In the Pale Starlight

by lordcornwalis

Following his breakup with Jackie, Marco moves to Mewni full time. Given a second chance to be with Star, will he finally find the courage to recognize and act on his feelings? Meanwhile, a sinister plot to upend the Butterfly Dynasty is brewing as new enemies rise. Can Star discover the threat in time to save her family?

19. The Sun King

A/N: Hey everybody! Good news, I'm not dead! Even better news, I've updated the story! It's been a while I know, but never fear my motivation has not waned, merely my free time. In any event, I'm super pumped to be bringing you the next chapter of my story. This one'll pick up right after the last one left off and take it from there.

This chapter was a bit of a departure from the main plot, but I figured after such a heavy and somber last chapter, a bit of levity was in the offing. As ever, I hope you all thoroughly enjoy my newest chapter, and if you liked it, feel free to leave a review!

Music Credit:

Styles, Harry. "Adore You." Fine Line. Erskine, Columbia, 2019, track 3.

In the Pale Starlight

Chapter 16 Part One

The Sun King

---

Higgs couldn't even feel the rain on her face as she stood on the battlement, stock still as the sky seemed to split open in mourning. The hard rain of mere moments before had intensified to a torrential downpour as she remained, eyes fixed on the spot where Fulke had disappeared into the raging storm. For a moment, just a fleeting moment; her eyes flicked to the end of her longsword, where the last traces of his blood was washing away in a runnel of pinkish rainwater to spatter on the rough stone at her feet. She wanted to look away. She wanted to quell the burning that was causing the corners of her eyes to crease up as she fought to keep her composure. But most of all, she just wanted to silence the oppressive pounding of her guilt-stricken heart.

"And so is the fate of all traitors to Mewni."

The Duke's voice shattered her self-imposed prison, and Higgs started as his words dragged her mind back to her surroundings. Looking up, she couldn't help but shiver at the hungry, predatory leer that was twisting his face into something entirely alien. Was my face as ghastly when I ran a sword through the closest thing I've ever had to a friend? The question, unprompted in her mind, made another chill run down her spine. She watched in silence for several more seconds as below her, the hazy orange glows of lanterns converged on the blacksmith's hut.

"Higgs?"

"Apologies, Your Grace, I'm fine," she answered quickly. She didn't miss the underlying threat in his question. Appleton abhorred weakness; not only in himself but also in his servants. If she stumbled now and showed how badly she'd been affected, she might find herself following Fulke off the wall. Get a grip on yourself Higgs, you'll have time to mourn later…

"Come, follow me."

Without so much as waiting for a response, Appleton turned on his heel and strode quickly down the rain-lashed battlement. And so, stuffing her guilt and grief down inside, Higgs jogged to keep up with his long steps and found herself panting with exhaustion by the time they came to a stop in front of the banded iron door of his study. She waited patiently as he shrugged out of his rainsoaked doublet and changed into the fresh one offered by a waiting servant before being ushered into the opulent room by a dour-faced guard.

"My Lor-" but her words died on her lips when she spotted the trio of figures waiting for them inside. She didn't recognize the first two, though she had to admit it would be difficult to tell who it was under the cloak hoods pulled low over faces. But she was pretty sure she didn't know anyone on Mewni that had arms covered in coarse black hair that also reached most of the way to their knees. The other might have passed for mewman at a casual glance, but from what she could see of their hands and lower arms, the fingers seemed… off to her. Far too slender and long, they reminded her of fleshy versions of crab legs. The final member of the trio she did recognize. It was none other than the Duke's uncle, Cecil. "Apologies, I did not realize I had been dismissed. I'll take my leave You're Gra-"

"I did not dismiss you, nor do I wish you to leave us," interrupted Appleton, his voice an icy razor. "Remember Lady Higgs, patience is a virtue…"

She watched him turn away and mutter a quiet greeting to his uncle, pulling the older man in for a sharp back-slapping hug before releasing him and turning to the two unfamiliars. Definitely appraising those two… she thought with a smirk, knowing that specific steely blue gaze from painful experience. But the two men didn't flinch under his penetrating stare and, finally, the Duke made a half-snorting grunt of approval before turning back to his uncle. "Well, they certainly look capable."

"The Guild assured me they are more than up to the job," said Cecil, a note of defensiveness edging his voice that Higgs didn't miss.

"Yes, and did The Guild not also make those same assurances in our dealings with Rolfe? My point, Uncle" added Appleton, holding up a hand for silence, "is that I do not care for boasts or empty promises. I only care about results. The operation to kill the mongrel boy was a complete fiasco that left more than a few loose ends. Rolfe must be eliminated before the queen gets the information from him one way or another. It's why I've brought Lady Higgs here tonight."

The stockier of the two figures shifted ever so slightly at those words, a move that immediately snapped the Duke's predatory gaze back on them. Lowering his hood, the figure revealed himself to be very simian in appearance, with a heavy brow protruding over a brutally scarred face. A polished black eye patch of some type of smokey stone was fitted over the ruin of where an eye would normally reside and Higgs had to struggle not to shudder in disgust. It looked like he'd lost a fight with a razor cat and someone had done a bad job patching his face back together.

"Begging your pardon, Your Grace," the scarred assassin began, and Higgs could tell she wasn't the only one surprised to hear the rather posh, upper-crust accent he spoke with, "but we don't work with partners."

"Yeah," added the second figure, also lowering his hood and pulling the collar of his cloak and shirt aside to reveal a deep, puckered scar that must have been a foot long before it disappeared deeper into his cloak. He too was of similar simian appearance to Higgs, though he was taller, pale-skinned, and hairless. "Let's just say, it was a painful experience and leave it at that."

"Well, would you look at that Uncle, civilized assassins," chuckled Appleton, though it was a laugh edged with broken glass. "You two will work with whomever I deem you to. Cecil here is on very good terms with your guild master, Silva. I'm quite sure the two of you are aware of how… perturbed he is about Rolfe's recent failure. After all, reputation is everything in your line of work." A genuine smile spread across the Duke's face now as he saw the two men looking much less defiant. "Am I being clear enough for you? Narus? Drummond?"

For a fleeting moment, it looked to Higgs like the thickset, hairy one very much wanted to continue the argument until his taller companion rather un-subtly elbowed him in the ribs. That seemed to cow any remaining resistance, and the two simply gave short bows while murmuring a wholly insincere sounding "Yes, My Lord."

"Good," said Appleton, beckoning Higgs with a lazy wave.

Doing her best to appear as unconcerned as possible over the two professional killers now eying her disdainfully, Higgs joined them as they waited for the Duke to seat himself. "Now that the wrinkles have been ironed out… I will bring the three of you up to speed. Three days hence, Butterfly Village will celebrate the end of the corn harvesting season with the usual frivolity and debauchery the peasants are so fond of. But it also presents an opportunity. The Royal Family will be distracted with their duties, and most of the Kingdom's knights will be providing security for them and the village."

"A little divide and conquer?" asked Narus, a knowing sneer back on his face, "we do our best work when the local constabulary is busy."

A flicker of annoyance crossed Appleton's face at the interruption, but he pressed on. "Higgs, you shall accompany these twoback to Butterfly Village and slip into the castle under the cover of the festival. Our Mutual friend will secure your entrance to the grounds, but after that, it will be your job to guide them to the dungeon."

"Yes, Your Grace," said Higgs, bowing her head in acknowledgment. Distasteful as she found both assassins, she knew this was yet another in a long line of tests. A fact that was promptly confirmed only a moment later when the Duke dismissed everyone in his study but her.

A long silence stretched out between them as he peered over steepled fingers at her. Icy blue and unreadable, his gaze nevertheless raised the hair on the back of her neck. In her dealings with the duke, she'd come to realize the man was extremely adept at hiding his emotions when he wanted to. It was a talent she'd only seen demonstrated so well by one other person: Queen Moon.

"I must admit that you have pleased me greatly today, Higgs. Your performance on the wall earlier proved I was right to invest my attention in you," said Appleton, finally breaking the tension as his face softened. It was such an uncharacteristic look for the man, that Higgs was temporarily struck dumb. "It wasn't easy, what you did tonight, was it?"

"N-N-No, Your Grace," she stammered, feeling her stomach flip uncomfortably.

"Life seldom allows us to choose the easy way. However," Appleton paused to give her another searching look, "know that I appreciate your willingness to shed blood in furtherance of our goals. Soon enough, you will have your revenge on Marco, and I will take the reigns of this once proud kingdom. I do have one… additional task for you, though."

"Whatever you need."

"That's the spirit, Higgs. Useful people are valuable people, never forget this. Now, it just so happens that Guildmaster Silva asked my uncle for a small favor. And as I, ever a dutiful nephew wish to see his enterprises on Galafamor flourish, I entrust you with the task of fulfilling said request. You will ensure that our two assassin friends fulfill their mission. After which, you will ensure they do not survive to escape from Butterfly Castle. Kill them yourself or alert the castle guard to have them ambushed, just use whichever means is most expedient at the time."

"I'll get it done."

"See that you do."

Minutes later, Higgs had to lean against the cool stone wall of the castle for support as she headed back to the barracks. She felt like she could barely stand as uncertainty and doubt coursed through her body in great, stomach-churning waves. Her mind raced as she rethought every decision of the past few weeks. She'd thrown in her lot with Appleton, something she'd never been so certain was her only path forward only a few scant hours before. But now… whispered a voice in her mind, now she was worried that claiming the revenge she craved was threatening to turn her into the very same monster that she'd seen in Sir Stabby, Babyman, and Old Guy.

"Little too late to change anything now, dumbass. Not after you just killed your best friend…" she muttered to herself, before pushing off the wall and hurrying back to her bunk for a hopefully dreamless sleep.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O

Moon didn't know if it was the thunder that woke her up that night or the recurring nightmare that she seemed to be suffering from at least twice a week. Every time it was the same, always with her wandering a lonely and dilapidated Castle Butterfly, her bare feet aching from the frozen marble floor as she desperately searched for any sign of her family or even another mewman. She would search and search, tearing her feet into bloody tatters as the panic in her chest crescendoed to a furious drum beat. This would go on for seeming hours as she wandered empty and half-shattered halls until finally, she pushed aside the ruin of the ornate doors to the throne room to see a familiar figure sitting on the raised dais at the far end.

"Hello, Moon."

His voice…

Always his voice… And no matter how hard she fought it, icy knives would pierce her chest as the images of that day filled her mind: The fragment of wand crystal, burnt black and crumbling into tiny pieces. The futility of her attempting to force him to give her daughter back. And mostly, and of this she was certain would remain with her for the rest of her days, she remembered the self-satisfied smile on his lizard face as he turned to walk away and leave her world as shattered as the wand had been.

Shivering at the memory of her dream, Moon donned her housecoat before gently slipping out of bed and heading for the door. Pulling it open as quietly as she could, she spared a quick glance at River, smiling when she spotted him sprawled spread eagle on his back and snoring fit to wake half the castle. Thank Mewni for magic earmuffs, she thought with a chuckle before slipping out into the hallway of the castle.

Moon was no stranger to sleepless nights. Over two decades on the throne through everything from monster rebellions to treasonous nobles had regularly robbed her of a sound night's sleep. So it was that once again, she found herself padding through the nearly deserted castle corridors on the way to the royal kitchens for a warm mug of pig-goat milk with a healthy splash of corn whisky. Perhaps even two splashes, she thought with an indulgent smile.

"Mom?"

"Star?!" Her daughter's voice broke her out of her reverie, and she realized she had been lost in her thoughts for the entire walk to the kitchens. Now she was staring at her daughter, who had an armful of snacks as well as what appeared to be a wine bottle under her arm. She and River tended to let Star indulge at dinner and formal royal events, but she generally didn't approve of her daughter helping herself to the wine cellar.

Star, for her part, seemed to see where her mother's gaze was currently focused and shifted her stance as nonchalantly as she could to hide the offending item from view. "Horror movie marathon with Marco tonight," she beamed, flashing her mother as innocent a smile as she could muster given the circumstances.

"Mmm, and at 2 am wearing his hoodie, no less… With a bottle of Uncle Heartrude's wine. You know, I'm actually quite fond of his vineyard's spring variety myself."

"No way! That's Marco's favorite too!" blurted out Star before she could stop herself. Her mom had a disapproving eyebrow raised, and her all-too-familiar frown made the dread in her gut spike alarmingly. But to her utter astonishment, not five seconds later, Moon simply shook her head and crossed over to where a steaming pan of pig-goat milk was waiting on an ornate stove.

"Just make sure you ask, next time, dear. I know you'll be seventeen in a couple of months, but you are not yet an adult."

"Um, yeah. I mean sure, Mom." Star watched in wide-eyed fascination as Moon casually reached up and pressed what looked like an ordinary stone. It sunk in several inches before sliding to the side and allowing her to snatch an ornate bottle from inside the hidden compartment. In a fluid movement she was sure must have involved some form of unseen magic, her mother opened the bottle and tipped it down in a smooth one-handed motion to pour serval loud *glugs* of clear liquid into a mug of milk. "Corn whiskey?" she wrinkled her nose as the scent slammed into her nostrils. Moon merely shrugged before taking a long sip and wincing as the fiery liquid burned its way down. "It is one of the only things that get me back to sleep. Though I must admit," she said, frowning at the steaming cup in her hand, "the taste is rather…unpleasant."

"Wow Mom, that was…almost cool."

Another arch of the eyebrow, though this one much less disappointed-looking than the previous one. "I'll have you know your old mother used to be quite 'cool' back in her day."

Initially, Star didn't have an answer for those words. It was difficult to think of her mother as anything other than the strict, often overbearing figure that was an odd duality of caring parent and cold sovereign. But maybe when she was Star's age, she was a lot more fun. Thinking she might deeply regret what she was about to ask, she mustered up her resolve and spoke, "Hey, Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"When you were my age, did you and Dad get along like Marco and me?" The question was out of Star's mouth before she'd even gotten a chance to second think if asking was a good idea. Thankfully her mother neither laughed, nor looked offended. Instead, she simply looked pensive as she took another sip of the steaming mug.

"Your father and Marco's temperament are…" Moon began.

"Very different?" suggested Star, an answer that made her mother actually laugh.

"Indeed. And while I love your father, I must admit he does try my patience some days. He is prone to fits of impetuousness, frequently regards his duties as king with less solemnity than he should, and is even messier than you are."

"Soooo that's a no then?"

"I wouldn't say that." Moon paused again, this time draining the cup and grimacing from the burn. "What I was going to say is that your father and Marco also share a great many qualities in common. They are both brave, kind, generous, and loyal. But most importantly, they treat each of us as a partner. I never got the feeling that River was interested in me because I was a princess and then a queen. I always felt that he loved me for who I am, and not what I am."

Star beamed at her mother's words, thinking about the hundreds of times Marco had demonstrated exactly those same qualities over the last year and a half. "So you two were best friends before you started dating too?" She couldn't mask the excitement in her voice, despite not wanting to appear overeager.

"If you are asking if River and I were as close as you and Marco before we started dating, I'm sorry to disappoint, but no. Believe it or not, your father was actually quite shy when he was your age. He really only grew into himself after we started courting each oth-What's so funny?" asked Moon when she saw her daughter's grin morph into a mischievous smile.

