Star vs The Forces of Evil

The Ballad of Earth-Mewni

Disclaimer: Star vs The Forces of Evil was created by Daron Nefcy and is owned by Disney. I own no part of Star vs.

Episode 20: The Queens and the Books

Episode Summary: Mariposa & Meteora team up with Cassandra Cher to investigate the new source of magic that inexplicably appeared in the Neverzone. Meanwhile, Eclipsa & Moon have a late night heart-to-heart reminiscing on the age of magic & queens, both the good and the bad.

Original Release Date: June 11, 2020

In the Neverzone, Cassandra Cher studied the newly-minted magic wand that Mariposa was wielding in her hand. "So...it is true."

"...Yup...magic's back."

Mariposa carefully handed the wand to Cassandra. Their expectations were that the wand would change form to better reflect Cassandra's personality. The real shock came when that action did not occur. "...Fascinating."

"What is?"

"The magic wand always altered its appearance to reflect the wielder's most inner personality. But it seems the wand is...for lack of a better term, "stuck."

"But how's that even possible?"

"More importantly...why the hell is magic back? How the hell is magic even back!?" Meteora demanded answers. The question was whether Cassandra could actually provide them.

"Magic isn't "back" because magic never "left." She explained. "At least...not the way you hoped it would. Magic is...magic is the equivalent to energy, in that it cannot be "created" or "destroyed. It can only be changed from one form to another."

"Oh, that's just lovely." Meteora lamented, instantly turning frustrated at this revelation despite it only being the tip of the iceberg. Oh yeah, there was much more to come. "So all the work that Star did to destroy magic - twice - was for nothing."

"No, not necessarily." Cassandra reassured them.

"Why do you say that?"

Cassandra reached into one of her pockets & pulled out a small but thick booklet. "I'll let you two in on a secret. I'm more than just a therapist."

"Oh jeez...don't tell me you're actually that blue-skinned magic sage-impersonator...what was his name?"

"Glossaryck?" Cassandra let out a sarcastic laugh. The notion was just too funny to her. "Oh no, I can assure you I'm nothing like that little troll."

Her answer only led to Meteora being more confused. "So you're not magic like him, but...you know of him?"

"That's correct. I'm what people would call a "historian. I kept a record of important historic events that took place on Mewni. It's what helps me stay prepared for all of my clients."

"But...some of your clients aren't...Mewman..." Mariposa pointed out.

"I expected my studies to Earth history as well. I'm a very quick study. The Cleaving merely made that job easier. But the point of all this is I'm aware of how magic has operated during its existence in the universe." She opened up her small booklet and opened it to a specific page. "Including how it behaves after it's supposed "destruction." See, Star performing the Whispering Spell on Queen Solaria & Mina Loveberry was necessary, and it was how the Solarian magic was destroyed for good. However, because Solarian Magic and Mewni Magic are not one in the same, a small sliver of Mewni Magic was left behind when their bodies were destroyed. Because Mewni Magic and inter-dimensional travel are so heavily interconnected to one another, it appears that the sliver of magic that was left behind was scattered throughout the multiverse." Cassandra continued studying the wand, taking note of the green diamond-shaped crystal in the middle. "Where did you come across this?"

"In the Afflicted Forest." Mariposa explained. "We were having a snowball fight with each other-"

"Which I won." Meteora playfully smirked.

"I grabbed a handful of snow and it was there, a-and it started glowing, a-and then it started to morph into that wand..."

"Did you cast any spells with it?"

"I think so...mostly I just used it for defense. To be honest I wasn't even sure what I was doing back there. Why?"

She gently handed the wand back to Mariposa. "We need to consider the possibility that there are more of these magical crystals scattered throughout the multiverse."

"Is that a coincidence? Or could it be something more...coordinated?"

"Coordinated...how?" Now it was time for the two teens to revisit their most recent adventure in the Neverzone, the adventure that saw the wand fall into their hands in the first place.

