Welcome back! The next couple of chapters are really cutesy as a nice break from the dramatic first two chapters and the great arc later on. I'm glad you're enjoying the REDUX so far!

Star felt her body slump lower in the chair as Queen Moon Butterfly droned on about another corn-related issue at a meeting. Come on, Star, a good princess would sit up and be interested. She tried to will herself to sit up straight, mimicking proper throne posture, but why bother? The Magic High Commission wasn't paying attention either: Hekapoo was busy filing her nails, Omnitraxus was staring out the window, and Rhombulus was snoring away. Why am I even here? She sighed. I could be out with Marco right now!

Marco—now there was a thought that could occupy her mind. Forget about the importance of corn libraries on Mewman culture, that crap didn't matter. All Star cared about right now was the boy who confessed his love for her only yesterday. Marco Diaz. Her best friend. Her new boyfriend. The thought of that made her almost giggle from giddiness. However, there was one thing still in the way of complete happiness. Star had to officially break up with Tom, and for some reason, she deeply dreaded doing so.

Her biggest fear was hurting him and the fallout. Although she had fallen out of love with her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend, Star cared about his feelings on some level. Their relationship may be at its end, but she still valued the time they shared laughing over cornshakes and cuddling during the Soulrise. With Tom, her empty life felt brighter, but if Star were honest, she was using the prince as a replacement Marco. That was a serious issue too.

Man, this is giving me a headache, Star put her head down on the long table, letting boredom sap her remaining energy. Dealing with boy problems and princess stuff was hard, so she decided to think about Marco again. He's so cute and what an amazing dancer he is! One day, Star had to invite him somewhere fancy enough to make him wear that suit from the Blood Moon Ball. She could still remember how he murmured her name. "Star…"

"STAAAAAAR!"

Suddenly, the room morphed into a charred battlefield surrounded by fire. Fine particles of ash fell like fat snowflakes, and the air reeked of smoke and burnt toast. It made Star want to gag. Marco? Where was he? Why did he call her? Instinct told her to look up, and, to her horror, she saw a fireball slowly descend in her direction. "I'm going to die!" Somewhere, Marco screamed again. "Help me, Star!"

Back in the castle, the panicked princess fell out of her chair as if she were having a heart attack. Her Marco was in danger. He was going to die if she didn't find him now! With his terrified screams still ringing like alarms in her ears, Star got up off the ground to race to the door despite the stares from the Magic High Commission and her mother. Halfway to the exit, she tripped as a burning sensation seared her skin.

"Star, are you alright?" Moon gasped, but Star's mind was too laser-focused on Marco to answer.

When she got up for the third time, her body had assumed its golden Butterfly form and bloodlust surged in her veins for the first time since she faced Toffee. Whoever had the gall to prey on her best friend—her lover—was going to surely die today! Star turned to blast a hole in the ceiling, which she promptly flew through towards the Forest of Certain Death. As she raced there, magic flowed through her veins, sending shivers down her spine. Flying didn't spend magical energy—something was going on…

"Tom's going to kill me!" Marco's panicked voice resonated in her head midflight, changing every bit of fear she had to pure wrath. So, he was behind this. Part of Star figured the demon prince wouldn't let her go without a fight. Below her, movement caught her diamond-shaped eyes, and they zoomed in on Tom charging towards a terrified Marco with the intent to kill him. Enough!

A gust of her magic sent Tom flying back, which also gave her room to land. She would have dealt with the disgruntled demon if it weren't for a pitiful sight crawling towards her. Marco was limping and covered in blood, much of it his own. His clothes were torn to ribbons and were stained black with smoke, the sharp scent clogging Star's nose. Marco, her eyes softened, and arms opened to receive him when he finally collapsed. Upon closer examination, she noticed two red crescent moons pulsing on his cheeks. Had Marco been using magic—how was that possible? She didn't care for an answer right now. Her best friend was badly hurt. Why did I go to that stupid meeting! If only she had stayed with him.

"He…knew," Marco whispered softly in her arms before closing his eyes.

Gently, Star laid his body on the ground, and she turned to face Tom. If he thought she was going to let him down easy, then he'd better think again. He was lucky she didn't feel like killing him today. It would have been easier than squashing a fly. Any hopes of remaining friends or talking things out was over. Star never wanted to see Tom again, or she would end his life—a message the prince seemed to understand after seeing the pile of goo an inch from his face. A good princess knew exactly how much punishment was effective in a given situation.

