Like Father, Like Daughter
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Star vs the Forces of Evil
Special Thanks to my beta APraeda.
Chapter 16: Something Borrowed
"Ah ha!" Star flipped through one of the books her mother gave her, "Magical creatures with hard outer skins. Certain variations can manipulate elements such as fire and water. Some of the smarter breeds are crafty and distrustful with a tendency to hoard treasure. They are also known to be powerful magic users capable of shapeshifting."
Janna looked over the book, "Star that's about dragons, not hydras."
Star flipped the pages finding the right one, "Okay. Hydra, blah blah blah, tough skin, beasts with no sentiency, heads that regrow, which can only really be stopped by burning the necks so they don't regrow …" Star read to herself. "Okay, nothing here. The hydras weren't the cause."
Star looked out her window as it started to get dark. They had tossed about her books for something that could help figure out what was happening, a cause or anything. Janna found a spell she wanted to try later, bookmarked it, and put it aside.
"Do you two want to stay over tonight?" Star offered, "We can get to work first thing in the morning."
Both girls agreed, and after making some calls and checking in with Marco's parents, they got ready for bed.
0000
They all woke up early in the morning to the sound of workers.
"Uh?" Star looked around.
Star looked outside to the backyard where she saw several sloths busy, quickly setting up and building.
"I've never seen the sloths work so fast... Or do anything fast. What are they doing here anyway?"
"Quest Buy has this program where if you pay extra they come and build anything you buy. Really helpful for party planning."
Pony Head floated in with Kelly and Tad close behind.
"Morning gurl." Pony Head said tired.
"Uh, what are you doing here?" Janna asked the floating head.
"Hekapoo and Marco wrangled me into planning the wedding, then I wrangled in these two as my assistants. More coffee!"
Kelly quickly held out a coffee which Pony Head chugged. "Hm, needed that."
"How did you get the sloths to work so fast?"
"That wasn't Pony Head." Tad told them.
"Yeah," Kelly continued, "That was Hekapoo and Marco."
"What?" Jackie found that confusing.
"Ah," Kelly trembled, "The sloths were being lazy, then Hekapoo and Marco showed up and said some things I don't feel comfortable repeating."
"Yeah, the sloths agreed to work free overtime and will be on call for anything they need." Tad told them. "Which is weird, I mean, I don't talk to Marco that much but he's seemed nice. Maybe a little high strung at times."
"Yeah." Kelly looked at a bunch of pictures from the closing of the Bounce Lounge Star had nearby on the wall. "He and his daughter seemed so nice, didn't think he could get that scary. Hekapoo, well, we've heard the stories."
Star looked at the pictures, and one particularly caught her eye - the one with the words New Bounce Lounge Crew. It had all her friends, including Marco and Seraph. Star remembered having so much fun and seeing Seraph learn to dance. Seraph met Milly Sparkles, and Milly took a liking to the girl knowing she was her friend's daughter. Star almost thought that Seraph might have made her change her mind about closing down the Bounce Lounge. Even if everything came to an end, Star had a lot of fun that night.
"Oooh! I should get a photo booth here! That will be fun! More coffee!"
Kelly poured more down Pony Head's throat.
"What's with all the caffeine?" Jackie looked worried for Pony Head.
"I haven't slept in two days!" Pony Head chuckled, "Hekapoo said if I didn't pull this off, she'd toss me into the Nightmare Realm because I stole her scissors."
Tad, Star, Kelly, and Janna all said at once, "Which you did."
"FOUND!" Pony Head shouted, "Anywho, B-fly, how is the speech going?"
"Speech?" Star quirked an eyebrow. "Best Person speech. After the wedding you have to do a toast, and you have to bring it. I heard Seraph's speech, and it was like super sweet. I think it gave me cavities. I actually started crying, though it might have been because of the lack of sleep."
"I don't have anything."
"Okay, you work on it, and I'll just go get your dress. I know your sizes, so it should come out fine." Pony Head shook her head, "Okay, you work on the speech, and I'll handle the rest."
"What's the speech about?" Star questioned.
"Oh, about Marco and Hekapoo being perfect together, about love's eternal might, and fluff like that."
"Y-yeah, I can do that." Star tried not to cringe.
Star knew it would be a rough day.
