~10 years later~

Each enraged step Halley took burned the tiles under her.

Oh, she was going to kill them.

She heard what sounded like an entire symphony down the hall and made her way there. She nearly broke the door off its hinges when she slammed it open.

"Philharmonic..." She hissed.

Her brother nonchalantly turned around from directing his one man band. Literally one man band. Over the years he'd mastered enough magic to put together an entire orchestra with a single spell, and Halley was a little jealous. Just a little.

"Oh hiya, sis."

"Cut the crap. Where is it?"

He hummed a tune as he took out his instrument of choice, a violin. Phil then proceeded to play the simple tune as if Halley hadn't even said anything.

She marched over to him and snatched the violin away.

"I won't hesitate to break this." She seethed.

He simply shrugged, "It's not like it'd be the first one."

Her eyes then proceeded to glow and the violin was reduced to ashes. Her brother wasn't phased, however.

"Where is it?" She repeated.

"Where's what?" Phil asked.

"Don't play dumb with me. The wand."

"Ohhh. The wand. I don't have it."

"But you did. Am I right?" She gestured towards the self-playing instruments.

Phil but his hand on his chest in mock offense, "Why dear sister, I would never. I simply was able to conjure up this magic on my own."

She narrowed her eyes,"You and I both know you can't do that."

He broke out laughing, "Yeah yeah I know. But I'm working on it. See?"

With a little concentration, he was able to bring the instruments down from the air. It wasn't much but it was something. Phil took another violin and tuned it up, "James has it."

She rolled her eyes, "What a surprise."

Halley left her brother's room quite tired. This happened at least three times a week. She loved her brothers but wow could they be annoying. It was 2 o'clock so James was training. Halley inwardly groaned. She hated going down there.

After taking multiple staircases down to where James did all his training, Halley was beyond irritated. She didn't even bother salvaging the door. She kicked it off it's hinges startling Marco, James' sensei and her parents' old friend.

"Uh Princess—"

"Not now, Marco. James has something that belongs to me." She stood in front of her brother with her arms crossed.

"Do not."

"Do too."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Halley's patience had just about snapped, "I'm talking about my wand that's literally in your hands!"

James looked down at the sword in his hand and folded his arms over his chest. "Who's to say it's your wand?"

"Innumerable generations of Butterflys before us! The princess gets the wand and becomes Queen."

James paced the floor, "Right you are, but it also says the oldest gets the wand. I'm older than you by ten minutes."

"Here we go again." Halley muttered. "Look. We don't know who's wand it is. Mom said that she'd tell us who'd be next in line on our 16th birthday. In a week. But by default the wand is mine."

"Fine. But you're going to have to take it from me."

She turned towards Marco in exasperation, "You just let him take my wand?!"

"I— What was I supposed to do?" He stammered.

"You're the adult here!" She pulled at her horns, a habit she turned to when flustered, "I've had it! I'm done."

Marco stepped back, seeing Tom get angry when they were younger and knowing that his friends' daughter was capable of the same thing. Like he had guessed, Halley flew up into the air, flames engulfing her entire body. She neared her brother, who had a satisfied smirk on his face.

Halley knew she had let him win by losing her temper, but honestly now she didn't give a shit. "Give me the wand James. Last warning."

"Try me." He replied testily.

She launched herself at her brother, and even though that she was his sister, the princess, and part demon, he still met the challenge. James hadn't inherited any of their father's pyrotechnic power, but he did get his insane strength so the challenge was even. Halley and James fought a lot and often, so Marco was fully prepared with "castle regulation" when the prince and princess were fighting.

Halley had managed to grab a hold of the wand when her mother and father came to break up their fight. Star pulled her off her brother and Tom kept James from continuing the fight.

"Halley! James! What are you two doing!?" Star demanded.

Both siblings looked down at the ground.

"Well?" She prompted.

