A/N: Quick song credit here for later in the chapter. This one is very martial arts inspired so I hope you enjoy it's pairing with the scene. Paul Hertzog, Stan Bush. "Fight to Survive." Bloodsport, 1985.

The Once and Future Queen

Chapter Seven

All's Fair in Love, War, and Sleepovers


"No, no, nono, nononono…"

Buff Frog tried his best to ignore the crazed babbling that was coming from under his arm as he continued to sprint along the forest floor as fast as the near total blackness allowed. For the first few minutes of his flight from the encampment, Ludo had shrieked loudly between incoherent mumbles about "failure" as Buff Frog did his best to silence him. It had given their position away and he had reluctantly stuffed Ludo's robe into his mouth to keep the noise to a minimum.

"Sorry Boss, is for own good," he apologized, "we need to be quiet now."

Ludo didn't even acknowledge him as he shoved the fabric in; apparently, beyond rational thought at this point. Buff Frog wasn't fairing much better, stumbling and tripping in the dense underbrush as he did his best to create some distance between them and the waking nightmare he had just witnessed.

"Buff Frog…" a cold, quiet voice whispered in his ears, startling him so badly he lost his footing and crashed to the tangled roots under his feet. Quickly getting his feet under him, he sprang up and moved in front of Ludo in order to shield him.

Straining to see anything in the darkness, Buff Frog held his breath as the familiar sounds of the forest seemed to fade out to an unsettling silence; it was here.

Summoning as much of his remaining courage as he could, he raised his sword in front of him and called out to the creature he knew was lingering in the darkness just out of sight, " Go away, Zloy Dukh! I not scared of you!"

"Oh my brave, little Buff Frog… We both know that's not true, now don't we," it answered, this time sounding like a series of low guttural voices speaking over one another. "You may have resisted my… offer, but the stench of your fear betrays your brave face."

Before Buff Frog could move a muscle, a sickly pale-yellow light enveloped him as the demon stepped from the edge of his vision into view. During the attack on the encampment, he was a mass of billowing black shadow, but now it seemed as if he had become slightly more defined. Long thin arms ended in smoky jagged-fingered hands, but its face… its face was what truly made him shiver uncontrollably. Its yellow eyes fixed his own with an unblinking stare, the light they shed seeming to root him in place as it's jaw creaked open to reveal a mouth full of splintered and ragged teeth.

"I could kill you and the pathetic little bird. It would be so… easy…" it whispered once more, reaching forward.

Buff Frog felt helpless to resist as it's smoke-like fingers dipped into his chest. It felt like his heart had been dipped in ice water and he fell to his knees with a soft grunt as the demon brought its other hand up to hold his face in a horrible parody of intimacy. With a sound like dry leaves in the wind, the demon inhaled deeply as it squeezed the Frog monster's heart gently.

"Ugh," grunted Buff Frog, his breath puffing white as the air around them became suddenly freezing.

"Shall I end you Buff Frog? Shall I squeeze harder and snuff your miserable existence from the face of this world? Or would you serve to save your worthless life?" it asked. Lowering its face until it was inches from his own; it took another deep, almost loving breath.

The light from its eyes flared as it breathed in, the intensity blinding Buff Frog. He feebly reached up and attempted to seize the demon's arm at the wrist where it disappeared into his chest, but he found he had no strength left in his arms to resist. Instead, he sucked in a lungful of air and spoke as forcefully as he could, "Da, demon. You will have to kill me. I no submit to abomination like you!"

Chuckling darkly, it twisted its mouth into a macabre smile as it pulled it's arm from his chest, "Oh Buff Frog… You will all serve me before long. Either in life, or death… It makes no difference to me."

Tenderly, the demon rested a single clawed finger against Buff Frog's temple and dragged it slowly, almost lovingly down towards his jaw. Whimpering and grunting, he shook with agony as the ice-cold claw sliced his face from temple to jaw like a razor. Dropping a limp Buff Frog to curl up on the ground and clutch his bleeding face, it leaned over a still mumbling and wide-eyed Ludo.

"I will see you soon little one…" it hissed, breathing deeply just as it did to Buff Frog, though this time Ludo promptly lost consciousness. "Delicious…" it said as it swept back into the trees, eager to drink more succulent fear.

Several minutes later, a close scream seemed to break the paralyzing fear that had seized Buff Frog's body. The side of his face was a searing streak of fire, but even through the haze of pain, he recognized the owner of the shrill scream… it was Dimitri's and he grimaced when the scream abruptly cut off. "Another one…" he whispered to himself under his breath as he shakily got to his feet and picked up an unconscious Ludo. After a quick check that his boss was alright, he took off at run once more.

Cold tendrils of fear continued to coil around his heart as he ran, but as well as chill his blood, he found it also drove him, focused his mind on a single purpose, and mercifully, allowed him not to think about what had just happened to his friend. Pausing momentarily to check on the position of the weakly shining moon, he adjusted his path and picked up speed as the underbrush thinned. If he kept heading in this rough direction, he would reach their regrouping position, and once there, he could snap Ludo out of it.

"Buff Frog!" a familiar voice whisper-shouted at him.

Dropping to a fighting position and brandishing his dagger, Buff Frog relaxed slightly as he saw Beard Dear emerging from a small clearing to his right. While initially relieved, he quickly balled a fist and moved back to keep his distance from the newcomer.

"Is really you Beard Deer? Evil Spirit have many tricks up its sleeve."

"It's me Buff Frog! I heard you running and…" he didn't finish his sentence as he saw the limp form of Ludo tucked under his comrade's arm. "Is the Boss…dead?" he croaked out.

"No, he only unconscious. Now prove it really you, or there will be other unconscious monster in second!"

Beard Deer paled slightly at the threat from his friend before thinking quickly. "Uh, well," he scratched his neck, "your real name is Yvgeny Bulgolyubov! Your favorite sport is Cornball. Ludo rescued you from the swamp and made you his second in command," he said, listing things on his fingers as Buff Frog narrowed his eyes.

"Fool a Bulgolyubov once…" he growled.

"All things Evil Spirit could know…" Buff Frog growled and narrowed his eyes as he set Ludo's unconscious form down on the ground and advanced towards a visibly trembling Beard Deer.

"I swear it's me Buff Frog…" whimpered Beard Deer as his friend drew a long, serrated dagger from his belt.

"One more chance. Prove you not corpse puppet, or I send you back to underworld this time."

Beard Deer was near panic now, he had lost his weapons in the fight at the encampment and he knew he could never outrun Buff Frog. Thinking as hard as possible to try and dredge up any snippet of information that might prove he was who he said he was, he felt a glimmer of hope spark to life as he remembered a drunk conversation the had shared several weeks back right before they had come to Earth.

Taking a tentative step forward, he held out his hands in a placating gesture, "Your greatest dream besides a Mewni completely free of mewman oppression, is to have a family of your own! You told me a few weeks ago when we were drinking that West Mewnian Swamp Water around the campfire! Buff Frog please… I'm begging you…" he said, as the forest itself seemed to hold its breath in anticipation.

Stopping for a moment, Buff Frog merely nodded and sheathed his dagger, "Da, that is most intimate dream of mine. I believe you who you say you are. Demon only seem to know fears, not happy thought like family. Now quick, follow me to fallback location, we need to regroup before make next move."

Two hours later, Buff Frog wore a grim expression as he sat around the small fire they had built in the abandoned culvert they had designated their "fallback" position. 'Six… only six others made it out of eighteen…' Buff Frog shook his head at the pitiful number of survivors he saw huddling around their meager fire in the damp pipe. Silently he took a quick headcount; Beard Deer, Three-Eyed Potato Baby, Spikeballs, Boo Fly, Bearicorn, and Giraffe. Just six others besides Ludo and himself.

The group had been mostly silent except for some sparse and hushed conversation as they all tried their best to stay warm on the unusually chilly summer night. Shock, fatigue, and grief over comrades lost, all working to subdue any effort he had made at raising their cratered morale. 'First, Princess Star gets wand along with fierce warrior bodyguard, and now Zloy Dukh decimates army…' he thought darkly as the fire cracked and popped.

"Wha, where am I?" asked Ludo, his voice weak as his stirred from unconsciousness, "you know I hate surprise parties."

Most of the encampment shared uneasy glances as he looked around in bleary confusion. "Master Ludo!" Buff Frog shouted, before being shushed by the group.

Ludo didn't respond for a minute. Instead, he stood up shakily, brushing the pine needles and dirt from his robe as he took a moment to collect himself. "Buff Frog, where is the rest of my army?"

"Dead… It been hours Ludo. If they survive, they would have joined by now."

Ludo said nothing; he simply nodded and sat down next to Buff Frog too stunned for words. Buff Frog watched him silently, wary of provoking the panic he knew Ludo was barely suppressing. Suddenly, the small bird tipped his head back and laughed loudly. It rang out, shrill and disturbing as it bounced off the concrete walls of the culvert.

The rest of the monsters looked up from their own thoughts, each looking with concern at a cackling Ludo and a nervous Buff Frog. Finally, after nearly a minute of hysterical laughter, Ludo seemed to fall back to earth and the crushing reality of their situation as tears began streaming from his eyes.

"So Rasticore was right… my failure is finally complete," he bawled though his hands. "Poor little Ludo, never good enough for Mom and Dad… Never good enough to inherit the Avarius Crown… And now, not good enough for Toffee…" he managed to choke out between ragged sobs.

"Boss…" began Buff Frog, putting a placating hand on Ludo's heaving shoulder. "We know we expendable to Toffee…" he said, looking around the group sadly.

"What?" Ludo sniffled loudly as he rubbed his eyes and looked up at a frowning Buff Frog.

"Yeah Boss, we're all screw ups," chimed in Beard Deer.

"Agabyub mharr byutha mgab agadror," added Three-Eyed Potato Baby, nodding vigorously.

"Toffee and Rasticore know we likely fail to seize wand, or Princess… No way he send best troops. Better, send castoffs and losers in first wave. See how strong Butterfly resistance is. Then, when knowing, he send Rasticore and more… competent troops to actually do job."

"He wouldn't dare… Not to his own people…" started Ludo, looking from monster to monster.

"He would." mumbled Buff Frog.

"THAT SON OF A… LAYWER LOOKING… TWO-TIMING… HOW COULD HE DO THIS TO ME! ME!" stormed Ludo as he stomped the ground and paced back and forth. "'You have a very important task Ludo. I need you to scout the way for our forces to finish the Butterfly Dynasty once and for all.'" Ludo did his best to imitate the cool voice of their leader in a mocking tone before continuing to rage. "The double-dealing shit knew we were going to get beaten and he still sent us! I'll show that conniving Lizard what happens when he betrays Ludo Avarius!"

"Bosssss?" the nervous voice of Boo Fly cut into his rant.

"What is it!" Ludo whipped around to face the nervous looking fly monster.

"Mannn, this isss heavy stuff, but," buzzed Boofly, 'how do we deal with that… Thing in the woods?"

The question quelled Ludo, for as consumed as he was with righteous anger at being used by Toffee, he was at a complete loss with how to deal with their new enemy. It had scythed through their ranks and they had only escaped because it had let them.

"Master, may I speak?" it was Buff Frog now that spoke up and, eager to grab for any way out he could think of, Ludo nodded and sat back down by the fire. Buff Frog stood up and walked to the center of the small circle as he gathered his thoughts, "Fellow Monsters, let me ask one question before we decide what do. Is life better under Toffee than mewmans? Like all of you, I believe in better life for all monsters, it why I fight. But now Mewni ours, and still we fight and die for Toffee. I say for what? He send us to Earth as expendable soldiers… I say leader who not appreciate lives of own troops no leader at all!"

"Yeah!" came a chorus of voices as the monsters agreed.

Turning to a still frowning Ludo, Buff Frog bowed low before kneeling, "Ludo, do you care about fate of monsters? Of us?"

"You're my monsters Buff Frog, of course I care, you daft idiot!" Ludo shouted as he stood as tall as his diminutive frame would allow.

"Then I say, you worthy leader of monsters! I say we take wand and use it to destroy Zloy Dukh in woods and then take over. Toffee and Rasticore no better than monster murdering mewmans. I tired of risking life for self-serving tyrant! Who with me!"

"For LUDO!" shouted the other six monsters, each one kneeling in front of a now grinning Ludo.

"You guys…" Ludo blushed as he observed the loyal remnants of his scouting force. Putting his hands on his hips, he nodded to each of the kneeling monsters in turn. "I accept my position as supreme leader, now bring it in boys. I have… a plan."

O - O - O - O - O - O – O

"Space Unicorn, soaring through the stars…" Marco's ringtone rang out as he groggily rolled over and checked the caller ID with one bleary eye; it was Penelope, and he hit accept as he put the phone to his ear. "H-Hello?" he asked sleepily, noticing the digital alarm clock read 9:30 A.M.

"Morning Marco," came the slightly strainedsounding voice of his girlfriend.

"Mmm, morning Penny. How did you *yawn* sleep?" he asked.

"Penny, ehh? That going to be a permanent thing now?" asked Penelope, giggling on the other end of the line.

"Only if you want it to be," answered Marco, unable to suppress a smile at the sound of her laughter.

"Relax Marco, I love it. But let's keep it for private moments like this okay? I am a Princess after all, I've got to be somewhat respectable, at least in public," she teased.

"Haha, sure thing Penny. So whats up? Did you want to do something this evening? I have stuff with Star in the afternoon, but my evening is wide op-" he started before being interrupted by a serious sounding Penelope.

"Marco, I'm really sorry about last night. I know I promised to keep my cool with Star and Tom and I failed spectacularly at that… I know we salvaged the night under that willow tree," she let out a sultry sigh, "but I still feel awful for some of the things I said. Let me make it up to you tonight. Please?"

"Yeah, well I wasn't exactly a model of calm either was I. Look," he began, taking a second to collect his scattered thoughts, "I think everyone was just on edge last night after what happened in the park. I'm not holding any hard feelings towards anyone, but if you owe anyone an apology it's Star, not me."

"Wellll, that's kind of what I have in mind Marco. Star wanted to have a big sleepover tonight at Butterfly Castle! She invited me and I'm sure you'll be getting a call any minute now." Sure enough, his phone buzzed with a new text message from Star, asking if he wanted to come to a group sleepover that evening. "I know she invited Jackie and Janna and Tom as well."

"Ugh, Tom? Hard pass."

"No, no I totally think we should go Marco. You're her best friend, and I want to prove to you and her that I can play nice. Besides, Jackie already said she'd be there. She got discharged from the hospital last night and I want to hang out with her. So you're totally coming."

"You promise it won't be another disaster like last night?"

