething at seeing how lax Marco was being towards him. Had he not heard of his numerous trophies and accomplishments in karate? Was he being mocked, along with all the painstaking hours of his life that he had put into the art?
"Is this a joke to you, Marco?" he said through gritted teeth, "Am I not worthy of your time?!"
Marco simply looked at him with indifference and began to slowly walk towards him. In a flash of rage, Vladimir rushed Marco and launched a flying kick to his chest with all the force he could muster behind it, but met nothing but air as Marco sidestepped the attack with little effort. He brought his foot down and swung his fist at Marco's face but, once again, missed.
"Wow, if the air was your opponent, you would have won already," Marco said from behind Vladimir.
To everyone's surprise, even Marco's, Vladimir managed to spin around and land a solid punch to his face in a blink of an eye. The sickening echo of the punch bounced off the walls, causing everyone to gasp in the audience after seeing Marco get hit by such a solid blow for the first time ever, his head snapping back from the force.
The heavy silenced that followed was palpable.
"[Scoffs] How's that? Am I worthy of your time now, your highness?" Vladimir said with tremendous confidence as a smirk graced his rough face.
"Marco, come on! This guy has nothing on you!" yelled Janna, whose words of encouragement seemed to reel everyone back from their shock.
Vladimir smirked at Janna's words but, before he could do anything else, was stopped by the referee and awarded a point. He was the first to have earned a point against Marco and his confidence only seemed to inflate at seeing how unresponsive Marco was after the hit.
After the two went to their designated spots, the referee signaled for the match to resume but, instead of rushing Marco like last time, Vladimir walked casually towards him. "[Chuckling] Guess I hit you harder than I thought but don't worry, [gestures towards Janna] I'll show your girl how pathetic you truly are and after the match I could show her a good time, with a real man," he said while flexing his muscles.
Janna and Jackie cringe with disgust, while Ms. Diaz began to get worried about how her son was acting.
"You disgusting fuck! You will never even come close to being half the man Marco-" Janna yelled but was silenced by Vlad's creepy smile.
"Mind your mouth. [Smiles creepily] I'll put it to good use after the match," he said in a lechery tone, which caused Janna and all the girls in the stands to feel sick to their stomachs.
Vladimir, satisfied with their reaction, turned back towards Marco but froze when he saw Marco standing mere inches from him, eyes full of rage while his expression remained devoid of any emotions.
Once he snapped out of his stupor, he threw a punch at Marco's face again with all his rage behind it, but Marco crouched slightly to avoid it and shot his palm up. He made contact with Vladimir's chin, sending him off the floor a couple inches, and landed with a heavy thud on his back.
Marco crouched down to the ground next to Vladimir's prone form and narrowly managed to dodge a spin kick by hopping off the ground. The Russian stood up slowly and shook his head to get his bearings. The referee made his way over to him and checked if he was okay, which he determined to be the case since he didn't end the match, but did award Marco with a point so it was now tied.
"YEAH! WAY TO GO MARCO!" cheered Janna from the stands, followed by Jackie and a few others who were now cheering for him since they had found a common enemy to get behind after witnessing Vladimir's crude actions.
So much for not yelling...
"Lucky [spits blood] shot," Vlad said with a scowl.
"I'm only going to say this once: quit," Marco said with evident anger in his voice and steely eyes. He looked different, more serious, which Angie and Jackie were surprised to see. Sure, they had seen Marco get angry while fighting before but never did he get serious about it.
'It must have been because he insulted Janna.' Jackie thought with a smirk as she looked at her troublemaker friend, who was oblivious to the change in Marco because she was too busy blushing at how protective Marco had sounded seconds ago, mumbling something too low to hear.
The referee signaled for the match to resume and, to everyone's surprise, Marco rushed Vladimir.
Not expecting Marco to make the first move, he was not prepared to block all of Marco's fluid and swift jabs aimed at his chest that hit like a truck!
Marco stopped his jabs and did a low spinning sweep, taking out Vlad's legs from under him and sending him crashing to the ground. As soon as Vladimir landed, Marco grabbed the back of his collar and lifted him off the ground, kneeing him in the stomach as hard as he could.
His body contorted inwards from the excruciating pain but his face was soon introduced to Marco's other knee, breaking his nose on impact and sending him onto the ground once again.
Marco was about to lift him up again but was stopped by the referee who raised his hand as the proclaimed winner since Vladimir was out cold and, most likely, had a shattered nose if the bloody mess that was his face was any indication.