"James took the wand from me and I told him to give it back but he—"

Star held the bridge of her nose, "Alright I have had enough of you two fighting over this wand. Halley it doesn't belong to you and it doesn't belong to your brothers."

"But Mom—"

"No 'but's, young lady. The wand is off limits until next week."

"Mom!" Both Halley and James chorused.

Tom added, "Your mom's right guys. This has gotten out of hand. Halley you—"

"You know what!? Just stop! All of you!" Halley snapped. "Fine! I'm always the one at fault here! Whatever! I'm over it!" She pushed past Star and stalked up to her room. She slammed the door shut and locked it. She gripped the sides of her dress on an attempt to siphon off some of her unchecked frustration. Once cool enough Halley went over to her fauna covered balcony for some fresh air. Her entire balcony was a giant garden that contained plants ranging from the most exotic rose to the simplest daisy. She adored flowers. There was something about them that was just so beautiful that she couldn't even grasp the connection she felt for them. Halley's self-confidence had eroded over the years and now there was almost nothing left. Her garden on the balcony served as her sanctuary over the years. There she could escape the abuse—both physical and emotional— of the outside world. So like her cheekmarks suggested, flowers were a big deal for her.

Halley bent over one of her smaller sprouts. It wasn't having any luck growing, no matter how she had cared for it over the past few weeks. She took a deep breath then sat near the plant. Halley closed her eyes, attempting to concentrate.

She could do this. She could do this. Her mother was able to dip down at 14 and she was 16. Halley placed her hands over the bud and focused all of her attention to the plant. She tried until her head hurt and then she felt something. A spark! She urged herself to push whatever it was out. Then something happened! She couldn't believe she was actually...

Halley looked at the plant, heartbroken as it burst into flames and died. She had the worst time with magic and couldn't seem to grasp anything without the wand. Phil was already starting to use magic without the wand and it wouldn't be long before James did too. It just wasn't fair. She was the princess. She was supposed to be able to do all the magic and here she was not even able to do the simplest spell without practicing her ass off. Halley sighed, she was supposed to be loved, envied even. How was it that she only had one friend? Everyone hated her. She'd been the target of ridicule for years. When she was younger she said that once she became queen she'd throw everyone that was ever mean to her in jail. Now, though, she wasn't even sure she wanted to be queen. Halley made her way back into her room and took out a crumpled piece of paper she had "gotten" when she went out earlier that day. She took out a box from under her bed. Inside contained all the mean notes telling her that she was a freak. That she didn't belong. That she was disgusting. Halley read the note in her hands and stared at it as if the paper would somehow change if she looked at it hard enough. Halley sighed and placed the little paper ball in the box. No one knew about the multiple boxes under her bed containing all of the hate she had gotten, not even her parents. It would change the way her parents saw their ever loyal subjects. She didn't even want to think about what would happen if they found out.

Halley fell face flat onto her bed and just screamed. Being the demon freak princess of Mewni meant that she had to keep it all in and smile no matter how much it hurt but only in public. In the safety of her bedroom was when she let out all of her frustrations. The wall was even cracked from where she would punch it. Behind the various paintings and under rugs, scorch marks lay from where her anger would fester and boil over. But of course, all that had to be hidden away because she had to stay composed more than 95% of the time.

Halley barely noticed her mother walk in and sit on the edge of her bed.

"Um...hi honey." Star began hesitantly.

Halley said nothing.

"Hal, I know that it's tough...for you. To share the family wand with your brothers and I know it can be hard..."

To be a monster freak everyone hates. Halley finished for her mother mentally.

"But," Star continued. "You have a lot of responsibility. You're the princess, and you've been doing such a good job."

Halley looked at her mother in surprise. That was not what she had been expecting.

"I know you can get a little caught up with your brothers sometimes and it's only natural I assume. I just wanted you to know that I think you'd make a wonderful Queen."

"Really? Not James?" The words left her mouth before she could stop herself.

