The Castle Mewni library was like a garish fever dream. Gold leaf embellishments clung to the sides of the towering mahogany shelves, the endless rows stretching out as far as Star could see. Even in all its gaudy splendor, this place was a bookworm's paradise.

The sound of Star's boots clacking against the tile floor echoed across the silence. It was alwaysso quiet in here. The deafening silence could sort of made a person feel nervous…which reminded her to silence her compact. Avoiding the wrath of the archive curator sounded like a pretty good idea. After all, there was nothing like a little Space Unicorn to call attention to your snooping!

Where would she begin? She had told Comet she was going to dig through the archives, but that could take years before she ever found anything useful. Maybe it would be better to collect more...pertinent information. Like "Ghost Hunting for Dummies." Was that a thing? Well, if it was, this place would definitely have it.

She decided against getting sidetracked; tempting as it was, she'd better stick to the plan. She was here to learn the neglected history at stake.

Focused on the task at hand, Star diligently sifted through shelf after shelf, digging through every text, scroll, and diary in hopes to find something of relevance. Looking for information on Mewni's first matriarch turned out to be a surprisingly difficult task. Finding anything beyond the occasional passing reference to Etheria was a challenge in itself, almost as though the library had been scrubbed of these piece of history.

As she flipped through her thousandth text, Star's mind began to wander. She thought of the first time she'd toured Marco around the castle, of how wide-eyed and excited he'd been and how proud she was to show off her home. They'd had so much fun running the halls, exploring every nook and cranny, and playing goofy pranks on all of her ever-tolerant castle staff. They had even made an impressive book fort in this very library, complete with a stolen pair of linens for a door. Her heart sighed at the memory.

Her hand stopped. As she had been returning the completely useless text, her eye caught a peculiar sight sandwiched between two massive atlas. There, tucked away from the casual passerby, rested a tiny, leather-bound journal. Star swiped away the thick layer of dust coating the cover to reveal the words "Piyu Haruut otfu Vituna." She instantly understood the title, and only seconds later did she realize that the writing was in her native language of Mewnian.

Strange, she thought.

Printing anything in 100% pure Mewnian was rare in this day and age. After a certain point in their kingdom's history, there was a big effort to shift to a more universally shared language in order to better communicate and establish a relationship with the surrounding lands. This thing had to have been old.

She opened the book and began reading.

"Tei Nuthabi," she read aloud.

A Sorrow?...

The thick parchment was faded and smelled thickly of soot and ash. The pages crackled and crinkled as Star turned them.

This land is a place drenched in sorrow, she read. These are the words recorded by Meadow the Scribe, ye royal scrivener of the House of Butterfly, in the great year of the Kernel, at the time of the-

"Okay, okay, buddy, we get it! You threw some words on some paper and called it a book."

Star skimmed the tedious introduction, longing to dig deep into the important parts.

Within this land, our Lady Etheria was passionately courted by her long-admired paladin, a man of no noble standing. The two were engaged to soon be married. Theirs was a blazing, fiery fervor! O, the devotion of a manservant to his lady! How cherished our Lady was in the eyes of her beholder!-

Star, feeling quite embarrassed to be reading some ancient dude's intensely detailed love poetry, skimmed ahead once again.

But theirs was a love that could not be achieved. In her pursuit to colonize this land, the beastly creatures who inhabited it did rise against our Lady's pure wishes, rebelling in what has been dubbed in our time as the "Great Monster Massacre." Chosen to aide his country in a time of great need, the paladin answered the call to action, only to meet a cruel fate in the battle against the beasts.

"Poor guy," Star remarked before continuing.

After the slaying of her love, Etheria was forced to wed another. Thusly, a female heir was produced by the name of Aphelion. This daughter has henceforth been christened as Aphelion the Songful, blessed in the spirit of verse and rhyme.

There was a name Star finally recognized! Aphelion the Songful was totally awesome. She'd seen her portrait in the Grandma room now and again and had always admired her unique sense of gumption. She had the magical gift of song, for starters, and as far as Star knew, she was the only one in the family line to have ever possessed song magic. Why couldn't she have been so lucky? How dope would it be to sing your enemies to death?

Our Lady Etheria remained bitter in life to her dying breath, forever longing after the heart of her one true love. The legends of her ruling years are remembered in the ballads composed by her daughter. May they remind us of the brutality of our merciless enemies, lest we perish at the ends of their wicked claws.

