Star inhaled deeply, her eyebrows creasing into a sudden look of impending frustration before she heaved out an unsteady breath. Whatever she was dealing with inside Marco's head, it must have been incredibly annoying, Luna figured. She was sitting beside Star, a thin stream of ruby-red magic flowing into her forehead, and every small movement the girl provided, every expression in her sleep, and every tense jolt of muscle was felt. She was starting to worry.
An empty bottle of swamp wine hit the floor, rattling off from beside the couch as Darc jolted awake, glancing hurriedly about the room. "Wha-happan?! Where-sa fire?" he demanded in a groggy slur, making the Blood Moon Goddess roll her eyes indignantly. She had initially threatened him profusely upon Star's departure, and was admittedly somewhat disappointed to find him very agreeable to the procedure.
He made off complaining about soreness, in part due to the mending hole in his chest, and snuck away to procure something to ease the pain, and it had been a very peaceful hour thus far. Now ruined, of course. The very idea that Luna had to even share a room with this creature, much less enlist it's assistance in resolving its own mess, was nothing short of infuriating. But if it was for the sake of her children, she had to suck it up and make do.
Minutes of tense, annoyed silence from both parties went by, Darc's mannerisms reflecting that of a child at the dentist as he struggled to occupy his mind. The last thing he wanted to do right now was agitate the clearly unstable Goddess before him. Every time she moved, it sent a jolt of electricity down his spine. And his throat was beginning to itch.
*cough*
His eyes darted up towards the still form of the deity. 'Damnit! Why?! Why now of all times?!' he internally screamed, having barely managed to keep his cough restrained. It wasn' his fault that swamp wine was teaming with dirt!
Luna turned a slow, expressionless look towards him, her fiery red eyes meeting with his.
'Dammit… this is it, she's gonna kill me, I pissed her off, I-'
"Is, Glossaryck... Doing okay?" she asked, the since void of emotion tone of her voice having shifted to one of barely restrained worry. Darc swallowed down his unease, opting to choose his words very carefully. But before he could answer, he noticed something he'd been too afraid to notice before: the Goddess looked scared. Gods didn't do that, they were blank, expressionless beings bound to logic and 'cleansed' by their unending sight. Yet, she looked as human as Marco had when he made his deal.
He found the tension in her eyes almost fragile compared to the bravado and stoic grimace she had been wearing. "Yeah, he's...doing pretty alright," Darc answered, filling the role of playing it cool, opting towards a 'nice guy' act for now, "At first, he seemed like he wanted me to destroy him, like Toffee did last time; to put him in the wand or something, I dunno."
Luna frowned at the notion of Glossaryck's destruction, but she nonetheless looked intrigued. Even the subtle sadness in her eyes seemed to lift at the mention of her lovers name, much more in hearing that he was fine. "But…?" she couldn't help but ask.
"But...something happened with him. I tried to…" Darc swallowed, and Luna nodded for him to continue, brushing past the implied effort, for now. "But he let me do as I pleased. He turned my own magic against me, and he gave me clarity. He was trapped alongside me after I attacked him, and instead of punishment, he showed me what I was, what I was meant for, he opened my eyes to who...and what I really am."
At that, the Goddess actually smiled! A very genuine, human smile. "Yes, that does sound like him," she admitted, "he always was one for the introspective. Turning the tide of a battle in his own way."
For many reasons seeing Luna smile, and respond with something vaguely resembling humor, eased the fear that gripped Darc up until now. He was making ground, clearly, and he wanted more of it. There could even be a chance at his own salvation should he appease her, so why stop now? He decided to push his luck a little further. "Y'know, he talked about you a lot, albeit in his own weird, vague way," Darc noted with a chuckle, "He said you'd be sad to see him go, and that if he managed to come back 'whole', you'd probably just kill him yourself."
Luna's smile spread wider as she stifled an honest laugh, something Darc had not been expecting to hear. It was terrifying, and surprising, but she looked so normal he didn't care. "He would say that, though I could never do something so terrible to the man I love," Luna offered with a chuckle of her own. However, as she shook her head and turned back to Star, that happiness and comfort seemed to fade from her eyes, a sad expression taking hold once again.
Darc could read the room well enough, and could tell she likely didn't have much hope of saving Glossaryck. That, or she felt some semblance of guilt at what his fate had brought. So to keep the mood lively, and possibly help save his borrowed skin, he leaned forward and gave her a genuine, encouraging look. "How did The Blood Moon Goddess end up meeting- and falling in love- with the Cultivator of Magic?"
She turned a careful, inquisitive glance in his direction, likely trying to read his thoughts and get a bead on him. But thankfully, she didn't seem to find anything alarming. She was giving him somewhat of a spiteful look, but she was trying. He could tell that much.
Luna sighed. "It's not the grand story you're likely imagining," she noted off-handedly, "It happened quite as easily as mortals fall for one another: with a dance."
