Forgotten Ventures

by Ronald reagan

If you could go back two years in your life, and you could remember everything, what would you change? When Marco Diaz wakes up in his old bedroom, with memories of events that haven't come to pass, he finds out that some things should stay the same. And that some things will change on their own. Rated M for language, violent scenes, and some spicy stuff.

49. Party of the Year pt 1

Hoofs thundered against the dirt road as Queen Moon rode through the Forest of Certain Death, its thick canopy obscuring all but enough moonlight to make seeing difficult in the growing fog. Branches scraped against the sides of her horse, Marble, and even the bouldering equine snorted in disapproval. It had been years since she had taken him for a ride, and clearly, this was not the best start to a rekindling of their relationship.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Moon grumbled under her breath, giving Marble a reassuring pat on his grey and white patterned neck, "I would much prefer to use a portal, but after what happened...I'd much prefer to remain discrete."

Marble neighed in assent, shaking his head and pounding around a bend in the trail. Moon found that with such a short supply of conversation from a warnicorn, her best bet for satiating her nerves was to consider what brought her here. The largest issue, by and far, was her very own daughter. Someone who had for most of her life thrown caution to the wind, had recently instead chosen to horde the truth to herself. She had had months, maybe even longer to bring Moon into the fold, to begin preparations, or even just warn someone of what was coming.

'And instead, she decides to tell not just the entire kingdom, but the Magical High Commission as well!' She seethed, her brow furrowing into a deep scowl. There was not only a villain lurking in the shadows alongside her eldest enemy, but now, there was a war coming. And it came as no surprise how said commission had reacted upon hearing such news.

"The one corrupting Magic is Vartek after all," Hekapoo had complained, "so the little flying weasel wasn't completely full of shit." Her opinion was shared well with the rest of the high commission, but her drive to act on it was shadowed by Onnitraxus and Rhombulus, who had immediately demanded they all storm Varteks hideout at once. Moon had voiced her concern about acting so rashly, as Vartek would surely hear about his cover, and act accordingly, but Omni had persisted that that was all the more reason to strike now.

"We've waited long enough, Queen Moon. Any longer, and we may lose our only chance to attack before he mounts a counteroffensive." Moon had at the time conceded his point, and the group rallied to a front. But the fire they all shared to bring this monster down as quickly as possible was snuffed before it could even catch its tinder. They all gathered their individual preparation, collected their resolve, and made to storm Varteks compound, only to find it bare, and full of sheltered monsters hiding from the cold of the night.

"Well?! Where is he?! Where is Vartek you little-" Rhombulus was seething with anger when he found not a mastermind of destruction, but starving, homeless monster families. He made to strike one of the mothers when Moon snuffed his anger, silencing him with a cold blast of focused magic and forcing him out of the underground cave.

Said cave was actually a mountainside hollow that tunneled into the bedrock through ancient mines, but that wasn't the interesting part, no. The entrance had been obliterated, vaporized to a glazed cylindrical tunnel, by means unknown, but Moon never had time to consider the shelter's history.

Inside had been a mess of cots and campfires, dozens of monster groups cowering among piles of ashes, the smell of singed rock and unwashed bodies attacking her sinuses. "Do you know anything about a man called Vartek?" She had asked them, but any questions about his whereabouts were met with dumbfounded confusion and headshakes.

In the end, she and the commission had agreed that they had been tricked into storming a Monster refugee camp, and not Varteks true command center. Hekapoo suggested they find Dennis, and force him to take them to Ludo, finding no argument from her 'coworkers'. But Moon had plenty to say to them. She was beyond fed up with their reckless abandon for morality and rational thought, and put her foot down right there in that scorched cave.

"You are not to interfere with any of Ludo's family, and you will cease any operations to find his whereabouts! Until I myself obtain the true location of Varteks compound, you are all to help these monsters here. Return them to the former monster kingdom, and see to it they are fed, cleaned, and treated as necessary. Do I make myself perfectly clear? Or must I shepherd you into competency myself?!"

She had snapped then. She knew it, and from their resounding compliance, so did they. They had carried out her orders without question, and had since returned to the Bureaucracy of Magic without issue. And now, Moon was on her way to do their previously assigned task for them. Marble snorted as he ran, shaking her from her thoughts as a looming, victorian-era house came into view through the towering and gnarled trees around the property.

Moon wasn't sure what she was expecting when she first set out, but frankly, the house was in shambles. It was falling apart at the shingles, and even the forest around it appeared more inviting, but regardless, she slowed her horse to a light trot, guiding it through the front gate and around the moldy fountain in the front yard. This place was a dump, but Moon knew better than to act like it, so she dismounted, approaching the entrance with muted haste.

Before she could even knock, however, the peeling door swung open and slammed into the adjacent wall with a house-rattling smack. Standing before her, was Brudo Avarius, in all his bearded, beer-gut, robed glory. Truly, the photos must have been edited, because he looked horrendous in his current state. Moon stared at the sight of him, his resemblance to a touting old toad not going unnoticed, and quickly offered Brudo her 'token of meeting': a simple pink ribbon, with several specks of red at its center.

It was a long-standing monster tradition, where if you were expecting to meet with someone you knew you had poor standing with, you offered something treasured. The 'Token of Meeting', as it was known. The poorer your standing, or the more important the meeting, the more treasured the 'gift'. It was meant to convey a feeling of forgiveness, or trust where needed, but in such a case like this, it was meant to convey critical desperation.

"What is that disgusting rag supposed to be? Is that how little you deem the Avarius family name?" Brudo grumbled, scratching his crowning belly. Moon held her resolve, despite her desire to disembowel him on the spot for speaking in such a way, and held the 'rag' closer to her chest.

"This ribbon...belonged to my mother, Comet Butterfly. She was wearing it when she was killed, and it's the last thing I complimented her on before...I lost her." Like melting ice, Brudos stoic glare softened as his eye drew open, dipping down towards the ribbon, and the now identified specks of blood. Gingerly, he reached forward, meeting eyes with Moon, and pressed the ribbon further into her hands. She had been expecting him to flat out refuse, or to take it and grumble about it not being a bowl of Cornos, but miraculously, he surprised her.

"Keep it. I get the importance of the meeting enough, so there's no need for you to give away something so valuable."

Moon nodded, tucking the ribbon back into a thin metal box and storing it on her person. Brudo stepped back from the doorframe, gesturing further inside the crumbling home. "Come inside. We can talk as long as you want, which we have plenty to talk about."

"That we do, I'm afraid," Moon agreed, stepping inside and waiting to be shown a seat by the smoldering fireplace, "how much have you heard?" She asked. Brudo collapsed back into his stitched armchair, the old piece of furniture not without its stains and tears, and answered, "I've heard enough. Your little magic fan club kidnapped one of my sons, and plans to murder another."

"I know, and I'm deeply sorry for not keeping a closer eye on them, whatever I can do to make that right, I will, but right now-" Moon began, but Brudo held up a feathered hand and shook his head grimly.

"The first thing you need to do is bring Ludo home. After that, ehhhhhh we can talk about reparations," he stated matter-of-factly before leaning closer, his armchair creaking loudly, "Dennis seems to think he can trust you, at the very least, to get that done. Is he right to say you can?"

Moon's pause didn't go unnoticed, especially by Lady Avarius, who walked into the room and rested a hand on the edge of the armchair and giving Moon a hostile look. "I know what your friends did, I don't care what Dennis says. The last thing we need is one of the Royalties coming in to muck things up further. He's running with a bad crowd, and I don't trust you to do any good for him." She stretched the word royalty with venomous distaste as Moon listened intently.

"Pamela, come on," Brudo mumbled, sinking into his chair.

"Hmmm, what's good for him, you say?" Moon hummed, meeting Lady Avarious's eyes, "I'm well aware of Ludos usurping of your throne, as well as how he led to your castle's destruction. But what I'm not aware of is how he came to the conclusion that attacking my only daughter, repeatedly, and assisting in nearly killing her suitor, would aid him."

Both Brudo and Pamela stared, unmoving and rigid as Moon spoke, both too stunned to say a word. "Yes, while the high commission overstepped, and will be punished by me, personally, I'm left wondering why and how Ludo came to be the very center of my daughter's plight in this world, and my territories greatest threat. But right now? I just want to get him out of my way."

Brudo was the first to recollect his bearings, asking simply, "Out of your way?"

Moon nodded, lacing her fingers together and giving them stoic regard. "Out. Of. My. Way. He is far from my only issue as of right now. I don't know what Dennis has told you, but Ludo isn't working alone. The one he serves, Vartek? He is his captor, and he will raze this land with his corrupted magic until there is nothing but scorched dirt and bones. My goal is to get Ludo out, in hopes that that will help me stop Vartek."

"So...you don't really care about my brother?" A voice asked from her left. Turning, Moon found Dennis standing in the doorway to the kitchen, having overheard everything, and looking positively betrayed. Moon stood and immediately approached him, cautiously, and lowered her voice. "Dennis, dear. I do care for Ludo. But saving him means nothing unless I can ensure that Vartek can be stopped. I need you to help me, so I can help him."

Dennis watched her with careful consideration before taking a step back, both Brudo and Pamela staying wholly silent. "The last time I saw Ludo...he was scared, Queen Moon. He's not evil...he just wants to get out," he whispered so quietly, they almost didn't hear him. He was shaking now, the still-healing wounds on his own body falling short of the remembered pain of seeing Ludo that way. "He had bruises, and he was weak. He just….seemed like an empty shell, and he said he needed me to help him escape…"

Moon didn't miss a beat closing the distance and taking Dennis' hands, carefully soothing his nerves with her calming but structured tone. "And I need your help to help him, Dennis. I'm trying to save your brother, and everyone else on Mewni, and all I need to know to take care of everything, is where he is."

