"They were pounding on the door? What a weird dream, well i guess it's better to call it a nightmare, no one would dream of something as creepy as that"

Sky kept attempting to dip down in her bedroom as judas recalled his latest dream, finally happy to spend some time with his best friend. It almost felt like it had been forever since they got to just catch up and hang out together. Sky was actually pretty relieved to see him, with everything happening she almost worried he was going to burst out of stress. She reached out and patted his back in concern.

"That's gotta be how they get in and take over your body, they must really be pushing for you, well, i think that's what's supposed to be happening at least, unless we're all having the same strange dream".

"For some reason or another, yes. They really seemed to want to target me and i don't know why, maybe because i'm a prince, maybe cause of my powers, but i'm sure there are easier targets then me if they want that". How did he suddenly become a target? How were they even picking targets at all? Was he going crazy? He couldn't understand how he would get to a point like this. He was not really worth taking over for any reason, like was he actually their target all this time?

It was not a comforting feeling at all, who knows what could happen if they had actually succeeded, judas would be walking around as someone's puppet, and the fact that almost happened was almost enough to make him not want to even sleep ever again. He was left wondering what he would've seen on the other side if he had let the door open, but he supposed his charm is what kept it mostly closed before then.

"The charm is finally wearing out...that sucks dude".

"Well, it's been used so much to repress all these dreams i think it's wearing down, but it's fine, at least i can get it fixed up by talking to luna and eclipsa...they both know how to do it...but it's been repelling so much i think it's just getting weaker. It was a rough dream sky, it started off kinda nice and then it got super dark and scary and i hated it so much...i just want some normal rest around here".

"At least jackie stayed with you", sky said, trying to help him feel just the least bit better, "You got to spend time with her, you haven't gotten to spend that much time with her since we were little. I'm sure that made her whole day, being a knight seems so stressful and crazy and can you imagine how many times she's nearly been killed doing that job?".

Judas could only imagine at this point.

She tried to dip down again, punching the pillow as she failed once again. "Working with angel and eclipsa was quite the deal, i mean, technically she was helping landon but still, you know how things are...but if it makes landon happy...well we need as many hands on deck as possible". Judas wished he'd gotten a chance to see that but it was nice to at least know how his brother had been doing and that he was in great hands.

Eclipsa was a phenomenal teacher when she wanted to be and landon needed someone with a bit more patience if he was ever going to get anywhere with his newfound powers.

"Well, angel has improved in magic, that's a good thing, he could barely do much of anything not even that long ago, now he's better then you", he teased as sky threw a pillow at him. "I'm right though, he used to be ably to barely do anything, now look at him, if we find the stuff he needs he could get even more powerful someday...help get the arachmen back to their glory...if possible".

"That might take some time but...it's hopeful, and he's getting so promising...i've never seen him this happy before. He's smiling and laughing and it's just...so nice to see him having a good time...he used to never do that. And landon is getting stronger too, slowly but surely, soon enough we could take on anything together. Imagine them getting beat up by a bunch of teenagers, man, i'd be embarrassed".

"Eh, if our parents are any indication, teens can do a lot of damage".

"You're right, maybe we need to take it down just a notch", just a notch could mean more then a notch considering who we're talking about here.", sky playfully pushed him as she rubbed her forehead, "Wish i was making as much progress as them, there's so much still for me to do". But at least progress was being made at all, that she could be super thankful for.

"Well judas, at least you're ok for now, that's the important thing, i would've freaked if anything bad had happened to you. But that explains so much about the weird dreams we all were having, so as long as you don't let them in we should be good to go...right? Granted, dreams are hard to control usually but now that we have some idea things should be much easier".

"Yeah but...ir doesn't make me any less uneasy sky, what do they even want with me? They keep coming after me, me specifically now, you have any idea how scary that is for me? I'm a target now no question about it. How am i supposed to take it easy for the stuff coming up like this? I can't even rest if i have to worry i won't wake up in my own body, it's not something to be light on".

"Do your parents know?".

"I told jackie, when i woke up, i'm sure she's going to let them know what happened, but still", he tried to recall more of what he had seen, "Sky, you don't have a charm, you need to be careful, all of you do...they could use you against me now...and nothing could really stop them, it's more dangerous now then it was ever before and you could be in trouble".

Sky nodded, "I know, i'll be careful i promise, i don't meant to worry you so much ok? it's going to be alright judas...we can handle it now that we know what to look out for", she seemed confident but judas did not, "Sky, they had to have known i resisted, they're gonna try even harder next time because of that, they're not just gonna give up after one lucky round, they're going to try again".

He never meant to come off so angry when he said that, it was just that he was worried, these were his friends he was talking about and they could all end up in serious danger. Sky was his best friend and he just wanted her to seem like she was taking this whole thing just a bit more seriously so he could sleep a bit better at night then he was doing before.

"I know, you're right, i just don't want it to ruin my mood...y'know? It's been hard to stay positive recently", she admitted, "But if it really means a lot to you, i'm sorry, i'll try and go about it a bit better for you, i know that whole thing really seems to have gotten to you". Judas was quite shaken up to be honest, more then usual and sky felt she better change the subject.

"Anything else happen?"

"My grandfather happened".

That got her attention.

"Oh no, you didn't get into a fight did you?", he was shocked she was able to come to that conclusion so quickly but then again, with everything happening it was unlikely they weren't coming off from a fight of some kind. They had been on tricky terms and with all the annoying pursuing judas was abound to lash out or his grandfather was bound to.

"Look, it might clear up soon, i just...he made me feel like a threat again and i got really upset, and he should know better because of how much that whole deal gets to me and makes me feel like an awful person...i'm sure he didn't do it on purpose tho.".

Yeah, that was the kinda thing that would hurt judas to this extent.

Sky sighed and looked for something she could give to her friend to ease his mind, throwing him a small candy bar from her dresser, 'Just take it, you might need some more stuff to eat to keep you calm." Judas took it and began unwrapping it with a glimmer of gratitude in his eyes, "I need to be ready for the trap and i'm not sure i will sky, there's so much pressure".