"M-Marco's nickname on Earth when I got there was 'Safe Kid,'" Star finally managed to choke out between fits of laughter. "My first day on there, he steered me away from slipping on a loose tile and getting my head bumped by a locker door."

Moon smiled at her daughter before striding over and leaning down to plant a kiss on her forehead. "And now he's charged off to Mewni to share his world with you. I could not hope to pick a better match for you than the one you have already made, dear. I will take special pleasure when we elevate Marco to the court this Queensday."

Blushing furiously, Star took a moment to think about the boy she loved. She was sure he was upstairs, currently curled up under their "Friendship Thursday" blanket and waiting for her to get back with the snacks and wine before they both shared a blood-curdlingly good time watching Christmas Slayride. I could go anywhere in the multiverse right now, and the only place I wanna be is snuggled up with him… She almost cooed aloud at the thought, catching herself at the last moment and making to excuse herself before she embarrassed herself any further.

But before she could utter a word, a distant shout made both of them turn towards the door to the hall. "Queen Moon!" another voice called out, much closer now before the door to the kitchens burst inward and a panting Lady Whosits stuck her head through the opening. "My Queen," she managed to gasp out, bowing low before straightening and throwing an uncertain look at Star.

"You may speak," reassured Moon.

"There's been an incident. Several monster villages were reportedly attacked early this evening and there was a monster reprisal on a mewman village that was nearby. Spymaster Fleming sent me to find you after he visited your chambers and found only the King. Both of them await you in your office."

"Thank you, Lady Whosits, you are dismissed," said Moon, nodding as the knight bowed low again before quickly exiting the kitchen. Moving to leave, she stopped to give her daughter a quick hug. "I need to take care of this, have fun with your movie night, dear. Don't stay up too late as we have the harvest festival to attend tomorrow."

"Wha-Wait! Can't Marco and I do anything to help? Maybe Buff-"

"Star, this is serious." Moon was staring down at her daughter's confused and hurt face. "Mewmans may have been killed, and if the monsters retaliated, I am certain they lost people as well."

"I know, Mom! Marco and I were there the day it happened. Why won't you let us help with this? Buff Frog could definitely help with the monster end of thi-"

"ENOUGH!" Moon was at the end of her patience. "I may take you up on your suggestion of having Buff Frog assist in whatever response your father and I deem appropriate. But you and Marco will not interfere. That includes causing any trouble at Marco's ceremony. The kingdom can ill afford another Song Day, and you making public accusations will not help the matter. Do you understand me?"

Star wanted to shout at her mother. Every instinct in her body was screaming at her to tell her mom that they've all known exactly who was behind the unrest, the assassination attempt on Marco, and Higgs's disappearance. But instead, she simply bit her cheek and grimaced. "I understand," she hissed through her teeth. There was no point telling her mom what she planned to do, as it would only cause problems for her and Marco. Much better to catch Appleton in the act and ask for forgiveness later. Besides… she thought with an inner smirk as her mother bid her goodnight and strode out of the room, what Mom doesn't know, won't hurt her.

Ignoring her daughter's muttered complaints about how "unfair" and "ridiculous" she was being, Moon hurried back to her office at a light jog. Dignity could wait for daylight hours, right now she had to make sure this didn't spiral any further than it already had. Slipping into her office, she spared River a quick smile before crossing to her desk and sitting down to face where Flemming was fidgeting with a small stack of parchment. She could feel River shifting to stand behind her, a familiar and comfortable position the two of them adopted whenever she took grim news in her office, and she was glad to have him here as this was undoubtedly going to be a difficult conversation.

"Your Highness." Fleming bowed in his chair, keeping the protocol brief. Quickly, he laid a stack on Moon's desk, fanning it to show several pictures. "What you have in front of you is incident reports of two alleged attacks on the monster villages of Mudville and Flyberg. Casualty estimates are upwards of 50 between both villages. I'll know more in the coming days, but given the monster's… reluctance to speak with our knights when they arrived on the scene, I wouldn't hope for much more than we know already."

"Are the buggers still claiming it was our knights that attacked?" said River, his voice gruff and clipped.

"Yes, or at least claiming the attackers appeared to be knights of the Kingdom," answered Fleming, before shifting the pages. "Unfortunately, this attack provoked a response. Several hours later, a group of monsters attacked the closest Mewman village: Briarton. The guards ran them off, but not before six villagers and three soldiers were killed. My Queen, the villagers are howling for retribution. They see this incident as an unprovoked attack and tensions in the area are skyrocketing. I've taken the liberty of dispatching additional soldiers to keep order and…discourage any further escalation on our part."

Moon leaned forward to study the grizzly pictures as she took in the news. 59 people… Dead in an evening due to someone's sick desire to stir up trouble for her kingdom. Now, in the horror of the moment, she didn't care that only nine of the dead were mewman. What mattered was finding the perpetrators of these crimes and bringing them to justice. Rubbing her temple with a practiced motion, she finally tore her eyes off the pictures and met Fleming's concerned gaze. "You did the right thing dispatching support for Briarton. I would have ordered the same had you waited until you spoke to me. You very well may have saved lives by taking action."

"Yes, excellent initiative Fleming," added River, stifling an immense yawn. "But if that will be all, I would very much like to return to bed."

"Thank you, Your Highness," said Fleming, now looking distinctly uncomfortable. "Unfortunately, there are two other matters that I feel are important enough to warrant your attention right now. I would have waited until our meeting tomorrow, but given that you are already awake…"

"Bad news usually comes in threes," muttered Moon, gesturing for Fleming to continue as she shared a concerned look with River.

"Fulke's report is two days overdue. Now I am not immediately alarmed, as there may be several factors delaying his dropping off of his usual correspondence. However, given his proximity to our main person of interest in this investigation, I find the timing suspicious."

"We'll simply have to demand he be transferred back to the castle!" fired up River.

"And tip our hand to Appleton that we suspect he is behind the attacks? Dear, I share your concern for Fulke's safety, truly I do, but we have to go about this sensibly," said Moon, putting a reassuring hand over where River was already gently squeezing her shoulder.

"I will let you know of any new developments. I can also make some discreet inquiries if you would like?" offered Fleming.

"Please do." Although she was hopeful that Fleming was correct, and this delay was simply a matter of happenstance; inside, Moon was much less certain. She was already dreading the moment she might have to tell Star and Marco that their friend was dead. Her daughter would be distraught at the news, always wearing her emotions on her sleeve. But Moon was more worried about Marco than her daughter. From what she understood, Fulke was the second real friend he had made on Mewni outside of her daughter. Perhaps I will tell Star first so she can be sure to be there for him… she mused, before being snapped out of her thoughts by her husband's quietly uttered, "Moonpie?"

"Sorry, lost in my thoughts," she muttered back before fixing her attention back on her Spymaster. "And what of the third thing?"

"This is more of an 'if you care to know' piece of information, but I thought it important to pass along so that you may make the final decision." Moon watched Fleming's face twist into an unpleasant scowl like the man was sucking on a particularly sour piece of lemon candy. Still, he continued, "I recently had the great displeasure of conversing with our crippled would-be-assassin again. He still refuses to tell me or my interrogators who hired him, however, he asked me to pass along a request."

River choked at that, his voice an angry growl as he leaned forward, "That murderous scum has the audacity to-"

"I may regret this, but what was the request?" interrupted Moon, holding up a hand to silence her husband before he worked himself up.

"He's…" Fleming paused as he anticipated exactly what his queen's response would be, "he's asked again to meet with Marco."

"And I will answer him once again: Absolutely not. I will not expose that young man to whatever mind games that vile man might have planned." Despite her considerable self-control, even Moon was having a hard time keeping her voice steady. "Filth that would kill a teenager for money does not deserve even a moment of consideration. I will consult with the M.H.C. regarding our prisoner. Omni has mentioned he has a couple of ideas that may work."

"As you wish," nodded Fleming, straightening his rumpled nightshirt. "Well, Your Highness, it is very late and I have already taken up too much of your time. I shall continue to think over the problem as well. Perhaps, there is something I have yet to think of that will loosen our guest's tongue."

Dismissing him with a wave, Moon spent the entire walk back to the royal apartments with River in silence. The gears in her mind were turning, whirring with the possibility sparked by Fleming's words. She was so distracted, that she didn't even reprimand River for finishing his roast pig-goat leg in bed. Gradually, her scattered thoughts coalesced, swirling and taking shape into a thrilling plan. It was a wild idea pulled straight from her younger self, an idea that was both repellent and enticing at the same time.

Eclipsa…

The Queen of Darkness had assisted her once before with a problem that appeared insurmountable, perhaps she would be willing to help once again. Moon knew she was quite fond of Marco, a fact that still made her deeply uncomfortable. However, if she could appeal to the ex-queen's better nature, perhaps she could persuade the woman to assist in unlocking the memories sealed by the guild. At best, it would solve her issue and give her the evidence she needed to make an open accusation at court, and at worst, she was in the same predicament she was in right now.

Moon did not get back to sleep easily that night, staying awake long after River's familiar snoring filled their bedroom. Even with the corn whisky fogging her mind, she found her thoughts troublesome and distracting. In all eventualities, she had much to do in the coming days, not least of which was deciding whether gambling on another bargain with Eclipsa was worth the inevitable cost.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O

Yawning as finished his sip of tea, Marco placed the steaming mug down and raised both his arms in a deep stretch. A quick glance at his laptop showed him it was 8:23 in the morning and the light snoring behind him told him that Star was still fast asleep, sprawled out in a tangle of blankets and blonde hair. There were still two wine glasses and a half-drunk bottle of the stuff on the little coffee table in front of the love seat at end of his bed. They'd been up very late last night discussing what Star had overheard from Lady Whosits. Plans had been made and quickly discarded until finally, well past 3:30 when both of them could barely keep their eyes open, they'd fell into bed and promptly passed out.

Now, as he got some last-minute studying in, most of him desperately just wanted to crawl back into bed with Star and enjoy another hour or two of warm sleep with her; but sadly he needed to be prepared for tomorrow. Queen Moon said I changed a lot of minds with the concert, but I could screw all of that up if I mess up tomorrow. As pessimistic as the thought was, he also knew that the opposite was true. Nailing the ceremony would help cement his worthiness in the other nobles' eyes. It was enough to make Marco roll his eyes, but if going through all this nonsense meant he could continue to date his best friend, it was a small price to pay.

Sparing Star and his warm inviting bed one last wistful glance, he turned back to his desk to thumb to the next entry of the Butterfly genealogy book. *Bzzt* His phone vibrated on the desk next to him. Checking it, he was surprised to see that it was Buff Frog, and curious, Marco hurried to open the message.

Karate Boy, it Buff Frog. I try Star's phone first but get no response. Queen Moon assign me to investigate monster village attacks. She ask me not to tell either of you, but I owe you both too much to not report findings. I will be being back in touch in few days.

P.S. Sorry I miss ceremony.

P.P.S. Katrina say she will give you and Star big hug when I get back.

Tapping out a quick response that he'd let Star know about the news and the hug, he'd just put the phone down when a rustling of stirring covers from behind made him smile to himself.

"M-Morning, Mar-" Star paused as she let out a back stretching yawn, "co."

"Morning, Star," he answered, before turning back and seeing her sleepy-looking face grinning at him from between curtains of bed-mussed hair. She'd propped herself halfway up on the pillows with her arms in the air, and was gesturing awkwardly as she let out a noise that sounded to him like, "Mreh! Mreh!"

"Come again?" he mimed cupping a hand to his ear and twisting his face into one of faux confusion. He chuckled as he watched her furrow her brow in annoyance and repeat the motion, this time letting out a more pitiful sounding, "Mrehhhhhhh."

"Is that some new Mewnian dialect?" The furrow transformed into a playful frown and before he had a chance to tease her any further, she seemed to reach back to the pillow before suddenly her wand was in her hand. Marco barely had time to be impressed with how fast she was getting before a beam of pink magic shot out, lifting him off of his chair and slowly floating him towards the bed. "Really, Star? Resorting to magic? Shameful…"

"You could have just come over and hugged me, ya know… As my boyfriend slash best friend slash squire, it is definitely an official duty." The eager victorious look on her face deepened as the magic deposited him gently on top of her.

"You win…" he muttered, sliding his arms around her and squeezing.

"I knowwww," answered Star in a singsong voice before slipping her arms around him in return and letting out a happy sigh. She spent the next several minutes in contented silence, enjoying the warmth and pressure of Marco's body against hers. "Hey," she finally said, looking down and seeing his curious expression, "thanks for coming with me to the harvest festival today."

A genuine look of confusion crossed his face now as he looked up at Star. "What do you mean? You took me last year as well. Heck, it's where I found out I like corn malts more than corn shakes! Why wouldn't I want to come?"

"Wellllll it's a little different now that we're dating," she said, reaching down and brushing the still bed-tousled hair from out of his eyes to give him a strained smile. "Last time we were just two best buds going to the festival together. Ya know… no pressure, no expectations. I also barely had any royal duties at the time because I was living with you on Earth and Mom thought it was best for me to just concentrate on learning rather than all the other junk."

"Worried I'm going to get overwhelmed?" asked Marco, pushing himself up on his elbows and shimmying up until he was face to face with her.

"Noooo nothing like that," laughed Star, and he was glad to see the strain leave her face, "it's just with royal stuff there are always expectations. "Star, don't hum to yourself while I listen to petitioners. Star, You have to wear your tiara instead of your headband… Star this, Star that…" She stuck her tongue out, "it's the same old crap as ever. And now that your ceremony is tomorrow, it's going to be the same for you too."

Without another word, Marco leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on her mouth, spending several blissful moments entwined with her soft sweet lips working gently against his. He had to resist the urge to deepen the kiss when he felt the tip of her tongue tracing the crease of his lips, instead, pulling away and giving her a mischievous smile. "I'm Rule Boy, remember? I don't mind that kind of serious junk as much as you. But I promise I'll always try to keep that stuff as fun as I can."

"Aww, Marcoooo, that is so sweet. But speaking of serious stuff…" She arched an eyebrow, "Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

"Definitely. This is the most formal thing I've ever been a part of in my life," said Marco, pausing to think for a second. "The last formal ceremony thing I did was my middle school graduation. I think it was a potluck…"

"What's a pot lu-"

"Don't worry about it, weird Earth thing," he shook his head.

"No…second thoughts?" asked Star, doing her best to keep her voice steady at that very scary question.

"Star, I couldn't care less about being a noble and I'm defffinitely going to feel like a jackass every time someone calls me 'My Lord,' but no second thoughts. I want to be with you, and if this is the small price I have to pay to be in love with my best friend, well then so be it."

There was another kiss, though this time it was all Star's idea and Marco had to steady himself from tipping over onto her. Lips parted, he closed his eyes to lose himself in her warm embrace, feeling his head swim slightly as she let out a low moan when his tongue slid against hers. Soft hands slithered up his back and into his hair as they continued their passionate kissing. There they stayed for several minutes, enjoying each other as beams of morning sun crept across the floor of his bedroom.

