Hello everyone! I got a holiday treat for you all; my take on Stump Day! This one-shot is joining the collection, so hope you enjoy :).
"Ow…" Marco grunts as he rolls out of a blue vortex, as a worried mariachi group comes out of the portal. "You guys go over there, I need to get more stuff." They just shrug their shoulders, unfazed at being in the castle. Marco was like a pinball, bouncing back and forth between Mewni & Earth to get supplies, as he wanted to surprise his best friend with a huge birthday party. In the corner of the room though, was a demon prince, sighing in some annoyance at the sight before him.
"Bro, you realize Star's going to be upset about this, right?" He asked seriously, seeing Marco jump on a chair and hanging up a banner. "What is that…? Some odd saying you are hanging up?" Marco hopped off the chair, wiping off some sweat.
"Happy Quinceanera Estrella," Marco answered casually, hopping in the open portal to pick up Star's rainbow-colored and flavored birthday cake. Hopping back out, Tom just blinked in confusion. "Sigh… Happy 15th Birthday Star. That's what it says Tom. You seriously don't know it's her birthday today?"
"Uh…" Tom rubbed his neck, earning a sour look from Marco. "Big whoop. I know now, so can do something nice for her later." Marco just puts the cake down, folding his arms. "Don't start with me, Diaz."
"Same to you." Marco tossed streamers at Tom, who nearly dropped them. "Make yourself useful if you care." He started blowing up star-shaped balloons, uncaring of Tom's semi-glowing red eyes.
'Calm down man, you know Marco isn't being a jerk on purpose. You know how much he cares about Star. Just… Deep Breaths, like Brian, told you.' Calming himself down, Tom uses his fire powers to help hang the streamers. Two figures jumped out of the open portal though, with one in a green stocking hat, slyly sliding over to Marco.
"Hey." Marco jumped in the air like a cat, entering combative stance. He only saw Janna though, sighing in annoyance. "Happy to see you too lover boy." Marco looked around, noticing Tom still putting streamers up. Glaring darkly at Janna, she only snickered. "Oh, ease up man. Just yanking your chain." She leaned on the nearby table, having a flirty smile. "I mean if you can't be with the princess…"
"Shut up." Marco spat, throwing up his hood. "Just… Glad to see you too. If you want to help, can you get the cupcakes and…" Janna took out a tray, with one cupcake missing. "…you ate one of them. Uh, thanks, I guess." He put it down, earning a mock bow from Janna. Marco noticed Starfan having bug eyes, studying her surroundings. "You never came to Mewni, huh Daron?"
"What? No, I'm Starfan!" Marco only sighed. "But you know my real name? Only told Star that…" Finishing getting the table set up, he gave a small smile.
"I mean, that's not your real name. If someone called me Mango all the time…" He glared at Janna, who just shot a grin back. "…I would be annoyed." Starfan elbowed Marco and gave a thankful smile.
"That's nice but call me Starfan! I can't wait to see Star again! Did Starco finally become canon?!" She was shaking Marco at this point, who just laughed nervously as he calmed her down.
"Uh, not sure what Starco even is," Marco answered, through part of him felt hurt at saying that. "But yeah, she's sleeping right now. This is a surprise so don't wake her up yet." She nodded and started skipping around the room. Tom finally came down after putting up the streamers, throwing an arm around Marco. "Thanks for the help man."
"No problem, but you ARE aware of the Stump, right?" Marco waved his hand, earning a worried look from Tom.
"I did my homework and I don't buy that one bit. It sounds a lot like the 'Krampus' legend we have on Earth." He rubbed his chin, feeling some of his nerves grow cold. "We… We didn't do anything bad this year, right?"
Tom tapped his chin before his own nerves got jumpy. "Uh… Oh boy." He laughed nervously, tugging his festive holiday sweater. "Well, it's not real. So no worries, right?" Marco calmed down and put on a smile once more.
"Yeah… You are right man." Marco looked around, seeing his Earth friends all around him. But felt something missing. "You don't mind if…" Tom held up his hand, giving a knowing smile. "Thanks, will be back with Kelly and Pony in a few minutes." Marco made a rift into space and jumped inside it.
With Marco gone, Tom thought about something gnawing away at him. 'Does that guy like Star? I mean… She SAID they weren't a thing at the Silver Bell Ball but… The way he looks at her. How defensive he got before. How we haven't hung out like bros since he returned to Mewni…' Tom shook his head, patting his cheeks. 'No, Marco is still your friend man. Just, don't worry so much.' He started mingling with Janna and Starfan, helping out with other preparations.
Marco hopped out of a portal, being on some odd training grounds. Looking around confused, he sharply rolled across the snow-covered landscape. He heard a loud gasp, dropping the large bronze-sword on the ground. "Oh boy, nearly chopped your head off." The bushy haired girl held out her hand, which Marco took.