"The creature we were fighting..." Meteora jumped into the conversation. "It kept repeating the same things about "the prophecy being fulfilled" and "magic returning" and all that nonsense. And with this wand here...it can't be a coincidence. What if this is the Magic High Commission's work? What if they left behind some sort of contingency plan for when they were killed? What if somehow this is a part of some convoluted plan to bring themselves back & try to undo everything that was done to bring peace to Mewni. All of Star's work...all of my mom's work..."

"If this is the work of those three hypocritical, two-timing traitors, then we do indeed have a cause for concern. I wouldn't put it past them to try to reintroduce themselves into a world that, by and large, has rejected the past & opened their hearts to a better, more loving future."

"Well obviously someone else seems to know that something is afoot."

"Why do you say that?"

Mariposa reached into her pocket and pulled out the map that she and Meteora used as reference in their most recent adventure in the Neverzone (i.e. Episode 11: Magical Follies). "The last time we were here, we were looking for treasure. Took us a year to navigate to where we were even going."

"A year? But h-oh right, right, time dilation, sorry."

"The map led us right to this secret passage. It didn't even lead us to the crystal, we found that completely by chance."

"Really? I...I see. Well where did you come across this map anyway?"

The two teen silently looked at each other. "While Star and Marco were out of town on their break, that demon boy and his family started working on this device that let you travel through the multiverse. I-It was like the dimensional scissors, but it's science now, not magic. One night we...we took one of those gun things for a joyride and we ended up back in the Neverzone. W-We were rescuing this village from an onslaught from...oh god, I don't even remember what the heck we fought...a-and we helped one of the villagers out of trouble but they dropped something out of their satchel a-and it turned out to be that map."

"The more I think about it, the more I think that it wasn't just dumb luck that we came across that map..." Meteora relented, her nerves tensing up.

"I'm not one to believe in coincidences." Cassandra admitted. "But we won't know for sure until this case has been thoroughly investigated."

"How do we go about it? And do we tell anyone about this-"

"No! No..." Cassandra stopped them in their tracks. They were surely in a pickle now. The thoughts that were racing through her head would making Mariposa & Meteora squirm in fear. But were they anywhere closet to a comfortable position to let anyone else in on what they thought was happening? "Alright, listen to me: for the time being, I will take it from here. I'll do my own form of investigations both in our normal dimension and in the multiverse."

"By yourself?"

"I will keep you two in the loop only in this dimension. But for now, let me take the lead. It's not your responsibility to be mixed up in any of this...especially if it's as bad as I fear it is. And unless I give the "okay," you do not tell anyone about any of this."

"Not even Star?"

"Why would we want to tell her?" Mariposa interjected. "She already has enough crap she's going through. She got way too invested in the political game on Mewni and it messed with her physically & emotionally. Do I even need to list all the things wrong with her? OH!" Suddenly a light bulb went on in her had. "Wait...do you know if this possible re-emergence of magic has anything to do with what's been plaguing Star? I-I mean physically..." She was referring to Star's on-again, off-again heart issues. Some days her heart gave her no trouble and she proceeded the day as normal. Other days her heart gave her nothing but trouble. The exact cause of her ongoing problems was still shrouded in mystery to everyone. Some speculated it was purely a result of Star only receiving a tiny amount of the healing spell (from When Dimensions Cleave) in the form of backwash. Others speculated it was a culmination of the relentless stress she put herself through & suffered from from the moment she returned to Mewni full-time following Toffee's vanquish to the day of Eclipsa's coronation, nearly a full calendar year later. But nobody could identify a solid answer, so the course of treatment was still up in the air.

"I wish I could say with any certainty." Cassandra relented. Even she didn't know. She turned around and began to walk away. "I'll get in contact with you as soon as I need assistance."

"How will we know you're trying to contact us?"

"I'll send a message to Star and her family. The message will contain the following sentence: The Fools Grovel At Dusk. That'll be your cue to find your way back here. Understand?" The two teens nodded. "Good. And whatever you do, DO NOT LOSE THAT WAND!" Without another word, she was out of sight, leaving the two of them by themselves, now with their own set of concerns and their thoughts...

