Hi! I'm sorry it took so long to compile this chapter together but I was studying my butt off for my exams, so I hope you guys understand! Again, my apologies! The good news is that I've passed all friggin 9 exams I've written over the course of 2 weeks (I wrote 2 exams per day 3 times just to save time) and I've managed to keep my GPA at a tolerable 9.6 so now I'm gonna have a boatload of time on my hands to finish this thing and begin working on the final stage of the story!

I hope you bear with me!

Replies to the latest reviews:

D4rK Sid3: Thanks! And Don't worry, I will from now on, promise!

Rock Raider: Well, those are all certainly interesting assumptions. They're wrong but they're certainly interesting.

Bedrock Armor: Congratz, dude ^.^!

Cario Regun: I'm not forcing anything, I'm just making it fir the narrative. If you don't like it, don't read my story. Simple as that. I'm not forcing you to, after all.

archivewriter3: Indeed.

theworstisgoingtohappen: How is it inconsistent? I fail to see why.

Xyanth: Him and about 10 other people.

Disclaimer: I do not claim the right to Star vs. the Forces of Evil or any of the characters that appear in the show. They belong to Disney and the show's creator, Daron Nefcy. I do, however, claim the right to the plot as well as any original characters that may appear in this fic, and would kindly ask you to inform me should you want to use anything from this fic in your own story. -jolleIQ

Beta read by ElleFreak.

Story cover by Luzz015. Be sure to check her out on DeviantArt!


Star vs. The Forces of Evil: Staring it up!

Chapter 11

Queen's Lament

Part 6

All was going smoothly.

The invitations were sent, the guests were confirmed, the ballroom was being decorated, the security was taken care of and, surprisingly, not one incident had occurred in over the course of a month.

If such good fortune kept smiling upon us, Cressida's plan might just work.

That's what I was convinced of at the time, anyhow.

The truth is that things were much more complicated. The organisation of the ball itself was the easier portion of the task. What lay ahead was much more challenging.

One may lead a horse to water but it shan't necessarily drink, after all.

Even if the members of both parties were to find themselves in a room, there was no guarantee that Ula's plan would follow through. Even she was worried, although she was much better than I at stilling her worries.

Nevertheless, it was too late to back out. All I could do was wait and hope for the best.

Needless to say, the night before the ball was a sleepless one.

I sometimes wonder...

Was it my lack of sleep which clouded my judgement and sparkled cataclysm?

Was it anxiety and fear?

Or perhaps as Ula put it, was I but an impulsive child?

Or was it something else that happened that night...

Castle Mewni: Moon's Chambers

The young Mewman queen lay awake in her bed, lying on her side, staring at the starlit sky outside the window.

It was a crystal-clear and calm night; not a cloud to be seen; no wind rustling the trees; no songs of crickets or the sentinel owls. It was tranquil.

Almost mockingly tranquil.

The young queen rolled in bed to lay on her back. She closed her eyes in hopes of falling asleep, but no such luck. Her mind refused to enter dreamland and her thoughts and worries revolted each attempt at being silenced by booming louder than ever.

Moon sighed and opened her eyes. Wordlessly, she sat upright, threw the covers aside and hopped off her bed. Her head felt light for a second, probably due to the lack of sleep, but the lightheadedness soon vanished and the young queen walked over to her nightstand to grab her wand and used it to conjure up a glass of fresh, cool water, which she gluttonously drank, then sighed deeply.

"Trouble sleeping?"

Moon recognised the voice in an instant.

"At least I can sleep, Diana."

The spirit girl, lying upside-down on the windowsill, the top half of her body suspended in mid-air and her hair dangling loose, chuckled.

"Don't think for a second I envy you," replied Diana, flatly. "You mortals spend a third of your lives unconscious and for what? To regain energy and rest your eyes. 'Tis quite an inconvenience if you ask me. I am perfectly happy without it." Diana hopped off the windowsill and stretched, groaning whilst having her left eye closed. "Speaking of inconveniences... Gosh, this body is totally inconvenient! How do you stand it?"

"Uh, I was born with it?" Moon retorted and placed the empty glass on her nightstand. "But to answer your earlier question, yes, I am having trouble sleeping."

"And you are cranky as an old man... nervous much?"

"Very," replied Moon, earnestly, nodding. "Tomorrow's the Ball and-"

"Actually, 'tis today," corrected Diana. "The Sun shall rise is a few hours."

