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 24: Is Yet Another Mystery

Episode Summary: While on a reprieve from the big build, Star & friends are asked to investigate a disturbance at the Monster Temple.

Original Release Date: August 3, 2020

The first day of the big building project was mostly a success. Though there was still work to be done, the progress that had been made on that first day was incredibly encouraging. So encouraging, in fact, that Star was eager to get back out there on Day 2 of the build to pick up where they left off. And Day 3...and Day 4...

Unfortunately, by then, Star had completely exhausted herself. Her eager ambition to see the project to its completion & desire to play a large part of the build took a toll on her. Though her spirits remained quite high, her energy levels were depleted; this was also the case for her friends. It got to the point where the Butterfly family had to intervene for their healthy & safety, insisting they sit out Day 5 of the big build.

"Mooooom, you can't..." Star whined as she laid on her back, stretched across the floor. Her friends surrounded her in varied sitting and/or laying positions. Of the group, Star was the only one still in sleepwear. "We're so close to being done, we wanna see it throooough..." She was extremely wiped out, as evidenced by her slight word-slurring.

"You all have done immeasurable work the past few days." Moon said to the tired group. "You all should be proud."

"But you were never supposed to carry the bulk of the burden." Globgor implored on them. "We all have a duty to pitch in."

"It's no trouble, honest..." Marco said, rubbing his aching shoulder while his baby sitter, sitting next to him, looked on in a trance.

"My boy, you've lugged more than enough heavy crates to last a fortnight." River said sternly. "You lug any more and you'll hurt yourself, especially with your poor posture."

"My poor...what?"

"You gotta lift with your legs, Diaz." Jackie said; she was slumped over a chair. "Not your back."

"Since when are you an expert on heavy lifting?" He curiously asked his ex.

"My dad used to be a construction worker and I'd help him lug boxes everywhere."

Marco stayed silent for a moment; his eyes darted towards Jackie's legs - and a quick glance at her rear - then back to her eyes, and then he absent-mindedly said, "I guess that explains a lot, then" before quickly covering his mouth & blushing hard. And of course, being the tease that she was, Star pounced immediately on this.

"Explains a lot about what, Mr. Diaz?" She nudged his arm playfully & winked. He had to quickly stammer for a comeback.

"A-About how she's...she's so good with the skateboard. You know...c-cause of her legs. Her legs are...in good shape..." An incredibly poor cover for himself that sparked a chuckle from Jackie.

"Riiiiight." And of course Star couldn't help but get in another playful dig at him before turning back to her mother. "Mom are you sure you guys don't want us out there today?"

Moon approached her daughter and took a knee. "You all have done marvelously for us these past few days. And you, especially, Star. You've been a rock for us for such a long time."

"Moooom..." She never quite liked how long they intended to play the "Star's work on Mewni after Toffee's demise earned her a rest" card. But the more she resisted, the more they insisted. She hated accepting praise that she felt was undeserved. But she couldn't find it in her to be upset at her mother's tenderness. "Thank you. I love you." She said as she embraced her mother as tightly as she could. Moon tried to pull away & break off the hug after a brief moment, only to be pleasantly surprised when Star wouldn't move. Ever so slowly Star was embracing this new dynamic, warming Moon's heart.

"I love you too, sweetheart."

"Perhaps there is something you all can do for us if you're so insistent on staying busy." Eclipsa chimed in.

"Anything!" Star tried her best to perk up, eager to remain helpful. But the toll the past several days had taken on her was evident. "Whatever it is, I'm your gal."

"Relax, my dear, it's nothing strenuous."

"We're just having some problems with the Monster Temple." Globgor explained.

"The Monster Temple?"

"Yes..." During a meeting between Echo Creek elected officials and the Butterfly family (i.e. Episode 12: Intrusive Intervention), it was decided that a long-term solution was needed to provide proper homes for the monsters who had been migrated into Earthni with the mewmans. The mewmans - for the most part - lucked out & all managed to keep the homes they still had. The monsters, however, were not as lucky. It was decided that, at least in the short-term, the now-vacant Monster Temple would be used as a temporary house for them (Eclipsa & Globgor were invited by Moon & River to live in the castle full-time while Star & Marco were on their vacation).

The temple was to act as a sort of government-funded shelter in the short-term, ensuring that the monsters received food, water, utilities, and even some money for their own use. Eventually plans were intended to help the monsters find their own homes, either through Globgor building said homes or allowing the monsters to purchases said homes with the money they've received, as well as jobs to contribute to society. Recently, though, there's been a hitch in those plans...

So that's why you and Globgor have been living in the castle..." Star said after they finished explaining what was going on.

"I didn't realize the temple was big enough to hold all of them." Marco commented.

"You would be surprised."

