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Practically holding her breath as she hid behind the trunk of a nearby tree, Moon waited in absolute stillness for the guard to pass. Sneaking into the Butterfly Kingdom was no easy task, but it did help to be the former Queen of the land. She knew exactly where the guards would patrol and when best to sneak past them.
Double-checking the coast was clear, she bolted from the forest and headed straight for the massive barrier surrounding the Butterfly farmlands. Passing through the anti-Monster force field with ease, she knelt on the ground beside the stalks of corn and began stuffing several ears into her bag.
She never thought she would ever be sneaking around in her own familial lands like some common thief, making off with the kingdom's most precious resource, but what choice did she have?
The Royal Monster Summit had been quite the informative experience. She herself had not known much about the intricacies or inner workings of Septarsis to voice her opinion on any of the matters discussed, but it was a great window into what issues all the Monster kingdoms were facing. The biggest, of course, being the uncertainty with the food. It seemed the drought was affecting all the Monster kingdoms. Almost every leader had spoken of their withering farmlands, dying crops, and hungry subjects.
It had filled her with a burning shame to hear the Monsters talk about their hardships, especially when it came to Mewman-Monster relations. They had all pleaded with the various Mewman kingdoms, going so far as to plead with Star directly for assistance, only to be told the same answer: No.
Even as Queen of Mewni, she had known the Monsters often struggled to produce enough food, especially since they did not have any corn to grow, but she had never known the full extent of it.
She had made many mistakes in the past, this she could concede. The least she could do now was try and fix some of those mistakes. Meteora was right, she should not let her utter disdain for Toffee cloud her judgement and feelings for the rest of the Monsters in Septarsis. They had always been her subjects, even back when she was Queen of all of Mewni. She needed to help them in any way she could. She needed to think about the kind of kingdom she would be leaving behind for Xander when he eventually became king.
"You there! Halt!"
Moon dropped the ear of corn that was currently in her hands as she turned to face the guards.
The guards were frozen in place, all staring at the silver-haired woman as if they had just seen a ghost.
"...Queen Moon?"
Taking advantage of their bewildered states, Moon quickly grabbed the dropped ear of corn and took off into the night.
Days later, Moon sat in the castle garden, husking the several ears of now dry corn she had taken. She knew from her experience in the Butterfly farmlands that the individual kernels could be harvested and planted in the ground as seeds. Her spoils would give rise to the first set of Monster corn crops over time, but she did not have time to wait. It would take decades of planting, harvesting, and replanting to finally get enough corn to feed all the Monster kingdoms, but she simply did not have that kind of time. Her subjects were hungry now.
"Glossaryck, I need a spell that can make plants grow faster."
The blue man smiled as he drifted upside down. "So make one."
Moon gave her mentor a disapproving look, knowing she should have long been accustomed to his mischievous ways. "Don't you know one? You were part of the old book before this one, weren't you? Can't you teach me some ancient spell?"
"I'm not really a teacher, I'm just here to help you reach your full potential."
"You know, I'm beginning to see why Star abandoned you," Moon playfully teased as she continued separating the corn kernels from their cobs.
"Why, I never." Glossaryck feigned heartbreak, dramatically placing the back of his hand on his forehead.
Moon laughed, gathering a handful of seeds before heading outside to the castle gardens with Glossaryck close behind.
"Just mess around with your magic, I'm sure you'll figure something out eventually."
Kneeling to the ground, Moon dug a small hole with her hand and dropped a seed in. Stepping back, she held her hand out, directing her magic at the soil. "Grow."
She stepped back in surprise when the single kernel grew in size rather than form, now lying before her as one giant corn kernel poking out from the ground. She could hear Glossaryck laughing as she tried to piece together what went wrong. "Well...it certainly grew, just...not in the way I was hoping."
"Back to the drawing board for you, Moon."
"So you're really not going to help me with this, are you?" Moon asked with a raised eyebrow and cheeky smile.
"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm helping you all I can," Glossaryck responded with a coy smile of his own.
"You haven't done anything at all!"
"Alright, alright, fine. If I must. Let's try looking at this another way. What do you want?"
"I want to make these seeds grow into corn faster than they normally would."
"Okay, what do you usually need to make them grow without magic?"
"Soil, sunshine, and water."
"You're actually forgetting one thing, the most important thing."
