Hello! Welcome back to Ace of Spades! We left at a pretty nice cliffhanger, but now the story continues! And as I mentioned in my other story Something More, I will begin a new fanfic after a few chapters of Ace of Spades. So get ready for that!

Enjoy! And I do not own 'Star vs the Forces of Evil'.

(Chapter 6)

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"Snort-whatwho'sthere?!" Star shot up from her comfy bed position. She spat out the golden strand of hair that had made it's way into her mouth.

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"Grrrrrrrrrrr." Star slumped back down on her bed. "Go away!" she whined.

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"Uuuuuuuuuugh." Star miserably rolled out of bed. She smoothed down the blue pajama shirt that hung down to her ankles and headed to the door. "Who the heck's dragging me outta bed, I don't get a lot of free nap time." Star grumbled as she walked to the door.

(KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK)

Yeah, yeah! I heard ya!" Star swung the door open. "Now listen, bu-Marco!" Star's angry face was replaced by a look of surprise and embarrassment.

Marco stood on the other side of the bedroom door. "Good morning, Star."

"I prefer axes." Star laughed at her own joke, but when Marco didn't laugh back, she just turned red-faced and attempted to straighten out her blonde rat's nest.

"You okay?" Marco asked.

"I hope so." Star replied. "But, hey! What're you doing waking me up so early?! And why do you look so terrible?"

Marco did in fact look like he didn't get much sleep last night. His hair was messy and bags hung under his bloodshot eyes. "First question; it's ten in the morning, that's not very early. Second question; I stayed up late doing some… studying."

"For our tutoring session?" Star asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, that. Hey, have you seen Glossaryck anywhere? I really need to talk to him about something."

"Glossaryck?" Star tapped her chin. "Normally if I need to find him, I look for him in the Book the Spells."

Marco tilted his head. "The Book of Spells?"

"Yup. Wanna take a look?" Star stepped out of the way. "Come on in! And hurry up before the guards come and disembowel you for entering the Princess's room."

Marco hurried inside and closed the door. He looked around Star's room. "Wow. This is a big room." Marco kicked away a dirty t-shirt. "Incredibly messy and unorganized to the extent of giving me a seizure, but still a pretty cool room."

"Thanks! The book's under my bed." Marco followed Star over to her fancy, pink, canopy bed. Star got down and began routing through the underbelly of her bed. She had a lot of junk hidden under there, so it took a long time.

"So, this book," Marco said for the sake of conversation. "What is it, like, just a list of spells created by former Queens?"

"That's exactly what it is." Star pulled out a book even bigger than the Book of Queens.

"Dang, that's a big book." Marco commented.

Star gave the book's faded brown cover a pat. The cover sported a large, green and brown eight, or maybe it was an infinity sign, with an amethyst embedded in each loop. The book had a star shaped keyhole and pad on the edge of the book. "The Magic Book of Spells contains the written spell documentary of all the Queens of Mewni!" Star stated proudly.

"...All of the Queens?" Marco asked. "Would this include, oh, let's just say, at the top of the head, Queen Febe the Red One?"

"Yeah, I think so." Star tilted her head curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"...Uh… No reason." Marco said unconvincingly.

Star stared at Marco skeptically. "...If you say so." The princess knocked on the book like it was a door. "Glossaryyyyyyyyck!" Star called in a singing voice. "You in here?!"

No response.

Star knocked again. "Glossaryck?! You home?!"

Marco looked to be growing impatient. He knelt down and slammed his fist on the book. "Glossaryck! Open up, ya hippie smurf! We need to talk!" Star stared at Marco wide-eyed as he frantically flipped through the pages of the book. "Come on, where are you?!"

"Are you okay, Marco?" Star asked in concern.

"I'm fine!"

"You don't look fine."

"Well, I am!"

"...Do you need to talk about it?" Star asked tenderly.

Marco stopped flipping through the book. He then hung his head and sighed heavily. "I would love to talk about it." Marco rubbed the back of his head. "But… I can't."

"You don't have to be so reserved, Marco." Star told him. "We're friends. If something's bothering you, then you can tell me."

Marco was actually caught off guard by Star's kindness. His cheeks even reddened a bit. "Th...Thank you, Star. I appreciate that. But… I can't talk about it."

Star smiled supportively. "Well, whenever you're ready, you know where to find me."

Marco returned the smile.

"Now, uh, I need to get changed. So," Star made a shooing motion with her hand. "I'm gonna need ya to skedaddle."

Marco's blush intensified. "Oh! Right!" Marco got to feet. "I'll just… I'm going now." Marco hurried out of Star's room. Once he closed the door, Marco stood in the hallway and ran a hand through his hair. '...What just happened?'

"Fate just happened."

Marco nearly jumped out of his skin. He spun around to see Glossaryck floating behind him at eye level, an amused smile on his lips.

"Would you stop doing that?!" Marco demanded.

"Tell you what; don't ever call me a hippie smurf again, and I'll try not to turn this into a habit." Glossaryck frowned. "By now, you probably have some questions, yes?"

"Uh, YES!" Marco exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me-"

Glossaryck quickly put his hands over Marco's mouth. "Not here." he warned. "Listen carefully, Marco. Because a certain someone decided to jump ahead of schedule," the genie rolled his eyes. "we now have to edit the script a little bit."

Marco pushed Glossaryck away from his mouth. "What are you talking about? And why do your hands taste like pudding?"

"There's not a whole lot of time to explain. Hurry to your room and make yourself presentable as quickly as you can."

Marco stared at Glossaryck in confusion. "Why? What's going on?"

"We are about to be summoned by the Magic High Commission." Glossaryck explained.

Marco's eyes widened in panic. "Wha… what for?"

Glossayck sighed. "I should've known she wouldn't stay put after he was taken care of." he muttered. "She was supposed to wait."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just hurry to your room!" Glossaryck urged impatiently. "We don't have a lot of time."

Marco wanted to argue further, but instead did as Glossaryck instructed and hurried to his room with the genie flying after him.

Once they were gone, the bedroom door slid open an inch. Star peeked her eye through the crack.

"Okay, you remember what to say?" Glossaryck asked.

"As little as necessary." Marco said as he sat on his bed and combed his hair. "But I think it would help out a lot if you told me what the Commission wants from me." Marco darted his eyes around nervously. "Do… do they know that-"

"That she has been keeping tabs on you for about ten years now?" the genie asked. "It's related."