Star looked at her curiously, "Your brother brings up a fair point when he says the oldest gets the throne, and I will take that into consideration when I finally make my decision but...Jamie is..." Star was talking to herself at this point. When the Queen realized her daughter was still listening she smiled a little nervously, "It doesn't matter, both of you have the qualities of a ruler and I will make the decision next week."

Her mother gave her one last look before getting up to leave. Even though the Queen hadn't finished her statement, Halley knew what she meant. As the decision of who would be the rightful heir neared, James had...changed. Halley could remember when she and her brother used to be so close, but now he seemed to always be angry with her. Angry at everyone really. He'd have these small fits of madness that scared her sometimes. Halley had seen her father's temper and maybe it would have eased Halley's mind if James' anger was an inheritance thing but it wasn't. Her mother must have seen this in her son recently and decided that being King wouldn't be good for him or the kingdom.

That meant that the chances of Halley becoming queen was even more of a possibility. She suddenly felt very sick. Could she even be queen? Halley could barely be princess. No one wanted to accept her as their princess due to her genes. Especially not after the Meteora incident.

She couldn't even begin to understand why her mother was still trying to unite Mewmans and monsters. Ever since her mother finally got the monsters into schools in Mewni, Mewmans had just seemed more and more hateful towards her. She couldn't say that she regretted her mother's decision because if the queen hadn't made the decree, Halley wouldn't have met her best and only friend Princess Allison Spiderbite. Apparently making friends with a monster wasn't the right political move and it only seemed to increase the doubt in the kingdom that she was fit to rule.

"Becoming Queen would be basic suicide." Halley mumbled. She gripped the sheets on her bed tightly. She wasn't sure if she could do this.

...

The week following her birthday, Halley barely slept a wink. She was a nervous wreck. Her, a monster, ruling Mewni? It was all she could think about. By the time her birthday was three days away, Halley had thrown up five times. She wasn't eating right, she was constantly dizzy, and her anxiety was through the roof. She considered going to tell her mother about it but for some reason, she couldn't do it. Halley used all of her strength to pull herself together and get through the event the next morning.

She dressed herself in one of the most elegant gowns she had. Halley rarely dressed in anything special, it would only draw attention to her and that was not what a demidemon would want in Mewni. Despite herself, Halley loved to dress up when she absolutely had to. It made her feel the slightest bit better about herself and she treasured the feeling before someone came up and squashed it.

Halley forced herself to focus where she was putting her feet because the dizziness hadn't subsided and she could've toppled at any moment. When she reached her parents' room they were both checking over Phil and James. The two princes were wearing the finest suits for their birthday. Star looked over at her and smiled. She made her way over and gave her a big hug.

"Happy Birthday Halley. You look beautiful."

Halley allowed herself to relax in her mother's arms, something she hadn't done in a while. She wished she could have stayed there forever. Her mother pulled away and gave her a kiss above her eye, and Halley frowned. For a second Halley felt little again when she had been sheltered from all the hate and she thought that she was normal.

She and her family walked down the hall in silence. It was like they were being sent to their deaths. Well hers potentially at least. Halley looked over at James. His hands were behind his back and his entire disposition was stoic. He really looked like a king. Phil was looking at their brother as well with a worried look on his face.

Halley looked down and sighed. She knew if James was the heir their relationship could be preserved and everything could be normal. But if she was made heir...

Halley flinched as Phil threw his arms on James and Halley's shoulders.

"So are you guys excited?" He smiled happily. "Come on! Why are you two acting so serious?"

The two couldn't help but smile at their brother's attitude. Phil was the youngest triplet so him being a potential heir was out of the question. He was also a little too carefree to be king, even so, he was the glue of the triplets. Without him Halley and James would have certainly killed each other. Halley and James' eyes met and for a single second they smiled at each other. They were reaching the balcony where the heir would be announced and Phil let them go. James went back to his regal stance.

As they approached, Halley felt like she was walking through jelly. Each step seemed heavier than the last and her heart rate had increased. She, James, and Phil stood side by side behind their parents.

