Star vs The Forces of Evil

Beautiful Christmas

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

Fanfiction Summary: It's the holiday season on Earth-Mewni, and officially it's Star's first real Earth holiday season. When the annual "Echo Creek Christmas Celebration Extravaganza" is in danger of being cancelled, Star and her friends step up to the plate to not only save it, but to expand it to be inclusive of humans, mewmans, and monsters.

A/N: This takes place in the same continuity as "When Dimensions Cleave" and "Unforgettable Getaway." At the time of this writing "Getaway" has not yet been completed, but honestly this idea just popped into my head one time and I like needed to write it before I forgot it. I'll just say that while this takes place after Getaway, you don't need to read that one to be able to jump into this one (though of course I do hope you'll read that and "Dimensions" anyway, I'm proud of those works.)

Chapter 1: Opening Act

Original Postdate: October 14, 2019

Ahh, December. Everyone in Echo Creek knows what that means: the Christmas season was right around the corner. The leaves had all fallen off the trees, the wind coated with freezing sensation, the skys turning bright white in anticipation of a gorgeous snow storm, and for many, either the best or the worst part of this time of year: shopping for presents. Oh that glorious Christmas shopping.

This was shaping up to be quite the eventful Christmas season - unlike any that had come before - for a variety of reasons. The first reason: it was the first Christmas season for the newly created Earth-Mewni hybrid world. The second: It was her first season that wasn't going to be entirely revolved around the magical stump. And yes, everyone agreed: death to the stump. Thirdly: It was looking like it was going to be a major test as to how well humans, mewmans, and monster kind could all co-exist in the same world. In the months following the final end to the era of magic, life on Earth-Mewni had mostly continued on without issue. A few minor clashes here and there but nothing of major significance. The holiday season, though: that would be the big test.

And that brings us to Star Butterfly herself. To say that her life has been quite a ride for the past six months would be an understatement. After finally wrapping up her tenure as Eclipsa's royal advisor culminating with her coronation as Queen of Mewni (and somehow not collapsing from exhaustion), she then had to quickly turn around and help defend Mewni from the Solarian army attack, leading to her deciding to destroy magic, which lead to Earth and Mewni cleaving into one world so she could be with Marco...only for it to then turn out that the cleaving didn't destroy the magic, but rather gave it just to her and Marco and Mina...as well as revive Queen Solaria. All of this led to a shocking revelation involving a conspiracy conjured by the Magic High Commission that resulted in both monsters AND mewmans turning on them, which helped lead to the real, final end of the era of magic once and for all. Several months - and a lot of scattered moments of exhaustion and self-loathing from Star - later, here we are.

And where was Star now on this beautiful December morning? Sleeping peacefully in her bed at the former Butterfly castle. Long past any royal wake up call, she snored right through her own alarm clock without apology, though it wasn't like anyone was going to blame her for sleeping so late. After the two years she's had that (no pun intended) royally screwed up her emotional & mental health, nobody was going to let her wake up early. Her mother, Moon, walked carefully into her room, smiling at her daughter the whole time. She knelled down and caressed her hair, which unfortunately was enough to cause her to stir around and open her eyes, which then prompted Moon to kiss her forehead.

"...Mom...?" The groggy Star spoke, her vision not entirely aligned yet. Moon, without a word, picked her up out of the bed and hugged her in her arms, carrying her like she was still a little kid. Unfortunately, Star, not yet awake, wasn't prepared for this and yelped. "Mom!" She said, admittedly with a laugh. She didn't hesitate to return the hug, however. "You know I'm still not entirely used to this new, overly-affectionate Mom."

Moon chuckled. "Love you too, dear." They tightened their hug on each other.

"What's going on?"

"It's the holiday season!"

"Oh that's right, Stump Da-" She stopped herself. With magic now destroyed, did that mean the magical stump was gone too? Probably so. And everyone seemed to be in agreement that it was for the best. "Oh. That's right, no more magic. But wait, if Stump Day isn't a thing anymore...what do we do?"

"That's a good question. Perhaps your Earth friends can help us with that."

