"If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed."
(Adolf Hitler)
Star vs the Forces of Evil is owned by Disney and Stands are the creation of the brilliant and talented Hirohiko Araki.
Enjoy.
Flowers and Brimstone: Chapter 18.
(Whimsy Valley, Mewni: later that evening)
It was a dark and cloudy night in Whimsy Valley, and although the weather was relatively tame, the atmosphere was tense.
It had been almost a week since the near catastrophe at the Farmer's Market and there had already been nine similar attacks on Monster populated areas all over Mewni; two more in the south, two in the east, two in the north, one in the west, one near the capital, and one in a refugee camp beyond the kingdom's boarders.
And unfortunately, there were no members of the Whimsy Clan present at these locations, so the attacks had gone off without a hitch.
The death toll was almost at an even two hundred, with many more horribly maimed.
Naturally, Queen Moon denied having any connection to these young extremists, but few were convinced. Just before dying, each of the suicide bombers had declared, rather loudly, that they were committing these atrocities in the name of the Royal Family. Hell, the one terrorist they'd managed to capture swore that she'd been following the Queen's direct orders.
Clearly, something sinister was in the works.
But rather than just sit around and wait for things to unfold, Sir Atlas, the bold and dashing baronet of Whimsy Valley, decided to take a more proactive approach. To that end, he sent out secret messages to every major/influential figure within the Monster Community; inviting them to a top-secret meeting at the Whimsy Clan's ancestral home to discuss recent events and try to come up with a solution.
Unfortunately, out of all the monsters he contacted, only four RSVPed 'Yes'. And although this was two more than he'd expected, it was far less than he'd hoped.
But alas, I diverge from the point.
What matters is that on this night, within the hallowed halls of Blackstone Castle, the fate of Mewni would be changed forever.
It was about a quarter to seven, and all the 'delegates' were gathered together in the Whimsy Clan's semi-famous dining room; all of them seated at the family's ancestral mahogany long table.
At the head of the table sat the lord of the manor himself, Sir Atlas Whimsy; the Baronet of Whimsy Valley. He was a tall, hulking, mountain of a man, with muscles that would make Eugen Sandow green with envy. His eyes were like dark blue opals, and he had a large, orange handlebar moustache that had clearly been groomed meticulously; which was most likely his way of compensating for his male pattern baldness. As per usual, he was dressed in the traditional garb of his station, which to the more knowledgeable earthling would be nearly indistinguishable from the uniform of an early 20th Century French field marshal; save for the tasteful addition of a satin cape. In short, he cut quite an imposing figure, but fortunately, as anyone who knew him would tell you, Sir Atlas was more philosopher than fighter.
On his left, sat his loyal brother-in-law, Lord Mildrew; who was there at the behest of his beloved sister Artemis to provide emotional support. While on his right, sat the head of the Whimsy Valley Merchants Association, a stern and sour faced old cuss by the name of Alan Woodrow; who was well known in the south for his open disdain of the Royal Family.
Next to Mildrew sat a large, anthropomorphic ape like creature with numerous battle scars running down his bare chest. His name was Hanzo, better known as Hanzo of the Forrest. He was the leader of a small but determined militia that raided supply lines up in the north to feed starving monster families. He was well known for his hatred of Mewmans, so his accepting of Atlas' invitation came as a tremendous shock.
Across from him sat a snow-white lycanthrope by the name of Bright-Eyes; a big name in the Wild Wood of Whimsy Valley and a close personal friend of the baronet. A bit of a roughneck if I'm being honest, but fiercely loyal. He held a deep respect for Sir Atlas and was immensely grateful to him for everything he'd done for the Monster Community. So, his presence surprised nobody.
Next to him sat a plump yet muscular boar like monster with long blond hair that she'd tied into a set of pigtails. Her name was Alice and she was wildly recognized as the founder of the so-called Alternative Monster Movement. Upon her back, she carried a large yellow gourd, which upon closer inspection appeared to have been fashioned into some kind of homemade hookah. Unlike the men, Alice seemed completely disinterested in what was going on around her; seeming content to just suck on the stem of her crude vaporizing device and exhaling sweet smelling smoke from her nostrils.
