Hey guys, welcome back to another chapter! Thanks for so many positive reviews about the last chapter and get ready for a big surprise at the end. As always, leave reviews because I like to respond to them, and enjoy!
Ugh…There's nothing like waking up with a throbbing headache after being slapped across the face repeatedly by wooden boards. Who knew the Stump could be so ungrateful to one of its most loyal subjects? Star had believed in him always, even when no one else did. And who else had gone out of her way for years to appease its bloodthirsty nature with extra sacrifices? If that stupid tree god wanted to play it this way, then Star was determined to celebrate her birthday on every stinking Stump Day, just to stick it to him. It was so on because no one messed with Star Butterfly and got away with it.
Reflecting on her sweet revenge would have to wait for a later date because her eyes were drawn to the beauty of her home outside the great bay windows. The golden beams of the morning sun illuminated the stark white snow that covered everything, making the world glow. In the town, the normally bustling square and markets were uncharacteristically empty—even the livestock pens were devoid of life. It was likely that the townspeople were still sleeping off the pounds of food and Stumpnog they gorged on last night. Something the queen was doing herself. Beyond the confines of the town, trade roads crisscrossed the white landscape in all directions, connecting the entire world together in one big, tangled web. One that Star had to carefully manage as queen. I hope I'll be as good of a royal protector as Mom was, the burden of responsibility made the young royal sigh. Further on the southern horizon, a single road cut through a dark, endless swath of trees. That was the beginning of the logging road that Star and Marco had used to travel to the monster village on their quest to the mountains. Just the thought of the desolate peaks still tugged at Star's soul for some reason…. Is it calling me or am I still hungover from last night?
Shoving the premonition aside, Star turned her eyes to the most incredible sight in all of the universe: her beloved Marco. He was still dozing on top of her with his arms locked in a tight embrace. The crescent moons on his cheeks glinted pale red like the Blood Moon itself—the entity that bound their souls together for eternity. Judging by how late he had slept in, it seemed that more than the fighting had tired him out. He was always such an early riser—often being gone by the time Star woke up. Suddenly, his beautiful, brown eyes blinked awake, gazing at her with soft tenderness and drowsiness. He lifted his head off of her bosom, kissing her forehead, "Good morning, my bright and shining Star." The bond thrummed in contentment like a purr from his end.
"Morning, sleepyhead," she teasingly booped his nose. "You sure have slept in today, bub, it's almost eleven." His groan resonated through the bond when his eyes peeled away and onto the grandfather clock ticking behind them near the TV. Already she could feel his mind worry over missing royal engagements and delivering orders to the knights, but a kiss dispelled the thoughts. Bringing work to bed was something they avoided as much as possible. As Dr. Marco, Ph.D. once pointed out, working in bed messed with the mind and prevented sleep.
He playfully rolled his eyes at her thoughts, "I guess Dr. Star, Ph.D. was a point."
"That's Queen Dr. Star to you, buddy," she winked at him and they both laughed, still holding each other. Finally, Marco settled back down, snuggling closer for more warmth, "Maybe we could cancel our engagements, just this once." What on Mewni could inspire Mr. Dutiful to play hooky?
"Well, you," he smiled as their eyes met. Though it was the morning after, who could say no to more of Marco's birthday surprise? They leaned in for a kiss when the door flew open and Manfred barged in, blasting his trumpet.
"Good morning, Your Majesties—oh dear!" Manfred covered his eyes sheepishly as the couple scrambled off of each other and covered up with their bedspread. Among the equally horrified Kingsguard, Higgs shook her head, "Welp, I think I've seen enough of the king than I ever wanted to."
"Can you hit her with Mind Eraser later?" Marco, who was red from embarrassment, gave Star a sideward glance. She shrugged at him, then complained to her servant, "Manfred…we've talked about this whole knocking business. Whenever I'm in my royal bedroom with Marco, we knock on the door before barging in."
He bowed in apology, "Sorry, my Queen, but I have an urgent message from your great aunt Etheria. She wants to see how you are holding up after your birthday and will inspect the castle grounds in, say, fifteen minutes."
"Inspect the…oh no…." Star shoved the knights and Manfred out of the room with magic then got dressed. There was no doubt that the castle was in shambled from last night. If Etheria found out, then a new era of familial regicide would be ushered in.
A gentle hand patted her back, "It'll be okay. We got this."
She flashed Marco a smile at his attempt to comfort her, "Thanks, but we gotta hurry."
Rushing downstairs, they stumbled upon the disaster zone that used to be the Great Ballroom. Oh, crud! Where to even begin? Tables were overturned—some even split in half—and chairs were knocked over. On the ground a mixture of glass shards, torn paper, and other decorations littered the floor in a thin layer with the lighter bits rustling in the breeze from a blown-out window. In the middle of it all, their friends lay sleeping where they fought. Jackie had wrapped herself in a downed velvet curtain to keep warm, and next to her, Kelly still had her sword clutched in her hand, poised as if to strike. On the opposite side of Jackie, Pony Head was snoring away, and StarFan had passed out under the remnants of a table.
When Star and Marco walked towards them, Jackie began to stir. "What a party!" She sat up, clutching her head when the light reached her open eyes. "Haven't had a hangover like this since that massive party in the senior dorms, and that got busted…. Oh hey, guys—" she studied the tired expressions on their faces, then added with a smirk, "Guess you two didn't sleep well either. I know that battles get you in the mood."
Marco frowned while Star giggled slightly. In a normal setting, the queen would have settled into raunchy girl talk to relay the steamy details, but, with her horrible aunt on the way to deliver judgment, Star had to pass on that. A mental note from Marco instructed her that when she did share her wild escapades with her friends to shut the bond, so he couldn't hear.
"Love to chat, Jackie, but you-know-who is coming this way," the queen whispered harshly.
Jackie blinked, eyes growing wide, "Oh-oh right! Crazy aunt-lady, yeah! Well, I'll wake up the girls and get them cleaning up the joint. Then we gotta find Tom and Janna…."
Marco slapped his hand to his face with a loud smack, "Ugh, really! In my castle!"
"Funny you should talk, Wild Man," it was Kelly who chimed in as she woke up with a yawn. Marco gave her a look, but she shrugged it off; the friends knew each other to well to never take anything between them seriously. "Anywho, I can totally help—"
A loud gasp from Manfred interrupted the planning session. The poor servant got a good eyeful of the field of damage caused by last night's birthday brawl, "My heavens…. My Queen, Etheria is less than five minutes away." Good thing Mewman hearts were five times stronger than human ones or Star would have gone into cardiac arrest.
"THOMAS INFERNIUS LUCITOR!" Stomping her foot, she hollered loud enough to shake the room in order to summon her friend. If Etheria found anyone fooling around, especially the unwed Prince of the Underworld, it would trigger the apocalypse.
"Right here, Starship." All eyes turned to the prince and his girlfriend stumbling out of another room with wrinkled clothes and disheveled hair. Jackie and Kelly shared a knowing look, shaking their heads while StarFan's mouth hung open in shock. She reached for her camera and snapped a quick photo. "I can hear wedding bells already," she grinned. "This is so going on the second page!"
Pony Head snorted, "Well it's about time, Hellboy! I can't believe Earth Turd had you so beat."
Janna snickered, jabbing an embarrassed Tom, "I know, girl. Mr. Gentleman over here was very shy through the whole thing." Watching the demon blush so vividly made everyone laugh. Usually, Marco was the shy guy of the group in these matters.
"One minute, my Queen!" Manfred announced.