Darc nodded, but rather than take that at face value, he made a show of leaning back into the couch and gesturing with interest for her to elaborate. "I'd love to hear it, in all honesty," he offered, "I'm not long for this world, we may all soon see its end. It would be nice to hear about someone else's history for a change...while we have time"
Luna gave him another inquisitive look, as though trying to really read his intentions, but from what she could tell, they were genuine. So ultimately, she nodded and turned to better face him, careful to keep her stream of magic rooted to Star. If Glossaryck had developed some form of trust for this creature, maybe she could muster some up as well? After all, he was right, he wasn't going to live for much longer, and he was just an accident thrust into comprehension. Perhaps he was owed a little sympathy anyway, so she decided to hell him her story.
O - O - O - O - O - O - O
"It all began many hundreds of years ago, a time long forgotten by all. I was a relatively new Goddess- at least by cosmic standards, and by those of my peers- so I was always looking for the next big thrill. Which brought me to the land you call Mewni, the latest of planes capable of dimensional travel, and one of so many infinite possibilities. I saw fit to grace them with my light and revel in their worship, as Gods do, and for a long time, things were perfect.
But as with all things, time has a habit of breaking down worlds over eons, eroding the very structures meant to withstand it along with those who built them, and so too did it change the land of Mewni. Millennia passed, my Moon came and went many times, kingdoms rose and fell, compassion gave way to conquest, and pestilence gave way to peace. The kingdom of Mewni, as it came to be known, was far different in its size and scale, and yet so very similar in its ideals and practices. Leaders stepped forward and passed, borders shifted, but the people were always the same, even as the centuries passed. With the exception, of course, of a single Princess."
Darc scoffed, but it was lighthearted and not meant to offend. "Lotta buildup of world history just to stop on some stuck up, holier-than-thou-" he stopped when he saw the glare Luna was giving him and apologized, bidding her to continue.
"As I was saying, a single princess. And I do mean single in every facet of the word. The Queen at the time, Constance Butterfly… well she threw suitors at her daughter practically every week, hoping beyond hope to secure a better future- and a noble bloodline- for her daughter. But the princess was, understandably, pretty upset by this, and would promptly turn down every option. She had no need for shackles in Mewman form, she wanted to be free, to forge her own future, and do it by her hand alone."
"Aright, so she had guy troubles, clearly. And I'm sure ole Queenie didn't take too kindly to the refusals," Darc returned, acting somewhat more interested in what he was being told, "what did she do about it?"
"She Left."
At that, Darc had to lean forward. It wasn't unheard of for some snobby princess to abandon her duties when she didn't get her way, but to just…"What, she just up and ditched Mewni? Where did she go?"
"Well, perhaps she didn't leave Mewni, per se, she merely snuck off to the Underworld, where she hoped she would escape the long reach of her kingdom. She had a few friends in high places to ensure she wouldn't be found, and for a while? That was the case. She lived in secret, hid from the public, went on grand adventures, and she had none but her hosts to share in her pride with."
"So, what? She got lonely down there?" Darc scoffed, once again not with the intent to offend, but rather to simply enjoy the story, "Sounds more like she was crashing at a bro's place until the 'rents finally cooled off and eased up on the dating."
"In a way, I suppose you could say that was the case. Though, facing the world in secret, and without company, can take a toll on one's independence, after all. Thankfully, her friend- the at the time Princess of the Underworld- decided it would be a good chance to play matchmaker. Albeit with a far gentler approach than the Queen. And what better chance to play, than at my Blood Moon Ball."
Darc stopped her, tilting his head in curiosity. "Wait. You mean you were there? The whole time?" he asked, noting the implication that it was her ball, and not the Underworlds. Luna gave him a rather unceremonious nod, unsure what the issue was.
"But of course? How else am I to pick those whom I deem worthy of my light?"
"Huh. I always kinda figured it was random, like if they start dancing and they're hitting it off, then they get the groovy." Luna gave him a bored look for his troubles.
"No, it is by care and choice that I select two souls to bind for all eternity, and I never choose wrong. Which brings me to my side of this story: a hapless young servant who just so happened to be working the largest party in the Underworld.
His was a kind soul, compassionate yet noble, and I knew from the moment he laid eyes on the young Princess that he was all but taken. Of course, he knew there was no chance, a lowly servant boy doomed to the throes of castle work, while she bore the body and eyes of a trained warrior. He was simply out of his league. Thankfully, my gaze wasn't the only one cast upon those in attendance."
"Gonna go out on a limb here and assume you mean Glossaryck?"
"Must you suck the fun out of every part of this story? Have you nothing better to do than wait and listen?"
Darc shrugged, pulling out another bottle of Swamp wine and reeling in for the long haul. "My apologies, please continue. I'm sorry for interrupting," he noted with sincerity, earning a pleased sigh from Luna.
"Yes, it was Glossaryck. The very same. He had apparently been accompanying the young princess all along her journey: steering her off the wrong paths, guiding her decisions, and of course just being himself. But when he noticed my presence, he surprised me, actually. He introduced himself with words I couldn't hear, and when that failed, he spoke in a fashion I could understand. Mind you, speaking the language of the Gods without provocation is quite the feat, and with no ears or mouth in the state I was in, all I could do was answer with the warmth of a smile..."