0000
They couldn't find anything in any magic book to help. Nothing about Hydras suggested they could mess with people's minds. Any love spell or potion they researched gave them nothing they could work with. Spells tended to have little quirks or side effects, which they didn't notice in the pair. Love potions needed to be taken regularly to keep working and would usually leave people dazed and out of it, but they were focused and certainly weren't drinking a potion regularly.
The girls sat at the kitchen table to have a light lunch while thinking what to do next. They had no proof magic was involved, and no counter for if it was.
"We need to buy time." Janna suggested, "This whole situation is janked up. We need more time to prove it."
"What do you have in mind?" Jackie asked. "Abduct Marco for a few days?"
"Interesting," Star tapped her chin.
"Ah, Star I was kidding." Jackie replied.
"Nothing like that." Janna told them and pointed to the sloths carrying things to the backyard. "We sabotage them. We break some things, stuff goes missing, the puppies get into the food, and the wedding is delayed until they can get some more stuff."
"That's not a bad idea." Jackie had to admit.
"I'll get the first one." Star stuck her tongue out as she aimed her wand at the passing sloths carrying a large table. It was old and fancy-looking and seemed like one good shock would make it fall to bits.
Star shot out a small blast of green magic tripping up the sloths. They dropped the table, but it didn't touch the floor - several sloths threw themselves under it to keep it from breaking.
Clearly they wouldn't be able to try that again now that everyone was ready, so Star hid the wand and planned something else.
0000
They grabbed the puppies and when no one was around tossed them into the kitchen, hoping they would get into all the food that waited there.
"Go on, eat up." Star whispered as the puppies ran into the kitchen.
As they rushed to the food however, Nachos jumped before them. Carefully, the dragon-cycle picked them up with her jaw and carried them outside.
She was devoted in not letting anything ruin her masters' special day.
0000
In the backyard, a large stack of chairs waited for tomorrow to be set up.
Another tiny green magic blast to knock it over, and the chairs all tumbled down. As they started to rain down, everyone rushed in to catch them.
"Ooooh! Boy!" Pony Head yelled out as she channeled the magic from her horn to catch as many as she could in mid air. The sloths all rushed around getting the ones she couldn't. Moments later, they were all taken care of.
0000
The girls were getting desperate since nothing was going their way.
"If only we had some evidence to prove that Marco's been whamied." Janna let out.
"What about her place?" Jackie quickly suggested without thinking. "It would have happened there, right?"
"Right," Star realized it. "We go to the forge and find some evidence."
"You want to break into a demon's house?" Janna laid out, "I am so in."
"Yeah, should be easy enough." Star rubbed her chin, "Hekapoo has been hanging around the house so the Forge should be free. Let's just make sure she's distracted."
They looked around the house but didn't spot Hekapoo.
The found Seraph in her bed room scribbling something down on some paper before scratching it out.
"Hey, Serah." Star called out, "Is your Mom around?"
Seraph shook her head, not removing her eyes from the sheet before her. "She left a little while ago. She's going to check on some the invitations RSVPs - some people haven't replied. Did you need her for something?"
"Not really," Star told her, "Have you seen your Dad? I need to borrow his scissors."
"He's gone too. He took Justferg and Alfonzo to get suits at QuestBuy. They needed to get suits quickly."
Star internally panicked. She didn't have a pair of scissors, so if Marco took his then how would they get to the Forge?
"Do you want to borrow my scissors?" Seraph pulled out a pair of scissors.
"Wait, you have your own scissors?" Jackie asked.
"Yeah, my Mom makes them, so why wouldn't she give me a pair?"
"I just thought you have to go on a long trial to get them."
"Yeah, mostly, but she does make a few exceptions. I know she made them for my uncles too."
"Then why haven't you've used them? I mean, I've never seen you use them or anything." Janna questioned.
Seraph gave her a noncommittal shrug, "Mom drilled into my head the rules for them and how I'm not supposed to abuse their power, so I tend to use them only when I have to. My Dad is always up for using his. Plus, it's not like I have places to go to or even know that many places I need them to take me."
"Well, thanks." Star grabbed the pair of scissors.
"No problem," Seraph told her, "Just be careful, I think my Mom has child safety locks on so it won't take you anywhere dangerous."
"Oh don't worry, we won't go anywhere dangerous."
They stepped out into the hall, opened a flaming red portal, and went into it.
They had expected a flaming forest or the like, but they were all surprised by what they found.
"This doesn't look like it did last time." Star mused out loud.
