Marco at a Crossroads

By: DJ Rodriguez

(Author's Notes: Hey everyone! I hope all of you are doing well this New Year 2020! I hope you also had a great Christmas and an awesome time when the New Year came!

Before I say or do anything, I want to give praise and honor to God. Lord, thank you for being there for me and my family when the New Year came! We put our faith and trust in you that this 2020 will be one to live out in a good way! Jesus Christ, thank you for all of the wonderful friends I made and also for the reviewers I have gained over the years. God, thank you for all that you have done & I hope to continue being a faithful and good servant to you for all the rest of my days!

I want to thank all of you for your reviews, your suggestions and advice which have really helped me with this story very much. Again, I hope to make this story a worthy one… one that actually surpasses the cannon series of Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil!

My real passion does lie with the classic Disney & Toho series. I just love the old-school stuff I saw as a kid, and I believe they are better than the new stuff that is on now. In fact, been spending most of my Christmas vacation days watching one of the gifts my relations got for me for Christmas which is the Goof Troop series! Vol. 1 & 2 on DVD which I have been watching for quite some time! Heh, made me feel like a kid again on Saturday afternoon to watch the episodes.

In this chapter, Star and her family see how much the former Spiderbite family has changed… and also that an alliance will be in hot water due to Star's actions! And I want to personally thank Author Darkness Rissing for his suggestion on what kind of statue that Rafael should make for the city. Thank you again very much my friend!

In any case, I just hope the ones that do like my story here continue to enjoy it. I am a bit sad that some Authors have not reviewed some of my previous chapters, but I can wait for them. I just hope and pray that they are doing okay.

I will not please everyone, will not even attempt that. I stand by with my resolve and convictions in what I believe in, and they will be put here in this story.

On a final note, I will be fleshing out the characters as much as I can. Both minor and major, but not to get too carried away with it. I believe in finding the fine line balance in everything, especially in my work. Not perfect mind you, but enough that it satisfies me.

So again, just to be sure I am clear… trust in what I do. I may not be a total expert with the Star Vs. series, but I will do my best with what I know and pick up along the way. In addition, I have been seeing a lot of old cartoon series that I have on DVD, still working in fine condition. They consist of both Disney & non-Disney series, and thus I have enjoyed & learned much from them to put in here. So this story will also have educational purposes, similar to shows that combined education with entertainment in the 1980s and 1990s.

The action will also take place mostly on Earth, with some taking place in Mewni. The dimension where time is greatly accelerated, Hekapoo's home, will only be shown a minor number of times. After seeing the Diaz's losing their two kids once more to rapid growing up to them not being part of their lives… I will not have anything like that here. I believe that parents should see their kids grow, help them grow and become good adults in the process. So Mariposa nor Marco will return to Hekapoo's home realm.

So just to make it clear here. There will be NO kind of reference to slash or femme-slash of any kind. So while this is a Marco/Multiple Girls story, there will be NO kind of slash or femme-slash actions or references here at all. I believe that I can bring forth the true and real potential of Jackie and the other ladies here, more so than was done/shown to them in the series.

And that is my stance on this story, and all others I have made and will make in the future. Look to my bio to understand me and more on where I stand firmly. And again, this story will feature Christian elements and faith! And that I am not sorry at all for!

Also, will be giving my OC names from the website 20000-NAMES, as I have done in my previous stories. Each name is linked to a different nation, and has a different meaning. To see what they mean, go to website to look it up.

I do not own Star vs. the Forces of Evil, it is created by Daron Nefcy & executive producers Daron Nefcy, Dave Wasson and Jordana Arkin. Production is the Disney Television Animation, and aired on network Disney XD and Disney Channel.

Now, on with the story!)


The Butterfly family was astounded not just with Princess Penelope's looks, but the way she carried herself and the tone she just used with Star now. Gone was the young woman that often liked to stay in the background with dull-colored clothing, but a beautiful woman that had filled out nicely on her body yet carried an air of class & respect. One that the blonde Butterfly princess was actually a bit envious of, if she was honest with herself. And the tone she carried when she demanded on the whereabouts of Sir Marco Diaz… it made the Butterflies flinch a little, Star more so since the tone carried with it a dangerous quality. Like a double-edged sword that was ready to slice anything in two if not answered properly.

Star started to stammer, "Umm… that is… I…". She honestly didn't know how to form the words that were now babbling from her mouth. She had not seen her friend in a year, and she was now in front of her… and had changed drastically. At least in her view.

