Forgotten Fates

Ch. 1

What We've Lost

~Lost highway : Hank Williams~

"I'm a rollin stooooone, all alone and lost,

For a life of siiiin, I have paaaid the cooooost.

When I pass byyyeeeeee, all the folks will saaay…

There goes another boooyyyy down the lost highwayyy…"

As that broken, soulful music droned throughout the Princesses bedroom, the early hours of twilight began to set in. A darkness had taken residence over Mewni, one that had been beaten back, but still left its poisoned smoke in the air. The people that had once been at the forefront of the country, now shambled about in a destitute lull. They had lost such things as loved ones, their homes, their security… and what have broken people left to lose besides the very future they run towards. But not everyone in Mewni was looking to the future, or even held their eyes narrowed to the present. Some chose to seek comfort in the past, a place before the disaster known as Vartek had struck. Some couldn't let go yet, and remained blind to their future.

"Just a deck of caaaards, and a jug of wine…

And a woman's liiiieees makes a life like miine.

Oh, the day we meeeeeet, I weeeent astray…

I started rolling dooooown that lost highwaaay."

Star hugged her pillow to her chest as she sat alone in the dark, the comfort of her own room doing little to brighten her spirits. She'd been back on Mewni for months now, having taken everything she could from her time on Earth, and yet, she still craved everything it had to offer. She sat there, staring down at a small collection of photographs, mementos and souvenirs from her travels with… with him. They didn't really help, though, more like helped her forget where she was and who she was without. It was a hollow feeling, and she still felt empty. But they brought a certain closeness to him despite it, the best she could reasonably hope for, given the circumstances.

She sat on her bed listening to Earth music, though not the particularly upbeat variety. It was hard to browse her usual tracks when she was subject to quiet time: a few hours, every Thursday, reserved for her, and him. No one else to intrude on their alone time, it was still in the later hours of the day. Punctually she reserved her evening once a week, and no one in the castle ever voiced an argument. At least not openly anyway.

In front of her were booth photographs she'd collected, momentos, trinkets and artifacts from Vintal, even small bits of gold; the first paycheck they'd ever gotten as mercenaries, a quiet job finding a boy's missing dog. A dragon tooth, the feathers of a Phoenix; yeah, their jobs had certainly been upgraded as the years had gone by.

Star let out a shaky sigh, relaxing in her privacy with the music as she glanced at her collection. There were a few candy wrappers they'd written love notes on when they went to the movies, though they were supposed to be writing critiques of the performance. Naturally, it didn't take long before they ditched the plan devolved into scrawling enough juicy heartache to make even Shakespeare blush.

Photos taken from the most distant corners of the universe sat atop an old pair of antlers from their time in Hekapoos dimension. Star could still remember the overwhelming joy that came with seeing him again after ten years spent alone. She'd even take him as he was then, a blank Marco that was still… alive.

His pair of scissors, recovered from the battlefield some days after the searches for survivors began...

The receipt from their very first dinner date at Tapas Flavors.

A picture of everyone at the dreaded sleepover.

A long wilted flower she wore at the disaster school dance. Truly they needed some more dates that didn't involve hijinks.

But above all, Star knew she'd always chase the same momento; the same memory: a simple red hoodie worn for the twentieth time, pulled low to cover her face. It still smelled like him, somewhat, but after six months alone, even the reek of sweat was beginning to fade. She'd eventually have to go for one of the other little knick knacks of her travels with him, and let the hoodie rest at last.

Eventually.

Star slumped back on her bed, the droning music all but putting her to sleep. It was calming, and it felt good to know that someone on Earth felt the way she did. Of course, Mewni was in no shortage of that same suffering and heartache in the long months since the calamity that had befallen the kingdom. Chief among those that shouldered such heartache, was a very new addition no one had foreseen.

Her arrival had taken the survivors by storm, and far more so for the Queen. There had been no precedent for revival, much less time travel, and a magic user no less. People wanted that kind of revival for their loved ones, not that they could understand what cost it would entail.

But she did. She was the living embodiment of the magic and fury that had razed the land. And Merina was one of the few people in Mewni who could best share a similar pain to Star, if not greater. In the months since that terrible day, she was the one who carried sole responsibility for what had happened.

Not many Mewmans understood magic, outside of the fact their Queen and Princess used it regularly. But those in power made the situation and how it transpired clear and accessible for all to understand. It was through Merina's magic that Vartek had taken over the kingdom and stolen so many lives- the High Commission confirmed it, not that she had ever tried to refuse.

They had every bit of proof to give after they'd been collected, reignited, pulled from the furthest reaches of spacetime, and unfrozen. With Varteks influence gone, it didn't take long for Moon to wrangle them all together for a trial, and to study what they could. They compared Merinas magic to the abundant traces of corruption left behind, and the results were absolute: her magic was indeed the source. Though, half of the High Commission chose not to waste their valuable time on blame and hypothesis. There was much to be done, and those who desperately needed them.

Omnitraxus quickly went about mending the tears magic had pulled, while Lekmet spent weeks on end reverting those poor souls who could not return, his own body and soul taxed heavily with every procedure. And even so, many were left begging and pleading for him to do the same for their loved ones. Despite the thousands that had changed back, hundreds of Turned were still missing about the lands of Mewni, their bodies frozen in their monstrous forms. Families could either assume their loved ones were still out there, under a dead magician's influence, or worse…

Yes, it was easy to pin the blame on Merina for what her husband had done, and there was no shortage of those with bitter hearts in the kingdom. From the highest echelon of the Butterfly Castle, down to the lowliest of peasants, no one was above wearing their emotions on their sleeves.

It reminded Star too eerily of Eclipsa's trial, in the original timeline. Here was a woman who had good reason to defend herself, to refuse such blasphemous stigma, and to deny her involvement in the ordeal. Hell, she had more justification than Eclipsa did, but much like Eclipsa, she just shouldered it. So Star found that time and time again, she had to take it upon herself to help when things got out of hand. Reduced sentences, lighter punishments, breaks during trials, pizza Fridays; anything to slow the crooked finger pointing at the woman out of time.

But Merina shouldered the accusations and resentment, and at her request, she was allowed to apologize personally to each and every family that had been affected. For over a month she did what she could to make peace with those families, not that many of them believed her kind words. And in the end, after four months of imprisonment, she was finally judged to be only partially responsible and sentenced to five years community service.

Her task? To find every missing Turned in the land of Mewni, and bring them back.

Four months to grieve her husband's death and the loss of her old life. Four months slogging through rigid opposition and anger, with the promise of much more in the form of bitter resentment from the Mewmans.

