The Once and Future Queen
Chapter 3.
Horns, Hoodies, and Spiders
Stepping through the white stucco arch to knock on the Lynn Thomas house's front door, Marco nodded as Jackie opened it almost immediately.
"Someone's ready for their first day, were you standing by the door waiting for me to get here?" he joked.
"Look who's talking dude, you're 15 minutes early to my house," laughed Jackie, elbowing him lightly in the ribs as they headed up the street towards the M.R.C and Butterfly Castle.
As they walked in silence for several minutes, each was absorbed in their own thoughts about how their first day would go as guides for the mewnian royalty. Jackie had been lucky enough to be able to spend some time with Princess Spiderbite the previous day, and while she seemed friendly enough, there were still a million things that could go wrong.
'I really hope she isn't super stuck up,' thought Jackie, as dealing with a pompous and uptight noble who was the complete opposite of her was almost too terrifying to contemplate.
Marco on the other hand couldn't stop thinking about his planned day with Princess Star. Reynard had given him a few insights into what the Princess was like, especially her love of fun and general lack of respect for tradition and rules. Even in the short minute he had been face to face with her yesterday, he had sensed a hunger for adventure in the blonde girl that both intrigued and intimidated him. Shakespeare had written the line "Come what may," and Marco felt that it was never more applicable than now, as he walked towards an uncertain future as guide to the Crown Princess.
"So are you nervous Jackie? Because I definitely feel nervous," said Marco after a few more blocks of silent contemplation.
"Nervous? A little, but I'm way more excited about what we're going to be doing with our new friends from Mewni! Think about it Marco, they've only been on earth a few months, they're completely uninitiated in our culture and we get to be the ones to teach them! How cool is that!' Jackie went for a celebratory high five which Marco reluctantly slapped.
"I mean, yeah it's exciting and all, I'm just a bit worried. I feel like a lot of the people in Echo Creek aren't dealing well with having to share the town with the mewmans. Just yesterday I had to break up an argument that almost turned into a fight over a parking space… I mean come on, a freaking parking space! Things are going to get worse before they get better Jackie, you mark my words. I just hope I can do my best to make sure it doesn't get too bad." He looked down at his shuffling feet at those words, thinking of all the mewmans who had been forced from their homes only to now have to deal with a hostile human population even though they looked identical.
"Hey, Marco, my man, you always do your best for people. It's why Reynard took such a shine to you and look how that turned out! You two are best buds, and he even gave you a sick sword! Things will work out for the best, trust me. It's just going to take people like you and I, working hard to show everyone in town that the mewmans are just like the rest of us, just trying to catch that next gnarly wave without bailing."
Laughing at her surfer lingo, he threw an arm around her shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze, "Thanks for the pick-me-up Jackie, I was starting to get in my own head for a minute there."
"Oh I'm more than familiar with your 'Marco Moments,' dude. Plus, Star is like, super cute. I saw her totally checking you out yesterday when she first walked up to you."
Blushing madly, Marco shook his head vigorously at her revelation, "Get out of town, there's no way a literal princess from another dimension who can also do magic might I add, be interested in a nobody from Echo Creek…"
"Believe me or don't dude, I know what I saw. A girl knows when another girl is interested, it's like our secret superpower!"
"Pfft, I thought your secret superpower was always knowing when the tastiest waves were going to hit…"
Laughing, Jackie ducked out from under his arm before jumping in front of him and placing her hands on his shoulders and staring intently into his eyes. "Read my mind Marco, Princess Star was definitely interested in you. I wouldn't tease you about something like this, I know what it takes for you to work up nerve to ask a girl out. All I'm saying is don't close yourself off to an amazing opportunity without seeing where it might lead dude."
Taken aback by her sudden intensity, Marco blinked and nodded silently before Jackie finally relented and released him from her grip. Grinning, she winked at him, "Besides Marco, if I liked guys, like at all, we'd already have been an item by now. You're a total hottie dude, you've done a lot of growing up in the two years since she last saw you. No wonder she was checking you out on the sly like that."
Rolling his eyes, he fidgeted with the grip of the sword before answering her, "Alright, alright, you win. I won't dismiss any opportunities out of hand ok? Now let's get moving, I want to get there early, it makes for a good impression."
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
"Star you need to hurry, Marco will be here in less than 15 minutes and I know you haven't even gotten out of bed yet!" shouted Reynard as he pounded on Star's door.
"Urhhhhgh, Reynard I'm getting up, I'm getting up." Groaning, Star pushed the covers off herself and stood. Trudging over to her wardrobe, she changed quickly into her teal dress with the pink octopus on the front. A quick brush out later, and she met an impatient Reynard as he leaned up against the wall outside of her room.
"Not bad Star, ready in under 10 minutes. I'm impressed. Now come on, Marco was here 15 minutes ago. If that guy's ever been late in his life, I'll eat my boots."
Laughing, Star took off at a run down the castle corridor dodging servants and courtiers on her way to the grand entrance of the castle. Looking behind, she saw Reynard chasing her at a run. He too was laughing as he dodged under a butler carrying a large tea set and spun to the side to avoid a trio of guards as they clomped up the steps.
