Chapter Text
“People of the great Kingdom of Mewni!” King River Butterfly’s voice bellowed through the amplifier as he addressed his subjects spilled across the ballroom, who looked up from their cocktail glasses and ceased conversing to pay attention. “As your beloved king, I want to thank you for joining us this evening for our Victory Ball!”
A cheer rose up from the crowd, a wave of sound that seemed to make the very ceiling vibrate, then fell just as quickly as River held up his hands to silence them. “As many of you are aware, our war against the realm of monsters was not an easy one, and hardly a short one. Eight years of ceaseless fighting, and I led our fearless army into battle after battle myself!”
There was a curt clearing of the throat beside him, and the stout little man glanced up at his wife, her stern icy blue eyes fixed on him as she arched a thin eyebrow. “Erm, well--” the king wavered at her glare, “Alongside my beautiful wife, your Queen Moon Butterfly. Her wielding of the Royal Wand no doubt contributed to our numerous victories.”
“That’s better,” Moon whispered to him out the corner of her mouth as the crowd applauded. River responded by giving her a slight bow and stepping aside so she could take the podium.
“My dear Mewnians, let us be thankful that we shall not have to suffer another dangerous day. That we may all sleep peacefully tonight with our families together again. Eight years is...a long time.” Her pert face seemed to soften as she scanned the crowd. “For many of your children, all they have known is this war. Including my only daughter, Princess Star Butterfly.” Moon let out a tight laugh, “Tonight is her very first ball, so do go easy on her.”
“I daresay her youthful, rambunctious energy might add a little more spark to the evening’s festivities!” River exclaimed joyfully and the crowd laughed in agreement. He glanced behind Moon, as if expecting the girl to be there. With the wide-eyed look the queen silently shot at him, it was clear she no more knew where their daughter was than he did. “Ah, well--that’s enough talk from me. Enjoy the party!”
As the band struck up once more and people milled about, River descended his step stool he used to reach the podium and returned his wife’s anxious expression. “I thought you had her.”
“Now how on Mewni could I have had her?” Moon hissed, her teeth clenched as the fuchsia diamonds on her cheeks flushed. “I have been overseeing this entire ball’s preparation!” Her eyes darting to the throne behind her, a young woman stood with perfect posture waiting to be addressed, her thick red hair tied in the back finely complimenting her light blue gown. “Angela!”
“Your Majesty?” the woman responded as if on cue, stepping forward.
“You wouldn’t happen to have seen where the Princess ran off to, did you?”
“I’m afraid I haven’t,” the lady-in-waiting shook her head, “Although she couldn’t have gotten far--”
A high-pitched squeal soared over the murmur of the crowd and music combined, the padding of little feet scurrying across the crystal finish floor. A little girl no more than four years old with pale blonde pigtails, much friendlier baby blue eyes and pink hearts on her ivory cheeks sailed into view with her teal skirt bunched up in her fists.
“Ah, there’s my little lady!” River called, and Moon sighed in relief as her husband scooped little Star Butterfly up in his arms and swung her around in the air.
“Daddy!” Star giggled, latching her arms around his neck. Moon smiled at them both, her first genuine smile in...well, maybe she managed one every month or so. But they had been more frequent ever since little Star had come into their lives--their one source of constant joy while so much tragedy befell their land. It had aggravated Moon to miss five months of battling by River’s side, their number of casualties peaking while she brought Star into the world. But they both cherished her above everything else on Mewni and the rest of the universe, and Star already at such a young age had the vivacity of a Mewnian princess. Even if she did--
“River, give her to me.” She grabbed Star under the arms from the king and set her down on her feet. “Star, look at your shoes.”
The little princess’ smile vanished as she glanced sheepishly down at her white previously shining patent leather shoes. They were now covered in thick mud.
“Did you track that mud all over the castle?” Moon asked softly, yet firmly.
“No...just in the front,” Star pointed with one finger to the main castle entrance as she stuck another in her mouth, nibbling nervously.
Moon sighed, praying for patience as she picked her up. “Well, you may not do any dancing tonight until you get yourself cleaned up.”
“How in blazes did that happen?” River eyed Star’s muddy shoes and skirt hem with an air of shock.
“Outside playing with the Diaz boy, I expect,” Moon replied matter-of-factly as she marched Star over to Angela, whose face was red as her hair. “Take Princess Star upstairs and get a bath running. I’ll join you shortly.”
“Right away, My Lady.” Angela curtsied as well as she could with a four-year-old in her arms as she carried Star to the stairwell, rubbing her nose affectionately against hers as they both let out a giggle. Inside, she was more than a little irritated. And she had a bone to pick with a certain someone.
