It's time. It's time for Star Butterfly to show her true form. Hope you all enjoy.

Highly recommend you play the song 'Undefeatable' from Sonic Frontiers while reading this chapter.

Special thanks to Rick Rolland for feedback on the chapter and Blackwolf for the core idea for this chapter.

"Mom? Why does the wand glow when we touch it?"

"Oh dear, it reacts to our wishes sweetie."

"Wishes? I thought Daddy said the wand just beats up monsters."

"Your father and his love of the 'hunt'... Hopefully you don't grow up to be brudish like him."

"Can I hold it?"

"Of course, my little Starlight."

"Wow! It looks like the sky…"

"You know, I named you after the sky."

"Huh?""The sky… Is filled with shining stars, giving hope across Mewni. And one day, I will be up there, watching over you."

"But you will always be here!"

"One day I won't be and you have to be a strong girl for me, okay Star?"

Star's body was radiating a powerful golden aura, magic shooting out of every pore on her skin. This sensation made her skin crawl, but at the same time made Star have a dark grin on her face.

How Star activated such power within her she didn't fully understand, seeing faint images of her partner looking utterly devastated and holding some small creature looking very much like him. Was it their daughter? His family? Or was she imagining things?

Looking squarely at the terrified demon before her, Star instantly knew why she had so much magic following through her.

"You die today, Thomas Lucitor."

Tom made a weak laugh, channeling fire into his clawed hands and huffed out faint embers from his nostrils.

"I'm a demon, Starship."

"Then your suffering will be long and painful, then."

Tom recoiled at what sounded like hundreds of voices escaping Star's lips at once but shook it off, shooting into the air on a jet-stream of flames and charging up a powerful fire spell. Star folded her six arms, looking unamused as the massive fireball came her way.

Using only one of her six arms, she caught the fireball. Despite moving at high speeds, it stayed in place, with Star throwing the fireball right back at Tom. The demon used a flaming shield to block the attack but realized too late it was a distraction.

Star charged right into him, a golden aura following her every moment. The high speed of the impact sent Tom flying backward, with Star dashing toward him again and launching a furry of painful punches. She finished off the barrage of attacks with a powerful kick, every attack leaving behind powerful magically-charged after images to amplify each hit.

Tom was sent through various buildings, with demons and creatures of all kinds looking in awe at their king weakly laying on the ground.

"Alright.. Time I stopped playing around, Starship."

He dusted off his now torn suit, fixing his tie and letting out a bellowing demonic scream that echoed across Mewni. Star looked beneath her, using her wings to fly higher into the sky as the ground beneath her broke apart.

Lava was shooting out from the cracks, with Tom waving his arms as if he was controlling it. Star effortlessly bobbed and weaved through the flaming pillars, starred eyes locked on to Tom a few feet ahead of her.

She clenched three hands into a fist, moving them at the same time to land another powerful punch. The golden afterimage hit Tom head on, canceling Tom's lava spell and getting him dazed. Star used her wand to make a golden-rainbow lasso, grabbing a nearby building and lifting it off the ground.

Tom's three eyes widened as the building came crashing down on him. Star then followed up the attack with holding the wand high up into the sky and closing her eyes to focus. Her mind was a jumbled mess but she remembered one of her first spells Moon taught her.

"Golden Warnicorn Stampede!"

Raining down from the sky were golden warnicorns, their horns comically large as they dive-bombed right into the ruins that covered Tom's body. One by one they struck Tom, forcing the demon to stay put as the ground around him cracked and weakened.

One final warincorn crashed into Tom, but he was able to catch it. He threw the magical creature right back at Star. She held out her five hands, digging her heels into the ground as the speed Tom threw the creature was faster than she expected.

Star was unable to counter the attack, looking behind her and colliding into the Heartbreak Hotel. She shook off the rubble, looking around the confused and frankly terrified partitions. She was going to speak but Tom charged into her, holding her in a vice-grip and faintly mumbling demonic chants.

She focused all her magic into the legs, stomping her heels and recalling a childhood spell.

"Magical Escape Beam!"

