First off, I had trouble finding good place to divide this chapter so I left it in one large piece. Second, the next month is going to be INCREDIBLY erratic because of scheduling; don't even try to contact me from the 14th until the 23rd because I will be on vacation at the time.
Ok with all that out of the way, let's finish up this 'episode'.
Star shifted as her mind came back from a state of absolute blackness and tried blinking her eyes open unsuccessfully. Star groaned reaching up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes trying to come fully awake and deal with a splitting headache. Sitting up she grabbed her neck and popped it several times before focusing her healing and making the headache go away. Sighing in relief she yawned and stretched freezing in mid-stretch as a sound of shifting stone came from above her. Looking up she saw an opening appear in the ceiling of wherever she was and enlarged into some sort of Star shape sheading light down on her and everywhere else. Star blinked fully coming awake and gazed around at a room full of tapestries with strange symbols carved into the ceilings above the tapestries.
"Where am I?" Star looked around in confusion until she began recognizing some of the figures on the tapestries. "Wait, this is the grandma room! No no no this is not good. What if I'm still back in… wait how did I get here?" Star sat down and began thinking with memories coming to her in bits and pieces.
The tornado of purple smoky water swirled intensely drawing everything into its grasp with the blurred figures holding on for dear unlife. Star gripped onto Soupina's hand and grasped onto the candle stick hoping to think of something in her situation but nothing was coming. As it felt like Star was about to lose her grip suddenly the tornado seemed to pulse and just began to swirl in the opposite direction. The suction didn't stop and if anything got worse which Star experienced firsthand when something smacked into her head. She lost her concentration and let go of the candle stick with both her and Soupina being thrown into the storm which was now taking on a reddish color. Star and Soupina held onto each other desperately as the storm whipped them about with another sudden pulse pushing Star and Soupina into the edges of the storm. Seeing the other blurred ghosts of her ancestors no longer being affected by the storm Star realized it was abating and that now was the time to get out if they could. The issue was there was nothing to grab onto or launch off of so Star and Soupina could… 'There is one thing I could do.' Star thought to herself.' Steeling herself for what was about to happen Star grabbed onto Soupina and twirled them around so she could slingshot Soupina out of the effects of the storm, in the process flinging herself deeper into it. As Star was buffeted by the winds of magic another pulse came out smelling of nachos, watermelon shampoo, and her grandma's cooking. Star blinked in confusion as she heard words being whispered sounding like a lullaby as the storm now seemed to be almost cradling her gently instead of buffeting her about. Star smiled getting the feeling everything was going to be ok now and curled up as a fourth pulse hit sending her to unconsciousness.
"Ok so I traded a second weird world for a third one, but why does it contain the grandma room?" Star was snapped out her train of thought when pedestals of varying shapes began rising up out of the ground in front of a respective tapestry. "Huh?" The one closest to Star immediately lit up with Star reading the words on it. "Celera the Shy… oh great-great-grandmother Shy. What hides behind the golden fan the hand does sweetly hold, a cosmic trove of secrets that never will be told. Aw, I didn't get to meet you in the land of the ancestors I really wanted to meet you above all the others except for Soupina." That's when a thought struck Star. "Wait, I did sneak into the grandma room once when I was little and I was sucked into the pool. Maybe I'm finally back in my wand and I can find the thing that doesn't belong at last." As Star stood up another pedestal lite up prompting Star to read it. "Huh. A castle stormed is a hero born with might as strong as steel. Kneels the void before her and the crushing force she wields." Star looked up from it and shivered when she saw Solaria's tapestry with said woman laying waste to a group of Monsters around her. "If I never see you again it will still be too soon. Now then let's find the thing that doesn't belong."
Star went to look through the tapestries but was stopped when her eyes fell upon another lit up pedestal, this one her grandmother's. Star hopped over really quickly taking a read.