“Rafael! ”
“Someone’s in the doghouse,” a pastry chef laughed, and the other servants in the dining hall chimed in as the chief cook’s head jerked up, like a deer sensing an approaching hunter. He was a large man, could easily best most of the men there in a wrestling match, and yet it was the shriek of a woman who towered at a mere five-foot-two that left him quaking in his knees.
“Rafael, I know you’re here!” The cook darted out of sight behind an ice blue crystal statue of the Mewni King from three generations prior. Yet the Queen’s lady-in-waiting was on his tail like a fox sniffing out a rabbit.
“Rafael Diaz!” she barked, yanking him out from his hiding spot seconds after he found it.
“Angie, mi amor!” Rafael exclaimed, a smile plastered on his face despite his nervousness. “Cariña, amor de mi vida--”
“Don’t you shower me with your ‘romantic tongue’, you are in big trouble!” Angie dragged him by the arm to a corner of the hall by the dessert table, away from prying eyes.
“What did I do this time?!” Rafael asked innocently, racking his brains trying to recall. “I’ve been as busy as you getting ready for the ball.”
“I just had to run a bath for the Princess. She had been outside playing in the mud.” Angie folded her arms across her chest, narrowing her eyes. “And she wouldn’t have been out there by herself. So now Princess Star is late for her appearance in the ballroom because you couldn’t keep an eye on our son!”
“Oh...was it my turn?” Angie let out a growl, and Rafael took a step back. “Querida, I’m sorry, I really did think he was with you.”
“Well he isn’t--and now thanks to you, neither of us know where he is,” Angie said exasperatedly.
Rafael sighed, taking his chef’s hat off to wipe his brow. “I suppose becoming a father is harder than I imagined it would be. I love the boy, but he is hard to keep track of.”
“You’ve had four and a half years to practice!” Angie raised her voice again, and Rafael shushed her, glancing around at all the curious looks they were getting. “I swear I don’t know what would happen to him if I wasn’t here.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated, taking her hands in his. “I promise I will do better and watch him more closely from now on.”
“Good, you can start right now.” Angie gestured with a flourish over the cook’s shoulder. The giant cake frosted in various shades of Mewni blue topped with a crescent moon was the centerpiece of the vast dessert table. Rafael had spent weeks learning how to prepare and perfect it--and now the bottom was ruined in moments by a small boy with thick brown locks and a mole on his right cheek, digging his fingers in the fluffy frosting to shove in his mouth.
“Ay, Marco!” Rafael bounded over to the cake, pulling his son away from the massive confection. “No eche a perder el postre, mijo! You can have some after the guests have eaten.”
“Marco, that was very bad, going outside today,” Angie scolded, kneeling down to his level. “You know better than to play in the mud with Star before a big party where she must look her best.”
“But I told her, Mamá!" Marco whined, stomping his foot as his mother wiped blue frosting from his mouth. “I said she would get her dress dirty if she went in the mud. I told her not to, but she still did it.”
“In all fairness, that does sound like our Princess,” Rafael chuckled, and Angie had to resign herself to the fact that he was right. She was happy Marco had found a playmate in Star, but they got in far more mischief than they should. And she was starting to think her boy was not the one initiating most of it. She smiled--well, with a rather rigid mother like Queen Moon, she could hardly blame little Star for wanting to break the rules from time to time.
Planting a kiss on the top of his head, Angie lifted Marco up in her arms and held him close. “Come little one, we’ll get your suit on. And then you owe your Mama a dance in the ballroom.”
“What about me?” Rafael yelped as he watched them start to retreat through the door to the stairwell. Angie turned to face him with a sly grin.
“I believe you have some refrosting to do, Señor Diaz.”
The servants erupted in laughter as Rafael glanced hopelessly at the ruined cake.
“I suppose I deserved that,” he sighed.
“Mommy, it’s snowing!” Star hopped up and down with her little hands pressed against the glass. Moon broke away from the swirling ballroom dancers to retrieve her daughter from the window--and hail down a servant to wipe her fingerprints off. Although she had loosened up considerably since her youth at St. Olga’s Reform School, she still had a thing about dirt and lack of cleanliness. And did her daughter ever love pushing her buttons, sometimes all at once.
“Come here darling, there’s a lot of people you still haven’t shown your pretty dress to yet,” Moon said in an effort to appeal to her, taking her hand and steering her back towards the party guests.
“Can me and Marco go play in the snow, please? ”
“Marco and I,” her mother corrected her. “And perhaps tomorrow, it’s gotten too dark now.”
“He doesn't like the cold,” Star continued to babble as Moon led her to the elevated thrones. “So I told him I’d make him like the snow because you can make snow angels, and snowmen, and ice skate, and--”
She stopped short and Moon turned to look at where she was staring. The Royal Wand glinted in its case from the multicolored lights of the chandelier, the sparkling blue diamond atop it transfixing the little girl as she bounded over to it.