"OH, CORN, NO!" Star went into full panic mode, nothing was clean! Quickly, she opened a portal to Earth and shoved all her friends through it in one push. Problem one was solved, but there was no way she and Marco could clean the room by themselves. Magic! Duh! Star summoned her wand and yelled, "Hyper Room Cleanup Beam!"
A bright flash enveloped the room like an explosion, and when it died down, the room was wholly restored. All the broken furniture was mended, the stains on the wall were painted over, and the floor was swept and polished. Marco let out a low whistle at how immaculate the room had become in the blink of an eye. "Nice work," he praised her. "Need to borrow this spell for our room sometime."
Exactly sixty seconds after Manfred's last warning, Aunt Etheria and Aunt Felicity trudged through the doors of the Great Room. My two favorite people, hooray, Star could scarcely prevent herself from rolling her eyes but slapped on a polite, cheery face to greet her relatives. "Good morning, Aunt Etheria and Aunt Felicity."
"Why good morning, my dearest grandniece," Aunt Felicity curtsied with her older sister merely nodding. "I hope you had a splendid birthday."
"Not too splendid, mind you," Etheria cut-in with a scowl. "It would be most improper if the Queen of Mewni threw a wild party." A bead of sweat formed on Star's brow, but one of the first rules of being a warrior in the face of danger was to never let the enemy see you squirm, so she willed the bit of moisture to go away. Luckily, Marco was on her team, and he calmly told his in-law, "Absolutely, Aunt Etheria. Last night was a quiet evening with just me and Star."
The fat lids of the older Butterfly narrowed in consideration for a moment, as if she was examining Star's memories to see if this was true. Of course, Etheria did not have any magic ability and she relaxed a bit, making Star and Marco sigh with relief. Even Manfred exhaled audibly. Perhaps the queen could get out of this situation A-Okay! All she had to do now was exchange boring pleasantries about the weather or whatever old women liked talking about, then head on her way.
Aunt Felicity was in a chatting kind of mood, so they talked about the snow and the latest trend in warnicorn rearing. "I think the Queen's Cup has a lot of promise this year," remarked the great aunt with a slight smile. "A lot of good bloodlines are out there, so make sure you choose an excellent mount from the stable."
Star was about to reply when a loud, terrifying scream sounded from the far side of the Great Room turning everyone's blood cold. Is it butt-kick o'clock already? The queen twirled the wand in her right hand like a mini baton then rushed over to the scene with Marco trailing not far behind. When the couple got to the place of the incident, their mouths dropped open in the same horror that Etheria bore when they looked into the small annex off of the Great Room. Now they knew why she had screamed: the room looked like a hellish nightmare. Scorch marks stained the walls, empty bottles of liquor rolled around, and a makeshift bed made of curtains lay in the middle of it. "I am so going to castrate Tom for this," she snarled to Marco who stood there equally disturbed and disgusted.
"Oh, my!" Felicity and Manfred gasped. It took a moment, but Etheria managed to recover enough to turn around, the anger in her eyes scared the living daylights out of the queen. She hung her head in shame; there was no way out of this one.
"So," Etheria clasped her hands together roughly. "Let me get my story straight. My dearest Queen, daughter of my departed niece, threw a wild house party on her birthday and lied to me about it. Did I miss anything?"
Might as well fess up now, Star resigned to tell the truth, "We were also attacked by the Stump…."
Her aunt folded her arms, "And of course, we have an angry deity to appease! Whenever I think you can't do something worse, you never fail to disappoint me, Star."
"I am not—" Star was cut off by another rant from Etheria, "Star Butterfly, you are eighteen years old and the Queen. You don't have time for acting like a wild child! What happened to duty before self?!"
That phrase caused Star to stop breathing for a heartbeat. The last argument she had had with her mother centered around that phrase. It was a moment forever engraved in her mind like an epitaph. Perhaps the stiff speech was Moon's way of trying to help her daughter cope with Marco's prince duties, but Star would not have it. Regretfully, the then-princess never saw her mother again because she had chosen to run off on a grand adventure with Marco. The day she returned was the same day Eclipsa killed Moon. "Star, don't beat yourself up over that," Marco wrapped his arm around his wife. "You know Moon would never want you thinking like this." Star leaned against his chest to receive his love, "Thanks." But her heart still felt heavy with regret, like a stone.
"I'm not done talking to you!" The shrill voice of Etheria shrieked at her.
"You've done enough," Marco met her gaze. "Now, I request that you leave my Star alone."
"How dare you—"
"That is an order!" the king turned on his royal voice, the one he used when sitting on the throne or working on Star's behalf, "Or I will have my guard usher you out." The aunt glared at the king but said nothing because Marco severely outranked her. Gathering Felicity with a beckon of her hand, they disappeared without a word.
Star felt Marco sigh but kept a firm hold on her. "Star," she smiled at how the vibration of his voice rippled through his chest. "Don't listen to her. You're gonna rule Mewni your way—and you're doing a good job already. Just focus on everyone who's in your corner."
"Okay," she breathed. They broke their hug and smiled at each other. No matter if the world was against them, Star and Marco always had each other's backs. Their moment was interrupted by Manfred, who tapped on his watch, "You have a one o'clock meeting, my Queen."
There was an old saying from Earth that there were two inevitable facets of life: death and taxes. For the Queen of Mewni, meetings were added to the mix. Long, boring meetings about anything from policy to what color the tablecloths should be for the next royal ball. Grin and bear it, Star reminded herself while fixing the bejeweled crown on her head. Looking over her notes, she realized that her one o'clock appointment was a townhall meeting. Nothing like hearing her subjects whine and complain like children for hours and hours. Marco was way better at these kinds of things; he had enough patience to wait for her to sort out her feelings, after all. However, as queen, Star bore the responsibility to be present for her people and to know about the affairs of the realm. At the door of the throne room, she paused and exhaled slowly to summon the courage to face the crowd on the other side.
"May all rise to welcome Her Majesty, Queen Star of Mewni!" Manfred announced as the doors opened to the tone of trumpet fanfare. The Kingsguard standing at the door kneeled before their queen, as did all of the guests in the room. It was hard to not roll her eyes at the pomp and circumstance; it wasn't her style. Why did she have to be treated so differently? She was still just Star. No need to kiss her feet for merely existing.
Making her way down the red aisle, Star sat on her throne. The new version looked similar to the last: a giant chair with a pale-blue back panel that was perched on a platform. But Star, being herself, added a few new perks to update the royal seat. Comfy cushions lined the back and armrests because being a royal did not mean sacrificing comfort. There was also a seat warmer for the cold days, a cup holder for beverages, and a reclining function that was only used during the longest meetings. Adjusting a star-shaped pillow behind her back for the ultimate lumbar support, she settled in for what would be a long day. Already, her subjects had taken their seats at long tables in the room and were munching on the free snacks provided.
"I thank all of you for coming to this townhall today," Star spoke in regal "queen voice" when everyone took their seats. Each pair of eyes looked at her expectantly, itching to bombard Star with a million questions. Let the fun begin…she inwardly groaned a little, but said aloud, still gracefully poised, "As you know, this meeting is an open session for all of your concerns. So, let's get to it. Who wants the floor first?"
"I do," a hand shot up out of the crowd, wasting no time to get the meeting started. Rising to his feet, a Mewman in a full suit and tie stood up from the center table, adjusting his cuffs. "Good day, Your Majesty, I represent the Racing Organization that spans across the Kingdoms of Mewni. A few days ago, you, King Marco, and Prince Thomas successfully defeated the menacing pack of hellhounds that terrorized my associate's farm. On his behalf, I thank you for your service."
