Marco drew his sword, careful not to let it reflect any of the light from the torches. This particular corridor made him nervous, because it was unusually empty. Marco knew that if he were to take over a castle, he would want it fully manned, with guards at every corner. This was not the case here. There were no monsters to be seen. Gradually, his confidence grew and he decided that it was safe to walk out in the open. It was only then that he noticed the ancient tapestries that lined the walls. Strangely, none of them were ripped or vandalized. It seemed that Toffee had some decency after all. Further and further into the castle he went, following the stately Queens through the ages. Occasionally, there was a face he recognized, like Queen Saturn The Benevolent, who created cornbread, or the first queen, Nebula The Great, who cut the Mewnian Knot and drove the monsters from Mewnie. But for the most part, they were nameless and forgotten, just another Queen who had a daughter then died. The hallway wound on, eventually depositing him in front of a huge door. Mounted above it was a picture of Star and her parents. The princess was standing on her dad's shoulders, which allowed her to reach over and give her exasperated mother bunny ears. He laughed quietly. One of these things was not like the others. Marco shook his head. Star was unique, that's for sure. He placed both hands on the door and heaved it open.

The room was a crypt. Not in the literal sense, but it felt like one. A draft blew up from the bricks, seeping through the ruined rug and chilling his feet. Torches lay on the floor, their flames snuffed by the blackness around them. In front of him, two green circles materialized, and the door at his back slammed shut. Fear flowed through his veins, freezing him to the spot. His only escape was closed off. The orbs made their way to the back of the room and drew open a curtain, revealing what should have been a beautiful stained glass mosaic, had it not been transformed into a giant spade. The room was now dimly lit by the grey light that filtered in through the tainted window. Toffee stood in front of the spade, facing away from Marco.

"Like what I've done with the place?" he asked, still turned away.

Marco shook his head, only to realize that the lizard couldn't see him.

"The spade was the symbol of Queen Eclipsa, who fell in love with a monster and gave up the throne." Toffee continued. "Eventually, Mewman knights found her and put her to death. She was executed on Mewnipendance Day by your great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Ubaldo Diaz." Marco was stunned speechless. "Surprise!" Toffee turned around and approached the shell-shocked boy. "They don't teach you that in your classes, do they? No, they want to make sure that their record is clean." He put a finger under Marco's chin and lifted it so that he was looking straight into his eyes. "I can offer you a chance to make that right. Join me, Marco. We can undo centuries of damage."

Marco snarled up at Toffee, then shoved his sword clear through the reptilian arm.

"I won't help you." The lizard regarded the blade with undiluted hatred.

"What?"

"I said I won't help you!" Marco shouted, yanking the sword from the already healing flesh. "I made a promise to the King and Queen, and I don't like breaking promises!" He swatted the cold hand away and made for the exit. Toffee once again assumed his position by the window. Just as the knight was about to leave the room, he spoke.

"Marco," Marco turned toward his voice. "You really should wear your helmet." Toffee unleashed a blast of green energy, and, before Marco could scream, the magic was in his head. Phantom claws dug through his memories, his personality, every decision he had made since the day he was born. Then the energy spiderwebbed through his entire body, infiltrating his lungs and heart, planting green seeds everywhere it stopped. The entire ordeal lasted no longer than it took to blink. Toffee had one last smile before both he and Marco crumpled to the ground.

"Okay, so I'm gonna slide this knife under the door, then you have to cut away the silk. If you do that, the rest's a breeze."

Janna was crouching outside the Queen's cell. After searching the vast dungeons of Castle Butterfly for an eternity, she had found Moon in a big, obvious cell that she had initially ignored on account of it being, well, big and obvious. Janna pushed the dagger underneath the door, hoping to corn that it stopped within reach of the Queen. Fortunately, it did. Moon flipped the blade into her hands with the toe of her boot and hacked at the offending spider webs. They floated to the ground like feathers.

"I'm free, Miss…" Janna panicked. She had been an outlaw for years, and Moon had been relentlessly pursuing her all that time. Giving her real name would be a one-way ticket to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred crowns.

"Carter. Jenna Carter." It was an old alias from way back when that she was resurrecting from the graveyard for this special occasion.

"Okay, Miss Carter. Step back. This magic is explosive." Moon waved her hands, and the door splintered into nothing. The Queen stumbled out of the room and collapsed into an exhausted heap on the floor. Janna offered her hand, but she refused it, instead using the wall to pull herself upright. The thief motioned for Moon to follow, and she did, supporting herself with the wall until she had regained strength enough to walk. After another eternity of cell blocks and twisting passages, they, at last, emerged from the dank underbelly of the castle and into the hall where Janna had left Marco's company hours earlier.