“Star, no,” Moon stated loudly, making to grab her hand, but too late--Star had already pressed her entire face against the glass case. “That is an absolute, one hundred percent no. The Wand is not a plaything.”
“Can't I just hold it?” It wasn't an impatient request, as Moon had come to expect from her, but a simple earnest inquiry, coupled with wide excited blue eyes gazing up at her in wonder. “Mommy, you fought the monsters with it, right?”
“Yes dear, I fought them for a long time with that Wand,” Moon replied, a sense of pride welling within her as her daughter looked at her like she was the center of the universe.
“I wanna fight the monsters!” Star proclaimed, latching onto her mother’s skirt as she beamed up at her. The pink hearts on her face, passed down the Royal family bloodline, had started to glow in her elevated excitement. The queen’s heart froze: It was the first time she had seen a hint of Star’s inner power, the inherent magic within her. And rather than fill her with pride, the stoic ruler had grown frightened.
“Oh my Star, I hope you never ever have to.” Moon felt her icy barriers melt as she dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around Star. “It was terrible. Many people aren't here tonight because of them. I cannot imagine the same fate befalling you, precious.”
“So…” Star was a bit worried at the tears sparkling in the corners of her mother’s eyes, but pressed on. “So I can’t have the Wand? Ever?”
“Someday you will,” Moon nodded, running a hand over her blonde head as the light glowing in her face receded. “I received the Wand from my mother when I was fourteen. Perhaps then, you will have grown enough to wield its power. It’s not just for fighting monsters, but for assuming responsibility for the protection of all of Mewni.” She cupped her hands around Star’s face tenderly, stroking the hearts on her chubby cheeks. “Do you think you can wait that long?”
“I guess so,” Star shrugged, rocking restlessly back and forth on her heels. Moon was grateful that they had gotten off such a heavy topic. And her daughter, like most children her age, was paying more attention to the next subject that caught her fancy, namely the glittering gowns on the ballroom floor.
“I beg your pardon, my Queen, but is there anything else you need from me this evening?” Moon turned to see Angie having freshened up for the ball, her otherwise neat skirt wrinkled on the left side where a young boy was clutching at it, hiding shyly.
“No Angela, that should be all,” Moon stood from her crouched position, assuming her default prim and proper stature, “You enjoy yourself tonight.” She peered down at the boy who shrinked away, intimidated by the tall slender monarch. “Don’t you look handsome?” she remarked warmly.
“Marco!” Star squealed, dashing over to him. Marco leapt out from behind his mother and followed suit towards the princess eagerly, as if the queen were not even present. “Come on, we have to dance!”
“Bye, Mamá!” Marco called as Star grabbed his hand and they raced to the center of the crystal tiled dance floor.
Angie began to laugh in spite of herself, but a moment later it was cut short entirely. The lights in the chandelier dimmed slowly, causing the dull roar of the guests to gradually dwindle into silence.
“What’s happening?” Moon asked reflexively, although she had a deep horrific feeling she knew what it was. But no, not on this night… “Angela--”
“Marco!” Angie shouted at the children, the dance floor beginning to fill with smoke as a sickeningly green light washed over the entire ballroom. Yet neither the princess nor her companion noticed the impending danger.
“Star!” Moon cried out, hiking up her skirt to run after her, the rest of the crowd having parted the floor like the Red Sea at the sudden disturbance. “Get away from there, it’s not safe!”
“Marco, come back here!” Angie yelled desperately, already halfway across the floor to retrieve them. Fortunately the children had sensed something was wrong and backed away from the smoke, glowing green and rising higher and higher. A shape had taken form; tall and broad-shouldered with sharp reptilian features.
“No…” Moon recognized immediately who this was, grabbing Star by the arm and pulling the girl behind her. She scanned the crowd frantically for her husband as Marco leapt fearfully into Angie’s waiting arms. The queen hadn’t wanted to remove the wand from its protective case this evening, but now…
I may have no choice, she thought, dread clenching her heart as the all-too familiar figure rising from the smoke appeared at last.
The figure, a sort of lizard and crocodile hybrid, dressed in a fine evening suit with a blood red cape billowing behind him let his surveying eyes scan over the crowd. Most were backed against the nearest wall, couples were huddled together whispering, a few children were crying. But he paid them no heed--to put their lives in fatal danger would be stupid and a waste. It was not the esteemed party guests he was here for.
“General Toffee--how dare you show your face here again!”
Ah, there he was. Fixing his gaze on the thrones ahead of him, Toffee chuckled at the little man they called their king, pointing his crescent moon staff at him threateningly. Hardly threatening. No, it was clear who was truly in charge in the Royal family, and it was not him.
