Work Text:
“I’m tellin’ you B-Fly, more lip gloss!” Queen Pony Head shoved past Janna, who only briefly glanced up from her phone at the disturbance, and grabbed the stick in her teeth. “C’mon, pucker up!”
“If I put on any more, my lips are gonna be so slippery I’ll break his teeth!” Star moaned, staring at her hopeless reflection in the vanity mirror. Behind her, her four bridesmaids clad in fancy layers of pink silk and satin were darting around the suite like chickens with their heads severed -- save for Janna, who was calmly documenting the madness with the hashtag #royalwedding2025.
“Hey Star, you’re trending,” she announced, shoving the phone screen in her face with a satisfied smirk. “Like, interdimensionally. Who knew #teamstarco was so popular?”
“Seriously Janna, enough with the hashtags,” the frazzled bride shook her head, then yelped when Kelly jerked her back into place so quickly her neck nearly snapped.
“Stay still!” she ordered through the multiple hair pins she held in her teeth. “Your hair has to look as fancy as the other Queens’ wedding portraits. I didn’t spend months studying their intricate stylings for nothing.”
“Marco doesn’t care how fancy my hair looks!”
“But your mom and the High Commission will,” Pony Head pointed out, spitting out the lip gloss and biting on the powder puff, which she applied forcefully to Star’s cheeks. “Earth Turd ain’t the only one you’re appealing to, believe it or not.”
Star shut her eyes and covered her ears, trying to block everything around her out for just a few minutes. The Queen of Mewni’s wedding day was always nothing short of an observed holiday since the year one, and the amount of pressure placed on every single detail was staggering. The color scheme had to include blue, the exchanging of vows had to be followed immediately by the king’s coronation, he had to always stand at least one step behind the queen -- if Star heard the words ‘have to’ one more time, she was either going to scream or burst into tears.
Why couldn’t she and Marco have just gone before the High Commission and declared themselves to each other in a private ceremony? No dresses, no makeup, no jewels and medals and flowers and crowds; just the two of them and a handful of witnesses. But that wouldn’t be fair to their friends and family, the loved ones who had supported them throughout the years and deserved to share in this special day. Not to mention their mothers would be furious that they couldn’t play the role of ‘control freak’ that every mother was obliged to play on her child’s wedding day. Well okay, mostly her mother.
But even she had been upstaged by Pony Head, who Star was beginning to regret christening her maid of honor despite their friendship having been the longest and most enduring. Her bestie meant well and just wanted her special day to be perfect, but she seemed to care more about keeping things her way rather than Star’s, even in areas not dictated by Butterfly tradition. The reception music was a playlist of all of Pony Head’s favorite clubbing jams, the color scheme a flashy pastel blue and pink, she had even wanted to write Star’s vows to Marco for her -- and that was where Star finally put her foot down.
“Alright, we’ve got over a hundred thousand followers,” Janna nodded at her phone in satisfaction. “See? Told you I had the coverage totally under control.”
Pony Head turned her head slowly, blinking her large mascara-laced lashes. “Excuse me? B-Fly put me in charge of the coverage.”
“Yeah well, when you decided you weren’t gonna listen to what she wanted for her own wedding, she passed some of your duties off to me.” She grinned at the disembodied horse head’s flaring nostrils, “I’m just doing what she said.”
“But I’m her best friend!”
“I’m her biggest fan!” Starfan piped up.
“We know!”
“Sit up straight!” Kelly begged Star, but she only curled further and further into the chair, digging her fingernails into her scalp.
“Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up…” Over and over, her breaths shallowing out until she was positive she was about to faint.
“Star?”
A pair of soft hands placed themselves over hers, removing them from her ears, and Star opened her eyes to see Moon kneeling in front of her seat. Her calm regal presence seemed to magically bring the stress levels in the room down to half, and everyone’s eyes were on her. She positively shimmered in a midnight blue gown, beads hanging from the ornate headpiece that draped over her silver-lined periwinkle hair swept into a heart-shaped style.
“Mom,” Star let out a shaking breath, unfurling herself from the ball she had curled into. “Sorry, I -- it’s been kinda crazy in here.”
“I know, it’s alright.” Moon looked over her shoulder at Kelly and nodded, “It looks lovely, Kelly. Don’t change a thing. Janna, perhaps you can add a bit more definition to her eyes?” She smiled at her daughter, “Her lashes are just so pale.”
“I’m on it,” Janna launched forward over the table, grabbing the eyeliner and adding subtle dark wings to the corners of Star’s eyes.
“And what about me?” Pony Head asked, pushing herself to the front and bowing her head. “As the one and only maid of honor, I’m here to serve, Your Excellency Moon the Undaunted ma’am--”
“You’ve done more than enough, Lilacia,” Moon replied warmly, yet Star saw a glint of humor in her eyes. “Why don’t you take a break?”
Pony Head bristled at her formal name, but tossed her mane back in agreement. “Yeah, I guess I did earn some more coffee. I’m just that good.” She threw her gaze back, leering directly at Janna before floating out the door into the hallway with Starfan right behind her.
“Thank you,” Star smiled at her reflection once Janna had finished applying the liner, then reached up to fluff her updo. “Both of you.”
“We’ll meet you outside,” Kelly nodded, giving Star a hug before Janna followed suit. Once they had shut the door behind them, Moon held out her hands to Star, who used them to shakily rise to her feet. Layers of white tulle skirt tumbled to the floor, her corseted bodice strapped around her torso like armor in gleaming silver, blooming up into delicate white lace that covered her from chest to collarbone. Her lips were bright red against her ivory skin, powder dulling her heart emblems into a soft rose color, and if Janna had added any more eye makeup she would have resembled a racoon.
“How do I look?” she asked, awkwardly sliding her nyloned feet into a glittering pair of white heeled boots.
“Like a terrified bride-to-be,” Moon assessed, “But a lovely one.” Reaching for the long white gloves on the vanity, she handed them to Star, her fingers fumbling over themselves as she struggled to get them on.
“I dunno what’s wrong with me,” Star muttered, mostly irritable at her own paralyzing nerves. “You think I would’ve been more scared over being crowned queen, and now--”
Moon took pity on her and pulled the gloves from her trembling hands, assisting her gently. “I understand exactly how you feel, darling. The day of my wedding, I tried to do everything myself with magic: My hair, my face, adjusting my dress, everything. But my emotional state was so unstable that it was impossible for me to focus, and bottom line, I nearly set this church on fire.”
“So what snapped you out of it?” Star asked desperately, sucking in her breath as her mother yanked the strings on the back of her corset a bit tighter.
“Your father.” Moon laughed, and the sound was so foreign to Star that she jumped. “He took a wrong turn looking for the bathroom. Opened the door and there I was, all dressed in my mother’s white gown. Superstitious as he is, he covered his eyes and tried to run away, crashing right into the minister and his groomsmen along the way.” She continued to chortle as she turned Star back around, placing the tiara attached to the veil in her hair. “I was so busy laughing that I forgot to be nervous. In the end, I was marrying this charming sweet little buffoon I fell in love with, and that was all that mattered.”
Star let out a deep breath as the veil fell over her face, glancing up at her mother through the shimmering translucent lace. Impulse took over, as it always did with Star, and she threw her arms around Moon’s waist, resting her head on her bosom. “I love you, Mommy.”
“Oh...oh my Star,” Moon hushed, pressing her lips to her only daughter’s blonde bangs. “I love you, too. You will never have to bear the burden of the Crown alone after today. He will support you, stand at your side, and speak in your name. And most important of all...he will complete you, Star. That is what this union represents: Completion of the mind, heart and soul within two devoted people.”
Star smiled, clutching her just a little harder and fearing the moment when they would have to part, leaving the safety of her mother’s protection behind forever. “I wonder how Marco’s doing…”
“You about done?” Tom called to the locked bathroom door in the groom’s suite. A loud projection of retching from the other side promptly answered his question, and he sighed. “Dude, you gotta get a grip. This is the easy part. It’s after the honeymoon you’re getting tossed into the deep end of the pool.”
The door finally opened and Marco emerged, ashen-faced and wiping his mouth on his bare wrist, having rolled up his dress sleeves to avoid soiling them. “Okay. Think I’m good now.”
“You just be glad River got indoor plumbing in this place, ‘cause there’s no way in hell I’d be emptying your chamber pots,” his best man complained, holding onto the decorative red tunic he was to wear for the ceremony. Marco shuffled his feet over to the mirror, combing his hair away from his forehead and slicking it off to the side so not one hair moved out of place.
“Think anyone’s gonna notice?”
