"Greetings, Princess Star! I am Ruberiot!"
And may I just say
Though we have much to do
How much of a pleasure it is to meet you
I'll write you a—
"Star your songstrel is here!" Loudly, I call out to her hearing her groan as she flops her way down stairs and approaches. Ruberiot is a young Mewman man with light skin, green eyes and short orange hair that usually obscures his right eye. He wears a powder blue shirt, frilly bluish-gray shorts, bluish-grey boots, a dark greyish-blue hat with a light blue feather on top, and a purple scarf. Ruberiot also has a very thin moustache, and a short, pointed goatee.
"Stop. I get it. Come in." Tiredly, Star greets Ruberiot.
"So, this shouldn't take too long. I just want to get to know the real Star." Earnestly, he explains taking out a notepad and quill.
"Oh, how rude of me! I didn't even offer you anything. What can I get you? Water? Juice? Tea?" Laughing, Star offers once getting him to sit down by Marco who focuses on the penguin documentary.
"Ha. Well, if you have mint tea, that might be-" Ruberiot tells her.
"As a matter of fact, we do! Marco is a member of the Tea of the Month Club, and I think we just got some super-special mint tea. Right, Marco? Don't move!" Star tells him.
"Tea of the Month Club?" Confused, he glances at me as he flips through the tv channels only to see my simple shrug, having no clue, tea has never been my strong suit, coffee on the other hand is heavenly, the bitter substance with sweetness contrasting…now I want coffee. Wait…horrified, my eyes expand at the sound of the coffee grinder….no! Urgently, I race into the kitchen, terrified of what chaos Star is causing…
"Should be just a minute!" Frowning, I watch Star toss numerous tea bags to the floor making a clutter of noises as she opens and closes cupboards, tossing teabags, etc.
"What are you doing?" Frowning, I cross my arms as I lean against the kitchen counter as she leans over the window.
"Oh, this tea is really good!" Loudly, Star calls out as she summons Cloudy.
"Hey, Star! Ash!" Perkily, the cloud greets us.
"You're trying to run from your problems, again aren't you?" Tiredly, I facepalm at my friend releasing a small giggle.
"Noooo…maybe," Failing, Star draws out her no, sweat cascading down her features until bowing her head and giving in.
"Cloudy! Let's get out of here. Hey, Janna Banana, want to go to the mall?" Star asks using her mirror phone thing.
"Star you can't do this." Sternly, I begin.
"Can't do what?" Confused, she furrows her brow.
"You can't avoid that music guy he's making a song about you isn't that something to be grateful for?" I propose.
"And why should it matter?" She groans.
"Because he's taking time out of his life for this; it's up to you whether you want it good or bad." Firmly, I point out making her whine.
"It's just going to end up being boring!" Childishly, she moans.
"Not if you star it up." I offer.
"Star it up huh? But come on you can't talk…" Loudly, the humming and buzz of my phone echoes interrupting us.
"You were saying?" Smirking, Star smirks.
"Fair point." Swiftly, I sigh hanging up scowling at the familiar song which I quickly cut off.
"Want to join?" Star offers getting on top of Cloudy as my phone continues ringing making my brow twitch.
"Eh why not?" Lazily, I shrug plopping myself on the cloud making Star cheer, bringing me into a side hug as Cloudy takes off into the soaring skies.
"Hey, Janna Banana, want to go to the mall?" Brightly, Star smiles as she takes out her mirror phone as we head off, leaving to pick up Janna and head to the mall…not avoiding our issues at all.
Stoically, queen moon rides on her horse, wearing a dark cloak matching the jeans she wears as her eyes narrow, her bleus glancing around the forest of certain death, brushing past a small hut, vines dangling down hiding the small hut noting a murky swamp laying before the hut as she brushes past it. Focused, she makes her way deeper into the dark depths of the forest of certain death. Finally, she arrives at her destination, a small abandoned broken-down house.