Princess Penelope was not amused at all by Star's stammering and cut through her words, "Star, enough. Calm down and answer me in complete sentences, not like how you're doing now.".

Again, this stunned King River, Queen Moon and Princess Star. They had never heard such words from Penelope, especially in such a strong, dignified tone. However, her parents King Justus and Queen Isadora were looking on proudly as their daughter asserted herself like this.

Star managed to get herself together and exclaimed, "Penelope?! Is… Is that really you?! Gosh, I… I… You've changed!". The blonde young woman was indeed stunned on the changes she was seeing now, physical and vocal with her friend. However, she quickly concluded that she didn't like these changes as Penelope seemed to handle herself in a really regal manner. Not like her very loose self as from the past.

The princess of the Acacius family stared hard at Star and answered, "I know, but do not try to change the topic here. Where is Sir Marco Diaz? Where is he?".

Before the former wand wielder could answer her, Queen Moon beat her to it. She stated, "Perhaps if we get cleaned up first, we can answer any and all of your questions. And will you be willing to answer our own?".

Queen Isadora replied, "I believe that is for the best. Where would you like for us to wait while you all get changed?". King River suggested that they wait in the Castle's Garden area, where they would have some privacy and also be about in the fresh air rather than indoors. King Justus thought on it for a moment, than stated that it was an excellent idea. Queen Moon called for some of her guards to escort the royal family to the garden while they get changed, the knights saluting before asking the Acacius family to follow them.

Penelope gave Star one last stormy look before following after her parents, once more displaying a dignified, graceful walk that stunned the Butterflies.

Once they were out of sight, Star's shocked nature came to the surface full-tilt. She exclaimed, "I can't believe it! That was Penelope! W-W-What happened to her?! Did her parents use magic or something to change her into that?! She acted like a… a…!".

It was her mother that snapped her out of it by finishing, "A proper princess?". The mature blue-haired beauty was also surprised to see the former Spiderbite princess looking & acting in such a manner, but it was more on a positive note. She saw that Penelope held herself up well as a true royal; dignified and graceful but not in an arrogant way. It seemed that Penelope had found the right balance of being a royal one that called for her to be steady and sure, not arrogant or spoiled.

King River suggested to go back to their rooms to freshen up & change into something more comfortable so they could have a proper meeting with their old friends. His wife agreed with him & with Star in tow, went back inside their abode. The blonde princess was very much stunned/shocked on what just occurred, not saying much as they walked back inside. Once in the castle stone walls, they daughter separated with her parents to go to her room to freshen up and change. Queen Moon saw Lady Whosits nearby, making a subtle gesture with her head towards Star. She was saying to her to follow and keep an eye on the young Butterfly so that she doesn't do anything rash or foolish.

The female knight nodded and jogged a little to catch up with Star Butterfly.


Along the way to their private/personal quarters, the king and queen were discussing on what just occurred now. River whispered, "I must say dear, it is astonishing on seeing Justus and Isadora without their… well… you know.". He taps to his head, referencing that all of the Spiderbite clan had afflictions showing up on their faces.

Moon replied, "I know what you mean, honey. And that they are now using their original family name rather than the one put on them thanks to the curse… amazing! I just wonder how it is that they cured their afflictions since any kind of Mewni medicine failed to do so. And… did you see how they reacted when they saw Star?".

The royal adults shuddered a bit as they played back what happened earlier, that the warm eyes of their friends turned quickly neutral upon seeing their flesh and blood. More so when they saw Penelope's eyes change as well, perhaps more drastically than her parents. Her eyes had been warm and inviting upon seeing them… but when she turned to her fellow princess, the warmth vanished almost instantly to one of anger.

King River nodded and remarked, "I did indeed, sweetheart. The way they switched emotions like that… it's incredible! But… I wonder what Star did in order to incur such a strong shift in demeanor?". They soon arrived at their chambers, the king opening the door for his wife to go in first. Once they were inside their room, Queen Moon went to the bathing area where she used her magic to make water fill up a very large tub of water. Once the tub was filled to the appropriate level, she ceased with her water spell and administered a heating spell to it to get it warm. While she could not use the wand, her wandless magic was still good for everyday things.

As the couple waited for the bath to warm up, they started to shed from their clothing. Normally, they would take separate baths with the queen going first while her husband waited. However, it seemed that the situation was serious enough to call for the two of them to bathe together… which River and Moon had no qualms with. In fact, on some nights they would take a hot tub bath together when their love for one another got really strong.