"I see. So you said your hellos, introductions and all that," Darc continued when Luna trailed off, her face turned up in silent satisfaction, "Seems pretty straightforward for a first meeting. I take it you guys hit it off?"
"You could say that, yes. He could sense my intentions with the Princess as plain as day, and needless to say he approved. So what does he do but offer me a smile in return, and vanish from even my sight, leaving me hapless and confused as to what he might be planning. I searched for him, but he was far too clever for me to find, so I turned my gaze back to the ball, letting the night trickle on with… varied success.
Of course, he was up to nothing good, and over the course of the evening, he whispered lies into the princesses ear of an assassin, a plot to kill her, and a scheme of her mother's making. He pleaded with her to run and take cover; to flee the ball for her own safety, knowing full well who he was speaking to. The princess took his words not as a valued warning, but as a challenge.
She practically tore the ballroom apart searching for her killer, moving through guests and interrogating anyone who seemed suspect. And in a room full of demons, well that left quite a lot of options I'm afraid. The other guests were justifiably appalled, her best friend was well and mortified. And she had just doused the perfect chance to find someone special to share in her adventures. Or...so her friend thought.
There was a particular young servant who had been doing quite an exceptional job at staying hidden, remaining out of sight and doing his best to avoid the Princesses rampage. But all that discretion only made him look guilty when she finally turned her gaze onto the conspicuous young man. She marched right up to him, grabbed him by his collar, lifted him in the air and demanded answers.
What she got, however, was a confused and terrified look from a man almost as red as me, tripping over his own words and sweating like a guilty hound."
Darc managed a smile and nodded, recognizing another man's discomfort after an hour of living through his own. "I wanna guess that that was bingo for the Princess."
"Yes, it was. I still remember the terror in his heart when the woman he was smitten with, drew her sword to impale him before the entire ball. But to the young man's relief, it was then that I had finally made my decision.
I bathed them in my light, and bound their souls together for all eternity.
As with all of my chosen, including my current pair, and even Vartek, there was protest from one side, while the other was entirely willing to-"
"Wait, are you telling me that Vartek was the one who got cold feet? Star too?" Darc had to ask. There wasn't memory of how Vartek was chosen, and he was a little hazy on Star and Marco, but it just sounded ridiculous.
"Quite. Merina was absolutely taken with her chosen partner, even though he was a monster. Marco was much the same, though I sensed a great deal of insecurity on his end, and a longing for independence from Star's. And as such was the case in this instance, the Princess both confused and angry simultaneously. She thought it to be some sort of trap, a guise meant to distract her. But just as I was beginning to worry, Glossaryck stepped between them, and spoke for me. He eased her wild heart, soothed the boy's nerves, and offered simply: why don't you two dance?"
"And? Is that it? They danced off into the sunset and loved each other forever?" Luna stuck out her tongue at him before shooting him a mischievous smile.
"Ohhh the way she took to him as his beautiful soul won her over, it was truly a match made in heaven. They courted in secret, as was expected, and the Queen was less than pleased to find her daughter courting a servant of the Underworld. But she saw a light in her daughter's eyes, one she could not cultivate herself. It has to be given.
It was one of the greatest selections I'd ever had, a night I would truly never forget. And Glossaryck was quick to try his own luck with a Goddess, visiting me in my temple every few years to regale me with the tales of my children's adventures, among other things."
"Oh wow. Did you guys do the nasty? How would that even work anyw-" A tendril of magic slapped him sideways, leaving Darc in a heap as Luna gave the ceiling a wistful look.
"We did not, nor will we ever. Our love is deeper than such mortal displays, and a Goddess gives up her means to do so when she is chosen. No, Glossaryck and I are what you would call...Very close friends? But also something more? Either way, no, the nasty does not happen."
Darc rubbed his cheek, spiteful at Luna's implacable display of force. "Bummer. Though, I guess that's to be expected," he noted with a touch of dry humor, "Glossaryck was never really one for open connections with people. All about that subtle vagueness he loves so much. I can only imagine how Marco's been holding up these last few days."
Luna couldn't help but smile. She felt better than she had in a long time, thanks to this creat- thanks to Darc. This poor, misguided creation stumbling around like a newborn. She turned to look down at Star, seeing a smile on the young Princesses face, before answering, "I think he's feeling much better now."
O - O - O - O - O - O - O
Star breathed a deep sigh of relief before turning her gaze up into the clouds ahead. Tif was proudly presenting nothing less than the largest tree she had ever imagined, its branches reaching into the sky, out of sight as the trunk was so wide, she had to turn just to see both sides. And according to the little annoying rabbit?
"He's in there?" She asked, clenching her fist to keep her shaking to a minimum. Tif nodded, a wide smile between her fuzzy cheeks. "Him and the weird old guy haven't left in months, even when the big green light lit up the sky and chased away the darkness."