"Ooh, good idea!"

After dressing themselves, they both grabbed River and headed for the front entrance to the castle, opening the door to go outside. But upon stepping out into the open, they made an incredible discovery: they took their first step and found that the ground was now soft...and white.

Snow.

The first snowfall of the winter season on Earth-Mewni. The sight was absolutely breathtaking. Light but relentless snowfall from the gorgeous white sky, a solid inch of snow plastered on the ground already, covering most everything, and a nearly silent environment only interrupted by the sounds of little kids playing in the snow in the distance. Star was completely awestruck at the sight.

Moon and River were left nearly speechless. "It's...it's snowing!" Moon called out.

"The first snowfall of the season!" River added. While snow was a thing on Mewni, the Butterflies were often too busy with running their kingdom to soak in the joys of the snow and the holiday season. This year? That was going to change. The "how" was still up in the air, but by gum they were going to live it up this holiday season no matter what. While they pondered their thought, running up tot he castle entrance came Star's group of friends: her demon ex-boyfriend Tom, Earth friends Janna & Jackie, and her wonderful boyfriend/future husband Marco.

"STAR!" Marco yelled, reaching Star & embracing her tightly. She instantly returned the hug. "We're all heading to the park. Wanna come?"

"Do I ever!" She shouted gleefully, looking up at the sky and observing the sensational snow falling before her. She had experienced snow on Mewni before, but it was nothing like this.

"Isn't it beautiful!?" Marco said finally after a brief moment of silence.

"You know, I don't think I ever saw snow on Earth before. It's just as beautiful as it was on Mewni."

"No better winter feeling than a snow day on the first day of the new week." Janna said proudly.

"Yeah you got t-wait!" Star's eyes went wide, having a moment. "Somebody get me a calendar!" Marco pulled out his phone and pulled up his built-in calendar, handing it to Star for her to study. After doing a double take, she sighed. "Aw, man. It's Monday." She looked back up at the group. "Guys you're gonna have to get a head start without me. I'm sorry."

"How come?" Marco asked her.

"I've got a session."

"...oh, I see."

"You're still in therapy?" Tom asked her, in a way that made sure he didn't sound condescending when asking. After Star & Marco returned home from their post-destroying-magic vacation, everyone helped find her a therapist, which she has been seeing regularly ever since. The results have been night-and-day, but the recovery is never truly over.

"Sure am. It's done wonders for me, but I'm not about to start missing sessions just for fun, not when I've come this far."

Janna stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey...proud of you, kid." Which got Star to smile.

Marco & Tom both stepped forward and hugged her. "So are we." Marco added.

"Thanks, guys."

"You want me to take you there?" Tom offered. "It's no trouble."

"Nah, that's okay. I wanna take in the scenery a little bit. But thanks. You guys go ahead without me. I'll catch up when I'm done." She started to take off. "See you later!"

"You're going in your pajamas!?" Jackie yelled just in time for her to hear. She stopped dead in her tracks and examined her person. Yeah, real smart, Star. Going to the therapist in your pajamas. She slowly backtracked and ran back into her house, slightly embarrassed.

"Eh heh heh...well now I'm not." She jokingly said. Once she was inside, everyone turned around and went off to the park.

Once Star was dressed up in cozy winter clothes - as well as her now-signature leather jacket (this one a red version instead of pink) & "Bubble Butt" t-shirt (this one green with white letters) - she took off on foot towards her therapist's office. She remembered to take in the scenery on the way, beholding the absolutely gorgeous snowy set around her. An absolutely stunning winter wonderland. Young children out playing in the snow, monsters beholding the incredible view in public...it was truly incredible.

On her way to the therapist she passed by a pet shelter. She, without hesitating, opened the door and walked inside. She was greeted happily by one of the workers. "Hello Star!"

"Hi Hilda!" She walked in and set her sights on the cages at the back end of the room, filled with little puppies & kitties, all of whom instantly spotted Star & began jumping for joy in their cages. "Hello there widdle boys & girls." She immediately began cooing the little animals, winning them over like they were children. "I told you I would come back."