“King Butterfly,” he said calmly, spreading his arms wide in greeting as he advanced towards him. “I do apologize for my unexpected arrival, but you see...I have been dabbling a bit in the Dark Arts and just had to try it out at your little ‘ball.’” He made a show of brushing smoke from his shoulders, “A juvenile trick to be sure, but I do plan on advancing very--” His yellow eyes gleamed in the dim candlelight as he grinned widely, “Very quickly.”
Other servants had filed in from the dining hall to see what the commotion was, including Rafael. Scurrying around the outskirts of the crowd as quietly as he could, and out of Toffee’s range, he finally found his wife huddled next to the queen’s throne.
“Angie!” he whispered, and she whirled around clutching Marco against her.
“Rafael,” she breathed, stealing a quick kiss in relief that he was there unharmed, for who knew what the monster general had done to gain entrance. Marco sniffled as he climbed into his father’s arms, hugging him tight around the neck. But the little boy’s worried gaze focused on the thrones beside them, where Star stood hidden behind her mother, seemingly frozen in fear.
“What is it you want?” came the sharp demand of Queen Moon. “We drafted and signed the peace treaty. You have no more business with us, so take your leave!”
“Oh a treaty, yes, but we seem to disagree on our definition of ‘peace.’” Any trace of pleasantries had disappeared from Toffee’s otherwise subtle expression. “You’ve left our realm in squalor, my people treated as less than dirt. Your treaty demanded our economy be depleted to pay for the costs of this war you declared, leaving us with nothing!”
“Your kind terrorized the people of our dimension for too long, General!” Moon countered angrily. “And now, interrupting our gala to torment us was your fatal mistake. River!” The king opened the case holding the Royal Wand and threw it to his wife, who caught it one-handed. At once, it glowed in her grip. “Now leave the castle immediately, or I shall force you to.”
“Oh my dear Queen, you always were a worthy adversary,” Toffee laughed lightly as if she were joking. “Unfortunately, the time for peaceful negotiations has passed.”
The front doors to the castle flew open as a squadron of monsters entered, led by an embarrassingly petite birdlike man with a high-pitched war cry. The crowd gasped and shrieked as the far more intimidating creatures carrying bayonets, rifles and ball-and-chain weapons stormed the ballroom.
“What, did you think I’d dare to come here alone? And let Lieutenant Ludo miss all this fun?” Toffee held up his hand, and his second-in-command stopped short from charging the throne.
“The Wand! ” Ludo squawked. “General, we have no chance if she wields it!”
“Patience,” Toffee patted his head condescendingly and shooed him away before continuing. “My terms are plain, as you can see. The only way for me to exact vengeance is to get you to surrender your Wand, or...as you so plainly put it, take it by force.”
“Kill me then,” Moon hissed, the glowing wand spitting sparks as if fueled by the monarch’s rage. “I don’t care what you do to me, you’ll never get this Wand.”
“Really?” Toffee raised his eyebrow. “I mean, either way you will be dead before daybreak, but you’re willing to lay down your life for the Wand with no heir to wield--?” He faltered, as if he had suddenly remembered something important. Slowly bringing his scaled hands together, he pressed his fingertips to his mouth. “You do have an heir.”
With a flourish of his cape, Toffee shot his arm forward, and Moon was flung to the side by an invisible force. He smiled hungrily once the little girl was exposed, shoving her fists in her mouth to stifle a scream. The rose hearts on her cheeks identical to her mother’s diamonds were all the proof he needed.
“Princess Star Butterfly,” he drawled softly. “I don’t believe we’ve met...aren’t you just darling?” A blast of magic shot towards him, sending the general sprawling onto his back. Temporarily winded, he sat up with a growl, his eyes flashing in Moon’s direction. Ludo made to order his men to attack, but Toffee stopped them silently once again.
“If you touch my daughter, you won’t live to tell about it,” the queen’s voice shook with fury. Her poise wavered as Star let out a little cry, running towards her, and Moon scooped her up with one arm. She gasped loudly as she was forced to lurch forward, holding Star tighter so she would not fall. The wand was wrenched from her hand, and Toffee had returned to his feet just in time to catch it.
“Well, it appears I’ve finally found your weakness, my Queen,” Toffee said in grim satisfaction. “This is why I never had children.” Grasping the wand more firmly, it began to transform in his hand. The gold handle became silver and elongated, the blue diamond morphed into the same sickly green the room was bathed in, wisps of green smoke swirling inside the massive jewel.
“You fiend!”
“River, stop!” Moon cried as the king raised his staff above his head, running in Toffee’s direction. The reptilian general aimed the wand at him, halting him in his tracks, and this time Star really did scream. But the weapon only seemed to splutter clumsily as Toffee tried to attack, and he frowned deeply.