The sky was green with dark clouds swirling in it. Around them stood huge trees, a large, wild scary forest a short distance away and in the dead center of it all a large tree with a brilliant flame resting in it. That was the Forge, Hekapoo's home, a large door with a single flame above it. By the door stood large stone dragon-like figures with jewels for eyes and large flames in their maws. Stonework was laid all around the entrance and in the tree itself.
That Star had expected, but the last time she had arrived the ground was little more orange-y dirt, but now there was lush grass in its place. A short distance away there was a swing set and a sandbox. There was even a small lake with fresh blue water and a tree with a tire swing.
The forge now seemed out of place with the world - the landscape was barren, harsh, a place where only the strong could survive in, but this spot now seemed like an oasis that welcomed all who saw it. Star took a deep breath and smelled the scent of fresh flowers in the air.
Star would never have imagined this as the home of Hekapoo. She could only assume she changed things so that Seraph could have a comfortable home.
Janna looked around and studied the stone work. At the corner of it, she found two letters written in the foundation before it became hard - 'MD'.
"Yeah, Marco was here helping to build this place." Janna could recognize his handwriting.
"How are we supposed to get in here?" Jackie looked at the door. "I mean, do those scissors work as a key or something?"
"I got the key right here." Star held out her wand as it started to glow green.
Janna on the other hand just pushed the door open. "Huh, it's not locked."
Star dropped her wand. "Now that I remember, last time I was here I just kicked the door open. Guess Hekapoo doesn't lock her front door. Makes sense, there is no one near here for hundreds of miles."
They strode into the Forge and looked around. Inside it was fairly the same as to the last time Star was here. There were a few new things, a rather nice new couch and a framed picture of a young looking Seraph cuddling Nachos sat on a table. There were shelves with all sorts of small odds and ends; Jackie noticed a small misshapen iron sculpture of Hekapoo among the items.
Star fiddled with her wand, and the wand's face changed into a small screen. "Okay, this thing should help us find any source of magic. Maybe we can find what caused this."
They quickly found the enclosed room of the actual Forge. It was the heart of the building but had been changed. Now it was in an enclosed room with doors and everything; Star wagered that Hekapoo didn't think it would be a good idea to let a toddler wander into the room.
The three girls stared in awe at the center of the room where flames roared out; they all felt the raw power contained within. The walls were decorated with finished and unfinished scissors. Hekapoo's work table had all sorts of drawers filled with all kinds of materials.
"Neat!" Janna marveled. "So this is where Marco's baby mama works. This seems more like it." Janna stepped closer to the flames and spotted something on one of the tables, several small iron sculptures. There was a small sword, a small dragon, and various small animals.
"Are these toys?"
"Hm?" Star looked at them all, "I think they're Serens"
"Serens?" Jackie questioned.
"Yeah, she told me she used to play in the forge with her Mom and make stuff; they must be hers."
They quickly found nothing and walked out of the room closing the door behind them. They followed Star's wand until they reached another room.
They opened the door only to scream as they came to face with the maw of a hydra.
Then they realized it was just a skull.
"I guess this is one of the hydra that Marco and Hekapoo killed." Star sighed.
The room looked like a normal sewing room, except there were bits and pieces of tanned hydra skin everywhere.
"I thought time worked differently here. Shouldn't all of this have rotted away?" Jackie examined the flesh.
"Probably using a spell to keep things from wearing down or aging." Star looked around. "I know people use those spells for all sorts of stuff like clothes and weapons to keep them like new. There is probably a spell like that on the whole place. The only problem is those spells don't work on living things."
The spells would work fine on tanned skin but not on anything currently alive.
Star studied the tanned flesh, but if she paid attention, she felt a bit of magic in the skin.
"I don't think anyone has been in this room for a while. Hekapoo probably hasn't touched any of this after she made those cloaks for Marco's parents."
As Star went to put the tanned skin back, a few bug remains fell to the floor.
"Yuk." Jackie let out. "She's not much for cleaning."
Janna took a look at them, "They kinda look like some sort of parasite or something that eats dead stuff. Must have gotten stuck in there and died out without anything to eat. Probably should check those cloaks for bed bugs or something."
Hygiene aside, they didn't find anything there.
They left the room and found a locked room being the last source of magic. It was a vault, and though Janna wanted to try lock picking it, Star decided something else. She tried to think back to the magic she used when trying to get Marco out of the closet; it was easier this time now that she had her wand.