"Right, right. When they switched." Star couldn't help but stare at the tree, the sheer scale of it almost distracting her from the queasy turns flipping her stomach. She realized she was sweating. "Tif, I can't do this- there's no way I can do this!" She whispered in a scream, "he's not even gonna wanna talk to me. Let alone let me talk him into leaving!"
The weight of her decision that night came in a rising wave, the guilt pitting against her chest as Star continued to stare at the tree. She could feel him, so close it almost hurt, but she knew she was right: he'd never want to see her again after how she made him feel. How she betrayed him.
"Awwwww, come on, you're just being paranoid!" Tif offered in an unhelpful, chipper tune, "I'm sure he'd at least hear you out! I mean, you came all the way here just to see him, how could he not at least give you a chance to explain yourself?"
Star turned her eyes down to glare at the ground, her eyes furrowed against the bare stone walkway. "Because I lied to him? Broke a promise, abandoned him, and left him stranded?"
Tif took a moment to absorb that, slowly looking up at Star with a bewildered look. "Jeez… you kinda suck, Lady."
"Not really helping, Tif."
"No I mean like, wow. That sounds pretty fu-"
"I SAID NOT HELPING!" Tif recoiled at the outburst, but decided to reign herself back into being 'helpful, even if this lady was a few carrots short of a cake.
"Maybe he will be mad. And yeah, he might not wanna talk to you, but don't you kinda owe it to him to try?" She asked in a softer tone, hopping into Star's view to meet her gaze. The princess turned her eyes away, a sour frown between her cheeks. "Plus, it's not like he's going anywhere, right? You came all the way here for him, so I bet he's gotta be a pretty great guy for you to get all worked up over. I bet he's missed ya too, lady."
Star nodded, though she didn't feel better for it. Marco was a lot of things; patient, forgiving, loyal, and cute, but that didn't mean his finer qualities would apply for such a grave situation. She had felt his pain, his fear, all of the negative emotions that came with that fateful night. The hot iron stabbing into her chest had felt worse than anything she had ever endured.
Much less, she was walking into an unknown. Marco could have been stewing this entire time, or he could have been working towards an understanding. In truth? There was no way she'd know for sure until she bit the bullet and braced the wave.
Star's face twisted with unease. "Tif… would you have forgiven me? If we'd known each other for years, and you knew I made my choice to protect you?"
To the credit of the small rabbit, she thought about the proposition for a moment. "I mean, I don't like being lied to, and you already lied to me after knowing me for like… three minutes," she noted, making Star groan before she hopped a little closer, "but I don't think you're a bad person. You have your reasons for doing what you do, and I don't expect you to weigh my opinion if you're trying to help."
Star chanced an optimistic glance towards Tif, her nerves screaming a little less loudly. "What do I even say? How am I supposed to handle this?" She didn't think Tif was quite qualified to be giving relationship advice like this, but in Marco's mindscape, there wasn't much else in the way of options.
Tif seemed to puff up her chest, hopping back a step and gesturing to the tree with extraordinary pride. "You don't need to think about how to make excuses! You don't need to overthink an approach!" Tif doubled down and pointed at Star, and then the tree once more. "You're gonna march right up there without second-guessing yourself!"
Star nodded, unsure of her willingness to comply, but happy for the faith regardless. "I'm… gonna march right up there."
With resounding force, Tif nodded proudly and poked a paw at Star's chest. "Then, you're gonna tell him you're not leaving without him! He's coming with you no matter what!"
Star allowed a small smile to begin creeping out from her frown. She nodded slowly before repeating with more authority, "I'm not leaving without him! He's coming with me!"
"You're gonna accept the repercussions later, and for now he needs to buckle up and help take the bad guy down!"
"I'LL TAKE WHAT'S COMING TO ME LATER SO WE CAN STOP VARTEK NOW!"
"AND YOU'RE GONNA MAKE THE BLUE GUY GIVE TIF MORE CARROTS!"
"AND IM GONNA MAKE-" Star stopped mid-rant, blinking several times before turning her gaze down at the little fuzzball. "What? You know those aren't really good for-"
"AND YOU'RE GONNA GIVE HIM A BIG OLE SMOOCH WHEN YOU SEE HIM!"
"A-and I'm GONNA GIVE HIM THE BIGGEST SMOOCH WHEN I SEE HIM!"
With her final war cry, Star was almost happily distracted enough to charge straight up into the massive oak and take what she wanted- what she needed. But that wasn't going to help. Her optimism and usual naivete would only serve to make things worse when she charged headfirst into-
"HEY! STOP SULKING AND GET YOU BOOSTER SEAT UP THERE! YOUR BOO IS WAITING!" Tif shouted before giving the princess a hard shove forward, ushering her to ignore a stance of ceremony in lieu of just diving in headfirst. The usual, Star Butterfly way of handling business.
Not dwelling on planning her conversation with Marco, or carefully executing her ascent to wherever he was, Star sprinted forward. Fueled by a desire to put the last two days behind her and reignited by the determination to see him again, Star reached the base of the gargantuan tree and wasted no time climbing it. She didn't look for stairs, she didn't try to find an easy way up. She simply gripped whatever bit of bark was available, pulled herself up, embedded her feet into the trunk, rinse and repeat.