Dennis shifted his gaze from Moon to Brudo, to his mother, and then down to the floor before answering with pained, remorse, "I can't tell you...I can't...trust you."

"Dennis! Just tell her where to go! It's not the time to worry about how!" Brudo yelled, making both Dennis and Pamela start, but Moon hadn't flinched, only leaning closer to Dennis and lifting his chin to look at her.

"Then come with me. With two of us, I'm sure we can get your brother out safely, and then we can regroup later for a full-frontal assault on Vartek," she offered him, "You can see to it personally that Ludo makes it out of there in one piece."

She wasn't sure how easily he would take her offer, considering his bent wing, and his distrust for her and the commission, but she had to at least try. If saving Ludo was a priority that gifted her Varteks location, then so be it. It wasn't truly her initial plan, but for the sake of moving forward, she would have to comply.

Finally, Dennis gave her a firm nod, adjusting his shoulder sling and shaking her hand with his other. "I'll show you the way, if you get him out of there."

"You have my word, as Queen of Mewni, that I will see your brother returned home," Moon answered with confidence.

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

"Tell me again why we're actually going all out for this?" Star asked, hanging multicolored cupcake banners as Marco held the ladder beneath her. The house party decor was coming along nicely, if a little too nicely for Star's taste, so she felt compelled to ask. Marco, however, was quick to answer the loaded question with one of his own.

"Would you prefer we do nothing and wind up being forced to do this anyway?" He asked, helping her down from the ladder and giving her another set of purple and pink streamer hearts, "Everyone seemed to really like the idea of us hosting the end of the year party again, and if we have to do it anyway, it's not a bad idea."

"Well yeah, but when you told them about the possibility of us hosting it, you didn't exactly help our chances of getting out of it," she countered, using her heartthrob hammer to overzealously nail down the streamers. Marco only shrugged, giving her an overly enthusiastic grin she didn't feel like sharing in. "I know, I know, but it's not like the party's a bad thing, Star, this time we can leave together, and there won't be any awkward tension between us before then. We can actually enjoy it this time, you know?"

He expected Star to at least concede to one of those points, or even just deflect his logic, but she surprised him by shooting him a brittle scowl and shaking her head. "No, I don't know, Marco. The concert, the school dance, all this stuff was like, awful last time. And honestly? I don't wanna have to go through them a second time, even if they do go better. Because, I dunno if you haven't noticed, they never do.

"Even if you have me the whole time?" He asked, looking up at her with a curious stare.

"Even if I have you, Marco. It kinda still hurts, and things keep going wrong anyways. I really don't think we should be wasting our time with this when we know what's about to happen." She was pressing her point, and hard, but Marco just wouldn't give in.

"This isn't pointless, Star, it's the last time you and I are gonna be on Earth for a while," he pointed out, passing her some balloons, "Tonight ends on a sour note, I'll give you that, but at least we can face it together this time. Just think of the party as like, a side quest before the main mission, one that you really need."

Star furrowed her brow, shifting her gaze to the smiling cupcakes hanging from the ceiling. She was quiet for a long time, and Marco considered adding more, but she simply puffed the hair out of her eyes and muttered, "Yeah."

He knew she didn't really agree, they had been together long enough to figure that. But as much as he wanted to press the issue, Marco decided it was probably best to let it go, and hope she didn't snap during the party and fulfill her own prophecy of tonight being a disaster.

About another fifteen minutes went by of hanging streamers, Star grumbling the whole time, or setting out party snacks, Star picking apart how overdone it was, and of course picking some music, of which Star wanted nothing to do with. It was grating for Marco, to say the least, having his battle-buddy for the party become so suddenly against even having it. The final straw came when he asked if she wanted to have any party games, and she merely replied with a scoff and a shake of her head. "Whatever you wanna have. I could care less."

Marco's eye twitched, but he held his cool and gave her a polite, if a bit fragile, grin. "Maybe you could help a little bit with setting everything up? Instead of just huffing about how much you don't want to?" He asked, and immediately regretted it. But like a spent can of spray cheese, once it was out, he couldn't take it back. She rolled her eyes and glared at him, arms folded.

"I don't think I have to remind you that I don't, Diaz," she spat his way, walking into the kitchen, "You wanna pretend we can have fun tonight, you go right ahead, but don't try to force me to act like everything doesn't go to hell in the next eight hours!"

"And what's wrong with that if we can fight it together?!" Marco shouted back. He knew it was unfair to argue, to shout at her over a point he would have agreed with when he first came back, but they had been over this before with the same results every time. "I'm sorry, but this isn't like last time, Star, as much as you might be afraid that it is. You have me, we have our friends, and you beat Toffee last time. Throwing Vartek on top won't make things much worse when we have magic as powerful as-"

"Magic will only get us so far, Marco!" Star snapped, slamming her fists down onto the countertop with an audible crack, "Last time we fought Vartek, I mean really fought him, you died! Last time I fought Toffee, I died! And don't say I came back, because I got lucky- you got lucky! You have no idea how it's gonna turn out, so don't tell me magic's gonna magically solve our problems!"

She stared at him, wholly expecting him to keep fighting her, and match her anger with an explosive outburst she wanted him to give up, but what she found was the exact opposite. Marco was watching her with a knowing grin on his face, like he'd just heard an amusing joke and was waiting for her to get it. Star deepened her frown and asked, "What's so funny?"

"No, nothing, it's just- you sound exactly like me from last time," he chuckled, leaning over the counter to catch her confused eye, "worrying about everything, while you were more interested in just having fun and enjoying life? It's like we switched roles, and now you're the safe kid."

"I've had a lot to learn since I was as stupid as back then, Marco," she grumbled back, "Lifes made me careful, and it's taught me that I can't afford to just not give a shit and 'have fun' all the time. I'm not the same person, and you need to wake up before you get killed, again."

Marco stopped his laughing, quick, and let his eyes widen at her words. 'That's more like it,' she thought, satisfied to have gotten the type of reaction she wanted from him. He tried to say something, but his words died in his throat. He looked startled by what she had to say, and she drank up every second of it. Maybe she was finally getting through to him.

But Marco didn't look convinced. His expression continued to grow with surprise and, was it remorse? Star didn't have time to figure it out before he pushed away from the counter and grabbed his scissors from the living room, already moving to cut a portal as she asked, "Didn't you hear a word I just said? An adventure is the last thing we should be doing, right next to a party for-"

Marco ignored her and slashed a portal through the air, its rims flaring with red energy as its deep *thruuummmmm* echoed against the foundation. He turned to look back at Star, and pointed at it with a 'no-nonsense' scowl. "Get your butt through that portal, before I make you," he barked.

Star stood there in the kitchen, speechless at his order. She'd never seen him so frigid before, much less so threatening toward her. He was so, serious, and to be quite honest, it was a little frightening to see such a shift in his attitude, from collectively optimistic to downright demanding in the blink of an eye. So, without much fuss, she conceded and made her way through the portal to who-knows-where.

As Marco watched her go, he had to bite down the dismay that Star was truly as far gone as she was. It had been a joke then, but the simple matter was that she had changed into him, her carefree and bubbly nature now gone in exchange for a primal fear and general worry about her future. In short, she was just like him when the two first met, except she had the power to fight her fears. Which served only to worry Marco more.

He couldn't help but think back to Toriddities advice, how Star didn't need a hero, or how he should let her figure out her own way through the darkness. But frankly, he'd tried it that way, and it had only made things worse for the both of them. "I may have to let you find your own way," he murmured to the empty living room, "but right now, you need me to show you. And if that's a problem, too friggin bad, Butterbutt."

He stepped through the portal after her in a huff, the irony of having to get serious to make her see the joy she once carried, not being lost on him. But after emerging, Star was quick to grab his attention with her hands placed on her shapely and filled in hips. "This was a good idea when we were kids, Marco, but I'm too old to come here to hide from my problems."

She was aged back up to nineteen, which Marco found a little odd, considering they had spent ten years in Hekapoos dimension, but he didn't have time to worry about that now. He looked down, pleased that he was back up to his older age as well, and without prompt grabbed Star's hand, practically dragging her down the forested dirt road. He didn't say anything, he just kept a moderate grimace and kept walking as Star impatiently asked, "Why are we here? And where are we going?"

"We're here because of you, Star," he answered, his quick stride just a hair faster than hers, "I can't just sit back and try to pretend that letting you sort yourself out is the right thing to do. If I want you to feel safe knowing we're a team, then I have to be a better teammate. And where we're going is a surprise, the old you liked those," he finished with a chuckle.

From what Star could gather, he wasn't mad at her despite his actions, but he was upset. Why he would be upset with her telling him the truth was clearly another issue altogether, but it was at least a start knowing that. "I do feel safe knowing you're my teammate, Marco, but I don't feel safe wasting our very limited time partying. Especially when the guy who killed you, stole your soul, is-" she began, but Marco held up a hand and shot her an annoyed look.

"The Star I know would laugh at the guy who killed me just for her to bring me right back. You ripped his heart from his chest Star, and Toffee? You know how to beat him, and all his tricks," he pointed out, still pulling her down the road towards a sharp bend, "It's okay to be scared of the future, trust me, I know. But that doesn't mean… you can't enjoy the present."

He finished his annoying piece of wisdom just as they rounded the curve in the road that led to a short driveway, just in front of what Star would politely define as 'a shithole.' It was a seedy little wooden structure resembling a barn with a porch, covered in burned out lights and rotted bits of wood, and the smell; Corn the smell. She couldn't help but smile. She loved this place, and she suddenly felt a deep-seeded tinge of annoyance that Marco knew it. 'Of all the- Damnit why here of- oh you sneaky boy.' She seethed internally as Marco rested his hands on his hips.

"Remember when we came here for your nineteenth birthday?" He asked, his impatient, aggravated, serious tone melting away almost instantly, "Or were you too drunk?"