All alone.

But that was two months ago.

Now, Merina was said to be out cutting negotiations and treaties with the Monsters, setting grounds, appeasing Mewmans, basically everything Eclipsa was supposed to do in the other timeline. Except she was good at it.

She had again stood trial for her husband, this time The Council of Monsters finding her innocent- of course- of his crimes. She hadn't assisted him, and according to Princess Star she hadn't even been technically alive during the ordeal. This alone was enough to confuse and amaze until the situation was explained. But in the end they decided that regardless of where she came from, or how much of it was actually true, she couldn't be held accountable for Vartek's actions.

So she was allowed to go free on the grounds that she sought to right his wrongs. Though, there were rumors that the Council only did that in the hopes of convincing her to join the Monsters, should Mewni decide to retaliate for the Seprarians actions.

And when she wasn't out trying to fix the damage Vartek had done or fruitlessly trying to mend the wounds of the land, she was… well, she was admittedly pretty much like Star. It was rumored that she would hide somewhere new from time to time, traveling Mewni for days just to get away, or maybe see the sights of her home, before it was her home.

It was, admittedly, frustrating to see her wandering about when her name was being dragged through the dirt, but Star couldn't blame her. She was a powerful magic user and could take care of herself, there wasn't much point in trying to lock her up, much less keep her grounded. She was a free spirit, and it's not like she was hurting anyone by roaming.

Which begged the question, 'why am I still doing this…'

She didn't have an answer for her own rhetoric. It had been backbreaking work to restore not only the kingdom, but the Sanctuary to its former glory, and hundreds of Mewmans had turned up to help plant new trees in the Forest of Certain Death. Each one a symbolic offering for the souls of those lost in Varteks rampage.

The funeral service… was bleak. A few hundred soldiers were given commendations for their efforts in stopping the rampage, and a few hundred more were given posthumous medals for their valiance. But above them all was the boy who had stopped a force of nature, the young man who had selflessly given his life for all of Mewni.

Marco was given the posthumous Medal of Sacrifice for his efforts in stopping Vartek. A coveted, though hollow, commendation for any knight capable of the ultimate form of self sacrifice, all for the lives of their people. Marco had put an end to Vartek, and he had paid the ultimate price.

None at the service were louder than his parents. Not his closest friends, nor the friends they'd met along the way, but everyone from all walks of life held a fist high for the now-honorary knight. Mewni had lost a hero they hadn't even known.

There had never been a time in her life when Star had felt so helplessly alone while surrounded by everyone in her kingdom. And as the sobbing cries of Angie and Raphael rang out, it was a nearly physical pain she felt. She knew, in some distant way, she was to blame. She brought Marco into this world, lured him in with adventure, magic and love, and it had killed him. She had given him exactly what he wanted, and for his efforts, he was destroyed.

The gravity of her guilt sat atop her shoulders like an anvil backpack, even though she knew Marco would never have allowed her to take blame. His parents shared the same notion, desperate as their cries were to have their son back. But here, she had to keep face, despite how badly she wished to join them in their sorrows. She had to be strong for her people, to show them that they could move forward despite what they'd lost.

Queen Moon had organized the largest gathering Mewni had seen since the passing of Queen Comet, and it lived up to expectations. Too many had died for a trivial speech before the nobles; everyone was invited to attend a memorial service for those who'd been lost, and those who'd been yet to be found.

Frankly, Star wasn't sure which of those two she was there for.

Marco's family and friends proudly stood with those still searching, but as the months went by, they slowly dwindled in the face of reality, and it became clear to Star that she wasn't one of the Mewmans looking for a Turned.

She wasn't one of her citizens waiting for a lover to come stumbling home from the woods. She wasn't one of those who'd lost everything, simply picking through the wreckage for memories untouched by the flames of wrath. Marco was really gone, and in his last words, Star found she would honor his perception of her. She would see him proven right in the regard that she could achieve the greatness he knew she was capable of.

So after dinners with his parents, and late, quiet nights with their friends? After she carefully mended and apologized and thanked and cried with every relationship they shared together? She resigned herself to her quarters, shook off her guilt and sorrow, and got to work.

Star had been busy attending meetings with the Queen and nobles about every possible detail of the past and future. She was there, working on repairing the capitol, checking in on her citizens, planting food for the hungry. She had been doing her part. Search parties, peace talks, another memorial, planting trees- there was so much to do. There were so many people who relied on her now. It was hard to remember a time when she would simply ignore her duties and goof off.

So that was what her quiet times were for. To remember a lost time in her life, to make sure she still had that piece of herself that belonged to Marco. That piece that wasn't the future Queen of Mewni, but a fun loving girl that still had a happy future. Not that the months leading up to the incident had nurtured her better nature, the future having sapped all of her joy and optimism through the weeks.

But she could find a bit if her old self in isolation,, ironically. After all, she was doing her job. She was keeping face. Star was doing everything Marco knew she could. So… she was allowed to mope for a few hours a week, right?

Where was the harm in sitting by, missing someone when you pulled your weight? What was the consequence for indulging in a few quiet hours a week when you spent every other minute working to rebuild a country?

There was none.

And yet, it still hurt, even six months later. That void still persisted in her chest where Marco had once been, and no amount of Earthly visits, or fun hangouts with friends had helped fill it. Her heart would only accept the whole Marco, not a peice, not a memory, not-

"Not even me?"

Star frantically bolted upright as a voice invaded her thoughts. There was no delay as she convulsed herself out of bed, knocking her momentos to the floor and grabbing her wand, aiming it around the dark room as her record skipped.

"Lost high- lost high- lost high- lost high- lost high-"

She picked off the needle and set it to the side, the room falling into a cacophony of silence as she scanned the dark, her eyes narrowing. She could only hear her own uneasy breathing, and beyond that, there wasn't a sound in the kingdom.

There was no movement, sure, but that voice sounded so close, someone had to be in her room. It was unmuffled by the walls, and her tower was two hundred feet in the air. Someone was in here.

A minute droned by as the sound of rushing blood overtook her hearing. There was no movement to give the room presence, it was practically sterile, and after a moment she let herself sigh. "I think I might be spending a little too much time by myself…," she reasoned. It'd only been two hours, but something about today in particular felt… draining.

Star let her almost useless wand fall to her side as she pulled out her compact, her finger hovering over HOTHEAD. Tom and Toriddity, true to their word, were living at Castle Butterfly until things back home settled down, and they lived only a few doors down. He could be right over here in a second, surely, with one portal she'd have company.

