Welcome back to Ace of Spades everyone! Thank you all for reading my story, and I shall do all I can not to disappoint.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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

(Chapter 15)

The morning sun rose and its light shone through the window. The beam of light landed on Eclipsa's sleeping face. She let out a yawn and opened her lavender eyes.

"Stupid sun," she grumbled. "I wouldn't mind it so much if it weren't so damn bright."

Eclipsa tossed the covers off of her and sat up from her bed. Wearing her purple, silk nightgown, she stretched her arms and let out a loud yawn. The young princess made an attempt to fix her messy, pine-green hair, but it still needed to be brushed.

"Good morning."

Eclipsa let out a startled shout and jumped right out of bed, landing on the wooden floor.

"Glossaryck!" she whined. "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?!"

Floating above her bed, the little, blue, bearded genie smiled down at the princess. "Cheer up, kid. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday."

"Thanks," Eclipsa said in a tone as flat as a piece of paper. "Now leave me be."

"Wow." Glossaryck placed his hands on his hips. "Last time I wish you a happy birthday."

"Splendid." Eclipsa stood up and went over to open the balcony doors.

"You're not excited to celebrate your birthday?" Glossaryck asked.

"I don't celebrate my birthday, I dread them." The princess said as she unlocked the doors. "Every year, it's just an entire day of Mother flaunting me around and bragging to everyone how well she fights off the monsters and how I'm going to do such a good job at filling her shoes once I'm Queen. I barely ever get a word in. People just stare at me and speak to me and try to pair me up with their sons without ever letting me say anything." Eclipsa grunted in frustration as she finished unlocking the balcony doors. "Why does Mother insist on having so many locks on this door? Is she trying to keep people out or me in?"

"Princess, today is your fourteenth birthday. This is a very special occasion." Glossaryck said as Eclipsa opened the balcony doors. "Today, you inherit the Butterfly magic wand."

"And I'm supposed to be excited about that?" Eclipsa asked as she stepped out on the balcony.

"You'll be able to perform magic for the first time." Glossaryck floated up next to the brooding princess. "You're really not looking forward to that?"

"No. I'm not." Eclipsa stared out across the Kingdom of Mewni. "Once I inherit the wand, I'm one step closer to becoming Queen. Mother will have me training and studying nonstop to master my magic. My life is going to stink a little more after today. And then, before I know it, I'll be the Queen of these ignorant corn farmers."

"Trust me, princess, you'll have fun learning magic," Glossaryck promised. "You may even become one of the most powerful Queens in history."

"I don't want to be powerful, I want to be happy. Is that too much to ask?" Eclipsa sighed. "Well, I suppose that's what wine and absinthe are for."

There was a knock on Eclipsa's bedroom door and Queen Solaria entered. "Eclipsa? Are you up?"

Eclipsa rolled her eyes and walked back into her room. "Good morning, Mother."

Queen Solaria the Monster Carver was a tall and muscular woman with rust-red hair shaved at the sides and braided into a long ponytail. The crown on her head had a red diamond fixed into the front. Her eyes were a light turquoise color and her cheek marks were a pair of caramel-yellow lightning bolts. As usual, the warmonger queen wore brown, sleeveless, leather armor with brown cords and a long skirt. Her boots were brown leather, she wore gold armbands decorated with red hearts on her biceps, and bronze bracers on her wrists.

"Hello, my dear." Queen Solaria said with a smile. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you, Mother," said Eclipsa.

"Today is your fourteenth birthday." Solaria reminded her daughter eagerly. "Do you know what that means?"

"I get the wand?" Eclipsa asked. 'And my life begins to sink into the dirt?'

"Yes!" Solaria exclaimed with a fierce expression on her face. "You'll be on your way to becoming a powerful Butterfly Queen, just like me! I can already see you on the battlefield, laying waste to the Monsters!"

"Mmm." was Eclipsa's response.

"This is going to be grand!" Solaria knelt down and hugged her daughter. "I'm going to be so proud of you!"

Eclipsa deflated in her mother's arms and weakly returned her hug. "I'll…do my best, Mother."

Solaria released her daughter and stood back up, straightening her posture and folding her hands behind her back as she always did when speaking formally. "Now, my dear. I know you're not very fond of…social gatherings. Honestly, I never did either. I think we can both agree I'm not the most social Butterfly." She took a moment to laugh at her own joke. "So, I won't be throwing you the usual grand party."

Eclipsa blinked and widened her eyes. "...Well…okay, then."

"I'm just going to give you the wand, and then you have the rest of the day to yourself so that you may acquaint yourself with your new magic." Solaria looked over at Glossaryck. "I assume you'll be there to help her with that?"

"It is my job," said Glossaryck. "So, yeah."

"Eclipsa smiled. "I…I would like that. Thank you, mother."

"Now, let's begin the ceremony, shall we? We'll make it a quick one." Solaria took out the wand she carried. In the hands of Queen Solaria, the wand took the form of a long, leather-wrapped sword handle with a big, broad, bronze cross guard decorated with a pair of lightning bolts on each side with the wand's gem set in its center in the form of a lightning bolt. A large red, energy saber shot out from the wand. Eclipsa flinched in fear at the sight of her mother's wand. The Wand of Aggression, as it had been dubbed, had taken many lives. Eclipsa hated the mere sight of it.

"Are you ready?" Solaria asked.

Eclipsa nodded, figuring she didn't really have a choice.

"I, Queen Solaria the Monster Carver, of the Kingdom of Mewni, pass on the Butterfly Magic Wand to you, Eclipsa Pendle Butterfly, my daughter, and the future Queen of Mewni. Do you accept?"

Eclipsa nodded.

"You have to say it."

"I do."

Solaria nodded and offered Eclipsa the wand. Eclipsa, with shaky hands, took the wand from her mother. Once it was in Eclipsa's hands, the wand transformed into a light, purple parasol topped with the family gem, which had taken the form of a kind of medallion decorated with a ringed planet. Below the gem was a tiny pair of black wings and above the gem was a crescent moon.

Eclipsa immediately felt a rush of energy flow through her. The spades on her cheeks lit up as she marveled at her new wand. "Wow," she whispered.

Solaria raised an eyebrow at the new wand. "An umbrella? I was kinda hoping it would be a weapon of some kind."

"I love it," Eclipsa said with a big smile as she opened the parasol and rested it on her shoulder.

"Alright, alright." Solaria brought her hands in front of her and clasped them together. "Congratulations, my dear. Now that you have the wand, I wanted to talk to you about something else."

Eclipsa frowned at her mother. "About what?"

"Well…" Solaria sighed. "I'll just come out with it. I have arranged a marriage for you."

"...WHAT?!" Eclipsa screamed.

"Yes," Solaria replied, ignoring her daughter's distress. "Once you become the Queen of Mewni, you are to marry Prince Shastican of the Spiderbite Kingdom."

"That gross, disgusting pig?!" Eclipsa shouted. "You arranged a marriage between me and that toad?!"

"Calm yourself, Eclipsa," Solaria ordered. "You're making too big of a deal out of this."

"Too big of a deal?!" Eclipsa cried. "You're making me marry some prince I barely know and don't even like!"

"Eclipsa, my marriage was arranged as well, it's not that terrible," Solaria said.

"Father won you in a contest like you were some kind of prize! He didn't even know what was going on! He was just in the right place at the right time!" Eclipsa said. "At least he was a decent person! Shastican is terrible! He's rude, he spits on anyone who isn't royalty, he's a horrible and wretched creature!"

"You are going to marry him," Solaria stated.

"No wonder Father got on his ship and sailed away forever," Eclipsa said angrily. "He just couldn't stand you enough to stick around! And honestly, who can blame him?! I don't even blame him!"

"Eclipsa!"

The princess didn't relent. She met her mother's irate gaze with one of her own.