"Alright, your highness. You sit here and take a breather. I've got something I need to do." The Queen sat down obediently, and Janna took it as her cue to leave. She sprinted down the corridor without any attempt to be quiet. There wouldn't be any guards. The entire inside of the castle was unoccupied, except for the cell that had held Moon. Janna didn't bother to wonder why. The absence of soldiers made her job much easier, and that was all she needed to know. It only took a few minutes to reach the door that Marco had entered. Bracing herself for whatever was waiting inside, she opened the door. A beam of light sliced into the room, illuminating a pile of black- Oh dear corn- armor. Janna rushed over to the limp body and fumbled with the fasteners that held the chest piece on. Sweat slicked her hands. Don't be dead don't be dead don't be dead… The chestplate fell away, and she was relieved to hear a stuttering heartbeat through Marco's tunic. Phew. Dodged a bullet there. She checked his breathing next, and this proved to be less comforting. His breaths were shallow and quick, sometimes interrupted by a fit of coughing. This concerned her. She needed to get him to the Cloud Kingdom. Fast.

Tom hated water with a passion. It was just so...wet. Ice was even worse. It was wet and cold. So one could imagine that the chilly night air of the Cloud Kingdom felt like a gift when he finally broke free from his prison. His luck didn't last long though. A glowing horn pierced the inky darkness and slammed into his gut, knocking him to the ground.

"What. Did. You. DO?" Princess Ponyhead floated over him, acting as menacingly as you can when you're a floating horse. Tom smiled uncertainly, not knowing why he was being attacked by a disembodied unicorn at nine at night.

"I... don't know. What did I do?" If she had hands, Ponyhead would have slapped him.

"My dad's maze is destroyed, you're dripping wet, Star's bawling in her room, and you don't know what happened. Sounds suspicious." Blue magic coiled around her horn, ready to deliver the wrath of Ponyhead to the demon prince at a moment's notice.

"Whoa, woah, woah. Let's be reasonable here! I'll go apologize to Star for whatever I did, and you don't kill me, alright?" Tom scurried to the base of Star's tower and smoothed his hair. For extra measure, he pulled the rose off of his suit jacket and lit it on fire. It was just a stupid parlor trick, but Mewmans of the female variety always loved it. Sticking the burning flower between his teeth, he took a deep breath and began ascending the castle wall. He was, as the saying goes, out of the frying pan and into the fire.

The ballroom was loud and crowded, full of people talking and dancing, all in celebration of the Passing of the Wand. Prospective partners straightened ties and waved away nagging parents, eagerly awaiting their turn to dance with the beautiful Star Butterfly. The aforementioned princess was seated on a futon in a back room, panicking. She was entirely out of her element. Royalty were like a different species to her, despite being the crown princess of Mewnie. She would much rather have been out monster hunting with Ponyhead or partying at the Bounce Lounge, but she knew that this was her duty, and, more importantly, that her mother would send her to that school if she made a run for it. Seeing no other choice, Star forced herself to calm down and take the few steps to the door. Her father met her there, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. In times like this, her dad was her rock, and she loved him for it. Together, they walked to the balcony overlooking the Silver Bell Ballroom and seated themselves besides Queen Moon. Once they had settled in, the Queen rose and cleared her throat. All noise in the room ceased.

"People of Mewnie and lands beyond," she began, " we have gathered here today in celebration of the Passing of the Wand, a ceremony that is as old as the kingdom itself." She was met with polite applause. "Today, my daughter will dance among you on her first day as the official Heir to the throne. Let the Ball of Beginnings commence!"

Moon took her daughter's hand and led her down to the dance floor. She leaned close to Star's ear.

"Star, I expect that you act like a proper young lady today. No shenanigans, do you hear me?" Star nodded. This was her last chance to avoid St. Olgas. If she Starred things up tonight, she would be shipped out the following morning.

" 'Kay Mom." Star breathed in, then exhaled. It was this or nothing.

The ball was slowly killing her. Star was sure of that. Everyone was so….boring. The first few dances had been sort of exciting, but then she had fallen into a rhythm. Greet your partner, dance, forget his name, repeat. Finally, the stream of princes lulled, and she was granted a moment's reprieve. The punch table looked like a safe haven, so she made her way over there. For the first time all night, no one asked to dance with her. Star was in heaven. She had found a quiet alcove and was staring off into space when she felt someone sit down next to her. She pretended to ignore the unwelcome guest, but whoever it was didn't want to be ignored.