“Oh yeah, I think everyone’s gonna notice that you’re scared out of your mind,” Tom remarked. “On the one hand, I don’t blame you. On the other, you put way too much pressure on yourself.”
“Right, no big deal, I’m only marrying Mewni’s queen.” Tossing the comb back on the table, Marco rolled his sleeves down as Tom held open the jacket. “I’m only gonna be crowned king after we take our vows, I’m only gonna be responsible for the welfare of an entire kingdom for the rest of my life, no big deal.”
“Welcome to my world,” Tom shot back truthfully, watching Marco shove his arms into the tunic. “It’s gonna be taxes and property disputes and magical disasters that may or may not end in wars from here on out. But hey, that’s what you wanted, right?”
“I wanted to be by Star’s side,” Marco sighed out, turning back to face the full-length gold-bordered mirror. Numerous medals with the Mewnian royal crest adorning them lined the blue sash across his red jacket. It was a symbol of everything he had accomplished from the age of fourteen onwards -- and yet, it also signified everything he had still yet to accomplish in his young life. “I still want to, it--it’s all I’ll ever want.”
“Well, this is how you’re gonna have to do it,” the demon prince said, “It’s not all gonna be nacho nights and movie marathons and romantic dinners.” Spinning him around, he held Marco by the shoulders firmly. “She needs you more than she’ll ever admit, Marco. She wouldn’t have become the ruler she is today without you. We all know it. You’ve established yourself as a fitting consort for this kingdom, and a perfect life companion for Star. Now comes the longevity test.”
At the gravity in all three of his red eyes, Marco couldn’t help wondering if this was similar to what Tom was told constantly as his own impending coronation seemed to creep closer. He managed a lopsided grin, “Well, I already got ten years under my belt.”
“So only...fifty, sixty more to go?” Tom’s brow furrowed, “How long do you humans live again?”
There was a loud knock at the door before Marco could answer, and King River burst into the suite before he was even acknowledged. “Marco m’boy, we’re just about to get started!” he boomed, clapping him hard on his lower back, as that was as high as he was able to reach. “And while I know it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride beforehand, her father has -- and she looks breathtaking!”
He sniffled, his eyes starting to well up, “Seems like only yesterday she was riding on my shoulders through the gardens, destroying her first statue, getting her first lecture from her mother, and next thing you know she’s Queen!”
“We kinda know how you feel,” Marco said, glancing over at Tom. “We’ve watched her grow up, too.” The demon smiled, his fangs poking out as he gave him a nod, grateful that Marco had acknowledged him as well. Star had kept him near and dear to her as a good friend and close ally, despite how awkward things had been between all three of them in their adolescence. He knew, with how genuine Star’s heart was, that it was far more than just a political alliance that had kept the three of them close. And for that, he could never really repay her.
“Come on, dude.” Tom clapped him on his other shoulder, he and River leading him out of the room. “Let’s go get you married.”
The quaint chapel adjacent to Butterfly Castle was usually quiet and vacant when there were no weddings or funerals taking place. Therefore, once in a generation, the elderly staff that attended to it had their work cut out for them when the queen was to be married. And they were quite sure none of the servants before them had to witness the current Pony Head Queen shrieking, “I don’t need no one to escort me down the aisle, I am the maid of honor!”
“Yeah, and you’re supposed to enter with the best man!” Kelly snapped, pointing to the empty spot in line next to Tom.
“And get my curls all humid and frizzy up in his hot business?! Nuh-uh, I’ll pass!” Using her snout, she shoved the demon so forcefully that he collided with Ferguson. “No offense Tom, but go somewhere else.”
“Well I’ve got Kelly, and Alfonso has Starfan -- wherever she is,” Ferguson assessed, linking arms with his green-haired escort. “So I guess that leaves Tom with Janna.”
“Sweet,” Janna nodded, clicking off her phone and stuffing it in her handbag.
“Really? I thought you guys were fighting,” Kelly muttered to her under her breath.
“We are. But if Tom’s my escort, that makes me the maid of honor.”
“I heard that, Ordonia!”
“I don’t wanna,” Tom whined as Janna shoved her arm roughly through his.
“Shut up and smile, Your Royal Fickleness,” she sneered, gripping the pink bouquet so tightly in her other hand that her knuckles were pale.
“I’m fickle?!”
“Guys, right now? Really?” Alfonso pleaded with the bickering pair, as outwardly nervous as the rest of them felt inwardly. Peeking through the doors that led into the church, he gulped. “Marco doesn’t look so good up there by himself.”
“I told him to imagine everyone was naked and he’d be fine,” Tom sighed out.
“Seriously?” Janna hissed, “He’s standing right in front of his parents.” They stared at each other for a moment, realizing Tom had unintentionally caused Marco more misery than comfort, and immediately burst into laughter.
“Quiet, we’re starting,” came River’s whisper from the back of the wedding party. The doors were opened by a guard on each side, the gentle lead-in of an elegant organ piece began to play, and a hush fell over the crowd packed into the pews as Moon led the way down the aisle. As was tradition for the queen’s mother, she opened her hands and let a shimmering sprinkle of silver magic fall from her palms, coating the carpet around her as she walked gracefully.
“A symbol that she is paving the way for her daughter’s future, in life and in love,” River explained to the non-Mewnians around him. Alfonso barely listened, bouncing anxiously on the balls of his feet when his escort was still nowhere to be found, and they were next to enter.
“Starfan?” they heard a timid whisper, and everyone turned to see Star stumbling as best she could in her giant dress, and with her biggest fan latched onto her arm. “Um, sorry, but my dad has to escort me down the aisle.”
“But you’re so beautiful, Star...” She only seemed to hang on tighter the more Star struggled to pry her arm from her grip, and only took her eyes off her idol when Pony Head leered her horn directly into her face.
“Get your skinny little heart-eyes up there, you’re next!” The maid of honor’s order echoed all the way up to the altar as Alfonso seized Starfan by the hand and practically dragged her, the latter staring back at the bride and gaping until she couldn’t see her anymore.
“So, planning on telling me why you blew me off for the past month?” Tom asked Janna out the corner of his mouth. “And won’t answer my texts?”
She scowled, watching Ferguson and Kelly walk ahead of her. “No. I’m not your girlfriend, I don’t owe you an explanation.”
“I thought we were at least friends,” the prince bit out, trying to keep his anger at bay.
“Friends of friends. We’re two people who hook up once in awhile,” Janna said in finality, tugging him forward when it was their turn. “Let’s leave it at that, okay?”
“Whatever,” Tom grumbled, turning his nose away from her to nod to the crowd. She smelled like jasmine and it was way too distracting.
“I’m afraid Lilacia might steal the thunder of your big day,” River chuckled to Star, who giggled at Pony Head floating down the aisle, blowing kisses with stars in her multicolored eyes.
“That was her evil plan all along.” She stopped laughing when she got a good look at her father’s face, his normally jovial blue eyes full of tears. “Dad? Aw, Daddy…”
“Forgive an old man’s sentimentality,” he rumbled, wiping the corners of his eyes as his daughter leaned down to kiss his cheek. He sighed, “Are you sure it’s him?”
Star straightened her posture when a majestic chord rose to a crescendo from the organ, every being in the church standing to turn towards the open doors at the back of the chapel. And she kept her eyes forward, finding Marco at the center of the altar, his eyes so wide at her appearance that they could have popped out of his skull.
“Yeah. It’s always been him.”
River sniffled, patting her hand assuringly. “Then let’s go.”
She floated, her mother’s magic lifting from the floor to swirl about her, drinking in the gasps of awe from her friends and people. He became closer with each step, her feet barely touching the rug, her father’s hand in hers keeping her from sprouting her wings and zooming towards the finish line. Towards Marco, who held out his hand to her. Away from River, who lifted her veil to kiss each heart on her cheeks before placing her hand in his -- the boy he had lost his little girl to long ago.
“Swear to me that she is your whole heart, as she is mine,” the former king said in a hardened voice, staring Marco down, who did not flinch when he squeezed their joined hands.
“She is, River. I swear.” And River bowed his head, descending the platform to sit beside his wife, leaving Marco speechless before the stunning queen. “You...you look…”
“Amazing?” Star guessed with a smirk.
“Beautiful.” It was cliche, and he knew it. Yet Star still blushed bright red, lowering her eyes like a shy schoolgirl as her lips spread into a wide contagious smile.
“We’re really doing this, aren’t we?”
Marco lifted her chin with his finger, and they turned as one to face the aging minister at the pure white marble altar, overshadowed by the massive stained glass window casting prismed lights around the otherwise dreary walls. He nodded, “Yep, we really are.”