She understood, 'Yeah, pressure from adults is the worst, like we don't have enough going on in our lives or something". But then she bit her lips, "I guess it keeps us going though, so we don't get lazy and risk the mission, it is a big mission we're being allowed to do and i think they're all terrified to let us all down. Mom knows about how i feel so i can imagine how that's been going for her and you told them plenty about your issues all the time at this point".

"What do you think they'll be like after at the rate this is going?".

"We'll be lucky if they aren't all crazy by the end of it if you're asking me jude", she huffed on some loose hairs in front of her face, " The outfits are nearly complete and i'm dropping off my hat for nora later today, i hope this plan works for all the work we're putting into it. Cause if it doesn't work after all the time we put into it i'm gonna be so mad you have no idea".

"You'll be mad? Imagine how i'll feel considering the context of this party, crowned king and my party for it was wasted for nothing. This is a big event sky, coronations are no joke, if it gets wasted i'm gonna be mocked for it the rest of my life! There will be rumors floating around about how i wasted it on purpose and stuff like that, this party has to make me look good to some extent".

There he was, getting overally stressed again, he needed to cool down before he got more stressed again. But sky was being patient with him, she got it, she was probably just as frustrated. This was her best friend going through this, judas needed some good news right now that did not involved his parent's actions to any degree. They were just making him feel bad.

"Well hey, you wanna see what i made for you? Maybe that might cheer you up?", she got up and started heading into her closet, judas watching her go with curiosity. She was pulling out a suit, a black out, with lines of red, and it was quick to grab his attention. Sky was good, there was a reason she was best to make these costumes, she had unspeakable talent for it.

Even now, judas couldn't stop staring at it, she even already made him a matching mask.

"Sky, stop being so talented, you're going to make me jealous again". He got up to get a better look, admiring her handiwork and trying on the red and black mask over his eyes, "You're amazing sky, thank you so much for doing this for me.". She smiled and patted his back, "For you, of course, i made mine too...white and blue, so we're basically matching opposites now".

"Of course you made it like that, sky, you're awesome...keep being the best". He kissed her cheek and got a better look at his costume as sky smirked, that cheered him up and thank god for that, she didn't want judas sad all day while spending time with her. Now he had something to actually be excited about when it came to his big day, wearing this new suit sky had made for him specifically.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, at least she was spending the whole thing with him and they could hang out during it.

Make him rest a whole lot easier.

"This is one of the most wonderful things you've ever made me sky, i cannot begin to figure out how i'm going to repay you for it. I'm going to buy you as much fabric as you ever could want to make more stuff as good as this!", she had to be tired as heck making something like this, especially since she was doing a good few at once, sure she had a little help but-

"Hey, i had your suit planned ages ago, i just...changed some things up to fit the theme better", she said nonchalantly, judas snorting at her in response. "Well, i'll make sure to wear it as much as possible for all the time you put into it. And wait...is this fabric...flexible?" He eyed her questionably and she nodded, "Hey, last thing you needed was for the suit to tear because of your curse during your coronation".

He thought he was about to cry.

"Have i ever told you you're the best friend anyone could have?".

Sky threw a pillow at him from the floor and pulled him into a hug, "Just stay safe and stuff, that's what matters most. If anyone ruins your big day i'll punch them so hard they'll pop into another dimension." She didn't have her wand but that didn't mean she couldn't give off a good fight if she needed it, "Even if it's a trap, you should still have fun, it's your birthday judas.".

He was crying, oh he was definitely crying.

"Sky, i swear, when it's your birthday i am going to throw you the best party i possibly can. I...really needed this, after all the stuff happening, thank you.", she embraced the tight hug, kissing his cheek and enjoying his warmth. Hopefully this was enough to help him through the rest of the day without having another long period of sadness aout his family.

"Oh wait till you see nora's sunhat i made her", shy said as they parted, digging through her closet to find a sunhat with ribbons and well...in sky fashion, some eyes added on to make it look more like a creature. "I hope she likes it, i promised her i'd do it, might as well give it to her and let her enjoy it. She's been helping with arana and oh, have you told her about what you wanted to do yet?".

Oh right, that whole deal that had keep the last thing on his as of recent.

"We're...working on it, at least she's been busy up to this point with her parents".

"Well you better deal with it soon if jackie's gonna train you like she says she is, otherwise it might be even harder to do after that, just saying.". She did have a point and maybe a proper conversation with it would make him less tense. "I think she's catching onto the fact you are trying to handle it yourself but if you don't saying anything there's no way she can know for sure"."

"I guess i'm worried to upset her, i don't wanna upset nora, she's done so much for me and she deserves the best...i don't wanna come off like i'm pushing her away after everything she'd done for me. Because nora is really sweet and she's been through a lot, and i don't even think i want her to entirely stop helping me either, i just don't want her to make me her focus if i can find another way...she already has so much going on".

"You're overthinking it, nora cares a heck of a lot about you, she can handle it if you want her to take it easy and not focus on a cure right now...maybe she can shift her focus onto ways of helping you grasp it instead. You're not going to disappoint her judas, she's probably way more worried about disappointing you because you've been so kind to her and helped her deal with her parents and everything".

"I don't want to disappoint everyone, after i stepped down as the leader of this little thing it just leaves me very worried. Like maybe i'm not good enough or i'm too weak to handle it or that. I know you're going to tell me i'm not it just comes to mind sometimes, i rarely back down like this and sometimes i feel like i should be doing something rather then sitting here...especially when it comes to my friends...i get told so often i'm doing a good job but i worry you guys only tell me that because of the horrible treatment i used to get...y'know?".

"Judas?".

"I'm sorry i'm doing it again, i just...get worried, i'm so anxious about everything now...more then i used to be...i keep doubting everything now and i feel like i'm always going to screw everything up", her put her work down and rubbed his face, "Before angel's trial i was a mess, angel had to talk ME down, it wasn't like me...i just, i never want to lose you guys...the people who care about me".