Ahead of him, Star had just jumped on the bannister and begun to slide down the giant sweeping curve towards the great wooden doors that marked the entrance to the castle. "Not going to lose to you Cousin!" shouted Reynard, as he leapt up and pushed off the railing of the bannister, soaring into the open air over the entrance hall. Gripping hard at a pastel blue banner that hung from the ceiling, Reynard heard the rings suspending the banner snapping one after, lowering him to the ground quickly but without injury. Moments later, Star hit the end of the railing at high speed before shooting off the end onto the highly polished marble floor.
"Marco! Watch out!" Reynard's warning came too late as the sliding princess slid hard into his legs, knocking him to the ground in a tangled heap with Star.
"Hi," said Star, grinning as she found herself facing a wincing Marco as he picked himself off the floor.
"Hey…" Reaching down he extended a hand for her to grasp and helped pull her back to her feet. "Well I'll give you this, you certainly know how to make an entrance, Star."
"Marco, I'm so sorry. I don't usually go so fast down that railing… It's just Reynard and I were racing… and uh, you aren't hurt, are you?" she looked at him in concern as she rubbed her hands together sheepishly.
Slowly, the corners of Marco's mouth began to curve upwards as he looked at her. What began as a small chuckle gradually grew into a great belly laugh as he bent over, clutching himself as he laughed. Soon, Jackie and Reynard joined in on the laughter while Star looked on confused. "Star," Marco said, still half-laughing, "It's totally fine. The last time we met like this, you almost trampled me to death with a warnicorn, so, all in all, this is an improvement."
Now it was Star's turn to smile, "Huggggsss," she cooed as she wrapped him up in a much more powerful hug than he was expecting from the slim girl. "This is going to be a lot more fun than I thought!"
It was another 25 minutes before Princess Spiderbite showed up, yawning as she walked down the stairs. The assembled group passed the time with Star asking question after question about Marco's training with Reynard. The more Reynard spoke about Marco, the more excited Star became about the prospect of spending time with the teen. In her estimation, he was fun, cute, friendly, and seemed more than capable of dealing with the kind of trouble Star routinely got into if Reynard was to be believed.
"Sorry I'm late Jackie, I had some issues with my make up that required a couple of extra servants this morning," said Princess Spiderbite as she walked up to the small crowd near the entrance doors.
"No problem Penelope," said Jackie, waving to the newcomer.
"Oh hello. Who are you?" asked Princess Spiderbite.
"Me?" asked Marco, "my name is Marco Diaz, I'm Princess Star's guide."
*Ahem* Star cleared her throat loudly and arched an eyebrow at him.
"Uh, sorry, Star. I am Star's guide and friend."
"Much better!" she said before clapping her hands together excitedly.
"A pleasure to meet you Marco, my name is Princess Penelope Spiderbite, but you can call me Penelope." The princess held out a dainty hand for him to take with a large smile on her face.
"Likewise," replied Marco, taking her hand and using the introduction to study her. She was around the same height as Star, but with brunette hair and green eyes. Aside from a prominent red carbuncle perched high on the right side of her forehead, she was quite cute, though, not quite in the same league as Star if he was honest with himself. She wore a simple green dress with brown leather boots, and a tiara that appeared to be made out of wood.
Reaching down he pulled up the hem of his hoodie and quickly unzipped the small red fanny pack he had stashed there. Rooting around for several moments, he pulled out a small white tube which he handed out for Penelope to take. "Here Penelope, take this. I don't mean to be too forward, but I noticed you have a very inflamed bite on your forehead. This is a topical steroid cream I have to treat insect bites and skin irritation. I learned all about itin my first aid courses I took last summer. Apply this twice a day and that bite should clear up in a week or less."
Hesitating for a moment before taking the tube, she quickly applied a small dab to the top of the inflamed bite before stashing the tube in a hidden pocket of her dress. "Thank you, Marco. I wouldn't normally accept medicine from an almost total stranger, but this bite has been driving me insane this morning and frankly, I'd do anything to get rid of it at this point."
"Well then," interrupted Reynard, clapping his hands together excitedly, "it appears all parties have arrived, I'll just take my leave then. You four have a good time, and Star? You're going to have to get just a little bit faster if you want to beat the great Reynard Butterfly next time we have one of our little footraces."
"Just you wait, I'll get you next time!" she shouted after him as he let himself through a side door.
"Sooo, should we get going?" asked Jackie.
"Ooo, where to?" piped up an excited Star.
"Jackie and I talked about that, and we think one of our first stops should be the Echo Creek Mall. It's summer break from school, so there will be tons of teens our age there, and will give you two a chance to look at current earth fashion, earth social customs, our monetary system, and we can get lunch as well."
"Some shopping sound fantastic," said Penelope, "do you think they take gold crowns?"
"Uhhh," Jackie was unsure if any of the stores at the mall would take anything other than cash or credit cards.
"Maybe a quick stop at the bank first is in order, I know they've been exchanging gold for dollars since shortly after you guys got here," Marco explained.
The four of them, their destination selected, left the castle and headed back in the direction of Echo Creek's downtown. Here and there as they walked, Marco spotted other guides escorting mewmans around town. Most of them were smiling, clearly still impressed with the many strange sights and new technology. However, some, along with a sizeable percentage of humans, now that he looked closer, appeared annoyed or outright hostile towards their new surroundings.
"What's that?" asked Jackie, pointing to a commotion across the street. Several carriages were pulled up onto the sidewalk with their occupants engaged in a heated argument with several store managers.