"Huh? Queen Moon. Hmph. What do you want?" Grumpily, the male peers from the letter box, his yellows glaring up at Moon who had politely knocked on the door.
"I need to speak with you. It's very important." Severely, she informs the male.
"Step back. Hmm. Ahem. You... you coming here to what?" Rudely, he grumbles at Queen Moon, opening the door as she stares up at him.
"Eh, you're... you're blocking the door." Awkwardly, she points out.
"I'll move. Geez." Annoyed, he squeezes through door and drops crown, letting her pass into the supposed Mewni monster royal family of the Avarius clan.
"Not even gonna pick up a guy's crown for him. My dear, we have company. You may want to get dressed." Huffing, he grumbles as he picks up crown, closes door, and drops crown again only then to follow after Moon inside.
"Oh, Queen Moon! To what do we owe the, uh, honour of this visit?" Happily, his wife greets the queen, letting the small girl kappa in her arms down to flutter in the sky, glaring at her mother.
"I'm sorry to intrude. Please accept this bag of corn." Apologetic, Moon offers.
"Corn?! We don't need corn! We're doing great, thanks!" Aggravated, Brudo huffs.
"But perhaps we can find someone else who could use it! So, what brings you here, Queen Moon?" Slyly, she accepts the bag, slipping it into her robes.
"I'm here because your son took a very important book from my family." Sternly, the queen tells her.
"My son? Which one? Crudo?" The mother questions queen moon.
"Eh, no." Moon rejects.
"Not Yudo!" She gasps.
"Mm-mmm." Moon glances to the side.
"Menudo?" She guesses.
"Uh, nope." Moon answers.
"Ugh. Okay, I'm just gonna go down the list. Dudo, Kudo, Mudo, Tudo, Fudo, Zudo, Udo..." Tiredly, the mother exhales, listing them down.
"I have no idea who that is." Honestly, Moon confesses.
"Not Dennis!" Surprised, she gasps as said kappa peers over from behind a chair, having heard his name.
"No, no, it's... it's Ludo." Moon reveals.
"Ludo?! Well, w-we don't say that name in this house anymore! Not since he and his goons took over our castle and changed the locks when we were on vacation! N-Not that this place isn't lovely..." Scared, the queen stumbles, pain etched into her tone at the name, a forced smile on her beak as a piece of debris comes crashing down.
"Do you know where he is now?" Sternly, Moon questions her noting the bruised eye on her, her ice blues exploring the wretched, dangerous, jumbled up mess that is their house.
"We don't. You know, he is a grave disappointment to us." The mother of Ludo exclaims.
"Well, what do you expect?! We had a lot of kids. Ludo was the runt. He didn't even fit in our family portrait. We were extra hard on him to toughen him up. And look what happened! Was he grateful? No! Instead, he destroyed our ancestral home and brought shame on the family name!" Bitterly, Ludo's father Brudo yells, gesturing to the family portrait showing a younger Ludo barely in frame, being pushed down by his small height in comparison to his tall lean brothers and sisters.
"There, there. We can't always control the path our children choose to take…Thank you, Lord and Lady Avarius. If you hear from Ludo, please let me know…" Moon consoles the taller queen awkwardly, a small smile on her lips. Frowning, Moon bows her head and departs from the royal monster family heading back to her own castle…
"You're back!" Relieved, Star and I are greeted by Marco and Ruberiot.
"You're still here?" Surprised, I raise a brow choking on my mixed slushie of strawberry and blueberry while Star remove her sunglasses, wearing her straw hat as she frowns at the sight of the songstress.
"Um yes…" Confused, he blinks.
"Oh my gosh I am so sorry! I thought you would have given up by now." Apologetic, I sigh feeling partially guilty.
"You're still here. ...Well, goodbye." Swiftly, Star turns around to leave.
"Star stop! We waited a really long time it's only fair we return the favour!" Frowning, I grab her arm stopping her, he came all this way and waited for this long it's only fair we give him the amount of time he wasted waitng for us.
