7/22/22: Hold your horses everyone! My good friend PhiJai reminded me of an error I made. Ok, so this is a slight divergence from the cannon. Instead of waking up on the beach, Star is relocated seperate after they magic dimension. I.E she and Moon never make up with a super unrealistic 'Things happen', and thus the two still maintain a strained relationship. That should clear most of it up, again, thank you!(more information on the canon divergence will be realized in chapter 3!)
N/A: Before I start, I'd like to take a second to discuss River's character. In the show, River was depicted as 'fat stupid cave man', something you most certainly wouldn't want in a royal. As I've said, I have taken the liberty to do some adjustments to the core structure of SVTFOE, so in this story, River is much more grounded and sane. Also, heads up, another alteration. To make the story much more realistic, I went ahead and changed the end of Cleaved ever so slightly. All I did was make it so Star and Moon never made up. I'm sorry, but the strain between the two was far too great to be fixed with a 'we all mess up sometimes'. No way, hosey.
Ooh, also, before I forget; let's talk about the more *ahem* intimate parts of Unbroken Bonds. Before you ask, yes, there will be a sexual progression between Marco and Star (and Stephen and Sarah). Just hold tight, since this won't really start until chapter 7. 'Why chapter 7' you may ask, well, it's because chapters 1-6 happen in the span of just 4 days. Trust me, it'll all be worth it in the end!
Anyway, here's wonderwall.
Unbroken Bonds
Chapter 2
Where The Wild Things Are
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Bringing the fuming cup to his lips, Stephen slowly sucked in a boiling mouthful of espresso, letting the burning sensation jolt his drowsiness away. Setting the mug back down upon his 'Number 1 Boss' coaster, he reclined back in his chair, letting the absurd news mull over his tired brain. It was safe to say he wasn't too keen on coming at such an early time; most certainly not at two in the morning. However, it was a sacrifice he was made to pay by decree of his job, the driving factor of annoyance in his bustling life.
"Now, Sarah, I'd like you to repeat everything you've said. This time, try and make it legible."
Gulping down her nervousness, Sarah began repeating the events of her rather odd nightshift. For the past six hours, she had been frantically busy cross-checking, coordinating and investigating any known information on her recent discovery. It had taken a visible toll on her physical stature: her hair a tangled mess of knots, her shirt stained with coffee. Fortunately, in the end it had all been worth it, depending on who you would ask.
Looking across towards her boss, she withered under his harsh glare. Stephen's name was infamous all through the agency, his cold and brutal leadership producing harsh, yet efficient results. He had been directing the department for well over a year, micro-managing every aspect he could possibly juggle. He was surprisingly young despite his respectable position, a rough twenty-seven unaged even with his tirous work.
"Well, you gonna speak, or are we just gonna sit here ogling each other?"
"S-Sorry, my bad," she squeaked, sitting up in her chair while snapping back into attention. "Ok, at around 8:15, I got these images from Landsat 8. They range from zero to thirty seconds. At around second 12 you can start to see this pinkish-blueish cloud. Then at second twenty seven, the landscape is completely altered, a mix of Echo Creek's usual scenery, and something completely different."
She had neatly displayed the photographs before Stephen, all printed in color with red markings depicting the copious anomalies. Stephen leaned over the various images, inspecting the subtle and not-so-subtle changes each one had over its predecessor. "And you're one hundred percent sure these are all credible? No foolery in our orbiters?"
"Yes sir, I cross-referenced with Langley's Casca orbiter. It flew over Echo Creek just about fifteen minutes after Landsat 8. It gave us the same images after second twenty seven" she responded, replacing the previous array of images with her second.
"Absolutely certain this isn't some weird cloud formation?" Stephen asked, again cruising over the second set of images, these ones absent of any markings.
"I've never heard of clouds that flash, sir" she replied, not expecting that sort of question. The quip solicited a cold stare from Stephen, one that instantly made her stance crumble.
"So it took you… six hours to get two sets of images?" he questioned, his voice hinting at a subtle agitation.
"It took me three hours just to get in touch with Langley. There was a ton of paperwork and protocols."
"Aaaand what happened to the other three? I mean Sarah, not to judge, but I'd be much more welcome to call at eleven than two" he said, lifting his hand to wave in confusion before letting it fall back to his temple.
"W-Well, it took me three hours to get in touch with them. It took me another two just to get the photos" Sarah Stated, her hands wrestling each other behind her back.
"So, let me get this straight. It took you five hours to call someone who's no less than, say… half an hour from here?" His voice carried a genuine confusion, this time thankfully lacking any spite.
"Um- Well, ya see… Yeah…"
With a sigh, Stephen stood up from his desk, his hands flying to his collar to straighten out his crooked tie. His outfit was clearly thrown together in the nick of time, much sloppier and misaligned than his usual dry-pressed suit. His hair, just like Sarah's, was a mess of stubborn tufts and ungroomed bed head. Because of their polar opposite work schedules, she had the relative pleasure of almost never seeing him, slicing her chances of the company's feared 'Stephen Shakedown' in half.
"Alright, separate issues for separate times I suppose… Great work today, Sarah, really mean it. Head home for the day, you look like ya need some rest." His words were a relief to her, displacing her fears of a prolonged one-sided degrading match of passive aggressive insults. She, being the model employee she was, had never been made to sit through one, tonight being the closest call she'd ever had.
