Hello everyone. Since I had so much writing the last chapter, I road on that thrill to help me write on this one. Honestly, this story is quickly becoming more and more enjoyable for me to tell. Now this one's shorter than the last one, and doesn't have much Star and Steven interaction, though that's because this is one of the few chapters where they're separated from each other. This chapter's really meant to establish more of Quartz's relationship with Moon, because that's like the second most important relationship he has in his life at the moment, as well as explain more of Rose's role in Mewni. Don't worry, the next chapter will have the two kids reunite, after being apart for about two months.
I own nothing.
The next few days were a little hard for both of the royal siblings. The day after the incident. Quartz and Star saw each other off as the guards placed her stuff in the carriage. It was at that moment that the two kids realized that this was really going to happen. Star would be going off world, living in a place with no magic but her own, while her brother would be at home, alone. They would be literally be worlds apart from each other, for who knows how long.
"Hey, its, its not like this is going to be forever." Star comforted as they both tried really hard to hold back any sadness. "Besides, i'm only going to be a hop, skip, and a dimensional scissor away." She said as she hugged her brother one last time.
"Yeah I guess." Quartz said idly. "But who's going to be with you when you do something crazy reckless? Who'll throw bubbles and shield's at monsters whenever your not watching your back?"
"Ah, relax Quartz. Mom and Dad said there was no magic on earth. Besides, I got this." She said as she showed of her wand a little smugly. "I'll be covered for any danger that comes my way. I'm going to be more worried about you though. What if monsters try to attack you when your guard's down? How will my little universe handle it all?" She playfully said as she ruffled up his hair a little.
"I don't think you have to worry about that. Now that your going to be away, Mom plans on keeping me in the castle more to help me with my magic." He chuckles as he goes on. "I think she's just keeping me close so I'm not ambushed by some dangerous action every other day, so maybe its a good thing your going." He smirks as he nudges his sister's arm a little, who likewise does the same.
"Oh, like you would be anywhere without me around." She says as she looks at their parents, who had just entered the carriage. "I think that's my cue. Try not to be boring while I'm gone, I might not allow you near me if you are." She jokes one last time as she hops in the carriage. She stares out at the horizon, where the castle's images slowly begins to shrink, though not by much as one of the squires takes out a pair of scissors, and sticks it in the air, where it tears a whole in the space. He widens it just enough as the dragon like creature pulling the carriage enter, bringing along everything behind it. Before disappearing into the whole in time and space, Star looks out one last time, waving goodbye to her home sadly. "Goodbye Mewni." She looks aways as she faces forward. "Goodbye Quartz." Though little did they know, hiding from afar off, was a giant, frog like man creature staring out at the sight, noticing where the Princess was being taken. He chuckle evilly as he sank into the bushes to conceal himself.
Star adventures would not end. In fact, they were only beginning. She would be in awe at the new world around her, the school she would attend, meeting her newest roommate and friend, and of course, constantly kicking the butt of Ludo, who was still after the wand.
Quartz meanwhile was having trouble adjusting to the now sudden quietness of the castle. After living with Star constant excited attitude and charm for 9 years of his life, it was like he was living in an entirely different kingdom. He expected at any moment now, Star would pop out of nowhere and drag him off to another one of her crazy shenanigans. He sighed at the practically alien palace now as he wandered off into his room. He decided the best thing to do for now was to fill the void with the second best thing: music. He picked up the Ukulele he had gotten for his birthday, and began to play a few strings.
Music was something he really gotten into when he was younger. During one of the family reunions, or at least, the earliest one that he could remember, the entire family was at each others throats. From the countless verbal bashings of the Queen's side of the family, to the numerous near fatal head injuries given out by the King's, the chaos at that gathering knew no bounds. River was too far for it as he joined in on the never ending fight of the two royal families, while Moon made sure to stray away from the carnage, while making sure her children her children learned something from all of this. "Now Quartz, Star." She said as she looked down at the two children. Her son, only three and a half at the time and barely able to talk, looked at her with all the concentration he had, while Star slowly looked up with a lazy gaze, looking more to the side rather then her mother. "What can we learn from all of this?"