"I see you're alone. I was hoping you wouldn't be too busy for me."

Star whirled around and charged her wand, aiming its faintly glowing bulb at the dark wall behind her.

She could use the last bit of magic it held. But there was nothing there. Just a darkened portrait of the royal family. She was alone.

"I can feel your emotions, and I'm sorry for what you're going through. But now isn't the time for pity, you have an undertaking to get to."

Star narrowed her eyes into a scowl. There were no ghosts permitted in the castle, and everyone knew better than to mess with her during private time. If it was a prank… no, no one would risk that, and no one was in the mood for pranks these past few months. This had to be something else. Perhaps her isolation was getting to her, both self inflicted and-

*knock knock knock*

"Yer Highness? Are ya alright in there?" A servant asked from outside, jolting Star back to reality.

The cold seemed to ebb from her room, a chill she hadn't even realized was there. Warmth filled her frigid fingertips, and after a moment, she let herself exhale. Though, she refused to move a muscle, waiting to hear from the servant at the door. If something was in here with her, she didn't want to alarm it.

After a tense few seconds, the woman at the door spoke. Someone new to replace Manfred after he'd gone missing. "Ah kno' it's yer… private time, 'ah came to deliver dinnah?"

Star never took her eyes off the darker parts of her room as she answered with a yell, "Thank you, Tilly! Just- leave it by the door!"

There was a sound of clinking silverware against china before footsteps receded into the distance, Star letting her wand glow with a barely visible pink energy. This had gone on long enough, and she was particularly tired today.

"You have exactly ten seconds to show yourself before I blow this entire room to dust," she ordered, pumping her wand for good measure, "I can make another, so by all means: feel free to stay put." Her tone was venomous, despite it being a bluff. The room she could replace, but no magic could bring back the priceless curios that sat littered across the floor. Not that she had the magic to see it through anyway. Her wand was still almost entirely useless, not even Luna's-

"You used to be more fun. But I don't blame you, you've been through quite a bit haven't you?"

Before Star's eyes, the darkness that somehow filled the room peeled from the walls and corners, congealing into a black smoke that curled and reformed itself into a recognizable shape. She could only stare, the blasphemy of the sight taking form before her stirring a melting pot of troubling thoughts and emotions. But the first to be given a voice was given in the form of a question.

"How can you be here? You were purified. And… He's..."

The two stood over the scattered pile of mementos and memories strewn about in Star's room, their eyes wide and filled with unease as the darkness gave away nothing else.

Star glared at the mirage of a man, his eyes glowing a fierce blue, despite having been black with pinpricks of green for as long as she had known him.

He stared at her, confused and at a loss. He honestly looked as though he'd been plucked from her memory and dropped where he stood. His clothes were even still in tatters from that night at Buffrogs. But gradually the figure made of darkness let himself relax, looking around the room before scoffing at the mess, and more importantly, the smell. "I'm guessing you've beeeeen… moping? Just like when Vartek attacked at the dance and I was burned into… his mind, you get all pouty and refuse to shower? Glossaryck was definitely right, you've got issues Princess," Darc offered.

His voice was so similar to Marco's, it was alarming to hear after six months without it. Six months after he'd given up control, and Star had failed to keep him alive. But this reunion wasn't a grand ceremony like she'd dreamed. Here was not the man she needed, but a false copy, a parasite whose presence made her blood boil now more than ever.

Star was at a loss for words, her thoughts worn on her sleeve. Darc could tell she had plenty on her mind, and when she gestured for him to explain, he let spill the entire story. "It's been too long, Star. Last time I really saw you, you were sleeping on the floor and drooling all over your face. A lot happened, huh?"

He smiled, but clearly she wasn't amused. Her glare deepened, so he found it safest to give her a real explanation. "Sorry, yeah. I got booted when Merina purified the corruption. Since that day, I've been waiting in the dark alone after you guys brought her out and… there's been no way home for me. I couldn't find my originals, so I've been watching you, stuck on the other side of the glass, waiting for that extra push to get free. Really it's felt like years since Marco-"

"Stop. Don't say- just... what I want to know is, what are you doing here?" Star asked again, fully snapping out of her surprise and using only a fistful of patience, "I clearly want to be alone, and your host… is gone. We won, so if you don't mind: poof out of existence. Marco is… 'gone', so the last thing I want is a reminder of his death talking to me until I join him."

She glared at him with pointed disgust. She'd never really liked him, and had only grown to tolerate him when they were stuck together, so two minutes was more than enough time to lose her exception. But the parasite stared at her, silently appraising his next words as she stared right back.

The situation had just turned delicate, but thankfully, he could handle 'delicate'. He just needed to get her on the same page, that was all. So with a deliberate sigh, he leaned forward, plucked a very wilted lily from the floor, and exhaled slowly. Like breathing the essence of his very life into the flower, he let it bloom with color in his hands.

Star continued to stare right back, and angrily at that. But as that stargazer lily bloomed to its once proud and red and white, something about their situation turned very real. Perhaps, it was just the sight of her Marco, holding out that flower for her, his presence warm and inviting, instead of cold and empty. Whatever it was, she was captivated for better or worse.

"Marco's not dead, and neither is Vartek," Darc stated flatly, dropping the flower to the floor. Star's eyes followed it down. "Although… They're not really alive, so you were kind of right, but more like...waiting. Trapped, I guess."

Star stared at that flower, that very real thing, so small and delicate at his feet. His words were hollow for only a moment before she jolted in place, an electric chill riding up her spine as her chest tightened. She'd spent the first month waiting to hear words like that, and the next two praying that they could at least find his body, all to no avail. She'd spent her fourth and fifth months coming to terms with the fact that there was nothing for them to find, and that her efforts were better spent helping those who did have loved ones out there.

And now, in her sixth month, Star had accepted the truth. She would live out her life without Marco. Eventually, she would have to move on, find someone new, make new memories, build a new family, a toxic, horrifying and lonely life of new.

She'd accepted that.

So to hear tell of hope from this thing, now, for the first time in months? It was a hard pill to swallow, and one that she struggled to fight. That kind of reckless optimism had gotten her into trouble before, and she wasn't keen on letting herself break again, right after she'd put herself together.. mostly.

But Darc had never really lied. It took a moment to reel from such a proposal, and Darc kept rolling to capitalize on the quiet.

"Look, you may be content with letting the reaper have his quarry, but I'm not. I really didn't break free just to lift your spirits and tell you good news like I'm not dying out here. I actually came with a warning, about something I saw while I was stuck on the other side."