This went on for some time, a grueling climb straight up the impossibly large tree, and after a while Star could no longer see the ground beneath her. The stone walkways and even the larger buildings had since been swallowed by the clouds. But still she climbed, resting on branches when she could and leaving a trail of footholds to mark her progress.
Thankfully, she wasn't quite alone, as several of the large avians that inhabited the skies had perched on branches or roosted in their nests to watch her climb with a curious interest. Even the unsettling bat had taken a moment from angrily screeching to hang and watch as she struggled. Probably enjoying the show.
Star was far from ignorant to their gathering, but she was too focused on the climb, and to driven by the threat of failure to take heed. She had left, and she had lost everyone. There was no quarrel about it, but it still stung, being forced to accept the grim reality of her recent decisions. And now, she was being given an out, a chance to right her wrongs, to find Marco and hope to Corn that together they could fix everything, both with each other and for all of Mewni.
After a few hours of bitter work, and more than her fair share of sweat and tears, even the ever-present light that kept the world illuminated had begun to grow dark. More climbing, digging her toes into the tough bark, and hoisting herself further up was how Star spent most of the evening. Until finally, she reached her goal.
Nestled between two of the highest branches of the treetop, sat an inconspicuous campfire. And as Star dragged her exhausted body over the precipice of the limb, she bore witness to the two people sitting idly by, talking as though there was no care in the world.
"-just sit around doing nothing. Isn't there some way we can help him?"
Glossaryck shook his head. "Like I said yesterday, you made a deal with Darc, and until you can figure out how to control your body like he did, I don't see how…" he trailed off, turning his attention to the panting, sweating princess standing just beyond the light of their campfire. "Ahhhh, you see? No plan whatsoever, and look how well things turned out. I told you not to stress out about it." He gestured to Star with a confident smirk, his point thoroughly made.
There, sitting across from Glossaryck, was Marco. Star could only stare at the object of her deepest desires, her holy grail sitting not twenty steps from her grasp. She was too stunned to speak, and the feeling in the back of her mind proved without a shadow of a doubt that she had indeed found him.
He was sitting cross-legged, his body language a familiar sign of stress, and at Glossaryck's prompt, Marco slowly turned his gaze about. His face was wrinkled with impatience, likely at the hand of two days worth of her old mentors' mind games, but when his eyes fell upon Star, he softened. Marco's shoulders relaxed, his frown gave way to an expressionless stare, and much to the princesses surprise? He said nothing.
There was obviously a chance that he had been the victim of many a trick of the mind, and would likely need some reassurance that this was actually happening. So slowly, carefully, Star took a few steps closer, wearing a beaming smile. Having caught her breath, she gestured to herself before she offered, "Marco...It's me. I'm really here." But still he said nothing, his eyes looking her over as his mind surely raced.
Star's smile began to fall, but still she tried to wear her excitement on her sleeve, forcing an uneasy grin to her lips as she took another step closer. "I got in touch with Luna, and she helped me get here," she offered, hoping to win him over with some logic, "Darc too, he actually wants to give you your body back. By his own choice and everything!"
Still Marco said nothing, his eyes still darting across her face above an expressionless stare. Even Glossaryck was wisely choosing to say nothing, despite his piqued interest at the mention of his divine girlfriend. Star stopped where she stood and after a moment of silence, began to wring her hands as she glanced around. "I wanted- I have so much to tell you- ...about things on...Mewni?" Marco's silence remained, but slowly he rose from his sitting position and took a step closer to her, his eyes careful and piercing.
This was not how Star had been expecting their reunion to go, but it was going exactly as she had feared. Marco was obviously furious with her, to see her come crawling back to him, to beg forgiveness after her betrayal that night, and she knew she deserved it. Days of solitary pain at the hands of his lover had taken their toll on him, but Star resolved herself to pay it forward. "I'm sorry…" she whispered, almost too quiet and choked for even Glossaryck to hear, "I'm so, so sorry Marco… I- You-... I didn't want-..." she floundered through so many avenues of apology, she couldn't pick one.
Marco stopped his advance, watching her closely as she began to sob, her eyes stinging with the burn of hot tears. "You trusted me, and I know I broke my promise. I lied to you… I left you behind when I swore we would do this together- I just-" her voice cracked as she took a step closer, reaching out for him, "I need you… and I'm so scared… that I might have already lost you…you were right. I can't do this on my own and- everyone's gone, I'm all alone and I'm terrified of doing this without you…"
She felt every ounce of regret she had cultivated over the last two days swell within her. Flashes of the feelings burning in his chest when she left felt like a stake through her heart. She knew it was fruitless. That there was no mistaking the look on his face for sheer contempt. He would never forgive her, so why was she even trying?
She had lost him, burned her bridge and tried to walk back across the river.
She had failed to stop Vartek at the cost of Marco, and now? She was truly alone.