“Dearly beloved,” Manfred’s voice rang out from the podium, sounding strangely faraway in their ears. “We are gathered together to bear witness to the most jubilant union of Her Majesty, Queen Starlight Destiny Butterfly, and Sir Marco Ubaldo Diaz…”
It was not uncommon for the wedding of a member of the royal family to be lengthy. But for the queen herself, the ceremony seemed endless. Ancient Mewnian blessings were performed, interspersed with speeches from each member of the Magic High Commission, including a mournful tribute to Lekmet in which the couple lit a candle and observed a few minutes of silence.
Star was fine with parts of it, including paying the late chancellor respect, but Marco could tell the parade of speeches, musical interludes, and spell after spell being cast upon them was starting to test her patience. And when Rhombulus lost his note cards and was forced to painfully stutter out a sermon, he was positive she was going to explode behind her tightened smile.
“Oh thank Mewni,” she breathed out, checking her program and realizing they were finally nearing the end. As soon as the music faded out she eagerly jumped to her feet, pulling Marco up next to her.
“And now, the Queen and her groom have chosen to write their own marriage vows to each other.” The minister stepped aside, giving the glowing couple the floor. He didn’t know whether it was the sunlight streaming in from the enormous stained glass window or the decorated suit he wore, but Marco suddenly felt very hot. Sweaty, even. Pulling a handkerchief out of his sleeve -- which Tom had given him muttering “Trust me, you’re gonna need it” -- Marco dabbed at his forehead before fumbling with the index cards he had extracted from his pocket.
“Um,” he began, then shut his mouth once he realized how echoey his voice was in the vast chapel. Everyone’s eyes were on him. It was like the night of his first Mewnian ball all over again, only this was far more critical. It was his wedding day. His wedding to the Queen of Mewni. No big deal. He saw his parents beaming expectantly from the front of the congregation. He saw River leaning forward, grabbing the pew in front of him as if about to leap from his seat in excitement, and Moon sitting straight and proper, though her face was soft and her eyes warm. Janna was on the verge of snickering over Star’s shoulder, most likely at the petrified look on his face, and he heard Tom exhale behind him somewhat impatiently.
But then his darting anxious gaze found Star’s, and instantly his hands stopped shaking. There she was. He had spent every moment since she walked down that aisle seeing this beautiful goddess he was about to marry: A queen, a powerful warrior, an advocator of justice for all the inhabitants of Mewni, and a fierce rebel. But when she stared back at him, her expression a mixture of expectancy and utter contentment, she was just...Star. Somewhere beneath the layers of makeup, expertly contoured cheekbones, flawlessly winged sparkling eyeliner, and elaborate royal updo was the same reckless, crazy, fun-loving, kind-hearted girl he had fallen in love with. And in her piercing blue gaze that created the window to her very soul, Marco found her once more. Holding firmly to that and not letting go, he began to read from his cards:
“Ten years ago, a girl with blonde hair, blue eyes and more energy than a dozen toddlers crash-landed into my life. Up until then, it was a pretty easy-going, safe life. Just me, my parents, and a new foreign exchange student every year or so. But this princess from some far-off dimension was different, and I knew it from our very first battle together. I might’ve even realized she was...special.”
Marco’s eyes drifted up from the cards to find Star smiling from ear to ear, hanging on his every word. Like he was the sun, moon and stars that she depended on to rise, shine and complete her world. And she in turn was the same to him. There was nothing truer in the world than this fact. A few moments that seemed like eternity passed, and he only vaguely felt a few of the index cards fall from his limp grasp.
“Star, I’ve been through more with you than most people have in a lifetime. I know everything about you, the good and the bad. And you know everything about me. You know I’m a perfectionist, that I can be bossy, that I’m so overprotective it can be infuriating. But...you also know how much I’ve grown to care about you. How I’ve been ready to give my entire heart and soul to you for so long, just praying you’d accept it.” He drew a shaking breath and let it out, his vision beginning to blur. But not before he saw Star’s chin tremble, her eyes glittering as they filled to the brim.
“I can’t describe what happened to us. Why I realized I was so head over heels in love with my best friend. Maybe...I always was. I just showed it in a lotta dumb ways. Maybe every time I told you to stop being careless or begged you to be safe, it was my own way of saying ‘I love you’. I...I can’t write down how much I love you, Star. I can’t even show it. All I’ve ever been able to do is be there, supporting you, and hope that you can feel it. It’s pathetic, I know.”
Star was shaking her head, thick mascara-soiled tears making sloppy tracks down her cheeks, biting on her lip to suppress the sobs hitching in the back of her throat. Marco’s own lips quivered as he smiled -- he had promised her that his speech wouldn’t make her cry. So much for that.
“Look at you,” he went on, “My best friend is the Queen of Mewni. And a great queen at that. Why you even still want someone like me by your side now, I’ll never know. But you do, Star. You’ve told me so many times how much you still do. And I can never express how much that means to me. I didn’t think this ‘safe kid’ from Echo Creek would amount to anything, and all you’ve ever done is show me how much more I was capable of being. I can’t repay you for that. All I can do is offer you my unwavering loyalty, and my deep unconditional love.”
He took her gloved hand and kissed it, through the silent tears that sprang up at seeing hers. “With your permission, Queen Star, this knight would like to take you as his wife. And your best friend would like to spend the rest of his life loving you, with everything inside him and more. Maybe someday, I’ll be able to see the man you see every day through your eyes, and love that man as much as you do. But ‘til then, I’ll keep on loving the woman who is everything that I am.”
The young queen wasn’t the only one sniffling by the time he was finished; several people in the chapel were visibly wiping their eyes dry, including his own parents. Swiping his wrist across his own eyes and nose, Marco gathered up the cards from the floor and stuffed them back in his pocket, while taking up the handkerchief and handing it to Star.
“I love you,” she mouthed to him, dabbing at her cheeks and chin while Tom nudged Marco from behind hissing “Nice.”
Manfred leaned forward, “Do you need a moment, Your Majesty?”
“No--no, I’m fine,” Star whispered back, handing her bouquet now splattered with tears off to Janna, who took it eagerly while giving Pony Head a smirk. Reaching into a secret pocket under her blue jeweled sash, she withdrew a folded piece of parchment that quivered in her gloved hand. “How the hell am I gonna top that?”
A hearty ripple of laughter started from the front of the altar and travelled to the back of the room, providing temporary relief to the stiff holiness of the occasion. Even Moon chuckled behind her hand, despite her watering sapphire eyes as her daughter unfolded the paper and gazed deep into the boy’s damp brown eyes.
“So when we decided we were gonna write these, I tried to think of one word I could use to sum up who you were to me, Marco. I’ve used a lot over the years: Friend, advisor, squire, lifeline, boyfriend, fiancé, and pretty soon, husband. But none of those seemed right to me. So after a bunch of sleepless nights agonizing over these vows, where I had to describe the most indescribably wonderful person I’ve ever known in just a few sentences, to tell him in just a couple minutes how much he’s meant to me, I finally got it. Home. That’s the word. You are my home, Marco. It was never Earth, and it was never Mewni. It was wherever you were. It was wherever I could be close enough to you to draw from your strength, be in your arms so you could lift me up, or shelter and protect me from danger.”
Star paused to swallow back the tears strangled in her throat, hearing gentle sobs from one of the front pews. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Angie smearing makeup over her face with a tear-soaked tissue, clutching Rafael’s hand tightly in her lap. Focusing back on Marco, who wept silently before her, she glanced quickly back at the notes in her hand.
“It isn’t just what I’ve wanted, it’s what I’ve needed. I needed you to have those long late night talks with me, to set me straight when I’m being stupid, to laugh with me when we’re at our happiest, and hold me when I’m crying at my lowest. You have seen me at my absolute worst...and you still stood by me. Even when I didn’t wanna stand by me anymore.”
Her eyes now drifted to her mother, sharing a significant look amidst the joy of the occasion. The only person Star had ever felt she disappointed more than Moon was herself. The impulsive ball of insecurities gussied up in a pretty gown and a mask of confidence, who had nearly destroyed not only her kingdom but her relationships with the people she loved most on several different occasions.
Why Marco wanted to marry this giant mess of a person, why her mother was now gazing upon her with nothing short of utmost pride, Star would never understand. She was still the same, just older and curvier with a more embellished wand. What, in her feeble accomplishments, had made her worthy of this much love and admiration? She would never know the answer. She would never find out what she had done to deserve Marco in her life. But she was thankful every day from the bottom of her heart that he stayed, after all this time.