Star stopped her silent frenzy of questioning and acceptance to listen, Darc captivating her attention in full. "Something happened when you purified the magic, and whatever it is, there's a force coming for all of us, Star. I could feel it the entire time I was lost. Things are about to happen, things that will make Vartek look like a schoolyard bully. So all I can safely say is that you need to find Marco, find Vartek, and pull them out of whatever reality they're stuck in."

Star dropped her wand, staring at Darc with wide, dormant eyes. Her mind was blank as the proclamation and ultimatum rattled between her ears. His words still replayed over and over again in her head on loop, 'Marco is alive. MARCO IS ALIVE!'

"Find the nexus, and pull them out" Darc continued, trying to meet her gaze and ultimately failing to keep her attention. She looked like she was slipping already. "Focus on me, Star. You have to… she can… and tell them… negative."

She stared blanky, and when she found the strength to speak, all she could utter was…

"Marco...is… alive?"

The world was caving in around her.

Marco is alive!

She couldn't think.

MARCO IS ALIVE!

"Woah, hey, are you feeling-" Darc tried to ask, but Star was already falling. The darkness of the room entombed her in its grasp, and with it, a wash of sleep. She felt the ground rise up to meet her, she heard a *crunch* from below, and everything faded into oblivion.

O - O - O - O - O - O - O

By the time Merina sat down in her makeshift hobo camp, the sun was already casting its shadows on what remained of the faces of the Jagged Mountains. Now, they more closely resembled the scorched mountains. Any part of the stone monuments facing the Forest of Certain Death had been reduced to blackened gravel half a year ago during the...incident.

Some witnesses said it was a toxic fireball preceded by thunder, but the scarce reports on what really happened vary. Not many people liked talking about it, it seemed, not that Merina blamed any of them. So many lives had been lost, and it was so easy for the two species of victims to blame the other for what had happened.

Even now, six months after her untimely resurrection, she was still working hard to mend the rift between Monsters and Mewmans, both sides uneasy about the other in the best of times. Monsters had grown fearful of Mewmans for fostering such a force as Vartek, and the Mewmans obviously saw Vartek as one of the Monsters. Far too much evil had been done in Merinas name, and many of the kingdom's inhabitants still carried that weight with them wherever they went. Which, for Merina, meant forcing talks of healing, growth, and trust… where there was none.

She'd been to every ruler of every tribe, clan, kingdom, land, and forest, telling them whatever they wanted to hear to help them understand the terrible loss. To come to terms with their grim reality. Some were forgiving, and kind. Some were spiteful, and difficult to divvy out trust in such trying times. But most just wanted to mend, and to move forward for the sake of those they'd lost.

'By the gods, Vartek is- ...was... so much better at this than me,' she reminded herself countless times. It made sense, her late husband having once been a degree of nobility and all. But that felt like several lifetimes ago, back when he had any reason at all to rely on his noble training. He could talk the Merfolk out of their water, if given the chance; the man thrived on his conversations with those in power. And yet, when it came to the woman in the most powerful position..?

Merina gripped the mossy wood of the log she leaned against, the fire of her camp not a far cry from the flames of her enemies wrath. Nebula… that very name brought poison to mind, and it took a moment of cradled silence to ease her troubled soul from the cries of hatred and terror that woman had sown into the very earth.

The gentle moonlight reminded her of where she was, her tense breathing slowing as she let the forest envelop her. Here, she could choose what to forget, and what to remember.

The cool breeze of the forest around her, and the distant calls of the birds and fauna were like a sweet lullaby in the night. Yes, Vartek may have been the negotiator and tactician, but out here? Merina was queen of it all. She was at home amongst the flora, and felt at ease under the stars, one of her qualities Vartek had first taken a fancy to.

He loved the wilderness almost as much as she did- even if it was exclusively swamplands- and the way it could erode your troubles and soothe the spirit. It was peaceful, something Merina needed after several years of… no, she needed to bury her time alone. The past was the past; it only existed for the mournful and the dead, though neither of those two were in short supply.

The forest she'd chosen was close to the lands of the Spiderbites, a family she could very distantly trace her lineage to. Though it was worth noting that it was purely by coincidence she'd set up shop here. As it turned out, her ancestors were posh nobles, not unlike her stiff and problematic father. She'd decided two months ago that it was best not to bother investigating them; there was no need to stir that pot just yet.

Two months ago she instead looked towards the Monsters for aid and confidence, after four months of accepting grievances at the hands of the Mewmans. She didn't blame them by any means, as Vartek had done everything in his power to destroy them all for her sake. They had every right to demand compensation and fair value. They had deliberated for months on how best to punish her on Varteks behalf. And they made no small uproar when Princess Star instead ordered them to find a humane sentence.

In the end, she was ordered to- well, you know. It was a mostly fruitless effort, trying to track down all those missing Turned. The Monsters, well they were far more forgiving- though they could have been trying to woo her into their fold, and agreed to help her in her sentence. They'd given her money, food, supplies, even offering servants to come and assist her in finding any lost Turned, though in the last month and a half, she'd only found twenty. Not a bad count, but there must have been hundreds left out there, waiting for orders that would never come. Waiting in silence for some savior to come free them.

Much like Princess Star.

The future powerful and almighty ruler of a united Mewni, the mastermind of magic and its cosmic effects… now reduced to a sad, lonely girl hiding in her tower from the truth.

Merina hadn't had much correspondence with the Princess, but according to the tamest of rumors, she hadn't been receptive to social calls anyway. She had become quite the renowned public figure, stepping up and acting out her role in society with ferver, but it was easy to see through it. Star still hid from the world when she could, and she still grieved, same as everyone else. Same as Merina.

Really though, as distant as they were, she considered Star one of her only friends, which was already a wide proclamation to make, and as such felt proud whenever she heard tell of the Princess taking charge. The replanting of the Forests, the search party organizations, the summit with the Monster tribes, the memorial service to those who'd been lost to Vartek; Merina had been present for all of them, watching as Star grew.

But the princess… She looked like a porcelain bowl barely held together with glue. And it was hard for Merina to not feel responsible for Marco's death.

For all of the death.

She was the necessary catalyst for all of the death and destruction Vartek had sown.

She herself had been… dead.

She was a construct made from Varteks and her own memories, nearly perfect, with some gaps along the way. Her memory started with the moment Vartek had created her, and to her credit, she'd been able to conjure some visions to help her remember bits and pieces of their past, but… there was so much she couldn't remember. Feelings, thoughts, they were easy to collect as she watched him, but the corruption holding her prisoner did much the same for her memories. After she'd been brought back to life, so much of what she could remember was lost, just like Vartek.

