This is the chapter that inspired the cover. I hope you enjoy it. As before, Star is always in italics.

Favs, reviews, and constructive feedback are all really helpful. Thanks!

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Chapter 5 - Fireworks

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The youngest Butterfly kicks his feet against the loveseat showing boredom with the story that is being fed to him.

"I can't believe all you did after making daddy cry was go to the prom and talk to people. I bet you're leaving out all the good stuff."

"Do you want me to tell you exactly what I had for dinner? Listen, lots of stuff happened but the only important part was that my friends danced with me and helped me figure things out."

"You could at least tell me what the music was, then I could listen to it and see if I like it. Does this story get any better? There's a battle at the end right?"

"No battle but it totally gets better..."

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Sorry

There had been many debates over what should be done with the ruins of Butterfly Castle. Some wanted to destroy it to show monsterkind that they would never again be oppressed. Others wanted to return Mewni's most famous landmark to its former glory, seeing the building as a tourist-trap that would strengthen the fragile local economy.

"Thanks for the ride Oscar, you have a good night. Maybe I'll see you at Bretta's if you're working this week."

"Sounds good. Say hi to Mango and that little girl of yours for me."

"Hey Oscar, is it okay if I borrow this Hula-hoop you have back here? I kind of need it for something."

"Anything for you Star. I'll be rooting for you and I hope Mango says yes."

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As the multicolored van with warnicorns painted on the side pulls away, the former princess gives a quick wave goodbye. Once her ride is out of sight she gazes up at the cordoned off mountain of crumbling walls and towers that were once her family's home. It takes a few minutes longer than normal to get inside because of the wedding gown but by being careful she avoids ripping the dress as she climbs over the fence. After the main gate, Star heads to the relatively intact tower that once held Eclipsa prisoner. From there she follows a secret tunnel that leads to a very special spot.

The roof and upper sections of Star's old room had been removed not even a year ago. The structure was weakened during the final battle with Meteora. Then after the Cleave a severe windstorm had done enough damage where it was safer to take down the domed ceiling and walls then risk a collapse that might bring down the entire tower below it.

In the chamber's center, near where her bed once stood, a young man in a black tuxedo sits on a soft blanket looking up at the clear night sky.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"..."

"..."

Neither could hide that they were nervous. Even with all their dangerous adventures, evenings curled up on the sofa, long hours spent gazing at the stars, they never considered that they might have a night like tonight. Needing to end the silence, Star finally tests the waters. "It's pretty peaceful up here. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"No, not at all. I needed time to think anyway."

"I've been doing some thinking too. Y-you ready to talk?"

"Yeah."

"Before we start, I brought us something." After making her way through the loose stones that litter the floor, Star places Oscar's Hula-hoop in the center of the blanket and sits partially inside the plastic ring.

"What's this for?"

"Remember that dream you had where you made us a Safe-To-Talk-About-Anything-Dimension and we went over a bunch of things that were bothering us? Since we can't make real portals, I'm going to pretend that this works the same way. I have a corn-ton I want to say and I could just blurt out what's on my mind like I always do but, it's important for me to hear what you're thinking and I want you to feel safe telling me. You in?"

Her bestie gives a nod and then scoots himself over so they are face-to-face. Their butts are still outside the toy hoop but their legs and arms are mostly in. "I do have a lot I want to talk about. A lot I want to be honest about. You want to go first or should I?"

"Mmm...I'm feeling kinda nervous and once I get started I'm afraid I'll have a hard time stopping. I -think- you should go first." Star put a hand over her mouth as if physically trying to keep herself silent.

The young man breaths in as he prepares to talk about 'everything'. "Alright. I'm going to start with..."

Suddenly Star's entire body vibrates until violently her brain erupts. "Mmm-Marco-would-you-marry-me!?"

"...a-h..." Marco's jaw falls open, his train of thought completely derailed.

