Star and Marco read Ludo's letter, which stated as follows (in basic)
Dear Star and Marco,
I would like to take the time to formally apologize to you, on behalf of my army, the rats, Spider and Eagle, and myself. I write this letter to request that you join me at my castle for lunch. Whether you decide to join me or not, it entirely is up to you, and I will feel no lesser towards you should you decline, although I hope you do not. I can understand should you not take up my offer as I've given you no reason to. Still. It is with complete sincerity that I extend this offer.
Sincerely, Prince Ludo Avarius.
The letter itself was orated by Ludo Avarius, and written formally by Lady Avarius. Ludo, far too embarrassed by not only his writing skills, but his poor grammar, worries that Star and Marco may not take the letter seriously if it's poorly written. In his mind, he envisions the alternative where he sends Star and Marco his own letter, self-written, and rather than accept or decline his offer, they actively make fun of him and publicly mock him for his lack of literacy to their friends.
In reality, Star stays up all night thinking about that letter. Marco had already told her that the decision was entirely up to her, and that he would follow her in whatever decision she made. Regardless of sleep, she wakes Marco up at 10 o clock, and they depart towards New Castle Avarius. Neither of them are confident about the situation presented for them. They have only one thought on their minds. Is Ludo being as genuine about apologizing as the letter implies he is?
Marco: Are you sure you wanna go through with this?
Star: Yeah.
Marco: We can turn back right now if you want.
Star: Marco, I have to be sure.
Marco: How do you know this isn't some trap?
Star: I don't. But even if it is, it's nothing we haven't dealt with before.
Marco: This is Ludo we're talking about.
Star: I know. Look, I've been up thinking about this, thinking about him, more than I have in the last couple months combined. He seemed really upset the last time we saw him. And you know, having a wand for a hand, he really didn't seem to like that. Maybe he's scared straight.
Marco: I don't think so. Dude's a nutcase.
Star: People can change.
Marco: Yeah? So?
Star: Buff Frog changed, Tom changed... you and I both changed.
Marco: Well, yeah. I guess you're right. We'll see. But I'm keeping my eye on him. I still don't trust him nearly as far as I can throw him, and the dude weighs like what, like 5lbs., if that? I could probably chuck him clear across the back yard.
Star: Ha ha. Probably.
They arrive at the front gate to New Castle Avarius. Nervous, Star goes to knock at the massive wooden door.
Star: Sigh, moment of truth. Here goes.
She closes her eyes and uses the knocker to sound the door to the residents.
Nothing happens. Star and Marco look at each other.
Marco: Maybe nobody's home.
Star: Why would Ludo invite us over and not even be here when we're supposed to arrive?
Marco: I don't know, to play a silly prank on us?
Star: That's a bit of a stretch, even for him.
All of a sudden, a bunch of monsters jump out from the wayside and surround Star and Marco, prepped and ready for battle. They stare at each other in a standoff. Breaking the silence, a loud, familiar yell gets everyone's attention.
Ludo: HEY! What do you all think you are doing?!
Warthog Monster: Uh, we're doing what we usually do.
Ludo: I told you yesterday! They are OUR GUESTS! You will treat them with the utmost respect!
Crocodile Monster: I thought you said you weren't gonna yell at us anymore.
Ludo is caught off guard. He goes to speak, but the Crocodile Monster made too good of a point. He sighs.
Ludo: You're right. I got angry. Please just go inside. Let me handle this.
They all leave awkwardly.
Frill-Necked Monster: Aw man, I really wanted to rumble just like the good ol' days.
Ludo massages his temple, embarrassed by his minions.
Ludo: I am so sorry you had to deal with that. It is so hard to find good help these days. Anyway. Star Butterfly, lovely as usual.
Star: Thank you?
Ludo: And Marco Diaz, what a strapping young lad you've become.
Marco: Okay?
Ludo: You two. You're fashionably late. I was getting worried you wouldn't show up at all. I'm so glad you did. I have so much to show you! Come! Come!
Ludo's mood turns from familiar frustration to uncomfortably cheery as soon as he addresses Star and Marco.
Star looks to Marco, who gestures that he's watching Ludo as they follow him into the renovated New Castle Avarius.
Ludo: This is my lovely castle.
Star: Yes, we know. We've been here before.
