Chapter 3: The Sanctuary

Moon stomped through the forest undergrowth. "I can't believe Star would just run off like this!" Fiercely she looked at Glossaryck. "I thought you were watching her!"

Glossaryck's face was impassive. "It was my impression we were hatching a battle plan when she left."

"Wait." Moon stopped dead in her tracks. "You knew she was leaving?"

Glossaryck blinked. "Ahh…"

"Ugh." The ex-queen continued to storm past trees and bushes. Behind her, Eclipsa followed with less ease, her only good arm being used to carry Meteora.

"Moon!" She called, pausing to rip her dress free from a thorn bush. "Moon, wait up!"

"Just when I think she's finally grown up, she goes and pulls a stunt like this!" Moon grunted and cleared a fallen tree with one leap. "And what's worse, she dragged Tom into it!"

"Moon-" Eclipsa tripped over a boulder with an oof. Meteora dipped down to her Butterfly form and lifted her mother to her feet.

"Oh- thank you, sweetie." Eclipsa looked at Meteora and gasped. "Oh, look how beautiful!"

"Eclipsa!" Eclipsa whirled around in surprise at Moon's voice. They had reached the edge of the forest and were now on the outskirts of the Mewni villages. Hiding behind a building, Moon beckoned her over sharply, and worriedly Eclipsa went to join her. Together they peered around the corner.

There were Solarian warriors everywhere. Each one donned a broad red sword, the same kind that had wounded Globgor. Eclipsa's face twisted at the memory and she turned away.

"Do you think they're alright?" She asked.

Distractedly Moon replied. "I'm sure they will be… as much as I hate that she disobeyed me, Star can take care of herself."

"I meant our husbands."

Something shifted in Moon's countenance and she looked at Eclipsa. Meteora purred sadly in her mother's arms, and after a moment's hesitance Moon placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll be reunited with our families soon enough. But, right now, our mission is to stop Mina from doing any more harm." She nodded assuringly, and Eclipsa nodded back.

"Good. Now, here's the plan." Moon said before explaining. "I will distract the Solarian warriors from doing any more damage. You can focus on getting everyone in the Forest of Certain Death." In a flash, she transformed into her Butterfly form. "If you get in a bit of trouble, you know what to do."

"Well-" Eclipsa hesitated. "I've never actually done that before."

"You just did it in the Magic Realm," Moon said, surprised.

Eclipsa glanced off to the side. "I believe that's what made it so easy." Meteora sensed her mother's melancholy and snuggled up against her. "I'm afraid that without the wand, I won't be of much use."

Moon sighed and turned back to her Mewman form. "How do I put this- you see, there's a time in every Butterfly's life where they must learn to 'Dip Down.' Are you at all familiar with that term?"

Eclipsa hummed with uncertainty. "I may remember Glossaryck mentioning it once or twice."

"Hmm. But he never taught you in full, I see." Moon crossed her arms at Glossaryck. "Why am I not surprised?"

However Glossaryck was no longer there. Bewildered, Moon glanced around but didn't see him. "Glossaryck?" She then scowled. "Is everyone going to keep sneaking off like this?"

The ground shook and the Queens whirled back to the village. A Solarian warrior laughed at a family of Mewmans who stood cowering at his mercy. With ease the super warrior knocked down their house, and the Mewmans ran out screaming.

"We don't have much time." Moon sprouted her wings and tensed. "I'll draw the Solarian away. You get those Mewmans to safety."

She took off, and Eclipsa shared a look with Meteora. "Ready, sweetie?"

Meteora hissed and Eclipsa smiled. "Let's get them."

0o0o0o0

Leaves crunched under Star's boots with every step she took. That and an eerie whistle in the breeze were the only things she could hear. The sky had darkened significantly in the last hour with angry storm clouds coming in from the horizon. She supposed it would start raining any moment now.

