Ok, ya dicknuts. You guys see the 4 new episodes that came out since I went on that stupid hiatus? Holy crap that was so coooooooool! But it's about time I got back to the story. In my absence I've actually come up with a few new story ideas after this one is done. Don't wanna give any away now but it'll be good. Promise.
Holy crap that's a lot of reviews...
MikeWeezy1323: 1) The monarchy isn't gone entirely. You can't just remove an entire system of government by killing two people, it's gonna take more than that. 2) This entire story is just a bag-o-dicks and that's why we all love it.
Guest Sorta: 1) Holy shit indeed. 2) I don't care. 3) No. 4) Nah, I'm good. 5) Nah.
DonDonatek: I've been really working on fleshing out this plot as much as I can, dropping little plot points here and there for people to pick up. Star thought her parents' death was her fault for good reason, after all it was her that brought the assassin *cough* Celeste *cough* into the castle in the first place.
IUcOzAdE: 1) Oh she's gonna do more than just make contact with Marco *completely not an obvious wink* 2) Aaaayyyy you saw that!
ChelJosh: (ch19) I thought it fitted pretty well, too. I have not heard of that fic, I'ma look it up right now! Don't feel too bad for Celeste, I think you know why now. I really wanted to give Janna a bit of a bigger role in this story but I got away from her for a little bit. Rip. That wasn't a long review, at least not for me. Don't worry about review length, and I'm glad you could find some internets.
(ch20) I dunno, pudding would be pretty nice right about now. Great, now you got me craving pudding. Thanks a lot. Here's your update. I'ma go get some pudding...
PIE1999: Yeet
jjmmmmmlol: 1) NO PUNS! *smites* 2) I could barely make out a word of that review, either English isn't your first language or you don't know how a keyboard works. Anyway, I will not limit my time skips. If the time space continuum breaks that's its fault, not mine. I believe you meant to say adieu but hey, what do I know? I don't know Scandinavian. P.s. Here's me writing. Hope you're happy. And yes, my day has been semi-shitty. P.p.s. Yeah, sure, you did it right.
kinglan10: 1) Hey hey, welcome to the fic! I can understand your trouble with the 'general level of crap on ff'. Slow down the romance?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH no. I really need to change that description, don't I? Yeah, I should do that. About the cheek spots I uh... may have taken some creative liberties to fit the story better. In all honesty I just completely overlooked that. And now with Into The Wand we've seen MUCH more about them cheek spots. I do love my author's notes. Yes I do. 2) I accept your sacrifice.
Leo: Thanks, I really tried to tie him back with his more mexican heritage later in the fic but I'm proud of what I did with him in chapter 2.
Li'l Sleuth: Ah yes, more cookies. Splendid! The obvious Starco was my pleasure. No one here has nukes, and none of them will ever have nukes. They have magic and spears. Thas abou' it. The project isn't honestly all that important and probably won't come up again. AND I WILL BRING TOM INTO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT. 2) Again. No. 3) No. 4) Yeah, I'm a monster. I know.
56 000: Ya better believe them time skips are the very best. Like no one ever was.
Guest: We all hate hiatuses. And getting here late is never a problem.
I'mChokingOnAnOlive: yeah, I guess I did do all that. Wow...
Celebrity Martyr: Oh, wow, sorry to here that. Glad I could be of some help.
MightyMangoes666: Yep, not the first time I've been told that.
And that brings me up to a total of over 10,700 views. Hot dog, that's pretty neat-o. Story Time!
Chapter 21
Mirror, Mirror
"Ok... and what exactly is a derivative?"
"In common terms, it really just turns out to be an equation used to graph the slope of another function."
"Dude, you're speaking another language."
"No, I'm speaking calculus."
"Oh my god, stop!"
Marco laughed at Janna's outcries. They had been studying for their upcoming math test in Janna's dorm. She definitely wasn't the smartest person on campus but at least she put in the effort. Marco almost felt bad for thinking it but after seeing her academic history he was actually surprised to see her get into a college like Stanford. Oh well, at least he had a friend to talk to here. His roommate wasn't much for getting to know Marco, not like he was ever around to do that anyway. The guy was always off partying or something. Marco doesn't even remember his name.
"AAAUUUUGH I'm gonna fail this test!"
"What? No, you won't. You have the greatest study partner in the school."
"And the greatest boyfriend, too."
"Well, I dunno about that."
"Oh, don't sell yourself short, man. You're doing fine."
"I'm not 'selling myself short'! I'm being honest."