Channeling the magic into her feet, her and Tom were sent flying in the air, the two now high above Ember Village. Star focused her magic into her arms, breaking free from Tom's hold and grabbing him with her own arms.

"S-Starship?"

Part of Star felt pity seeing the fear in his eyes but that feeling was replaced with raw furry looking at this scum in her arms. Feeling disgusted at this mutt, she pushed him back and latched on a golden tether to his chest.

She threw him around and around, before making a mighty threw into the Lava Lakes beneath them. Flying down toward the falling demon, Tom was able to use a steam of fire just before he hit the lava, hastily rolling on the burning sands of Lava Lake Beach.

"Thank Satan… Not ready for another Lava Bath…"

"Do not thank your God yet, when she is going to kill you right now."

Tom spat out some fire from his mouth, cracking his neck and digging his claws into the ground.

"Ego much, Starship?"

Star felt something grabbing her legs, looking down and seeing skeleton hands firmly keeping her feet bound to the ground.

"I'm the one with followers."

Star used her free hands to swat away the skeleton arms trying to keep her arms in place, letting her golden aura coat her entire body. She focused on the image of a human, one with a cute little mole.

Marco…

Star's golden form fizzled for a moment, but she quickly regained control over her magic. Emitting a small magical blast, her and Tom were sent aback.

The two were huffing from the powerful displays of magic being used, with Star's eyes now blue once more and realizing what's been going on.

I… I was fighting Tom. After… After he killed Marco's sister.

She shook her head and grit her teeth, gripping the wand in one hand and taking out her sword with the other. The wand shifted its form, now resembling a golden blade contrasting with the darkness infused one Marco gave her.

"Stand down, Tom." Star held both blades offensively, with her other sets of hands glowing with charged up magic. "You know I can easily beat your sorry butt."

"All for some stupid human?" Tom scoffed, letting his furry take hold and charging hellfire into his palm. "Pathetic!"

Star slashed the flaming pillar sent her way clean in half, the flames colliding into citizens hanging out on the beach. She recoiled at the screams they were making, not realizing people were around them.

Her blood froze for a brief moment, realizing she was fighting in Ember Village earlier.

Did… Did I kill innocent people?

Star felt her mind flash to the Monster War, faintly recalling her royal guard telling her about casualties caused by…

She shook her head, feeling that odd furry return and her eyes once again glowing with her namesake.

Remembering how Marco used that strange portal magic, Star jumped up into the sky and threw both her wand and the sword into the Lava Lake Beach. She used her free hands to guide the blades around the civilized area, making a golden and darkness-covered shield around her citizens.

She held out her hands, both blades returning back to her arms and turning her attention to Tom.

"...Why do you care? These aren't even your people, Star." Tom asked dumbfounded, charging up magic into his hands and slamming his palms together. Blue fire wisps started circling around Star, confused at Tom's spell.

But she suddenly felt weakened, as if her magic was being drained from her.

Oh no you don't!

She turned her wand into a small shield and gripped the darkness-blade with both hands. She made a sweeping slash around her, creating a golden and purple rift. It was sucking up the wisps and even some of the sand around them. Once all the wisps were sucked up, Star gripped the blade, canceling the spell.

But to Star's surprise, her body was beginning to feel winded. Looking down at her arms, the extra sets of them were gone and her golden aura vanished.

Tom looked pleased with himself, but Star matched his grin with one of her own.

Still got the wand…

The two of them wordlessly shot volleys of magic at one another, dark flames colliding into beautiful pinks and blues. For the people behind the magical dome Star made, they were watching their future rulers almost making a light show of some kind for them.

But for Star, her mind studied Tom and felt so… confused. Star knew Tom her entire life, knowing things best friends would know about one another.

He annoyingly enjoyed burnt toast in the morning.

He hated the metal music Star liked blasting, preferring the poppy stuff Pony Head insisted she listened too.

How he was only half demon, with Star being one of the only ones he trusted with that knowledge.

He had a pet bunny named Fuffles that he refused to show to anyone but her.

And he loves me.

That single thought pinned Star to the ground, looking at her heels and feeling angry tears fall from her eyes.