"That fighting is awesome and we should totally do it more around the castle!" Star eagerly answered, hoping her mother would take the hint.
"Fight baaadd. Stay here, good." Quartz said in a barely audible voice, though it was clear enough to make the mother smile.
"Honestly Star, Quartz doesn't take half the lessons you do, and yet he somehow always comes up with the better answer. You could learn a thing or to from him." The Mewni Queen teased, only to duck suddenly as something almost hits her in the back of the head. "Excuse me for a moment. I must proceed to, straighten something out." She said sternly as she stomped her way, with her wand at hand, and ready to fire.
Star just crossed her arms, angry that she was being put on the side again, and that her brother somehow upstaged her, again. "Teacher's pet." She pouted as they both watched the chaos unravel. Star takes a look at what almost knocked out her mother. It was one of the little guitars that some of the squires carried. One of them just happened to be dumb enough to interrupt one of the fights between the to families, and now that gut was quite literally being thrown around like a ragdoll as his entire body was used as a war hammer. As Star watched the rather uncanny display of violence with awe, Quartz set his sights on the instrument ahead of him. It was about three inches taller than him, including the hair on Steven's head, and he was barely able to move at all with the amount of force he was able to use. He was able to get it on his lap. So with much curiosity, he strummed a few chords, trying his best to mimic players he had seen during festivals and concerts. And for a first time trying it, it was pretty good. He couldn't play anything solid, but just the melody of his rather scrambled playing was soothing, which was good for all the people suffering from concussions and other head related trauma.
He had been playing music ever since, something that both of his parents, Moon mostly, found endearing, probably because it's a hobby that didn't involve breaking bones or hurdling towards danger. He sighed at the memories as he begins to play a little tune he's bee working on for a little while. Though as he does, what he doesn't notice is that the stars on his cheeks begin to glow a little.
From the dawn of the day, to the end of the night
together we stayed, protected from fright.
Nothing gave me more joy, oh the happiness I feel
for the fun we had was always so real.
The dangers we faced, the trials we passed
together we stood, nothing outclassed.
Everything we did, everything we'll do
will always be fun because I had you.
together at last, we're always in sight
together we stand, we'll always shine bright
oh I love you, will you always see?
together, forever, my sister you'll be.
He played through as the word came to his head, though, once he reached the end of the last verse, he was interrupted by clapping. He looks up in shock as he sees his mother applauding the little performance she had just seen. Quartz blushes in embarrassment as he puts the instrument back down, the white glow on his cheeks beginning to fade. "How long were you listening in?" He said as he approached his mother.
"Pretty much the entire time. You have nothing to be ashamed about. Compared to your sister's hobbies, this is a pretty welcomed thing to walk in on. You have a marvelous voice." Moon added, only to get even more blushing out of the little prince. "You do realize your cheeks were glowing again, right?"
"They were?" Quartz questioned as he touched the stars on his cheeks. "What's up with that? I mean, I get that my belly button glows when I use my shields and stuff." He said as he lifted up his shirt a little, showing off the pick gem stone on his stomach. "But you said that's just because I'm using the power from my gem. Why are my cheeks glowing? Do I have some sort of magic in my face." He asked innocently.
Moon just cracked a smile. He may have more common sense than Star in some cases, but his young naïve 9 year old mind still showed off, saying things that ranged from cute to 'awww, ain't that adorable?'.