"So what's the deal?"

"Well, from our intel, it appears that there's been a small setback in that arrangement. The residents at the temple didn't receive their bi-weekly pool of money, the utilities seem to not be working properly, and the tenants are getting restless."

"Is that so...?" Suddenly Star's head began dipping into the "conspiracy theory" pool. The circus trial of her father, River, was still fresh in her mind. The way that group of rogue mewmans tried to frame River for a crime he didn't commit when the one he did commit was more than enough to send him away anyway. The way that they specifically used that trial to go after Star and her fragile psyche. Their hatred of monsters, the cleaved world, and Star all rolled into one ugly package. "Seems a little suspicious to me..."

"We don't want to suspect foul play just yet, but after the fiasco with your father's trial-"

"No no, I get it. It's better to be safe."

"Are you sure you want to handle it?" Moon asked her, gently caressing her hair like she was still a young child.

"Of course." Star smiled warmly at her mother a smile that was half-sincere, half-guilt ridden. "It's a privilege to serve the monarchy-I MEAN it's no trouble lending a hand!" Poor Star, still haunted by her loyalty to the royal family. Unfortunately her efforts to cover up her misspeak did not go over anyone's heads. Her mother hugged her even more tightly.

"And it's a privilege to be your mother."

"Aww, Mom..." Neither wanted the hug to end. But business eventually had to take over. "Alright, we'll go investigate."

"Please be careful out there. You can't be too certain these days..." On that note, the family departed, leaving the kids by themselves. Star, with what little energy she had, stood up & dusted herself off, heading to her closet to get herself dressed, putting on her dark green spider dress & preparing to get going.

The first stop the group made was to City Hall, where Star & Marco had themselves a sit-down with the mayor. Since the plan of using the monster temple to house monsters that were left homeless due to the cleaving originated from elected officials, the mayor was the one to take the lead on this action. He was shocked to learn of the developments. "That's strange..." He said, flipping through some papers on his desk. "Our records indicate that we made the payment as scheduled..."

"We're not here to point fingers or start any trouble." Star reassured him in a calm, nurturing tone. "We only want to get to the bottom of this."

"It's funny that you bring this up," The mayor took out a piece of paper. "We got this in our inbox..." He handed Star & Marco the paper. It was a simple drawing of a monster with a big red X over it, with the word "NO" written over it.

"Why is that funny?"

"Because it came in about a week ago, right before that nonsense with your father started." Referring to the circus that was River's trial. Could this be another part of those Mewmans' convoluted revenge scheme to get to Star?

"My dad's trial, you say..."

"You're not thinking...?" Marco turned to his girlfriend.

"It could be just a coincidence. But...I'm not buying it." She turned back to the mayor. "So how exactly does this arrangement work?"

"Well, our office and the shadow council discussed how to accommodate your world's creatures while we integrate them into our world. It was decided that we would temporarily house them in...what do you call it, the "Monster Temple?" Until we could establish proper housing for them. We provide them with financial aid to help them go about their everyday lives and prepare them for the future. We also provided utilities such as electricity & clean running water so they can have a modicum of normal daily living. All the while we prepped actual construction of homes for them to live in in the future."

"So their stay in the temple is temporary." Marco clarified.

"Exactly."

"Have any of them been causing any problems? Like, I don't know, complaints about the temple or the arrangement or-" Star asked.

"Oh heavens no. Quite the opposite, actually. It's been such a smooth operation...until now, at least. I'm sending some of our officials over to investigate the problem."

"Well we'll meet them there, I guess. We're heading over there now to do our own investigative work." Star stood herself up, shook the mayor's hand, and started to leave, while the mayor got Marco's attention.

"While I have you, Mr. Diaz..." He said, just loudly enough for Star's head to turn as she headed out the door. "About that statue you wanted to commission..."

"Oh, uh, n-no no no no, cancel that. Just cancel it." He tried to cover himself; Star had already found out about the existence of said statue, but now he had to actually call it off before it was too late.

"...I was only going to s-"

"Look, I-I shouldn't have troubled you with that. Just forget I ever brought it up, please."

Unfortunately, Star wasn't entirely on board with that mind set.

"Um, excuse me..." She said, garnering their attention. "Maybe...we can table those talks until after we get things sorted out at the temple?"

The mayor hesitated. "Sure, I think that's reasonable enough." But he accepted the proposal nonetheless. Marco, however, was not as thrilled.

"What was that for?" He whispered to her once they were out of the office. "Ten more seconds and it would've been a done deal."

"I..." It was now her turn to cover her tracks. "I just want to make sure you've thought everything through, that's all. Maybe it's not best for you to be making that kind of decision when we have something important going on."