"Happy Stump Day, Kelly." They shared a friendly smile, soon following a fist bump. "Busted some heads, I presume?" She giggled, fixing her glasses. The duo walked around the training grounds, narrowly avoiding a snowball fight. "Seems a lot of the tikes here have good aim." A ball pegged Marco in the face, making him groan somewhat.
"Eh, gotta have good aim when fighting. So, this about Star's big birthday bash?" Marco nods, feeling a wide grin grow on his face. "Ah, thinking of winning her heart. Clever thinking man."
"What? NoNoNo!" Marco waved his hands, trying to hide a blushing face. Kelly just patted his back, giving an understanding expression. "I mean, she forgot my Birthday, so I know what it feels like. Hoping she enjoys the party. Even got Tom to help out setting things up."
"Nice work." She elbowed Marco, but her tone rang a bit hallow, something Marco raised an eyebrow at. "What? I'm fine. Just a bit tired of fighting and…"
"Marco's here?! What's up homey!?" A voice rang from Kelly's head, making Marco snicker. "We are going to have a rocking stump day dude. Still moping around about Star? Dude, just crush some pizza's already…" Kelly made a loud groan, folding her arms. "Look, Kells, I need a place to crash until I can…"
"Whatever… You better leave soon, you hear?" She looks at Marco, having a dark grin. "Or I will sick Marco on you." Marco only sighed, looking at Tad's worried face.
"No… Fighting during the holidays, okay guys? But you have to leave Kelly's head soon. She was really upset about things." Tad bit his lip, nodding in agreement. "Anyway, you two ready?" Marco made a rift into space, making a mock bow. Kelly rolled her eyes as she and Tad hopped inside the vortex, with Marco following them in next.
"B-Fly's celebrating her B-day, like, now?" Pony asked in confusion from her room in the 'improved' Saint O's. Marco rubbed his forehead at her shrill tone, but Kelly just snickered. "She isn't going to drop hot head over this, you dork."
"Why is everyone saying that?!" Marco shouted, folding his arms. "Look, trying to do a nice thing here. You in or not?" Pony Head scoffed at Marco's tone, looking at Kelly and Tad.
"You two, he has it baaaad. But I like draaaaaama, so I'm in." She hovered around Kelly and Tad, with the former giving a sympathetic smile to Marco. "Don't tell me you feel, like, bad for the turd."
"Well, I do. I get where he's coming from. Cause some jerks refuse to leave when they should." Tad just whistled, looking away. "Just ease up on him girl." Pony gave a sly smile. "Don't give me that look." Just as Pony was going to open her mouth, Marco made the portal.
"Just get in the portal. Have a gift for Star?" Marco asked Pony, who spat out a small box. He raised his finger to ask a question but dropped it. Everyone entered the portal but Pony and Marco, with the former blocking the gateway.
"Being real turd. Tell my girl the truth." Marco just pushed her away, hopping into the vortex. "Pift, loser doesn't want my, like, amazing advice? Dorks loss." She hovered after the group.
As the group of friends mingled, Marco slowly made his way over to Star's room calmly and quietly. 'She never mentioned her birthday… Ever, when on Earth. I hope pulling this party wasn't a bad call. But… Why AM I working hard on the party?' Marco stopped, being right in front of Star's door. 'I mean, I can't lie about my feelings; I do have a crush on Star. But… That just can't be the only reason I wanted to throw her a party. Maybe… So she doesn't feel the sadness I felt after that Lava Lake mess.' He shook his head, taking a deep breath. Knocking lightly on the door, he was surprised to see it gently push open. "Star?"
She was laying on her bed, still in her Santa outfit from hours earlier. Snoring loudly and drooling over her pillow, Marco couldn't help but chuckle. "No Marco, I won't eat the pig." He raised an eyebrow at her mumble. "Don't… Lave Mewni… I…" His eyes were wide at the comment, blinking a few times.
"Star? Having a nightmare?" He pulled up a wooden stool, seeing her flutter her eye open. A loud yawn escaped her lips, chapping them as she felt the pale Mewni moonlight shine down. "Your door was kinda opened and I wanted to ask you something."
"Is it morning?" She asked half-asleep, rubbing tired eyes. He shook his head, earning a somewhat confused look. "Oh… Can I sleep now please?" She crashed back down on the bed, closing her eyes. Marco groaned, poking her heart cheek. "Hey! I'm tired…"
"But I got a surprise for you." Star shot out of bed, having an excited expression. His heart melted seeing her wide smile. "It's in the dining room. I think you are really going to like it and…" Marco couldn't even finish, with Star throwing on her boots and dragging Marco out of the room with her. They rushed past a few floors, with them finding the dining room. Marco fell out of Star's grasp, grunting at the pains in his right arm. "…Happy birthday."