After officially ending her relationship, Star focused on saving Marco's life. Cradling him in her six arms, Star headed back to the castle as fast as she could fly. She made the five-minute flight in under three. "Hang in there Marco," she could see the castle on the next hill. "Marco?"

He didn't answer, and she gave him a little shake. "Marco?!"

When she landed, the princess shifted back to her normal self and collapsed on the ground. The physical and emotional toll had drained every ounce of her magic, but Star still valiantly carried Marco inside the castle. Don't leave me! She prayed to the Stump, Glossaryck, the Blood Moon, and any other spirit known or unknown to spare Marco's life. She needed him, and the thought of never seeing his brown eyes open again made her stomach turn to knots. What if I lose him…?

"Wake up, Marco!" She shook his limp body. Still nothing. Her chest tightened in sobs, and she finally stumbled in the foyer.

"Star! Is that you?" Moon shouted. "We need to have a talk about what you—What happened?"

Star was too paralyzed to register her mother's voice. The queen covered her mouth and concern brim in normally stern, icy eyes. "Guards! Fetch me a stretcher!" She ordered.

Almost immediately, two knights appeared to bear Marco away to his room. The princess felt her mother wrap her arms around her in a sweet embrace, "Stay here, I know a great deal of healing magic. We're not losing him." Star could only watch helplessly as her mother followed guards upstairs.

As Moon left, Glossaryck and the laser puppies huddled around Star, seeking comfort. They whined sadly and licked her hands. "Globgor," the once wise teacher mumbled sadly.

Star picked him up and sighed, "I know, Glossaryck." All she could do was believe that everything would be okay.

Hours passed and Star, Glossaryck, and the laser puppies fell asleep where they sat. At first, the exhausted princess tried to stay awake until she knew Marco was going to be okay, but she could not keep sleep at bay much longer. While she didn't dream during her nap, as she began to wake up, she swore Marco was talking to her. "Star, where are you?" He called over and over.

Wow, Star marveled. Mom's magic must have worked wonders. "Here I am," she answered him. Her eyes still firmly shut as she lucidly dreamed. "How are you feeling?"

"Honestly, this is about the worst I've ever felt in my life," Marco chuckled softly. "But I couldn't resist finding you. I miss you so much, Star."

Star stretched, and she let forth a mighty yawn, "I miss you too, Marco. Marco?"

He was gone when she opened her eyes, which was puzzling and distressing. The only creatures around Star were Glossaryck and the laser puppies. Where had Marco gone? She had heard his voice as loud and clear as if they were sitting next to each other. Maybe the stress was getting to her brain—a lot happened today. Regardless, Star got up and went upstairs to check on her boyfriend. Outside of his room, she saw Moon close the door and pat sweat from her brow.

"How is he, Mom?" Star asked quietly.

Moon reassured her with a smile, "He is stabilizing. I'm surprised he's doing this well actually since he's only a human. I was able to heal a lot of his wounds, though some only time can fix. Before you go in and see him, tell me what happened."

Where do I even start? Star took in a deep breath, "Well, Tom sorta found out that I still had feelings for Marco and that Marco liked me. Then he tried to kill him—y'know, typical teen drama stuff." That was a short way of putting it. The real, longer story involved a lot more denial on her end, Blood Moons, and magic but Moon didn't need to know about it.

"Come sit with me," the Queen patted a place on the floor next to her. Star obeyed although she groaned at the possibility of another lecture. What was her mother going to tell her that she didn't already know? Yeah, she should have told Tom sooner or sorted her feelings out first before dating or set up a guard for Marco. It was all in the past now.

Moon chuckled softly, "You know, when I was your age, I was in a similar situation—hard to imagine, I know. I liked two boys: your father and Prince Mildrew—"

"—You mean the same Mildrew Aunt Etheria keeps saying you should've married?" Star blurted.

Her mother made a face, "You know, I'm going to tell Aunt Etheria that she shouldn't mention stuff like that around you. Anyways, while Mildrew was certainly a good match, but I was at… an odd time in my life back then. I was only a little older than you when I became Queen, and I thought that I needed someone like Mildrew: brash, handsome, a noble with good ties…" This sounds almost too much like Tom, Star noted.

"But there was River," Moon continued. "Yeah, he's goofy, from the Johansen kingdom, and fails at a lot of things, but he was the person I needed by my side. I had to learn that sometimes, the person you're meant to be with is the person that is always in front of you."

"So, what happened to Mildrew?"

The Queen sighed, "He didn't take it too well, and, at the night of River's Prince's Ball, he challenged River to a duel. Well, it was hardly a contest because your father beat Mildrew to a pulp. My family wasn't too impressed by that. Star, I understand being a teenage princess is a swirl of emotions, but you can always talk to me about it."