“Perhaps I need time to harness its power, in not being a descendant of our elite Butterfly family.” He snapped his fingers and the squadron filed in behind him. “We will take our leave...for now. But heed my warning.” He flicked his wrist and River sank to his knees, the staff clattering beside him. “You will die before the evening is out, and our realm will be free of your tyranny. You…” He swung the wand back around to the queen and princess, “your wife, and your child. I will not rest until every last trace of your bloodline is wiped from the face of the universe!”
Raising his arm to the ceiling, the chandelier above them began to loosen, and Ludo bellowed “Retreat!” to the squadron as it fell. It hit the floor, a deafening conglomeration of clanging metal and shattering crystal filling the ballroom. Guests screamed and ducked for cover as glass shards flew in every direction. But Toffee, Ludo and their army had vanished--and with them, the Royal Wand.
“Everyone, leave the castle at once and return to your homes!” River amplified his voice once more above the panicked crowd, a few glass shards having cut into his own face. “Guards, report to the front hall immediately to seal off the castle!” He turned from the guests as they made to file out of the main entrance and rushed towards his wife. “Dearest, are you alright?”
“It’s gone…” Moon breathed heavily in shock, rocking a whimpering Star against her shoulder. “I let down my guard--he knew I would when Star--”
“This isn’t your fault,” River assured her, taking her trembling hand in both of his. “It was impossible for you to have known this would happen. What’s imperative now is that you and Star get out of harm’s way.”
“What about you?” Moon’s eyes widened, shaking her head. “You can’t remain outside with the guards, they will attack there first!”
“I swore upon our marriage that I would protect you and the power you possess,” River stated firmly. “I won’t break that promise when my protection is needed most.”
“Your Majesty!” the captain of the guard called out from the main entrance. “Awaiting your orders, Sire!”
“I shall return,” River kissed his wife’s hand before kissing both of his daughter’s cheeks. “Stay strong for your mother’s sake, my little Star,” were his last words before he departed.
“I have to go,” Angie spoke loud enough to be heard over the commotion. “The Queen will most likely need my assistance.”
“Wha--Angie, no!” Rafael begged, holding Marco high over his head so he would not be trampled by the guests stampeding for the exits. “We should stay together!”
“Star!” Marco called out to his friend several feet away, who looked around at hearing her name called, but could not see who it was. “Star!”
“Marco, stay here!” Rafael demanded, restraining the squirming child as he tried to break free, setting him back down on his feet.
“Papi, no--he’ll hurt her!” Marco looked up at his father with pleading brown eyes, a large tear rolling down his cheek. “The bad man said he would, I heard him.”
“Star is with her mother, she’ll be fine,” Angie assured him in a broken voice, drawing him close in a farewell embrace. “You hold onto your father’s hand and don’t let go. I love you, baby.” She stood as Rafael encircled his strong arms around her, briefly losing herself in his kiss before she was forced to break it. “I love you so much.”
“Yo también te amo.” Rafael slowly and hesitantly let go of her, and his wife dashed into the crowd and disappeared from view. He reached for his son’s hand beside him--but felt nothing but empty air.
“Marco?!” He frantically searched around the throne area, but the boy was nowhere to be found. Neither, it seemed, were the princess or queen. “Marco! ”
It took no longer than an hour before the remains of the monster army returned. The guests had all departed, but many of the servants remained inside Butterfly Castle to serve and shield the royal family. It was just enough time for Moon to pack her essentials to depart the castle, keeping one eye constantly fixed on the window overlooking the courtyard where River and his troops stood keeping watch.
“Normally I am more composed in times of panic,” the queen whispered gravely, running to retrieve some items from the powder room to stuff in her travel bag. “But with all of this uncertainty--”
“No one blames you, Your Majesty,” Angie shook her head sadly. She had been tasked with calming little Star while her mother saw to their things being secured for their evacuation of the palace. Typically monsters never frightened the girl, they amused her more than anything. But Toffee’s threat, his attack on her father and stealing of her mother’s wand had left her very shaken as Angie held her in her lap in the corner rocking chair.
“We’ll be on our way shortly, Star--but remember we must be very very quiet.” Moon looked to her daughter to make sure she understood, and Star gave a very small nod, her large blue eyes watering.
“Where’s Daddy?” she asked quietly, her nails digging into Angie’s shirt as the handmaiden drew her closer. “He's coming, right?”
Moon paused. “I’m not sure, darling.”
“We have to find Daddy first,” Star proclaimed as if it were an order, despite her lower lip trembling.
“Star, I don’t know if--”
“Daddy has to go with us! Right, Mommy?! He has to!”