It was true, though, Marco felt like he hadn't been very committed in his relationship with Janna. It had only been a month, though, so there was still plenty of time to grow. Marco knew there was something holding him back, though, and he knew exactly what it was. He clutched at the necklace beneath his shirt. The fact that Star could call and show up at any time still held a firm grip on his mind.
Janna, on the other hand, was still reminiscing about how Marco had said 'Yes'.
Marco picked up his cell phone and immediately answered it when he saw it was Janna.
"Hey, Janna, what's up?"
"Hey, Marco, you hear about that new Doctor Strange movie that just came out?"
"Oh yeah, I've been dying to see it."
"Well I got two tickets, you wanna go? It's tonight."
Marco looked down at the essay he had been writing.
"Yeah sure, totally."
"Great! It's at 7, I'll meet you outside your dorm."
"Alright see ya then."
Wooooaaaah this time skip is all twirly and trippy and just woah...
The two friends walked out of the theater.
"Oh man, and that last battle scene!"
"That was so fricken trippy. I thought my eyes were gonna pop out of my head."
"Hahahaha..." Her voice trailed a little. "We should do this more often."
"What, hang out? I know, I feel like we have so much lost time to catch up on."
"No, not just hang out. I mean, like, go out."
"Janna, come on, that's ridiculous."
"Is it, though? We've known each other for forever, we're both single pringles." Marco chuckled at that. "What's so wrong about us dating?"
"Well... you got me there. Alright, sure. We'll make 'us' a thing."
Janna did a mental fist pump. 'Finally!'
After that there was a month of regular dating. Every Saturday and Tuesday, to be exact. Janna could tell Marco wasn't putting his heart and soul into the relationship but she didn't really mind. She never wanted a super in depth relationship to begin with, just someone to be there for her. She sat on the bed and looked over at Marco.
"So, what d'ya wanna do tomorrow night?"
"Well, I've got a bit of money saved up, I was thinking about hitting that fancy restaurant downtown."
"You mean the one with those amazing steaks?"
"Yeah, I thought we could do something special for the one month mark."
"Aw, sweet! I've always wanted to go there."
Star stood in front of the old and dusty mirror in the basement, Marco's parents right behind her.
"This has to be it. This is the mirror that I can use to contact Marco."
Mrs. Diaz squealed in delight. "Oh, we're gonna see our little boy again!"
Star turned the mirror on to see that there was a few missed calls, all from the same number. "Huh... I expected more. Mirror, call Star."
"Calling: Star"
The mirror rang and rang but no one answered. "Wow, ok, call again."
"Calling: Star"
Same thing. "Guess I'll just leave a message..." The little red light appeared on the top of the mirror to signify that the recording had started.
"Marco! Please call me back, I need you! Some... things are going on here and I need you here for a little while. Just call me back ASAP!"
When the message was sent she turned back to the other two.
"Wanna help me bring this upstairs?"
"Of course."
Time goes by and with it comes the almighty time skip. Prime for your worshiping pleasure.
Marco unlocked his door and walked in to a pitch black and empty dorm room. It was late by the time Janna had finally given up on studying so Marco decided to turn in for the night. He flopped down onto his bed and shut his eyes. He hadn't even noticed the little flashing red light on the mirror he had hung on his wall. He just wanted to get some sleep before what's-his-face got back. That guy never knew the meaning of common decency.
It didn't take long for him to fall asleep that night. And in the morning, after he woke up and realized he had slept through his alarm, he had to rush to get out the door. His eye just happened to catch sight of the mirror as he left. He froze for a second but shook his head.
'I'll check it after class.'
He could barely focus in class, though. The thought that a call had finally come through on the mirror both excited and worried him. It must have come through while he was studying with Janna. It had to be Star calling, who else could it have been? His mind started racing at what she could have called about.
'Hey, Marco, I'm free to do whatever finally and I wanna come back to Earth and I dunno maybe date you or something. I still haven't gotten over you.'
Marco had to laugh at his own thoughts, that definitely sounded like something Star would say. But how would he tell her about Janna? He was going to have to break the news to Star somehow and he knew she wasn't going to like it. Maybe she should tell Janna first. They had their last class that day together so he'll take care of it then.
I do love me a good time skip. And this one looks rather suitable.
Marco pulled Janna to the side after their last class had ended.
"Janna, listen, Star's back."
"What? What do you mean, back?"
"I think she called the mirror last night while we were studying. I saw it this morning but I couldn't check it, I was almost late for class."
"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go answer it!"