"And you, sir?"
Turning around just before the door, Stephen flashed her a smile as he tugged out the wrinkles of his coat jacket. "Well, I can rattle off a dozen people who'll be on my ass about this, my day's just starting. Go home, I'll see you're paid for the full eight hours."
Watching him walk out from his office, Sarah felt a wave of relief wash over her shoulders. For the past few hours she dreaded the eventual phone call requesting Stephen to come in, even more so her actual conversation with the man. But to say the least she was pleasantly surprised to find that even his early morning mind didn't devolve into a grumpy lard. Maybe he likes you whispered a stray thought, one instantly hushed by her mind, not before a slight blush flourished across her cheeks.
Maybe.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
It had all happened so fast; not that it mattered. All he had left was the clothes on his back, and the gaping whole that was his heart. Try as he might, he could only watch as the once swirling mass of pink and blue closed before him, shattering his copious dreams compiled throughout his desperate run. All of his will, all of his might, and all of his boundless courage seemed to do nothing to deter the inevitable. The inevitable world he would have to face without her.
Lying on his back with his skin brandished with cuts and bruises, he finally gave in and let his waterworks of emotions run down his scrapped cheeks. He willed his arms to cup his face, too ashamed to admit his failure to the rest of the world. His sinuses started stuffing up as his sobbing progressed, clogging his nostrils and even further advancing his already depressed state.
Lying on the paramedic stretcher, he then thought he had already reached a new low, nothing could possibly be worse than complete and utter defeat. But now, as he lay curled up on the gravel ridden road, he tasted a total rock bottom, one stinking with the scent of not just one, but two repetitive failures. No matter how much he longed for the chance to see her again, his weak, pathetic, no good soul just couldn't manage it.
"I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry" he whimpered, his hands rubbing the accumulated tears well up around his sore eyes.
His head burned with sorrow, the not-so-gentle reminder of his inability to reach the love of his life. Love of my life, he thought, his eyes raging harder as he pondered the phrase. He knew he would never find anyone like Star; nobody who had the same joyous outlook on life, nobody who could cheer him up when the world put him down. He lost his soulmate, it was as simple as that.
Feeling his eyes run fallow of tears, he unclamped his hands from his face, leaving it puffy and red with emotion. Opening his eyes slowly to let his pupils dilate to the light around him, he was met with a harrowing sight. High above him, thousands of feet above the ground soared a pack of what he could only say were Dragons-Cycles, their cohesive roars stunning him nearly into a stroke. He immediately noticed the lead cycle, the one guiding the other beasts forward to be his very own life-long companion Nachos.
Fueled by his curiosity he sat himself up off the hot pavement, gawking around at the amalgamations before him. The once plain and dull landscape of Echo Creek now shined with a mythical glow, a mixture of the Californian woods native to the land and the new fairytale-like flora sprinkled about the former. Looking further he noticed the distant image of towering creatures, their spines lined with sharp spikes and their posture slumped and depressed. It was an inconceivable notion, something almost entirely impossible to his human brain. To him it was like attempting to perceive infinity, something so insurmountable it was certain to not be plausible. But now, encompassing him on all sides was this infinity, bearing with it its beautiful glow of purple and pink.
Turning his head to stare straight forward, his heart nearly jumped out from his heart as his eyes settled on the figure before him. Only a handful of feet away stood a blonde girl, clad in a blue
dress and her hair reigned in by a set of crimson horns. Excavating her with his eyes, he was stunned with her appearance, the reality of her standing before him almost too much for his already unsteady heart.
Their eye-contact was sorely interrupted by a galloping unicorn, passing confidently before them to disappear out from his peripheral. Just as the horse passed a car zoomed between them, riding along a road now painted with grass and dirt. Feeling the strength return to his arms he hoisted himself off the pavement to stand at her level, his eyes not daring to stray away from hers.
The beautiful blue-sky gems that were her pupils enticed him to step closer to the stationary teen. He watched as her body raised up and fell with her breaths, clearly having gone through the same strenuous journey he had. As he stepped closer, she too began walking forward, her mouth shifting into an open grin with every stride. Now just inches apart, he found his tongue baron of words, no sentence could possibly transcribe the typhoon of emotions raging within him. Eventually, as his breathing returned to him and his heart regained its repetitive rhythm, he uttered a single word, the only thing he could possibly converse.
"Hey" he said, his mouth now matching the grin of hers.
"Hi" she replied, her voice a calm tone as her panting subsided.
The two stood there staring deeply into each other's wonderful eyes as life around them moved at a chaotic rate. They were too blissfully interlocked in silent communication to notice the commotion of their cleaved world; too busy raking in their partner's presence to care about anything else. The despondency plaguing his fatigued body had seemingly disappeared now in the occupancy of this blonde girl.
Feeling her emotions begin to slip, she lunged forward and tackled the black-haired boy to the ground, lodging her head into the nook of his shoulder as she cried out tears of joy. "I-I
thou-ou-ought I l-l-lost youuuuu" she stammered, her sobs interrupting her tearful admission.
The moment he felt her against his chest he wrapped his arms around the sobbing girl, embracing her with a reassuring grip as she continued to ring out her tears. He didn't care at the slightest about the accumulating mark of tears now renting his shirt; not with the love of his life in his hands. He was more than happy to be her tear rag, or whatever she needed in the moment.