Moon pondered for a moment, unable to come up with anything. "What am I missing?"
"Time. Your seeds aren't growing because you're not telling your magic to do the right thing. You don't really want them to grow in size as much as you want the process of them growing to speed along."
"Time?" Moon opened the spell book to Skywynne's chapter. "So if I can make time move faster for the seeds, it should grow into actual corn then."
"Precisely, but," Glossaryck waved his hand, flipping the pages of the book to Eclipsa's chapter, "I think you'll find this more helpful."
Moon instinctively grimaced but still pulled the book closer for a better look. It was one of Eclipsa's more terrifying spells, the quick-aging spell: A method to incapacitate your foes by robbing them of their youth in the blink of an eye.
She shuddered to think of what it would be like to age decades in mere seconds. But still...she could not deny it was the exact spell she needed.
"Could I really use this spell on a plant?"
"There's only one way to find out."
Back outside in the garden, Moon planted another kernel in the ground and stepped back. Raising her hand, she pushed past her fears and chanted, "Forward time."
She watched in amazement as the seed actually sprouted underneath her power and took root. The stalk grew quickly, sprouting multiple ears of corn as it stretched several feet into the air.
Stopping her magic when the ears looked ready for harvesting, Moon quickly pulled one off the stalk and ripped the husk right off.
She stared in shock at the crop in her hand.
While it was indeed a cob of corn she was holding in her hands, it was vastly different than anything she had ever seen on Mewni. The individual kernels on the cob were all varying hues of pink and almost translucent, giving them the appearance of glass beads. Grabbing another ear off the stalk, she tore it open only to find the same result, this time the kernels all bearing various shades of blue.
"Glossaryck, I think something went wrong."
"I don't know, I think it looks kind of pretty."
"Let's try it again."
Moon buried another dried seed into the ground and cast her spell once more. Hastily peeling a new ear, she was stumped when it too was composed of colorful glass-looking kernels.
"Is it really all that bad if it's a different color?" Glossaryck remarked at Moon's downcast look. "It's still corn isn't it?"
"Yes, but...is it safe to eat? It is tainted with dark magic. Corn that can't be used to feed anyone is no different than not having any corn at all."
Turning the dazzling crop in her hand, Moon suddenly perked up when an idea struck her.
"Toffee, can you be poisoned?"
The Monster nearly burst into laughter at the question but managed to contain himself, instead giving a few hearty chuckles as he smirked. "I will admit, Moon, you've got me a little concerned with this line of questioning. Is there anything in particular I should be worried about?"
"That's not what I meant." Moon scowled, setting the gem corn down on Toffee's desk in front of him. "I was able to grow this with my magic, but I don't know if it's actually safe to give to the farmers to grow. Would you be able to safely eat it and ensure it's not poisonous?"
She watched as Toffee picked up the ear and examined in closely, intrigued by the stunning colors and strange appearance of the crop.
"You made this?"
"Not entirely. The seeds were natural, I just used magic to make them grow faster, but...it ended up looking like this."
"I see." Toffee held the ear of corn back out to Moon. "I will give it a try as soon as you finish preparing it."
"What?" Moon's lips curled downwards in visible disapproval. "You want me to cook it for you?"
"Surely you don't expect me to eat raw corn? I'd prepare it myself, but I am a little busy at the moment." Toffee motioned to the scattered documents on his desk, a subtle reminder that Moon had been the one to interrupt him to ask for the favor.
As much as she wanted to object, she knew she was in no position to argue. "Fine," she huffed, snatching the crop off the desk before heading out.
"Lightly roasted with butter and salt, please."
"I can't believe you." Moon muttered under her breath, paying no mind to Toffee's laughter as she closed the door shut behind her.
"Alright." Moon set the plate down in front of Toffee. "Roasted just like you asked, time to keep your end of the bargain."
"I would have asked for more if I had known this was a bargain," Toffee teased as he picked up the cob.
Moon watched in anticipation as he took a bite and chewed. "How is it?"
"It's a little starchier than normal corn, but it's not bad. It's got the same taste overall."
Moon felt a bit of relief at the news. "Do you feel sick?"
"It's a little too early to tell if it will have any adverse effects, but we will know for certain by the end of the day."
"I see. Then I'll be back later."
