Episode:
20: The Great Monsoon, Part 2

With Adam and Tom busy on Galafamor, Star and Marco head to the Spiderbite Kingdom with hopes of getting them to sign a treaty. But as they enter the Kingdom, they quickly realise that all is not as it seems.

A light breeze rustled through the leaves that morning on Mewni. The trees in the Forest of Unlikely Spider Bites swayed gently, almost unnoticeably shaking to and fro in the wind. The warm yellow sun leaked through the trees, casting rays of light onto the wet forest floor. A large grey cloud hung over the forest, primed to rain on the landscape below. It was vast and wide, like a smudge in the lenses of glasses. Not as big as the Great Solarian Storm, of course, but it nevertheless part of the kingdom grey and overcast.

In a clearing of the forest, a blue portal was cut open from top to bottom. First, a teenager in a red hoodie and blue jeans stepped out. A second later, his girlfriend followed: a girl in a green dress, pink tights, and mint green boots, with a spider necklace hanging from her matching mint collar. The pair of them looked around for a moment, before beginning their trek forward through the forest.

Marco bit his lip, slipping his dimensional scissors back into his pocket. 'You sure they're gonna sign this? What if they say no?'

'We have to try,' she said, planting a kiss on his cheek. 'We haven't heard from them in a while, anyway. Mom was worried. Besides, if we can get them to join the Alliance, we'll be all the better for it.'

He hummed, admitting, 'Yeah. You're right.' As they walked further into the forest, towards the entrance to the Spiderbite Kingdom, he sighed pensively. 'The Empire's been making some serious moves against us. I mean, Adam, me and the Marcnificent Seven spent a whole week liberating the Demon Realm from the Empire's invasion. And then, Dark Star turned the entire Johansen Kingdom to ice!'

'Yeah, and then Adam and I had to change it back,' she recalled. 'All the other kingdoms have signed the treaty except the Spiderbites. We need their help.'

'All I'm saying is…if they've stayed quiet for this long, maybe they had a reason.' He swallowed the air in his throat. 'Adam thought this was a waste of time too, you know.'

'Yeah, and Adam is on Galafamor with Tom, trying to reinforce St Olga's,' she scoffed. 'I really don't care what he thinks right now.'

Marco nodded but said nothing. Despite his complaints, he was still right by her side. Not like he would ever refuse to help her if she asked. He was just not looking forward to speaking to the Spiderbites, given their past hostility towards Star and her Monster equality policies.

Looking around, he started to frown.

'Uh…Star?' he uttered. 'Doesn't this path seem a little…empty, to you?'

She looked around the forest clearing for any trace of life. There was nobody in sight beside themselves, not even the odd trader or importer. Only the odd plant swaying in the breeze, or a small gecko scurrying up trees, was visible through the forest.

'Yeah, something's not right.'

A bush a feet away began to rustle. Both of them snapped to it, trying to find the source. Another bush shook, and a red-haired bullet slammed into Star, knocking her off her feet.

'Ugh…that hurt,' she muttered, looking down at the person who tackled her.

It was a young girl in beaten clothes, panting desperately. Tears streamed down her blotchy cheeks from her bloodshot eyes.

'Hey, there, you okay?' asked Star gently, as Marco helped them to their feet. She noticed a small cut on the girl's cheek, from which blood seeped out slowly. As she pulled out her wand, she silently wished she had invested time into learning Restoration magic like Adam and Moon had. She tapped her wand on the side of the girl's face, and a plaster appeared out of thin air to bandage the wound. 'There ya go. All better.'

The little girl held her cheek where the plaster had been placed. She looked up at Star with a confused gleam in her eyes. Her voice was tiny, barely audible amidst the psithurism.

'Thank you.'

A moment later, footsteps approaching grew louder and a louder voice accompanied them.

'Clementine! Clementine? Where are you?'

A common maid appeared through the bushes. She stumbled over a stray twig, and nearly fell, but Marco caught her before she could. She caught sight of her daughter and rushed over to her.

'Oh, there you are!' she exclaimed in relief. She seized Clementine in her arms and hugged her tightly. 'Thank you so m–' The woman glanced between Marco and Star and her jaw dropped. 'You're…you're Star Butterfly! Princess of the Butterfly Kingdom!'