"...This is not up for discussion," said Solaria. "Once you are Queen, you will wed Prince Shastican, he will bear you a child, and that is final. Understand?"

Eclipsa shook with rage. Her cheek marks lit up with power.

"My life is a torment," she said through gritted teeth. "And I have you and this idiotic Kingdom to thank for that. The only reason I don't wish for your demise is because that would make me the Queen of these corn-munching fools."

Solaria's nostrils flared as she glared down at her daughter.

"The only thing you're good for is death and destruction," said Eclipsa. "I'll be damned to the darkest depths of the Underworld before I become anything like you. So stop trying to make me like you."

"Perhaps it was foolish of me to expect you to amount to anything," Solaria said coolly. "Pity the Kingdom is to be ruled by the weak disappointment you are."

That proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Tears formed in Eclipsa's as she turned away and stormed back onto the balcony.

"Eclipsa, wait-"

Too late. Eclipsa opened up her new parasol and flew away, putting her new magic to use to escape her mother. Solaria watched as her daughter's tears fell to the ground below.

Queen Solaria let out a sad sigh as she watched her daughter fly away. "She'll understand," she said to herself. "She has to. She has no other choice but to."

"You've been in my house the entire time?!" Marco demanded.

"Not the entire time, no," said Eclipsa. "I must have taken the job as Mariposa's nanny shortly after you moved into Butterfly castle."

Star blinked at her ancestor. "...You're…you're really her?" she asked. "You're Eclipsa? The Queen of Darkness?"

"Yes, that's me." Eclipsa stood up from her makeup table and walked over to Star and Marco. "Eclipsa, the Queen of Darkness, at your service. I know they gave me that name to make me sound like a villain, but I honestly like the name. It sounds, as the kids say these days, pretty darn cool."

"I thought you looked familiar!" Star exclaimed. "When we met during my first time on Earth, I knew you looked familiar! And wait a minute, it was your voice coming out of Marco's mouth when he went crazy during our magic training session!"

"Our dark magic connects us, as does my knowledge of Marco's mind," Eclipsa explained. "I already knew how to get in his head, and the fact that we're both dark magic users helped me reach him and calm him down before any permanent damage set in."

"Yeah, thanks again for that," said Marco. "But, why are you here?"

"I figured it was the last place anyone would try to look for me," Eclipsa explained. "That and…well, I always liked this place. As I watched over you, I grew fond of this place. It became like a second home to me."

"Watched over you?" Star asked Marco.

Marco gulped and developed a look of extreme guilt. "Uh, yeah. I might've forgotten to mention that your ancestor, the infamous Queen of Darkness, has been watching over me since I was five."

"She's what?" Star asked. "That is…super creepy!"

"I wasn't watching him twenty-four hours a day," Eclipsa said defensively. "For corn's sake, I'm not a creep."

"Come to think of it, if you were imprisoned in a crystal, how have you been able to watch me?" Marco pondered. "And when you and I met in the park? And those dreams?"

"I was never able to master magic without the wand, but I still know a few tricks," Eclipsa said. "One of my favorite spells is my All-seeing Eye spell. It's a spying spell I used to use all the time in my youth. I'm good enough with that spell to tweak its uses and functions, such as being able to watch over you and manifest a visible appearance like I did in the park. And controlling dreams is something I've always loved to do to mess with people. I'm honestly impressed with myself that I was able to do all of that while trapped in a crystal in another dimension. Then again, I had Glossaryck's help with that."

"How did you escape from your crystal anyway?" Marco asked. "The Magic High Commission thought I set you free."

"Well…you sort of did, actually."

Marco narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

There was a knock on the door and Angie opened it and stuck her head through. "Hey, Eclisse. You got a minute?" Angie lit up when she saw Star. "Oh, hi, Star! I didn't know you were here!"

Star waved her hand. "Hi, Mrs. Diaz!"

"What did you need, Angie?" Eclipsa asked.

"I'm glad you three are all here." Angie stepped into the room. "Star, your parents invited me and the family over for dinner tomorrow evening."

"They did?" Marco and Star asked in perfect unison.

"Awww, that's just adorable." said Eclipsa.

"Right?" Angie asked, grinning as Marco and Star both blushed. "Anyway, The King and Queen of Mewni invited the Diaz Family over for dinner, and I wanted to invite you to come with us, Eclisse."

Eclipsa, Marco, and Star all suddenly looked very alarmed. "Oh, Angie, I'm not sure I should come with you," Eclipsa said. "I appreciate the invitation, but, I…well…uh…"

"Oh, of course you should come with us," Angie said. "You're a part of this family too."

Eclipsa blushed. "But-"

"Oh, and Marco, I was thinking of inviting Jackie to come with us as well," Angie said.

Marco and Star both glanced at each other and grimaced. "Uh, Mom, I'm not sure that's such a good idea either," said Marco.

"Maybe," Angie said, picking up on Marco and Star's distress. "How about you just call her and ask if she'd be interested okay?"

Marco sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll call her later."

"Thank you," said Angie. "Now, your dad and I are off to the store. Mariposa's in her room right now taking a nap. Be back in a bit."

Angie left the room before anyone could offer any further protest.

"Oh, boy," said Marco. "Eclipsa, you can not go to that dinner."

"You know how your mother is," Eclipsa said. "She'll insist and she won't take 'no' for an answer."

"Yeah, my mom can be incredibly stubborn sometimes," said Marco.

"I think your mom is the coolest," Star said. "And maybe we could pull off a dinner date with my parents. We can just magic Eclipsa up a disguise, maybe dye her hair and apply some makeup-"

"Star, your mother is a sharp one. She's going to recognize me." Eclipsa said. "...We've met before."

"What?" Marco and Star in perfect unison.

"Awww, you did it again," Eclipsa said. "To answer your question, Moon and I have indeed met before. She was barely any older than the two of you at the time. Her mother had been murdered and Toffee and his Monsters were advancing."

"Glossaryck told me about that," said Marco. "Queen Moon chased away Toffee and his army."

"How do you think she did that?" Eclipsa asked.

Marco blinked and looked down at the floor in thought. "...The immortal monster will long be haunted by the darkest spell of Moon the Undaunted."

Marco looked back up at Eclipsa. "That 'darkest spell' came from you, didn't it?"

Eclipsa smiled and nodded, appearing proud of Marco's intelligence. "Desperate to be rid of Toffee, young Moon came to me for help. We made a pact that day. A powerful, magical deal made between two Queens of Mewni. I told her how to perform one of my most powerful spells in exchange for my freedom."

"If that was the deal, then why did you spend the next couple of decades still in a crystal?" Star asked.

"The deal was Toffee's death for my freedom," Eclipsa explained. "Moon didn't kill Toffee, she just blasted off his finger. It did the trick, and it kept me in my crystal."

Marco's eyes went wide. "Oh my God. When I killed Toffee back at St. Olga's, I completed the deal you and Queen Moon made."

"And it set me free," Eclipsa confirmed. "After that, I was able to find myself a pair of dimensional scissors and make my escape to Earth."

"So…I really did set the Queen of Darkness free," said Marco. "Great. One more reason for the MHC to put me in a crystal."

"Yeah, yeah. You poor thing. Blah, blah." said Star. "Listen, Queen Eclipsa,"

"I'm not a Queen anymore, dear," said Eclipsa. "No need to be formal."

"Eclipsa, you don't seem all that evil, but you've given me no reason to trust you," said Star. "So, can I?"

Eclipsa looked over at Marco.

"Listen, Star, I know she seems shady, but I believe we can trust her," said Marco. "Her Mom forced her to marry some fat guy and have a kid with him."

"Shastican," said Eclipsa. "By the Stump, I hated that man."

"Then she tried to leave it all behind and run away with the guy she actually loved, King Globgor." Marco continued.

"My Globby was such a sweetheart," Eclipsa said lovingly. "He became a vegetarian just for me."