"Those idiots!" growled Penelope, "you two! Cease your squabbling at once!" commanded Penelope as she turned and made a bee line straight for the now staring mewmans.
It happened in seconds, with Marco noticing a speeding car just as the Princess stepped off the curb into the road without looking. 'That car is going to hit her if I don't act now,' he thought in panic.
"Watch out Penelope!" warned Jackie as Marco sprang forward.
In a bounding step he was behind her, and just had time to wrap his arms around a startled Princess before throwing himself back with every ounce of his strength. Flying through the air, he pulled her hard against his chest before slamming into the concrete sidewalk and skidding to a stop. In the tumble, she had turned and now as they lay on the ground, she found herself straddling his lap with her head inches from his own.
Blushing madly, Penelope smiled at a red-faced Marco, "T-T-Thank you Marco Diaz, I didn't realize the traffic here doesn't yield to Royalty… How silly of me to forget."
"I-I-It was nothing," said Marco, stumbling through his words, "but please remember to look both ways crossing the road from now on, better safe than sorry.
"Let me help you up Penelope," said Star, holding out her hand.
"Oh, yes of course. Thank you, Star."
Helping the Princess to her feet, Star looked at a smiling Marco and felt a strange pang in her chest. Ignoring it for the moment, she bent down and helped him to his feet before throwing an arm around his shoulders.
"Look at this guy, been less than an hour and he already saved someone, Reynard was right about you!" she said, pointing at his chest and smirking.
"Haha, thanks Star, I just noticed that car wasn't going to stop, that's all. Nothing major."
"Nonsense Marco, I would have been seriously injured if not for your intervention, Star is right."
"Alright, alright," said a still red-faced Marco as he gently extricated himself from Star's overlong hug, "Let's hurry up and get to the bank."
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Pulling the last set of curtains closed, Janna smiled as the light level in her room dropped to midnight levels. Now, her only illumination was a circle of candles arranged in a pentagram on the floor. All around her, objects and books on the occult lined the room and shelves. While long a habit of hers, in the past four months with the arrival of the mewman's from another dimension, her interest had redoubled as their appearance had proven what she had long suspected; Magic was real.
She hummed lightly to herself as she stepped over to her desk and checked the yellowed pages on the antique leather-bound book laying open. "Alright, so I have the candles arranged correctly, and let's see," she double checked the design in salt on the hardwood floor, comparing it with the faded diagram in the book. Nodding in satisfaction, she bent low over the symbol and lit several sticks of incense.
Kneeling just outside the chalk circle, Janna closed her eyes and spread her arms in a beseeching gesture. "Powers of shadow and darkness hear my call. I come before your shade to cast your pall. Grant your humble servant, these powers small. So I may see my enemies fall!" with the words said, Janna drew a short silver blade from her jacket pocket and dragged the edge across her palm. Wincing, she jumped from the unexpected intensity of the pain before clenching her first and letting crimson droplets of blood drip onto the folded-up list in front of her in the circle.
Janna waited several seconds for a response before sighing heavily. "Another failure… I need to stop buying this garbage on ebay…" Just as she was about to get up and attend to the cut on her hand, a cold wind gently blew across the back of her neck, causing the hairs there to stand up. As one after the other, the candles began to gutter out and die, leaving Janna frozen in place.
Something was there, she could feel it. Just barely visible, in the near total darkness, a dark mass of utterly pitch-black smoke hung in the air. 'It had worked! Years of attempts, hundreds of rituals with nothing to show, but now it had worked! I wonder what I contacted; the book wasn't very clear…' she thought as a wicked smile curved her lips. She wanted to scream and shout and jump for joy, but she knew now came the dangerous time, she had to keep her cool.
"Why have you summoned me?" came a breathy sibilant voice from inside the roiling mask of smoke.
"To control a spirt, duh. I thought you guys were supposed to be all knowing…" she said to the mass of smoke hanging in front of her.
"You cannot control the darkness, foolish child… Now speak your desire, fulfill the contract with me, and see the pact sealed" it replied, a note of mockery in its low sinister voice.
"My Desire huh, I don't think we've known each other long enough for that. Tell you what, let me take you out to dinner, maybe a little dancing, you can even help me prank Marco. Then we can talk about my desires," said Janna positively beaming with the joy of her success.
"It isn't wise to toy with powers far beyond your own girl… Now sign the pact, give yourself over to darkness," hissed the smoke as two sickly yellow eyes appeared on it's surface.
Janna narrowed her own at the being now staring at her. Its eyes were unsettling to say the least, bright, nearly white pinpoints stared out at her, surrounded by a softly glowing dirty yellow that was hard to look at for some reason. "What… No please?" she teased.
The yellow eyes narrowed as the temperature in the room seemed to drop precipitously. Slowly they raised up, as more smoke began fill the space increasing the stature of the creature to nearly 7 feet. "Foolish little witch, you dare mock me. I will make you suffer before I destroy you!" boomed the voice now as the smoke pushed forward towards Janna.
She only smiled as the entity seemed to bounce off an invisible wall at the edge of the salt circle. "Foolish, am I? I'm not the one trapped in a magic circle right now…"
"You cannot hope to contain me forever girl… and when I am free, I will make your life a living nightmare," roared the voice so loud it rattled the shelves around her.