A sudden, alarming pull in her gut returned, tugging her away from the campfire, away from Marco. And this time, it was warm and inviting to her senses, a feeling of belonging against the current void of solidarity. It came with the promise that she wasn't alone, that she had somewhere to belong, somewhere to feel whole again.
Where it was once a dredging tug, now the pull was more like a lullaby, filling her mind with clouds akin to those around the tree. She wanted to leave, to find some dark place to crawl into and hide from all of her failures, she wanted die.
Star looked at Marco through clouded tears, struggling in vain to keep them in check. All he could do was stare at her, and it told her everything she needed to hear. Marco was lost to her, and he didn't want to be found. He didn't want her apology. He didn't want Star Butterfly. So after one last quiet, "I'm sorry, Marco…goodbye." She slowly turned away, ready to follow the pull of that castle down into the depths beneath.
Or she was, until a gentle yet demanding hand took hold of hers, pulling her back.
Right into Marco's arms. They collided with one another with all the grase of fighting elephant seals, but neither cared.
He squeezed her, held her close with every ounce of his being as hot tears fell to her shoulder. His arms wrapped around her with the promise that he'd never let go, and his unsteady breathing washed both the pull and her hopelessness from her mind. He cradled her head to his shoulder before the two dropped to their knees, Star too stunned and relieved to even speak.
After an eternity spent in each other's embrace, Marco grimaced before slowly pulling back, meeting her eyes with his. And where she expected to see malice, contempt, disdain, or even impatience? She only saw a relief rivaling hers as he whispered, "I thought I lost you, Star…"
As she stared back at him, her wide eyes flooded, Star found no better way to answer his veiled plea for reassurance, than with a kiss. She wasted no time pressing her lips to his as days of stress and worry melted away.
Marco had spent over two days locked in his own mind, and even the beauty of the world around him adapting to his conscience was trivial compared to this. God, he had missed her, it had taken far too long to even comprehend that she was here, let alone that he had her in his arms again. He hadn't heard a word she said except for 'goodbye', sparking a torrent of terror that demanded he simply bring her back.
But the passion burning in his chest could wait. He had to look at her, to take in the sight that she had really come back for him. Marco pulled back and held her face, drinking from the pool of her sapphire eyes. "Star...are you alright?" He asked, checking her over for the fourth time, his voice choked with barely restrained glee, "what happened? Did you fight him?"
For a moment, she didn't answer. Her face simply twisted into a look of wrought anguish before she nodded, her eyes brimming with new tears, all for a different reason. "He was- we didn't- Marco...we lost everybody. Vartek turned all of Mewni… even my mom," she sobbed, reeling back into his shoulder as Glossaryck watched from the fire, "he was too strong. He has all the magic now, and he almost k-killed me… I barely managed to get away before I blacked out, my magic taken from me. When I woke up, that thing- Darc -was there. He patched me up, and Luna sent me in here to get you. And...and I also came to-"
"It's okay," Marco interrupted, stroking her hair and replaying the events she'd lived through in his head. She'd been through, and she'd done it all without him. "I don't care about what happened, you're here now," he reasoned, to Star's immeasurable relief, "I'm just glad you're alright, Star. You found me, after all, right?"
Star managed a weak smile, pulling back to find one of his own to match. "We really need to stop meeting like this," came her response with a chuckle. Marco laughed, nodding along as she wiped her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder which of us is really the princess, and which of us is the knight in shining armor."
"Well… it's my fault you're here, and again, I'm so so so sososososo sorry, Marco… I was so scared that something might happen to you, or you might…" she trailed off, her eyebrows creasing at the thought that Marco might not have gotten as lucky as her. But she pushed that thought down, not wanting to justify her own deed. Thankfully, Marco smiled and lifted her chin, planting a gentle kiss on her lips before pressing his forehead to hers, the fear of losing one another washed away with relief.
"Not with my super powerful dangerous girlfriend protecting me," he offered, happy to see her smile return for good, "And look, there she is now, come to my rescue in a ball of sweat and tears; she smells worse than Ludo, but boy did I miss her."
"Noooooooo," Star pleaded, shoving him back with a giggle, "you can't say that after I came all this way to rescue you! I even had a super good joke about being inside you lined up and everything!"
Marco couldn't hold back a laugh, the stress of the last few days all but washed away in lieu of a happy smile plastered across his face. To say Star had missed this would have been a murderous understatement. "Maybe later you can tell me how it goes. For now, do you wanna rest for a bit before we-"
"Nope, I'm ready now. I wanna hold you for real," Star quipped before rising to her feet, dusting herself off and helping Marco to his. "Glossaryck? Do ya think when you're done peeping, you could help us back into our bodies?"
The little blue man had stayed silent for long enough, floating towards them with a pleased grin. "I'd love to, but that's not exactly my department. If you want out of this place, all you have to do is ask the one in charge."
Both Star and Marco made to ask who exactly that was when a cheerful voice sounded from behind them. "I don't see a problem with it! They've been super fun to play with, even if the girl was kinda rude!" All eyes turned downward toward a little white rabbit shooting them a smug grin.
"T-tif? You're the one in charge of this place?" Star demanded, answered by a simple little nod.