Feeling her begin to pull away, he slipped his hands out from around her waist to lay on her taut shoulders. Even when she's a mess she's gorgeous, he thought to himself, enamored by her beauty. Staring deep in her eyes yet again he felt a second wave of relief hit him, this time much more subtle, yet more potent than the first. Even through tears he could see the love in her eyes, a euphoric reminder that this was in fact reality, not a panic induced daydream.
"It's alright, Star. I'm here now."
Hearing him speak her name, the last of her discretion melted away like ice as she again threw her arms around him, this time planting her lips on his as she kissed him with fever. The sorrow she had felt just seconds ago was wiped away with the kiss, her world shrinking down to embody just her and her love; a perfect world.
Slightly taken aback by the kiss it took him a solid second to reciprocate the loving expression. Feeling her press her weight against his chest he swept his hands into action. He slid his hand up and around her back to lodge itself in her golden main, gently pressing her head harder against his. His other hand again wrapped itself around her lithe waist as he pulled her closer, eliciting an eek! of surprise from the young blonde.
His usual apprehension for PDA's was unusually silent as the kiss continued, the comfort Star gave him seemingly overwhelmed his 'Safe Kid' persona. Alas, as his lungs cried out in need of sweet, sweet oxygen, he gave in and backed out of the kiss, finishing it with a satisfying chu. Reclining back on her hands, she wiped a stray tear from her cheek, the last she hoped she'd shed for today's events.
Getting up from his somewhat awkward position, he helped Star to her feet. He let his hands fall back to his sides, only after dusting off a small amount of dirt off Star's shoulder. "Thanks, for that," he said as he moved his hands to hold hers, "It was… nice."
"Pfft, it was more than nice, Marco… But, no problem" she responded as a slight crimson tint crawled up her cheek.
Letting go of her hands and turning around, he again stared aimlessly at his surroundings. "Soooo… Got any idea what… this, is?" he asked while motioning to the concoction of a world around him. To his surprise, the pandemonium plaguing the small town seemed to have dissolved into a quiet madness. Looking around he couldn't seem to pick out any humanoid figures among the now sparkling landscape, the vast majority of sounds or movements originating from monsters or crumbling structures.
"Uuuuh, not at the moment, no…"
"You saw it too, right?", his voice somewhat shaky as the words spewed out of his mouth.
"You mean the portal?" she asked despite already knowing his inquiry was about nothing but.
"Yeah, the big, pinkish-bluish portal. You saw it, right?"
Turning back to face him, she could see the worry return to his face as the weight of the past hour seemed to tear at him. At this point in their relationship she could easily decipher his somewhat obvious emotions, especially ones regarding fear of panic. Of course here they were fully justified, if not expected for anyone facing the reality of their current conundrum.
"Yeah. I was running towards it when it went all 'Boom!". Do you think, ya know, it did this?" Again, it was a question she already knew the answer to. It didn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that the portal most likely had a large role in the supposed amalgamation of the two worlds, if that was even what happened.
"I don't know what else could" he stammered out, his voice cracking from the severity of the hypothesis.
"What… what happens now?" The question frightened him as much as it did puzzle him. Being the more analytical and calculated member of the duo, he was deathly frightened by the fact that he had no definitive answer to her question. Jesus, where's the blue baldie when ya need him, imagined Marco as his resentment for the little blue man began to cloud his judgment.
As he turned back to face her, his heart nearly melted as his gaze met hers. She was scared, not the same scared he'd seen before, oftentimes over petty reasons. This was a true terror, something more akin to unbridal fear than angry hormone-induced teenage emotion. "I don't know, Star, I really don't."
For what seemed to be the hundredth time today he stepped forward and intertwined his hands with hers, squeezing her gently as to reassure her in the only way he could. "But, whatever happens, I can promise you… I promise you we'll do it together."
In a swift motion Star ducked under his arm to lodge herself under his shoulder, resting her head in the crook of his neck as she tied his arms around her. "I wouldn't take it any other way, Diaz," she uttered, her voice now cool and calm as she snuggled up against his chest.
After spending a moment to savor their closeness, Marco let out a contented sigh as he placed a quick peck on her golden mane. "Wanna head back to town? People are gonna start wondering what happened, and, ya know, it's probably best if we're there before all hel- I mean all heck breaks loose."
"Marco, I'm not a little girl; you can curse…"
"Totally, totally, totally," he uttered, happy at the response Star gave him when she realized he was impersonating her, "Ahem, before all Hell breaks loose."
"There we go," she whispered while gifting him her own quick peck, this time on his scraped up cheek. "Ooohh, Marco, that looks painful, you ok?" she asked as her gaze fell on his tattered skin.
"It's fine, I'll muddle through. Besides, why would I focus on that, when I could… focus on you."
"Awwww" she cooed, somewhat touched by his proposition, "Marco, you're gonna make me cry" she teased as she wiped away a fake tear from her eye.
"Alright, alright. Let's get a move on, Butterface."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Helloooooo… Anyone there?" called Marco, his hands cupping his mouth to further his already loud cry. They had walked the half mile or so back into the heart of the town, somewhat amazed by how still and quiet things had gotten. During their walk the two relentlessly scanned their surroundings, hoping to find even a meekling of a trace of humanity. However, all they made out was the chaotic scampering of what they assumed were the new Mewman refugee's, all completely befuddled at their new home.