"Judas, you've seen all the bad stuff i did and stuff where i totally screwed up, if you can stay with me after all of that then of course i'm gonna stay with you, my best friend is not gonna lose me because of not being perfect all the time. Maybe you like...felt you had to be perfect for so long to get back at those weirdos and now that you can't do that, it's driving you crazy".

It was that, wasn't it?

It was so easy to see it as a solution, that he could change everyone's mind by impressing them, he was sure in the back of his mind he had been telling himself it was a waste of time. In fact, he was sure he had told himself it was pointless to impress those who hated him and yet he felt a need to impress. That he had a high standard to achieve, maybe it was being the next king that got him to this point but it was clearly getting unhealthy.

Sky looked very concerned, "Maybe you need to stop trying to impress...anyone, not even us, and just try ang impress...yourself. Cause truth be told, i think maybe that's the person you really need to impress jude, you need to impress yourself...you need to feel proud of yourself. I mean like, you came so far, you helped defend a friend in court, you saved a princess, you helped keep me safe so many times, you have so much to feel proud of jude".

"Words aren't gonna fix me you know?".

"I know jude, it doesn't fix everything with me either but...maybe, starting today, you can like...find things...to like, about yourself. Your worth isn't about impressing us and being a heroic prince or anything, i just like hanging out with you...and maybe like, having you step back was a good thing. Now we can all kinda learnt to take charge ourselves while you have a break".

"Are you sure things are going well without me there? You sure there's something you could give em so i can help in any way-", sky put a hand over his mouth and shook her head, "judas, how about you start right now tell me something about yourself that you actually kinda like, and i mean genuinely like. Don't try and make one up so you can get out of this, i want you to mean it".

Judas bit his lips, trying to come up with an answer so sky could start getting off his tail already, but then he relaxed. He was now doing the opposite of what sky wanted and what she was trying to do to help him. He had to really think, searching his mind all over for something that actually would apply to what sky said. Did he even have anything at all?

"I like that i'm good at playing ping pong with people, cause my parents taught me and stuff, i kicked luna's butt in it and it pissed her off like crazy", sky could believe he meant every word of that one actually, especially with the expression on his face as a result. "Yeah, you were pretty dang good at that game, that's for sure, we should play next time we can".

Then judas went back to thinking some more, which was comforting for sky and a good sign.

"I also like...how easy it is to make friends sometimes i guess, like when i talk to people i just seem to make friends like that. I usually get nervous about meeting new people but then i get right into it and we usually get along and we're all friends. I guess it's just cool, that i seem to get along with others, if that makes any sense...i guess it's just nice that i make friends like that".

"Anything else?".

"I...like being a protector, of my brothers, my friends, everyone. I just like being able to help and take care of you guys, it makes me feel like i have a purpose outside of being a throne heir. I keep you guys safe and get to take out our enemies together, we get to go on cool adventures together and i get to scare the living daylights out of all of them, y'know?".

"You see? Words do help! Just let yourself know something you like about yourself every single day, it keeps ya going and it'll help make you feel better till you and your family work out this whole situation. I mean it might take awhile but eventually he might like...apologize and get over it once he realizes you should be able to choose and everything".

"He's just kinda stubborn, especially when it comes to my curse, mom always got so...panicky over it. They thought they'd lose their body over it, that they'd kill everyone, and then to have it pass on to me...the fact it seems to not be truly evil is a miracle, like my mom was holding in a breath for years and was finally able to like...let it go without worrying about me".

"Guess we both have some of the most stubborn grandparents in the entire world, i know it's done with love and everything but your family needs to give you space with this whole thing, it's your curse, unless it's an emergency it's important to just...give you some time to figure things out...help you learn to control it if you can. Not like...flip out about it".

"It's my grandad sky, he's lived in a kingdom that's easy for a mewman like him to die in, safety is kinda important to him and it always has been. It's why he ended up loving mom so much, but i think what i have to do is kep up what i'm doing and show him i can do this...jackie wants to help me and so do you guys, so i'm going to prove him wrong if i can".

"Honestly, if you can turn your arm into that thing on command, that'd be pretty kick ass all things considered, can you imagine?", he never really thought about it in his wildest dreams, but now that it was on the table, it made him a lot less scared. Less scared of himself and less scared of his capabilities, "Well, if you learn to dip down too then we'll be force to reckon with together".

"Oh yeah".

He thought of something for a moment before mumbling, "Sky? I uh...i think i'm a little scared...of you...leaving me.". It was something he had to get off his chest, it had been in the back of his mind for way too long," I'm sorry to bring it up i just think, well i got so lonely and you were busy with others and i think...i think i freak out sometimes when i shouldn't".

Sky pondered on those words for a moment, before patting her friend on the back as a sign of comfort, "Well, i was your only friend for a long time, and like...your only real supporter who wasn't related to you, so...i can see why.". She smiled, pressing her head into his chest now and trying to wrap her arms around him in a hug ,"You're still my best friend jude, i'm never gonna ditch you...but i'm sorry you get lonely when we're not together...".

"Like i wanted to be there to watch you practice, not deal with the coronation stuff, what happens when i'm king? Will we be too busy to even spend time together anymore? Will these moments be some of the last we ever get together before i get to be in charge? I wished i had spent more time with you if i had known that might be the case, since you won't rule for a while and you have angel and nora to still spend time with-".

"Jude, hey, it's going to be ok, it's not gonna be as bad as you think.".

"How do you know?".

"Because you'll be in charge, and if you really wanna spend time with your friends you'll make time for it, we got each other's backs...this whole thing keeping up separate, it's not permanent and it won't stop me from wanting to be your best friend". She leaned up and kissed his cheek, "I'm glad you came to spend time with me today, it's nice to get a moment to ourselves".