Star gave her mother a hug, "Thanks, Mom."

"You know, Star," Moon smiled again as they let go. "I always knew it would be Marco."

"You did?" Her eyebrows raised as her mother chuckled wistfully.

Her mother smiled, "You and Marco reminded me a lot of River and I when we were younger. Prince Lucitor wasn't a bad choice, but what you and Marco have is stronger. Treasure that bond always. Now, go see him, you'd want to be there when he wakes up."

Star nodded and entered Marco's room. He was still deeply sleeping in his bed. Thick cloth bandages covered his arms and head, and a pillow supported his crushed ankle. Gently, Star pulled up a chair to his bedside and held his right hand. I'm here for you, Marco.

Slight movement woke Star the next morning. Did I fall asleep again? She wondered drowsily as her eyes adjusted to the bright sun streaming through the windows. Bird pleasantly chirped in the summer breeze, promising a new day was here on Mewni. Ow, she grimaced while she stretched her sore back. Falling asleep leaning against a bed wasn't much fun, but it was all worth it when she noticed Marco lovingly stare at her with his beautiful brown eyes. "Good morning, Star," he grinned brightly.

She leapt on the bed and gave him a tight hug, "Marco!"

"Um, Star…ow," he protested, and Star remembered that he was injured from yesterday.

"Oops, my bad," she crawled off of the bed. After all that had happened, it was easy to get a bit carried away.

He repositioned a few of the bandages she displaced and asked, "How long have I been out?"

"For about a day, I think," answered the princess. "By the way, where did you go last night? You disappeared after talking to me, which is kinda rude, Marco."

Marco was puzzled, "I didn't talk to you."

Okay, what was going on here…did she really hallucinate an entire conversation? "You totally did, Marco, when I was downstairs sleeping with the laser puppies."

"I thought that was a dream!" He exclaimed. "I had a dreamed you were downstairs with the puppies and…Wait, Star, how did you know where I was yesterday?"

"I heard you scream my name…," Star replied slowly. "Loud and clear too. Then I busted a hole in the wall with my golden Butterfly form and found you." Was that so weird? She watched Marco deeply ponder for a second.

"Close your eyes," he instructed as he reached for her other hand, "And really concentrate." She didn't know what he was getting at but closed her eyes anyway. What am I supposed to be concentrating on? She tried rainbows and puppies and unicorns, but neither worked. How about Marco? That torn hoodie did reveal quite a bit of his abs….

"Star? Can you hear me?"

Her eyes flew open in shock. She was even more surprised to see the boy's cheeks bearing faintly glowing white crescents. "Marco! You're using magic!" She responded excitedly, but not with her physical voice. It was more like her "thinking" one—the one that constantly monologued about her epic adventures as if she were on a TV show.

Marco opened his eyes, responding in kind, "Star, I can't explain why this is happening, but I can talk to you like this."

"This is so cool, we're like mind twinsies!" she squealed aloud.

"Man, you looked so beautiful in your Butterfly form," Marco thought suddenly, and Star's heart marks blushed vividly.

"Aww, Marco…"

He swiftly let go of her hands and his face turned scarlet in embarrassment, "Please get out of my head!"

"I think you need to let go, your cheeks are still glowing," she giggled. They slowly faded away, the pair burst with laughter.

"This is crazy!" They said in unison, yet another random side effect of the bond between them.

"So," Star asked once she gained her composure, "How long have you been able to use magic?"

He shrugged, "I guess it started the day you sleep-portalled to the Realm of Magic. I couldn't use my scissors to find you, so I grabbed your wand and used the All-Seeing Eye spell."

That day was a hazy blur in Star's mind—one minute she was playing with some baby unicorns in golden magic goop, and the next, she was running home. She vaguely remembered hearing Marco while in a trance-like state, and he must have been speaking to her through the spell, which was unusual. "You used the All-Seeing Eye spell? Marco, that's an advanced level spell."

She watched his eyes grow wide and he said, "Wow…and to think I survived that fight with Tom… I thought only Butterflys could use magic in general."

"Magic comes from exposure to magic, basically," Star began, "But it's weird that you can use it. Male Mewmans can't, and exposure alone isn't the answer or else my dad would be casting Warnicorn Stampedes…."

"Should we ask, Moon about it?" Marco asked.

Star shook her head, "Nah, we don't need her. I can teach you magic when you're better. I'm the best spellcaster in Mewni if I do say so myself." She twirled her wand for effect and an errant beam of magic burnt a hole through the wall. Oops, her face turned red as the boy scowled at her. "I'm still sure that I can teach you magic," she replied sheepishly.