Ludo: Well, you've never been in this version of it before, you know, post you nuking the place.
Star: Ludo, I'm sorry. I didn't intend for that.
Ludo: Accidents happen.
He shrugs, with the same, unshakeable ambiguous grin on his face. She can't tell if Ludo is being passive aggressive or if he is being genuinely forgiving towards the whole ordeal.
Ludo: Why don't you two just have a seat on these here chairs and I'll be right back with you?
He pats two handmade chairs and they sit on them. Star's immediately breaks under her butt.
Marco: AHA!
Star and Ludo both look at Marco curiously as he awkwardly tries to explain himself.
Marco: AHA! That chair is broken.
Ludo looks at Marco with an eyebrow raised.
Ludo: Yes Marco, I can see that. Looks like someone's been putting on a few pounds.
He looks cheekily at Star, who frowns at him as she rubs her butt after getting up.
Ludo: Oh well, just use this stool. It won't break this time. I promise.
Ludo pulls a stool out of seemingly hammer-space. Star hesitantly sits it, fearing that too may break. She lowers her rear end with caution. A beep comes from the kitchen.
Ludo: OOH! Cookies are done cooling off! I'll be right back!
Ludo gleefully walks away. Star and Marco whisper to each other as to not be hard.
Star: Marco! What are you doing?
Marco: How do you know he didn't put that wobbly chair there on purpose?
Star: It was an accident. Just be cool. Don't blow it.
Marco: Sorry.
Ludo: Here they are!
Ludo comes in wearing a little apron and oven mitts far too large for his hands, holding a tray of otherwise normal looking chocolate chip cookies.
Ludo: Watch! They might still be a little hot!
Ludo speaks to them in an almost musical tone, upbeat and perky. Star picks up a cookie, looks at it suspiciously as Ludo gives her a creepy, wide-eyed stare. She takes a bite into it. It tastes so awful, like dirt, but she perseveres. Her eyes water and she pounds on the stool as she tries to force herself to swallow it.
Ludo: How is it?
Star talks with her mouth full of dirt cookie.
Star: Yeah, is good.
Marco looks at Star with huge eyes like she'd been poisoned.
Star: Hey Ludo! What's that?
Ludo: What's what?
He turns around as Star spits the cookie into a potted plant.
Star: Mm, scrumptious.
She coughs.
Ludo: Hmm, must be a wee bit dry.
Ludo takes a cookie and tries it.
Ludo: Tastes fine to me. Allow me to go bring us some tea to wash down these lovely cookies and then we can chat. BRB!
Ludo goes into the kitchen, where his mother is at the sink, washing the dishes from the previous dinner the family had.
Ludo: I'm just getting us some tea for my guests.
Lady Avarius: Oh how lovely. I hope you're having fun with your little friends over, sweetie.
Ludo: I sure am. This is going great. If it keeps going this way, we'll be besties in no time!
Ludo makes his way back towards the room where he left Star and Marco. Ludo notices the room is unsettlingly quiet for two apparent lovebirds that were left in a room alone, so Ludo decides to hide behind the wall and eavesdrop in on them to see if they're talking about him. They continue to whisper.
Marco: Star, are you okay. Did he try to poison you? Quick, how many fingers am I holding up?
Star: Marco, that cookie was god-awful but it was definitely not poisonous.
Marco: How do you know?
Star: He has been nothing but polite to us since we've showed up. Unless he does something obviously evil, we're seeing this through. Got it?
Marco: Yeah, I got it.
Star looks over to Marco, whose trying a cookie for himself. She makes a face of cringe-filled disgust at him.
Star: You actually like those?
Marco: Meh, they kinda grow on ya.
Star: See, these cookies are just a token of Ludo's hospitality. He's trying to be a better person. He might not be the best cook, but he's trying.
Marco: Star. What makes you think he's willing to change. This is Ludo, the same guy that's tried to take your wand. The same guy that took over Mewni and locked us in a dungeon. The same guy that tried to KILL us on NUMEROUS occasions.
Star: I just wanna believe.
Marco: Believe what?
Star: I wanna believe that he's willing to change. I wanna believe more than anything that there's a good person in Ludo. So please Marco, just try to be compassionate.