"I promise Marco, at least on my end… I want to show you I can behave myself around Star with you. I told you last night that I didn't want you to quit. That's not fair to you and I would never try to stand between you and what makes you happy."

Marco felt himself shedding some of the grogginess at the intense sincerity in her voice. He had rarely heard her sound this serious, and he definitely appreciated the effort. Smiling for the first time that morning, he nodded into the phone. "Sure Penny, I'm in."

Conceding with a short 'I'm in' to Star's text, he smiled at his girlfriend's excitement. "You're the best babe. Star said 7 for a start, but you'll be with her doing your guide stuff this afternoon, so I guess it will start whenever you two get back to Butterfly Castle. Oh, and Marco?" She asked, a note of mischief now in her voice.

"Yes?"

"All the royal Families' parents are out of town this week except King River… and he's a total pushover. So get ready for the night of your life!" she laughed.

"Can't wait," he smirked, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of his bed, "Does my fair Princess have any requests of her gentleman tonight?"

"Just bring those cute buns over and have those hot lips ready to kiss me Diaz. You were mean last night and didn't finish something you should have… I've been thinking about you since you hung me out to dry, only… it's anything but," cooed Penelope.

Her words caused a deep red to spread across his cheeks as he remembered their shared tryst last night under the willow tree. Moreover, he remembered how much she had pouted when he didn't give her the release she had wanted. If her voice was any indication, he was in for quite the night. "Haha, well both of those things are always with me wherever I go, so I'll be ready Penny."

"Sounds Great. And… thanks for being so understanding. I know I can be…difficult sometimes." The sudden shift to genuine timidness in her voice caught him off guard, but he appreciated her gratitutde.

"Don't sweat it, we all have our moments. Let's just focus on having a fantastic night tonight and not on rude demons, or any Jannanigans that may be in store."

"Prefect, Marco. So until tonight, stay safe and don't miss me too much," she giggled.

"No promises," he said, "about the missing you part, I mean. Of course I'll do my best to stay safe," he corrected.

"Byeeeee Marcooooooo" she sang into the phone.

"See you tonight Penny," he rolled his eyes and as he hung up the phone. No sooner had he put it down and stood up to head to the shower then it buzzed noisily against his nightstand. Sighing as he picked it up, he saw Star's smiling face in his caller ID and without hesitation, he pushed the accept button.

"Hey Star, what's up?" he asked as he made his way into the bathroom.

"MarcoI'llbeatyourhouseinfiveminutes!" came her panting, near frantic voice from the speaker.

"Um, Okay. I was just about to step in the shower before heading over to the M.R.C. to see you, but if you're on your way here that's fine too. Just knock and one of my Parents will let you in. I'll be down in about ten, maybe 15 minutes."

"Soundsgoodbyeeeee," she shouted into the speaker as she hung up.

"That girl…" he chuckled as he tossed his phone on his bed and slipped into the bathroom.

Five minutes later, Marco, now feeling refreshed and clean, twisted the shower controls to off and grabbed the towel he had hung over the door. After a quick scrub down to dry off, he wrapped it around his waist and stepped into the steamy bathroom, not noticing a heavily blushing blonde who couldn't seem to take her eyes of his half naked form still glistening slightly from the clinging drops of water.

"Hey Marco," she said, a bit of a grin now on her face. Guiltily, she had let her eyes rove over his toned body and light tan skin as he stepped from the shower. It was the second time in as many days she had seen him without a shirt on, and just like yesterday morning, it made her feel a flush run through her body. He was lean, but strong, with powerful looking shoulders, leading down to a smooth chest sitting above a set of abs that while not chiseled, were well-defined enough to make her shiver ever so slightly with want. Promise or no promise, they had spent an amazing night together just 24 hours ago, and she could vividly remember the feel of his body under her wandering hands and how much more she had wanted but been unable to explore.

"GAH!" he shouted, nearly jumping out of his towel with shock at seeing her standing before him in a otherwise empty and silent bathroom. Checking and refastening his towel, he was relieved to find that it hadn't slipped as he fixed her with an annoyed look, "Star! What are you doing in here! This is my bathroom, and in case you hadn't noticed, it's occupied! Couldn't you have just waited downstairs?"

"Sorry to barge in here, but Marco… This can't wait… " said Star, her smile fading to a frown as she looked into his eyes.

Her voice sounded strained and when he looked closer, he could see tears still clinging to her pale eyelashes as well as a distinct, puffy redness. "Star? What's wrong?" he asked as he stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I…" she started, before throwing her arms around a startled Marco, "…I'm so sorry about last night! I know you wanted everything to be perfect, and to patch things up between all of us and it was just such a disaster! And I didn't help at all… I just lost my temper and I almost hurt you!" she wailed into his shoulder, squeezing him so tight he was starting to have trouble breathing.

"Star…" he wheezed, "last night was everyone's fault. I didn't have to be such a snarky asshole to Tom, but I was. I think last night was just destined for failure," he said, trying to comfort her while keeping his arms held awkwardly out to the side. Half-naked hugs with Star were definitely on the, "more than a friend" side of the promise they made to each other only yesterday.

"Marco, you didn't start the trouble last night," she murmured into his shoulder as she managed to quiet her tears to a few small sniffs. "It was Tom… He started everything off on the wrong foot when he was so rude to you." She let off the pressure of her hug slightly as she began to unconsciously run her fingers up and down his back, "He knows your name isn't Mango…by the way. I keep telling him to call you Marco, I'm so sorry…"

"Star, again, you don't have to apologize. I'm just writing off last night as a bad idea all around," he reassured her, finally feeling his resistance break as he brought his arms around the slender girl to pull her into a hug of his own. Half-naked or not, Star's hugs were the best he'd ever had, and he let the smell of her hair fill his nose with a satisfied and quiet "mmm."

"Hisssss," the sound of Star's sudden pained expression made him release her immediately and jump back. "You okay? I didn't think I squeezed you that hard…"

"I'm fine," she said, her face beat red now as she played with her hair awkwardly, "just a few scratches is all."

"When did you get hurt? You were fine last night at din- Star, did Tom hurt you after dinner? I swear to God, I'll rip the fucking horns off his head if he-"

"Nonononono, Marco it's okay. It was totally accidental, we got a little…" if it was possible, Star felt her blush deepen as she met his concerned eyes, "a little overenthusiastic… is all." While he didn't look entirely mollified, he seemed to accept her explanation without further comment. 'Whew,' she thought, finally feeling like something was going her way that morning. The last thing she wanted was for her boyfriend and best friend's relationship to get any worse. "I promise it's nothing serious, just some scratches."

"Well did you at least treat it?" he asked, the anger now completely gone from his eyes.

"I, uh… I just kind of went home and tried to forget about last night, Marco. Sooo,"

"That's a no then. Alright, wait here, okay? Ill be back in just a second," he said as he hurried through the side door and into his room.

Star waited awkwardly in the still steamy bathroom, taking a moment to admire the almost supernatural neatness of all of Marco's toiletries. Each one seemed to have a specific spot marked out for it in the medicine cabinet, and even the things on the marble counter seemed to be grouped together by size and apparent function.

Hearing the door to the bathroom open once more, she turned and to see Marco re-enter. Mercifully, he had thrown a t-shirt and some jeans on and in his arms, he carried a small white case with a red cross symbol and a stool. "Sit please," he said after setting the stool down and gesturing to it.

"Marco, you really don't have to-"

"Star, I know I don't have to, but if you leave injuries untreated, they may get infected and that's a whole other issue. I know it's awkward, but let me treat your wounds. Please?" he asked, giving her a soft smile as he opened up the first aid kit.

It was his smile that broke her resistance, it never failed to cheer her up and she nodded before turning around on the stool and pulling her hair over her shoulder. Gently, Marco pushed the straps of her dress off of her shoulders so he could get at all the scratches, not missing the slight shiver in her body at his feel of his finger tips on her bare skin. "Alright Safe Kid," she said, beaming at the look on his face at her words, "but be careful with my wings, they're very sensitive."

"Your whaaaaa," he trailed off as he caught a glimpse of the small, translucent, purple wings folded flat against her back. At first, he had thought they were a tattoo or some kind of jewelry, but now that he could get a closer look, he saw they were every bit as real as the fingers he had gently rested on them. They shimmered in the light of bathroom and he could see the musculature connected to their base just below the skin flex and twitch slightly. '…Beautiful,' he thought to himself. There was no other word he could think of that described the delicate looking purple wings he couldn't seem to look away from. After a long few moments admiring, he asked the question that was burning on his mind, "Can you… fly with those?"

"It's… complicated. My Mom can sorta turn into this butterfly monster thing when she's mad or needs to deal with something tough. The wings help her fly then, but normally they don't do anything but get in the way of wearing a bra."

"Amazingggg." Marco breathed, nodding as he continued to stare at the small wings on her back. "Um Star, there are like 8 really long, pretty deep scratches here. They're still a little weepy too and it looks like there's a scratch under each of your wings on either side, " he noted how the dried blood had glued her wings to her back on each side.

"I knew it… Dammit Tom, I knew he didn't tell me how bad it really was." She blew out a breath of frustration as Marco stepped close behind her.

"Star, this might sting a little. I'm going to disinfect the scratches that are still bleeding and put some little bandages over them okay?"

"Okay…" she nodded, doing her best to keep the fearful hesitation in her voice to a minimum.

Marco spent the next fifteen minutes methodically cleaning and bandaging the scratches he could reach. Star proved to be an excellent patient, only whimpering a little when a particularly painful jolt from the disinfectant stung her. Finally, all that was left to bandage were the scratches and dried blood gluing her wings flat to her back.

"That looks uncomfortable Star. Didn't you feel them pulling when you ran over here?" he asked, noticing now for the first time the almost imperceptible vibration as she attempted to pull them free.

"Sorta… yeah," she muttered.

"Sooo, can I?" he asked as he laid his fingers gently on the pale skin next to her wing.

"Just be gentle, okay?"

He could hear the nervousness in her voice, and he pressed his warm palm against her back in an effort to reassure her before answering, "Of course I will Star."

Carefully he grabbed a fresh washcloth and wet it with warm water. Returning to her, he gently began cleaning the skin around each wing, making sure that he wiped away the dried blood. Working slowly, he gently peeled up the edge of her wing to let the warm water run down between it and her back to break up the sticky dried blood. Here and there, Star would make short little gasps and he noticed her breathing becoming noticeably heavier as he worked.

"Are you alright? I'm not hurting you, am I?" he asked, seeing her nod wordlessly and then shake her head. "Okay, just let me know if I do and I'll stop." Continuing, Marco noticed that each time his fingertips would touch her delicate looking wings, she would recoil slightly, only to arch back into his touch almost immediately after.

After ten more minutes of meticulous work he managed to free both of her wings and bandage the underlying scratches. He was in the process of gently patting them dry when she burst out in a low moan before slapping her hand over her mouth in shock. "Oh my Corn, I'm so sorry Marco," she apologized.

"Uhh, what was that about?" he asked, pulling his hands away from her gently fluttering wings as if he had been scalded.

She didn't answer at first, instead, she merely turned around and looked at him. Her entire face was red, and he could swear he saw a bit of a hungry look in her sky-blue eyes as she worked on getting her labored breathing under control. "Umm, well when I told you my wings were sensitive, I meant they were that kind of sensitive… You know…" she explained, giving him an exaggerated nod.

"Ohhhh. Oh my…" he breathed as she got up to inspect his handiwork in the mirror.

"Wow Marco, you did a great job! Thank you so much!" she said after fixing her dress straps. Running over to a still stunned-looking Marco, she hugged him tightly once more and, in a flash, planted a short chaste kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for helping me with the scratches Marco. Normally I wouldn't let anyone else touch my wings… but I knew I could trust you," she cooed.

"Nobody?" he asked, shocked at her admission.

"Mhm," she intoned, laying her head on his shoulder.

Carefully, he returned her hug, the trust she had shown in allowing him to touch and clean her wings pushing any awkwardness out of his mind. He could have sworn he heard a happy murmur when his arms had pulled her closer. "Wow… I'm, honored actually," he finally managed to say after several blissful moments of holding her in his arms.

"I probably should have told you the effect touching my wings can have, but honestly nobody but me has ever touched them before and I didn't want to make it weird for you, " she whispered into his ear. "It felt really good."

Her words, and the hot breath he felt on his ear caused chills to roll up and down his spine. Suddenly, the closeness they were sharing seemed overwhelming; and he guiltily thought of their promise, only a day old and already being tested. Reluctantly, he broke the hug and smiled, "Star, I got used to weird a long time ago… But, I'm really glad I got to share that with you. It was amazing."

Smiling herself at his reassuring words, she took a moment to fix her hair in the mirror before pulling her scissors out of her purse, "Ready for another great day being my guide and best bestie? I think a visit to the Echo Creek Mall is in order! Mama needs a new dress!"

"After you then, M'lady," he said, bending low in a mock bow

"Don't ever call me that again…"

"Sorry."

O - O - O - O - O - O – O

Sitting quietly in a well-appointed hearing room in the California State Capitol, Queen Moon waited patiently along with several fellow Royals for their hosts. Looking around she saw the Spiderbites nodding approvingly at the well-appointed room and fought to suppress a laugh as King and Queen Johansen examined a stuffed bear, each one taking turns sniffing and poking it before nodding approvingly to one another. 'I'm glad I didn't bring River. He has no patience for these kinds of things…' she thought, before a second almost equally worrying though struck her, 'Although, leaving him as the sole responsible adult over a group of rowdy teenage princes and princesses might have been a mistake as well.'

She took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before releasing it slowly, as her mother used to tell her to do during times of stress. "The guides are there. The guides are there. It'll be alright, I have River and the guides. Everything will be fine," she murmured to herself.

The door opened with a soft click, and the appearance of the Governor, Secretary of State, and their various aides filing into the room wiped away any thought for her wayward daughter.

"Your Majesties," Governor Williams nodded to the assembled VIPs, "This is Secretary of State Adam McArthur. I've brought him along at your request to hear your proposal in person."

Moon quickly shook hands with the newcomer and, after all parties had been introduced, sat once more with the representatives before speaking. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today. I know firsthand how busy it is running a government."

"It was our pleasure, Queen Butterfly. Now, how can the U.S. government help you today."

"First, and I think I speak for all of us in this room when I say thank you for the generous conditions you offered to our people when we first came to this… erm, State. I will be forever grateful for your hospitality in letting us set up the M.R.C. and granting my people farming rights around Echo Creek. Recent events, however, have… changed the paradigm. It appears that Toffee has found us on Earth, and I feel it only fair that I warn your government that he may attempt to follow us here to this dimension." Moon's face was stony as she explained the startling new developments to the representatives, but several other nobles looked worried.