Marco took a deep breath and exhaled, repeating the actions a couple times, until he calmed back down. He jumped down from the mat and quickly glanced at the stands as he made his way to the locker room, noticing the stunned expression on the audience's faces.
The stranger was gone too.
A few paramedics who were on standby were attending to Vladimir as the sounds of sirens could be heard off in the distance and grew louder as the seconds rolled by.
Marco pushed past the side exit doors of the dojo and stepped out into the empty parking lot.
"WOW, Marco, that was awesome! That douche totally deserved- Hey where are you going?" asked Janna, as he showed no sign of stopping to answer her and continued to speed walk home.
Janna's face changed from one of excitement to concern and took off after him, leaving Angie and Jackie behind.
"So… what was that about?" asked Jackie somewhat dumbfounded.
Angie gestured for Jackie to follow her, both making their way towards the Diaz residence. After a few minutes of silence, Angie sighed loudly. "That was an accident-"
"What do you mean by that? Because it looked like he was ready to kill that guy, Ms. D!" exclaimed Jackie.
"That's… He's that way sometimes because of... how I trained him." Angie replied, the shame and guilt oozing out of her tone and expression.
"Training?!... What kind of training are you referring to Ms. D, because I've been to a couple of your training sessions and it's just intense body workouts and endurance stuff."
"Well… yeah, you're right, but that's not all I've taught him. [Sighs] I'll explain when we get home… You girls also deserve to know, I owe you two that much." Angie said sadly.
Jackie simply nodded, too numb to fully understand what was going on in one of her best friend's life.
Angie and Jackie reached the Diaz residence and found the door unlocked, which meant that Janna was the one who opened the door since Marco usually entered through the backyard door that was connected to the kitchen when he was upset.
Janna didn't even have to pick the lock like she used to, because she usually had his keys.
The two ladies stepped inside and found Janna sitting on the couch with Marco's head on her lap as he laid on the couch. She was stroking his hair, while she laid back against the couch with her eyes closed and didn't bother to open them when they walked inside.
"Uhh, Janna? What's going on?" asked Jackie a little worried and confused at what she was seeing.
"Hmm? [Opens eyes] Oh, hey guys. Marco and I... had a heated make-out session and decided to rest a little before we resumed." Janna said with a smirk, which was met with a snort from Marco as he sat up groggily.
"Janna dragged me out of my room and would not leave me alone so I decided to rest here. [Yawns] So what's up?" Marco said concerned, which was a huge relief to both Jackie and Angie since he seemed to be back to his caring self.
They didn't even bother to comment on what Janna had said because they hadn't believed her, Marco wasn't the type of guy to do that out of the blue.
His mama would kick his ass if he did, or at least try to.
After closing the front door, Angie walked up to the couch and sat next to her son, figuring that the best course of action was to just get it over with before it was too late. Marco turned to face her, while Janna went to go and sit on the love seat sofa with Jackie after she noticed that the conversation between mother and son was going to be serious.
"Marco… honey… it's time I told you the whole truth about the situation with Mewni." Angie waited to see a negative reaction from her son for keeping secrets from him but was surprised when he only nodded. "Y-You're not mad that I kept secret from you?"
Marco rolled his eyes but smiled at her, "Come on, mama, everyone has secrets and I'm sure you didn't tell me certain things for a reason."
Angie hoped that her son's view of her wouldn't change after she finished telling him the details of what he would be doing.
"Sweety, basically, you're going to be what I used to be when I was in Mewni." Angie's face relaxed, as if reminiscing her youth, "I was summoned to Mewni when I was fourteen to be what they called 'Mewni's Champion.' [Chuckles] You should have seen how confused I was… Anyway, for a couple of years, I served the princess of the kingdom as her personal… bodyguard. Before I came back to Earth, I made a deal with the princess, now a Queen, and in that deal, I offered to help her family line through you, Marco." She flashed a sad smile to her son, "Your help was set to last for three months. No more, no less, unless I and she agreed to add to the length when the deadline arrived… That's as much as I've told you over the years, but there's more."
Marco placed his hand over his mama's, giving her the green light to continue but, before she could do so, Janna interrupted them.
"Wait wait wait, why does this sound like something dangerous, and not the good kind?"
"And what does this have to do with how you've been raising Marco?" Jackie chipped in after her which earned a confused look from Janna.