The door popped open.
As they stepped inside, they saw countless magical artifacts. Janna looked at a gold spider statue and a glowing crystal eye.
Janna reached for them.
"No! Don't touch them!" Star shouted. "I have no idea what any of those things are, but the stuff I do recognize is bad." She pointed to a red ruby, "I've seen one of those. They act like grenades, anything that gets caught into the explosion burns until nothing is left."
Star pointed at a small golden box, "I don't even have a clue what that is, but just looking at it makes me feel sick."
Star stared at a sword with a dark aura held in a golden cage. The sword floated in the cage shaking it violently when it noticed someone was looking at it. The girls were forced to take a step back as if the sword was raging at them to use it.
"Ah, yeah. I don't think we should even touch anything here. Just about everything here has a lot of power, and all of it feels dangerous."
"I guess it makes sense." Jackie was forced to admit, even she was feeling weary about the vault. "She doesn't bother to lock her front door, but she sure made sure to lock this door for a reason."
Janna was tempted to argue the fact if just to play with all the magical artifacts, but they had stuff to do. "So, you're sure none of this could put the whammy on them?"
"I'm not sure about it." Star admitted, "Maybe if I still had the spell book I could figure it out, but-"
Jackie sighed, "If both Marco and Hekapoo are affected, I don't think it would be by something that's locked up."
Star had to confirm, "Yeah, none of them look like they've been used recently. Especially if Hekapoo thought it was dangerous enough to lock up, I would think she'd try to be careful."
Star paused looking at a scary looking mask on a shelf; Star found herself staring at it, unable to turn away, slowly reaching for it with a blank look on her face.
"No! Stopping this!" Jackie pulled Star away, and Janna closed the door behind them.
They walked Star out of the Forge trying to get her some fresh air to clear her mind.
They found themselves out beyond the forge, and to their surprise, a garden turned into a huge field of flowers. All flamed headed flowers of red, yellow, and orange.
"Celosia." Janna identified the flowers.
"That's Seraph's middle name." Jackie reminded them,
"I guess Hekapoo really liked the flower." Star wagered out loud.
They walked out and found a small stone path between the flowers leading towards a large gazebo in the middle of the field.
The gazebo had an elegant design that seemed to be hand crafted and decked out with a wonderfully carved table in the middle, perfectly suited for the small structure. Even a sound system was built into the gazebo and a simple candle sat on the table.
As Star recovered from the effects of the mask, they sat there to rest and plot out their next move.
Suddenly, a red portal formed near the gazebo forcing the girls to jump behind the table to hide.
Hekapoo walked out followed by Pony Head, Tad, Kelly, and some Sloths.
"Wow, thats a lot of lowers." Pony Head marveled. "I think this should be enough."
"Yeah, take as many as you need, just be careful." Hekapoo told them.
They started to carefully cut the flowers and collect them.
Kelly asked, "Uh, Miss Hekapoo, so I guess you really like this flower."
Hekapoo cheerfully smiled, "Yeah, its special to me. Marco gave me some on our first date. After that I planted the seeds, and over time I found myself with this garden." Hekapoo pushed a bit of her hair behind her ear, "I don't let people come here. I've only really let Marco and Seraph come here before, but I wanted to have these flowers there for the wedding. I felt like sharing them for this. So, just be very careful."
They heard that and took extra care taking the flowers.
Hekapoo herself picked the most perfect flowers, "Yes, these are perfect for my bouquet."
With all the flowers they needed collected, Hekapoo made another portal and they left.
0000
Star and the others waited a half hour after they left just to make sure they weren't spotted before making another portal home. Star returned the scissors to Seraph.
The girls gathered in Star's room to try and think up a new plan.
"Okay, just listen," Janna started up, "Fire-"
"No!" Jackie stopped her.
"Star," Kelly walked in carrying a dress bag. "I got your dress. Pony Head finally got a chance to take a nap. It's been crazy today. It seemed like something went wrong every two-seconds. But we got extra sloths, and they are looking over everything." Kelly placed the dress on the bed. "But it should be all over soon, tomorrow is the big day."
"Tomorrow…"
0000
Star came up with a plan after the others left, she got up and walked to Marco's room.
She found Marco at his desk with ball up papers tossed around him.
"Marco?"
