Star's Halloween Tradition, a star vs. the forces of evil fanfic

It was the 72nd day of Squartuk, Star's third most favorite day of the year after Stump Day and her observed birthday. It was All Souls' Day, the day to honor the dead; it was a tradition stretching all the way back to the first Mewmin settlers.

Star was quite intrigued when Marco had told her about Earth's Día de los Muertos and Hallowe'en. They were very similar to All Souls' Day, and his description of costumes, decorations, and especially sacks of candy, sounded like it could supplant her birthday as her second favorite day. She was eternally bummed that she had to return to Mewni before celebrating them with Marco and their Earth friends.

Mewmins, and Monsters who had adopted the tradition, celebrated All Souls' Day in many different ways. There were bonfires, lit candles placed in windows, effigies of loved ones passed, dressing up as spirits, and the Mewmin equivalent of séances, where they could speak to the spirits of the departed. Star hoped giving out sacks of candy would be added to the festivities, someday.

The observance started at nightfall on the 72nd and ended at dawn on the 73rd. The holiday always ended with a parade of spirits to a central bonfire, followed by the naming of the honored dead.

Star observed the holiday in a uniquely Star way. She invited her friends to travel to another dimension to fight a spirit, a monster, pirates, or any other foe that could be shoehorned into the holiday, that was plaguing a defenseless, small, town. Star believed with all her heart that providing a service should also be loads of fun.

Star stepped out of a dimensional portal onto the main street of a dismal town, in a barren wasteland, soon after nightfall. The official name of the small town was Pas Town, short for Pain and Suffering Town. Most beings just referred to it as Dirt.

Aiding Star in her quest were Marco, Jackie, Janna and Ponyhead.

Star explained the mission: "There is a dark spirit terrorizing this town every night; that's why nobody is outside, and all the doors and windows are covered." Star's friends looked at the buildings crowding the street, seeing all of their openings sealed. From the occasional gap it was clear that the occupants were not even lighting candles for illumination, afraid even a sliver of light would draw the spirit's wrath.

"Anything more than just 'dark spirit,'" Marco asked, "to give us an idea of what we're facing?"

"Only that there is some physicality to it."

"Duh?" asked Ponyhead.

"It means, dummy," Janna interjected, "that, whatever it is, it's not entirely a non-physical spirit, if it's a spirit at all. If it has a physical body, we can kill it, which is good news for us."

"Baaaaa," responded Pony.

After waiting a few seconds to see if Pony would contribute something actually useful, Jackie gestured toward Marco and Janna, asking, "So what do we do? We don't have any weapons, or armor, or magic. I don't think bad language will do any good ... or will it?"

Star thought over Jackie's question. Finally, she replied, "Only if it's from the Snowflake Dimension, which I doubt."

"Well, gurls," Pony snarked, ignoring Jackie's concern, "what are we waiting for?" Her unihorn started to spark. "Let's show this thing some gurl power!"

"Hey!" Marco yelled.

"You know what you are."

Suddenly, a black streamer, like a tail, flailed past Star and through the group of teens. Pony was caught off guard, her desperate maneuver to avoid the tendril knocking her into an alleyway, where she flew into a running woodchipper.

"Pony!" Star exclaimed.

Jackie added, "Why would a town with no trees nearby, at night, with nobody around, have a running woodchipper?"

"It'll always be a mystery," Marco interjected. "Welp, too bad, so sad, time to move on. Let's get this thing!"

The friends watched as the streamer returned to its origin, an indistinct, black, something, with glowing yellow eyes and a mouth full of pointy, blue, teeth. It appeared to be more cloud than being, so Star used a small blast of magic to fling a bucket from beneath a water pump at it, to see what would happen. The bucket bounced off it.

"Shape shifter!" Janna cried in triumph. "Attack pattern Kirk Delta! Engage!"

Star started throwing punches, a beam of magic flying from each fist when it reached the terminus of the punch. Five beams hit the creature, knocking it about, before it was able to move up and away.

The creature flew close to a low roof, from which a leaping Janna flew at the creature, brandishing long claws on her hands and six-inch, razor sharp, fangs. The creature flailed in the direction of Janna, who successfully twisted out of the way, only to lose her equilibrium and fall face-first to the street.

Marco ran over to Janna to check on his friend. She turned over, Marco seeing her fangs and claws for the first time. "Yow!" he yelled, jumping back.

"Oh, don't worry, Marco," Janna said, grinning, "they're not permanent ... unless you want them to be."

"Dudes! Move it or lose it!" Jackie yelled, ducking under a swinging tendril, then leaping over another that could have taken her feet out from under her. "Run, dipshits!"

Thus began a running battle, lasting the rest of the night. The creature would not leave without extracting its payment of blood, but neither would Dirt's ersatz defenders give up. Star got in quite a few good licks, but it was always able to escape from her attacks.

As the horizon began to lighten with the approaching dawn, a winded Star gathered her troops to the rear of a line of buildings. "It will leave come dawn."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Pony asked.

Marco exclaimed, "Horseface! Dang it, you're back! I mean, glad you're back, Pony!"

"You don't think a woodchipper could keep me down, do you, Earth-turd?"

Marco began a retort, but Star interrupted, saying, "Children! Play nice! And no, Pony, it's not a good thing, it will just come back tomorrow. We want to get rid of it forever!"