Star stepped up and addressed the hundreds of Mewmans waiting down below, "Citizens of Mewni, you are gathered here today to hear the news of your next ruler of Mewni. Not only that, but we have also come together to celebrate the 16th birthday of the princes and princess."

Star waited to continue as the crowd cheered and clapped. "I have thought long and hard about who will take my place and I know that when the time comes they will rule to the best of their ability, I am sure of it. Halley and James step forward."

In Star's hands, she held the royal wand. James and Halley both eyed it automatically.

"The heir I have chosen to succeed me will be Halley."

Halley felt her heart drop. There was an initial silence but the clapping eventually started. A ringing sound filled Halley's ears and she wasn't sure if she could breathe. Her mother was saying something but it sounded as if she was underwater. Star put the wand in Halley's hands and the princess was barely aware of it changing into her own personal wand. The queen bowed and walked off the balcony with her family in tow. When away from the eyes of the citizens, Tom looked at Halley.

"Halley? Are you okay?"

Halley automatically nodded. She felt sick to her stomach.

"Well we're going to go down to greet the people okay?"

Another nod.

The jelly like trance Halley was in was getting worse and worse. She looked over at James and he hadn't so much as paid her a glance since she had received the wand. Halley could feel the remains of their relationship disintegrate. She forced herself to look ahead and put a small smile on her face.

The main doors to the castle opened and the Lucitor-Butterflys walked out. On each side of their path were tons of people. A few were clapping respectfully but others were looking at her hatefully. Halley had always told herself to never look at crowds, but now she couldn't help herself. Her eyes darted to every hateful glare. For the most part throughout her life, Halley's hecklers were kids her age. She had either not noticed how much the older citizens hated her or her becoming the heir was the last straw for them. Halley clenched her hands together at her sides. She wasn't sure how long she could do this.

Then a glass bottle flew from the crowd and crashed right in front of her. Halley stopped and looked at the broken glass in horror. Her parents had turned around in shock. The ringing in her ears came back and the jelly thickened around her. Now it was choking her.

Her parents looked at her worriedly when she wasn't responding to them. Star took a step forward and Halley felt her knees buckle and then everything went black.

...

When Halley was seven she walked home from school. She liked going through the woods on her way home. It calmed her.

Halley usually walked home with her brothers but they had some after school activities to do so it was just her. A couple of kids would also walk that way through the woods but they paid Halley no attention.

That day Halley's attention was on one of the prettiest butterflies she had ever seen. She followed it without paying much attention to where she was going. Halley ventured through some bushes to keep up with the butterfly and suddenly she was in a clearing. A group of girls were sitting around playing and looked up when she came in.

"Oh," Halley looked down, "I'm sorry. I'll go—"

"Not just yet, princess." Halley recognized who it was by the way they spat out "princess."

Halley kept her eyes on the ground as Celine walked up to her.

"What do you think you're doing here?"

"I didn't mean to come here, I'm sorry. I didn't know you all played here." She said quietly.

Celine rolled her eyes and looked at Halley's dress, "That sure is a pretty dress, princess."

"Really?" Halley looked up at her skeptically.

"Of course! Girls come over here and look at how pretty her dress is."

Celine's friends came over and subtlety exchanged glances.

"Yeah, it's so pretty." Celine smiled slyly.

Halley's smile grew, "You really think so? My Dad got it for my birthday—"

"A dress like that doesn't belong on a monster."

Before Halley knew it, she was being pushed to the ground. Celine and her friends started to rip the fabric of her dress. Halley screamed and tried to get free but with the Mewman strength she was applying the only way she'd get free was to use her demon strength and that was not an option. It wasn't long before they started pulling on her horns and her hair as well. Maybe they'd do her a favor and pull them off, Halley thought pathetically.

The girls stood her up and Halley looked down at her disheveled appearance. Celine had come to face her. Halley's eyes were welling with tears. What could she possibly want now?