A round of applause erupted from the room which made Star's heart swell. It was nice having recognition for all the stuff she did for the kingdom, and the thought of adventure made her long for more. She made a mental note to ask Higgs if there were any outstanding missions that needed attention. The idea of a quest sent Star into Daydream Land, and she nearly missed an important question in front of her. Goodbye sexy Marco in a tent, she shoved the nice thought away and nodded for the guest to speak.
"Your Majesty, it is an honor to be in your presence," a female Mewman bowed. "I am a third-generation farmer at the edge of your kingdom and the Lucitor's. Have always been on that land too. Recently, I received a notice from King Lucitor that I need to pay taxes to him since the land is right on the border. But my family has never had this happen, and it isn't fair if I have to pay two kingdoms' worth of taxes."
Star narrowed her eyes, thinking about options to deal with the situation. Why should the farmer suddenly have to pay taxes to the Lucitors? Ugh, that means I'll have to deal with Dave, the thought of negotiating with one of her most infamous detractors made Star's skin crawl. Thinking it over for a minute more, she asked, "Is more of your land on one side of the border versus the other?"
The farmer shook her head, "I had a surveyor come and the land is fifty-fifty on both kingdoms."
Star rubbed her chin, "Until I talk with the Lucitors, I will waive any taxes you owe the Butterfly family. As for what will happen in the future is up to what I can negotiate with King Lucitor." Note, bring this up with Tom the next time I see him, she funneled that idea away for later. The farmer, satisfied with the response, bowed then sat down for the next person to stand.
The next few hours dragged on with complaints, arguments, and other special requests for Star to sort through. Townhalls were not that hard to deal with; listening and using common cured most of the issues. Especially since most of the subjects only cared about trading deals, land rights, and petty family matters. One of the more memorable cases of the day involved a merchantwoman with two lovers from two different kingdoms. Apparently, she became pregnant and the two men were fighting over the paternity of the unborn child.
"It's my child; she was with me last!" A Mewman male roared at a Waterfolk man armed with a trident. The knights had to step in to prevent bloodshed, while the woman looked on from the corner, saying nothing. Star studied the scene, feeling the need to tread lightly since emotions were already high. While observing the commotion in silence, she relayed the information to Marco, who was at a meeting with the princes. "Hmm…" She could picture Marco scratching his fuzzy chin, as he often did while deep in thought. "Well, there's not much you can do until the baby is born. Have you gotten a testimony from the woman?"
"Sadly, no, she won't talk," Star's eyes fell on the silent woman looking on. What would make her open up? There was the boring way with legal proceedings or the long game with waiting for the child to be born—neither were viable. Suddenly, Star had an idea and Marco agreed that it was a good one. Clearing her throat, the queen stood up and bade everyone to listen to her words, "I have been thinking, and dear merchantwoman, I ask you to describe each of your lovers."
The woman went into great detail about the Waterfolk man, waxing poetically about how he was her best friend across all the dimensions. "You're dead on with this," Marco marveled, listening to the speech replay in Star's mind as it happened. "How did you know?"
"Simple," she replied to him with a smile. "It's basically my old dating situation just kicked up a few notches." When the evidence had been sufficiently compiled, the queen made her decision. "I can't predict with a thousand percent accuracy who's the father of the child," she began. "But I can tell that the merchantwoman has a deeper attachment to the Waterfolk man, so I think it would be best for her to be honest with both of them. Because I know what it's like to be in love with two different guys—or think that you are. In the end, keeping secrets is only going to hurt them both, and if you love someone you shouldn't be doing that."
People were moved to tears by the queen's words, even the fighting men smiled at each other. It really wasn't a revolutionary thought, but one Star struggled with as a teenager. Facing her true feelings was the only way for genuine peace between her, Marco, and Tom. Though it sucked for all three of them at the moment, they were the best of friends now. The merchantwoman gazed upon her two lovers and told them that they needed to talk in private. My work here is done, Star grinned inwardly.
When the trio left the throne room, Manfred bowed before the throne, "My Queen, your four o'clock meeting is in ten minutes." Oh right! The queen hopped off the royal chair, feeling a second wind after listening to drama in the townhall. Her four o'clock was the most important meeting of the day, how could she almost forget?
"Excuse me," she cleared her throat to stifle a yawn, "I have to take this but thank you for bringing your concerns, and I hope things are resolved as much as possible." Thunderous applause and trumpet fanfare erupted from all sides of the room, signaling the end of another successful meeting.
By the time the clock tolled in the town's bell tower, Star found herself on the far side of the castle grounds in one of her favorite places—the royal stables. What castle was complete without one? The stables formed a grand complex that included several barns' worth of stalls, riding arenas, and sprawling, green pastures full of warnicorns. Grooms were busy preening and washing a group of them, which Star recognized as the horses of the Kingsguard. They were big, dark, draft-type mounts with stark white feathering around their hooves and silvery manes. It was unusual to see the whole fleet being prepared at once, though it probably meant that Higgs had the guard assembled for a training exercise. In the paddock next to them, Sir Runs-A-Lot and a group of geldings were eating alfalfa hay off of melting snow in the afternoon sun. Star gave her favorite horse a kiss on the nose when she passed him.
Today's meeting, however, brought her to the racing barn. Although the Butterflys were known more for their war horses than racers, there were a few notable examples in the royal stables, and one of them would have the honor of carrying the queen to victory in the Queen's Cup. At the entrance to the racing complex, the stablemaster greeted Star with a bow, "It is always an honor to have the Queen grace the royal stables."
"Uh…any time," Star stuttered in surprise when he kissed her hand. There was only one pair of lips that was free to touch her skin, but protocol meant that many men had to perform the gesture. Brushing that moment away, she told the stablemaster, "I'm here to find the right horse for the race."
The short, little man clasped his hands together, "Ah, yes, follow me. I have plenty of prospects that I know will amaze you, Your Grace." As they toured the barn, Star listened to the man explain the history of the facilities and the breed of horse she would ride. They were called Windracers, known for the perfect mix of speed, endurance, and beauty. It was said that they were the first type of unicorns tamed by ancient monster tribes and were prized above all possessions. At the conclusion of the tour, the stablemaster and Star made their way to a large field with folding chairs in the middle. There, they sat and enjoyed a great procession of grooms and racehorses from which Star would choose.
Once seated, the stablemaster motioned for the first Windracer to come forth. "Now," he leaned over to tell the queen, "This horse is the perfect balance of grace and functionality. He is Thunderstorm Rolling Through the Night Life, or Night, as is his stable name." His long name made Star laugh as she forgot that racing names were often ridiculous, but the colt was indeed stunning. He was a black three-year-old with a slender gray horn and one white sock. When he pranced before the queen, he neighed loudly, shaking his mane. Tapping her chin, Star gave the horse a good study.
"Is he not fine enough for you, my Queen?" The stablemaster began to worry when a few moments passed.
"Well, I'm not just going to take the first horse I see," Star replied. Marco always told her to wait for more options before jumping on one. The Mewman nodded at the argument and summoned the next one.
"Here is Corn Husker's Rebellion Storm, or Husker," he pointed at a palomino with a white blaze on his face. "Four years old and has already won five intense championships."
"Flashy, but nah," Star concluded. There was something about him that didn't draw her in. After an hour of showing about thirty colts and fillies, Star began to slump over bored on her creaking plastic chair. How could she own so many horses and not find one worth riding? It wasn't like any of them were bad, in fact, they were all perfect. Maybe that's the issue, she realized. Star wanted a horse like her: a messy, strong-willed, underdog of a beast that will knock off everyone's socks when they crossed the finish line first.