"You were the drunk one, Diaz. And don't even think about telling me otherwise because I remember those wandering hands better than you do. Almost got lucky before you came to your senses." Star couldn't help but grin at him, despite every waking nerve in her body telling her to run, to prepare, to plan. As they walked up to the entrance, some sort of backwater music playing from inside, Marco flashed her a coy smile and rocked his eyebrows as he pushed toward the door. "Let's see if they can back your story up, shall we?"

He kicked open the double doors to the run-down tavern, and all the sound of revels and drinking suddenly ceased. The music, the voices, the clinks of glasses, no one made a sound, except for Marco. "What's up everyone?! We're back, and this one's feeling a little blue!"

The crowd of men and women that turned to stare at Star and Marco was daunting, at the very least. An excess of muscles, leather, tattoos, and rudimentary steel rippled in appraisal as all eyes were on them, assessing the newcomers in a muted glare so quiet, Marco could hear the breeze outside. Until the largest man, an easy six foot four and three hundred pounds of bulk stood and approached them, his expression one of icy distaste.

"What do we have here, but a couple more 'wannabees', desperate for a free drink?" The man asked in a rumbling baritone. The amassing crowd behind him laughed as he stepped closer, the floorboards groaning under his massive weight. "I don't know what side of crazy you two live on, but no one comes in here dressed as the Heavenly Flames and leaves with all of their teeth."

"That so?" Marco asked with a grin, shifting his hand to his pocket as Star wordlessly reached for her wand. What Marco thought he was trying to do, or what point he wanted to prove, she couldn't say. Just that this was a new level of stupid crazy he had yet to bestow upon her. The bear of a man stopped before them and rested atop their shoulders a pair of hands so large, he could have palmed their heads. He grinned behind yellow stained teeth and a grey beard, chuckling, "You're goddamn right. So how about the two 'uh you cough up your money, and leave before anybody has to get wheeled outa here in a bag."

Something clicked in Star's head, something dormant, or perhaps simply pushed down during her latter struggle against the universe. She grew a wide, bloodthirsty grin and drew her wand, it's bulb already growing into her three-foot crystal blade. She sauntered a step closer and mocked, "I dunno, big guy, you think they make em in your size? I might have to cut you a little shorter, starting with your head, but it's doable."

The man took a step back, his eyes widening at the threat as Star only let her smirk widen. Whatever idea Marco had in bringing her here was at first met with abrasive spurn, but now? She felt a glimmer of her old self, free to do what she wanted outside of the confines of the destiny forced upon her. However, that growing pride and excitement were quickly shattered when the towering man clapped his hands together and beamed madly at the both of them. "I fuckin' told you, idiots, it was them!" He shouted, suddenly pulling them both into a Johansen-style bear hug, "Holy shit, you twos haven't aged a damn day! Fellas! Get your asses over here! It's actually them!"

Star immediately dropped her smile and struggled to get free as Marco just laughed right along with the man, patting him on the back and greeting the growing crowd around them. Aside from his vulgarity, she had no idea who the hell this guy was, and she wanted nothing more than to get out from under his arm. Hugs were something she handed out freely in the past, but with strangers, and after her many years of soloed adventure, she wanted nothing to do with them unless it was with Marco. "Hey, Torq, you should probably let her go before she makes good on that threat," Marco suggested, pointing to a now-biting Star.

"Jeez, kid, you sure grew a nasty streak didn't ya?" The man named Torq asked, holding up his arm as she gnawed on his wrist. Letting Star down, he mused, "I remember when you were a couple inches smaller, and ya'd hug anything that moved so long as ya hadn't been hired to kill it. What happened with that?"

Star shot him an annoyed look and stowed her wand, folding her arms and taking a step back. Only after she glanced the man over, and truly absorbed the name Marco had used, did she finally crack a half-smile. "Ho hoo missed you too Torq, but I've grown up a lot, and I don't really do hu-"

She was suddenly swept back up into a crushing hug as Torq laughed, shaking his head in refusal. "Bullshit! You haven't grown at all, little spitfire! You get a hug whether you like it or not!" He yelled. Marco gave Star an amused shrug as he trailed off to go mingle with some of their other mercenary buddies.

They used to run with this group during their first year on Vintal, Torq being the undisputed leader, apparently even to this day. He taught them valuable skills for life as a mercenary, such as bargaining rates, snagging clients, that kinda thing, and Star had taught him more about having fun and seeing more in the world than just the money. Another grim reminder of how much had changed for her. He was like a fun uncle they could always count on, and despite her sour mood and growing fear of the evening, Star found it hard not to relent and give the big beast his owed hug.

"THAT'S the spirit! Knew the little spitfire was in there somewhere!" He yelled, placing her back down on the ground and snagging Marco from a growing crowd of younger, newer mercenaries. Torq plopped down in an unfortunately weak chair and as more of their old running buddies gathered around, he gestured for them to speak. "The two 'uh you have a lot to fill us in on, don't ya! You guys disappeared fifteen years ago, after- news flash everyone -you turned out to be gods! You destroyed Machinor, got in with the royal family, stopped a war, and just *poof*, gone with the wind. The hell happened?"

Star looked to Marco, but found him already staring at her like he expected an answer just as much as they did! She wasn't big on the whole, life story thing, so she decided to just give the abridged version for now. Not that it would matter much if she were to fail in the coming battle. "Okay so, first off, we're not gods, we can still die. Found that out the hard way. We sorta just come from a different dimension that moves slower, so we don't age when we leave."

"Sounds like gods to me," someone in the back whispered, but Star ignored her. "Anyways, we beat Machinor, but that 'heavenly flames' you guys are on about was weird and new, so we had to leave. We came back later to check on things, and yeah, we sorta stopped the war, but even more weird things were happening. So we had to leave again," she groaned, rolling her eyes as if the life-threatening altercation was little more than a chore.

One of the older mercs in the back raised his tree trunk of an arm and asked, "So how come you guys never came back to visit us? Apparently you got in good with Grennor, so what gives?"

Marco visibly winced, and Star felt that question like an icy dagger in her chest. Problem after problem, change after change, the reasons piled up heavy on her heart for all the times they had wanted to, but couldn't. "It's...it's been hard for us," Star muttered, her eyes once again turning downcast at the question. Marco nodded in short agreement, but he looked painfully uncomfortable as he glanced at his partner. This was the kind of discussion he was trying to get her away from. "Even with all we can do, things keep getting in the way. I lost Marco for ten years, and I barely saved his life, to name just a couple of reasons. We wanted to come back, and we tried a couple times, but...it's just been one problem after another," she finished with a scowl.

She hated to have to give out excuses like that, no matter how justified, when someone felt hurt by her actions. She recognized the man as Dramley, the one two taught them how to use a bow, and it only made her angrier. Kept from enjoying her own life, the way she was meant to, because of Vartek, or the High Commission, or Toffee. She could write a book filled with all the things she wanted to do instead of struggling to keep things in line. But as a gentle hand took hers, she was reminded of who had struggled with that first.

Marco gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand, something she realized she had missed dearly. How long had it been since they last held hands here? Since she spent the night with him in a seedy inn? Since she just got to be free with him? Those questions only served to fuel her spite against the universe for making it that much harder to enjoy the fate she wanted, rather than one she had been dealt. And it only made her feeling of dread towards the coming days grow exponentially.

Torq, sensing the tension, coughed into his wrist before leaning closer to the two, a knowing grin on his face. "Help me out here, Kid and settle a bet, wouldya? You two uh...together or what?"

Star, happy to have been given the distraction, felt the slightest bit of weight melting off her shoulder at such a childish question, and turned to Marco with a sudden smirk. "Nah, we're just friends, this guy probably doesn't even like girls."

Marco turned absolutely pale as the entire bar went silent, even the barmaids stopping to look their way. He quickly shot Star a withering look, met with a Cheshire grin, before pulling her into a passionate kiss. Most of the mercenaries erupted in applause as she returned the kiss, and frankly, Star would be lying to say she wasn't enjoying herself, if only somewhat. As Torq let out a thundering cheer, happiest have won his bet, Marco pushed their kiss further, cupping Star's cheek and running his fingers through her hair. The bar went absolutely wild at the display, which was a bit weird, but Star was not going to be outdone so easily. She reached down Marco's back and gave his rear a hard squeeze, kissing him until he yelped and jumped back, his eyes frantic and surprised.

"What'd I tell you fuckers! Day one, what did I tell you! Pay up, ya damn crybabies!" Torq stood to collect his due, and pointed to the band over a group of muttering mercenaries, "Kick that damn music up! Let's see if they can still dance! Because I'll be damned if I meet my grave before I see these two cut it up one last time!" A surge of cheers sounded through the bar as the maids carried out dozens of mugs of ale, some not even making it ten steps before their trays had been emptied by the drunk, the drinking, and comatosed.

As the band Rosined up their bows, and while Torq, Dramley, Shiefa, Quinley, and Pecks cleared the center of the tavern, Marco had to pull Star aside, speaking in a low voice. "Now I know you're in the dumps, which is totally cool, buuuut…," he trailed off, waiting for Star to get the picture.

Rolling her eyes, she asked, "But if I don't go out there and dance with you, you'll just find some insane way to make me?" Marco gave her an overly smug, thin smile, as if to say 'Bingo, Star! Look how right and smart you are! Gosh I love you, and I totally think you're right to be worried about-' ...she stopped herself mid-daydream and looked from Marco, to the now cleared dance floor. A couple dozen of their closest friends and allies from Vintal waited expectantly, and the band standing, hoping for some cue to begin.