Star nodded. 'Yep, that's me. It's, uh, it's nice to meet you…'

'No!' the woman snapped. 'You have to get out of here!'

Star and Marco exchanged confused looks, but it was Marco who actually asked, 'what do you mean? Are you okay?'

'Mommy?' said Clementine, slightly wary. The woman looked down at her afraid child.

'Yes, dear?'

She pointed behind her. 'The bad men are here.'

Her mother looked ahead and nearly gasped. Puzzled, the two Butterfly emissaries looked on at where the little girl had been pointing. Two Spiderbite Knights were marching in their direction, accompanied by horses, with a hand at their scabbards warningly. The woman instantly stood in front of Clementine, holding an arm out to protect her, whilst also blocking view of Marco and Star from the two knights as they approached.

One of the knights stepped forward. 'This is no place for a mother,' they said. 'What are you doing out here?'

'S-Sorry…my daughter ran off and got lost,' she stammered. She whispered to Star and Marco, 'Hide!'

The knight eyed her suspiciously, glancing between her and the girl in her arms. A couple tense second passed by before the knight let out a hum of acquiescence. They nodded, and the two knights beside him relaxed.

'You should be more careful with your young ones.' They nodded back towards the kingdom. 'I suggest you return to the kingdom with haste.'

'Yes, I will,' she replied. She stood there awkwardly, waiting for them to leave, but they never did.

'We can escort you,' the knight told her. She held her hands up and waved them dismissively.

'Oh no, I don't think that will be necessary!'

'I am not suggesting, miss.' They tightened their fingers around the handle to their blade. 'Follow me.'

The maid gulped and nodded. She looked tentatively down at her daughter. 'Come on, Clementine. Let's go home.'

Clementine looked like she wanted to protest, but her mother gave her a look that silenced her instantly. She nodded incessantly, clutching the woman's waist even tighter. As they followed the knights back towards the castle, the mother caught sight of Marco and Star hiding in the bushes. Star managed to catch her mouthing two words. Two very alarming words.

Save us.

Marco hummed in suspicion. 'That was…weird.'

'Something's definitely wrong around here,' agreed Star, nodding. 'I don't remember the Spiderbite Knights being so mean last time.'

'That woman seemed really scared, too.' He looked at his girlfriend. 'What should we do, Star?'

She exhaled through her nostrils and, after a while, stood up. 'Well, we can't do much if we just hide. Guess we gotta go to the Spiderbite Kingdom and see what the heck is going on.'

'We're so dead,' Marco muttered.

'What was that?'

'Uh, I said go ahead.' He stood up and took her by the hand. 'I'm right behind you. No matter what.'

Star nodded gratefully and the two of them made their way out of the bush and resumed their trek towards the Spiderbite Kingdom. As they got closer to the kingdom in the distance, the forest did not become busier. In fact, they only saw the odd Spiderbite Knight platoon, but Marco made the couple stay out of their way. After all, that woman had warned them that they should hide.

As the two reached the top of the hill, the reason for the lack of presence in the forest became apparent. A long queue of people lined the road leading to the gate in the big stone wall marking the Spiderbite border. Two Spiderbite Knights guarded the entrance to the kingdom, inspecting the documents the would-be citizens handed over.

The latest in line handed theirs over. The knight inspected it for a few moments, before looking up at the man in the queue.

'These documents were issued four months ago.'

The man frowned. 'Yes?'

'New editions were issued two days ago that subsumed all previous versions,' said the knight, smirking. 'Your documents are invalid. Take him away.'

'No, wait!' he cried, as two guards appeared and seized him by the shoulders. 'I swear! I'm a legal citizen! Please!' Alas, his cries fell on deaf ears, as he was forcibly detained and brought to jail.

Marco and Star looked on in horror.

What the hell happened to the Spiderbite Kingdom?

'Should we, uh…should we wait in line?' Marco asked, picking his nails.

'Nah!' scoffed Star. 'I'm royalty. They'll let me in!' She strutted past the long line of people and casually walked up to the guards at the front. 'Hi! I'm Star Butterfly. This is my squire, Marco Diaz. We're here on a diplomatic mission to see the King and Queen.'

The guard raised an eyebrow at her, took one look at her and Marco, and said, 'Yeah, and I'm Adam Butterfly. Impostors are not welcome, "Star Butterfly". And your names are not on the list of scheduled visitors.'