“Angela, please,” Moon appealed to her as she pressed a hand to her mouth, her already fractured rock solid stature crumbling further. Her husband could be a complete and utter fool, the yang to her yin, but he would never hesitate to sacrifice his very life for his family. Every regret, every half-hearted ‘I love you’ rose to the surface of her mind--she had never been able to express how much she truly meant it.
Angie had gotten the queen’s message, shifting Star so she was facing her. “Shh, it’s alright,” she whispered as the princess buried her face in her bosom. “Your father just had to go take care of some things and he’ll be back.” She stroked her light gold hair, now hanging loosely about her shoulders, feeling the front of her blouse grow wet with the princess’ tears. “It’s okay to be scared.”
“But I’m supposed to be brave...just like Mommy.”
“I’m only brave when I feel I have to be,” Moon replied, moving closer to where they sat. “Just because I appear fearless does not mean that I am.” Star roughly rubbed her streaming eyes before diving into the queen’s arms, nearly knocking her backwards. “The Wand is stolen, and with it all the powers of the universe at my disposal. But right now, I…” She glanced back at Angie, who stood to level with her. “Now I have to protect my daughter with every scrap of inner strength I possess. No longer as a queen, but as a mother.” She reached out and placed a hand on Angie’s shoulder, a very rare display of affection, yet her face remained icy and determined. “You know. You would do the same for your son.”
Just as Angie felt a surge of shame, just as it hit her how much of a mistake it had been to leave Rafael and Marco’s side tonight of all nights, it happened. An explosive clang blew the iron gates surrounding the castle apart, followed by a deafening roar of fury from a hundred voices. A second pealing, thunderous bang confirmed the worst: Toffee’s regiment was inside the castle.
“River…” Moon breathed, yet stopped herself before she frightened Star further.
“I’ll secure your safe passage to the carriage,” Angie made to open the bedroom suite doors, but the queen stopped her.
“No, forget the carriage--I’ll take it from here.” Plunging her hand back into the bag, she withdrew a glinting silver pair of enchanted scissors, able to open portals to transcend dimensions.
“My Queen--”
“Angela, you know where you need to be right now. And it’s not here.”
“Yes...yes of course.” With a slight bow, Angie whirled on her heel and slipped out the door. For the brief period it was ajar, the queen could hear just how close in proximity they were to the invading troops.
It will be a miracle if she makes it down the stairs alive. Moon placed the scissors in her belt before instinctively reaching for her wand--only to remember it was gone. She could not teleport herself and Star outside the palace, and dimensional scissors could not be used within the castle walls. They were hopelessly trapped.
“Star, get your things,” Moon ordered, setting Star down on the floor as she ran to the window, peering down at the drop. As she began to assess if there was enough snow on the grass to cushion their fall, a hard scraping noise caught her attention from behind. Fear seized her heart as she turned to see a panel in the wall of the suite opening up to lead to a dark tunnel. The old castle had many secret passages built in over the generations, some more obvious to the eye than others. The fact that Toffee’s creatures had discovered this one so quickly astonished her.
But it was not Toffee nor one of his minions who emerged from the wall.
“Marco?!” Star exclaimed, dropping the bag she was carrying to run to him. This, however, did nothing to alleviate Moon’s fears, now for an entirely different reason.
“I found you!” The little boy jumped out of the hole behind the panel and rushed over eagerly.
“Marco Diaz, where is your father?” Moon asked in a hushed voice, hinting to the children to keep their voices down. He lowered his head, and she exhaled sharply. “Did you run away?”
“I had to--I had to make sure you were safe.” He meant both of them, surely, but his glance was fixed on Star.
“He must be worried sick--and your mother just left to find you!”
“It doesn’t matter, you need to get out!” Marco pleaded earnestly. He grabbed Star’s hand and pulled her towards the wall opening, as the bangs and shouts outside their room grew louder and closer. “Remember where this one goes?”
“Uh-huh!” Star nodded, clearly pleased with herself. “You follow it to the fork, and if you go right it leads to the kitchen, but if you go left--”
“--it leads outside to the courtyard by the pond,” Marco finished, pushing open the panel wider. “Now go! Before they find out where the passages are!”
Moon bit her tongue to keep from reprimanding her daughter for running around in those dingy tunnels, for now it was the boy’s knowledge of them that was their only saving grace. A final crash and Ludo’s voice from further down the hall gave her the last push forward. “Alright Star, get in quickly.”
“Marco, come on!” Star tugged on his arm to pull him in after herself and her mother, but Marco shook his head.
“They’re coming.”
“No, you--!”
“I’ll find you later, go!”