Star looked back to Marco, at his beaming smile, and- 'Corn, I missed that body...look at that-' she stopped herself again, and really met his eyes. She wouldn't have admitted it, but they seemed to pull at her just as much as the dance floor, as much as that small part of herself that hadn't changed at all since the universe hit the reset button. As a barmaid strolled by, Star grabbed a mug from her tray and downed the entire drink in two second flat, tossing the drained cup to the side. "You have to lead," she barked, grabbing Marcos hand and pulling him towards the cleared floor.

A round of cheers thundered through the tavern as Star and Marco took their place, facing each other from opposite sides. Marco bowed low, an outstretched hand to Star, while she curtsied for him, her own arm out as the band began to play.

Song:

~ An Irish Party in Third Class : The Celtic Ceili Band ~

The drums began to pound, a quick beat as Marco circled the floor, Star following his movements to circle opposite to him. With the beat rising to a start, the Mercenaries all began to clap as the Fidils began to carve a lively tune, something similar to what Marco would classify as Irish music. Regardless, it was time to start, and he gave Star a quick nod before the two stomped once with the drums.

Without warning, he charged to Star as she rushed for him, the music swelling as they met in the center, clasping hands and dancing in a wide arc over the groaning wooden floor. The crowd roared as Marco spun Star, the two switching roles with the beat, but he couldn't even hear the cheering. Even over the rapid pounding of the drums all he could feel was her heartbeat through her palm. The way she moved with him, twirling to his right, spinning him to her left, she had every ounce of energy to spare.

He kicked back and danced while she watched, soloing a riff of the drums as the crowd cheered even louder, happy to not be let down. But Star's attention wasn't on his moves. She was watching his eyes. The way they held hers, the creases around them from years of smiling, with her. His shirt rippled as he moved, but it couldn't tear her attention away from his infectious grin, or the way his brown eyes pulled her closer.

She had to admire his tenacity for making her smile along with him, but before she could move closer, the circled crowd charged towards the floor, over a dozen mercenaries and barmaids jumping to the tune and crossing forearms to spin. Star was suddenly grabbed by Sheifa, the beautiful woman pulling her into a dance and chaining their arms in a lively spin. And then when the music crested, she let go abruptly as Star was grabbed by Dramley, the two chaining arms again and spinning with the beat.

She was having fun, no doubt, but as her eyes circled to Marco, she found him riding on Torq's shoulders, proudly mimicking a locked dance until Dramley hoisted her unexpectedly above his own shoulders. "What the fu-" she exclaimed, until Dramley teetered to Torq, the two burly men pushing their riders up against one another in a towering chain dance of their own, the music pulling everyone along even faster.

Star expected the crowd to join in, however, a shoulder ride to a Promenade? It was a little much, but like a beacon of calm amidst a storm of revels, Marco took her hands and laughed, the two leaning every which way as the two mercs spun them in tandem. He tried to say something to her, but it was lost to the drums and the stomping boots as they moved through the crowd like an dual-orbiting ball of fun.

To Marcos delight, if he could chalk up any more to begin with, Star actually smiled and pressed closer to him, even giving out a laugh of her own as they leaned from side to side. She looked like she was slowly breaking out of her cold shell, and blossoming back into her old self before his very eyes. But like a quick dream, their dance was short-lived, as Torq and Dramley set them both back down to search for new partners. The two stood there for a mere second of reflection before Marco stepped back and gestured for her to do something, anything that would satiate her growing desire to cut lose. And cut loose was exactly what she had in mind.

She rushed for him again, and this time, she drew her crystal blade, even Torq falling silent to watch. But Marco was ready. He extended his scissors to a longsword and brought it up to meet her strike just as the music hit its high. And then another. And another. The two circled the floor in a bounding dance as they exchanged three blows for every three hits of the drums, sparks shooting into the air as blue flames began to curl around their eyes. The crowd loved it, stomping in time with the cresting music, but Star felt a fire in her chest that she wanted to fan, not just enjoy.

She kicked off the ground and flipped backward, landing delicately on her feet as Marco clapped with the drums, watching her. She gave him a knowing smile, and without provocation, skated the tip of her blade across the wood. But where splinters should have flown, only a wheel of fire spun from the wood to grow, circling the two in a wide, asure ring.

From where the Mercs stood, the flames rose high to obscure their vision, but a collective gasp snaked through the crowd as they could see Star and Marco's bodies by the intricate designs etched on their skin, like a Victorian tatoo all over their body, and only visable through the flames. Star spun and tapped her boots with the beat, Marco matching her movements as they arced around each other, and blue flames began to form around both their eyes like masks.

Marco wanted to call her out on it, but this was why they were here. She jumped and skipped across the floor with him and never once fell back a step, keeping in time as they began to trade places, circling each other in a rapid chain dance of their own. Star wanted to say something, maybe goad him on his tired moves, or point out that she was the one doing the leading, but for the life of her she didn't want to take away the magic of the moment. The way Marco brushed against her as they traded places, the feeling of his hands in hers as they spun, his confident, cheerful smile reminding her of a feeling she had been starting to forget. It was all so intoxicating, like it used to be before the world fell apart, and then she realized: she missed him.

Marco was ready to go for a huge finale, something to show her a taste of the light she constantly brought into his life, when Star clapped her hands together once, the ring flaring a violent blue. Marco almost tripped backwards in surprise, but Star caught him, leaning over him with a gentle smile on her lips that he hadn't seen in days. As the fidils wailed on to the beat of the drums, she leaned down and kissed him, the ring roaring bigger before caving inward toward the center. Surrounded by their aquamarine blaze, Star held him fervently and deepened their kiss, digging her nails into his hair and wordlessly slipping her tongue into his mouth. She was greeted without reprisal, and the two held one another, ignorant to the universe around them as they kissed.

The music finally died down, and as the crowds cheering faded into their ears, the two broke their kiss and pulled back, letting their flames recede. For now.

Breathless and beaming to one another, Star was first to speak, the crowd of drunkards and burly men and women drawing closer to the scorched spot on the floor. "Now despite what all of you just saw...I'd actually kind of prefer to-"

"PARTYYYYYY!" Torq shouted at the top of his lungs, the announcement resonating through the bar like a war horn. As the swarming buzz of people began to crowd towards the bar, pulling them along, Marco gave Star an apologetic smile and grabbed a stein, throwing it back as he downed it in four seconds. Far from her record, but who was counting.

Star frowned at him as he drank, and had to resist the fond memory of how they spent her nineteenth birthday in this very tavern. She wanted to be upset. She wanted to be mad. At Marco, at the Blood Moon, at Vartek especially, but the harder she tried, the harder it was to feel that way. Here she was, partying it up with her equivalent of childhood friends, getting drunk with her best friend slash boyfriend slash soulmate, on a planet she was revered as a god on, and she wanted to be mad.

Marco seemed to notice her conflicting expression, because as the bar filled with dancing patrons and broken furniture, he pulled her aside to sit at a sticky, drink-stained table. The very same one they drank at last time, she noted. Once the two were seated, he leaned back, satisfied with himself, and asked simply, "Are you feeling better yet?"

Even while she knew he would ask at some point that evening, Star found herself completely unprepared for it. She merely took to mimicking his posture and reclining in her seat, tossing back, "I'm only feeling better because we're here, and we don't have to worry about our problems back home."

He nodded, as if genuinely contemplating the validity of such an answer, and absent mindedly flicked a stray crumb off the table. "That doesn't mean they're gone though, does it?" He asked, drumming his fingers on the table. Star's guess was that he was bored, which, after their last dance, she couldn't blame him. Star looked past him and saw Dramley giving Torq a Sour Foam, which equated to a beer topped with spiced foam, and pickle juice. Seconds later one was on their face, and the other was turning green.

"No, it doesn't," Star finally answered, her sour mood creeping back up, "but I'd rather ignore them here, than on Earth where they can still hurt us."

He nodded in assent but leaned forward, grinning at her in that infectious way. "That's just because you're living in the moment, Star. Whether it's here or on Earth, our problems are always gonna be there," he offered before snagging another pair of mugs from a passing barmaid, giving one to Star, "and knowing the future, it comes with the price of having to accept that things are gonna be bad. It took me a while to learn from you, though, that you don't have to let that define you."

He took a long swig of his drink, but Star just found herself staring at the fresh foam, asking, "what do you mean? All you used to do was let what you knew define you. I'm only using it to prepare myself for disappointment and danger."

Marco held up a wagging finger as he wiped his mouth before adding, "Being prepared is one thing, but forgetting who you really are is another. The Star I know would never let bad news get in the way of having fun. She would never break her stride just because she knew something bad might happen. I know things are hard, and they're only gonna get harder, Stardust, but I'm not letting you leave until you stop being such a Marco."

By the time he finished that sentiment, Star had finished her drink and tossed the empty wooden mug over her shoulder, burping loudly. "Bold of you to assume I wanna leave, Macho Man, but I was younger and dumber when all I wanted to do was have fun. There's Toffee, Vartek, Ludo, Heinous, Mina, and Eclipsa to worry about. And as much as it kinda stinks, I can't go back to being the girl you remember, knowing what we know."

*And that's fine in small doses," Marco offered, "being scared or nervous for the future is important, because it helps you make the right choices. But when you listen to that fear too much, you turn into exactly the kind of person I used to be...before I met you."

Star rolled her eyes and managed to keep her gein to a minimum, joking asking, "and what are you now exactly? Because if you're ludo in disguise, I have to say I might leave you for him."

He only gave her a loose shrug and stifled a laugh before answering, "I'm more like the person you taught me to be: someone not afraid of what could happen, and more focused on enjoying what is happening. I may not always be as cheerful as you used to be, but give me some credit, I've come a long way," he noted, taking another pair of drinks and placing them between himself and Star, adding under his breath, "plus, Ludo is way out of your league, Butterbutt. You're stuck with me."

The two sat in silence for a moment, the shouting and music suddenly becoming rigidly obvious, before Stars expression fell. She bit the inside of her cheek and watched the merry group party it up in their honor, but all she could say was, "I'm sorry, Marco."