He was gone, and along with him went any chance she had at remembering who she truly was, and who she was with Vartek.

She knew she had once loved him, but it was hard to look past everything that had happened. And even harder to paint their history in a good light. To her credit, though, she also knew that that was an unfair analysis of him, given everything she'd seen.

Their bond made it possible for him to not only rebuild her mind, but to graft it to a host. She had been there with him every step of the way, and she couldn't help but marvel at his efforts. The spell, it was brilliant in every way except practice; where he learned to do it she'd never know.

But there's a price to everything, her own existence was a testimony to that. The process he'd chosen… splitting his soul in two in an effort to preserve her spirit… he opened Pandora's box to a world he couldn't have foreseen.

Her magic was there, waiting in their bond until it could inhabit its temporary host. It wasn't malicious… yet, but it was drawn to him like she was. It needed to fill a familiar void, and through their bond it went. Vartek, he never had a chance. He was already slipping, broken in every way but his spirit, and when he used half of his soul to rebuild her, that magic flooded into its new master.

It burned his already fragile mind, the pain of unfathomable loss a burden he couldn't shoulder alone. And with only half a soul, he was easy to corrupt, only furthering his descent into madness the more he fed the magic. Merina had been trapped, helpless to do anything but watch as her ravaged and broken husband was destroyed from the inside. She could do nothing to stop the monster he'd become, and there were no other thoughts than regret to keep her company as he unraveled around her.

Too many times now, in these past two months did she wake up with nightmares of his corrupted form, broken and lifeless under the Blood Moon as Nebula stood over them, laughing in victory. His claws ripping Mewni to shreds, his eyes burning the land to ash, his swords… there was never a question of the horrors he'd committed. Even if he wasn't under his own control.

But Merina never faltered, too driven by the need to right both his and her own wrongs. This was as much her fault as it was his, so she would find every missing Turned, she would help Star unite the Mewmans and Monsters, and only then would she rest. Only then would she find peace alongside her husband.

"Peace comes at a high price, and not everyone can afford to spread it so freely."

With a burst of energy, Merina rolled backwards over the log and curled her fingers, letting her eyes glow a cool green. The forest around her seemed to inhale, ready to explode at a moment's notice as she waited, silent and lethal for the one who'd spoken. Thorns, branches, vines, all of them weapons at her disposal.

But after a moment, she relaxed, letting the forest exhale in turn. Reflexes were a hard habit to break, as it turned out. Merina rubbed her neck as her eyes returned to normal, smiling with sarcasm at the ghost of a woman standing in her campfire with hair that flowed like smoke.

"Don't you think a fair bit of warning would do well when you drop in unexpectedly?" She asked, once again taking a brutish seat on the log. There was a modicum of respect to be given, even in the presence of an ally who'd once taken her very life. But that was in the past, and that life debt had been paid in full by the Goddess smiling pleasantly, her eyes soft and inviting in the glow of the fire.

"And where's the fun in that?" She asked in return, gesturing for Merina to relax, "not that either of us have a choice, but I imagine you've been quite short on company as of late. A surprise or two could do you good."

"You and I have very different views on surprises, Blood Moon, and I've grown quite fond of my isolation, if it's all the same to you." Merina let her polite demeanor dissolve, her shoulders slouching as she relaxed. Luna, however, stood firm in the face of spite, her posture worthy of respect. "It gives me time to think and reflect on what brought me here, and by whose actions I find this whole ordeal beginning."

"I see, whether it's a fanciful dungeon in the castle, or a prison of your own design, still you find yourself alone and with plenty of people to blame," Luna agreed with apathy, knowing well it was by both their hands this had all transpired. "Neither of us are blameless. We both find ourselves here because we let our emotions and fear guide our swords. We share a guilt, and are entombed alone to reflect on our actions. But I do believe that is about to change, my child, for I have news you would be wise to receive."

"I don't need, nor do I want your news," Merina sighed.

There was a changing air about the campfire, like it was dimming between them. And through the flames, Luna watched Merina with care. All this talk of blame and isolation was getting on the Mewmans nerves, and it showed. "You know what you did, so I suggest you stop pretending otherwise. What are you really doing here...Luna?" She asked with a scowl, one unbecoming of a face that had once only known smiles, "as foggy as your memory must be, I do recall you wiping me from existence and charging two children with my late husband's execution. So if you'd prefer to finish the job yourself, then please just do it, otherwise let me busy myself with cleaning up after-"

"The monster I created, hmm?" The ghostly apparition of the Goddess interrupted, and with her barely-restrained impatience, the pressure of the forest seemed to build. The light of the campfire seemed to dim as the heartbeat of the world slowed at her call. "I suppose by stopping you from killing the Queen, from taking petty, fruitless vengeance, I did create the Monster known to these people as Vartek, yes?"

"DON'T YOU DARE USE HIS NAME! YOU LOST THAT RIGHT WHEN YOU ABANDONED US!" Merina yelled, the trees around her groaning as her eyes flashed with anger and pain, "How many of our friends, their children, Varteks kind? How many of them needed to die before you finally stepped in to stop her?! I did what I had to, because you wouldn't we were powerless and you just watched!"

The ground shivered at her words, and the campfire sputtered under the pressure. Luna's eyes grew wide with anger, but Merina held firm. She kept her eyes trained forward as she received her lashing with pride. "Do not hold spite for me simply because I stopped you from committing murder," she spat with contempt for everything thrown in her face, "the world is a cruel place, and what these kingdom's do to themselves over the eons is no concern of mine. My only concern is the actions my Chosen pairs take to reconcile with it."

"Yes you showed more than enough concern when you erased me and left my husband to fall into a spiral of insanity."

"You had every opportunity to be better, to choose another path, but you tainted the very nature of my blessing, and in doing so, that abomination twisted by your broken magic was unleashed upon the world. You've been left with much to contemplate, and even though I am but an imprint of a Goddess, I share that sentence with you," Luna hissed, her venomous tone softening, "but... that… is another matter. I did not come to discuss the past, I came with the hopes that when the time comes, and opportunity presents itself, that you will… give me another chance. To bless you."

Merina all but gagged on her angry surprise. It wasn't really her, and yet? The astounding nerve of this woman, to even suggest rekindling that cursed blessing? And with who would she even be bonded with? Vartek was destroyed in every sense of the word, she'd seen to that herself.

"For all of his trappings and misdeeds after you stole me from him, Vartek had one thing right," Merina corrected, her eyes pooling into a scowl as the campfire sputtered, "you do not bless anyone. You bring curses to those unfortunate enough to catch your interest. You and Glossaryck sat by as that woman ravaged our home, you let our world fall to pieces. There was no test, there was no mercy from that woman. She gave only suffering to those against her, and there was only death for my people. I had the chance to end it."