So that was it, then. The sad, sad tale of a heartbroken princess. The depictions Star saw on the mausoleum were suddenly making a lot more sense in light of this new information. That wasn't the only thing that had become clearer- the haunting statement "bitter in life until her dying breath" did not escape Star.

Bitter in life, she thought,and angry in death?

Were ghosts real? Star didn't think so, at least up until now. Maybe they were being haunted after all. At least now she had a lead on what to do next.

She pocketed the little text, deciding to take it with her. There was a lot of information in the journal that she hadn't been able to find elsewhere, and she might as well take it with her in the event that it came in handy. She had the slightest feeling that its mere existence had been overlooked, and had it not been, it would have never made its way into her hands.

Etheria's daughter had been an aspiring minstrel, but she wasn't just any ordinary music enthusiast- her magical power had manifested in song. Star recalled the verses wrapping around the mausoleum walls and was more certain than ever that they had been crafted by none other than Aphelion the Songful. Star had a hunch: those lines weren't just any ordinary lyrics.

Star wasn't very well studied in the musical arts- outside of her love of Earth boy bands, of course (thanks, Marco!). However, luck was on her side; she knew someone who was an "accomplished musician," according to her mother! Well, she didn'tformally know him yet, but she would soon.

She smoothed out the folds of her soft pink dress as she exited the royal library and made her way down the hall. Running her fingers through her hair and adjusting her headband, she attempted to make herself as presentable as possible before intruding on her mother's tea hour.

The large, ornate doors to the castle foyer might have intimated any other visitor, but throwing them open as though it was nothing was standard protocol for the princess.

"Mom!"

"S-Star?!" The queen was visibly surprised. The tea within her cup went turbulently swishing. "Good heavens, darling, when did you get here? I didn't know you were coming today!"

"Sorry to interrupt your…" Star looked to the visiting dignitaries seated around her mother, all looking very amused with the sudden intrusion. "Whatever it is you're doing! Hello, everyone, by the way! I just wanted to meet with that song guy you told me about."

"What? Goodness, Star, Song Day's not for another-"

"Yeah, I know I'm early and all, but I don't see how meeting with him early could hurt anything."

"Your daughter takes care of business long before it is expected of her," the Queen of the Spiderbite Kingdom remarked. "How commendable! If only I could get my daughters to be so expeditious."

Queen Moon practically basked in the glow of the resounding praise and nods of the dignitaries. A swell of pride filled her chest as she replied to her daughter.

"Wonderful, darling! Allow me to summon Ruberiot for you."

"No need," Star said. "I'll just go find him on my own."

"His room is right across the castle courtyard, darling! Ask any of the servants if you need help finding it!"

As her daughter sauntered away, Moon felt proud that her carefree girl was slowly but surely growing into a fine young ruler.

Ruberiot, as it turned out, was not at all the kind of person Star had been expecting. Rather than one of her mother's traditional jesters who contented themselves with the same old card tricks and stuffy stories, Ruberiot was a total forward thinker. Only seconds after meeting him had he launched into his list of ideas, each wilder and more envelope-pushing than the last.

"Your Majesty, may I just say, I am so honored to be the one to compose for your Song Day," he gushed."I mean, wow, a piece of my art is going to go down in history! Oh, I've been dreaming of this day-"

"And you're obviously a fantastic songstrel," Star replied. Best to butter him up a little and watch his reaction before proceeding with the plan. She wanted to make sure he wouldn't cause any trouble. Star didn't get that vibe with him, but it was better to be cautious. "And capable of lots and lots of other musical related endeavours! Not just Song Day."

The compliment had him glowing.

"Oh, thank you, Princess! It's my goal to one day change the world of music as we know it."

"Well, speaking of 'music as we know it,' you must be a well-studied guy, yeah? A real music aficionado?"

"Yes, of course. One doesn't get a position like mine without knowing your contrafacts from your quodlibets!"

"Ha ha, yeah, your contra...contra...your contrathings from your quodlibo..stuffs. Anyway, I should tell you, I'm actually here today about something else. Kind of a...secret musical project thing."

"A secret music project?" He leaned forward. "What kind of a project?"

"Well, Ruby, my man, you're the official songstrel to the Butterfly family, yeah?"

"An honor I hold dear to my heart, milady," he nodded.

"Which means you probably had to work really, really hard to get to where you're at. So I figure you must know your stuff. But when it comes to music, how well do you know the underrated hits?"