Angie sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose to help relieve some of the stress. She looked at Janna and Jackie, then back at her son. "Well, that's because it is bad. Mewni is basically how Medieval Times was here but with magic and all the fantasy things portrayed by movies. That entire dimension is not lacking ways of killing someone, which is why I raised Marco to be a warrior… It was to make sure he was prepared for anything he may face if he chose to go but I think I may have gone overboard… [Looks into her son's eyes] I'm sorry… "
"It's fine, mama. I don't regret any of it."
Janna was about to say something when Jackie covered her mouth, "What do you mean by that Ms. Diaz?"
Angie's words caught in her throat when she saw her son shake his head at what she was about to say. Marco turned to the two girls and sighed. "Jackie… Janna… I've done some… questionable things in my life, some that I'm not proud of... But I promise to tell you two about them when I'm ready, but for now just trust me, okay?"
Jackie analyzed Marco's words and expression closely and saw that he was being serious about this. He was serious about going to some strange land, but as to the reason why he was so willing to go was still absent. She knew that Marco wouldn't up and leave his life behind, even if temporary, without a good reason. "So what's the reason why you're so adamant about going, Marco?" she asked, which must have been what Janna wanted to ask too since she stopped wriggling in Jackie's grasp and stared at Marco.
Marco sighed and scratched the back of his head, trying to find an answer. "Hmm, it's… complicated. You see, the deal that my mama and the Queen made is a magically bonded one so the penalty for violating it is, basically, death. The reason doesn't matter to me though because I'm not going to put my mama through that drama so I'm going, [glances at Angie] end of story."
The girls were shocked, along with a multiple of other emotions, at what they had just heard. Any sane person would have questioned Marco, but one look at his face and Angie's established what he said as being the truth.
Angie was astonished as to how her son knew all of that since she had never told him that information before. She was about to ask him how he knew when she remembered that her hidden binder behind her mirror, filled with memories of her time in Mewni, was bookmarked to a page she hadn't left it in but thought nothing of it at the time.
That was around when Marco was thirteen and the bookmarked page held a copy of the agreement, along with her and the Queen's signature.
"[Sighs] So… is there more?" asked Marco.
Angie was snapped out of her thoughts and slowly nodded. "Y-Yes. The reason I left Mewni and came back to Earth was... that I was pregnant with you… [Smiles sadly] Your father and I both agreed that Mewni wasn't a safe place to raise you, for several reasons, so... he stayed behind while I raised you here." A couple of tears were rolling down Angie's face and couldn't stop them. The memory of her husband was still painful for her. She felt her son's arms wrap around and pull her into an embrace, where she buried her face into his chest to hide the crushing sorrow in her heart.
"It's okay, mama, everything's going to be okay." He said soothingly, trying to comfort her by stroking her head. "I'll be fine too so don't worry. You didn't train me all these years for nothing."
Angie separated from her son, wiping a few tears, and nodded.
"You're right, hijo. [Clears throat] Sorry about that... Where was I?..."
"Sorry for interrupting family time but I'm pressed for time."
All four of them turned toward the direction of the voice and saw a robed stranger by the door, a stranger Marco remembered seeing back at the dojo who wasn't there when the match was over. Marco felt unnerved, his necklace warming up, at the fact that he hadn't heard or sensed the uninvited individual. He was about to stand up and confront the stranger in his home but was held back by his mama, confusing him, but didn't say anything after seeing the look on her face.
"B-Baby?... Is th-that you?" Angie asked, a smile slowly forming on her face.
The stranger started to chuckle and nodded, dropping the robe on the ground.
"What the hell am I looking at?" asked a confused Janna, and no one could blame her.
Where the robbed stranger was now stood-floated? a cat with aquamarine fur, transparent wings, big green eyes, and an emerald embedded in the middle of its forehead.
Oh, did I forget to mention that the cat was writing with a pen on a clipboard?
Angie jumped off the sofa and ran to the floating cat, crushing it in a loving hug, which is returned. The two separated and smiled at each other. "It's good to see you again, Angie, and I wish I could stay and chat but [taps pen against the clipboard] I'm kind of running late. You know the drill." the cat said with a sad look, but quickly switched back to a blank expression.
"Oh,... don't worry Baby, it's alright… How's Skywynne and Mewni?"