'Well, we tried to get in contact with the Spiderbites, but nothing was getting through.'

The guard jerked forward, looking at her closely in the eye. 'No ID, no entry,' he stated gruffly. 'Now get lost.'

'Oh, c'mon, this mission is super important!' she pleaded. The guard merely walked away to speak to the next person in the queue. Marco sighed.

'Well, that was a bust,' he said. Star nodded and folded her arms, wondering how they were going to get around this situation.

As it happened, someone walked by the queue towards the stone gate. Marco and Star looked up and nearly gasped.

Princess Spiderbite walked past them without a word to speak, barely realising her own presence to even acknowledge theirs. She was deathly pale, her features sallow and sunken. The only part of her face that wasn't totally pale were her bloodshot eyes and slightly swollen cheeks, but the rest of her remained as pale as a skeleton. Her once bulging spider bite on her head had reduced to almost nothing, akin more to a scab than a bite. A thin piece of fabric, which was meant to be a dress, hung shallowly from her gaunt figure. She whispered frayed sentences to herself as she practically slid across the floor.

'Hey, Penelope!' whispered Star, lightly catching her by the arm. The princess stopped and stared at them, suddenly noticing their existence. She glanced at the guards behind her and shifted out of earshot.

'Star? Marco? What are you…?' Her voice trailed off. She gulped. 'You never should have come here. The Spiderbite Kingdom isn't safe anymore.'

'What are you talking about?' enquired Star, keeping her voice to a whisper. Penelope shook her head. The knight from earlier stepped in.

'Are these two with you, Princess Spiderbite?' the guard asked, clenching his jaw. 'Do you know them?'

Penelope gave no answer at first, only glancing worriedly at the pair of them. She bit her lip, but she said nothing.

'You gotta let us through,' Marco pleaded, briefly eyeing the guard. Star nodded quickly.

'Yeah, whatever's going on, we'll get to the bottom of it. And we'll sure as heck put a stop to it.'

Penelope glanced away. 'That's exactly what I'm worried about.'

'Princess Penelope?' interjected the guard again. 'I'm going to need an answer right now.'

Star looked her fellow princess in the eye and said one thing, 'Please.' Penelope groaned quietly and turned to the guard.

'Yes,' she answered. 'They're with me. You can let them pass.'

'All I needed to hear,' the guard grumbled, beckoning the trio to follow. He walked over to the gate and pulled on the metal chain. Slowly, but surely, the metal gate rose upwards, allowing them access into the kingdom. Indeed, Star and Marco stepped inside, keeping their eye on the castle in the immediate distance.

'Follow me,' Penelope instructed, although her weak voice made it sound anything but imperative. Nevertheless, they obliged, and followed behind her. As they walked through the marketplace, Star heard Princess Spiderbite whisper, 'stay quiet. Don't draw attention to yourself.'

Now there was sentence Star had heard before. From a different person, of course, but the message was clear. It occurred to Star that Penelope was acting even more guarded than Adam typically did. What happened to the carefree, cheerful princess she had spoken to only a few months ago? She could practically cut the tension with a knife at the moment. Maybe that's what she needed to do.

'Don't worry about me,' she joked, smiling a smile so characteristic of her, 'cuz I've had a lot of practice from Adam about the whole "not drawing attention to yourself" thing.'

'This isn't funny!' snapped Penelope, before immediately bowing remorsefully. 'I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout.'

'What's wrong, Penelope?' Marco asked. He scanned the area for Spiderbite Knights and made sure none of them had lingering gazes.

'Shush!'

She held out a hand to cease them. Wordless, the princess pushed them aside into a dark alleyway off the beaten track. She kept her eyes averted as a group of Spiderbite Knights passed by, carrying enlarged pouches attached to their belt. Star managed to catch the words "tax collection" on them as they walked by. She frowned, and looked at Marco, who likely saw it too, going off his similarly nonplussed look.

'It's safe to pass now. We have to be quick. Or else they will find you.'

Penelope's words almost didn't hit Star for a moment, not until she started moving. However, Marco was a little quicker.

'"They"?' he uttered, as the princess grabbed their wrists and yanked them through the streets of the abnormally quiet marketplace. Unfortunately, Penelope offered them no answer to the question.