"Forever, no, but long enough for me to find a working banishing ritual? Yes," answered Janna as she stood up and began to walk to her desk. "Honestly, this was more to see if I could actually summon something, than to actually gain anything. I-"
*Knock Knock* "Janna Ordonia, you open this door right now!" came the commanding voice of her mother.
"Shit, shit," she muttered as she hurried over to the door. Pulling it open just enough for her to poke head out to see her Mother's annoyed face.
"Janna, what is all this racket you're making. You know I'm having the girls over this afternoon for cards, I wa-" *sniff* Her Mother took a deep inhale through her nose and glared at her. "Janna Ordonia! You open this door right now or so help me," she shouted as she pushed past Janna's protesting head and stormed into the room.
"Janna yo- Ouch!" her Mother cried out having stumbled over something and nearly falling in the darkness. "Open a blind Janna, it's a beautiful Saturday, you should be outside having fun with Jackie and Marco."
The blinding light flooded into the room when her Mother threw open her heavy black curtains. Blinking hard in the sudden glare, Janna felt a thrill run up and down her spine. The salt circle on the floor was broken. It must have happened when her mother stumbled as she walked in the room, and with that circle of protection broken, whatever she had summoned could escape its confinement.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHhahahahah," a low voice laughed as a flash of yellow streaked past Janna and out of her room's door.
"Mom, I was doing an important ritual!" said Janna staring daggers at her Mother.
"Don't you laugh at me Janna Ordonia! I smell drugs! You are in huge trouble Missy," her Mother admonished as she whirled around from the opened window.
"It's just incense Mom, look," she knelt down and picked up her incense holder to waft it under her Mom's nose.
"Oh," she said after smelling the incense. "Sorry... about barging in honey, I just throught… Well, never mind."
She made to leave before turning back to Janna, who was oddly looking all around her room. "Janna, please try to keep it to a dull roar while I have guests over."
Following close behind, Janna nodded, "Yes Mom," before closing the door and leaning back against it panting. "I gotta call Marco and Jackie, this could be bad…"
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
After a short stop at the bank to change their money and a 10-minute bus ride, the four teens found themselves passing through the double glass doors to the Echo Creek Mall.
"Welcome ladies and dudes, to the Echo Creek Mall," said Jackie as she gave a deep flourish in the direction of the main concourse.
Laughing, Marco led a giggling Star through the door before turning to Jackie with a mock bow. "Too kind Madam, your hospitality is truly stunning."
Walking through the mall as a group, Marco and Jackie took turns explaining the various stores. They spent an energetic 20 minutes in the Candy Coliseum with Marco trying to keep up with a frenetic Star as she sampled almost every candy offered for sale before buying several pounds of the ones she had particularly liked.
"Marco, Earth is amazing! You have so many kinds of sweets! On Mewni, we only had a few, and all of them are corn based…" she trailed off as she bit a huge chunk out of the large gummy bear she had purchased. "Not that they weren't good, but having so many choices, it's amazing!"
Noticing her pink cheek marks glow with happiness as she happily munched on her candy, Marco smiled to himself. 'I'm so glad Star is down to earth, it already feels like we've known each other for a month, he thought. "Oh, thank you very much," he said as he took a small handful of candy out of Star's offered bag.
"Did you know Marco, that on Mewni we didn't have anything like this place. In the Spiderbite Kingdom, we had huge open-air markets with every vendor having a stall. I think this place is amazing. Thank you for taking us here," said Penelope as she smiled at Marco. Behind her, Jackie waggled her eyebrows at him before winking.
Initially confused as to why Jackie was looking at him like that, he was at a loss until he remembered their talk before collecting the princesses. 'She likes me? Maybe. She has been pretty friendly considering I'm not her guide. And she is quite pretty…' his thoughts trailed off as star poked him gently.
"Marco let's go over there," Star said, pointing at the glass fronted arcade. In bright neon letters above a multicolored arch read "Joyopolis Game Center." Suddenly, he felt her soft hand grab his and instantly the two were sprinting down the hall towards the lit up façade. Despite being yanked rather roughly towards the arcade, Marco couldn't help but grin at her infectious enthusiasm. Once inside, her jaw dropped. All around were lights and sounds, kids and teens their age mingled together, traveling from machine to machine. "Ooo Marco, this is amazing! What do we do first!" she squealed.
"Let me get some tokens and we'll get started."
Chuckling as the bubbly blonde princess dragged Marco into the loud arcade, Jackie turned to a bemused looking Penelope before asking, "So Penelope, do you want to go to the arcade?"
"No, not really my scene. I'm a bit more into relaxation, than loud bangs and flashing lights. Although… Maybe you could tell me more about that Marco fellow… He seems capable and handsome, both attractive qualities…"
Noticing the slightly wolfish look on Penelope's face, Jackie motioned for her to follow, "Come with me and I'll tell you everything you want to know."
A short walk across the mall later, and Jackie and Penelope were both seated in cushy soft chairs enjoying a relaxing pedicure, while Penelope bombarded Jackie with questions about Marco. "So wait, you're telling me he's a warrior as well as a charming guide? And what is a blackbelt anyways?"
"I don't know all that much about Tang Soo Do, but it's one of the highest qualifications you can get. I've seen him at more than a couple tournaments, he can kick serious butt when he needs to," explained Jackie to a now blushing Penelope.