Marco: Okay. For you, I'll be nice to him and play it cool. If you think he's changed, I trust your judgment. You know him better than I do.
Star: Honestly Marco, I really hardly know Ludo at all. It's like, he just shows up, does his thing and leaves. I really don't know the first thing about him. Today is the most I've ever conversed with him.
Marco: I thought you always had a beef with him.
Star: No. I honestly don't even know what set him off, why he wanted the wand, or any of that other stuff for that matter. I never bothered to ask him. I always just assumed evil bad guy stuff.
Marco: Well, I hardly know anything about him either. My first impression of him is when he attacked us outside of that convenience store. I suppose I'd like a bit more insight into this too.
Star: Let's just be nice and see what happens.
Ludo comes from around the corner holding a tray. The smile had disappeared from his face. He had a very pained look.
Ludo: Is... is that what you guys really think of me?
Star: You heard everything we said, didn't you.
Ludo: I did.
Star: Ludo I'm so-
Ludo raises a hand to stop her.
Ludo: No apology needed. I understand. Realistically, I've given you no reason to trust me. You took the gamble coming out here to see me. Truth is, I really know very little about either of you, contrary to what you may believe. So allow me to tell you a little about myself. My name is Ludo Avarius. I'm 23 years old. My birthday is next week. I am one of 50 children, some older, some younger. I really really like Ice Cream, my favorite color is green.
Star: You don't have to tell us everything. Not right away anyway.
Ludo: Oh. Sorry.
Marco: It's cool.
Star: Well, you know my name, and I hope you know Marco's.
Ludo: I do... now.
Star: Uh.
Ludo: Honestly I know more about you than you know about me. Don't ask how.
Star: I don't wanna know.
Marco: Wait a minute, I wanna know. Were you spying on us all the time?
Ludo: I used to.
Marco: I knew it!
Star: Marco!
Marco: What? The dude just admitted to being a creep.
Ludo: Nah, he's right. It was really creepy of me to do that.
Star: Ludo, the point is, you're trying to be a better person now right?
Ludo: That's what I want, yes.
Marco: What he wants is the wand.
Ludo: I... I have been trying not to even think about it.
Marco: Sure you have.
Ludo: I haven't come after you in months.
Marco: Doesn't mean anything.
Star: Marco!
Marco: Wake up, Star! What makes you think he couldn't revert back to himself in an instant, huh? Ludo has done nothing but cause grief for us in the whole time we've known him! He hasn't done so much as a single redeeming thing in his life! His whole existence revolves around that wand! He's like a puppet to it, or like a child grasping at a pair of shiny dangly keys! Look at him! He has no self control whatsoever!
Ludo becomes furious at Marco.
Ludo: You know NOTHING about me!
Ludo's mother is still in the other room, she hears the conversation. She's been listening for several moments. She puts her hand over her mouth as she hears the arguing, vowing to stay out of it.
Ludo: I've spent my entire life under heel of my family! Do you know what it's like, being perpetually 2 feet tall, weighing less than 5 pounds and having a 140lb brother land on top of you because he's rough-housing, breaking every bone in your body?! Hmm? Do you know what it's like having your family bring home a feast, and you winding up with nothing because your brothers and sisters ate it all, and you had to lay in bed until the hunger pains in your stomach would go away long enough for you to fall asleep?! Or did you ever have your father constantly tell you how worthless you are, and how you'll never ever amount to anything?! Or have a mother that would just idly stand by and let her son be told that he might have well been never been born?!
Marco: No.
Ludo: Then don't you ever judge me for wanting power! Ever since I laid eyes on that wand I wanted it. I remember when I was a tiny tot, and I got to see then Princess Moon Butterfly given her chance at the wand. She looked just like you back then. Queen Comet gave her the wand and she did things that I'd never seen before with such grace, and majesty. Such control! Queen Comet praised Moon so highly for her prowess with her magic wand. She was so proud that she was able to learn so much in so little time. I remember the first time I approached her and reached for the wand. She looked down at me and smiled.
Ludo flashes back to the sequence of when he was a child. He can see it so vividly. Ludo runs up to then Princess Moon, a tiny toddler, whimpering as he reaches upward toward the wand.
Moon: Ha ha ha. Well aren't you just precious? Is this what you want?