She didn't hear anything from him at first, so she expected him to be waiting for some kind of deeper apology, but when she looked up at him, he was staring at her in surprise. Slowly, he answered her apology with, "You have no reason to be sorry for making it through what life has given you. Our experiences...have been pretty rough, I'll admit. And I'm so happy I get to fight through them with you, but all that I ask is that you worry less about what's coming, and focus on me."

"That doesn't sound selfish," she joked, finally giving him a little smile that lit up the whole tavern. He smiled right back, chuckling, "maybe it is, but I'd rather be selfish and have your trust, than listen to Torridity and watch you suffer alone."

Star's grin faded ever so slightly, but she held face before asking, "What did Toriddity say? Was this when you two were stranded on Mewni?"

Marco nodded, eying the foamy rim of his mug. "Yeah, we talked a bit about how messed up things are, and she told me that because of that, I should let you figure out stuff on your own, instead of walking you through everything," he noted, watching Stars curious expression fall into one of grim acceptance, "But I think that's bullshit."

Star raised an eyebrow at that, as if to ask, 'wait whanow?' Marco shook his head and leaned closer, meeting her eyes with fierce determination, "I want to be here for you, and to be your rock, anytime you need it. And right now? I think you need it. I can be your hero and your friend, and if you don't like that, then...then that's just too bad. Because ya can't get rid of me, even if you killed me."

He finished his sentiment with a confident smirk, but he found Star mulling to herself, deep in thought. When he thought he might have taken his reflection too far, however, she spoke up. "Tom said, kinda the same thing actually, that I need to carry myself more, and face my problems on my own without relying on you, because it makes things harder for you. But…" she looked at him, and for the first time since she had saved his life, he saw a broken girl with decades of life to lean on let several tears drop down her cheeks. "But I hate it...I know it's selfish and dumb- but I hate trying to carry everything without you, Marco…"

She wiped her cheek dry and looked down at her full mug, the foam since dissipated, "Trying to be serious so I don't rely on you...sucks. I just wanna go back to the way things were, when I could have fun with my best friend like old times, and you could do my worrying for me. And maybe that's wrong: crying, and being so scared of the war, yet wanting you to help me cope with it; I just want things to go back to normal...before things got so different."

Wordlessly, Marco stood from his seat, the two adults deaf to the party going on in the bar, and moved to sit beside her. He took her hands in his, and while she struggled to look away, he offered a short few words to ease her troubled mind. "I will always, be there for you when you need me, Star. And I will never let you suffer alone again, I promise."

She nodded, but that was all she could offer for him. Ten years searching for her Marco, watching him be run through with a cursed blade, the universe forcing them to repeat a history she hated, Vartel stealing Marcos soul, and forcing them to fight; it was all too much to let go of, even though she wanted to. It was a noise that fogged her mind like an inescapable monsoon, and try as she might, there was no quieting her clamorous thoughts. Her fears, her memories, her future, her enemies, they weren't the kind of thoughts one could escape with warm words and a smile. And as Star looked away, silent to the world, it dawned on Marco that being the one and only Star Butterfly meant one thing right now: When your world gets loud, you make something louder.

Without provocation, he stood up and moved toward the stage, lost in the crowd of roaring thugs and mercenaries as Star watched him go. She knew she had been too honest, that Marco wouldn't have been able to handle just how messed up she had become. Corn knows she couldn't anyway. And now she was alone. But that was fine; alone was something she had learned to handle exceptionally well after her time in Hekapoos dimension, and alone was where-

Suddenly, one of the band members stopped his music, the rest following suit, as a crowd began to form before the stage. Shaken from her thoughts, Star craned to see what the scene was; maybe a bar fight, or maybe a drinking contest. But she saw Marco explaining something to the guitarist and the harmonicist, his expression excitable and hurried. And before she could wonder how he went from their talk just seconds prior, to schmoozing with the band, the guitarist began to play.

Song:

~ Run-Around : Blues Traveler

The man playing the harmonica joined the guitarist, and as the crowd thundered an excited cheer, Marco stepped forward, holding…'Is that a microphone?' Star wondered. Did they have those here? But she couldn't dwell for long, as Marco began to sing for her.

"Oh, once upon a midnight eerie

I woke with something in my head

I couldn't escape the memory

Of a phone call and of what you said

Like a game show contestant with a parting gift

I could not believe my eyes

When I saw through the thoughts of a trusted friend

Who needs to humor me and tell me lies, yeah humor me and tell me lies!"

And I'll lie too and say I don't mind

And as we seek so shall we find

And when you're feeling open I'll still be here

But not without a certain degree of fear

Well, what will be with you and me

I still can see things hopefully

But yooooouuuuuuu!

Whyyyyy you wanna give me a run-around?

Is it a sure-fire way to speed things up?

When all it does is sloooooow me dooown."

The bar erupted into screaming cheers as Marco walked closer to Stars table, shaking his hips seductively and eying her like a coy cat. She stifled a laugh, watching his approach as he belted out more words her way, but she was all too aware of what he was trying to do. And it wouldn't work that easily. Distraction wasn't something that- 'Nooo you do NOT', she thought as he turned about and wiggled his toned rear for her, his eyes locked with hers for every second.

"Shake me and my confidence

About a great many things

But I've been there I can see it cower

Like a nervous magician waiting in the wings

Of a bad play where the heroes are right

And nobody thinks or expects too much

And Hollywood's calling for the movie rights

Singing "Hey babe, let's keep in touch", hey baby, let's keep in touch!"

Marco moved closer to her table and leaned back over its edge, eyeing Star from his upside-down pose as he sang. He kicked a leg into the air, and winked her way before grabbing her hand and yanking her from her seat towards the empty dance floor.

"But I want more than a touch I want you to reach me

And show me all the things no one else can see

So what you feel becomes mine as well

And soon if we're lucky we'd be unable to tell

What's yours and mine, the fishing's fine

And it doesn't have to rhyme, so don't you feed me a line

But yooooouaaaaaa

Why you wanna give me a run-around?

Is it a sure-fire way to speed things up?

When all it does is sloooooow me doooown."

As his voice rang throughout the bar, Marco spun Star and caught her in a low dip before pulling her back to her feet and twirling her around him. She was smiling from ear to ear at his goofy display, at his ridiculous choice in music, he was such an idiot. But she loved it.

As the Harmonicist played a flurry of squealing notes, Marco mocked a tango with her as she fell into a fit of laughter, the entirety of the bars patrons shouting for her to join in and get wild. As if to obey their wilder demand, Star grinned as Marco picked up the chorus, moving around him and mimicking his moves.

"Tra la la la la bombardier, this is the pilot speaking

I've got some news for you

It seems my ship still stands no matter what you drop

And there ain't a whole lot that you can do

Oh sure the banner may be torn and the wind's gotten colder

Perhaps I've grown a little cynical

But I know no matter what the waitress brings

I shall drink it and always be full, yeah I will drink it and always be full!"

Star spun Marco and caught him in a low dip, planting a string of kisses up his cheek before pulling him back up and padding away with sweeping steps. She nodded to him, quickly receiving on in return, and darted forward. When she was just about on him, however, she kicked hard into the floor and jumped, throwing her body over his as she smiled down into his elated, deep brown eyes. Landing with a skid, Star moved back to Marco as the crowd roared on, catching his arm and dancing him in circles.

"Oh I like coffee and I like tea

I'd like to be able to enter a final plea

I still got this dream that you just can't shake

I love you to the point you can no longer take

Well all right okay, so be that way

I hope and pray that there's something left to say

But yoooooouahhh!

Why you wanna give me a run-ar-ah-hound?

Is it a sure-fire way to speed things up

When all it does is sloooow me doooown?"

Star was sweating through a smile now and spun Marco out, holding his arm and pulling him back into hers with one yo-yo like motion. And as he finished his stupidly cute song, she squeezed him even closer to her chest, the noise vanishing from inside her heart.

"Oh yoooooooooooahhhh!

Whyyyy you wanna give me a run-aro-hound?

Is it a sure-fire way to speed things uuuup

When all it does is sloooooow me dooooown,

When all it does is sloooooow me doooooown.

As the music faded back down to a dull roar, Marco kept singing for her, drawing back from her pull and giving her the sweetest of smiles, a loving glint in his eyes. The guitar slowed down, and like a slow-moving river, Marco treked onward on his own.

Oh I love your smile and your heart-stamped cheeks

But I think I haven't seen the real you in weeks

It's not that you're new and it's not like you're gone

But I'm missin your smile that shines like the dawn

And I don't mind the cold or the throes of the dark

But your love is like a fire so gimme that spark

Put away your tears you can save em for later

Cuz you burn through your troubles like a lighter to paper

You can trust that I'll be here for yoouu,

As long as you're here with me tooo

And for one coin two coin or maybeh threee

I'll take any job if you just work with meee

And from mountains up above, I will scream your name

So long as you quit playin your, silly gaaaames

You can trust that I'll be, next to yooouuuuu

As long as you stay with me toooooo

Ohhhhh yooooouuuuuu!

Whyyyy you wanna give me a run-aro-hound?

Is it a sure-fire way to speed things uuuup

When all it does is sloooooow me dooooown,

When all it does is sloooooow me doooooooooown!"

"Wwhyyyy you gotta give me, youuuuur run around?

When you used to drag me alllll over tooown?

I just wanna see the you I remember

But you're turnin me away like the cold of december

And even though

Your hearts still mine

Its like lettin' you go

each time after time

That we march on down through the future we know

But no matter how you frown you know I won't go

I'll be heeere waiting for you to smile

I'll be runnin with you mile after mile

You can trust that I'll stand right next to you

As long as you're smiling beside me tooo

Ohhhhh yooooouuuuuu….

Whyyyy you wanna give me a run-aro-hound?