"I'm sorry i'm not well, i never wanted to become some kid you were babysitting and now i've become just that for all of you".

"Jude, it's nothing to be sorry for, you got a lot going on, just keep in touch and keep yourself motivated, you can totally kick ass and beat this curse, It's your body, you should be in control of every aspect of it. You made progress jude, that's pretty dang awesome, i can barely get anything right now, at least you got close to some degree, nothing to be ashamed of".

"We don't have much more time before the plan is set, it won't be much longer before we try the largest mousetrap we've ever tried in all of mewni history.".

"Yeah, i know, but like, if we don't, we'll live with it, i'm more worried about if i get my wand back before it", right, her wand was nearly repaired but there was talk of not even giving it back to sky. Not only because it broke in her hands, but because they might be better off protecting it somewhere else, especially if the suspect wanted the wand like they seemed to.

Making sky powerless, and nearly useless if an attack happened.

Really, if angel didn't work the wand would also make good bait so it was a good idea, it was just upsetting for sky too. "I'm going to ceck up on landon and eclipsa today, if you want to join, you can see landon trying to do magic with a wand and it might make for a good break after all the stuff you've been dealing with. You could kick back and watch and we could discuss more plans and solutions for us".

Actually, that didn't sound too bad, landon was someone he wanted to spend a little more time with too, and judging by sky's other words, mason would be there as well. Maybe he could even learn something by watching the others try and do magic, maybe even eclipsa could be of help with his curse and give him some tips of how best to handle it.

"Is it ok?".

"It's always ok jude, maybe it might help you when you train with jackie later...", she started putting on one of her jackets and offering her hand, "C'mon, before anyone makes us change our mind, you might need some fresh mewni air as well, might ease you up...and if you want, we can change the subject to something that'll make you less upset".

He took her hand and blinked, the two of them heading out of the room and walking down the halls to the garden where the others where. Judas still eyeing sky in curiosity of what she had planned.

"Like what?".

He really did wanna know what she had that could make him less upset right now.

"Luna's coming to your party".

He blinked again, "Wait, how is that supposed to cheer me up exactly? No offence but me and her are on some complicated terms right now so i don't know why anything about that is supposed to make me far less stressed.".

"Because it means she's getting out of her room, which means she might be safe and we might get her off the hook, she'd never be allowed to leave like this if she was really in serious trouble. I think she and my mom have really been talking, like a lot, together. I don't exactly know what they've been saying to each other but it's clearly doing something good so-".

"You think your mom is actually making some kind of progress with her? Cause i'm not sue if that's really the case, this is luna we're talking about here and she's kinda a stubborn brick to try and move if that's what your mom is trying to do". And the princess shrugged, "Don't worry about it, if she does she does, if she doesn't she doesn't, the important thing is we got a plan in motion and we need to prepare for it".

"What happens if we aren't prepared?".

"We'll figure it out from there if we aren't", she lead him into the garden, angel, nora, landon, celeste, sunny, galexia and eclipsa already there. But there was also one more guest there that they had no been expecting, mason, who was sitting by himself, watching and looking at the roses. They all waved at them as angel and landon continued practicing.

Before nora ran over to hug judas, timidly stopping and blushing, "S-sorry, we just missed you, a lot". Then judas pulled her into a hug himself, getting alime all over his hands and jacket, "Same, i really missed you as well, texting you for updates is not the same thing as spending time with you, that's for sure, you're still doing well, taking good care of angel's parents?".

"Yes, they're such lovely people, and my parents are starting to really like them a lot...they visit often, it's...the happiest i've seen them when it comes to his kingdom. I guess being trapped here together really allowed them to talk, but they won't be here much longer, globgor needs to come back so his parents plan to return soon now that things are a bit better."

"Don't sorry, i'm staying", angel said, chipping in, "I still want to help out here and things are still tense so maybe my parents can ease things up before i go back, plus...you guys need me and i'd rather be here to help then not". Besides, this was the place to help him with more of his training so no way was he going to leave while that was still going on.

"Well, if you're parents are gonna head out, then let us know so we can tell them a proper goodbye".

"Yes please", eclipsa chimed in, "But it'll be nice seeing globgor again, I missed him so much and meteora will be delighted to see him as well". She helped landon more with his posture as she talked, "Globgor will be very useful for the plan, he knows strategy more then anyone and knows how to act fast if bad things occur, so best we have him around to keep us safe".

"Well any guy who can turn huge in an instant will probably be pretty terrifying to face off against, even if you have powerful magic". Honestly with how many of them there would be it almost seemed like an unfair fight, the only way they might get out was if they had a backup plan they couldn't predict. But that's just if they actually showed up and went into their trap without a hitch.

Truth be told they might not even take the bait, it would be a huge risk to even try and go in.

But did they have much else to lose either by doing so?

But it was great to have globgor there, he and wrathmelior were some of their most powerful monster on board, so having both was a good idea. They could even be look-outs for suspicious people attending, it was right up their ally. Meteora would probably be happy to see her dad again too, as long as it didn't cause any more family drama, there was enough happening as is.

Landon was still making minimal progress but it was progress, he seemed super happy too, more then he usually was. There was progress being made, more then he got before, not to say he wasn't trying with his normal violin still however, this was just allowing him to channel his magic far better. He wasn't even really a butterfly and he was channeling magic better then some queens were at his age.

Judas had to admit, he was pretty happy seeing landon like this, landon was rarely like this unless he was pretty darn proud of himself, something he rarely seemed to feel. In fact he seemed to even be showing it off to his older brother. Which, he never got to do that much either, so hey, might as well. Judas sure looked happy, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

He was almost his normal self again.

"I see you're adapting well to having a wand huh? Isn't mom supposed to be watching you while you're doing this?", but eclipsa shook her head, "Marco got a call and had to go handle something, i think to do with your grandfather actually, so i'm keeping an eye on this today until they get back from whatever is going in". She told landon to go for another plant spell and he nodded as he got back into it.