Queen Moon resumed the conversation, "I do not know. Perhaps it has something to do with the last time she and Marco went over to their kingdom last year? The way she asked… no, more like demanded to Star on the whereabouts of Marco… I think the poor boy is in the center of it.".

River managed a small chuckle and said as he took off his shirt, "Hehehehe… that Diaz boy… he certainly has become popular. And in just three short years! Sad to say that he didn't have any time to reveal in the popularity.".

His wife had a pensive look on her face and inquired, "Perhaps… perhaps he didn't know about it.".

The muscle-bound ruler of the realm had a perplexed look on her face as he remarked, "Didn't know about it? My dear, Marco's name has been whispered in many of our circles and also throughout the land! Why else… would… he…?". Just as he was about to boast, his intellectual side kicked in. It was on rare, serious occasions when this happened. Normally, River would let his muscles on his body do the work when it called for something physical. Only in the most serious of circumstances did the muscle in his head worked. He was not a brainless one, far from it. But when it came to analytical and political thinking and such, he left that to his wife.

Moon saw this and inquired, "You're starting to see now, right River dear?".

Indeed, her husband was starting to recall the times when Marco was with them. The lad at first seemed determined and optimistic when starting to train under Sir Lavabo of the Wash, but when he started to go with Star on her 'adventures' with her friends… that is when he saw the changes. It was slow, gradual and subtle… but they were there.

He was becoming more mechanical, tired and also frustrated whenever he came back from a task with his daughter with her beau and floating BFF by her side. Marco seemed to have lost the spark, and didn't seem to pay much attention around him. The only times he did brighten up even for a bit was when he was talking to Eclipsa, Hekapoo, Kelly or Higgs. River actually saw him writing a letter to Penelope, and the small bit of light he once saw was now alive in his eyes. But when doing training or going with Star… the fire seemed to be snuffed out and replaced with something hollow.

He also recalled when taking tours around the minor kingdoms of the realm, many children were playing with toys in the form of the Earth lad. And some also dressing up like him, not his embarrassing Turdina persona. He also saw during parties/balls that were held in said kingdoms that he and the others were invited to, the lad was the hot topic of almost half of the princesses in all the land! Yet Marco was nowhere to be seen, and his daughter was always with her three friends plus other princesses that thought/acted just like her.

River's mind came back to the present and he looked at his wife. He inquired, "Do… Do you think our daughter and her friends have somehow prevented Marco from truly learning how much of an impact he has had in the land? To the citizens?".

Queen Moon sighed as she started to take off her training attire and replied, "I believe so. I believe that they have kept Marco either so busy or misdirecting him that he truly has no idea how popular & wanted he really is.". To say that the king was surprised as an understatement.

Soon, a chime sounded off telling the duo that the bath was ready. The king and queen soon went to the bathing area to clean themselves up, wondering how in the world their daughter had pulled something like this off. To keep Marco from really discovering how much of a positive impact he had on the citizens of Mewni.

Meanwhile, said young princess was in her own chambers and already in her own bathtub. Lady Whosits was outside guarding the door, plus to make sure that Star didn't escape.

Star was having thoughts just shoot off inside her head like atomic-powered tennis balls with no off-switch in sight. She exclaimed, "What the hell just happened?! Penelope just shows up out of the blue and demands to know where Marco is at?! What happened to her?! What happened to her spider bite?! How is it that she just acts all prim and proper like that?!".

The young woman was had been in a funk all morning, pierced very much by her mother and father's words regarding Marco after training… and now seeing one of her friends now acting like a 'proper' princess pushed her over the edge. Star would never admit this, but she was jealous for the time being at seeing her old friend. Penelope had truly undergone a transformation; from stay-in-the-background girl to a woman that radiated beauty, charm and strength in a way that she only wished she could achieve.

Star continued on her rant, "I bet her parents did something to her to make her like that! Yeah, with some kind of spell, I think! Once I manage to find out what it is and break it, Penelope will go back to her old self again! Maybe it has something to do with the loss of her spider bite mark…". Now she was coming up with all kinds of possible theories on how her friend had changed in just a year's time.

She was in for a surprise!


~At the Castle Garden~

While the Butterflies were getting freshened up, the Acacius family was waiting for them in the garden area that was behind the castle. King Justus and Queen Isadora made themselves comfortable on one of the benches, looking at the fine flowers that bloomed on the hedges that were quite thick with green life. They daughter went to one of the flowers that blossomed at her level, said object looking similar to a rose back on Earth. Penelope looked at the flower, gently touching its soft petals and inhaling the sweet natural scent it gave off. Said smell helped to calm her down her temper from earlier. She hoped that the Butterflies could shed some light on a subject that was a bit touchy with her.