Star began to cry once more, latching her little arms tightly around her friend’s neck. But Moon’s panic reached a peak when she heard Ludo’s voice from outside the bedroom.
“There’s a light on in this room here! Break down the door!”
She hastily pulled Star off of Marco and back into the passage, but the boy had forced the panel shut before she could grab him as well. There was no time to go back, the door had been smashed open.
“Where are they, boy?!” the lieutenant's screeching voice came through the panel where Moon and Star huddled, keeping one hand over her daughter’s mouth.
“Who’s ‘they?’”
“Don’t play the fool, brat--the Queen and Princess!” Ludo shrieked, banging his staff against the floor. “General Toffee’s orders are to kill them on sight!”
“They’re not here.” Then Marco let out a strangled yell, sounding as if he’d lunged something in the lieutenant's direction. There was a thud and a sharp cry--and that was the last Moon heard of him. She closed her eyes, letting Star muffle her sobs into her overcoat.
“Leave him, is not worth it,” came the thick Russian accent of the large bullfrog at Ludo’s right hand. “General’s orders are to harm no one except Butterfly family.”
“Gah--but he was so cheeky!” Ludo huffed, his footsteps retreating away from the wall panel they hid behind. “Let’s keep moving, we’ll find them and finish the job.”
“We doing pretty well, yes?” the bullfrog’s voice faded away as well. “I mean, one out of three not bad.”
One out of three... It only took a moment for the meaning of those words to sink into the queen, resting in her chest to press on her heart so forcefully it felt as if it would snap in two. The King of Mewni was dead. Her River was gone forever.
Hitching Star up in her arms, she desperately felt her way along the tunnel through a thick veil of tears. For as much as Moon wanted to collapse on the floor and weep until she had nothing left inside her, that was out of the question now. She had to save her daughter, her only remaining family. She had to.
Snow swirled fast and cold in the harsh wind, whipping their faces as they emerged into the courtyard. Moon pulled Star along by the hand as she ran as fast as her little legs would allow. The further they got away from the castle perimeters, the sooner she could use the dimensional scissors to take them somewhere. Anywhere, so long as they were far away and safe. The yard, normally reserved for croquet and tennis in the warmer months, was eerily deserted now as they ran along the snow-covered grass. Indeed, not a single monster appeared to have occupied it, not one footprint embedded in the solid white powder.
But the queen had no time to dwell on this--Star was growing tired, having drained herself from crying, not to mention would become sick being out in the wintery weather for this long. They had to keep moving.
“Mommy, the pond!” Star cried out, pointing to where the decorative lagoon had frozen over. “We can walk over it. We can get to the gate faster--”
“That wouldn't be wise, dear, now please keep up with me,” Moon panted, half dragging her from the water’s edge. Once they made it to the bridge, they would be almost there…
A blinding green light shot through the inky midnight sky, and Moon halted as a figure appeared on top of said bridge overlooking them. She recognized the wand’s power anywhere, even corrupted as it was, and knew who had come to stop their escape.
“Star, we must--!” But a shrill scream stopped her from backtracking, and she looked down. Star was no longer running beside her, nor holding her hand. The wand’s new wielder had sent a blast of magic in the girl’s direction, pinning her in the three-inch deep snow. Moon barely had time to think before the reptilian general jumped from the bridge to land in front of the princess.
“Toffee--! ”
“Stay back,” he hissed, snatching Star up with one arm while he pointed the wand at the queen’s chest. “How many loved ones do you plan to lose to get this back from me, Your Majesty?”
“Let her go, she’s done nothing!” Moon shouted in despair, watching Star writhe and scream in his grip.
“I was your confidant, Moon Butterfly--or did you forget?” Toffee continued to step back towards the frozen pond, keeping the wand at the ready should she attempt to approach. “When you were nothing but a clumsy girl fumbling your way through your spellbook.”
“That was years ago...if I’d only known then what I know of you now--”
“You don’t deserve this Wand’s power. You never have!” Toffee spat out. “And I won’t be threatened by you or any descendant of yours ag--”
He gasped, his calm demeanor shattering for the first time that night. Star had lunged forward, grabbing the wand with both hands. Its form changed, only for a moment: A pink handle with a circular head, wings sprouting out the sides, and a large gold crystal star in the center.
“No!” he shrieked in uncharacteristic panic, trying to pull it back from her, but the girl’s grip was shockingly strong. As Toffee’s willpower threatened to overtake Star’s, the dueling force became too powerful for the wand to take, sparks and showers of magic spitting from the head. With an earth-shaking explosion, the general bellowed in pain, dropping Star onto the ground. The princess scampered away from him as a piece of the wand went flying. Toffee clutched his hand as blood spewed profusely from where his middle finger had been.
