ACT XII: Mars, the Undaunted Part 3: Second Chances

"Mars, are you sure you want to do this?" Lake asked for the fifteenth time as she opened the stocks. "I already told you I forgive you."

"No, no, no, no, I insist." Mars replied as he handed the scepter to Ramsey and took off his crown. "I feel like I got off too easy."

"Alright." Lake shrugged. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

One week had passed since Mars defeated Taffy, and the young king was moving forward with his responsibilities. One such responsibility was resolving his strained relationship with his best friend. He had already broken up with Mildred, and told Lake that he would like to date her and offered to make up for his past behavior by upholding a sacred Johansen tradition. Whenever someone wronged a member of the Johansen clan, they were to be subjected to public humiliation until the one wronged decided to forgive them. Upon Mars' insistence, Lake decided that his punishment would be getting locked into stocks while her family threw fruit at him.

"Last chance to back out." Lake offered.

"Lake, if this is going to work out, there can't be any bad blood between us." Mars rested his neck and wrists in the stocks and let Lake latch it. "And besides, it's just your family throwing fruit at me."

"Yeah… my entire family." The countess motioned towards the crowd.

Mars gulped in fear as Lake's parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, brothers, sisters, and cousins glared at him while holding armfuls of fruit. Lake gave Mars a thumbs up before stepping off of the stage to give her relatives a clear line of sight. Lily, the youngest of the Johansen clan, was the first to step forward with two red solaences in her hands. With all of her strength, the six-year-old managed to splatter the fruit right on Mars' chin.

"Huh… that wasn't so ba-" Mars was cut off by the next fruit hitting him square in the forehead. "OW! A PINEAPPLE?! SERIOUSLY?!"

Meanwhile, the squire chuckled in amusement as he watched his new king get pelted with fruit. By the time Lord Olaf Johansen had his turn, Ramsey noticed a cloaked figure hiding in the back, scanning the crowd. Fearing the worst, Ramsey cautiously made his way over to the figure. "Can I help you, ma'am?"

The mysterious intruder pulled the hood further down over her face and tried to move away from the squire. "I-I'm just looking for someone." She replied, dismissively. "Nothing to see here."

The squire was now convinced that this woman was a monster in disguise, trying to attack the new king while he was vulnerable. "Oh, no! You are not getting anywhere near Mars, you piece of shit!" He shouted, grabbing her by the wrist. "I ought to take you by the neck and-!"

"Let go of me, you miserable prick!" The woman jerked herself free from Ramsey's grip, but doing so caused her to trip backwards. Her hood fell back, revealing her light blue hair and blue eyes.

Ramsey's anger vanished, replaced by shock and confusion. "Lazuli?" He finally managed to ask. "Is that you?"

"No! You never saw me!" The female chef snapped, pulling her hood back over her face and tried to run away but Ramsey grabbed her again.

"Wait! Where the hell have you been?!" He asked. "Nobody's seen or heard from you since Mars was born!"

Lazuli scanned the area again. "Not here. Meet me back at your restaurant tomorrow. I'll explain everything."

Back on stage, Lake's father finally unlocked the stocks and Mars collapsed onto the ground, exhausted. Lake pulled the watermelon off of her friend's head, helped him back up to his feet, and presented him to the crowd. "So… are you sorry?" She asked.

"Yes. Lesson learned. I promise." Mars panted.

"Then by the power vested in me, as the eldest daughter of the mighty Lord Olaf Johansen whom you wronged, I hereby declare you…" Lake stood on the tips of her toes and happily gave her new boyfriend a peck on the lips. "... forgiven."

The crowd cheered for their new king, proud of him for sticking it out. Mars and Lake made their way off of the podium and towards the royal carriage to head back to Castle Dragonfly. Once they were inside, Lake took out a handkerchief and offered it to the king. "Thank you, m'lady." Mars smiled and began to clean himself. "Y'know, I bought a new Earth-dimension movie if you wanna come over and see it."

"What's it about?" Lake asked.

"I'm not sure, but it should be pretty good. It was made by the same people who made Star Wars."

Just then, the squire ran in to join them and locked the door behind him.

"Ramsey, are you alright?" Mars asked as he wiped the drying juice from his face. "You look as if you've seen a ghost."

"Mars, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but…"Ramsey pointed towards the crowd. "I just saw your mother."

Lake gasped and turned towards her boyfriend, who could only stare at his father's oldest friend in stunned silence. "... that's not funny." Mars said, at last.

"I'm serious, Mars." Ramsey promised. "She wants to talk to me at my restaurant tomorrow. I thought this might be your chance to meet her."

"Chance to-?" Mars shook his head. "I don't want to meet her! I couldn't care less if I ever meet her!"

"But Mars-"

"Just take me home, Ramsey!" Mars ordered. "Now!"