"The magic of the kitchen, happiness, and peace were what made her as a chef princess incomparable. But denial and pain made the puppet abandon them and become as a queen and mother intolerable." Star looked up seeing two split images with one of Willow as a teenager cooking with her rolling pin wand and a smile on her face. The other was of an older woman who was tall, slightly heavyset, pale as if with powder or cream all over her face, appeared to have a permanent scowl on her face made deeper by the purple spade shaped Mewni marks on her cheeks, had watery grey eyes, and even purplish hair. That image also had puppet strings attached to her going up to the top of the picture disappearing into shadows. "That's… what grandma looked like when mom was a kid?" Star was shocked at the duality of those images. "Wow, no wonder the book of spells had her chapter divided into two parts; she looks like a completely different person when she ruled."
With this sobering news Star finally started on looking through the tapestries going through them thoroughly; even searching Solaria's tapestry thankful that her eyes were closed in the image. After a while of searching Star came across a tapestry that looked really familiar…
"Wait, this is mom's tapestry!" Star looked up taking in her mother's image.
In the forefront was an image of Toffee standing at attention and wearing a type of black and red armor that left his arms exposed and had skulls over his shoulders. He was also bearing a silver sickle shaped sword with strange runes carved into the blade with a handle made of black bone and a pommel of amethyst set in a mesh of silver antlers. Slightly behind him and floating in the air was her mother in what could be called 'Butterfly Form' with six arms, a pair of gigantic Indigo colored butterfly/moth wings, her skin a silvery bluish color (in fact somewhat similar to Toffee's skin),with two antenna sticking out of her head, and wearing battle armor. Out of three of her hands on the right side came beams of light that were shown to be breaking chains, repairing homes, and providing food for Mewmans and Monsters a like. On the left side her hands were also shooting out light but they seemed to be attacking a gigantic five headed black cobra with red glowing eyes and red glowing runes all over its body. The cobra seemed to be rearing back in what was both reeling from Moon's attack and an attempt to strike at Moon.
"For centuries the cobra's peace had Mewni trapped as a puppet haunted, but Moonlight of the Monster lover shattered them at the hands of the rebel Undaunted. Wow, mom and dad look cool here. I hope I get a cool tapestry." Out of the corner of her eye Star saw one of the pedestals glow when she wasn't near it. "Strange." She walked over and began reading it.
"First off let's get the problem itself clearly stated. Something in the universe is sapping and damaging the powers of magic and is likely the cause of the fritz." Moon's words were interrupted by Rhombulus.
"Well duh, that's what I've been saying." At this Heckapoo yelled at him.
"Hey, the timeout corner has no voice!" Rhombulus mumbled something about it being unfair that Glossarick wasn't here as well.
The fight between Rhombulus and Glossarick had damaged the council room slightly and the remaining members had gathered around the somewhat damaged table. Moon continued to talk ignoring the conversation between Heckapoo and Rhombulus.
"Omnitraxus has been looking for the leaks cause but has not been having much success from when I last checked. Did you find anything new?" Omnitraxus tried talking but his voice came out garbled. "Omni… can you hear us? Omni?" Glossarick rolled his eyes speaking up.
"Let me guess, the fritz."
"Correct." Glossarick looked up at Toffee as he stepped into the room now. "Now let me help out Omnitraxus as I get the feeling it's the input." As he stepped up Rhombulus spoke.
"Exactly, that's usually the problem."
"What did I just say?!" Heckapoo called back to him with Rhombulus turning back into his corner grumbling to himself. As Toffee and Lekmet began dealing with the crystal ball Moon spoke up to Glossarick.
"Regardless, whatever is causing this is powerful so we need everyone on high alert. This concerns Star as much as anyone and because of this we need her training accelerated." Glossarick stared blankly at Moon for a second before replying.
"Yeah… not gonna happen." Moon's face got a miffed expression on it as she replied.
"From what I've heard from Star you barely even teach her. Why are you holding back all of sudden after being so straightforward and engaging with me?" Glossarick heaved a heavy sigh and began ranting.