“You filthy spoiled little--!” But he refused to let go of the wand, and that momentarily became his greatest mistake. A final release of magic, and Toffee was flung backwards onto the frozen pond’s surface. His body broke the ice with a great splash as Moon searched frantically for the wand. There was nothing but the piece that had broken off--half of the gold star crystal. Star snatched it up from the ground as another shriek sounded, their company now invaded by another.
“General!” Ludo cried out as he slid down the cliff and across the ice to where Toffee was slowly sinking beneath the icy water.
“Ludo--the Wand--!”
“But the Princess!” Ludo pointed to where Moon and Star had now made it beyond the gate. But Toffee had disappeared, the waters consuming him, and his lieutenant let out an infuriated roar. “And you came so highly recommended!”
But in looking down at his feet, Ludo found not only the half-incinerated Wand...but a fragment of a single scaled bloody finger as well.
Several interdimensional portals had been activated already once the queen and princess made it past the gates, servants making a frantic dash back to their homes in the Earth dimension. Moon knew very little about it, but she knew it had to be safer than Mewni at this time. Who knew when they would be able to return, and what would be left for them when they did. She saw many familiar faces as they leapt through the rips in space, closing them swiftly behind them, but Angie and Rafael did not seem to be among them. Her heart sank--they were good people, and she did hope they and the boy were alright.
“Get them! It’s Queen Butterfly, get them!”
Screams rose up from the remaining crowd as Ludo, the massive bullfrog and the rest of their squadron burst into the clearing. There was no time to think of a specific location as Moon wrenched the scissors from her belt, pulling Star around a corner of the drawbridge out of the monsters’ view.
“Where are we going?!” Star’s eyes grew wide as Moon shushed her loud inquiry, snipping at the empty air in front of her. A blinding white light gleamed as the spinning portal opened before them--no doubt a dead giveaway of their location to Ludo.
“Get in quickly, Star.”
“But wh--”
“I don’t know, dear, just hurry!”
Star timidly approached the swirling light in front of her, sticking her feet in first. “Wait!” she cried, now only visible from the waist up as she clung to both of her mother’s hands.
“I’m right behind you, Star, now go--”
“There’s a portal open behind the drawbridge!"
“Mommy?! Mommy, don’t let go!” Star crushed her fingers numb. She had always been so strong.
“Star, I’m...I…” She couldn’t. Ludo was practically on top of them. They were out of time.
Or at least one of them was.
“Mommy…”
And it was not going to be her helpless little girl, who still had her whole life ahead of her.
It happened in a flash, half of Moon’s heart and soul flying through the portal along with Star as both of her small hands slipped out of her grasp. Her scream was cut short as the portal sucked her in, taking her who knew where in the Earth dimension.
“I’m sorry,” the queen wept at last, slicing the portal shut the minute she broke contact with her only child. “I’m sorry, my Star…”
“Lieutenant Ludo! Queen Butterfly has gone in this direction!” Her grieving was interrupted by two voices right around the corner. One was Ludo’s and--Moon exhaled softly--the other was Angie Diaz’s.
“Are you certain?” the birdlike creature cawed suspiciously.
“I’m positive, sir. She’s beyond the hedge over there.”
“You will be rewarded handsomely if you’re correct, girlie. But executed if you’ve lied!” He banged his staff against the ground once more. “You heard her, go that way!”
“Angela--”
“I knew it was you,” Angie whispered once the monsters departed, slipping around the wall so they were shadowed from view. She looked around, “Where is the Princess?”
“She’s somewhere in the Earth dimension. I wasn’t thinking, I--” Her face crumpled as she spoke brokenly, “I just had to get her away from here! I did what I had to!”
“You lost your husband, you couldn’t lose her as well.”
“But I did! She could be anywhere!”
“At least she's safe from here!” Angie was in tears now as well, “I-I can’t find Rafael or Marco anywhere.” Moon instantly recalled the boy being attacked after he saved their lives. But she couldn’t bring herself to tell Angie, watching her wipe her face dry. “I failed them...but I promise I won’t fail you.”
“Here,” Moon placed the scissors in her hands, “You know the Earth dimension better than I. And I trust you, Angela.”
Angie thought hard for a moment, against the smoke and screams and tears of Mewni going up in flames behind them. Slashing the blades through the air at last, she grabbed the queen’s arm and ushered her inside the swirling white hole in space similar to the one Star had fallen through moments ago.
“Come, they won’t find you here…”
And with a last look at the flame-engulfed castle, the only home she’d ever known, countless centuries of Mewnian royalty reduced to ashes in a single night of terror, Queen Moon Butterfly stepped through the portal to Earth and vanished from sight.
So many lives were destroyed that night
What had always been was now gone forever
And Princess Star, my cherished daughter
I never saw her again...