“For a while, I didn’t understand what really being in love with someone was. And now I see you’ve been showing me from the beginning. I’ve always had your love, and it’s gotten me through some of the darkest moments of my life. There were times when I thought I was gonna lose you forever, but I knew I was never going to stop loving you. Because once you find your home, warm and dry after a freezing storm, quiet peace after a raging war, that sliver of light when the darkness swallows you whole, you can’t let it go. I could never let you go...even when I wanted to. Because deep down, my heart knew who it belonged to.”
Closing the parchment, Star stuffed it away before grabbing her beloved’s hands in hers and holding them against her chest. As if to signify that he literally held her heart. He always had, and he always would. “I love you, Marco Diaz. You deserve the whole universe, but...I’m just a star. I hope that's enough for you to be happy.”
In the moments following, the two of them had nearly forgotten that they were in the middle of a ceremony surrounded by hundreds of people from Earth, Mewni, and several other dimensions. Keeping their fingers laced together, their eyes locked onto each other’s, it was almost like an out of body experience when the minister stepped into the space between them once again. It was so inconceivable that this was finally happening that they had to have been watching it from afar. It wasn’t real. It was too good to be real.
“Your Majesty, I ask you now to place this ring on Marco’s finger,” the old man’s voice rumbled, holding out a simple polished gold band which Star took from him. “Repeat after me: I, Queen Starlight Destiny Butterfly of Mewni.”
“Say that three times fast,” Pony Head snickered under her breath. But Star was so lost in the moment that she didn’t hear, sliding the ring slowly up Marco’s finger.
“I, Queen Starlight Destiny Butterfly of Mewni.”
“Take you, Sir Marco Ubaldo Diaz.”
“Take you, Sir Marco Ubaldo Diaz.”
“To be my husband and King.”
“To be my husband and King.”
River leaned over to Moon, “Isn’t it supposed to be ‘my King and husband’?”
Moon nodded, “It was. But Star wanted it reversed. Because her union with him was always more important to her than her duty.” She sniffed as River squeezed her hand, “She’s quite admirable.”
“She is...and it’s all we wanted her to be,” the former king said in a wavering voice. “I couldn’t be more proud of her, or happy for her.”
“...Until death do us part,” they heard Star finish. And in that moment, two gentle streams of tears rolled down Moon’s cheeks, the moment her baby flew from her nest into the arms of another. She had admittedly also wept the day of Star’s coronation, but today her heart ached with a sense of loss. An ache that caused her to tremble with simultaneous joy and sorrow, hearing River’s murmur of “Darling” as her tears dripped onto their clasped hands. Through her clouded vision, she looked around and found Angie Diaz gazing back at her with a knowing smile and identical wet cheeks. There was a silent acceptance between them that only a mother could understand: That the day had come where they had to surrender their children to each other.
“And now,” the minister went on, giving Marco a smaller gold band. “Repeat after me: I, Sir Marco Ubaldo Diaz of Earth.”
“I, Sir Marco Ubaldo Diaz of Earth.” He took Star’s hand and removed the long white glove from her arm to properly place the ring on her bare finger.
“Take you, Queen Starlight Destiny Butterfly.”
“Take you, Queen Starlight Destiny Butterfly.”
“To be…”
“...my wife and queen.”
Janna could hear Starfan breathing heavily through her mouth behind her, like she was watching her favorite couple on a TV show finally get together, and was about to turn around and punch her in the throat if she didn’t cut it out soon. But Pony Head was floating a few feet ahead of her, prepared to launch forward and grab Star’s dress train once she needed to move, and thus reclaim her place as the maid of honor.
Not on my watch, she thought, stepping quickly beside the Pony Head Queen before she could draw attention to herself. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Tom shoot her a warning glance, and she made a face back at him. Who the hell does he think he is, telling me what to do. Staring straight ahead at Marco, who was taking his sweet time completing his vows, Janna made a mental note to find a hex to make the prince trip and fall flat on his face in front of everyone.
“Get used to it,” came Pony Head’s hiss, and Janna bit down on her bottom lip in agitation. “We might be her besties, but like, we’re not the most important people in her life anymore. We never were.” She pouted, “That turd is.”
“Yeah? Well I’m not backing down without making my mark.”
The equine monarch smirked, “Me neither.”
“By the power vested in me by the Crown and the Magic High Commission, I now pronounce you man and wife,” came the voice of the minister, snapping the bridesmaids back to attention. “You may now kiss the--”
“Whoa!” Star shrieked as Marco seized her around the torso and swung her into a low dip, cradling her as their lips met softly in a chaste kiss.
“Tom dared me to do that,” he whispered under the applause and laughter from the congregation.
“Shame, I thought you actually came up with that on your own, Diaz,” Star said slyly, hooking her arms securely around his neck and bringing her mouth closer to his ear. “Almost there. I’m so proud of you.”
Marco nodded stiffly before returning her to her feet, his stomach twisting into painful knots again. Manfred crossed the altar to draw the crowd’s attention to the magenta velvet, gold finished throne perched against the stained glass window. On a table beside the throne sat a royal blue pillow, atop which rested a golden crown cast with a pink diamond heart at its apex.
“Her Majesty, Queen Star,” the chamberlain introduced, gesturing her forward. Taking up her skirts in her hands, Star ascended the steps to the throne as Janna and Pony Head each grabbed hold of a corner of her train and refused to let go. At the landing, the queen stopped in front of the throne and turned to face her subjects.
“Sir Marco Ubaldo Diaz,” her clear commanding voice rang out, devoid of any heartfelt emotion. “Please step forward.”
With palms sweating and legs wobbling like gelatin, Marco approached the platform to face Star in all her regality, the rigidness in her face not once deterring from her beauty and compassion. This was the act she had to put on for the kingdom, and so he too must now play his part. Halting a few feet before her, Marco lowered himself to the floor on one knee, bowing his head and closing his eyes in reverence. Star in turn held her wand aloft, and several people gasped when the blade of a sword sprouted from the head with a loud shing!
“As Queen of Mewni,” she began, lowering the blade to Marco’s right shoulder, than over his head to graze the left. “I hereby declare that you, Marco Ubaldo Diaz, shall henceforth be my King. To stay by my side in times of peace or danger as my most trusted confidant and advisor. To go clubbing with me even when he’s too tired.”
Marco could practically hear her smiling amidst the confused mutterings of the elderly traditionalists in the room, and he felt his rapid heartbeat begin to slow. For while the title was bound to bring him crushing burdens, it would also reap great rewards as well. The greatest of all being able to rule beside the woman he was now eternally bound to. The woman he truly knew underneath the royal mask.
“To share his late-night nachos,” Star went on, instantly silencing the ripple of disturbance. “But most importantly…” She faltered, and Marco finally looked up to see warmth in her eyes that now bore directly into his. He felt her affection in that single glance even before she spoke it: “To be my one true love, so long as we both shall live. Amen. Do you accept?”
“I do,” he breathed out, momentarily forgetting that he had just signed his future away to a monarchy he had been exposed to for less than half his life -- and instead officially pledging himself to Star, everything she was, and everything she would become. That no matter what, there was nothing she could say or do that would ever prevent him from loving her and remaining her most loyal subject.
“Then rise.” He obeyed, and Star moved aside so he could sit on the throne, magically sheathing her wand sword. Gingerly, she removed the king’s crown from the decorative pillow. It was heavier than she imagined, and she hoped no one in the crowd saw how badly her hands were shaking as she raised it above Marco’s head.
Last chance to run, her eyes spoke sincerely, slowly lowering the crown closer to his rich dark hair.
Never, his own gaze replied. And he let out a long slow breath when it finally touched his head. Indeed, it was heavier than it appeared.
“All hail His Majesty!” Manfred cried out. “King Marco Butterfly of Mewni! Long live the King!”
“King Marco Butterfly. Long live the King.” The crowd dropped to their knees in a wave effect, from the back of the chapel all the way up to the wedding party. Janna knelt rather begrudgingly to her uptight childhood friend, Pony Head could clearly be seen grumbling under her breath as she bowed, and Tom was the first to swiftly rise when the dull roar of the crowd died out. Marco couldn’t blame them; it had to be more than a little weird bowing to the man once christened The Safe Kid.
Star, the only one who hadn’t bowed due to her higher ranking, reached out her hand and he took it, rising to his feet to stand beside her, overlooking the rows and rows of Mewman and monster subjects alike. The crown never got any lighter, but his stance grew firmer with his queen’s hand in his.
“I present to you, for the first time, Their Imperial Majesties: Queen Star and King Marco Butterfly. As our most beloved sovereigns, and as husband and wife.”