Naturally, Marco questioned her motives. Here was a girl who, at every turn, has resisted any sort of praise lavished on her for her work. Any sort of compliment, pat on the back, hair ruffle, present...all of it was resisted at every turn because the demons in her mind wouldn't let her accept it. Now this? But seeing as time was not something they wanted to waste, Marco accepted her response for the time being & went off, expecting Star to follow behind. She stayed behind momentarily if only to take a good long look at her reflection in one of the mirrors on the wall next to her. How she had sunken so low as to loathe her reflection, a reflection of the person standing in her own boots, the person that had been praised & compliment left & right for her tireless service, the person that had been shown eternal gratitude by her loved ones...

"Why can't you ever let me have anything!?" She hissed to her own reflection.

"Because screw you, that's why!" Her tortured mind made the reflection say back; it finished its mind game by spitting at Star. But she didn't have time for this; she punched the wall right next to the mirror, leaving a crater. Once again she only barely stopped herself in time from hitting the glass. Without another moment passing, she bolted & followed Marco out of the building.

They, along with the rest of their friends, headed towards the Monster Temple, where Pony Head was also now part of the group for some reason. A quick look through the halls and the rooms confirmed their worst-case scenario beliefs: that conditions in the temple were rather poor, though through no fault of the monsters themselves. They came into one room to see a group of monsters cleaning up the room - some were sweeping the floor, others were trying to change a light bulb with no success. "Um...hello..." Star softly spoke, garnering their attention. They all stopped what they were doing & turned to face her. Buff Frog, who was changing the light bulb, was delighted to see her.

"Star Butterfly!" He exclaimed, climbing down from the ladder and approaching them.

"Hi Buff Frog!"

"What brings you and friends over?"

"Oh, you know, we were in the neighborhood, and...we heard things here weren't going so great lately."

"Is true. Finances are beginning to dwindle & appliances are failing. Electricity also giving us stink-eye."

"Stink-eye?" Typical Buff Frog speak. "And how long has this been going on?"

"Two week, maybe. And money has not arrived either."

"Two weeks, huh?" The timeline did not strike Star as coincidental; River's arrest & trial took place around the same time that this was supposedly happening. "Do you mind if we take a look around? Maybe a fresh set of eyes will help figure out what's going on around here."

"It is pleasure to welcome Star Butterfly & friends into our home!"

"If that's true, then, like, where's the welcome feast?" Pony Head said with a smirk; it was obvious she was being tongue-in-cheek, but the monsters took it a slightly different way.

"Oh, where are our manners?" One of them exclaimed, as the lot of them dropped whatever they were doing and started shuffling towards the door.

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold your horsies!" Pony Head shouted in response. "I was, like, kidding! I was kidding, fools..." The monsters groaned disappointingly, a reaction that nobody in Star's group expected. "I mean, like, unless you, like, want to or whatever."

"Come! We shall make festive meal for guests before we begin dirty work!" Buff Frog led the group of monsters out of the room, leaving the group of teens & Pony Head behind. Poor Pony Head couldn't make heads - no pun intended - or tails of what just happened.

"K so I have, like, so many questions..." She spouted out as they all followed the monsters. As they were walking through the halls, Star started to fall behind, her pace slowing. Marco took notice first and pulled back from the group. Star's heart issues were back again with a vengeance. Everyone turned around to see what was happening. "B-Fly?" Pony Head squeaked.

"You guys go ahead, we'll catch up." Marco reassured them. Pony Head was about to open her mouth again, only to be silently stopped by Janna. It was best to let them handle this, which is what they did by returning to their path.

Marco helped Star down onto the floor, her holding her chest & breathing heavily. Her skin was going pale. "That's it, sweetheart. Breathe..." She was sweating, her body starting to shake. "It's okay..."

Star's breathing started to slow down; she was regaining composure. Soon enough she was breathing completely normally, her sweat was gone, and her skin was back to its normal color. "Whoa..."

"See? There you go, you look-"

"Something's off." She said flatly with a look of worry on her face.

"...What do you mean?"

"I...it just...went away."

"That's good, though! Isn't it?"

"No it...it was different this time." Marco could tell instantly how hard it was for her to articulate exactly what was going on. This time was unlike any of the previous scares.

"O-Okay, I...I don't understand, but I have no reason to doubt you. L-Let's just catch up with the others and we can figure this out later..." Without any trouble, Star stood up & dusted herself off, which caught Marco off guard.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's get going." She gently took his hand & kissed the back of it. "Why are you so good to me?"

He responded with a loving smile & a kiss. "Because you deserve it." They embraced & went off, catching up with the others. Once they were all out of sight, something began to happen: right near the spot where Star & Marco sat, teen Mariposa & Meteora, hand-in-hand, along with Cassandra, unveiled themselves, having been cloaked in an aura of invisibility & trapped inside a magical bubble that allowed the two teens to maintain their neverzone ages. Mariposa was holding the new wand, looking like she had seen a ghost.