He would have very much preferred to spend the next half an hour wrapped up in Star's arms, but those blissful plans were interrupted by her phone ringing. Seeing the caller ID display Queen Moon's picture, he wisely decided to duck out of frame as Star frantically zapped her hair into a semblance of its usual style. Marco thought her mother probably knew her moratorium on his and Star's sleeping arrangements was likely to have some reasonable levels of cheating, but it was another thing entirely to rub Moon's nose in their defiance.

"I'mmm just going to grab a shower and get changed for the festival," he whispered, kissing her on the cheek as he slipped off the bed and headed for the closet. "Yes Mom, I know I have to wear the tiara…" the last thing he heard as he laughed into his clothes on the way out the door.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O

"How…quaint" muttered Narus as he peered around the cobbled street crowded with excited festival-goers.

"Yes, positively picturesque…" sneered Drummond as he strode alongside. "Higgs, is all of Mewni this backward? Or is it simply the Butterfly Kingdom that reeks of pig-goat shit and rotten corn."

'I told you, don't use that name here," hissed Higgs, glaring at the two behind her.

"Why? You don't look a thing like you did at ole Castle Appleton." Drummond pointed to his head, "For one thing, you ain't no ginger no more."

"Nor are you wearing those hideous yellow forearm wraps."

Turning away from her sniggering companions, Higgs clenched her fists so hard her hands shook. The last two days with both assassins from Galafamor had been a trial of her patience far past its usual limits. For the moment they had set out from Castle Appleton, both of them had alternated between disdainful scorn and child-like wonder at her home dimension's more anachronistic features. She could also understand the Guildmaster's desire to rid himself of these two particular assassins. For all their purported skill, she found both of them easily distracted, and their constant joking completely at odds with the seriousness of their profession.

"I think we may have struck a nerve with our babysitter, Narus."

"Quite so, Drummond." The two shared a mocking laugh before he continued, "Our apologies, Lady Livingston."

Higgs wanted to turn around and give the idiot a piece of her mind, but before she could open her mouth, she came to a stop outside of their destination: The Golden Cob Tavern. "Just…" she sighed, pushing open the rough wooden door to a wall of rowdy patrons, "keep quiet and follow me."

Meandering through the raucous crowd already deep into their cups of ale and corn whisky, she led her companions to the rough-hewn bar, only managing to get the attention of the stocky innkeeper after several attempts. The gruff-looking mewman scowled at them before stalking over and cocking his head in annoyed expectance. "I'm here for the room reserved for Lady Livingston," she said, leaning close to be heard over the tumult.

"Yes, one of those puffed-up dandies from the castle stopped by two days ago and made the reservation. Only thing is…" said the innkeeper, his entire demeanor changing as an oily smile spread over his lips.

"Is what?" Higgs narrowed her eyes at the man, her body tensing for the inevitable grift.

"Well as you can see," the innkeeper gestured around the tavern, now positively heaving with revelers, "it's the last corn harvest of the year."

Higgs didn't have the time nor the patience to deal with this right now. Scowling, she squared up her shoulders and forced her voice into one of deadly calm. "I know about the harvest festival, idiot, I've lived here my whole damn life. Get to the fucking point."

Gone now were the oily smile and smarmy attitude, and the innkeeper leaned forward until his rancid breath made Higgs's eyes water. "The point, my lady, is that everyone and their grandmother is wanting a room right now. Prices have quadrupled."

"Quadrupled! Listen here you piece of shi-"

"This should cover it," interrupted Drummond, and Higgs had to shift aside as the pale assassin stepped past to drop a handful of gold coins in the innkeeper's outstretched hand. If the man hadn't been so blinded by the clinking of gold as it landed in his palm, he would have seen Drummond's dangerous leer. He might have also noted the unusually long and powerful-looking fingers that had only waited a moment before curling around his own hand and squeezing.

She watched as he struggled to pull his hand free while Drummond's own pressed the now wincing innkeeper's fingers uncomfortably into the hard metal of the gold coins. Wincing soon gave way to whimpering as the edges of the coins dug in hard enough to draw blood. Sparing the hand one last glance, Higgs hitched on the same oily smile he gave her only moments before and spoke again. "Listen to me very carefully. You were paid handsomely already for the room and your silence." Higgs paused as the sharp crack of fracturing finger bones was accompanied by a sharp cry of pain. "Do we understand each other?"

"Y-Y-Yeah," he finally managed to grunt out, slapping a brass key on the bar top.

"Gooood," purred Drummond, reaching over and picking up the key. "Keep the gold," he added, releasing the innkeeper's bloodied and obviously broken hand. "I felt at least three of your fingers break, you might want to see a healer."

"Remember," Narus spoke up for the first time as he stepped up to the bar and pressed a finger to his lips, "silence is golden."

"Here, you should have this," said Drummond, dropping the key into Higgs's hand and looking around with a glint of mischief in his eye. "Narus and I are going to sample some of the local…color."

"We're supposed to be keeping a low profile. If any of us are recognized," she hissed, the beginning tendrils of panic seeping into her.

"Relax, Higgs, a mug of ale and some festival food hardly present a real risk," added Narus, already turning to join Drummond as he headed for the door.

"For Mewni's sake," groaned Higgs, hurrying after them.

Not even half a mile away, a skeptical-looking Marco was standing next to his excited girlfriend as he looked at the rickety wooden contraption in front of him. "Star, there is no way that thing is safe…" he said, cheeks going slightly pale. He was fairly sure it was some kind of amusement ride, given all the happy screaming issuing from the mewman's currently riding it. But the loud sounds of groaning and creaking wood were not filling him with confidence.

"Whattttt, pshh," Star waved dismissively, "it's toooooattlly safe. Look, Marco, there's even a sign!"

Looking over to where she was pointing, he felt a shiver run through his spine as he read the sign: Accident-free for over two hours. "Ahh, actually that's not a long-" he paused, noticing she was now humming to herself and rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet in excitement. "You know what? Nevermind…"

He and Star were on their own now that Moon had released her from any further duties that day. He'd been a dutiful best friend and boyfriend all morning, standing just off to the side with Manfred as Moon led the royal family and nobles through the opening ceremonies of the festival. Now, after spending a fun, laughter-filled lunch eating calzones, though he insisted on the kind that didn't tell you how you would die; they were standing in line for what was likely the multiverse's most dangerous amusement park ride.

"Let's go it's our turn!" shouted Star, grabbing his hand and breaking him out of his Marco Moment. Hurriedly, they jogged over to where a very green-faced mewman couple were staggering out of the little wooden capsule. "Okay safety first," she winked at him once they'd squeezed together on the rough wooden bench. Reaching over, she grabbed the rope from Marco's side and clipped it to the rope from her side.

"This is not safe, this is not safe, this is not safe," Marco chanted under his breath as he took Star's hand in a death grip. Outside, several mewmans were turning a windlass wrapped with a thick rope, and he could feel the shuddering vibrations traveling through the ride into his seat. It was not reassuring.

"Woohoo!" Star pumped a fist a moment before the ride lurched into motion with a sickening groan. Instantly, she and Marco were pressed against the bench, wind whipping through their hair as the ride lifted them in the air in a stomach-fluttering wave.

Marco had no idea if he was saying words, but he did know he was screaming. It felt like the ride was going a hundred miles an hour as he struggled against being crushed by Star as the centripetal force of the spinning capsule pressed her against him. It was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time, the continuing rattles and groans of the ride driving most of his terror, but Star's hoots of excitement and laughter were slowly calming him down. Maybe we won't be horribly mangled in a medieval carnival acciden-*BANG* Before he could even finish his mildly comforting thought, his stomach dropped out as their small cabin gave an almighty lurch and disconnected from the rest of the ride.

"STARRR!" he shouted, bracing himself against the wood and expecting a very rough landing. But just like this morning, Star had her wand out faster than a blink of an eye. He didn't hear what spell she shouted, but it must have been successful as there was a blinding flash of purple light and all of a sudden the feeling of hurtling death was replaced with a gentle up and down motion. Blinking away the afterimage, Marco took a second to get a handle on his racing heart as Star squeezed his hand.

Outside he spotted two long, white-feathered wings gently flapping as they soared over the festival to gasps and cheers ranging out from below them. "Wowwww," he said to himself, leaning over and waving to King River as he shouted, "That's my girl!" from fifty feet below. Suddenly, they banked, and he was treated instead to a breathtaking view of the Mewni River as it meandered off towards the towering, snowcapped Musty Mountains.

Star couldn't suppress the ear-to-ear grin on her face as she watched Marco go from terrified to delighted in seconds. In the year and a half they'd known each other, he'd been around so much of her magic that it rarely got much of a reaction out of him anymore. But seeing him gazing out of the window, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement, filled her with warm happiness that made her feel like she could float off the seat. Unable to stand it anymore, she reached across the cabin, gently gripping his chin and turning him back to face her.

"My dear, sweet, beautiful, naive Marco… Did you think I was going to let us drop?" she asked, leaning in and pressing her lips against his for the third perfect kiss of the day. Pressing one hand to his chest, she let out a satisfied sigh against his lips as she felt his pounding heart begin to slow down. "Better than last year even with all the royal junk?" she added after they'd broken apart, arching an eyebrow.

"Totallytotallytotally," he chuckled, not missing her flushed cheeks at having used her line.

"Wanna see what this baby can realllllly do?"

"Just don't do too many loops, okay? I don't want a repeat of the 'Britany's Party Incident.'" Marco felt his stomach do an uncomfortable flip flop at the mere memory of that night.

And so they flew, spiraling high over the castle before dipping in tight banking turns so fast, that even their screams of joy were drowned out by the whipping wind. True to her word, Star kept the loops to a minimum, only finishing their ride with a massive one that briefly passed them through a misty cloud before depositing them back at the base of the now stopped ride. Letting Marco get out first, she stretched as she stepped out, twirling her wand before aiming it at the broken ride. "Radiant Rainbow Repair!" she shouted, and a beam of prismatic light shot out to engulf the now wingless cabin, bridging in a shimmering arc to where it broke off the original ride. There was a loud scraping of wood on cobblestone before the entire cabin was lifted off the ground to settle firmly back in its place.

"Three cheers for Princess Star!" called out a voice from the gathered crowd of mewmans around them. It was immediately answered by the crowd erupting into hurrahs and shouts of approval. Marco couldn't help but be impressed himself as he watched his girlfriend take a bow for the crowd, a move that only elicited more appreciative cheering.

Stashing her wand away, Star dusted off her hands and threaded an arm through Marco's. "C'mon, Boo! After that bit of magic, mama wants a corn shake!" she declared, marching him off in the direction of Festivia Square, where she knew several excellent food stands would have exactly that.

"Cheers!"

Marco tapped his corn malt against Star's corn shake, sharing an amused smirk with her at the now-familiar simultaneous speech. It always seemed to come out during moments of distress or particular closeness, and while he'd done some thinking on it, he'd never come up with anything even approaching a rational explanation. He'd even asked Glossarcyk what the deal was, though as usual, he'd been evasive and only mentioned something in passing about a "Bad Breakup." I don't even want to know what that means… he thought, taking a sip of his malt and bumping his shoulder playfully into hers.

*Bzzt*

The compact in his pocket buzzed and he reached into his hoodie to retrieve it. Flipping it open, he saw a message from Tom: So I don't want you to freak out, but I figured I would tell you before you heard it from someone else. "That can't be good…" he muttered, typing out a quick response of a simple question mark.

"Eeeeeee."

The high-pitched noise from his left dragged his attention away from whatever Tom was about to type and he watched as Star progressed rapidly through what he designated the Star Butterfly Stages of Excitement: First, was the spreading ear-to-ear grin that rapidly progressed to her entire face lighting up with joy. Next was the pulling of her hands in towards her body as she fairly trembled with elation until finally, she was fanning herself in sheer ecstasy, rocking on the balls of her feet and dancing in place.

"I can't believe it! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" squealed Star, letting out an utterly unhinged-sounding maniacal laugh.

"Uhh, you good, Star?" Marco's phone buzzed in his hand and suddenly, he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He watched as Star turned towards him, the rapturous look on her face almost blinding.

"Janna and Tom…" she paused to let the happy tension build, "ARE OFFICIALLY A COUPLE!"

And there it was. Looking down at his phone, he saw Tom's message confirming the same thing. "Thaaaat can only be bad for the rest of us…" he said, shaking his head in resignation, but Star wasn't listening.

"Think of the double dates! Think of the Fun! Pegasus Feathers, Marco!" she said, leaning in so close, that he could see the hearts on her cheeks glowing a soft pink even in the bright daylight.

"Think of the fires…"

"This is the best thing to happen since we got together!" said Star, simply plowing on before slapping a knee with her free hand at a startling realization. "This proves it, ya know."

"Proves what, exactly?"

"That what I've been saying since last fall on Earth is true! That I," she puffed up her chest and nodded her head as if in acknowledgment of some invisible acclaim, "am a great matchmaker."

Marco choked on his corn malt. Swallowing painfully, he turned and gave her an incredulous look. "Excuse me? I only remember a series of unmitigated disasters."

"Don't you give me that look, Marco Diaz!" said a now scandalized-looking Star, "the proof is in the corn pudding."

"Oh really?" he said, stopping in the street and crossing his arms.

"Tooootallllly, babe. I fixed up Miss Skullnick and that minotaur guy," she fired back, holding up her hand and counting on her finger.

"Star, he threw me through a fence and dumped her before we'd even gotten one day without her. Not to mention that pop quiz…" He shuddered at the memory.

"Ferguson and Becky," she continued, counting off another finger.

"She slapped him and his stomach."

"Jackie and you," added Star, though without the earlier bright confidence of the previous names.

"Really, Star?" Marco cocked his head as he watched her get suddenly very uncomfortable.

"Hey, it worked at the time didn't it?" she said, letting out a tight, clipped giggle.

Now Marco was the first to admit that he wasn't always the most emotionally intelligent guy in the multiverse. He routinely would miss subtle signs and signals, especially where the opposite sex was involved. There were several moments early in his attempts to become closer with Jackie that he simply didn't notice indications that she was interested: The look she gave him when he, Star, and Ms. Sullnick showed up to rescue the rest of their class? The casual flirting on their bus ride back to school? How she'd had her hands around his bicep for almost the entire movie when he'd gone with her and some other friends after the absolutely mortifying Naysaya incident? All of them might as well have been big green arrows saying "I'm interested in you." Hell, you even missed all the signs that Star was struggling with her feelings for me all last spring, added his brain unhelpfully.

But what he didn't miss was Star's deflated and nervous energy now that she'd mentioned her rather vigorous efforts in bringing him together with his now ex. Deciding that right now she could use some support from him more than any kind of "I told you so," he reached out and took her hand, winding his fingers through hers as their eyes met. Pulling her hand close, he kissed the back of it and gave her an encouraging smile. "Star, I don't regret the time I spent with Jackie and I certainly don't blame you for trying your best to help us get together," he began leaning his forehead against hers. "You were just trying to be the best friend you could at the time and help me be happy. But if I hadn't been such a Marco and noticed how you felt about me back then, I think I would have realized that my dream girl was actually my best friend all along." dd

Star's lip trembled slightly as he said that, a blooming warmth in her chest sweeping the gloomy remembrance of her own self-inflicted wound on her love life away in a flutter of butterflies and rainbows. She hadn't even realized how badly she'd needed to hear that from him right now. Pressing closer, she gazed deeply into those enhancing chocolate eyes and whispered, "I love you, Marco Diaz."