"You think… I wanted this?"

Tom paused his strikes, taking a step back and stared at Star as she snuffled.

"You think I want to hate you?"

Tom took another step back, with Star taking a step forward.

"...I loved you too, Tommy."

"Starship…" He took a step forward, reaching out his hand and trying to wipe her tears away. But he was shocked with Star grabbing his hand in a vice grip. Her body was slowly glowing golden once more, Star's tears being burned away at the magic building up inside.

"But now you are just an enemy."

She grabbed him with her other sets of arms, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"You never knew me, Tom."

Channeling all her magic within her, Tom squirmed as she squeezed him as hard as she could. Focusing all her furry, rage, sadness and regret into one single magical blast. A booming explosion erupted between them, with the dust settling soon after.

Star was laying on the ground, magic completely drained from her system. Her eyes were locked on the Blood Moon above her, proudly shining over Star as if she did the right thing. Closing her eyes and finally resting, she just sighed in relief at her and Tom's story finally reaching its final chapter.

She felt someone tap her shoulder, with Star carelessly taking their held out hand. But opening her eyes, she realized it was Tom that helped her up. Star tried channeling any form of magic, but nothing was happening.

"T-That was a powerful attack, babe." Tom coughed, spitting out magma from his scorched face. He looked very much like a sickly demon instead of his more charmed ruler of Hell look. "But clearly, you got all your angries out."

"L-Let me go!" Star tried pulling away from Tom but his grip was too strong.

"After that display, I'm never letting you go again." Tom laughed, shaking his head as if Star told a joke. "My mistake with you was acting like my Mom. Loving, kind and respectful."

Star felt her blood freeze seeing the downright evil look in his three eyes, only made worse with a dark grin on his lips.

"Dad was right. If you need to control everything and everyone." Tom looked down at Star's hand, a twisted smile forming on his face. "And look at that, even though you slept with the human, you still kept our ring on."

Star was speechless, fear taking hold and being unsure what to do.

"I got a curse enchanted on that, but you know, canceled it since I was a nice guy." He grabbed Star's other hand and started channeling his demon magic into her. "Let's make our union a permanent one, love."

Star felt her life flash before her eyes, feeling her freedom slipping through her fingertips as Tom's magic entered her body.

She closed her eyes and thought about one person she wished she could've spent more time with before her destiny caught up with her.

"Remember our promise, Star?"

Star's eyes opened the instant she heard Marco's voice, seeing him boldly stand between herself and Tom.

Marco pushed Tom back using a sword slash, the demon looking baffled at the human showing up out of nowhere. Star looked on the ground, seeing that the darkness-blade was right by her feet and it was faintly glowing.

"Too late human, I already have…"

Star grabbed the blade laying on the ground, looking at her throbbing hand. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Star's mind flashed many memories of her time with Tom. Joyful, angry, somber, and even bitter ones came one after another.

One memory lingered, it being of being at the alter with Tom. The demon gently putting a ring on her finger after a rocky date and promising her the world and a future together.

She grit her teeth, opening her eyes and using the darkness blade to cut off the finger Tom's ring was on. She hissed in pain, blood leaking from her wound.

Marco rushed over, passing Star the wand and she was able to use its magic to cauterize the wound.

"Y-You were saying, Thomas?" Star gripped the wand with both hands, reverting back to its normal form. She refused to look down at her shaking hands, a mixture of fear and rage overcoming her.

He… He was going to…

Star grit her teeth, taking a step forward and shoving away the dark storm clouding her mind. But the gentle touch of Marco's hand got her attention, looking toward him as he stood next to her, wielding both darkness swords in his hands.

They looked at one another, blue meeting faint brown.

Marco's eyes widened, as if he was reading her own thoughts. In an instant, the faint brown was replaced with an ablaze purple and he charged into Tom.

Tom weakly made a flaming shield around him, blocking his cross slash with ease. "How could you even consider doing that to Star?!"

He made a weak laugh, shoving his hands forward and making the shield pulsate. Marco was pushed backward, entering a combative stance. Tom took a deep breath as the dark magic of the Lucitor kingdom was slowly flowing into his open palms.