"Umm...Princess Star, is it?" She turned her head to find an attractive demon that she had never seen before looking at her. Star rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it is she. Do you wish to dance with me, your demonly-ness?"

The prince- he had to be- laughed at her act.

"No, I was just bored and wanted someone to talk to. My name's Tom Lucitor." Star's eyes widened. Her parents invited a Lucitor to the dance?

"Oh. Okay. Nice to meet you, Tom." He offered his hand, and she shook it. "What brings you to Mewnie?"

"I didn't come here seeking blood or souls if that's what you're thinking. My mom and I were traveling one day when one of your family's couriers gave us the invitation to the Ball. I'm kinda forced to be here, you know? Diplomatic relations and all that."

The two of them hit it off, and before long Star found herself doing something she didn't expect to do.

"Hey, Tom?" She was nervous. This was the first time she had ever asked someone to dance. "Have you changed your mind about dancing with me?"

The demon smiled.

"Yeah. I think I have."

By this time, the faster dances had ended, and the orchestra was beginning to slow down for the final dance of the night. People had coupled up and the floor was packed. The music began. It was a deep, sweeping tune, rich with the sounds of the double bass and cello. Star placed her hands on Tom's shoulders and the two of them flew across the floor, weaving and spinning as if no one else existed. A warm feeling flickered in Star's heart. What it was, she couldn't say. All too soon, the music stopped and the lights went up. Unfortunately, Tom had to make himself scarce for fear that he would be seen by the ever-watchful Moon Butterfly. But before he left, he placed a piece of paper in Star's hand. It read:

6(666)-666-6667 Call me sometime.

A drop of rain brought Star back to her balcony. That was a long time ago. Tom had changed. Tears fell unbidden from her eyes. He wasn't the kind demon that she had met two years ago at the Ball of Beginnings. He was just a jealous, angry- A pair of crimson eyes popped up in front of her.

"AAAAAGH!" She brought a fist down on the intruder's forehead, but this only caused him to flop forward over the railing of the deck. Now a dazed Tom- wait...why did she think he had brown eyes, they were obviously red- lay sprawled on the bricks, looking wet and cold in his rumpled suit jacket. He picked himself up and retrieved the burnt rose from the bricks, then smiled unconvincingly at Star.

"Hey- I...uh...wanted to stop and say hi-" Star slapped him across the face. He had the nerve to come up here after almost frying her, and all he said was 'hi'?

"HI? YOU ALMOST KILLED ME AND YOU SAY HI?"

Tom held his tender cheek in his hand and tried not to get mad. He had obviously hurt her, and getting angry now wouldn't help.

"Look, I'm sorry for what happened at the maze. I really didn't mean it." By now he had put together enough context to guess at what happened. He had flown off the handle and torched the maze, then Star froze him. It didn't take a genius to figure it out.

Star calmed down. Everyone got angry, right? Heck, she had just slapped him. This was nothing to worry about, just a little...misunderstanding.

"It's okay, Tom. You just got a little mad. I get it." Tom was relieved. He needed Star, and losing her would be hard. He handed her the rose.

"Thanks, Star. You mean a lot to me, you know." Tom swung his foot over the railing and descended. And not a moment too soon, either. The door to Star's room crashed open, revealing a panting Janna.

"Marco's...back...you need to...come with me." Star furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Why? Did something happen?"

"Yeah. He...he...Toffee got him."

The rose fell from Star's hand and crumbled into ash.

"Why did you give him the Blackblade, Moon? You know he will not kill monsters." Raphael Diaz and Moon Butterfly were seated next to Marco's bed in the infirmary. His armor was in a heap beside them, the only thing not with the garb was the sword, which rested in Moon's hands.

"Honestly, Rafael. You really should be asking whether he's alright or not. Besides, I prefer the Kingsblade. Blackblade carries too much...history."

"My apologies."

Moon sighed.

"I gave it to him because Glossaryck said, in no uncertain terms, to give it to him."

"His ridiculous honor code will prevent him from destroying The Lizard. Give it to someone else."

"Do not tell me how to manage my possessions. Your son is destined to have it, whether you approve or not."

Raphael looked resigned.

"As you wish."

He stood and made to leave, but then turned around and leaned over the bed. Gently, he ruffled his son's hair. Guilt crept into his dark brown eyes.

"I love you, my son, as much as you and I disagree. I hope that you know that." And with that, he left Moon to watch over his ailing child.