The squire sighed and exited the carriage to take to the driver's seat; he had no choice but to obey his king. The journey from Johansenville to Castle Dragonfly was held in awkward silence, with Lake being too scared to even try and say anything while Mars was upset. Later that night, Lake returned from the kitchen with a plateful of corn on the cob while Mars had already started the movie. The countess silently munched on her corn, trying to enjoy the human sci-fi film, but couldn't help checking on Mars from time to time. The young king wasn't even paying attention to the film; he just blankly stared at the screen, chomping on a bag of Cornitos.

At last, Lake paused the movie. "Are you okay?"

Mars sighed. "Yeah, I just… I can't stop thinking about what Ramsey said…"

"M-maybe she came to apologize." Lake reasoned. "Or - or explain why she left."

"She abandoned me and my father the day after I was born!" Mars hissed. "And she just decides to show up again after fourteen years?!"

"Okay, Mars, I don't have all the answers…" Lake went on, gently. "But I know that you've never even met your mother. Whatever the reason, she's here now. This could be your only chance to finally meet her, and if you don't take it, you're gonna regret it for the rest of your life."

Mars' face softened a bit as he processed Lake's reasoning. Ever since he was a child, he asked his father about who his mother was and why she left. Despite how sad he always seemed, Comet always managed to tell his son stories of his happier days with Lazuli Marmalade. How he and Lazuli met when he refused to take up the scepter at fourteen, how they would spend weeks coming up with exciting new recipes, and of course, how she became pregnant while they were on an interdimensional trip to the Demon-Realm for some of their renowned apple blood. But the previous king could never discover why his beloved fiancee left him. Perhaps this was Mars' chance to get answers on his late father's behalf.

The young king sighed and pulled out his mirror. "Ramsey? It's me. What time did you say you're meeting her tomorrow?"

The next day, Ramsey placed Mars and Lake at a booth in a discreet corner of his restaurant so they could observe his conversation with Lazuli. The head chef placed a "reserved" sign on the table adjacent to their booth and patiently waited for the would-be queen to arrive. While they waited, Mars and Lake shared a plate of spaghetti and meatballs. As they eyed all of the building's entryways for Lazuli to arrive, they failed to notice that they were both munching on opposite ends of the same noodle. Eventually, their lips gently brushed up against each other and the young couple realized they were accidentally kissing. They broke apart, blushing brightly and sharing an awkward laugh with each other.

"So, uh… spaghetti." Mars chuckled.

Lake giggled. "And meatballs."

Suddenly, the front door opened and a familiar blue-haired woman made her way to the reservationist kiosk. Mars and Lake hid their faces behind menus as Ramsey's wife escorted her to her table and took away the "reserved" sign. A few minutes later, Ramsey came out of the kitchen with a plate of meatballs and made his way over to his former friend. "Hungry?" He asked as he took a seat.

"I am actually." Lazuli nodded and accepted a meatball. "How's business?"

"Not too bad. Being the king's squire doesn't exactly hurt your reputation." Ramsey shrugged. "... why are you here, Lazuli?"

"I was hoping to make amends." She sighed. "I'm sick, Ramsey. There's a human virus inside of me and it can't be cured. I just want to-"

"No." Ramsey shook his head. "No. Not after what you did. You left the greatest man I ever had the pleasure of knowing, and you think you can earn pity from me with some sob story?"

"Okay, look… this was clearly a mistake." Lazuli pulled a pair of inter-dimensional scissors out of her pocket and handed them to the squire. "Here, just… give these back to Comet and tell him I'm sorry.'

Ramsey blinked in shock. "What?"

"Look, will you just do it, please?" She begged.

"Wait, Lazuli, w-wait…" The squire grabbed her hand to keep her from leaving. "You… you came back because you wanted to see Comet?"

Lazuli shrugged. "Yeah, why?"

Ramsey looked behind Lazuli to glance at the royal couple before turning back. "Well, I… I don't… Lazuli… Comet's dead."

The woman's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "W-what?!"

"Yeah, he was killed by a rogue monster."

"W-wait, that can't be!" Lazuli gripped the sides of her head as she began to hyperventilate. "Are you sure?!"

"Lazuli! Easy, calm down!" Ramsey gently pushed her back into her seat before turning to the other patrons. "Alright, everybody out! Pack up your food and get lost!"

Mars and Lake set down their menus, but remained seated. They had heard everything. Ramsey went back to the table to hold Lazuli's hands and comfort her. "You seriously didn't know?"

"No!" She cried. "I just got back from the Ooo-dimension yesterday! Oh, Stump, Mars! What about my son?! He must have been devastated!"

Ramsey looked over her shoulder, sharing a glance with his king before turning back to her. "Mars is fine, Lazuli. It was a… a bit of an adjustment period, but he managed to prevent a war between Mewmans and Monsters. And he's… he's… he's standing right behind you."

The female chef felt her breath hitch. Cautiously, she allowed herself to turn around to see the young king standing behind her. She stood up and carefully walked over towards him. "Oh, my baby…" Lazuli smiled as she tearfully cupped both of his diamond-marked cheeks. "You have my hair. And my eyes. And yet you still look just like the only man I ever loved."