"Yup! Betchya feel pretty silly after trying to trick me like that. Maybe I deserve an apolo-"
"Can you send us back? Like right now? We're kind of on a time crunch," Star demanded, cutting her off with a worried look. Tif frowned, grumbling something about the rudeness of a visitor being almost unacceptable, but answered with another nod nonetheless. "I can put you back, if you're ready," she chimed with an off handed shrug, "but Before you guys go, I need to level with you for a sec." Suddenly, Tif sounded not like an annoying brat, but more akin to a doctor about to give bad news.
Star and Marco alike followed suit, listening intently as Tif laid out the straight. "Marco is going to die unless you can fix the bad stuff growing in his mind. I've been doing a preeeetty good job at keeping the vines from taking over, but I'm kinda at my limit," she stated with finality, "unless he gets better soon, there won't be a whole lot I can do to keep him running."
At that, Glossaryck floated forward and nodded in agreement. "It's do or die now, you two. The corruption has almost taken over Marco completely. And Star, I fear you may be vulnerable as well, what with the two of you sharing a soul and all." The two nodded slowly, processing the ultimatum they received in grave detail. "Beat Vartek, get Marco's soul back, have Luna clean you up, and enjoy the rest of your lives."
"We will," Star answered with deadly sincerity, "We'll have you along with us, after all. You're getting brought back, whether you think you want it or not."
Glossaryck nodded, though his eyes betrayed his disbelief in her promise. He knew what he had to do, and by Luna he was gonna do it. "That reminds me: can you pass along a little message for Luna?" He asked, earning a quick nod from Star, "tell her to go easy on Darc, I have plans for him after all. Don't shy away from breaking a few rules when it comes down to it, and tell her she's the most beautiful thing this universe has ever created."
After a moment of deliberation at what sounded a lot like a last goodbye, Star nodded. "I'll tell her the first two. But you can tell her the last part yourself when you see her again," she added with more than a few shakes of sincerity. Glossaryck only smiled back knowingly, as he always did.
"Alrighty then, I think you two have brought down the mood in here enough for like...ever!" Tif complained, hopping between them and gesturing for their hands, "are you ready? Because lemme tell ya, it's gonna be preeetty scary!"
Star and Marco exchanged an uneasy look before nodding, ready for whatever the harmless little rabbit could throw at them. It was chump change compared to what they'd be facing in a few hours. "I'll follow you anywhere," Marco admitted, feeling a fuzzy hand squeeze his own as Tif led them away. Star smiled, answering with,"And I'll face any evil, so long as I have-"
"UUGGGHHHHHH! YOU GUYS ARE SOO GROSS! BON VOYAGE, SUCKERS!" Tif roared, throwing them both from the campfire, and over the edge of the skyscraping tree.
"WAIT WHAT!?"
"AHHHHHHHH!"
Star floundered in the air and Marco screamed in terror as they sailed out from the trunk and began to fall, warm night air whizzing through their hair.
Glossaryck smiled at the little rabbit and nodded to himself before turning back towards the fireplace, intent on kicking back, and watching the show. Tif, on the other hand, had finished laughing at her victims plight and turned towards the old man with a curious look. "How come you don't wanna leave too?" She asked, moving towards the fire to find a good place to crash, "Sounds like you have someone looking for you, just like that guy."
"I do indeed, and never there was a more convenient opportunity to see my other half," Glossaryck answered with a smile, "but it's not time yet. Here I am safe from what Vartek has done to the magic, and when they need me, I'll introduce them to the man at the top. If he demands a price for what we've done, I will offer myself in her place."
Tif tilted her head, unsure of what any of that meant, but resigned herself to cozying up underneath him, content to enjoy the warmth of the teal flames. "Whateeeever you say, dude. Wake me up when things get crazy, okay?"
Glossaryck nodded and turned back to the fire. It was going to be a while before he'd need to do any kind of waking.
O - O - O - O - O - O - O
Star and Marco were thrown from the upper canopy of the mountainous tree, and as they fell? They experienced nothing short of adrenaline and euphoria.
For Marco, the past two days had been entirely filled with the waking agony of being separated from Star (again), and his uncertainty in whether or not she was even still alive. But here they were again, together to face the world and cover one another backs. Star had traveled into his very mind at the mere hope of seeing him again, and she proved beyond doubt that she was not only regretful of that night, but intent on making it right. In short? He couldn't think of anywhere in the multiverse he'd rather be, than plummeting down a two-mile-high oak tree with his girlfriend.
Who, at the moment, shared happy tears with Marco as they fell. Which could have been due to the roar of wind past her face. But she chose to believe it was because she had done it. She found Marco, she made things right with him, and he was coming back home with her. Here they were diving headfirst into a world of unknowns with not but the promise of one another's company to fuel them forward. It was perfect.
Even the avians that inhabited this world could sense the change in the wind, diving from the tree to join the two falling teens in their descent, cardinals and jays and swallows all circling them like a living tornado. It would have been breathtaking had either of them had any breath left to give. But the wind was pulling every gasp of air from their screams as it roared louder by the second. And the roots were only getting closer.