"Please! Princess! I have a job to do, and I can't leave until it's done." Desperate, he kneels to the ground making me grimace pitying the poor boy.
"And I won't stay until you're gone." Sternly, Star states as I scowl at her rudeness, I mean sure I can't talk but…
"But... what about your Song Day celebration? In just a day, the people of Mewni will be expecting us to perform the traditional Princess Song-" Ruberiot reveals making my eyes widen.
"Wait what? It's for song day!?" Horrified, I gasp at the news, I thought it was some fan of Star, I mean those monsters were or a gift from Star's mother, no one told me it was for a event.
"Maaaybe…" Shyly, Star whispers out smiling nervously at my sharp glare.
"Why didn't you tell me that!?" Enraged, I demand from her, how could she lie to me!?
"Because I knew you'd make me do it! Ah-ah-ah-ah! I don't want to hear it, songstrel. If you don't leave right now, maybe I'll leave for good." Annoyed, Star threatens as I feel my eye twitch.
"Star enough! You've lied to me you said it wasn't important." Irritated, I scowl at her.
"It isn't." Grumpily, she huffs.
"Your people aren't important to you!?" Insulted, I furrow my brow at her sheepish smile.
"What? You were all for ditching." Defensively, she points out.
"Yes, but I didn't know it was for your queen duties. Star you have to do this it's your duty." Gravely, I remind her making her groan.
"Wha…but…" She begins.
"Star this isn't about you. It's about your people, your people need to know their queen." Strictly, I remind her making her grumble.
"Urgh…but it'll be boring." Tired, she slouches.
"I don't care we've just made a guy wait hours for us. Don't you feel bad? We've made this sap wait here for HOURS!" I gesture to Ruberiot making Star go silent glancing to the side.
"But…" Feebly, she begins.
"Star you can't be this selfish!" Sternly, I scold her.
"Me be selfish? I'm not the one avoiding my boyfriend!" Fed up, she argues as I feel my eye twitch.
"He isn't my…!" Roaring, I raise my voice ready to deck her only to feel a pair of hands on our shoulders, making us turn to Marco, looking on the brink of breaking.
"Hey, Star! Ash! Before you two leave us alone again—for a very long time with no explanation—could you help me make some more popcorn in the kitchen? Kit-chen!" Scowling, Star joins Marco in the kitchen and gives the "I'm-watching-you" signal to Ruberiot.
"I am so sorry about this. I hadn't known it was for Mewni if I had…" Apologetic, I begin.
"It's quite alright and you are?" Curious, he smiles at me.
"Ash, friend of princess Star. I am so sorry again…" Guilty, I shake his hand.
"It's fine." He assures me.
"Hey curious question, what's the difference between a lute and a guitar?" Fascinated, I question him.
"An interesting question I would be glad to answer you see the sound can be crisper and brighter than the modern guitar." He compares making my eyes widen intrigued.
"Huh is it harder?" I ask.
"Not really." He shrugs.
"Huh…I better go check on them, if you would excuse me…" Politely, I smile bowing my head as I leave him
"Of course." Warmly, he smiles at me bowing his head dismissing me as I leave him to head into the kitchen.
"Please. Just do what he says. He's been singing at me for eight hours, asking where you are!" Pleading, Marco begs Star on his hands and knees almost trying to get her to see reason.
"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't want anything to do with Ruberiot and his stupid Princess Songs. My mom's was so stupid and so fake and so old-fashioned – it's just not me." Huffing, Star argues angrily as I sigh.
"Star, I respect you for caring about your integrity, your people come first they need to know the person who will lead them. However, that doesn't mean they should know everything…" Honestly, I state the fact, gesturing to them both.
"But they are so fake!" Star whines disregarding my wary warning.