"I love you t-" was all he managed to get out before her warm pink lips were upon his once again, working gently as he closed his eyes to lose himself in her embrace. Unfortunately for both of them, however, they had forgotten that instead of being ensconced in either of their rooms or a deserted castle corridor, they were standing in the middle of a very busy cobblestone street. Gasps mixed with wolf whistles and cheers rang out all around them and though he desperately wanted to keep kissing Star, a loud mewman voice yelling "Kiss the hell outta him, Princess Star!" made the two of them break apart, both blushing furiously. "Maybe we should just…ah,"

"Yeah, definitely." she nodded, and they both took off at a brisk walk to clear the area of onlookers.

*Bzzt*

Another text, and this time he saw Star's face burn with excitement as she hurriedly read it. After a few short back and forth texts, she stashed it back in her dress and spoke, her voice sounding a bit over casual to Marco. "Soooo, remember how we made plans with Fulke and Evelyn to go on a double date but we never got the chance before he took that special job for my mom?"

"Uhh, I dooooo," he answered, his Star has an idea that will not end well, detector spiking.

"Well, I may have set us up on a cute double date with Janna and Tom tonight,"

"Thaaaat could be fun, or a complete and utter disaster," he mused, a line that earned him a playful "Marco Diaz!" from Star. "Did they have anywhere specific they wanted to go?" he added after their laughter had finally trailed off, knowing that if it was the underworld, he would have to be especially careful of any… Jannanigans. However, something up ahead of them had caught his attention and he peered through the crowd to see that two figures were walking toward them. Their odd appearance was definitely what first caught his notice, for the two stood out like sore thumbs among all the festival-going mewmans; a fact that was immediately obvious at anything more than a casual glance. They were oddly dressed for Mewni, having large cloaks with their hoods pulled forward far enough to keep their face in almost complete shadow despite the sun peeking out from between fluffy clouds.

"Only the best place in the multiverse to get our dance on and maybe hear you, Janna, and Tom play something together?" Star added hopefully, flashing him a dazzling smile.

"Sounds great," he answered, only half listening now, however. The two figures were getting closer and something in his brain was poking him with a stick, urgently prodding his slow mind to conjure up a half-faded memory.

"Drummond… does that teen in the ugly red shirt look familiar to you?" asked Narus, eyeing the dark-haired boy walking next to who he assumed was Princess Star.

"Extremely." growled his partner, flexing his long, powerful fingers into a fist before willing them to relax. "I'd recognize that face anywhere, even without the scar. Though he looks…"

"Younger?" finished Narus, seeing now that the teen was noticeably shorter and scrawnier than the version he remembered from their time in the Neverzone.

"Exactly. It's like the man suddenly got a decade younger in the last year." Drummond was puzzled for a moment before he remembered the peculiar phenomenon he and Narus experienced when they came back from the Neverzone. By their estimation, they'd spent over 18 months in there, plying their trade and completing contracts. However, when they returned to Galafamor, it turned out that less than a minute had passed.

"I say we follow the twerp until we find a place to snap his goddamn neck…" Narus muttered, slowing so that he and Drummond were shoulder to shoulder and very unlikely to be overheard. The place where his eye used to be was aching suddenly as it hadn't since the days after he'd lost it.

"Patience, Narus, we have to slip our babysitter's watchful gaze first if we wish to play with our old friend." Drummond spared their scowling chaperone following an inconspicuous fifteen feet behind them a sour look.

"Fine, but I want his eye when we finally kill him. I already have a special jar set up on my mantle for the day I pay him back."

The hairs on the back of Marco's neck stood up as he passed the robed figures. He'd watched as they briefly slowed to walk side by side before splitting up again to pass him in a rough line. As surreptitiously as he could, he turned his head, trying to see if he could get a better view of the figure that was giving him some big league bad vibes. Unfortunately, however, it appeared that whoever the robed figure was had noticed his attempt and turned his head at the last second to present Marco with only the dark fabric of their cloak.

*Oof*

Marco staggered as his shoulder collided with the second figure, his foot clipping the edge of a cobblestone. He'd been so focused on seeing who the first person was, that he hadn't been paying attention to where he was walking. In an instant, he threw out an arm to slap the stone, doing his best to roll and not eat a mouthful of the street as Star yelped in surprise. It would have been a graceful breakfall if it weren't for the corn malt in his other hand that exploded as he rolled over, spraying him fully in the face.

Sputtering and wiping at his stinging eyes, he jumped up in a defensive crouch, fully expecting some kind of attack now that he was off-balance and vulnerable. But instead of an iron-hard fist across his jaw or the burning slash of a dagger as it pierced his side, he only felt Star's soothing hand on his shoulder. He looked around, finally able to see through the sticky residue of corn malt still trying to glue his eyelids together, but there was nothing. Both of the robed figures had disappeared in the few moments he'd been unable to see. "Wha-Where?" he managed to sputter out, frantically trying to peer through the sea of heads for any sign of the two.

"Marco?" Star was starting to worry now as she watched him jump up several times to try and spot something.

It was his girlfriend's words that finally broke through the haze of half-blind panic coursing through him, and he felt the tension drain out of him as he turned toward her. She had a look of concern on her face as her piercing blue eyes searched his own. Suddenly feeling a little ashamed for his reaction to what turned out to be nothing, he flashed her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, just a little sticky…" he said before very carefully sliding out of his disgusting hoodie and folding it up.

"Uhh, what was that all that about?" asked Star, peering past him to the last place she saw the cloaked figures duck into an alley. "I saw that creepy cloaked dude walk into you and after you fell, you came up looking like you were going to be attacked. Do you know those two? " Star didn't verbalize it, but she suspected she already knew the answer to that question. It was the only thing that would explain his aggressive response following something so seemingly innocuous, especially when she considered how calm and gentle Marco was normally.

"I don't… I…" he paused to take a deep breath and let the last of his aggression fade, "I think so?"

"Neverzone?" Her question hung in the air between them as mewmans shuffled past until finally, he let out a small nod, his face falling. Star knew that he didn't particularly like talking about his time there as he had to do a lot of "Less than savory things" in his words. But she also knew that talking about things helped, something he had helped teach her during her time on Earth. "You wanna get another corn malt and talk about it?"

Twenty minutes later and tucked out of the way at a small table with their new frozen treats, Star looked at Marco expectantly as the latter took a longer than necessary sip on his drink. "I just want to say something before I tell you this story, okay?" he said finally after putting down his corn malt and she nodded her assent, already on tenterhooks to hear about his adventure. "I was in the middle of a very rough patch of my time in the Neverzone when this happened and I did what I needed to survive. I'd lost track of a pair of Hekapoo clones near the exploding plains of Flendar and I was out of both money and supplies to keep looking. So I took a little side job…"

O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O

Marco squinted in the dusty, ruddy light as he stopped to look up at the squat stone edifice in front of him. It was an old building whose glory days, if it ever had any, to begin with, were long past and now it sat in a run-down section of Crownport among similarly dilapidated buildings. Not that its general shabbiness and lack of maintenance meant the place was deserted. In fact, it fairly teemed with activity as citizens bustled in and out during their day-to-day business. The effect of all this activity in his opinion gave the entire place a warm and welcoming feel, like his favorite pair of jeans back on earth. Maybe a little more scuffed, faded, and worn than my other pairs, but definitely the most comfortable, he thought, before stepping through the open front doors and passing down the hallway.

"Excuse me, pardon me," he said, picking through the tight hallways, though the words were hardly necessary as most citizens gave him a wide berth at first glance. Marco had found having a sword on your back routinely gave you a degree of personal space that was simply unavailable to lesser armed people. Deeper in the building, however, the crowd seemed to get a little rougher and as he slipped into the cramped and dirty stone spiral staircase he shared several knowing nods with the guards.

He knew the way by heart, of course, having made this exact walk more than a dozen times already. But it was still always a little disconcerting as the stone became increasingly soot-blackened by the regularly hung torches and having only his echoing footsteps for company. Finally, though, he reached his destination, a sturdy iron door with a small sign over the top reading: Crownport Benevolent Society. Knocking three times, he leaned in as a previously concealed slot on the door rasped open. "The gilded pigeon catches the hungry falcon's eye," he whispered into the opening.

There was a pause before several metallic clicks sounded from the other side of the door and it swung open on well-oiled hinges. "Thanks, Fingers," he said as he passed the well-armed doorman and approached a figure at a desk. "I'm here to meet with-"

"Ah, Marco, good to see you. Come into my office, I have people for you to meet," said a deep baritone voice and Marco turned to see the familiar pale face of Atan, head of the Society. Letting himself be ushered into Atan's office, Marco didn't miss the two figures standing in the corner speaking quietly to one another. He waited patiently while Atan took his time to settle into his comfy leather chair and pull out several pieces of parchment from his desk.

"First, I believe introductions are in order," said Atan, looking up from the parchments and motioning to the two parties. "Marco, this is Narus and Drummond. Since the job this time around is a bit more of a tough nut to crack, I'm making the call to bring in some extra hands."

Marco took a moment to share a curt nod in the direction of the two newcomers, both of whom returned the gesture as they approached the desk to get a better look at the parchment there. "So what's the job then if it's so big you need three people?" he asked, approaching the desk himself and letting out a low whistle when he saw the building diagramed out there.

"Recognize it, don't ya?" Atan chuckled and lifted a smoldering cigar from an ashtray on his desk to pull a long drag of bluish smoke.

"That's Phillipe de Clare's house." Marco couldn't quite keep the incredulity out of his voice. "We're going to do it then? Actually going to hit the most corrupt noble's house in Crownport?" He could feel his stomach doing uncomfortable cartwheels at the thought of having to break into what amounted to a small fortress in one of the ritziest and well-guarded neighborhoods in the city."

"Yup." Atan's grin was ear to ear as he stabbed down at the parchment. "I feel like it's time to step up our efforts in this misbegotten cesspit, and robbing de Clare will go a long way to funding our efforts in the slums. Feeding and clothing the poor isn't cheap, Diaz…"

"Never said it wasn't. I'm just saying that robbing one of the most powerful people in the city isn't going to be some smash and grab at the royal jeweler, and it's definitely going to be a hell of a lot harder than that job you had me pull on Silver Street."

"Relax, Diaz… De Clare and his family are out of the city at the moment. My informants tell me they're on vacation, so the place should be deserted once you get inside."

"And the half dozen or so guards he always has on the ground of his estate? Did they go on vacation with him?

Atan was unfazed, instead plowing ahead with an indulgent chuckle, "Do you know why I asked you and not any of a hundred other members?"

"Because I'm the best second-story man in the city, and you know it." Marco crossed his arms and snorted as Atan's smile seemed to almost magically widen, exposing his yellow teeth clamped around the pungent cigar.

"You're damn right. And the biggest jobs need the best people, and I wouldn't trust anyone else to pull this off but you."

"Waitwaitwaitwait… So you were a thief for hire? And you worked for what, a crime-based charity?"

"Yeahhh, pretty much? I mean I got a cut of whatever I stole as payment, but we only ever robbed rich people or the scummier, greedier guilds in the city. Think of them as…involuntary donations."

"A bad boy with a heart of gold. Neverzone you is so damn hot…"

"Focus, Star."

"Sorry."

Taking one last glance at the diagrams and Atan's various notes he'd drawn on in red ink, Marco was silent for a moment as he scratched his chin. "Grounds actively patrolled by at least four guards at all times. The first floor also looks nearly impenetrable with those reinforced Durathian windows with magical sensors…" he said, taking the time to point out to Narus and Drummond, both of whom simply nodded and kept silent.

"Here, however…" he turned the diagram around and pointed to a spot near the rear of the house. "I could use a trick I picked up to climb partway up, and then shimmy along the side of the cornice until we get to a window. The windows are alarmed, we're prepared for that, but they don't have nearly the same level of security as the ones on the first floor."

"You're a right proper acrobat, you are," chuckle Narus.

"We don't go in much for the flipping and jumping, but I reckon if you can get the alarm deactivated and the window open, we can certainly climb a rope," chimed in Drummond, and Marco had to fight not to roll his eyes as they shared a private laugh.

"Atan, can I talk to you outside," said Marco, and not waiting for a response, strode back behind the desk and through another door that led into a back hallway. He waited until Atan strolled in, his head a billowing cloud of bitter cigar smoke now before leaning in and scowling, "Are you for real? Who are these clowns? You want me to pull off the hardest job in the history of the C.B.S. and you partner me with two guys that are more likely to get me killed than actually help?"

Atan's Cheshire Cat grin never waved despite the imposing presence in front of him. "I didn't hire them because they can backflip across a third-story alley like you can. I hired them because they can pick any magical lock in the multiverse. Think about it, my boy," he said, jabbing a pale finger into his temple. "de Claire's the richest noble outside of the royal family. Guy like that'll have a vault with at least a fifteen crystal lock on it and I know that little toy you keep in your pack can only pick up to thirteen crystals. I'm not asking you to babysit them, they know their craft; I just need you to get them in the door. After that, just let them do their thing and help carry the gold back here. Simple and easy."

Marco groaned. Things like this were rarely simple and never actually easy. Part of him wanted to tell Atan to find someone else. That he could take this job that seemed destined for failure and shove it. And then I'll get blacklisted by the C.B.S. and be even further behind in tracking down those Hekapoo clones… he thought in defeat. Suddenly the alternative, a fat enough payday to make his next move, didn't seem so bad. After all, he'd been in plenty of tight scrapes before, what was one more desperate fight against impossible odds?

"Alright, I'm in. But I want an extra two points on my take and that isn't negotiable."

Atan took a deep puff of his cigar, his silvery eyes nearly luminescent through the thick smoke as he studied Marco. "Two more percentage points for you is two less for orphans down on the waterfront."

"And this take is going to be ten times what it usually is. I think the C.B.S. can afford the hazard pay…" He waited as Atan rolled his cigar around in his mouth, taking several slow, thoughtful puffs until finally, he stuck out his slender hand.

"It's a deal."

"Marco Diaz!"

"I know how it sounds, Star, but you have to understand, I'd been trying to track those two Hekapoo clones for over four months. Each time their trail went cold, I needed money to pay informants, money for bribes to nosy guards or local criminals trying to shake me down. Not to mention repair my armor or buy spell ingredients."

"Still, they were orphans though…"

"Hey, I said I had to do things in the Neverzone I'm not proud of, didn't I?"

'Sorry, babe."

"If it makes you feel any better, I made a very generous donation to the Crownport Orphanage right before I left the city. Honestly, though? I should never have even agreed to do the damn job in the first place."

"Well that's good, at leas-wait why do you say that?"

"You'll see…"

Marco crouched behind a beautifully sculpted hedge as he peered out from beside it to a place where two sentries were just rounding the exterior corner of an ornate stone wall. To his left, a slight rustle let him know that Narus and Drummond were in position nearby and waiting for him to enact the first part of their plan. It had been a day since he'd accepted the job at Atan's request, and after going over the plan into the wee hours of the morning they'd agreed to meet outside de Clare's mansion at midnight.

Now it was time.