"They had a kid together, and just for that, Mewni tore her family apart, leaving Eclipsa in a crystal for centuries and did who-knows-what to her husband and daughter."

"Meteora was her name," said Eclipsa sadly. "Adorable little thing."

Star stared at Eclipsa. "What…happened to your daughter?"

"I don't know," said Eclipsa. "The Magic High Commission and the Knights of Mewni came for the both of us. They got me and put me in a crystal, but…Meteora…" the former Queen closed her eyes and bowed her head. "I was a failure to both of my daughters. I was selfish enough to abandon Festivia and I wasn't strong enough to keep Meteora from being taken from me."

Star's face immediately softened. "...Mewni…kinda sucks. That's hardly your fault, Eclipsa. Look, if Marco trusts you, then so do I. I won't rat you out. And if you need my help, then I'll help you."

Eclipsa smiled at Star. "Thank you, Star." She walked up and kissed Star on the forehead. "I'm proud to be your ancestor."

Star smiled back. "Now, if you're going to that dinner, you're going to need an image overhaul." She grabbed Eclipsa's hand and brought her back to sit down at her boudoir dresser. The Princess brought out her hand and studied Eclipsa thoughtfully.

"Okay, then. Now, to fool my Mom, we'll give you…blonde hair." Star raised her wand and turned Eclipsa's hair a dirty blonde color. "And…tan skin." Star gave the former Queen a California tan. "Maybe we'll turn those eyes hazel instead of purple." Star did so. "And, there we go. Looking good, Eclisse."

Eclipsa looked in the mirror and marveled at her new look. "My word. I look like one of those attractive actresses on Earth television."

"We might have to do something about that accent, though, so Queen Moon doesn't recognize the sound of your voice," said Marco. "Do you think you could talk in an American accent?"

"I…could try," said Eclipsa. "I might need to practice a bit, though."

"How are we going to explain Eclipsa's new look and lack of an accent to your parents?" Star asked.

"Believe me, it's easy to get my parents to go along with something," said Marco. "We can just tell them that Eclipsa took out the green dye in her hair, spent some time in a tanning bed, and is trying to sound more American."

"This is a bad idea," Eclipsa said nervously.

"Relax, you'll be fine," said Star. "It's just one dinner. And besides, don't you want to see Butterfly Castle again?"

"No," Eclipsa replied flatly.

The three of them suddenly heard Mariposa crying in the other room.

"I got it." Eclipsa stood up from her chair and gently cupped Star and Marco's cheeks in her hands. "You two are a blessing. Thank you both for your kindness." She kissed both of the kids on the forehead before leaving to go check on Mariposa.

"Hoo, boy. This is gonna be tense," said Marco. "Right, Star… Star?"

Star wouldn't meet Marco's gaze. She just frowned as she stared at the wall.

"Star?" Marco asked. "What's wrong?"

"You didn't tell me about Eclipsa," Star said.

"I didn't know she was here until Janna told me about her," said Marco. "She asked me to find out what happened to her daughter before I even figured out who she was."

"You did know you've been talking to her in your dreams," said Star. "You did know she's been watching over you since you were little like some kind of ghost nanny."

"I didn't know who she was until I read about her in the Book of Queens," said Marco.

"And when you did find out it was my ancestor, the notorious Queen of Darkness, you still didn't tell me about her," Star said.

Marco blinked. "I…well…I…"

"You didn't trust me enough to tell me."

Marco flinched. "I…alright, fine. I didn't tell you about that one thing. I wasn't sure how you'd react. I wasn't even entirely sure how I should've reacted to the news."

"Marco, you're involved with Eclipsa, the Queen of Darkness." Star turned to glare directly at Marco. "I grew up with stories about how evil she and her husband, King Globgor, were. How they terrorized innocent Mewmans and did horrible things. I get that the real story is probably the entire opposite, but this is still super serious."

"Star, I-"

"Didn't trust me enough to tell me." Star crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "And…and that hurts."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Marco said. "I was…I was scared, Star. I was scared of what was going to happen, and I still am. If I get found out by the MHC, I'm going down hard. The last thing I want is to see you go down with me."

Star closed her eyes and sighed. "...You should give Jackie a call. Let her know about dinner tomorrow."

She left without another word.

Marco went over and sat down on Eclipsa's bed. He ran his hands through his hair and down his face in frustration.

"What just happened just means she cares about you."

Marco looked up to see Eclipsa peering into the room, smiling gently at him.

"She's mad at me," said Marco.

"Of course she is." Eclipsa came in and closed the door. "We get upset when it concerns someone we care about."

Marco chewed on his bottom lip before replying. "...Eclipsa…I'm not entirely sure that I'm…comfortable with you living here," he said. "You being here could put my family in danger."

Eclipsa nodded sadly like she was expecting him to say that. "I understand. If you want me to leave, then I will, Marco."

Marco sighed. "How about…how about we see if we can pull off bringing you to dinner at Butterfly Castle? If we can pull that off, we'll talk more about it."

"Then I take it we're not telling your parents about me?" Eclipsa asked.

"No. The less they know, the safer they are." Marco said. "I've read Mewnian Law. As long as they know nothing, they can't be punished for anything."

"Which is why you didn't want to tell Star anything."

Marco nodded.

Eclipsa sat down next to Marco and wrapped an arm around him. "I'm sorry about all of this, Marco. I really am. I can leave right now if that's what you want. Use your scissors and open me a portal, and you and your family will never see me again. We won't even have to worry about the dinner party."

"Eclipsa…my parents really like you. Mariposa adores you." Marco looked away bashfully. "And…and, if I'm being honest…I kinda…care about you, too…sort of. I'd…I'd hate to see anything bad happen to you, and I don't want to just kick you out of my home. Especially if you have nowhere else to go."

Eclipsa's eyes sparkled and shone with affection as she smiled at Marco. "Awwwwwww. You do care about me."

Marco blushed. "Yeah, yeah. You…you matter to me. Whether I like it or not, you're family."

Eclipsa wrapped her arms around Marco in a tight embrace. "I love you too, my dear."

Marco grumbled as he returned the hug. "You and Star, I tell ya…"

"Is everyone ready?" Angie asked as she made her way down the stairs. She finished putting in her earrings as she entered the living room.

"Hold on, I'm still trying to get Mari's shoes on." Knelt down in front of the couch, Raphael had succeeded in getting Mariposa's left shoe on, but the infant kept giggling and kicking her feet, making it difficult to get the last shoe on.

"You gotta distract her. Hold on." Marco came over to where Raphael had Mariposa seated on the couch. The baby, fitted in a cute, little, blue dress, looked over at Marco as he reached down to let the baby grab his finger. As Mariposa grabbed her brother's finger, Raphael put on her right baby shoe.

"Thank you, Marco." Raphael stood up and smooth out his suit. Like Marco, he wore a classic black suit and a matching bow tie for the dinner party.

"You boys are both looking handsome," Angie said as she picked Mariposa up off the couch. Mrs. Diaz wore a lovely, sleeveless dress the color of a ripe peach and a pair of black slippers. Her red purse hung at her hip on a shoulder strap. "And you are looking absolutely adorable, Mariposa. Yes you are."

Someone rang the doorbell.

"I got it." Marco went over to answer the door.

On the other side of the door stood Jackie, wearing a pretty, strapless, sea-foam green dress and a pair of white slippers. As usual, she wore her seashell necklace with her outfit. She had applied some mascara and some lip gloss.

"Woah." Marco felt his face heat up. "Jackie, you look great."

"Thanks," said Jackie. "You look pretty good too."

"Come on in." Marco moved out of the way for Jackie.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Diaz." Jackie greeted as she entered the house.

"My goodness. Jackie, you look beautiful." Angie remarked. "Marco, doesn't she look beautiful?"

Marco blushed and cleared his throat, simply nodding as he closed the door. Jackie smirked at him, finding his bashfulness to be adorable.