"...What did you do?" Meteora asked her friend.

"Absolutely nothing." Mariposa stuttered. "I...I don't think I did."

"It looks like there is some sort of correlation between her condition and the magic..." Cassandra lamented. "But we'll need more information to know for certain."

"And you think we'll find those answers here?"

"There's no harm to looking, is there?"

"I don't think I've ever actually been here before..." Mariposa droned, taking a wide-eyed look around the hall they were in.

"It's not really anything special." Was Meteora's monotone response before her friend lifted her wand & unleashed its power, teleporting them away from the scene.

The group arrived at the room that served as the cafeteria. Once there, the problems the monsters were experiencing became exacerbated; the stove, oven, microwave, and lights all began to malfunction. The gang had to pitch in to get everything at least functional again. It was almost a circus act trying to get everything going. But with everyone lending a hand, it eventually got to a point where they could at least use everything...until it came time to actually use to appliances. Eventually the monsters just gave up & made sandwiches for everyone. The gesture was still greatly appreciated.

"So...how's everything here, all things considered?" Star awkwardly asked Buff Frog as she took a bite into her sandwich.

"All is well." Buff Frog reassured them. "We are happy. We have good roof over heads, friends among us, and a fascinating magic box in den providing mighty entertainment for us."

Pony Head had a look on her face that indicated she had seen a ghost. "Magi-"

"Television." Marco was quick to educate her.

"Ohhhhh right right right that old thing..."

"So these old things that keep breaking on you..." Star turned back to Buff Frog.

"We chalk it to our ignorance. We are vastly unfamiliar with technologies of karate boy's world."

"Yeah technologically speaking, Mewni was a few hundred years behind Earth. But what about the money?"

"Elected officials pay us very handsomely. More than adequate to survive the days...at least when money comes."

"Yeah we...we know you guys didn't get your last check."

"You suspect foul play?"

"Yup. Ever since they tried to pop her dad at the trial, that's the first conclusion we jump to." Janna jumped in, taking a bite out of her sandwich as well.

"Can you blame me? More and more it feels like my own people are coming after me." Star lamented, prompting a pat on the back from her boyfriend. "All because they resented Eclipsa giving the monsters their homes back."

"It was quite an affair, to be fair." Buff Frog interjected, reflecting on the event in question. "Hey, I made rhyming!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Words have similar endings thus rh-"

"No the other thing."

"Oh, yes. I was still out of Mewni on day, but from what was told to me Eclipsa had royal knights invade mewman land and make them leave."

"Wait, she sicked the royal knights on them!?" Star's jaw nearly hit the ground. During the time she spent looking for her mother following the defeat of Meteora, Eclipsa used it as an opportunity to take back the land that had been unfairly stolen from the monsters. A noble gesture on its own, yes. Unfortunately, there wasn't much "noble" about how it happened, as Eclipsa used the royal knights at her disposal - as well as her attempt to use the queen's power at her dispoal - to push the mewmans out. "W-When did this happen? I don't remember that! I-I know the mewmans were gone when we got back with Mom, but..."

"Is that why they hated her?" Marco asked.

"I think it not helped."

"I always just assumed they left peacefully yet begrudgedly." Star lamented. "But if Eclipsa actually deployed the knights on them...maybe some of their irrational anger towards me isn't so irrational after all..."

"Yeah but shouldn't it go to Eclipsa instead?" Marco surmissed. "Last I checked she was the queen, not you."

"Yeah but I was the one that gave her the throne. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah, right..."

"She was extremely accomadating to our kind. Myself and children as well when we returned to Mewni full time." Buff Frog continued.

"Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I realize how...lopsided her treatment of monsters was compared to mewmans."

"She did the exact same thing my family always did, just with the roles reversed..." Star again lamented. "Helps explain where we are now, I guess..."

"Hey, Buff Frog, do you guys still have any pay stubs from the last check you guys got?" Marco asked, eager to switch the topic back to the reason why they were all there in the first place. Buff Frog pulled out some papers from his pockets & handed them to Marco, who carefully examined the papers. "Well, these all have the same watermarks and information layouts as the one the mayor showed us. So it's not like we're dealing with fraud here."

"The only explanation I can think of is the most recent check was intercepted...guess we'll have to figure out who it was that did it if we want to get to the bottom of this."

"Something's not right..." The wheels in Marco's brain were turning. "The timing is just too suspicious for it to be a coincidence."

"Could it really be those same guys that started that whole trial mess?"

"It wouldn't surprise me."

"Is there a way to find out?"

