A/N: Seeeee, I didn't take as long to update this time, surprisingly. This chapter will be a little short compared to the others but I think it turned out fine. Oh, and thanks for all the support and feedback! I love the feedback! Anyway, here it is, enjoy!
Rumiel-The Awakened One: That's the point lol, for confusion. AS for Starco stuff, there will be teases since it's funny.
JudgeDreddSA: Thanks for the feedback first off. As for Marco, well, he has several tricks up his sleeve. Janna and Star will meet, I just don't know when or how yet, but I do have vague ideas on it.
brody Putnum: I'm glad you like my story! And happy late new years to you.
Gamelover41592: Thanks for the compliment and, yeah, there will be more heavy material to come but also happy ones too.
PauloPT90: Glad you enjoyed it and I'm happy that you found Star and Marco natural. It's a bit difficult to do when it's an AU but doable. I also enjoy writing out Marco's dialogue since sarcasm isn't one of his canon characteristics. Starco or Janco? Hmmm, it'll be clear what way Marco decides in the later chapters but for now, it'll be up for debate lol, sorry for not giving you the Starco you're craving. I will see what I can do to make it interesting though. Also, thanks for liking my other stories, it means a lot (:
allen Vth: Glad to hear from you again! Marco's strength is… interesting lol. It's hard to explain without giving things away, sorry. As for the other princesses, they will be given their respective chapters so don't you worry lol. The title is more personal, as it will be revealed throughout the chapters. The thing you said about SKywynne and Solaria… lol, you'll see. It'll be entertaining if anything.
jarod237: Thanks for the compliment! I'm glad you asked about Tom because he will be appearing in this story, so heads up.
Guest (absent?): Thanks! I'll keep up the work!
Guest (The Book of Eli): I'll continue to make Marco an entertaining character when it calls for it. I'm glad you like the story.
DJ Rodriguez: Happy to hear from you again! Marco is somewhat laidback, as far as you know lol, but it's for good reason. And this chapter will put into perspective the competition Janna will have lol, if only a little.
thedarkone2002: Thanks for the compliment! Glad you like my story.
JJmmmmmlol (1): Lol my story must have been doing something right if you spent a while reading it. I'm glad you're loving my story and lol Manna or Janco, it's the same thing to me, but Manna sounds better so I'll use that now for reference.
JJmmmmmlol (2): Once again, I'm happy you're enjoying this story so much (: That's what I'm aiming at with my writing. I can also see you love Janna (Manna) lol. The terms that Marco wants to talk about with the Queen about will be in the next chapter, not this one so hang in there lol.
Guest: Thanks and I'm glad you're finding my story enjoyable! And I love Ms. Diaz character too! You'll see more of it so enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not claim the right to Star vs. the Forces of Evil or any of the characters in the show. They belong to Disney and the show's creator, Daron Nefcy. I do, however, claim the right to the plot as well as any original characters that may appear in this fic. - Sky
Skywynne's room was in a lack of better terms… messy… and dusty beyond recognition. The once vibrant room was now covered in spider webs and dust bunnies, causing her to frown at the depressing scene before her. She walked past the littered books and clutter on the ground and stopped in front of a covered object that hung above the empty fireplace. She sighed and gave the hidden object a sad smile.
Skywynne turned away from it and suddenly came face to face with her old mentor, almost scaring the life out of her.
"Gahhh! Glossaryck! You almost gave me a heart attack! [Takes a deep breath] What are you even doing here? I thought I told you to wait in Angie's room." Skywynne stated sternly, trying to calm her racing heart.
The floating individual sighed and shook his head, "I was waiting there but something told me that you were going to be here so I came and here you are. [Looks at covered object] I see you still have that portrait covered up. Why is that?"
Skywynne released an exasperated sigh and clapped her hands twice, causing the lights in the room to come back to life from their long slumber. She walked away and began to pick up some books off the ground, "Come on, Gloss, help me clean up… This place has seen better days… [Ahem] So, what did the MHC think about Marco? Were they surprised?!" she asked with a grin, doing a complete 180 on her previous demeanor.
Glossaryck raised an eyebrow at her behavior and turned back to continue dusting off a bookshelf with his beard, "They were certainly impressed, especially… Hekapoo."
Skywynne stopped cleaning for a couple of seconds, then resumed the task. "[Turns to face Glossaryck] That's… strange… but somewhat understandable. She was very good friends with Angie so seeing her son after Angie made that joke to her must have brought back memories or something."
"What jo- Ohhhhh, I see." The magical being chuckled and snapped his fingers, causing the entire room to return to its former-unmessy glory, much to Skywynne's irritation.
She liked to clean without magic.
She placed the books on a nearby coffee table (a gift from Angie) and sat on a lavish chair that was next to her. Glossaryck snapped his fingers again and sat on a similar chair that appeared out of nowhere. "Angie's sense of humor is usually about causing others embarrassment… What a strange woman she is… But, promising Hekapoo her son as a fiance was obviously a joke. Maybe our temperamental-fiery-demon friend thinks she wasn't joking," he said with a grin.
Skywynne rolled her eyes but smiled regardless. She knew that Hekapoo tended to take things for face value, which was why Angie loved to mess with her. Apparently, the demoness never learned her lesson. "Yeah, I better clear that misunderstanding up before it turns into something troubling." She took a deep breath and released a heavy sigh, sinking more into her chairs soft cushion.