"Wow, everyone looks so nice."

Everyone looked up to see Eclisse coming down the stairs with her now blonde hair, tan skin, and hazel eyes with a pair of square glasses, wearing a midnight-blue dress with pair of long, matching gloves, and shiny, black slippers. Although the colors seemed appropriate for the Queen of Darkness, the dress was plain and not entirely noteworthy. The nanny still looked pretty, though, even with the disguise.

"Woah. Someone got a new look." Jackie remarked. "What happened?"

"Well, Jackie, I'm just trying something new," Eclisse replied in her new American accent. "I took the dye out of my hair, because that's definitely what it was. I took my contacts out, which were making my eyes look purple, and put on these glasses that are definitely prescription. I got a tan, which is easy to get during a summer in California. And the dress was affordable and pretty as were the shoes, so I bought it."

"You never explained to us why you stopped talking with a British accent," said Raphael.

"...I was told that the Queen of Mewni does as well, and…I didn't want to, as they say, attempt to one-up her." Eclisse explained.

Jackie gave Marco a questioning and confused look.

"I'm begging you to just roll with this," Marco whispered.

"Um…Okay. Cool, cool." said Jackie. "So, we heading to Mewni now?"

"Hold on." Raphael ran into the kitchen and came back out carrying in one arm food containers filled with deviled eggs, a chicken alfredo casserole, and a small, cherry chocolate cake. In his other hand, he carried a bottle of mezcal. "Okay, now we're good."

"Couldn't we bring some chardonnay or something?" Angie asked. "That stuff is pretty strong."

"It was my dad's favorite drink. One of my last bottles," said Raphael. "I've been saving it for a special occasion."

"Oh, alright," Angie replied. "Marco, take us to Mewni."

Marco took out his dimensional scissors and opened a portal.

"It's…safe to go through, right?" Jackie asked. "It's not gonna melt our skin off or anything?"

"Nah, it's safe," Marco said. "Follow me."

Marco went into the portal and Jackie, after a nervous pause, followed him through. Raphael and Angie, with Mariposa in her arms, went through the portal next.

Now alone, Eclisse let out an anxious sigh. "Well, here I go… Never thought I'd ever actually go back."

And with that said, Eclipsa the Queen the Darkness entered the portal and returned home.

The group of six exited the portal into the main foyer of the Butterfly Castle. Marco's parents and Jackie marveled at the majestic and expensive interior of the castle. Marco and Eclisse, on the other hand, didn't really give any of it much attention. And Mariposa, being a baby, giggled at anything she found to be worth giggling at.

"Dang, this place is sweet," Jackie said. "Star lives here?"

"Believe me, my dear, it doesn't take long for a place like this to feel like an oversized prison," said Eclisse, letting her British accent sound for a minute.

"Did you grow up in a place like this?" Jackie asked.

"Uh, well, I…" Eclisse coughed into her fist and spoke again with an American accent. "When is dinner going to start?"

At that moment, a pudgy man wearing a light-blue jerkin with a big collar and a star on the chest over purple underclothes approached them. His long nose, pouty lips, and feathered hat made him look even more like an ass. At least, that was Marco's thought.

"Sir Diaz." Manfred greeted. "May your family feel welcome in Butterfly Castle."

Jackie snickered. "Sir Diaz, huh?"

Marco blushed and rolled his eyes. "Hey, Manfred. Finally managed to get my name right, huh?"

"Follow me, please." Manfred turned around and walked off. The group followed him down the hall through the castle with Marco in the lead.

"My goodness, look at this place." Angie stared wide-eyed at everything, from the carpet, to the drapes, to the decorative plants.

"I bet just one of those vases is probably worth as much as our house," Raphael commented.

"I can't believe this is where you've been living during the summer," Jackie told Marco. "Is your room, like, the size of a gym?"

"No, but it is bigger than my room back home," said Marco. "I asked for something modest, I didn't want anything too…lavish."

"Smart boy," Eclisse muttered.

Manfred led the group to the dining hall entrance. He opened one of the large double doors for them. "Announcing the arrival of the Diaz family!" Manfred declared. The group entered the dining hall and Manfred closed the door.

Seated at the far end of the table were the Queen, King, and Princess. Queen Moon sat at the head of the table with River to her right and Star to her left. Moon and River were wearing their usual royal attire. Star, most likely by the command of her mother, was wearing her formal outfit as well. She had put on a blue, royal regal dress with a white trim that didn't look bad on her. Star's blonde hair was set in a heart shape, just like Moon's was, with her princess tiara fixed into the do. Her cheek marks had a rosy sheen to them and her lips were decorated with lipstick the color of pink lemonade.

"Ah, you've arrived!" Moon happily declared. "Splendid! Please, take a seat."

"Thank you for having us, Moon," Angie said as everyone sat down. Raphael sat down next to River and Angie sat down next to her husband. Marco sat down next to Star and Jackie sat to Marco's left. Eclisse sat down next to Jackie, looking stiff and anxious, but making an attempt to hide it.

"You look nice, Star," Jackie said.

"Aww, thanks," said Star. "You look really pretty too. I love that dress."

"Could I get a high chair for Mariposa?" Angie asked.

Moon clapped her hands. "Manfred!"

In less than a few seconds, Manfred came over and put a cushioned, wooden high chair in the seat next to Angie across from Eclisse.

"Thank you," Angie said before sitting her baby in the high chair. Mariposa, in response, blew a raspberry and swung her little feet.

"Adorable little thing." Queen Moon looked over at Jackie. "And you must be Marco's girlfriend. Janna, correct?"

Jackie raised her eyebrow at Marco, who shrugged and smiled apologetically. "It's Jackie, actually, your highness. Janna is another friend of ours."

"Oh, my apologies." said the Queen. "How silly of me to get your name wrong."

"If it makes you feel any better, I think a lot of people confuse me and Janna when they think 'Marco's girlfriend.'" Jackie offered.

"You're Marco's girlfriend?" River asked. "I must say, nicely done, my boy."

"Yes, you're quite the lovely young lady, Jackie." Moon agreed. "Are you royalty, by chance?"

"I am not, no." Jackie replied with a small chuckle, "Sorry to disappoint."

"Is dinner ready yet?" Star quickly asked, gripping the edge of her table tightly. "Let's get dinner started already, why don't we? I'm so hungry, I could eat a warnicorn."

"I've eaten a warnicorn before," said River. "It was tough and stringy. Couldn't tenderize it well enough with a war hammer." The king let out a sad sigh. "Oh, Thunder. You were a good warnicorn."

"Well, I don't have any warnicorn, but we did bring a few other things," Angie said, gesturing to the food containers and the bottle of mezcal Raphael had set on the table.

"Earth liquor! Now we're talking!" River grabbed the bottle and popped the top off.

"River!" Moon scolded before the king could chug down any of the booze.

"Oh, alright." River put the bottle back down.

Moon grunted and shook her head. "Manfred. Tell the chefs to bring dinner in, please."

"Yes, your highness." Mafred took out a golden bell and, grabbing the wooden handle between his thumb and index finger, rang the bell. Soon after he did, the chefs came into the dining hall pushing metal marts covered with silver plates and trays. To Marco's delight, it wasn't just corn-based meals. There were still a lot of corn-based dishes, but there were also several meats being placed on the table.

"You guys really do eat a lot of corn," Jackie commented as he watched the chefs place corn on the cob, corn pudding, corn casserole, cream corn, and several other corn dishes on the table.

"I see some meat on the table this time," Marco noted happily.

"Yes, we thought you humans would appreciate more of a variety for dinner," said Queen Moon. "River's family are dedicated huntsmen, so we also get a supply of meats from the Johansen Kingdom. We normally only prepare the meats for when River's family comes over."

"Why do your people eat so much corn?" Angie asked as her meal was placed in front of her.