Lifting a small looking glass to his eye, he pressed a tiny brass button and steadied it as he panned it to keep both guards in view. They were conversing in low voices, he could see their mouths moving while they strolled toward him along the wall. One must also have told the other a joke, as the near silence was broken by a muted chuckle. "Perfect," he said to himself as the magical device gave a small vibration before depositing a swirling blue marble into his waiting hand.

In a soundless rush, Marco exploded out from behind the bush in a low run. Keeping his footing light, and thanking his lucky break to be running on grass, he quickly closed the distance between the still laughing guards before drawing a short club from its spot on his belt. Little more than a short length of hardwood barely two feet long, it allowed him to deliver lightning-quick blows to quickly incapacitate foes. This time proved no different, as the second guard barely had time to react to the sharp *Thunk* of wood on bone before Marco had redirected the stick to come crashing down on top of his head.

Checking that both guards were still breathing, Marco waved over to where his compatriots were stationed. "Tie them up, gag them, and stash them over in that alley with the deep shadows."

"Easier if we just break their necks," grumbled Narus as Drummond nodded in agreement, "Dead guards can't tell the magistrate who they saw now can't they?"

"If you so much as say that again, I'll turn you into the guards myself." Marco's eyes were hard as he stood up, his body tense and ready for a fight. "I came here to rob a rich asshole, not kill anyone, is that clear?"

"Sure, mate, whatever you say," said Drummond, holding his hands up, "you're the only one he could have seen anyways. If you want to take the risk, who am I to say not to."

"Then get these guys tied up. I'll flash the signal when I've got the window open." Leaving the two to their work, Marco hurried down the remaining wall before taking the turn that led behind the massive estate. Pausing to kneel, he pulled a small box out of a pouch on his belt and nestled it in an ornate planter out of sight. Flipping open the top of the box and placing the marble into the small recess there, he closed it and waited as blue glyphs began to glow dimly on its surface. Not five feet away, a perfect image of the two guards appeared, completely indistinguishable to him as they continued the patrol around the perimeter.

Now confident that the guards at the front door of the mansion wouldn't become suspicious of the patrolling guards' absence, Marco leapt onto the wall. It was surprisingly easy to climb as the beveled edges on the large marble blocks presented ample finger and toe holds for him to quickly scramble up the twenty-foot wall and down the other side. It was deserted, just as he'd thought it would be, with every window on the first-floor dark.

Now came his favorite part. Reaching into the small leather pouch he kept on the front of his belt, he gently pulled out a small ball of what looked like slightly iridescent blue sand. Rare and expensive, it was the last one he had on hand so when he crushed it between his fingers and smeared a line up each forearm and two more on his cheeks, he double-checked to make sure it was properly applied before focusing on the ledge he could see now that he was on the other side of the wall.

*Poof*

With a small puff of blue smoke, he instantly appeared on the cornice and quickly steadied himself to prevent from falling. So far so good… he thought as he shimmied along the narrow ledge until he was right next to the target window. This time, getting in was a simple matter of technomancy. "If only Star could see me now…" he grinned, pulling out a dinner plate sized device that looked to him like a cross between clockwork, and some of the more wild M.C. Escher drawings he'd seen in art class.

It was an ingenious little device that a local technomancer had whipped up for him and the C.B.S. after Marco had told the man about an adventure he'd had with Star one night in the pub. Rather than attempt to trick or overpower any magical alarm system, a process that often ended up in the thief being promptly captured by very angry guards, his device simply froze time in a very localized, some might even say conveniently window-sized, area. The effect of all this had the wonderful byproduct of freezing the spell and preventing it from alarming for almost sixty minutes, thus allowing an opportunistic and light-fingered thief to waltz in and do his business before quietly slipping away.

A quiet ticking that ceased with an almost subsonic whoosh was the only sign that the device had fired and, just like always, he was nervous as he carefully stowed the item away and pulled out the last piece of specialized gear he'd need tonight. It was a small gold and crystal pick, certainly elegant, but utterly mundane at first glance. However, when he dipped it into the small vial of glittering dust he kept next to it, the pick would slip through glass or crystal window panes as if they were merely air. Marco always found it an extremely handy tool that simply let him trip the latch of any window he wanted and simply open it up.

Creeping into the house, he quickly scouted the dark room he was in but found it was only an empty sitting parlor. Delicate furniture and ornate paintings and decorations abounded everywhere he looked, glinting coldly in the moonlight. Crossing the room to where a stout stone pillar sat near the corner, he quickly tied off the rope from his backpack and tossed it out the window to tumble to the ground below. Taking a small paper crane from his pocket, he held it in his palm out the window and whispered a word. The paper crane in his hand shivered before flapping its wings and taking off from his hand. It soared out the open window, diving low to gain speed before pulling up to clear the wall and bursting into crimson flame.

"Marco, you're like that spy guy you showed me, James Blonde!"

"Bond, Star… Bond…"

"So I hate to be a downer here, but where are all those cool gadgets now? We could have used some of those things last year!"

"Well a lot of them I sold or traded to get other stuff I needed as I tracked down the Hekapoo clones. Others either broke or got lost over sixteen years of hard living."

"Also, was it the fact that those guys wanted to kill the guards the reason why you wish you hadn't taken the job? Did they kill them even though you said not to?!"

"I'm getting there. Just…keep listening."

"So remember to stick to the plan," whispered Marco, "Atan wasn't sure where the vault would be other than that it was on the second floor. The guards on the first floor know to stay away from the family's private apartments so as long as we're quiet, we shouldn't have any trouble with them. However, if you see anyone that could raise an alarm, tie em up and gag them. Whoever finds the vault, come get the others, and once you two do your thing and get it open, we'll get the hell out of here. Everybody Clear?"

He waited for his two "partners" to give nods of assent, both significantly more reluctant than he would have liked before leading them out into the dim hallway. From there they split up, and Marco flashed down the hall on silent feet to slip into what he soon realized was very likely de Clare's study. He wasted no time; instead peeking and peering through every closet and behind every painting for any sign of a hidden vault. It took almost five minutes, but he finally had to admit that there was nothing, though his search wasn't wholly in vain for he found a small pouch of gold along with several bejeweled gold ornaments that he lifted from the mantle above the fireplace.

He felt the thump more than heard it; the sound of something heavy hitting the floor several rooms over and the bottom fell out of his stomach. If he heard that, there was a high likelihood that the guards he knew patrolling the more public spaces downstairs did as well. "Shit," he whispered to himself before creeping back into the hallway and watching the stairs intently. If they came up here to check on the noise, he was certain there was going to be a fight; he'd have to make sure he took them out fast so they didn't alert anyone else.

Readying his club, he tensed as he waited, sure that any second now the heavy pounding of armored boots rushing up the stairs would signal the imminent arrival of the remaining four house guards. But the expected fight never came, and only an oppressive silence reigned as he remained crouched behind an ornate vase feeling rather foolish. Need to check on the other two, in case someone ran into trouble, he decided, feeling that if the downstairs guards hadn't rushed upstairs by now, they weren't going to. Sparing the grand stairway one last cursory glance, he set out to the other side of the house to find out what the situation was.

It didn't take long for Marco to see that something was very wrong. After checking several dark rooms that looked completely untouched, he turned a corner and saw two bodies lying in the hallway. They looked like guards, having matching uniforms and swords on their hips, and they also looked very dead. One of them he could tell had a broken neck from here, the man's neck bent at an extremely awkward angle, while the other's throat was covered in ugly splotches of discoloration, a clear sign he had been strangled to death.

Disgust and rage stormed through Marco as he stared at the two dead men on the ground. Things were going sideways…fast, and he had to find Narus and Drummond before anyone else got hurt. *Thump* Another telltale noise that likely signaled nothing good, but thankfully this time he was close enough to pinpoint the room it had come from. He rushed forward, sprinting down the hallway until he reached two ornate doors he crashed through without a second thought.

Two things were immediately apparent to Marco as he skidded to a stop on the plush carpet: One was that this was the master bedroom of the estate, and two, that Narus and Drummond were not here to assist him in robbing the place. In front of him was a sight he was sure would haunt his dreams for months to come as crumpled on the floor was a body he recognized immediately as none other than Phillipe de Clare with a grinning Narus looking down in sadistic glee. Behind him, Marco could see Drummond holding down a woman he recognized as Lady de Clare. The woman was gasping and sputtering against the crushing pressure of the man's unnaturally long fingers as he strangled her with an almost loving expression on his face.

Narus looked up, the twisted ecstasy on his face vanishing into one of smug satisfaction as he saw Marco standing there in wide-eyed horror. "Looks like the jig is up, Drummond. The little thief seems to have caught on to the fact that we're not exactly burglars. You can finish playing with your food after we deal with our little wrinkle here."

"Need my help before you even get started? Psh, typical…" said Drummond, standing before turning back to a wheezing Lady de Clare, "Stay there, love."

"Quit your whining and he-" But he never finished his sentence as Marco's foot flashed out of nowhere to crash into his chest in a kick so strong he was knocked into the fireplace.

"You damn guttersnipe!" roared, Drummond, pulling his two short swords from his belt and charging forward, all sense of swagger now gone.

Marco didn't waste an instant as incandescent rage coursed through him. It had been a setup the entire time, he realized now that he was face to face with their handiwork. Atan had merely needed him to get the two killers into the building through the alarm system and guards. They'd used him, and that pissed him off. Add in the fact that they'd killed at least three people after he practically unlocked the front door and ushered them inside…

With a hiss of steel against steel, Marco had his sword out to parry Drummond's first quick lunge. Leaping back out of range of the man's follow-up slash with his off-hand, he ducked low and lashed out with a vicious slash of his own at the man's leg that bit partway into his heavy leather boot. Drummond cried out in pain and stumbled back, just as the momentum of Marco's slash carried his body around to kick one of Drummond's swords out of his hand to spin into a dark corner.

"Raarrrgh!"

The shout of bestial fury turned Marco's head just in time to see Narus slam into him, the shock of the impact knocking his sword out of his hand. Instinctively, he pulled his arms around him as Narus landed blow after blow to his body and arms. Desperately shifting and falling back to try and create any distance he could, Marco knew if he didn't act now, he was dead. So in a desperate move, he dropped his shoulder in a feint, his adrenaline spiking as Drummond took the bait and tried to finish him with a massive haymaker.

Firing his left hand up in a high block to catch Narus's arcing arm before he connected, he scooped underneath it with his other to pull the assassin across his body, turning him so he was facing away. With a kick to the back of his leg, Marco drove Narus to his knees, following that blow with another vicious sidekick that shoved the assassin violently forward. Right into the crystal corner of an end table. There was a shriek of pain and a loud crack as the corner broke off from the rest of the table still embedded in the place where Narus' eye used to be.

"Die!"

Marco had to roll out of the way of the savage two-handed chop that nearly took his arm off as Drummond came staggering out of the darkness with murder in his eyes. Springing back up to his feet, he spun to his right to once more slip the overhand chop that embedded itself momentarily in the wooden floor. Seizing the opening, Marco rushed forward, managing to land two stout punches into the tall man's face before Drummond seized his wrist and tossed him like a ragdoll behind him.

He landed with a crash, slamming through a small lounge chair and doing his best not to break anything. "You know…" began Drummond, pulling his blade free with a grunt, "I'm going to take my time in killing you. I think we'll start with those dangerous hands of yours. Mmm, break every finger one by one until you beg me to end your suffering."

Marco ached all over, the impact disorienting him as he struggled to clear his vision. Ahead of him, Drummond was still uttering vile threats as he stalked forward, his free hand reflexively clenching. It was when he shifted to one knee, his teeth bared as he prepared to make a mad rush, that he felt it. It was his sword, and he'd been lucky enough to be thrown almost directly on top of it.

"Or maybe we'll start with your eyes… Gouge them out before yanking every tooth one at a time…"

Step, step, step. Marco counted off the steps in his mind, closing his bloody fingers around the handle of El Choppo as Drummond moved close, his own sword raised to deliver a finishing blow. NOW! His mind screamed, and Marco exploded up, bringing his blade around in a blinding flash to catch Drummond's own as he swung it down to lop off an arm. They strained against one another, each blade skittering and screeching as they were forced against the other.

"How long can you hope to hold out, little man," growled Drummond, spitting a mouthful of blood in Marco's face. Pushing harder, his red smile spread ear to ear as he began to push him backward.

"Long enough," grunted Marco, "for THIS!" Like a cobra, he kicked out, striking the inside of Drummond's knee. It buckled, twisting sideways with an audible pop of parting ligaments and a scream. Twisting low, Marco slipped his opponents now strengthless blade, whirling as he redirected his sword to come slashing down in a spray of crimson as it opened up a two-foot gash in the assassin's chest.

"Halt!" a voice from the open doorway rang out, "throw down the sword and surrender!"

It was the other guards from downstairs. Marco was honestly surprised it had taken them so long to respond to the fight considering all the screaming and crashing of furniture. I gotta get the hell out of here, screamed the rational side of his brain through rage still fogging his decisions. It wouldn't matter to the city guard that he hadn't personally killed any of the guards or de Clare. The fact that he was an accessory to the crime would be more than enough to see him hanged.

"Guys, it's not what it looks like…" he said, letting a hand off his sword to slowly drift to his belt. As casually as he could while the guards were advancing into the room, their swords drawn, he plucked two small clay orbs off his belt and flipped them in their direction. Both exploded in bursts of choking black smoke and fizzling, popping magical fireworks that dazzled the eyes and burst in loud snapping cracks. Taking advantage of the distraction, Marco sprinted toward the closed window, using the end of the carved wooden bed as a springboard to burst through the glass.

It wasn't the first time he'd had to jump out a second-story window and it likely wouldn't be the last time either, he mused in the second before impact. Still, for as much experience as he had with this kind of stuff, the impact nearly tore something in both knees as he hit the ground hard and rolled. Struggling to his feet with a grunt of pain, he could hear muffled shouting from the destroyed window, now accompanied by the wailing of a magical alarm. Half jogging, half limping, Marco managed to cross the inner grounds in time to disappear into a shrub just as two guards poked their heads around the side of the house. From there it was a simple matter of letting the patrol pass him as they rushed to check the backside of the house before quickly scaling the wall and disappearing into the misty night.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O

Star was speechless as she sat glued to her chair and stared in shock at Marco. He looked shaken, one hand reflexively curled into a fist while the other absentmindedly held his long-abandoned corn malt. This is the stuff he said he didn't want to talk about, idiot… whispered a scolding voice in her mind. She felt dreadful for pressuring him to talk about it instead of simply asking for a rundown with no backstory. "Marco, I'm sorry I asked you to talk about this. Are you o-"

"I'll be okay."

His voice sounded thick to her, too thick to simply be something caught in his throat. So without another thought, she reached over and placed a hand on his fist. When his eyes met hers, she was relieved to see him give her a small smile, though she didn't miss the sleeve he used to wipe at the corners of his eyes. "Hey, hey," she leaned forward, reaching with her other hand and taking his, "what happened isn't your fault. You couldn't have known that Atan guy was going to double-cross you."

"Yeah… well, I should have, damn it. When they wanted to just casually murder that guard, I should have called the whole thing off."

"And if I hadn't let you borrow the scissors that day, you never would have gotten in trouble with Hekapoo in the first place," said Star, giving his hands a reassuring squeeze. "Remember what you told me after Ludo took the book and we lost Glossaryck and I could barely get out of bed?"