Star looked around, seeing her friends surrounded by presents and tons of sweets. She even heard Mexican music, recalling memories of the Diaz House during some of their parties. Helping Marco up, she just gave him a loving smile. "You… You did all this? For me?"
"Well… I had some help." He looked directly at Tom, who gave Marco a shocked expression. Marco gestured him to come over. "This guy helped put up the confetti and with planning stuff." Tom raised his finger but Marco shook his head. "We weren't the only ones that got this set up." He points toward everyone else, who gave joyful waves. "Have fun and enjoy yourself, Star."
She felt her heart melt seeing all this. 'No one ever remembers my birthday, but Marco throwing all this… That was super sweet of him.' Star rushed over to the cupcakes and put some in her mouth. "This stuff is so good!" She muffled, earning chuckles from Tom and Marco. The former joined Star and threw his arm around her. "Did you two burn anything getting this whole thang set up?"
"Nah," Marco answered, walking up to the couple. "Tom was eager to help once I told him about it." He rubbed his arm, looking around. "Uh… So we don't have to worry about a stump thing, right? I looked into it and found no solid proof of it being 'real'. Though that story your parents read earlier was cool."
Star coughed out her food and felt fear take over. "S-Stump?" She suddenly remembered why her birthday is ignored every year, pulling her blond locks. "No… NoNoNo… We gotta take all this stuff down now!" She rushed over to the balloons and started popping them. Marco's eyes went wide and tried stopping her but she made a portal to send the mariachi band away to who-knows-where. "Marco, why did you do this?! We are all going to die now!"
Marco was surprised to see the fear in Star's eyes, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's only a story, Star. I don't do things without planning. I looked into the Stump, as I did with a lot of Mewni customs you never told me about when I got here." Star felt relieved but noticed the last bit Marco said.
"I didn't tell you about anything?" Her voice was confused but somewhat harsh. "I told you a lot about Mewni." Marco bit his lip, throwing up his hood. "Seriously, I did." He sighed, folding his arms together.
"Uh, not really. I was confused on why everyone was so mad at me when I returned, so I dug into the local library here." Janna walked up to Marco, holding out a book of 'Mewni Legends and History', making him raise an eyebrow. "Wait a minute… I thought that was stolen?! I had to clean the library for three weeks because of losing that." Janna shrugged her shoulders and flipped through a few pages. She landed on one specific one, coughing to get everyone's attention. "What are you…"
"Just speaking the truth. The book says…" Started speaking in a more 'mocking tone'. "When the Mewni Princess picks her mate, they are respected across the land of Mewni by extension of her royal status. But their status of respect and social standing is only hinging of their relationship to the princess. When the princess picks another mate, her past lover is shunned, losing the respect he gained across the land." She slammed the book shut. "That song day thing you spouted and dating demon boy over their lead to Marco being treated like crap." She walked off as if she didn't drop a bomb right on Star's lap.
"I… What?!" She hissed, glaring darkly at Marco. "You think everyone here was a jerk to you… Because I didn't like you anymore?!" Marco started backing away, but stopped, clenching his fists into angered balls.
"No. What angered me, was how you never had my back until recently." He took a deep breath, silently cursing himself. "When I returned, it was on the idea of still having a place in your life. As your best friend. But you wanted me gone. I get it, I hurt you being with Jackie but I always made time for you!" He threw his arms in the air, letting his tone get louder. "Looking for the spellbook, asking if you were okay after the concert, us trying to talk things out after Song Day. I always tried being a good friend when dating Jackie. But your response when Jackie broke up with me?" Star said nothing, just continuing her dark glare. "Just an 'Oh, that sucks'. And I didn't really find out about you and Tom UNTIL I saw you two being all lovey-dovey at Lava Lake." Marco clenched his fists, feeling his teeth grit together. "And what about just hours ago, huh? You were hugging and holding me like I was your boyfriend! Not to mention flirting with me after that whole sleep portal thing. Just... What do you want from me?!"
"Well excuse me! You expected me to lay out the welcome mat after you crushed my heart?!" Star shouted. "I was really hurt and I had to figure something out how to move on. And I did. But you came back and I got all confused again!" She let out hot air, trying to calm down. "And, for the record, I always hug you and stuff like that. That isn't anything new and you know that, Marco.
He took a deep breath out to calm down. 'She isn't wrong about the hugging thing. Again, picked up mixed messages. Stupid Marco, blaming Star for doing something that, is well, her.' Marco folded his arms and glared at Star. "Okay. But who was the one that pushed off the talk all those times?" Marco darkly asked, making Star simmer down. "You. You pushed the talk away. Like everything. You run away from your problems and... That's fine." He took a breath, trying to control the situation again. "I'm sorry for snapping. It's the holidays and we shouldn't even be fighting. And it's your dang birthday, so I'm being a real jerk now. Just… Just have fun, okay?" Marco started walking off, shoving hands within his hoodie. But he was stopped by an iron grip from Star.