Luna was speechless, watching her with what looked like curiosity. The eerie light of the campfire shone against her eyes, like she was reliving the nightmare of the future for herself. "You weren't there for us. You only watched as we were slowly destroyed," Merina listed with not an ounce of hatred, but disgust, "So excuse me for doing what I could to stop the bloodshed you ignored! You abandoned us, you betrayed us, and you left us to die. At least with you gone, I can only hope to mend the damage you've inflicted on myself and the princess. Mark my words: I will see her whole again, free of your influence forever."

Merina was standing, glaring at the imprint of the woman to whom she owed her new life, but Luna kept a smile all the same. "Fantastic to hear. When destiny calls, I hope you answer her," she mused, "for the sake of your 'late husband', and your-"

Luna made an effort to voice her cryptic warning, in much the same fashion as Glossaryck always did, but the woman out of time swept her cloak through the air, finally extinguishing the sputtering flame and the visage that came with it. She was left alone in the quiet, dark forest, an ungrateful speck in the endless, unforgiving universe.

There would be no more death by her hands, nor the hands of that Goddess. Nevermind the sacrifices she'd made in the past, nevermind the blood she'd spilled trying to better the world. Someone had to put a stop to the suffering of thousands, and if the cost of such an act was her conscience, it was a bargain at best.

No, to hell with whatever opportunity came, she had to fix things, she had to mend the broken world left behind by her… husband.

"Goddamn that man," she spat, narrowing her eyes at the dying embers of her little camp, "you were almost free… I was this close to saving you, and you- ...you pushed me away..."

As Marina relaxed, moving for her leaning tent and shuffling herself into a comfortable sleeping position, she tried to let her anger subside. The moss of the log flowed over her shoulders like a blanket, her mind tracing back to her last conversation with Vartek. In the temple of time, he had rejected her help, accused her of being a fake despite her existence being owed to him alone. He was a breath away from freedom, and she could have rested easily with his freedom at last. But now… she was left alone.

He gave away his chance at peace, and robbed so many of their own.

In truth, he deserved to be gone, even if it wasn't his fault.

Or maybe… he... deserved…

O - O - O - O - O - O - O -O

"-AR!"

"STAR!"

"WHA- *clunk*

"AAAGGGHHH! What the heck, Tom?!"

"Me?! You're the one who- Damnit!"

With a shuddering start, Star drew a chilled breath as she jolted upright, smacking head first into Tom. The two fell apart, each receding to clutch their throbbing faces as Torriditty watched with disappointment. They were rolling around seething and hissing out air in pain, and she couldn't help but feel anything but boredom. Here were the people who'd saved the world, and their actions were worthy of jesters. It would have been funny if it wasn't so depressing.

After a moment of hissing, Star managed to get her bearings enough to take in her surroundings. From the chill of the air and the budding flow of sunlight, she could guess it was early morning. Looking up, the two she had to thank for her rude awakening stood over her with worried looks and matching guest nightgowns, their horns glinting in the light.

But something about her surroundings was more prominent than the attire of the demons, or the time of day, or why they were acting as her wakeup call. She could feel the presence of someone else near. Someone she'd just been talking to, arguing with, and hating.

Star choked on a gasp and turned wildly to the third entity in the room, hoping to address it fully now that she had thrown the last vapors of sleep from her mind. But where she looked, there was nothing. No one else was there save for the two demons. They were alone...

So why did she feel like someone was missing?

There was, of course, the obvious… vacancy, but that had been-

"Are you sure she's okay?" Torriditty asked, shooting Tom a nervous glance. He shrugged, turning his gaze back to Star. She looked… shaken, bedraggled, and really? She could have used a shower.

"Did you collapse or something?" He asked her, gesturing to her position beside her bed, "I'm sorry if you've been laying here for long, I saw your text from last night and we came as fast as we could…"

Star looked down, finding her compact still lodged firmly in her hand. She hadn't even realized it was there, and without a word she opened it, investigating for herself what had happened.

(Thomas, I need some help in my room. No crazy rush, but I feel like I'm going to faint. Bring the other demon too, it could be a "chick" thing, you know how weird we are.)

She scoffed, narrowing her eyes at what should have been a text in her own penmanship. Why on Mewni would she write something so… stupid? It was ignorant, rude, and a little sexist… With a start she realized what that missing entity had been. No wonder she had woken up in such a sour mood, given what company had departed.

As best she could tell, she'd had a dream last night, one where that idiot parasite had returned to instill false hope where there could be none. She remembered faintly that Darc had paid her a visit, maybe sometime last night? Or maybe she'd sleep-texted Tom, about to faint and in a delirium tried to get a cry for help out.

It wasn't far-fetched, quite honestly it was more believable than Darc finding a way to survive Marco's passing. She'd done crazier things in her sleep before, when stress had taken… over… her...? Her thoughts slowed to a crawl. She stared, aghast as the world around her froze.

'That's not possible,' her mind screamed, her eyes wide at the speck of color before her.

Torriditty followed Star's gaze, looking down at her feet to find a colorful lily in full bloom. It was a beautiful specimen, the center of each petal a furious red cascading into speckled cream. But without a bouquet, or even a small vase? Amidst the mess of the room it just looked wrong, like something so pretty had no business being left among the other litter. "That's a pretty cool looking flower, where'd you get it?" She asked, bending down to pick it up. It was pretty, but the way the Butterfly Princess was staring at it was… alarming.

Wordlessly, Star reached for the insignificant little thing, her eyes as wide and blue as the morning sky.

'It's just a plant, and you're overreacting,' the voice in her head wanted to reason, 'you know what's possible, and you've had it explained to you a hundred times since Marco… died. you know it's a trick. You know this is just magic playing a joke on you.' But she refused logic, her mind furiously weaving possibilities as she stared at the once-wilted flower, now a colorful canvas of nature. She inhaled deeply as it was handed to her, and she relished the promises it made.

Before anything else, it carried one of her most treasured memories, a siren's call to drown herself in the past. It was everything in the world to her at that exact moment, and it reminded her of all the things she now had to live without. The fragile petals that hung around the bulb threatened to break if she'd held it wrong, yet they were strong enough to carry the memories of days gone by.

But second to that desperation to indulge herself in what little of Marco she had left? It proved that last night wasn't just a trick of the mind. That meeting did happen. This was no dream nor anxiety-fueled bout of sleep magic, this was no byproduct of stress and loss. Darc had come with a message. He gave her the worst thing one could ever accept after six months spent losing it. He gave her hope for something she'd never have.