The princess led them through the streets of the kingdom with haste, worriedly steering them out of the way of the guards. Star wasn't exactly sure where she was leading them, but she noticed that the signs frequently read, "castle dungeons". Why would Penelope want to take them there? Was she just trying to throw them in there, or break someone out?

'Monster!'

Star and Marco immediately turned their attention to their right. There was a bakery at the end of the street, where a Mewman woman in a baker's dress stood outside. She was pointing fearfully at a large, burly man with horns and purple skin, who had been attempting to hide in the nearby alleyway.

'No…wait!' the Monster cried, but it was too late. Half a dozen Spiderbite Knights were on him in an instant, beating him up until he was bleeding profusely on the floor.

'No!' Star exclaimed, reaching for her wand. Marco was just about to jump in the way, before someone grabbed their arms and yanked them away, pulling them into a dark alleyway. The two looked back to see that Penelope was pulling them away from the Monster, as he was being driven into a prison carriage and torn from his family.

'What the hell?!' shouted Marco, trying to pull out of her grip. Star attempted to wriggle out as well, but the princess's grip was iron-like. A corner of her mind wondered if Penelope had been working out or something.

'Keep your voice down! And I said not to draw attention to yourselves!'

Star stood her ground. 'You're just gonna let them take that innocent man to prison?'

'You think I have a choice?!' she snapped. She tried to keep her voice below a hushed whisper. 'If I tried anything, they would know about it!'

'Who is "they"?!' Star yelled back. 'I don't understand, Penelope! What happened to that promise to turn your back on all this Monster hate stuff? You said you'd embrace change!'

'I KNOW!' she screamed, punching the wall. She seethed, flapping her hand to wipe off the pain. 'This isn't what I wanted either, Star.'

'Penelope…' spoke up Marco, fearful. 'Where's Slime Monster?'

She looked away. A tear formed in her eye; she wiped it away quickly. The princess sniffed and bit down on her lip. Her voice was quiet, almost fragile, like a thin sheet of glass slipping through the air.

'Gone.'

Star frowned hesitantly. 'Where…where is he?'

'He didn't meet the new "regulations" for citizenry,' she uttered. 'So, they removed him.'

Star reached forward and hugged her tightly. Penelope wrapped her arms around and sobbed quietly.

'I'm so sorry,' said Marco, putting a hand on her shoulder. 'We didn't know.'

'I know.' She let go of Star and wiped her nose. 'It's not your fault. I'm sorry.' Penelope looked nervously down the street at the end of the alleyway. 'I've tried to keep you out of sight, but…there's no use. They have eyes everywhere.'

'Will you finally tell us who "they" is?' pleaded Marco. She shook her head.

'I can't say anything. We've gotta hurry now.'

She grabbed them by the wrists and led them towards the other end of the alleyway. As they reached the end, she held them back to let a group of Spiderbite Knights pass by. Marco hummed in thought. He noticed there were more of these knights than usual. The Spiderbite Kingdom wasn't especially known for such beefy security.

Last time we came here, you'd be hard stretched to find this many soldiers.

Penelope took them out onto the street again, where there was a large crowd of people wandering through the streets. Penelope led them into the crowd, letting them disappear from the guards. Star and Marco nearly lost contact with her as the endless waves of commonfolk barged through them on their way to their afternoon duties.

'Just through here…' whispered Penelope. They almost couldn't hear her through the hustle and bustle of the afternoon shuffle, but they just about caught on to what she said.

Princess Spiderbite led them aside into a smaller, muddier street between the walls of the castle and stables. She looked around worriedly and beckoned them to follow.

'That's far enough, young lady.'

Penelope froze. Star and Marco turned around. Two Spiderbite Knights stood at the end of the alleyway, folding their arms. They looked in the other direction, and two more knights appeared to block both ends of the street. All three of them took a collective gulp.

'Princess Penelope!' said one of the knights, stepping forward. 'What do you think you're doing, straying so far from the castle?'

If by "far", he meant "right outside", then he might have had a leg to stand on by that question. As it stood, Star was a little confused by how rigid and certain the knight's voice was.

Penelope took a deep breath. 'I am the Heir Princess to the Spiderbite Throne. I should be allowed to venture forth wherever I please.'

'You know that you are not permitted to enter the common realm. You are to be under constant surveillance inside the castle.' He smirked. 'We wouldn't want Slime Monster to worry about you, would we?'