"Your brother is actually a very good student, he's really eager to learn, not a lot of kids his age are really that into learning stuff like he is, gotta admit, it's pretty fun to teach magic again...". At this point she might as well be running a school for magic users or something, she was already starting to become everyone's primary magic and kingdom teacher.

"Well nothing's stopping you from teaching me and angel right now, like i am trying to dip down after all...and you eventually found a way to make that work", sky walked over to join angel with his magic practice and gave him a wave, "Like, you don't have to go on and on, if you want to teach us, you can just teach us and get it over with. Save us the burden of your dragging on about it".

The woman let out a laugh.

"Fair enough, but only if you want it, you might even be better off without me though".

Sky doubted that a lot, but she appreciated the faith she had in her. Well, the first queen had to learn magic without help too, so it could be done, but the first queen wasn't a teenager either. And nor did she have the pressure of a kingdom and her mom to deal with, so maybe she wasn't the best person for sky to be comparing herself to at all. She hated to admit how much she needed help with doing this, she knew the basics but not how to get the outcome.

She had so many memories of her mother showing it off in front of her and she made it look so easy, sky on the other hand, had to use her tiny wings to carry angel and that alone was a struggle. Maybe she needed more then memories, maybe she needed something to actually happen right to her for it to work, maybe she should ask luna if she could help her...she could dip down right?

"So...don't wanna sound intrusive but...how's things with uh...bernie?", sky asked, landon's spell quickly stopped as he blushed and tried to brush it off, "It's till very complicated, i...i think it's still ok, we're still talking. He's thinking about things and all that, i've been focusing on this stuff so i don't have to worry about it too much, i don't wanna get myself worried or anything, cause he's my friend and everything.".

He shook it off and went back to his magic, "I need to focus on myself too, i just wanna get better...i wanna be able to protect him this time.". He went back into the spells, more aggressive then he had been, determined, "When the party starts we all have our places to be, i'm in charge of keeping some of our more prized possessions used for the ceremony safe just in case and if those get stolen i'm dead.".

"You guys got roles?", judas turned to sky.

"Ehhh, kinda, i mean, those of us who didn't have official ones anyway, i'm to be with you and angel alongside your parents, sunny and galexia stand by and be lookouts, mason stays with fae to keep her safe just in case...so on and so forth". The plan would be useless if nobody knew what they were doing and were all in random locations that didn't help them in the slightest after all.

They all could text each other if they spotted something, and therefore make things go far more smoothly.

"Anyways all doors will be semi watched and we all will be armed, so really, we're good to go if they show up, but it's perfect, so they had to take the risk, if they want a wand and angel or even you", it was rather impressive, if it worked. Sky looked confident in their abilities, as confident as she could, though it was possible they were overthinking this whole thing.

"And if they try and leave, me and globgor have plenty of experience with this kinda thing, well, not so much the "Planning a scheme kinda thing' but moreso the "rush in and take people down" kinda thing", she giggled and that's when judas bit his lip and asked a question he had been long since curious about, "You never told us...what exactly happened...with shastacan".

That made eclipsa pause, she really hadn't told them had she.

"Well...we never liked that man but...we truly never attacked him through vengeance, lord our reputation was already bad enough by that time, last thing we needed was another reason for mewni to hate us.", that got landon to stop practicing, "No vengeance? I thought it was always about you getting back at him for what happened with meteora, was it not?".

She felt a little put on the spot, but now that it had been brought up, she had to explain.

"No dear...alright, i guess i better get it out before you all assume things. Listen, when i left the kingdom the war was still ongoing and now i was living with the king of monsters, on the monster side of the war efforts. I didn't want to be involved but i had to help...at least help globgor, so i...well, i was helping him collect allies...and that's when the temple was attacked, and that's when we returned to find out our daughter had been taken".

She took a seat on a nearby rock, sighing, "We quickly went to the castle to retrieve her, we had a plan and everything just in case but by the time we had...she was already gone, and we had no idea where they took her. But us leaving left our home less protected and as soon as we got back, the commission were there and so was...he. They arrested us...and things got messy.".

"Messy?".

"We were told if my ex was well...killed, meteora could be returned to us...globgor knew it...but also knew if he did it he'd never see her again and be frozen, but at the time...he thought at least i'd have her back and safe...we were fools at the time. I think it had been toffee and seth looking back on it, using our daughter against us...so he could further take over mewni...we did it for meteora...but...not for revenge.".

"Wait, you got tricked into it?"

"We said it was complicated, but no one would've believed us at the time, i was a traitor and he was a criminal", she huffed, "I don't like getting into it, being fooled as we had been, it was not a good feeling.". She face her gloved hand down her face, "Being forced to do someone else's dirty work was quite a painful thing for us, and we never got meteora back either...we were frozen...both of us".

"You have any idea who tricked you?".

"We always thought it was toffee, or perhaps seth, but we could never be sure, not that it mattered in the end...but...we do know how it feels to be forced to do these things we don't like. We were desperate, globgor was desperate he wanted to take the fall". Maybe it was a bad idea to bring all of this up, it seemed to be really upsetting the former queen and most likely brought up the worst kinda memories.

"We don't want to fall into that same trap again, it's why we've been so careful. Because it could happen to you all too, playing with your emotions is a good way to take you down more then anything, and...they will fight dirty to do it, no matter how much you fight back or resist. Meteora was used against us and you're lucky the kingdom wasn't in shambles as a result of what we did...".

"Eclipsa...i'm sorry, we had no idea it was so messed up".

"I never talk about it much because if more people knew, well, we might go right back to being hated all over again", she eyed nora, who especially seemed nervous. Shastacan was a great relative to her after all, she knew more then anyone how big of an impact his loss was to everyone in her kingdom. Finally, one of their own married a butterfly just to be murdered brutally like that.

The guy wasn't good by any means but no one was really sure if he deserved that, it was an awful way to go and especially because he had been assassinated for the sake of someone else to get a chance to take over. Honestly if festivia hadn't taken his place, who really knew what state the kingdom would've been in with this information, though now it didn't matter all that much.