"Star?" He looked away from his notepad.
"What are you doing there?"
"Trying to write my wedding vows." Marco sighed, "I'm trying to write down how much Hekapoo means to me, trying to get those feeling across, but I just can't put it into words. Everything I write, it's just not good enough. How is someone supposed to put into words how much they love someone?"
"I-I-I don't know." Star looked at him. She hoped to talk him out of this. She hoped to talk some sense into him. "You really love her?"
"More than I thought was possible." Marco smiled to himself as he thought about his wife-to-be fondly.
Star wondered: Why did hearing that hurt so much? Why did she feel like crying?
"Well, you better get to bed soon. It's gonna be a big day tomorrow." Star quickly walked out the door.
She made her way back to her room and found the dress she was to wear. She felt warm tears streak across her cheeks.
She loved that he was happy. She really did, but why did it hurt so much?
0000
The day broke and the house came to life, with various people getting everything for the wedding. Soon the guests would arrive.
Jackie and Janna arrived early to meet Star. Jackie was wearing a green dress, and Janna was wearing a black dress that seemed more fitting for a funeral. It even had a black veil.
Star still hadn't changed into the dress; she waited for them in her pajamas.
They sat around together in her room. They were silent for a long moment, none daring to speak.
"What are we going to do?" Janna asked.
"I don't know," Star admitted, "but Marco seems happy. He seems like he's really in love with her."
Jackie said solemnly, "Then, I guess we shouldn't do anything. If he's really in love, we should just let them … get married." The words tasted bitter in her mouth.
Star let out a long tired sigh, "I guess that's it. I better get dressed then. I'll see you out there." Star got up and walked weakly to the dress. Star walked away with the dress to the bathroom to start her day.
The other girls didn't know what to do.
Janna looked over to Jackie, "Are you seriously okay with this?"
Jackie simply said, "Why wouldn't I be?"
"I know we agreed not to talk about this, but you admitted in that crazy truth room that you weren't over Marco."
"I know"
"So why aren't you more upset? Why are you giving up? Why are you doing nothing?"
"I want him to be happy. Maybe this is for the best, Marco and her can be together… they can be a family with their daughter and… maybe it's for the best. They can be happy." Her words were quiet and weak.
"And you're just giving up?" Janna got up on her feet.
"Janna in that room you admitted you liked Marco too … I'm sorry."
"What?"
"I've always had the feeling you liked Marco, but you never did anything. So I thought you'd be okay when I asked him out. I'm sorry if I hurt you …" Jackie couldn't look Janna in the eyes, "Seeing someone you like being with someone else … hurts."
"You didn't hurt me. I knew he liked you. He liked you for years." Janna sat besides her.
"You admitted you liked him in the room."
"Yeah, maybe I do, but this isn't …" Janna paused, the words getting lost in her throat, "It's weird, it's weird to think about this. He's been in my life for almost all of it, and now he's just up and leaving. Going where I can't follow, and I just don't know how to deal with this."
Jackie was silent for a moment, "Then be happy for him, or try to be. It hurts that he's leaving like this," tears started to form in the corner of her eyes, "This is all so sudden but just try to be happy, that he'll be happy, and so will Seraph and … even Hekapoo. They will be happy and that's good."
"Yeah, yeah, that's good," Janna's eyes began to tear up too.
Both girls held each other as they cried silently, they didn't know what they had expected. Maybe they expected they would have a chance with him later when things settled, or maybe they would have time to get over him before this happened. But now it was hitting them all at once, and they had no choice but to accept it.
Janna always teased Marco that she'd be there whenever he got divorced; she meant it, but she never stopped to think how much it would hurt to see him get married in the first place.
0000
Pony Head was taking the invitations as people entered, leaving Tad and Kelly to take the guests to their seats.
She didn't know what to expect; she assumed many of those invited would be boring humans that Marco knew on Earth and some delegates that Hekapoo had to invite to such things. Being Royalty, Pony Head knew you just had to invite people to this stuff. Nobles could get so fussy if they didn't get invites, though more times than not they would bring nice presents.
Most of the wedding party had arrived and was getting ready. If anyone started to cause trouble, Kelly was ready to toss them out. It looked like they had all angles covered.
"Can I have your invitations?" Pony Head looked at the guests.
One was a large owl made of golden light and the other was a pink chalk drawing that slid to the walls.
"Here you go." The owl handed Pony Head their invitations.