As she turned to leave, she suddenly felt Toffee's claws come to rest on her shoulder. She nearly leapt in surprise, not expecting him to use his speed to catch up to her so quickly.
"What are you doing?" she asked, placing her hand over her chest to calm her pounding heart. She visibly grimaced when Toffee suddenly swept her off her feet and carried her back over to his seat. "Put me down!"
"As you wish." Toffee dropped back into his chair but still kept his arms wrapped firmly around Moon, trapping her in his lap. "Have a seat."
"You know that's not what I meant!" Moon objected though she made no move to free herself from his iron grip.
"Come now, Moon." Toffee rested his head against her shoulder, paying no attention to her flinching reaction, "Tell me more about this project you're working on. Where did you even get the seeds for the corn?"
Moon gave a sigh of defeat, knowing there was no point in fighting. Toffee always took what he wanted from her, regardless of how she felt in the matter. At least he sounded sincere about his interest in her work.
"I stole them," she confessed, still unable to hide the shame of what she did. "I walked right through the barrier in the Butterfly Kingdom and made off with a few ears of corn."
"Did you now?" Toffee asked, clearly amused. "I was wondering where you had run off to a few nights ago. I would have never guessed this."
"I was hoping to harvest the kernels for their seeds and repeat the cycle until there was enough to start some corn fields in Septarsis, but that would have taken decades. I used magic to speed the process up, but...it had some unintended side-effects. I have a few more spells I'd like to try, but assuming you don't get sick, I plan to repeat the cycle and distribute the harvested seeds to the local farmers."
"I'm sure the farmers would be eternally grateful. As would I."
Moon stiffened when she felt Toffee nuzzle against her and slowly kiss his way up her jaw.
"You're doing a great job as Queen."
"Thank you," she managed to grit through her clenched teeth.
Setting an ear of her gem corn down on the kitchen counter, Moon stepped back as her hands began to glow. "Frumentum Delectamenti."
The corn began to glow as the brilliant colors of the individual kernels slowly faded, leaving the entire cob a solid color of white.
"Well," she picked up the cob and examined it closely, "this is another interesting turn of events."
"I never liked Crescenta much myself," Glossaryck remarked with a clear lack of excitement. "You know she only ever used that spell to hide the fact she was a terrible cook."
"If anything, that just speaks to the strength of the spell. Besides, there's nothing wrong with variety. The more types of corn we can grow, the better."
Plucking a few of the white kernels off, Moon popped them directly into her mouth.
Glossaryck frowned in concern. "You don't want to run that through Toffee first?"
"If the first batch didn't harm Toffee, then this one wouldn't either. Besides, we'll have to try it on someone who isn't immortal eventually. It may as well be me."
"How is it?"
"Very sweet, but...good," Moon responded eagerly, realizing she now had not one but two types of corn for her Monster subjects to grow. "It still tastes like corn."
"Come on." She grabbed the spell book and tucked it under her arm as she headed outside with the corn in hand. "You're going to help me get this all planted. And I mean it this time, Glossaryck!"
Moon smiled at the sight of so many Monsters out working in the farmlands. After a few agonizing weeks and sleepless nights in which she had worked non-stop, she had managed to harvest enough seeds to start the very first cornfields in Septarsis. It was not much, but it was a good start. If the harvest went well, she would hopefully be able to spread the corn to the other Monster kingdoms as well.
As much work as gathering and harvesting all the seeds had been, she was nowhere near done. Getting several fields of corn planted on several different farms was a daunting task in its own right, but a much more manageable one thanks to the generosity of the Septarian subjects.
When word had spread through the kingdom that help would be needed to plant the very first corn fields, volunteers had arrived in droves. That combined with Toffee's order to the Septarian Army to help any way they could had things going quite smoothly. All that was left was for her to summon some rain and water the newly planted seeds for the first time.
"Xander!" she called out to her boy as he played with the other children in the field.
The child quickly came running, tagging along behind her as she trekked her way up the hill overlooking the Septarian farmlands.
"Are you having fun?" she asked her son as she used her magic to conjure up a raincoat his size.
"Yeah!" the boy nodded happily, holding his arms out so his mother could slip the coat on. "I helped Ms. Nikolina plant some corn!"
"Good. It's your duty as prince to help your subjects whenever you can."
Waiting until she received the signal from the farmers below, Moon called forth her magic and waved her hands, slowly painting grey clouds across the skies of Septarsis.