"Is there anyone else?" Star asked the stablemaster, who sighed in defeat. Sorry to rain on your pretty pony parade, the queen placed a hand on his shoulder. Though she didn't mean it, a queen saying no to all of his animals looked more like a rejection of him.
"There is one more colt," the stablemaster snapped his fingers. Trotting beside another handler came a horse that made Star's mouth drop. He was a beautiful bright, reddish-brown—or a blood bay—with black stockings on his well-formed, slender legs, and a matching black horn on his head. On his withers, right at the end of his night-black mane, a white swish of fur formed a dramatic crescent moon on his shoulder.
"So… pretty," Star whispered, her noise causing the horse to tilt his head slightly to look at her. And he notices me!
The stablemaster smiled at her positive reaction, "This is a special horse. When you and the king disappeared from Mewni, Queen Moon regularly came down to the stables to watch the new foals. On the night he was born, the Blood Moon rose over the distant horizon, shining its light over a single point. We never knew why this happened, but Moon named the colt Blood Moon's Fiery Light in honor of what happened."
"Whoa…" the royal breathed in awe. Of course, Star knew what happened; it was the night she and Marco found out about their destiny in the mountains. To think her mother saw the Blood Moon too while watching the colt's birth made Star feel both touched and ashamed for running off. But there was plenty of time to self-loathe later, now she had to focus on finding a racing champion. "What's his name?" She asked the stablemaster with excitement.
"We call him Moon but—"
"I'll take him!" Star stood up.
"But he's unraced!" Star heard the stablemaster's voice in the distance as she went over to her chosen steed. He nickered when she patted his neck, which made Star love him even more. The stablemaster begged her to take another horse instead but, when Star Butterfly made up her mind it was final.
She poofed the saddle Marco had given her on the colt's back, which he accepted perfectly. Her gift shifted into a general-purpose riding saddle with a matching black bridle and reins. I'm thinking mahogany on this fella, Star tapped her chin and the saddle responded by changing color. "Okay, Marco, this is the coolest gift I've gotten from you yet!" She took the time to squeal to her husband. "Anything for you, Star," he replied.
Against the wishes of the stablemaster, Star climbed on the horse and held on when the colt showed a small protest. At least he didn't rear or buck, which meant he would be a reliable match for the ordeal ahead. The Queen's Cup was one of the most grueling races in Mewni, so Star needed a horse who was not only fast but hardy. Now, it was time to see what Moon was made of.
Clicking her tongue, Star got him to move in a circle, testing his legs. Once satisfied, she kicked his sides to spur Moon into a breakneck gallop, sending him out of the stable complex and into the town. They raced through the busy town square, weaving in and out of the terrified yet starstruck crowd. When a cart full of cabbages rolled onto the path, Moon naturally jumped over them without prompting from Star. Good boy! She patted his neck when he ran through pens of scared livestock without spooking. And dependable too!
Where else should she take him? There were many places in the dimension they could go, but a special horse required a special venue. And Star knew just where. She cut open a portal—which Moon did not react to—and through it, they made it to her meadow. Alongside the various bars in the Waterfolk dimension, the meadow was the only place where Star could go to escape the great pressures of royal life. It was among the rainbow of wildflowers that Star solidified her relationship with Marco, made him her prince, and spent many nights with him under the sparkling spread of stars. Those nights, by far, were her favorites. What drew her here would forever be as mysterious as the Blood Moon, but it was her home away from home. The one place where they could be just Star and Marco, not Queen and King.
In the wintertime, the secret meadow bore a different mood. The summer wildflowers were gone, leaving smaller, muted grasses, and winter roots to dominate the landscape. Even though most of the snow had been long melted by the sun, a few clumps lingered where the shade protected them. The bare branches of the trees surrounding the field revealed the depths of the forest, though the evergreens kept some secrets as hidden as always.
Moon bobbed his head in excitement, nostrils flaring from the wonderful scents around him. "Like it?" The rider asked when she slowed him down into a gentle walk. A couple of blackbirds darted from a clump grass in front of them, startling Moon and Star for a second. "Ignore that," she giggled, petting his thick neck though he hardly needed the reassurance. I think that's enough, she climbed off and removed the tack so he could relax. After proving himself worthy, Moon deserved the rest of the day off to graze.
With him nearby, Star laid down in the grass and watched the fluffy clouds lazily float by as she breathed deeply. From the lungful of fresh air, layers of stress rolled off and were replaced by the fragrance of the flora around her. There was also another scent that filled Star's nose, and she knew without looking that there was a visitor.
"So, is this him?" She lifted head to see Marco watching Moon approach him. The horse's ears swiveled towards the royal with deep curiosity then bobbed his head in seeming approval.
The scene made her laugh, "He's great, isn't he? His name is Moon—after the Blood Moon and my mom—which is totally cool. I think he's gonna be a winner."
"He is nice," Marco scratched the horse's nose, considering her words. "But can I trust him to keep you safe? That race sure does sound scary…."
"Well, you gotta trust him," Star flipped over onto her stomach. "Unless you wanna trade places…"
When her husband frowned in confusion, she giggled and sent him mental pictures that made him blush. "I walked right into that one," he groaned as she laughed.
Star rose to her feet and whispered something to Moon, pretending to engage in a conversation with him. She could feel the confusion from Marco, but she kept up the charade for a moment longer. "Ah, yes," she turned to Marco, "Moon says you shouldn't worry because your wife is an excellent rider and he is a great horse."
"Did he really say that?" He rolled his eyes. Even the horse eyed Star in deep suspicion. Don't make me reconsider, bub.
"Of course, Marco. Now stop worrying." She took his hand and gave it a good squeeze. He reminded her that it was his job to worry about her safety, especially since the Queen of Mewni wasn't exactly replaceable. "You won't need to replace me; I'm not going anywhere," she grinned at him. "And neither are you."
His side of the bond reacted to her comment with confusion, but before he could say anything, Star tackled him to the ground. Moon backed away in surprise, leaving the couple to make out while laying in each other's arms. They pulled apart, breathless from kissing for so long, and Marco made the suggestion that they stay out here for a while. "All night?" Star's eyes lit up at the possibility. The winter constellations were perfect this time a year and, of course, the cold air was excellent for cuddling….
"I'll stay if we don't have to lay on the cold ground," Marco answered her thoughts, sending his own personal desires to her. Oooh…She blushed and instantly whipping up a tent—complete with a heated sleeping bag and their favorite racing videogame. When asked if heated sleeping bags were a real thing, she shrugged, "They are now." Perhaps they could sell them; they would come in handy for hiking in the mountains. Filing that idea away for a later venture, she dragged Marco into their dwelling in complete eagerness to get tonight started. Moon snorted and shook his mane. People were weird.
"Star? Are you in here?" Marco opened the door of their bedroom, which had been left slightly ajar. As usual, the room was empty and dark, which meant that Star was off with Pony Head and Kelly bar crawling. Relax, Star can handle herself, he forced himself to exhale slowly. It didn't help that it had been a long day full of filing the queen's mountain of paperwork and following up with the attendees from her last townhall. Most of the cases had been adequately resolved, but he was still waiting for a statement from the Lucitors about the tax situation. Still nothing after a week, Marco shook his head, making a note to ask Tom about how that was going. The hope for tonight was that Star would be here and the pair could have a nice night in. Their TV cabinet had tons of unwatched movies in it.