They ran back to Marco's dorm side by side. Marco could feel his heart thumping inside his chest, longing for the chance to finally talk to Star again. The dorm was still empty, of course. The roommate was never there. Marco went up to the mirror.
"Mirror, play back the message."
"Playing: message"
Star came on the screen, her cheeks were still damp and he could tell she was crying. There were two people standing behind her but they were blocked by Star's body.
'Marco! Please call me back, I need you! Some... things are going on here and I need you here for a little while. Just call me back ASAP!'
The message ended. "Well, definitely not what I was expecting."
Janna put her hand on Marco's shoulder. "Call her back, don't keep her waiting."
Marco nodded. "Mirror, call Star."
"Calling: Star"
She picked up on the first ring, as if she had been waiting for the call.
"Marco! Oh my god, Marco, thank you so so much for calling back." She was talking unusually fast, even for herself.
"Star! Calm down, what's going on. We haven't spoken in years and when I finally get a call back you're going off about something happening. What happened?"
"It was... *sigh* I really didn't want to have to talk about it."
"Star, c'mon, what's the matter? You know you can tell me."
"My parents. They're... they're dead." She looked away from the screen.
"What!? How? Who did it?"
"Do you remember that woman you met at the Blood Moon Ball?"
Marco's face dropped. "Celeste... No, there's no way it was her."
"It was and it may have been my fault. I brought her into the castle, I gave her the chance."
Janna decided to jump in the conversation since Star hadn't seemed to notice her yet. "Wait, so, your parents were assassinated?"
"Wha-? Oh, Janna! You're here, too?"
"Yeah, Marco told me you had called and I didn't wanna miss this."
"Oh, thanks. And yes... they were assassinated. And that's not even the worst part."
Marco looked worried. "Oh no, that doesn't sound good."
"I... well, since my parents are... gone the council says that I have to take the throne."
"That's great, Star! You'll finally be the queen."
"And, uh... I need a..."
"A what?"
"I need a king..."
Here's a nice short time skip for all ya lovelies.
"What am I supposed to do!?"
"Woah, Marco, calm down. It's fine, really."
"Janna, I can't be a king. I haven't even finished school yet!"
"But do you need to? You're probably already smarter than the entire dimension. They could use a ruler like you."
"But I'm not ready for that kind of commitment! I mean, us dating is one thing, but being a freaking king? How am I supposed to do that?"
"Oh c'mon now, you'll do fine. If you don't figure it out yourself I'm they have, like, advisers or something. And you'll be with Star, she'll know what to do."
"And what about you? How am I supposed to tell her about the two of us?"
"Marco, I know our relationship isn't all that much. It was never going to be, I just thought we could be a thing for a little while since, well, we were both rather alone here."
"What? Janna, I didn't know you felt that way."
"Eh, it's whatever."
"No, it's not just 'whatever'. What am I gonna do with you? I can't just leave you behind if I were to leave for Mewni."
"Please, I know how to handle myself. And who said anything about you leaving me behind?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing, just think it over. Take the night off, we'll cancel the date so you can get some rest. You don't have any class tomorrow so call Star back then."
"Yeah... yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks, Janna."
"Anytime, ya dork."
She gave him a little kiss on the cheek and walked out. "See ya tomorrow."
Marco rubbed his cheek. "Yeah..."
Star sat on her bed with her head tucked into her knees. After Marco had hung up she felt like she was going to puke up her stomach. Why did she even bring up the thing about needing a king? She felt like an idiot, of course he isn't going to say yes after that, why would he? Maybe she shouldn't have even bothered with him.
Glossaryck floated over towards Star and placed a tiny, reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Shhhhh, there there. It's fine, Star."
"No it isn't!" She raised her head up. "What am I supposed to do!? Marco's never gonna say yes now."
"You don't know that, Star. Marco will say yes, I just know it. And so do you."
"No he won't, after what I said he probably thinks I'm just looking for a way to get with him again. He's not gonna come, the counsel will find someone for me to marry, and I'll never see him again!"
"You're worrying too much, you know he loves you and as a friend at the very least. He'd come running to help you in an instant. Need I remind you of a certain glimmer of hope? A rather red glimmer of hope?"
Star stopped talking and attempted to quiet her sniffles.
"The Blood Moon knows what it wants, my dear."
Star looked Glossaryck in the eyes, her mouth hanging open slightly.
"The two of you were chosen. There is no way for him to say no even if he wanted to. Time will take its course and lead the two of you together. You just need to trust Time."
"So... you know this for sure?"
"Without a single doubt in my mind. The two of you were chosen to be together and the universe always gets what it wants."