"You like me, don't you." She ordered an answer, not asked. Everyone in the room was silent, but Janna and Starfan. The former was laughing and munching on popcorn, while the latter had engaged eyes. Kelly just marched between Star and Marco, pushing the former back.
"Just leave him alone." Kelly stood by Marco's side, rubbing his shaking back. "You have Tom now. Just… Let him have…" Marco held out his hand, silencing Kelly.
"You want an answer?" Marco asked softly, getting everyone's attention, including Tom. "Well, here you go. Yes, I DO like you. But clearly, you don't care." He just marched off, letting his rage push him onward. A loud door slam was heard, making a yellow star balloon pop. The room was deathly silent, with Star looking at everything once more.
"Dang girl. That was, like, heated." Pony Head tried to joke but it fell on deaf ears. Star just had watery eyes locked on the door Marco slammed shut. "…Girl? You need… To like, talk about anything?"
"N-No." She said with anger. "I'm going to enjoy this party." She marched over to the table, sitting down and taking a piece of cake. "I can be happy without him. I was all this time." She just ate the cake in angered sadness. Pony Head hovered toward her, joining Starfan and Janna sitting next to Star. Tom and Kelly looked at one another before walking toward the door.
Marco walked outside the castle, sitting on some steps. He shivered from the cold but his anger kept him warm. Watching the snow slowly dance in the air, he just blankly watched the dancing snowflakes. "It feels… Like all my memories of Star just keep hurting me. Everyone just thinks I'm okay with things… But I'm just, not. I can't deal with this stress all the time. Not when I am so dang confused." He hugged himself, letting some tears come down.
"I… I love Star." He admits aloud, looking at a snowflake. It lands on his hand and, for a moment, sees himself and Star dancing before the flake melts into liquid. "But… she stopped loving me back." Dropping his hand, he felt the cool wind blush against his shoulders.
"Fighting those battles… Across dimensions and against that lizard…" He closed his eyes, recalling bitter memories of Toffee and Ludo attacking them. "We made one heck of a team. But…" The wind blew faster, matching the frantic beating of his heart. He took off his hood, letting the cold overtake his senses.
"Is it even worth all this fighting? Living here with someone that just… Keeps hurting me, even if she doesn't mean too? I was such a jerk before, fighting like that." Marco bites his lip, feeling rage come over him. "I never fight with her like that. The only time it was that bad, was over a stupid sandwich." He sighed, shoving his hands into red hoodie pockets.
"We used to be super close too, so I don't know why it got this way. It's just not... Right." Marco stood tall, clenching his fists feeling something take over. "I'm breaking this, anger and sadness. I'm not letting my feelings cloud my actions any longer." He let a small smile grace his face, feeling tense shoulders finally relax.
The blue and white Mewni skies had a brighter sheen, a small red orb trying to come through the storm happening right now. "I have clarity, I don't need to scream my emotions anymore." He flexed his knuckles and felt a wide grin dance across his face.
Marco heard mock clapping behind him, turning around seeing Tom fold his arms, leaning on the wall. 'Damn… Marco really has a tight lid on his heart. Must have felt good venting all that.' He got off the wall, giving Marco a small grin.
Joining him was Kelly, who just tackled Marco into a hug. "Look, it's okay to like someone that doesn't feel the same way. It's… A feeling that is horrible. But you deal with it over time." She tightened her hug, trying to share her warmth. Marco rubbed her back, feeling her soft green hair calm his nerves.
Tom came up, putting a hand on Marco's shoulder. "Dude… I didn't know you felt that way about Starship. I… I would have thought twice before…" Marco let go of Kelly and looked directly into Tom's face. "I'm sorry, Marco."
"I'm… I'm not okay with how all this played out. But… I am happy you two are together. Just seeing her happy at Lava Lake made whatever heartache I felt worth it. It hurts, man it does. But you are happy too, right?" Marco asked brightly but Tom heard the cracks in his voice.
"Yeah… But not happy with my bro being so broken up about this." He patted Marco's shoulders, taking a deep breath. "I think you and Star need to talk about this some more. She's… Really upset inside."
Marco felt the cold Mewni snow coat himself, feeling frown grow on his face. "But… This is Star's birthday. She should have a nice time, not have a stupid fight." He sighed, throwing up his hood. "It's freezing out here…"
"Eh, don't feel a thing," Tom comments, earning a chuckle from Marco. "Say I'm a demon and you will get a fireball to the face, man."
"Well, Marco IS right." Kelly's hair talks, with Tad jumping off and sitting on Marco's head. "He's kinda donked it all up in there. Stop being the pro of being miserable, man." Kelly rubbed her head, feeling something on top of it. It was a letter and check. "Yeah, figured out where to go now. Kells', sorry for being a pest. We can both move on now."