"Mama," Xander tugged at his mother's dress, breaking her concentration, "why are you making it rain?"
"That's what my magic is for dear. I'm using it to help everyone. I'm making it rain to help the corn grow."
"Why don't you just use your magic to make corn? Then it won't have to rain."
Moon chuckled at her boy's hopeful expression as she continued her spell-casting. "That would certainly be much easier, but it wouldn't be the answer. People grow angry and uninspired when they idle. Your kingdom and culture would stagnate if you simply hand everything to your subjects. Your grandmother Skywynne did just that and spent years fixing the problem."
"Grandma Skywynne?" Xander asked curiously.
"That's right. I haven't told you about your grandmothers yet, have I?"
The young boy shook his head 'no.'
As tempted as Moon was to immediately launch into several of the fantastical stories about the Butterfly family, she resisted. Somehow she did not imagine the boy would take well to stories of his predecessors waging endless wars and raids against both the Monsters and his father. "Perhaps another time."
Trying to return her focus to the darkening skies above, Moon could not help but notice Xander fidget about nervously. "What's wrong, Xander?"
"Mama, I don't want it to rain!" The boy grabbed the skirt of her dress, tugging on the fabric as he tried to get her to change her mind. "I can't play outside when it rains!"
Though she knew her son was pleading with all his heart, Moon still could not help but continue her chuckling.
"Mama, don't you like the sun?!"
"I do, Xander, I do, but rain is important too. Sometimes you have to do things that make you sad for the greater good. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices. When you're king someday, you'll have to make some tough decisions as well. Being royalty is more than just fancy parties and wearing a crown. It's protecting your people, doing everything you can to help your kingdom flourish, and maintaining peace between the nations. It's being strong so your people can look to you when they are feeling weak and without hope, even when you yourself are afraid. It's about fighting to protect your people, but also extending a merciful hand to your foes for the sake of future peace. It's putting your own personal grudges, feelings, and pride aside for the greater good."
Realizing she had been trailing on for a bit, Moon glanced back down at the child to find him staring at her with wide, confused eyes. He actually seemed to be a little distressed.
"Mama…"
"Yes, dear?"
"I don't think I can be king."
"What makes you say that?"
"I hate the rain, I want it to be sunny every day."
Moon burst into laughter. Her boy was far too sweet and innocent if all he got out of her talk was that he would sometimes have to deal with rain. She was not really surprised, considering how young he was.
Kneeling down so she was at Xander's level, Moon leaned over and whispered, "Want to hear a secret?"
Xander nodded his head eagerly. "Yeah."
"I wasn't ready to be Queen either. None of our grandmothers were, but once you're actually doing it...well, I guess you'll find a way. And you won't have to do it alone. You have so many people who can help you. I know hearing me talk about it sounds a little scary, but you shouldn't worry about it. I will teach you everything you need to know about running a kingdom when you're older."
"And Papa too? Will he teach me?"
"Yes, I suppose your father will as well," Moon reluctantly conceded, standing up so Xander would not see the scowl on her face. "Are you ready?"
Xander nodded cheerfully, pulling the hood of his jacket over his head as he covered his ears.
Moon clapped her hands together, sending a loud boom of thunder over the entire kingdom. She smiled when Xander squealed in delight. The rain began pouring down seconds later, but her work was not done yet.
Focusing on the newly-planted corn, she concentrated her magic into her hands and blasted it along the edges of the farmlands, raising a defensive barrier around the new crops. It was much like the barrier protecting the farmlands in the Butterfly Kingdom, but designed to keep out Mewmans instead of Monsters. There had been no major issues with Mewman forces invading Monster lands since she had left Mewni, but one could never be too safe.
Taking hold of Xander's hand, she led him down the hill and back to where the Monster farmers all stood waiting eagerly for her.
Approaching the fields, Moon came to a sudden stop when she crashed directly into her own barrier. She rubbed her nose, realizing her mistake. Of course, it was an anti-Mewman barrier meant to keep Mewmans out, including her.
Stepping away, she could not help but laugh at the surprised and concerned expressions on her subjects' faces.
It was not long before they joined in laughter with her.
Glass gem corn is a real thing and it is beautiful. Google some pictures of it, you won't be disappointed.
Review please!