"Oh, don't even get me started on all the ballads before their time! One day, these simple cretons will look back and realize how blessed they were to have the glorious sounds of the cheese drums grace their uncultured ear drums-"

"Yes, definitely. Totally there with you on the cheese drums. But what about the really underappreciated songs? The ancient kind of stuff that everybody just sort of forgot about?"

"Do you mean, like, Mewnian Throat Chanting?"

"Erm, a teensy while after that, but yeah, we're getting there. I'm talking like...the ancient Butterfly family songs! Oldies but goodies."

"The Butterfly family songs? With all due respect Your Highness, those are incredibly well known and preserved! I should know, I had to memorize hymn after hymn for years."

"All of them? Even the one about Etheria the First?"

Ruberiot's shoulders tightly tensed. Star felt the atmosphere shift, and she worried that she'd pressed into this topic too fast.

"I've heard just about every Butterfly family song in existence, and every darn one of them has been near identical to the last. They're like musical madlibs! But now, I'm starting to think that I might not have had the whole picture- er, heard the whole chorus, so to speak."

Ruberiot was silent for a moment, stroking his chin in deep, perplexing thought.

"That's...that's a tough one, Princess."

"So, you don't know it?"

"I didn't say that. The Ballad of Etheria...That's a really, really old song. I mean, for crying out loud, it was written back when the chelys was the hot new instrument!"

He chuckled at his joke, and Star had no idea what had struck him as so funny. She just chalked it up to being one of those artist things.

"That song was unique," he continued, "As it was penned in memoriam rather than being written during the subject's lifetime."

"It was written by her daughter, right?"

"Yes," he gawked. "Aphelion the Songful. One of the only royal members ever blessed with lyrical magic. You must be a pretty big music aficionado yourself to have known that."

"Sure, sure! So, you know the song, right?"

"Only as much as is available. The melody was well preserved, but nearly all the verses have been lost over the course of history. You have to know, Etheria was a highly controversial figure in her time. The only FULL lyrical record we had was burned centuries ago, during the Great Mewnian Reformation-"

"Seriously?! That's all it took to get rid of a pivotal piece of family history?! A few grumpy traditionalists lighting some scrolls on fire?! What about her mausoleum? I mean, it's got the verses running all along the sides- "

The songstrel nearly fell out of his chair. "What did you say?"

"I said that the lyrics are on the side of her mausoleum, even if they are pretty weathered-"

"Princess. There has never been any kind of lyrical preservation at her graveside, nor will there ever be. I don't know what people have told you, but I can assure you, it's pure superstition-"

"No, I can assure YOU that they're there! I promise! I've been there and I've seen it with my own two eyes."

"Take me there."

"Huh?"

"Take me to these lyrics, milady."

Before she had a chance to reply, he leaped into action, rushing over to a cluttered corner of instruments and loose sheets of musical paper. He retrieved a lute-like instrument from its stand and a feathered quill pen, frantically scribbling something down.

Star took advantage of his hasty preparations and slipped her compact out of her bag. She had forgotten to turn the ringer back on since her trip to the library. She was surprised to find a generous amount of missed call notifications, from Marco of all people. The time stamps showed they were relatively recent- one had just come through but a moment ago.

Probably just feels bad about the other night, she thought. He's such a worrier.

Star ignored the notifications in favor of shooting Comet a quick text.

Meet me at the Royal Garden, ASAP!

After sending it, she couldn't help but wonder what Marco had been calling about. If he really was just calling to talk about the other day, she figured he'd leave a message asking to meet up and be done with it. Was it possible that something had gone wrong? Even if she was mega irritated with the boy, she still ultimately cared about him more than anything. They were best friends, even if they hadn't been acting like it lately. One quick call to check on him shouldn't hurt-

"Your highness, please, it is imperative that we make haste. If what you say is true, we're on the cusp of making major history."

"Okay, okay," she sighed. Calling Marco back would have to wait until later. "Wait, one more thing before we go!"

She didn't know if there was a chance they'd run into the Magic High Commission today, but she wasn't about to risk it. She opened a mass text message and addressed it to each member.

"Today is Intergalactic Thank a Magical Manager Day! In honor of this special holiday, we'd like to thank our most important magical managers- the Magic High Commission! Head on over to the castle for a free churro or two and a big thanks from your favorite royal family!"

There. Sent. That should give them a little extra protection against getting caught, just in case. Getting into restricted magical areas wasn't too difficult; as long as Rhombulus had a monster-sized appetite, there was always a way!

She opened a portal to the Royal Garden of Empyrean Enchantments, letting the overeager Ruberiot lead the way.