"Listen up princess. You will never be normal," She pushed her again. Instead of falling Halley stumbled backwards, but Celine was persistent, "No one will ever like you," Another shove. It was harder this time. "And you will never be a queen." With one final shove Celine pushed Halley down but instead of hitting ground, Halley fell into darkness.

...

Halley shot up gasping for air. What had happened? She was in bed. Had her being pronounced next in line been some horrible dream?

"Halley!" Her mother came over and hugged her tightly. She was wearing the same dress she had been for the naming ceremony. So it wasn't a dream. Her mother put both hands on her face and Halley noticed that she had been crying.

"Honey I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I-I..." She put her face in her hands. "I'm a horrible mother."

"Mom no... It wasn't your fault, I promise. I feel fine."

Halley hadn't noticed the royal physician until she came and felt her forehead. She shined a light in her eyes. Halley watched her write down a few notes.

"How have you been feeling lately, princess?"

"Fine."

The physician looked at her, as if she knew she was lying.

"How has your diet been?"

"Um...not as good I guess. I haven't had time to eat much."

"What have you been occupying your time with?"

Halley stiffened, "I don't know. Stuff I guess."

The physician nodded and pulled something out of her bag. She wrapped it around Halley's arm and began pumping. She stopped and looked at the readings. She took the wrap off of Halley's arm and packed her things.

"Your Majesty," The physician addressed Star, "As the princess has said she is fine. She's not sick but she has been experiencing high levels of stress. From the looks of it she hasn't been sleeping and she's barely been eating. All she needs is a little rest." Star looked over at Halley in shock. Halley squirmed under her mother's glare.

"Thank you, Doctor. I'll take it from here."

When the royal physician had left, Star sat on the edge of Halley's bed. She couldn't see her face, but Halley knew it couldn't have been good.

"Was what she said true, Halley?"

"Mom..."

"Was it?" She turned and glared at her angrily.

All Halley could do was nod. She could hear her mother make a frustrated noise as she stood up and paced the room.

"So you've been lying to me?" Star stopped in front of her and crossed her arms.

"No."

"So you're telling me that when we're at the table, you ate?"

Halley paused, "No but—"

"I don't want to hear it Halley! You haven't been eating or sleeping. You've been killing yourself."

Halley clenched her sheets.

"Why didn't you tell me you were stressed? Halley we've talked about this, you can talk to me."

"How could I, Mom?" She looked off to the side. "You couldn't help me with what I'm going through."

Halley didn't mean to offend her mother but she obviously did. Star sat down on the edge of her bed again, in silence.

Halley looked at the time. It was almost 5 o'clock. Halley was surprised. The ceremony had been at noon.

"Where's Dad?" Halley asked quietly.

"Cooling off."

Now that Halley thought about it she could smell smoke.

"Is he mad at me?"

"At you? No. At whoever threatened his little girl, yes."

Halley suddenly felt like crying. "Where's Phil and James?"

"Downstairs in the ballroom. For the sake of keeping the kingdom calm, we let them still have the party."

Right. Halley almost forgot about their birthday party. James hadn't really wanted one but she and Phil insisted.

"I'm going to go see about your father." Star mumbled. The queen stood and made her way to the door.

"Mom...I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, Halley."

Halley could tell it was not fine. Her mother only occasionally called her Halley when it was a serious situation or her mother was upset with her.

"I'm going to go to the party."

"What?" Star turned.

"I'm going to go. I need to."

"Halley—"

"Mom, I need to do this. Someday I'm going to be queen. And I promise I won't let you down, but for me to do this, I need to show everyone that I'm stronger than a few threats."

Star sighed, "Alright. If things get out of hand I'm ending the party and you're to go right to your room to rest."

Halley nodded. Star continued to leave but not before Halley stopped her one last time.

"Mom, I'm really sorry. I'm going to do better. I promise."

Her mother gave her a small smile, "I know you will."

...