The cat's eye twitched slightly at the question and let out an exasperated sigh, "Honestly Angie, it's in shambles. Skywynne's daughter has waged a full out war against the monsters and is struggling in keeping the allied kingdoms together. The fact that your son was not called years earlier is because Skywynne tried other candidates for the position to be 'Mewni's Champion' but that has been disastrous… She tried her best to keep your son from coming to Mewni and sends her deepest apologies for doing this but her daughter and the nobility have pressured her to call upon the contract you too made."
"Wow, it looks like I'm going to be busy this summer break." Marco said jokingly.
"How can you even joke about that, Marco?! The place you're planning on going is in a state of WAR! Does that not bother you?!" exclaimed Janna, finally breaking out of Jackie's grasp.
"Oh, there is no reason to worry about his safety. Skywynne herself will look after his well-being." said Baby matter-of-factly.
Janna looked at the floating cat with a look of disbelief. "I don't fucking know who you are! How can I trust you?!" Jackie rarely agreed with Janna, mostly due to how crazy she could be, but had to admit that Janna was making a good point.
"Janna, I understand you're frustrated, but Baby is a very good friend of mine and so is Skywynne, and trust me when I say that Marco is a lot safer in their hands than the entire world's armies combined." Angie could relate to Janna's anger, and was still worried about her son's safety, but trusted her friends with her life. What she didn't trust was the nobility of Mewni and several other people close to the royal family.
Some, if not most of them, certainly still hated her guts and hoped that her son would handle them with better finesse than she had years ago.
Baby noticed Angie's expression, as if reading what she was thinking, and patted her on the back. "Don't worry, Angie, he'll be safe. I also know you'll want to check up on him so I'll deliver letters between the two of you on a weekly basis." she said with a smile.
Angie deeply appreciated her friend trying to cheer her up and nodded at her offer. She turned back to see how her son and friends were holding up but found that they were nowhere in sight. The sounds of several footsteps coming down from the direction of the stairs caught her attention, where she saw her son carrying a large duffel bag closely followed by Jackie.
She didn't look happy.
"How could you say that to her, Marco?! You know how she feels about you!" exclaimed Jackie as she continued to follow him down the steps.
"What's going on, Marco?" asked Angie concerned, rarely seeing Jackie get so worked up.
Marco placed the duffel bag by Baby's feet… floating feet? and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at his mother and shook his head, obviously not wanting to talk about it. Angie understood and didn't push her soon for an answer.
She'll just find out later.
"So, when can we go?" Marco asked Baby, obviously trying to change the subject.
"Well, we're already late, but now would be nice." replied Baby as she took out a pair of ornate looking scissors. She cut into the air as if it were paper, seeming to be tearing through the very fabric of space, as a swirling portal of many colors materialized.
Marco gave his mama a tight hug before separating. Angie gestured for him to lean forward and was met with a motherly kiss to his forehead, causing him to smile. "Be safe, mijo, and listen to Skywynne's instructions as well as Baby's. Also, be on your best behavior. Mewni royalty will not take your sarcastic attitude with kindness. Trust me, I speak from experience."
Baby couldn't help but chuckle at how true those words were and of memories pertaining to Angie pissing off a lot of nobles.
Marco nodded at his mother's words of wisdom and lifted his duffel bag off the ground, following Baby towards the portal. Right before they could walk through the portal, something hit him on the back of the head causing him to stop.
Marco looked down at the object and saw that it was the necklace he had given Janna after winning it at the school fair last year in exchange for his wallet. He turned around to see Janna by the stairs, her eyes were still puffy from crying. She began to stomp her way over to him but was stopped by Jackie before she could get her hands on him.
"Choke on it, Marco! *sniff* Have fun playing hero!" Janna said with anger and sorrow. Before anyone else could say anything, Janna broke away from Jackie and ran out the back door. Jackie's eyes held nothing but anger and disappointment as they landed on Marco.
"Jackie I-"
"You know, Marco, I understand that the way Janna sprung the question on you was out of the blue and was a little forceful by trying to get an answer out of you but you could have handled that so much better."
She shook her head at him and ran after Janna, knowing that her friend needed a shoulder to cry on and someone to vent to about recent events.
Angie looked at her son and raised an eyebrow at him. "So, mind telling me what happened or do I have to get it from the girls." she said with a frown. She loved her son with all her heart but had taught him better than to make a girl cry like that.
"Mama, [sighs] take care of them while I'm gone and whatever you do, do not [leans down to whisper something into her ear] tell Janna those words. I want to tell her personally when I get back." he said with a smirk at seeing his mama's embarrassed face.