"I know-I know! Totally not the thing to ask after yelling at you like an idiot and it must sound like I'm being a completely crazy girlfriend. I mean, you haven't been thinking about marriage a-and there is no reason to rush into anything but..."

"Yes."

"...I've been thinking about this for a REALLY long time now and I..."

"Star, yes."

"...wait seriously?"

"Are you asking me seriously?"

"Yes, I'm asking you seriously!"

"Then yes."

"No-no, you can't just agree like that! I was a total jerk to you not even two hours ago, you shouldn't be marrying an awful person like me! What if I'm just overreacting to hurting you!?"

"Star, we both know what happened at prom wasn't cool. There's a line and the way you talked to me was way over it. Maybe I needed some time to cool off but what happened doesn't change how I feel about us."

"So I was an awful girlfriend but not so bad that you wouldn't want to marry me?"

"You know, I do take some responsibility for what happened. You were having a bad day and what I said just added to it. However, even with how much I love you I'm not going to let myself be yelled at like that. If I thought you were going to treat me like that all the time I'd be saying no right now."

"I'm glad to hear that actually. I love you too much to want anyone yelling at you, even me." A frown formed on her face while she tried to process everything that had been said. "Listen, can we start over? I'm really-really happy that you're not saying no but this isn't coming out at all how I planned. Part of me wants to give you a huge hug but at the same time I'm feeling super guilty about everything. Before I ask you for real there's a bunch of important stuff I want to say and it's going to drive me crazy if I don't do this right."

He gave an understanding nod. "We're in the Safe-To-Talk-About-Anything-Dimension, we can totally start over. I want to hear everything you're thinking. You go first."

Star took a deep breath as she focused on trying to make every word as perfect as it could be. "Marco, first I need to say I'm sorry. This was an awful day and I took it out on you when almost everything that went wrong was my own fault. Even if all my problems were your fault I never should have yelled at you like that. I really am sorry a-and I hope you forgive me."

"I do."

"That was apology number one. Apology number two, one of our friends helped me realize that I did a pretty crappy thing to you back before we got together."

"You did?"

"Yeah. So back when I lived on Earth, it hurt a lot watching you and Jackie date. A whole lot."

"Sorry."

"You don't apologize. Seriously, you didn't know how I felt until I blurted it out in front of everyone. After the final fight with Toffee it hurt a corn-ton when you still went back to be with Jackie but looking back, I get it. You were still trying to figure out your feelings and you had already made a commitment. The reason I need to apologize, I knew exactly how much it hurt to watch someone you love be with someone else and yet I turned around and let the exact same awful situation happen to you."

"Oh."

"I don't apologize for dating Tom but once I knew how you really felt about me, I should have been honest with myself about my feelings. Instead I put you in a big ol' friend box and just left you there pretending that was what we wanted. Making you watch me be in a relationship when I knew how much being in that situation hurts, that really wasn't cool. I hope one day I can make it up to you."

"Star, we were fifteen and you had a lot going on with your mom missing and then helping Eclipsa. For what was happening and how young we were, do you really think you need to apologize?"

"That was just two years ago Marco. You were the brave one admitting to me right in front of Tom, who had his arm around me even, that you thought everything I did was adorable. And I just sat there thinking about how cute you looked all sweaty and nervous. I should have been brave too. Anyway, maybe I'm a little more mature now but it's pretty clear after what happened tonight...thinking about your feelings is something I still need to work on."

The former squire reaches over and pushes a strand of Star's hair behind her ear. "I still don't think you need to apologize but thank you. You know, in some ways I'm glad we both dated other people before getting together. I think I appreciate us more having gone through that whole mess that we made for ourselves. But at the same time, getting together just a few months sooner would have been nice too."

"I totally-totally agree."

"Do you have more you want to tell me? I don't want to stop you but I still have things I want to talk about."

After placing a finger to his lips Star refills her lungs before continuing. "The next thing I need to say is that I got scared tonight. Thinking that I gave you a reason to say no about us, it really scared me. For a long time now I've had this dream in my head where we have a special day together and at the end of it I-I ask you to marry me..." Reaching over she placed a hand on top of his. "...and you say yes and then there are fireworks and after we finally -you know- and then there are more fireworks. In one dream we are camping in the forest as the sun is setting. In another one we are alone on top of Monster Temple at night."

"In all of these there are fireworks?"

"Total fireworks show, every time."

"That sounds pretty nice."

"I got worried because I started thinking that dream might never come true. In my heart I know that we belong together but I'm worried about what happens if I'm suddenly not the coolest girl or if I step over that line again o-or I'm not gentle with you like I should be. Marco, when I ask you don't have to say yes. It hurts me to say but...I'm not the best girlfriend and I don't think I'm going to be the best person to marry either. You know how I can get when I don't get my way and I'm always dragging you into everything I'm doing."

"Star, I usually like it when you drag me into what you're doing. You're a caring person and most of our adventures end up being awesome. The fact that you let me be such a big part of your world is one of the things that I love about you. Also, you're not the only one guilty of dragging someone into a mess. We both know that I'm the one pushing you to go to college."

"No. You believe in me and you've convinced me that continuing beyond high school is going to give me more opportunities to be happy. That's totally not dragging and I don't want you to ever think that."

"Well, I thought I was dragging you because you still get stressed when we talk about it."

"That's because I'm scared. I still don't know what I want to do or who I want to be. Plus school has always been your thing and I'm worried that I'm going to screw it up for us. Even if I don't, I'm pretty sure my parents are going to ruin it. What if they force us to live in different dorms a-and then we never get to see each other and you meet someone else or maybe when I'm alone I get ambushed by compounded interest or..."

"...compound interest? Did I scare you when I explained how loans are calculated?"

"Math is scary for me Marco and the whole idea of a future without you is even scarier. I thought about what I'd end up doing if we had broken up tonight. The best I could come up with was running away so I could live under a table at Britta's and maybe collecting dumpster donuts for the rest of my life."

"Star, you know you'd never do that."

"Yeah well, maybe that's not what would actually happen but that's where my brain went. I guess that's my biggest fear, I worry that somethings going to go wrong and after that we'll never be together."

Reaching over he takes her other hand. "We're together and I'm sorry if I scared you when I said paused, I needed some time and maybe that wasn't the best way to say it. As for college and the future, I went over to your parents' place tonight because I needed to know what happened to you before prom."

"Janna mentioned you went there."

"Does she still have her cameras on me?"

"Mmm...maybe a few."

"Anyway, I figured some of this stress came from what happened with your mom today. I went there to see if I could fix things. I also wanted to tell your parents that for college we're going to live off campus together no matter what."

Star's eyes opened wide, showing her shock. "No. No-no-no Marco, you didn't."

"I did."

"So...wha-what happened?"

"Well to start off, my parents were there."

Star's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Wha!?"

"Yup, they were hanging out with your mom. My parents brought over a bunch of old albums and the three of them were looking at baby pictures."

"Nooo way."

"They were surprised to see me but I explained what happened, leaving out the yelling part, and I ended up staying for dinner."

"What the corn did you guys say to each other?"

"Your mom started telling us what you used to do when you were little. Stories about you learning to fight with the guards back when you were still in diapers. She told us about some party when you were four and you threw-up on King Pony Head. "

"I don't even remember that."

"Not long after your dad came home. We had dinner, they talked more, and then I helped clean up."

"That is totally not what I expected to hear."

"My parent's started getting ready to go and then in front of everyone your dad asked if you and I have been keeping everything 'aboveboard'."

"Oh no...what did you say?"

"I told them that you've always been special to me but we're normal teens and for better or worse, we've been doing normal teen boyfriend-girlfriend stuff together. Then I said that with us going to university together, as long as you and I both wanted it, we're going to start doing normal college age stuff and that would include living together as a couple."

"Wow! He better not have punched you!"

"No, he was too busy trying to burst my skull with his bare hands. Eventually your mom pulled him aside and he calmed down. Luckily he telegraphs his grabs so he never got a hold of me. I also found it surprisingly easy to jump around in a tux. Who knew?"

"Wow."

"Once he relaxed I told him that I love you and I can't imagine being with anyone else whether life is normal, weird, or wild. Then he gave me a hug and cried. While he was holding me I think he even apologized for shipping you with Tom when he thought I wasn't going back to Mewni. Don't take this the wrong way but we might want to get your dad into therapy, he has a lot going on."

"I was totally running away from problems and you...you took them head on, like I should have."

"I hope that was okay."

"Yes it was okay you dork-head, but I should have been there with you! Prom or not, we should have tackled my parents together."

"I just don't get why your mom invited my parents over. Also weird, your mom keeps referring to her cellphone as an 'Earth Talker'."

"She always calls it that. Anyway, I bet she invited them because of what I said today."

"What was that?"

"Well...I kind of told my mom that you're the one."

"Y-you did?"

"Yup, a lot went on with her this afternoon. Worst was when mom got hold of my health questionnaire paperwork at the doctor's office. She actually told the person we were meeting with that in the spot where I wrote down that I hadn't had any partners yet...she told them that I was lying. Then mom and I argued until the doctor left. We ended up having to reschedule the appointment because she wouldn't stop."

"That explains a lot about why you were upset. I don't want to contradict you but based on the terminology used in the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal a court of law would definitely say we've been partners even if we haven't..."

"The what?"

"Sorry, that was just the political science major kicking in. What else did you argue about with your mom?"

"Do you want the short version or the long version?"

"Long please. I really like it when you tell a story."

"Well, it's not a once upon a time story but..."

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Moon

Earlier that day, after a silent car ride home from Star's doctor appointment, Moon thanks the driver before the mother and daughter walk inside the family yurt to continue their discussion.

"Star, I don't understand why you would take the time to talk to a medical professional if you're just going to lie to them."

"Mom I told you, Marco and I are boyfriend-girlfriend but we haven't...arrgh! You know, we're old enough now where I don't even know why you're worrying about what we do!"

"Star, whether you're a princess or not, you are still a public figure and your honesty means something."

"So this is all about me telling everyone your version of the truth instead of the actual truth?"

"Telling the actual truth is only part of it. Getting into these types of inappropriate situations also needs to end. No matter what you are actually doing you need to understand how the actions of the unmarried daughter of a queen or co-queen or whatever they are calling me these days, might impact public opinion."

"Mom, this is not exactly Mewni anymore and even if it was I don't care what other people think. And literally, the ENTIRE world knows that Marco and I are dating!"

"You two may be courting but there is a whole generation of older Mewmans who would not be happy learning what their former princess might be doing outside of marriage. Take your aunt for instance whom I talk to regularly. She will never accept the child of a monster as princess of Mewni but she has hope that her vision of a proper princess might someday take the role instead..."

"But I'm not becoming a princess!"

"...and that hope helps her look past a good number of our merged world's flaws."

"So this is all about what Aunt Etheria thinks?"

"Star, you might not be a princess but many people still hold you in high regard. There are literally tens of thousands who have the same beliefs as your Aunt Etheria. If they learned the truth it would not help anyone."

"You're never going to believe me are you? I'm almost eighteen, don't you trust Marco and I to do what's right?"

"Star, even if I did trust you I do not trust the rest of the world to react to your -situations- appropriately. On top of that you act like this is the first time I've heard about you two getting caught exhibiting inappropriate behavior. Believe me, it is NOT."

"Not the first ti...oh. But I can totally explain that. You see, Marco got toothpaste on his shirt so I told him to just take it off and he had promised the day before to give me a foot rub, and then I had this itch under my wing that I couldn't reach so..."

"Just stop it. Maybe we should try this another way since these conversations only lead to us fighting. Star, what are your intentions?"

"My intentions?"

"What are your intentions with Marco?"

"..."

"Star?"

"He's totally the one, one hundred percent. I don't want anyone else."

"I see. Does he feel the same way?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Have you previously courted more than the two young men that I know of? You mentioned some boy named Boscer once."

"Oscar? Ah, we talked a few times and I thought he was cute but I've only dated Marco and Tom."

"And even though you've only courted the two of them, are you completely sure that Marco is the one?"

"Totally-totally-totally-totally sure. I can't imagine a future without him."

"Have you two talked about marriage then?"

"Mom, no! I mean..." Star lets out a long sigh while her shoulders slump down and she falls back into a soft chair. "I'll be honest with you, I've been thinking about it a lot but Marco isn't ready yet. Where he is from, couples don't get married until they're in their twenties, sometimes later. And he's so focused on school I don't want to distract him. Even though he's not ready I do really-really want to talk to him about it. I just haven't."

"He seems to love you very much. Are there any skeletons in his closet that I should know about? Were you secretly in a relationship with him while you were dating Thomas?"

"Seriously mom? We're talking about Marco here."

"Well, I do remember conversations about someone named Jackie Sin and Hekapoo definitely had an unnatural fondness for the boy even with their age difference."

"It's Jackie Lynn and I told you about her years ago. They dated and broke up before Marco moved to Mewni. He's talked about Hekapoo as a close friend but nothing else. Should I be worried about something? Why are you asking me all this?"

"As I've said before, I'd like to know the truth because the choices you make can impact what is left of our fractured kingdom."

"So I'm not sitting here all uncomfortable, are you going to try to stop me from marrying Marco?"

"If you are completely sure that he is the one then of course not. I admit, you seem to make each other very happy and you two did cast the most powerful spell ever recorded together so it would be hard to end that. In addition the fact that he earned the title of knight, even if he didn't keep it, qualifies him as suitable in most people's eyes."

"This is still about what everyone else thinks."

"In addition, I'm asking you these questions because I want to be sure that you are making the best choices for your own future. I know I've betrayed your trust in the past and believe me, I appreciate the fact that you've forgiven me. It may not be obvious but since then I have been trying to make it up to you. I had hoped that by staying involved in your life I would be able to do that but you've always learned best when I've just let you figure things out on your own. You might not realize this but even when you were a child I felt guilty about my role as queen keeping me from being there for you. And now...now with you coming of age, I feel like I've run out of opportunities for being a good mother."

After looking her mom in the eyes Star's forehead wrinkles and she begins to think about how her mother might be feeling. "Well, I...I don't have it all figured out yet. I could still use some mom help."

Moon sat on the sofa across from her child ready to assist. "What can I help with? Education choices? Should we talk about what you are going to do for work before you take back the title of princess?"

"Please no more princess talk. Listen, if you really want to help...well, this is going to sound weird but Marco has some concerns that I can probably only talk to you about and they do affect my future with him."

A worried look took over Moon's face. "Really? What type of concerns?"

"So, is there a chance that with all the magic that used to flow through us...well...everything still works right? Marco was looking through Butterfly history and asked me why the queens only had one or two kids each. Like, you only had me and grandma only had you and Aunt Etheria. Evidently it is that way all the way back. So I was like, 'Marco no need to worry, I'm sure the queens just didn't want a lot of kids.' And then he is all like, 'But you have wings and went through mewberty so you're already different. What if magic changed you in other ways?' Then he talked about all these old Earth queens who had like ten or twenty kids each. So yeah, I kind of need your help with this one."

"Marco thinks we're broken?"

"That's what he's worried about and the dork is really good at worrying. I'm actually surprised that worrying wasn't his true lifelong post."

"As far as I am aware we are not broken in any way. What your young companion might not realize is that back when we could travel across dimensions the queens had many options for choosing when they would have children and how many."

"That's what I figured."

The former queen of Mewni raised her brow. "Twenty children...really?"

"I know, right! I bet they had some interesting tapestries."

"Funny, at that age your father just worried about whether or not I was eating enough meat. Marco does really care about you doesn't he."

"Everyday all the time. I don't get why but he says that I'm his inspiration or something corny like that."

"And you trust him?"

"I trust him with everything."

"Do you trust Marco more than you trust me?"

The young woman responded by looking down at her hands uncomfortably.

"I see. Have you two talked about what you're going to do with your lives?"

Star shook her head no. "Nothing beyond college."

"Based on Marco's question about us being broken, should I expect twenty grandchildren? Your aunt would be happy knowing that there would be several potential heirs."

"Mom! We help with Mariposa when we can. Even if I did ask him to marry me and he says yes, his sister is as close to a kid as we're going to get for a very-very long time."

"Well, if your mind's made up and you believe he would say yes, I guess it's time I get to know the Diaz family better. I may not have been the best mother for you growing up but I can at least try to be a better mother now."

"Something that would also put you in best mom territory, have you thought at all about helping me pay for college?"

"You do know that I no longer have the kingdom's coffers at my disposal. What are you going to be learning there? If I am paying I would hope that I would have a say in the subjects you study. Maybe we can pick something that would help when you did decide to take back the mantle of royalty."

"FOR CORN-FLIPPING-SAKE MOM, WOULD YOU PLEASE DROP THE PRINCESS TALK!"

"YOUNG LADY! HOW DARE YOU USE THAT KIND OF LANGUAGE!"

"ARRGH!"

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Rules

Back in the ruins of Star's old room the nearly engaged couple sits in their circle with their fingers entwined. They stare into each other's eyes as the former princess finishes recounting the conversation with her mother.

"So yeah, once she calmed down we talked more about college. She was surprised that there is no 'Princess Major'. I did learn that she has been keeping up with all our junior ambassador appearances and she thinks we've been doing a good job with that. It's nice hearing that all the weekend speeches we've been doing on integration have been making a difference."

"She's always been nice to me but tonight I definitely got the 'you're my son' treatment. Now I know why."

After slightly squeezing his hands to make sure she has his complete attention, Star gives an innocent stare. "I-I think I'm ready to try this again."

"For real this time?"

"For realz. Before I start, is my hair okay? Is it alright that I took off all the makeup? Do I have any dinner stuck between my teeth?"

"Star, you look absolutely beautiful."

"Thanks. Okay, here we go. I'm doing it. I'm totally doing it. Mar-co...ah...wait, should I use your full name?"

"Star, you got this."

"Alright-alright, sorry I'm just overthinking because I want it to be perfect." The young woman filled her lungs with air in a final attempt to prepare herself. "Marco Diaz, I love you and I want you to be part of my future. You're so much more than a best friend or a boyfriend, you're my everything. Marco Diaz, would you please make me the happiest person in this crazy mixed-up world that we've made for ourselves and marry me?"

The boy gave a simple smile before replying. "Yes Star Butterfly. Yes."

Immediately she dove at her fiancé, wrapping her arms as tightly around him as she could. Maybe a little too tight.

"St-ar...can't...brea-the."

The young woman relaxed her embrace but only slightly. "I know asking tonight was a surprise. Are you sure? Are you totally-totally-super-sure?"

Once Marco's lungs had enough room to work, he rested his forehead against hers. "Star, there is no one else I'd rather jump into a mysterious dimension with. The way I see it, getting married, spending the rest of our lives together, it's just going to be one more big adventure. Plus this really wasn't a surprise. I kind of saw it coming."

"What! You did!? How!?"

"You know the Teen Princess magazines you're always reading, for months now you've been bookmarking all the wedding articles. Plus Pony asked me the other day if we were engaged yet. I thought that you've been hiding something from me for the past few weeks but I didn't put it all together until I got here tonight and thought about the wedding gown. The dress really put it over the top."

"...okay so maybe it wasn't a surprise."

"While I was waiting for you here I also realized that proposing might be another one of the things you've been stressed about. Anyway, I'm really glad you asked. I know we haven't talked about marriage but I've been starting to think about it too."

The young woman's face formed her first genuine smile of the night. "I love you and I'm never letting go Marco Diaz."

"But Star, I-I still have things I want to talk about and they have to do with us. While I'm telling you these I don't want you for a second to doubt my love for you. I completely love you. I just need to get these out so we can talk about them."

Ending the hug but grabbing his hands instead, Star responded with a serious nod.

"First, like I said before I-I don't want you to ever yell at me like you did. I admit, I'm glad that you don't hide your feelings when you're frustrated but, what you said tonight reminded me of how you used to talk to Tom when you were upset. Maybe worse. I never want our relationship to be like that. You understand?"

Star gave another nod as she continued to stare into his eyes.

"Second, I want to talk about our...you know, 'belt tests'. Because of the shower incident I know that our parents are going to want us to stop all that and your mom did make a really good point about other people's reactions if word got out."

"She made it sound like the whole world would end if Mewmans thought we were doing stuff."

"Star, some people might not like it but I don't want our special time together to stop. I still think of you in an adorable awesome girlfriend kind of way but at the same time I'm having all these adult thoughts about you. It happens when I'm in the middle of class or mowing the lawn or putting away dishes. It's like out of nowhere I start thinking about us and then I can't stop. The other day I walked in while you were cleaning the bathroom in an old t-shirt and sweatpants and it was so bad I had to go walk around the block after to calm myself down."

"Wow, that was like my worst outfit."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, whenever you're ready I'm ready."

"R-ready...ah...like special-special ready? Final belt test ready? Q-questing ready?"

"Questing ready."

"Quuesssting. Y-you didn't tell anyone that we would be here tonight did you?"

"We still have more we need to talk about and you have a curfew for the next two weeks. Based on what I overheard of your mom's plan I'm not sure we're going to have any time alone together until we're on the other side of all this. I'm thinking we don't want to make it any worse."

"Right-right-right. How about we finish talking about all this important stuff and then see how much time we have left. What's next?"

"Third, I want you to know that I'm also scared about our future. I know that going from 'sometimes sharing a room in my parent's house' to 'sharing an off-campus apartment' is not a huge step but it's kind of like we're..."

"...we're practicing for being married?"

"Exactly. Sure it'll be nice that we aren't going to have to worry about our parents bugging us but at the same time they aren't going to be there to fix things we mess up. Sure I survived the Neverzone and all that but I want you to know that I still get scared sometimes and I might get overly cautious about things that you don't think are a big deal. Are you going to be okay with that?"

"Totally. You need to do you and I'll promise to do my best to respect that. Do you have a number four?"

"Yes. Number four. I know we are going to change and even with me having already been thirty once, I know I'm not going to be the same thirty-year-old the second time around. I don't -think- it's going to happen but I worry about us changing and not likely what the other has become."

"One-hundred-percent we're going to change but like I've said before, we're going to change together. You'll see and I don't just mean abs, I mean the important stuff."

"Well, even if abs aren't part of the important stuff I'm still going to try to make them look better for you."

Star smiled and poked him lightly just above the waist. "I don't know if you can tell but I thought they looked pretty good when I saw them last night."

Marco's cheeks turned bright red with embarrassment. "Thanks."

"If you're done Mr. Abs, I also have some together forever rules that we need to go over."

"Star Butterfly has rules?"

"Totally important rules and you have to promise that you'll follow them."

"I've already promised to go clubbing whenever you want."

"Yeah-well, these are just as important."

"Alright, let's hear them."

"Rule number one, no socks with sandals. I've seen enough of your parents to know that I never want us to be that type of fashion disaster."

"Deal."

"Rule number two. Me being a jerk to you tonight, that was our low. I'm going to try real hard never to yell at you like that again but I realize that there are plenty of other ways we can upset each other. The rule is, if one of us is a big jerk to the other we cool off and then stop and talk about it like we're doing now. No matter what, when there is a problem we have to figure it out. I love your parents but no way do I want to do the going-out and breaking-up thing over and over again like they did when they were our age."

"I like that rule."

"Super important rule number three..."

"You say that like it's the most important one."

"Totally most important. Number three, we wait until YOU'RE ready before setting a wedding date. There's no rush. If it's when we're in our twenties I'll be okay. I know there are Earth traditions about age and I want to make sure you don't feel like I am forcing you into this."

"So what if it's thirty?"

"If that's what you want I'll be okay with it."

"Forty?"

"Oh boy."

"Fifty?"

"Would you please stop teasing me! You know what I mean!"

Marco smiled. "It won't be fifty, or forty, and hopefully not thirty."

"Oh thank-corn."

"Do you have a fourth rule?"

"Fourth is more of a question. Do we need rings? It's not really a Mewni thing and my parents never wore wedding rings. I know Eclipsa wears a ring, maybe it's a wedding ring?"

"Do you want rings?"

"I don't think that a ring is really needed BUT..." Star reaches down and wraps one hand around the Hula-hoop they are sitting on. "...huh! Huh! Perfect right?"

"A Hula-hoop is our engagement ring?"

"Don't say it like that, you're gonna hurt it's feelings."

"I guess this way we only need one."

Reaching down, Marco places a hand on the 'ring' and uses his other hand to pull her close until their lips touch.

After a full minute Star pulls away slightly, a huge grin filling her face. "I'm really happy you said yes. Now your phone, gimme-gimme."

"You want to stop kissing so you can call someone?"

After Marco pulls the device from his pocket Star unlocks it and does a quick search. "When we're married, can I still call you Sir Dorko?"

"Well, I was a knight and I'm guessing I'll always have moments when I act like a dork. So yeah, I'm okay with that."

"I love you Sir Dorko. Come on, stand up. I need to get at least one dance out of you tonight even if we aren't at prom."

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Purple Rain

From the phone, which has been placed at their feet, Prince's 'Purple Rain' begins playing. In the center of their tiny circular dimension, with arms wrapped around each other, the couple begin swaying back and forth. Then just as Ferguson predicted, their lips were crashing into each other in a way that neither one of them wanted to stop. However, well before the song was halfway through, multicolored blasts of light appeared in the sky coming from the direction of Echo Creek Academy.

"Star? Are those...are those fireworks?"

"Wha? Oh-my-corn!"

"That's Tom tossing multi-colored fire in the air isn't it."

"Janna must have been listening to us."

"Thank you Janna. You can turn the cameras and microphones off now please, I'd like some private time with my fiancé."

"Janna! Please say thank you to Pony, Tom, StarFan, and Ferguson, and Oscar...oh, and Jackie! It was all really awesome, you guys are the best friends ever! And please-please tell Jackie I promise to take care of him better than I did before! Way better!"

"The whole gang helped you at prom?"

"Total team effort tonight. We'll talk about it later, we need to kiss more before Tom's arms get tired. Hey, remember that spot on my neck I told you about?"

Under the 'fireworks' the newly engaged couple returns to their dance. When both the song and fireworks are over, the only sounds in the air are a few night bugs and the excited fluttering of Star's wings. Thoughts eventually turn to traditional Earth post-prom activities but before they can get too far Marco's watch alarm goes off, reminding them that they needed to get Star home before her grounding gets extended beyond two weeks.

With a whistle Marco calls Nachos over from the tower where she had been napping and the couple, already dressed for their wedding, rides off into the clear night sky.

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Just one more chapter to go. I hope you enjoyed all the Starco.

If you end up liking this I suggest you click on my profile and check out 'Starco vs Parenthood' if you haven't already. Stay tuned for 'Chapter 6 - Instruction Manuals'. Thanks! - Olin