"Well, why has her ghost been following me around since I was five?" Marco demanded. "When I signed up for this, I didn't realize I was aiding a dead criminal!"

"She's not a dead criminal." Glossaryck said sternly. "Marco, not all scary things are evil. And not all evil things are scary, for that matter. You need to understand that."

Marco raised his eyebrow in confusion. "So, you're saying that I have nothing to worry about?"

"I did not say that."

"Then-"

Glossaryck's forehead gem rang. He brought his finger to his ear as if he had an invisible earpiece. "Yyyellow…? Yes, this is Glossaryck… He's right here with me… uh-huh… uh-huh… That won't be necessary, we'll be right over." Glossaryck hung up by tapping his gem and then turned to Marco. "Alright, Mr. Diaz, time for a field trip."

"To where?" Marco asked.

"The HQ of the MHC." Glossaryck replied. "Or as I like to call it, the hangout I built for my ungrateful kids."

"You don't think much of the Magic High Commission, do you?" Marco asked.

"I created the Magical High Commission many centuries ago to manage and govern the magic used outside of the Realm of Magic." said Glossaryck. "Jinn, like me, who possess great magical abilities. Their focus is mainly on Mewni, because of this world's strong connection to the Realm. and of course, the Queen's ability to dip down into the Realm's power. However, despite their age, they are children who often act without thinking. At least Lekmet has obtained some wisdom over the years. And, I'm proud of the work Hekapoo does. She knows the importance of her work and takes her job seriously."

"But how does… you know, she fall into all of this?" Marco asked. "And what exactly are her plans for me? She wants me to find out what happened to her daughter, that's fine. You guys want me to 'save Mewni' or whatever by helping Star, okay. But, this raises a lot of questions."

"I know. But we have to leave, right now." Glossaryck snapped his fingers and a blue portal appeared. "We can't stall any more, we gotta go."

Marco rubbed his hand over face. "This is getting irritating." he said before following Glossaryck through the portal.

Marco found himself standing before a white, stone tower as tall as a mountain, decorated at the base with large, golden drapes and fountains. The top of the tower was a bundle of giant, golden rhombuses. The whole tower looked like a titan's magic scepter.

Marco whistled. "Dang. Now that's a tower."

"Oh, so you like it?" Glossaryck said sarcastically. "It is pretty nice, isn't it? But did my kids tell me they liked it?, or did they admire the tower at all?, or even tell their dear old dad 'thanks'? No. No they did not." Glossaryck groaned. "I don't even know why I try."

"...Uh, okay… Sorry for opening that wound." Marco said. "How about we just go in?"

"Alright, but brace yourself, Marco; This is gonna make the DMV look like a Taco Bell drive through."

"...Uhhhhhhhh…"

"Meaning it's gonna take forever-come on, I used Earth references." Glossaryck rolled his eyes. "Oh, forget it. Let's just get this nightmare over with. And dear cob, whatever you do, don't eat the muffins."

"Wh-"

"Don't eat the muffins!"

The genie floated ahead and Marco followed. The two of them came to the main entrance, which was a large, red, iron door, like something a supervillain would use. The comparison did nothing to ease Marco's nerves. What Marco guessed was the doorman stood in front of the door by a floor-lever. He was a moose man a little taller than Marco with lima bean colored skin. He was dressed like a low-budget security guard with his tan suit and a brown, badged hat.

"Hello, Glossaryck sir!" The moose man greeted cheerfully. "It's good to see you again!"

"Yes, hello, Sean." Glossaryck replied flatly.

"And you must be," Sean pulled out a notepad and flipped through the notes. "Uhhhhhh… Mango Days!"

"It's Marco Diaz!" Marco shouted. "Come on, really?!"

"Eh, good enough for government work." Sean put the notepad back in his pocket. "Go right in, gentlemen!" The doorman pulled the lever and the door opened. "Before you go in, I must inform you that, for security purposes, I must ask that neither of you use magic while inside the building."

Marco began to sweat again. "I don't know magic, what're you asking me for?, what makes you think I know-"

"Shut up, Marco." Glossaryck interrupted his rant. "Sean, can you at least let me keep floating this time?"

Sean shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, Mr. Glossaryck. No magic."

"Uuuuuuuuuuugh." the genie groaned. "Alright, Marco, I'm hitchin' a ride." Glossaryck flew into Marco's hood. "Hyah, mule!"

Marco growled angrily, but allowed Glossaryck to ride in his hood and walked into the tower. They entered a long hallway with a waxed, checkered, tile floor and stone walls. Sean was standing by a pink table and a walk-through metal detector in the center of the hallway. Marco looked back and forth between the front door and where Sean was now.

"Man, he moves fast." Marco commented.

"Not fast enough." Glossaryck grumbled. "Come on, Sean! Let's move this along!"

"Please place all belongings in the bin." Sean pointed at the bin on the pink table.

Marco walked up and patted his pockets. He placed his new mirror phone and some pocket change he had in the bin. Glossaryck tossed in a handful of strange, magic items, although grumbled under his breath while doing so.

"Now step through the magic detector, if you would."

With Glossaryck still in his hood, Marco stepped through the magic detector, which went off as soon as he was through.

Sean came up with a handheld detector. "Sorry, Mr. Days, but I need to do a full body search."

Marco blinked. "...Excuse me?"

"And so begins our descent into hell." said Glossaryck.

(many hours later)

Marco sat on the visitor bench with Glossaryck lounging in his hood. Neither of them said anything for a while. They just silently listened to the bad slow jazz playing off the speakers.

"This...sucks...so...hard." Marco finally said.

"Hold strong, my boy. It's almost, hopefully, over." replied Glossaryck.

"But it's been hours. I can't have my phone, there isn't even a magazine to read, and the music is terrible." Marco continued to complain.

Sean came over wheeling a cart of muffins. "While you are waiting, would you like a muffin?"

"Like I said the last fifteen times you asked, no thank you." Marco replied.

"Are you sure? They're a family recipe. I made them myself!" Sean blinked his eyes innocently, like a child hoping to get his parents to drink the lemonade he made.

Glossaryck whispered what to say into Marco's ear. "Sean, your muffins are utterly disgusting and that's why no one wants to eat them-wait, what?"

Sean's smile slowly melted. "Oh… okay… I guess… I'll just go…" Sean hung his head and rolled the cart of muffins away.

"Glossaryck, what the hell?!" Marco protested.