She smiled, giving Tad a warm smile. "Thanks… So I didn't have to sick Marco on you after all." Marco just laughed at the comment, with Tom and Tad joining him.
"You know what? I feel better guys. Thanks." He gave a heartfelt smile, which Tom and Kelly shot back. The four went back inside, unaware of seeing a large tree stump slowly moving away from the castle gate.
Star sighed, eating some colorful cupcakes across from her. "Uh… You are going to get sick eating that much." Janna comments, munching on a cupcake herself. "This is good stuff. The filling is sweet."
"Yeah… It tastes great." She frowned, putting her food down. "Why did we fight like that?! I mean… Things have been tense between us the past few weeks, but we never fought like that before…" Pony Head scoffed, earning a raised eyebrow from Star.
"Girl. You were, like, too messed up on that boy. But you could still be like, in love with him." Pony Head hovered around Star in orbit. "You were just, waaaay too weird." Star folded her arms, puffing her cheeks.
"You told me to throw his hoodie out! I mean…" Star noticed the blank expressions from her friends, sighing in defeat. "I don't know anymore. I… I just want things normal again." Janna patted Star's back, giving a smirk.
"When Marco wants something, the dork fights for it." Janna gets up and walks toward a large stump. "Uh, what's this thing? Seems sick and spooky." Star and Pony Head went toward her, surrounding the stump. Janna tried touching it but Star slapped her hand away.
"Don't touch that! It's the all mighty stump. When you anger it, oh things go BAD. That's why my family never celebrates my birthday on its date." She glared at the stump, folding her arms. "That guy is such a jerk. Making me miss ma B-Day."
"So why were you so pissed at Marco then?" Janna asks seriously, earning a confused look from Star. "Okay, outside of the teen drama show." Star raised her finger but was cut off by Pony Head.
"That's some freaky wood thing, girl. B-Fly hates it." Star waved her hands to quiet Pony Head but she continued speaking. "Yo! Stump turd. Get the horn." She shot some light magic at the object, sending it flying. Star screamed in panic, rushing to catch the stump before it collided with the fireplace. She cast a pink bubble around it and placed the stump neatly in a corner.
"You two. Don't. Touch. It." Star ordered, having a stern expression. Janna just shrugged her shoulders and started wandering around. Pony Head just hovered around Star, making a sassy 'mhmm' sound. "Pony? What are you…"
"Girl, we are like, kicking the crud out of that wood. Let's punch it!" Star just laughed, hugging Pony Head. She just nuzzled her mane into Star's shoulders. "Girl… I'm sorry for like, not being there 100% for your love life. My advice is normally totes fire." Star just smiled, hugging her tighter.
"It's cool." They let go and see a group come back into the room. Star stands up, fixing her outfit somewhat and standing upright. Marco slowly picks his head up as he enters, seeing Star have a weak smile.
Marco felt his chest tighten, as he got closer to Star. 'This shouldn't be so hard, she's your best friend man. Just… Say sorry for being a jerk.' After what felt like hours, which was only a few seconds, the two meet face to face. He opened his mouth but nothing came out, just sighing and locking his eyes on snow-covered feet.
Star felt similar, looking around hoping for some answer. 'Come on! Yeah, things are confused but just talk to him.' She just bounced in place somewhat, having a girly expression. "Hey, Marco! Uh… I'm not mad at you."
"R-Really?" Marco asked dumbfounded. "I… I yelled at you. Made things… Weird with our friendship now. I'm sorry…" Star just sighed, hugging Marco tight. He hugged back unsurely, feeling tense.
"Look buddy. I kinda did the same thing when you were with Jackie." Star admitted, biting her lip. "I… I'm not sure how I feel right now, about… You." She let go and looked right into Marco's eyes, feeling sadness and longing within them. "We both have a lot to sort out, so for now…"
"I… I get it," Marco said deflated, putting on a weak smile. "Just glad we are still friends and stuff." He held out his fist, which Star shook. "Did you… Uh, enjoy the cake and stuff? Not good at baking, so got the Princesses at Saint O's to help me make it. The cupcakes I actually tried making myself. Hope they turned out okay." Star just smiled, feeling the earnestly emanating from Marco.
"Why don't you try them yourself?" Star took Marco's arm and dragged him to the table. She practically shoved a piece of cake into Marco's mouth, making the duo enter a laughing fit. Tom and Kelly watched from the distance, feeling some joy coming from them. The former though bit his lip, sighing about a thought.
'So… Starship and I are going to run short, huh? Well… Let's see how things play out. At least Marco fessed up and they can be okay now.' Kelly gave him a sympathetic look, patting his shoulder. He smiled back and the two meet up with Star & Marco.