Mars gently moved her hands away from his face. "If you loved him, why did you leave?"

Lazuli felt her heart ache. "Mars-"

"Look, I want to forgive you." The king went on, turning away from his mother. "I honestly do. But you left the most wonderful, loving, compassionate man in all of Mewni to raise a child by himself!"

"I didn't want to leave your father, Mars!" Lazuli replied, exasperated. "But when he and I first met, we were just two care-free kids with no plans for the future! But then his father died and I got pregnant, and everything got so serious all of a sudden! I loved your father, Mars! But I just couldn't stand the idea of having to share him with the rest of the kingdom! You can't imagine what that's like-!"

"I know exactly what that's like!" Mars snapped back. "I had to share him with the kingdom! I had to watch him risk his life trying to make peace with monsters while you were off living la vida loca!"

Tears flowed down Lazuli's cheeks as she tried to steady her breath. "I'm sorry, Mars… I'm so sorry I left… it was wrong, and selfish, and cruel. But I really am very sick… and I don't know how much longer I have left. Let me spend that time with you."

Mars turned his back towards his mother, rubbing the tears out of his own eyes. He was prepared to order her to leave - even go so far as to force her out with the scepter - but then he locked eyes with his girlfriend. Lake silently pleaded for Mars to give the poor woman a chance. Mars looked down at his feet as memories of his father flashed through his mind. With a shaky breath, he turned back around.

"Okay, you… can stay with me in the castle." He decided. "Maybe some of our doctors can help you."

Lazuli smiled, softly. "Really?"

"Yeah…" Mars nodded, a small smile forming on his own lips. "I want to help you… mom."

Six years later…

Another sacred Johansen tradition involved women asking for their husband's parents' blessing before getting married. So when Mars proposed to Lake for her hand in marriage, the countess took advantage of his rekindled relationship with Lazuli to appease her family's traditions. And once Mars personally invited her to the wedding, Lazuli was happy to give her blessing.

Two weeks before the wedding, the royal couple were enjoying a lovely dinner while making plans. Oddly, the countess had requested nothing but leafy greens for dinner instead of her usual meaty dinner with corn on the side. She claimed it was because she had fallen ill that morning and didn't wish to upset her stomach any further.

"It was very nice of you to invite your mother to our wedding, Mars Bar." Lake remarked, proudly. "I'm so happy you two made up."

"Eh… if you can give me a second chance, I guess I can give her one." Mars reasoned. "Besides, having you around for her to talk to means I don't have to."

As if summoned by the mention of her, Lazuli entered the room with a silver tray. She set it down and took out her handkerchief once she sat down. "Mars, you've got some grease on your face."

"Mooooom!" Mars groaned as his mother fussed over him. "I'm twenty years old! I can wipe my own mouth!"

"HEY! Don't talk to your mother like that!" Lake slammed both her fists on the table, startling Mars and Lazuli. The countess, having realized what she had done, started to cry. "Oh, my Stump, I'm so sorry! I don't usually yell at anyone like that! I just… you two have been getting along so well and… I'm sorry!"

Concerned, Mars got up from his seat and patted his fiancee on her back, soothingly. "Hey, hey, it's no big deal. Okay?"

Lake sniffled. "Okay… thank you. What's in the tray?"

Lazuli lifted the silver lid, revealing a square-cut cake. "It's called tiramisu. It was Comet's favorite Earth-dimension treat."

"Oooh! Sounds fancy!" Lake licked her lips, having seemingly forgotten her sadness from earlier as she cut a small piece of cake with her fork.

Lazuli's smile grew wider. "So Lake, how far along are you?"

Lake shared a confused glance with her fiance. "Excuse me?" She asked.

Lazuli arched an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm sorry. Was it supposed to be a secret?"

"I don't understand."

Lazuli blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, Stump. You don't even realize it, do you? I'm sorry, I thought you were going to try and surprise me. I didn't mean to ruin your moment."

"What?" Mars blinked. "Mom, what are you talking about?"

Lazuli motioned towards the future queen. "Well, isn't it obvious? Her cravings? Her mood swings? I mean, she's already glowing!"

Mars and Lake shared a glance before they burst out laughing. "You… you thought that she was…" Mars giggled. "No! No, she couldn't be!"

"Yeah!" Lake snickered. "I mean, obviously, we would have known if I was."

Lazuli shrugged, coyly, as she poured three glasses of wine. "If you say so… I mean, what do I know about pregnancy, right?"

Mars felt a bit annoyed. "She's not, mom." He insisted. "I-I mean, she's not. There's no way. Right, Lake? Lake…?"

Mars looked back at his future bride with a nervous expression. Lake lifted her glass back up to her lips and spit the wine back into the glass before pushing it away from her. Lazuli gave a smug chuckle.

To Be Continued!

Author's Notes: "Mars Bar" is Lake's version of "Moon Pie" which is what River calls Moon. I'm surprised no one noticed Eclipsine's reference to the Owl House in the last chapter. I thought that would be a nice touch. Oh, well. As always, please read and review.