The walk gave the two ample time to discuss what exactly happened, using their combined knowledge of Earth and Mewni to paint a small, yet detailed hypothesis of the events that transpired in their wake. It was unanimous between the two that Earth was the base foundation for the merge, with the majority of the land formations most likely having originated from Earth. To be frank, the worlds were so eerily similar that it was truly difficult to pinpoint what belonged to what. Moreover, it didn't much matter what came from where, but how it got there to begin with.
Their conversation lasted the entirety of the stretch back to Echo Creek, or more accurately what was left of Echo Creek. To further their point, it was obvious that the infrastructure of their new world was human-based, with the rementas of the roads paved in a manner much more akin to Earth's roadways than Mewni's gravel paths and walks. Dotted around the cracked and overgrown streets were mixes of Earthly and Mewman architecture, with some houses half merged with the medieval dwellings of Mewni.
It was surreal at first, witnessing his childhood town transformed into a conglomeration of twenty-first century houses and late classical shacks. But the deeper he got into the heart of Echo Creek, the quicker he realized just how lucky they had gotten. There were no collapsed buildings, no raging fires, and thankfully no explosive hazards left open on the streets as the result of the seemingly calculated merge. It was almost as if whatever caused the amalgamation of the two worlds did it as to deliberately leave behind a pseudo-town still partially safe for habitation.
Stopping in the middle of the intersection between Main and Broad, they patiently waited for a response as Marco's call echoed out into the depths of the town. It wasn't long before a response came in the form of a long "Hey!"
Turning to face the general direction in which the sound originated, the two came face-to-face with a speeding Angie, followed closely behind by a grinning Rafeal. Before they could process what exactly was happening, the two parents engulfed the teens in a co-opted bone crushing hug
"My goodness, Marco, where have you been!" Shouted Angie while tightening her grip around the now purple-faced teens.
"We thought we had lost you, mijo!" added Rafeal, whose strength, combined with Angie's, nearly popped the arms out of the sockets of Marco and Star.
"Need. Air!... Must. Breath!" Gasped Marco as he tried to squirm out from the grip of his exuberant parents. While it was a sure relief to see the two relatively unharmed, he'd rather they not be the ones who finished the job Mina started. Fortunately, after hearing the cries of their suffocating son, Angie and Rafeal released the two teens, surprisingly to the dismay of Star, but certainly to the relief of Marco.
Keeling over, Marco staggered to catch his breath, holding his hand to steady his beating heart while his breathing tried to steady itself. Meanwhile, Star was experiencing a complete opposite reaction, insead bouncing up and down with joy apon reuniting with his parents.
"Hi Mr and Mrs. Diaz!" she shouted, her eyes huge and sparkly with excitement.
"Hi… Star" responded the now worried Angie, who was slightly more concerned with the wellbeing of her son than the bouncing teenage blonde.
"I'm good, I'm good" squeaked Marco, who had now regained his rhythmic breathing in addition to his again tan-painted skin.
"So, Marco, would you be able to tell us what has exactly happened here?" asked his father, who despite his uncertainty was still wearing a grin plastered ear-to-ear.
"Well, ya see. That's kinda, that's a very, uuhhh…" Trying his hardest he couldn't seem to summon an adequate answer for his parents. On one hand, it was fairly obvious what had happened, with their surroundings clearly incorporating aspects of both Earth and Mewni. On the other hand, even after knowing what happened, there was no way in hell he could possibly theorize or hypothesize the reason for the merge.
"We don't know."
Thankfully, as expected, Star came to his rescue by confessing to the two that they indeed had no earthly idea as to what caused the mixing of the two worlds. "I mean, we don't know, but maybe someone else does…"
Practically on cue, a very rugged and soot-covered Moon, followed by a dust decorated River, emerged from a side road intersecting with Main Street. After spending a moment analyzing their surroundings, a small, discrete couple caught their attention way off past the intersection. Seeing them move about in a very human fashion, the two parents began waving their arms to signal the strangers over to their position.
"Queen Moon! King River! Over here!" the words sounding off from Angie as Rafeal used his superior height to motion the two ex-monarchs over to their location. Turning to face Star, Marco could almost hear the anger boiling over within her at the notion of reuniting with her mother. Seeing a possible catastrophe over the near horizon, he took her hand in his and offered her a reassuring squeeze, followed by a quick peck that seemed to calm the steeled nerves of the blonde princess.
During their walk he refrained from pestering her about her escape to the magic dimension. The more he thought about it, the more certain he got over the fact that her choice was most likely to the complete horror of her parents. Despite their current status as citizens, her opting to leave behind the world she was once destined to rule for a boy would not resonate warmly with Moona and River. And after Moon's rather evil betrayal, he was sure their emotions were mutual.
As the dirtied figures walked closer, he could feel Star's grip tighten as she tensed up with nerves. He knew any additional attempts to settle her down would most likely be completely futile, with their heated reuniting being almost inevitable. All he could do was reciprocate her affection and try his hand at keeping the oncoming 'discussion' cool until the two eventually gave in to a quiet loathing.