Last but not least, there was a large, green frog like creature in a dark green tunic. His name was Yvgeny Bulgolyubov, but most people just called him Buff Frog. A former spy for the rogue monster Ludo, Buff Frog had gained a lot of respect amongst the monsters living near the capital; both for his past involvement in plots against the Princess and his more current escapades providing sustenance for his friends and family. Out of everyone, he seemed the most anxious about being there. But given his history with covert ops, you could see how being out in the open like this might make him a little nervous.
For what felt like an eternity, the seven of them just sat around the table, quietly sizing each other up; no one knowing quite what to say or where to begin. And it's likely that this awkward silence would have gone on for hours, had one of them not worked up the nerve to break the ice.
"Alright, I'll just come out and say it. I hate all of you." Said Hanzo in a deep and raspy voice. "But then how could I not? I mean, just look at you. Three Mewmans, a traitor, a hippie, and a dish licker. Ugh. I must be out of my mind for coming here."
"And yet come here you did." Alice cut in with a relaxed demeanor as she casually blew another set of smoke rings out of her nose. "Now why do you suppose that is? Well, I can't speak for you, but I know why I'm here. I'm here because I recognize the need for action. The Queen's behavior as of late has been most alarming. We cannot simply sit on the sidelines and wait for her to send her extremists after us. We must be proactive."
"HA! That's a hot one!" mocked the great ape. "And what would you know about being proactive? I've seen what you so-called Alternative Monsters are all about. Just a bunch of lazy, overindulgent pacifists. Do you even know how to fight?"
"I have taught my followers to avoid direct confrontation whenever possible. To seek a peaceful solution first, before resorting to violence. But yes, we all know how to fight. And fight we will. Fight for our right to be lazy, overindulgent pacifists. Now tell me, oh great Hanzo of the Forest, are you as willing to fight for what you believe in, or are you content to just sit back and criticize?"
Hanzo said nothing, but his expression spoke volumes.
He was not happy.
"Now hold on, everyone." Said Sir Atlas, his voice somehow both stoic and flowery. "No one's said anything about fighting just yet. As a matter of fact, it may not even come to that. Each of us is a leader in one way or another. I'm sure if we rally our respective forces and pool them together, we can form a mighty coalition. An alliance that will serve as an opposition to the current regime. In time, others will come to understand our goals and join our cause. Eventually, our numbers will grow so vast that not even the Magic High Commission will be able to ignore us. And when they realize just how many of us are dissatisfied with the way things are, they will have no choice but to give in to our demands and remove the Butterflies from power."
"And what good will that do us?" asked Hanzo irritably. "What difference does it make who sits on that damn throne? Any puppet the Commission picks will be just as bad as the Butterflies; maybe even worse."
"Not if they pick Atlas." Bright-Eyes spoke up suddenly. "He ain't like them knobs up in the capital what hide themselves from other people's misery. He's a right proper gent, who cares about the needs of everybody; even us Monsters. I ain't too bright, I'll cop to that, but I know this much. With Atlas on the throne, we'll all be better off."
"Oh yes, and what a delightful little paradise that will be." The great ape chimed in sarcastically. "A world where all Monster can swallow their pride and feed off the scraps of Mewmans like lowly dogs. Well, that may be fine for you dish licking Wild Wooders, but not for real Monsters. Not for those of us who still dream of a day when we can banish those vile colonizers from our land and return it to its former glory."
"Actually, I quite agree with Mr. Bright-Eyes." Alice chimed in. "I've read all about his views on Monster-Mewman Relations, and I believe he'd be an ideal ruler."
The boar sow paused for a moment to take another hit from her homemade hookah.
"However, I don't agree with his plan. These suicide bombings prove that the Queen has become unstable. And her sway over the Commission is too great. Peaceful protests will not be enough to overturn her regime. If we're going to change things, we're going to have to remove the Royal Family from power ourselves. By force."
"I'm all for that." Said Mr. Woodrow unexpectedly. "I lost two sons in that bitch's campaign. I'll gladly take her daughter as compensation."
To which, Hanzo replied,
"Finally, a Mewman that makes sense."