Back on Earthni, it was the dead of night. At the Butterfly Castle, Star & Marco were still at it, quietly but rambunctiously having a grand old time under the blankets. River & Globgor were also sleeping in their own respective rooms. The only two of the former royal family that were still up were Moon & Eclipsa. Eclipsa was up trying to put together the finishing touches on the first draft of her book. Moon was up because she couldn't sleep. Her mind was still racked to the brim with the uncomfortable imagery of the last couple of days, dating back to Star's sleep-helping stunt.

Despite drinking a nice, warm glass of milk, her nerves remained unsettled. She aimlessly wandered the castle halls for what seemed like an eternity before finally passing by one of the castle's many study rooms to find Eclipsa, by herself by a typewriter, rummaging through loose papers on her desk. "Eclipsa?"

The soft-spoken nature of Moon's voice drew the aspiring author from her focus. "Moon! I didn't expect you to be up at this hour."

"I could say the same about you."

"Don't mind me, I'm just trying to finish up my book."

"You've been working on this project ever since the end of magic." She slowly entered the room, eyeing one of the empty chairs & claiming it for herself. "I would've thought it would take less time to complete?"

"Oh heavens no." Eclipsa corrected her. "I'm only working on the first draft. There will be multiple corrections & fixes for grammatical errors, or for lines I want to take out or add in. And then there's actually convincing a publisher to actually sell the book...no, it takes quite a long time to complete."

"Does it now? Well...I certainly had no idea."

Eclipsa drew Moon's attention to a tall, mostly-neatly stacked pile of paper. "This stack right here? This is my entire first draft."

"That entire stack!?"

"Yes! But don't get too worked up, the final draft won't be quite as thick. It would much too cumbersome a book for readers to carry."

Moon's eyes darted straight for the stack of papers. "Would you mind if I had a look at what you have so far?"

"Oh heavens no," Eclipsa picked up said stack and put it closer to Moon. "By all means."

In the background, Eclipsa showed nothing but delight & glee over the prospect of her book's potential publishing. No gloating, no rubbing in other people's faces. Just sheer delight & enthusiasm. This was hers. It would be exactly as honest and as raw as she wanted it to be, a notion that quickly made itself clear to Moon as she flipped through the pages. You named it? It was in the book. From Eclipsa's time as a young child back in the days of her mother Queen Solaria to her young adventures with the handsom, charismatic Globgor. From the trauma of having her own daughter swapped out for a peasant child all because she was conceived with a monster to watching from within a crystal prison as the kingdom of Mewni changed around her. From her release out of the crystal prison to her trial. From her own daughter embracing her monster heritage & threatening to ruin the kingdom as revenge for the swap to Eclipsa nearly killing her to preserve said kingdom. From Star returning the throne to her to Moon's ultimate betrayal. The book was completely packed to the brim concerning Eclipsa's life. All of the good, all of the bad, and everything in between.

"Well, I must say...you have not held back." Moon relented, finishing skimming through the pages. "Are you...are you sure about this? There's so much detail here."

"I'm not sure there is such a thing as "too much detail." Eclipsa retorted back.

"You're bearing your entire life unto these pages."

"That's the entire point, my dear."

"You're not concerned with public perception over some of these events? N-Not by us o-or by me, but-"

Eclipsa sighed softly and gently shook her head. "If you're concerned I'm going to receive undo backlash for some of my recountings of our history, please don't be. I know what I'm doing and what potential outrage I will spark as a result, but I'm fully prepared for those consequences. I've said before that it's better to be despised for who you are than loved for something you're not. And I shall stand by that motto until I perish."

If only everyone else could take on that mindset. "Oh yes, of course..."

"That being said, there are some changes I've been considering."

"What exactly?"

"I'm...thinking about removing the chapter about Star in the middle." One of the middle chapters of Eclipsa's book focused heavily on Star. The bulk of it was focused on her efforts to clear Eclipsa's name during the trial, her work as her royal advisor - and essentially shadow queen due to Eclipsa's apathy towards her royal duties - following her relinquishing the throne, and her tireless service in trying to mend the broken fences between mewmans and monsters. All of it was the highest of praise. It was also all in intricate detail, including the many sleepless nights she suffered as a result of being the shadow queen & the emotional moments of fragility due to that workload and her personal problems overwhelming her, as well as the sacrifice she thought she was making with her relationship with Marco by destroying the magic.