"Oh my, are you two alright? You look a bit… dusty" asked Angie who was slightly concerned at their disgruntled appearance. Dusty was a sure understatement in regards to the two Mewmans. Their clothes were mudded and slightly torn, clearly depicting some sort of struggle, most likely caused by hazardous debris or unstable edifices. Their faces too were dirty and worn, much akin to Marco's as they were scrapped up and ragged.
"Oh, no, we're mostly fine, thank you…" replied Moon, returning Angie a slight head-bow in thanks for the offered assistance. "Star, a moment please?"
Hearing her name Star tensed her hand to a level previously thought impossible. Marco clearly noticed the increased level of pressure as he let out a clipped ouch as her hand compressed his. With a sigh, or something more akin to a growl, Star released Marco's hand and staggered off to convince Moon, out of Marco's cautious jurisdiction.
As the two walked off, he couldn't help but notice the intense glare he was receiving from River, who stood adjacent to him, arms crossed in a deadly glare. Oh shit, he knows, thought Marco as the realization hit him like a thunderbolt. He had been told stories by Star of how cold and ruthless the short hulk had been to the demon prince. It frightened him to think of the hell he was bound to be put through, something certainly worse than what Tom had endured as his royal status most likely protecting him from any bodily harm.
After a few moments of painful eye contact, River started to slowly march over to Marco, his brow furrowed and eyes glaring with distance. Now just an arms length away, River inspected the young latino from head to toe,studying his outfit as if he were patting him down with his vision. Finally, after another handful of seconds, River delivered a playful punch to Marco's arm, pushing the boy back and stunning him with the lack of force of his strike.
"Ooh ho ho, Marco. And here I thought I wouldn't see you again. Put 'er there, my boy!" beamed River, offering him a firm handshake. Taking his hand, he was immediately pulled into a strong hug, this time much more forceful than his earlier punch. After two repetitive pats on the back, the ex-king released him from his grip, letting him go with his eyes beaming with joy.
"Oh- Uh, sorry. Nice to see you too" replied Marco, who was completely caught off guard by the man's kindness.
"I'd sure hope so! Why, after all the time we've spent together, I'd say us two are good friends; would you not agree?"
In hindsight, Marco was somewhat dumbfounded by how afraid he was of the retired king, a man he had personally aided in possibly the finest hour of the Mewman throne. River by no stretch of the imagination was a poor monarch, especially not by some Mewman standards. However, the problems in his governance began to rear their ugly heads during Toffee's return, a time at which he had to fulfill a job designed for two people to manage. His duties, which were mostly centered on problems regarding the military or physical infrastructure, were a sheer contrast from the Moon's, ones primarily regarding commerce and foreign affairs. Tending to both sides of the Mewman monarchy proved too much for the man, leading to him having to solicit Marco's aid in maintaining the kingdom in Moon's absence.
All of his irrational fears of having to reintroduce himself to his girlfriend's father seemed to dissipate as he now felt much more relaxed in the man's presence. "Yeah, yeah for sure" he replied as his once frightened posture was soon replaced by a new, much bolder one.
"So… You're not, uhhhm… Jeez, I don't know how to say this," he started, sucking in a breath of courage to finish his rather lackluster question, "You aren't made that I'm with Star."
As his now quick and sharp words ran off his tongue, the two were thrust into what he assumed to be a rather awkward silence, only interrupted by the background of Star and Moon's progressively heated conversation. After a moment of deliberation, River sighed obligatory sigh as he started answering Marco's question. "Marco, while I'm sure we can both agree this isn't an ideal time to make such a monumental decision, especially since Star and prince Tom had just dissolved their rather promising relationship… I know you, and trust you enough to be with my daughter."
"Soooo… all good then?" asked Marco, his voice somewhat sheltered and stuttery.
"Yes, Marco. 'All Good'" joked River, punctuating his affirmation with a second playful punch.
And just like that, a second, even greater monsoon of relief flooded Marco's nerves. It was all the reassurance he needed to affirm his and Star's relationship as an absolute miracle. Of course, he still expected their share of hurdles over such a strange and irregular coupling, especially after River too admitted their timing to be quite terrible. However, for the young teen the future was a bright one, full of happiness and, hopefully, love. Watch out world, Star and Marco are gonna rock you… world?Marco thought, slightly embarrassed by the fact he couldn't come up with another word for world besides world.
After a second, much longer slightly awkward silence, Marco found himself unable to ignore the growing voices of Star and Moon now polluting the otherwise calm air. Turning to face the two women, then back to River, he found the courage to needle the man over his aggravated family.
"Hey, so, not that it's any of my business, but… Are those two, ya know…?" asked Marco as his vision returned to his red faced and clearly infuriated girlfriend.
Scoffing, River turned to face his immediate family, who were currently busy partaking in a rather heated debate; one teetering on a full-on yelling match. To his relief, and slight embarrassment, his parents were completely preoccupied by their own conversation, with Mariposa being the only other Diaz currently witnessing Star and Moon's clash from her premium view via her backwards baby bjorn. After flashing her a quick wave with an accompanying smile, Marco again refocused on the two arguing ex-monarchs, somewhat afraid of what would currently be happening if magic were intact.
Stepping forward alongside River, he slowly closed in on Star and Moon. Having a far more advantageous position to eavesdrop, he listened in on their distant bantering.
"Oooh, gee wiz, Mom! I'm just sooo sorry I didn't make the right choice, just so sorry!"