"Wait, if he is such a charming man, and a skillful warrior, why have you not made a move on him yourself?" in a flash, her look of admiration had been replaced with one of skepticism.
"Oh, he did ask me out, a couple of years ago now actually…" Jackie trailed off as she remembered that day. She knew exactly how much effort it had taken the normally cautious Marco to pluck up the courage to ask her out, and even now, with their friendship stronger than ever she felt slightly bad that she couldn't give him the answer he had so hoped for.
"He did? And you turned him down? Why?" asked Penelope.
Jackie shifted in her seat, slightly uncomfortable with the deeply personal nature of the question. However, she had spent several hours yesterday at Butterfly Castle talking and joking with Penelope and, despite her somewhat imperious nature that reared up here and there, she was a genuinely caring and fun person to be around. "Penelope, I don't like guys in that way. Like in a romantic way… At all."
"Ooo I see. Yeah, we have something like that on Mewni as well. Live and let live as we've always said in the Spiderbite Kingdom." She smiled at Jackie, who felt relief at the subject of her sexuality not being an issue at all between them. "Do you know if he's single then?"
"Finish strong Star!" Marco shouted over the pulsing music as they danced in sync with one another.
"This game is awesome!" shouted Star back to him as they finished out the song.
"High Score! You Win!" the announcer called out, the notification flashing on Star's side of the screen.
"Not bad, for a first timer. You sure you didn't have anything like this on Mewni? I feel like I just went up against a pro…"
"Nope, I just used to dance all the time at the bounce lounge with Pony Head, and I've had years of formal dance training, since formal balls are such a big thing on Mewni."
"Bounce Lounge? Pony Head?" he arched an eye at her.
"Oh sorry, I forgot to tell you. The Bounce Lounge is the best dance club in the universe! It's in another dimension, and I used to borrow Manfred's Dimensional Scissors to go there. And Princess Pony Head is my best bestie from Mewni! She's a blue flying pony head and we used to go on fun adventures all the time," explained Star, her face falling slightly at the thought of her friend trapped back on Mewni.
Noticing her mood souring, Marco stepped up and threw an arm around her shoulders, "I like adventures Star. Before I met Reynard, I used to be the 'Safe Kid' and was always worried about taking risks. But, with Reynard's training, and the mewman's coming to earth I've really embraced a wilder side I didn't know I had."
"Spoken like a true best bestie," nodded Star sagely.
"Come on, let's go find Jackie and Penelope, I think it's lunch time."
Leaving the flashing lights and sounds behind, the two searched for several minutes before spotting Jackie and Penelope leaving the salon. Star waved frantically to get their attention as Marco called out, "Jackie! Penelope! Over here!"
The two girls began walking over until they both stopped and stared, wide-eyed. Penelope raised a hand and began to point as several people began to scream at once. Marco turned to look at what she was pointing at and was greeted with an intimidating sight. Seven hulking figures were standing behind him looking menacing, and in front stood a small bird like creature with yellow eyes, a skull for a helmet, and carrying a black staff with a winged eyeball on top.
"Something tells me these aren't friends of yours are they Star?" asked Marco, chancing a quick glance over at her.
Star was staring hard at the small bird like creature, her sky-blue eyes narrowed, and her fists clenched and trembling slightly. "Ludo… How did you find me here?"
"A little birdie told me," he cackled as the monsters behind him erupted into sycophantic laughter. "Now, Star Butterfly, hand over the wand and nobody gets hurt."
"Joke's on you Ludo, I don't even have the wand."
"What! Where is it then! You're lying!" Ludo appeared to be panicking slightly at the smug look now on the Princess's face.
"I'll just have to settle for kidnapping you then! The Queen will have to give up the wand if she ever wants to see her precious baby Butterflyagain! Get her!"
With a roar, the monsters charged as one towards Star. She crouched to spring into action, but before she could throw a single punch, a streak of red flew in from the side and kicked a red two-headed monster hard in the side of the head, knocking one into the other before it crashed to the ground and slid to a stop at her feet unconscious.
"Whoa, Marco, Reynard wasn't kidding! Pegasus feathers can you fight!" she shouted as he stepped forward to chop a large fly like monster out of the air.
"It's called Tang Soo Do!" he shouted, dodging a heavy blow from a bear like monster wielding a double-bladed axe.
Star grinned as charged forward to land a furious hay maker square on the jaw of a red lobster-like creature. It staggered and groaned under her ferocious blow, its carapace cracked and starred where her fist had impacted. "My fucking shell," it whined as it rolled around in pain on the ground. Dusting off her hands, she ducked low under a snapping pair of jaws before backhanding the offending monster, causing it to grip its snout and howl in agony, her slim frame belying her prodigious Johansen strength.
Facing the growling bear monster, Marco gave ground as it continued its unrelenting onslaught of swings. In his mind, he clocked the bear monster's swings, timing them for an opportunity to counterattack. After a particularly heavy swing he dodged with ease, he crouched back and leapt forward, unleashing a graceful typhoon kick. Feeling his foot connect squarely with the bear's snout, he physically flinched as a loud crunch rang out indicating broken bones. Immediately, the bear dropped to its knees and pawed at its shattered nose before he finished it off with a straight punch directly to the forehead.