A loud squeal pierced the solemn silence, and Marco had already been knocked backwards onto the floor by the force of a full-body hug when he realized it had come from Star. The crowd erupted into cheers, watching their new king embrace his ecstatic wife, laughing as they rolled around on the rug like children in a sandbox.
“We did it!” Star half-sobbed into his neck. “We did it Marco, we really did it!”
Marco had nothing to add that could properly sum up how full his heart was, the myriad of emotions fighting for dominance, and the relief that his fall had knocked the heavy crown off of his head. So he did the only thing that seemed right in that moment: Cupped Star’s face in his hands and kissed her long and hard on the mouth.
“Champagne, Your Majesty?”
“Who, me?” Marco looked around the reception hall, seeing Star at the other end of the wedding party table conversing with Princess Spiderbite and Slime Monster, then pointed to himself.
“Yes, sir,” the waiter bowed, offering the uncorked green bottle to him. Marco shrugged wordlessly and held out his glass to be filled, figuring this meant they had to be getting closer to the speeches from the maid of honor and best man. And while he felt rather apprehensive about what might be said in front of all these people, something about hearing the royal address directed at him and being waited on hand and foot was rather satisfying.
“Ooh, thanks!” Star told the waiter filling her glass as she sat back down, unfolding a napkin to cover her tulle skirt. Leaning out of earshot of the servants, she whispered to Marco, “So Spiderbite hasn’t seen Pony Head either.”
“Really?” Marco’s eyebrows shot up. “We gotta start the toasts soon, and you know how your mom is about keeping everything on schedule.”
“At least while she’s still sober,” Star chuckled under her breath, her eyes growing concerned again as they scanned the table. “I’ll tell Tom to talk slow, I guess.”
“Depending on the contents, you might not want that any more than I will.”
Star’s head whipped back around to him, looking not only taken aback, but a little miffed. “Marco. You really think Tom would say anything at the Queen of Mewni’s wedding that he would regret later?”
“I don’t know Star, that’s why I’m a little worried,” Marco admitted. “Sometimes stuff gets said when emotions are running wild.”
“Maybe in the movies that happens.” She shook her head, jabbing her fork into the green mushy appetizer on her plate. “I can’t believe you don’t trust your own best man -- and close friend!”
“Really? Can you look me in the eye and tell me with complete certainty that you trust everything that’s gonna come out of Pony Head’s mouth?”
Star opened her mouth, then closed it, furrowing her brow, then relaxing it. Marco’s smile only seemed to grow the longer she took to respond, and finally she groaned loudly. “Okay, so we both picked people who would sooner roast us in front of the entire kingdom than defend us in a fight. Next time we get married, we’ll make better choices.”
“Deal,” Marco humored her, taking her hand and tugging her closer to kiss her cheek. Regardless of what was about to happen, Tom had been right about one thing: He did feel better now that the ceremony had ended. Now that he and Star Butterfly were officially husband and wife. For once, he wasn’t worrying about the future, or even what tomorrow would bring, but rather found himself basking in the here and now. And the now was his beaming beautiful queen sliding her glossed lips from his cheek to his lips, pressing them there for a minute or so until the tinkling sound of a fork on the side of a glass silenced the room.
“Good evening, everyone,” Moon’s voice rang out, standing beside their table as she looked out over the multitudinous groups of guests seated around the edges of what would later become the ballroom floor. “Friends, most loyal subjects, and family, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here to celebrate the marriage of my dearest daughter Star, and my new son-in-law Marco. Now while I’m sure you’re tired of hearing speeches, I pray you lend your ears as we give two more loved ones the floor. Here to lead us in our first toasts to the bride and groom are Prince Thomas Lucitor and Queen Lilacia Pony Head.”
Two spotlights landed on two spots at the long table: Tom, who stood and waved to the applauding crowd, and the empty seat beside Star. Chewing on her lip, she cast an anxious glance at Janna, whose eyes were wide and she lifted her shoulders, silently conveying that she had no idea where she was.
“Well, guess I’m going first,” the demon prince announced, coming around the side of the table to place himself directly in front of where the bride and groom sat, champagne glass in hand. “My experiences with Marco and Star are probably a little different than what you’re used to hearing. We tell the stories of how brave they are, what a great team they are, how Mewni might not be on the track it is now if it wasn’t for the two of them. And it’s all true, don’t get me wrong, but...I’ve known these guys for a long time. I’ve known Marco for a decade and Star for, well, pretty much our whole lives. I’ve seen every side to both of them that you can imagine, and it’s not all puppies and rainbows.”
Star sucked in a tight breath, and Marco side-eyed her quickly as if to say “I told you!” Tom seemed to be gripping the glass a little more firmly now, but he cleared his throat and shook it off.
“I hated Marco when we first met, I’m not gonna lie. He was an obstacle, this guy who was replacing my spot in Star’s heart. But circumstances led to us hanging out more, and I realized he was actually pretty cool. He’s decent at multiplayer games and has great taste in music, plus he’s really easy to talk to. You get to know him on a down-to-earth level, and he could easily become the best friend you’ve ever had. But there was still this tension between us.”
He let out a sharp exhale he hastily turned into a laugh when he realized he was still in front of a huge crowd of people, baring his soul. “Star is...such an inspiring woman. Not only as a queen, but just as a person. Watching her made me wanna be better, and I mistook that for love.” He looked over at Star, whose shoulders began to relax. “I wanted to be better for her, but I was going about it all the wrong way. I needed to be better for myself and no one else. And I also needed to want what was best for a girl who meant so much to me…” He jerked his head nonchalantly in Marco’s direction, “And that was him. I’ve always had a spot in Star’s heart. It just wasn’t where I thought it was.”
Marco’s jaw was practically on the floor, exchanging a wide-eyed glance with his bride. Neither of them had ever heard Tom sound so introspective before, so accepting, and it was rather heavy for both of them to take in. As if all of those years of weirdness were finally drawing to a close and a new chapter was opening up, where the three of them could coexist without any bitter thoughts occupying the backs of their minds. Perhaps this wedding was beneficial for more than just the newlyweds.
“Marco...I love you, man. I really do. And Star, you know I love you--” Tom paused as laughter rose and fell around them, “--and that I’ll do anything for you and your kingdom when you need me most. ‘Cause let’s face it, you need the Lucitor army to make yours look good.”
“Hey,” Star pointed at him in warning, a teasing smile playing on her face.
“You’ve both stuck by me even at my worst, and still made me feel like I was worth something. I can’t thank you enough. So let’s raise our glasses to Star and Marco Butterfly,” Tom concluded, holding aloft his own. “The dawning of a new era on the kingdom of Mewni, and the two best friends I’ve ever had.”
“Thanks, dude,” Marco whispered under the din of the crowd, clapping him around the back in a bear hug. “That was really awesome of you.”
“You thought I was gonna roast you, didn’t you?”
“You bet I did.”
“That was so sweet of you, Tom,” Star sniffled, pulling back from their embrace to kiss his cheek. “You’re gonna make a great king. Both of you are,” she added, looking around at the two most special men in her life.
“That means a lot to me, Queen Star.” Giving her a bow, he swept back to his seat, not noticing Janna’s deepened frown when he didn’t even look in her direction.
“And now -- erm, well, we would have a few words from Queen Pony Head,” Moon stammered out, gesturing to the still vacant chair. “But--”
“So Star and I met in detention at Echo Creek Academy,” a low raspy voice cut her off, and the guests verbalized their surprise when Janna sprang up from her seat, glass in hand. “She kinda took over my post as mayor, helping the other kids out with their problems. That’s when I knew she was gonna be a good leader.”
“What are you doing?” Star mouthed to her frantically, but Janna deliberately ignored her and went on, unperturbed compared to the rest of them, who were starting to whisper inquiries as to where the real maid of honor was.
“Marco-- heh, we’ve been friends since we were practically babies.”
“Friends?” Marco asked suspiciously, then winced in pain as she stepped on his foot while pacing past him.
“So pretty much from the first moment I saw them together, I knew they were gonna tie the knot. Some people just have that aura about them, ya know? Or maybe it’s a Blood Moon.”
“Janna, shut up,” Tom muttered, and she shot a piercing glare at him.
“You had your turn,” Janna spat at him, then plastered a fake smile back on. “Anyway, Star’s helped me open up a little more and be more...human, I guess. With the interacting and socializing and other stuff you wouldn’t have caught me dead doing before then. We make a pretty great team at a good old-fashioned seance, too.”
“Make her stop,” Star hissed to Marco.
“You make her stop,” he shot back at her.