The princess went back to her parents and asked, "Do you think King River and Queen Butterfly can help us?".

Queen Isadora patted her precious treasure's right arm and said, "I believe they can, my dear. At the very least, we can catch up with them since it has been a year since we have seen them last.".

King Justus put in, "All we can do now is wait.". Penelope nodded her head, going to a nearby bench to wait for the royal family. Thankfully, the benches were near trees that provided much needed shade for them. And a cool breeze floated in that cool them off pleasantly, making the scene heavenly in their opinion.

At 9:35 a.m., the Butterflies showed up and dressed in their best royal casual wear. However, Princess Star seemed to be agitated as it showed on her face. The Acacius family rose up to properly greet them, though Penelope held a neutral look when she saw Star.

King River said, "Now that we are not sweaty and refreshed, let's try this one more time from the top.".

His friend & fellow king answered, "Of course. I believe that since we are your guests for the moment, you shall start off the questions.".

Queen Moon replied, "Thank you very much, Justus. Here is our first question; why…?". Before she could answer her question, Star boldly jumped in and pointed her finger at the royal adults. This took the group off-guard.

She proclaimed, "Here's MY question for you! What kind of spell did you put Penelope under?! And how do I break it?!". Moon and River were surprised by the outburst from their daughter, and shocked on how she was now accusing the royal parents of putting a spell on their own flesh and blood. This was an accusation that was not to be taken lightly in anyway at all… yet Star did so with little to no regard on the consequences of doing such an action.

King and Queen Acacius shock wore off quickly as they stood straight and true, looking into the eyes of a determined yet misguided Star Butterfly. Isadora answered softly but with firmness in her tone, "What do you mean young lady? What is it you are accusing us?".

Star was on a roll as she exclaimed, "Don't try to act innocent! You put some sort of spell on your daughter that made her all 'nice and proper'! I know that she is not like that, so fess up and tell me how to break the spell!".

King River and Queen Moon just face-palmed themselves, now seeing why their daughter was making a fool of herself now. The royals hoped that their old friends would not do anything drastic that might damage the alliance & friendship they had, though they were well within their right to do so. Accusing a royal with no solid proof of the supposed crime was a SERIOUS offense, and that was on the royal level!

King Justus answered evenly with a hint of steel in his voice, "We have not put any kind of spell, or potion, on our daughter. This change you see is all on her doing. The Penelope you see before you is the real deal, changed all on her own willful accord.".

Star exclaimed, "Now that's a lie! I know Penelope and she would not…!".

Her rant was silence by a clear, sharp voice that belonged to said young lady. She stated softly but with fire in her tone, "Star… shut up.". Her tone caused the blonde to cease in mid-rant, all eyes now looking towards the brunette beauty.

The daughter of the Butterfly family flinched at seeing the firm green eyes of the Acacius family. They were hard as steel and looking upon her like an eagle would its prey when spotted. Penelope walked to stand in front of her parents, in front of her friend… or perhaps former friend, as one would see at this particular point.


Penelope looked at Star and said, "Star… this IS the real me. I have been in my kingdom, getting trained by my parents to inherit the throne from them. I have been training to better understand what it truly means to be a princess. It's much more than individuality. It's about duty to the people to see to their well-being, knowing the very fine lines when it comes to making decisions both personal and political, staying in shape so that I can defend myself and also be healthy… and also to learn responsibility. To learn that the needs of the realm come first… that my people's well-being takes precedence over my own needs.".

This surprised the Butterflies, the words coming from Penelope's lips. And her parents looked very proud of her and it showed on their faces. Queen Moon saw that Princess Penelope Acacius had learned what her daughter had yet to comprehend. Star looked the most shocked of all, and it was due to why anyone would give up their freedom like that. To be tied down like so.

Said Butterfly princess stammered with a shocked look on her face, "But… But… But your individuality! You were like me and the other princesses when we escaped from that school and…".

Penelope raised her hand, silencing Star with a gesture. Now the Butterflies that the young woman before them COMMANDED respect, feeling the waves of authority coming from her being. The Acacius princess stated, "I was like them and you Star. Key word here- WAS. I started to grow up, Star Butterfly. I was shown that there is a time to be loose and free, and a time to settle down and take up what is expected of me. I started to see that you, and those who still follow you, are letting their homes slide down. They go around doing what they want, not paying much attention to the consequences of their actions and how it affects others! In the short-run and in the life-run.".