"Thanks, Glossy. I don't know what I'd do without you right now."
These time skip lines aren't easy to write, y'know. Maybe I could enlist the help of some of my followers...
Marco woke in the morning with energy reinvigorated. He had a goal in mind and for once he was going to go after it. He almost jumped straight for the mirror but saw his own reflection in it and remembered that bed head was no way to greet the Queen of Mewni. He combed his hair, brushed his teeth, and changed his clothes, complete with signature red hoodie, all in the span of 4 minutes. Almost a new record but not quite.
Should he tell Janna that he was going to do it? That he was going to say yes? Maybe she would want to be here to say goodbye when he left. He called his girlfriend up and she was there in no time at all. Everything just seemed to be moving faster today. They positioned themselves in front of the mirror and put on some flashy grins.
"Mirror. Call Star."
"Calling: Star"
The mirror rang a few times before Star picked up. She looked like she hadn't slept at all the night previous. Though Star was clearly tired, as demonstrated by her slurred words, she opened up the conversation.
"Marco! Janna! I dinn't espect a call back suh soon." She let out a little yawn.
"Well I just couldn't wait to tell you that I've agreed to come to Mewni with you."
"Wha'? Really?!"
"Yep, just tell me what I need and I'll be ready in no time."
"No time is righ'. You don need tah bring anything other than *yawn* the clothes on yur bahck. We can get yew settled in here."
"Wow, not at all what I was expecting. Alright, when am I leaving?"
"Gimme an hour to wake up and ah'll come get you myself."
"Ok, then, I'll be waiting here for you."
Star hung up with a wave and another yawn. Janna grabbed Marco's shoulders and spun him to face her.
"Dude, you did it! You're gonna be a king!"
"Hey, don't spoil this for me yet. The full realization hasn't really sunk in yet."
This is an explosive time skip! It's detonation is set for 3... 2... 1... ... huh. Guess I misplaced the explosive ones.
It only took an hour and a half for a portal to open in Marco's room. The only thought that could possibly have run through Marco's mind when she stepped through was:
'Holy shit...'
She was absolutely stunning in her royal gown. Her face had been refined, almost polished, to the point where her smile could actually shine. Her light blue eyes only seemed deeper than when they had last parted, though he didn't want to think about that time. Her slender body was older, more mature, than it had looked on the mirror. And though her hair was completely untouched and in the same style it was always in those flowing golden locks looked as though Marco could use them for a blanket. It was like the traces of how tired she was had vanished all together. Star caught him staring and cracked a smile. Janna watched the two of them just standing there, staring at each other, and gave Marco a little shove. He stumbled over to the Queen who immediately latched him in the biggest hug she had ever given.
"Marco, I'm so so happy to see you!"
Marco let his own arms wrap around her. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment."
They spent such a long time in this embrace that Janna had to bring them back to consciousness by clearing her throat. "Isn't there some official business you two have to get to?"
Star broke the hug. "That's right! We need to get you to Mewni and show my advisers that I don't need them to give me a husband. C'mon, Marco, in you go!" She started to push him through the portal. Marco passed the threshold before he could protest at all.
Janna came up behind Star and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, can I talk to you a second?"
"Yeah, sure, what is it?"
Oooooooh, there's those explosive ti-
Marco looked around the other side of the portal. So this was Mewni? The real part of it, anyway. He had only been to this world once before and that was only to go to the wastelands. He saw the monstrous castle looming up above him as he stepped through the courtyard. It wasn't until the two girls walked through the portal that he was aware they weren't behind him.
"And you're sure you're completely cool with this?"
"Janna, I told you, I understand entirely."
The two walked up to Marco, who was still aimlessly looking around.
"Pretty cool, huh? Well guess who's gonna be living in that for who knows how long."
Star grabbed Marco's wrist. "C'mon, we've wasted too much time already. We need to get you settled in."
They ran towards the castle entrance, Janna in tow. Marco could do nothing but marvel at the situation he was in.
It was time to make up for lost time.
My spotify playlist officially reached 666 songs with the addition of some Tenacious D. Praised be the D!
On a more serious note, I'm really happy with the length of this chapter and the general plot I put in. As for the quality: it was a tiny bit lower than it should have been and is now completely unbelievable in all senses of the word. Ah well, maybe I'm just being critical of myself. I should get around to that coconut suggestion eventually...
There is still so much story to come and it will all happen in relation to this blasted war that is ravaging our blessed Mewni. Let's see what this devilishly handsome author has in store for this, hm?
(and yes, Marco's absence will be noticed.)