After stuffing their faces with sweets for a good five minutes, Star and Marco were smiling brightly at their friends. Everyone sitting around the table, Marco felt something in his pocket ring. "Oh, another surprise got ready!" Marco shouted with excitement, taking out his scissors. "Tom, you do the thing we talked about." The two friends shared a knowing smirk as Marco hopped in a blue vortex.
"So…" Tom snapped his fingers, making a small fireball appear in his hand. "I got fireworks, primed and ready." Star raised an eyebrow, making Tom snicker. "It's nothing like you've seen before Starship. Now…" He let his inner rage take over, chucking the fireball into the air. It morphed into a bright yellow star, slowly blowing up into smaller stars of various colors. Reds, blues, whites, purples; colors brightly shined over the table as Star looked in pure awe. Janna couldn't help but smirk at the demon though, feeling her own heart beat a bit faster.
The stars slowly fizzled out, but one, with Tom throwing another fireball at it. It morphed into a bright red heart, which split into two pieces as it vanished after growing quite large. Tom hovered back down, panting somewhat after using the magic. "Wow…" Star and Janna said in unison. Kelly just smiled, recalling something similar from the SoulRise happening. Tad and Starfan were just shouting at how 'cool' and 'sick' it looked.
A blue vortex appeared, with Marco coming out with five pizza boxes, a tray of nachos and a small box. Placing everything but the rainbow packaged box on the table, he patted Tom's back. "Great work bro." He passed Tom a soda, which he chugged down quick. "Hope that gets some magic back. Right brand from the underworld, right?"
Tom whipped his mouth. "Yeah, that took a bit out of me." He and Marco noticed Star's bright smile, both feeling their hearts warm up. "Knew you would love it." Star blinked a few times, snapping out of her trance. She looked at the table, smelling cheesy pizza and nacho spices.
"Nachos and Pizza?! Marco…" She just gave a knowing smile, which Marco just shrugged at. He passed some festive plates around the table, with everyone getting the pizza of their choosing. "Super late to eat this, but thanks!"
"Went to my favorite joint?" Tad asked as he took a slice, which Marco nodded at. "Good choice. Best pizza in the business."
"Better than fighting that pizza place again." Pony Head and Marco shared a scared look, shaking their heads in unison. Taking a slice, Marco took a bite. "Got the game ready Pony?" She made sly smile, spitting out a cube. "We are not playing that game again." She sighed, blasting the cube into the fireplace. "Sorry but that caused a lot of trouble last time."
"To in control turd. This wild girl loooves some chaos." Janna just grinned at Pony's comment, with Kelly and Star laughing. "How about, like, we praise the stump and crud." Star clapped her hands, using her magic to bring the stump over to them.
"Yeah! We can celebrate my birthday without the stump killing us. Why didn't I ever think of that…" Star pondered aloud. Marco just laughed, taking a slice of cake and sitting in front of the stump. "Uh… What are you doing?"
"Well, paying my respects. Read a Mewni history book about this." He coughed, kneeling down and placing a piece of cake near the stump. "Hey, stump dude. Uh… The past few months have been kind of rough for me, but I want to be a better person. I… Did a lot of things wrong with the people I care about. And if you are a real monster like the books said, likely would be dead or something now." He made a nervous laugh, with only the cold winds hitting closed windows. "Look, I promise to be a better friend. To everyone, I care about. Please watch over Star and everyone here, they all believe in you, even if we kinda not saying it aloud." Star just walked over to Marco, kneeling right next to him. "Also, please let Star have her birthday. It sucks having people forget your big day. It sucked when it happened to me recently and…"
"Wait, what?" Star interrupted, looking right into Marco's eyes. "I didn't forget your birthday, that's not for a few weeks." Marco rubbed his arm. "I… I forgot it? And you still…"
"I mean, you sort of know why now." Marco nervously laughed, earning a weak smile from Star. "It's not a huge deal at all. I was just saying it to Stump over…" Marco pointed to the stump but noticed it was gone. Loud crackles were heard, making Marco and Star snap their necks over to Janna and Pony Head. They were hovering near the stump, now burning in the fireplace. "What are you doing?!"
"Just making you shut up. Yesh, get a room you two." Janna blurted out, holding out her hands and rubbing them to stay warm. "Ah, nice and toasty fire." Pony Head nodded in agreement, sighing with relief.
"Yeah B-Fly, it's like, freezing in here." Tom jumped out of his chair, alongside Kelly, Tad, and Starfan. They marched over and glared harshly at the two. "What?"
"If you all were so cold, I could have used my fire powers! Now that thing is on fire and we are going to be screwed!" Tom shouted in rage. Marco and Star rushed over, with the later using magic to pull the stump out. But it turned into a pile of ash. The lights in the room instantly turned off, with only Star's wand and Tom's flames emitting any form of light.