"Someone had to tell him. I just didn't want it to be me." Glossaryck said. "Think of it as payback for the body search."

Marco shuddered. "His hands are so cold and clammy."

"The Magic High Commission is ready for you!" Sean shouted from the other side of the room. Although, he sounded heartbroken.

"Oh, about time!" Glossaryck cried. He grabbed either side of Marco's hood and whipped them like a pair of reins. "Let's ride!"

"I am not a horse." Marco stated.

"You're right, horses don't backtalk. Now into the elevator, you!"

Marco growled again, but did as he was told and walked over to the elevator. He pressed the button and it slid open. Marco walked into the elevator. It looked like a standard hotel elevator, like what you would find in one of the better, fancier hotels.

"Hold the elevator!" Marco heard a scratchy voice call out.

Glossaryck magically stretched his hand out and frantically pressed the 'close door' button. "Go, go, go, go, go, go-"

A green hand caught the door right before it could close. A tall, bearded warlock wearing a cosmic robe and hat opened the door. He looked very menaical, with his piercing yellow eyes, evil grin, and the green, fiery aura that covered him.

"Phew. Almost missed it!"

Glossaryck sighed. "Hello, Howard."

"Glossaryck! It's been too long!" the warlock exclaimed as he entered the elevator. "Say, what happened to the doorman? He looks like someone ripped out his heart!" The warlock laughed. "If it was one of you, I'd be willing to pay a pretty penny for that heart!"

"Marco, hit the top floor button." Glossaryck commanded.

"Be a lamb and hit floor one o' seven for me, would you, boy?" the warlock asked.

Marco did as both magicians asked. The doors closed and elevator music began to play.

"Say, Glossaryck. There wouldn't happen to be an open seat at the Magic High Commission's table, now would there?" the warlock asked with his seemingly permanent smile.

"As I say every time you ask; no, Howard. Please stop asking." Glossaryck replied.

"Are you sure? I am quite skilled at magic." said the warlock. "How about I regale the two of you with my own potion recipes? You wouldn't believe the things you can do with toe fungus!"

Glossaryck repeatedly pressed the top floor button like his life depended on it.

(about a half an hour later)

The elevator 'dinged' and the door slid open, revealing Marco and Glossaryck, both with bloodshot eyes.

"That was the most painful elevator ride of my life." Marco said.

Glossaryck floated out of Marco's hood. "'It's urgent', they said. 'We require your presence immediately', they said." Glossaryck blew a raspberry. "Come along, Marco. We wouldn't want to keep the mighty Magic High Commission waiting, would we?" Glossaryck stuck out his tongue in disgust and floated on ahead. Marco followed Glossaryck to a fancy, red, double door.

Marco gulped. "Glossaryck, I'm not sure about this."

"Just stay calm, kid, and leave most of the talking to me." Glossaryck replied. "No one's gonna get hurt, I promise."

Marco nodded and opened the door. He didn't take more than two steps though, before he was grabbed by the front of his hoodie and slammed into the wall.

"Where is she?!" Rhombulus roared. He raised his free snake-hand and it became encased in sharp crystal. "Where's Eclipsa?!"

Marco stared with frightened eyes into Rhombulus' angry, crystal eye. The crystal snake-hand was aimed right at Marco's face.

"I'm only gonna ask nicely one more time." said the jailor. "WHERE? IS? SHE?"

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about, man!" Marco replied. "W-What's this about?!"

"RHOMBULUS! Put him down, now!"

Rhombulus and Marco turned their heads to see Queen Moon standing in front of them, her irate gaze set on Rhombulus.

Rhombulus released his hold on Marco and he fell to the floor. The crystal on his snake-hand melted away like ice. "Ah, come on, Queen Moon. I don't get to do this very often." Rhombulus whined. "I had this whole 'bad cop' thing planned out, and-"

"Well, I apologize for bringing your little game to an end." Moon interrupted. "Now, go sit down and be quiet, or else you're going in the time out corner!"

Rhombulus lumbered over to the large table in the room. Now that Rhombulus was off of him, Marco could appreciate the meeting room's decor. A rose colored wall window, the skylight, the wall torches, it was a neat room. Except for the four Magic High Commission members who sat at one end of the table and stared suspiciously at Marco.

Marco stood up off the floor and dusted himself off. "Time out corner?" he asked.

"Like I said: Children." Glossaryck floated up next to Marco. "Queen Moon, not that we don't appreciate the warm welcome, but might I ask why Marco and I are wasting our time here? We both have more important things to do than entertain the five of you."

"Sit." was all she said before walking over and taking her own seat among the MHC. Marco gulped once more before sitting down at the opposite end of the table. Glossaryck floated down onto the table next to Marco.

"Well, we're here." Glossaryck said impatiently. "Now, what do you want?"

"Queen Eclipsa has escaped from custody." said Moon.

"Queen Eclip-The Queen of Darkness?!" Marco shouted.

"How do you know about Queen Eclipsa?!" Rhombulus demanded. "That is definitely suspicious, am I right?"

"I… I read the Book of Queens in the Castle Library." Marco nervously replied.

"He read the Book of Queens!" Rhombulus exclaimed as if that proved everything.

"Uh… Yeah. I am Star's tutor," Marco responded, although he couldn't stop sweating under the Magic High Commission's gaze. "and the line of Queens seemed like a good topic to study up on with her."

"Indeed." Queen Moon replied. "It's important for Star to know the history of our family."

"But, I don't understand." said Marco. "Queen Eclipsa's reign was like, three hundred years ago. How is she still… active."

"Queen Eclipsa was sentenced to a crystal prison for her crimes against the kingdom and her excessive practice of dark magic." Hekapoo explained. "She remained imprisoned but preserved within one of Rhombulus' crystals ever since. Until Rhombulus found her prison shattered and Eclipsa gone, that is. So much for work ethic."

"It wasn't my fault!" Rhombulus complained. "Eclipsa was notoriously sneaky! She… she sneaked her way out!"

Marco blinked. "So… she's alive?! And she's out there, somewhere?!"

"Yes." Hekapoo replied. "Her whereabouts are currently unknown."

"Okay, so… what does this have to do with me and Glossaryck?" Marco asked.

"Before anything else, I want one, solid, straightforward answer." Queen Moon leaned forward. "Is Toffee dead?"

Marco began to sweat again. "What… what does-"

"Is he dead, yes or no!"

"Yes, Queen Moon." Glossaryck answered. "Toffee is dead."