There was a loud crash outside the hall, causing everyone to exclaim as they heard muffled familiar screaming coming closer. Janna froze in fear, jerking her champagne glass forward so the liquid sloshed over the tablecloth.
“Star loves Marco, Marco loves Star, we all love them -- but we all love food more! So let’s toast them and eat already--”
“You little witch!” The doors burst open and Pony Head zoomed directly at Janna, her horn poised to strike. “I woke up passed out in the garden with a rag stuck in my mouth!”
“Whoa, how’d that hap--?”
“You chloroformed me so you could make the maid of honor speech!” The equine queen tackled Janna, sending her reeling backwards onto the table. “I almost died!” she continued to scream as they rolled over the plates of horderves and desserts, sending the waiters into a frenzy bustling back to the kitchens to get more food. “I could have you tried for treason, you know!”
“Now this is a wedding,” Tom threw back his head and laughed, slow clapping Janna for having the grit to pull a stunt like that.
“You didn’t even write a speech!” Janna yelled back, throwing a pile of mashed potatoes in Pony Head’s face. “At least I--!”
A flash of pink light lit up the room, freezing both of her bridesmaids in place as they wrestled in a platter of pastries. Star let out a deep calming breath, lowering her wand and facing her mother, who had her hand pressed over her heart. “I think it’s time to skip ahead to our first dance.”
“Yes, I think you’re right, Star,” Moon said, waving a frazzled hand over to the group of musicians against the wall. “Ruberiot, the waltz please.”
The red-headed songstrel nodded, cueing his band to start up a contemporary beat orchestrated with traditional symphonic instruments, perfectly embodying the old meeting the new. Star grinned, offering her hand to Marco, who was gaping in shock at Janna and Pony Head still frozen and blinking up at them from the table.
“Star, you do realize what just happened, right?”
“Sure I do,” Star said simply, pulling him out onto the dance floor and watching the lights dim romantically as she placed her other arm around his neck. “But I’m not letting anything wreck today. Not even my friends.”
Marco smiled shakily back down at her, curling his arm around her waist and drawing her as close as he could, the melody from the band all but drowning out Pony Head’s screech of “Why is nobody paying attention to me?!”
“Makes ya wanna throw up, doesn’t it?”
Tom whipped his head around, just barely able to make out Janna’s profile in the low lighting as she slid into the seat next to him, remnants of crushed food still stuck in her hair. She tactlessly shoved a cigarette in his face, “Light me.”
“Pretty sure that’s not allowed in here, but okay,” the Underworld prince shrugged, summoning a single flame to the end of his index finger, which Janna gratefully accepted. “What makes you wanna--?”
“That.” She jabbed her now ignited butt at Star and Marco swaying on the floor to Ruberiot’s wordless vocalizing, looking like two people who had just traveled to heaven for the first time and didn’t plan on leaving anytime soon.
Tom rolled all of his eyes, “I’m over it, Janna. I’ve been over it for years.”
“Not them,” she scoffed, “though I did kinda puke in my mouth during their vows.” She blew a perfectly formed ring of smoke out of her dark red lips, which Tom watched float away, impressed. “I mean that. The whole pledging yourself to one person thing. So dumb.”
“Yeah, it is pretty stupid,” he replied thoughtfully, sticking his finger in an abandoned glass of water to put it out. “Like, how did they know? Is it a secret magical bond? Is it a feeling? Is it the forces of the universe conspiring to bring two people together, despite all the odds? How the hell did they know that ‘this is it -- this is the person I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with.’?”
“It ain’t magic,” Janna muttered, drumming her free hand on the table. “I’ve studied every branch of magic available, and nothing can do what these two have done to each other. It’s way more than that. It’s like, a connection.”
“Maybe it’s everything combined,” Tom guessed. “Like a hobo stew of every perfectly timed ingredient known to man, compiled into a few exchanged vows and a kiss to seal the deal.”
“And just like a hobo stew with too many ingredients, it makes you wanna throw up.”
Tom laughed, dumping more champagne into their empty glasses and clinking his against hers. For a minute, they drank in silence as the melody from the band swelled, the newlyweds now so close it was as if they had melded into each other. He jolted slightly when Janna’s fingers lightly brushed his hand, before she merely dunked her cigarette into that same glass of water beside him.
“Is he crying?” she scoffed, noticing Marco’s face had not resurfaced from Star’s shoulder for quite some time.
“Oh yeah, he totally is,” Tom nodded. “What a schmaltz. You know he threw up like five times before the ceremony?”
“Only five? Huh, I underestimated him.”
“I guess commitment does that to you.” He paused, trying to recall if there was a time he had ever felt nauseous from what a hopeless romantic would call ‘love.’ He did feel pretty sick years ago, when he let go of Star at last, realizing he had wasted part of his adolescence chasing after what he thought was love at the time. But that was more growing pains than anything, and if he was honest with himself, he would’ve missed out on a lot of his potential if he hadn’t taken that step.
“Screw commitment,” came the spitting comment of the saucy raven-haired woman beside him, who Tom had shared a complicated bond with for awhile now. Janna was opposite of Star in so many ways, and yet he was drawn to her like a magnet. But in what way, he couldn’t really say, nor could she. If she could, she had never voiced it aloud. And knowing how closed off she tended to be, he figured it was best to just shut his mouth and follow her lead.
“Yeah, screw it.” And he let his own fingers brush hers for the hell of it. She smirked at him out the corner of her eye, their flirtatious saga continuing. But she didn’t let her gaze linger on his ruby eyes for too long, turning away the moment her cheeks grew warm. She refused to admit to herself that lately she had wondered what a commitment to the prince of the Underworld entailed. She shrugged and moved on every day she had to scotch-tape her heart back together when their casual dates went nowhere, while hunched over demonology tomes late at night watching drops that were definitely not tears splatter the pages. She would flirt. She would snag his wallet and eyeliner. But she would not commit. If she did, she might grab his face and kiss him again, for the dozenth time in ten years.
Except this time, she might actually mean it.
“How drunk are you?” Tom asked, sliding closer to her seat.
Janna blinked in surprise. “Pretty drunk. You?”
“I can’t get drunk, I—”
“Burn it off, right.” She swallowed, “Why’d you ask?”
“‘Cause I don’t wanna do anything that would make you think I’m taking advantage of you,” the demon replied seriously. “I’m an asshole, but I’m still a prince of honor. And I don’t wanna wreck what we have.”
“Wh-what the hell do we have exactly, Tom? We don’t want a commitment. We’re not them, Tom!” Janna flung her arm out to point to Star and Marco, now with their foreheads pressed together as the song wound to a close.
“No, we’re not them. And I don’t want us to be them.” He could see flecks of amber dancing in her dark eyes now, he was so close. “But I do wanna kiss you.”
Janna sighed out exasperatedly, seizing him by the collar. “Then kiss me...no strings attached. Got it?”
“Got it.” And in a whirlwind of pink satin, blue-black hair and spicy blood red lips, Tom let all five of his senses succumb to what he wouldn’t dare admit was the most satisfying sensation he had ever experienced.
The first dance as husband and wife segued directly into the father-daughter and mother-son dance. And despite Pony Head’s intoxicated groans of “If I hear one more sappy slow song, I’mma explode!”, it was just as teary as everyone anticipated. Both River and Angie hung onto their children and bawled to the point where Star and Marco glanced red-faced at each other across the room. In fact, Star had to pry her father off of her with Manfred’s help before she took to the bandstand.
“Alright B-Fly! Gettin’ the party started!” came her bestie’s relieved call.
“Hi everyone!” she waved to the guests. “Oh no, please -- no bowing,” she urged the elders who lowered their heads in respect. “This is totally casual. Just Star Butterfly up here, heh.” She cleared her throat, swallowing down her weak public speaking skills. “Before we tear it up out here on the floor, Marco and I have one more dance we would like to share with two very special people.”
“Oh come on!” Pony Head wailed.
“Rafael Diaz, would you care to join me?”
Rafael glanced around before pointing to himself dumbfoundedly. “Me?”
“Yes, you,” Star nodded sincerely. “I can think of no better way to show my gratitude to you making me a part of your family than sharing a dance with you in the same way I did with my own father.” She stepped onto the floor and extended her hand, causing Rafael to choke back tears as he took it and followed her lead.
“May I?” came a voice in Moon’s left ear, and she turned around in her seat to see Marco’s silhouette in the dim light, offering his hand. She smiled and placed her own gloved hand in his.
“I’d be delighted,” she agreed, letting him lead her to a spot on the floor a few feet from where Star was waltzing with his father. Taking her waist, Marco inclined his head respectfully and they began to step in three-quarter time.
