ACT IX: Simon, The Shy Part 1: A Blessing in Disguise (AKA, What Happens When an Introvert Falls in Love with an Extrovert)

Six years ago…

The crown-prince of Mewni quietly tip-toed into the castle's kitchen to grab a few more essentials for his trip. He grabbed a spoon, a napkin, and a jar of strawberry jam and gingerly tucked them into his picnic basket before heading out. On his way, he could hear that his parents were still in the middle of another argument. Choosing to ignore them, he adjusted the strap on his lute and made his way out of the castle and headed towards the forest next to Dragontown.

There, he found a thirty-day-old pumpkin he had planted. Indexia had taught the young prince that music could help plants grow healthier, and so the boy would periodically visit the pumpkin to water it and play a few songs with his lute. Simon set up his picnic fixings in front of the pumpkin, removed the lute from his back, and struck a few chords before singing.

"A little orange orb, full of ripe seeds! How many tasty things can we make of thee? Yummy pie, or hearty gourd-ish stew? A little curry dish or a sweetling bread? All these recipes, sweet and savories I can see in my head! Little orange ball on a green vine, how many tasty things we can make of thee!"

Simon finished his song and leaned forward to observe the pumpkin. A new leaf bloomed from the vine, much to the prince's delight. "It worked!" He cheered.

Suddenly, a broadsword fell from the sky and pierced the picnic blanket right behind him. Simon jumped to his feet in shock, his heart racing like never before. Shortly afterwards, he heard a distraught shriek coming from behind the brush. Curious, he peeked through the leaves and saw an ebony-skinned girl with blue hair around his age scanning the area with fervor. Normally, Simon would have avoided trying to get her attention, but he soon realized that she must have been looking for the sword and felt compelled to return it to her.

"Where is it?! Where is it?!" She cried to herself as she desperately searched the bushes for her sword. "Ooooh, daddy's gonna kill me! Where is it?!" The girl eventually fell to her knees, crying in fear of her father's wrath. Just then, she heard someone softly clear their throat and looked up to see a boy with pink hair holding the sword out towards her.

"You found it! Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!" She happily jumped to her feet, sheathed the sword in her scabbard, and immediately grabbed the boy in a firm hug. "Hey, I know you! You're that cute prince from the Dragonfly castle! That's so cool! My name's Evangeline McSire! Can you do magic?! Can you show me?! What's it like having a demon for a mom?! What's the king like?! Do you have any brothers or sisters?! What're you doing all the way out here?"

Simon was overwhelmed by this girl's enthusiasm. Regardless, he managed to answer her last question by motioning towards the picnic blanket, silently inviting her to join him. Once Evangeline took a seat on the blanket, Simon set a plate with scones down in front of her and uncapped the jar of strawberry jam. Over the next two hours, the two enjoyed each other's company with strawberry jam scones and Simon's lute playing. Although the prince didn't say much, Evangeline didn't mind; she was content to do all the talking herself. In fact, the young girl practically opened her very soul to the boy, telling him about her dream of one day becoming a Solarian warrior like her father so that she could protect everyone she loved.

Eventually, the sun set and they both had to head home for the night. "Hey? Would it be okay if I swung by next week? Y'know, when you come back to check on your pumpkin?" Simon nodded, happily. "You'll be here? Same time? You promise? Cross your heart?" The prince crossed his finger over his heart, silently promising to return in one week's time.

"Y'know, you don't talk much." Evangeline said, bluntly. Simon blushed in embarrassment before his new friend smiled at him. "I like you!"

Simon watched as the blue-haired girl made her way back into Dragontown.

Present day.

Simon had just returned from St. Olaf's Academy for Wayward Princes, and his father still hadn't given him the magic scepter. Despite that, Indexia continued to teach the prince the art of crafting potions. The boy studied his father's chapter in the Great Book of Magic and eventually came upon his love spell. While at first, he was disturbed at the idea of using magic to force someone to fall in love - even if it was used on oneself - it also inspired him to create a safer alternative. He had been crafting a potion that, once someone drank it, would lead them to their one true love. Indexia was kind enough to craft him a new collection of elixir bottles and his siblings offered to gather the needed ingredients while Simon set up the table. At last, his brothers and sister entered his room.

"Here's your bottle of fresh pig-goat milk."

"Thank you, Nogad." Simon graciously accepted the bottle and carefully poured three tablespoons into the elixir bottle and lit the burner beneath it.

("Here's the cinnamon and honey.")

("Thanks, Iltztem.") Simon flashed a smile as he spoke demon-tongue for his brother before adding a pinch of the spices and a few drops of honey to the concoction.

"And one apple."

"Thanks, Lezaza." Simon grabbed a knife from his desk drawer and peeled the skin off the fruit to mix it with the rest of his potion. He then proceeded to speak the incantation as the heat from the burner made the ingredients melt together until it was pure liquid.