Is it a sure-fire way to speed things uuuup

When all it does is sloooooow me dooooown,

When all it does is sloooooow me doooooooooown…."

As the music finally stopped, the crowd's volume rose to fill the gap, a dozen mercs charging at the two young adults with thundering cheers. Marco huffed, breathless as Star moved to hold him close as if in fear she might lose him. Through the shouts of praise, however, one voice cut through as heavy steps made the floorboards groan.

"That was amazing! When the hell did you start singin' like that, kid?" Torq demanded, slapping Marco on the back so hard, he nearly stumbled into a group of bar stools. Star found her curious gaze directed at him as she too waited for an answer.

"I uh, you'd be surprised," he noted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "I used to love karaoke as a kid, so I've had some practice. But I could never really get Love Sentence down."

He made to say some other modest dribble, but Star had already grabbed his cheeks and planted a long, desperate kiss to his lips. Like hot iron stamping a cold brand, Marco felt her electric touch pull him in deeper, the two lost in each other's arms and ignorant to the eyes around them. The band righted itself and began to pick up its previous music, a slow but skippy jig, as the mercenaries waited for the moment to end.

Star held out a raised index finger, savoring her kiss with Marco for a moment longer before pushing him back, smiling mischievously at her boyfriend. "Dunno how I feel about tonight, but thank you for such a nice song, Marco. I really appreciate you trying super hard to make me feel better."

He shrugged it off, giving her a sheepish grin as he answered, "just happy to have you smile with me for a change. It kinda stinks when you don't feel like your old self."

"Hey, kid. You still 'blue'?" Torq finally asked as the crowd of mercenaries began to disperse in search of drinks, "not like, the whole heavenly flames thing, but- you know what I mean. You feeling like your old self?"

Marco noticed Star's smile seemed to fracture ever so slightly, but she gave Torq a small nod and moved closer to give the hulking mercenary a hug. "I do. I feel a lot better about things, but...I'm still kinda nervous about facing off with Vartek."

Torq looked to Marco as he patted Star's shoulder, and when she stepped back he gave her a fierce grin, flexing his arms in a rippling display of power. "Well, small fry, when you gotta fight 'em, you just let us know. We'll be right behind you anytime you need us!" He proclaimed, earning a small roar of assent from the other patrons, and while Star found the sentiment deeply comforting, she had to shoot him straight. Snagging another pair of mugs from a passing barmaid, she handed one to Marco and gulped hers down, as was customary when given an offer of companionship in battle.

"I really wish I could take you up on that, big guy, but maybe some other time?" She offered back, looking around at the, quite honestly, vastly outmatched group of fighters, "This lizard dude, Vartek? He's preeeetty crazy, and even Marco and I might have to pull a miracle out of our butts to beat him."

With a slow nod, as if imagining what could give gods a run for their money, Torq replied, "Fair enough, Kid. But in the meantime? Kick back a little, okay? Enjoy the time you've got with this meatbag, 'cuz you're only young once."

Star laced an arm through Marco's as he finished his drink. "So I've heard, but you never know. I've been young quite a few times now," she mused almost entirely to Marco, "But, I think you might have a point."

She turned to fully face Marco. Torq knew a moment when he saw one, and left to raid a freshly produced cask as she drug a finger up the man's larger, more muscular adult chest. "I love you, Marco Diaz," she whispered simply, grinning sheepishly at her big, cute idiot.

The idiot in question smiled right back and planted a short kiss atop her forehead, answering her question. "And I love you, Star butterfly. Are you ready to head home and party it up?"

She looked over her shoulder at the slowly deteriorating bar, a breeding ground for drunkenness and broken furniture, and let out a short sigh. Marco picked up on her subtle answer and asked, "unless, you wanna enjoy this one a little more?"

"Yes!" She shouted immediately, bouncing in place like a puppy taken off the leash, "Ohmygosh Marco what should we do first? You wanna have a drinking contest? Or maybe a little bit of dancing? I feel like you've sung enough for the both-" Marco silenced her with a slow kiss, biting her lip before meeting her blue eyes and resting his forehead against hers. When he pulled his lips back into a loving smile, he whispered to her, "yes."

"To the contest? Orrrrr..." Star asked quietly.

"Let's go with: all of the above," Marco laughed, letting her go and gesturing towards the bar, "but be warned, I can handle my drink waaaay better than last time."

"Riiiiiiight," Star chastised, slugging his arm playfully, "then let's just see how much you can really handle the old Star Butterfly."

Song

~ The Farmers Frolic : Gaelic Storm

The next four hours to Star could be simply summed up as a blur of alcohol-induced bad decisions. Marco, to his credit, did a great job keeping up with her for all of thirty minutes before submitting to her will, gracelessly being dragged to and fro to partake in whatever game she wanted to play.

First, there was a drinking contest, a show of stamina, and control over one's gut. Marco and Torq surprisingly reached the same cap on their abilities, each drinking a commendable twelve mugs. Star, however, was a tad bit more capable with her drink and emptied an entire cask before Marco had even reached for his tenth cup. And while many contestants hurried and scrambled to even finish a measly seven, some even having to let go of their lunch, Star was grinning beneath a foam mustache as a green-faced Marco handed her a gilded horn for her victory.

Next was a show of strength, in which Marco and Star were unsurprisingly the victors. For every arm wrestling match, anyone who faced them walked away desperately clinging to the joints of their right arm, praying they would still work by tomorrow. But when it came for the two victors to face off for the title, the crowd found themselves stepping back to avoid the growing whirlwind of blue fire that raged around the struggling young adults. When all seemed lost for poor Marco though, he found some hidden reserve of strength, and with a mighty yell? He managed to keep Star back for another four seconds before she promptly and quite literally floored him in a harmless blast of raging flames. Another victory for the fairest of warriors.

After the mess was cleaned up, Star suggested they recreate the dancing game of riding one another's shoulders, except this time to the tune of jousting! She rode Marcos as Torq rode Dramley's, (the poor guy was nearly crushed), the two pairs charging towards one another. While Marco wielded a broken leg of a chair for his lance, Torq saw fit to simply arm himself with a good defense, in the form of a wooden table. Once the splinters and ripped bits of hoodie were cleared away, Marco conceded in his elder's victory. For now.

And lastly, but certainly not the least bit exhilarating, every patron of the bar joined in for a drunken brawl, wielding weapons and armor under the promise not to actually separate anyone's limbs. Nearly ten minutes of thunderous battle was conducted, much to the bar owner's horror, and when it was all said in done, Marco stood victorious over Star, having surprised the unbeatable warrior with a kiss, before poking her chest with the tip of his scissor longsword.

"That's cheating! I wasn't expecting you to kiss me in the middle of a fight!" Star tried to argue, but Marco showed her the tattered cape that was the remnants of his hoodie, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well I wasn't expecting to get clotheslined by a table earlier, so I think we can chalk it up as a big ole win for Marco."

"Fiiiine fine, you get a gold Star," she purred, slinking his way and planting a kiss on his cheek. He grinned, but Star bit her lip and snaked closer, brushing her rosy cheek against his rigid chest. "Now... what are you gonna do with her?"

Marco blushed so hard, it almost hurt, and he had to restrain himself from acting on his desires with so many...witnesses present. He scratched the hair on his chin and mocked thinking about it before suggesting, "Maybe she wants to drink some more?"

Star paused her sudden stroking of his arms and looked up at him, but when she saw his stifled grin, she just had to grow one to match. She let go of his arms and stepped back, shaking her head and holding her hands behind her. "Thank you for showing me a good time, Marco. I… I really needed it."

"Star, c'mon. It's me, Marco? I know you needed it. And I know you probably want to go home and...what was it? 'Visit the bone zone?'" He asked, thoughtfully shaking his head, "but we really should throw the end of the year party, kick Varteks ass Back to the Future style, and then see about letting you weasel your way into my bedroom."

Thankfully, Star met his proposal with a grin and nod, lacing her arm through his and pulling him towards Torq and the mercenaries. "Deal. Don't expect me to be all smiles like here, but...deal."

Torq noticed the two approaching and put down his mug, roaring out a belch and grinning madly at the love birds. "Time to head back home already?" He asked, nudging for Shiefa to take part in the supposed goodbyes. Star nodded, and this time, gave Torq a real hug. "Nice job with the table, by the way. Marco's gonna think twice about pulling my ears for 'steering'."

"No sweat, little lady. Which actually reminds me: Diaz, you had some chick looking for you a while back, said if we ever saw you, to send you her way."

Star pricked up at the mention of a woman, looking for Marco of all things, and turned an already accusatory stare his way. "A lady caller, Marco? Care to explain?"

The man in question was a shade paler than a moment ago, but he wouldn't let Star strong-arm him without a little more info. "Did she say what her name was?" He asked, ignoring Stars approaching, narrowed eyes.

Torq thought about it for a moment, running his fingers through his beard before snapping them with widened eyes. "Ahhh, the fuckin Queen of Dewjah! Reselda Petrov, the old general bitch."

Star stopped her accusatory staring and turned at the mention of Petrov's name. "Wasn't she the one you met during the war? That girl, had some issues. Sooo serious."

Marco and Torq exchanged a short glance, the irony of that statement not being lost on anyone but Star. Regardless, he had to think back hard, but he remembered the woman named Petrov that had waged a war against Vintal, and frankly, he didn't remember anything else about her. Shaking his head, he waved it off to be penciled in at another time. "I'll look for her later, with Star," he added, noting how her eyes narrowed at the first part of his statement, "but for now, we have bigger things to worry about. And speaking of which…"

Marco cut open an indigo portal that shimmered with flared edges, the refractory hum of its churning energy drawing the attention of everyone in the bar. At times like these, Marco was reminded that portals were not universal, and it had clearly been over fifteen years since the gang had seen one. They marveled at its edges, leered at its radiancy, and as Dramley reached to touch it, Marco cleared his throat.