Seeing two of his monsters lying motionless on the ground, and a third about to be finished off by that meddlesome princess, Ludo balled his fists in frustration. How, were his best monsters being defeated so easily. A wandless Princess Star and an Earth boy were embarrassing him even though he and his men outnumbered them three to one!
"Buff Frog! Destroy the boy!" screeched Ludo.
"Da, Master!" he responded before stalking towards a crouched and ready Marco.
"Marco give me a boost!" shouted Star as she ran at him. Instinctively, he wove his fingers into a basket as she jumped and pushed off, soaring high into the air. Mesmerized, he watched her tumble end over end before delivering an axekick to the top of Buff Frog's head, the force of the blow driving the green frog monster to his knees before his yellow eyes rolled back and he toppled to the ground unconscious.
Seeing his top lieutenant defeated so easily, Ludo slapped his hand to his face and dragged it down in exasperation. "Beard Deer! Three-Eyed Potato Baby! Attack them at the same time! Overwhelm them! You guys are like three times their size!"
Laughing now, Star bounded forward to throw a punch at the dopey looking three-eyed monster only to be punched hard in the stomach by the blue-skinned deer.
*Oof* Star stumbled back, clutching her stomach as Marco moved to cushion her fall. She was panting with pain as he checked on her quickly, before standing and assuming a fighting stance. Rocked back on his right leg, with his left heel slightly raised off the tile, he waited for the two laughing monsters to walk towards him and a kneeling Star.
"We're gonna tear you two apart," laughed Bear Deer.
"Agabayarhub, hue hue hue," babbled the dopey looking three-eyed monster.
Just as the Beard Deer crossed into range, he sprung forward, landing a lightning-quick front kick under its chin. As it stumbled back, momentarily out of the fight, he blocked a hard punch from the three-eyed monster before hitting it with a vicious five punch combo, culminating in a spear-hand strike to its throat. Choking, it fell back gasping and sputtering gibberish as Beard Deer surprised a momentarily distracted Marco with a strong punch to the side of the mouth.
Wiping the blood from his split lip as he fell back several feet, Marco started as he bumped into a hunched over Star. "You okay?" he asked.
"Think that deer guy broke a couple ribs," she said while wincing in pain.
Checking quickly that Jackie and Penelope were safe, he was relieved to see them both well out of harm's way, with Jackie running crowd control to give them space to fight without endangering anyone else. Turning his attention back to a now grinning Beard Deer who was advancing on him with murder in his eyes, he paled slightly as he was joined by the lobster and crocodile monsters Star had injured earlier. 'Three on one, it's time to get serious. I can't let them take Star, who knows what they'd do to her,' he thought as his hand drifted towards the sword on his hip. Gripping it, he felt the soft leather in his palm like a reassuring hand on his shoulder and in a flash, he drew it before gracefully shifting into a guard stance.
"It's time for you and your goons to leave," he snarled at the trio of monsters, freezing them in their tracks. Uncertain, they looked to a furious Ludo who seemed to be thinking very hard.
Star, for her part couldn't keep her eyes of the red hoodie-clad teen. He looked magnificent standing there, holding that exquisite sword which glinted beautifully in the light. Now that it was out of its scabbard, the finely wrought details she could make out left no doubt in her mind that it was Reynard's family sword, Silverlight. A blade that had earned a reputation on Mewni as one wielded by prodigious swordsmen for generations. And Marco, standing there, defiant in the face of things he had never seen before. She had only known him for two days, and yet here he was risking his very life for her. "Woww" she silently mouthed as she drank in the sight before her.
"Last warning Ludo. Call of your dogs, or this isn't going to end well for you. I won't let you take her." Marco narrowed his eyes at the small bird monster, doing his best to convey every ounce of his anger.
After several tense seconds, Ludo broke. Kicking the ground in frustration, he pulled out a jagged pair of scissors before slicing open a portal. "You three, grab these four babies and let's get out of here!" Grumbling, the three monsters still on their feet collected their unconscious companions before trudging glumly through the swirling portal. Just before stepping through himself, Ludo turned and shook his fist at Marco, "Be warned meddling boy! We'll be back, and next time you won't be so lucky!"
As the portal closed with a small *pop* Marco sheathed his longsword before checking on Star. Her eyes were as big as saucers and he had just opened his mouth when she crashed into him and wrapped him in the tightest hug he'd ever been in. "Marco you were amazing, I've never seen anyone fight like that on Mewni. You were like if violence could dance!"
"I was amazing? Star your fists were like hammers out there! I bet you could knock me out in one punch!"
"Oh my God, are you guys okay? That was crazy!" shouted Jackie as she ran over to check on them.
"That was absolutely amazing Marco. Those moves and that sword! Where did you learn to fight like that!" Penelope couldn't keep her eyes off him as heexplained to her the basics of Tang Soo Do and the story of how Reynard had gifted him his family sword.
"Amazing, so you can sword fight and you beat up all those monsters bare handed!" gushed Penelope.
"Hey, I helped!", added Star in a huff. Unconsciously, she noticed how close she had begun standing next to Marco and felt the heat rise in her cheeks.
"Star you were awesome out there! I couldn't have handled all of them on my own without having to use the sword. Thanks for the help, you've got some serious moves," said Marco as he turned to face a blushing Star.