"No, no. It is magic related, but it comes from, something else." Moon explained, though she herself was slightly unsure of it herself. Ever since the incident with Star and the magical overload, Quartz has had those markings on his cheeks. Nobody thought anything of it at first, in fact, it just cemented Quartz place in the butterfly family, more so for Star. But as time went on, Moon had started to speculate that there might be a little more to it, for whenever any of the two children used a new magic or discovered some sort of ability, both of their cheeks began to glow. When Quartz turned two, he had been watched over by Star for a moment while she and her husband were overseeing the protection the shield's over Mewni had. Star just so happened to make Quartz laugh, making Star laugh as well. Both of the marks on their cheeks began to glow, the brighter they shined the closer together they were. If that wasn't enough, Quartz started to float in the air, with Star hugging him as close as possible. If the two royal parents had been a minute later, than they would've flown right out the castle windows to who knows where. Then their was from what Star described what happened the other day in the carriage...
"I was, I don't know, I was afraid. I, I thought that he was really gone, crushed by all that rubble." Star explained, having trouble reliving that particular experience. "I, was crying, I was singing, because, that, I wanted him back. I pledge with every thought in my mind, I, I wanted to believe that he was okay. My, my cheeks began to glow then, and, I don't know? I, I felt him. I felt him cry out, I felt him breathing, being alive."
And now there was this little moment. It only confirmed Moon's suspicions. Quartz, for whatever reason, was developing more of a magical connection then he should be. She thought helping him with the one's he already had would be enough, but it was clear now that it was time for her to intervened. Both Mother and son walked out of the room as Moon lead Quartz to who knows where. "You wouldn't have happened to be thinking of Star as you were singing, were you?"
"Of course I was." Quartz said in a tone like it should've been obvious. "She's my sister, she's my inspiration for many things, songs included. Is that bad?"
"Oh, oh of course not!" Moon reassured him. "It's actually amazing how close and connected you are. I believe that your magic might be tied to Star's somehow, which could be a good, or bad depending on the circumstances. With your magic growing and Star's just beginning, I believe for the moment, it might be best for you two to be, apart. Being so close at such a important stage could lead to some, less than desirable results for all." She said, trying to sound as nice and vague as possible, not wanting Quartz to worry about the potential danger they both wielded. Luckily, Steven just so happened to share some of Star's dismissive attitude, so he didn't try to ask or dwell on it.
Moon sighed in relief as she took to a certain part of the castle. It looked bigger than most of the rooms in the castle, and surrounding the walls were armors, though they seemed to be fitted for the female variety. Weapons of every kind were there, swords, axes, even a weird looking plant like cannon thing. What stood out the most was the art that hung high on the walls. There were paintings and paintings of various battle's. Each one of them, bloody and chaotic, some having been torn or turned around just to lessen the gruesome detail. None of them showed the same battle or war fought, though the only thing that they seemed to have in common was the person leading the front. She was a tall and muscular figure, with lightning bolts on her face and a shaven head. She hardly wore anything except for the pieces of metal attached to her body, mostly likely used for more offensive attacks. What most stood out was the weapon she bore, it was a giant, flaming sword, that looked just hot enough to burn through the painting it was in. Quartz stared in awe as Moon explained herself.
"This here, is the battle hall, or what's its come to be know as, Queen Salaria's bedroom. She spent almost every waking moment in here. Sometimes her guards had to drag her out by force just so the commission could get a word in with her. Sadly, those guards never walked again." Moon reminisces from the tales of her ancestor's feats.
"Wasn't she that battle hungry war mongrel princess that fought off that giant monster invasion." He said as stars begin to shape in his eyes. Hearing about some of the more adventurous Butterfly's was always a treat for him. It was his second best thing he loved to listen to, except for one other thing.
"Yes, she trained in this very room, but she didn't due it all alone." Moon said purposely vague, causing Quartz to lean in to listen more. She walked up to a curtain that seemed to conceal something. Moon wrap her right hand around one of the ropes that hung from it. "Exactly how much do you know about the Rose Guard, my son?"