Hope he doesn't figure out that we're about to summon a ghost, she thought. Well, if nothing else, he can be the first witness to a real life ghost battle, and that's pretty cool. Really, a win-win situation if you look at it.

They bypassed the crystal barrier in the same fashion as the first visit. As they proceeded to the sight of the mausoleum, Star snuck in one last text message, this time to Marco. It was a simple 'everything okay?' but it would put her worries at ease. She slipped her phone back into her bag and waited for a reply.

It wasn't long after they were making their climb up the hill that Comet appeared, right on time.

"Hey, bro! What have you been up to all day?" She gave him a playful nudge.

"NOTHING," he blurted out, eyes wide.

"Um, okay?..."

He gave her a big, nervous smile- but there was no happiness in it. It was forced and fearful, and made Star eye him suspiciously.

She wondered what kind of hijinks he could have possibly gotten into; she hadn't even been gone for that long! Well, considering that she always had a knack for getting herself into sticky situations, she didn't see why the parallel version would be any different in that regard.

"The legends are true," Ruberiot gasped, falling to his knees. His voice trembled as he ran his fingers across the smooth stone, tracing the verses with a deep reverence. "Aphelion's song has revealed itself to the one it hails a worthy virtuoso!"

Star didn't have the heart to tell him that, no, that was not at all what had happened; Star and Comet had come across these words a while ago, and he probably had nothing to do with it. However, considering that he looked like he was on the verge of tears, she decided against saying anything. Let the man have his dream!

He poured over every last corner of the building, piecing together every word and phrase with seeming ease. Perhaps the parts Star had struggled with comprehending were already previously known to Ruberiot, or maybe it was just that poet in him that made it that much easier. Either way, he had the full song at last.

He returned to the front of the dark tomb, preparing his lute.

Beside her, Star could hear Comet taking shallow, raspy breaths. Why was he so nervous?

"Hey," she whispered. "You don't have to be so worried! I am totally ready for this fight."

"W-What?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to fill you in on everything from today. Anyway, long story short, we're gonna summon the ghost, blast it to ectoplasmic pieces, and make everything okay again!"

Ruberiot began.

The strings cried out in a mournful melody, forming a grievous sounding song that struck Star's heart. An immense sadness overcame her, making her want to weep. She wasn't sure if this was the supposed magic of the song, or if it was Ruberiot's masterful skill; he didn't just play the strings, but rather, romanced them, carving out a rich, full sounding refrain worthy of even the most noble of sovereignty.

"O' kind light of virtue tender, birth fledgling romance in youthly splendor," he sang. "Before fate's cruel ways doth strike thou harsh, murder of the lovestruck hearts!"

The air grew cold and thin. This is it, Star thought. We'll destroy stupid Great-Grandma the Ghostly and release her hold on timespace and everything will go back to normal.

She could feel a powerful enchantment deep in her bones, shaking her to her core. This magic permeated everything around it; its feeling was undeniable. Star readied her wand for the attack. She'd fought everything from dragons to manticores, but never a ghost. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

"Before the light the break doth send, cause the golden string to bend. Lest ye forget a fortune so pallid, set sweet voice to bewitched ballad."

An ominous purple mist began to glow from within the mausoleum. The dismal, gloomy sky was quickly turning turbulent as the winds picked up speed.

"Remember the matriarch, a lost soul misguided, eternally mourning a people divided."

The skies above were violent now. Clouds were swirling furiously overhead, and Star had to firmly plant her feet in the soil against such a strong current.

"COMET," she shouted over the storm, wand in attack position. "GET READY."

The doors to the sepulcher flew open, smacking against the sides of the monument with an ear shattering crack. From within, bursts of electric blue and brilliant violet sprung forth and blinded the trio. Streams of magical energy crackled loudly against the fierce gusts of the storm, and Ruberiot's words were barely audible as he finished the song.

"May wayward winds howl and dusk tempests wail, cacophony silenced when lost passion prevails."

As the last word left the songstrel's lips, Star was uprooted from the ground. She clung to the ground with one weak hand, desperately trying not to float away. The source of the violently powerful vortex was coming from within the building, and she was powerless to fight against it; straining to keep her eyes open, she could see she wasn't the only one struggling- Ruberiot was clutching with all his might to the ground, and Comet fighting being sucked into the heart of the storm with her.

There was no chance of escaping. Her tired fingers gave out. Her bond with the ground was broken and she was sent flying. She closed her eyes tight, frightened as she departed the world she knew and descended into the dark depths of the unknown.