She went pale instantly.

'As for you two,' the knight continued, looking at Marco and Star, 'the King and Queen have been expecting you. They wish to meet in the throne room.'

'No!' squeaked Penelope, grabbing Star's arm. 'Don't go! It's…it's not…!'

The knight stepped forward and leaned into her ear. Neither Star nor Marco heard what he whispered into her ear, but, judging by the even paler disposition she quickly adopted, it probably wasn't anything good. Penelope gulped and reluctantly let go of Star.

'Star, I…I really don't have a good feeling about this,' confessed Marco, gritting his teeth.

'Do we have a choice?' she said helplessly. 'I mean…we need the Spiderbites on our side. Beating the tar out of their men wouldn't really help!'

Marco bit his lip and sighed. He glanced away, then briefly at Penelope, before finally nodding. He did have one warning to give, though.

'We should be careful. I don't think Penelope is so scared for no reason.' Penelope nodded mutely, but she didn't say anything. Star nodded and looked to the knight in charge.

'Take us to the throne room,' she requested. The knight nodded and motioned for them to follow. Penelope looked down and reluctantly walked away to the knights at the other end of the street.

'Good luck,' she said, as she walked away with the knights. Star and Marco gave her a forlorn look as they followed the other knights to the entrance of the castle. If there was ever something so certain in Star's mind, it was that Penelope Spiderbite was absolutely not okay.

But why?

Not long afterwards, Star cleared her throat angrily to dissuade the guard budging her back. Marco let out an annoyed groan when the knight behind him shoved his back with their spear.

The two of them entered the throne room with haste, and they immediately noticed that things were…off. For one, the Spiderbite flags hanging from the rafters had been replaced with a seal that Star didn't recognise. The lanterns on the wall were lit with odd blue flames, rather than the usual, warm orange flame that represented the Spiderbites. Namely, though, Penelope Spiderbite's throne was completely empty. It looked like it hadn't been used for a while.

Star felt herself being forced down to her knees. She grabbed the hand on her shoulder.

'Hey!'

'On your knees,' the knight instructed, as her boyfriend was forced down as well.

Marco squirmed in his grip. 'Get your hands off me!'

'Do as you are told.'

The couple turned to the source of the voice. King Spiderbite had been the one to say it, from his large, dusty throne at the back of the room. His wife, Queen Spiderbite, sat next to him, an unreadable expression on her face. Her features were sullen and tired, and a frown creased her brow permanently. The King looked much the same. There was a five o'clock shadow darkening his cheekbones and several bags sagged under his eyes. He held his royal sceptre loosely within his fist, resting it tiredly on the ground before him.

Star's hand inched ever closer to her wand in her purse.

'King Spiderbite?!' exclaimed Marco, his resistance fading. 'What the hell is going on?!'

'For what it's worth, I am sorry,' he replied, pursing his lips. 'Not to you. To Moon. She would understand…I had no choice but to accept the offer that they gave me.'

Star's frown deepened, as her hand remained poised over her wand. 'What are you talking about?'

'We have sworn fealty,' said Queen Spiderbite.

Raising his chin, Marco asked the all-important question, 'Who to?'

'To me.'

A tall woman in a red dress, burgundy corset, and pink gown stepped into the room with an intimidating gait. She was beautiful in every sense of the word, except for the inside. Her long, cherry-coloured hair flowed down her back in a long, braided ponytail, decorated with pieces of gold. Her navy-blue cheek marks were folded by the creases of her smirk, partially hiding what little contrast there was to her red outfit. A shiny bejewelled crown rested comfortably on the top of her head, connected to a series of pristine white pearls buried into hair.

Dark Moon Butterfly the Malevolent, also known as the Red Queen after her role in the Second Great Monster Purge, now stood before them. Negative Omnitraxus Prime, the Great Shansheeth and her personal bodyguard, was standing next to her.

The Red Queen's eyes narrowed. 'Hello, Star.'

'You!' screamed Star, whipping out her wand. Moon waved a hand callously. Marco and Star were ensnared by Lacquered Shackles from head to toe, restraining them and draining any available mana.

'Now, now, you shall address me only as the Red Queen.' She cast Levitato on Star's wand, summoning it to her hand. She looked at it closely and hummed in dissatisfaction.