"Meteora knowing all this is rough on her, i never wanted her to feel as if the kingdom was her fault, or that her being kidnapped made things worse because of how we acted. I never liked that man but i wasn't kind just...killing him off while there was a war happening, globgor thought it was best, and he made the choice without being sure if it were for the best".

"Didn't he burn a village too? What about all the people who had been eaten? All the children without parents and without home and-".

"It was a war sunny dear, sadly we all hurt people, innocents during the whole ordeal. Globgor was a general, a leader, he was trying to take out their forces at the time but he never really was set on hurting anyone if he felt he didn't have to, it was not a good look for any of us though. War was painful, i never want to witness it again for the rest of my life. He did many messed up things but please you do not remind me again".

"I guess that's why you're so cautious most of the time with us, don't want us going through the same pain", sky had to admit, she could understand a lot after that, even if she was still a bit upset. "Well, i guess at least things worked out mostly after that, even if what happened was pretty darn messed up. I'm sorry about that, i had no idea you got tricked into doing someone's dirty work, that's super messed up".

"I don't want to bring you kids down though, we should get back to focusing on the magic and spells, and welcoming judas back into the group today", but landon had paused, pondering something. "You really didn't go after them, not even for taking your baby no attempts to really harm the king or anything. I just...you hold a lot of restraint for someone who lost everything because of people like that".

"Revenge isn't always the smartest move, for as a satisfyingly as it was", she touched his shoulder, nodding, "If it were that easy you'd see it on my face, but that's just not it, being mad the rest of my life would've been awful. I had a family to raise and be with now and i was going to go chasing after some guy? no point, he was long since dead I'm sure and far from worth my time and patience.".

Sky wasn't sure what she would do if it had been her in a situation like this, but she had to give credit where credit was due for eclipsa.

"Gotta admit eclipsa, you sure know how to remain positive even in the worse of situations", sky went back to work as judas headed over to eclipsa, "I have to admit, i could always used some of that if you're willing to borrow some.". Eclipsa smiled as judas took a seat on the ground, allowing for nora to sit next time and and mason also right next to him and enjoy himself.

'Mason, i have to admit, i was not expecting to see you here, you've been blocked off for safety purposes, what did you do to get them to change their mind? Don't tell me you bribed them or something?", but the small one shook his head, 'They let me go to be nice and get some fresh air, and i wanted to go out and stretch my wings, and take a break".

"Well it's been awhile since i've seen you like this so i was shocked to see you at all, did you and landon work anything our or-?"., mason eyed landon and landon eyed him back as mason nodded, "I mean it's not perfect, but he said he understands what happened". Which wasn't much of a forgiveness thing, but he has to suppose it was something at least".

"So we got to talk and i feel a little better now, he even got me a cookie from the kitchen", mason actually seemed to be in a decent mood so maybe they had worked things out between them. Not that there had been that much to work out, it had been a mere accident after all. Guess he had been shocked to see his brothers work things out so easily.

"I know that got you really upset, dad's not gonna be mad that you're here right?", only for landon to interject, "It's been enough time, and i'm not as mad anymore, not since bernard and i actually talked. I guess in a way i'm...almost thankful for it, i finally was able to get it out of my system...if even in a pretty horrible way that i wish had not been done how it was".

"Well, it seems you made the very best out of a bad situation landon", the former queen pointed out, "That's something to feel very proud of, i'd say you matured a lot these past few months, if that had happened to my globgor he would've been terrified to speak to me for a week. Don't worry landon, years from now it'll be something to laugh about fondly".

Mason frowned slightly, "I'm still really sorry landon, i just really wanted to help you but i should've listened and given you more space like judas suggested, i really never meant for things to go that way". Thankfully his brother really wasn't mad, staying focused on his magic, "Yeah well, we also never meant to be out here doing this either and we have to so...what else is new".

"Well there's yet to be any new updates from the commission, so that's good at least".

Sky smirked, "oh yeah, without them here it's much harder for them to do anything worse or accuse me again, can't go around making false accusations now, all because of this whole incident, well...i guess the kidnaping was more of the reason that it happened but still". She was not going to hide her pleasure in them being shunned, she was going to enjoy their temporary situation for a long time alright.

"Well with them out there are some problems, after all, they are some powerful magic users and got send out and away from us. their skills aren't gonna b much of use to us, and portalling is quite a good skill to be able to have after all". Actually, she made a good point, they barely had considered scissors, what if they had scissors and left with those?

Sure, they had triggers and alarms and all kinds of people to make this work but with scissors they could slip away unnoticed, and hey were so easy to use too. How did they miss this completely obvious detail? Had they really wasted all their time doing this for it to fail before it could even begin? All that confidence seemed to just slip away so fast and be replaced with embarrassment and fear. They were going to have to call marco and tom, yes, they had no choice now.

"All that careful planning just to be fooled by some scissors...", but mason didn't seem as shook, he pulled on judas's pants leg to get his attention, "Just ban scissors for the event, or just get heka's help, she might help since it's to catch the guy." The thing was they didn't want to ask them for help ion this, after all, they didn't even trust them right now.

But maybe they really had no choice on the matter.

Judas remembered the eerie feeling he had with jackie before, that perhaps who they were looking for was close by and watching. "Sky, maybe we should consider the darkest spell again sometime, just to be safe on top of asking heka, hate to admit it but she would be the best one for that since she can avoid some of the errors of using someone else. We can sure just her and no one else, we only need her after all".

Of course sky couldn't just have this one thing, some way or another, she wasn't going to get his way because of how this castle is run. She was going to have to work alongside the woman who accused her and almost got her friends in trouble too, it would take every fiber in her being to keep her from strangling her with her own two hands but she had to agree.

"Fine, what you're saying does make some lick of sense, even if i don't want to do it at all".

