Chapter 8: Heart of a Star
Star the Fearless, earned her name,
When Mewni fell, and evil came
She took her earthly prince in hand,
And wiped the darkness from the land
Then to her kingdom she returned,
Bringing all that she had learned
And when her time to rule did come,
A better world, for everyone
- Inscription for "Star the Fearless"
"…How did you do it? If I thought I had lost you…I don't think I could have kept going…how did you not lose hope?"
"Because I had you, Marco…even when everything was telling me you were gone, your light never left my heart. Not for a single second."
"Impossible, you say?" Glossaryck had popped out of Marco's pocket to face his old pupil. "Now, I know it's been a long time since our lessons but surely you haven't forgotten the one about what's impossible?"
Eclipsa's face hardened, "Enough of your riddles! I should have known you'd have something to do with this, Glossaryck!"
"No riddles my dear, you and I are far beyond those. Just… humor an old man, and answer my question one last time: what did we learn about the impossible?"
Eclipsa folded her arms and pursed her lips to the side. "'What's impossible grows less and less with each passing day.' Those were your exact words."
"Prrrrrrrecisely! One day it's a long lost queen returning for vengeance upon her family, the next it's a human boy being able to use magic! The world grows stranger and stranger every day…" His voice trailed off, and when Glossaryck looked back to Eclipsa, Marco thought he almost looked...sad.
"Your Highness, I beg of you…please end this."
"Glossaryck…" Eclipsa's voice faltered, she had never seen her old teacher…pleading. But she had come too far, and her goal was almost within her grasp.
"I'm sorry."
Glossaryck turned back to Marco with grim determination. "Alright, Mr. Diaz. Now, she has a great many more years of experience then you do. I would suggest a slower, more cautious approach so you can –"
"HIIIIIII-YAH!" Marco yelled with fury as he hurled an orb of fiery red light at Eclipsa.
Glossaryck sighed. The boy still had much to learn, and he was going to have to do it quickly.
"…Mmmmaaarrcoooooo…"
Star hadn't been able to take her eyes off Marco. Not only had he come back to her, but somehow he was now using magic to fight Eclipsa.
"Well…that's certainly unexpected." Toffee had made his way back to the window chamber, and he was now standing behind Star to watch as Marco fought to try and subdue Eclipsa.
"STAR!" Star shook herself out of her trance. Marco's hand was grabbing wildly for the wand, and one of his fingers touched the glass for a split second before a beam of green light hit him square in the chest and sent him flying backwards.
"MARCO!" Star put her hand on the glass right where his finger had just been, and for a moment it was almost felt like she could reach him. She slumped against the glass for a moment, but quickly cried out in pain and jumped backwards. The glass was suddenly burning hot, and the spot where Marco and Star had both touched it was…glowing. Star watched wide-eyed as the glow expanded all the way to the top of the glass, and when the glow had faded she gasped.
The star window was split clean down the middle, just as her wand had been before.
Meanwhile, Marco was quickly realizing that not listening to Glossaryck had been a huge mistake. He was holding nothing back in his attacks against Eclipsa, but whatever strength he had was no match for her experience. It was as though she knew where he was going to strike even before he did, and it was only through sheer luck that he was avoiding her counterattacks.
The magic was starting to take its toll on him, every spell felt like it could be the one that drove him past the point of exhaustion. He made several more attempts, but finally he stumbled and was immediately hit square in the chest by one of Eclipsa's spells. Marco flew backwards, slamming into the wall behind him and quickly scrambling to find someplace to hide and catch his breath.
Once again, Glossaryck emerged from Marco's pocket. "Mrrrrrr. Diaz, are you ready to listen to my advice now?"
Marco groaned, the last thing he needed now was more of Glossaryck's head games.
"Look, Diaz. I know that you and I have…disagreed on things in the past, but I've been teaching magic for quite some time and if you want to make it through this you need to trust me. So, are you ready to try things my way?"
Marco sighed, "Your way…your way sounds just fine, Glossaryck."