"Toffee is the talking lizard monster that led a rebellion in your home dimension, correct?" asked Secretary McArthur, his eyebrows raised at the incredulity of his own words. He had read the briefing packet prepared by his aides and had even met Queen Moon before. But saying those words still sounded ludicrous.

Indeed, he is an incredibly dangerous creature who has proven capable of out maneuvering us at every turn. I… suspect he had inside help, but that is an internal affair that I shall deal with in due course. No, the reason I called for this meeting today is because I would like to formally submit for your Government's approval, a petition for the formation of the Butterfly Protectorate State in the greater Echo Creek Area."

"A Protectorate?" McArthur raised his eyebrow at the notion.

"Something of the sort, yes. Obviously, there will need to be a more formal process, but in essence, I am proposing the reestablishment of the Butterfly Kingdom within the state of California. We would have complete rights to self-rule within our borders, however, the Kingdom would pay both Federal and State taxes, and our border would be completely open to all current and future American citizens in addition t-"

"Queen Moon…" the concerned voice of King Spiderbite interrupted. "We haven't discussed this at all, I would ask for a delay at the ver-"

"Alexander, I am speaking only on behalf of the Butterfly Kingdom. Your family and court are of course welcome to continue to maintain the Spiderbite Kingdom's government in exile, but please do not presume to tell me how I should run my Kingdom." Moon's harsh glare seemed to quell the Spiderbite Monarch, and he sat down looking humbled as his wife took his hand.

Looking over to the Johansens, Moon sighed and rubbed her temples in frustration, "I share all of your desires to return to Mewni, truly I do. But I cannot ignore reality. All of our Kingdom's armies were defeated by Toffee and his monsters and I do not realistically see us returning to Mewni in my lifetime. We need to focus on securing the future of our people here and now. We will retake our homeland, but we need a solid base from which to rebuild. Foolish notions of warnicorn cavalry sweeping away the monster rabble is one of the reasons we are in this mess in the first place. It is time to secure our future in the short term so that we may retake Mewni in the long term."

Looking at the four other monarchs present in the room; Moon was relieved to see each of them slowly nod at her. 'So they finally understand,' she thought bitterly as she turned back to face Secretary McArthur. She was sure beyond any doubt that each of them had discussed this exact scenario with each other multiple times, and if they needed permission or absolution from her in order for their conscious to remain clear… then so be it. Moon could still remember the oath she swore the day she took the crown; an oath to protect the citizens of Mewni with her magic, indeed her very life if necessary, and she would be damned before she broke it.

"Now then," Queen moon waved her hand over the desk and several thick binders of parchment sealed with wax and blue ribbon appeared, "I have all the details of my proposal here. And of course, I will be happy to answer any questions you may have."

"W-Well then," stammered Secretary McArthur, looking startled at the magnitude of her proposal. "First, let me assure you that I have the deepest empathy for your situation. There have been similar incidents here on Earth that have been handled rather…poorly. However, something of this magnitude is well beyond my level of authority. But I will take all this," he nodded to the parchments and an aide came and scooped them up, "to the President. She and Congress will have the ultimate say in the matter."

"Thank you, Secretary Mc Arthur," said Queen Moon, bowing slightly to the flustered looking bureaucrats.

"Uhm, there is one question I know the President will ask immediately when I take this to her, and if you'd indulge me, I'd like to have an answer ready. But, what of the American citizens already living in the area you propose to incorporate into this Protectorate?"

"I see two options: the first is that we offer anyone who wishes to remain dual citizenship and freedom from any taxes in the Butterfly Kingdom, the second is that we offer to purchase any land they may own at a very generous rate, tax free of course and allow them to move. If your government wishes to make any suggestions on that issue, do not hesitate to contact me."

With that said, the meeting concluded. There were handshakes all around, with both Secretary McArthur and Governor Williams promising to help push for Moon's plan to come to fruition in any way they could. When they had finally said their farewells and left the Mewmans on their own, Moon sealed the door with a wave of her hand and turned to face the other four royals. Smiling for the first time since leaving Castle Butterfly that morning, she sat down and motioned for the Johansens and Spiderbites to join her; she had a future to secure.

O - O - O - O - O - O – O

"Arcade?" Star said, arching her eyebrow at a now grinning Marco as they finished depositing the clothing she had bought through a small portal to her room.

"Arcade," he answered, nodding sagely.

"Lets go!" she shouted as she took off running in the direction of the arcade, artfully dodging grumbling shoppers.

"What's the rush!" he called after her, jogging so as not to bump into anyone.

Once inside Joyopolis Arcade, Marco quickly got them a couple of game cards and they immediately got down to business. The first thing as far as Marco was concerned was a rematch in Dance Dance Uprising Turbo Edition. She had beaten him by a whisker the last time they were here and today he was determined to even the score. So after making their way to the machine and selecting a song, the two had hit it with a vengeance, each one furiously dancing in sync with one another as a series of "Perfects" flashed by on both screens.

"Give it up Diaz! You can't beat me!" Star taunted him, laughing and grinning as she twirled and stomped the floor panels.

"We'll see about that Star!"

Both continued to dance as the high octane beat of the music blared from the machine, each one feeling an overwhelming sense of synchronicity. Beside them, a small crowd had gathered around the machine, with several people clapping and cheering the two on as they pounded out the song. It was neck and neck down the stretch with the lead changing hands multiple times until Marco ripped off a series of perfects that put him over the top just as the song ended.

"WOOHOO! I'm the winnah!" he shouted, dancing a short little jig and waving to the whooping crowd. Turning to a pouting Star, he felt the smug smile slip off his face as she grabbed his hand and yanked him deeper into the arcade.

"It's 1-1 Marco, and ties aren't allowed! I pick next game!" she shouted as they skidded to a stop in front of a fighting game cabinet. "You. Me. Immortal Kombat 13. Now." she growled.

"Bring it on Buttbutt…" he said, his voice full of underserved confidence. 'Shit, shit, shit, I don't play fighting games much,' he thought in a panic, 'guess it's time to go with the old standby… Button mashing.'

Less than a minute later, he stood blank-faced in front of the image of his fighter being brutally disemboweled with their own femur. "Well then," he said as a self-satisfied Star danced around him.

"2-1 Me, Marco. Looks like I brought a little more than you can handle, didn't I?" she said, leaning in and taunting him with his own words. "Ya know, even Tom can't beat me at Immortal Kombat…and I'm pretty sure all he does is play video games. You never really had a chance…"

Marco could feel the superiority radiating off her like an open flame. He was having fun, but it was time to take her down a peg. Afterall, he had the pride of Echo Creek to defend and these were all Earth games. It was time to remind her who's dimension she was playing in.

"DOUBLE OR NOTHING!" he shouted, pointing a finger at a nearby Guitar Legend cabinet. "Best of 5! Winner take all…" he narrowed his eyes at her as she leaned against the wall, a confident smirk on her face.

"Alright Marco, you're on. But we gotta up the stakes… III think winner gets to make the loser do whatever they want," said Star, a mischievous smile now playing on her lips.

"Starrr," he warned, "remember our promise."

"Anything they want, within reason," she corrected.

"Hmmm." Marco held his chin. He was deep in thought so long, that Star was beginning to feel bad for proposing the bet. Finally, he nodded, a telltale smirk forming on his lips.

When they had walked over to next game, Star's eyes lit up when she saw the guitar shaped controllers. 'I used to love listening to Mom play the guitar on Mewni,' she thought, smiling at the happy memories of her Mother playing her to sleep when she was little. Unfortunately, it had been several years since she had heard her mother play, the war demanding most, if not all of her time outside of meals with Star and River.

"You alright?" asked Marco, looking concerned at how her smile had evaporated seemingly out of nowhere.

"Sorry Marco, I'm fine. It's just that, my Mom used to play guitar for me when I was younger. …Before the war. This game reminded me just how much I missed it I guess." She tried her best to put on a happy face, but Marco didn't go for it.

"Star, if you don't want to play this game I totally understand. We can go play something el-"

"No no, let's play. Just, give me a couple practice runs, I've never played this game."

Five. He gave her five songs to get used to the controls, overriding her declaration that, "she was ready," after three. With a nearly unlimited wish on the line, he wanted to make it as fair as possible so there would be no doubt when he won the bet.

"Alright, I'm ready. Let's do this." Star rolled shoulders and gripped the controller, fingers poised over the buttons and strum bar. She was feeling confident; her last two runs earning quite a high score on the leaderboards for the songs she had chosen. That assurance lasted until the moment Marco stepped forward and picked up his guitar controller.

With a flick of his wrist, he launched the controller in the air before deftly catching it and spinning it like a baton. In a move she couldn't quite describe, he had dipped his head and somehow slipped his torso into the strap, so it hung at perfect hip level. Noticing her wide-eyed stare, he winked and explained, "Yeahhh, I've been playing this series since I was 8. Ready?"

"D-Definitely," she managed to stammer out as he picked out a song.

Minutes later, when the final notes had faded and the digital crowd was busy cheering Marco's Rockstar, Star found herself grumbling at a smug looking Marco as he hung up his controller. "2-2 Star. Next game is for all the marbles."

"No, it's for one order, but never mind that," she waved dismissively. "My dear, sweet, Marco… You may have tied it up. But, my best bestie, now is the moment of your defeat. However, I, being the merciful Princess that I am, would like to offer you the chance to surrender now or else risk being utterly embarrassed by my magnificence."

She had used her best "Princess voice," but Marco could see the barely restrained smile he knew she was forcing down, so he merely held out his arm for her to lead the way. Following her, he felt the confidence he had been feeling drain away as soon as they stopped.

"Oh ho hoo, yeah this is it…" she grinned wickedly, stroking the side of the machine lovingly, "talk to Mama Star, baby…"

"Star," he laughed, "please, there are children around here. Also, a punch machine game? Hardly fair."

"That sounds like quitter talk to me Marco."

"Fine, win the easy way. All I'm saying is I ho-" but he didn't finish his sentence as three large dudes walked up to the machine, sneering as they looked Star and Marco up and down.

"You midgets mind steppin aside so me and my bros can play?" the largest one asked, flexing slightly as made to feed the machine.

"Wow, Rude much?" said Marco and Star simultaneously as the three bullies squared off with him. He couldn't help but smile as he felt Star step next to him. She hadn't said anything else but somehow, he knew she was tensing for a possible fight, he could just… feel it.

"You pipsqueaks should leave the grown-up toys for us. Or…" the head goon trailed off, a lascivious grin spreading across his face as he eyed Star up and down, "how about we make it interesting. One hit each; us versus you two. If we win, your cute little girlfriend here leaves with us."

"She's not my-" but Marco was cut off by Star as she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, "And if we win?"

"Ahahahahaha," the three bullies burst out laughing. "If you win? Babe… you're what, 100 pounds and your little boytoy over here is what? 150 pounds soaking wet," he chuckled to himself as he reached into his pocket to pull out two large bills, "100 bucks if you win. Each."

"No than-" began Marco.

"You're on," interrupted Star, a steely look in her blue eyes.

"Once we smoke your loser boyfriend here, I'm gonna show you what a real man is like girly," laughed the head bully. "Chad, Tyler, show 'em how it's done."

His two friends took their turns, scoring a 7850 and 7900 respectively as their leader looked on smugly. "Alright, not bad at all. Now check this out!" He drew back his fist and punched hard against the bag, knocking it up with a loud *clunk*. The numbers on the readout spun and rose, finally stopping at 8100.

"Beat that, half pint!" he pointed at Marco, who looked thoroughly unimpressed.

Marco shared a knowing look with Star, who was giving him two enthusiastic thumbs up as he took several steps back away from the machine. Crouching slightly, he sprang forward, twisting his body gracefully in a tight spin. Leaving the ground, he spun once, then twice, bringing his leg around to slam the top of his foot into the bag in a bone jarring tornado kick. With a sharp crack, the bag rocketed back, the red numbers spinning higher and higher until the last place ticked over: 9999, a perfect score.

"WOOHOO!" screamed Star, pulling Marco in for a ferocious hug and jumping up and down.

"For the record, I'm 175 pounds, and a blackbelt." He told the now stunned looking would-be bully after breaking the hug with Star, "and I'll be taking that two hundred bucks now."

"T-That's not fair man… you kicked it!" said the wide-eyed bully.

"Dude, you said hit not punch," said Marco, trying his best to suppress a grin. "But if you think I cheated, fine. Star, your turn."

Still giggling at the stupid looks on the trio's faces, she got into position and cocked her fist back. 'I feel like I should probably tie with him, buuut, naaaaah,' she thought happily as she let her fist fly. *BANG* The bag slammed upwards so hard the machine jumped several inches. It let out a strangled electronic cry, the screen displaying an error message for a moment before going blank. A small tendril of smoke rose out of the back of the machine as Star walked over and took the two hundred dollar bills from the slack fingers of the dumbstruck bully before returning to Marco who promptly bowed to her, "You win Star, your wish is my command."

"Hrmm," she tapped her chin as she scrunched up her cheeks, apparently in deep thought, "I'll get back to you on that one Marco. I gotta make it something good."

"Well, you think on that Star, but for now I think it's time to do something else. I'm pretty sure that's the manager, and I don't wanna find out what he's gonna do when he gets overe here."

"C'mon Marco!" shouted Star as she grabbed his hand and pulled him around a row of machines. The manager was a taller, bald, African manwearing a Hawaiian shirt, and a grin so wide it looked like it hurt. Just above his breast pocket read a nametag etched with 'H. Smiley'.

"Come back here! Someone's paying for that machine!" shouted the manager as he took off after them.

Weaving through the throng of teenagers and kids, Star kept a firm grip on Marco's hand as they raced towards the exit and the rest of the mall. "Wait, Star maybe we should pay the guy!" shouted Marco as he let himself be pulled along.

"Do you have $650 to pay him Marco!" she exclaimed back over her shoulder as they burst into the bright, busy mall.

"Not on me!"

"Then keep running!"

Skidding after them as he sprinted into the hallway, the manager crashed into several teens before regaining his footing and resuming the chase, "You're not getting away this time! I've had it up to here with you kids breaking my machines!"

Star wasn't entirely sure where she was running. All she knew was that they had to get away from the crazy, yet surprisingly fast arcade manager. Laughing wildly, she gave Marco's hand a reassuring squeeze as she headed directly for the packed escalator. "Rabbit Rocket Blast!" she shouted as an explosion of pink smoke and bunnies launched her and a screaming Marco over the escalator and onto the second floor.