'why am I so nervous when he's talking to me', she thought, as she rubbed her bruised ribs gently. "Haha, anytime Marco. Just wait until I get my magic wand, you havent seen anything yet," she laughed. 'He's cute, he's kind and fun, he can fight monsters, and he's my guide! Calm down Star, don't want to come on too strong here. Gotta play it coooool, yeah just like that that," she thought.
"Why are you making that weird face all of the sudden?" asked Jackie, looking concerned.
"What face? I don't make face," Star shifted uncomfortably under the inquisitive looks of her three companions.
"You look constipated. Are you feeling okay Star?" asked Penelope.
"What! NO no no nonononononoooo. I'm fine, my ribs hurt is all," answered Star in a panic as she glared at Penelope. Turning away from the brunette, she caught Marco's eye and opened her mouth to ask, "Marco, can we stop by this nice looking restau-"
"Star!" shouted a familiar voice from behind her.
"Tom?" Star whipped her head around to face the newcomer so fast she pulled something in her neck.
"Star it's so good to see you! I was so worried about you! It's been over four months!" Tom ran forward and embraced a still stunned looking Star before tipping her head up and kissing her passionately. Gently, she extricated herself from his arms and stepped back.
"Tom, not that I'm not happy to see you, but it's been four months. I tried calling your like a million times and you never picked up, I thought you had broken up with me…"
"What? No! I tried to call you too, but it always went to voicemail, didn't you ever get any of my messages?"
"No, that's really weird though, and how did you find me? I thought all the portals to Mewni were closed." She asked.
"Oh, I used an ancient demon ritual to find you. The normal ones wouldn't work for some reason. I was so desperate, I actually had to ask my grandpa Relicor, and you know how cranky he is. But he finally located the book we needed. As to how I got here," Tom laughed before snapping his fingers to create a dancing flame in his palm. "Star, remember that demon magic doesn't work like normal magic, the same rules don't apply."
"Oh yeahhh," Star nodded.
"Listen, I'm sorry I couldn't find you for so long, things are crazy in the Underworld right now with my Father trying to normalize relations with the new regime on Mewni."
"Your Father is talking to that monster! Tom, he forced my family and most of the other noble families on Mewni to flee for our lives!"
Holding up his hands pleadingly, Tom took a step back in the face of her fury. "Star, its politics, I don't have anything to do with it I swear. I told Dad he was making a huge mistake trying to open relations with Toffee… I'm sorry Star, I shouldn't have said anything. Please believe that I had nothing to do with it. I know what a monster he is…"
Star narrowed her eyes and studied him. She had known Tom for years and had dated him on and off since she was thirteen. Before she had been uprooted from Mewni along with the rest of her family to flee to Earth, she had been on a solid six-month streak with him with only moderate issues. He could be arrogant at times, and his temper was always bubbling just beneath the surface, but he was never a liar, at least to her.
"Okay Tom, I believe you," she said, smiling at a relieved looking Tom. "Look, it's great to see you again, but it's been over four months. Just give me a little time to get used to having you back in my life again okay?"
"Sure Starship, whatever you need."
Marco felt like he was watching the world's strangest ping-pong match as his head swiveled back and forth between Star and the strange three-eyed demon named Tom. 'So they're an item… Crap. I really thought we might have had something going on here… Oh well, at least we can still be great friends. There's something off about her though… I just can't put my finger on it, he thought as a frown creased his face.
"Marco? Marco you in there buddy?" asked Star.
"Huh? What?" he asked startled out of his own thoughts.
"Marco, I was trying to introduce you to my…" a very pregnant pause followed as Star seemed to decide something, "boyfriend Tom."
"Hi Tom," Marco offered his hand to the now beaming demon.
"Hey," he said, an air of indifference in his tone as he noticed Penelope. "Princess Penelope, I haven't seen you since the last Silver Bell Ball. I hope you're doing well?"
"Hi Tom, well I've been stuck on Earth for four months after Toffee's armies overran the Spiderbite Kingdom, soooo I guess you could say I've been better." Glancing at Marco, she managed a bit of a laugh, "Although, In the past couple of days I've met some really cool people, so there are some upsides."
A shrill screech rang out from Tom's pocket "Listen Star, I have to go, Father is expecting me for lunch any minute, I'll be back as soon as I can get away okay?"
"Okay Tom, but don't you disappear on me again!" Star leaned in to plant a quick kiss on his cheek.
"Of course not Starship, I'll see you in a few days I promise," said Tom as he stepped back into a column of orange flames before vanishing.
"Well that's Tom everyone…" Star chuckled. "Hey Marco, could we head back to the Castle now? We need to tell my mom about the monsters we just fought. If Toffee knows where we are, that won't be the last we see of those guys, I'm sure of it."
"Okay Star," he nodded. "Jackie, Penelope, are you guys going to hang at the mall a little while longer?"
"Yeah, I want to show Penelope some of the better clothing stores."
"Well you two have fun! Great to meet you Penelope!"
"Bye Jackie! Bye Penelope!" Star called out as she waved cheerfully at the duo.
Turning to leave with Star, he had only gone a few steps before he heard Penelope call out his name, "Hey Marco, wait up a second!"
Stopping and turning to face a blushing Penelope, he looked down and saw her holding out a small slip of paper to him, "Here take this. It's my number, I was thinking maybe we could go out and get dinner sometime, if you're not too busy that is…" she asked, trailing off in a small quiet voice.