The Queen closed her eyes as relief washed over her face. But then, her eyes shot open and the relief turned to anger. "And you failed to inform me of this sooner because…?!"

"Toffee died of the wounds he suffered from Star and Marco." said Glossaryck. "He is dead now."

"But how is he dead?!" Moon pressed on. She kept flexing her hands like she was itching to check on something.

"Do not ever underestimate the power of magic." Glossaryck replied. "There is truly no such thing as impossible." Glossaryck tilted his head. "Now, perhaps you can answer Marco's question. Why have we been summoned?"

"Because I need to know I can trust you both." Queen Moon answered flatly. "Queen Eclipsa has escaped and I need to know that Marco's timely arrival was merely coincidence."

Glossaryck placed a hand over his heart. "My Queen, I am offended. I have served the Butterfly family since before they even established their monarchy. My loyalty is to the line, to the magic, and to the kingdom."

"I hope so, Glossaryck, I truly do." Queen Moon turned her attention to Marco. "And as for you; I have no real reason to mistrust you, Marco. In fact, I think very highly of you."

Marco rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh. Well… thank-"

"However, I do not take chances. And if you're going to continue to tutor and lecture my daughter, then I need an assurance that you will not make me regret hiring you, or letting you leave this room alive." The Queen spread her hands. "Speak. Convince me you can be trusted."

Marco wiped the sweat from his brow and took a deep breath. "Look, your highness. The last thing I wanna do is get involved in any of… this." Marco gestured all around him with his hands. "I'm not gonna take sides in some intense, family feud or whatever's going on. I swear, I will never do anything to hurt you, or Star, or your kingdom. I just want to do the job you're paying me to do, that's all."

The Magic High Commission all glanced at Queen Moon, who remained still and silent for a full minute.

"Very well." the Queen finally said. "I am putting a full lock down on the castle until Eclipsa is apprehended."

"That won't be necessary, Queen Moon." Glossaryck said. "Eclipsa wants nothing to do with Mewni anymore. She's probably already left the dimension, and she won't come back unless she's sure it's safe. Perhaps not even then."

"How can you be sure of that?" Moon asked.

"I know her." The genie answered. "Better than any of you. Don't put a lock down on the castle, Moon. It will just be unnecessary torture for Star."

Moon's stoic expression let up a bit, then returned to her stern gaze. "You may both leave now."

Marco blinked. "That's it? Just like th-"

Glossaryck placed a hand over Marco's mouth. "Thank you, my Queen. We'll show ourselves out." Glossaryck quickly herded Marco out of the room. Once they were gone, the MHC members all turned to Moon.

"So, we're trusting both of them?" Omnitraxus Prime asked. "No strings attached?"

Lekmet bleated.

"Well, that makes one of us." Rhombulus grumbled. "I still say that non-Mewman is hiding something."

"Then we allow him the chance to prove he has nothing to hide." said the Queen. She turned to Hekapoo. "You're going on a hunt, and I have an idea on who you might recruit."

A portal opened in Marco's guest room and Marco and Glossaryck stepped and floated out of it. Marco finally let out the breath he was holding in. "That was super stressful."

"On the plus side, that went way better than I predicted." Glossaryck said. "Now, go ahead and rant."

"Glossaryck, why the hell didn't you tell me that the spooky, Mary Poppins looking lady who's been haunting me since I was five was a three hundred year old Mewman Queen of Darkness?!" Marco demanded. "I am sick and tired of being guided through the dark by you! You want me to tutor the Princess. Eclisse, or Eclipsa, or whatever her name is, wants me to find out what happened to her daughter. Who, by the way, according to the Book of Queens, is Festivia the Fun and she died from old age. If I'm going to be the hero you guys want me to be, then maybe you could fill me in on a few things! Aren't I supposed to be the guy who saves Mewni and the Butterfly family? Help me out here!"

"Get over yourself." Glossaryck said. "Marco, you need to realize that you are not the main character of this story. You're just the final main ingredient in the recipe of the future. You're not here for Mewni. You're here for Star, who's here for Mewni. And if you really want to help out, then you need to trust me, and let fate do the rest. Just be Star's tutor, like I asked you, and the rest will unfold on it's own."

Marco opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. He didn't really know how to respond to that.

Glossaryck sighed. "Marco, do not misunderstand what it is I'm trying to tell you. You are essential to Mewni's future, as is Star. I brought you here because I need the two of you working together. That is why you are her tutor."

"Does Star know about any of your plans?" Marco asked. "Can't we talk to Star and get her thoughts on all of this?"

"When you feel you can trust her, tell Star what you believe you should tell her." Glossaryck answered. "But the less either of you know, the safer the two of you are, for the time being. Remember that."

Marco swallowed down his anxiety. "Well… well, what about this?" He pointed to his cheeks. The red crescent moons revealed themselves with their crimson glow. Marco stared at Glossaryck, desperation in his eyes. "Febe the Red One had these same marks, what does that mean? The Book of Queens said something about an 'ancient red spirit'. The Blood Moon, the book called it. A celestial body of magic the demons worship. I read another book on the Blood Moon in the Library. It said the Blood Moon reveals itself every six hundred and sixty seven years to bond the souls of two fortunate lovers. The demons have a celebration and everything. If it's just a corny love thing, then okay, maybe I don't have much to worry. But if demons worship the damn thing, then I may have a problem."

"Demons." Glossaryck said distastefully. "A bunch of desperate, hopeless romantics. They don't understand what the Blood Moon really is, yet they claim it as their own, because it's power seems so similar to demonic magic. Febe understood what the Blood Moon really is, and she used it's power in her own spells. See, the Blood Moon is kind of like me; an embodiment of magic. However, the Blood Moon represents the other side of the coin that is magic. The Blood Moon is an embodiment of dark magic."

Marco began to sweat. "D-D-Dark magic?! Like-"

"Like Eclipsa, yes." Glossaryck said. "However, Febe only let in a little bit of the Blood Moon's power into her magic. It's like when you add a spice to a dish that completely intensifies the flavor. That's what Febe did. Eclipsa, on the other hand, dumped the whole container in the bowl. Her magic was dark magic in it's rawest form. And that's why it was so dangerous."

Marco flexed his fingers nervously. "So… what's the case with me?"