Sitting on the bed, the laser dogs—who had been dozing in a corner—bounded over to surround the king with licks of comfort. It was amazing to see how large they had grown since Star first created them. And still caused trouble, Marco chuckled to himself, remembering how they chased livestock at an auction on their last outing into town. Sajak was the unofficial leader of the group and caused the most mayhem, making him Star's favorite. Right now, the favored dog had climbed on the bed and rested his head on Marco's lap.
"Do you think I'm overly worried, Sajak?" Marco scratched the dog's ears. "I know Star can handle herself, but what if she's doing too much? She could get sick." The dog blinked at him as if to say, "I'm hungry, Marco." Looking at the clock, the king realized that it was dinnertime for the dogs, so he decided to take care of their needs now and shoved his thoughts away for later.
After the dogs were fed and let outside, Marco noticed that almost no time had passed at all and his restless feelings still remained strong. Why do I feel like something major is about to happen? It was similar to the cryptic dreams about the Blood Moon when he was still a prince. Star wasn't in trouble—that he knew, but…he still felt weird. That's it; Marco had to find something to do because he was seriously going crazy. I wonder if Tom is available for bro-talk?
Even the act of calling his best friend made Marco feel better. There was a lot he needed to unload on someone and, if anyone knew the inner workings of Star, it was her twice ex-boyfriend. The mirror revealed that Tom was sitting on his bed, watching a demon soap opera—an odd choice for the prince. Seeing Marco made him blush and shut off the TV in embarrassment, "Uh…I can explain…."
Marco smirked, stifling a laugh, "Didn't think you were into that."
"Says the guy who watches dramas with his wifey. The literal definition of lame," Tom teased to recover a bit of pride, but they both knew that their ribbing didn't mean anything. "Anyways, what's up? It's a bit late for royal stuff."
"Wanna play some videogames?" Marco asked. "I've got nothing else to do."
"Not going out to get hammered with Starship?" Though the demon meant it in a playful way, Marco scowled. Seeing that his joke didn't go over well, Tom got up, "Lemme guess? Star issues are the real reason you're calling me—not just for me to come over and kick your digital butt for the millionth time."
"I'm not that bad at videogames," the king insisted, completely ignoring Tom's first comment.
"The only person worse than you is Star," Tom pointed out. "Well, on the way then."
In an instant, the demon prince appeared with a bundle of his favorite games and snacks. It was time for broship therapy. They spent the next four hours playing their favorite mix of fighting and shooting games while consuming bag after bag of junk food, and talking about their relationships. "Ever think Starship is partying a lot because she feels like growing up will make her lose part of herself?" Tom suggested while hurling a grenade at an oncoming war elephant in the game.
Marco stopped playing and considered that for a second, "What made you say that?"
"Dated her twice, knew her most of her life—not rubbing it in or anything," Tom never took his eyes off the game but glanced at Marco with his third. "She ran from her royal duties for ages. Not surprised if she's feeling the same right now."
"My wife isn't a man-child."
"Never said it as a bad thing, Marco. It's just that Starship needs some extra support from all of us. I don't blame her though. I always get concerned that when it's time for me to be a king that I can't do my cool 'Tom stuff.'"
Marco chuckled at his friend, "So hanging out with me and playing videogames is off the table then?" Tom's character in the game was stabbed in the back by the leader of the troll clan and the demon groaned.
"Dang it!" He growled, but said in a normal voice to Marco, "Yeah, exactly. Plus being king means that I'll have to fix the crap my dad did, then I'd have to ask Janna to marry me…that's gonna be fun to deal with my family on. But you see the point? Growing up sucks and Star is probably afraid of becoming her mom—no offense to the former queen—but we both know that Star would rather die than become like that."
Thinking about departed his mother-in-law made Marco's heart sink, but he knew Tom was right. Helping Star find balance would be important. She liked adventure and having fun yet was stuck in such a boring job at a young age. It reminded him of something she had said on their first date many moons ago. Before coming to Earth, she used to tame unicorns because it gave her the chance to be a normal teen instead of a princess groomed for the throne. It was a classic case of missed childhood, and it didn't help that she had to become queen at fifteen and marry at sixteen. She doesn't regret the latter part at least, Marco tried his best to be a good husband without being overbearing. Or at least he hoped it came across that way. I'm going to find some way to make things better for her, he vowed. When was the last time we had a full day of silly fun?
He turned to share his thoughts with Tom when Star stumbled through a portal and crashed on their snack bowl, spilling corn chips all over the ground. The boys paused the game, saying nothing though Tom's eyes twitched when Star crawled onto Marco's lap and closed her eyes with a pained groan. Well, this is awkward…public displays of affection weren't his thing, and, boy, did she stink. No offense to the love of his life, but the pungent, sharp scents of alcohol, her body odor, and greasy foods made Marco want to push her off more than his own embarrassment. But comforting his wife overrode such instincts.
"I…don't feel so good…" She clutched her stomach as if stabbed. No one could have foreseen what happened next. All of a sudden, Star's mouth opened, and projectile vomit shot all over Marco's chest and everything within a three-foot radius. Why is this so glittery? For some reason that was the only thought in his mind—not how disgusting it was to be covered in barf. This was far from the first time for Marco, but poor Tom was nearly beside himself.
After five minutes, there was a break in the action and Star rolled off of Marco, just to the left of a pool of her filth. To say she was ill was an understatement, her face was positively green and her cheekmarks morphed into skulls. Even during her worst drunken escapades, she was never this sick.
"Marco…round two is coming," she warned in a low voice. Oh crap, "Tom, take Star to the bathroom," he summoned the prince, who was barely able to keep it together, "I'm going to get some mops."
Grumbling under his breath, Tom scooped Star in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. I owe him one, big time, Marco shuddered at the sound of his wife puking in the toilet. At least this was a onetime occurrence.
Except that night became the rule and not the exception. Since then, every single night, Star would randomly appear after bar hopping, throw up everywhere, then crawl into bed like nothing happened. It got to the point that Marco kept cleaning supplies in their room—that way he avoided attracting strange looks from the servants. It's still not as bad as when they used to catch me sneaking out of Star's room at night. Those were the days…being young and needy, though he and Star still were.
On this particular morning, Star had spent so much of the previous night being sick that she was too lethargic to get out of bed. Her beautiful blue eyes that usually sparkled were dull and weak. It surely was a pitiful sight. After getting dressed in his king attire, he kissed her forehead and wished her well through the bond since they had agreed that Marco should tackle Star's appointments for the day, so she could recover. And she better rest too. Telling his queen to sit still was like caging a wild tiger.
What am I going to do with her? Marco sighed, adjusting his black suit jacket. It was amazing to think that his father's old suit—which he borrowed for the Blood Moon Ball—would become the basis for his king outfit. In fact, who would imagine that Marco Diaz, Safe Kid from Earth, would marry a queen and become the king of another dimension? Passing by a mirror in the hall, he stared at his reflection. In a lot of ways, he looked the same besides the cheekmarks and the thin layer of peach fuzz on his chin. Yet to his subjects, he was Star's dashing king: champion for the commoner and general of her armies. How do they see that in me? He was still a scared kid….
"Good morning, Marco!" The royal was so deep in thought that his father-in-law's greeting nearly gave Marco a heart attack. Luckily, a hearty slap on the back is the Mewnian equivalent of a defibrillator and is a hundred percent effective. River was dressed in a leafy loincloth for hunting with brown striped painted on his arms. Since stepping down from being Mewni's monarch, the Johansen spent his free time hunting, partying, and helping out the new royals as much as he could. Though River was a goofball, often throwing elaborate parties that made him clash with the Butterflys, he still had plenty of good advice about being king and dealing with Star. The latter was much needed today.