They all heard loud snapping, with roots erupting from the ground. A large stump barged through the door, having carvings of internals oozing orange blood. Large vines soon grabbed Janna, Starfan and Pony Head. While Janna was oddly relaxed, the other two started squirming with panic.
Marco gritted his teeth and pulled out his dimensional scissors. 'Please work… Please work…' The small blade formed into a large sword, which Marco held with both hands. Star and Tom gazed in awe, but Kelly simply smirked. 'Yes! Now, let's try something…' He focused on his inner magic, letting thoughts of Star cloud his mind. Flames slowly coated the blade, making a wide grin form on Marco's face. "Okay guys, I will focus on cutting some of the roots. Star, use magic to keep the Stump busy. Tom, protect Star from the stump's attacks. And Kelly, work on cutting everyone free."
"Who made you the leader here?" Pony Head asked in-between wheezing from Stump's iron-clad grip. Marco just charged ahead, cutting some of the roots. The stump hissed in pain, making Marco smile.
"Since I became Star's squire. Go! Go! Go!" Marco continued slashing away at the roots, skillfully avoiding swipes and jabs from the Stump's assault. Star focused on trying all kinds of spells but for some reason, her more useful ones weren't working. Groaning in annoyance, she tucked her wand away and turned into her golden form, blasting some rays of light at the stump.
Tom hovered right next to Star, shooting streams of hot flames at the stump. "You can turn into a golden bug?!" Star dodged a few blows from the stump, landing another round of blasts. She smirked at Tom, giving him a small jab in the arm.
"I will explain later." Her voice was in a deeper pitch, alarming Tom somewhat. He shook it off and continued shooting the flames but a swipe from a branch knocked him down. Before the stump could grab him, Kelly made a skillful slash with her blade. "Nice one girl!"
Kelly gave a thumbs up and rushed up to Marco. He crouched down, letting Kelly land on his back before giving her a boost. "AHHH!" She shouts while making a horizontal slash, freeing everyone from the stump's grasp. Star catches them with ease, helping them down. Everyone takes a breather for a second before rushing behind a table.
"Good going Marco, the things just more mad at us now," Janna complained, pointing to more roots and branches coating the room. He gave a knowing glare, which Janna didn't even get phased with. "Hey, I was cold. Didn't think that stub would attack us."
"We told you about that though!" Star shouted. "Ugh… Well, what do we do, Marco?" Tom blinked at her mentioning his name, looking at him intently. Marco rubbed his chin, trying to think of a plan.
'The stump seems to have regeneration powers, so us mindlessly attacking is pointless. Mmm… I remember reading about how it likes blood offerings.' Marco sighed, reaching over and grabbing a cup from the table. 'This better work…' He reverted his scissors into a normal dagger-like form, making a light stab in his arm.
"MARCO! What are you doing?! You are going to…" Marco didn't even look up, letting the blood drip into the cup. After one minute of letting the pain radiate through his body, the cup was filled halfway. Ripping off a sleeve of his hoodie, Marco tired it around the bleeding arm.
"You heal me later, okay?" Marco didn't look up, but his voice was calm and collected. Star nodded, only focusing on him. He jumped over the table and as the stump launched another round of attacks, Marco held out the cup. It stopped, inches away from his face. "Hey, uh… Sorry for attacking you. Like blood offerings, right?" He placed the cup down gently, with a root slowly sucking the cup dry. Marco painted, falling to his knees. "You leaving now? Gave you what you want."
The stump vanished out of thin air, the lights returning around the room. Marco felt a small smile grace his face before he passed out cold, only sounds of Star, Kelly, and Tom rushing to his side ringing loudly.
Star felt everything spinning, seeing Marco passed out cold on the ground. "No... You aren't leaving me like that you dumb jerk! Throwing me a party and dying on me is not a present I want." She focused on various healing spells but nothing seemed to be working, Marco's wound still oozing blood. Tom put a hand on Star's shoulder, having a knowing look. She backed away and he cracked his fingers. Holding out both hands, Tom made demonic chants as his eyes turned a shade of pure red. Red and White fire slowly covered Marco's wound, ending the bleeding. "Wow... How did you do that?"
Tom took a deep breath, feeling winded from using such intense magic. "A... Demonic healing spell, have to let go of one my inner 'demons' to cast it. Got a lot of the little guys inside me, so that didn't..." He fell to his knee, coughing a bit. "Yeah, packs a punch." Star just gave a somber smile to Tom, kissing his cheek. "Thanks, Starship. But keep focusing on this." He put his thumb on Star's head, flowing some of his own magic into her. "This is a weaker version of my spell. So, use it on Diaz until he wakes up."