She continued onward, not wanting Star to open her mouth again. She said, "After what Marco did for my family last year… I decided to honor his request and become the princess he believed for me to be. So I let my parents train me into becoming not just a real Penelope Acacius… but a better one. A true princess who looks after her land & people. A lady who is not just beautiful outside, but also inside as well. One who is firm, fair and compassionate. But also intelligent, wise and tough so that I do not get walked over by anyone.".

She also thought to herself with her hands over her heart area, 'And also someone that can be worthy to be at Marco's side for all the rest of his days.'. She really had it bad for the Earth man.

This really surprised the Butterflies, especially Star since her idea that her friend was under an enchantment of some kind was crumbling to dust fast.

King River remembered what was said and inquired, "What Marco did for you last year? What do you mean?".

It was King Justus who answered, "It is the very reason why we are here in the first place & to see the Diaz boy as well. You see, it was he that managed to cure us from our spider bite affliction curses.".

Queen Moon was stunned by this & it showed on her face. She managed to ask, "What? Marco was… able to cure your curse? But… how?".

Her fellow queen and friend Isadora answered, "When he & Star, along with her… friends, came to our kingdom last year, he managed make a homemade remedy that he told us was taught to him by his mother and grandparents on Earth. It was that unusual medicine that helped us to cure AND free us from the spider bite curse. And fortunately, we had enough to use on the remaining members of our family. So we no longer have the affliction any longer and have decided to change our last names back to what it originally was long ago.".

River, Moon and Star were again stunned to hear that a remedy that was made on Earth cured what not even the most powerful of healing magic's in Mewni or in the other dimensional realms could do. River whispered in awe, "That is… that is truly amazing!".

King Justus nodded and stated, "It is. I offered the lad anything as a token of our gratitude in releasing us from that awful curse. And his request… was that me and Isadora help Penelope be the ruler our kingdom needs.".

The royal family was once again floored, wondering when the surprises were going to end. Marco Diaz had gained favor with a royal ruler, but instead of asking for riches or glory… he instead opted to ask that Penelope become a good ruler for her people. In their view, that was something a truly noble soul would do.

Queen Moon put in, "Now that is amazing! Star, why didn't you put that down in the report you gave to me last year?". Star than started to remember on what happened that day, and was now VERY nervous. She smiled weakly and tried to inch away, but a cold sweat was coming from her brow and the others saw her curious actions & felt that something was off.

Queen Isadora put in, "Her report? Moon, she wasn't the one to write anything. She was busy with Tom and Lilacia tearing through the town. It was Marco that took the lessons from Star & wrote down the report. We saw him ourselves do it.".


This raised alarms in King & Queen Butterfly's head, more so in the case of the queen as both looked to Star. Their daughter still had that nervous smile on, chuckled nervously… than turned to make a break for it!

However, Moon was not having it as she quickly brought forth her magic! She used her Gravity spell, the same one that she used to collect the blood in the forest that belonged to Marco some time ago, and used its suction to bring Star to a halt! The young lady tried to run, but the spell was too strong and she was yanked back violently to the group. King River made a motion with his hands to the guards, telling them to block the exits… and to activate the special rune that prevented dimensional holes to be torn & used INSIDE the castle grounds.

Now the princess of the Butterfly family could not get away, in any way, shape or form.

Star groaned as she held the back of her head… than looked up to see her mother, father & the Acacius family members looking down at her. And they were NOT happy.

River reached out and grabbed the back hem of Star's dress, actually lifting her back to her feet in a manner he only used on her as a small child when pulling her out of dangerous situations. Both father and mother glared at their daughter before Moon inquired in a hard tone, "Star… what did you do?". She had a very bad, sinking feeling in her gut on what her daughter did but she would not go off the handle without hearing some confirmation.

Star gulped as her eyes went wide, automatically trying to wiggle her way out by using the Big Shining Puppy Dog eyes routine. But her parents would not be swayed by her act, and so she clamped up as she didn't want to reveal anything more that would get her into more trouble.

Moon saw this and stated, "Star Butterfly, you better come clean with me now… or I find out what happened last year at Father Time's Universal History Room later on. Either way, I WILL find out what occurred last year. So what will it be? You telling me now or me finding out later?". Truth be told, she had only gotten so far in seeing Star's past actions in that room. Apparently, she didn't go far enough as she never saw what occurred back than when Marco and Star went to Penelope's home kingdom.