River scratched his beard for a second, "You look smartly dressed today. Are you taking over Star's policy meeting then? I know she's been under the weather."
Marco nodded, "River, I just worried about her constant need to party until she's wasted each night. Is she that unhappy?"
Her father considered his words for a second, then sighed, "Marco, my boy, let me tell you a story." River sat on the marble floor and motioned for his son-in-law to do the same. I hope it's not a long one, Marco glanced at his watch but saw that he had the time to indulge. Once seated, the old warrior began, "This reminds me of another young royal, and you'll never guess who it was…"
A few moments of silence passed, and River sighed, "You were supposed to guess there, son."
"Oh," Marco felt like a total idiot. "Was it you?"
"CORRECT!" Marco winced when River slapped his already sore back again. "Me! I remember what it was like to be Moon's newly appointed king. My family's kingdom is a minor one in comparison to the others of the realm: not magically gifted like the Cloud Kingdom, or prestigious like the Lucitor Kingdom, or rich like the Pigeon Kingdom, or full of resources like the Spiderbite and Waterfolk Kingdoms. The Johansens arose to power relatively recently—descending from a loyal band of berserkers who fought on behalf of the Butterfly family. All this is to say that I never had a lot of responsibilities as a prince."
He paused for a second, then continued, "Then I married Moon and, bam, I actually have to do things! Star is a lot like me—I bet you could tell—she loves adventure and having fun, but there's nothing fun about being queen. It was hard for me to adjust to being king. Instead of hanging out with friends and whatnot, I had to go to stupid meetings and blah. Moon took to her role perfectly—or so it appeared to anyone who didn't know her. But the crown was a burden, even to her."
"Really?" Marco met River's eyes. Moon had always seemed so regal and on top of things when she was alive, hence her title "The Undaunted." River nodded solemnly, "Moonpie was young when she became queen—just like you and Star. It changed her. She had to put on a tough persona to end the monster war and earn the respect of the neighboring kingdoms, but that isn't entirely who she was. I worry about what the strain of the crown will do to my Star."
I do too, Marco silently agreed. He felt River clasp his hand to his shoulder gently, "But I know you and Star well enough to expect good things from you. The two of you have each other's backs, and you have a great support system. I just hope the burdens of your new roles don't change you."
The two shared a meaningful glance before going their separate ways. River's words echoed over and over in Marco's mind. In all of the whirlwind of his royal life, the young king never reflected on how the job impacted Star. Or me, Marco rubbed his chin, thinking about how much change it had brought to his life. However, as usual, there was little time to soul search for Marco had reached the throne room.
The usual royal flourish greeted the king, and all those assembled ceased their chatter and bowed as he passed. Star's right—this is kinda weird, he inwardly remarked, his gaze swept over the room. Once seated on the throne, everyone got up and resumed their idle conversations. It was not yet noon, and Star was insistent on not starting meetings early, unlike a certain someone. I don't get what's the point of that, Marco shook his head, but he knew not to second-guess his queen.
In front of him, the monarchs, advisors, and other important members of Mewnian society were seated by royal house. The middle two tables held the Butterfly and Lucitor families since both were extremely powerful and shared the closest alliance. A bit too close at times. On either side of them sat, in descending order, the royal houses of the Johansen, Cloud, Spiderbite, and Waterfolk kingdoms. From the snippets Marco managed to catch over the constant white noise, all was well across the realms. No famines, civil wars, or other mayhem. Looks like Star and I are doing a good job, he smiled, relaying the information to his sick wife.
At the foot of the throne platform, was the table of honor where the most prominent and closest advisors to the Queen sat. The honor used to belong to the Magic High Commission, but after learning the truth about what they had done to Eclipsa's monster lover, Star's trust in them waned. They now shared a table behind the royal houses, their jealous glares were noted by the king. Instead, a new commission, hand-chosen by Star and Marco, graced the table of honor. The job of the "Star Commission," as it was dubbed, involved providing guidance and advise to the royal couple, and execute orders on their behalf.
"Heya, King Dorko," Jackie, the head of the Earth-Mewni Relations committee, flagged him down. "Are we ready to start? I have class in an hour." Beside her, Kelly, who represented minor principalities and allied dimensions, Tom, Pony Head, and Janna, who was the unofficial Princess of the Underworld, waved as well. Seeing his friends play such a large part in shaping the future of the kingdom made Marco's heart swell with pride. Looking at his watch, he noticed that it was finally noon-on-the-dot and he waved his hand to silence the room.
"Kings and Queens, Lords and Ladies, and other esteemed people of Mewni," he stood up, delivering the customary greeting as the crowd quieted down. "I thank you for attending today's meeting. Our gracious Queen is ill today, so I am speaking on her behalf as her King and most trusted advisor." Marco noticed a few glares from his in-laws and the Lucitors, but he ignored them as usual. It had been almost two years since he married Star, and he had no idea why they were still sore about it.
Clearing his throat, Marco continued regardless, "As you all know, my wife is the champion of rights for all of the citizens of Mewni, be they Pony Heads or demons or Waterfolk or Mewmans or Monsters. Therefore—" He snapped his fingers and summoned a scroll Star had spent weeks working on for this meeting. It was thoroughly her idea, though Marco helped with researching laws and other helpful information.
Opening the royal document, Marco read the words on the scroll: "Citizens of Mewni, it has come to my attention, as the Queen and Royal Protector of Mewni and all her allied kingdoms, that Monsters are not allotted their fair share of land and legal representation. This land was theirs before the arrival of the settlers, so it is only fair that they are included in Mewnian society."
The middle part of the document—Marco's contribution—described how poorer Monster farmland was prone to famine and erosion, and laws that prevented them from having representation. Unfortunately, no one else shared Marco's love of statistics and minute details, and many of the attendees were struggling to stay awake. Fine, he scowled, I'll skip the next few paragraphs and get to the point. "In light of these findings," he stressed the words to signal that the sleeping crowd should pay attention. "I, Star Butterfly, Queen of Mewni, Inheritor of the Butterfly Throne, and Protector of the Allied Realms, hereby decree that townhalls are now opened to Monsters. Also, I shall allot an additional fifteen percent of available, unused farmland to Monsters who need them, as well."
Closing the scroll, Marco braced himself for a storm of reactions. For the most part, the news was met with indifference from the older members of the royal houses and enthusiasm from the younger ones. That was the typical response to anything Star did. Before Marco could close the meeting and thank the universe for letting things go smoothly, a single hand shot up from the Butterfly table. Of course…but as this was a meeting, Marco had to reply to whatever question or concern his in-law had.
"Yes, Heartrude Butterfly," Marco kept his tone flat. The royal stood up from his seat with the other members of the family backing him.
"My dear King," Heartrude gave a half-hearted bow, one even Higgs could outdo. "I wonder if the words on the scroll are actually the Queen's and not yours."
Resisting the urge to slap his forehead—which was very unprofessional for a king to do—Marco forced himself to stay calm at Heartrude's stupid comment. Of course, it was her words—the fight for Monster Rights was something Star had heavily been involved with since she was fourteen. "Yes, they are," Marco replied curtly. Now let's move on.
The Butterfly royal tapped his chin, clearly not satisfied, "Just wondering because that boring middle section didn't sound like my niece at all. You know kings aren't supposed to be involved in writing policy—that's the queen's job." And it surely isn't yours either, Marco held his tongue. So, he helped Star rule her kingdom, why was that a bad thing? They were doing a great job, his in-laws should be thrilled.
"Besides," another member of the family stood up. "You didn't consult us on these matters, my King."