"Why are you, like helping?" Pony Head spoke, hovering around Marco and throwing a blanket over him. "Turd cut himself to like, save us all." Tom raised an eyebrow as if he answered her question already. "But he might take your girl." Star huffed hot air, ready to shout at Pony but Tom simply held up his hand.
"Marco is my friend. Whatever happens, well, happens." He glares at Marco, lightly punching his healthy arm. "But this jerk better not hurt himself like that again. People care about him." Tom got up, getting supported by Kelly and Janna. "Thanks guys. Can you guide me to the pizzas? Starving here."
"Sure thing hot stuff." Janna slyly comments, the two exchanging a joyful smile. As they walked off to get some food, Kelly and Starfan just sat next to Star, offering their support. Tad even hopped off Kelly's head, giving Marco a weak smile. The group stayed together and made casual conversation, until Kelly pulled Star aside, having a serious expression.
"Um... What are you going to do, about, well..." She rubbed her neck, causing Star to look away. "I get it, his confession before was a huge bomb. But you can't just shoot him down. Not when he's trying so hard to help you." Star just folded her arms, glaring back.
"You think I would reject my bestie?" Star asks, with Kelly nodding. "W-Why? I made things odd between us since Song Day. And... Well, he's right. I always wanted to avoid the talk. But I ran into Tom's arms so easily..." She sighed, playing with the ball on her Santa hat. "What do you think I should do here, Kelly?"
Kelly just gave a smile, putting a hand on Star's shoulder. "Just let things play out. But promise me this; don't hurt him again." She let go, having a more playful expression. "While his heart belongs to you fully, doesn't mean others don't want him." She walked off, fixing her glasses. Star just pondered her friend's comments, letting a smile grace her own face.
"I know what to do." She walked after Kelly and resumed watching over Marco, using the spell Tom taught her. Her thoughts were only focused on Marco, unaware of both her own heart marks glowing and Marco's face forming a content smile.
Marco felt light-headed, slowly opening his eyes. Looking around, he was still in the party room, but just with Star watching him. "Star? What…" He winced at the pain, seeing a deep stain on his right arm. "Oh, that." She didn't even look in his eyes, focusing her magic on the wound.
"That was dumb. And stupid. But mostly dumb. Why?" Star asked harshly, the tone striking Marco's heart. "You could have died, stabbing yourself like that." He tried to sit up but Star pinned him down. "Oh, you aren't getting up yet buster."
"Because… That was the only way to please the stump, to help it leave." Star frowned, having somber blue eyes. "Sorry, your birthday was filled with drama and violence… Though normally adventures pan out better."
"Yeah…" Star released weak laugh. "Don't harm yourself like that again, you hear me?" Marco nodded, trying to get up now. Star released her grip on Marco, noticing his arm stop bleeding. "Looks like the healing spell worked."
"Well, it's a demonic healing one." Tom threw his arm around Marco, helping him up. "Used it when Diaz here chopped my hand clean off." He rolled up his sleeve, showing the scars.
"Still never going to live me down on that, huh?" Marco joked, earning a laugh from Tom. Looking around, he noticed Janna and Starfan gone. "Uh… Where did they go?"
"After Mom checked everyone, she made portals for everyone to head home. You've been sleeping for the past few hours." Star answered, rubbing her neck. "Though Dad was really impressed you used your own blood to ward off the stump. Mom was surprised to hear that though…"
Marco made a sheepish laugh, letting go of Tom and standing on his own. "When you spend years in Hekapoo's dimension, you learn a thing or two about creatures." Tom raised an eyebrow at the comment, earning a hand wave from Marco. "Either way, sorry for all the trouble. Just wanted to make your day special, Star."
Tom and Star exchanged a knowing look before he turned toward Marco. "I think I need to head back bro. But, don't go all Rambo on us again." He made a fire portal, waving goodbye to Star and Marco. Once Tom left, Star embraced Marco in a warming hug.
"Thank you for everything, Marco. Even if it was messy, I had a great birthday. And now that the stump is gone and you are all patched up, we can celebrate both our b-days!" Marco hugged back, sighing contently at the warmth Star gave off.
"Yeah… That sounds great." They let go and he looked at the table. A large rainbow cake was still present. Marco walked toward it, cutting two pieces for himself and Star. Passing her a plate, he made a mock bow. "For you, milady."
She giggled, making a mock bow herself. "And for you, good sir." Star shoved a piece of cake into Marco's mouth. He swallowed it and smiled at the taste. "Oh, and I got a gift for you. But close your eyes." Marco raised an eyebrow, but Star just puffed her cheeks annoyed. "Just listen to me, Marco."
"Okay…" He closed them and felt something warm on his cheek. Opening them, he touched it, lightning coursing through his system. Looking at Star's blushing face, she just walked to the table and resumed eating her cake. Marco shook his head and smiled like an idiot, rushing next to Star and eating cake himself.