He grabbed her hand again, "You know Star, you're amazing. And thanks for saving me."

"It's not like I'm going to let my boyfriend get barbequed." Oh corn, did I just say that?!

Marco turned red again, although his brown eyes communicated worry. She could almost hear his doubts: what if he wasn't good enough or what if he failed her like he did Jackie? The cute idiot's having a "Marco moment." Reaching for his other hand, she assured him, "Look, Marco. I know a lot has changed in the past few days, but I don't want you to worry about what's going to happen next. All that matter is that we love each other. It'll work out."

He relaxed, "You're right. I love you, Star, that's all that matters."

"And I love you too," she said gently. When did they get this close to each other? The space between them had shrunk drastically as Marco scooted closer to her. Star leaned up, feeling his breath tickle her lips, and she closed her eyes...

"Princess Butterfly—oh heavens! Maybe I'll just come back another time—"

Star shoved Marco backward on the bed after Manfred gasped. The squire let out a small "oof" when he hit the mattress. Luckily, pillows were there to break his fall. Sorry, she gave him a small, sideways glance. Then to Manfred, she huffed, "You can knock next time!"

"I was just going to say that you had visitors," the servant said timidly.

Well, the moment is ruined anyway. "You can send them up," Star replied dryly.

Only a few moments later, two familiar visitors appear in the doorway. "Hi, Pony Head and Kel—" Star tried to greet them, but the green-haired girl rushed passed her. "Uh, Marco's fine, Kelly," she tried to interject.

Meanwhile, Kelly was busy giving her friend a great hug, tearing up slightly, "I was so worried, I heard you and Tom had a grudge match."

"Nothing can hurt Marco Diaz, the warrior," Marco tried to act strong, but sharp pain bolted through his side. "Yep, nothing can hurt me, except for angry demons with social issues."

"By the way, nice cuts," the warrior girl commented. "Battle scars make the best trophies."

Pony Head, hovered around the group, neighing loudly, "So, Turd. You gave, like, Hot Head the horn?"

Marco finally asked, "How'd you find out about all of this? You guys are talking about this like everybody knows or something."

"But, like, everyone does know," she said matter-of-factly. "We all know that Tom almost kicked your butt, Earth Turd. It's like all over the papers."

"What papers?" Star and Marco asked in unison and they gave each other a knowing look.

"You guys need to get with it," Pony Head produced a thick, colorful magazine, The Crown Royale, out of literally nowhere.

"Pony, you know I don't read tabloids," Star hated them. Tabloids were filled with nothing but exaggerated hearsay and sensationalist headlines meant to attract gullible buyers. They loved to target Mewni's royal families, especially the Butterflys. Grabbing the magazine from Pony, she held the rag for Marco to see. The cover contained a full image of the wounded squire shielding himself from one of Tom's fiery blasts. Above it, the headline read, "Squire Smackdown: Demon Prince Nearly Kills the Princess's Squire over Her Love."

"How did they get this picture?" Star wondered since the image was of very high quality. In fact, it could easily be on a movie poster from Earth. "Did you notice any photographers around, Marco?"

He shook his head, slightly stunned, "It's hard to notice anything when you're about to be killed by someone's ex-boyfriend with anger issues."

"Girl, you don't question it. They have their ways." Pony Head said in a hushed tone, her eyes darting around. Star tossed the magazine to Marco, who kept on reading.

"They make it like I was one who started it," he frowned. "This is so biased. Plus, they left out the part where I nearly kicked Tom's demon tail."

"Uh, Earth Turd, Tom doesn't have a tail," Pony Head scoffed.

Marco made a face but, kept reading, "Ugh, there's even an interview with Tom. No thank you!" He shuffled pasted the next few pages in disgust.

"It's not a big deal," Star placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "They get this stuff wrong all the time."

"So, question, Star, why didn't you kill Tom?" Kelly asked.

The princess narrowed her eyes, "Whoa, whoa, whoa that's a tad extreme."

"But he nearly killed Marco, I woulda…" She clenched her fist.

"What's the point of that?" How dare Kelly tell her what she should've done—this was her love life.

"But Tom nearly killed my Marco," the girl blurted out, the immediately covered her mouth. Star raised an eyebrow, her Marco…

Pony Head let out a low "oooh," while the boy didn't seem to notice as he was engrossed in the magazine.

"Look, I just care about him you know," Kelly said in an effort to recover herself from the slip-up. "Things were hard for him after the Soulrise. I had to help him after he saw you with Tom."