"It's not like Star and I did this in secret," Marco's voice carried a hint of challenge. "We consulted the heads of the farming commissions, local leaders of both Mewman and Monster towns, and the Star Commission on making sure things were fair for all involved. The figures for the land take into account the advancements in agricultural practices from better Earth equipment." So, deal with it, the king's brown eyes met the royal in a heated glare.
"You still didn't consult us," the same person grumbled.
"But I don't have to," the entire room turned to see Star in her royal attire leaning against the doorway. Pony Head whispered to Janna that the meeting was finally getting interesting, but otherwise, everyone was shocked. "I'm feeling okay enough to teach my family a lesson," she shot Marco a reply the millisecond he expressed concerns about her being out of bed. Manfred was about to salute her with a trumpet blast, but she placed a hand firmly on the bell, "Not right now, Manfred." Turning her attention to Heartrude, she marched straight over to him and poked his chest.
"As Queen, my word is law, whether delivered from my mouth or through whoever I choose to represent me," her tone was ice-cold, making her uncle flinch. "And who I consult is up to my discretion." Backing away from her family, she joined Marco's side and took his hand. His wife stood proud and strong, like a fierce warrior completely unafraid of anything. Including her family.
"I understand your concerns," she began. "I'm a young queen and Marco is Mewni's first non-Mewman king, but you have to trust us. These changes are for the good of everyone in the kingdom." "So, just deal with it, Rebel Queen is in charge," she added privately to Marco. The Butterflys looked like they were going to counter for a second, but decided to back down, making the king sigh in relief. There were times when he saw the same poised yet fearless gaze in Star's eyes that reminded him of Moon. She would have been so proud.
With that awkward standoff resolve, the meeting was adjourned before anything else could happen. "Oooh, girl," Pony Head giggled, flying over to her bestie's side with a grin, "You really laid the law dooown today."
Star shrugged, "Someone has to put on their queen leggings every once and a while." The friend group gathered around, and Marco could tell that his wife had an elaborate plan to celebrate over a carefree afternoon in the Waterfolk bar scene. Remembering River's words, he agreed that her idea could be fun. "As long as you're up to it," Marco nodded to her as she pitched the idea to everyone.
"You know I'm in for a good time," Pony did a flip in the air. Without warning, she swiped Marco's dimensional scissors from his pocket and sliced open a portal.
"You could have asked, y'know," he grumbled as he snatched them from her mouth. Kelly, Star, and Pony Head were the first ones to leave with Tom following not too far behind. Marco was about to join them when he saw Jackie, who was also wild about all things party related, hang back. She sighed, glancing at the time on her cell phone, "I'll join up later because I have a lab and can't miss that. But, I know you guys will still be around."
Janna was about to sneak off with her boyfriend, but the college student dragged her back. "You too, Janna." Marco waved goodbye and turned toward the portal. Try to have fun, exhaling slowly, he shoved his million cares away.
Where am I? Star found herself walking through a cold, dark hallway that looked like a combination of a cave and a random room in the castle. Earlier, she had been out clubbing with her friends until her tummy decided that eleven-thirty was late enough. In an ideal world, she started to feel queasy after getting thoroughly drunk and not before. I'll look into what's wrong when I wake up, stomach bugs lasted no more than a week, but this illness was entering its third week. Maybe Marco was right about her partying too hard. However, right now, the queen had to figure out what was going on in the dream world.
I'm pretty sure there isn't an Explore-the-Cave room in the castle, Star went over the multitude of new additions to the castle to make sure. When her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, she made out the shapes of paintings knocked sideways, ripped tapestries, and other debris that littered the ground. She found out about the latter the hard way when she tripped on a section of brick and nearly landed face first onto the hard floor. Nice catch! Star smirked as she landed in a perfect pushup position. Arm Day sure came in handy, from wielding swords and wands to basic survival. There was no time to brag about her superior warrior abilities because she had to get out of this creepy place.
Ugh, another cryptic dream, she groaned in realization. Sleep should be fun, not informative. Star remembered the weird Blood Moon dreams she used to have when she was still a princess. Even after discovering the Dance of the Sun and Star—the prophecy about her and Marco—and defeating Eclipsa, Star could not help but feel that there was more to do. The question was why did she feel that way? Eclipsa was dead, Meteora and Mina were long gone….
"Or so you think." An all too familiar voice echoed throughout the halls with a playful laugh. Suddenly, the dreamscape shifted from the eerie hallway to the old Butterfly throne room from the day of the great battle. The walls that were usually adorned with tapestries and paintings were crumpled in ruins and, mixed into the broken stone below, were the rainbow shards of broken stained-glass windows. All around Star were other signs of battle: broken weapons, pools of scarlet blood, and burn marks. Her eyes locked onto the throne in front of her in deep dread that made the young queen's blood freeze to ice. A pair of dark pink spades blazed from the shadows around the throne, illuminating a face from Star's worst nightmares.
"How dare you show up here, Eclipsa!" Star spat, dropping into a fighting stance. So, it was one of those dreams again—the one where she had to watch Moon die over and over in the hands of her evil granny. They happened way too many times, tormenting the darkest reaches of Star's mind. The worst part was reliving how the whole battle was her fault. It was Star who ran away from her kingdom and unwittingly completed Eclipsa's evil scheme by bringing Meteora back under the guise of helping the trial. I failed Mom….
No matter, Star wiped the hot, bitter tears from her eyes and dismissed the hollow feeling in her heart. She beat Eclipsa once and she could do it a million times over. Channeling deep rage, Star shot a beam out of her palms, blasting a hole just inches away from the dark queen's face.
"Oh," Eclipsa covered her mouth in surprise. "Is this how you treat your favorite 'cool granny?' I thought you would be glad to see me."
"Why?!" Star took a shaky step forward."You took my mother away from me!" Screaming with the bitter anguish of her soul, she exploded into her Butterfly form—not just her usual one but the special Blood Moon version. Her cheekmarks became little crescent moons, matching the ones that formed on her palms. Runes covered her six arms and glowed to create a blood red aura of wrath around her body. With a tremendous roar, Star launched herself at Eclipsa with red fists ready to levy a quick finishing blow. The dark queen coolly dodged her frantic blasts as if they were nothing more than mere inconveniences and grabbed Star by the wrists. The sensation shocked her to the core, so much so that she returned to normal. Star had felt flesh and bone—something that was not supposed to happen in an immaterial dream unless it was Marco joining her via the bond.
Sensing Star's confusion, Eclipsa laughed and let go, "That's right, dear, it's really me! I used the Strings of Fate to bridge a path to you."
"That's impossible! They're severed when you die," Star recoiled in shock.
Eclipsa simply shrugged, "I'm the most powerful queen in all of Mewni's history; I make my own rules."
The young royal narrowed her eyes, folding her arms with contempt. Things were different now; Star was a confident, young ruler, and was no longer Eclipsa's plaything. Standing proud and strong, she projected an air of regal grace and confidence. It made the older Butterfly smirk, "You remind me so much of your mother when I first met her. The Undaunted Queen—so bold."
Eclipsa then sat down and patted the ground beside her for Star to join. Naturally, the young queen refused, and the defiance made Eclipsa frown slightly, "I know I'm not your favorite person anymore, but you should trust me. I'm here to help because—"
"And why should I listen to you?!" Star snarled at her. "Look at what you did to me and my kingdom!"
"Oh, I know that," the dark queen's tone was very matter-of-fact tone as if she was dealing with a minor nuisance, "But we can hash that out later. I'm worried about how much you're going out and all of the stress of—"
"I have Marco to worry about me, thank you very much!" Star was completely done listening to her ancient foe, plus the sun would rise soon and there were plenty of things she had to do in the waking world.