'Hard to tell, really." Glossaryck answered. "Dark magic is far more fickle than regular magic, and requires more control. Dark magic user personality can range from creative, to destructive, to mischievous, to savant. Queen Solaria the Monster Carver used dark magic in her spells. She was famed for her tactics in battle and used her magic to create a legion of war giants. Queen Hekatia the Necromancer was a cunning woman, who raised the souls of fallen knights to fight against the Monsters. And Eclipsa was always a waggish rogue who paid no attention to limitation."

"Okay, so, what category do I fall under?" Marco asked.

"You and Febe were both blessed directly by the Blood Moon. Febe was a kind and fair Queen, but could get real scary when she wanted to. The way I see it, the Blood Moon chose Febe because of her incorruptibility. And I believe, it chose you for the same purpose. The only way to know exactly how potent the dark magic within you is would be to practice and use your magic."

Marco gulped. "This… this wouldn't happen to be a one of those 'don't mess with it and it'll go away' deals, would it?"

"I'm afraid not." Glossaryck replied.

"Of course."

"Any other questions?"

"Just one." Marco narrowed his eyes. "Eclipsa. Can I trust her?"

"You've met her, Marco, do you really think she's bad?" Glossaryck asked.

"Well… I mean… she…" Marco didn't know what to say, but he couldn't say 'yes' to the question.

"If you want to learn more about her, you need to wait and ask her yourself." said Glossaryck.

"Well, where is she? Where's she hiding?" Marco asked.

"Oh, don't worry. You'll find her soon enough."

"Would it kill you to give me a straight answer?" Marco asked.

Glossaryck floated over to the window. "Perhaps you should begin Star's tutoring session now? It's high time for you to start doing your duty." He suggested before flying out the window.

Marco pinched his brow and sighed. "God dammit."

"So, overall, he's a pretty nice guy." Star said. "He helped me get you that makeup kit you loved so much."

In the interdimensional mirror, Pony Head snorted. Her new horn was wrapped in a large bandage from the surgery. "Yeah, well, I still think he's like, a total tool. He was so bossy back at St. Olga's. And, I'm, like, still majorly confused on what exactly he's supposed to be? A Humuman or whatever?"

"It's pronounced Human. Come on, Pony. You didn't have a chance to get to know him." Star protested. "Marco's super nice. I think he's gonna be an awesome tutor."

"Oh, yeah, B-Fly?" Pony Head smirked. "If you like him so much, you oughta take that Earth Turd to the Young Royal Rally coming up as your plus one."

Star blushed. "What?! Woah, settle down, Pony! I like Marco, but not like that!"

"Uh-huh." Pony nodded and her grin widened.

"I'm being serious!" Star cried. "My parents hired him to tutor me, and that's as far as our 'relationship' goes. And besides, I always bring Kelly as my plus one, you know that."

"Whatever, girl. Personally, I think you can do waaaaaaay better than that turd. I heard Larry Kelpbottom's single again."

"Yeaaaaaaah… I'm not into fish."

"You're into demons, though. Oh, you know Tom's gonna be hounding you at the Rally."

"Goodbye." Star said before hanging up. The young princess rubbed her temples in frustration.

There was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?!" Star called.

"It's Marco. I thought we'd start our first session."

Star walked over and opened the door to see Marco standing on the other side. He looked a little shaken.

"How come you still look a little under the weather?" Star asked.

"Because I'm dumb enough to keep walking into the storm." Marco replied.

"...Uh, what?"

"Nothing, nothing." Marco put on a smile. "Now, time to tutor. I was thinking we'd start with the history of the Queens in the Library, since I memorized the entire Book of Queens. I even made some study notes."

"Ooo, that sounds fun!" Star stepped out of the room and closed the door. "Let's go!"

"Before we begin, I need to ask; can I trust you to take this seriously and pay attention?" Marco asked.

Star put a hand on her heart. "Marco, you have my undivided attention."

(yeah, it didn't last long)

"Okay, let's try this one more time." Marco said. His tone becoming quite vexed. "Which of the following Queens of Mewni was known for her skill at medicinal magic? A: Soupina the Strange. B: Helia the Light of Power. Or C: Venus the Fairest."

Seated across from Marco, Star swung her legs in thought. "Hmmmmmmmmmm… what does 'medicinal' mean?"

"Healing. Which Queen was good at healing?"

"Hmmmmmmmmmm… what were the options again?"

"A: Soupina the Strange. B: Helia the Light of Power. Or C: Venus the Fairest."

"Hmmmmmmmmmm… could you give me a hint?"

"Fine. Her cheek marks were red crosses."

"Hmmmmmmmmmm… what was the question again?"

"Oh, for the love of God! The answer was A: Soupina the Strange!" Marco tossed the study guide he made in the air in frustration.

"Hey, don't get mad at me! These questions are hard." Star complained.

"We've been doing this for hours, and you've gotten like, two of the study questions right!"

"Your study questions are difficult!"

"This is your family we're studying up on! How is it that I'm the one who knows more about it than you?"

"Well, excuse me for not being a boring bookworm like you!"

Marco took a deep breath. "Star, if you want to learn this stuff, then you need to focus."

"I am focused!" Star argued.

"You turned the study sheet I gave you into a butterfly origami, and then you spent thirty minutes picking a name for it!"

Star picked her butterfly origami up off the table and held it against her chest protectively. "You leave Sir Flutters out of this!"

Marco rubbed his temples. "How about we take a break and meet back here in twenty minutes, assuming I don't kill myself before then."

Star narrowed her eyes at Marco. "In that case, let's make it thirty minutes." she said before storming out of the Library.

Marco groaned and slumped back in his chair. He felt his new compact mirror buzz so he pulled it out and flipped it open. His eyes widened when he saw that Jackie had texted him.

[Hey Marco. You free to grab slushies later?] the text read.

Marco felt excitement course through his body. But just before he was about to reply, he looked in the direction that Star had stormed off. Marco then sighed and texted Jackie back.

[Would love to. But I'm tutoring the princess right now.]

Jackie took a while to respond. Or maybe it was just the interdimensional lag. [How is that going?]

[I miss tutoring Janna.] Marco texted back.

[That bad, huh?]

[She can't concentrate for more than thirty seconds and has an attention span about an inch wide. What am I supposed to do?]

[Be patient with her. Try to connect with her and find best way to teach, like you do with Janna. Also, do not be a smartass. No one likes a smartass.]

Marco raised an eyebrow. [I'm not a smartass.]

[Do you really want me to bring Janna into a group text so she can comment on that?]