"My love, my love, I see your heart.

When you see mine, our love shall start.

My love, my love, I know your heart.

When you know mine, we shall never part."

By his calculations, once he drank this potion, a red thread that only he could see would wrap around his ring finger and lead him to his soul mate. But as he continued to wave his hands around the boiling potion, his siblings kept pestering him.

"What'd you need that stuff for?" Lezaza asked, wrapping her arm around her brother's leg.

"Just… something." Simon shrugged.

"Something like what?" All three of Nogad's eyes dilated at sight of the flame.

"Something super important that I can't talk about right now." The prince snapped, gently. "Don't you guys have to get ready for your trip with mom?"

At the mere mention of it, the trio of half-bloods raced out of their eldest brother's room to pack for their trip to the Underworld. Once the potion was finished, Simon turned off the flame and let it cool. Licking his lips, he lifted the bottle up and drank every last drop. As he'd hoped, a red thread appeared on his left ring finger, leading out the door. "It worked!" He cheered and proceeded to follow the red string that only he could see, desperate to find whoever was on the other end before the potion wore off.

Meanwhile, in the Solarian training camps, Evangeline McSire and her sister, Krystal, were in the middle of their entrance exams for the Royal Army of Mewni. Ever since the death of Alphys the worthy, Milo rarely allowed women to enter the military, but the general was impressed by both of their skill with a sword. Presently, Krystal was sparring with Jacob of the Musty Mountains while her younger sister dualed with Lebrus, a third generation Solarian.

"Not bad!" Lebrus grinned as his sword clashed with Evangeline's. "You fight almost as well as a man!"

Evangeline gave a cheeky grin of her own in response. "That's funny, I was about to say the same thing about you!"

Lebrus frowned. "That's a little below the belt, don't you think?"

"No. This is." With a painful crunch, Evangeline delivered a powerful kick to her friend's nether regions, forcing him to his knees. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Maybe you should try to fight like a woman."

"McSire!" A booming voice scolded. Evangeline sheathed her sword and saluted General Milo Loveberry. "Do you think this is funny?"

"No, sir."

"McSire, you are one of the strongest warriors I've had the pleasure of training, but I can assure you that no Mewman has ever been strong enough to defeat a monster with a kick to the balls."

"Y-yes, sir." Evangeline stammered.

"Hit the showers." Milo ordered. "Maybe you'll have your act cleaned up by tomorrow."

"Yes, sir." She sighed, sadly.

Krystal had just finished her sparring session and spotted her sister heading towards the locker room. "Hey, baby sister. Did you whip Lebrus' ass early?" Evangeline angrily struck one of the lockers, making a noticeable dent. "Uh… bad day?"

"Loveberry thinks I don't take this seriously!" Evangeline pulled her shirt off as she turned on the hot water. "Every man in this army either thinks I'm too weak, or that I'm just a piece of meat! And now, Loveberry thinks I'm just a joke!"

As Evangeline continued undressing, Krystal tapped on her shoulder and pointed to the left. "Hey, here comes something to cheer you up… pink-haired cutie at three-o-clock."

Evangeline looked over her shoulder and shrieked in embarrassment. Simon was headed their way and she was stark naked. Thinking quickly, she grabbed a towel from the nearest shelf and wrapped it around herself. "Oh, hi, Simon!" She chuckled, nervously leaning against the wall. "What brings you here?"

However, her smile faded as the shy prince stared at her hand with wide eyes. "Uh, Simon? You okay?"

"Huh? OH, STUMP!" Simon looked away from her hand and seemed to just notice that she was half-naked. Turning away with a blush bright enough to hide his cheek marks, he managed to speak. "Evangeline, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-! I-I-I would never have tried to-! I mean, you're very beautiful but I didn't-!"

"Hey, Simon?" Evangeline spoke up, silencing her stammering friend. "Can you just give me twenty minutes to clean myself up? Then we can meet at Thirsty Theo's?"

"Uh, yes! Sounds good! See you later!" Simon called back before running off. He made his way back to the castle, shut himself in his room, and slumped down to the floor.

Indexia, sensing the boy's distress, hovered out of the Great Book and sat next to him. "Was the potion a failure, your highness? Is your soulmate ugly?"

"No…" Simon sniffled. "According to that potion, my soulmate is Evangeline McSire."

"Well, what's wrong with that?" Indexia inquired. "If you ask me, she'd make a fine romantic partner."

"Oh, but… but Indexia it's… it's her!" Simon sighed, longingly. "I mean, she's so strong, and brave, and fun, and smart, and… and…"

"Pretty?"

"Beautiful!" Simon agreed. "And me, I… well, what do I have to offer her?"