'Interesting. I believe you term our converse mana "anti-magic"? Hmm…childish. Such a pale imitation.' She threw the wand to King Spiderbite, winding him in the stomach. 'Throw that in the dungeon. I cannot bear to look at it any longer.'

'Y-Yes,' the king wheezed, shakily handing it over to the nearest knight.

'What do you want with the Spiderbite Kingdom?' Marco asked, grimacing. The Red Queen raised an eyebrow, considering the question for a moment.

'Only a stronger foothold in this alternate dimension,' she said. 'Now that, thanks to the man with the magic, I have been forced to change plans.'

'Underestimated Adam, didn't you?' Star teased. 'Don't worry, everyone does.'

'Watch your tongue!' snapped Dark Moon. 'I can kill you in the blink of an eye, child. I am merely keeping you alive to extract information from you. And so that you can witness the Third Purge.'

Marco's eyes widened. 'The what?!'

'The Third Great Monster Purge,' she said wickedly. 'This kingdom has become infected with Monsters. It is my occupation to sterilise the wound. An execution is scheduled for tomorrow, where all the Monsters we have located will be purged. The whole kingdom shall watch, and rest assured, any enlightened spirits shall be crushed under my boot.'

'How could you agree to this?!' Star screamed at the king and queen.

'You've seen what the Empire is capable of,' Queen Spiderbite replied. 'Not even your Alliance is a match for them. We are doing what we must to survive. Who are you to judge?'

'The Red Queen has also offered us some…tantalizing bonuses,' added the king, smirking. 'When the Empire wins this war, we will be granted semi-independence from them, free of any annexation. All that we have to do is simply allow Queen Moon control of our kingdom during this "Great Monsoon" – something she has agreed to relinquish once the war is over.'

Marco snorted. 'And you actually expect her to hold up her end of the deal? You do know who you're dealing with, right?'

'The Red Queen's Empire has been far more reliable than the Butterfly Kingdom has ever been!' argued the queen, folding her arms. 'Your petty kingdom cannot even stick to its own, supposedly rigid, dogma!'

Star gasped inaudibly. 'Think about what you're doing! If you do this…dozens of innocent people will die! Thousands more under the Empire's rule!'

'Are you really going to stand by and let the Empire execute people just for existing?' Marco argued, looking desperately between them. 'What about Penelope? You're about to murder her boyfriend!'

King Spiderbite thinned his lips. 'An acceptable arrangement. I've always loathed those dirty Monsters.'

'We only allowed this…execution…thanks to your kingdom's recent reforms,' the Queen said, her voice wavering slightly. 'We're aware you wished us to remain allies but…the grass is greener in the Negative Multiverse.'

Star knew from experience that it most definitely wasn't, but she suspected it was supposed to be a metaphor. Perhaps being pedantic in this situation wasn't the most mature approach. Besides, she had something else she wanted to point out.

'You might hate Slime Monster, but surely you get…he's important to your daughter.' Her countenance darkened as she spoke. 'If you kill him, Penelope will never forgive you. And she'll want to defy you even more for it.'

The king hesitated. 'We are…willing to accept that.'

Star raised an eyebrow. 'Are you?' she challenged. 'You're really willing to accept that your daughter will hate you for the rest of her life? For her to constantly act against you?'

King Spiderbite's eyes darted away. His queen noticed this immediately and spoke for him.

'Penelope is of little threat to us. She's a child. She can be managed.'

'She's your daughter!' exclaimed Marco. 'Don't you care about her at all?'

Before either of them could answer, Dark Moon interrupted the exchange.

'I grow tired of this family squabble.'

She nodded to a Spiderbite Knight, no doubt one of the Empire Knights who had been reassigned. The knight grabbed Star's arm and placed thick, magically-sealing metal chains on her wrists. He did the same with Marco a moment later, allowing Dark Moon to remove the Lacquered Shackles spell she had cast on them. It was a more permanent arrangement.

'Interrogation is simple,' said the Red Queen, stepping towards them. 'The Psionic Wandering Spell shall serve me dutifully.' Star winced at the mention of the spell. She struggled and scrambled as Dark Moon reached forward. A knight held Star down whilst she pressed her thumb against the girl's forehead.

However, the moment her thumb made contact, she jolted and recoiled away from her.