"Oof!" A short ways behind her, Tom had fallen with his face in the dirt. He propelled himself up with his fire powers and dusted off his shirt, scowling particularly hard at a stain on the front. Star couldn't help but feel appreciative of Tom for coming along. Although a small part of her believed this mess was her fault and she ought to clean it up alone, she wasn't sure if she would be able to face Marco without backup. The wand could be dangerous in anyone's hands, but she knew how well-versed Marco was in combat.

"You okay?" She asked as Tom caught up. He almost looked surprised by the question and nodded.

"Yep- right as rain, haha!" He said, pointing at the clouds with a forced laugh. He then rubbed his neck sheepishly. "...What about you, are you okay?"

Star gripped her arms stiffly. "I'm… I don't know." She continued walking and Tom kept pace with her. "I'll be much better once this is all over."

"Yeah…" Tom murmured, pocketing his hands. "Star, I'm… sorry you have to go through all this."

Uncomfortably, Star replied. "Whaddya mean?"

Tom shrugged. "Well, you know. All of this. I mean, first you find out your royal bloodline is a lie, then the kingdom gets attacked by a bunch of super warriors, and then I-" He cleared his throat awkwardly. "I… broke up with you…" Hastily he added, "now that I think of it, that was really bad timing on my part-"

Eyes wide, Star interrupted. "No, Tom, it's fine. Your timing was fine."

Embarrassed, Tom cleared his throat. "And then your plan to stop magic didn't work, and Marco's apparently evil now or something, it's just-" He stopped moving and Star did too. "It's a lot for one person to take in."

They watched each other for a moment and Star was just beginning to realize she had never told Tom about her and Marco. Face heating up, she took a step back, remembering very clearly how she had already referred to him as her boyfriend on more than one occasion. "Um… yeah. So, you know then. That Marco and I are-"

"Yeah." Tom answered. Star hated that she couldn't read his expression.

"And… you're okay with that." It was more of a question than an understanding.

"Of course." They continued to move forward as Tom spoke. "I mean, it really won't be a surprise to anyone. He's your best friend, after all." He waited a beat, then quietly said, "I actually told Marco he should go for you."

Star froze with a foot in the air. After a brief staring session, Star put her foot down and cracked a smile.

"That's… really cool of you, Tom."

Tom smiled back. "Thanks." He then turned to look out in the distance. "Is that the sanctuary?"

Going next to him, Star's face went solemn and she nodded. "Yep." But concern creeped in upon closer inspection. The Magic Sanctuary was in lesser shape than she last saw it. Bits of the walls were crumbled and scorched on the sides, and the door was jarred apart like something big had forced its way inside. Brows creased, she leapt off the bank and skimmed the stepping stones, disregarding Tom's questioning call. With effort, Star squeezed through the impaired entrance and tumbled to the floor, her blood chilling at what she saw.

"Star?" Tom wheezed as he barely managed to fit through the gap. He put his hands on his sides and hummed. "Huh. This place is… a lot less majestic than I imagined."

The Glossaryck statues were unrecognizable. Stone that used to be part of the interior was now strewn about the ground like rubble. The vending machine was on the opposite side of the room than it used to be, lying face down and shattered. The only thing that appeared to be intact was the well to the Magic Realm.

"What happened here?" Tom asked, observing a severed stone Glossaryck.

Star was shaking her head. "I don't know, but that doesn't matter right now. Let's just get Marco and get out of here."

Tom nodded and Star led the way to the sanctuary's center. She put both hands on the edge of the well, took a deep breath, and looked down. The air was knocked out of her when she saw nothing but a dusty floor.

"The magic's gone." Stunned, Star raised a hand. "Narwhal blast!"

Narwhals shot out from her palm just like normal. Star glanced to and fro, panic rising in her voice. "So the magic isn't gone. But if the magic isn't gone, then why is this magic gone? Where is the gateway, and most importantly, how are we supposed to get to the Magic Realm?"