"I'm the Mewni's KING, you pathetic little roach." Tom exhaled, the magic around him giving him a bloody red aura. "Everything in this kingdom is MINE. Star Butterfly is MINE!" Tom shoved both his hands toward Marco, releasing a surge of pent up dark magic.

Marco stood his ground, using his blades to block the attack. He felt his clothes burn with flames and ash as the grip on his swords weakened. He was going to stop hanging on, bending his knee and letting Tom's attack consume him whole.

"NO!"

Star shouted, standing right next to Marco and using her wand to support him. The two of them stood, hand in hand, hanging to the other side of Tom's attack.

"We won't back down!"

Star grit her teeth, digging her heels into the ground and standing tall next to Marco.

"And it's crystal clear what Mewni's Queen and King must do. Isn't that right, Marco?"

Marco's eyes widened but they matched the fire in Star's eyes. They shouted as she pushed Tom's attack right back at him. He staggered and fell on his knees, weakly looking at Star and Marco as they rushed toward him.

Star shot a surge of rainbow missiles at Tom, which he weakly blocked with a flaming shield. But right as he blocked the final missile, he saw Marco appear behind him through a purple rift and kick him square in the chest.

Tom was sent flying toward Star, which she followed it up with a Rainbow Fist punch and sending him upward. Marco finished the assault jumping out of seemingly endless dark rifts and landing lethal kicks on loop before finishing it off with a heel kick.

Being sent colliding into the burning sands, Tom's body briefly bounced in the air as Star landed the final blow. She shot a surge of narwhals at Tom, their sharp horns piercing his demonic flesh and now battered clothing.

He weakly landed on the ground, holding his knee and gritting his teeth. Star watched as he pathetically got on his two feet, weakly holding his arm and glaring at Mewin's Queen and King.

"Y-You just threw away the last good thing you'll ever have on Mewni, Star…"

Marco was about to take a step forward but Star shook her head, taking his hand and boldly lifting her head above Tom.

"I'm tired of running away from who I should be, not what you and everyone else wants me to be." Star jabbed a finger into her chest, taking another step forward. "I'm Queen Star Butterfly of Mewni and ALL its damned Kingdoms. I won't give up until my dying breath in protecting this land and YOU, Thomas Lucitor…"

Tom winced at the icy glare in Star's eyes as she spoke again.

"Are nothing to me anymore. Try to hurt me, my partner, or my friends and you will see why Toffee feared me."

Tom bolted up and shouted in demonic tongues, getting ready for another round against Menwi's power couple, but in an instant, he was encased in a pillar of ice.

"Whew, sorry we're late guys." Jackie pulled up on Nachos, wearing her 'Princess Oasis' look once more.

Then that means…

She sighed in relief seeing Mariposa weakly fly toward Marco, punching his face with her tiny arms. "Why did you run off like that?! We were worried sick about you…"

"Sorry Mar, these swords let me warp to Star if she's in trouble." He saw a small little bump in the sand, with Mariposa flying toward it and digging out… She gasped at Star's finger laying on the pile, glowing with a dark fire. "Things got intense, to put it mildly."

Jackie was speechless, getting off Nachos and walking toward Star. "Damn girl… You, uh, want me to try and put it back on or…"

Star picked up her finger, closing her eyes and channeling her remaining golden magic. Her palm glowed golden and turned the finger into pure ash, leaving behind only Tom's ring.

Marco, Jackie and Mariposa watched as Star walked toward the still contagious Tom and dropped the ring on the ground.

She then walked over to Nachos, hopping on the dragoncycle and patting her staddle "Come on guys, we are burning daylight. Marco, you hold on to me while I ride this puppy."

Marco shook his head, laughing in disbelief and ran over to Star and held on to her tight. Jackie and Maripsoa soon followed suit, leaving behind Tom frozen in a pillar of ice.

Star didn't need to look back to know he would eventually break out and likely follow them in a fit of revenge. But looking up at the Blood Moon shining over her right now, she wondered if Tom finally understood her.