"You here to volunteer today?"

"Sorry, I can't stay. I have a therapy session I need to get to. I just wanted to drop in."

"Aww, good for you."

"Are these widdle guys any closer to getting adopted?"

The worker shook her head. "Nope. Sorry."

Star groaned. "What's wrong with people?! It's bad enough these little angels are left abandoned, but now nobody wants to take them home?" She kept petting them as she sulked. "Don't worry little guys. I'm sure your luck will change soon enough. Hopefully in time for the holidays." She stood up, dusted herself off, and turned to leave the shelter. "I'll be back soon, guys."

"Bye Star!"

Star exited the shelter and continued trekking on down towards her therapist. Along the way she made another stop - this time into an orphanage. She walked in the front door and was greeted again by the person at the front desk, this time a short, black male. "Hello Star! Merry Christmas!"

"Hi Reggie." She signed her name in and then gave the man a hug. "How are the kids?"

"Still waiting to be adopted, like always." He said solemnly. "You can go up and see them if you want."

"Thanks. Can't stay long, though, I've got a therapy session." She went up the spiral staircase adjacent to the front desk and made her way down the brief hall to the end door, knocking twice before turning the knob. "Hello?" She perked her head in slightly to get a look inside. There were several kids in the room - all ranging from a year old to about five years old - playing with toys with an older-aged woman looking after them. Upon hearing the door creek, the kids all stopped in their tracks. They turned to the door and they all instantly recognized Star - even the one year olds. Loud cheering erupted from them as they all stood up - or at least the ones that could walk stood up - and ran over to her; she swung the door fully open and opened her arms, grabbing as many as she could in a hug while the rest of them just piled onto her. Even the one year olds eventually crawled over to her. The elderly lady laughed.

"Hello dear."

"Hi Greta!" Star managed to sit up enough to see the elderly lady and wave to her. "Are the kids behaving for you?"

"Like little angels. Looks like they all missed you."

"Aww, I missed them too. Hopefully we can get you all a nice forever home soon. You guys deserve to spend the holidays with real family." She gasped and realized what she potentially said, looking up at Greta who smiled. "N-No offense, I mean."

"None taken, dear. I agree. But we haven't had any takers in some time."

"Jeez, what is the matter with people?!" She looked back at the children, playing with them some more. "I know times are tough, but these little ones shouldn't have to suffer for it." One of the children - a four year old boy who happened to be suffering from Down Syndrome - walked up to Star and started happily clapping his hands at her, giggling endlessly. It drew the biggest smile from Star as she picked him up and gave him a kiss on his forehead. "You are the most precious thing I've ever seen. Besides my boyfriend of course."

"Don't worry, child, I'm certain that our fortunes will turn soon enough."

"I hope you're right." She proceeded to stand up & dust herself off. "I wish I could stay longer, but I've got a therapy session to get to. But I'll come and visit again soon, I promise." The kids all happily cheered and laughed as she blew kisses to them all and ran out of the room and the building in a hurry.

Continuing on her trek towards her therapist's office, she passed by a nearby sandwich shop, where she also noticed there was both a homeless man and a homeless fish monster sitting outside of the shop, clearly unable to afford anything from inside. Sympathizing, she walked into the sandwich shop, ordered two hot sandwiches, and gave one to each of them. They hugged her in gratitude, and she was on her way once again.

Her last detour before arriving was passing by a group of children monsters & humans building a snowman together. Unfortunately the snowman wasn't coming together as they had hoped it would. The snowman continued to fall apart, discouraging the children. Star decided to head over to them and help them build it back up from scratch. With her efforts and her undying encouragement, they were finally able to build it up to where they wanted it to be. Grateful, the children all hugged Star and asked her to stick around and play, but of course, she could not.

And finally, after all of that, she reached the building that housed her therapist's office. She walked slowly to the front door, buzzed the intercom, and walked inside, closing the door behind her.