Glossaryck clapped his hands happily. "Excellent! Now…as you can see, Eclipsa has you completely outmatched. The direct approach you've been trying isn't ever going to work. Long story short: you're going to need help."
"Star…Star's inside the wand, but I don't know how to get her free. I don't suppose you have any ideas?"
Glossaryck pondered the idea for a moment. "Hmmmm…I may have something, I just need one more answer, could you do me a favor and stand upright?"
Marco obliged, and another blast from Eclipsa's wand hit him in the chest, sending him scurrying for cover once again. "And just what the heck was the purpose of that?!"
"Just needed to check something! That spell should have knocked you clean off your feet, so it's like I thought: there's still something wrong with the wand."
"What's going on with it? I thought Eclipsa brought the pieces back together?"
"Well yes, she did…but look at the wand Marco, look very closely!" Marco quickly peeked out from behind the wall to look at the orb on Eclipsa's umbrella. He could only catch a glimpse before another spell flew past his face, but when he peered back out to try and get another look his eyes widened.
Both of the wand's pieces were there, but the symbol on it was split down the middle, just as Star's had been.
"Hold on, the wand…it's still broken!"
"Brrrilliant observation, Mr. Diaz! The pieces are reunited, but the wand is still not whole. Big difference! And if there's a crack in the wand…"
"…Then does that mean I could reach Star through it?"
"Well, it is definitely worth a shot!"
"Wait – with all that Eclipsa knows, why couldn't she make the wand whole again?
"There's no spell in the universe that can fix that wand, the only way it can be done is by the one who broke it."
"So…we need Star back more than ever it looks like!"
"No, Diaz…the only person who can fix the wand is you."
Star was pacing back and forth. Surely there had to be some way to use the crack in the wand to get herself out. But how?
"I don't suppose you have any ideas, Toffee?"
Toffee sighed. "Nothing, sadly. There's nothing in the wand's history that tells us what to do if the wand is cracked…"
"Well then, I'll make my own way out!"
Star slipped her hands into the crack, straining as she attempted to force it open. But it was no use, and a moment later she stumbled back from the crack to catch her breath, Then, out of nowhere, a spell came to her.
"Queens of Mewni, long since past
Send me strength, and send it fast
Give me aid to set me free,
And go back where I'm meant to be"
Star's eyes started glowing with blue light. She reached back into the crack, and the same blue light started shining through it. Slowly but surely, the crack started inching open as Star forced the two pieces apart.
"Me!? But why?" Marco "Glossaryck, I wasn't the one who broke the wand!"
"Well…maybe you didn't do it yourself, but make no mistake: it was broken because of you.
The wand changing form isn't just for show; it's a reflection of whoever wields it. Star giving up her wand was the hardest thing she ever had to do up until then, but she did it without hesitation because it was to save you. The idea of losing you broke her heart, and the lengths she was willing to go for you broke yours. And you've never stopped. You two have been breaking each other's hearts every single day since then.
But here's the funny thing about the heart: the right person can fix it up far more easily than it breaks. And so it was with the two of you – as quickly as you broke each other's hearts you fixed them right back up. Some of the pieces were from your own heart, and others were entirely new, but in the end everything fit together nice and neat.
That's what love has always seemed like to me: two hearts breaking each other so they can fit together perfectly."
Marco could only stare slack-jawed at Glossaryck. He had never thought that Star's teacher could understand feelings at all. Yet, Glossaryck had just managed to explain the feelings he and Star shared in a way that brought a tear to his eye.
"Alright, little dude, let's do this. How do we get Star out of that wand?"
"Well," Glossaryck said, looking behind Marco, "Let's see what we can do with that."
Marco turned around to see what Glossaryck was looking at. His eyes widened. A crack had been formed in the air behind him, identical to the crack that had been in Star's wand with blue light pouring out from it. Marco ran to it, dodging Eclipsa's spells along the way. He reached the crack and peered inside.
Star was right on the other side, straining to try and keep the crack open. "STAR!"
She looked up at the sound of her name. "MARCO!"
"Star! Take my hand!"