Despite living in the Lucitor Kingdom for a while now, Star was surprised how peaceful Lava Lake Beach was at night. Sitting down her sore legs on the warm ember-colored sands, she watched her friends chat away by a campfire about random things.

Part of Star wanted to walk over to them and join in on the fun but she didn't have it in her, feeling her body completely battered after her intense bout against Tom.

Looking over her now four-fingered left hand, she wondered a few things.

Is that why Tom only came after us now?

Is that how he knew that Marco and I slept together?

Was he waiting for me to lower my guard and then capture me?

Star hated thinking over these thoughts, feeling very much frustrated at the last question. She's no damsel, she's the damned Queen of Mewni!

She sighed, hugging herself and her eyes trailing over to Marco, who was trying to set up the fire while Mariposa was flying around distracting him. Star heard him say something in 'Spanish' as he called it to his little sis and she giggled at the duo's back and forth.

Despite the little fairy dying just hours ago, here Maripsoa was flying around again and being a cute little pest.

She is just a small bundle of mysteries, huh?

Star made a mental note to ask Glossy about the Realm of Magic.

"What are you doing all alone, Star?"

Star blinked, seeing Marco run toward her. He had a concerned look on his face, sitting beside Star and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Just… Resting up. Still got some mean magic in me but I think we can count out my Golden Butterfly form for a few days." Star took out the wand from her pockets, passing it to Marco. "You should have this back, kinda need it to control that dark magic stuff."

Marco shook his head, crossing his legs and looking up at the Blood Moon shining over them both.

"I think you need that more than I do. Besides, I need to master my own magic if I'm going to Mewni's King, right?" Marco smirked, but frowned seeing Star's concerned expression. "I… I was just trying to lighten the mood. Sorry."

"It's fine," She waved her hand, looking in her lap and her glassy eyes looking over the wand. "Just… I know what I finally want now and I hope…"

Marco put his hand over hers, the both of them now holding the wand.

"It may be a long road ahead of us, but I'm willing to face my fears and all that. And besides, you know how stubborn I can get when it involves you."

Star snickered, elbowing Marco and knocking him down on the sand.

"Stop it, you cute dork."

Marco tackled Star into the ground and they rolled around in the sand like little kids for a few moments. They laughed, before they were laying on the sand together, eyes looking up at the Lucitor's Kingdom's harsh skies.

"...You know Tom is going to make things harder for us now, right?"

Marco's eyes narrowed, a shade of purple clouding brown.

"So? We will just take care of him like we did the monsters."

Star laughed, taking Marco's hand and finding his simple answer amusing.

"I guess on Earth, you guys just murdered the rulers you hated, huh?"

Marco tapped his chin, thinking for a moment.

"...Wow. When you put it like that, yeah, that happened throughout history."

"I get what you meant though, thank you."

Marco turned toward Star, seeing her blue eyes shine like her namesake.

"I think I finally got what Mom meant, about the wand."

She turned toward Marco, giving him a loving smile.

"It granted me my wish, after all."

Marco squeezed her hand and nuzzled closer to Star. The couple looked up and saw stars, moons and even one of the Lucitor kingdom's suns move across the bloody skies. For this one moment, Star felt at complete peace.

And she wasn't going to let anyone take that from her.

Yes, Star Vs Tom. The fight of the ages (and one of ? more times incoming) and it was a blast to write. As mentioned last authors notes, Blackwolf suggested this instead of the original Marco V Tom battle and I really loved how this turned out.

Star getting the cathartic relief and Tom's true colors on full display was a joy to write and I can't wait to explore both characters more in future chapters.

And while it may be obvious, how Star fights in her Golden Form has shades of Super Sonic from the first major boss in 'Frontiers'. Obviously, Tom isn't a giant creature or anything but the stakes and action work really well for inspiration. Hopefully I captured high-energy combat well here.

Next chapter is going to take a bit longer to come out, since I am going to properly map out the remaining chapters. I have loose ideas in place already but want to have something more cemented for things going forward.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for more! And happy Thanksgiving for those who celebrate that.