Quartz's eyes lit up at the very mention of that name. The Rose Guard was one of Mewni's greatest heroes and diffinetly its most iconic, aside from the Butterfly's themselves. She was a legend, a fearsome fighter with the power to trample titans, with the heart, compassion, and love of a little child. Swift and determined she was with her wisdom and sword. She allied herself with Mewni's kingdom for thousand's of year's, having been friend's with the very first Butterfly. Legend even had it that she was the one who gave them the crystal that powers the family wand. She also happened to be Quartz's personal hero.
"She, she like the greatest warrior in all of the dimension's! It's said that she once prevented a plague of death by crying out for the kingdom that she grew to love dearly. She lead all the attacks of the crystal dimensions, her gemstone being able to deflect any oncoming attack. Her sword, said to be so powerful, that it could cut through anything, even pure light itself!" Quartz huffed and puffed as he jumped around like a dancing jack rabbit. Moon smiled at the irony, half tempted to tell him the truth right then and there.
"Yes, she was a valiant warrior, and a close family friend." Moon smiled as she pulled the rope, undoing the curtain. It reveal to be smaller paintings, each one of them having a different princess of Mewni on them, Quartz swore he even saw a picture of Moon when she was fourteen. What really stuck out for him though, was the tall pink lady that was in each of them. She was completely pink with even pinker curly hair. She carried a pink, straight bladed saber, and in every picture, she seemed to be working with the princesses in some way. "The Rose Guard was more than just a friend, she was a role model to all the princesses. She taught us many things, how to understand our abilities, and she was just a big bringer of hope." She smiled fondly as she turns to the eager little boy. She kneels down as she faces him eye to eye. "When I look at you Quartz, I'm amazed. You have courage, you have bravery, wisdom, energy and enthusiasm. Your bold and righteous, just as a true knight should be. You may not be related by blood, but you have shown yourself to be a Nutterfly, just like me, your sister, and everyone one that has ever taken up the name." She said proudly as small tears start to fall from her eyes. Quartz smiles as he wonders exactly where his mother was going with this.
"The Rose Guard taught me many things, and I believe that now with your powers growing, it's time to teach you what she had taught me." She said with a fond expression, causing Steven to smile even wider.
"You mean I get to be just like the Rose Guard!"
"No, little Quartz, you'll get to be you, the best version of you that you can be."
The next few weeks for Star went by without a thought. After a bumpy first day that involved arguing with her new house mate and then bonding over monster fighting, Star grew to love it on earth. Everything was new, everything was unknown and thrilling, especially when her magic started to go awry. Everything she did was great, from meeting new friends, to turning her math teacher into a troll, to playing and winning her first game of football, to almost killing another exchange student, giving her friend a sentient bowel eating octopus arm, and so on. Her life was just an never ending roller-coaster of fun and magic.
Still though, even with all the fun she was no doubt having, Star, in the back of her mind, could not forget about the little boy she had known as her little brother, who seemed to have a lot on his plate know. When she asked Pony Head on how he was doing, she said that she hadn't seen him, which meant that her mom must've been serious about keeping him close with the lessons after all. She didn't call, mostly because that meant calling her mom, and that meant telling her about her progress with Magic, which meant telling about the craziness she already went through in the short amount of time she was away. Though another part was, she was scared to. All her life, Quartz looked up at her, he was inspired by her. She didn't know what he would think of her "progress", would they have fun with it like they used to, or had he changed? Would his standard's gone up since the last she saw of him? Would he think she was too fun? Not fun enough? Or worse, would he be a clone of their mother and disapprove of it all together?
Fears aside, Star enjoyed the last two months outside of her home dimension. Of course, she couldn't stay away for long as the Diaz anniversary came up, and Star, wanting to give something to the people who made her feel at home, brought them to Mewni for a quick tour that quickly went south. After narrow dodges and fighting a giant hydra, Star was able to get out of that mess unscathed, and ungrounded as she was able to bond closer to her own father. She was contempt with how today turned out, until her father set something out of the blue that completely caught her off guard.