Angie opened her mouth to say something but didn't get a chance to since Baby shoved her son through the portal. The flying cat turned to Angie and smiled before going through the portal herself, slowly closing after her.
Angie took a deep breath and exhaled, feeling like she had aged a few years in this day alone. She looked towards the door that lead to the backyard and stared at it for a few minutes before making her way over to the house phone. She dialed a number and waited for a few seconds until someone picked up.
"Hey, it's Angie… It's great to here you're doing fine after all these years... Hey, listen, I'm going to need a favor."
The throne room was beautiful beyond words.
It had sets of white and gold pillars, with beams connecting from the base to the ceiling, attached to the marble-like walls as numerous banners depicting a symbol of a thunderbolt in the middle of a crest hung from them. The windowpanes that decorated the left wall were depicting images of battles and other events pertaining to Mewni's history, while the right side held gigantic map of Mewni. A pair of six rows filled with nobility sat on the left and common folk on the right as they occupied the middle of the room, a lavish purple carpet cutting between them as it lead up a set of stairs to the thrones of the Queen and King of Mewni. The rulers were sandwiched between two identical golden monuments of an hourglass, which were empty of sand.
There was a tension in the room between the three parties: the Queen and King, nobility, and common folk that could be cut with a knife. The most annoyed party seemed to be the Queen given how tightly she was gripping the armrests of her throne.
"Like I've said before, the Champion will be here so have patience. I'm sure there's a reason why he's late-"
The entire throne erupted in disapproval.
One noble rose from his seat, causing the nobility to quiet down, but the common folk didn't seem to care or notice him. The noble definitely stood out from most of his peers. He wore a crown worthy of royalty, an overly luxurious regal coat, leggings, and carried a saber in a sheath.
The man wore a white wig and had a mole on his powdered face, currently occupying a scowl.
"Your highness, you've delayed this ceremony long enough. We all loved your war stories but I think I speak for the majority of us by saying enough is enough. You either have a Champion or you don't."
The noble's words were met with small words and curt nods of agreement from nobility.
A large burly man stood up from the side of the common folk, quickly silencing the group, making it clear he was the spokesperson of the commoners. The man had a build worthy of that of a Mewman Knight. He wore a, simple, black button up shirt with grey trousers. His bearded face had a scar that passed over his right eye giving him an intimidating look but his eyes were what really sold the look.
They were the eyes of hardened individual who had seen many hardships, dealt with immense suffering, and loss. But, most importantly, they held a fiery determination to get things done.
"Your highness, I hate to agree with him but he's right. This has been prolonged long enough, your own daughters aren't even present. [Sighs] Your people are starving your highness, and excuse my rudeness, but I and my fellow people did not come here to wait around on this 'Champion'. Our attention is better used elsewhere, like finding a solution to the food shortages that have plagued the masses for far too long! Not to mention the monster raids of the food reserves actually filled with food!"
The Queen's face grew more annoyed and was about to say something when the hand of her husband squeezed hers. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself down. The Queen couldn't argue that what they were saying was wrong, but she was beyond stressed and wasn't in the mood to be nagged at about things she already knew were a problem. The absence of her daughters weren't helping, but she guessed it had something to do with her youngest one.
"King Spiderbite and Sir Aldwin, I understand your viewpoints and apologize for the delays. If the Champion is not here in the next five minutes, you may all leave. As for you, Sir Aldwin, I'll have my brother personally go down with you to see what can be done." she said with as little anger in her voice as possible.
Both men, as well as the rest, seemed okay with what the Queen had proposed so they sat back down and waited.
The King leaned over to his wife and blew air into her ear, gaining her attention.
"Hey, it'll be fine. I'm sure Baby will be here with the Champion soon and I have a good feeling that he will be perfect for the job." he whispered reassuringly.
"I just don't want to fail Star again, Alphonse. All the candidates we've presented to her by my mother's judgement have quit the next day and they were perfect on paper. Hells, some of them would have given Mina a good workout… [Sighs] I just hope this one is different." she whispered sadly.
The doors to the throne room burst wide open and everyone turned to look at the three princesses, slowly followed by their grandmother, that were coming down the middle aisle heading over to their parent's thrones.
The one leading the three was wearing a snug dark purple Victorian dress with a black band around her slender waist that almost reached her ankles, purple gloves that touched her elbows, a pair of black boots and a purple feathered hat that allowed her wavy dark green hair to reach her shoulders. Her soft, dark pink, face had magenta spades adorning her cheeks and were accompanied by a pair of strong magenta eyes. Her small lips were upturned into a small smile, as if victorious over something.