Marco grabbed onto the wall behind him and reached into the crack, stretching as far as he could to try and reach her. At last, his hand reached hers and he gripped it tightly. "Hang on!"
Marco braced himself. "One, two…three!" He pulled Star forward, struggling as she squeezed through the crack as best she could. "Almost…there!" With one final heave, Star freed herself from the crack, tumbling into Marco's arms.
Marco and Star held each other tightly, it felt like a lifetime had passed since they had last seen each other.
"Marco…" Star whispered, a single tear running down her face.
"I'm here, Star…I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere ever again."
"Well, isn't this touching…" Star and Marco had been too caught up in their reunion to notice her approach, but now Eclipsa loomed over the pair, wand in hand.
"You will NEVER hurt him again, Eclipsa!" Star lunged in front of Marco, her eyes blazing.
"And what makes you think you can stop me?!"
Her eyes glowing once again, Star raised her hand as she called forth every last ounce of her power. A bright blue beam of light shot from her hand and sent Eclipsa flying backwards. Her umbrella fell to the ground, and Star reached down to reclaim it as her own. But before she could, the wand started floating up into the air with sparks flying from it's core. Star quickly backed away as the wand let out a blinding flash of blue light.
Star sat up in a daze, still reeling from the blast. It had knocked her backwards for about the third time that day, luckily she had landed right in Marco's lap so she wasn't badly hurt. "Marco!" Star shook Marco gently to try and wake him up.
"Ughhh...Star, what's going on?" Marco sat up, rubbing his head.
"I don't know Marco! The wand...it just started freaking out! Did Eclipsa do something to it? I don't know what to do!"
"Diaz!" As if on cue, Glossaryck had once again made himself visible. "Remember what I told you about the wand?"
"GLOSSARYCK!" Star cried out, happily grabbing her teacher to hug him as best as she could. "Glossaryck, I'm so glad you're safe!"
"It's nice to be back to you too, Star. But our reunion will have to wait, if we don't fix that wand it could destroy this entire dimension! Now Diaz, what did I tell you about the wand no more than ten minutes ago?"
"You said a lot of things about the wand...but I'm guessing what you want me to think of is: 'Together, but not whole'"
Glossaryck nodded, surprised that Marco had gotten there that quickly. "Innndeeed! In order to fix the wand, YOU must make the pieces whole!"
Make them whole...how do I make them whole? He racked his brain, trying to think of a solution.
Wait a minute, I'm looking at this all wrong...Star and I, we're the pieces!
"Star," Marco turned to his friend, gently taking her hand, "I was hoping this would be under more pleasant conditions, but..." His other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. Star quietly gasped as she and Marco locked eyes. She linked her arms around his neck, and leaned forward to meet his lips.
Blood red moonlight shown through the clouds upon the young couple; the wand threw off one more bolt of lightning and then fell to the ground; and Star and Marco were quite literally glowing with light as their lips melted into each other.
Their first kiss was, simply put, magical.
"Marco..." Star said breathlessly as she pulled away from Marco, every fiber of her being begging her not to stop. "I still have...to finish this." She looked over to where Eclipsa had been thrown by the wand's blast. Marco nodded, but when he moved to follow Star she shook her head and held him back. "This is my family's business, Marco... I have to do this myself."
Star walked over to Eclipsa, picking her wand along the way. The queen had picked herself up and was sitting on the edge of the balcony, looking out over the Earth below. She turned towards Star, her face a mask of defeat.
"Eclipsa..."
"Well...go ahead. Finish this."
Star gingerly put her hand on Eclipsa's shoulder. "Eclipsa...I'm sorry."
Eclipsa looked up to Star, unable to believe what she was hearing.
"I know the truth about what happened to you, and how you ended up inside the wand. The way our family treated you...it was wrong. They should never have tried to come between you and your true love. If I lost Marco...I probably would have ended up doing the same thing." Star looked back to Marco, a small smile on her face.
Eclipsa frowned, but Star pressed forward. "I can't bring him back, and I can't undo what happened all those years ago...but there's someone who I think you should see."