Indexia arched an eyebrow. "You mean, aside from the fact that you are a prince who is so drop-dead gorgeous that any woman would kill to have you?"

"Indexia, I'm serious!" Simon groaned. "The potion says she's my soulmate, but we've been friends for years and she's never shown any interest in me! And now I'm supposed to meet her at Thirsty Theo's! Ugh… what should I do?"

"Well, if I may be so bold, and keep in mind this is just a suggestion… make a move?" Indexia offered.

"What?"

"How can you possibly know how she truly feels about you unless you make an effort to tell her how you feel?" Indexia hovered back to the Great Book. "Why not write her a romantic poem? See how she reacts? The worst she can say is 'no.'"

Simon hugged his knees to his chest and buried his face in his hands as he considered the mage's words. During his short time at St. Olaf's Evangeline was one of the only things he could think about to get him through it. Her infectious smile, the way she tucked her hair behind her ear, and her enthusiasm about becoming a warrior were all things he admired about her. And deep in his heart, he knew that Indexia was right.

"Okay, I'll write her a poem." He decided. "But I'm telling you, there's no way she'd ever want to be with me."

Back at the Training Camps

"I wanna kiss that boy so bad." Evangeline sighed as she lathered her hair in the shower.

"Seriously?" Krystal remarked from her own shower. "I mean, don't get me wrong, Simon's hot as hell, but you never struck me as the kind of girl who even likes guys. Especially since practically every guy in Dragontown has your footprint on their balls."

"Simon's different!" Evangeline continued, fondly. "He's sweet, and sensitive, and kind, and he'd never do anything to hurt me! Fuck it! I'm just gonna tell him how I feel at the tavern."

"No!" Krystal shouted. "Baby sister, I will always support your decisions, but if you want to have a serious relationship with him, let him make the first move."

"What? Why?"

"Because I have been in your position." The elder sister continued as she turned off the faucet to dry herself. "And I always made the first move, but all it got me was a bunch of heartbreak and disappointment. So, if he wants to be with you, he can make the first move."

Evangeline finished her own shower and started drying herself. "I guess you're right."

"Glad you agree." Krystal handed her sister a fresh set of clothes. "Now let's head home and get you prettied up!"

"What?" Evangeline blinked as she put on her undergarments. "But you said-"

"I didn't say you couldn't give him a little incentive."

With that, the sisters hurried back home. Evangeline picked out her best skirt and blouse and tied her dark blue hair back into a simple ponytail. Next, Krystal helped her apply pink lipstick, blue eyeshadow, and just a touch of blush. To complete the makeover, Krystal sprayed Evangeline with some of their mother's perfume. Evangeline went ahead inside to reserve a booth while Krystal took a seat at the bar to keep an eye out for her.

Outside the tavern, Simon had just finished putting the final touches on his poem.

"To A Friend" by Simon Dragonfly

I dedicate this poem to Evangeline,

The only woman of my dreams.

She is my knight in shining armor,

With a mighty blade and a wit that's sharper.

Her hair as beautiful as midnight sky,

She is the apple of my eye.

And so I ask to be your guy;

Will you go out with S.S. Dragonfly?"

Simon took a deep breath before he entered the tavern. Once he saw Evangeline, she stood up and made her way towards him. In the prince's eyes, she was absolutely stunning. Steeling his nerves, he nervously held out his hand to give her the note. "Uh, E-Evangeline? I-I don't want to impose, but, uh, I… uh, I w-wrote you a poem. N-not to be weird or anything! I just, uh, thought you might-"

It was then that Evangeline tackled the prince to the ground, firmly cupped his cheeks, and began assaulting his entire face with lustful kisses. At last, her lips met with his and her tongue snaked its way inside his mouth. "He tastes like strawberries." She thought. Once she had her fill, she released Simon's lips with an audible pop, leaving a trail of saliva to keep their mouths connected. Simon's face was practically painted pink from her lipstick; not that he minded. The young prince was in a lovestruck trance of pure bliss as the crescent-shaped marks on his cheeks shone brighter than the actual moon. Krystal, on the other hand, could only facepalm at her sister's lack of willpower.

"He made the first move!" Evangeline cheered as she picked the prince up in a bridal carry, making him bury his face in his hands once again. Krystal decided to head home and give the new couple some privacy. Over the next few hours, Simon and Evangeline spent their time together reminiscing about the day they first met and how far their friendship had progressed. Simon told her about his time at St. Olaf's and his problems with his parents, and Evangeline told him all about her training and how the men in the military never took her seriously.

"Uh… well, uh, I could… um… technically make you my… my squire." Simon bashfully offered. Evangeline turned towards him with an eager smile. By becoming a prince's squire, she would be trained in private by the most hardened veterans Mewni had to offer, and as an added bonus, she would have an excuse to stay beside her new boyfriend. "I mean, there's a whole process. I'd have to talk to dad about it. But if you're really as good as you say you are, then-"

Evangeline cut him off with another passionate kiss on the lips. "You're cute when you babble, y'know that?"