"Corn is the traditional dish of Mewni." the Queen explained. "As Mewmans, we eat it for every meal. We believe corn to be the greatest of all crops, and eating it makes us Mewmans strong and resilient to all disease and sickness."

"You eat it for every meal?" Raphael asked in bewilderment. "Don't you get sick of it?"

"Careful, dad. The kitchen staff already hates me for questioning the corn." Marco looked over and watched as the chefs all glared daggers at him as they exited the dining hall.

"Alright, the food's here." River stated. "May I drink now?"

"Very well, but don't go overboard like you did when we went to the Cloud Kingdom," said Moon.

"Hey, King Pony Head started that drinking challenge, not me." River protested. "I made the mistake of challenging a huge horse head to a drinking game."

Moon rolled her eyes. "Dig in everyone."

At the Queen's command, everyone picked up their silverware and began eating. Except for River, who went straight for the mezcal and chugged down half the bottle. The look on his face suggested he loved and the look on Queen Moon's face suggested she wasn't all that happy with her husband. To keep herself from shouting at him, she decided to focus on someone else. Her gaze fell on the blonde woman wearing the glasses, seated next to Jacke.

"You must be Mariposa's nanny," said Moon. "You've been awfully quiet so far, tell me about yourself."

Eclisse gulped and put her fork down. Star and Marco both shifted nervously in their seats.

"Oh, there's not much to tell, really," said Eclisse, her American accent laid a little thick. "I…enjoy yoga."

Queen Moon blinked then stared curiously at the nanny. "I'm sorry. What did you say your name was?"

"Eclisse," she replied. "I go by Eclisse Farfalla."

"You…seem familiar, for some reason." Moon narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at Eclisse. "It's so strange, but I feel as though we've met before."

Eclisse let out a nervous laugh. "That is strange. So very strange. So strange, in fact, that it doesn't need any further questioning."

"Mariposa's a baby," said Star. "Just…just so everyone knows."

"Uh, you know, Jackie does sports." Marco tagged in. "Right, Jackie?"

"Yeah, I love sports," said Jackie. "I'm the captain of my soccer team, I love surfing and I love to skateboard."

"It's true, she rarely goes anywhere without a skateboard," Marco confirmed.

"We…do not have 'soccer' or 'skateboard' here in Mewni," said Moon. "We have surfing, though."

"Okay, that's something," said Jackie. "You guys should really look into some Earth sports. King River, I think you'd really like football. It involves a lot of brute strength and tackling."

"I'm sold."

"I think you've won more than a few trophies for Echo Creek High, right?" Angie asked.

"And a few for myself too, yeah."

This earned a laugh around the table.

"You know what's really cool? Warnicorn riding," said Star. "I happen to be a natural at it. First time I got on a warnicorn, I rode him across all of Mewni. Right, Dad?"

"Ah, yes. We had to send a search party after her that didn't catch up to the little sprite until she reached the beaches of the Waterfolk Kingdom." River reminisced. "I think she must have crashed through three houses, trampled over five gardens, and she came this close to killing a guy." River let out a laugh. "She was only six."

"I sure was," Star stated proudly.

"Was the guy you almost killed okay?" Marco asked.

"Well, that depends on your definition of 'okay.'" Star admitted. "He lived, though."

"Here's hoping it was a life happily lived," Marco muttered.

"I should take you warnicorn riding sometime, Marco," Star offered. "You'll love it."

"I've never been horseback riding before," said Marco. "Riding a dragoncycle, now that's fun."

"You still haven't taken me on a ride on your dragoncycle," said Jackie. "You promised you would."

"Take it from a married man, Marco; don't make promises you won't keep." River warned.

"Ho, boy, ain't that the truth," said Raphael.

An evil look from their wives shut the both of them up.

"Hey, is Janna still in the Underworld?" Jackie asked Marco. "I haven't heard from her ever since she sent me that selfie of her with that demon dude."

"Yeah, she's still down there," said Marco. "And to be perfectly honest, it's not Janna I'm worried about."

"I think Janna can seriously do better," Star said. "Tom can be a bit of a hothead sometimes."

"That demon guy?" Jackie asked. "Do you know him?"

"Yeah, we dated for a little bit," Star said. "It didn't work out."

"You dated a demon?" Jackie marveled. "Dang, girl."

"Oh, please. You're telling me you never went out with any devilish boys before landing on Marco?" Star asked.

"I mean, I'm not saying I had a lot of boyfriends before Marco," Jackie rolled her wrist. "But…yeah, I know what dating a jerk is like."

"So, yeah, sometimes it just doesn't work out," Star said. "Happens all the time."

The adults all glanced at each other.

"So...I hear Marco's never gotten below an A- before," said Eclisse.

"Mawco," said the baby.

"Yeah, Marco's a smart one," Angie stated proudly. "Always has been."

"I can't for the life of me tell you where he gets it from," Raphael said. "God left one heck of a tip when he gave us that kid."

"Heh. The two of you make one sublime pairing." River commented to Marco and Jackie. "Marco's smarts and skills, Jackie's pretty face and love for sports. Imagine the baby the two of them will make."

Star, Marco, and Jackie all either choked on their food or did a spit-take with their drinks. They all coughed up what got caught in their throats as Eclisse and Mariposa giggled at the display.

"River!" Queen Moon scolded.

"Sorry, my dear." River lifted up the bottle of mezcal. "This stuff's got a kick. Woof."

"I told you we should've just brought some chardonnay," Angie told Raphael.

"You know, Marco, Mewni could use an intellectual of your professorial abilities," said Moon, attempting to change the subject for the kids' sake. "If you're interested in the future, I can always give you a position of high status and high pay here in Mewni. All over Mewni, mind you. A man of your talents would be in high demand."

"Uh, well, I," Marco pulled on his collar, still feeling a little embarrassed from River's comment. "That's really nice of you, Queen Moon, but-"

"I think that would be awesome!" Star pitched in. "I think Mewni would be a totally better place if you decided to stick around long-term."

"I always figured Marco would end up going to a top-level college and become a doctor of something," said Jackie. "Medicine, brain surgery, psychology, possibly all of it."

"I mean, I would assume medicine and brain surgery would go hand-in-hand," Marco said. "A minor in psychology would work. And maybe another one in math-"

"He just might, yeah." said Star. "And then he could become a professor or something here in Mewni."

"Does Mewni even have colleges?" Jackie asked. "Naw, I bet Marco will end up becoming a professor back on Earth at MIT or Harvard or Yale. One of those Ivy league places."

"Actually, MIT isn't Ivy league." said Marco. "I hear Columbia University is pretty cool. It's a long way from California, but-"

"Marco could definitely be a professor at one of those places." Star propped her head up with her arm. "But, I think Marco would be a much more influential figure if he decided to base his work here in Mewni."

"He could do a lot of good here in Mewni, totally." Jackie grabbed her goblet of grape juice and took a long sip. "He could do a lot of good back on Earth, too, where he belongs."

Marco looked back and forth between Star and Jackie on either side of him. "...Uh-"

"Where he belongs." Star echoed. "I suppose 'where he belongs' is wherever makes him happy."

"Wouldn't Marco be happy on Earth?" Jackie asked.

"He could also be happy in Mewni," said Star. "Possibly happier. Possibly."

"Possibly." Jackie nodded. "Because anything's possible, right?"

"Nothing's set in stone." Star agreed. "Impossible is just a word."

"Yeah, the multiverse is filled with endless possibilities. Who knows what's gonna happen?" said Jackie. "I guess, all that we can do is whatever we believe makes sense. Marco's the smartest guy I know. Whatever he chooses to do with his life, you can bet it'll be the right choice. The smart choice. The choice that makes sense."

"Mawco," said Mariposa.

The dinner table was quiet. Jackie drank her juice and Star twiddled her fork between her fingers. Everyone else just awkwardly picked and prodded their food, taking the occasional bite.