"I know…" Star sighed, "I deeply regret that I hurt him so much. And Tom. This happened because I was too afraid to face my feelings."

It's my fault. She should have completely broken up with Tom that night, and not led him on with the hope that they could get back together. In fact, she shouldn't have gotten back together with him in the first place. Period. She was just so lonely after Marco left, and got caught up in the heat-of-the-moment at the Silver Bell Ball. The dance with Tom was amazing. It was the first time in a while where she felt happy, and the hallow hole in her heart faded. Without Marco, her life had become a sea of dullness filled with never-ending princess duties and apologies for nearly destroying Mewni. Tom brought back some of the spark in her life, and she was forever grateful for that. If only things hadn't blown up between them yesterday; the prince may not be a good match as a boyfriend, but he could have still been a good friend.

Kelly placed a hand on her shoulder, "You've been through a lot—I get that. Love is a scary thing because it involves opening up your most vulnerable parts to someone else. It can fail and, when it does, it sucks…" Her voice trailed away for a moment. She was probably remembering what happened with Tad.

"Trust me, I know about you and Marco," Kelly gave the princess a hearty pat on the back. "Congrats on finally getting together."

"Why do you mean 'finally?'" Star and Marco asked, again in unison. We've got to stop doing that, Star could feel her skin flush out of embarrassment asKelly giggled knowingly.

Pony Head rolled her eyes, "You mean you guys didn't think you'd get together. Girl, I knew from the moment I met Earth Turd this was going to happen. Plus, don't get me started about that creepy hoodie sniffing thing you used to do."

Star heard Marco close the magazine, "Hoodie sniffing…?" Pony no!

"You mean Star didn't tell you about the time she chased down that weird knight in the laundry room over your gross, stinky hoodie?"

Star's face turned red as Kelly broke out into a full laugh, and Marco looked at her confused. "Star…?"

"We don't have to talk about this, guys…" Star stammered as she felt his gaze bore into her.

"Turd, you should've seen it," Pony Head went on. "B-fly was all about that gross hoodie. She slept with it in her bed and stuff."

"Wow, Star…" Kelly continued to laugh as Star turned redder and redder—matching the color of said hoodie.

"Girl, why are so embarrassed?" Pony Head snorted. "You just really love Turd. That's why I didn't get that whole Tom thing. I knew that wasn't going to last. I mean, like, what a creep."

"Oh! I know what hoodie you're talking about," Marco added. "It's funny because that's the one that smells like you, Star." Pony Head and Kelly suddenly became quiet, and Star just stared.

"Ew, Marco, way to make things super awkward," Pony Head wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"I'm with Pony on this one Marco," Kelly shook her head, "Total TMI."

"Why's it funny when Star likes my scent?" He crossed his arms.

"Because, Marco, societies strive on double standards, duh." Pony Head shrugged. The four friends broke out laughing.

Marco stretched his back as he walked down the hall to Star's room. He felt like a new man after resting for a week. With all that healing and drama behind him, he was excited for what was in store today. This would be his first day learning magic with Star, and the squire could not wait to learn from a magical master. Finally, I'll be able to do some real fighting! His new skills would help him find a place in the kingdom since he wasn't a true squire as Higgs loved to rudely point out every time they crossed paths. Forget her and all the knights that teased Marco! He'd show them all one day.

Marco could hardly contain his excitement when he knocked on Star's door. He was so excited, in fact, that he failed to notice that he was actually tapping on his mentor's forehead. "Ow…morning to you too," Star teased.

He recoiled quickly, "Sorry about that, I'm just thrilled that you're going to help me learn magic."

Shrugging, she took his hand and led him down the hall. They felt each other's bright happiness through their newly-forged bond, relishing the feeling in their hearts. Marco noticed Star glancing at him with a sly smile. "It's been nice having this time off," she said as they kept walking. "I haven't been this free in months. So, what kind of spell do you want to learn first?"

He thought about it for a second then shrugged, "I don't know, you cast so many cool spells," he felt her pride seep through. "Plus, I have no clue how this is supposed to work." Both when he used the All-Seeing Eye spell, and when he had fought Tom, Marco had been relying on instinct. There's probably a lot of stuff I need to learn. Like stances and what not.