Marco rolled his eyes. [Forget it. I will be patient. And I'll see if we can hang out tomorrow.]

[Cool. Good luck Marco.]

Marco closed the mirror and sighed. "Cooking tacos was never this exhausting."

Marco knocked on Star's bedroom door. "Hey, Star? You wanna resume our session now?"

"No, not really." Star's irked voice called out from the other side of the door.

"Star, come on. Let's just-"

"Just what? Keep acting like I'm just a dumb blonde who can't learn anything? You're just as condescending as my other tutors, you know that? So I'm not big on history, whoopty freakin' doo. I am not an idiot, Marco, and I'm sick of everyone treating me like one. I thought you, at least, would have been different."

Marco blinked. He was silent for several seconds. 'I… Oh, god. I am a smartass, aren't I?' "Star, I…" Marco breathed in and out. "...You know what? You're right."

Star didn't respond. Marco took that as a sign to keep going.

"I know I'm not cutting you any slack, and I'm sorry for that. I guess I'm just… frustrated by my new work environment, but I shouldn't take that out on you. I don't think you're an idiot. I don't think I'm better than you. If anything, I think you're better than me."

This time, Star opened the door up. She stared at Marco like she wasn't sure she had heard him right. "What?"

Marco cleared his throat awkwardly. "You're just… you're so much more… heartening, than I am."

Star raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Heartening?"

"Yeah. I mean, for crying out loud, you made a butterfly origami while we were studying. You're so much more fun, and outgoing, and spontaneous than I am. I'm just a boring bookworm, like you said. I can't really argue with that."

Star stared at Marco in disbelief for a little bit, then smiled sweetly at him. "Thank's, Marco. That… that's super nice of you. But, you're not just a boring bookworm. You're attentive, you're knowledgeable, you're diligent, you're everything I'm not."

"Well, you're everything I'm not." Marco countered.

Star tugged on a strand of blonde hair. "Then I guess it's a good thing we're working together, huh?"

Marco blushed a bit. "I… I guess so. But to tell the truth, I think you got the better end of the deal with the qualities."

Star smiled smugly. "Eh, maybe."

Marco smiled back. "You wanna give the session another shot?"

Star walked out of her room and closed the door. "Lead the way, professor."

Marco rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Ah, come on. Don't call me professor. Unless… you know… you really want to."

Star rolled her eyes playfully before walking down the hall with Marco back to the Library. During the walk, Marco felt his mirror buzz again and he pulled it out. Jackie had texted him again.

[Idea for date tomorrow. Seashell gathering and slushies. Helluva combo.]

Marco's heart skipped a beat. 'Date?' he thought giddily. [Sounds like fun. I'll make time. Promise.]

Back in the Library's study area, Marco got back on the sofa he was sitting in and opened the Book of Queens back up on his lap. "Alright, let's pick a new route and try to have fun with this. So, we're just gonna read through this book and comment on some of our favorite Queens. How's that sound?"

"That sounds way better than your boring ass study sheets!" Star jumped onto the sofa and scooted up close to Marco, earning a blush on his face from the close contact. "Mind if I pick the first Queen?"

"Uh, sure. Go ahead." Marco replied.

"Great!" Star flipped through the pages until she landed on a Queen with lavender hair and matching butterfly cheek marks. She wore an aquamarine and pink dress and her wand resembled an elegant rolling pin. She looked like the nicest woman in the multiverse with her kind, amethyst eyes and red lipsticked smile. She was smiling down lovingly at a baby in a cute, little pink dress with sky-blue eyes and hair. The baby was tugging on the Queen's dress and smiled up at the Queen like she was the greatest thing in the world.

Comet the Chef

A master culinarian with a heart of gold. Dedicated her work to end the blood feud of old.

"That's Queen Moon's mom." Marco recalled. He noticed the diamond marks on the baby's cheeks. "And I guess that's Queen Moon then."

"Yeah." Star smiled sadly. "I never knew grandma, but I hear she was awesome. Mom was super close to her. The two of them used to bake pies together when she was little, just like mom used to do with me when I was little."

"Queen Comet also tried to make peace between the Monsters and Mewmans, right?" Marco recalled. "Glossaryck told me about that."

"Grandma might've been the one of the few Queens to ever stick her neck out for the Monsters, yeah." said Star. "I think it was pretty brave of her, but… she died for it."

"Do you… do you think peace between Monsters and Mewmans is even possible?" Marco asked curiously. He felt that the Monsters were the victims, and wanted to know Star's opinion on the matter.

"Not likely." Star said. "I guess… when you let something sit out for too long, it starts to mold and go bad and get all gross and stuff. I think that's kinda how it is now with the Monsters and Mewmans."

"Oh." Marco didn't like the answer, but knew it might be true.

Star flipped the page to the Queen's biography chapter. After reading into it a little, her eyes lit up. "Ah, cool! Grandma met grandpa when she was travelling abroad between dimensions!"

"No kidding?" Marco asked.

"Yeah! 'An adventurous and impulsive youth. Princess Comet traveled the multiverse to escape the constraining life of royalty. Using a pair of dimensional-seeker scissors stolen from Lady Hekapoo, the Princess went from one dimension to the other, until she met a handsome and talented chef named Lazlo Marmalade. Princess Comet married Marmalade, and bore him a daughter she named Moon.'" Star read.

"That's pretty cool." Marco said. "You're grandma does sound awesome."

"Right? She actually sounds a lot like me." Star added with a proud smile. "Let's see, where was I? 'It was not long, however, before Princess Comet began to miss her home and family. She became consumed with guilt for abandoning her kingdom. So with a heavy heart, she left Lazlo, and took baby Moon to her ancestral homeland.'"

"Woah. that's actually kind of sad." Marco commented.

"Yeah, it is." Star said. "I wonder what dimension grandpa was from?"

"It doesn't say?"

"Nope. It says right here that grandma refused to reveal the dimension grandpa was from, out of fear of what might happen to him. I guess grandma got a lot of bad rep for having a baby with someone outside of Mewni who wasn't even nobility."

"Dang." said Marco. "How about we read another one?"

"Sounds good." Star flipped to another chapter.

"I imagine you're still sore with me, yes?" Glossaryck asked.

"I'm always sore with you." Queen Moon replied as she walked down the castle hall. "But I am, however, particularly sore with you now."

"For what, pray tell? Not telling you about Toffee's death sooner, thus satisfying your desire for vengeance, or not giving you a heads up on Eclipsa's escape, thus releasing your greatest regret."