"You ought be! How am I supposed to react after watching my fifteen year old daughter voluntarily fall through a collapsing magical well; one sorely polluted with unstable magic I might add, to chase after some quixotic fantasy!"
"quick-socket fantasy? First off, I don't even know what the hell 'quick-socket' means. And second, maybe if you'd been a better mother, and, I don't know, not betray Eclipsa and your nation I'd have given more thought as to staying!"
"Corn, how dare you use such vulgar language with me, young lady! I raised you to be an astute and principled girl, not a 'swear-slining' dolt! I'm as good a mother as anyone else, if not better. It's your lethargic ability to learn that's clearly hindered your ability to rationalize."
"Quixotic, dolt? Maybe if you used actual words that actual people use I'd have listened to you more!"
"Maybe if you'd take the time to step up to mediocracy, I wouldn't be stuck with a daughter so ignorant she'd leave her whole world for some boy!"
"Enough!" shouted River, his voice commanding and somewhat terrifying. Stepping between the two he thrusted the bickering women apart, glaring each girl down with a malicious stare. Marco had only the slight misfortune of seeing River upset a handful of times. And each of those times, no matter the context, he'd walk away scared shitless. The yell easily encapsulated the entire lot, catching the attention of both Angie and Rafeal, who up until this point had successfully ignored the two's growing tones. Despite the pure terror that afflicted Marco, courtesy of River's roar, a much more subtle, yet outspoken word nearly tore him in two. Boy? He thought, the words stinging as much as they did surprise him.
Up until that point he had believed Moon viewed him in somewhat a positive light, especially after everything he did for the royal family and Mewni. But hearing her refer to him as a simple boy, an obstacle tearing her family apart, it almost broke his recently invigorated spirits. This shock too was visibly apparent on Star's face, leading her to a glare fixed with both anger and straying tears.
"You two are completely, utterly, and indefinitely out of line!" he berraded, shifting his glance between Star and Moon to equally distribute his vexation. "Have you two lost your sense of decency, of civility?"
"Moon!" he shouted, directing his anger towards his wife first. "How old are you, pray tell. Correct me if I'm wrong, but my memory serves to tell me you're no younger than 34! A thirty four year old royal berating a fifteen year old girl as if you're equals. And to tell your daughter, your own flesh and blood, that she's a deplorable that went off on a lovestruck fantasy; That, my dear Moon, is far past any line of reason!" The verbal barrage clearly withered the already ragged Moon, causing her shoulders to stoop and her head to hang off her strained neck. Listening to her husband speak with such venom brought Moon to tears, having to retrieve a small handkerchief from her pocket to wipe away the moisture from her eyes.
"And you, Star. How could you possibly just up and leave! How would you feel if the last words your daughter ever spoke to you were 'I'm sorry, mom!' and then fall down a collapsing portal! Don't worry, I'll save you having to experience it; it feels like hell on Mewni! You slipping down that portal, seeing you disappear into a black and inky abyss, that could have been the last time we ever laid eyes on you. My own daughter, my only heir, gone in the blink of an eye." His words had gone from sharp and feriousious to depressed and dejected as he trailed on, really unpacking his thoughts he had surprisingly kept silent up until this point.
"And then, waking up on that beach to find you nowhere, not a trace of you in sight. A part of me, and your mother I'm sure, died at that moment. A daughter, who we had raised for nearly half our lives, opted to leave us forever, possibly dying during her inter-universal voyage. I understand you love earth, but we're your family! You can't just leave us with nothing more than an 'I'm sorry'..."
"...Up until seeing you on this street… I had truly… truly thought you were dead…" His eyes now, along with Moon's and Star's, were bustling with tears. Marco himself staved off the urge to release the dam of emotions he was battling whilst listening to River's speech. To think of what the two parents went through, having to watch Star slink off into the magic dimension, waking up without a tendril of evidence to believe she was alive or well in any fashion, it was heartbreaking.
There was another silence, this one a complete vacuum of noise unlike the prior two. As the last of his sorrowful words fell off his tongue, River stepped back with baited breath, losing most of it in his berating. All three of them stood in the painful silence, finally contemplating what exactly they just told each other. Watching on the sidelines alongside his frightened family, Marco waited for a Butterfly to break the silence.
"M'sorry…" whispered Star, her voice just barely audible over the subtle wind.
"What was that?" asked her father, who turned to face the almost cowering teen.
"I'm… Sorry… For all of it" she restated, trying her hardest to hide her tears as they poured down her cheeks. "I wasn't thinking. Corn, I never think…."
With a sigh, River decided to release the group from his oppressive dictate, opting to reign things in before either one of them gets too withered. "I know you two are going to have your differences. But please, just try to get along. We're a family. And no matter what happens, no matter how many dimensions separate us, we'll always be a family."
"Just, please, consider how your family feels before making judgments that'll impaire them." Instead of sounding venomous or saddened, his voice was reassuring and uplifting, clearly an attempt to reunite the now shaken spirits of Star and Moon.
"I'm sorry too… to both of you… Star, you're not a deplorable, you're not below mediocrity, you're just… you" uttered Moon, her voice still rather frail and volatile.