There were also other parts scattered throughout the chapter where many of Star's friends, both from Mewni and Earth, offered their own takes on the former princess. Once again, nothing but high praise. Everyone Eclipsa talked to had at least one nice thing to say about her, and every single quote was put into the book. This chapter was the one Eclipsa was the most proud of because, in her eyes, it gave her the chance to do something she felt she hadn't properly done: thank Star for everything she did and tried to do for her and the kingdom. Sure, there was the "Honorary Queen For The Day" party they all cobbled together for her (in Chapter 12 of When Dimensions Cleave) but everyone pitched in for that. This chapter was her tribute to Star.

"Really?! But why do that?" A rhetorical question. Moon knew exactly what she was referring to.

"You know why-"

"No, please don't get the wrong idea!"

"Don't you remember!? She was bleeding!" When Star finally got around to reading the part of Eclipsa's book she had gifted to her, she got up to the chapter about herself. Star became overwhelmed with pride reading through the praise everyone had for her, so much so that her severe self-loathing took over again and sent into a depressive rage, resulting in her inadvertently slamming the back of her head into the wall (in Episode 12 of The Ballad of Earth-Mewni).

"But she loved what you wrote, Eclipsa! Every single word of it!"

"Are you sure? She's not just saying that?"

"That same night, she came to River and I and was jumping for joy! She bragged about all the nice things everyone had to say about her! She didn't hate what was written, she hated that she couldn't enjoy it. There's a stark difference...and you know it. We both know it..."

Eclipsa reluctantly nodded. "Yes...I suppose we do..." Followed by a sigh. "Poor girl tried so hard to help me, even when I was way in over my head or simply loafing my duties. Not to mention I think...I went a bit overboard compensating the monsters for the past transgressions of the mewmans and the kingdom."

Moon knew she had to choose her words carefully. "I...agree. I would've done things differently were I in your position, but yours and Star's actions came from a good place. The monsters had been and are still unfairly discriminated against, and your mother did seize all of their land illegally..."

"Not according to the hoard of angry mewmans I had constantly breathing down our necks over it."

"Oh ignore them. Most of them don't have the wherewithal to maintain any righteous fury for more than five seconds. They just want something to be angry about. I know that feeling very well."

"As do I..." An awkward moment of silence followed suit. As if by sheer happenstance, both of their minds wandered to the exact same thought. "Moon...you know that I never asked for the throne back, right?"

Not the response Moon was expecting to hear. "Excuse me?"

"I didn't want the wand. I didn't want to be queen. I only wanted my husband to be freed from his prison so we could have a life together. But Star was adamant about righting the wrongs the High Commission engaged in, and when I saw just how much effort she was putting into everything, I felt awful about not wanting the throne, more so after she announced she was throwing me a coronation."

It was always a sore spot for Moon, but not out of malice. Eventually, she did accept that Star didn't just hand over the throne to Eclipsa because she felt the job was "too hard," an accusation she at one point felt quite strongly about but never voiced publicly. But come the day of Eclipsa's coronation, Moon came to realize how wrong she truly was. Gazing at her hard-working daughter driving herself nuts trying to throw a perfect coronation got her to finally accept how much Star had grown since she first received the magic wand. So much so that she was more than eager to give her a break from all of it once she & Marco returned from their getaway.

Internally, she was frustrated that Star was so resistant to this intended reprieve. She thought her own daughter would be delighted at the notion of not having to involve herself politically for a while longer, especially given that the transition from Mewni to Earthni was such a daunting undertaking that they felt it shouldn't be in the hands of someone so young and fatigued. But not only was Star just as committed to helping the transition now as she was with Eclipsa in charge, sometimes she was even more heavily involved than she was previously. This left Moon incredibly conflicted. Yes, the same woman that endlessly & aggressively pushed Star to become the "proper princess" she felt Mewni needed...was upset that her daughter wasn't taking advantage of her extremely extended home vacation.