The blonde princess realized that there was truly no way out of her situation so… she gave up and gave in. She sighed, a look of defeat on her as she replied, "Well… it kinda, sorta… went like this…". She started to explain what happened last year:


~Flashback~

Shortly after their romp at the Spiderbite Kingdom, Star and her friends went back to her home to cool off from their little 'adventure'. Tom laughed as he declared, "Did you see the look on that vendor's face when we crashed right on top of his tomatoes?! Oh, that look was priceless! I wish I had used my phone to get a picture of it!".

Lilacia laughed as well and added in, "Yeah, it was funny to see him go off like that! Though the dude needed to learn to chill. I mean, he can grow more of those things right? Nothing to get so worked up about!".

Star laughed with her friends, yet felt the uneasy feeling in her heart that what she did was wrong. They had just left the vendor, not apologizing for their crash onto his cart nor paying for the damages or ruined crops. However, that small feeling of guilt was once again squashed by her ego & self-preservation. She didn't want to get in trouble, which would lead to possible grounding and not going on any more trips with her beau and BFF.

As the trio walked to her room to chill and hang out there, the blonde princess remembered why she was at the Spiderbite kingdom in the first place. A look of panic came on her face as she exclaimed, "Oh no! I totally forgot!". Tom and Lilacia stopped in their tracks and looked to their companion, the demon prince asking on what was wrong. Star told them that she totally forgot about the report that her mother told her to write for her, one that described how the kingdom worked and what she learned from it.

She was now panicking, wondering how she was going to get out of such a jam. Tom was trying to calm her down while Lilacia was thinking of ways to get her BFF out of trouble. Her answer came when she saw a dimensional hole opening up at the castle grounds down below, looking through the window to see Marco Diaz emerging. He was holding a small notepad in his hands, one of the few things he brought back from his rare trips back to Earth. A devious idea than popped into her head, her horn glowing like a light bulb.

She went to Star and Tom and said, "Hey, chill girlfriend! I believe I have the answer to your problem here!".

The Butterfly princess looked to her floating unicorn BFF and asked, "What? What is it?! Tell me, please! I'm desperate!".

Princess Ponyhead replied, "Just copy the notes from the Earth turd's notebook thing, transfer it to pieces of paper from you and… voilà! You got the report to give to your mom! Also, need to destroy the copy so that she doesn't see who it's really from!".

Tom really liked the plan but Star… she was hesitant and it showed on her face. She stated, "Wait! Copy Marco's words and… use them as my own? And destroying his notebook? Isn't that going too far?". For that instant, her conscience was wrestling hard with Star's pride, ego and self-preservation to try and make her occupant see that doing something wrong won't make anything right.

Her demon beau looked at her and assured, "Hey, don't worry about it Star. The dipstick can always get another one of those Earth things. And in any case, it is his duty as a knight to make sure you don't get into trouble. So, it's a win-win situation. Besides, would you rather be punished and grounded? Or continue to go on adventures with us?".

Lilacia added, "Yeah! Besides, so what if you hurt the Earth turd? I mean, is he worth losing your freedom and spirit of adventure?".

Those words managed to give some strength to Star's negative influences in her head. Her conscience put up a valiant struggle… but in the end, she was crushed as her self-preservation and wanting of continuing to hang out with her beau & BFF took over.

Marco had gone back to his room to change and freshen up, Star and her cohorts staying out of sight until he went into his room. Once he was there, they peered inside to see what he was doing. Ponyhead saw that he went into his bathroom, so his front room was empty for the time being. The trio came in and looked around for the notebook. Tom found it, grabbed it and all of them rushed out of the chamber quickly.

They high-tailed it back to Star's quarters, where Lilacia locked the door and Tom got some scroll papers for Star. She opened up the book and managed to find the first page of the report of the Spiderbite kingdom. She lifted her wand to do the transfer spell, which would copy and paste the words from the notebook to her scrolls… when she hesitated yet again. Her conscience was once more crying out to her that what she was doing was wrong, and that it was best to fess up to her negligence rather than doing easy things that would cost her in the long run.

Once again, the words of Tom and Ponyhead came to her mind… and it squashed the words of her conscience once more. She used the spell, golden light coming from her wand as it hit the notebook page. The exact words and format of the report appeared on the first scroll, and when it was all complete, Tom turned the page for Star to copy another one.

Once she had ten parchments of paper completed and everything written down, Star ceased her magic… and Tom used his fire power to burn the notebook completely to ash. As she watched the book caught aflame and seeing Marco's hard work now gone… Star wondered if this could come back to bite her.