Pony Head made a few notes on a clipboard, "Okay, Mister Cosmic Owl we've got a seat for you near back. Mister Prismo the side fence has been reserved for you. Tad will show you to your seats. Any presents can be left at the table to your right."
Tad floated before them leading them to their seats.
The Cosmic Owl said, "Still can't believe they're getting married."
"Yeah," Prismo admitted, "Pretty weird. But they do make a nice couple. He's a nice kid, I mean when I met him he used his wish to get something to help another person. He could have used his wish to summon Hekapoo and end the trial, but no. He decided to use it to help someone else."
"Yeah, that's nice. So, you think the rumor is true? That they have a kid together?"
"That's got to be a rumor. He's too much of a safety kid to let that happen."
Prismo slid across the walls to the backyard fence as the owl placed two boxes on the table.
0000
Marco fussed with his tie in front of the mirror. His freshly pressed dress jacket was on its hanger in his closet. He looked himself in the mirror hoping to get the tie just right.
It was his big day, and he wanted everything to be perfect.
There was a knock on the door, and his parents walked in.
"Mijo?" Rafael asked, "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing great. I just can't get this tie on right." Marco flicked his tie.
"Let me get that." Angie walked over.
Marco noticed his parents were already dressed and ready. His Mom was wearing a lovely orange dress, and his father was wearing a black suit. They were both wearing the cloaks Hekapoo made them.
"You're wearing the cloaks?"
"Yes," Angie smiled. "It seemed appropriate."
"And they are quiet stylish." Rafael added.
Angie fixed his tie, "My little man," a tear formed in the corner of her eye. "Marco, I can't believe this day has come. You getting married. You have a teenage daughter. You're gonna move out. It just seems like it was yesterday you were this little baby clinging to my arms."
"You've grown up so fast." His father told him a proud smile on his face, "and now you have a family of your own." He sobbed wiping a happy tear away.
Angie finished up, "We're just so happy you found someone that makes you so happy."
Angie hugged her son, and Rafael quickly joined in.
Marco smiled hugging his parents back, "I love you too guys."
0000
Pony Head looked at two burly men wearing futuristic black body armor. "Once more."
One of the men said, "Time Baby has sent his apologizes, but he wasn't able to come in person. He's sent us in his place."
"Ah, you do know this is supposed to be a fancy shin-ding. You're not exactly dressed for a wedding."
Both pulled out bow ties and put them on.
"Okay," Pony Head relented. "Did you bring a gift?"
"Time Baby sends a bottle of Sands of Time."
"Okay, put it on the table -" Pony Head paused, "Wait. If Time Baby isn't coming, who's that?"
Pony Head pointed to someone she just recalled she saw. She pointed to a large floating baby head with one reddish spit curl. The baby, as if sensing them talking about it, turned towards them and giggled.
Both men looked at each other, "Ah, I have no clue who that is."
Pony Head started to flip through the guest list.
0000
Hekapoo was busy fixing her hair. She looked at the mirror as she tried to perfect her hair. It really didn't help because she had so much to do.
There was a slow tapping on the door, "Come in."
Hekapoo blinked as Angie walked in, "Hekapoo?"
"Hi," Hekapoo smiled,
"You can call me Mom if you want. I know you want to."
Hekapoo hated to admit it, but she really did. Angie was so sweet and kind.
Angie cleared her throat, "On Earth we have a few traditions for a wedding. The bride has to have something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. It's a silly superstition, but they're meant to secure good luck for the wedding and couple. "
It seemed like an odd tradition, Hekapoo never paid too much attention to weddings. For her, it seemed like a new Butterfly was getting hitched. But traditions made people feel better, like they had control over things, that doing the same thing over and over again made things better.
"I guess this dress is something new," Hekapoo motioned to the white dress she wore.
She normally tried to avoid wearing white; it tended to blend in with her natural skin tone. If it wasn't for the sparkly tiny crystals that laced it, people might not know what was dress and what was her skin. It was made of a fine material; some pixies made the dress for her in a hurry. The dress had faint designs of flames and star bursts, most prominently at the skirt and the corset. She had to admit she did look good.
"And this is something old." Hekapoo lifted a black tiara that laid on the make-up table. It wasn't her usual one, this one was still black but held a red jewel in the center. When she and Rhombulus were young, they played and made her a crown and this was it. They had altered it a bit, and now it would hold her veil for the day.