"That would be… great actually," he said, as he took the paper from her hand and giving her his best "cool guy" smile. Giggling, Penelope turned and hurriedly walked back to a laughing Jackie who quickly flashed two thumbs up to him.
"Come on Marco, we gotta go!" called Star as she grabbed him by the hand and yanked him once again at a full run out of the mall.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
"And that's why I always make sure to look both ways before I cross the road," explained Rafael as he and River shared a laugh while the later continued to bandage up his legs.
"Really dear, you must be more careful," scolded Moon as she and Angie looked on. "Traffic laws on Earth are much different than Mewni, they don't yield to royals here. I told you that a month ago when you got hit by that bus."
"Yes Moonpie…"
"Well at least no one was hurt too badly, though I think that poor man's car may be totaled," said Angie.
"I've dispatched a scribe to compensate the man for any damages River may have inflicted on his vehicle, I'm sure he'll be just fine," added Moon as she turned to scribble another note in her ledger.
*BANG* The carved wooden door to Moon's office burst open to slam hard into the opposite wall as a disheveled and dirty Star and Marco walked in.
"Mijo!" shouted Rafael, standing up quickly and rushing over to his still bloodied son.
"Star! What is the meaning of this! Have you two been fighting?" asked Moon, barely able to contain her disbelief that her daughter and guide had gotten into a fight.
"No, Mom, we were attacked by Ludo and his goons! Marco was amazing though! He fought off four of them bare handed!" She mimed punches and kicks, adding sound effects where appropriate. "And when I was injured, he took them on three on one and when he pulled out Reynard's sword they ran like cowards!" she finished before beaming at her companion.
"Star, come on, it's not like you didn't help out a ton. That axe kick you gave Buff Frog was probably the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" he gushed as all four of their parents listened, mouths agape.
"Star, this is very serious. You said you fought Ludo and his monsters. That means he knows where we are and it's only a matter of time until Toffee knows where we are as well," Moon said, sharing a meaningful look with the King, who nodded silently. Turning her attention back to Star, she was silent for a moment before coming to a decision. "Star, the appearance of monsters on Earth is not a good sign. There should be no way for them to travel here without Heckapoo's authorization, and she has assured me she has closed all portals to Earth."
"You mean that monster from Mewni is back?" asked Angie, concern etched on her face as she looked at her roughed up son and his new friend.
"I'm… afraid so…" answered River, a solemn look on his face. "We were prepared for that eventuality of course, but I didn't think it would be so soon."
"Well what can we do to keep our children safe?" asked Raphael
"I will be taking a number of steps, rest assured. First of all, Star, the time has come for me to pass the Royal Magic Wand on to you. I would have done this two years ago, however, with the dire situation we found ourselves in, I felt it needed to be kept in more experienced hands. Now that we have made our new home on Earth, I can no longer put off your training as future Queen, and foremost among that is your magical education. Tomorrow we will have a small ceremony where I will formally present you with the Royal Magic Wand and you will begin your training with Glossaryck. You've always been quite… exuberant, so I have no doubt that your enthusiasm will aid you in defending yourself should Ludo return. Second," she reached into her dress and pulled out a pair of baby blue scissors with a butterfly insignia etched into their blades and handed them to a now ecstatic Star. "Take these scissors Star, they will work on Earth and allow you to flee from danger if the need should arise. Do not attempt to travel back to Mewni to see Pony Head or Tom, as they will not work and I will know if you attempt to do so, are we clear?"
"Yes, Mom."
"Marco, I am counting on you to temper my daughter's rather impetuous nature. She gets it from her Father. Can I trust that you will continue to put my Daughter's welfare ahead of her flightier tendencies?"
"Of course, Queen Moon, I'll do my utmost to protect your daughter from any harm and continue to be her friend and guide on Earth."
*Ahem* Star cleared her throat, earning a surprised look from everyone present.
"Ah, sorry Star. I'll continue to be her guide and Best Bestie," Marco said, earning an approving nod from the Princess.
"Much better Marco," she said in a singsong voice.
Smiling broadly, River clapped both teens on hard on the back. "Excellent, I see you two are becoming fast friends! Marco here is already proving an excellent choice for you my dear! Only time will tell if he suits you," laughed River as the Queen cocked an eyebrow at his joke.
"Star, please be careful, and until tomorrow, I would prefer it if you remained on the castle grounds," said Moon.
"Yes Mom." Grabbing Marco's hand once more, she took off back out the double doors, Marco close behind in order to not be dragged, "I'll show you my room, I have a ton cool stuff up there, you'll see!" was the last thing the four adults heard as their children's' crashing footsteps faded into a tense silence.
AUTHORS NOTE
Hey readers, LordCornwalis here, I hope you enjoyed the third installment in our joint fanfic! I've adjusted the formatting of my chapters from here on out to be more in line with what RonaldReagan does so things aren't so jarring between the two of us. This story is turning out to be a complete joy to write. I am loving the AU we are crafting so far, and am very excited to continue to craft an enjoyable story for all Star vs the Forces of Evil fans to enjoy! Feel free to reach out to either myself or RonaldReagan if you have any questions, and as always keep leaving reviews. I love reading all of your thoughts and feelings about this story so we can continue to hone and improve our writing!
~Lord Cornwalis
~Mr. Ronald Reagan