A tiny toddler Ludo bobs his head up and down with a big grin on his face.
Moon: This isn't a toy, you know. This is my magic wand. With it I will rule the kingdom some day. I'm gonna be a great Queen, you'll see. Why don't you go back to mommy and daddy eh?
Brudo: There you are you little brat! What have I told you about wandering off?
Moon: Please don't be so harsh to him.
Brudo: You stay out of it!
Comet comes from behind Brudo.
Comet: That's my daughter you're talking to, Brudo Avarius, I'd watch my tongue if I were you.
Brudo: Oh my! Oh uh... hello Queen Comet. What a lovely day we're having?
Comet: I suggest that you and your son go back home. My daughter and I have some training to do if she ever plans to be a competent queen some day.
Ludo comes back to present.
Ludo: And with that, my father drug me off, where he continued to berate me and tell me that I would never be worthy of using that wand. He laughed at me, mocked me, told me that I'll never be fast enough, smart enough, or strong enough to get it within my grasp. And so begun my journey. But alas, I was still too young, and I had no means of acquiring the wand realistically.
I had no friends, most certainly not those sycophants in my childhood that only sucked up to me when my family was around. Speaking of my family, they certainly wouldn't help me. Dennis was still just a baby. A mere few months pass by, and I had awakened one day to find my mother and father at the door, standing before a very sad-looking postman sent by the Butterfly Castle. My mother was sobbing uncontrollably into my father's arms, and my father was looking coldly at the messenger that had delivered a rather mournful message, that Queen Comet, had been killed.
That meant that Moon was now Queen. I was still too young to do anything about it. Fast forward a few years later. I take Dennis outside with me and tell him were going on a "secret mission". He was the only one for all those years that I had gotten to like me. Father is fast asleep on the recliner in the gathering quarters, and mother is reading one of her favorite mystery books she likes so much. We sneak out.
I had been planning my route for months. I knew how to stay away from the deep water, the killer plants, and the roads with mean thugs that would take our lunch money and give little boys like us nasty wedgies. We headed over to the castle and there she was in the courtyard, she had three glowing adversaries before her, beings that she had summoned herself to do battle with.
She fought them so elegantly, with kicks and punches and dance-like twirls of her wand. My little brother's eyes were like flying saucers, how amazed he was at the display. I waited 'til she was done, and had taken the time to rest. She had sat on a bench for a moment and dozed off. Now was my opportunity. I sneak up to her and I almost had it. It was practically mine. Then, the worst happened, father.
Star: You dad came and found you again?
Ludo: No, your bumbling father, River Johansen! He had come with a bouquet of dead flowers he was going to present to your mother as a gift. He ruined everything!
River: Oh Moon Pie! I have a gift for you_GOOD HEAVENS!
Moon had awakened to find Ludo leaning over her chest, hand right at the wand. He makes a desperate smile.
Ludo: Ha ha, oh hi Queen Moon.
Unlike before, Moon is angry. She and River grab the young Ludo and Dennis and haul the both of them under arm to Castle Avarius. Lady Avarius and Lord Brudo answer the door with daggers in their eyes.
Ludo: We hauled groceries back and forth for a week, massive, heavy bags for fifty-three monsters! Both our parents and our siblings laughed and ridiculed us for being such embarrassments. We knew we would never get the wand with Queen Moon in power. So I had took the time to prepare. One week, my parents had decided to go on vacation, and were naive enough to leave me in charge of the castle.
So as soon as they left, I went out. I had printed a whole bunch of flyers that read "Minions Wanted. Must be big, must be mean, must be tough, but most of all, must be loyal". Needless to say, many showed up at my front door. Some of them were quite tall and imposing, others... well, not so much, and definitely not the brightest bulbs either, but they would do. I had tasked them.
Ludo: You all will do as I say! I am your boss now! My first order, is to go inside, wrangle up all of my brothers and sisters, and give 'em the boot!
The monster army before Ludo cheers uproariously. Ludo is pleased.
Ludo: So they did. One by one, they wrestled my brothers and sisters, wrangled them up and threw them out the castle. I was very pleased by their initial performance of this task. As reward for their service, I offered them sanctuary inside my very lofty castle. They were very pleased as well. I had treated them like gold. They mere peasants off the street, living like kings in a castle. It was an opportunity that was rather hard to pass up, and all of them were loyal to me.