Star stared at the flower in her hands, whispering unintelligible words to herself as her present company watched. She looked a little crazy, by all accounts, but the desperation gave some solace to her mental health.

"You uh… wanna run that by us again, Starburst?" Tom asked, moving to stand beside Toriditty, his third eye already swelling from the impact. He was wary to get too close, especially now that she was mumbling to herself and staring at a plant with aggressive enthusiasm. But even from a safe distance, her next action surprised him.

The morning was cold in the late autumn, but when that girl looked up, her crooked grin was all it took to set the room ablaze with a newfound warmth. Her eyes were welling with happy tears she didn't have the strength to relinquish, and still she found energy with each passing word. "I said… Marco's out there somewhere… It was real... He might still be alive, Tom."

Another traded glance between the demons, this time an exchange of tragic remorse. Ultimately it was Tom who spoke first, breaking the silence with firm finality for the sake of his ex. "Alright, I uh… I think maybe it's time you put these lonely Thursdays to an end, Star," he voiced with sympathy, taking her hand and meeting her deteriorating gaze, "apparently it's been taking a bigger toll on you than we thought, so from now on, how about you spend Thursday nights with us?"

"We promise we won't make it awkward, or turn you into a third wheel," came Torridittys offer, though her smile softened as she met Star's confused stare, "you don't have to shoulder all of this by yourself, okay? You have us here, so let us help you. No one should have to go through this alone."

They were sure Star was on some derailed train to the looney-castle, months of loss, expectations and guilt having taken their toll. So it came as no surprise when the girl smiled a beaming grin between them. She was clearly elated at the chance to hang out with her demon company again, I mean why wouldn't she be?

But both were alarmed when that grin split into a giggle, then a chuckle, and then a howl of laughter. Star sat beside herself, crying with joy for the first time in months. It was horrifying, honestly, but thankfully, after a moment of winding joy she noticed the blank, terrified expressions between her friends' faces. From any outside observer's perspective, it looked like she'd really lost it, but Star waved them off as she wiped a tear from her eyes. "Oh man, I really appreciate you guys offering that, but I think I'm good for a little while."

Tom and Torriditty tried not to look offended, the former of the two barely hiding his grimace under more sympathy before Star continued, "Not to say I don't wanna hang out with you guys, I could definitely go for some telenovelas right about now, but… I don't know. I actually feel better than I've been in a long time. I'm scared of getting hopeful, but I think I want to chase this, just for a bit." She stood, dusting off her red hoodie and moving to collect the cold remains of last night's dinner.

"Star, really… Are you okay?" Torriditty asked again, meeting her eyes, but Star was quick to answer with a grin.

"I told you guys, I feel fine. Better than fine, actually, Marco might be-"

"Star." She was cut off, Tom finally taking a stand to address her with finality, his eyes giving away no hint of mercy for her feelings. "I'm sorry, I know you don't want to hear this any more, but Marco is really gone. No amount of magic is gonna fix that, believe me, dead people are kinda my thing." Star's expression wilted just slightly, but it was enough for Tom's words to catch in his throat.

"Tom..."

"Marco is- he was… my friend too, so I know how tough this is for you to go through. Especially when it's someone you really care about, this is one of the hardest things someone can go through. But this…?" he gestured to the darkened room around her, "This isn't healthy anymore! Just sitting alone in the dark trying to hold on?"

"Tom."

"You have to let go of him, and stop trying to hold on to someone who's not there anymore!" He demanded, too focused to let up. She needed to hear this, after months of eggshells and held breaths for the sake of comfort and false security, "Marco died for us! So… stop spitting on his sacrifice, and move forward already! He'd want you to-"

*SLAM*

Star brought her fist down on her knight-stand hard enough to shoot cracks across the aged hardwood. At the sound of her rare display of anger, Tom caught his words midair and looked away, his face twisted with frustration. He had a point, but Star wasn't going to hear it. "I get it, Tom, I'm not saying I one hundred percent believe this, or even that I would know what to do if it was real," she reasoned, meeting his eyes with a stoic resolve he'd grown used to seeing her wear.

These last few months had been cruel to her, and she'd gotten good at hiding what she was really feeling. But here? Now? She wore a steadfast determination he hadn't seen on her since… Buffrogs.

"All I'm saying is, there's a chance, and I… I…," She wavered enough for the both of them to notice. For the first time that morning, she didn't look certain nor confident of what outcome she was hoping for. She wasn't sure what she wanted to find at the end of Darc's little game. "I have to try... If it doesn't pan out, I lose nothing I haven't already lost. ...You can't get any lower if you're already at rock bottom, right?"

"You can if you bring a shovel," Torriditty scoffed, but as Tom elbowed her, and Star took to glaring at them both, finally, they cracked. Star wasn't one to back down at the best of times, and with Marco on the line, there was nothing they could say that would dissuade her from taking action. Tom knew her well enough to concede, and really, if this was all some delusion, how bad could things really get?

"Alright, look, why don't you tell us why you think Marco is still out there? Prove to us that you Haven't totally lost it, and we can help you make some sense of all this, okay?"

For a moment, Star said nothing as she appraised their offer with cold indifference. Gone was her excitement, now replaced with calculating reservation. They thought she was crazy, though clearly it was an assessment that she had to partially agree with, but maybe there was some good in bringing them in and explaining the situation. After all, she wasn't exactly a leading authority on resuscitation from beyond the grave.

Without warning, she took a bite of last night's mutton, and gnawed on the stale corn cob. "M'kay. It happened lasht night, right before dinner," she began, regaling them with the chilling story of the start of her evening, and slowly bringing them up to speed on Darc, his warning, and what he all but ordered her to do. He'd told her that Marco was somewhere on the 'other side' but not like, the 'other side'. Darc had been watching her for the past six months, waiting for some sort of push to get through. And just like him, Marco was waiting for her, trapped someplace dark. Vartek too, for better or worse, and some other thing was coming. But at that, Star's memory was foggy, too much so to remember the finer details besides the good part of her news. It was all mixed up, out of order, and shuffled for her to sift through, but the gist of it was cut and dry: Marco was stuck somewhere, not dead. And Star had a chance to bring him home.

"'Find the nexus point?' The hell does that mean?" Tom asked, earning a muddled shug from Star.