"And sometimes the truth hurts. Star how do you think your people would react to the spellbook, a well-respected artefact of your family dynasty having been stolen. They would go mental, they would be in shambles, they may even revolt and with how things are currently, Mewni cannot afford to take that risk…" Grimly, I inform her making her furrow her brow. I mean the wand was one thing but after that, I don't know if we can risk it, I've…we've already caused another drama for Mewni with the wand being destroyed, furthermore to learn the spell book has been stolen and in monsters hand would send the prejudiced people into chaos.
"So what? I have to lie to them!?" Conflicted, Star rages.
"Not lie you can talk about your other faults, like your loud, obnoxious-" Calmly, I begin to list.
"Okay, okay, I get it." Annoyed, Star places her hand on my mouth silencing me.
"It's okay, Star. Everyone knows you're anything but ordinary." Gently, Marco assures Star.
"There is a reason why I said you should be in the asylum." Brightly, I smile.
"Aww. Thanks, Ash thanks Marco. Huuuugs. ...He's, uh... he's staring at us, isn't he?" Frowning, Star whispers as the two hug while I turn to see Ruberiot staring intently at the two.
"Yup." Marco confirms.
"This isn't what you think…" Panicked, I begin as Star and Marco note his intense look as Star and him head upstairs on Star's command. We leave them to it, continuing to watch the documentary.
"Get your corn slaw here! We got corndogs, kettle corn, bacon-wrapped corn..."
"Get your exclusive Star Butterfly merch here!"
"Hey, everyone! Mom, hi!" Perkily, Star smiles at her father and mother as we take a seat by Star's side, I'm on the far end.
"Hey, Queen." Casually, Marco greets her.
"Your majesty," Politely, I bow my head as we all rush to our seats. Quickly, I adjust my ruby red dress with hints of gold as I adjust the loose strands of ruby red peeling from my side French braid. I have my hair framing both sides alongside the pieces of red acting as a fringe of sorts, held together by a yellow ribbon matching the yellow fabric around my waist.
"Oh, my gosh, I had the worst wardrobe malfunction. Do you know how hard it is to find a decent shoulder tassel in an Earth mall? Oh. Hey. You got a little thingy in your hair and don't get me started; this girl cannot put on a corset." Star gushes only then to furrow her brow at her mother.
"A what?" Confused, Queen Moon questions.
"A little... thingy-thing." Simply, Star pulls a twig out of Moon's hair, making me arch a brow at the strange ornament.
"How'd that get there?" Curious, Star enquires as I look down at the high commission patiently wating for it to start.
"Thank you, dear...Star, I want to tell you something." Gently, Queen Moon begins.
"I know it's not very princess-like to show up late, but did you see traffic on the Royal Mile?" Panting, Star sighs.
"Please, let me finish. I just want to say how... how proud I am of you." Tenderly, Queen Moon tells her daughter.
"What?" Stunned, Star blinks.
"I know Princess Songs aren't exactly your cup of tea, and I know I can be... hard on you sometimes, so it means a lot to me that you still went through with it." Proud, Queen Moon praises her daughter making me smile softly, happy for Star.
"Thanks, Mom. But, uh... just so you know, Ruby and me, we kinda changed some stuff. I mean, it's just not gonna sound exactly like your Princess Song did. So, you know, don't freak out or anything." Concerned, she warns her mother.
"Thank you for telling me, Star, but I trust your judgment." Confidently, she assures her daughter.
"Ohhhh, thank you! But we really went off-script. It's all good, but there might be, like-"
"And now, Mewni's newest court composer, the songstrel Ruberiot..." Swiftly, Star is cut off by the announcer as loudly, the audience applause, eager to hear the song.
"...In honor of the Royal Family..." Brightly, a spotlight shines on Star, Moon, and River as urgently, Marco dives out of the way, releasing a squeak as he overreaches fervently. I catch the clumsy boy smiling gently at me, grateful.