Marco gave out a short bitter little chuckle, "Yeah, I do. Hindsight is 20/20."

"Meaning?" And Star was glad to see some of the pain leave Marco's face.

"Meaning it's easier to analyze and criticize things after they happen…" he sighed, rolling his eyes at the restrained look of triumph on Star's face. "You're right, you're right. I can't beat myself up over something I had no way of knowing."

"And you're sure it was those two that we ran into today? Mewni has its own fair share of weirdos, ya know."

"Well, their builds were correct for Narus and Drummond. And there was something else…" He paused to lean in as Star mirrored him. "I saw something when I fell. It was only a quick glimpse…but I'll never forget those hands. It's them, I'm sure now."

"But why are they on Mewni now? I mean if you were the target again, wouldn't they have tried something back there?" Star could feel the anger in her rising. Hazy, dark memories of the night Rolfe tried to kill Marco were cropping up uninvited and she grit her teeth at the thought that Appleton was having another attempt on Marco's life.

"I don't know, maybe? They weren't exactly subtle about things if I was the target. Besides, last I knew, they were rotting away in a Crownport jail cell awaiting execution. I, uh, stuck around town for a few days afterward to tie up some loose ends," he added when she raised an eyebrow at that. "I honestly never expected to see them again."

"Marco, why?! You were wanted by the city guard!" She watched him as his expression seemed to shift through several different emotions: anger, embarrassment, and even a brief flash of shame.

"Well," he began, taking a moment to compose himself. "I stayed because I wanted to make sure those two were captured. After what they did, I couldn't stomach the idea that they'd manage to escape somehow in all the confusion I caused. After that, I stuck around because of my conscience…" He didn't wait for her follow-up question before pushing ahead. "I, uh, paid Atan a visit a few days after I escaped the de Clare's mansion. I wanted answers and maybe also a little payback after what happened, so I roughed him up. He confirmed what I'd already suspected, that the C.B.S. was tired of simply robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. They'd decided that a more permanent solution was better." He sighed again, thankful for the comfort of Star's warm hands holding his. "I did a lot of…questionable things in the Neverzone, but I never killed anyone, Star. Beasts and monsters, things that couldn't talk and think, yes, but never anyone with a name. So once I got the info I needed from Atan and knew I wasn't a killer, I helped myself to a few of his nicer things to donate to the orphanage and went to continue my hunt for the Hekapoo clones."

It was easy for Star to forget that Marco had spent sixteen years in the Neverzone. Sixteen long, hardscrabble years where every day was dangerous, and the only person he could truly rely on was himself. It made her heart ache to think of how many nights he probably laid awake thinking of home, his family, and her. Most of her desperately wanted to talk to him about everything that happened there, to be his rock so that he could let go of whatever guilt or shame he might still feel over what he'd had to do there. But another part of her was certain that letting him decide when and what to talk about was the right move.

"Star, I think we should definitely tell your mom that two more assassins are prowling around the Kingdom. Even if this is totally unrelated to us, it could save someone's life and those two deserve to rot in prison for what they've done already." He was ready for her to object, sure that Star would want to catch Narus and Drummond on their own and not rope her mother into anything.

"I think you're right."

"I mean I know we usually take care of things ourselves, but I think this is-Did you just say yes?" He cocked his head at her in surprise.

She nodded at him, and he could see now that instead of defiance, she had a deep frown of worry on her face. "I just don't like the timing. Your ceremony is tomorrow, and these two creeps show up? I'll bet my wand this has something to do with Appleton."

"Yeah, knowing my luck…it probably does," sighed Marco. He stood up, gently pulling Star to her feet and letting her hands go to wrap her up in a tight hug. "Thanks for listening, it helps," he added into her ear as he buried his face into the curtain of blonde hair there.

"Always, L'venok," he heard her whisper back before she raised her own arms to return the hug.

Less than a mile away, Higgs was pacing angrily back and forth in her shabby little room at the inn. She'd lost track of both of her charges after seeing Drummond intentionally collide with Marco and realized only too late that it was an intentional move to create a distraction. A distraction she completely fell for as she rushed to hide her face in case he recognized her. But now, she was pretty sure she was going to kill Narus and Drummond when she finally managed to catch up with them, or at the very least beat the warnicorn shit out of them.

Looking down, she checked her Quest Buy Accutracker 4900 for the fiftieth time to check its progress as it slowly, glacially attuned itself. She'd picked that particular little gem up the morning before setting out with her two wayward assassins as an insurance plan in case they proved to be less than reliable. Now she was glad she had it, though as she watched the progress bar tick to 9 percent, she knew it was going to be a long afternoon.

*Bzzt*

The buzz of her compact tore her attention away from the annoying green screen and she felt the blood freeze in her veins as she saw who it was on the caller id. She didn't want to answer it, didn't want to face the cold probing she knew would come with any conversation with him. Resignedly, she reached out and opened her compact. "Your Grace," she inclined her head.

"Higgs…" he began, and her stomach clenched at his leading tone, "is there anything you wish to tell me?"

He knew… Higgs took a second for composure as she forced herself to return Appleton's steely blue gaze. "We've had a complication."

"A complication?" Appleton grimaced and shot a meaningful glance off-camera. "I do not like complications, Higgs. Complications beget problems and problems beget failure. What has happened?"

His words oozed honeyed menace, and she felt the ice in her veins thicken at the implication. Steadying herself to keep her voice as even as possible, Higgs answered him, "I've temporarily lost track of Narus and Drummond. They created a distraction and used the resulting chaos to slip away in the middle of the festival." She kept her report of things as vague as she felt she could to avoid further scrutiny. Appleton would hit the ceiling if he knew Marco was involved in all this, even if it was only tangentially.

"And do you have a plan to find them?"

"I do," she answered, angling the phone to show him the still currently calibrating tracker. "Once it's ready, I'll use it to track down those two idiots and make sure they complete their mission." She waited as the tension spired horribly, the Duke's stony look unchanging as his ice-blue eyes flicked between her own and beeping tracker.

"No more…complications, Higgs. You find them and make sure they complete their mission; after which, you shall complete yours. Do you understand me?"

"Perfectly."

O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O

'Marco, are you sure you're still up for going out tonight?" asked Star as she put the finishing touches on her makeup. "I can always text Janna and tell her we can't make it." Glancing over to where he was quietly sitting on the side of her bed in a sleek red dress shirt and dark blue jeans, she watched him first, button, and then unbutton, the top button on his shirt all before pausing a few seconds to consider and doing it all again. "Marco?" she said again after several seconds of him not responding.

"I'm sorry, what? I didn't hear you."

Dropping her makeup brush, Star quickly crossed her room to squat down in front of him. "I said," she began, putting her hands on his knees and meeting his eyes, "if you aren't feeling like going out tonight, we can stay home. You've been preeeetty quiet all afternoon since we got back and I know tomorrow's a big day. If you want to just hang out, eat nachos, and binge Fiesta de la Noche all night, Star's ya girl."

It was always that smile. The same smile that warmed him like a ray of sunshine on a rainy day. The smile that made her entire face come alive with joy, and the poetry of it all was enough to tease out his own grin no matter what kind of mood he was in. Reaching out, he laid his hands over hers and shook his head. "It's okay Star, tonight'll be fun. We can be normal teenagers just going on a double date and not worry about assassins and evil dukes. Besides…" He stood up, puffing up his chest absurdly as he looked off down his nose and struck a pose of disdainful superiority. "Tomorrow I join the ranks of nobility and therefore, must put aside such trivial things as karaoke."

Marco managed to keep his composure for all of nearly three seconds before the shocked look on her face broke him. A twitch turned his imperious scowl into a crooked smirk as stifled laughter made him shake with mirth before bending double as a deep belly laugh took over. Soon, he was joined by Star and they spent several moments clinging to each other as they laughed uproariously. Chuckling himself into silence, he shivered suddenly as she slipped a hand around his waist and came away with his dimensional scissors. Star twirled them around a finger before planting a light peck on his cheek. "Babe, I love you, but if you ever really act like that, I'll Narwhal Blast you."

"Noted."

Twenty minutes later, Star and Marco stepped out of a swirling blue and pink portal and back into the multicolored wonderland that was Neonia. Marco couldn't suppress the feeling of awe that came over him as the flashing and whirling lights filled his eyes, and he heard Star giggle when she glanced over to see him staring opened mouthed at their surroundings.

"It takes a few visits for the shock to wear off," she said, laughing again when he shook his head like a dog to clear his vision.

They were standing outside the same club as last time as far as he could tell. Though this time, as he wasn't being rushed inside, he saw the name of it spelled out in glittering and twinkling lights: Superstars. The building was a riot of color and light, and he almost had to shield his face as bright spotlights appeared to illuminate the street out front in playful swirling patterns. Not really a mystery how this place caught Star's attention… he mused, watching her wave happily at Sergio the bouncer as they were ushered through the doors to the club.

The music and atmosphere rolled over Marco like a physical wave as he stepped through the doors hand in hand with Star. The familiar strobing lights still dazzled as the thumping bass made his chest vibrate in synchrony to the beat. Happy memories of their last time here and the life-changing moment it led to flooded through him. It was comforting being back, like when he slipped into his favorite hoodie fresh from the dryer.

"Star! Over here!"

He looked in the direction of where the voice had come from to see Janna and a very nervous-looking Tom standing near the long sleek bar. "JANNA BANANA!" shouted Star, and suddenly he found himself being pulled along in a headlong sprint through the swaying and jumping dancers. Marco watched as Star released his hand at the last second before sweeping up his Earth friend in a big hug. Janna, for her part, seemed to be a good sport about it, simply returning the giant bearhug with one of her own. Deciding to let Star get it all out of her before saying hello to Janna, Marco turned to where Tom was stiffly swirling his drink. Offering a fist, he grinned when Tom quickly bumped it, and the two shared a nod.

"Soooooo," he said after a long stretch of awkward silence, "Janna?"

"Mmmhm," intoned Tom, lifting his drink to his mouth as they watched Star excitedly fill Janna in on the day's events.

"Cool, cool…" said Marco, the words coming out slowly as his brain felt like it was struggling through molasses.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

There was an underlying strain in Tom's voice Marco didn't miss and instantly, he scrambled to course correct. "Oh, um…" he began, fumbling for words as he spoke slowly and awkwardly. "Jusssst that I meant that… I meant that you seem to have a bit of a type?" Not any better! NOT ANY BETTER! His mind screamed.

"A…type?"

There was a distinct coolness in Tom's voice now as Marco began to panic. "Ya know…" he forced a thin chuckle as he gestured to both girls, "Star and Janna can both be a bit of a handful at times. What…with the property damage, the shocking surprises every other week. The…complete ability to destroy their significant other."

"Can I?" Tom held up a finger, "Marco, I'm just gonna stop you there." He turned and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know Janna's a lot. And yeah, she can be scary. And yes, I do dread our first fight and any…unusual repercussions. But…" and much to Marco's relief, his face split in a fanged grin, "I really like her, man. I don't know," he shrugged, "She just, makes me happy."

Marco stared for a moment, unsure exactly how to process this information. The idea that Janna was an entity with the same range of emotions as normal humans was surprising. The idea that she also could express romantic feelings to a living creature, startling. But maybe, in the end, Star had been right when she'd told him she saw a potential connection between them. And really? Was it any of his business at the end of the day that Tom had found someone new he could connect with? "You know what?" he said, feeling a genuine smile spreading on his face as he looked at his friend, "I'm happy for ya man, really."

"Good!" said Tom, blowing out a relieved breath. "Besides… You did kiiiinda steal my last girlfriend, sooooo supporting my new one is literally the least you could do."

"Okay, I can't argue with that."

"Heyyyyy partay people!" Star was back with Janna and Marco happily accepted the glowing Mewni Sunrise that she pressed into his hand.

"Sup Diaz," Janna greeted him before delving back into a story she must have been telling Star on their way back with drinks. "So that's when Tom asks the waiter, 'You didn't put walnuts in her salad did you?' and of course, that's my cue, so I immediately stand up and scream, 'I'm allergic to walnuts!' before falling down and pretending to choke."

"Oh man, the look on his face," chuckled Tom.

"So after that, we had to sell the con, classic fake good samaritan," began Janna before an excited Tom piped up, "So I pulled out this fake Epipen, still don't know what it is by the way," he gave a gallic shrug, "and pretended to use it."

"Janna Banana, you rascal!" said Star, sounding playfully scandalized.

"So once I…'recovered'," Janna raised a hand to mime air quotes. "The manager comped our entire meal and gave us a hundred-dollar gift certificate for our trouble."

"Janna, you do know Tom's rich, right?" interjected Marco, before taking a bracing sip of his drink. "He can afford to pay for dinner."

"Oh, Marco…" And Janna took a moment to throw an arm around his shoulder, "it's not about the money. It's about the thrill. It's like," she searched for an appropriate description when she caught his scowl in the corner of her vision. "It's like roller coasters."

"I LOVE roller coasters!"

"That's because roller coasters are awesome, Star," acknowledged Janna, pointing at her with her drink hand. "Pranks and my moreee…mischievous exploits give me that exact same rush."

"This explains so much…" muttered Marco, shaking his head as both Tom and Star burst out laughing.

"So Marco, Star was telling me she wants to hear us play?" said Janna, changing the subject now that her favorite target was sufficiently rattled.

Before he could answer her, he had to jump back as Tom choked on his drink, sputtering and spraying the floor with something that smelled remarkably like gasoline. "Star, you do realize we haven't even had one practice yet? Uh, in fact," he turned back, incredulous, to face Marco, "Nor has Marco even heard me play yet."

"Yeah, it's not like we have time to practice anything tonight," chuckled Marco, sharing an amused look with Tom.

"Gee if only there was some way you could fit a lot of stuff into a very short time…" Janna tapped her chin as if in deep thought.

"Yeahhhhh," said Star, catching on immediately, "maybe a specific place you could go… It might even have a specific name?"

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber?" answered Tom, looking unsure now as he glanced between all three of them.

"No, you dork!" and Janna shook her head in frustration as Star giggled behind her hand.

"She's talking about the Neverzone," explained Marco, who was also feeling distinctly amused at the crimson now staining Tom's lilac-colored cheeks. "One minute out here is actually two years in there."

"Dude that's right! That's that place where you fought all those Hekapoos!" Tom snapped his finger in recognition before following Marco's gaze to where Star was standing rooted in place, a glassy look in her eyes as her mouth spoke in hushed awe, "Abs Dimension…"

"Uhhhh Star?" Tom leaned forward, waving a hand in front of her face several times until she finally snapped out of her apparent trance.

"Don't worry about her," Janna said as the hearts on Star's cheeks glowed a dull pink. "She's just fantasizing about Neverzone Marco. Apparently, he's like some chiseled man-god in there and it makes her knees go weak every time the subject comes up."

Tom didn't really want to think about his ex getting hot and bothered over a super cut-looking Marco right now, so instead of joining in on Star and Janna's conversation, as the former described the topology of his Neverzone abs in loving detail, he grabbed Marco by the shoulder and marched him off towards the bar. "Marco and I are just going to grab a new drink for everyone."