It wasn't like Star was doing it out of spite either. Her aggressive involvement in some of the political dealings post-Cleaving weren't to prove herself to her mother or "stick it to her" as it were. It was out of a sincere passion to help move the world forward. She couldn't be more proud of her if she tried, while simultaneously, she couldn't be more concerned for her well-being & mental health if she tried.

"Moon..." Moon was quickly snapped out of her deep internal monologue thanks to Eclipsa breaking the ice. "Do you think Star would have made a good queen?" That's a good question. She told Star herself (again, in Chapter 12 of When Dimensions Cleave) that she thought she'd make a tremendous queen. But did she really mean it? Was she merely compensating for the guilt she felt? Or was it a combination of the two. "Personally...I think..."

"Do not answer that, Eclipsa." Moon said sternly. Any bad talk of Star was now strictly a sin in her eyes. Talk about a complete 180.

"Moon, you and I both know that a queen has a tremendous burden to shoulder...responsibilities that not even the king possesses. And those responsibilities require an incredible mental fortitude in order to get the job done. Day in and day out. It isn't a position that can be taken lightly." She took a deep breath to pause. Now it was her turn to choose her words carefully. "I think Star is a fantastic political ally. She's outspoken, she's passionate, she's great at motivating others to join in the cause...we are truly lucky to have some like her on our side fighting the good fight. But that's not the same as being a queen. I can't even begin to fathom what turmoil she's experiencing in her mind, but you know as well as I do that a queen can't afford setbacks like that. It's just the nature of the position..."

"And it makes me grateful we are no longer in that position. At least...not the way we used to be..." Eclipsa took note of how Moon's voice droned out in that sentence.

"Something troubling you?"

After a brief hesitation, she stood up from her chair and took a few steps away from the table, deep in internal contemplation. "The other day when we brought Star home from her...excursion..." Referring to her sleep-helping stunt. "She said she felt guilty that I didn't get the reprieve that we're all trying to give her." That seemed to entice Eclipsa's attention completely into the conversation now. "Toffee killed my mother when I was around Star's age. I was very young & filled with grief when I ascended to the throne."

"You...weren't prepared for the burden."

"Heavens no. Not ethically, not factually, and certainly not emotionally. But I didn't have the benefit of my mother returning to reclaim what she lost. She was permanently gone. So I had to learn what it was like to be a ruler fairly quickly, and one factor they deemed the most critical for me to learn was emotional distance. 'You're not supposed to get emotionally attached to your kingdom. Keep the family at an arm's length. You're a queen first, family woman second.' So I always came off as cold and distant. I had to...at least that's what was always drilled into my head."

Eclipsa mulled over Moon's proclamation. Moon was always better at being a queen than she was at being a mother, but Eclipsa was always better at being a mother than being a queen. "They drilled that into every queen's head...every princess's head..."

"I had to drill it into my own daughter's head. And I am extraordinarily thankful it never sunk in for her. Although..."

"What?"

"...I think I would rather have Star hate me than hate herself."

"It truly is fascinating the depths one's mind can plunge them into..."

Fascinating and frightening. Although Star had not had an episode as severe since smashing a mirror with her bare fists in a violent rage (in Chapter 6 of When Dimensions Cleave), the fear it put into her friends & loved ones has stayed with them. It was never like Star had intentions or desires to self-harm. But the psychological scars left on everyone thanks to the age of magic & queens were only just beginning to make themselves known. She was hardly the only one to suffer from them, she was just hit by far the hardest of anyone. Moon didn't have urges to harm herself or hallucinations of her reflection telling her how much of a bag of trash she was. Eclipsa didn't look in the mirror every day and despise the person looking back. Nor did River nor Globgor nor Marco. There were regrets abound, sure, but Star was on another level of self-loathing.

But she was working hard to get better. Every day. Even on her home vacation, she was still working...

"Eclipsa..." Moon finally spoke again after a prolonged, uncomfortable silence between the two. "Why did you decide on writing a book?"