"I have something blue," Angie held out a small black box.
Hekapoo took it and opened it, inside was a pair of earrings with shining blue stones.
Hekapoo looked up to Angie's smiling face.
Angie told her, "I wore those earrings when I got married. My mother gave them to me. They were the earrings that she wore on her wedding day, and the ones her mother wore. In my family, it's a tradition to pass them down to our daughter on their wedding day."
"But -" Hekapoo interjected.
"I know," Angie stopped her, "you're not my daughter. I've never had a daughter, some of the exchange students we've housed here have felt like sons and daughters, but it's not the same. Seraph is lovely, but I'm her grandmother not her mother." Angie looked her in the eyes, "You love my son."
"I do."
"That wasn't a question. I know. When you told the story to Seraph, I hear it in the words. The way you talk about him; the way you two act around each other." A smile spread across her face, "I'd be proud to be your mother." Angie slowly pushed the box towards the girl.
Hekapoo felt tears welling up in her eyes, "I'd be honored to consider you my mother." Hekapoo sniffled, "And when the day comes, I promise I'll give these to Seraph."
Before Hekapoo could say anything else, she found Angie's arms wrapped around her pulling her into a warm hug.
Angie's voice cracked, "You still need something borrowed."
0000
Moon was a little angry, not at anyone specifically, more about the situation. She wanted to show up bright and early to the wedding and make sure to offer Hekapoo a hearty congratulations, but a few small emergencies held her back. Now they were barely showing up minutes before the wedding was supposed to start.
Manfred opened the portal and drove the carriage to the location.
She looked at her husband who had his arms cross and had been muttering under his breath all morning,
"… My little girl … Marco … so sudden … they were supposed to … Starco … "
Moon didn't have time to ask, but then the carriage paused, "Are we there already?"
Manfred turned back, "Yes, there is a bit of traffic jam. If your majesty would like, you can disembark here."
Moon looked around. There were various cars, carriages, things she didn't know to describe, and all sort of flying vehicles above them including one she was sure was a spacecraft. There was even a long line of humans and non-humans waiting to be let into the backyard.
But that wasn't what got her attention, "Is that the Diaz Household?"
0000
Pony Head flinched and quickly moved behind Kelly and Tad. Many of the other guests were giving this new guest a wide berth.
He was some sort of demon, maybe. Honestly, Pony Head would have to admit that he felt off. He was a sickly gray and his head perfectly bald, not even eyebrows. His eyes were a steely blue. He wore a long black leather cloak, and wrapped around his torso were several thick chains. That wasn't what drew her eyes though. There were circular saw blades sticking out of his forehead, and they were in there deep. The man didn't seem to react to any pain that he should be in, and he didn't seem to bleed.
He had no readable expression on his face and just stared at the teens.
"Uh-" Pony Head gulped, " C-can I help you?"
He silently handed her a card.
"Ah, you're a guest?"
"Yes, my name should be on the list. Solusod Corruptor of Souls."
Pony Head looked through the list, "Oh! There you are."
"It's a lovely surprise to find myself invited to the wedding of Hekapoo and Marco. Considering how I met them, I suppose it's appropriate if not ironic."
Pony Head could only stare, his voice stayed perfectly emotionless.
Tad smiled, "Here, I'll show you to you'll seat."
Solusod Corruptor of Souls just followed along, just sort of floating above the ground.
Kelly looked at her boyfriend, who seemed to be the only one unaffected by the man's appearance and aura.
Tad smiled happily, making small talk, "So, how do you know Marco and Hekapoo?"
"I met them at a wedding years ago, terrible situation, so many died. Hopefully this one will turn out better. It's such a lovely day for it too."
"Isn't it?"
0000
Moon had walked up to the door with River by her side holding a large gift.
River had been huffing to himself.
Moon still had not idea what got him so upset; he was usually a joy at such occasions. While she had trouble expressing herself, River excelled at that, and he just adored weddings and what they represented.
Moon made a note to ask him about it once this was all over. At the moment, she was more confused as to why they were here.
She knocked on the door; she needed some answers.
"You're supposed to go to the backyard! The line is huge! You can't miss it." Star yelled out before opening the door. "Mom? Dad?"
"Star?" Moon was confused.
Moon found Star dressed in a yellow and red dress. "You're here for the wedding too? I guess Hekapoo invited you."