Landing with a thud, they took off deeper into the mall as the manager pushed and shoved his way up the escalator, his wide smile never faltering below his furious glare. "Security!" he shouted, pointing at their fleeing backs when several mall cops jogged over.

"We got company Star!" shouted Marco, now sprinting alongside her.

Looking back at two wheezing and huffing mall cops, Star felt some of her panic subside. They could easily outrun those two; and if necessary, she had her scissors for a quick exit. But for now the thrill of the chase was fun and she fully intended to enjoy a little action with her best bestie. "Faster Marco, faster!" she exhorted, "I've seen Terror slugs move faster than these guys!"

Turning the corner, Marco spotted the glimmering marquee of the Echo Creek Megaplex and pulled Star into the lobby just as the huffing and puffing security guards rounded the corner. Running up to the counter, he found himself momentarily dumbstruck as he came face to face with a grinning Oskar.

"Sup," the fanged teenager nodded at the pair of panting fugitives.

"A vampire!" Star shouted, her hand already halfway into her purse to grab her wand before Marco stopped her.

"Easy there, Star. Oskar's just got unusual taste in dental accessories. They aren't real."

"Yeah, see?" Oskar pulled his lip up to display where the prosthetic attached to his real teeth, "Bram Stoker's my favorite author. Soon as I moved out, I got these babies with my first gig check."

"Hey Oskar. Can we get two tickets for literally anything that's starting now please?"

"Hmm," said Oskar as he brushed the hair out of his eyes and checked the show times on the board behind him. "Blue-Eyed Girl started five minutes ago. It's probably still previews right now, so if you hurry, you won't miss the beginning."

"Sure, yeah, whatever," said Macro as he slapped $20 on the counter.

"Good Choice Man," Oskar nodded approvingly, "you and your girlfriend are going to love it!"

But Marco was only half-listening as he checked the lobby to make sure there were no waiting security guards inside. Taking the tickets from Oskar, he barely noticed his innuendo laden, "Have fun," as he and Star jogged over to the ticket taker and slipped into the darkness and safety of the theater.

Once they took their seats at the back, Marco felt himself finally begin to relax. It was unlikely that any of the mall cops would poke their head into the various screenings to check for them and they could just use Star's scissors to portal home once it was over.

"Hope they don't ban us from the mall for this," he whispered to Star as she settled into the seat right next to his.

"Pfft, I'll just have my dad pay for the damage. He used to do that all the time on Mewni."

"What!" Marco whisper-yelled at her, "you mean we could have just had your dad pay for it instead of running for our lives from the arcade?"

"Uhhh, yeah. But that wouldn't have been as fun," she giggled.

'She has a point…' he thought, for once he and Star had had made it out of the arcade and she had rocketed them to the second floor with a spell, he'd been laughing and grinning ear to ear until they had skidded into the movie theater. It surprised him that he'd been anything other than a nervous wreck at the thought of fleeing from an authority figure. 'Guess I really am changing my outlook' he smiled to himself.

"Alright, alright, I did have fun… But let's make sure we pay that guy for the damage. I don't want to be banned from the only good arcade in the city."

"Relaaax buddy, I'll take care of it," she assured him, "now let's just enjoy the movie. What's it about anyway?"

"No idea, I think remember my Mom telling my Dad she wanted him to take her to it though," he said as he looked around the theater. It couldn't have been more than a third full, but the only people he saw in the theater were paired off, and most of them seemed to be cuddled up against one another… The realization struck him like a thunderbolt. 'Oh crap. This is a romantic movie…' he thought, feeling a hot flush instantly crept up his neck. As stealthily as he could, he snuck a glance at Star's face to see if she had caught on as well, but thankfully she seemed blissfully unaware so far.

Despite not showing it, Star had come to the same conclusion as she looked around at all the happy couples sharing kisses and snuggles as the previews wound down. She could feel herself starting to sweat from nerves as her elbow brushed his on the armrest. 'Okay Star, it's just a romantic movie, you can do this girl. Just sit back, keep your eyes on the screen and off his beautiful face and we'll be just fine,' she thought, taking a deep breath to steady herself.

With that awkward thought, the previews finished, and the movie started. The first twenty minutes were innocent enough, with the pretty lead actress playing a successful fashion designer in New York City. Things took a turn for the awkward however, when she came home to her apartment to catch her fiancé in bed with another woman. The scene was an uncomfortable one for the both of them, and they exchanged a series of brief guilty looks as the lead actress spent the next twenty minutes commiserating with friends and trying to forget her failed relationship.

Star couldn't help it. It was like a reflex action. Something she did without thinking…like breathing. But looking down after the lead actress and her love interest had shared a romantic first meeting, she saw that her hand had somehow found its way into Marco's. 'When did that happen,' she thought, her heart fluttering at the contact. His touch carried her mind back to the other night. To their feel of his body, the softness of his lips against hers, and she marveled at just how perfectly his warm hand fit in her own.

When Marco made no move to pull his hand away, she felt herself relax; reveling in the warmth and comfort of just being close to him. With Tom, she was always slightly on edge. Always waiting for the next thing that may set off his fragile temper. But Marco, despite his sometimes-slavish devotion to rules and order, always made her feel safe and welcome, even in the direst of circumstances. She could feel her resolve to adhere to their promise to one another slowly crumbling by the minute as she continued to hold his hand.

This pleasant state of affairs continued, with Star becoming increasingly comfortable as the movie rolled by. Slowly and carefully she inched closer until their shoulders grazed one another every time they moved. 'Just me and my best bestie cuddling during a movie… Nothing wrong with that at all. Not like we're kissing or anything…' she rationalized. It was a good thought; a reassuring thought, and it easily overpowered all objections to the contrary. Smiling contentedly to herself, she could hardly believe her own boldness when she tipped her head and laid it on his shoulder.

Marco had stiffened slightly when he felt the weight of her on his shoulder, before relaxing and scooching just a little closer. He hadn't pulled his hand away when she laid hers in his because the tingles of pleasure her touch elicited seemed innocent enough. 'Afterall, friends can hold hands, right?' he had thought. Now, twenty minutes later he felt like he was melting into his seat as he relished in the feel of her body leaning against his and the sweet smell of her hair in his nose. They mixed in his brain, swirling and caressing him, a wave of pleasure that washed from head to toe to drive away any objections his more rational brain might have had.

"Comfortable?" he whispered.

"Mhm, very," she whispered back.

"Good."

They stayed like that for the remainder of the movie, each one silently enjoying their shared comfort and intimacy. When it finally ended, Star reluctantly sat up and stretched. Turning to Marco and giving him a wide smile, "Ready for my awesome sleepover?"

To her surprise, Marco looked slightly apprehensive as he answered her, "Yeahhh, sorta…"

"What do you mean! I talked to Penelope today and she apologized for last night. I think she's really trying to be nicer to me. I want a do over for last night Marco. I can't have my best bestie, his girlfriend, and my boyfriend all at each other's throats all the time. We gotta figure this out!"

Marco just rolled his eyes before nodding to her. "You're right, you're right, I know. I promise to be nice to Tom tonight as long as he is. I'll even cut him a little slack because he's a demon okay?"

"Spoken like a true gentleman and best bestie," she laughed, "now c'mon! it's party time!"

Whipping her scissors out of her purse, she cut a swirling portal for the two to step through. As he moved to follow her, he couldn't shake the thought that he had a bad feeling about tonight's festivities.

O - O - O - O - O - O – O

After a quick stop at Marco's house to pick up a few things he'd need for the sleepover, the two stepped out the portal and into the grand entranceway of Butterfly Castle. It had been over a week since he was last actually in the castle, and he was glad to see they had managed to get the scorch marks off the marble from that time Star had tried to make a "Kitty-Glitter-Heartboard," for Jackie. The moment she had stepped on it, the damn thing had shot out from under her so fast it left a trail of fire on the marble.

"Took you guys long enough…" Janna's voice broke him out of his remembrance, and he turned to see the smirking girl along with a much-improved looking Jackie waving to them from the door to the dining room.

"Janna! Jackie!" shouted Star as she bounded over to wrap both girls in a tight hug.

"Hey guys," Marco waved before jogging over to give Jackie a light hug of his own. "So good to see you out of that hospital bed. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine dude, I've taken nastier spills on my board; but check this out." Jackie turned her head and lifted a section of her hair to reveal a nasty red line along her scalp held neatly closed with eight neatstitches. "Pretty rad right?"

"Yeah… not the word I'd use for it," said Marco, eyeing the raw looking wound.

"Chicks dig scars, man." Jackie winked.

"You keep saying that," he laughed.

"I'd like to keep my Marco beautiful and unscarred thank you very much," came the sudden voice of Penelope from the top of the stairs. Grinning, she hurried down the steps as fast as she could to wrap him in a tight hug. "Missed you so much," she whispered in his ear before kissing him softly.

"Geeze get a room," Jana mimed a gag as she turned away. "Star, I did a little more research after that awesome pizza party last night. Sad to say, no luck yet on finding out who our little demon pal could be."

*Pfft* "I wouldn't worry about it. We sent that creep packing back to the underworld with that sweet combo spell," scoffed Star, watching Marco and Penelope out of the corner of her eye.

"Even still, that asshole caused us all enough grief. If I ever find out his name, he's going to find out that it's not just the Underworld that's unpleasant," growled Janna.

"I still owe that jerk for these stitches," added Jackie, as all three girls broke out in a fit of giggles.

"So Star, what's on the agendafor tonight?" asked Jackie after they had all finished laughing.

"One-word, Janna, Fun!" Star yelled, just as the bright orange glare of Tom's fire column lit the front windows.

"Looks like Captain Asshole is here," whispered Penelope into a chuckling Marco's ear.

As a group, they all exited the castle doors to see a black carriage pulled by a single skeletal horse settling gently back onto its wheels as the gout of flame that had carried it up from the underworld died away.

"So fucking cool…" Marco turned his head at those words to see a wide-eyed Janna grinning ear to ear. He shared a quick, knowing glance with Jackie who had also apparently heard her. Janna so rarely showed interest in anything, that it never failed to surprise Marco when she did.

"Yeah…Tom always does like a flashy entrance…" said Star, looking distinctly uncomfortable now as they all watched the carriage door burst open.

However, instead of a grumpy teenage demon, a disembodied blue unicorn head complete with flowing pink mane floated out of the door. "Hellooo party people! Who's ready to get wild!"

"Flying Princess Pony Head!" squealed Star, running forward and throwing her arms around the floating equine head and squeezing so hard Marco thought the creature's eyes were going to pop out of her sockets.

"B-Fly! Ohmygosh, its sooo good to see you again! How's this B-list dimension treating you, girl?"

"Pony Head!" called Penelope as she joined the pair and hugged the newcomer tight.

For their part, Marco and Jackie stood there shocked at the display. Marco could only guess this was the very same Pony Head that was supposed to be trapped on Mewni. Star had mentioned her several times in their time together, but he had never really understood exactly what she meant by the name. He couldn't even begin to fathom how Pony Head got around, no less breathed and ate. It took a hard nudge in the ribs from Janna to break him out of his shock induced stupor. "C'mon Marco, haven't you ever seen a floating unicorn head before? Jeez, I thought you were cool with all this weird Mewni stuff."

Faking a cough into his wrist to buy him some more time to come to grips with the unnatural sight in front of him, he responded, "I am, I am, …just caught me off guard is all." Shuddering lightly, he started walking over to the happy group just as his least favorite person stepped from the black carriage.

"Hey Star, hope you don't mind me bringing a plus one to the sleepover," said Tom, smiling as he pulled off his sunglasses.

"Tom this was so sweet of you! Thank you so much!" Star pulled him into bone crushing hug as she planted several kisses on his cheek.

"I wanted to do something nice for your sleepover Star. I feel like I kinda owed you after how I acted last night. I was kind of-"

"An asshole?" finished Penelope for him, a smirk on her face at the demon's apparent contrition.

Blowing out a breath as if he was barely holding back a scathing retort for the Spiderbite Princess, Tom merely nodded, "Yeah, an asshole… Anyways… I'm sorry Star."

"Aw, thank you Tom, I appreciate the apology," grinned Star as she took his hand in hers, as the trio of Earth teens joined the circle. Marco's eyes found Penelope's and together they both seemed to come to the same silent conclusion that while Tom may have been sorry to Star over his behavior the night before, no such apology was going to be offered to either of them.

"Yeah girl, like, you should have seen him beg on the mirror," laughed Ponyhead, "'Oh Pony Head, I really think I screwed up this time. Please let me bring you to Earth as a surprise for Star.' Of course you know me, always looking out for my bestie so of course I had to come to see you and show your other friends how to really party it up."

Tom blushed at Pony Head's words, mumbling something that sounded an awful lot like "I didn't beg," but nobody seemed to be paying any attention at this point. Star had just released his hand and pulled Marco over into the center of the group.

"Pony Head, let me introduce you to Marco Diaz. He's been my guide on earth for the past few weeks and is also my best friend!" Marco felt almost embarrassed at how widely Star was smiling as she pumped Marco's hand up and down enthusiastically.

"Hi, Pony Head," he said, feeling distinctly awkward as Penelope glared at an oblivious Star and Tom narrowed his eyes at him.

Pony Head seemed to let Star's mention of "best friend" go unchallenged, though when she greeted him with a half-hearted, "Hey," there was a distinctly cold edge to her voice.

Stepping forward, Penelope took Marco's other hand and pulled him closer to her. "He's also my boyfriend Pony Head. So try to be nice? For me?" Marco gave an unsure, yet genuine smile, hoping it would abate some of the rapidly thickening tension between the four.

Pony Head blew out a cloud of pink glitter, before nodding, "Alright, fine. If both my besties think he's a cool guy, then… I guess he's a cool guy." This time Pony Head seemed to warm up to him slightly as she smiled at a still nervous Marco.

The group spent the next fifteen minutes in the courtyard introducing everyone, with Penelope, Star and Pony Head catching up on the events of the past four months since they had been separated. After his initial burst of remorse, Tom seemed to quickly revert to his normal, gruff manner, while Jackie and Janna mostly spoke with each other over the fate of the demon. Marco played the dutiful boyfriend, standing next to Penelope as she shared in the animated conversation. 'At least she isn't at Star's throat, so that's an improvement' he thought, feeling relieved that things hadn't devolved into chaos as quickly as last night.

The group was so engrossed in their various conversations, that none of them seemed to notice the stealthy approach of Manfred, who announced his presence with the tinkle of a small bell he held in his hand. "Your Highness, ladies and gentlemen, dinner is now being served in the Great Hall. If you will all just follow me, King River is most enthusiastic to begin."

Ten minutes later, Marco found himself next to Penelope at the head of the table chatting with King River about his Tang Soo Do as they happily dug into a delicious corn-based dinner. Between them on the table, something that vaguely resembled a four-legged roast turkey sat. Marco couldn't remember the name of the creature, but found that it was delicious.

Across from him, Star was listening intently, nodding when he recalled particularly interesting tidbits from tournaments he had won as Tom looked on, unimpressed. Next to Penelope sat Reynard and Amanda, who had met them in the dining hall for dinner before promptly being strong-armed by Star into participating in the evening's festivities with the group. Marco felt relief that he would have another guy to talk to besides Tom, who was decidedly ignoring him up until this point. It was probably for the best, as their last exchange of words had almost resulted in Panucci's pizza being destroyed. Further down the table, Janna and Jackie were quizzing a thoroughly entranced looking Amanda about Reynard, who seemed to not to mind being completely embarrassed by his girlfriend in the slightest.

"So you're telling me that you enter these 'Karate Tournaments' for fun? And you've won how many? Five?" asked King River, his smile growing wider by the second as Marco continued to explain his martial art. From what he could gather, it was an entirely new form of combat previously unknown to mewmans, and it excited him immensely.

"Six, actually. But really King River, it's not about winning or losing. It's about competing and testing yourself. The journey is the reward, not the result."

"As all warriors must do in the heat of battle!" shouted River, suddenly reaching over and clapping Marco on the shoulder so hard, he almost faceplanted into the table. "I knew you were the correct choice for my Daughter. She needs a steady hand you see. It's that fiery Johansen blood in her."

"Uhhh," Marco began, before shutting up. Star's face seemed to be burning with embarrassment at her Father's words and he could feel Penelope's eyes on him; so wisely, he decided that silence was the best answer, as anything he said in that moment could likely lead to some kind of argument between the two Princesses. Instead, he reached under the table and took his girlfriend's hand to give it a reassuring squeeze which seemed to relieve the tension in her body.

Standing and clinking his glass loudly, River cleared his throat and spoke up, "I'd like to take this moment to thank all of you for coming to the castle this evening to share in a night of frivolity and fun! To that end, I've prepared a special surprise for after dinner, but first!" he clapped his hands and two servants wheeled out a giant oak cask on a cart, "a cask of the best ale on Mewni: Johansen Special Reserve!"

Marco had no idea what kind of beer this was, but it must have been good judging from the impressed looks on everyone from Mewni's faces. "Marco, this is literally the best ale on Mewni. He wasn't kidding," came the excited voice of Penelope from his right as a large, foamy tankard of the ale was placed in front of him. Carefully he picked it up and took a sip, finding the taste very pleasant and light. Tipping the mug back farther, he drew a large sip, nodding his head in appreciation as he put it down.

"Good right?" asked Penelope as she put her own mug down. "And that's just the first of many… pleasant surprises for you tonight, Marco," she purred into his ear as she squeezed his thigh under the table.

Starting at her brazen touch, he nearly spat up the mouthful of ale he had just swallowed as he felt her fingers grazing his inner thigh high up on his jeans. "G-Great. *Cough* It's great Penelope." Blushing madly now, he reached back under the table to put a hand on hers before she could get any further up his leg. A quick glance in his girlfriend's hungry eyes told him he was in for it tonight if he wasn't careful.

"So, Mango. You ever drink before? I know Earth doesn't let children drink until they're what, twenty-one? What kind of stupid, baby dimension is this anyways?" laughed Tom as he finished his first mug and signaled for another.

"Call him Mango again Tom…I fucking dare you. It's Marco, and if you don't start showing my friend some goddamn respect, I might do the same thing to you as I did to that demon yesterday. Got it?" Janna said, a note of anger Marco had never heard before edging her voice. Where the sudden hostility for Tom had come from, he couldn't fathom, but he found himself somewhat relieved to avoid having to correct the demon himself.

"Oooooo," Pony Head said, eagerly looking between the two teens as the tension at the table skyrocketed and all other conversations ceased.

Marco could feel his heart breaking slightly as his and Star's eyes met. He knew she had extended the olive branch once more in an effort to finally get them to get along, and things were already starting to fray. She looked close to tears; her plan to bring them together falling apart less than an hour after they had arrived. 'I can't let this devolve into another fightlike last night… Someone almost got really hurt,' he thought, racking his brain for a way to calm everyone down.

Just as Tom opened his mouth, no doubt to hurl an angry retort at Janna, Marco jumped in to try to defuse the situation before it could escalate any farther, "It is Marco, Tom. I know you know my name, so I'd appreciate just a little respect tonight okay? Star worked really hard to bring us all together to work through our differences, so let's try to be just a little nicer to each other. Okay?"

Star smiled and mouthed a silent, "Thank you" to him as she felt Tom relax slightly. She had known he would be the unpredictable factor tonight but was still annoyed at his behavior. "Tom, remember what we talked about yesterday? Can you please try to be chill? For me?" she whispered in his ear as he grumbled an unintelligible reply before nodding.

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

It was after eight by the time dinner had ended and the servants had cleared everything but the drinks away. Marco was pleasantly full and was feeling the ale creeping through his veins to leave him contented and warm. Thankfully after Tom and Janna's little spat, the rest of dinner had proceeded smoothly and now they found themselves being led by Star and River into a side room off the massive Great Hall.

Inside there were seats lining two of the walls, with a large open space in the center on which a massive pink pad lay. At the far end, a small podium stood on a low stage, flanked on either side by a what looked like speakers.

Walking out to the center of the room, River and Star turned to the dumbstruck group as River cleared his throat, "Now that we have feasted and reveled, I think it only fitting that we kick off the first inauguralevent of the evening to satiate the bloodlust my daughter has been raving about in your little group," he began with a knowing smile.

"Friendship Tournament!" Star announcedexcitedly, waving her wand to summon a large leaderboard with a blast of pink light.

"Quite right! Sweetheart," laughed River. "Now the rules are simple: we pair off and battle each other. No magic to keep it fair for our Earth friends, and the two people fighting decide by which means the contest will be decided!"

"I'm out," said Penelope, rolling her eyes as she walked to the chairs and took a seat, "but if you want to beat each other senseless in some dumb tournament, I'm more than happy to watch."

Jackie looked apologetic as she went over to sit next to Penelope, "Afraid I'll have to sit this one out too dudes… There's only so much head trauma a girl should endure in a week, and I'm way over my quota."

"I'm full as a tick y'all. Plus, I ain't never been much of a fighter, just don't have a violent bone in my body," chimed in Amanda as she hurried over to sit with the two girls.

Marco looked over at a dejected River staring sadly at an empty tournament bracket. 'I can't believe I'm doing this…' he thought to himself before stepping forward, "I'm in, King River."

"Excellent Marco, there's that spirit of adventure I sensed in you two years ago!" said Reynard, stepping forward next to Marco and nodding to the King. "I'm in too. It's been a couple weeks since I've been able to swing a sword at anything other than a training dummy. It will be good to get my blood pumping again."

"Me too," said Janna, smirking at Marco as she stepped forward. "You said we pick how we can battle right? This is gonna be awesome," she laughed.

Marco felt a distinct feeling of unease settle over him at the thought of what Janna might have planned for whomever she faced. "Are you sure Janna? You don't really know any self-defense against, you know, actual living creatures."

"Don't worry about me Diaz, I can handle myself here." Tom just smirked as he stepped forward, "A chance to beat you down Diaz? Oh, I am so in. You guys are going to get fucking destroyed." He cracked his knuckles threateningly, glaring at a frowning Marco.

"Now, now Tom. I think our Earth hosts may surprise you," chided River as he turned to the last member of the party. "Lilacia? Shouldn't you be on Mewni? Does King Pony Head know you are here?" he asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at a now sweating Pony Head.

"Oh, um, as it were…" Pony Head mumbled, thinking quickly to try to come up with an answer.

"He did Dad! King Pony Head also told Tom to send you his best wishes. But in all the excitement at dinner he must have forgot," said Star, jumping in to bail out her friend as she stood on Tom's foot.

"Ouch, Star. What the-" he began before catching on, "oh yeah, sorry about that King River. I, uh, forgot to tell you that."

"Hrmm, well Lilacia, in that case, will you be participating in the tournament? Nothing like a good scrap with your friends after not seeing them for months, I always say!"

"Umm, I'd really like to… But like," she glanced around the room nervously, mind working quickly, "I have this, um, really important date tomorrow and if I show up with a black eye there's no way I'm getting a second one, so I'll pass this time."

"Suit yourself. Now, counting Star and myself that makes six of us. So, Star if you would help us get the festivities started!"

Nodding, Star waved her wand and the bracket lit up. It sparkled and whirred as their names spun until they settled to reveal the final pairings. "Excellent, now make way for the first match!" shouted River excitedly, as he hustled everyone off the mat and over to the chairs.

"I was hoping it would be Diaz I'd get to crush tonight," snarled Tom as he took his place on the mat, "but I'll settle for you."

"Funny, I was hoping I'd face you first Demon Boy. I think someone needs to knock your ego down a few pegs," an unruffled looking Janna answered as she dug around in her pocket for something. "So a one on one fight then?"

"Hahahahaha," Tom almost fell over he was laughing so hard. Gasping for breath, he wiped away a tear from his eyes. "Janna was it? Sure, why not. You were almost as annoying as Mango last night, so let's just get this over with, okay?" he answered in an amused chuckle. This was going to be fun.

"Don't count your souls before you collect them Lucitor…" she said, as Tom eyed her with murderous intent.

"Begin!" shouted River from the sidelines.

Tom let out a loud cry and sprinted forward, his feet leaving a trail of fire as he closed the distance between himself and Janna in an instant. Marco was sure it was over, that Tom would simply land a punch that knocked the raven-haired girl out in a single blow, but what happened next seemed to defy all explanation. Just as Tom reached Janna, his fist cocked back in a punch that would have taken her head off, she held up a small red crystal and shouted "Somnum!"

A blinding burst of scarlet and a muffled thud were all Marco could see and hear as his eyes swam with spots. Rubbing his eyes until his vision cleared, he was shocked to see a snoring Tom laying in a heap at Janna's feet as the smug girl pocketed the crystal. Levering his Jaw shut, he simply stared in wide-eyed amazement as Janna was nearly tackled off her feet by a raucous Jackie and Penelope as they shouted themselves hoarse. Even Pony Head was smiling, happy to see the cocky demon Prince knocked off his perch.

"Janna that was amazing!" Jackie said, hugging her as the crowd shouted with glee.

"So nice finally seeing that demonic dick get put in his place!" shouted Penelope.

"H-How…" Star and Marco said simultaneously, both two stunned to move. Meeting her eyes, Marco just shrugged at her inquisitive look before running over to the group.

"Unfortunately Janna, you used magic, so I will have to disqualify you. But I have to admit," River chuckled as he shook her hand, "that was certainly very impressive."

Janna simply shrugged, "No big deal I wanted was to teach Tom here a lesson anyways. I would have dropped out even if you didn't disqualify me."

"Cheeky girl," laughed River before walking over to Reynard.

Running over to check on Tom, Star couldn't help but be impressed with Janna as she examined her handiwork. He didn't have a single scratch on him, but when she tried to rouse him with a light slap on the cheek, he merely muttered something in his sleep as a line of drool slipped between his lips. "Tom, wake up. It's Star," she said, shaking him harder.

"He's going to be out for probably half an hour or so, but he'll be fine otherwise," came the calm voice of Janna as she walked over to Star. "You know Star, he's actually kind of cute when he isn't running his mouth."

"Yeah…" but Star was only half listening. Her eyes kept flitting to the tournament bracket where her own name lay paired with the last person in the room she wanted to fight, Marco Diaz. She had found herself struggling today with their promise to one another; first, this morning in Marco's bathroom, where his hands had nearly driven her wild with desire as he cleaned up her wings, and then in the movies where their prolonged contact had made her feel so safe and loved she could scarcely believe it. Now she was faced with the prospect of having to fight him, and it made her skin crawl with nerves.

"Here, let me help you with Sleeping Beauty," offered Janna, kneeling to pick up Tom's legs as the two carried him to a chair by entrance. Setting him down to continue his involuntary nap, Janna waited for Star to walk back to the group before pulling a Sharpie out of her pocket and doodling a pencil thin, curly mustache on his upper lip.

Marco laughed when he finally caught up with Janna as she rejoined the group. "Nice moustache work Janna. Can't wait till he notices; Five bucks say he blames me."

"A douchey moustache to match the rest of him felt like the right move there. And you're on Diaz, though five bucks on him not noticing all night."

"Deal," Marco grinned as they shook hands.

The group took several minutes to refill their mugs as River and Reynard stepped into the center of the room, each now clutching a wooden sword. They had decided on a duel of swords, and Marco was keenly interested in seeing the outcome of this fight. He knew he could give Reynard a run for his money with a sword on a good day, so to see how he held up against the King would be an excellent yardstick of his own abilities.

Looking over at Star who was busy laughing at something Pony Head had said to her, he nervously looked up at the tournament bracket, seeing his name right next to hers. Just over two weeks… It was but a few grains of sand through the hourglass of his life of over sixteen years, but to Marco, they were everything. He had been tossed upon a stormy sea of adventure with Star's arrival into his life; a life he wouldn't trade for anything now that he had lived it.

'Can I really fight Star?' he thought, feeling a knot of anxiety forming in the pit of his stomach. She was his best friend, his charge as her guide, and, if he was honest with himself, the girl of his dreams. Could he really bring himself to cause her any pain even if they had both volunteered to fight? Standing there, among his happy friends, he wasn't so sure… Doing his best to push those tumultuous thoughts out of his mind, he turned to an equally nervous looking Amanda and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry Amanda, Reynard is great with the sword, he'll be fine," Marco said as the two began to circle one another, their swords at the ready. "How'd you meet him anyways?"

"Reynard? Oh I work downtown at The Daily Grind. He'd been coming in a couple times a week and I'd always catch him smiling at me when I brought his coffee over. So I thought to myself, I thought; Amanda, can't never could. So I marched right on over and asked him out." "That's adorable," added Penelope as she sided up to them, slipping her fingers between Marco's and kissing him on the cheek, "I actually made the first move with Marco as well."

"And I reckon you two are one of the cutest couples I ever seen, " smiled Amanda just as the first *clack* of sword clashing rang out.

River and Reynard were going hard in their duel. Wooden longswords slashed and flew as they each attempted to take advantages of perceived openings in each other's defenses. Several times Marco thought Reynard had River dead to rights as he backed the shorter but stockier King up against the wall, but every time, River would slip away, dodging and ducking under Reynard's determined blows to circle back around.

He cheered along with everyone else, making sure that Reynard got the majority of his support as the younger Butterfly deftly parried a sustained push from the King. Whirling in a flash of blue, Reynard clipped the king's shoulder with his sword, eliciting a pained grunt from the boulder-like King before jumping back out of the way of his counterattack. "Got to hand it to you River," panted Reynard as he continued to press his momentary advantage, "you haven't lost a step at all!"

River raised the hilt of his blade and blocked a powerful strike from Reynard with little more than a grunt. Turning it aside, he followed through, sweeping his sword low to try to catch the younger royal's feet, but Reynard was ready and vaulted back several paces, the two eyeing each other with burning determination. "And you're even better than the last time we sparred, dear boy!" called back River as he blocked Reynard's powerful strikes one after another. "But do continue trying, you know how much I love a good challenge, ha!"

Sensing an opening, River ducked around a downward slash and rammed his shoulder into Reynard so hard, the crowd could hear an audible *oof* as the younger Butterfly stumbled back. Pushing his advantage, River rushed him and brought his sword around in a powerful chop aimed squarely for Reynard's ribs.

Reynard had a split second to react and parried the powerful strike away from his body enough to just barely graze his midsection. Capitalizing on the momentary opening as the momentum of River's swing carried his sword away from him, he turned on the ball of his foot, pivoting around River in a blur. As strong as the old man was, he hadn't a chance against the Viscounts speed, and when Reynard brought his own blade around to follow in an arc poised to strike, he knew it was all over.

Marco knew it an instant before it happened. His trained eye as a martial artist and his experience with the sword tipping him off to what River had planned. In the blink of an eye, as a laughing Reynard swept his blade up to try and catch River in the back of the neck, the King slipped under the blow, deftly smacking Reynard's wrists with his blade. With a yelp of pain, the sword went flying and River spun, bringing his wooden sword around to crash into Reynard's back to send him stumbling to crash into the chairs in a heap of broken wood.

The room exploded into cheers as the fight ended, River walking over and helping a groaning Reynard to his feet as he dusted himself off. "Well fought Reynard, a few more years of practice and I believe you'll have me beat!"

"We'll see about that River," laughed Reynard, accepting a kiss from Amanda and a fresh tankard of ale from Marco as he walked over to congratulate the King.

After a round of handshakes, Marco excused himself with Reynard. Stepping out into the hallway he quickly shed his shoes, socks and jeans before he began rooting around in his bag for his karate gi pants. He could fight in a t-shirt, but skinny jeans were way too restrictive to properly kick in. "Hey, you okay, Marco?" asked a concerned sounding Reynard.

"Me, okay? Why wouldn't I be okay?" he asked as he pulled up his white pants.

"Because your hands are shaking, quite the obvious sigh, really," pointed out Reynard.

Clenching his fists tightly, Marco swallowed hard as his friend and mentor smiled at him. "I… I'm just a little worried is all. I don't want to hurt my best friend in some stupid, uh… She means a lot to me." Looking up, he saw Reynard's piercing blue eyes meet his own chocolate ones as a sly smile crept across his the royal's face.

"Marco, I think there's more to it than that. Did you and Star…" Reynard never finished his question; he didn't have to. Marco knew exactly what he was implying and had given him the truth with his traitorous eyes.

He took a deep breath, resigned to give the answer he had been burning so desperately to share with someone since yesterday morning."Yeah… The other night after I left our double date at the tavern. And no it wasn't that bad Reynard," he said, reading the grin on his mentor's face, "we just made out and spent the night in my bed. No clothes came off. She took me out to cheer me up and it just kind of happened after a night at the Bounce Lounge. I know it was stupid, Reynard and I know I have Penny… but there's something about Star. I knew it the moment I first laid eyes on her two years ago. Being around her just feels…right. Ya know?" he quickly explained, still feeling a burning wave of guilt and shame climbing the back of his neck.

"It's not stupid Marco… Quite the opposite in fact." When Marco didn't look any more cheered up, he continued, "Did you know that for the two years I trained you before your appointment as Star's guide, there wasn't a week that went by when she didn't ask after you? She was constantly pestering me to tell her more about that 'cute boy in red' I was training so diligently. She's been fascinated with Earth from the day she spent rampaging around Echo Creek. I'm assuming she told you she cares about you much more than merely a friend?" He arched an eyebrow and smiled widely when Marco nodded slowly. "Look, I'm not going to applaud you for going behind Penelope's back with another woman. Corn knows I've done the same thing more than once… but what matters next is what you do with these feelings."

"Well, I-" Marco started say before cocking his head at a smiling Reynard, "what do you mean you've done the same thing more than once?"

"Let's just say I had a bit of a reputation as quite the rake on Mewni. Many a young courtly maid and mistress caught my eye back then, and I'm a little ashamed to admit that I sampled many delicate flowers in my day Marco."

"Reynard, you're like four years older than me, not forty…" said Marco, feeling a small smile tugging at his lips despite the maelstrom of feelings swirling in his chest.

"One can do a lot in four years Marco. Ask Toffee if you don't believe me…" Reynard's face darkened momentarily at the mention of the hated monster leader, but almost immediately he seemed to push it aside as he fixed Marco once more with a piercing look. "So tell me, what do you plan to do with our fair Princess Star?"

"Aside from kicking her butt in this fight?" he grinned, trying to break the overwhelming tension. "We've already sat down and talked about it, and we've decided to hold off on acting on our feelings for now, or until things are less… complicated." He couldn't quite read the look on Reynard's face, was it…disbelief? No, maybe more cautionary?

"Hrm, very well then. In that case Marco, I have two pieces of advice for you. The first is to be careful. You're walking a very fine line here between friendship and love. Feelings this strong don't like to be caged, and I daresay you both will be struggling to keep your 'promise' sooner rather than later. The second, and I think more important piece, is to follow your heart. Penelope is a fine girl and a worthy match for you. But you and Star share something much deeper, much stronger if you ask me. Now, c'mon. We have a tournament for you to win."

Rarely had Reynard ever looked this serious around Marco. In fact, the only times he had ever seemed this intense was during the private and vulnerable moments he had opened up about his murdered family on Mewni and it gave Marco pause. 'If you only knew the half of it,' thought Marco, laughing to himself in his head as he recalled Star's maddening closeness during the movie, and the feel of delicate wings under his fingertips that morning. Pushing those tantalizing images out of his head, he nodded to Reynard, "Alright, sounds good. Let's go."

Following Reynard in, Marco felt the eyes of everyone in the room on him as he walked out onto the mat. A quick glance over at the spectators showed Jackie throwing two thumbs up, while Penelope blew him a good luck kiss. Janna, always a pillar of support for him, was miming a hanging gesture, her tongue lolling out comically, and Pony Head merely frowned at him as he stopped about five feet from Star.

"Sooo, how do you want to do this Star? Rock, Paper, Scissors?" asked Marco, his nerves still on edge as he looked at her.

She giggled at his words, the sound of it feeling like soothing music to his jangled nerves. "That would be great, but I kindaaa think they expect a fight."

"Kick his ass B-Fly! Show this Earth Turd how we do things on Mewni!" Pony Head shouted.

"She actually really likes you Marco. She just gets a little protective of me," whispered Star during a lull in the cheering.

"I think the jury's still out on that… So you ready? No pressure, and no hard feelings, right? No matter who wins. Let's just try to have fun, okay?"

Star's face burned scarlet at his words. 'Marcoooo, why do you always have to be so damn adorable all the time,' she thought as she nodded to him. "I always have fun with you Marco. So let's give them a show they won't forget!" she said as she balled her fists and crouched slightly.

[Stan Bush – Fight to Survive for epic music accompaniment]

Bowing to his opponent, he dropped into a forward stance and readied himself for Star's inevitable charge when a sudden burst of music kicked in. A drum machine backing up a rollicking and bouncing 80's synthesizer riff blared from the large speakers on either side of the stage, and he couldn't help but smile to himself as he recognized the song instantly from Bloodsport. It was one of his favorite movies, and he played the song frequently while working on his kata at home or in the dojo with Sensei Brantley. Snapping his head to the side to look at the podium, he saw a mischievous looking Janna, holding her smartphone and laughing.

"You should really secure your magical WiFi network King River, otherwise anyone could use it! Now who thinks this fight definitely needs a soundtrack?" she shouted to the cheering group. It was classic Janna, and Marco reminded himself to thank the perpetual prankster for the music later. It was a perfect way to cut the tension he felt at having to fight Star, and he could feel himself relaxing as he turned his attention back to her.

"Begin!" shouted River over the driving music.

Bounding forward, Star threw a straight punch directly at Marco's face which he blocked with a sweep of his forearm before stepping back quickly. Not wanting to let him catch his breath, she followed up with a series of rapid fire jabs, and powerful hooks, each of which were deflected before she spun to deliver a turning kick aimed directly at his side which found only air as he spun away. "Nice moves Marco, you gonna fight me anytime soon?" she asked, smiling as she charged him down.

The crowd was screaming now as Marco continued to give ground to Star as she unleashed another unpredictable combo of hard punches. His forearms were aching slightly from the impact of her strong fists as he blocked and dodged each increasingly hard blow. 'Good, she's getting frustrated. That's when mistakes happen,' he thought, mentally timing her blows in his head as he waited for his opening. It came after a Star threw a powerful straight right that Marco only just barely managed to dodge. Stepping inside her reach, he felt a charge run though him as their bodies came together tightly, right before he turned to throw her in a textbook hip toss. Landing on her butt with an unceremonious *Whump*, she quickly rolled to her feet to face a smirking Marco.

"Nice move, Babe! Give it to her!" shouted Penelope as she jumped up and down.

"Show him your Johansen spirit, Sweetheart!" called King River as he clinked mugs with a thoroughly overexcited Reynard.

"Alright Marco, I guess we're getting serious then," growled Star as she narrowed her eyes at her best friend.

"I thought you already got serious when you tried to knock my head off!" he taunted back as he rushed her. Throwing a series of lighting fast knife hand chops, he pressed forward as Star dodged blow after blow by the barest of margins. Anticipating her next dodge, he dropped to the ground, bringing his leg around in a spinning back sweep kick that knocked her legs out from under her to once more drop her on her butt with a loud *Thud*.

Star grit her teeth in frustration as Marco took several steps back to allow her to stand up. 'He's even better at this than I thought. I need to catch him off guard if I want to land a good shot in.' Her thoughts raced as she formulated and discarded plan after plan until finally, she thought of something she felt might just work. Best friend or not, she was going to show him that she could hold her own in a fight as well.

"Kumite, Kumite, Kumite, Kumite, Kumite, Kumite, Kumite, Kumite," came the lyrics of the song as they faced off, their muscles tensed for the explosion both knew was coming.

In a flash, she took off. Ducking low, bent almost double, she sprinted straight at Marco who dropped into a low stance as he tried to anticipate what her next move might be. However, instead of throwing a punch or kick like he had thought she would. She sprang up in the air to soar over him in a graceful arc, landing lightly behind him. As he twisted around to bring his hands up to block, she knew she had him and fired a straight push kick with all her strength that caught him square in the chest before launching him ten feet across the mat to crash into the wooden podium at the head of the room.

The impact splintered the podium, scattering the wood as Marco tumbled head over heels on the stage, his body rolling several times before coming to a stop on his stomach to lay unmoving. The cheering, which had been loud and constant for the entirety of their fight, died instantly as the spectators let out a collective gasp at the stunning violence of Star's kick. "Marco!" Star shouted, her mind racing with worry over what that kick may have done to her best friend.

She had just tensed her legs to sprint over to check on him when she saw him stir. Slowly, he got up on one knee, before standing and brushing the splinters off him as the crowd once more exploded with a thunderous cheer. His t-shirt was a wreck; holed in multiple places, there was a huge flap of fabric hanging down past his waist leaving most of his bare chest exposed. Wordlessly, he ripped the tattered grey material from his body and tossed it aside, taking a moment to stretch his back and neck.

Star stared at his lithe, muscular body as he finished stretching out the kinks from his tumble through the podium. On his chest, an ugly, foot sized red welt was beginning to form and his left eye had a nasty bruise that was already blooming a spectacular purple. Inside her, she felt the hot wave of desire burning through her veins battling with the strong impulse to run over and pull him into a comforting hug. Only the catcalls of the other female spectators seemed to snap her out of her abs-induced trance, and she shook her head to clear it of the lascivious thoughts still racing there.

"Looking good Babe!" shouted Penelope, feeling her own need rising as she beheld his glistening muscles and flat toned stomach.

"Woooo, take it all off Diaz!" shouted Janna, throwing a handful of dollar bills at his feet .

"Look out Tom, Earth Turd's a hottie!" added Pony Head, nodding appreciatively.

"Jeez Dude, when did you get so damn hot?" shouted Jackie, pretending to fan herself.

"Wow that was a good kick Star," laughed Marco as he jumped down off the stage and once more fell into a strong forward stance. "You ready to keep going?" he asked, winking at the flustered Blonde.

"Take your best shot Marco… Mama Star's gonna take you down!" she grinned as she cracked her neck and readied herself.

He took off like a bullet, feet pounding the mat as he raced towards her at a full sprint. Gracefully, he leapt up and extended his foot in a flying side kick that landed with a hammer blow as Star crossed her forearms in an attempt to block it. The kick knocked her back several steps and she felt her forearms ring like a bell as he landed lightly to spin around once more. Turning quickly, he pivoted his hip before bringing his leg around in snapping roundhouse that Star managed to only partially dodge, the top of his foot glancing off her head in an explosion of pain.

'This is it! Finish her!' his mind roared in triumph as he watched her stumble back off balance. To Marco, it didn't even feel like a conscious decision as he took two steps forward to close the distance, throwing his arm down towards the ground in a tight front flip. Like a sledgehammer, his heel came up and around, slamming into Star's face just above her left eye so hard that it spun her to the mat as if she had been thrown there. Rolling out of his kick, Marco sprang to his feet to celebrate just as he spotted the unmoving form of his best friend sprawled on the pink mat.

"Star!" he shouted, all the color in his face draining away as he kneeled next to her prone form. "Please be okay, please be okay," he muttered over and over to himself as he gently tilted her head and felt for her pulse. To his relief, it beat strong and steady, and a quick check revealed, that other than an egg-shaped lump on her scalp, and a hell of a black eye, she appeared otherwise unhurt.

"Holy shit dude! What was that move!" Janna could scarcely believe what she had just witnessed as she ran over with the rest of the group.

"Outstanding move, Marco! I daresay you caught my daughter by surprise," beamed King River as he knelt by Star's head and wafted a small container under her nose.

Star's eyes seemed to flutter open at the powerful scent being emitted by the container River was still waving under her nose, "Ugh, Dad! Nasty!" she coughed. Pushing it away and attempting to sit up, she found Marco's hand on her shoulder keeping her gently pinned to the ground.

"Star! Are you okay?" said Marco, feeling a wave of relief at her return to consciousness. "I'm so sorry I got carried away! I didn't mean to kick you so hard, it just sort of happened. There was the song and the crowd and I-"

"Hey, hey, heyyyy, Relax Marco. I'm okay… I'm okay…" she reassured him as she saw the tears welling up in his beautiful eyes. Groaning slightly, she gingerly touched around her left eye, reflexively wincing as her fingers brushed at the angry welt there. "I feel like I just got kicked in the face by a warnicorn. Dude what even was with that move? It was soooo awesome and I've never seen anything like that before!" Star gushed, pulling her relieved looking bestie into a warm, reassuring hug.

In that shared moment, chests pressed tightly together and the feel of her heart beating in rhythm with his;Marco felt all the tension and guilt over hurting her fall away. Part of him wished he could just hold her like that all night. Just the two of them communicating without words, basking in one another's company. 'Remember your promise Marco…' a dutiful voice in his head reminded him. And so reluctantly, he ended the hug and helped her to her feet. "Star, it's called a Rolling Thunder Kick. I've, uh, been practicing it at home for the past couple months. This is actually the first time I've ever used it in a fight."

"Dudeeee it was so epic! I've been to every one of your major tournaments and I've never seen anything even close to that," said Jackie, an awed look still on her face.

"Improvisation is a key element of any warrior's arsenal. Well done to both of you, really. It was a fantastic fight and one day I hope we'll all get a rematch." added Reynard, nodding appreciatively as he passed Marco a full tankard of Johansen Special Reserve.

Marco only had time to nod in appreciation, before a set of warm fingers curled under his chin. With gentle, but insistent pressure, they turned his face until a pair of soft lips pressed themselves against his own. The scent of Penelope's perfume filled his nostrils, enticing him to deepen their kiss as her eager tongue pressed up against his mouth, quickly gaining its entrance. They kissed for several sweet moments, only breaking apart with a quiet *chu*, to catch their breath as she smiled at his somewhat dazed expression.

"You were amazing out there Marco," she purred. "I haven't seen you fight since that day in the mall and I'd almost forgotten just how skilled you actually are." She let her finger trail up and down his smooth chest lightly, "Mmm, what is a Princess to do…"

Marco shivered at her touch, goosebumps spreading like wildfire up and down his body. Feeling flushed, he grinned at her as he took her hand. "I'm sure you've already thought of a few things Penny," he whispered, earning himself a playful smirk. Leaning forward to capture her lips once more, he brushed her cheek with his thumb. "Thanks for being so nice to Star tonight. I just want us to all get along… It…means a lot to me."

"You're welcome. It's hard, but I'm really trying here for you. I saw that hug just now," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, just remember that I'm all yours Penny."

"Come on lovebirds, there'll be plenty of time for making out later," interrupted Janna causing a startled Marco and Penelope to jump apart slightly.

Before he could respond though, the door to the room opened and a messenger clutching a slip of parchment hurried in to lean into the King's ear. Nodding to the newcomer, Marco could make out a hushed, "Tell Queen Moon I'll be right there," as the messenger hurried back out of the room.

King River stepped forward, clearing his throat to catch the attention of the excitedly chatting teenagers. "It seems Duty calls I'm afraid. I have an urgent appointment with the Queen and must leave you here. But I'd like to thank each of you for a lovely evening. Reynard? May I count on you to, *ahem*, chaperone in my stead?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at the younger Butterfly.

"Don't worry, River. I'll keep these hooligan's under control. Rest assured there shall still be a Butterfly Castle come morning," he declared, trying his best to keep a straight face.

Laughing, the King turned and headed out of the room, calling over his shoulder, "Then I leave it to you Reynard, try to keep it to just a dull roar please."

"No! Please don't take my donuts Mommy!" shouted Tom, springing up from his slumber with a start and looking around in a panic.

Running over to him, Star sat next to him and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder "Relax Tom, nobody's going to take your donuts… You're at my sleepover, remember?"

Rubbing his eyes, he blinked several times before looking around the room, "That's… right. I was fighting Janna… Did… did I win?

"Wellll, about that…"

"So Star, whatsay you to the next activity of the evening?" asked Reynard loudly, eager to change the subject.

"To my room!" she declared, her wand lit up like a torch as she grabbed Tom's hand and marched them out of the room.

They spent the next several hours in Star's room chatting and playing various games. Marco found it fascinating that drinking games on Mewni were by and large extremely similar to ones he had played at Jackie's house parties before. Easy enough to pick up, they provided an excellent distraction from Tom's continued gruff and rather gloomy personality. He seemed to resent having to share Star's attention with the rest of the party guests and Marco caught him staring at him more than once as the night progressed.

"A toast! Ladies and gentlemen, a toast!" called Reynard as he stood and raised his mug. Mimicking him, the rest of the group raised their own mugs, and waited for him to continue. "To my favorite Cousin and our most gracious hostess, Princess Star. Who has organized this wonderful event in an effort to bring us all together over the most common of causes: good ale and a good time!"

"Aww you guysss," gushed Star, her heart-stamped cheeks burning scarlet as she fanned herself.

Clinking mugs with everyone, Marco tipped his back to take another sip of the delicious beer. He had been pacing himself all night, wary of overindulging like he had with Star at the bounce lounge. All he needed was to get drunk and accidentally let something slip in front of Tom and Penelope. Even with all his precautions however, he was still feeling a warm, pleasant buzz creeping up his neck to fog his mind. To his right, Penelope was staring at him hungrily over the rim of her mug and he couldn't help but grin to himself. 'Tonight's going a lot better than I thought it would,' he thought as another figure stepped to the center of the room like a bitter wind to make his blood run cold.

"I have a game we can all play…" said Janna, her voice low and tinged with an air of conspiracy.

"Ooo, what is it?" asked Star, now staring intently at a wickedly grinning Janna.

"Just a little Earth game that's popular at parties for people our age…" she mused, turning this way and that to meet their eyes. Marco had a bad feeling about this. Janna seldom suggested anything that wasn't at least a little bit risky, and when she walked over to Star's desk and picked up an empty wine bottle, he knew exactly what was coming…

"It's called spin the bottle. And the rules are simple. We sit in a circle and take turns spinning the bottle. Whoever it lands on, well...better pucker up."

"Oooo, like for real? Cause you know I'm always down to smooch a hottie, isn't that right Rey," winked Pony Head.

"Okay that was ONCE! And I was DRUNK!" shouted Reynard, burying his face in his hands as the entire group burst into raucous laughter.

"Aww, don't act so embarrassed Reynard. You know this here mare is pretty as a peach, and as charmin' as a child that wants somethin' from ya,"comforted Amanda as she gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Oh I like her," snickered Pony Head.

Star had perked up at Janna's words. Excitement and anxiety seemed to be running in equal measures through her body as she imagined the various scenarios that could arise. 'I might get to kiss Marco again…' the thought was as frightening as it was enticing. A kiss in front of everyone though. Could she really do it if it landed on him?

"Why the hell not? I'm in." Star almost cricked her neck as she whipped around to see Tom smirking as he stepped up to Janna.

"Tom?" was all she could get out, too stunned for anything more.

"C'mon, Starship. We're all adults here, plus it'll be fun."

She could scarcely believe what he was saying. Her Tom wanted to play a game where she might be kissing other guys? "Alright, Tom, who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?" she asked half-seriously as he turned an gave her a toothy smile.

"I'm taking your advice and trying to lighten up. So, who else is in?" he asked, looking around at the stunned faces of most of the room.

"That's the spirit Demon Boy," chuckled Janna as Tom glared at her. "Maybe I should put you to sleep more often, it seems like a major attitude adjustment for you."

"If you're in, I'm in Boo," said Star, stepping forward.

With Tom and Star agreeing to play, the reservations of the rest of them seemed to crumble. One by one, they stepped forward into the circle until just Marco remained. He had been extremely surprised when Penelope had volunteered to play, given her earlier jealousy issues with his and Star's burgeoning intimacy, but even her volunteering couldn't break his resolve to play it safe and sit this one out.

"Come play with us Babe," coaxed Penelope, waving for him to sit next to her in the circle.

"No that's alright, I think I'll pass, uh, this time around… Maybe next time. Yeah, next time…" said Marco, suddenly feeling very exposed.

"Marcoo, c'monnnnn. It'll be fun!" said Star, walking over to him and putting an arm around his shoulders.

"I-It's fine. I'll j-just watch if that's okay," stammered Marco, feeling a blooming panic in his gut as everyone stared at him.

"Oh Marco, Marco, Marco… I didn't want to have to do this," said Star as she steered Marco back to the circle, "but I'm calling in my order." She pushed him gently down next to Reynard and Penelope before skipping back to take her place in the circle.

"I hate you." he hissed at her as she flashed him a 1000-watt smile from across the circle. "Fine, I'll play! But I am NOT kissing Tom. I'll finish the rest of my drink or something if I land on him."

"Psh, as if anyone besides Penelope wants to kiss you always, Mango," scoffed Tom as a very uncomfortable looking Star squirmed next to him.

"Alright ladies and gents," cut in Janna, nodding at Marco, "if you're not comfortable kissing who the bottle lands on, you can pay a penalty and drink instead. Now, since you were so brave as to volunteer first Tom, why don't you take the first spin."

"Fine, I will." Tom leaned forward, grabbing the bottle before giving it a good spin. It whirled around, wobbling slightly before finally slowing and stopping with it's narrow end pointed towards… "Janna…" he growled under his breath.

"Pucker up, Demon Boy," taunted Janna as Star tittered madly in the background.

Leaning forward he closed his eyes as he pursed his lips in anticipation for a very awkward kiss. He wasn't disappointed, for as soon as his and Janna's lips met, they both broke apart sputtering and spitting.

"Gross dude, you taste like old donuts and beer!" she wheezed, wiping her lips with shirt.

"Yeah, well you taste lik-" but he didn't finish his thought at a warning look from Star.

Reynard took the next spin, happily kissing Amanda when the bottle landed on her. "Well that was anticlimactic," he laughed, as he passed the bottle to Marco.

Nervously, Marco leaned forward and spun the bottle, feeling his anxiety level rising by the second as it spun. Slowing, he prayed it didn't land on Janna or Ponyhead until finally it came to a stop pointed directly at Jackie. 'Whew, got through this round without having to kiss anyone it seems,' he thought happily, 'there's no way Jackie's going to want to kiss a guy.' Moving to pick up his beer, he stopped with it midway to his lips as his eyes met hers.

"C'mere Dude," she said, smiling coyly.

"It's fine Jackie, I know you don't like guys. We can just drink instead."

"Just shut up and kiss me Diaz," was all she said as she leaned forward to grab his shirt, pulling him into a kiss.

Her lips were soft and warm, the taste of the ale mingling with… 'is that pineapple?' he thought as she deepened the kiss, turning her head slightly as her teeth grazed his bottom lip playfully. In the background, Marco could hear the onlookers cheering and wolf whistling. When she finally pulled away and he opened his eyes, he found himself looking into her aqua colored ones too stunned to speak.

"Why," was all he could muster up.

"I figured you've been wondering what it would be like for the past 10 years Marco. Now you know," she smiled at him as she returned to her seat.

Sitting back down, Marco could only touch his lips gingerly with his fingertips as his cheeks burned. To his left, Penelope was laughing as she laid a hand on his shoulder. "She told me she was going to do that if she ever got the chance Marco. Did it satisfy your curiosity?"

He merely nodded as she burst out laughing once more, "God you're so cute when you're flustered Babe." Taking her turn, she spun the bottle hard and the group watched it dance and spin.

Marco couldn't be sure, but for a moment it seemed to look like a small flicker of flame appeared at the end of Tom's finger as the Demon watched the bottle spin round and round. Almost too slowly the narrow end of the bottle coasted to a stop pointing squarely at Tom. "Looks like I'm up again," he sneered at Marco as he leaned in towards Penelope.

Marco watched dispassionately as his girlfriend leaned in, her lips meeting Tom's as they began their kiss. Again, the group ooh'd and ahh'd as they continued and he only felt a mild twinge of anger as they titled heads and shifted into a more passionate French kiss. He knew Tom was trying to get a rise out of him by making out with Penelope, but every time he felt a flare of anger or annoyance, the image of his ardent, writhing make out session the other evening with Star seemed to intercede and check his anger.

Star, however, did not seem to share his calm demeanor. At the ten second mark, with their lips still securely locked together, she felt a streak of annoyance at their clearly passionate kiss. At 15, she was feeling a hot streak of anger building in her and cleared her throat. At 20, she shouted. "Pegasus feathers Tom enough! It's Jackie's turn."

Slowly they broke apart, a satisfied Tom sitting back while Star glared daggers at him, as Penelope returned to her spot next to Marco. "He's not bad Star, but Marco's definitely a better kisser…" she said as casually as if she were telling her the weather.

"How'd her tonsil's taste, Tom?" growled Star as all the swagger he had displayed earlier evaporated under her furious scowl.

"Oh you are evil Penny," Marco whispered in her ear as they both watched Star continue to give Tom an earful over his gratuitous kiss with her. 'So that was her plan all along,' he thought, finally realizing that she had pushed the envelope with a clearly tipsy Tom on purpose.

"There's a saying in the Spiderbite Kingdom Macro… 'Why get mad, when you can get even.' This was payback for him being a shit last night. I figure getting him in hot water with Star was appropriate punishment. Plus, it wasn't a half bad kiss either," she teased.

"You know Star's gonna want payback, right?" he said, still laughing as Star stared determinedly in the other direction. He wasn't sure if her withering look was directed more at him, or Penelope, but he had a fair guess.

"Oh it's fine. I told you Marco, I'm going to be a civil princess tonight and not get my panties in a bunch about Star's affection for you. Plus, it's only fair. So be my guest."

'Whatttt is happening here,' Marco's thoughts seemed to tangle themselves into a knot at her words. Where did the Penelope that threatened to slap the cheek marks off of Star go yesterday? He didn't trust that this still wasn't going to fall apart in spectacular fashion, but for now at least, things seemed to be going extremely well.

Just then, the clink of the spinning bottle caught his attention as Jackie finished her spin, with the end now pointing solidly at Amanda, who seemed to blush under the sudden attention. Jackie cocked an eyebrow and leaned forward, and after a moment, Amanda followed suit. They kissed slowly at first, Amanda starting out tentatively before returning Jackie's enthusiasm. When they finally had broken apart, Amanda was smiling rather widely.