"Oh and Star." The Mewni King said as he came back. "I almost forgot to tell you. I would've called, but, business you know. Your brother has just completed the first half of his magical training, and he wanted to visit you as soon as possible. You wouldn't mind if he came over, i'd say, around lunch time, do you?" He asked, not noticing the shock on Star's face as she opened her mouth.
"I, ah, nu, you see, I got this.." She excused, though it was soon made clear that "no" wasn't even considered for an answer as King River walked away.
"Good, good. He'll be there around one. Have a good dear." The short statured king said as he dismissed his daughter and the entire conversation like it never happened. Star was left in shock as Marco approached her, also not noticing the shock on Star's face.
"Whoa, you never told me you had a brother. Come to think of it, I don't really know much about your family, and we've known each other for.." Marco attempted to joke, though once he saw that Star wasn't moving. In fact, all she was saying was "Bu, bu, bu.." Over and over again. Seeing as Star was not going to move anytime soon, and how his parents trying to walk around without their clothes on, Marco decided it was best just to go home. And with one swipe of Star's dimensional scissors, the Diaz's and their house guest were all home in one piece. While the parents decided to head into the bedroom, their clothes still off mind you, Marco continued to stare at Star, waving his hand infront of her as she continued to stammer. "Well, tell me when you've regained your mind. I'm going to make.." He tried to say, only for Star to snap out of it and shake Marco wildly.
"Marco, this isn't the time to concern yourself with your basic needs! We got work to do! Why are you standing around?! Get moving!" She screamed as she pushed Marco to the ground. She waved her wand everywhere, shouting out various spells to do the one thing she never does: clean.
"Tornado dust remover!" She shouts as a little tornado forms in the middle of the room, sweeping up all the dust, trash, and the occasional laser puppy in its slightly tight grass.
Marco tries to pay no heed to what Star had just did and focus more on why she was doing this. He grabs her by the shoulders and tries to calm her down. "Star, you only clean up when your in trouble or have something to hide. What's the deal here? Is your brother like the strict military type or.."
"Nononononono!" Star shouted almost accursedly on pure instinct. She finally takes a deep breath and begins to talk more clearly. "My brother is the sweetest little thing in the world! He's fun, lovable, adorable, magical, willing to endure danger. He's like a little version of me! Only younger. And a boy." She said as her voice finally gets a little more quiet. "He's been apart of my family for nine years, and those have been the best times of my life. His smile, his cheer, his amazing singing ablility. I honestly can't imagine a life without him in it. In fact, he's the main reason why I didn't go to Saint Olga's." She starts to put her head down as she heads for the couch. "He's an important part of my life, and I don't want to lose that. If he comes home, than he'll know I'm not better at this thing then a month before!" She then proceeds to panic once more. "If he comes here and finds out he's better at magic than me, then he wont think i'm awesome and we wont be buddies anymore! He'll report every screw up to mom, and she'll lose faith in me and send me to Saint Olga's, where under all the strictness and discipline my heart will harden as I begin to plot my plan for revenge!" She growled like a wild animal as Marco made sure to back away to a safe distance.
"Look Star, your probably making a bigger deal out of this than you should, but, I'll help you in any way I can." Marco said sincerely, making Star perk up with enthusiasm like nothing had happened. She shoved a large and long white paper in his hands as she skipped off to her room.
"Good, because your going to do all the cooking. Buy and make everything on that list, its all of his favorites. "Oh, and buy Lion Lickers also. He hates those things, but his per Lion is cray-cray for them. Now if you excuse me, I need to sort things out in my secrets closet." She tells off before running off the stairs.
"Fine." Marco said reluctantly as he went over the list. "Once again, its all up to Marco to.. WAIT, DID YOU SAY PET LION!?"
Worked on this piece all night, totally worth it.
Next time, Quartz makes his first appearance on earth, and Star tries her best to keep him impressed.