Lilacia grinned wickedly and stated, "Okay now, mission accomplished! Go give that thing to your mother & we'll be in the clear!".

~End flashback~


After Star finished her story on how she copied the words from Marco's notebook, she looked up… and saw the furious faces on her parents and the Acacius family. She flinched from seeing their looks of fury, disappointment and sadness that were in mother's eyes. Queen pinched the bridge of her nose and asked softly, "Tell me Star… tell me that you didn't really do this… tell me that what you did back than is not true…".

The blonde princess looked down, not saying anything… which confirmed that indeed, what she just told everyone was true.

Queen Isadora asked calmly, "Is there a way to make sure that there is proof?". While her tone was calm, underneath… she was a raging wild storm, just like Moon was now! The young man from Earth had done so much for the realm, especially her family, and this was how he was treated?! Now they were starting to understand why Marco was like he was back a year ago.

Penelope went to Queen Moon, reaching into her heart-area breast pocket and pulled out a folded parchment. She unfolded it and said, "This is also one of the reasons we came to see Marco. This was a letter he wrote to me last week. He… He stated that something had occurred that would make it difficult for him to write back. He… He also said there was a chance I would never see him again. And… he said his goodbye to me and saying thanks for being a good friend.".

She remembered how scared and worried upon reading the letter, tears forming in her eyes as she showed it to her parents. Upon reading its content, they all decided to go to Butterfly Castle posthaste. Thankfully, Penelope's training had just been completed so honestly there was nothing left to hold her back to seeing if she could help her dear friend.

The mature blue-haired beauty took the letter, reading its contents and realizing that Marco had done this just days before he undergone the unbinding ritual from goddess Luna that freed him from the Blood Moon Curse. She looked to the parchment, than at Star who was stunned that Marco wrote a letter to Penelope like that, and her gaze fell on a female servant nearby. She called to the servant, who rushed forward quickly and asked what service she could be to her queen.

Moon ordered, "Go to my personal office and look in the small cubby hole under R for Reports. Look for the papers that showcase the Spiderbite Kingdom report and look for one that is dated exactly a year ago.". Hearing the tight words from her ruler, she knew that it was serious and that this duty needed to be done quickly. She rushed off fast, leaving a small trail of dust behind her as she ran into the castle.

Star was looking very down and guilty here, but she found no sympathy from her parents or the Acacius family. She sat down on one of the benches, looking up to see Penelope giving her such a look… that if glares were enough to kill, she would be eight feet deep right now! The brunette beauty SO wanted to deck her ex-friend at the moment, just to give her a slap or a punch with all her might! But she reigned it in, as such a thing would not be tolerated. Well… at least in public where there was witnesses.

King River and Queen Moon were taking supreme efforts to reign in their anger at their daughter at the moment. They were feeling a mixture of things towards Star; anger, disappointment, confusion, sadness and frustration. Anger that Star had deceived them like this in such a manner, disappointment that their flesh and blood did something that really hurt Marco like this, sadness that Star listened to her friends rather than her conscience… and finally frustration due to Star's deceptions were this deep.

In a few moments, the female servant arrived back with ten parchments in her hand. She was slightly sweaty and out of breath, but she managed to get her task complete. Queen Moon thanked her, the girl glad to be of service before going off to the side once more.

Queen Moon saw the first page of the report and looked to the letter that Marco had written to Penelope, comparing the form & font of writings on both papers. After a few minutes of careful scrawling, going through the other papers in the reports and scrutinizing… Moon saw that the words from the Spiderbite report matched the letter exactly. In every single way, the lettering and wording along with size and shape… all of it was exactly in Marco's handwriting.

They all looked to Star, who squirmed uncomfortably on the stone bench she was sitting on. She meekly asked as she tried to make herself small, "I'm in more trouble… aren't I?".

Queen Moon scowled thunderously at her daughter and replied, "You do not KNOW the meaning of the word, Star Butterfly!".

While all of this was going on… the royals families did not know that they were being spied upon.


In the Cloud Kingdom, Lilacia's sisters were in Angel's room as they were using a spell that allowed them to see what was going on at the Butterfly Castle grounds. It was a spell that was developed years ago by her ancestors that was similar to the Butterfly's own All-Seeing Eye spell. The difference was that the spell only worked on those the royal family considered allies and its effects were not that far-reaching as the spell Eclipsa created.