"Welp it's finally come to this has it? Every single time a new princess is trained the queen eventually pulls me aside and reminds me how they were trained in the past. It's all 'mememememe' wanting to get back in the spotlight in some way shape or form. Despite her madness Eclipsa was the ONLY one who never did this out of all the queens and because of your insistence you left the magic book of spells unprotected and Star trapped inside of her wand." Glossarick floated over to the crystal ball and hit it with a fist making it show both Star being thrown about by the hurricane in the land of past queens and Marco dealing with a wand out of control. Everyone gasped at this with Glossarick glaring at them all. "They have resolved these issues for the most part at this point but you caused this by dragging me into this nightmare of red tape and caused this crisis to occur because you don't trust me to do my job and what's more you don't trust Star!" Everyone looked at each other in shock with Moon looking down in shame. Glossarick got a sympathetic look on his face as he addressed Moon. "My queen… my dearest queen who has accomplished so much for her short time the reason why your training was different was because you were different from Star, and if Willow had come she would back me up right now." Moon's ashamed look doubled as Glossarick continued. "You have to trust Star to make decisions that are best for her; I know she has been hurt grievously in the past with the mental scars running deep but that's why I'm doing this. You need to trust me to guide Star into becoming the queen she needs to be just like I guided you to being the queen you are now." Glossarick smiled as everyone got a small smile on their faces… except for Moon who inhaled and exhaled slowly before looking at Toffee who nodded to her before she spoke.
"Star's PTSD corrupts her magic." Everyone immediately turned towards Moon with shocked looks on their faces. "Every time she has an event her… magic becomes corrupted until she calms down. And what's more I believe her access to magic has made these attacks worse when they do occur. They're rare and when she calms down the corruption stops but they do still occur." At this Rhombulus spoke up.
"Wait, Star can corrupt magic and you never told us!" Instead of berating him Heckapoo supported him.
"With all due respect my queen and friend you have withheld knowledge that could put us all in danger!"
"BAAAAAAAA!" Lekmet spoke up as well with Moon facing them all down with an unflinching gaze of Iron.
"And what would you have suggested we do?! Do you know the protocol for what we do with those who corrupt magic!?" Everyone went to reply and then stopped mid-inhale. "That's right we crystalize them!" A nimbus of power came over Moon's form and lighting her cheek marks a brilliant white. "And if you think I am going to let you crystalize my one and only daughter…" She then took her Butterfly form with armor on leaping into the air summoning power to her hands. "… you are underestimating a mother's love for her only child!" Lightning crackled around Moon as everyone stepped back except for Toffee who walked on over taking one of Moon's hands with the lightning scorching his hand as he spoke.
"Dear, perhaps we could try to be civil before punches are thrown?" Moon looked down at Toffee staring at him for a solid minute before lighting down and reverting back to normal. "Regardless I share my wife's position." He turned back to the council with his hand healing. "Even discounting my personal love for our daughter do you know the lash back this could cause in Mewni if even rumors of this gets out? Everyone would assume that all half-breeds will do this to society even though it is PTSD that is causing this. This would be a nightmare and could cause civil unrest, lend support to the Forest Barbarians, even spring forth rebellions along our borders." Everyone looked back and forth at each other until Glossarick spoke up.
"Yeah I kind of guessed that was the case." Everyone looked at Glossarick with double the shock except for Toffee who merely raised his eyebrow. "I'm not stupid Moon, I can sense when these things happen despite not being all knowing despite what most people say."
"HA, I knew it!" Heckapoo glared at Rhombulus pointing to the door.
"That's it, out!" Rhombulus grumbled as he left the room with Moon speaking up.
"Glossarick… I just…" Glossarick smiled and spoke.
"I get it Moon. That is why the training is the way it is, I'm trying to build up Star's confidence so she isn't afraid of magic first and foremost. That way when she begins advanced training she can be shown how to not only overcome the corruption but potentially use it in a controlled manner." Everyone looked at him oddly again. "Remember people; trust me to do my job." Toffee nodded and squeezed Moon's hand giving her a small smile. Moon sighed and smiled back at him moving her hand around his waist and leaned against him before speaking to Glossarick.
"Very well Glossarick, we will trust you with this."
"So… what now?" Marco asked Nacho and the crocodile head who looked at each other somewhat confused. After a few seconds of silence the head turned towards Marco and spoke.
"Well what was ya doin before I gotz here?" Marco rubbed the back of his head while speaking.
"Well I was looking through the book of spells in an attempt to fix the wand soooo…" He glanced at the book with the two figures shrugging as best they could. "… guess I might as well continue to read it?" Marco moved over to the book with Nacho carrying the head over. "Say what is your name anyways?" The head considered for a moment before speaking.
"Well Jushtin didn have time to gib me a name so I guess Imma name myself. Lezz shee…" He thought for a second deep in thought. "Agateor, since I am Alligator Agate; or am I crocodile Agate… no matter thaz not important, I hab a name now." Marco smiled and shrugged as he turned back to the book getting…
"Pictures, nothing but hand drawn pictures." Indeed Estrella the Drafted did indeed have a chapter filled with nothing but pictures.
No spells, no history, no private entries, just nothing but hand drawn pictures from start to finish. Many of them weren't even that good and they were mostly landscape pictures, not Marco's favorite type of picture. Of course he did get a picture of Estrella's husband Azul Saint who apparently was a songstrel. 'Guess artistry defined that generation.' Marco thought to himself as he found a picture of a young Willow in the book. Apparently Willow was almost called Comet but Estrella changed her mind at the last second.
The next chapter was Willow's and Marco was stopped by the fact that Willow had two titles; The Chef and The Puppet. Marco blinked in concern and continued reading at first getting a good feeling about Willow. She appeared to be an artist like her parents and lived life to the fullest going about to different dimensions to experience all life had to offer. Then she came back to Mewni with a vow to make peace between Monsters and Mewmans with the phrase 'ruling from the kitchen'. Marco's smile fell however when he reached an entry stating that she would be going to St. Olga's for some final training to become a proper queen, though it was probably obsolete. Throughout the first part many images and recipes were present giving off a warm feel with a flowery hand writing to accompany it; that ended after this entry. Afterwards there was nothing but queenly protocol and spells listed down in sharp and precise cursive as well as two notes, one at the start of this section and one at the end of the section. The first one stated she was down with being a flower child and was doing what a proper princess and queen needed to do to maintain her kingdom. The second one was a direct note to her daughter to pick herself up and hopefully become the queen this nation needed her to be. Marco actually felt somewhat pained reading that section as he knew Willow, he had cooked with her, and yet she had turned into this after going to St. Olga's. Star even left a note expressing her shock over it and confirming St. Olga's was in fact that bad as she had broken into it once. Marco chuckled over that and moved onto the next chapter, Moon's chapter.
At this Marco was treated to a chapter that seemed to function as much as a story book as a spell book. There were not that many original spells but there were spells that had previously been written that Moon had reworked to work better although those were few as well. This chapter functioned almost like a diary for Moon explaining what was going on in her life and giving her view of it. Marco had heard about The War of Moonlight Shadow from Star several times but this gave an in depth look into it showing the viewpoint of a noble hearted rebel child aging into a mature warrior queen. More than the other queens her husband and lover, Toffee, played a major role in helping Moon be shaped into who she was; hell in some chapters the kings weren't even mentioned. In fact the more he read about Moon and Toffee's relationship the more he realized how it eerily mirrored his and Star's relationship with friends becoming lovers. 'Maybe that's why Toffee was ok with us becoming a couple.' Marco thought chuckling to himself as finished up the biography of one of the coolest people he had ever read about. Oddly there were no notes from Star in this chapter except for one at the very end saying how much she loved her mother and how great a person she was making Marco chuckle as he started Star's chapter.
There was surprisingly little in Star's chapter; naturally it wasn't finished yet and Star had only had it for half a year or so but still. The main bulk chapter included when Star was first sent to earth and listing off things that she loved about earth like a fangirl would. There was a section where spells would have been written but there were only three listed: Narwhal Blast (combat spell), Cloudy (Transportation spell), and Spider in a Top Hat (Entertainment and Combat Spell). Star also left a note saying she would add to this section at a later date, as soon as she worked the countless spells she did have into what could be considered a final draft. Marco chuckled at that and stopped chuckling when he saw a picture of when he was six wearing a grey sweater vest and red bowtie with the note 'My host family said I could help myself to anything I needed… I needed this for reasons. He's so cute isn't he!' Marco stared at the picture with Agateor and Nacho chuckling at Marco's expense. Groaning he flipped the picture… and came across the 'My Thoughts on Marco' chapter from Star's Diary.
"Ummmm." Marco was caught at a crossroads now, not sure of what to do.
"Well, keep on reading." Marco looked or at Agateor and thought a second more.
"Well… if it gets TOO personal I'll back out." He felt guilty but he really wanted to know what Star was hiding from him back when he was trapped in a closet reading over Star's notes.
'I'm keeping this in my Book of Spells now as Marco hates Glossarick and would never open it lest he come out. I am not having Marco read me secret stuff again, I like him but this is too personal.'
'I… connect with Marco in a way I just don't with most people. Our first meeting was rather rough but he's a rather nice person; he even let me hide in his hoodie because it was cold out after our rough patch. I don't get earth that well at time, I've been to other dimensions but still, but Marco helps me out in understanding things. Sometimes I just pretend to be clueless so he can help me out all the more as he has a certain way of doing things which I think helps us both out. I get the feeling he just likes to take care of me and to just be with me because he just likes to be with me so I let it just all hang out and relax. He doesn't care I'm half-Monster, he doesn't care when I don't get things, he doesn't care when I mess up so long as I learn from it; he just wants to be there for me J.'
'He helped me get through Mewberty, man that was scary. Fortunately all went well and he emerged only lightly hurt. Sorry by the wayL.'
'Well the Blood Moon Ball was a disaster, as I predicted it would be, but now I feel like me and Marco are closer than ever. Good things do come through disasters at times I guess.'
'Marco went head to head against two shadows after being my therapist to help resolve a series of nightmares that had been plaguing me. Is there anything this boy can't do! Playing up the white knight syndrome a bit here man; but still I'm happy he was here for me.'
'Marco was right about St. Olga's… not even gonna speak about what went on in there.'
'And he just did something unlikable. Ditching me to be used as an unwitting distraction so he and his friends could goof off… RUDE! I would have totally helped him out if he had asked! But at the same time I can't help but feel sorry for him. He's trying to keep up a failing relationship with Jackie and he panicked. And now I'm… conflicted as to whether or not I want them to work with each other in the end. Because… I think… I have a crush on Marco; despite what he did.'
'He and Jackie broke up… she claimed it was to give me a chance as we were closer than they were… most conflicted I have ever felt in my life. Of course even now would he view me the same way? I mean we're best friends… and what's more I'm a lizard; an ugly scaly lizard. L'
'Jackie and Tom got together at Marco's behest; never felt more proud of Marco in my life. He seems to finally be at peace over these problems from the past and is holding himself differently. Oh, he's just so handsome and cute, I wanna snuggle him to sleep now!'
'He found out… he found out I had a crush on him thanks to the truth box. He… had no answer for me. I was expecting him to just reject me but he didn't. Damnit Marco don't give me hope, it hurts more when I have hope! It hurts waiting for the rejection, it hurts hoping he will reciprocate my feelings, it hurts watching him tear himself apart over I because he's afraid of hurting me. Don't hesitate just tell me already you don't feel the same way; rip it off like an old Band-Aid you jerk!'
'HE LOVES ME BACK! I never thought it would happen but he wants to be my boyfriend as well as bestie. He outright claimed he wasn't good enough for me during his confession which is ridiculous but I don't care, HE LOVES ME BACK! He even claims I look cute to him, especially my eyes that keep on changing color. I never thought anyone would view me like that, that I would have to marry some foppish noble who was only doing it for the political power but I have Marco. I know I'm only 14 and there is a lot to come next but I feel like I've… found my soulmate. He lights me up inside like the fourth of July, whenever he's around I always seem to smile, when people ask me how well he's the reason why I'm dancing in the mirror and singing in the shower.'
A few tears fell onto the latest entry as Marco cried with a smile on his face making Nacho and Agateor look at him worried. Marco leaned down to the book kissing the final entry and whispered "I love you too Star." He flipped the page blinking at what appeared to be a skull with blue chains sprouting out of it enclosing a section of the book. On the front was a note by Star. 'I could not move Eclipsa's section as it appears to be stuck here. If you can get Glossarick to open it please move it to right after Solaria's section.' Marco set the book down, he could tell this was the final chapter and stretched knowing he would just have to wait for Star to get back now. As he did so Nacho moved up to the skull and batted it with the lock chuckling a little before unlocking with the chains falling away. Nacho screeched in fear and ran into Marco's shirt with the two tumbling around little bit before Marco got everything straight with a little cursing.
"Nacho what is wrong with you!?" As he spoke the page with the skull on it flipped over revealing the next chapter. "Ummmm…" He looked at Agateor who shrugged in his own way. "Nacho, is it safe?" Nacho poked his head out of the neck hole next to Marco and sniffed the air. Marco moved in closer to the book, careful not to touch it, and let Nacho sniff more deeply. "Is it… safe?" Nacho nodded to Marco relaxing and holding onto him. "Alright final chapter." He read the opening stanza. "Eclipsa queen of Mewni to a Mewman king was wed…"
"…but took a Monster for her love and away from Mewni fled. Hey that's just like my mom." Star spoke to herself as she looked at Eclipsa's tapestry.
She had met Eclipsa before but then she was dressed as a type of teenager, now she was dressed in a more formal outfit and sitting on some sort of massive tree branch. She also was holding an old style parasol that was currently folded up and resting on her lap and had on this self-satisfied smirk that seemed very different from the laid back woman that Star had met after the school dance. As Star looked closer her eyes went wide as she realized that it wasn't a tree branch Eclipsa was sitting on but the massive arm of a large red furred ape like Monster with four yellow eyes that seemed to be gleaming maliciousness. Both figures also seemed to be in some sort of shadow covered rose garden that gave the impression you did not want to be there with them. Star stared at them in confusion over the intensely evil atmosphere this tapestry provided until she remembered, Mewmans made this centuries ago; if some still hate Moon and Toffee now than way back then it would have likely been worse. She chuckled as she spoke to herself.
"Well that's interesting to meet you in person and see your picture. Now then where was…" Another purple glow caught Star's attention, this time from the base of Eclipsa's pedestal on the opposite side. "… hello, hidden message?" Star moved around and crouched down to get a better view. "What could be hiding here hmmmm? The tale of the manipulated love between Eclipsa and Alucard will be known by no bard; nor the tragedy of the disappearance of their children Meteora and the second Alucard." Star's voice fell as the words she was saying made an impact on her.
"The name by the way is Alucard, second child of Mewman and Monster." He reached onto his sword and pulled out the red gem from the hilt throwing the blade aside and bowing to Star dramatically. "Until we meet again."
"…" Star looked up at Eclipsa's portrait. "Alucard is the name of Eclipsa's Monster love… and son? Then… which one was the one who possessed Lord Mildrew?" Her thoughts were interrupted by what sounded like on old style sowing machine prompting Star to look. As she glanced over she saw the bottom left corner of a tapestry that had an outline of Narwhals around it with the only clear parts of the portrait being Glossarick and one of Star's shoes. As Star approached the tapestry the image of Glossarick pulled himself out of the tapestry and began gasping for breath. "Glossarick, you're ok!" Star bounded over as Glossarick replied.
"This was a lot harder than it should have been."
"*Pffft* You can say that again." Glossarick chuckled before going serious.
"Ok, did you find the thing that doesn't belong yet?"
"Glossarick, I just got here; I was sent through the Ghost Zone and had to deal with some angry grandmothers to get back in here." Glossarick blinked in shock for a second before sighing.
"Well, did you meet yourself?" Star looked at him in confusion prompting him to sigh in relief. "Ok we still have time, let's look for…" He was interrupted by a thud from Moon's tapestry. They looked over to see one of the red eyes of the cobra had fallen out leaving a red gem about the size of a human eyeball.
"The thing that doesn't belong." Star spoke aloud and slowly walked over scooping it up. "The thing that doesn't belong. Glossarick… I think we got it." Glossarick heaved a sigh of relief.
"Well looks like we actually succeeded. Ok time to go home, just step into my eyeball." Glossarick pulled his eyelids back prompting Star to take a step back.
"Ok gross."
"You roll around in mud and eat the raw entrails of creatures that have been dead for seconds yet you think this is gross?"
Marco finished up Eclipsa's chapter and relocated it to after Solaria's chapter with a somber feeling taking a hold of him. Eclipsa had come across as childish and delved into dark magic way to easily, kind of eerily reminding him of Janna, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She had been forced to take a horrid man as a husband and take a crown she not only was not ready for but that she knew she was ill suited to wear. She desperately had wanted to pass it on to someone else in the family who would have been more capable but it was her responsibility to just take it. It was made even worse by the fact that she was a Monster sympathizer and had to oversee their kind's destruction whether she wanted to or not. And what's more, she had to actually flee the kingdom of Mewni when her 'husband', King Shastican (even the name sounded bad), figured out how to break into her book of spells and found her guide to dating Monsters. 'I will admit it was interesting to get a Cosmopolitan view of what women view in a Monster. And yet again Septarians place near the top, second place to be exact. Why do Magical Girls look so highly upon humanoid lizards?' Marco thought to himself ruefully as Nacho pushed up against him.
"It's ok Nacho, Eclipsa is fine now." As he finished speaking a gigantic eyeball appeared in the middle of the room and bounced for a second before spitting Star out of its pupil covered in black goop. "Wha…" Nacho screeched and ran into his shirt again with Marco struggling. "Oh come on show some backbone you mangy furball!" As Marco cat wrestled the eye turned into Glossarick with a deflated eye hanging out of his right socket who spoke up gasping.
"Oh GODS that was painful." He floated up turning to Star. "So did it come with us?" Star sat up holding the gem in her hand.
"Yep, we got the thing that doesn't belong. Now to get rid of it." Star moved over to her closet and threw the gem into it.
"Ummmm…" Star cut Glossarick off.
"Hey it's secured for now right, I'll tell mom and dad later. Oh and…" She pointed to her eye with Glossarick understanding.
"Oh right." He pushed his eye back into position with Star shuddering as she picked up her wand seeing Marco finish dealing with Nacho.
"Marco, when did you get in here?" Marco turned towards Star placing Nacho down.
"Star, where were you? I came in looking for my hoodie but I found you weren't here." Star smiled as she replied.
"Oh there was something wrong with my wand but it's fixed now… I think." Star went over to her wand and picked it up shooting a Narwhal out of it. "Yep it works again." Star then noticed the book had been moved and the wand was not where she had last left it. "Wait, what were you doing in here while I was in the wand?" At this Agateor spoke up.
"Oh he waz readin ya book and fixin ya wand, somethin waz wrong wit it." Star jumped at the words and saw the alligator, or was it crocodile, head sitting on the bed with Marco speaking up.
"Yeah you know that note telling me I wasn't supposed to touch the wand?" Star looked at Marco in shock as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well I went to read the note and Nacho accidentally pushed me onto the wand, making it transform." At this Glossarick spoke up.
"Wait, so the troubles Star had to go through were your fault?" Star's eyes narrowed as Marco began to speak.
"I fixed the damage I did by turning the wand back to normal, I even made a spell specifically to do that." Star and Glossarick raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "No really, this guy helped me out. His name is Agateor." He pointed towards the head with it speaking.
"Yesh, dat boi did a good job. Oh hey Glossarick." Glossarick chuckled as he responded.
"Hey Jushtin's wand." Star inhaled and exhaled before turning towards Marco.
"Ok, so you messed with my wand and read my family's spellbook; something that only princesses and queens of Mewni are allowed to lay eyes upon?" Marco nodded nervously. "Even after I told you back at St. Olga's to not touch my wand unless if you had no other options?" Marco nodded even more nervously. "Marco, you should have just left them alone in the first place!" Marco looked down in shame as Star clasped him in a hug. "But thank you for fixing things." Marco smiled in relief returning the hug. "So what did you read in that book?"
"Everything, including your chapter." Star tensed up at his words holding onto him tightly. "And don't worry… I think the same way about you. I'm not a little kid, there's no such thing as 'Love at first sight' and we're both 14 with a lot to come next, but I feel like I have found my soulmate by being with you. I just connect with you in a way I do so with no one else, so no need to be nervous around me Star because I love you too." Marco pulled back smiling sweetly at Star with her replying.
"Oh Marco..." They went to kiss each other but Glossarick stepped between them.
"Wait, you read the whole book." Marco nodded. "Eclipsa's chapter included?" Marco nodded a bit confused. "And you weren't corrupted?" Marco shook his head in even more confusion. "This… is going to require some research on my part; it was locked up for a reason. Say how did you get it open in the first place." Marco spoke up pointing to Nacho.
"He did it somehow, and he assured me it was safe. I also moved it behind Solaria's chapter at Star's request." Nacho nodded giving out a small mew with Glossarick rubbing his chin.
"Interesting… that's very interesting."
A large hulking figure with twisted and bare branches coming from his head like hair sat in a large easy chair reading a book that was way too small to fit in its hands easily. The figure was currently in the ruins of some castle in the Mewman badlands sitting in the one room that still functioned which at one point had been a ballroom but was now converted into a library and bedchamber that was comfortably furnished. In the background high-class music was playing that gave a comfortable atmosphere to the room with everything lite up by a large fireplace. As he read a sucking sound came from one end of the room prompting him to look up and see a greenish portal open up spitting out a figure unceremoniously onto the floor. He chuckled and turned back to the book speaking up in a deep throaty voice sounding vaguely frog-like.
"So, how'd it go Junior and how's your dad?" The figure got up dusting itself off as it walked across the room speaking up in a high class British accent.
"First, don't call me that; Second father is alright, he's finally no longer in denial of what he did to mother and feels sorry for it; and Three…" the figure hesitated in speaking as he reached a black sword with a platinum handle that looked like a dragon's head on display in the room. "… the original Star got back, duplicates didn't even spring up as she wasn't in her own memory for long thanks to an accident on part with the karate boy." The large figure chuckled again and replied.
"Well that was a calculated risk, we'll just have to find another way to get your father out of the realm of magic. In fact him remaining in their may actually prove to our advantage won't it, Alucard the II." The figure picked up the sword from the display case and swung it around. A reddish light engulfed the sword morphing it into a black cane with a platinum dragon's head handle.
"Indeed Mulgarath, it's time for stage three." Alucard the II faced Mulgarath stepping into the light of fire fully illuminating him.
He was wearing a full dark red suit and vestcoat, closer to the color of dried blood then anything else, with a bowtie of the same color. He had a top hat over his curly green streaked silvery hair that was kept short over a pale face with high cheek bones that would make elves jealous. On his face was a handlebar mustache, two cheeks marks that were shaped like eastern Imperial dragons, a suave smile with sharp teeth, and three eyes; one being on the left and a pale red color, almost pink, and two on the right glowing a faint yellow color.
Hello... new challenger approaches. And with this tense though on your minds, time to leave you hanging as I get slice of life stuff out. Next up its 'The Amethyst Matrix'.