Tom put a hand on her shoulder to stop her from pacing. "Slow down- I'm sure there are other ways we can get to the Magic Realm."

Star shot Tom a peeved expression. "Really, Tom? Unless you know how to personally summon Hekapoo to do your bidding, I think we're out of luck!"

Less confidently, Tom replied, "Well, why don't we just try to find her-?"

"Yeah, right." Star huffed and leaned against a pillar, remembering how Hekapoo had been willing to abandon Mewni and live the rest of her life running away from her problems. "As if we'll run into any of the High Commission members any time soon."

She crossed her arms and glared at the wall. A short silence passed between them before Tom walked around to face Star.

"So what do we do now?"

0o0o0o0

River bristled at the chilly breeze that nipped his nose. "Onward, Globgor!" He bellowed with his fist raised in the air. "The sooner we get you patched up, the sooner we can take back our kingdom!"

Globgor took in shallow breath after shallow breath. He clutched the slowly spreading wound on his chest absently. "Is it much further?" He asked. "I am not sure how long I can do this."

"Steady, old boy," River replied, doing his best to support one of Globgor's sides. "We're almost there. Just a few more hills, and you'll be up to your ears in magic! Good magic, that is."

They hobbled along and Globgor grunted. "Magic," he said spittingly. "What good has magic done for our families, hmm? Maybe we would be better off without it."

"Nonsense!" River exclaimed, aghast. "Magic has been a part of our history for decades! Centuries even! Who knows where we would be without it! Why, who knows if we'd even have MEWNI without it!"

Wearily Globgor looked down at River. "And what if that wasn't a bad thing?"

River stared at him with round eyes. "You must be delusional from your injury," he mumbled, though he was sounding less sure than before.

Neither said another word until they reached the lake. The Magic Sanctuary was raised above it with the occasional crocodile swimming about. Scrunching his eyes determinedly, River took to the stepping stones and glanced over his shoulder.

"We're nearly there, Globgor!" He encouraged loudly. "Follow my lead!"

Globgor got to the first stepping stone with a great amount of effort. He clenched his teeth and hunched over in pain. "I'm not sure I can make it," he wheezed. "It's- growing stronger-"

As if on cue, his wound stretched more across his chest and he groaned. Alarmed, River was about to leap back to the shore when a sudden and random shake of the earth unbalanced him to fall in the water. He sputtered to the surface, staring with horror at the large Solarian warrior that rose out from the Magic Sanctuary.

"King River!" Mina Loveberry greeted cheerfully from the air. She loomed over him and Globgor with a menacing grin. "Come to see the magic, have you?"

"You!" River said accusingly as he climbed the river bank. "You're the one who's been terrorizing Mewni all this time! Well, I've had just about enough!"

Mina's eyes narrowed and she giggled. "Too bad! Any hope you had of stopping the magic is gone now! And yes- I know all about Princess Star's plan!" She added upon River's shocked expression. "So you and your precious family might as well give up now, or join me!"

River's face went red with fury. "I will NEVER join you! None of us will! We will fight until our dying breaths!"

"Aw, come on!" Mina whined with a sinister grin. "Your earth friend's already switched sides!" She snapped her fingers and someone else came out from the Magic Sanctuary, but in a much less dramatic fashion. River had to do a double take to fully believe what he was seeing.

"Marco?" He blinked, then wildly exclaimed, "Run!"

However Marco didn't run. Instead he raised his hand, and River instantly identified the royal wand. But he didn't have time to question how he got it- one blast sent him reeling with his back against a tree.

Mina's laughter echoed across the landscape, frightening off a few flocks of birds. Marco skillfully leapt across the stepping stones and landed nimbly before River with the wand pressed up against his chest.

"Marco, my boy," River gasped, utterly astounded. "Don't you know who I am!"

"Of course I do- you're the king." River stifled his breath upon Marco's almost nonchalant response. He put the wand closer to River's neck and Marco's brows lowered. "And I'm gonna put an end to your reign."