"Eh, so, Eclisse, how long have you been the Diaz family nanny?" Queen Moon asked.

"Oh, well, soon after Marco started working for you, Angie and Raphael hired me," said Eclisse. "They needed someone to watch Mariposa with Marco gone."

"She's been a terrific nanny," said Angie. "Mariposa just loves her."

"Mawco."

"Not as much as Marco, though. She hasn't gotten that many points."

"Are you married, Ms., eh, Farfalla, was it?" Moon asked.

"I…was, yes. Twice, actually." Eclisse rubbed her gloved hands. "My first marriage was nothing short of a regrettable mistake. My second marriage was with the only man I'll ever love…he's gone."

"Oh, dear. I'm so sorry," said Moon. "Any children?"

"One with my first husband, and one with my second." Eclisse stared down at her dinner. "I was…never able to be a part of either of their lives."

Eclisse's American accent dropped for one second. It was brief, but Moon must've noticed it. She blinked and tilted her head. "...I'm sorry, I can't shake the feeling that I know you from somewhere."

Eclisse straightened up in alarm. "W-well, wouldn't that be impossible?" Eclisse asked with a reapplied American accent. "Marco's the first person from Earth, where I am indeed from, to ever go to Mewni."

"Yes, I suppose," said Moon, but she still didn't seem entirely convinced.

"Marco might be from another dimension, but he's made quite the name for himself here in Mewni," said King River. "First, he saved the lives of all of those princesses at St. Olga's from being taken by Monsters."

"You didn't tell me about that," Jackie said to Marco.

"I had to wade through a sewer. It wasn't a tale I found worth reminiscing over," said Marco.

"Those princesses are still writing letters to Marco," said Star. "Every day, the castle gets a huge bag of love letters from princesses all across the multiverse."

Jackie looked over at Marco, who pulled on his collar nervously. "I-I never actually reply to any of those letters."

"Did Marco tell you about the fifteen years he spent in the Neverzone?" River asked Angie and Raphael. "The most dangerous dimension in the known multiverse, and Marco survived fifteen years there."

"But… he's fifteen." Angie pointed out.

"Time works differently in the Neverzone," Marco explained. A few minutes in our world is a few decades in the Neverzone. I was thirty by the time I completed the challenge."

"Oh, yeah. You do part-time work in the Neverzone," Jackie remembered. "Your boss is Hekapoo, that long-haired, red-head, demon-genie chick from Star's first trip to Earth."

"He hangs out with Hekapoo a lot in the Neverzone," said Star. "Oh, and, did I tell you that his thirty-year-old self is pretty ripped?"

Marco choked on his corn and blushed. "Cough, cough… Uh, it's, uh…it's a 'live or die' kind of environment in the Neverzone."

"He also got knighted." the King continued, chugging down the rest of Raphael's mezcal. "And he even got a squire. What was her name? That fierce, carrot-topped girl? The girl about your kids' age? The girl who pretty much loathed you but decided that she begrudgingly likes and respects you?"

"Thank you, papa," Star muttered under her breath.

Jackie looked over at Marco.

"We're friends," said Marco. "Being my squire helps her one day become a knight. It was…sort of our negotiation of peace. We kinda got off on the wrong foot when we first met. But, we're cool now."

"You and Kelly seem to get along pretty well, too," Star added. "Remember when you and Kelly fought each other? You were covered in bruises, but you still managed to win that fight."

"You got in a fistfight with a girl?" Angie crossed her arms. "Shame on you, Marco. I thought we taught you better."

"Oh, no. You don't have to worry, Mrs. Diaz." Star said. "See, Kelly's a Woollett. Her people love to fight. It actually makes up a lot of their culture and customs. For example, did you know that female Woolletts consider it to be incredibly romantic and attractive to be beaten in fair, hand-to-hand combat?"

"For real?" Marco asked. "...Hoo, boy."

"Uh-huh." Jackie finished off her juice and set her goblet down on the table. "Seems to me that a lot of girls have a crazy idea that they've got a shot with Marco."

Star smiled with enough force for her teeth to bite through brick. "Crazy, huh?"

Jackie met the princess's gaze coolly. "It's downright ridiculous, actually."

Again, the dining hall was filled with a tense and awkward silence as everyone ate their meals small bite by small bite. Marco began to sweat bullets as he sat between the two girls, feeling like he was in one of those rooms where the spiked walls close in on you.

"At least the focus is off of me," Eclisse muttered to herself.

Manfred walked into the dining hall. "Telegram for Sir. Diaz!" he announced, pulling a sheet of paper out from his coat. "It was sent by-"

"Oh, it's private, you say? We need to take it outside, you say? Well, okay then." Marco shot out of his seat and grabbed the startled Manfred, dragging him out of the dining hall.

With Marco gone, Star and Jackie returned to their meals, stabbing and chewing their food like they were trying to murder it.

Out in the main hall, Marco closed the doors to the dining hall and let out a long gasp of air. "Querido Dios. ¿Que demonios?"

"Eh, would you like me to give you your telegram now?" Manfred asked.

"Oh, sure. Hopefully, it's a long one." Marco took the paper from the castle servant. "Who sends a telegram? This is a medieval setting, not the 1920s." Marco read the telegram.

Marco STOP

Please get this wack job out of here and away from me STOP I cannot take her anymore STOP I am begging you STOP I will give you whatever you want if you just take her back STOP The crazy chick is just too much for me or anybody else STOP Sending an old school telegram was the only way for me to call for help without her catching on STOP She scares me STOP Heeeeeeeeeelp meeeeeeeeee STOP

Sincerely STOP

Thomas Draconius Luciter of the Underworld Kingdom STOP

Marco stared at the letter for a minute before letting out a laugh. "Oh, that is just great. Seriously, this…this is just what I needed right now."

Back in the dining hall, everyone quietly ate their meals. Even Mariposa didn't make any baby noises. Most of the tension seemed to be emitting from the two girls sitting across from the Diazes.

"So, Moon. Are there, eh, any monsters here in Mewni?" Angie asked simply to get a conversation going.

"Why yes, actually," Moon replied. "Mewni has had a monster problem for centuries."

"Monster problem?" Eclisse asked.

"Indeed. Mewmans and Monsters have been at odds since before the Kingdom was even established." Queen Moon tapped her chin with her finger. "As I recall from Glossaryck's lessons, it was Moe Butterfly, first to wield the magic wand, who began to fend off the Monsters who were terrorizing the Mewmans. Once Urania the First One began the royal monarchy, the war against the Monsters truly began."

"Can you even call it a war?" Eclisse remarked. "I imagine the Monsters barely stood a chance against magic as powerful as the kind Star can wield."

Moon narrowed her eyes at the nanny. "And what, pray tell, would you know about war?"

"I know about oppression and injustice," said Eclisse. "I know how fear and ignorance can fester into blind hatred."

"The Monsters killed my mother." Moon's tone had become cold. "They attempted to kidnap my daughter and many other princesses to do corn knows what to them."

"Taking into consideration the facts, assuming any of them have survived over the course of history, can you really blame them for their ire?"

Moon placed her hands down on the table and glared at Eclisse, who didn't back down under her gaze.

Marco came back into the dining hall, grinning down at the telegram he had gotten. "Hey, Star, you're gonna love this. I got an S.O.S. message from-" Marco stopped when he noticed the added tension in the room. "...I'll just sit back down now."

Marco took his seat between Star and Jackie, which resumed the feeling of sitting between two fires.

The rest of the dinner continued without another word.

"Thanks for having us over," Angie said as she and her family headed out of the dining hall. "The food was terrific."

"Thank you, my dear, for bringing the liquor." King River let out a loud hiccup. "Oof. That one…that one hurt."

Moon rolled her eyes before coming up to take Angie's hands in her own. "Thank you for dining with my family tonight. It was a pleasure to have you with us."