Nora chimed in, "Well, maybe talking to her will be easy!", she was trying to make sky feel better and she could appreciate the effort even if it wasn't working. Speaking of which, she patted judas firmly on the back over to nora as sky needed to distract herself for a few minutes, 'I'll be back, jude had something to go over with nora and i have something to do too, practice...so let's back to work before i get so distracted here". She was clearly still very irritated but what could one do. How she felt wouldn't matter as long as they had this problem fixed.

Nora looked to judas curiously, and he sighed.

"Right, we do need to talk, maybe in private though".

She blushed at just the mere thought, but she did not protest in any way, nodding that it was ok.

And before anyone could make any more remarks, the two headed through the doors temporary to talk in private. It had been a while since they had gotten to talk one on one like this and even then they knew the guards weren't too far behind just in case, so hopefully he could get this over with without having any massive setbacks. But he could barely get a word out before nora spoke.

"This is about your arm isn't it?".

He was stunned, how did she figure that out? It's not as if he had been telling that many people about-

Well, actually, most of the rest of this group did kinda know.

He could only stare blankly, embarrassed.

"Jude, word travels fast around the group now, plus you weren't exactly hiding it well, so yeah...i know you're not exactly looking for a cure anymore", she played with her hair, "But thanks for trying to tell me, i'm glad you at least considered my thoughts on it, i hope it doesn't upset you too much that i know". Judas was struggling to think about what he should say to her after that.

Nora had been more observant about this then he had been expecting from her, she usually wasn't social enough to gather info like this. But with all the friends she had made, guess it'd figure she'd find all of this out through at least one of them. He should have said something to her way sooner then holding it off so long, it had just gotten away from him and he didn't want to upset het.

But she didn't seem upset, she seemed to be smiling.

"I-i uh...i still wanna help...if that's ok?", she didn't even wait for a response, she must have been just as eager to talk to him about this. "Maybe a cure isn't possible, but, my family knows all about medicine and the wonders it can do to soothe someone, or help them with their body, maybe i can find out a solution, i already have some of the research done! And i have more freetime since angel's family is leaving soon".

"Nora, you've already done so much for me i-".

"No judas, i've been excited about this! Your arm has become my first real project i've gotten to do and show off my talent outside of my parents's assignments, it's provided me some much needed freedom and i'm not going to let it pass. Helping you allows me to stay here, it gives me a reason and purpose outside of my kingdom, it makes me feel good".

"Nora, i should'nt be your only purpose".

"You're not, you're just...you're someone i want to help, i'd never give up on a friend and well i um-", her face was getting redder at her embarrassment at pouring out her feelings like this, "I don't want to go back home and be locked up again, i want to do things like this. Your curse is my calling, and helping you will only make me a better healer".

"You really don't mind?".

"Of course i don't mind, you know me better then that, besides...i don't want all that research to go to waste. I've even been going it over with angel's parents to get some second opinions, apparently they have strong knowledge in poisons, which has been great for my research.". She opened her book to show judas what she had been working on and she had been BUSY.

There were tons of drawings, notes, and pictures within the book. Lots of stuff about the curse itself and more about solutions of previous curses on multiple pages. She had done her research, writing down what did and didn't affect his curse and making theories upon the information she got. It was honestly one of the most impressive things he had seen in a while, at least in terms of something like this.

"You were doing this for...how long?".

"Ever since i got my book back, but we've been busy since then, so it's ok if you didn't see, i just...made time for you when i could. Mom and dad had me really busy so i couldn't contribute as much time as i wanted but, i'm really proud of how it turned out and i hope you really like it...even if i don't have a solution for you yet, I've never been so into a project before in my whole life".

"You know nora, there's never been much of a professional curse expert before...", he thought, clutching his hands together, "Maybe you could be the first, could front curse research to help cursed people on mewni. I mean only if you want to of course it's just something that might be really cool, you never know how many others there could be out there".

Nora blushed harder, "Judas, that sounds...so cool, thank you so much, it means so much to me that you like it. I promise i'm getting somewhere close to what we need, your emotions do seem to help but they're not always reliable, so if we find a way to channel them...then you should be able to get a grasp on how to get your arm to react how it should".

She flipped one of the pages to show a pic of angel's parents, "They told me how spells are very emotion based a lot of the time, sometimes a spell can turn sour depending on the castor, i think your arm works in some similar ways but getting it to work requires something extreme to actually trigger it. It's a good defense method but not very reliable all the time". Considering it would show up just for having a fight with his brother, judas could more then agree to that.

"Well jackie is helping me so maybe if you want you guys could swap notes and everything, if it works. You guys sorta have good grasps on two different sides of the whole thing so maybe both of you are perfect to handle it together", he could see nora making a note for herself within the book and it seemed they could head back out and see the others only for her to grab him.

"Just don't train yourself too hard, too much stress isn't good for you", she was right about that alright.

"What about dreams nora? What can you tell me about crazy dreams?".

The mention of them made her pause.

"I had some nightmares about a door and well, i think that's what's putting me at risk to be well...taken over, but there's so much more, i don't know if my dreams mean anything or if i'm just going crazy nora, i never seem to sleep normally anymore and maybe there's nothing you can do about that but it's been bothering me for some time. My charm might be keeping them out but even if it gets recast, how much longer till it stops working? These things aren't meant to last nora, it's making me worried, it seems i'm being targeted".

"Oh judas, i'm sorry...maybe there is something i can do, i made sleeping remedies with my parents all the time, maybe one of them could help you rest better with less nightmares...calming your nerves is important", she eyed the charm judas was still wearing, nervous. "You're right though, who knows how much longer the charm might last, even if you recharm it...".

"It's not just that, but they might try you guys if they can't get me and well", he eyed around the garden nearby, "I worry about that a lot, it's a burden to feel safe when you all aren't, especially angel, angel has such a target on his back and he's getting more powerful, if they take him over who knows what could happen to him...it's happened before after all".

It was a good point.