'A Psionic Protection Seal…' Dark Moon gasped. She froze and went pale. Her voice fell to a whisper, and Star could barely make out what she said. 'The man with the magic…he must be responsible for this. Why…? Why must the prophecy persist?'

Star smirked. 'Adam's full of surprises, but he's reliable as ever.'

On the other hand, Marco didn't see the humorous side. He noticed a glint of fear in Dark Moon's eyes, specifically at the reminder of Adam. Was the Red Queen…scared of him? Why?

'To the dungeons with them!' screeched the Red Queen, opening a ruby-coloured portal to her right. 'Guards! Remove them. I can stand their pungent odour no longer.'

'Get the hell off me!' Marco yelled, attempting to shove the knights off him. Before he could properly resist, a knight struck him in the temple with the side of their sword, knocking him out instantly. Star held out a hand.

'Marc–!'

Then everything went black.

By the time Star's conscious mind finally returned to her body, she immediately detected she was hanging on something. The room was dark, but there were a few rays of light shining in through the windows. Star recognised that she was in a jail cell, clamped to the wall with thick metal chains. Water dripped from a small metal grating above her, forming a small puddle on the cobblestone floor.

Noticing Marco chained to the wall next to her, unconscious, she called out to him.

'Marco! Wake up!'

The boy in question stifled a groan and tried to stretch his limbs. However, the chains caught and constricted him, snapping him awake.

'Wha…what happened?'

'Dark Moon caught us,' she reminded him. Marco sighed in remembrance of the event. He looked around the jail cell.

'So how are we getting outta this one?'

Star pursed her lips. 'I don't know. These cuffs are the same brand that Dark Star used on me when she kidnapped me. I can't get out of it.'

'Yeah,' he recalled, humming. 'Adam had to amp you up with the Seal of Arybailos.'

She frowned. Her eyes darted away in thought. Marco stared at her in concern, until she finally said, 'The Seal. I could use it.'

'No way!' he shot down. 'You know only Adam can use that spell! Don't you remember what happened with Arybailos?'

'I don't really have much choice, do I? If we don't escape, then all those innocent people will be executed. And soon enough, we'll die too.'

'We always have a choice, Star.'

Star sighed. She went quiet for a moment. A mutter finally came out. 'Adam would agree with me, you know. If he were here, he'd be telling me to escape at all costs.'

'You shouldn't be taking advice like that from him, Star,' said Marco. 'He's my friend, but…he's a fatalistic and deeply troubled person.'

'You know he would've escaped by now.'

'I really doubt that.' He groaned when Star hummed in discontent. 'Fine. Clearly, I can't talk you out of this, but excuse me if I don't want my girlfriend to die.'

'I'm not gonna die, Marco. I can convince Arybailos to let me go, I'm sure of it!' Marco gave no response to her naively optimistic attitude. Star took a few deep breaths. 'Phew…let's do this. I think I remember the words…uh, I pledge my soul to –'

'I knew this would happen.'

Star and Marco looked up. Princess Penelope Spiderbite was standing outside the prison cell, peering through the viewing window on the door. She incessantly glanced around her, making sure she was not in sight.

'I'm sorry, Penelope,' Star uttered guiltily. 'We should have listened to you when you said not to go with them!'

'They would've caught you regardless,' dismissed Penelope, waving a hand. 'The Red Queen has eyes everywhere.'

'How long has the Butterfly Empire been in charge of the Spiderbite Kingdom?' Marco asked.

'They infiltrated the kingdom not long after the Cloud Siege,' she explained, biting her lip. 'The Empire took control quickly, but it took some time before Mom and Dad agreed to their terms. After that…they took all the Monsters in the city and locked them up. That was two days ago. She was…she was supposed to execute them yesterday, but…she learned you guys were coming and delayed it. She wanted you to watch.'

'So that means we bought time to save them!' cried Star, beaming bright enough to light up the entire room. She hummed at the thought. 'Oddly enough, Dark Moon's cruelty actually helped us.'

Penelope shook her head. 'I already tried to save them. Resisting only made things worse.' She sniffed and stifled a tear. 'They…they killed my best friend…Grayfia…because I tried to free them. I…I won't be responsible for more deaths!'