While their eldest sister had gone to training with their parents, Angel called them to her room and used the spell to see onto the Butterfly Castle grounds. There, they saw Star training with her parents in physical combat for the day. Needless to say, the floating unicorn heads took delight in how Star was getting her butt handed to her by her folks. Though they were intrigued on the Wheel of Fortune Dude move that Queen Moon used to counter her daughter's attack, wondering on where she learned it.

The floating females were surprised to see the Spiderbite family… without their spider bite curse afflictions on them! Many questions started to fly on how it was possible for them to remove something that could not be removed, Angel quickly hushing them so they could hear everything.

The twelve sisters of Lilacia watched as they learned that the Spiderbite's original name was Acacius… and also gasping as they saw Princess Penelope coming onto the scene. The unicorns remembered seeing her from one of the balls/parties they attended with their family, and were awed to see such a drastic change in the Mewnian girl!

That is when they got glued to the drama that was playing before them on the magical nimbus screen; hearing the demand from Penelope, the Butterflies leaving to get dressed in more better attire, Star's off-the-handle accusation, the Acacius family's rebuttal against said accusations, what Marco did for them last year… to finally where Star confessed on what really happened concerning the reports she handed to her mother last year.

When it was finally done, they shut off the spell and looked to one another in dawning comprehension. That their sister and Tom were more devious and delinquent than they realized, and that Marco was also much more than what they thought but in a positive way!

Talks and other conversations than quickly rose up, flying through the air like arrows in a volley! Thankfully, it was Angel that got things in control when she let out a loud whistled that pierced through the noise. Everyone stopped talking and looked to their 3rd eldest sibling.

Angel spoke, "This is big news ladies, yes! But it still doesn't tell us on what happened to Marco or where he is. I'm afraid that this is only a small piece of the puzzle we're after… but it's a start!". Her sisters saw that she was correct; while this was big news, it was only minor to their true goal was. A stepping stone in the right direction at least.

Angel continued, "So we need to plan our next move. I say later on in the afternoon, we start to look for clues around the Butterfly lands. We'll start there, and if nothing shows up… have to make plans on how to look for them in the castle itself.". The others thought on it, and saw that their siblings' suggestion had merit.

They started to talk now on what they had just heard and what to do with the information they just acquired. They did know this one solid fact; was that their firstborn sister was going to be in a LOT of trouble soon, for they knew that Queen Moon would report this to their parents & the parents of Tom.

Things were heating up big time in Mewni!


(Author's Notes: And… cut! That is it for this chapter! Whew… it was a bit of a long one for me. I hope you all liked it.

Before I say or do anything, I want to give praise and glory to God. Thank you Lord for helping me out immensely with this chapter! Thank you Jesus for giving me the drive, conviction and courage to write this part down. I believe that this small part for my story here will be crucial later on in the future. Thank you Lord for all that you helped me out with, both with this story and also with my life as well!

So it seems that Star's actions have gone deeper than even what Moon believed. She did not see everything in the Universal History Room in Father Time's place, as she had witnessed of Star's actions to reach a conclusive punishment towards her. But now it seems she wished she had gone further into Star's delinquency.

Penelope and her family will be told what happened to Marco… but not exactly everything. Moon still wants for her knight to be healed and experience his own planet before coming to a decision, so she will do what she told her knights, Star, Lilacia and Thomas earlier. She is buying some time for Marco to enjoy some peace in his home world, but will it last?

Now the Ponyhead sibling sisters know what Star and her friends did, but they still need to be on alert and subtle in their search to find out what happened to the Diaz lad. More to come in the future!

Now for the questions! Ahem…

If you were with Star and the others, what would you reaction be at seeing the new Penelope? Both her physical looks and the new spirit that is now surrounding her being after she told Star to be quiet?

How do you think Star, Tom and Lilacia managed to keep Marco from seeing how truly popular he has become in Mewni? And what do you think of River's reactions when he thought on why Marco would not know his own popularity?

What would you say or do when Star started to throw her quick accusation to the Acacius family? And also your reaction at hearing Penelope newfound tone and words that she told to the blonde princess?

After hearing from Star on how she managed to copy Marco's report to pass off as her own and burn his notebook to hide the evidence, what would you do or say to her? And what you be surprised if Penelope had decked her?

And finally this: If you were watching the entire event with Ponyhead's twelve younger siblings, what would you tell them during certain parts? And do you agree with Angel's suggestion to keep looking for more clues?

Here is an optional bonus question: What do you think the reaction will be with the parents of Lilacia and Thomas when they are told what happened by King River and Queen Moon later on?

R&R, no flames, enjoy and leave LONG reviews!)