Marco kept his silence as he was awkwardly marched to the polished bar. He waited while Tom put in four new drink orders, but when his friend didn't say anything after the six-armed bartender shuffled off to make them, he cleared his throat. "So, pretty smooth so far, eh?"

"Yeah man, completely. Everything's cool as a cucumber."

"You're about to crap your pants right now aren't you."

"You have no idea." Tom blew out a relieved breath and slumped against the bar. "I've been barely keeping it together since we left the restaurant. Were you this nervous during your first date with Star?"

Marco couldn't help but laugh, "I was a bit nervous, yeah. But remember, we'd been best friends for a year by then. I knew Star super well by that point, so a lot of the mystery and anxiety of how a first date would go wasn't there. You've only been seeing Janna for what? A month or two at this point?"

"About that, yeah."

"So yeah, you just haven't had the time to get to know her; I mean as much as anyone can know Janna…" he shook his head, a pensive look on his face. "What I mean to say," he added as Tom frowned at him, "is that everything's scary tonight because your dynamic is different now that you're dating. Trust me, it'll get easier the more stuff you two do together."

Tom stared down at the ice-cold drink that had just been slid in front of him. Picking it up, he tipped it back and took a long pull from the glass, savoring the burn of whatever the bartender had put in there. Setting it down, he turned to face his best friend and flashed him another fanged grin "When did you get so wise all of the sudden? It seems like two months ago you were striking out with Jackie with Naysaya, now you're dishing out advice like a pro."

"What can I say, I'm wise beyond my years," laughed Marco, scooping up his and Star's new drinks.

"Soooo one more question…" said Tom as they walked back to where Star was dancing next to an amused-looking Janna, "What do we do now?"

Marco stopped and stared at him, his jaw slack with shock. "Tom, you and Star went on tons of dates while you were together, why would you need me to tell you that?"

"Our dates kind of consisted of whatever Star wanted to do. She wasn't bossy or anything, I just didn't really care what we were doing. No really," he shook his head at Marco's skeptical look, "I was just happy to be there. So many other royals are stuck up, or so full of themselves it's nauseating, but Star was never like that at all."

"She is awesome." And Marco didn't miss the brief flash of pain on Tom's face at his words. "Alright look, this is what we're going to do." He fixed Tom with a determined stare, intent on getting him back on the right track. "We're going to go over there and we're going to catch up with everyone. Then you and I are both going to take our respective dates and spend the next hour dancing and having fun. After that, we zip off to the neverzone, practice, come back and play Star her song."

"Definitely yes, you're a genius! I am one hundred percent in!"

Another fist bump later, this time a special "double-bump" they only used with each other, and the two rejoined Janna and Star who happily accepted their replacement drinks. Marco then endured a thoroughly uncomfortable half-hour of talk about his ceremony the next day alternating between Tom cluelessly espousing how awesome it was that Marco was finally going to get the respect he deserved, while Janna needled him endlessly about all the people that were going to be sucking up to him now that he was a noble. At least Star was amazing about things, he thought, feeling glad for the multiple times she'd tried to steer the conversation away from a topic that was clearly making her boyfriend uncomfortable.

"Thanks again for trying to run interference," he said to her ten minutes later as they waited by the bar to get their next drinks

"Welllll ya know…" she rolled her eyes playfully, "Tom's kind of oblivious about things at the best of times. But Janna Banana can kindddd of take things too far. I gotta look out for my bestie after all…" She gave him a side-eye that made the crescent moons on his cheeks glow. Just then, their drinks were dropped off and she hurriedly snatched hers up and reached for his hand "C'mon Babe, Mama's gotta get her groove on!"

"Why did I let Star talk us into this…" Janna shook her head as she watched Marco twirl a laughing Star not fifteen feet away.

"Are they alwaysthis… This, together? I haven't hung out with both of them together much since the breakup." He visibly cringed when Star threw her arms around Marco's neck and began showering his cheeks with kisses. "Maybe, going forward-"

"We keep the double dates with Starco over there to a minimum? I completely agree," nodded Janna, flashing Tom an easy smirk.

"You know…" said Tom, stepping in front of her, "I've had fun nodding along to the music so far, but would you maybe wanna try dancing? I know it's not super…on brand, but I think we'd have fun." He watched nervously as Janna seemed to eye him up and down, her hip cocked.

"For you, Lucitor? Definitely."

O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O

Moon was sweating. And despite the chilly late-squartuk air that night, she could feel her sweat-soaked nightgown sticking to her back like a wet blanket. She was paused, mid-step, on the chipped and cracked rose tower stairs, three-quarters of the way to the door of perhaps the only person who could help her right now. But help who? It was one of the thoughts Moon had had all evening despite deciding she would go through with asking Eclipsa for help. It was also the major reason she was dragging out this otherwise short walk.

"Pegasus feathers, Moon, stop being so damn indecisive. You've already made the decision, at least hear what she wants," she hissed to herself under her breath. Here was Moon the Undaunted, vaunted defender of the people of Mewni, waffling like an insecure little child about doing the one thing that may help make her kingdom a safer place. It was just the shot of willpower she needed to climb the last half turn to face the dilapidated door. With a wave of a glowing hand, the knob turned before the door swung open with a deep, reverberating groan.

"Ah, Queen Moon, I wasn't expecting company this evening." The voice came from ahead, where the queen saw Eclipsa hunched over a writing desk with her back to the door.

"How-"

"How did I know it was you? I assure you it was no feat of dark magic," Eclipsa turned in her chair and waggled her fingers playfully. "Your boots sound very distinctive on stone. I heard you halfway up the tower."

"Yes… Well…" Moon paused, struggling to keep her train of thought. Eclipsa's ability to throw her was infuriating.

"Are you here about the trial? Has the Commission, in their infinite wisdom, finally set a date after all these months?"

"No. I am here on a more…personal errand."

"Oh?" Eclipsa stood, tilting her head and peering at the queen. "Now you have piqued my curiosity. Have a seat. Tea?"

"No, thank you." Moon shook her head as she sat down in a tired-looking armchair. "I've run into a bit of a roadblock with Rolfe."

"That miscreant assassin that tried to kill Marco at the recital? I'm quite surprised he survived after what Star did to him." As if to emphasize her point, Eclipsa took a deep sip of tea, her mauve eyes never wavering as they peered at Moon over the teacup.

"M-Yes, my daughter was rather…vigorous in her defense of the boy." Perhaps even overly so… she thought, as memories of that night flashed into Moon's mind and she had to suppress a shudder at how dark Star's magic had felt. "In any event," she pushed forward, changing the subject, "interrogations of Rolfe have proven less than fruitful, and the identity of the party that hired him continues to elude us."

"You didn't…torture the man did you?"

"No. I don't believe in the reliability of information obtained under such conditions."

"Then if you didn't torture him, and he refused your ever so polite request to disclose his employer…" Eclipsa looked puzzled for only a moment before letting out a small, "oh," of surprise. "I thought you didn't go in for any of my dark magic anymore, Moon. I seem to have misjudged you."

"I did what I felt was necessary."

"Clearly."

"I think I've made a mistake." Moon was halfway to her feet when Eclipsa held up a hand.

"Moon, Wait." Eclipsa watched as the queen froze in place, unmoving, before blowing out a long breath and tilting her head to stare at the ceiling. "Just hear me out. I take it you tried my, Dark Flame Mind Delving spell and ran into a barrier. Perhaps some kind of magical seal on certain memories in that rotten miscreant's mind?"

Moon was transfixed as she stared at Eclipsa's knowing face. Slowly, she sat back down, leaning forward unconsciously as she nodded her assent. "Yes, there were these thick golden chains inscribed with magical runes I have not seen before and the seal of the assassin's guild of Galafamor."

"And when you attempted to force your way through, did you nearly kill him?" The tone of the question was as casual as if Eclispa had been talking about the weather. It was enough to make gooseflesh ripple up the back of Moon's arm. "That was because you were pushing far too much magic into poor Rolfe's brain for him to handle," she added after Moon had nodded eagerly. "Those memory locks can be devilishly tricky. Opening them is much more a matter of finesse, than brute force. I could assist you… If you'd like?"

"I…" Moon rarely found herself speechless after over twenty-five years on the throne. But tonight? She was at a complete loss.

"Memory locks as you've described were in great vogue back in my day. Always popular with assassins and spies." Eclipsa set down her tea before folding her hands in her lap. "There is no substitute for experience, I always say."

Like a great clock, the gears of Moon's mind began to grind once more. The possibility of finally breaking the stupid seal protecting the identity of who hired Rolfe to kill Marco was tantalizing. She would accept Eclipsa's offer; strike the proffered bargain. "And what price would you ask for your help?" she asked the only question left to her.

Eclipsa's eyes crinkled with mirth as she let out a light titter. "Just a simple favor, Moon, nothing more."

"Favors from monarchs are rarely simple, but continue."

"I want a fair trial."

The air between them was suddenly very thick, and Moon never took her eyes off of Eclipsa as she searched for any hint of deception. Finally, she spoke, "Do you think me incapable of impartiality?"

"Strictly speaking, queen-to-queen, I would be surprised if the exact opposite weren't true. No, my dear, it's the Commission I do not trust. I strongly suspect they intend to pronounce me guilty regardless of whatever evidence there is. But…" And now it was Eclipa's turn to lean in, a mischievous gleam in her eye, "the Chairwoman would be able to pressure the other members to be fair in their assessment. And…if worse comes to worst, could rule me innocent due to lack of evidence."

"That sounds suspiciously like you are asking me to find you innocent no matter what evidence there is."

"No, certainly not." Eclipsa sat back, shaking her head and looking almost disappointed. "If you feel the evidence you and the other Commission members have found is sufficient to warrant recrystallization, then so be it. I simply ask for a fair trial."

Five minutes later as Moon picked her way down the steps of the rose tower to head back to the royal apartments, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had just been steered through the entire exchange. Eclipsa seemed to have an uncanny ability to disarm with whatever strange charm she possessed. Still, part of Moon couldn't help but empathize with the disgraced ex-queen. Hekapoo, Omnitraxus, and Rhombulus all had been openly hostile and, she had to admit, would likely be less than objective at Eclipsa's trial.

She was going to have to keep her eyes open.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O

Marco was nervous as he stood on stage, his hands resting on either side of a keyboard made out what he suspected was light made solid through some sort of magic. In front of him, just above the magical instrument in a small window, a glowing timer was steadily counting down to show time. He felt prepared after a full week of practice in the Neverzone, and a glance to his side and behind him revealed Janna and Tom, both looking nervous but determined. Out in front of him, the crowd stood poised to hear something undoubtedly special as he was flanked by two other people, both with their respective instruments. But Marco only had eyes for Star, who was standing less than thirty feet away, her eyes locked on him as she waited for the song to begin.

She'd initially been crushed when all three of them had said she couldn't come with them to the Neverzone. But thankfully, Marco had been able to cheer her up by telling her that they'd all be a lot less nervous without an audience as they learned to work together. Though, he had to admit that his promise to dedicate their first song to her might have been the clincher. Now, however, as the timer ticked to zero and the stage lights dimmed, while he, Janna, and Tom were joined by semitransparent musicians, he was glad he had this chance to surprise her.

Lettings his hands move to play the simple chords, Marco couldn't help but feel his pride swell when he heard Janna's muted and punchy base in perfect rhythm with him. Waiting on the beat for Tom to join in, he kept his eyes focused on Star as the words began to flow from him.

"Walk in your rainbow paradise. Strawberry lipstick state of mind. I get so lost inside your eyes. Would you believe it? You don't have to say you love me, you don't have to say nothing, you don't have don't say you're mine." Marco didn't miss the crowd already grooving along with the song as he plunged into the chorus with Janna and Tom backing him up, "Honey, ah-ah-ah. I'd walk through fire for you. Just let me adore you. Oh, honey, ah-ah-ah. I'd walk through fire for you. Just let me adore you. Like it's the only thing I'll ever do. Like it's the only thing I'll ever do."

He finished the chorus with a flair of floaty synth, his fingers dancing across the keys as the feelings in his chest swelled at the look of utter adoration on Star's face while she stood rooted in sheer joy. Behind him, his bandmates were on their A-game, with Janna pumping out a bouncy and lively bass line as Tom kept a steady time with the high hat.

"You're wonder under summer sky. Brown skin and lemon over ice. Would you believe it? You don't have to say you love me. I just wanna tell you somethin'. Lately, you've been on my mind." He rounded the second pre-chorus, the last of his nervousness dropping away, "Honey, ah-ah-ah. I'd walk through fire for you. Just let me adore you. Oh, honey, ah-ah-ah. I'd walk through fire for you. Just let me adore you. Like it's the only thing I'll ever do. Like it's the only thing I'll ever do."

Marco turned to watch as Janna stepped up to the mic, taking the lead now for the song's bridge of, "It's the only thing I'll ever do." He still couldn't believe he and Tom had been able to convince her to sing. She'd been adamant at first about not singing, but after a few days in the Neverzone, she'd abruptly changed her mind. Janna had never explicitly given a reason for the change of heart, but Marco strongly suspected that Tom mentioning how cool it would be if she would sing was the primary motivator. Waiting for his moment, he jumped back in to sing the final chorus as a duet.

"I'd walk through fire for you. Just let me adore you. Oh, honey ah-ah-ah. I'd walk through fire for you. Just let me adore you. Like it's the only thing I'll ever do. I'd walk through fire for you. Just let me adore you. Oh, honey ah-ah-ah, oh, honey. I'd walk through fire for you. Just let me adore you." Marco was grooving now as they hit the outro, swaying side to side as his fingers capered along the keys, backing up the virtual guitarist with a noodling, funky lick, "Oooh, ooh, oh, honey. Oooh ooh. Just let me adore you. Like it's the only thing I'll ever do."

There was a split second of silence as the song ended, just before the crowd exploded into wild cheers, that he and Star seemed to be the only people in the entire room. Gone were the flashing and strobing lights, instead replaced by a soft ruby light that suffused the very air around them with ephemeral brilliance. Marco could feel the bond between them thrumming in pleasing harmony, filling him head to toe with feelings of love and affection so strong that it made his eyes well up.

They came out of nowhere, seeming to materialize from thin air as they stepped out of the crowd directly behind a waving and cheering Star. Marco felt his gut seize in cold dread when he spotted a flash of steel as one of them slipped a long dagger out of his cloak. "Star!" he shouted, cursing to himself when his voice was drowned out by the still roaring crowd. Shouts of joy and cheers that quickly changed to screams as the man with the dagger roughly grabbed Star, bringing the blade to her throat and pinning her other arm behind her back.

"If you'll all excuse our rather boorish interruption of your frivolities, this will only take but a moment," shouted Narus, lowering his hood and leering straight up at Marco on the stage.

"Let me go you damn creep!" Star strained to break free of the man's iron grip, pushing forward until the cold kiss of steel against her neck made her freeze in place.

"Wouldn't be struggling too hard if I were you, Princess," Drummond hissed into her ear as he took her moment of inactivity to redouble his grip on her startlingly strong arm. "This here is a right proper dagger, and I'd hate to open your pretty throat by accident. Besides, we just have a spot of business with your boy toy here and then we'll be on our way."