"Well," Marco began, "your hits did seem to faze it, but it was able to slip away. Maybe the answer is simple ... go all rawr Butterfly Monster and Toffify it to goo."

Star contemplated the plan. "Nothing else has worked, so might as well try that approach. Can you all distract it long enough for me to blast it?"

Marco shrugged. "Anything's possible."

Locating the faux wraith by the sounds it was making attempting to enter a dwelling, Star jogged to an alley that exited behind the creature. Marco, Janna, Jackie and Ponyhead moved to the mouth of an alley in front of it. Marco nodded to his three companions, who nodded back, then all ran into the street. They yelled and jumped and waved their arms, except for Pony, who fired sparks from her unihorn.

The creature paid the demonstrating teens no mind. However, its focus on attempting to pry open a window shutter was enough for Star to move into the street unnoticed.

Star burst into her Butterfly Monster form. She simultaneously dipped down hard, drawing as much power from her connection to the magic as she could, directing six beams of smoking yellow death at the creature.

The impact was devastating. The dark creature writhed, screaming, then exploded into a bajillion pieces in a brilliant flash of yellow light.

Star fell out of her Butterfly Monster form and onto her knees, panting, as her friends ran up to her. Standing, she smiled broadly, taking her friends' congratulations.

The group looked around the now empty street, noticing a window shutter opening. A voice called out, "Hi! Up here! Yes, that's it, right here! Thank you. Now, um, could you please go away?"

"There's gratitude for you," Pony snorted.

"Well," Star said, "that leaves us time to catch the end of All Souls' Day." She opened a dimensional portal.

Star stepped out of the portal into a Castle Village alley, next to the route of the All Souls' Day parade. The participants were all dressed as spirits, some as the spirits of deceased loved ones. "Radiant Shadow Transform," Star cast, disguising herself as a spirit from a book River had read to her as a toddler.

Star joined the edge of the procession, her friends falling into step behind her. Her fellow Mewmins paid Star no mind, as if she wasn't even there. Within a few minutes the parade ended in the center of town, where it encircled a large bonfire. The participants began to sing the All Souls' Day hymn, as those who wished to remember the dead threw, into the fire, scrolls with deceased's names on them. Star stood behind those circling the fire, unnoticed and unregarded, loudly singing the hymn.

All scrolls having been thrown into the fire, five Mewmins, dressed in somber, black, clothing, doused the bonfire.

The observance of All Souls' Day at an end, Star opened a portal, its rainbow colors in stark contrast to the dour shades of the decorations in the village center.

Star stepped into the realm of magic, splashing into its surface of raw, golden, liquid magic. She turned to her friends, smiling, as River and Moon, and Angie and Rafael, joined them.

"That was fun," Star gushed, her face beaming down at her friends' and family's smiling faces. "I can't wait until next year!"

Star's smile faltered as Marco stepped forward, his face taking on a serious cast. He glanced back at the gathering, who all nodded.

"Marco?" Star asked.

"Star," Marco answered, "we all agree; it's time for you to let go, to move on. It's great that you come back every year to visit us, but you need to finally rest."

Star felt her heart constricting. "No ... I can't."

"Yes, you can, Starshine," River said. "You must."

A bright circle of light appeared in the sky.

"We all love you, Star," Marco continued, "and will never forget you, but you must go now."

Star reached out to embrace Marco, her arms passing through him.

"I wish I could hug you again."

"I know. I love you."

Star rose into the air. When she reached the light, she turned back for one final look. "I love you, too," she called.

Star stepped into the royal bedchamber, the rainbow-colored portal closing behind her. She took a deep breath, looking out the window at the bright, pink and orange, dawn. She walked over to her bed, then sat on the edge.

The occupant of the bed rolled over, blearily mumbling, "Mornin', Starship."

"Good morning, Tom."

"How was your yearly visit?"

Star did not answer.

"Star? What's wrong?"

"They told me to not come back, that it was time to move on."

Tom was quiet for a minute, choosing his words carefully.

"Maybe they're right. It's been twenty years since Toffee murdered them and you preserved their spirits in the realm of magic. It's been eight years since you defeated Toffee and reclaimed Mewni. We finally finished rebuilding this year, so maybe it is time to let go of the past."

"I don't know if I can. I don't want to forget them."

"You don't have to forget them, and I'm sure that's not what they meant."

Star sighed, a tear streaking down a cheek.

"I miss them, too," Tom said, sympathetically. "Next year, let's do All Souls' Day the traditional way, together. We'll make effigies in their images and hang them on the castle gates, and write their names on a scroll and burn it in the Flames of Remembrance. I know Marco still holds a special place in your heart. He always said you should rule Mewni your way, and make it a better place for all Mewmins; that seems to me to be the best way to honor and remember him."

A knock came at the door. A voice called out, "Queen Star? King Thomas? Your majesties? The gentlebeings for your breakfast audience have started to arrive."

"Thank you, Archibald," Star called in response, "we'll be down presently."

Star sat quietly for a few more moments, then leaned over and kissed her husband on the cheek. She looked him in the eyes and, her own eyes swimming with tears, smiled.

"Next year," Star said, "we start our new tradition."

Stay amazing!