"You know what?" Janna finished her sandwich & stood up. "Leave that to me. I've got ways of getting information..."

"Janna."

"Without hurting anyone, geez. Give me a little credit. Let me do some snooping on my own, see what I can find."

"You sure you can handle it on your own?"

"If I can handle dating a demon, I can handle anything."

So after some more time passed, it was decided: for the time being, the group would break off and go their separate ways; Jackie went home, Tom returned to the Underworld, Janna scoured back to City Hall while Star & Marco trudged back the Butterfly Castle. At the castle, they found Star's folks lounging around in one of the study rooms. The park build session for the day had ceased. "Hello there kids!" Rafael bellowed, giving both of them a hug along with Angie.

"Have you uncovered any information?" Eclipsa asked.

"We, uh...we're still working on that." Star said somberly. "Janna's doing her thing snooping around for clues. But as far as we tell it's just the money that's an outside issue. The monsters just needed some guidance on how to work everyday appliances."

"That's excellent news!"

"Yeah, yeah, it is..." Star was eager to get to the point; she speedwalked over to the table and took a seat near Eclipsa. "So, anyway, Eclipsa...I've been thinking..."

"About what, deary?"

"Well, my dad, Marco, and I were gone for a while when Mom went missing, and you were here running things as queen...I never got around to asking you how that went? You know, if was early in your tenure, a-and I'm sure you could've used my help just starting out before I became your advisor..."

"Oh no no no, don't be silly. Your mother was more important. I had things...mostly under control." Eclipsa said with a slight nervous laugh. "The only major event in your absence was the monsters had the land rightfully returned to them."

"Yeah, I noticed. I gotta tell ya, I was...I was surprised when we came home to that."

"I wanted to start my tenure on a good note, that's all."

Perhaps a well meaning sentiment but a very poor choice of words on Eclipsa's part. "Um...I'm not sure I'd call kicking your own people off the land a "good note," but that's just me."

"Where is this even coming from anyways?" Moon asked her daughter. "...what does any of this have to do with the possibly missing money?"

"Well...that's what I'd like to know, too."

The adults all looked at each other like they were trying to solve Advanced Calculus. "I don't think I follow."

"Okay, so, see, we were talking with the monsters at the temple, and...we started talking about when Eclipsa first took the throne. And how she was super accommodating to the monsters, but not so much to the mewmans...you know, the fun stuff."

It was only a matter of time before this came up. "I see..."

"They told us about how you brought the royal knights with you when you went to confront the mewmans & take back the land for the monsters."

Moon's head darted towards Eclipsa. It was a detail that had gone largely unacknowledged by the circle of family until now. "Is that true?"

"W-Well, yes...I was on a royal assignment, I had to take back up with me. You make it sound like I was engaging them in fierce battle & planning to amputate their limbs."

"You obviously weren't, were you?"

"Of course not. We were civil about it. I merely explained to the mewmans my new decree that the land that they were living on was to be returned to the monster lest there be consequences."

"Did they fight it?" Star asked Eclipsa.

"...I think they were too scared and uncertain of me to try. I had only been queen for...a very short time, and my reputation - unjustified for the record - did precede me."

"So you scared off the mewmans from the monsters' land to try and fix the problems that your mom caused all those years ago." Star looked down at the table, now struggling to look them in the eye.

"...Sweetheart, where are you going with this?" Moon inquired.

"I don't know. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. It's just..." Now she looked up at them. "We seem to have a really screwed up philosophy when we try to fix mistakes. We overcompensate...big time. Mom, you used to be so distant & cold with me because you spent so much time putting the kingdom ahead of yourself and your family. Now you're trying to "fix" it by being super overly loving & affectionate towards us...towards me." Star was extremely careful to word her sentence so it was clear Star appreciated the gestures and was only trying to make a point. "You make me meals in bed, you sometimes carry me around like I'm still a little girl, you spoil me in public, you tell me how proud of me you are even when the only thing I accomplish during the day is getting out of bed. Which...thank you, for all of that. But you never needed to do any of it to make things right with me."

Star started to twiddle her thumbs, bracing herself. "I had to put my whole life on hold for a year to serve our kingdom & I neglected a lot of personal things, and now I'm trying to "fix" it by being uber attentive to my friends - Tom, Jackie, Janna, Kelly - and to my boyfriend, whose opinion holds more weight to me than all of the others. And I'm also overly apologizing for everything, even if I've literally done nothing wrong. And all it's doing to me is making me bang my head against the wall."

"M-Metaphorically, right?" Marco quickly inquired; the threat of physical self-harm was always lingering with Star, even if she rarely acted on it. She declined to answer.

"And you, Marco, you thought you were a bad squire & failed me, and you thought the only way you deserved to be with me was if you acted as a squire, and so you're spending so much time & energy trying to "fix" what wasn't broken. Propping me up at your expense, spoiling me to no end, putting me on a pedestal, wasting government resources on a frivolous gift..."

"Governmental resources?" Globgor finally interjected. "What is she talking about?"

"Marco, my boy? What are you getting into?" River also joined in.

The boy took a breath and turned to face Moon. "I...I asked City Hall to commission a statue of Star for the new park."

The family took turns "aww'ing" at this development. Star beamed with uneasy pride. "I think I guilted him into trying to call it off."

"Wait, so you do want it now?"

"I don't know, Marco! That's part of the problem-argh, we'll talk about it later." She gently kissed his cheek & smooshed her cheek against his briefly, a showcase of affection for her beloved. "And you, Eclipsa," Before turning back to Eclipsa now. "Your mother, Queen Solaria, kicked the monsters off their land unfairly, and then you came along & "fixed" it by kicking the mewmans off of that land & forcefully giving it back to the monsters."

"I don't understand the problem you're inferring, sweetie. I was righting a wrong, was I not? Those mewmans had no business being there, they were wrongly awarded that land!"

"I get what you're saying, but here's the thing...you were crystallized for over 300 years!" Eclipsa raised an eyebrow; it was obvious she still wasn't getting Star's point. "The mewmans you kicked off that land were not the same ones that migrated to that land when Solaria kicked the monsters out in the first place! Heck, I'm not even sure they were of the same bloodlines!" Now it was getting through to Eclipsa, evidenced by the horrified look on her face. "You did the exact same thing your own mother did, just with the roles reversed. I'm sure your intentions were good, but what's that Earth saying? Two wrongs don't make a right?"

Eclipsa hung her head in shame. "I guess I was so caught up in my outrage towards monsters that I didn't consider the big picture. But I never expected that our people would just willingly leave."

"Well I can't say I blame you there. Our people are pretty dang stubborn, ignorant, & hard-headed. Then again I don't think a monarchy where the queens tried to do all the thinking for the people really helped matters..." While not intended as a slight at Moon, Moon certainly took it hard. "It's gotten to a point where some of our people are so disillusioned & angry that they're taking it out on us...on me. All because we're trying to make things better. I don't want mewmans to be on a higher plane than monsters, or the reverse. I want them to be on even footing." She turned to her boyfriend. "I want all of us to be on even footing."

It wasn't a reference specifically to them, but Marco got the message. He nodded & gently hugged her. "I'm sorry."

"Me too, sweetheart. Me too." Star sighed again. "I don't know, this all just sucks. And knowing that there's a chance it's, like, super personal too, thanks to the whole "they were kicked off the land by Eclipsa" stuff-"

"Oh there's more than a chance." Came a voice at the door leading into the room. It was Janna holding a bunch of paper. She approached the table and placed the papers down gently.

"Janna?"

"Okay first, you'll be happy to know that the whole money thing has been sorted out: the monsters got a new check and all is good."

"Oh, that's great!"

"And there's more. So I did some sleuthing on my own..."

"What exactly does that mean, Janna?" Marco questioned.

"I invoke my 5th amendment right to be silent. Anyway-" She turned back to everyone. "So I did some digging, and it turns out that all of the mewmans that played a part in trying to frame Star's dad for that hunting fiasco...all of them came from families that were removed from the monster land after the new regime change."

And suddenly that seemed to explain a lot. "So it is coordinated revenge..." Eclipsa lamented.

"The nerve of those fools!" River roared.

"But why Star? Why not...you know, my wife?" Globgor asked, turning to said wife. "No offense, honey."

"None taken, dear."

"They're going after me because - hello? - I'm the one that gave her the throne back in the first place?"

"And because they've probably decided that Star was the easiest target." Janna interjected, turning to face Star. "The overwhelming stress, the mental instability, the emotional outbursts, self-harm, heart attacks-"

"Whoa whoa, back up..." Marco interrupted. "That was one minor cardiac episode. That doesn't count!" He was referring to Star's heart scare following the conclusion of the butchered Cornball practice. (i.e. Episode 15: Double-Laced Butterfly Part 2)

Janna put a hand on his shoulder. "Your devotion to her is admirable. But that was a heart attack, dude."

"All of this because Star and I wanted to fix the bridges of hate & bigotry that separated the mewmans and the monsters for so long." Eclipsa sighed, receiving a shoulder pat from her loving husband.

Just outside the door, concealed in a magical invisible ball stood teenage Mariposa, Meteora - who were cloaked with a spell that allowed them to retain their Neverzone appearances - & Cassandra, who had been listening in on the conversation. The part about Eclipsa kicking the mewmans off of what was formerly the monsters' land intrigued them the most. "Is what she said true?" Mariposa asked her dear friend. "About the land?"

Meteora shrugged. "All I remember is I was stuck with some of the royal servants that day when she went out. I don't know."

"I wasn't anywhere near the sight either." Cassandra admitted. "Most of my knowledge of Mewni's long, rich history is from second hand sources, I'm afraid."

"There must be a way to find out for sure." Mariposa caressed the wand with her hand, deep in contemplation. Suddenly an idea crossed her mind. She gripped the wand as tightly as she could and slowly held it up & out.

"...What are you doing?"

"Summon a spell."

"What spell?"

"The All-Seeing Eye."

"Um...that only works on locations. Not time periods."

Mariposa looked back and forth between her friend and the wand. "You sure?" And then resolved to try the spell anyway. "I summon the All-Seeing Eye to tear a hole into the sky. Reveal to me that which is hidden. Unveil to me what is forbidden." She held the wand up as it began to glow. A few moments passed before the wand finally fired, unleashing said spell right in front of them. The All-Seeing Eye had been summoned, but this time it was different. Indeed, as Mariposa had hoped for, the hole torn in the fabric of the universe wasn't just of a place - old Mewni - but of a time - specifically, the start of Eclipsa's reign as queen following Meteora's defeat.

"...I'll be damned." Cassandra spoke, she and Meteora gobsmacked. "You did it."

"Shhh, something's happening!" Mariposa loudly whispered; the three of them watched the footage of history before them.

[Flashback]

Out in the land, several groups of mewmans were casually minding their own business. It was another typical day on Mewni. But all of that was about to change. In the distance, a large group of royal knights were marching towards their land. Within that group was Eclipsa, cascading herself in a magical orb of protection. The mewmans were not happy to see her at all. News of her installment as queen had spread quickly, and public opinion of both Eclipsa and Star had collapsed line a Jenga tower. When the knights & Eclipsa arrived, she ceased her orb & pulled out a scroll. "Residents of the land..." She began to sternly address them. "The land you occupy before you once belong to creatures that scour the kingdom. This land was wrongfully stolen from them by the late Queen Solaria The Monster Carver. Today - by royal decree - this land returns to them."

And predictably, the mewmans reacted with outrage. "You can't do that! We didn't steal anything!" One of them lashed out, causing the knights to point their various weapons at the outspoken one.

"Gentlemen, stand down!" Eclipsa ordered, not wanting to escalate tensions any further. "I understand this is very short notice, but the monsters have waited far too long for justice to be served their way. I will not allow them to wait any longer."

"So you're punishing up for crap that happened literal centuries ago!?"

Eclipsa silently cued her knights to ready their weapons. "My subjects...I am asking you to leave voluntarily. But I am not above using force."

"Then use it, queeny."

And so she did. She called their bluff, sending the knights after her, though if one expected her to take pride in sicking the royal knights after the people she was supposed to serve, they were mistaken. In fact, she spent the rest of the ordeal sulking. "We always carry the sins of our ancestors around with us...no matter what side you're on..." She said quietly to herself.

[End Flashback]

The spell dispersed, leaving the three with their thoughts. "That's crap." Meteora bellowed.

"...I don't think she meant it like that." Mariposa tried to reassure her. Meteora's thoughts immediately went to her past life; the torment she went through, the suffering she caused...all of it.

"Then how did she mean it?" Meteora hissed back, trying not to succumb to crying.

"Well...now it makes sense at least...why your people's kind are angry." Cassandra remarked. Meteora scoffed.

"Oh please, they'd be angry at anything."

"Yeah but this seems different..." Mariposa interjected. "Very different."

Cassandra nodded, agreeing with the senitment. "They want revenge. If these folks are hellbent on revenge, then your friends & loved ones are in danger. We must protect them."

"How? We can't let them know magic is back. Hell we don't even know to what extent magic is back..."

"I'm still investigating that angle. In the meantime, you girls just keep your eyes and ears open for anything that looks extreme. Remember our code: The Fools Grovel At Dusk."

Both girls looked at each other, then at Cassandra, and they nodded slowly. They had to be prepared for anything and everything now, a task easier said than done.

The rest of the afternoon passed by relatively stress-free; once the meeting between the Butterfly family ended everyone went their separate ways; this included Star & Marco, who exited hand-in-hand. "Well today has certainly been...a day." Star awkwardly remarked.

"Yeah, but at least it's over now." Marco added. "I'm just glad the monster thing is back under control."

"Y-Yeah, totally..." Her weak response to his statement drew his concern.

"Everything okay?"

"Ah, just my mind racing about...everything..."

"Wanna talk about it?"

She shrugged. "Not really..." The boy gently squeezed her hand as a show of support, which got her to smile a little. "Marco...those mewmans that have been coming after me and the family...what if they start going after the monsters?" His eyes opened up; for some reason it was a prospsect that he hadn't even considered. "What if they start using them as bait or something o-or they just start lashing out against them for no good reason?"

He heistated before saying anything. "To be honest, I'm...kind of surprised they haven't already." This didn't sit well with Star, which he deduced quickly based on her annoyed glare at him. "I'm not saying I want them to be hurt, just that...with how mad they are, I thought they'd have started sooner or whatever. But what do I know?" Star loudly sighed and squeezed Marco's hand back. "Look, they can try whatever little stunts they want. You and I both know that as long as all of us are around, we won't let anything bad happen to the monsters. We know you've worked too hard to try and fix everything, and we won't let them undermine it. That's a promise."

Even in all of his awkward stumbling, Marco always knew just how to make Star feel better. She kissed his cheek & giggled. "How is it that you always have the right words to say? Even when they're all the wrong words?"

He couldn't help but laugh as they broke out into a big hug. "I don't know. I really don't."

"Come on, let's head back to your place. I wanna play with your baby sister." They took hands again and started walking towards Marco's house. "And then tonight hyou and I can have some real fun."

"You know I always look forward to that."

"And who knows? Maybe tonight there'll be an extra pillow on your bed for you." She purred & winked at him. Yep, she was getting herself in the mood. The boy's eyes darted slowly to her tush; she didn't need to clarify anything for him.

"You're not going to let that go until I do it, are you?"

"Oh don't give me that, Marco. You already squeeze it like a pillow, you pat it like a pillow, you fluff it like a pillow-" She noticed his face getting flustered. "Which I like! So...why don't we just go the next natural step? I'm sure it'll be comfy for you."

He just had to laugh at that. It was peak Star to take their sexual fun & take it up a notch. Not that he minded; as long as she was okay with it, he was too. "You're a lunatic, you know that?"

"Yes, but I'm your lunatic, and you're mine."

"Darn right." They shared a long kiss before departing. "Oh, wait, before we go...I think I should head to City Hall. You know, to get that whole...that whole-"

"That whole statue thing sorted out?" She interrupted him with a warm smile. Marco had to know by now that he couldn't get one over her.

"Y-Yeah, list-"

"Marco..." She interrupted him with a kiss this time. "Is anything set in stone yet?"

"Uh, n-no...we were just...you know, preliminary stuff."

"Then why don't you sleep on it tonight?"

He had to tilt his head at her slightly. Was he hearing her correctly? "Are you saying you want a statue of yourself now?"

"I didn't say that. It's just...ugh, I'm so sick of being the reason you don't do things. You're trying to do right by me every single day and yet you feel like you can't because of the demons in my head. So how about we just sit down and talk about it tonight, and then you can decide tomorrow what you want to do? Does that sound okay?"

It was obvious Star still wasn't comfortable with the idea of having a statute in her liking made. But she was also tired of feeling like he was hindering him in his quest to make her happy. So many conflicting emotions, but the hope was that a talk that night would help clear the air. "Alright, that sounds fair."

"Good. Now just one more thing..." She leaned in slowly, as if she was going to kiss again. He readied himself for a kiss...only to feel himself being pushed slightly by her and feel her taking off. "TAG YOU'RE IT DIAZ!" Star Butterfly: a mature adult, but always a child at heart.

"You're gonna pay for that, Butterfly!" He lovingly yelled as he started to chase after her, the both of them laughing.

In another part of town, having dispersed the teens for the day, Cassandra found herself walking alone back towards her office. For her, her work continued relentlessly. But little did she know she wasn't actually alone. She passed by a set of bushes on her way, and in one of them popped out a scrawny head and a set of beady eyes and a long nose. A royal outfit torn & damaged, dirtied up from months spent on the outside. The beady eyes followed Cassandra as she passed by & kept on walking, a clout of suspicion racing through the air. This wasn't just any ordinary stalker. It was the last remnance of Mina Loveberry's wrath before her demise, the last droplet of the old regime of hate & bigotry. The only person that saw fit to actually depart with Mina after the magic was destroyed before being separated from her due to her own obsession & decompartmentalization.

The stuffy, uptight servant.

The obnoxious know-it-all.

Arguably the biggest monster-hater in Mewni.

One name sends looks of disinterest & eye rolls down the line.

Manfred.

End of Episode 24!

I don't know, I feel like this chapter was a bit all over the place. Writer's block does that you, doesn't it? But I still hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Although sadly I think this slowly update pace I'm on the past few chapters is going to be the norm for a while. Selling of the house is finally picking up steam so most of my attention has to go to that. But I'm not quitting this by a long shot :)

As always, please read & review! :D