At first it seemed like Eclipsa didn't quite understand the question posed. It felt like such an easy answer to give. Because I wanted to. But surely there was more to it than that, wasn't there? "Well...I felt like I had something I wanted to say. I wanted to share my experiences with the people of this new world. I wanted to unleash my voice. Why do you ask?"

"I suppose a part of me..." She sighed. Introspection was never fun. "I suppose I'm a little jealous of you."

Eclipsa's eyes opened so big they almost popped out of their sockets. "You? Jealous of me? You must be pulling my leg."

Moon inexplicably began pacing around the table. "You're so sure of yourself, so confident in who you are, what you want to do, what you stand for. You're not afraid of whatever backlash may follow, you don't care who agrees or disagrees with you. Me? I could never take a step in any direction without fearing retribution from anyone that didn't care for the direction the kingdom was going in."

"Surely you must be daft, Moon. The mewmans were quite subservient to you and King River while you were in power."

"Eclipsa, please. Do you really believe 100% of mewmans agreed with everything our reign did? I certainly don't. The ones that disagreed simply kept quiet the majority of the time because...well, dissent wasn't highly encouraged in our environment..."

"And yet you were afraid of such dissent...?"

"I know, it doesn't really make much sense in hindsight, does it?"

Eclipsa stood up and acted as a wall for Moon, stopping her pacing and leading her back to her chair. "No, I think in a way it does. The monarchy forces everyone to give up pieces of themselves...the pieces that make them who they are. All for the "good of the kingdom. For the love of corn, there was an entire boarding school built entirely around stripping princesses of their individuality and branding them into "the perfect princess."

"A school that was run by your daughter..." Moon reminded her. Not like she needed the reminder.

"The person that she grew up to be her first go-around was not my daughter!" She clapped back, clearing a nerve struck. "I would never have allowed her to endure any of the hell she endured!"

"You don't think I understand that!?" Now it was Moon's turn to clap back, but she quickly collected herself & calmed back down. "I was the one that always threatened to send Star there to get her into shape."

"Yet you never followed through."

She did a double-take at Eclipsa's statement. "What?"

"You never shipped her to that monstrous school. The only reason she ever set foot inside that place at all was to rescue a friend. And...I suppose start a revolution or something. S-Surely, subconsciously, you must have known something was wrong."

It was an angle that never even occurred to Moon. At least not like this. Sure, she threatened Star time and time again with shipping her off to that hell school for her poor behavior. But at no point did she seriously consider following through. If she had, especially knowing now what she knows, she would've never forgiven herself. And on the subjecting of knowing what she knows now, her mind wandered to the fact that said school only came to be thanks to a heinous, reprehensible act committed by people she once so dearly trusted...

Moon slammed the table in anger. "None of that would have ever happened if the Magic High Commission hadn't crystalized your husband & switched your daughter with a peasant girl!" It always seemed to circle back to that group, didn't it? "Confidants I trusted with my life, my soul...the kingdom..." Another deep breath, though this time it was much harder for her to come back down to tranquility. "All of them are rotten in their own special way: Hekapoo, Omnitraxus, Rhombulous-"

"Glossaryck?"

A moment of complete silence. Glossaryck - in all of his twisted ways - was somehow the most innocent of the Magic High Commission. Though he was of little consequential help from the time Star first received the wand to the moment magic was originally destroyed before the Cleaving, he was ultimately instrumental in helping bring down the other three once and for all during magic's temporary resurgence, finally abandoning his eternally neutral stance and choosing the side of peace & harmony over unearned loyalty. (A/N: In the Wattpad version of "When Dimensions Cleave" I expanded a little further on this. I recommend you go read it there too but the short version is Glossaryck is the one responsible for switching Meteora & Festivia due to King Shastacan's abusive behavior towards her & fear that he would kill her out of retaliation for Globgor, then using his own magic to manipulate memories of the event happening, with the MHC taking credit for it anyway).

"Yes...even him." Moon relented. "Though even he put himself out there to help us set things right in the end."

"That is true."