Star was beginning to worry, but a squeeze from Marco was meant to reassure her. What he possibly knew that she didn't was lost to question, though, as just before she could freak at the impending walkway below, her vision went black.
The weightlessness she had felt was immediately replaced with the THUD of landing hard against a soft and squishy ground, robbing the little air left in her lungs from her. She heard Marco gasp somewhere to her right, following another THUD, and proceeded by an enormous amount of returning pain. And after a moment to reorganize herself, she understood why.
When Star opened her eyes, she found herself sprawled across the floor, once again covered in bandages and aching from her last bout. But that could wait, as could the looming Goddess standing overhead. She pushed herself to her feet and crawled over to Marco, her body protesting every step of the way, and when she got to him, she found him staring blankly up at the ceiling, his breathing slow.
Star looked back at Luna, and then turned back to Marco, not Darc. "M-...Marco? Are you...okay?"
He stayed silent for a moment, his brown eyes locked on the ceiling straight above in a thousand yard stare. And finally, he took in some air to speak.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Star jolted back, trying to cover her ears and assess what was wrong with him as he screamed to an unholy decibel, his back arching in pain. "WHAT?! WHATS WRONG?! MARCO? TALK TO ME WHATS HAPPENING?"
"WHY DOES MY ENTIRE BODY FEEL BROKEN?!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, "AND WHY DOES MY MOUTH TASTE LIKE SWAMP WATER?!"
Star turned a desperate glance back to Luna, her eyes pleading for some sort of solution to their many ailments. Thankfully, the Goddess was quick to act, splaying her hands and pouring a scarlet flow of magic over Marco's body, putting him to sleep almost immediately. At his sudden silence, Star breathed a sigh of relief, though she was quick to clutch her chest in pain.
"It would appear that you both are in need of some rest," Luna offered, her ethereal hair flowing gently behind her, "You have time to recover under my spell, and… you and Marco deserve this; a little peace before your war."
Some of the magic flowing towards Marco split off from the vein, reaching for Star before enveloping her as well. It felt cool to her burning chest, and it eased her pained breaths as she answered, "Yeah...maybe just… a little… sleeep…"
Star felt her body begin to give way, so before she could curl into a ball as close to Marco as Mewmanly possible, she had to ask. "D...Daaaarc?"
Luna nodded to herself, easing Star closer to her prize before she broke into an unusual smile. "He is fine, resting as you should be as well," she answered softly, "he will keep my Glossaryck company for now. So rest easy, and heal, Star. You have much to do, and have earned so much more."
Drifting back into darkness, Star could only smile to herself, nodding lazily before she slipped out of consciousness. Close to Marco, and far from danger.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Yooooo, what's up fools? Here's hoping you enjoyed the chapter, and here's hoping you're feeling a little more forgiving than normal today. So, lemme just start by saying: yes. I am a terrible person with no sense of scheduling decency, and you all deserve much better. That being said, I'm afraid I have some less than acceptable news.
For now, this is as far as I'll be writing for Forgotten Ventures.
Now hold on, put your pitchforks down, put out the fires, (all two of you who are moved by this announcement anyway). This isn't to say this is it, or even that I'm doing one of my famous and hated 'hiatuses', but rather that I have been summoned. Lord Cornwalis and I have finally aligned our very confusing and busy schedules, where we are ready to move on the season one finalé of our shared story, The Once and Future Queen. (Give it a read, it's awesome I promise.)
That story has been overdue for like, four months now? Three? Point being, we're tackling the big dirty together, and trust me when I say it won't be something you want to miss.
As far as excuses go, I know this ones awful, and I'll take a public shaming next Thursday. In all seriousness though, things are going pretty crazy for me and my wife right now, and I wanted to save this announcement until the big REAL end of Forgotten Ventures buuuuuuuttttt….
We're having a baby.
Annnnd, I'm definitely freaking out. Are you freaking out? I'm freaking out. Regardless, I know yall want to see the big REAL end of the big story, but I promise (to all like, four of you?) That as soon as I finish spooning with Lord Cornwalis, I'll be right back here to keep trucking. No side projects, no distractions.
Cool? We cool? Did you put the gun down?
Well, if we're cool, I hope you all don't hold grudges. Like I said, I'll be back immediately after OAFQ is wrapped up, and I hope to see you then. If we ain't cool, send me some hate mail disguised as compliments, I swear I'll know the difference, probably. Anyhow, yeah, life just got interesting lol. BUH BYYYEEE!
~Mr. Ronald Reagan
(Yoooo, side note from Mrs. Reagan, sorry for stealing this idiot from ya so much. Kind of needed him for a lot of celebrating, testing, announcing, all that jazz. Been real fun. Promise I'll let you visit on every sixth weekend of the month, on days that don't end with Y, and February 32nd. PEACE! NANCY- OOOUUUUUT!)
~I dunno, make my name "That cool bitch with the baby" or something hahahaha no seriously don't write that just put Reagan.