"Marco, Marco, Marco," Star shook her head slowly. "Spells can be whatever you want them to be." He had forgotten that they could read each other's minds. Surprisingly, he wasn't weirded out by it despite liking his personal space. Star was the only person he freely let into his world, so, in a way, the bond made sense. She never took it too far either, which helped. I wonder what's she thinking of… He watched Star blush and play with her hair. Oh…

"I see you're thinking about me," Marco said cleverly, causing Star to suddenly stop. "Something about my…abs maybe?" He watched Star squirm as she let go of his hand, still not facing him. He could also feel her annoyance.

"I'm going to get you back, Marco," she mockingly threatened him as she shot him a playful grin.

The pair entered one of the several outer courtyards that hugged the walls of the castle. In times of danger, these broad green plains held terrified peasants in crude camps, but it had been generations since then. Now, they were mostly empty places where servants ate lunch on break or where Moon would hide from paperwork. Sometimes, River came here to practice fighting Monsters, but today, Star had the place set up for training. A ring of dummies were arranged in a large circle, waiting to be pummeled by the two teens. Above them, fluffy clouds innocently floated in the pink sky lit by a golden sun, and a breeze made the grass shimmer. Despite how pretty the grass and sky were, Star was the most beautiful sight of all. Boy, was that corny.

"Are you ready?" She skipped around him.

"I don't know about this, Star. Am I ready for such a huge step?" Marco knew there was no going back from this. "It's my first time…"

"It isn't," she pointed out. "Relax, and just hold that wand with confidence."

In his hands, it transformed into a bright flash into its other form. He hesitated to really call it his wand for this was a force he did not personally know yet. Marco studied the wand, unsure of why it took this form. Star's wand made sense. It was bright and cheerful, like her personality. His wand didn't seem like him at all: pointy, dark, and with two black bat wings on the side. The bell of the wand had a teal, four-pointed star, with another in the center that bore a purple crystal. It kinda looks like a ship's wheel or a compass, Marco mused. What does this say about me?

"Are you ready to learn your first, official spell?" Star bounced around him. Her joy was contagious, to say the least, and it eased his nerves about learning magic.

"I guess I am," he said. "So how do I do this?"

Star stopped bouncing and thought about it, "Well, …you just do it."

"Do what?" His eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"Say words. That's what I do," Star continued. "You know? Like I just raise the wand and just say whatever comes to mind."

Just say words…Marco just stared at the wand. There was no way it could be that easy. Glossaryck always had complicated riddles and tasks Star had to learn to master magic, and she was telling him to just say whatever popped up in his head?

"Come on Marco, just wave the wand around, you're overthinking it," Star prodded his shoulder. "Lemme help you."

He felt Star position herself close behind him. Very close, in fact—he could feel her press against his back as she grabbed him by the elbows. Her breath tickled his neck, and he swore she was sniffing him. "You smell nice, Marco," he could feel her grin.

"You're doing that on purpose!" He protested, but he knew Star could see through his fake annoyance. She snickered as she nuzzled his neck. "I'm trying to concentrate!" He shot through their bond. But he could feel her amusement at how flustered he was right now.

"You know, in battle, you have to get used to using magic while you're distracted," she teased him.

"Not like this though!" He inwardly huffed. Star lifted his arms and gave them a swing.

"Now say what's on your mind. Spells can be of any type, depending on the personality of the wielder." Star's spells fit her perfectly: they were sparkly, cute, and kinda random. But plenty effective, showing off her strong warrior side. I wonder what kind of spells I'm going to cast? Marco felt the anticipation rise within him.

He closed his eyes, breathing in and out like he had learned from his karate lessons on Earth. He cleared his mind, blocking out all of the outside world: the wind, the light, the feeling of the sun. The only sensation he kept was the that of Star leaning on his back. Focus on the magic, he mediated. When he thought of magic, he thought of Star: her energy, her warmth, her glow. Also, her raw power, her strength. The fury and wrath in her when she dealt with her enemies. The familiar chill of magic flowed through his blood, and he felt the slight burn of his crescent marks. Marco steadied himself in a warrior stance, swung his arms, and yelled, "Red Fists of Fury!"

When he opened his eyes, Marco saw the dummy in front was still standing unscathed. It didn't work…

"Marco!" He turned to see Star staring at him with awe bright in her blue eyes. "Look at your hands!" The boy lowered his arms saw a red magical aura swirl around his hands and the wand. Whoa…

"Go punch that dummy!" Star ordered with enthusiasm. He strode up to the dummy and gave it a good punch. To his surprise, the dummy went sailing in the air and smacked hard into one of the castle spires causing it to crack. Then, he watched in horror as the spire crumbled in an avalanche of bricks.

"Oh no…" Marco had broken a castle tower, his $650 couldn't possibly begin to cover the damage.