When I had gotten wind of my parents returning, I had ordered them to change the locks. They came back and were furious. I didn't want them back in. This was MY castle now! I was in control, for once in my life! Then you came along. You and Marco. I had gained a bit of infamy due to my attempts at retrieving the wand, and your mother had warned you of me. Of course, you know the rest. I was just so sick of it all, so sick of being the runt, of being the underdog! That wand, that control. I wanted it so bad, more than anything I had ever wanted in my life! I was gonna show my parents!
Star: Ludo, so all this time, you were trying to get the wand to make your family care about you?
Ludo: I wanted them to see that I'm not worthless, that I'm more than just some wasted egg shell! Not like it matters. We all know how it went. I wanted to gain everything, and all I wound up doing is losing everything. I'm just a loser. They always told me that, and I always will be.
Ludo's eyes start to water. He doesn't want to visibly cry in front of them because he feels embarrassed for showing such weakness towards them. He turns away. Star walks up to him. Marco looks at her and she looks at him, before looking back to Ludo. She reaches her hand out and lays it gently on his head. He reacts with surprise and looks up at her.
Star: Ludo... I don't think you're a loser.
Ludo: You... you don't?
Star: No.
Ludo: But, I tried to take things from you. I tried to hurt you, and failed.
Star: Let me tell you something Ludo. I USED to think you WERE a loser. I thought you and your goon squad were just gonna chase me around and try to take my wand unto one of two things happened, either you got arrested by the royal guards, or I kicked your butt enough times for you to either get bored or lose interest and give up. And that day when your castle blew up and I threw you through that portal, I thought you were a goner. I thought I was never gonna see you again. And you know what you did, Ludo?
Ludo: What?
Star: You proved me wrong. You came back. I don't how you did it, but you came back. You trained an eagle, you trained a giant spider, and you trained a freaking army of disgusting rats, and you came back, got the other half of the wand, took the book of spells, took over Mewni, locked Marco in the castle, and you even beat me! Not only that, you kicked my butt! You defeated Toffee! I mean yeah I melted him with a huge blast of energy but you pushed a freaking column on top of him and finished him off! Look, my point is, you far succeeded any tiny expectation I ever had of you. You're one of the strongest adversaries I'd ever faced. Don't you ever let anyone tell you you're a loser.
Ludo starts to cry anyway, but for much different reasons than he had been capable of mere moments ago. He throws his arms around Star, who reacts with surprise. She's incredibly taken aback by it, but allows it and returns the sympathy by wrapping her long arms around his tiny body. Marco looks on in utter shock at the display before him.
Marco: This is surreal.
Ludo: Star, do you think we could ever be friends?
Star looks over to Marco. Marco had lightened up a bit after hearing Ludo pour his soul out to them.
Marco: It's up to you, Star.
Star: Maybe, some day.
Ludo: That's all I could ask for, hope.
Star: It's been fun Ludo. But we should really head home.
Ludo: Okay. I just wanna say, welcome here whenever you like.
She smiles at him and he returns the gesture. He then shows them the way to the door.
Star: Maybe we could meet up again some time next week.
Ludo: Sounds great. I'm always here.
Star: Bye everybody.
Marco: Later dude.
Ludo: Bye, both of you!
Marco: Ludo?
Ludo: Yes, Marco?
Marco: I'm sorry I came here assuming you were just doing this to trick us.
Ludo: Marco, you're not a dumb kid. That is something the old me would have done. But I'm trying to be a better person. I want to be a better me.
Marco: You keep going for it, dude. I hope the best for you. Really, I do.
Ludo: Thank you Marco. It means more to me than that wand to hear that from you.
He closes the door behind the both of them.
Lady Avarius is standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Ludo looks towards her.
Ludo: Have you been listening to us?
Lady Avarius: Yes,I have. Sweetheart... I am so sorry for everything.
Ludo: It's okay mom. I know I said some stuff about you and father that I shouldn't have let you hear, but I just had to get it off my chest.
Lady Avarius: Are you gonna be okay? You know, if there are still things you want to talk about with me, I'm always here. You know that, right?
Ludo: Of course. Things are different now. Things will continue to be different from now on. I got what I wanted. I have control now.