"I really hope you like it. I think I know you will, but I really hope you do." Brightly, Star promises as a marionette of Star Butterfly is lowered onto the stage near Ruberiot.
"...Presents Star Butterfly's Princess Song!"
Who is the maid with the buttercup hair?
Who sleeps on moonbeams and dances on air
With tears made of honey and a heart full of bunnies
Whose infinite virtues are known near and far
It's Mewni's own sweetheart, our dear Princess Star
And under the shimmer and rubies and pearls
Lies hidden a fierce and adventurous girl
The forces of evil that lurk in the night
Will cower in fear when this shooting Star...
...ignites! Suddenly, Ruberiot smashes his lute on the ground, startling both me and the audience as suddenly, Ruberiot tears his clothes away to reveal a glam rock outfit, and he takes out an electric guitar. Nice…Grinning, I lean in when listening to the awesome rock music as the stage begins to change into one you would find at a rock concert well rock punk pop sort of concert maybe…
Weaving magic like a born spell-caster
And wreaking havoc like a natural disaster
She rocks her Narwhal Blast and Warnicorn Stampede
She's gonna earn her crown, so hail to the Quee-e-e-en!
'Cause she's a rebel princess, she's the best
She's a ball of lightning in a hot pink dress
She's a thunderstorm roaring through the night
She's our shooting Star, and she's lighting up the sky!
Oooh
"Yeah! That's my girl!" Proudly, the crystal head declares as my eyes widen when remembering…that's the guy who freaking froze Marco and I!
"What a delightful little ditty! Good job, Star!" Pleased, Queen Moon puts on her opera glasses.
"Oh, yay. It's not over yet…" Nervously, Star smiles making me furrow my brow, why is it I'm suddenly getting this sense of dread?
Shooting Star shining in the night so bright
She started to attract a pair of envious eyes
The villain rose up from behind the jester's cross
She drove him away, but didn't know what she had lost
Glossaryck and her book of spells
How could she know Ludo would take 'em for himself?
She confessed to her parents, all full of dread
The king and queen exchanged a look, and this is what they said
This is what they said, this is what they said:
Horrified, my eyes widen when suddenly a huge tall monster that looks a lot more scarier than Ludo pops out from the bright lights that is Star's name in the background, the curtain reels back to reveal the paper narwhals and warnicorns but what horrifies me is slowly but surely a familiar cut out of a book descends down just as the statues of some sort that are meant to be the queen and king arrive, smoke spewing out as I stare at Star horrified.
"We will keep your silence for you
From the citizens of Mewni and the High Commission too
To keep the peace, we will play the game
Royal secret from royal shame
Royal secret from royal shame"
"What have you done!?" Fuming, I seethe at Star reeling back from my angry expression as I feel more fibres of my red lock untangle as my stressed fingertips comb through my red locks, tugging at them, freeing some bits of red. I stare helpless at the chaos and panic that will ensue from the broken damn thanks to Star's song.
"Star?" Worried, Queen Moon calls out to her daughter sinking into her chair, the queen calling out to her daughter, who releases strained noises, wishing to sink into the chair for it to engulf her whole like a black hole, not that I can blame her. I wish that would happen if I did something so stupid.
"Mom, what did you expect? I told you I couldn't do some puff piece. I had to do what felt right for me. Look, it's over now, so we just gotta move on— wait, what?" Pained, Star confesses to her mother just as the show doesn't end and from Star's surprise this isn't going to end well…
Royal secret – one last to tell
A princess under true love's spell
Suddenly, a marionette of Marco joins the Star marionette on stage making Star gasps as I gawk horrified at the implications well not anymore.
"Wait, is that me?!" Frowning, Marco's eyes narrow as he peers at the stage.
"NO!" Urgently, I shove Marco into his seat, but he peers through my attempts at stopping him.
"Uhhh, Ruberiot never told me about this part!" Panicked, Star glances at me.
Flashing, a spotlight shines on Star and Marco, and they lean away from the light as I leap back from the bright beam.