"Marco! That was awesome!" Star pulled him into a hug, which brought him out of his mini panic attack. He melted when she kissed his cheek, "You cast your first spell. I'm so happy for you!"

"Did you know there are different types of magic users?" Marco asked Star as he read a chapter from a book. It was their Relationship Thursday time, and they were watching telenovelas in Star's room, thanks to a special TV from Quest Buy that broadcasted Earth channels. It was a Fiesta de la Noche marathon, and Star was actively engrossed. Marco, on the other hand, had already seen most of the episodes and was instead reading the book on magic theory he found in the castle library. He felt Star scoot closer under their blanket to listen. "There are three classes: Spell Caster, Enchanter, and Witcher. I think you're the Spell Caster class. Basically, you specialize in long-distance ranged attacks, and offense. It's the most common type—about 80% of magic users are Casters."

Star's eyes grew wide as he continued, "It looks like I'm in the Enchanter class. Strong emphasis on defensive and close-range fighting. Uses magic to enhance physical power or nearby objects."

The past week, Marco had been discovering more and more about his magical powers in his training sessions with Star. Their sessions were unstructured, which meant that he could experiment with whatever spells he wanted. He had quite a few spells down already: his signature Red Fists of Fury, Blue Lightning Kick, Atomic Upper Cut, and Fire Ball Tidal Wave—to name a few. They all seemed to be based on his experience with karate and favored physical combat over spell casting. He even did most of his spells without the wand, which was equally odd. It surprised him at first that his spells were so radically different from Star's, but they complimented each other very well. Offense and defense.

"That's so cool," Star remarked, "Glossaryck never told me about this kind of stuff. Or maybe he did, and I didn't pay attention. Wanna do some more training? I need a break from Spanish drama."

Marco gave her a nod, and off they went to their training field. He noticed that the dummies were bizarrely absent, and he gave Star a questioning look. The princess's eyes sparkled with a daring gleam. What is she up to? When they got to the center of the field, Star said something that thoroughly shocked him, "Marco, I want you to fight me."

"What!?" Marco exclaimed. Fighting dummies filled with old corn and sand was one thing, fighting his girlfriend was another. "What if I hurt you?"

"You won't," she laughed through their bond to reassure him. Star showed no signs of backing down either, she stood confidently before him with her wand secure in her hand. "It'll be fun Marco, c'mon."

Fine, he sighed, he'd oblige her request. Let's not hurt her though. He lowered himself into a ready stance but, he wasn't ready for Star's first attack. A Rainbow Fist Punch nailed Marco and sent him flying. Okay, maybe I should more worried about her hurting me.

When he picked himself up, he hung back to strategize. He recalled what the book said about Spell Caster types: Star had a serious advantage with far-reaching offensive attacks—something that Marco couldn't do. Plus, she had far more magic experience than him and a strong warrior's desire to conquer. But she had one main disadvantage—the disadvantage of all Spell Casters—Star was weak on defensive attacks, as well as physical combat. That would be the key to him winning. He just had to get all close and physical with her. Word choice, Diaz, he blushed.

He had no time to feel embarrassed as Star sent another of the same spell at him. Marco rolled to dodge only to be slapped by a narwhal from an oncoming Narwhal Blast. He glanced over at Star standing there with no sense of mercy in her eyes.

"C'mon Marco," she taunted, "I'm not even sweating."

Alright, it was time for Marco to stop holding back. "Fire Ball Tidal Wave," he summoned a blue ball of fire and shot it at Star, who cartwheeled out of the way.

"Cupcake Blast!" She sent a wave of crystal cupcakes at him. Marco drew up his Forearm Shield to block.

Now there was one advantage that Marco didn't tell Star about earlier, he could summon spells nonverbally or subconsciously. He summoned some magic to his legs and lunged forward to land a blow. Although surprised, Star quickly dodged before blasting him with another beam of magic. She continued her onslaught, leaving Marco defending himself from waves of magical creatures, and other blasts. This isn't getting me anywhere, he panted in frustration, I need to actually touch her—Ugh, word choice again! What would get him the upper hand? Well, Star had to more-or-less consciously think of each spell, and that fact gave Marco an idea.

He closed his eyes for a brief second, tapping into Star's mind. Turbo Nuclear Butterfly Blast, straight in front! Her mind roared. Ha! Marco leapt into the air to avoid her attack, then landed right in front of her punching the ground. The shockwave sent Star flying, but she landed gracefully on her feet like a cat. The next few moves, Marco used his technique of peering into her thoughts. He not only successfully avoided her attacks but landed a few of his own, albeit limited to fire and air blasts. Maybe the squire could beat the warrior after all.