There was no way they could make enough of those charms for everyone in this castle, they had very little time now and it was far too many, not to mention how suspicious it would look. But maybe they could get one for angel, but that meant sky wouldn't be safe, and what if they tried to take someone powerful like globgor? Nothing was stopping them from taking pot the next most powerful target.

This was one of those things that had technically been on everyone's minds but they just couldn't talk about, because there was no way to keep everyone safe, they just had to hope they stopped it from happened before they did. They were put into a spot, mind control was hard to counter unless you were strong of mind and prepared and no one usually was always those two things.

Nora wished she had better things to say to him.

"Would it make you feel better if i gave you some good news to help you out?", he nodded and she closed her book, "Angel's parents wouldn't stop talking about you, his mom is probably never fully going to be herself, there was a bit of damage, but you must of had some impact on her because she knew you well and kept asking if you and angel were still getting along and being best friends...i think the only real reason she's still around is because she clung onto her memories of him for so long".

"I'm glad someone got a happy ending out of this mess, even if it was never intended, forgetting yourself so hard you become a husk and can barely do anything...it sounds like a painful way to go y'know? I don't blame her for not wanting to stick around, she has a home to get back to and people to see again and a life she wants to remember all over again, this place isn't exactly the greatest right now and her home might be safer...i just hope they don't plan to attack it".

"They won't".

He turned to look at her, confusion upon his face.

"Mom and dad are sending some well...recruits there, i convinced them and after they got taken over...well they're more willing to protect some others from suffering through the same fate. And since the spiders are now able to make things again, they can start trading and making money and getting themselves off the ground...angel helping them learn magic was not great because oh how he got it...but it is helping them".

"I had no idea, nora, please tell your family i really appreciate them changing their minds, it means so much to me". He gripped her hands and she blushed a little more, "They're not perfect still, but i think they are learning, and that's at least something i like. So i hope things go find there, mom and dad are thinking of leaving too,just because it seems our kingdom isn't a target anymore".

"How soon?".

"Don't worry, i'm staying here".

"They're really fine with letting you stay?".

"Well, after angel's parents starting feeling well again and they saw the stuff i had been working on, well, i think they knew it was better i stay here then go with them. Plus if i'm here they can get information through me, so even though they still have issues, they knew this was the best thing they could do here". She smiled hard and her eyes seemed to sparkle, "I like this feeling, like i finally have a choice in my life...and they are allowing it".

She reached into her pocket and held something out for judas, "Here, it's not much, but maybe a token might help you rest better at night too, of our friendship. I know it's not much but it means a lot to me so well...". She was blushing so hard she must of looked like a mess, judas looking down to see a small sketch she made of him, her and sky.

Nora was a very good artist, she had to be for her notes.

But this felt different, more personal.

He pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you nora, really, thank you so much".

She paused, before coughing into her hands, "Well uh...so well...i know we'll be busy but if you ever wanna dance or something during the party...i uh...". She was blushing heavily now but judas looked more then happy to fulfill the request, "Sure thing, anything for you. I think a party for you is exactly the kinda thing you need, you need time to have fun".

He started heading out with her by his side, nora knew how to cheer him up, putting the picture in his pocket for luck. First sky does it and now him? They really were two peas in a pod alright, he had to smile. Though as they made it back to the others, he was greeted with quite the sight. They hadn't even been gone that long and in that time landon's magic had already started to act up.

Fire was being set towards the plants as the girls were quickly trying to put it out, angel was trying to put himself out as sky helped. The pair could only look around in confusion as mason tried to revive the plants with his own magic, how did things around here happen so fast without any of their knowledge? They spotted eclipsa who put out another flame.

"I must admit, i've never seen an instrument as a wand before, but they're more unpredictable then i had been expecting them to be. We'll have to be more careful with these spells, especially when you uh...get a little too into your magic, but maybe it's best you take a break landon". She sent him a smile and landon suddenly looked more embarrassed then he did already.

""Sorry...i uh...i've never done something like that before...i didn't even know i could that, my magic has never been all that strong so i never thought it could like...spread or anything", he spent so long not having magic like this that he never had to control his strength like this, and seeing the mess he caused was bothering him a little. He wasn't used to making these kinds of mistakes and he was lucky no one was hurt".

No one seemed mad at him but at the same time it made him more anxious.

As if she noticed, which she probably did, sky looked at landon rather amused, trying to make light of the situation before he got really upset.

"Eh, i blew up a tower once, welcome to the party landon, you'll be making messes like that for a long while, just keep yourself together. Like, destruction kinda happens when you're a newbie, thankfully this isn't too bad, you could have done far worse if you hadn't been more careful. So give yourself some credit here, you resisted better then most wand users".

He mouthed a "Thank you" as they finished getting the garden in order, judas quick to help with the plants and avoiding the thorns. This was a rose garden after all,, though hey felt them cling to his shirt and tear at him slightly, pulling away as careful as he could. "Ok, maybe we should get someone else to go through this, someone who knows what they're doing at least".

Turning to mason so see him somberly clean up the plants, right, he hated seeing plants be hurt like this. Though eclipsa seemed more pained, "No matter, we'll have this back to normal soon enough", though as she went through a bush she spotted something. Pulling it out from the soot she got a closer look at it to see it was a camera, it must of been hidden there for some time.

That wasn't good.

How did a camera get in there and who did it belong to? It was a very small camera so only so many people could own something like this, someone must had been watching them and now that she had seen it there was a good chance the owner might come out and kick them out. Or well, more then likely take away the camera from then.

Eclipsa frowned as she pocketed it, making sure to remind herself to talk to her daughter later.

"Eclipsa, what's going on over there, did you find anything?".

"No dears, let's take 5 and get back into some more magic in a little while", she could worry them later when it actually mattered, for no best to let them focus on these things while she took charge of this. Anyone could have planted it but a camera in a bush was something meteora did well, so she was her first best pick for something like this.

It was clear they had some things to get into together.