*Ahrm* "Okay, guys, we talked about this, portals take us places, it's nothing new." When he was met with a canvas of blank stares and a chorus of clearing throats, Marco let out a resigned sigh. "Does anyone wanna go somewhere?"

Grive started to raise his hook hand, but Dramley caught his wrist and lowered it, shaking his head. Star looked around the room nervously. She wasn't very good at goodbyes, something that would inevitably come back to haunt her later that same night, to be sure. "Sorry, guys and gals, but...we really should be going. But don't worry! We'll come back and visit super duper soon!"

"Fuckin better," Sheifa muttered, but Torq nudged her arm and glared for a split second before clasping his hands together. "All I ask of you knuckleheads is that ya come back ready to party, and that you two idiots be safe out there. Come back, together, you got it?"

Star and Marco both nodded before Torq suddenly reeled them both into a crushing hug, chuckling to himself. He regarded Star thoughtfully, offering a small piece of advice to the girl he saw as the daughter he never got to have. "Keep this one close, kid. It takes a real man to dance around like a jackass for his lady friend, just to make her feel better."

Star snorted her way into a string of giggles as Marco shoved his way out of Torq's arm. "Ho-kay! Well that's enough of this place, we'll see you guys later, and-"

"And you'll sing us sweet songs and dance for our amusement again?" Dramley asked, grinning wickedly in Marco's direction. The man in question simply glared right back as Star pursed her lips in a tight smile. Thankfully, she came to his rescue, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the still waiting portal. "He'll be back with a better one," she promised, waving to their old running mates and pushing Marco through the portal, "And some better dancemovesokaybyyyyyeeeee!" She rushed through, and the portal closed on their short 'side quest' before the big night.

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

It was well past dark by now in the land of Mewni, many creatures finding shelter from the cold of the night and hunkering down for a calm and restful sleep. Except for the duo riding horseback through the forest of certain death, Queen Moon and Dennis Avarius. They had been riding for an hour by now, and it was beginning to show through Dennis' responses. His crippled wing was still a throbbing ball of pain, despite Moon's healing magic, and his eyes were becoming more and more distant as the night wore on. But that wouldn't stop him from saving his brother, far from it. He would endure, and he would see Ludo returned to safety before the day was over.

Of his many siblings, Ludo was always the odd one out, the loner, the loser, and the little. But despite his many L's, the Little Loner Loser Ludo was his favorite. Dennis was the tallest, but he was the youngest, and as such, he was destined to find himself at the bottom of the totem pole to everyone...except Ludo. It wasn't like Dennis was happy to be so outdone in the families shit-tier category, no no, Ludo was special, because he wasn't content with his short straw. Ever since birth, Ludo hungered for more, to be more, to take what he felt he was owed, and to right the wrongs of the world in his own, semi-twisted way. And Dennis admired that to no end, even if Ludo could be a little… alright a lot misguided. He had a good heart, and he deserved better.

"Dennis? Are you listening?" Moon asked, looking back at her feathered guide and nudging his arm. Dennis was shaken from his thoughts and quickly answered, "yes, Queen Moon, I was just...lost in thought for a second there. Take a right."

Moon nodded and steered Marble down a winding dirt road to the right, and after a moment of shared silence, she looked back to him and asked quietly, "Were you thinking about Ludo?"

A quick nod was all she got. She knew well enough from dealing with her own delinquent daughter what Dennis was feeling, so she looked back towards the road and decided to share with him a small piece of herself. "It's alright to be scared for him, Dennis. But if he's really in the danger you say he is, then you have to be brave for him too. When I was younger, not by much mind you, I carried my fair burden of worry with me everywhere I went. For my kingdom, for my husband, for my people," she listed off, noting Dennis' moderate attention, "but most importantly, for Star. She and your brother are alike in some ways, one such example being their tenacity to charge headlong into a situation they're unfamiliar with, and disregard the consequences so long as they see their cause as just."

"Right?!" Dennis suddenly shouted, his expression changing for a sour tone, "Why does he always have to get himself into such stupid situations? Is it too much to ask that he tries to be just a little more careful?" He noticed Moon suppress a chuckle, before she nodded almost to herself. "It's hard, dealing with someone you love when they can be so stubborn to their own ideals. It can be scary, to send them off on their own, only to watch the repercussions of their actions fall to you. But, I try to remember that their very same stubbornness that gets them into trouble, is what makes them who they are. And we have to be brave for them, because we love them."

"Unless they're really stupid," Dennis grumbled.

Moon couldn't help herself, she had to let out a laugh at his remark. "Well yes, they can be exceedingly stupid sometimes. But that's what makes them special. And it's why we have to take care of them. I knew that Ludo was going after Star ever since I sent her to Earth, by the way, he was harmless enough that she could handle herself, maybe even learn something from his fruitless efforts, but, frankly I find that I have to apologize to you Dennis."

He stared at her, shocked at such a revelation, but found the words to ask, "why apologize to me? Ludo was going after your-"

"Because I let him,' Moon interrupted, her tone dropping, "and if I hadn't, then there's a good chance none of this would have happened. I wanted the two of them to learn something from their interaction, but I only allowed other, darker forces to take control. And for that, I cannot apologize enough."

She didn't hear anything from behind her, Dennis falling silent again as Marble raced on through the night. Moon made to ask if he was alright, or suggest she may have overstepped by telling him all of this, but he cut right through her words. "It's fine, Moon. You may have let him, but he still chose to do what he did. I love him, but I hope he learns from this, and I hope there's still something left of him to save," he noted grimly.

A few more minutes of silence rolled by, or as silent as it could be when riding horseback, before he shook moons shoulder and pointed to a clearing down the road."There, about a half mile outside the forest, you'll find this big mountain-thing. Varteks hiding inside."

Moon nodded, slowing Marble down to a quick trot before looking back to Dennis, a new look of frigid determination in her eyes. "Thank you for showing me the way, Dennis, but I have to insist that you let me proceed alone."

"Why?" Dennis asked, cocking his head to the side. That wasn't the plan, or...they hadn't really discussed the plan, but that sure didn't sound like one they would make. "Why do you want me to stay back? What are you going to do?"

Moon directed her attention back toward the clearing ahead and with short finality she answered, "Get in, get Ludo out, and put an end to Varteks little spree of terror. If I can, I'd like to capture him so he can properly answer for what he's done."

Dennis was skeptical someone like the man Ludo had described could even be toyed with, let alone captured, but he held his tongue. If Moon was planning on getting Ludo to safety, then he would do what he could. "Vartek is strong, Queen Moon," he began in a cautious and weary voice, "Ludo tried to stop him; once. His wand didn't even put a scratch on Vartek, and he was almost killed for trying."

Moon wanted to feel surprised that Ludo had a wand, but at this point it was a non issue. If it was one of those cheap knock-offs clearly incapable of harming Vartek, then she didn't have time to waste worrying about it. "I'll be fine, Dennis, and I'll get your brother out. But in the meantime, I need you to wait here." She brought Marble to a stop just on the precipice of the clearing, the Monster Temple in full view a ways down the fields. "I'll send Ludo this way, and you can take him home. I'll collect my horse once Vartek is properly dealt with."

Dennis had to admire her confidence, but at the same time, he felt a sharp unease in the base of his spine that that was easier said than done. Before he could issue any warning to Moon, or even to try and talk his way into coming as well, she was gone, already moving through the tall grass toward the temple.

Dennis cupped his mouth and silently shouted, "Moon!" When she turned back, she found him just shy of the grass, a look of grim worry painted on his face. "Please, bring my brother back…"

Moon looked back at the temple, and for the first time she felt a cold chin ride up her spine. Maybe it was the wind, but she could swear it suddenly felt much, much colder. She met his wide eyes with a thin but fragile smile, nodding slowly before charging off into the tall weeds of the field.

She ran, ran with purpose and determination towards the skeletal remains of what was one a prestigious monster temple. It only took her five minutes, and it would have been three had there not been such tall flora to deal with, but she made it. And not a guarding soul to be seen around the perimeter. Night time on Mewni was notoriously difficult to sneak through, on account of the five moons, so to have made it to the base of the towering monument without spotting a single guard?

"This is too easy," she noted, crouching around the rocky outcroppings, careful to remain out of the glaring moonlight. In any other circumstance, she would assume this had 'trap' written all over it, or at the very least that she must be in the wrong place. But Dennis had brought her here himself, and no one knew she was coming now of all times, so she had to rule those two options out, and begin her hike up the trail leading towards the top of the monolith.

It was slow going at first, moving through the overgrown brush and thorn bushes that littered the landscape, muttering the whole time about how ridiculous it was to trudge through enemy bushes. Thankfully, it cleared out in favor of windy outcroppings, the trail winding around sharp bends as it ascended higher.

Up the trail, she passed the remnants of a long-dead village, it's buildings since fallen into disrepair and rubble. There were other discarded leavings as well, smelly piles of furs and bones probably, but she wasn't interested in the decor to the home of her kingdom's greatest threat. She could see a small, barred doorway thirty yards further, nestled against the mountainside, so she happily turned her attention in that direction and headed closer.

*SLAM*

The small doorway was suddenly thrown open, casting a streak of light across the area. Moon ducked behind a large boulder and waited beneath the moss to see what she could. It was the first sign of life since she had arrived, so she needed to be careful. Peeking around the rock, Moon scanned the area around the door, and was met with a sight of both horrendous realization, and horrifying revelation.

A large, hulking thing, with green glowing fissures running along its limbs stepped through the bright entryway, wheeling a cart as it shuffled along. Moon's eyes widened as she looked on, taking in the creature's rippling muscles, its charred skin, its toxic green eyes, and its fractured, blank stare. She could practically smell it from where she stood, like rotting flesh and sea wrack, but it was even more grotesque to even look at, glowing green puss oozing from its fissures. This, this was more along the lines of what she had been expecting.