Who is the boy in the earthly attire?
The prince of the princess's deepest desire
I don't need to show it, I think we all know it
But just to be certain, I'll say it again
Star Butterfly is in love with her best friend!
And his name is Marco Diaz.
"Oh, no." Mortified, Star whispers.
"Oh come on the name drop was unnecessary! Don't worry, Star we can sue him, do you have lawyers in this word? This is slander!" Panicked, I offer horrified.
"Hey. What's wrong? You're supposed to be clapping." Confused, Ruberiot scowls at the lost murmuring of the crowd, no longer rooting for the music.
"Say what?! The Queen lied to us!"
"Well, technically, it was a lie by omission."
"Omitters!"
Angrily, the audience starts throwing food at us as urgently, we take shelter inside the throne room.
"Mom! I-I didn't realize this would happen! I thought they wanted to know the real Star Butterfly!" Panicked, Star tells her mother.
"They don't, Star. They just want to believe that you're a perfect little princess. And sometimes, the truth is dangerous." Tiredly, Queen Moon confesses to her daughter.
"With all due respect, Moon, withholding information about Glossaryck and the spell book has put us all in danger!" Fuming, Hekapoo screeches as the goat with bat wings bleats.
"Uh, y-yeah! Like the goat said!" Nervously, the crystal head chuckles only to flinch back from my sharp scowl.
"I assure you; I had every intention of—!" Calmly, Queen Moon begins.
"Every intention of what?!" Furious, Hekapoo screeches, her flame bursting wildly flickering as I grimace at the loud voices of the two shutting and arguing. I cradle my temple throbbing in pain from the disaster that is Song day.
"I had everything under control!" Firmly, Queen Moon states.
"How dare you hide something like that?!" Insulted, Hekapoo seethes.
"I wasn't trying to hide anything!" Professionally, Queen Moon defends herself. Desperate, I turn my gaze to Star hoping, praying she steps up to take responsibility to calm them all down and think for their next move but…
"Uhhhhh so…" Awkwardly, Marco approaches Star scratching the back of his neck.
"Hold that thought, Marco." Frowning, Star backs away making me furrow my brow maybe she'll talk to the commission, come up with the next move. Hopeful, I tell myself only for those hopes to deflate when Star goes up to a nearby window and summons Cloudy.
"She isn't…" Dismayed, I watch on as she is greeted by the cloud.
"H-Hey, Cloudy. Let's, uh, get out of here." Nervously, she smiles down at the perky pink cloud making my yellows dilate; my blood boil, my hands bawling into a pair of fists. She left, she caused all this and she just left…seething, I bow my head grimacing at the sharp pains in my temple from the arguing until…
"ENOUGH!" Loudly, I snap at the group of adults arguing who astounded turn to face me, alarmed by my furious expression.
"Listen to me what matters now is that the people know. Not about who lied and who kept secrets what matters now is doing damage control, getting the mewman people to calm down and trust their queen, without trust the queen has no people hence no kingdom. For all we know they could begin rioting, plotting an uprising if we aren't too careful…" Cody, I state the facts as it is, feeling all wide eyes on me as I explain how it is, peering down at the window Star had fled from to look down at the scared and angry people, my brow furrowed as I narrowly miss some corn tossed my way.
"And you would know kid?" Crystal head questions me.
"Yes I would I have studied a similar situation with an outcome you may not like." Icily, I snap making him squeak back fearful of my malicious tone despite the calmness in my tone alongside such hidden rage.
"Ashley is correct we must focus on what we must do." Queen Butterfly agrees making my eyes widen.
"You're only saying that to avoid the fact that you lied!" Angrily, Hekapoo accuses.
"It doesn't matter who lied. What matters is what we do, how we get the spellbook and Glossarky back!" Fed up, I state the fact.
"The kid has a point…" Crystal head agrees with me as I bow my head exhausted as we think of our next move…