As she turned to leave, Eclipsa let out a loud, impatient sigh, "Be that way then. You're so much like me and all. But I'm saying that your habits are not that good for the baby—"
"Eclipsa, would you just—" Then the words finally registered in Star's brain, making her eyes grow wide and her heart nearly stop. She stumbled backward while Eclipsa looked on. "What…did you just say…?" Star must have misheard because there was no way….
"Say what?" Eclipsa shrugged. "You are a stubborn girl, just like yours truly—"
"I meant about…a baby." The word felt so heavy and foreign on her tongue—like an inconceivable concept. No, it was a trick from Eclipsa to draw her in. It had to be!
The evil granny flashed an amused grin, "Oh, I know that face. You thought that your late-night nausea was just hangover puking and not morning sickness. And when was the last time Auntie Flow paid you a visit, hmm?"
"I don't have an Auntie Flo…"
"You know what I mean," Eclipsa's words made Star's mind whirl in panic. It had been a while since then—like before Stump Day and it should have happened by now. It skipped or something… Or every single word her granny said was true. And it was—all of the dots came together perfectly. Nononono, I'm only eighteen! What did she do?! This was way more than her usual "Starring up." This had such huge ramifications because of her family life and queen duties and Marco…. What was she going to tell him? They promised to not even touch this subject until they were twenty.
"You're lying," Star's weak accusation was easy to see through, so much so that Eclipsa's gaze softened in pity. She got up and placed a hand on her granddaughter's shoulder sympathetically, "I can see the Strings of Fate and believe me, I know what I saw. Look, I know you're afraid and all but—"
Star pulled away, trembling so much that she fell over with the room spinning like a top around her. It was true. The dream dissolved all around her into mist in the light of the morning sun. Rising sun…. At that, Star looked up and saw the same vision from the cave—a bright, blazing star dancing around a rising sun in the red light of the Blood Moon. Basking in the light near they two celestial bodies were a pair of small twinkling stars. How didn't I notice this before…?
"Tell Marco congratulations for me…" Eclipsa's voice giggled as the last of the dream faded away.
Star gasped as she woke up, shooting upright so quickly that the covers flew off of the bed. Her body was drenched in sweat which chilled her to the bone. Marco was already gone, his side of the bed neatly made—until Star disturbed the covers—with another of his love notes on the pillow. It's just a dream, Star, she reassured herself. None of that was real: not Eclipsa, not the baby…after all, dreams were just the subconscious mind's way of dealing with stress. That's what Marco told her. But when Star's stomach complained loudly with the ever-present feeling of wanting to puke, the queen knew that this wasn't something she could wish away or deny any longer.
Clutching her belly, Star steadied her breath enough for her to dip down into the Strings of Fate to get a look herself. In the black void, the great tangled web that bound all living souls together in the universe glowed like a blue galaxy of trillions of stars. In order to get anywhere with the investigation, Star dismissed the vast majority of the strings to focus on the ones connected to her. Around her body, the web shimmered in countless shades of blue, depending on the closeness Star had to a person. Dark blue ones signaled the deepest relationships between her and her friends and close family members, and the paler ones were her links to enemies or people she disliked. Like Etheria, she giggled at that. Of course, the brightest string of all was a deep, blood red—her Blood Moon bond to Marco. It was the string Star treasured more than anything in the universe. Focus, she dipped down even further and found what she was looking for swirling in her belly—a tiny, deep blue thread the grew brighter by the second.
Having seen enough, Star returned to the physical world shaking with a million emotions at once: fear, anxiety, and panic among them. And joy. Deep, excitable joy—that was the new one that emerging.
"I'm…pregnant."
Review Round-up
SugarQueen97- I think a lot of Starco stories tend to skew heavily towards Star and Marco getting together, and it's all "happily ever after." I'm not about that because relationships are hard, lol. There will definitely be good and bad times for the pair to go through in Dance. As for the bar scene, Star just wants to have fun and Marco stepped in more to prevent her from probably blasting the jerk away. This is the same girl who killed Toffee, after all.
InfiniteClockWise- Thanks! You'll definitely love where this will go too!
Aldal- And it's great to be back! Marco might act like a tough guy every now and then but he's still Star's dork. Nothing can change that, lol. There isn't going to be smut in this (I think you're referring to the bonus story after Ch 12 of Sign) unless someone wants to read it. Anyways, thanks for the read, and, yes, Star in a negligee is the image we all need (especially Marco).
AchingHeart2011- Welcome back yourself too and I'm glad to be back writing a big story again! As much as Marco is Star's best friend and lover, she still needs space to chill with her girl squad. Plus, parties aren't Marco's speed, he'd rather chill in the castle playing videogames or follow Star on quests. As for the writing schedule, don't worry, I'm good. The once a week a more a guideline to keep me working.
Star's Keyblade4114- Oh, you have no idea!
allen Vth- This is going to be a huge ride, so get hyped! I like to put a spin on episodes from the canon, so why not bring Stump Day into the mix? After all, that was the episode that Sign was based around.
SuicideGuy- Oh, it is back! Glad you're as excited as I am.
Jack Coffison- Thanks for the review and welcome back as well! My vision for Dance going forward is to have more of a balance between adventure and romance as Star and Marco are married, so no need for too much relationship drama on that end. As for the period of life the gang is in, I toyed with a time skip or picking up immediately after Sign, before settling on this. I think a lot of other fics pick up when Star and Marco are much older, but I find young adulthood (18-25) to be a very interesting time for most people. It's when people often have major identity crises and when life is it's most unstable. Therefore, a perfect launching point for Star and Marco, since they have to navigate normal people issues and the burden of running a kingdom.
To address your other points, I like the idea of Star hanging out with her other friends too. Even though Marco and Star share the strongest bond, it's healthy that they also hang with their other friends. So, interactions with Team Starco will definitely have a showcase in the story. Yes, Marco will have cool friend adventures too, especially with Tom and Kelly.
The Butterflys have never gotten used to their new in-law, sadly, and that will play a major role in the future arcs. Unfortunately, there's nothing Star and Marco can do about it, so they put up with it the best they can, especially since they are what's left of Moon. Luckily, the Diazes and River are awesome and expect more of Marco Jr.
As for the rest of the friend group, I like to imagine that Star becomes closer to them for moral support since a large portion of her family sucks I threw StarFan in here more as an homage to Stump Day the episode, but I'll try to have her show up for more than that when it fits. Jackie and Kelly are going to become very important forces for both Star and Marco—a complete 180 from Sign. There will definitely be more of them to come, maybe even a Marco and Kelly adventure chapter. If you think Tom from Sign was awesome, then you'll love him here. He's going to have a major character arc throughout as he faces the realities of being in a serious relationship and learning how to be a better prince.
Firefighter16- Aw, thanks!
Gustrubio- Etheria is too mean to die right now, lol, but Star and Marco know how to deal with her. As for the last part of your comment, hmm interesting thought.
Useful76- Thanks!
AnotherGreyArea- Heya buddy! Thanks for the review! Star and Marco are at an interesting point in their lives right now, so you'll definitely get some great interaction between the two of them. That's the point of the time skip, young adulthood and trying to rule Mewni are surely going to be great themes to work with. As for their dynamic, see it less as co-dependent and more like interdependent. You'll get Star and Marco adventures where they are together and once where they are with their friends. As for a 1.5…hmmmm….
Noni- Oh, absolutely! Hope you'll like where this goes.
Guest- Maybe not every chapter, lol. Thanks for the review and stick around for more!