"But is that...is that really something you want to put into your book? You do understand that our own people will probably pick it up and read it as well, don't you?"

"Of course I do. That's why I decided to write it."

Moon cocked her and raised an eyebrow. Was she serious? "Are you joking?"

"No, why would I joke about something like that?" Eclipsa scoffed.

"What happened to everything you said about being at peace with yourself and not wanting to be liked for-"

"I'm not trying to change their minds, Moon. Some of our people are deadset in their belief that my tenure as queen was a mistake, that Star surrendering the throne was a mistake despite her good reasons for doing so, that the Magic High Commission's actions didn't amount to treason. And that's their business to have. I'm going to put this out there for our people to read, and if it convinces some of them to change their mind, that's wonderful. If it doesn't, I won't lose any sleep. None of us should. As long as it doesn't escalate further than harsh words..."

Moon nodded along. "That does make sense." Followed by a sigh. "It's just such a pity so many of them are having such trouble adapting to the new world...finding a purpose..."

"I have faith they'll find their way eventually, just like we did..."

Again, Moon cocked her head. "We?"

Which was met with Eclipsa "tsk-tsk-tsk"-ing her and chuckling. "Don't play dumb with me. You don't think I've seen you at work on your paintings? And that painting in place of Star's tapestry? Breathtaking! Moon, you have such tremendous talent."

The former queen's mouth was left agape. Her? Talent with the paintbrush? "Do you mean that?"

Eclipsa nodded. "Certainly."

"But how would you know? I haven't shown any of my work except for the one that replaced the tapestry."

A moment of silence as Eclipsa stood up from her seat & dusted her hands off. "Well...no time like the present?"

Carefully and quietly, they traversed to Moon & River's room - where the former king was still out like a light - and approached the large closet in the room. "Are you sure this is safe?" Eclipsa asked Moon in a whisper.

"Of course. We have nothing to fear, River's quite the heavy sleeper. That's where Star gets it from." She rummaged through the closet & came across a small stack of completed paintings. "Here. Tell me what you think of this one."

The painting in question was a watercolor painting featuring her and River in what could only be described as the Mewni equivalent of a gondola. There was a man in a tux playing a violin on one edge of the boat, which sat on a river stream surrounded by plants & flowers while the Mewni nighttime sky illuminated the area around them.

"It's magnificent!" Eclipsa loudly whispered in total delirium. She examined the painting more closely & soaked in the beauty of Moon's work. "Moon, you mustn't sell yourself short, you have incredible talent."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Talent like this does not come by very often. What else do you have?"

Moon picked up another painting - this time one of Eclipsa & Globgor ascended on their King & Queen thrones and waving to their subjects, smiles as wide as could get. "I thought you and Globgor would appreciate something like this."

"Oh my word it's lovely." She brought the painting closer to her and held it to her heart. "Would you mind if I held onto this one?"

"Oh, heavens, not at all." She proudly released her grip on the painting, allowing Eclipsa to claim it entirely.

"Moon I cannot believe our people aren't more acquainted with your talent. These are some of the most polished paintings I've ever seen."

"Really?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing from her.

"Now don't do this just because I suggested it, but...if you really wanted to, you could absolutely make a career out of this. It could be your post-monarchy calling!"

"It could?"

"Yes!" Eclipsa quieted herself down enough before she could further risk waking River. "Look at it this way: we've all been trying to find our own voice post-monarchy. Star was right: we have a choice in what we do now...when we're not helping with the Cleaving, that is. I have my writing passion, and you..."

"I could be an artist." A smile slowly - very slowly - crept onto Moon's face. "As embarrassed as I am to admit it...I've never been more zen or relaxed than when I've been painting. It's almost like I'm in an entirely different world, one that...that I can literally create with my strokes. One that emulates peace, prosperity, calm..."

"Moon, darling...there's nothing to be ashamed of." It was almost like Moon wanted to believe Eclipsa but couldn't quite bring herself to do so yet. "This is who you want to be. Embrace it. Forge that new identity!"