"And I wouldn't have you any other way…"
Still from a distance, Marco was reassured as he witnessed Star and Moon lock eyes, this time with a much gentler, non-violent tone. Even with the extremely limited context he had of the situation, he was certain this one fight wouldn't be the last. Begrudgingly, he had to admit stubbornness was a Butterfly family trait; with this disagreement clearly being no exception.
"I promise we'll sort this out another time… But, for now, all talk of this matter is hereby prohibited. Understand, Star?" Turning to face his daughter, he watched as she slowly nodded in response, eliciting a snuffed sob as she sneakily wiped away her tears.
"Moonpie?" he finished, now turned to face his spouse as she too nodded in agreement.
"Alright, that settles it" concluded River, who quickly swept up the two in a bear hug. The swift change of tone startled Star and Moon respectively, both giving a variation of a surprised noise in response to River's embrace.
"Just in time, too. Looks like we're not alone in this world"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Closer, closer; what's the highest zoom we can get before it gets to muddy"
"Eight hundred percent, anything more and the camera'd crap out."
The operator's voice was just barely audible over the working sounds of the cramped station. In it were directors of every kind, ranging from sanitation all the way up to communications. It was a once in a lifetime sight, something so profound it could easily be the highpoint of one's life. This, unfortunately, was the reason for the abundance of unnecessary workers; all dying to get a peak at the monumental discovery.
"You can't get any lower? Is the background that strong?" Asked the director, his eyes narrowed as to interpret the image before him.
"Yea, any lower and the field would start messin' with the electronics." Being only a few miles away from the location of interest, the team were quick to deploy a surveillance drone to grab a better image of the anomaly. Piloting the UAV was a team of military personnel, all specifically chosen for their skill and their ability to keep quiet.
Turning to face his right, the exhausted director bellowed out to his crew. "How's the perimeter holding?"
"It's feeling it, but it's still holding strong."
"Keep hovering, call me back in if you find anything good." With that, the young director turned away from the large screen occupying the front of the room to start towards the now blocked door, having to squeeze and maneuver through the ogling peoples to escape the thick and suffocating atmosphere. Flipping the door open he slipped out and quickly closed it, needing his full body to press against the mounted pressure of the sea of workers within the room.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he dug his hand in his pocket to pull out his box of Newport 100s, quickly plucking out a cigarette to lodge between his teeth. After lighting it with a match, he inhaled the calming fumes of the burning tobacco, feeling the nerves prickling his body start to melt away.
"You know you can't smoke in here." Turning his head to stare down the sound's origin, he let out a muffled laugh at the approaching girl. A move clearly noticed by the now glaring woman.
"Bite me," he replied, having to hold the burning cigarette in his hands to return the greeting to his brunette friend.
"Find anything new, Edmund?" she asked while clutching her clipboard to her dress in a comforting manor.
"Nah, same old pixelated junk. What 'bout you? Did you get Haverford on the line?"
"No, not yet. I can't see why they'd appoint a secretary who falls asleep before 8" she joked, eliciting a second, much more distinct chuckle from Edmund.
"Well, he gets the job done as well as anyone else… Want one" he asked, extending his packet of cigarettes to the young woman. Stepping closer, she brushed away his offering and went and plucked his right from his lips, to the somewhat surprise and satisfaction of the young man. Now having caught his attention, she placed her newly gained cigarette between her lips, inhaling once before returning the smoldering base back to him.
"Bleh, still gross" she stated, sticking her tongue out to emphasize her point.
"Me, or the cigarette?" Edmund asked, finishing the short bud before tossing its caracas into the nearby trash bin.
"Lemme check," she stated, pulling the man down by his collar to capture his lips in a quick kiss. Retracting back, she fake-contemplated over the results of her test. "I'd say bit 'a both."
Delivering her a quick peck on her forehead, he reached down and gently extracted her clutched clipboard, flipping it over to read it right side up. "Alright, miss Whyman, let's see what you've cooked up here."
Flipping through the pages, his eyes scanned over the neatly filed reports, double checking the various signature lines to make sure each and every one were properly filled in. He didn't bother reading the fine prints of the copious forms, his strained eyes cried out louder than his cautious mind.
"You made sure this is all I gotta sign?" he asked, shifting his gaze to stare at the young woman.
"Yep, triple-checked" she flaunted, shining a perfect little smile to calm his inflamed nerves. Skipping to the final page, he gripped the pen chained to the board and signed his name above the final signature line, ending the signing by sheathing the pen with a satisfying click. As he settled the pen beneath the clipboard's hook, he caught a pondering look from his colleague.
"Not even gonna read them?" she asked, her head tilted and her hand gripping her elbow.
"I assume if they're safe enough for you to sign 'em, they're safe enough for me."
"Hmm" she shrugged, finding his reasoning flawed but not entirely ludisuis. Accepting the signed documents, she too flipped through its pages, again checking that all active lines were adequately signed.
"Soooo… got any plans tonight?" she asked, hoping that by some miracle he'd say yes.
"You kidding me, after what's just happened?" He asked, not missing how she wilted slightly by his answer. "Sorry, Jess, date night's gonna have to wait."
"Well, when they let ya go, call me," she added as she finished skimming through the documents. Turning around to march off down the hall, she shot him one more caring smile. "I might be able to set something up quick, just like, low-key. Sounds good?"