About an hour or so later, once Star was finished, she raced to the park to catch up with her friends, who were all in the middle of a blood thirsty snowball fight. She hid herself very discreetly in one of the snow-covered trees, waiting to pounce. She didn't have to wait long for her chance; Jackie & Marco found themselves heading towards said tree, with Marco on the offensive. But his onslaught was quickly thwarted when Star shot some snowballs from the tree at him, drawing his & Jackie's attention. "You gotta me slicker than that, Marco!" She shouted at him.

"Star?! Hey, you made it!" Marco said happily, not even acknowledging being pelted. "How'd it go?"

"It went great!" She declared.

"Glad to hear it." Jackie chimed in. "Now come join us, you're missing out on the fun."

"Aye aye, Miss Lynn Thomas!" Star jumped off the branch she was sitting on and landed in the snow back-first. Slightly dazed, she shook it off & laughed heartily. Jackie reached an arm out to help her.

"I got you, girl."

"Thanks J-" Star took the arm, but upon doing so caught a glimpse of Jackie. Suddenly, something inside her started to bubble. "Thanks Jackie." She stood up slowly and dusted herself off, still staring at her.

"What's wrong?"

But once Jackie spoke again Star was able to shake it off. "Oh, nothing. I...I really like your snow suit. It fits you really nice." She took note of her red top & red hat, as well as her green pants & green boots. Especially the green pants.

But Jackie didn't notice the target of her stare and simply took the compliment. "Thanks, Star. I got it in France." With that note she turned around and started running after Marco, with Star inexplicably keeping her gaze at Jackie's green pants...until she slapped herself and snapped out of her trance. What actually just happened? Unfortunately she didn't have time to dwell on it and returned her attention to the snowball fight in front of her.

The bombastic insanity of the snowball fight continued for some time, eventually devolving into Star, Marco, Jackie, Janna, and Tom all pummeling each other into the snow beneath them and bursting out into hysterical laughter. Not really the stuff of an epic snowball fight but they all had fun and that was what mattered the most. "Well that was a heck of a lot of fun!" Star declared.

"Not bad for the first snowfall of the year, huh?" Janna remarked.

"I hope we get snow like this for Christmas Eve." Marco interjected. "It'll make the party that much more beautiful."

"Party?"

"Oh yeah, so every Christmas Eve there's this big Christmas bash here in the park for all of Echo Creek." Janna explained. "There's food, music, gift exchanges, the works. It's a great time!"

"Sounds like it!"

"Hey look!" Marco pointed out in the distance to an older gentleman standing by the entrance of the park. "That's the guy that organizes the party every year."

"Ooh, celebrity!" Star stood up, dusted the snow off of her body, and started running towards him.

"Star wait!" Which caused Marco and the rest of them to run after her. They caught up with her just in time as she arrived at his footstep, waving frantically.

"Hi there!" She shouted gleefully before being restrained by Marco and the others. The older gentleman just chuckled.

"I'm sorry, sir. She's just really excited for the Christmas party." He explained. This got another laugh from the gentleman before his face solemnly fell, which immediately got Marco's attention. "What?"

He shook his head lightly. Always a sign of impending bad news. "Folks, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. But...there's not going to be a Christmas party this year."

And instantly every one of their faces fell. Star was the first to speak up. "Wait, why?"

The man sighed. "It's...it's not something you need to know." Was all he said before he sadly turned around and started to walk away. The others behind Star began exchanging looks while Star took the brilliant initiative to chase after him.

"WAIT!" She yelled, meeting up with him just as he was exiting the park. "Is it...is it the snow? Because I'm sure there's plenty of ways to work around that." Star got so caught up in this that she didn't realize she was following him back to his home, which happened to be located close by in a thrift shop that he ran.

"It's not the snow." He said firmly. "I really don't want to talk about it." He approached the door before being intercepted by Star, who carried with her a glum look.

"You sure?" She said firmly, pulling out a piece of paper from one of her jacket pockets, handing it to him. "Because I host a regular class about the perils of mental health & emotional baggage. I got my permits & everything." The man studied the paper intently. (Yes I will explain this later). "Try me." She said with somewhat of a triumphant smile, only to be interrupted by a delivery truck pulling up on the curb.