“I’d say the ceremony went rather well,” the queen mother mused, her eyes darting observantly around the room -- her nose turning up a bit at Janna curled into Tom’s lap, the two of them involved in a passionate kissing frenzy. “The reception leaves a bit to be desired. Nevertheless, it is very much Star, and I’m sure she’d want it even wilder.”
“You’d be surprised how much tradition she wanted to maintain,” Marco remarked, carefully avoiding his feet colliding with Moon’s glittering heels. “Especially for my coronation. Even though I’m not born into royalty, or even a Mewman, she wanted me to be given the same amount of respect as the kings before me. Guess some of you rubbed off on her after all.”
“And yet, I think far more of you rubbed off on her than most are willing to admit,” Moon chuckled up at him, feeling a bit misty at the fact that she now had to incline her head a bit to meet his gaze. He used to be so small and scrawny, now he was broad and strapping, yet the same sensitivity remained constant ever since he was a boy. “How does it feel to officially be King?”
“Terrifying,” Marco replied without a moment’s hesitation. “Apologies in advance, but I’m gonna be the most inexperienced king in this dynasty’s history.”
“In ten years, you have accomplished more than most of our past kings,” she said as they spun a bit closer to Star and Rafael. “I don’t know if River told you, but many of them merely road on the coattails of their wives, contributing very little if anything at all.” Her smile widened and became a bit more dreamlike, “River refused -- that was never the Johansen way. It was his mission to always be proactive as a ruler, for better or worse. But you and Star work in tandem, which is quite rare for Butterfly sovereigns.”
“Nah, usually she just tells me what to do and I do it,” Marco tried to brush off casually. “I have to follow her lead ‘cause I have no clue what I’m doing most of the time.”
“In the royal ways, yes,” Moon admitted, “Though your caution and meticulousness already give you a leg up on my husband at your age. But Marco, I…” She paused, in one of the precious few moments Marco had seen her at a loss for words. “I can never express my gratitude at everything you have given to my daughter. When you only have one child to call your own, you would move the universe to keep them happy and safe. I...have not always been able to provide her with that, as hard as I tried.”
“Don’t say that,” Marco shook his head sadly. “She loves you, Moon, so much. She looks up to you, and she knows she has a tough act to follow. Star worries all the time that she’ll never be the commanding revered leader that you were.”
“Sudden circumstances when I was a child led me to rule this kingdom with far more aggression than I had planned. Some may even call my ways unfair, or prejudiced.” She raised her eyebrows, “I believe Hekapoo overheard you saying those exact words a long time ago.”
Marco’s insides froze, but to his great surprise, Moon was not leering at him in admonishment. “I spoke out of turn a lot when I was younger,” he hastened.
“Indeed you did, to the current queen trying to hold fast to her laws and regulations. But your criticisms did ring true to the mother refusing to listen to her daughter, who would one day take her place.”
If anything, that only made Marco feel worse. “Moon, I--”
“Mewni is yours now,” she said once the song began to slow to a stop. “For you and Star to mold to your liking. I am now nothing but a humble subject of the Crown, forever at your service.”
She made to pull away, but Marco wrapped her in a strong embrace, giving her a brief kiss on the cheek. “You are so much more than that. Thank you for trusting me with your daughter.”
“No,” Moon whispered, holding him by the shoulders to regard him with maternal love. “Thank you, Marco Diaz. For being someone worthy of that trust.”
“Wow, you’re a natural!” Star exclaimed to Rafael as he spun her under his arm, before sweeping her back into the rhythm of the waltz.
“Didn’t you know? Angie and I used to be ballroom dancers before Marco was born,” her robust father-in-law boomed. “We went to competition and everything.”
“So that’s where Marco gets it from,” Star nodded, another piece of her multi-talented husband’s background falling into place. Husband. She couldn’t keep the smile from spreading across her face, nor stifle the little squeal of delight that rose up in her throat. “Sorry,” she said quickly as Rafael looked down at her. “I’m just -- uh -- champagne.”
“You are happy,” Rafael concluded, his eyes surveying her glowing face. “You have always been a happy girl, Star, but there is something about today...you are radiant. Shining like the stars.” He smiled when she giggled again, “And to think it is my boy that has brought on this happiness.”
“He’s…” She glanced over at Marco, who had followed her lead and brought her mother out onto the floor for a dance, staring at his profile as if spellbound. “Marco is...everything. My life without him just wouldn’t make sense. He’s my other half.” She stopped, “Er, not that he’s half of a person or anything! I mean, like, we’re two whole people who just happen to--”
“I understand,” Rafael said pleasantly, guiding her gently into a rotation closer to his son and Queen Moon. “I do, Angie does, your mother and father do. Anyone who has been blessed with a long-lasting loving partner understands exactly what you are saying.” Seeing the light in Marco’s eyes when he took his vows earlier that day, when he swept his new wife into a deep kiss, had brought Rafael such joy he hadn’t felt since his own wedding day. “Marco came alive when he met you. He was always safe, a good student, an obedient son. But his mother and I did not feel he was truly happy until he went on those adventures with you. He found a purpose in you, Star, and you completed him.”
His jubilant brown eyes clouded over slightly, “Sometimes I feel Angie and I never did the best job of raising him. We were very young when we had our son, and while we love him with all our hearts, we did not know the first thing about raising a child. In a lot of ways, I feel he never truly grew up until after he met you.”
“My mom says people never really finish growing up,” Star shrugged. “But Marco’s just so smart and brave and kind, I mean -- he had to have gotten that from somewhere. Or some-one.” She nudged him playfully in the shoulder, which did elicit a small smile from Rafael.
“Perhaps we did teach him something after all. Or perhaps it was just a happy accident.”
Star bit her lip, wanting to say the Diazes couldn’t have been as aloof as her own royal parents, but her mother seemed too closely within earshot. “You know...when I said Marco became my home, it really wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for you and Angie taking me in. In a way, it all started with you.”
“I like to believe that the two of you are so conjoined that you would have found each other in one way or another. But that you feel I played a part in your union...I am touched, mija.”
Star gasped softly, her eyes filling with tears. “Mija? Really?”
“You have been for years, Star. And I could not be happier that now, officially, you are.”
Leaping up, the young bride flung her arms around his neck, hanging on tight as they continued to sway. “Thank you, Rafael, that -- that means so much to me.”
“Let’s get this partaaayyyyy started!” Pony Head bellowed, the very floorboards shaking as the musicians vanished into thin air, replaced by a single disc jockey, two huge speakers and several disco balls dotting the ceiling. Star, Rafael, Moon and Marco were nearly blown back from the dance floor by the impact, an impatient crowd of young people stampeding once a beat began to pulse through the room.
“Well, that was nice while it lasted,” Moon said through clenched teeth, whirling on her heel to return to the table as Rafael turned tail and ran to find his wife.
“Whose wedding is this anyway?” Marco huffed, gesturing to where the floating horse head was dive bombing unsuspecting guests, bumping and grinding up against each other.
“Pony Head’s,” Star laughed, handing him a glass of champagne. “Now it’s officially Pony Head’s.”
“Well then, I wish her and her ego many wonderful years together,” Marco chuckled back, clinking his glass with Star’s before they both downed them in seconds.
“So tell me, is Starfan a good kisser?”
Star snorted loudly, leaning against Marco as they stumbled down the hallway to their castle suite. When her longtime admirer had seized the flying bouquet out of the air, it came as a shock to no one when she grabbed Star’s face and planted her lips over hers for a good minute. She appeared winded yet ecstatic when they parted, as if she had at last fulfilled a lifelong dream of hers.
“Almost as good as you,” she said, closing in on his face and batting her eyes. “Almost.”
“Seriously, let me know if you want me to carry you,” Marco insisted, hooking his arm around her so she wouldn’t fall, “I don’t mind.”
“No!” she shouted, throwing her arm up in the air with her index finger pointing to the sky. “I am Star Butterfly, an independent warrior queen who don’t need no man!”
“Ah okay, see ya then.” He was about to make a faux escape when her hand reached out and grabbed his loosened tunic collar.
“Hehe, you’re not gettin’ away from me that easily, My Liege.”
Marco’s brow furrowed, “We’re not doing royalty roleplay, are we?”
“Pfft, in case you haven’t noticed, we’re gonna be doing that for the rest of our lives,” Star laughed until she hiccuped. “Hope Alfonso enjoys my garter.”
“Tom was super bummed he didn’t catch it,” Marco mused -- then remembered the demon prince seemed to end up contented dancing the night away with Janna. “But watching Ferguson make a huge show out of putting it on Alfonso was the highlight of the night, to be honest.”