"Yeah, yeah. Sounds great" he replied, reciprocating her smile before watching her wall off down the hallway.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Standing just feet before its entrance, Marco took one last glimpse at the colossal wreck before him. He was frightened by how disfigured and defaced the once beautiful and majestic castle had become. However, faced with either inhabiting the molded and most likely infested halls of Butterfly castle, or sleeping on the overgrown streets among the now homeless refugees, they unanimously chose the former.
Turning to face Star, he saw that she too was clearly apprehensive about the idea of staying in the wavering keep. For what had been her home for fourteen years now stood balancing on torn and broken supports. Luckily for him, he wouldn't be made to stay in the daunting castle seeing as his home was more or so in one piece. However, by her mothers request, she would have to reside with her family, even if her home had been with the Diaz's for the better part of the past three months.
"It's certainly… changed. But, it's still got its
… charm."
Not a very charming charm, but ok, thought Marcoas he held back his laughter daring to peek out after Moon's statement. Closing the last few feet, he gripped the two large golden handles of the main entrance and pulled them open, almost knocked back by the tremendous cold front escaping the castle's doors. His senses were immediately flooded with the smell of decay and mold, a feature one often doesn't look for in places of dwelling.
Looking back, he could almost hear the faces of his group crunch up in disgust of the castle, clearly a people not too familiar with living in places such as these. "Now, before we in, I just want to mention that I have a pretty nice basement."
"Oh, nonsense, Marco. *cough* I'm sure we'll be fine staying here for the time's being. Isn't that right, River."
Turning to face her husband, Moon was unsurprised to find his face almost completely neutral in light of the unpleasant odor. Compared to her few and far between visits to the Johansen 'castle', she was unfazed by the fact that the smell of airborne spores had no effect on the rugged man. "Yes, I wouldn't have it any other way. I wonder if the cellars are still intact."
Brushing by Marco, River stepped into the inky darkness of the castle, striding confidently with his hands kept behind his back in an esteemed manor. Damn that guy is badass, he thought, watching as the ex-king went seemingly untouched by the foul odor.
"Last one in's a rotten corn-husk" gulped Star, moving her hand to pinch her nose as she followed her father.
Taking one last deep breath of nice, uncontaminated air, Marco followed Star into the depths of the castle. They were immediately thrusted into the expansive foyer of the keep; a large hallway decorated with marble pillars sporting hallway's off in every direction. After spending just shy of eight months in the formerly breathtaking castle, Marco was appalled at its current state. The vast arrays of art decorating the walls of the room lie torn and wilted, clearly left to ruin after the abandonment of the city. The room's ceiling too was clearly in a state of decay, with it sagging in places and even missing a noticeable chunk.
Obviously, choosing the castle wasn't the group's first choice, or even a choice to begin with. After gaining a slight bit of highground via a water tower, they scanned the horizon for any sign of the somewhat nicely kept monster temple, only to find it absent in their new world. Their other option was finding refuge in the town's community center, which was already jam packed with refugee's. With both options surly out of the picture, the group had no choice other than to choose the lifeless decay that was Butterfly Castle.
"I'll get us all some lanterns, you all stay put" stated Moon, who then vanished down one of the many branching hallways of the foyer. Turning back to face what he assumed would be two blonde Butterflies, Marco was surprised to find only River, with Star having seemingly disappeared.
"Hey, uhh, King River, where's Star?"
"Uhm, right here" sounded Star from behind Marco, causing the teen to jump in surprise.
"Jeez, sorry, just really dark in here" he responded, feeling his way over to Star, accidentally knocking into her by accident.
"Yeah, she'll be a fixer-up, I'll tell you that. Nothing a little TLC can't solve; isn't that right, Star?" Asked the blonde man, now far enough away to have completely vanished from their sights.
"Yeah, if you guys think I'm staying here, then you've lost your marbles," remarked Star, who was busy investigating a fallen ceiling tile left forgotten on the ground, covered slightly by mold and dust.
"Oh, cheer up, pumpkin. What does young Marco's house have that this doesn't?"
"Uuh, everything," touted Star, who was slightly annoyed by the question, "maybe a breathable atmosphere to start."
As she finished her critique, the room flooded with an orangish tint, the source of which stood right behind her. Turning around she saw her mother carrying what she assumed was a wicker basket of antique lanterns. "Alright, there should be enough here for all of us. Once Eclipsa and Globgor get back we'd have to ration one."
"Great, thanks mom. Ok, bye!" Yelled Star, who grabbed a lit lantern with one hand and Marco's in another and bolted out from the foyer. Watching as their light faded off down the dusky hallway, Moon let out a guarded sigh. "This won't change any time soon, will it?"
Picking up his head from his soot-coated lantern, River stared up at his depressed wife, her face just barely illuminated by the lackluster flames. "No, not that I can say. Only time and better days can heal it."
"Really, time and better days?"
Letting out a chuckle before returning his vision to his flickering light, River found himself speaking with almost no filter to Moon, a significant blunder especially at a time as fragile as the one he found himself in. "Yeah, what isn't healed by it? Sure, she'll never forget what happened, be it for the better or the worse. But eventually, new memories are going to pave over the old. If there's one thing I'm certain of, Moonpie it's that you only get one family. And when Star eventually realizes it, she'll put in some effort to smooth things over."
"And what of the time until she does?" Asked Moon, her brow in a slightly less depressed state than before.
"Corn-ale?"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO