Chapter 2: MonStar part 1

There once were gods.

But before there were gods, there were monsters.

One of those monsters was me, Princess Star Butterfly. Daughter to Queen Moon Butterfly…

And King Toffee of Septarsis.

It was a union that was certainly… unorthodox. Our two races had been at war since basically the beginning of Mewni. Long ago, in a place infinitely smaller than the kingdom I stood on. In a time long before I could even walk or remember.

As princess, I was born into a life of luxury and wealth. Vaults after vaults of gold and corn, flowing endlessly with the fruits of this promised land.

This was a land rich with soil and corn, and the only reason we Mewmans even managed to wrest it from the grasps of the monsters was because of one thing – magic.

The land of monsters before we Mewmans arrived was a land teeming with savage barbarians and primitive tribes. What they needed then was unity and order. Though that was easier to see in retrospect, because all we brought them then was war and oppression.

Oppression that even I, daughter of a monster, could feel amongst my peers. The other Mewman princesses, our servants, our knights, our generals, they dared not speak ill of me, only because I was the princess. I knew of their distaste for me. Shunning me from their circles. Loneliness was my friend growing up, for I had no other.

I could only imagine what the monsters of the land felt, crushed under this massive weight.

It was said that absolute power would corrupt the minds of those who wielded it. And the royal magic wand was power unlike any other.

"What could the magic wand do, mother?" I asked as a child.

Her answer?

"Bring sorrow. Too heavy to bear."

I never truly understood what she meant. She was the queen of Mewni, the most powerful being in all the lands. Couldn't she just wish for a better life? A better union between Mewmans and monsters? Theoretically the wand should allow it, shouldn't it?

Perhaps, but the wand also granted its wielder more than just mere power. With enough focus, one could see the universe in motion. Understand things that could never be understood otherwise, even by the wisest person.

In that cosmic confusion and knowledge flood, one's decision making would become warped by the objective perspective granted by this device. Some queens even went mad, either with insanity or with power.

"I want to help," I told my mom. "Please, watching the conflict between our peoples, watching the oppression. I have to do something."

"I know sweetie. But it's not that simple. Some things are just too universal, too concrete, immovable. They exist in the fabric of reality out of necessity. Conflict, hate, war. I tried using the wand once, to wish those things out of existence."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well," mom simply shook her head. "Didn't work. The wand had… fail-safes. Many of them prevented the destruction of certain things. Certain things that exist as long as reality exists. As long as we can still Dream. It is the same everywhere, Woolandia, the Neverzone, our own kingdoms, and even Earth."

"No… it's… it's not possible."

"Unfortunately, it is."

"How? All of these realms are vastly different from our home. How could they possibly share the same flaws as we do?"

"Perhaps you need some hard evidence. To see them for yourself."

"Yes," I answered. "That… would be nice."

And the rest as they said, was history. I don't remember how our conversation went on from there. All that mattered was that mom agreed to a student exchange program. It was an exotic idea, rarely ever done. But apparently mom and dad had been talking about this for quite some time now, even before our conversation here.

I love my mom and dad, they were so thoughtful. For every minute was agonizing living here crushed under the great weight of those sneering and walking above me, walking above the monsters, the oppressed, the less fortunate than I. It tormented me. My peers' lack of respect for me, I could handle (barely). But to those without my wealth and status, to those who cried out every night in their nightmares trying to find comfort, only to find darkness and evil?

They needed the compassion more than I ever will.

Enter Marco Ubaldo Diaz, an ordinary earthling introduced to me when I arrived at Echo Creek Academy. A boy typical and common in every way.

And my best friend – for that exact reason.

He was ordinary, and he treated me as such. Not as a princess above the commoners, nor as an inferior race not deserving of respect. No – he treated me as a friend.

It was difficult to fit into Echo Creek when I first got here, I drew many eyes from all walks of life. The students, the teachers, the boys from the football team, the kids from the science labs. But none of them were impressed nor admiring, rather they were curious eyes, confused to what I was doing here, someone like me.

But Marco, he lent me a hand. Even though he himself did not understand what was going on at the time. He did so because of one very simple reason – compassion.

"I need to save my people, Marco," I said to him, looking out on this vast Earth. "I know with the magic wand I can do it. I can wish war and conflict out of existence."

"You really think you can do that?"

"I think so. If this world is anything to go by," I smiled. "If all the people here are as good and kind as you are, then it would prove my mom wrong. War is not universal. I can feel it."

"I…" Marco took a deep breath and sighed, "here's to a better universe."

His smile reassured me. But it did not take very long before I finally realized that smile was a lie, a beautiful lie. I never liked when people lied. Lies hurt, but people lied anyway, good people even. Because that was all good people had to get through this unjust world.

I remember my mom telling me bedtime stories when I was a kid. Great stories and epic poems of heroes fighting valiantly against evil, conquering the forces of darkness and those crooked villains lurking in the shadows. And at the end of every story, everything would come together for a final conclusion, ending it all with a 'happily ever after'. I could still remember vividly my mom's soothing voice, whispering beautiful Dreams into my ears, a lie, but so majestic and beautiful.

But stories and poems were not like the real world. Because the real world did not have an ending. It went on, everlasting. And it did not go on happily.

"I'm so sorry, Marco," I cried. "I shouldn't have gotten in the way. I know you like Jackie. And I messed up and now she's going to hate you forever and…"

"No, Star…" he gazed at me, not angry. Instead he was sad, "I'm the one who should apologize. I'm sorry I lied to you – about the world. Conflict… it exists here on Earth. What you just saw was proof of that. I just… I didn't want you to be disappointed, and leave, and to be disappointed again elsewhere. I… I… I didn't want you to leave."

"Marco… I…"

"STAR!" My mirror suddenly lit up, with static and a barely visible image, there my mom stood, "You need to come home right now. Mewni is in danger. They've taken your father, please come home now."

The transmission was cut off at that point. Leaving me here staring blankly at the silver mirror, and Marco in the back, unsure of what to do.

From that day forward, I began to believe in Fate. All the cosmic forces of the universe must have known somehow, known of this pain and struggle we both felt and align the stars in a way for the events and cosmic irony to play out in this way, as if I were part of this poem that was my life. It was far too wild to be a coincidence, but I could not explain it in ways normal people would understand.

Marco Diaz was my best friend. He was there for me when no one else would. He was kind to me in ways I could not even begin to repay. I did not want this to be the way we say goodbye. I did not even want to say goodbye in the first place. There was still so much to be done with him, I wanted to apologize, reconcile the situation between him and Jackie, show him my thanks for sticking by my side.

Instead the young boy grabbed my dimensional scissors, cut open a wide gash within the space in front of us, and swiftly pushed me into the black void where the portal closes briefly after, but not before he chucked the scissors through the portal after me with great force. He smiled with melancholy, whispering to me:

"I'm sorry. For everything. Go save your world. I know you can."

I didn't know if he was still mad at me. All I wanted to do was pay back for his kindness. Trouble was Marco wasn't the kind who would expect anything in return. He was a good soul – and why I believed in humanity, even when he didn't.

But things were different now that I was through the portal. Something was wrong. Space was twisted, perhaps time, too. I wondered how long I was away for. But the castle was not supposed to be on fire. The villages – empty. Where did everybody go? And then I heard the horns of war.

It was time for the marching of the troops once this earth-shaking sound echoed across the land. The warnicorns shall move forth into victory, and the knights shall brandish their swords, slashing away at their enemies.

But when I turned my head, that was not what I saw. Instead of swords and shields, I saw shackles and whips. Instead of spears and armors, I saw magic and the screams of slaves.

Monster slaves – my people. The Kappas, the Slimes, the Frog Men, every single one of them, chained and whipped onto the ground, helpless and crying out to the heavens.

And standing above the slaves was one powerful and cruel – Mina Loveberry.

She laughed on and on and on above the misery of these people. In her hand wielding the most powerful weapon in the universe – the magic wand.

Being conquered under the might of the magic wand would already be enough for a nightmare. But that was not what I felt then. I did not feel the horror of this mad tyrant, nor did I feel defeated by this crazed warrior. Instead the feeling within me at that moment was Betrayal.

Because by Mina's side was none other than my dad – King Toffee of Septarsis.

I roared towards the heaven, a monster's roar, demanding the answers of the forces on high:

"FATHER! What is the meaning of this? Explain yourself!"

He struck me a cold look, a look I did not recognize – a look of a villain. He did not even dare to look me straight in the eyes when he answered me:

"It is the oldest canons of the cosmos, daughter. Natural selection. The strong shall overwhelm the weak, and that is the way things are. This is the universe's judgement, so it is."

I was absolutely frozen in shock, my brain could not understand it. I tried to rationalize through math, logistics, there must've been a good reason for this Betrayal. Being coerced by great strength.

But my dad was not the kind to just give over willingly especially to brute forces. Because his greatest strength was his immeasurable intellect. He knew things not even the Magic High Commission knew, and the Commission with their true forms were powerful pan-dimensional gods bigger than anything I could imagine.

But the cold eyes he gave me – it was as if he no longer considered me his daughter, and him my father.

"HA!" Mina cracked a smile, "you said it better than I ever could, brother. Now help me round up all these good folks and whip them up into shape now. Finally, sweet retribution will be mine at last, and the cleansing of the world can commence!"

"That will have to wait," King Toffee commanded.

"What?"

I looked up, just as my hope was about to die. I cried tears of defeat, of despair, confused by the Betrayal. And yet my dad's voice was soft and powerful.

"It is the oldest canons of the cosmos," he said. "You are strong, no doubt. But I shall stalemate your strength with my other gifts."

The king strode up onto the mad warlord and proceeded to grab unto the magic wand, the wand Mina was currently holding onto. Confused, Mina tried to shake his Septarian grasp off her.

"Did you think I would not have a fail-safe in case something like this were to happen?" My dad glared at Mina. "I have powers and knowledge far beyond your comprehension, Mewman warrior. You cannot triumph."

With furious madness, the crazed woman began focusing her scattered thoughts into the magic of the wand, firing powerful energy bolts onto my dad's torso. It blew through his chest like an arrow blowing through a thin sheet of paper. He groaned in pain, trying to keep the pain in as his skin regenerated, covering up the fresh wounds.

Mina fired again, over and over, each time with a different colored bolt of energy. She was angry, but clearly unfocused, panicking at the mighty grasp of the immortal monster towering above her.

My dad gritted his teeth, trying to work through the agony. But his voice was still echoing the might of monsters:

"Yield, Mewman warrior. I am beyond your strength. You are unskilled with this device. One cannot operate the wand by mere desire alone. Even if you wish me out of existence, behold!"

He held up his other hand, and to both Mina's and my surprise – it was missing a middle finger.

"This is my fail-safe," he chuckled. "Upon my death at your hand, I shall enter the wand – the magic dimension, and I shall destroy everything inside. Even then you must realize the folly of being empress with no empire."

"Get off!" Mina shouted, "Get your hands off, you filthy lizard."

And my dad, my king merely responded with his simplest most absolute command:

"No."

That voice sent shockwaves down both our spines, Mina and I. The monster slaves cheered on beneath the metal chains, roaring for their champion – their king. It was humbling I must admit, thinking he was a traitor. No doubt about it now, my father was a hero.

With his mighty sharp claws, my king violently wrested the wand from the mad tyrant. He held the artifact high up into the heavens, feeling it infinite energy pouring into his body. It was almost too much for him to bear, his grimace made it clear. Electric rainbow sparks engulfed his entire hand, with colors I was sure did not even exist.

"DAUGHTER!" My dad shouted in pain. "Come forth, receive your Fate!"

Thus, my king tossed the royal magic wand unto me, Princess Star, daughter of Butterfly. I caught it in the midst of my confusion, standing before my people with them staring in awe. Holding the wand in my hand – I felt its eternal river flooding into my veins. I was glad to be able to relieve my dad of the pain of infinity. Too bad now that the wand had started to show me knowledge, science, ideas, time, space, the infinite spectrum of chaos, everything.

The wand began to shift, turning the diamond shaped gems of absolute power into star shaped ones, shining in the colors of the Moon and monsters. It grew out a pair of wings, dark as the night, and a pair of horns, colored with passion. A diamond star, that was the form of my crystal. And its lustrous shine was as beautiful as any river carved by the power of imagination.

The overwhelming knowledge and power of the wand was heavy, but somehow manageable. I could not explain why or how, but all I knew then was that I was still sane.

"Wha… what do I do now?" I looked up to my dad.

"Cast a spell," he responded.

"Which spell?"

"Any spell!" He affirmed. "Your mother took care of it. Let the wand do the work."

"GUARDS, SEIZE HER!" Mina yelled. "Don't let her use the wand!"

Without hesitation, I focused my mortal thought onto the wand, and it instantly lit up brighter than a star – a celestial body. It was so easy. Almost too easy. Perhaps I did it wrong? I never did have many proper training sessions with the wand. I suspected my parents secretly planned out my life's schedule that way. I couldn't tell if I was supposed to concentrate briefly or pour all my willpower into the device.

Or perhaps the title of the most powerful weapon in the universe was not a myth, but literally very accurate. A device providing great magic with little to no effort.

The magic spoke to me with its cosmic tongue. In an instant faster than light, it engulfed my entire body in its divine light. The light sheltered me from the soldiers. I saw them approaching from afar, but once they got close, they could not bypass the barrier. Even with the sharpness of their steel and the might of their war machines, nothing.

The light bought me time, enough time for me to notice in the middle of the barrier surrounding me – a portal.

The portal spoke to me, an angelic voice echoing from the wand:

"Fate beckons you, daughter of Mewni. Go forth unto the multiverse – it calls for a guardian. Go, and deliver your people out of injustice."

It was a familiar voice. And I recognized it instantly.

"Mom?"

I panicked, breathing more rapidly within the confined space of the barrier. Trying to look back to where my dad stood only allowed me a blurry glimpse through the blinding light. I needed to know what he wanted me to do. I wanted to save my people, but how could I? The weapon was too powerful for me to handle. If mom and dad had wanted me to take care of this whole conflict with the wand, the wand wouldn't have given me a portal. But here we were. Standing at the doorstep of choice, facing tyranny and the imprisonment of freedom.

When I looked to my dad, all he did was raise his hand, showing me the missing finger. And in the end whispered to me from the vast distance. The wand had complex mechanisms, allowing me to see far away and read his lips:

"Trust in your queen, daughter. Trust in my queen. Go save our people. I shall wait for the good news."