Moon subconsciously rubbed her forearms, covered by her long, blue gloves. "For testing my trust and my patience." she responded angrily. "I do not appreciate being guided through the dark, Glossaryck."

"Now you sound like Marco." Glossaryck complained. "The two of you are surprisingly comparable."

"Good. Maybe I can trust him after all."

"Trust is a hard thing for you, isn't it?"

"My mother trusted the Monsters."

Glossaryck flew in front of Moon, halting her process. "Your mother believed in peace and fairness. She believed that the conflict between the Monsters and Mewmans could be salvaged, despite it's perilous state. Even the most unsavory of dishes can be saved with the right ingredient. Your father taught her that."

Moon stared at Glossaryck with a conflicted look, then pushed Glossaryck out of her way and continued down the hall. "Marco and Star are in the Library, yes?"

"Yes." Glossaryck answered before floating after Moon. "They're studying the history of the Queens of Mewni."

"That's a good place to start Star's schooling." Queen Moon commented. "Are they making good progress?"

"Oh, yes. Marco is proving to be an excellent tutor." said Glossaryck. "The two of then have been reading up on all of the Queens. Including Marco's personal favorite, Etheria the Knight, and Star's personal favorite, Comet the Chef."

Moon froze in her tracks. "She… she read mother's passage?"

Glossaryck smiled and nodded. "Star constantly reminds me of a young Princess Comet." The genie chuckled warmly. "Although, Star is slightly more energetic and unpredictable. I blame the Johansen in her."

Moon couldn't help but smile at that. "So… Marco's favorite is Queen Etheria? I would have guessed Rhina the Riddled. Marco seems like the puzzle solving type."

Glossaryck shrugged. "Etheria was a fighter who rolled with the punches, much like Marco. Despite everything that was thrown her way; the pain, the fear, the frustration, the anger, she held strong and stuck to her morals. I'm proud of the chivalrous Queen she became. Etheria always did what she felt was the right thing to do, no matter what she was told, no matter what price she had to pay."

Moon and Glossaryck arrived at the Library doors. "I am glad your choice of tutor is proving to be so efficient." Queen Moon said. "Finally, a mentor that Star actually listens to."

"Yes, she and Marco are getting along famously." Glossaryck grinned and raised his hand to the Library's double doors. "Care to see?" With a flick of his wrist, the Library door opened. Curious as to what Glossaryck was getting at, Queen Moon walked inside.

Over in the study area, the Queen saw Star and Marco sitting in one of the sofas with a large open book in their laps, both of them fast asleep. Star had her head resting on Marco's shoulder, a small smile on her lips.

The Queen's eyes widened, then they slowly closed and she pinched her brow.

Without a word, she walked out of the Library where Glossaryck was awaiting her return with a big smile on his face. She closed the doors and sighed heavily.

"Queens of old, guide me."

"You can't tell me you didn't see this coming, my Queen." Glossaryck said. "You can threaten Marco with death and torture all you want, but you can't change how the two of them are fated to feel about each other."

"I hold no reservations nor dislikement towards Marco. I truly think he's a wonderful young man, but he is a commoner from another dimension."

"Your father was a commoner from another dimension." Glossaryck pointed out.

"And all of Mewni ridiculed my mother mercilessly for years because of that!" Moon replied. "The very idea of the two of them even dating is preposterous. Marco is a non-Mewman from a magic-less dimension new to the multiverse. Someone like him courting a Princess of Mewni? Never!"

Glossaryck's smile widened. "If you say so."

"I can't thank you enough for inviting me to dinner." Eclisse said. "But honestly, you didn't need to go through the trouble."

"Oh, nonsense, Mrs. Farfalla." Angie answered from the other side of the kitchen table. "We need to thank you for taking the job. The only person Mariposa seems to like more than you is her big brother, Marco. And believe me, that's saying something."

Eclisse chuckled. "That Mariposa is such a cutie. That's a rather pretty name, too. Mariposa. It has such a lovely sound to it."

"Isn't it?" Angie asked. "When she was born, me and Raphael saw a butterfly flutter outside of the hospital room window. So that's what we decided to name her. Mariposa; it's Spanish for butterfly."

Eclisse's eyes lit up. "You don't say?! My last name, Farfalla, means butterfly!"

"Oh my goodness!" Angie replied giddily. "What are the odds?! Who knows, maybe that's why you and Mariposa get along so well."

Eclisse's face suddenly became a little sad. "I haven't taken care of a baby that adorable in a long time. It feels good to be doing this again."

"You know, I hate to sound like a nosey nellie, but you haven't told us much about yourself." said Angie. "You go by Mrs. Farfalla, are you married?"

"And where are you from, exactly?" Raphael asked as he cooked and prepared dinner. "Your name sounds Italian but your accent sounds British. Do you travel?"

Eclisse began to look a little agitated. She reached up and smoothed out her green hair. Angie found it a little odd she dyed it, but didn't say anything. Eclisse had taken off her hat in respect to house rules, although she didn't take her purple gloves off. "I… I've done a lot of traveling. I guess I get it from my father. He was a captain, you see. He traveled all over. My mother, though. She was a general. She dedicated her whole life to warfare and combat. I never knew my father, but me and mother… we didn't always see eye to eye on everything. I eventually ran away from home. Truth be told, I'm not entirely sure there's anywhere I can truly call home anymore."

Angie's gaze softened. Raphael listened intently as he cooked.

"I was… I am married. I remarried, you see. Me and my first husband… well… I despised that man. The only good thing to come out of that marriage was my first born daughter."

Eclisse took a deep breath. "But me and my second husband, we… we lost our daughter, years ago."

Angie let out a small gasp. Raphael almost dropped the food he was preparing on the floor. "Dios mio." said Angie.

"I don't know exactly what happened to her. But after the authorities took my husband away, they took our baby away. My first born was left in the care of my… my bastard ex-husband." Eclisse closed her eyes. "You can understand how much taking care of Mariposa means to me."

Angie was in tears. Raphael was having trouble focusing on his cooking. Angie reached across the table and placed her hands over Eclisse's hand. "I'm so sorry you lost your family." Angie smiled supportively. "It may not mean much, but… consider yourself part of our family, Eclisse."

Eclisse blinked in surprise. She then returned the smile. "That means quite a lot to me, actually. Thank you." Eclisse felt on the verge of crying.

"On that note, food's ready!" Raphael placed a plate in front of Angie and Eclisse, then placed a glass of red and orange drink by the plate. "Welcome to the family, Eclisse!"

Eclisse looked down at her plate curiously. She gave the dish a sniff. "Mmmmmmmm! What is this? It smells heavenly!"

"Tlayudas!" Raphael stated proudly. "Otherwise known as Mexican pizza. Served with a glass of tequila sunset!"

Eclisse took a drink out her cup and her face lit up. "Delicious!" She then tried a bite of her mexican pizza and her eyes began to sparkle. "Even more so!" she said before swallowing her bite.

Raphael sat down at the table with a plate and glass of his own. "I'm glad you like it! Our son, Marco, is a pretty good cook too! I taught him myself."

"Whoever Marco ends up marrying is going to love that." Eclisse remarked.

"Tell me about it." Angie leaned over the table over and kissed her husband on the cheek.

Eclisse took another bite and hummed in satisfaction. "Where did you learn to cook, Raphael?"

"I took a few cooking classes back in the day. Also, when I was a boy, I used to watch reruns of The Lazlo Marmalade Show."

Eclisse tilted her head. "What's that?"

"It's this old television show starring world famous chef Lazlo Marmalade." Raphael explained. "In my dad's day, this guy traveled the globe cooking all kinds of recipes. The show aired for a while, but then… I'm not sure what happened. I think he and his wife got divorced and he went into a serious depression. Marmalade quit the show and retired, never cooked again after that."

"Oh, dear." said Eclisse. "Well… at least his legacy lives on in your great cooking."

Raphael chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." He raised his glass for a toast. "Here's to family!"

Angie and Eclisse raised their glasses as well.

"To family!" Angie cheered.

Eclisse smiled. "To family."

As Rasticore walked down the temple halls, he continued to debate whether or not taking this job was a good idea. On one hand, he felt beyond honored to be serving the long last daughter of King Globgor and Queen Eclipsa. Rasticore felt like he had rediscovered the Monster's last hope for salvation.

But on the other hand, Heinous, or Meteora rather, was truly testing Rasticore's resolve. He was an assassin, a hitman, muscle for hire, and he had jumped headfirst into what might be the next stage in Mewni's history. But despite the gravity of the situation, Meteora was heeding none of Rasticore's advice and seemed uninterested in proceeding forward. She had been mostly unresponsive ever since she discovered who she truly was. She ordered Gemini to 'spruce up the place' and Rasticore to keep watch and guard the temple. Meteora herself mostly spent her time kneeling in front of King Globgor's tomb, preferring to be left alone.

Rasticore happened to come upon Gemini during his patrol. The ugly, little troll-bot was feather dusting away as many cobwebs and dust bunnies as he could find, and there was an army of both in the old Monster Temple. Gemini looked exhausted. To Rasticore's knowledge, the android had been going non-stop cleaning and fixing up the temple since he received his order.

Rasticore walked up and leaned back against the wall. He crossed his arms and looked down at the floor, which Gemini had swept and mopped.

"Hey." he greeted. The Septarian had elected on being nice to Gemini, since he was the only person Rasticore had to converse with other than their currently reclusive employer.

"Oh, hello, Rasticore." said Gemini. "How goes the patrol?"

"Truth? I think I'd rather have your job." Rasticore admitted. "At least you're getting some action. No one's coming to this old, abandoned temple. What am I supposed to fend off; ghosts and goblins?"

"To be fair, I imagine the temple has quite a few ghosts." Gemini replied.

"Yeah, and goblins are a bunch of pricks too, I guess."

"And besides, this task is not as fulfilling as you may think." Gemini swept up another cobweb and squished the spider that had made it. "Being the only maintenance in an entire temple is quite tiring. A few staff members would be nice."

"Exactly!" Rasticore threw an arm up in exasperation. "We need to start mobilizing! I can get every Septarian out there to mass behind us with proof of Meteora's existence. And that's just the Septarians! If we can spread the word to the entire Monster community, we'll have an army big enough to topple all of Mewni for good!"

"That sounds logical," Gemini agreed. "but Miss Hein-I mean, Lady Meteora does not seem to want to do any mobilizing right now."

"I know! One of us needs to talk to her about moving forward."

"Well, don't look at me. I enjoy being functional."

Rasticore moved his back off the wall and grunted. "Fine. One of us should do it, might as well be me."

"Good luck." said Gemini.

Rasticore made his way to the room where King Globgor remained frozen. It wasn't until he stood in the room's entrance that he began having second thoughts. Learning the truth had certainly changed Meteora. She became like a scary Jack-in-the-box. You never knew if or when it would happen, but you knew you wouldn't like it when it happened. Meteora, as usual, was kneeling before the imposing form of her father. She spoke to Globgor as if he could hear her, but she spoke so softly, it was hard to tell what she was saying half the time.

Rasticore walked up to Meteora, who made no indication she was even aware of his presence.

Rasticore cleared his throat to get Meteora's attention.

"I promise, father, I will avenge you and mother. The halls of Butterfly Castle will run red with-"

"Princess Meteora?"

Meteora's reptilian eyes focused on Rasticore, like a python about to strangle and devour her prey.

Rasticore took a nervous step back. "W-We need to discuss what we're going to do next."

Meteora just blinked.

"Now that you know the truth, we need to spread the truth to the rest of the Monster's." Rasticore continued. "Once they know who you are, you'll have every Monster in Mewni at your command. I think we should start immediately. We're not accomplishing anything in this old temple."

"Not accomplishing anything?"

Meteora rose to her feet, then to Rasticore's horror, she began to grow until she was twice as tall as the terrified Septarian. As she grew, Meteora's skin began to turn purple and her fangs became a little longer.

"It was in this place, I lost everything. And it is in this place, that I continue to learn more about myself." Meteora clenched her fists. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

Rasticore frantically shook his head. "N-N-No, your highness."

"Good boy." Meteora shrunk back down to her regular size and her skin and teeth returned to their previous state. Although, with her glowing cheek marks, venomous snake eyes, and evil smirk, she didn't seem any less scary. "Now, back to work with you. I'll give you a holler when I have another assignment for you. But until then, do not bother me again."

Rasticore ran off to continue his patrol. Meteora watched in satisfaction as he left. "So this is what real power feels like, hmm?" She looked up at her imprisoned father.

"I love it."

That's it for this chapter! Remember to favorite and follow, and stay tuned for the next chapter!