Star held her wand up with both hands, closing her eyes and focusing her magic to open a bright green portal behind Eclipsa. Star gestured for Eclipsa to turn around, just as Toffee stepped through. The dark queen ran forward, embracing her old friend.
"Toffee! I-I thought I'd never see you again!"
"Neither did I...but I'm glad."
"All those years you spent trying to stop me...what changed your mind?"
"The same thing that changed yours," Toffee smiled, "Star Butterfly, and Marco Diaz."
Eclipsa smiled, pulling Star forward to hug her tightly. "Star...I never thought...I don't even know what to say. Well...actually I do. Thank you, Star. Your forgiveness, well, it means the world to me!"
"Awww! You are quite welcome, however-great grandmother! Soooo...what're you going to do now?"
"Well, first Toffee and I have some catching up to do! After that...I think we're going to be traveling for quite some time. Uncovering different methods of magic, things like that!" Eclipsa pulled out the dimensional scissors she had taken from one of the royal guards, cutting open a dimensional portal. "I shall hope to see you soon, Star!"
"Me too! Just don't try and...y'know, destroy Marco next time, please?"
Eclipsa laughed, "Of course not, my dear. Even if I wanted to, I don't think I could!" She turned to Marco as she and Toffee headed into the portal. "And Marco?"
Marco looked with confusion at the queen. "Yes...?"
Eclipsa smirked, "Wherever we happen to be...we will expect a wedding invitation!"
The portal closed behind them, leaving Star giggling at Marco as his jaw hit the floor.
Marco and Star sat hand in hand on the castle balcony, watching the sun rise up to end the longest night of their lives.
"Well, that just about wraps things up, don't you think?" Glossaryck said, floating behind the pair. "Sorry, I know you two are in...the middle of something, but we can't stay here for much longer." He gestured towards the castle as dozens of dimensional portals started opening up around it, various beings all wearing the same uniform pouring out and quickly surveying the castle.
"Glossaryck, who the heck are these guys?!" asked Marco.
"They're assistants of the Magic High Commission, they're here to make sure your castle makes it back where it belongs in one piece." Glossaryck sighed, "We'll be meeting the commission before too long, I imagine they'll have a lot of questions after this...incident, and when I go I'll be able to, well, show you off as well!"
"Oh, that's right!" Star looked back at Marco, "Sooooo...you know magic now, huh? When, uh, when dd that happen?"
Glossaryck piped in before Marco could get a chance to respond. "Well, he's certainly unable to use magic, saying that he knows it might be a bit of a stretch at this point!"
"HEY!" Marco exclaimed, "I literally just found this out hours ago, just give me some time and I will blow. your. mind." He turned to Star once again, "Glossaryck didn't really explain it to me, but the gist of it seemed to be all the time we spent together caused your magic to rub off on me!"
"Well put, Mr. Diaz!" Glossaryck turned to Star with a wink, "You gave him some magic, and I'm sure he'll give you some, uh, magic in return before too long, hmmm?"
"W-w-what are you talking about, Glossaryck?" Star could feel the heat rising in her face as it turned bright red.
"Oh come now, Princess. What's a little magic shared between friends?" Star and Marco looked at each other, their faces mirroring each other in both shade and expression. It was too much for them, and the two of them doubled over with laughter as Glossaryck looked onward, wildly amused by the whole thing. The pair were finally able to pick themselves up, and Marco took Star by the hand.
"Alright, Star...let's go home."
One more dimensional portal was opened, and the three of them went through after fetching the book of spells. As soon as Star and Marco stepped back into his house, the two of them collapsed onto the couch.
They were going to need all the sleep they could get. Long days were just ahead, days filled...with magic.
Author's note: Annnnnd that's a wrap! That...certainly did not go how I expected it too. To be honest, nothing about this story has really gone as I originally thought it would. What can I say, I'm a gardener (google the quote by George R.R. Martin about gardeners versus architects if you want to know what i'm talking about). There are a few bits I would have done differently in hindsight, but overall this story has been near and dear to my heart and I happen to be quite proud of how it turned out! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed/favorited/followed/beta read. You are all marvelous human creatures. Peace
-fatal