I'm going to use my Fury Blast, he planned. This one wasn't going to miss. The plan was to psych Star out with a fake shot from his left hand but actually shot at her from his right. However, somehow his sparring partner read the attack perfectly, dodging left then blasting Marco's side. How did she know? The next series of attacks followed suit with Star unexpectedly avoid attacks that should have worked while Marco still darted away from most of hers. They were fighting circles around each other. Then he felt it, that little feeling he got when he knew Star was listening in on his thoughts. "You've been listening the whole time!" He realized.

"So have you, Mr. Cheater Pants!" And Marco knew she was right.

He had to finish this fight fairly, and he knew just how. He rushed in front of Star and sent a fire blast directly to the ground to create a huge cloud of smoke. Using it to camouflage his movement, he tackled Star to the ground, the force of the impact knocked the wand from her hand. "Gotcha!" The boy smirked as he pinned her squirming body down in triumph.

"That's what you think," her mind retorted. There was a devious look in her eye, "A true warrior always has another attack up her sleeve."

"Ultimate Tickle Attack!"

At that, Star's arms slipped from underneath Marco and attacked all of his ticklish spots under his armpits and along his sides. He burst into uncontrollable laughter, trying hard to concentrate on keeping the squirming girl pinned. Of course, she would know tickling was his weakness—she had plenty of practice from all of the tickle fights they had had as friends. With his guard let down, Star rolled him on his back, straddled his stomach, and had his arms in her grip. Victory was written on her facial expression. "Alright, I yield," he said when he caught his breath.

"You thought you could beat Star Butterfly, warrior princess," she boasted. "Guess again."

He smirked, "I have to hand it to you, you had me stumped for a long time." They laughed—the fight had been too much fun.

Suddenly, their eyes locked as they panted breathlessly. Man, she's pretty…Star must have picked up on his compliment for she dreamingly gazed at him. Did she think he was attractive? Clearly, the bond gave him the answer: of course. Marco gently cupped her cheek in his hand. How on Earth—or Mewni rather—had this happen? Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined laying in a field with Star Butterfly on such a glorious day. The more he thought about it, an instinct told Marco to get up before anyone saw them like this. This would be an image for those stupid tabloids. When he realized that Star showed no signs of moving, he tapped her on the shoulder, "Uh, Star…y-you can get off."

"O-oh, right," she snapped out of her stupor and climbed off. "You know we should fight more often."

"I guess," Marco sat up. "Though, let's take mind reading off the table."

They sat in the grass for a moment holding hands as the wind combed through the grass around them. This was a moment he never wanted to forget. The clouds raced past the many moons of Mewni in the pink sky, and the sun shone down on them. Oh, I almost forgot! Marco reminded himself since now seemed like the perfect moment. A moment that had been two weeks in the making since the dance in the temple.

Marco removed his hoodie or else he would have sweat run down his back, which was what happened when he tried to ask out Jackie on Earth. Hopefully, the Naysaya was gone too.

Noticing his weird actions made Star cock her head to one side in confusion. Through the bond, she probably read his nervousness.

"Uh, Star," his voice cracked a little, and she giggled softly. "Ignore that. I forgot to ask you something after the dance. Well, maybe not right after the dance, but you know what I mean."

"And what's that?" Star asked.

Marco cleared his throat—his voice would dare not crack again, not here. Here goes nothing. He grabbed her other hand, and met her eyes directly, "Star, will you go out with me?"

He watched the largest grin creep on Star's face, and her hug practically tackled him to the ground.

"Yes, Marco. A million times, yes."

Review Round-up

R.A.V.E07- Thanks for the review, and yes, more of the show's lore will come into play in the REDUX. The lore heavy chapters are later on in The Sign of the Moon, but they will factor in.

shanebob36- Thank you! The original is near and dear to my heart as well! The revamp has a couple of new chapters that will be added.

Aldal- Think of this as the DLC with 4k graphics and added levels! Yeah, Tom goes through a great arc in the story, so Ch 2 has to prepare him for that by breaking him down. I like Tom too (without Star lol). He's a good bean.

Star's Keyblade4114- The additions become more noticeable later on when the story becomes more complex. Also, I wish there was a way to eliminate human error lol but I digress.

KRUSA1- I understand where you come from, but I don't want to change the core of the story that much. Plus, I do use Seth and a different take on Eclipsa in The Dance of the Stars (the sequel). Seth is a cool guy (I imagine him with a Cajun accent for some reason). Otherwise, I hope you enjoy the Redux.