The girl she was pulling along by hand was wearing a dark blue gown decorated with star patterns, giving it a starry sky design, with white trim at the bottom that reached down to the floor, as well as a black choker around her neck. The princess had long wavy blonde hair that hung just below the back of her knees and sported a small golden tiara on her head. Her sickly pale face, slightly covered by her golden locks, failed to make her look any less beautiful, but it was obvious she wasn't well. The pink heart-stamped marks on her cheeks were faded and lacked any real color. As for her eyes, the blue in them looked lifeless and hazy.
The expression on her face was one of deep sadness.
The third princess was wearing a metallic-silver dressed combined with a light purple collared vest, barely passing her knees, with white shoulder tassels. She had long-straight baby blue hair, that touched the back of her calves and silver boots, with bangs the curled out from her forehead that made her golden tiara more noticeable on her head. Her pink face had diamond marks on her cheeks that were a darker shade than her face. The metallic-blue color of her eyes were breathtaking and she constantly looked around, analyzing everything she could.
Unlike the first princess, she had a frown on her face.
Following slowly behind them was a much older woman who wore a golden gown, that split in the middle and separated into the lower section of the gown, with a small cape flowing behind her as she walked. Her light auburn hair reached past her shoulders, only slightly, with a golden ruby encrusted crown resting on her head. Her skin tone was the same as the second princess', only healthier, and sported yellow hourglass marks on her pale cheeks. The deep sky blue of her eyes were almost electric with power, but held humility and humbleness.
The expression on her face was one of determination as she elegantly walked down the carpet that lead to her daughter's throne.
Once the four of them reached the foot of the steps that lead up to the Queen, they stopped and curtsied.
"Eclipsa, Moon, and Star why are you three late?" asked the Queen with sprinkles of anger.
Star looked down in shame at her mother's words while the other girls smiled apologetically at her. "Sorry for being late, mother, it was my fault. I couldn't find my crown so I asked Moon and Star to help me look for it." Eclipsa said while tapping her hat.
The Queen knew that that was a lie because her daughter never misplaced that hat. She's had it since she was a child, a gift from her grandmother after coming back from one of her trips to another dimension.
Seeing the look on her daughter's face turning for the worse, Skywynne stepped in front of the girls in a protective manner.
"Let the girls be, Solaria. The real reason why they were late was because I asked them to help me look for a ring that will help my friend's son when he gets here… [looks around] Andddd Baby is late. [Sighs] Hopefully Angie wasn't being difficult, not that I can blame her." she whispered that last part to herself.
Out of nowhere, a portal opened up near the girls and out stumbled Marco to the ground with his duffel bag, quickly followed up by Baby. The guards that aligned the walls rushed at him with spears, thinking he was an intruder but quickly stopped when they say Skywynne step in front of them.
"He is an important guest, so you can go back to your posts. You won't be needed." she said with authority, which the guards quickly obeyed. She may not be the Queen anymore but that didn't mean she didn't hold power.
She turned back to look at her old friend's son and couldn't help but smile at him. He definitely had taken after his father, but inherited Angie's personality.
How did she know this you ask?
Well, he was currently looking around the palace in awe, wonder, and confusion like his mother had many years ago. The crooked smile he had on his face was the spitting image of Angie's.
"Yup, he's definitely the one." she said with a confident grin as she made her way to him.
Alphonse leaned closer to his Queen, a pleased smile displaying on his face at seeing Marco's interesting entrance, "Well, you got your wish, dear. He is certainly different."
A/N: *Wipes sweat from forehead* Wow, that was a long one. Sorry, not sorry, for the light-cliffhanger lol but this was a long teaser of what is to come. This is clearly an AU Star vs. story because of the characters and things that will go down later on so yeah. It's a mix of canon, tweaked to my liking, and a lot of OC's so heads up. Also, sorry in advance for spelling errors.
I will pick right up where I left off in this story once I get out on break from college but, don't worry, I'll work on my other stories too. As always, feedback and comments are deeply appreciated since it helps me with the story, like if I did something wrong etc. I hope you all enjoyed the start of this new story which will be… interesting to say the least. The rating will give it away lol.
See you all next time (hopefully next month)! Peaceee!- Sky
'Things will make sense as time progresses.'