The next day…

Simon had successfully convinced his father to make Evangeline his squire. He figured it was because his mother and siblings were away, putting the king in a good mood. But he wasn't going to complain. In fact, he was busy preparing a lovely picnic date to give his girlfriend the good news. Little did he realize that two frog monsters were spying on him.

"Alright, Yulia, move your fat carcass and get ready!" The elder of the two ordered. She stepped out from the bushes and flashed the friendliest smile she could manage. "Excuse me, little mewman? I cannot help but notice that you are lost!"

Simon jumped out of his skin. "Uh, n-no, I was just s-setting up a p-p-picnic…" He stammered, trying to stay calm.

"Oh, do not be bashful! Why don't you join my sister and I for dinner and we'll help you find your way home?" Before Simon could reply, the frog monster grabbed his arm and pulled him into the bushes. "Oh, sister! Look who has come to join us for dinner! Go start the cooking fire!"

"No. You called me fat, Sasha!" The other frog monster huffed.

"'NO?!' WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'NO?!'" Sasha was so flabbergasted that she let go of Simon.

"And it's not the first time, either!" Yulia griped, crossing her arms.

"Yulia, be sensible!" Sasha begged. "I was just trying to catch our dinner! I wasn't thinking! I just…!" The frogwoman rubbed a hand over her face in exasperation. "I take it back. You're not fat."

"Too late!"

"Yulia, please! I just wanted to catch this mewman so we could chop him up for the stew!" Sasha explained, much to Simon's horror.

"And that's another thing, Sasha!" Yulia finally turned to look at the young prince, rubbing her hands together. "I'm tired of stew! I want to put him in a crust and bake a light, fluffy quiche!"

"Quiche?!" Sasha spluttered, indignantly. "What kind of meal is that for a monster?!" The eldest sister turned back to their prey. "Look, do you think you could come back in about half an hour? We'll have this sorted out by then."

Simon immediately turned around and sprinted back to the castle, leaving his would-be killers in the dust. Sasha turned to her sister. "Why didn't you stop me?"

"Why should I?" Yulia sniffed. "You're so smart!"

Simon ran as fast as his legs would carry him, only able to run faster when he heard the sound of a hundred more footsteps running after him. In the distance, he saw Evangeline heading towards the area he told her to meet him. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her along towards the castle.

"Why're we running?" She asked.

"Look behind you!" He replied.

She did as he told her and shrieked at the sight of so many monsters all at once. She scooped her boyfriend up in her arms and sprinted towards the magic barrier. They made it inside, and were immediately greeted by the king.

"Simon! A rogue group of monsters are attacking the castle!" Ryan informed his son as he pulled him and his squire into the study. "The magical barrier has weakened over the years and I need time to reinforce it!"

"We know!" Evangeline drew her sword for protection. "They've surrounded the main perimeter! There's no way out without getting caught!"

"That's why you're going to prove your worth as Simon's squire and keep him safe!" Ryan ordered. "Evangeline, you will take my son to the safe room in the west wing of this castle and take the inter-dimensional scissors! Simon can use them to take you both to safety and stay there until I deem it safe for you to return!"

"B-but, dad, what about-?"

"No 'buts!'" Ryan snapped. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine as long as I have the scepter! After you leave, I'll meet up with Milo and the other Solarians! They'll know how to drive them out. For now, just stay together and get to the scissors. I found a dimension that's well hidden; Earth." His diamond cube shifted into an image of a blue-green orb. "It has no magic, but you'll be safe there."

"Okay, but how're we supposed to get past any monsters who get in?!"Evangeline asked, iriate.

Ryan rubbed his chin as he considered their options. "I promised myself I would never show anyone this!" Much to Simon and Evangeline's confusion, the king took a portrait off of the wall from behind his desk and began rearranging the tiles. Suddenly, the tiles glowed bright green as they took the form of a giant infinity sign. The prince and his squire watched in amazement as the wall retracted to reveal a secret passageway. Ryan took an oil lantern and scroll from his desk and handed them to the young couple. "You'll need to answer all five of these riddles to navigate through the labyrinth and make it to the safe room! Now, go!"

"O-okay! Okay!" Simon grabbed the scroll while Evangeline took the lantern and they made their way inside the secret tunnel "Thanks, dad!"

With that, the couple made their way to the safe room to head for Earth.

To Be Continued!

Author's notes: As a person who's lived with Asperger's syndrome, ADHD, and other social disorders, it's safe to say that Celena Butterfly instantly became one of my favorite queens. So, naturally, Simon is one of my favorite kings. So sorry if he comes off as a "Mary Sue."