Star waved them inside.
"Star, what's going on?" Moon asked her daughter.
"It's a wedding Mom, " Star told them. Moon noted a tone that seemed out of place in Star's voice, "Didn't you get the invitations? Pony Head is checking them; you brought them, right?"
"Why is Hekapoo having her wedding here?" Moon was still utterly confused. "Here at the Diaz Household?"
"Because she's becoming a Diaz." Seraph walked into the room wearing her own yellow and red dress. She smiled, "Hello King River."
"Seraph my dear!" River broke out a huge grin. "It's a pleasure to see you again! And on such a wonderful occasion too! You must be delighted."
"I am." Seraph paused and turned to Star. "Star, who's the tall lady with the big poofy hair?"
"Ah," Star began, "That's my Mom."
Seraph blinked before some idea caught up to her; she bowed and did a proper courtly curtsy. "Your Majesty. Pardon my rudeness on failing to introduce myself and my intrusion. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Seraph Celosia Diaz. I'm the daughter of Lady Hekapoo, Forger of Dimensional Scissors."
Moon couldn't help but smile. It was so rare to see young people know how to do such proper greetings.
Moon blinked, "Ah, you are Hekapoo's daughter?"
Moon didn't know what to expect. When she first found out that Hekapoo had a child, she expected a baby or maybe an infant.
She had some idea on how time ran faster in Hekapoo's dimension, but this was not what she expected.
"It's good to see that Hekapoo has taught you proper etiquette."
"Oh, my Dad was the one to teach me that." Seraph informed. After her first greeting with Wukong, Marco decided to teach her those things.
Moon flinched, "Ah, yes, your father. The man your mother is marrying... Good Old Mud."
"Mud?" Seraph quirked an eyebrow, "Marco Ubaldo Diaz." Seraph spoke as if feeling out the words in her mouth, "Uh, I guess his initials do spell out mud."
"Marco?!" The Queen let out.
With a glimmer in his eyes River patted Seraph's head, "Yes, Marco Diaz. Good man. The proud father of this wonderful cherub." River blinked and looked around, "Where is he? I wanted to congratulate both of your parents." He gasped, "I haven't had a chance to congratulate your mother on your birth. I can't say I did it properly with Marco either. Oh, you're how old now?"
"A couple months." Seraph told him.
"Months?" Moon gasped.
"Still, I should have gotten around to it sooner." River scolded himself, "I should tell them now."
"Mom and Dad are both getting ready for the wedding." Seraph told him, "It's going to start soon."
"Hm, yes. I suppose it should wait."
"Oh, let me show you where you can drop off your gift."
"Thank you, my dear. Your parents must be delighted to have such an adorable little girl, and you're all going to be a family! THIS IS SUCH A WONDERFUL DAY!"
They started to walk away when Seraph paused and turned to the queen and gave her a bow, "I must take my leave. I hope you enjoy our celebration."
With that they left, Moon smiled, the girl was adorable. There was something so child-like about her and how she held the ends of skirt as she bowed. It was almost like seeing a small child trying their best to be proper.
She sighed and turned to her daughter, "Star, what is going on? Why are Marco and Hekapoo getting married? Was that really their daughter? Is she really that young?"
The more she thought about it; the more confused that Moon was getting. Her head felt like it was actually spinning.
"Yeah, she is, and yeah they are. I know; it's all so sudden."
"Okay. Star please explain everything."
Star looked into her mother's eyes, and with everything that was happening with this wedding and her paranoia, it just started to flood out, "It started off in a rainy day …"
Hey, APraeda here! Unfortunately, I need to go on hiatus for time unspecified - lately my life turned into a total mess and I need a bit of time off to sort thru it all, catch my footing again. But another person will be taking over for now as the beta until we can get to work on LFLD both! Anyway, am hoping to come back here soon. Till then - take care!
Hello all. I'm MrNovak. I am the beta for this chapter and will be filling in for APraeda for the time being. I am looking forward to helping with this amazing story. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Author's Notes: So Hi. Stuff. Yeah. A lot of stuff happened in this chapter. So let me know what you guys think, what you liked and so on. We hope to have the next chapter out for you soon.
One final note, let me know what you guys think of this idea: get some of the older chapters and have them read with a cast as the charactrs and post them, probably on youtube. Sort of like audio books. Would anyone be interested in this?