Moon rolled her eyes and her lips drew back in a snarl.

"Precise as always, I see..." the young Queen folded her arms before her chest and her expression softened along with her tone. "I'm just scared, Diana. I've been having dreamless nights these last few days and I can't help but feel that something will go wrong."

"Fret not, Moon. Whatever happens tomorrow, surely it'll turn out as fate intends." Diana turned to face the window and added with a low murmur. "You did wish for it, after all..."

"What?"

Diana spun around and beamed a smile at the young Mewman queen. "Oh, nothing!" she chirped and hopped off the windowsill and made her way over to the princess, leant in, and said, "You are being paranoid for no reason, Moon. Just let it rest and get some rest while you are at it. You have an important day ahead of you and worrying like this will not accomplish much, will it?"

Moon sighed.

"You're right, Diana. I need could really use the rest," said Moon and forced a smile unto her lips. "Although, I could rest a lot easier knowing what is to come tomorrow." Gosh, sometimes I wish I could see into the future, you know? That way, I wouldn't have to worry about anything." Moon noticed the sudden reserved look on Diana's face. "Uh, is something the matter?"

Diana remained silent for a good while, casting her gaze downwards. She whipped her body around and gazed out the window, admiring the stillness of the night.

"You know, Mona-" the use of her given name caught the young Queen off-guard; it was rare for Diana to refer to her in such a way. "-sometimes, I do envy you mortals."

Moon blinked.

"Uh... ok?"

"My future stays the same regardless of my actions," Diana continued, "I will remain with you for many years, then you will die and, in time, I will be forgotten. I will live to see the fall of Mewni. I will live to see the end of this world. Then, my essence will wander on and find a new host; I will befriend them as I have befriended you. They and all who know them will die, and I shall be forgotten once more... I shall live on for eternity, witnessing worlds end, and even when the last star in the sky fades and the Cosmos turns dark and lifeless forever, I shall remain. I shall live on, doomed to wander a barren plane of existence while you are laid to rest aeons before that." Diana spun around to face the young queen. The corners of her mouth were turned up to form something akin to a smile, but a real smile it was certainly not. "To die... for this I envy you, Mona."

Moon's eyelids sagged and the corners of her lips formed a frown.

Despite knowing the spirit-girl for some years, it now dawned to the blue-haired queen that, in actuality, she knew very little about her. In contrast, Diana seemed to know the inner workings of Moon's mind to a tee.

Diana then let out a prolonged sigh and turned to face the young queen, her expression entirely ordinary.

"However, before you do kick the bucket, make sure to accomplish what you wish to, alright? I do not wish to spend eternity with a bitter taste in my mouth." Diana then flashed Moon a hint of a smile and left the room, presumably to take her usual nighty stroll around the castle.

Casually talking about death and then shrug it off as if it were nothing.

The minds of immortal beings functioned bizarrely, concluded Moon.

Envying death.

She still had much to learn about the mysterious girl.

Castle Mewni: Ball Room

Moon let loose a great, un-queenlike yawn. The folds underneath her eyes told tales of a restless night filled with anxious anticipation.

In the end, she managed to get a few hours of decent sleep, but not nearly enough to fully replenish her depleted batteries. Still, it was better than nothing, she supposed.

That morning, the young queen arose with the Sun. She wished to lay in bed for an hour or two under the comfort of her bedsheets and not worry about a thing, but she begrudgingly reminded herself that today was not the day to lollygag in bed. Today was a date that would go down in history as either one of the best or worst decisions of any Mewman monarch.

So she got out of bed, went to the washrooms and had a long, relaxing bath, after which she dried herself with a spell and then picked out a classy dress from her royal wardrobe. It was nothing extravagant; a simple ball gown, pale blue of colour with silver linings, reaching to her ankles and leaving her shoulders exposed.

This will do nicely, thought the young queen and called for a maid to have her gown washed, ironed and dried before the evening ball. She then went down for breakfast and dines with Ula, Tethys and Nerida all in their human forms, and River, who seemed to be getting along splendidly with Tethys. Ula allowed her daughter to sit on her lap and the two dined together. It was a pleasant sight that brought a faint smile to the young queen's face; whenever Ula would pick something to eat, Nerida would immediately wish for the same thing, take a bite, then spot something else on the table and wish to eat that. Ula would then sigh playfully and hand the half-eaten food to her husband, who was more than happy to receive it and pick out the next item Nerida wished to try. This repeated itself until the table was nearly empty of all food.

Once breakfast was over, the Royals went to oversee the final stages of the preparation of the ball. Ula was particularly impressed with the decorations, although Moon found them tacky. The tables were set, the food was being prepared, the wine and champagne were casked and ready, the guardsmen were stationed and the weather was nice and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. What's more, tonight would be a lovely full moon and the opening of the dome-like roof aligned perfectly with the moon's path, meaning that the ball would be bathed in a beautiful, pallid moonlight at around midnight.

"And remember, no matter what happens, do not interfere," were the words Ula spoke to the young Mewman queen every hour or so. "It is crucial that any disputes amongst the guests are resolved amongst them as well. If we resolve them, this whole charade will be for nought."

Despite reaffirming it time and time again, Ula kept hammering home the point over and over again until the very last moment before the first of the guests arrived. Moon and Ula stood by the main entrance, numerous guardsmen and guardswomen lurking all about them, and greeted the guests as they came flooding through the gate.

Moon had scarcely ever seen what the monsters considered a noble. When Ula and her family arrived they took on the shapes of Mewmans as not to startle the inhabitants of Mewni, and the only time she'd ever seen a monster noble in their true form was when Nerida accidentally exposed her true form. Moon couldn't deny the fact that she was excited to see several monster nobles grouped up in one place, albeit a part of her was very anxious about it.

Surprisingly enough, not that several monster nobles had passed through the front gate, she could hardly tell them apart from their own guardsmen - or guardsmonsters? It was best not to ask. It surprised the young Queen that the nobles consciously chose to wear clothing that didn't make them stand out from the rest of their kin; common trousers, worn vests, common boots and other shoes, regular shirts. Even Ula 'dressed' herself for the occasion, dismissing her Mewman form and throwing away the elegant dress in favour of a shabby outfit that was more appropriate for a pilgrim than a noble. Tethys and Nerida also assumed their true forms and wore similar clothing. All in all, Ula was no doubt what monsters considered a beauty; heck, she looked good even by Mewman standards!

Moon tried to avoid glancing at her somewhat fish-like appearance too much but she couldn't help but steal a quick glance every now and then. She got caught once and promptly apologised, but Ula laughed it off.

Once the last of the guests were in the castle, the main gates were closed and a magical barrier was put around the castle to prevent unwanted intruders from entering or any potential assassins from escaping should they dare to carry out their wicked deeds. Now that everything and everyone was in place, all that was left to do was formally announce that the Ball has begun. For the music, Moon hired a group of bards from one of Mewni's elite Bard Collages and told them to play traditional dance music. She had had a bit of an issue convincing them not to sing, but with a few extra coins, their lips were quickly and decisively sealed.

"I think it's about time to begin the Ball, wouldn't you agree?" Ula asked eventually, noticing that the guests were having a chat amongst one another, wondering when the even would finally begin.

Moon nodded and took a deep breath to compose herself. She glanced from left to right; the room was packed full of monsters and Mewmans. Each side seemed to be occupying one half of the ballroom.

Gosh, I wish Diana was here.

The spirit-girl had informed her that she wasn't too keen on parties, so she would spend her time messing with the guards. She always provided reassuring words to the young queen, but right then, she was on her own.

Slowly and with even steps, Moon made her way to the centre of the ballroom along with Ula. When the two queens were dead-centre in the ballroom, Moon took another deep breath and spoke with a refined tone, "Welcome, honoured guests. I am Queen Moon Butterfly of Mewni and standing at my side is Queen Ula of the Merfolk and the Monster Alliance. It is with great pleasure that we officially announce the first Monster-Mewman Goodwill Ball, of which there will be many more in the coming years. Please, do enjoy yourselves and have a pleasant dance!"

"Also," Ula spoke, "Do remember to mingle amongst one another, will you? There's no reason to act like oil and water. The ballroom is cramped enough as it is and behaving like children will only spoil the pleasantries."

Everyone, Moon included, stared at Ula with gaping eyes. The manner in which she has so nonchalantly addressed the underlying issue was a cold shower on many of the attendants. And yet, somehow, nobody sensed any hints of criticism or hostility from Ula; despite the provocative nature of her words, all who heard them knew they were nought but well-intended.

Hesitantly, after a wave of murmurs, a few heads from either side made their way to the dance floor. There was an awkward moment between them. Then, one of the Mewman girls smiled at a young boar-like monster and offered her hand. The monster gazed from left to right, then returned the smile and accepted the offered hand, much to both their parents' disgust.

"Wanna dance?" he asked and snorted.

"Certainly," replied the young girl, smiling, and took the monster-boy's hand. The two began dancing along to the music and received several odd stares from the onlookers. Some were confused, others disgusted, other curious and still others somewhat delighted. The duo seemed to ignite a flame of courage within some of the guests as they too made their way to the dance floor and mingled amongst one another, dancing along to the music.

Ula smiled to herself and gazed about. Even on the sidelines of the dance floor, she noticed several monsters and Mewmans talking amongst one another, sharing laughs and pleasant talks.

However, not all was sunshine and rainbows as the majority of the guests stuck with their own kin, gazing at each other with spiteful, narrowed eyes and keeping as much distance from each other as possible.

Things persisted in such a state for several hours and Moon grew more and more nervous with each tick of the clock. While she was happy that there were no major incidents as of yet, on the other hand, Ula's elaborate plan required a very specific incident to take place, and by the looks of things, despite the better half of the guests' apparent dissatisfaction with the ball, there was no sign of a fistfight imminently breaking out.

"Ouch! Watch it!"

River's sudden cry snapped Moon back to reality and she realised that she had just stepped on her dance partner's toes for the eight time that night.

"Sorry, River. I just can't stop worrying, is all."

"Worrying? About what? Things are going fine."

"I suppose."

"Look, just take a deep breath, relax and enjoy yourself for a bit," River said, smiling, and raised his hand to create a bridge underneath which Moon stepped and twirled on the spot. "You work so hard every single day and have to manage an entire kingdom. You deserve a little break once in a while, why not have one now?"

"If only it were that simple." Moon sighed and smiled a ghost of a smile. "Still, I guess I shouldn't worry as much."

"You're darn right you shouldn't! Whatever happens or doesn't happen, know I'll stand by your side, Moon," said River and gripped her hand tightly.

"River..." Moon's cheeks turned cherry pink at the young man's statement and for the first time that day, a genuine smile took vestige on her lips. Unfortunately, the moment of bliss was just a moment.

"Get your filthy hands off my daughter you greasy swine!"

The two along with the dancing guests stopped in their tracks and turned to their heads in the direction of the enraged voice. They saw a Mewman man with a grey beard and a green slime monster duking it out near the punch bowl. Next to them were a teenage girl with chestnut brown hair and wearing a leaf-green dress, and a much younger-looking and smaller slime monster wearing a purple watch cap and a matching pair of jeans. The two adults seemed to have forcefully separated the two and were now standing between them, locked in a heated argument.

"How dare your son lay a finger on my daughter!?"

"My son? Hah! You should be honoured that he even considered touching scum like you!"

"Scum eh? Well, at least we live in a mansion while you probably dwell in some foul sewage!" The man poked the slime monster with his finger. "You don't even belong here! I have no idea why you were even invited to a high-class event such as this!"

"Yeah!" a voice yelled.

"Get lost, monster scum!" another voice added and soon, several Mewmans stepped behind the man to back him up.

"Invited?" The slime monster drew a step closer and grumbled in a menacing voice. "Remember, Mewman, this was our home before you drove us out!" The slime, too, received backup from several of his kin. "You stole our lands from us, Mewman!"

"Stole? Hah! The spoils go to the victor, don't they? Your kind never stood a chance against us!"

"Care to put your money where your mouth is, Mewman?" The slime monster said with a challenging tone.

"I'd be happy to..." muttered the Mewman with a stone cold expression and both sides of the conflict moved closet to each other with menacing glares.

"Uh oh..." Moon muttered and let go of River's hand. "I've got to do something before things get worse." Moon drew her wand and was about to leap in and take action but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, thinking it was River, but instead, she saw Ula, smiling calmly and shaking her head.

"That won't be necessary," Ula muttered and pointed at Moon's wand. Moon arched an eyebrow at the older queen, then heard a loud slap resonate across the ballroom. With a terrified look she gazed towards the punch bowl, fearing that a fight had broken loose, but instead saw, to her shock, the young Mewman girl standing between her father and the giant slime monster, her eyes narrowed and her hand raised in the air. The bearded man was looking to the side, a red hand imprint on his right cheek visible to all and a look of pure shock on his face. The rest of the Mewmans and monsters looked stunned.

"Papa! Quit it!" the girl yelled and shot daggers at her father. "I was having a pleasant time before you decided to butt in! Just... let me have a bit of fun! Yeesh!"

The man stared at his daughter in shock.

"Haha!" the older slime laughed and turned to look at his son triumphantly only to be met with a glare as the young slime joined the Mewman girl.

"You, too, dad! Stop butting in and ruining the fun!" the young slime monster yelled, much to his father's shock.

"B-but... she's a- a Mewman!"

"Yeah, so?" the young slime retorted, arms crossed. "Guess what? I don't care! Like, at all! I was having a fun time with her!"

"But-"

"No buts, dad!" the young slime cut his father off. "Look, I don't get why you're making such a big deal out of it. It's just a dance and quite frankly I don't mind dancing with Mewmans."

"The same goes for me, papa," the brown-haired girl added.

"B-But Mewmans and monsters are natural enemies!" declared one Mewman from the sidelines. "Like Mewmans and Saptarians! Or Mewmans and Centaurs! Or Mewmans and other Mewmans!" The man continued, shaking his fist in the air, "Damn those Mewmans! They've ruined Mewni!"

"As true as that may have been in the past, in no longer needs to be," said the brown-haired girl. "Besides, how many of you were even alive during the great conflict between our two sides?" An awkward silence followed. "My point exactly. Look, I don't care if you hate each other and want to keep up this petty conflict, but don't impose on us to do the same! And frankly, the whole lot of you could use a chill pill!" Finishing her speech and leaving everyone open-mouthed, the young girl smiled at her green, slime-ish dance partner, took his hand and made her way back to the dance floor. Several of the younger guests followed suit and continued enjoying the ball as though nothing had happened while the rest of the guests, both the monsters and the Mewmans, dispersed with resentful frowns, but at the very least the tension was no longer boiling.

As Moon could only stare and blink, she heard Ula chuckle a triumphant and amused chuckle.

"I told you. Never underestimate the young ones. They're chock-full of surprises."

Without saying a further word, Ula walked off towards her daughter and husband who were playing some distance away from the commotion.

I can't believe it's actually working... thought Moon. Indeed, if things kept going like this for the rest of the night and word got out (and she had a feeling Ula would do everything in her power that word did get out), many a monster and Mewman may start putting things into perspective.

However, fate had other, more sinister ideas in store for young Moon.

"My Queen," she heard a voice address her and turned to see one of her servants standing beside her and River, his arms behind his back. He bowed respectfully. "I do not wish to disturb you during such an occasion, but I must pass on some urgent news."

"Of course, you must..." Moon sighed and gave the man a solemn nod. He led her out the main hall just outside the door. "So," Moon spoke, shooting the man an impatient stare, "What is so urgent that you needed to drag me away so suddenly? Make it swift."

"Again, my sincerest apologies for dragging you away like this, m'lady, but there has been a sudden development in the investigation of your parents' murder. May I relay it to you?"

"If you must," Moon grumbled after a moment of consideration. While she didn't want to spoil her whole evening, she had a feeling the servant wouldn't go away until the information was relayed to her. "Just make it quick. I wish to get back to the ball and enjoy the remainder of the evening."

"I fear that the news and your wish contradict one another," sighed the servant and retrieved a sealed envelope from his pocket which he handed to the blue-haired queen. Moon accepted it with a raised eyebrow and removed the wax seal from the envelope and took out the letter contained within. Hastily, she read the letter from top to bottom and froze up, read it again, and looked at her servant as her skin went pale.

"Is this...?"

The servant nodded and spoke with a grim voice, "I'm afraid so, my Queen."

The young queen folded the letter in half and gazed at the ballroom through the open door.

Moon's breaths were shallow as she stared at the charming, friendly and relaxed Ula, playing with Nerida and laughing with her husband.

The woman whom her mother trusted.

The woman who seemed innocent and pure as a child.

The woman who was behind the murder of her parents.

To be continued...


Chapter end notes:

Cliffhanger city is back :P!

As always, reviews, follows and favourites are more than welcome!

'Till next time!

Toots!