“They’re even cuter than we are.”
“Definitely cuter than Tom and Janna,” Marco remarked with an eye roll.
“What is with those two?” Star yelled to the ceiling, her shout bouncing off the echoey walls. “Seriously, they’re like a walking episode of Fiesta de la Noche -- except there’s way too much noche and not enough fiesta!”
She yelped, nearly running straight into Manfred once she and Marco rounded the corner. The man who stood with his nose in the air and his stance swaying slightly, as if he too were tispy, cleared his throat. “Their Majesties royal bedchamber awaits!” he declared, sweeping his arm out in a grand gesture to the polished golden door. Tacked to the front of it was a large sign that read Just Crowned, adorned in little multi-colored squiggles.
At least that was what it looked like to Marco, until Star gasped out loud. “Aww, everybody signed it! Even our parents -- look, Marco!”
He peered closer, and sure enough found the names of several family members and loved ones. Even Janna had been kind enough to scrawl down Good luck. You’re gonna need it.
“‘Tis tradition for the king to carry his queen over the threshold.”
“Not this queen!” Star trilled, bending down to scoop Marco up before he could protest.
“Star, you have had way too much champagne for me to trust you!”
“Welcome to your new life, Diaz!"
“Ahhhhhhhh!” Marco let out a strangled scream as his new wife bounded towards the bed with him hanging onto her neck. Feeling the pull of gravity drag his head and torso further downward, his yell was cut off when he landed face first into the mattress, hearing Star let out a squeal when she followed him.
“Look at all these pillows!” She grabbed two in each hand and rolled over, staring Marco down challengingly. As soon as the new king got his bearings, he followed her lead with an understanding nod.
“Ahh, so that’s how you wanna spend our wedding night.”
“Pillow f--!” Her war cry was cut off when she was smacked in the mouth with a swaddle of linens and goosefeathers. Angered that she had let her guard down and missed Marco’s quick reflexes, she leapt on top of him, his vision obstructed by her voluminous tulle skirt while she pummeled him with her own ammo. It was an all-out brawl with screams, flying feathers and laughter until they couldn’t breathe. If anyone happened to be passing by their room, they would have assumed someone was being murdered rather than the king and queen having their wedding night.
“Admit defeat, My Queen,” Marco snarled playfully, straddling her on his knees and holding a pillow high over his head.
“Well played, good sir,” Star fluttered out, throwing a hand to her forehead dramatically. “I fear fatigue has consumed my ability to continue this battle.” She wrinkled her nose, “I blame this corset. Go ahead and deliver your final blow.”
“Very well,” he said seriously, watching her splay her arms out wide across the mattress and squeeze her eyes shut in preparation. Throwing the pillow over his shoulder, he bent down and cradled her tense cheeks, his lips caressing hers with the softness of a dove’s wing and the sweetness of apple cinnamon pie. And Star indulged herself for what felt like the hundredth time that night.
“Are we keeping track of how many times we’ve kissed today?”
“I’m not sober enough to make lists right now.”
“Starfan wouldn’t stop clinking her glass, I was about to grab her fork and shove it down her throat.”
“It wasn’t just Starfan.”
“Oh trust me Marco, it was all her.”
“I caught your mom doing it once or twice.”
“No. I don’t believe you.”
“It’s true.” It barely resembled a conversation, the two so entangled in each other’s lips, arms and legs, inhaling alcohol-scented breath and perfume that words between them nearly ceased altogether.
“Look Star, we can go at our own pace, but…” Marco stared at her pleadingly, “Can we at least take these fancy clothes off?”
“Oh thank corn, I thought you’d never ask,” Star exhaled, immediately sitting up and yanking at the strings to loosen her bodice, while Marco jumped off the bed and practically ripped off his sash and tunic. He heard her purr when he lifted the undershirt over his head, exposing his tan well-built chest, and Marco couldn’t help grinning like a fool himself when Star kicked off the huge skirt and flung the corset to the floor.
“So, pillow fort?”
“You know me too well,” Star smiled, finally stopping her undressing at her thin slip clinging to her slender form. She would let him do the honors of removing that later, if he chose to. Once Marco crashed back onto the bed, she began making a wall of pillows around his head and torso, surrounding them with a fortress of white fluffy shields until nothing but their legs poked out. “Roof?” she asked, grabbing the silk Mewni blue blanket underneath them.
“Nah, I wanna look at the stars.” Marco pointed up to where the underside of the canopy twinkled with artificial stars, created no doubt with magic.
“If I was gonna replicate anything from my old single room, it had to be this,” Star said, resting her head contentedly on his chest as she joined him in gazing upward, completely mesmerized. “Those lights have always been there for me -- through the good, bad, and really ugly.” She leaned her head towards his, kissing his jawline. “Just like you have.”
“I couldn’t have picked a better way to spend the first night with my wife.” The word sent a pleasant shiver up his spine, and he drew her even closer. “My wife.” He repeated it in such earnestness, as if this crazy world they had been dropped into finally made sense. “You’re...you’re my wife, Star.”
“I, Star Butterfly, do not belong to anyone,” she stated firmly, then grinned at his taken aback expression, “Unless I want to.” Flipping herself over, she reached through the wall of pillows and under the bed, retrieving a box from beneath it. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t wait anymore,” she said eagerly, pushing the gift into his hands.
“Wedding presents now?” Marco whined a little, but sat up when she pouted right back at him. Lifting the lid off the box, his excitement deflated visibly. “Wow...it’s my scissors.”
Star snickered, “Not just your scissors. Take them out.”
Marco grasped the purple handle firmly and removed them from the velvet encasement. Nothing happened.
“Now slash them through the air.”
He gasped out loud once he did so: The golden blades engraved with his name instantly extended, melding into one as it came to a sharp point, the handle blooming into a hilt in his very hand. “Star! Is--is it a--?!”
“It’s a sword!” Star exclaimed, clapping her hands. “Your King’s sword! I had Hekapoo modify it overnights when you weren’t using it. Now you don’t have to carry around two weapons at once.”
“It’s amazing,” he breathed, flicking it once more to return it to its original form. “It’s the most incredible thing anyone’s ever given me. Thank you.”
“I knew you’d love it -- I just couldn’t wait to see your face!” She emphasized it by grabbing his cheeks and kissing them.
“Alright, my turn.” Marco opened the nightstand drawer next to the bed and placed the scissors inside -- right beside a pink velvet box. Clutching it in his fist, he turned back around to face her, those blue eyes putting the false stars above them to shame. “It’s pretty lame compared to the sword, but…” He opened his palm slowly.
“Marco,” Star gasped, taking the box carefully in her hands and opening it. “Oh Marco, it’s a necklace! What a pretty charm,” she gushed, admiring the rose heart around a simple gold chain that sparkled in the light from the moons.
“Do you know what that is?” Marco asked, and she shook her head. “Look closer.”
Star removed the necklace from the box and held the charm up close to her eyes. It didn’t glitter when she adjusted it, rather it seemed to be swirling of its own accord, as if something was contained inside the gem. “Is that...magic?”
“It’s the Sunshine spell.” He couldn’t help smiling when her mouth fell open. “Your mom helped me extract a glimmer of it from the air and fasten it into this stone. That...that was the first spell you ever cast on me."
She snorted through the tears welling up, “The one where I made it rain all over you?”
“And got my socks soaked,” he grimaced in remembrance.
“And I almost left to find another Earth family to live with.” She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, trying to force the tears back in, her efforts in vain when Marco cupped her head in his hands, kissing the top of her head.
“But I asked you to stay,” he whispered. “That moment, that day, changed my life forever. And I thank my blessings every day that I didn’t let you walk away from me.”
“I--I don’t know what to say, Marco,” Star whimpered as he clipped the charm around her neck. “It changed my life forever, too. And now, I have a way to remember where it all started between us.” She kissed him lightly, swiping her hand under her nose. “Thank you. I’ll wear it every day.”
“You don’t have to. But you’re welcome.”
The stars above them dimmed as the evening grew later, as if the magic above them was linked to the intimacy heightening between them. With a great sigh, the couple wilted helplessly back into the pillows, drawing the blanket over their heads to hide away from the world.
For now, there was no impending reign, no kingdoms, no forces of evil lurking beyond the walls, no Mewni, no Earth, no surroundings whatsoever except for the embrace of the other. For now, and for all eternity, it was just the two of them facing whatever the universe had yet to throw at them as one.
And as Marco finally removed her garment, Star grinned humorously as the words of a song she had once sworn would haunt her, rang out pleasantly in her mind:
Star Butterfly is in love with her best friend. And his name is Marco Diaz. Forevermore.