"LET HER GO!" White-hot rage had replaced shock by now, and Marco's fists were shaking as he dropped into a fighting stance. All around him the screaming crowd was streaming toward the exits, leaving Narus, Drummond, and Star alone on the now deserted dance floor

"Always making demands…" chuckled Narus before shifting his glance to where Tom had just ignited both his fists in flames, "Tut-Tut, Prince Lucitor," he wagged his finger, "my partner and I have business with Marco alone. Interfere, and Mewni will find itself with one less Butterfly." Tom looked anguished as he met Marco's pleading eyes, until finally, disgusted with himself, he let the flames in his hands die.

Walking forward, Marco hopped off the stage his hard stare never waving. "I said let her go. Whatever you're here to do, it doesn't involve Star."

"You know you wounded Drummond and me when you left so suddenly, Marco… We never got a chance to conclude our unfinished business at the de Clare's. After we escaped the dungeon, we looked everywhere for you."

"Positively high and low," added Drummond.

"We even dropped by your old boss's office. Drummond figured he might know where to find you." Marco felt the buzz of adrenaline begin to flow as Narus shrugged out of his cloak to reveal his large muscular frame and the two wickedly sharp, curved short swords he had strapped to his hips. "You must have been close, as in the end he never gave you up."

"Even when I tore off his ears. Remarkable discipline on that one."

"Yes, he was positively ascetic."

Narus smiled at his turn of phrase, and Marco remembered it was the same twisted grin he'd had on his face during that moment in the de Clare mansion. The hulking assassin took a step forward, cracking his neck in a rolling series of pops that he assumed was meant to be intimidating. Despite what Atan had done to him, Marco couldn't help but feel another flare of anger at the fate of his one-time employer. It was yet more fuel on the fire that he was using to hone his focus into a burning razor. It filled him head to toe with deadly purpose, a rushing sense of power welling from within as he narrowed his eyes. "What. Do. You. Want."

"In a word? Comeuppance…"

Narus exploded forward, rushing Marco in an attempt to overwhelm the teen with sheer momentum. He probably had almost a hundred pounds on his opponent, and it would simply be a matter of knocking the teen down and tearing him apart by hand. In fact, he was rather going to enjoy breaking every bone in the boy's body by han- Suddenly the world was spinning very fast before he crashed onto the dance floor, sliding and tumbling into the front of the stage painfully. Shaking his head to clear his fuzzy vision, he looked up and felt a prickle of fear for the first time as he noticed something he hadn't before closing the distance to attack: Marco's cheeks were adorned with two crescent moons, and they were both glowing a brilliant white. "Parlor tricks…" he spat, climbing back to his feet and moving forward more cautiously now.

Marco could feel the magic flowing through his body as he waited for Narus to pick himself up off the floor. That same familiar, tingling power he felt on the night he dipped down to try and rescue Star was back, less intense than that day, but still making him feel like he could do things he'd never be able to do normally. Striding forward, he tensed his body for the fight as he closed the distance to a suddenly much less arrogant-looking Narus. The assassin feinted right, throwing a tricky punch meant to draw his guard and attention away from where his cocked fist was readying a devastating haymaker. Instead, Marco simply threw up an arm in a high block to catch the man's forearm before uncoiling like spring to land a crushing inside crescent kick into the brute's shoulder.

"Argh, you little shit!" grunted Narus, staggering hard under the sledgehammer-like impact that was making his entire arm go numb. How was this possible? His mind raced as he tried to figure out what was going on. The last time he'd faced Marco in the Neverzone, the boy had been quick to the point of deadly, but Narus had still been significantly stronger. Now it felt like he'd been kicked by a warnicorn as he backed away from a flurry of punches that he was only blocking maybe half of.

The magic was coursing through him as Marco continued to press his attack, making him feel as if his opponent was moving in slightly slow motion. Openings were easier to spot and exploit, while Narus's counter punches were easier to slip. Remember this isn't the dojo, this is real life against someone who will kill me if he got the chance, he repeated in his mind as he jumped back out of range of a backhand that would have likely broken ribs.

In a flash, Marco seized his moment, the magical time dilation giving him the edge to spot the tiny opening in Narus's form. He leapt forward as his opponent was resetting his footing, the thrumming magic lifting him far higher than he'd ever been able to jump on his own. And as he rose into the air, he fired off two snapping front kicks, his left foot crashing through a weak guard to tag Narus on the chin just before his right hurtled into his jaw with a sharp crackof breaking teeth. The assassin staggered back, his face a searing mask of agony as he spat out fragments of shattered and splintered teeth.

"Kill you, KILL YOU!" howled Narus thickly through a mouthful of blood as he fell back and ripped his short swords out of their scabbards.

With a steak orange, Marco drew his own blade, the dimensional scissors lengthening and fusing to form his familiar flaming longsword in the blink of an eye. "I won't let you hurt anyone else, Narus. This ends tonight."

"Oh, it will end tonight," Narus growled, blood now streaming from both corners of his ruined mouth. "You took my eye, and I'm going to take your life you worthless little shit." With a thundering bellow, he rushed forward, his swords slashing through the air with deadly precision.

Marco rocked back, letting the first sword harmlessly sail by in front of him before raising his own to catch the downward slice of Narus's other blade. Twisting as he dumped his opponent off his sword's hilt, Marco brought his steel slashing around so quickly Narus couldn't completely dodge. The red-hot edge bit deeply, carving a long trench across the assassin's side. Narus gasped as a lance of white-hot pain branded his ribs. It cut clear through the haze of rage in his vision, pulling him back to reality with the brutal realization that he'd just been significantly injured. "Argh!" the cry of pain spilled involuntarily from his mouth as he spun away from the flaming sword.

"What are you doing, Narus? Finish the little brat so we can get out of here!"

"Shut up, Drummond!" Narus spared an angry glance to where his partner was still restraining a triumphant-looking Princess Butterfly. "I'd wipe that smile off your face if I were you, you royal bitch. You're about to see me gut your boyfriend."

"Marco's gonna kick your ass and you know it!" she spat back before Drummond pressed the knife harder into her neck and she fell silent.

"Yeah you suck!" shouted Janna from the stage.

"Last chance to surrender," said Marco, pulling in his sword and glaring at him over its glowing point, "I won't let you two escape to cause any more harm."

"Gods you're such an infuriatingly little do-gooder. A thief with a heart, how quaint," spat Drummond, "just fucking kill him already!"

With a roar, Narus charged, breathing like a wounded hippo as his feet lumbered up to speed. Marco was ready, parrying and blocking the furious slashes and thrusts as he slowly gave ground to absorb and counter the charge. Inside of him, the magic pulsed, filling him with renewed energy as he redoubled his focus to whirl his sword in a shield of flaming steel. Patience. Wait for him to make a mistake and punish him for it, he thought, not missing the telltale sign of Narus's wound starting to sap him as his attacks came just a tiny bit slower with every swing.

Narus's mistake came in the form of a loss of focus. Straining, he stretched in a long lunge, intent on using his strength to push down Marco's sword so he could skewer him with his other blade in the chest. Unfortunately, in his near berserker rage, he failed to spot the flaw in his attack. Marco simply dodged away from his overextended opponent, slipping to the right and whipping his longsword up in a twisting slash that cleaved through the brute's wrist in a spray of crimson and hungry, lapping flames. Narus howled in agony and, half-blinded by pain, raised his remaining sword high overhead to bring it down in a crushing overhead slash.

He never got a chance.

Following through the momentum of his swing, Marco spun low in a leg sweep that was much too far away to have a chance of connecting, but that wasn't his concern. He merely needed the spin, using it to carry his body around until he was crouched low under the assassin. Utilizing his momentary advantage, Marco exploded upward, pouring every ounce of his magically enhanced strength and speed to drive his longsword clear through Narus's chest. Gastly silence reigned as the two figures stood frozen in a deadly tableau; Narus's sword still raised high overhead in a killing blow that would never fall, and Marco still holding onto the hilt of his sword in a death grip.

*Clang* The assassin's shortsword bouncing off the dance floor shattered the surreal scene as he sagged and fell, one last rattling breath wheezing out as he crumpled to an unmoving heap. It was then that several things seemed to happen at once: Enraged beyond reason, Drummond threw Star like a ragdoll, flying into a headlong sprint at Marco while the latter attempted to pull his sword free. Now seeing that the assassin had lost his only leverage, Tom summoned hellfire back into his hands as he flew into the air, focused on protecting his temporarily unarmed friend.

Pounding forward like an Olympic sprinter, Drummond only had one thing on his mind: murder. He was going to close the distance to where the boy was still trying to extricate his weapon from being pinned flat by Narus's corpse. Then he was going to rend the little twerp to pieces with his own hands, he was going to drive the point of his dagger through the boy's throat and watch with satisfaction as he choked to death on his own blood. He was going to-

A gout of flame burst on the side of his face, splashing over his head and neck to sear his flesh. Screaming in half-agony, half-rage, he never broke his charge as he slewed to the side and raised his free hand to shield himself from the demon now hurling handfuls of flame at him. Just a few more feet and he'd have him. "Mega Narwhal Blast!" Star's shouted spell made him turn his head in alarm and he realized only too late the mistake he'd made in his blind rage. She hadn't meekly folded like a bruised flower as so many princesses would. Instead, she'd rolled with his throw, using the momentum to jump back to her feet and draw her wand.

The spell hit him like a wrecking ball, blasting him off of his feet and hurling him across the room to smash into the well-stocked bar. What followed was a veritable avalanche of breaking glass, strange multicolored sparks, and smoke as the various magical ingredients stored there mixed and reacted. "Marco!" shouted Star, and she had just started to run over to where he was turning to face the now destroyed bar when a shimmering pink and blue portal opened next to the wreckage. Skidding to a stop as she gawked at what was clearly a portal from Mewni, Star braced for the worst as she waited for the Magic High Commission or her mother to stride through.

Instead, the portal only disgorged a single mewman teenage girl; one who was scowling as she looked down at something in her hand. Star didn't know who the girl was, but there was something familiar about her green eyes and freckles that Star couldn't quite put a finger on. "Where the fuck have you been, you fucking imbeciles! Do you have any idea how much shit you're both-" The girl's angry words died on her lips as she surveyed the scene, her eyes sweeping between everyone in the room and the unmoving body on the floor some feet away.

A groan of pain and the tinkling of glass from behind the bar caught her attention and she stalked over to yank a bleeding and still smoking Drummond to his swaying feet. He didn't look good, and Star could see the defeated assassin was bleeding heavily from several deep cuts on his body as well as sporting some nasty burns to the side of his face and arms. His rescuer didn't seem overly concerned, however, because the girl roughly shoved him through the portal only seconds later.

"Higgs, wait!"

It was Marco shouting, and Star turned to see him jogging towards the strange girl who he thought was their missing squire. Confusion gave way to utter shock as an apparently dark-haired Higgs froze, halfway through the portal, and stared in his direction like a deer in the headlights. "It's alright! Whatever's going on, You can talk to us!" she heard him shout as he stopped not fifteen feet from her and held up a hand.

For a fleeting instant, Higgs's face softened as she hesitated, her wide-eyed stare changing into one of fear. But just as quickly, her expression hardened and she pushed through the portal before closing it after her. When the sparkling had finally faded from her vision, Star felt unthinking feet carry her over to Marco as he was turning his sword back into his dimensional scissors. He was still staring at the place where she'd disappeared. "Sooooo," she gave an awkward chuckle, "crazy night right? You, uhh-"

"Star, I'm okay, really," Marco reassured her, reaching over and taking her hand before giving it a squeeze. He sighed as he looked over to where Narus was laying and shook his head. "With those two…" he looked back into her sky blue eyes and shook his head ruefully, "it always kind of felt like it would end this way." The two stood there in silence for a moment, listening to the approaching footsteps of Janna and Tom until Marco spoke once more. "Ya know, there is a silver lining to all of this though."

"What's that?"

"At least we know what Higgs is up to," he chuckled.

Before Star could respond, the front doors to the club burst open and ten armed security officers ran in brandishing neon-accented clubs. Their leader, a man in a technicolor trenchcoat, stepped forward and held up what looked like a magical police badge that sparkled in the same gaudy manner as the neon magic outside the club. "Nobody move, you're all under arrest!"

---

Time for one of my favorite parts!

FinalKingdomHearts: Still glad you're loving it, buddy!

ViceVersa96: Higgs is making some very painful choices right now, choices that may lead her down a path she can't come back from.

OMAC001: While this isn't the climax, I'm hoping you thoroughly enjoyed the next installment in this adventure!

AmazingStorytime: Perhaps some second thoughts for Higgs here? She's in way over her head right now I must admit.

Mr. Spinner: I hope this chapter lived up to long-awaited expectations! I loved all the special moments I got to write for Star and Marco in this one, though I did also thoroughly enjoy shedding a bit more light on Janna and Tom's dynamic!

Mr. RonaldReagan and Nancy: I was hoping that stuff would resonate with you two. The fact that it did really makes me happy that I treated the subject with the gravitas and solemnity it deserved. As for the rest, well it's all part of trying to tell a fun and engaging story. Glad you're digging Higgs, as I am also really loving writing her stuff. She's rapidly becoming my second favorite thing to write after the Starco stuff. Here's hoping this chapter tickled your fancy as well!

Jkrust78: I'm happy to report my health has been much improved since the time of writing the last chapter. I also shall not be revealing anything concrete about the ultimate fate as Fulke. You'll just have to wait and see! Completely agree on the JanTom canon sentiment as well. If I were writing the series, I would have had Starco official at the end of Conquer, and develop both relationships in parallel during season 4. But C'est La Vie, sadly I did not.

Lord of the Storm: Jantom is an amusing write. I really want to hammer in how different their dynamic is from Starco in this story and so far I feel like I've done a fairly competent job in displaying them as a much more sarcastic/cynical couple than Star and Marco who are routinely very busy making googly eyes at each other.

I am indeed incredibly stoked to bet to the Monster Bash chapter, which is finally within striking distance now that I've gotten through most of what I wanted in the first part of this story. We're going to be seeing a lot of people we haven't seen in a while and things are definitely going to get wild!

Blackspiderman: Thanks for the kind words! Hope you loved this chapter as well!

Jerry Johnson1: Life's funny like that. Like how sometimes seemingly innocuous decisions and events can branch off to create amazing opportunities out of seemingly nothing. If there's one thing I've learned to cope with that almost astounding notion? It's just to appreciate life's quirks and roll with the changes.

RJWritingInk: I also think kid Higgs would probably whoop today's Higg's ass if she could see what her future self was turning into. Dave's a product of decades of privilege, only time will tell if he comes around on Janna or continues his snobbish ways.

Stella Imber: I'm so glad you hate Appleton. I was really hoping when I started out on this story that I'd have a villain that people loved to hate. I'm glad at last some of my readers are in that camp.

I've always been a descriptive writer. I find that painting a picture for the reader really helps me flesh out the scene and what I want all of you to get out of it. As to the natural dialogue, all I'll say on that subject is that it is definitely one of the more challenging aspects of writing.

FlameyTheSnowman: I have a couple of touchstone episodes I'm definitely planning to retell in my own way. Other than that, it will be all original stuff. I hope this one lived up to expectations!