Finally the smile was fully formed. Moon was on board. "You know what? You're absolutely right. I want to put old Queen Moon on the shelf once and for all, and perhaps this is how that'll finally happen!"

"That's the spirit! I'm so elated for you, I can only dream of what we're going to see from you."

"That makes two of us, but where on Earthni would I even begin?"

A short recess for Eclipsa to gather her thoughts. She had an idea in the back of her head; it was just a matter of whether she thought it was appropriate to bring up. But any concerns she had quickly abated after their talk. "Actually, Moon...I think I have an idea...if you're willing, of course."

"...What did you have in mind?"

The following morning saw a slightly tired Star & Marco find Moon & Eclipsa in the study room. All four of them had been up all night, but first glances at Eclipsa & Moon wouldn't give that impression. "...Mom?" Star asked meekly into the room, drawing the two former queens from their trance.

"Oh, good morning, deary!" Eclipsa happily exclaimed, with her smile slightly fading after gauging their energy levels. "You two look disheveled. Did you sleep well?"

"We slept great. We just didn't sleep long." Star clarified, hugging Marco's shoulder tighter. "Marco and I wanted to see if we could go all night."

"Oh, I see..." Eclipsa & Moon winked at each other, and then they devolved into teenage snickering. "And did that go well?"

"Nah, we crashed at about 3 A.M." Marco chimed in, followed by a yawn.

"Well, you still slept more than we did." Moon answered, even though you still couldn't tell based on her smile that she had been up all night.

"You guys were up all night? What the heck were you doing?"

Moon turned to Eclipsa, her smile even wider now. "Should we show them?"

"Oh what's the harm?"

Excitedly, Moon picked up what she had been working on: it was a painting, but not just any painting. This painting consisted of everyone in the Butterfly family - plus Marco - huddled together in what could only be described as a professional portrait. All of them were dressed in fancy garb with smiles on their faces. At the top of the painting read, "Trials, Tribulations, Triumphs, and Tragedies: The Story of the Kingdom of Mewni, as Told By Eclipsa Butterfly." That was the working title for Eclipsa's impending book. Star & Marco expressed sheer delight & amazement.

"M-Mom, did you paint that?"

"Yes, I did." She responded, visibly proud of her accomplishment.

"I asked your mother if she would paint the cover of my book. She has tremendous talent as a painter."

"I agree!" Marco exclaimed happily "This looks great. I-I didn't know you were this much into painting, I-I thought it was just..."

"A hobby?" Marco nodded in response. "So did I. But...the more time has passed, the more I've realized how much I genuinely enjoy it. It brings me so much joy & fulfillment. So much so that...that I think I'm going to pursue a career in painting, and this book cover is going to be my opening act!" The unprovoked announcement spurned such elation from the two lovebirds that their fatigue was temporarily forgotten about as they ran up to Moon & Eclipsa, embracing them both.

"I'm so happy for you, Mom!" Star shouted joyously. "I can't wait for this book to be finished!"

Those words brought out a beaming smile from Eclipsa that was known only to fairy tales. "Really?"

Star nodded rapidly. "You have such a beautiful voice that everyone needs to hear. A-And what you and everyone said about me was really sweet; I know that one day I'll learn to love it. I'm just happy for you," She turned to Moon. "A-And for you too, Mom."

She embraced her daughter once more. "I don't want to be known as just Queen Moon any longer. I don't want us to be known only as the royal family. We all have mountains of potential to be whatever we want to be."

"EXACTLY!" Star screeched, nearly jumping out of her skin in joy before the four of them engaged in another hug. This was a breakthrough everyone had been hoping for, and now it seemed to finally be here. Whether or not this breakthrough would be shared with their people in the world remained to be seen. But for now, none of that mattered to any of them.

End of Episode 20!

Mentioned this in the middle of the chapter but all my fics are on Wattpad as well and some of them (specifically When Dimensions Cleave and Unforgettable Getaway) have slightly expanded material. I call those the "expanded versions" of my stories, but it's not that much. And that's only because I decided to start uploading there after I was deep into these stories. Oh well.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please stay safe & well out there. And as always, reviews & feedback are appreciated :)