"Like I said, I was already kinda fading out, so I didn't catch everything he said. Something about pulling them out? Trapped in the darkness?" Tom noticed she was asking, which didn't exactly help any of their cases. For all intents and purposes, this was nothing short of a fever dream to go on, a last ditch throw to cling to before all hope was lost. But, maybe that was okay, maybe it was fine to go out on a limb and just... see what your guts are pointing at. Where was the harm in chasing a hope you weren't quite ready to abandon?

For a moment, the entire room held its breath as the two demons weighed the Princess' words with careful scrutiny. Star took another bite of mutton, watching them closely. If anything, should they try to get in her way, she could just blast her way out of the room onto Cloudy and ride off into the sunset to look on her own. But.. no, she didn't have quite enough magic for that, and plus, it was kind of a dick move to narwhal blast your way out of an uncomfortable situation.

"How can we help?" Torriditty asked, breaking the silence to fold her arms and kick back in her bean bag chair. It was her intention to sound cool, or maybe even to take the room by storm and surprise the lot of them with some cooperation, but Tom was right there, ready as ever to take her side.

"Whatever you need, we're here for you," he offered, that same gentle smile on his face from Blazing Lake that could melt any demon's flaming heart, "For the record, this is still a pipe dream, but if it gives you closure… Well, maybe I want some of that too. For my best friend…"

Star couldn't help but blush through a smile before pulling the both of them into a tight hug. What she had ever done to earn such a fantastic pair of friends, she'd never know. But aside from silently thanking whatever Gods were listening, there was a lot left to be done. "So, to answer both of your questions," Star began, sitting back down on her bed, chomping out another bite of mutton and gulping it down, "One, I don't know what Darc was talking about. He wasn't exactly making a whole lot of sense, and I don't have Glossaryck to help explain the weird, cryptic side of things."

"Okay?" Tom traded a glance with Torriditty before asking, "what's the second thing?"

"To answer your question, Torriditty, I need you guys to stay here and cover for me while I go out, find my boyfriend, and find out how to get him back safely."

The demons both sat up with a start, their eyes wide for a moment. That got their attention, Tom quickly bringing a fist to his mouth as he coughed, eying Toriditty with worry. "And uhh, you're just gonna go out on a wild goose chase? With basically nothing more to go on than 'He's stuck somewhere'? That sounds really, really stupid."

"Yeah, I kind of agree with Tom on this one," Torriditty added, "Wouldn't it make a bit more sense to just… ask your mom for some help? She's got way more-"

"No. My mom cannot know about this, no matter what," Star interrupted with a dismissive wave of her hand, "This is gonna sound awful, but if word gets out that I'm chasing some crazy dream, it would destroy what we've spent six months building. My people would see me, yet again, as some screw up who can't let go of the past and went back to grasping at straws. I've worked way too hard helping my people move forward from this, just to break down now over something that might not even be real. If they see me crumbling… well, the more likely they are to follow."

"Annnd, we can't just tell Queen Moon about this… why?" Tom asked, "if no one else knows, then if you're really crazy, nobody will care."

Star furrowed her brow and threw her pillow at him, knocking him off his bean bag chair as she took to addressing Torriditty. "I'm not stupid, I know how crazy this all sounds, and chances are so would my mom. If this is just some desperate pipe dream over nothing, then I'd rather it blow up in only my face, and not have my own mom commit me to the looney bin."

"Star, don't you think you're being a bit dramatic? This is a little too important to go after alone, and without some idea of where to go," Tom reasoned, holding up his pillow as a shield, "at the very least? Let us come with you. We can… where is it you're going again?"

"She already said she doesn't know," Torriditty answered, watching as Star's enthusiasm crumbled at Tom's appraisal, "so for now, tell us what you have to work with, okay? What's your plan, and where do you plan on starting? We can brainstorm a little before you decide how to tackle this."

The room fell silent as Star met them with a blank stare.

Really, she didn't have the slightest clue where she could even begin to look. Darc hadn't given her anything useful, there was still almost no viable magic in the universe, and her wand was just as useless as it was when Vartek attacked.

In the original timeline, she had, in every sense but literally, died. She was left trapped in the dead Realm of Magic, and through Glossaryck, she had crafted a new Millhorse, effectively reviving magic to its former glory. But here in this timeline, Toffee never took control of Ludo, or at least in any way that made a difference. There was a chance that he hadn't even actually been killed this time. Star never really died, and thus she never had a chance to fix Magic from the inside.

She didn't have any access to her powerful Golden Butterfly form, and there was essentially no real way to revive Magic from here. On the other hand, there was still the issue of Eclipsa, and whether or not she would be of any help. If she could find her, maybe she'd be able to help find Marco? But, it'd been six months…what were the odds that she would even be free of her prison, much less in any state to give assistance. No way in hell Rhombulus would ever set her free of-

"Star?"

Star shook herself from her daze, finding she'd gone down the rabbit hole into a Marco moment. She'd been doing that alot since… he wasn't around to stare off and panic anymore. "Sorry, I honestly don't know anything, or where I should start. But even if I just walk in a straight line out the front door, I have a better chance at finding him than by just ignoring it."

"And… what? You want us to just sit around and cover for you while you look for some prophet?" Tom asked, his lack of patience steadily becoming more apparent, "Star, no one else on Mewni has the kind of experience you need beside Queen Moon, and sometimes the little blue guy."

In a bout of frustration, Star inhaled to rage against the idea that despite hearing that Marco was out there, she was helpless to do anything. It wasn't like her, to boil over so reverently over conversation, but before she could vent, one face popped into her mind before all others: Merina.

Right away Tom had seen the change of light in her eyes, from Darc and hopeless, to bright and excited. She sighed that drawn breath, her mind racing to cover all her bases. With Marco gone, she had to be careful, she had to plan ahead to ensure a secure future. Her future, she didn't rightfully know how crossed with Merina's it would be. That woman had been through hell as it was, and suffered so deeply for nothing in return.

But in stark opposition, Star could recognize how hard Merina had worked to fix the mistakes of her late husband, to heal the land burned by his hatred and pain. Not that Merina needed a pat on the back, but she had proven herself, she'd done well, and she'd earned her peace at last. So, what right did Star have to tangle her back into her mess?

She was the only other magic user on Mewni she could think of to help…

And what if Darc was right? What if Marco… and Vartek… both returned to the land of the living?

As Tom and Torriditty both waited for some kind of provocation or instruction, Star let a cautious smile bloom.

"I know who can help me," she sighed, relaxing finally in her own room, "and if shit really hits the fan, I know she'll want to be front and center, to kick that shit back down into the dirt."

Tom and Torriditty shared their hundredth glance at one another before asking in unison: "who?"