"Likewise, Moon." Angie smiled kindly. "Let's do it again sometime."

"Absolutely." Moon went over to Jackie, who held Mariposa in her arms. "It was very nice to meet you, Jackie. Thank you for dining with us."

"Thank you for having me," said Jackie.

Moon grinned as she gave Mariposa's belly a tickle, making the baby giggle. "And thank you for being able to join us, little one."

Mariposa stuck her tongue out. "Mmmmmmmmm."

"Awwww, so cute."

Marco gave his mom and dad a hug. "Give me a call whenever you or Mariposa miss me."

"Will do, son," said Raphael.

"Stay safe, sweetie," said Angie.

Marco went over to give Mariposa a kiss on the forehead. "See you later, Mariposa."

Mariposa grabbed Marco's finger. "Mawco."

Jackie grinned and gave Marco a kiss, making Marco blush. "I'll see you later, right?"

"Yeah, of course," said Marco. He pulled out his dimensional scissors and opened a portal back home.

"Goodbye, Moon! Goodbye, River!" Angie said before she and Raphael walked through the portal.

Eclisse gave Moon an almost amused look before walking through the portal. Queen Moon stared at the nanny sternly and curiously as she left the dimension.

Marco hummed nervously. "Um…I'm gonna go grab something out of my room back home. I'll be right back"

"Is it okay if I come with you?" Star asked. "I want to tuck in Mariposa."

Marco looked over at Queen Moon.

"I'm fine with that," said Moon.

Jackie's smile became a straight line. "Cool. Let's go." The three teens and the baby went through the portal.

Once the portal blinked away, River looked over at his wife. "So, you felt the tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife, right?"

"If you are about to say 'I told you so,' I strongly suggest you reconsider," Moon warned her husband.

River gulped and pulled on his collar. "Er, um, well, d-do you still think Marco is up to something?"

"All I feel now for that boy is a pity." Moon sighed and shook her head. "The only thing he's guilty of is struggling to maintain his relationship."

"It's just like I said; Marco's not hiding anything." River grunted. "Except maybe a few things from Jackie, but nothing I wouldn't hide from you, Moonpie."

Moon narrowed her eyes and growled. "...The nanny, though… River, did Eclisse seem…familiar to you?"

"No, not really," said River. "She's a human, when would we have ever met her?"

"I just felt…like I knew her." Without really thinking about it, Moon rubbed her gloved forearms. "There's just…a chill I feel from her."

"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing, dear. The woman is just the baby's nanny." River let out a yawn and walked away. "Welp, I'm heading to bed. Goodnight, Moonpie."

"Yes," Moon stared thoughtfully at the wall, rubbing her arms again. "Goodnight, River."

"Over, under, around and through."

"Grab the little Mewni rabbit, pull him through."

"Pinch it and fold it and tie it in a bow."

"Like two little bunny ears made out of dough."

"Over and under, wherever you roam."

"Sweet little Mewni rabbit, hop back home."

Star draped the little blanket over the sleeping baby, who sucked her thumb as she cuddled her Marco-teddy bear.

Star gushed over the infant in the crib. "She's soooooo cute."

"Is that a Mewman lullaby you sang to her?" Jackie asked softly, so as to not wake up Mariposa.

"My grandma used to sing it to my mom when she was a baby. And my mom sang it to me when I was a baby." Star said. "My grandma loved to cook and bake with my mom. When I was little, Mom and I would bake pies together."

"Awwww."

"Yeah." Star smiled at the memory, then frowned and sighed. "Jackie…I'm sorry. Things got a little…weird between us back there at dinner."

Jackie chewed on her lip and nodded. "Yeah, it did."

"Look, Jackie, I-"

"Want Marco to become a part of your world," said Jackie. "And I want Marco to stay a part of my world."

"He…could be both," Star said unconvincingly. "Why couldn't he be?"

"Don't you think it would be kinda difficult to live in two worlds at once?" Jackie asked.

"He has dimensional scissors."

"That's not what I meant," said Jackie. "You want Marco to have a future in Mewni doing what, exactly? Aside from being your second-in-command?"

Star blushed. "So, what, you're saying that Marco should just go back to his old life?" she asked. "No more Mewni? No more magic? No more being successful?"

"He can be successful on Earth," said Jackie. "He can go to college and become a doctor or whatever he wants."

"He can be so much more in Mewni, though," Star argued.

"You mean he can be yours in Mewni."

Star blushed again.

"Star…" Jackie rubbed her temples in frustration. "I like you. Honestly, I think you're cool. But, Marco is my boyfriend. And, I think you need to respect that."

"I do respect that, Jackie," Star said. "I just…you can't really control how you feel about someone, you know?"

"I guess it all boils down to which world Marco ends up choosing," Jackie said. "And which girl he ends up choosing."

Star looked away and gripped her arm, looking guilty.

Jackie tilted her head and offered a small smile. "...You said Marco gets ripped when he turns thirty?"

Star blinked and stifled a giggle. "Probably sooner. I just found him in the Neverzone ripped and thirty." the princess took out her compact mirror and pulled up the picture she took. "He ends up looking something like this."

Jackie stared at the picture and her eyes inflated. "...Okay…okay…Yeah, I can work with that."

"I can do a whole lot more with that."

Star and Jackie shared a suppressed laugh, doing their best not to wake up Mariposa. The two girls finally got their laughing under control and smiled at each other.

"We…we weren't being fair to Marco during dinner," said Star. "At least, I know I wasn't."

"No, we both were being unfair," Jackie said. "We shouldn't be pressuring Marco like that. We both care about him. And I know he cares about us both."

"Yeah," Star nodded. "Marco…has a lot on his plate. We shouldn't be making things any harder for him."

Where is Marco?" Jackie asked.

"Oh, uh, I think he's comparing babysitting notes with Eclipsa-I mean, with Eclisse," said Star.

Jackie chuckled. "That guy…he is just the sweetest guy, isn't he?"

"Yeah." Star smiled at the floor. "Yeah, he is."

"So, dinner went well," Eclipsa said as she brushed her once-again-green hair in front of her mirror. Her eyes and skin were back to normal as well, her spade cheek marks displayed brightly against her pale skin.

"I think you and I differ greatly on the meaning of 'well.'" Marco said as he paced back and forth in Eclipsa's room.

The Queen of Darkness chuckled. She was wearing a pink, fluffy bathrobe and a pair of matching big, fluffy slippers. "They are both quite smitten with you. And by the looks of it, they're ready to go to war over you."

Marco groaned and sat down on Eclipsa's bed. His bowtie was loosened and untied against his chest. "It never rains, but it sure as hell pours."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, my dear." Eclipsa began to put in her hair curlers. "It's just two girls competing for a boy. Hardly anything new."

"They want me to choose between Mewni or Earth," Marco said. "They want me to choose between…the two of them."

"Back in my day, such disputes were settled with swords," said Eclipsa. "Or whatever the choice of weapon was."

"Gee, that's helpful," Marco remarked sarcastically. "Well, at least Queen Moon didn't recognize you."

"She came close, though." Eclipsa finished putting in her curls and came over to sit down next to Marco. "Let me see your arms, please."

"What?" Marco asked in confusion.

Instead of answering, Eclipsa grabbed Marco's arm and pulled back his sleeve, examining his arm carefully.

"Hey, what are you-"

Eclipsa grabbed his other arm and repeated the process, examining closely Marco's forearm.

"No marks," she muttered. "Good, good. It hasn't stained you."

"What are you talking about?" Marco asked.

Eclipsa hesitated before letting out a sigh and talking off the pink gloves she was wearing with her bathrobe. Marco gasped in shock as she pulled back her sleeves, showing off the pitch-black stain that covered her hands and forearms and reached toward her upper arms.

Marco stared at her inky arms with wide eyes. "...I guess I know why you're always wearing gloves now."

"And so does Queen Moon," said Eclipsa. "These stains are caused by dark magic. I got these stains shortly after I started practicing dark magic. Moon only used one, powerful, dark magic spell, and her arms were stained just as mine are."

Marco blinked. "Dark magic can do that? It…it doesn't hurt, does it?"

"No, sweetheart. They don't hurt me," said Eclipsa. "They're more of a brand than anything. The hands that perform the arts of darkness shall be marked for their abilities."

"Is that a quote from something?"

"No, I just now made that up."

"It was good."

"Thank you."

Marco looked down at his hands. "Not that I'm complaining, but how come my arms don't look like that?"

"My guess? Because you got your magic straight from the Blood Moon itself," said Eclipsa. "Regardless, I want you to be careful."

"When am I not careful?" Marco asked.

"Ah, yes. My apologies for telling the Safe Kid to be careful."

"Oh, come on."

Eclipsa laughed. She then folded her hands on her lap and took a deep breath.

"...Marco…have you found anything about what happened to my daughter?"

Marco frowned and looked away in a guilty manner. "No, I…I haven't. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Eclipsa replied softly.

"Eclisse, I want to help you. I really do." Marco said. "But I can't mess up around these people."

"I know. It's okay, Marco." Eclipsa placed a hand on Marco's shoulder and planted a kiss on his forehead. "You know, you remind me of Globgor sometimes. He was also a sweetheart who felt nervous and guilty all the time, even when things were out of his control. The two of you would've gotten along well."

"What was he like?" Marco asked.

Eclipsa closed her eyes and smiled sadly. "He was…my first true friend. And then…he became my one true love. Globgor, he..."

She opened her eyes and smiled up at the ceiling. "He saved me."

In the peaceful woods, sitting on a fallen tree near a slow-moving creek, the Princess of Mewni sobbed into her hands. Despite the pleasant and soothing atmosphere, the young girl felt no amount of jubilation. She had fled the castle wearing only her nightgown, so she had to magically conjure up a traveling cloak and a pair of shoes. It hardly mattered to the princess either way, though. All she wanted was to be alone.

Actually, all she wanted was an end to the misery. The princess knew there was a river about a mile north of where she was. And she knew it was a deep river. Perhaps if she filled her pockets with rocks-

"Hello."

Eclipsa let out a frightened shout and swung her parasol-wand like a club, sending the small, maroon-colored creature flying into the creek. It sank into the water with a plop.

Eclipsa stared at the water fearfully, waiting to see if the creature would come back. And it did. The two-foot, maroon-skinned creature staggered out of the creek water, rubbing the bump on his head. He had darker-colored tiger stripes and a thick, muscular build. His four yellow eyes had slitted pupils, he had pointy ears and nose, short horns, and fanged teeth. He had shaggy, purple-tinted, white hair, and the only clothing he wore was a pair of green briefs.

"Ow." the creature said. "You…you pack a wallop."

"Sorry," Eclipsa said. "You scared me."

"I shrunk down to two feet so I wouldn't scare you." the monster said. "I guess it's safe to say it didn't work."

"Are you not normally so small?" the princess asked.

"Well, actually, no." the Monster talked with his hands a lot, looking nervous as he talked. "See, uh, I'm what's called a Size-Shifter. I can be whatever size I want to be."

Eclipsa tilted her head. "Why…why did you shrink down just to talk to me?"

"Uh, uh, well, I, you see, uh…" the monster scratched his wrists and couldn't look in the same direction for more than a single second. "I…I was just passing by when I heard you crying." he rubbed the back of his head. "I was about to just leave you alone, but then I thought to myself 'Hey, come on. You can't just leave her here all alone and all sad.' And then I thought to myself 'But wait, she's going to be terrified of you. She's a Mewman.' So then, I thought to myself 'Hey, how about I shrink down really small? That way, she won't be afraid of you.' And then I came up and said 'hello,' and then you swung your umbrella and proved that I was wrong."

Eclipsa stared down at the little Monster for a second before letting out a chuckle. "You are adorable."

The Monster blushed a little.

The princess patted the spot next to her on the fallen tree. The Monster's blush increased a little bit before he awkwardly clambered up onto the tree next to Eclipsa.

"You can grow back to your normal size," Eclipsa said. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Oh, uh, o-okay." Like an inflating balloon, the Monster grew until he was a few feet taller than Eclipsa. "How, uh…how's this?"

Eclipsa smiled. Now that he was his regular size, she could see that he was a young Monster. Probably not much older than she was. "I like it."

The Monster blushed again and set hands down on the tree on either side of him, drumming his claws along the bark.

"I'm Globgor, by the way," he said. "My, uh, my name is Globgor."

"Eclipsa," the princess replied.

"The princess. Yeah, I know," said Globgor. "That…um…was kinda the main reason why I was afraid to talk to you. Uh, no offense, I just-"

"It's okay, I get it," Eclipsa said. "I imagine you and your people have nightmares about my mother."

"To be fair, we have nightmares about all of the Queens of Mewni." Globgor shrugged. "But…your mom is particularly terrifying, yeah. It's Meteora the Relentless all over again."

"My mom sort of idolizes her, yes." Upon mentioning her mother, Eclipsa frowned and let out a sad sigh.

Globgor looked at the princess in concern. "...Why are you out here?"

"You first."

"Oh. Well, I…" Globgor took a deep breath. "I just needed to get some fresh air. You know how the Monsters have a king or queen?"

"It's a sort of election among your people, right?"

"Yeah, the Monsters choose somebody that they trust and feel safe under to be their King or Queen. And…well, everybody's been talking about how I'm gonna be the next Monster King."

"You don't say?" Eclipsa asked.

"Yeah, but I can't be the Monster King," Globgor said. "That's a huge responsibility. I can't be the King of the Monsters, but it's all anybody talks about. I'm all for protecting my people, but being the King? I just…it's a lot, you know?"

"You're telling this to the future Queen of Mewni."

"Ooo, yeah. That-that's fair, yeah," said Globgor. "So, is that why you're out here? Just dreading the day you're gonna have to be the Queen?"

"Indeed." Eclipsa clenched her fists. "Because when I do become Queen, I'm going to have to marry a royal pig who my mother arranged for me to wed upon my coronation."

"Oh, geez," said Globgor. "Is he at least an okay person?"

"He's horrid," said Eclipsa. "And I'm going to have to marry him." The princess shook with fury. "How could Mother do this to me?!"

"Woah, woah. Easy." Globgor said, attempting to calm down the seething princess. "Alright, yeah. That sounds pretty awful. And here I was talking about my problems. I'm…I'm sorry…I don't know what else to say."

"You don't have to say anything." Eclipsa sniffled. "Can I just…can I just lean into you and cry? That's all I really want to do."

"Um…" Globgor blinked. "Yeah, go ahead."

Eclipsa scooted over and leaned her head against Globgor, who blushed at her touch. The princess began to cry and whimper on the Monster's arm.

"...I should…I should probably confess that I've eaten Mewmans before." Globgor coughed into his fist. "Uh, but-but only out of self-defense and to protect the other Monsters. I don't…I don't enjoy it, I swear."

"I don't care," Eclipsa sniveled. "How about you do me a favor and eat me? Go ahead and take that stupid wand, do whatever you want with it, and then eat me."

"...I...I don't wanna do that."

"My life is destined to be nothing but sorrow and misery," Eclipsa cried. "Responsibilities are one thing, but what's the point if I have to cry myself to sleep every night and loathe the life I live? If my fate is to feel dead inside, I might as well go with the feeling and get it over with."

Globgor looked at the princess with great concern. After a moment of hesitation, Globgor reached his other arm over and gently placed a comforting hand on Eclipsa's back. Eclipsa, in return, leaned in a little more as she continued to cry and whimper.

Globgor, everybody! As a teenager, but still! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please let me know what you thought in your reviews, and have a good one.

Until next time!