'I'm so sorry about Grayfia, Penelope, she was a good person,' bid Star, smiling sadly. 'But…if we don't stop the Empire, they'll just kill more people. And there's no guarantee they won't kill everyone here anyway. We can't let them win, Penelope.'

'I'm sorry, Penelope, but Star is right,' Marco said, reluctant. 'If she wins this war, Dark Moon isn't under any obligation to hold up her end of the bargain with your parents. She could break them as she pleases.'

Penelope banged the door angrily. 'I know!' she screamed. She looked down and let her tears fall. 'I know…I'm not stupid! I don't trust Dark Moon so desperately like my parents! But you don't know…you don't know what it's like, watching someone you care about die right in front of you!'

Marco absentmindedly thought that he almost wished Adam was here to empathise with the poor girl. Star looked up and her eyes clouded over.

'Actually, I do.'

The memory of Negative Janna's charred skeleton flashed through her head. The way her bones fused with the mud, and her anatomy remained frozen in place, was forever burned into her mind.

'I know exactly how you feel, Penelope,' she insisted. 'The need to make sure it never happens again. The fear of knowing how easily it could. But listen to me, Penelope: standing by and letting them win? That's even worse. In the end, more innocent people will die. You've gotta find some way of proving to your parents that the Red Queen won't keep her end of the deal. Listen…if we can get the King and Queen on our side, we could free the Monsters, lead a rebellion, and drive the Empire straight out of the kingdom. We can do this, Penelope. I just know it.'

Marco nodded. 'We need you, Penelope. Please.'

Penelope looked away for a moment. She wiped away her tears, praying that nobody else had witnessed her moment of weakness. The princess scanned every edge of the dungeons around her, trying to spot even a hint of an eye watching her in seclusion. She caught the frayed edges of her mind and forcefully pulled them together.

'I'll do it,' she said, with the greatest amount of conviction that she could conjure. 'But…I can't free you. Mom and Dad will notice. I'll have to find evidence myself.'

Marco looked at his girlfriend and smiled. 'I'm okay with that. As long as we're together, we'll pull through.'

'Awww!' cooed Star, blushing. 'You know, if I could, I'd be kissing you a million times right now.'

Penelope grimaced cartoonishly. 'Ew.' They both stared at her. 'I mean, I'm happy for you, but…ew.'

'Sorry, Penelope,' Star apologised abashedly. 'We'll save Slime Monster. I promise.'

'War isn't usually a place for love,' the princess replied. 'But I'm glad you managed to find some happiness in this Great Monsoon.' She offered a weak smile. 'I'm counting on you to save Slimey.'

With that, she walked away, keeping to the shadows.

Whew. Guess I ain't pulling any punches with this one. Thanks for reading! Sorry it's been over a month since my last update, I've been busy working over the summer and I recently moved to my student accommodation. But I'm here now!

Penelope's best friend was executed by the Empire, and she's now faced with the execution of her boyfriend along with every other Monster that was in the Spiderbite Kingdom. It's getting real now.

So one of my intentions of the second part of the finale was to show the Red Queen front and centre. Now that her gambit to destroy the Cloud Kingdom has failed, she's decided to play the war by more subtler means. She infiltrated the Spiderbite Kingdom and quietly took it over before it could formally join the Alliance that Moon was creating to fight back against the Empire. Pretty crafty, honestly, as what Dark Moon needs a proper foothold in the Positive Multiverse because her vast armies are spread out across the Negative Multiverse, so she needs a place on Positive Mewni to consolidate her power. She's also mentions "the man with the magic", which curiously is the same line Negative Janna used to describe Adam in Chapter 2. Weird, eh?

Of course, I wanted to lend some focus to Star and Marco. Star is the co-protagonist of the story with Adam, after all, and she has only been the main protagonist in Chapter 6, 10-11, 27-29, 35-37, and 44-45. All the others she either had a small role, or a main role that was slightly overshadowed by her fellow protagonist Adam. I wanted to show how Star has grown and how the war and everything leading up to it has affected her, and I thought a good example of that was when she was willing to cast the Seal of Arybailos, potentially throwing away her soul, just to save the people in the Spiderbite Kingdom. She's far more willing now to do what is necessary to win, even if that means sacrificing herself.

This episode will also be three chapters long (as will the next), by the way. But let's just say the ending is something you're never gonna see coming.

See you until then! Thanks for all the support!