"Package delivery for..." The delivery man held out a paper and started reading from it. "Chester Dunlap?"

"That's me!" The older gentleman answered. The delivery guy picked up a package and proceeded to literally chuck it out the door, prompting Star to dash in front of Mr. Dunlap and intercept it, as she suspected that his reflexes would not be fast enough to catch it. What's worse? The package was labeled "Fragile." The result? Star was pushed onto the ground by the motion, still holding the package, answering Mr. Dunlap.

"HEY!" He shouted at the driver. "That package was labeled "Fragile!"

"Dude, they don't pay me enough to pay any mind to that." He said bluntly. "Besides, that's more of a suggestion than a rule, if you think about it." It was obvious that this man was clearly stuck in life and completely content with staying in neutral. With those words, he drove off, leaving Mr. Dunlap visibly infuriated.

"I'm okay, thanks for asking!" Star shouted, which shook him out of his rage. The box Star caught had opened due to the force of the throw, and out popped what appeared to be a small figurine of a man and a woman holding each other & dancing. "Aww, it's so cute."

Mr. Dunlap chuckled, finding Star's admiration of the figurine to be adorable. "That's, er...that's me. M-Me and my late wife."

"You guys are adorable together." Initially, Mr. Dunlap's words didn't sink in for her. But ever so slowly, they sunk in. Her face fell gradually as the weight of his statement finally clicked. She looked back up at him with tears beginning to swell. "Oh. Oh I'm...I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know."

He slowly walked over to her, helped her up, and gently took the figurine out of her hands. "A few months ago, actually. Breast cancer."

"Oh my gosh, that's horrible! Is that...is that why you don't want..."

The pained look on her teary face touched him. The truth was, Mr. Dunlap was well known around these parts specifically for the Christmas party he and his wife threw every year. But his wife's passing was not something that was known in the public circles. He made sure of that. He suspected, though, that that wouldn't last much longer, especially with someone like Star - a girl he never even knew until just five minutes ago - appeared sincerely devastated by this bombshell. He took her shoulder and started leading her towards the door. "Why don't you come inside for some hot chocolate?" He carefully opened the door and led her into the thrift shop.

End of Chapter 1!

So a few things. Firstly, if you visit my profile page, you'll now see that there's a comprehensive (by my standards at least) timeline of the post-cleaved world that I'm creating. This is technically the fourth installment of that timeline but I'm posting it as the third since, well, this was the idea that came to me first. The Ballad of Earth-Mewni - another story I plan to work on - technically takes places, at least at the beginning, before this story, but in the middle of it there will be a time skip where this story will be skipped over.

Now, a few details I'm going to list off that will be established in Ballad of Earth-Mewni but I'm mentioning here for context and to avoid confusion.

1) Moon is trying to be a more affectionate mother to Star. This is going to be the basis for an episode idea in Ballad when I finally get to it. I've read a lot of stories where post-cleaved Moon just doubles down on trying to control everything and remain wrapped in the monarchy - all good stories, though - so why not have one where she goes the opposite route?

2) Shortly after Star & Marco return from their vacation in Unforgettable Getaway, Star enrolls herself in therapy. Willingly. She might not be thrilled about the fact that this needs to happen but she fully embraces that she has serious issues she needs to work through and wants to get back to where she was before she punched out a mirror and nearly bled out.

3) Star decides she wants to give back, using her experiences in therapy and fighting to restore her own mental health to open her own clinic & help others with their struggles, and it actually has some mild success. It isn't ground breaking nor is it breaking the bank for her, but she feels like she's accomplishing something so that's good.

I look forward to revisiting these plot points in the future when I get that fourth fix up and running.

Yes, I do intend to finish the Getaway story. As of this writing it is not quite finished, but it is almost finished, maybe a few chapters left at most. And as I said, you don't necessarily need to finish that one to jump right into this one.

As always please read & review! i would appreciate any and all constructive feedback on this story! ^_^