"Gentlemen, Gentlemen, please." Sir Atlas spoke up, in a clear attempt to regain control of his own assembly. "Let's think about this rationally. We can't just declare war on the Royal Family. They have an army and powerful magic on their side. We wouldn't stand a chance."
"I agree with Sir Atlas." Buff Frog chimed in. "War with Butterflies would only end badly. Peaceful protest is best way."
"You would say that, you princess loving traitor!"
"Oy! You can't talk to him like that!"
"Stay out of this, mutt!"
"Gentleman, please!"
WHOOOSH!
Just then, the window flew open and a gust of wind blew across the room; causing the candles in the chandelier to go dim.
For a split second, the room was in total darkness.
And when the lights returned, everyone was in for a big surprise.
Suddenly, they and the entire table were surrounded by a small band of tall, thin, vaguely goblin like creatures with putrid green skin and teeth like rotting toothpicks. Whatever they were, they made no move against the others; they just stood around their captives in a perfect circle with their backs hunched over and their arms raised in such a way that they resembled dogs begging for scraps.
Sir Atlas was about to say something, but the words died as soon as he noticed another strange creature standing on the table; this one a bit larger and much older looking than the others. It was dressed in long flowing robes of fur that concealed its withered body and atop its head sat a crown of twigs and leaves. A large black bird was perched upon its right shoulder; the Baronet wasn't sure why, but there was something off about it, almost… malevolent.
"Well now, isn't this a lovely sight." The tall goblin-man said amusedly in a high, squeaky voice. "Rich and poor. Young and old. Monster and Mewman. All sitting together at the same table. Nobody attacking nobody. That, my friends, is a miracle. And miracles are the way things ought to be."
"What is this foolishness?" asked Hanzo annoyedly. "Whimsy, is this your doing?"
"No, I swear, I have no idea what this is."
"Sir Atlas speaks the truth. We have come here of our own accord." The goblin-man said squeakily. "Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Marcus Brando; King of the Hobyahs."
"Hobyah~ Hobyah~ Hobyah~" the other creatures all chanted.
"Hobyah? What's a Hobyah?" asked Bright-Eyes, speaking for the entire room.
"My dear friends, we are Hobyahs and Hobyahs means we." The strange creature said playfully, before moving on with its explanation. "We are nature spirits. Ancient and powerful. And we have come to help you."
"Help us?" Buff Frog parroted. "How?"
"My friends, my friends. My people have existed since the dawn of time. And we have visited many strange and wonderous dimensions. But never in all our years have we witnessed an injustice the likes of which has befallen your people. To have your homes stolen from you. To be branded as freaks and pariahs. To be forced to starve in squalor while the thieves responsible gorge themselves in their ivory tower. Unacceptable!"
All the other Hobyahs spat on the floor in disgust.
"But no more, my friends. No more. The Queen and her Commission Flunkies only get away with these atrocities because they are powerful. But we can make you powerful too."
"You can give us magic?" Bright-Eyes asked almost hopefully.
But the other Hobyahs just spat on the floor again.
"Oh no, my friends. Magic is the tool of the wicked. It's for loathsome parasites who leech off the lifeblood of the universe and call themselves gods. No, no, my friends. Look not to the cosmos for strength. Look within yourselves."
"Enough of these riddles!" Hanzo roared angrily; slamming his fist against the hard mahogany. "I've had all I can stand of your incessant babbling. If you have a point, get to it before I break you in half!"
"Hmff. Very well." The King Hobyah said, sounding thoroughly unafraid, "To put it simply, my friends, Magic is not the only power in the universe. There are forces much older and much more reliable. And I can help you tap into those forces, with this."
Without anyone noticing, the strange goblin man had reached into his sleeve and pulled out a very old looking stone arrow; which he was now holding up for all to see.
"Tell me, my friends, have any of you ever heard of Stands?"
End Notes:
I am so sorry about how late this chapter is. And unfortunately, this time I have no one to blame but myself. I got caught up in watching episodes of Hero 108 on YouTube, and before I knew what had happened I was a over a day behind schedule.
Anyway, this is the last chapter before the epilogue. And once that's finished I'll be going on break again.
But until then, thanks for reading and I'll see you all in the next one.
Peace.