"I've never kissed a girl before," she murmured.

"How was it?" grinned Jackie.

"I feel finer than frog hair split four ways after that kiss," giggled Amanda alongside the group.

"What?" Was all Tom could mutter.

"Alright my turn, let's see who the unlucky victim is," said Janna, spinning the bottle. When it spun to a stop facing Marco, she laughed with a malicious glee that made his blood curdle. "Looks like I'm not the only one who gets to see what kissing Marco's like tonight," she mused aloud, "pucker up Safe Kid."

Tempted to just drink rather than give her the satisfaction, Marco reluctantly leaned forward and locked lips with the girl who had done her best to prank him into an early grave his entire life. To his great surprise, Janna hadn't coated her lips in ipecac, nor had she tried to suck his soul out. All in all, it was a pleasant kiss that he didn't have any complaints about. Pleasant that is, until during a move on Janna's part to deepen the kiss, he felt something being passed into his mouth via her nimble tongue.

Breaking apart and gagging, he coughed up a small wad of chewed up gum. "Ugh, Janna, that was disgusting!" he sputtered, wiping his tongue on the back of his pajama sleeve as everyone burst out laughing.

"Sorry, not sorry, Marco. I couldn't resist," she smirked as he glared at her. Shrugging, she held out her hands, "What can I say Diaz, you're my huckleberry…"

He didn't feel the need to comment as Amanda, still snorting at Janna's words, spun the bottle. "I reckon a second bite at the apple never hurt nobody," she said as once more the bottle coasted to a stop in front of a now blushing Jackie. Their second kiss was much like the first, though this time, when they broke apart after a slightly longer kiss; Both girls were beet red and breathing slightly hard.

"Alright People! Time to watch a pro at work. Try not to get too jealous," declared Pony Head as she zapped the bottle with her horn.

Marco closed his eyes and braced himself as he prayed to whatever gods that would listen to him in that desperate moment, that the bottle didn't land on him. Chancing a quick peek when he heard the group let out a collective breath, he felt relief wash over him as the end of the bottle pointed at a squirming Reynard.

Reluctantly Reynard leaned forward as Pony Head almost bowled him over with her enthusiasm. Loud, obscene slurping noises filled the room, and Marco tried his best to look at anything other than the two in the center of the circle in order to keep his dinner down. When they finally broke apart with a wet sounding *pop*, a satisfied Pony Head floated back to her spot while a visibly shaken Reynard sat back down.

"I'd… I'd forgotten how long her tongue is…" he shuddered and closed his eyes.

"Oh Rey, shut up. You loved it, you know you did." taunted Pony Head. "Anyway, B-fly it's your turn! Give it a spin girl!"

Star stared at the bottle for a moment before her eyes flicked to Marco. He was smiling at her and it filled her stomach with butterflies as she gripped the cool glass. 'Time to get even…' she thought as her other hand slipped into her purse to grip her wand. Spinning the bottle hard, she concentrated on Marco's position in the circle as the wand glowed faintly.

The bottle careened around the circle, whipping by each participant in a fast, smooth arc, its tip a blur as it swept past everyone at least twice. Slowing, it finally lurched to a stop with its tip pointing directly at Marco, who seemed unsurprised at the outcome. Crawling forward in the circle before kneeling to face her best friend, she swallowed hard as she leaned in towards his face.

"Cheater…" he whispered, so low that no one else could hear.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Marco… I'm just getting even for Tom's little trick with Penelope," she breathed back.

"You okay with this? We don't have to if you aren't comfortable… Ya know, because of our promise."

"I…uh," she began, meeting his eyes and seeing nothing there but understanding and affection. "I want this more than anything right now." And as she leaned forward to meet his lips with her own, she could hear his faint whisper of a reply.

"Me too."

And she kissed him. She leaned forward those last, few, desperate inches and pressed her pink lips against his, melting as she felt him instantly return her pressure with that of his own as they continued their kiss. All around them, the crowd murmured its approval as Star parted her lips slightly to push her tongue into his waiting mouth, rubbing and sliding it against his. For a moment it was bliss, the room shrinking to just her and Marco, bound together in their passionate embrace. And before Star could stop herself, she had slipped her hand up into his feather-soft brown hair to pull him even tighter against her hungry mouth.

"I get it Star… You can stop now." came the annoyed sounding voice of Tom, his grating tone seeming to break the spell she had been under with Marco.

Reluctantly… Unwillingly… she broke contact with Marco, the two sharing a burning look before she shuffled back to her spot in the circle. Tom was sullen and cranky as he glared at Marco from across the circle. He looked like he wanted to hurl a furious diatribe at Star, but she knew that he knew he had no ground to stand on after his display with Penelope in an effort to get Marco jealous. 'Now that was a kiss,' she though contentedly as Janna shot her a knowing look.

"Take that Tom," laughed Penelope as soon as Marco had sat back down next to her. Turning to her still panting boyfriend she let her lips lightly kiss his ear before dropping her voice down to a sultry purr, "Mmm not bad Marco. You got one of those for me later?" He could only nod as she giggled and gently bite his ear.

Standing quickly in a near panic, Marco shook his head, "Ooookay, I think that's enough spin the bottle for me. There's gonna be some hard feelings if we don't pump the breaks here."

"Don't be a stick in the mud Diaz, we're just getting started," complained Janna.

"No I think Marco's right. It's getting a bit late and if we keep going… Bad things are going to happen," said Star, standing up and sitting on her bed.

"Psh, Fineee," grumbled Janna.

After the game broke up, the group spent the next hour chatting with one another as they continued to enjoy River's excellent family ale. Both Star and Marco caused a small scene when they realized they had matching black eyes, both exclaiming "Back-eye twinsies!" at the same time, much to Janna and Jackie's delight. Around one, Reynard and Amanda announced they were going to bed, Reynard reminding Star to "be good" as he closed her door with a snap. Soon after, Star conjured them each a pink sleeping bag and pillow around her bed for them to sleep in and the group prepared to settle in for the night.

Kissing Penelope good night before he slipped into his sleeping bag next to hers, Marco couldn't help but smile to himself as he overheard the somewhat awkward conversation between Star and Tom not three feet away.

"But Starship… I was kind of hoping maybe…we…" began Tom as he looked meaningfully between her and her large canopy bed where Pony Head was already settling in.

"Tom if my dad caught us in bed together… I don't think there's anywhere in the universe you could hide from him," she giggled. However, when his disappointment persisted, she leaned in and kissed him lightly before brushing a few locks of his pink hair out of his face. "We'll get there, Tom. Just… not yet. Okay?"

"Okay Starship, I understand. Sleep tight then, alright?" he said, laying his forehead against hers softly. "I'll be here when we get up and we can have a great good morning together."

"I'd love that Tom."

O - O - O - O - O - O – O

"Marcoooo," a silky voice whispered, "you awake?"

Opening his eyes slowly, he saw the room was pitch black, and all around him he could hear to soft gentle breathing of his fellow guests as they slept. Turning slightly, he could barely make out Penelope's excited face in the darkness, with only the faint crimson glow of the moon to illuminate her features.

"I'm,*yawwnn*, awake now Penelope. What's up?"

She reached down and took his hand in the sleeping bag and quietly helped him to his feet. "Come with me," she whispered, "and don't step on anyone."

Curious, he nodded to her and together they made their way out, careful not to tread on any of the sleeping guests. There was a close call when Marco almost walked into a sleeping Tom, now floating several feet off the floor, but soon they had quietly let themselves out of the darkened room and picked up their pace as they headed deeper into the castle. Penelope led the way, her hand never leaving Marco's as she guided him through the near deserted corridors. Once, they had to duck into a side passage to avoid a patrol of guards as they made their night rounds, but soon they were alone once more as they stopped in front of a carved wooden door.

Allowing Penelope to pull him inside, Marco's eyes widened as he looked around. He could only assume they were now in her bedroom, and he marveled at the charm of it as he looked around. The room looked nothing like the rest of the castle, which consisted mainly of stone, marble, and glass. Here, the floor and walls were a rustic looking wood with matching carved wood furniture. A massive intricately carved canopy bed sat in the room with a canopy of green foliage and flowers of every color.

"Are those real?" he asked, pointing at the flowers and green leaves that made up the roof of Penelope's canopy bed.

He took a deep breath, letting the scent of her room fill his nose as he stood there staring. The pleasant, earthy smell of moss mingled with the sweet aroma of honeysuckle and jasmine. They combined in his nose, eliciting a warm, pleasant feeling, and he closed his eyes to let the comforting smells of the forest wash over him.

"Mhmm," she answered from behind him, "I needed a touch of home when we came to Earth. Butterfly Castle is impressive, no doubt, but I prefer a more… rustic touch."

"I can tell."

"Marco. Turn around."

Her voice was soft and friendly, but there was no mistaking the order there. Slowly, he turned to face her and felt his heart skip a beat. She was standing there, her dress already unzipped, hanging only by a single strap on her shoulder. Smiling, she let it slip off and fall to the floor as she stepped towards him, hips swaying side to side.

He swallowed hard, his mouth going dry as he stared at her. Even though they'd shared many passionate make out sessions in the past and last night, he'd had felt her most intimate area, he'd never seen her anything less than fully clothed. And now that she walked towards him, her lacy, deep-green bra falling to the floor, he couldn't seem to remember why he had denied her on their first date.

Her willowy body was a vision, and he couldn't keep his eyes from roaming over every inch of her tan skin. She had a modest bosom, though it was extremely well proportioned to her body shape. A smooth flat stomach dipped into lacy, green panties sitting on her slender hips. And finally, he couldn't keep his eyes of her beautiful, long legs as they slid past one another on her walk over.

"Marco… I don't want to wait anymore," she purred as she slid her hands against his chest through his pajama top. "I know you're a gentleman, but I want my warrior tonight."

One by one, he felt the buttons on his shirt being undone as her nimble fingers worked their way down. He felt like he couldn't breathe, Penelope's touch leaving hot trails of fire down his chest as desire roared in him like an open furnace. Soon, her lips joined her fingers as she planted kiss after kiss on his chest and neck while her fingers finished unbuttoning his shirt.

"Penny…" he murmured, his thoughts coming slow as his yearning continued to peak.

"I want it, Marco. I want you so bad… Take me to bed." she hissed in his ear after kissing her way up to his lips.

Marco's only answer was to smash his lips against hers in a hungry, longing kiss. He felt her smile against his lips as she pushed him back towards her bed, her hands working to push his white gi pants off his hips. Not wanting to be outdone, he slipped his own hands down her sides and over her hips, pushing her panties off before gripping her firm rear hard. He was rewarded with a moan from his Princess into his mouth as his pants and boxers joined her dress on the floor.

Falling to the bed, he rolled onto his back as Penelope draped her body over his nude form. In an instant, her hand was wrapped around him, slowly stroking up and down. "P-Penny," he moaned, feeling his hips automatically rolling in time with her deliberate cadence.

"Mmm, payback for last night Marco… You're going to finish what you started…" she cooed, pulling him into a hungry kiss as she squeezed him gently.

"I don't have any pro-" he began, once her lips had left his,but she had already laid a finger to his lips, eliciting silence.

"It's okay Marco, you're safe. You're not my first… and I've always been careful," she purred.

"I-I want you…" he whispered as she released him and dragged her fingers back up his body to brush his lips.

"Then take me…" she whispered back, rolling onto her back as Marco got to his knees.

Nerves and lust battled each other fiercely in Marco as he looked down at Penelope's naked form under him. Bending down, he captured her lips once more, pushing his tongue deep into her mouth in a desperate kiss as his length ground against her wet core. He pinned her grinding hips down as he pushed against her sex, reveling in the mewling whimper that escaped her throat each time they came together.

After several minutes of writhing naked kisses, it seemed Penelope couldn't take it anymore. She reached down and grasped his hardness, guiding it to her entrance and rubbing his head against her soft folds. "Give it to me, pleaseee," she moaned.

He couldn't deny her any longer; the lust that burned in his veins finally wiping away any lingering reservations. Slowly, he pushed into her, basking in the otherworldly sensations as he took his Princess, joining their bodies as one as she cried out.

"Yesss," Penelope hissed through gritted teeth as his hips began to move, "make me yours Marco."

It was a pleasure beyond his wildest expectations. And the tight, warm sensation that surrounded his length as he worked it in and out of her was almost too much. "Penny, *pant*, God this feels good," he breathed as he kept his steady pace.

Her eyes rolling up in her head slightly, Penelope placed a hand on his strong, sweaty chest. "Just, *pant* keep, *pant* going," she moaned as he picked up the pace.

Intense could hardly describe the feeling growing below Marco's stomach as the next few minutes of frenzied coupling continued. Over and over again, he drove himself into Penelope's moaning form, focusing only on the sensations he was sharing with her in that moment of passion. Sliding in and out of her, he knew he was nearing his limit as a familiar tightness seemed to spread in his loins. "I'm close," he hissed out as she wrapped her legs around his backside to pull him harder against her.

"Me too," she breathed, "just, *ah*, a little, *ungh*, fuuuuckkkk." Her curse was long and low as she fell over the roaring precipice of her climax to dig her nails into his forearms.

The blooming warmth and pressure of her orgasm was too much for Marco, and he felt his own pleasure crescendo before burying himself to the hilt inside as he came. He could only pant her name before they both moaned long and low, sharing in the culmination of their passionate lovemaking.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, he let himself slump to the bed next to her panting body and she turned to plant a small kiss on his lips. "That was amazing Marco," she grinned, "there's no way that was your first time."

"Swear on my blackbelt Penny," he laughed, feeling a familiar blush heat his cheeks. Brushing a lock of sweaty hair out of her eyes, he kissed her once more and nuzzled closer, "That was…"

"Awesome? Amazing? Lifechanging?" she offered.

"Mmm, all of the above, definitely," He nodded, pulling a blanket over them both as Penelope turned and settled her body into the curve of his.

Not missing a beat, Marco slipped an arm around her slender form and closed his eyes to let sleep claim him as above, a ruby moon burned angrily in the summer night sky.


Authors note

Hey everybody! Lord Cornwalis here! Another very large chapter from us here. You know I tell myself I'll try to keep it to a shorter length, but every time I just get too involved in bringing you guys a great story. So I hope I nailed it for you guys and we have a great chapter here for you all the enjoy. This one was a ton of fun to write to be honest. There were tender moments around every corner, fun fights, drama, and all the other great stuff you guys love Star and Marco to get into. So if you liked it, please leave us a review, it's great knowing we're making the fans happy, and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to pm us. We'll be sure to get back to you when we can!

Until next time!

~Lord Cornwalis

~Mr. RonaldReagan