"Corruption …" Moon whispered to herself.

The Turned abruptly jerked it's head in her direction, letting out a gargled shriek, more puss oozing from its mouth. It craned its broken neck around, listening for any sound, like a predator watching for prey, until it fell back into it's steps, wheeling the cart further down the path. Moon wanted to run, either through the door as it passed or back down the mountainside, but she stayed put, waiting as thudding, loud steps moved past the rock.

She tried to get one final look at the creature, if only to size it up for attack if necessary, but something else beat her to it: a rat. It had darted out from behind a bush, just beside where Moon had walked a minute prior. She wondered if it had known she was there, or if it was waiting for the Turned, but she got an answer in the form of a hissing squeak, the rat digging its teeth into the beast's foot. It struggled to break the skin, and from the look on its face, it was driven by a wild bloodlust, but before Moon could even contemple helping it to attack, the Turned let out a blood curdling shriek.

As fast as the wind, a massive fist came barreling down on the rat, pummeling it into the ground with one strike. The force shook the mountain, sending torrents of dirt and squawking birds to the sky, and as the Turned moved to toss the rat's broken carcass into the cart with the many, many others, Moon seized her chance and darted from beyond the rock and through the open door. She heard another shriek outside, this one far softer, but nothing came after her, so she moved silently through the winding halls of the abandoned monster temple.

The first thing she noticed was the smell. More rotted, gag-inducing stink that permeated the stone around her. It took a considerable effort not to vomit, but she did what she could to ignore it. The second thing she noticed was the architecture. Clearly not the most opportune time to appreciate monster culture, but Moon had to admit, even here, in this wrecked and rotten temple, the art carved into the stone walls was more than impressive. Intricate scenes of worship and history adorned every corner, and the stone work of the halls left even Castle Butterfly to shame.

She was just beginning to lose herself admiring the tiled floors, when they began to deteriorate the further she walked. They were cracked, scraped, and even missing as she snuck through the halls, until she finally came to an ornate door dotted with spots of wrecked decor. The stone had been ground nearly smooth, and stained bright green funneling under the door. Moon had a split second of decision, before choosing to investigate what lay beyond.

She huffed, pushing the massive stone door, and after a moment of finding an optimal point of leverage, the door slowly groaned open, to reveal a black, empty expanse. It gave her pause, not due to the low visibility, or the smell, but because of the feeling.

When one immerses themselves in magic, uses it every day, and wields vast quantities at once, that familiar thrum of magic coursing through their veins can become a fading background feeling. But now? Moon felt as though that warm thrum had been ripped from her body in an instant, replaced with a cold, stale emptiness. She felt a cold draft pour over her from behind, filling an unseen vacuum in the darkness. She gasped, desperate to catch her lost breath from the shock when the noise awakened the rooms many, many, many occupants.

One by one, like fireflies lighting up the night, dozens of Turned began to illuminate, their cracks and seams oozing with green light, only to reveal countless more Turned deeper within. There had to be over two hundred of them, dormant and still, the breathing the only sign they were even alive. Moon released her caught breath, the blood-chilling shock driving her mind to snap back into reality with a jolt. Without waiting for provocation, she turned on her heels and ran. Ran as quickly as she could further down the ruined corridors.

The sound of her boots hitting the ruined and scorched tiles quickly faded into the background as she desperately tried to wrap her head around what she had seen in that chamber, an army of monsters corrupted by magic…'That many-... It shouldn't be possible to corrupt that many!' She silently seethed. But it was there before her very own eyes. And now, she was hopeful to escape undetected, let alone with Ludo and Vartek. If those things were to come after her, even a fraction of them; given their strength it wouldn't be a very long fight.

Moon was weighing her options for escape, or a possible rescue, when she nearly ran smack into a set of stone double doors, each side carved with intricate inlays of a four eyed monster king, and a burning black tree of spades. She narrowed her eyes for a moment, tilting her head at the artwork, when she suddenly felt warm. No, hot, extremely hot.

Moon had a split-second to react when the stone doors began to glow a violent green, before bursting at the seams with a torrent of toxic green fire. It melted rock into slag and cooked the air around her, but Moon skidded to a stop just as the dangerous flames died down, barely out of reach of their touch. Sweat dripped down her brow as Moon stepped around the corner, and was greeted with a familiar face she was oddly elated to see.

"Queen Moon, how nice to see you again," Vartek grinned, his voice dripping with smarm, "here I thought I had missed one of those revolting little rodents, but as it turns out, it was Mewman royalty. So I guess I was right after all." The man in question stood in the now charred enterance, wearing nothing more than a simple black metal suit of armor, nothing like the one he had been wearing before. This one was clearly built for speed.

Moon said nothing. She just stared at the man before her. He looked just like Toffee, with a sea green hue to his skin, and a healing scar of burns covering his face. But that wasn't what drew most of her attention, far from it. What she found most alarming was the web of oozing green cracks snaking their way up his arms, and the way they slowly healed to seal off the oven of heat that escaped. She could feel the tremendous power echoing from the monster standing in front of her, and there were no words to give the horrific reminder of Toffee.

So she said nothing, and instead drew up both hands, facing her palms at Vartek. "HHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" She screamed, and with a snap of displaced air, forced a torrent of magic down her arms and out of her hands. She poured everything she had into the roaring stream of power that sent ripples of heat in every direction, and as her voice reached a high, that power was cut loose.

It was a blinding flash of light that followed, an ionizing beam of magic flared from her open palms and only grew as it poured over Vartek. And even though the noise stole her hearing, and the force of her attack shook the ground beneath her feet, she didn't feel the least bit safe where she stood. Despite the magic drill of a blast she steuggled to control, she could still feel him there.

Seconds went by, and ultimately, she had to relent, pulling back the imaginary curtain of force that veiled over the chunky magic stew. As the roar of the beam died down, she slowly began to see the extent of the damage.

She had carved a tunnel through the throne room and out the mountainside, melted rock and sizzling steel left in her wake, but over the churning wind, she heard a laugh. A maniacal, soulless laugh. Through the smoke, and the wisping remnants of her blitz attack, she saw Vartek, unharmed and very amused, pleasantly standing there with his arms folded.

"You may pride yourself in being 'The Undaunted', but you are far less of a challenge than the last Queen I fought," he mused, shifting his stance to a wider spread and drawing his hands to his sides, "Allow me to show you, what we were once capable of."

Like an opened flood gate, cascades of green magic poured from his numerous cracks, with more forming around his eyes and down his neck. Moon almost doubled over, feeling every ounce of missing and corrupted magic flowing over her in waves. It was overwhelming to even be near it, let alone with her magical aptitude. Vartek only grinned, letting all of his magic pool at his feet, before drawing it in with an endless inhale.

When it was all collected, and Moon stood speechless, Vartek bared his teeth in a wicked smile. "You will be the first to experience what we have become ...And what your insidious bloodline has wrought."

To be continued in: Party of the Year Pt. 2

Star and Marco struggle to focus on the end of the year party when the future looms ever closer.

The MHC, furious with what they've learned, lead an assault on Varteks forces alongside Queen Moon, but are they prepared for what they will find?

AUTHORS NOTE

Alright so, I hate to drop you on a cliffhanger, but this is unfortunately where I have to stop this chapter. With the new chapter release of In the Pale Starlight by Lord Cornwalis, we are ready to move on the next chapter of The Once and Future Queen, which will be a chapter written in tandem, so be on the lookout for when we drop it! Shouldnt be too long with him doing all the work and me fuckin off and drawing shit lmfao

Again, thank you so much for reading my story. I know it's not a work of art, and it's not the greatest fanfic ever, but I like that it's fun, and easy to digest, so anyone can read it and take something away that they didn't have when they found it. You all know why I started writing FFs, so to have so many people so happy with my work is truly a gift. Stay safe in these coming weeks, and I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter of Forgotten Ventures

REVIEWS

Rothem: Yeah, it took me a day to try and figure out how I wanted to handle the song, so I ended up just trying to give it new lyrics to the same tune. Thanks so much for reading, though! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

Piteros: Ayye, I was just gonna go with eluding to them getting fucked up, but you can thank Cornwalis for me actually following through with it. His enthusiasm was too good to ignore. I'm so thrilled you enjoyed the song! Oh man it took me a whole day to get the flow just right and actually find lyrics that rhymed and worked. Yes, through Ruberiots glitch, Marco is being portrayed as a villain, and the first part of the chapter is Darc reliving old memories to keep himself sane. But the more he does that, the more unnerving and corrupted his memories become, hence why Nebula made a guest appearance.

RJV: Hey! So glad you liked it, and thanks so much for reading and leaving a review!

FinalKingdomHearts: Very good to hear, I'll try to impress!

Lord Cornwalis: Lol well I'm not much better bc I missed a review as well! But I think I paid you back pretty nicely with a review from 'Nancy' and I both. I'm glad you enjoyed the little juggling acts that go on here, I know some stories take it beyond, like Once and Future Queen, but to know I'm holding my own is a good start! Lol of course you liked the high scene, you're the one who wanted one lmfao. I looove high as shit Janna tho, and that Mermaid bit is def coming back at some point… ;) Hey I feel that, that song was a bitch to write, and this little tail piece for this chapter was thankfully, much easier. I hope you liked the song choice bee tee dubs!

Starco4everr: Ayyye thank you so much for reading it and giving me some of that sweet feedback! I hope this chapter impressed as well, and I hope to see you again soon!

Demiwizard202: Yooooo! You're one of the rare oddities that actually notices all these easter eggs. From other fics to Gravity Falls, to Steven Universe, hell even Lord Cornwallis, they are bountiful, so hats off to you for spotting them!