Both she and Glossaryck said nothing, allowing the peaceful silence to relax them.
"Marco really does remind me of her."
The former Queen tilted her head to look at her old friend and smiled, "He certainly does… but Marco seems to be more aware of his surroundings and actions, unlike his mother." she finished with a smile, closing her eyes to remember the good old days.
"Well, he probably got that from his father. Rafael was kind and the voice of reason of the two," commented Glossaryck, forcing Skywynne out of memory lane. "[Scoffs] Rafael was the reason Angie didn't want to stay on Mewni anymore."
She stood up angrily and faced Glossaryck, "Marco being raised here would have been fine, but noooo. It was too 'dangerous' and 'unfit' to raise him here. [Shakes her head in slight annoyance] He could have been friends with my granddaughters! *Psh* Marco would probably be engaged to one of them by now… Stupid Rafael." she said with a scowl.
Glossaryck shook his head and got off his seat, not feeling like resting anymore. "Wow, I would have never foreseen you of all people to say that about Rafael. The poor man was basically murdered in front of his wife and you're acting like a spoiled child because she didn't want to stay here anymore with you?! [Shakes his head] If Angie heard what you said about him she would cut all ties with you and take Marco away from here by force if she had too so I suggest you keep your childish jealousy and bitterness in check."
Glossaryck floated over to and came face to face with Skywynne, looking at her dead in the eyes. "I know you've seen how Marco has a positive effect on Star and may very well change this kingdom for the better by helping her, remember that. I, for one, plan on helping him in any way that I can. It's the least I can do for Angie."
Skwynne held her position but quickly gave it up. "[Sighs] You're right, Gloss. It's not Rafael's fault. [Scoffs] What was I thinking? Blaming a dead man? Wow… It must be the build-up of stress from the candidate fiasco. I'm sorry, Gloss... I should know better." the former Queen said with guilt and regret in her voice.
"Hey, chin up kiddo. Let's just focus on making sure that nothing bad happens to Mewni or our new guest in the meantime... Oh, I've been meaning to ask, why are you moving back into your old room? I assume that's why you were cleaning it right? [She nods] But why would you do that if you have your own house in another dimension, far from the drama?" questioned the small blue man.
Skywynne chuckled, "Well, I thought it would be a good idea to be closer so I could be of help if Marco, Star, or anyone needs it. I also promised Angie to look after her son so being close by seems like a very good idea in order to keep an eye on him and Star."
Glossaryck smiled and shook his head at her. The magical being floated over to the door and was about to leave the room when he stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I know what you're up to, Skywynne, and let me give you some sage advice: The boy already has his heart set on someone so, whatever you do, do not force things. You, more than anyone, should know that forcing love usually always ends poorly… [smiles] BUT it never hurts to try." After he said those words, he smirked and left, leaving Skywynne alone in her room.
She scoffed and smiled at her old mentor's words, "I'm not forcing anything... just nudging in the right direction to hopefully get the result my family and this kingdom needs. Besides, no one has ever been able to resist a Butterfly's charm," Skywynne said with a mischievous grin while she tapped her chin in contemplation as she too made her way out of her room.
She had to talk to her daughter about getting Marco those phone priveledges if she wanted him to be more cooperative.
The moon was high in the sky, radiating all its cosmic glow over Mewni. The night was beautiful in this dimension, much more than on Earth. You could actually see everything! Every twinkling star, planet, and parts of galaxies but the most beautiful part of the celestial collection were the moons, three to be exact. Their glow snuck into every window in the land, enveloping those who were asleep with its soft-warm radiance, just like it was doing to Star right now.
Marco stared, from his seat, at the sleeping girl on his bed and couldn't help but furrow his brow at what Star had told him earlier in the day. He couldn't believe that such a peaceful looking girl had gone through so much.
It was heartbreaking.
Star had told him about the incident that occurred to her when she was just a little six-year-old girl… She and her friend, a little peasant girl from town, were playing out in the castle's gardens without a care in the world when, suddenly, a couple of monsters who had somehow snuck into the castle ambushed them. Star was the first to react, dragging the girl with her towards the door, but the monsters were too fast.
They managed to take the girl from Star's grip, after putting up a valiant effort in trying to save her friend. The other monster, a dog-cyclops hybrid, held her back as the other one picked up the struggling little girl and… just like that… snapped her neck.
Star's despair-filled screams bounced off every corner of the castle, thankfully alerting the guards. The oblivious monster holding Star smiled at her in a nightmarish way, causing her breathing to stop altogether. It slowly lifted the princess by her long golden hair and dangled the small terrified girl over its mouth, rows of jagged and decaying teeth ready to end her short life. However, before it could proceed in eating the princess, a magic blast hit it's tough exterior, startling it.
Both monsters turned around and paled at who it was.
It was none other than Mina Loveberry, the twelve-year-old prodigy who had single-handedly held back a raid of fifty golems all by herself about a week ago. Before either could react to the powerhouse before them, Mina had closed the distance and had cut off both of their heads with her trusty saber in one fluid motion.
Little princess Star landed on the ground, coming face to face with the cold-lifeless eyes of her friend. She immediately saw the reflection of her terrified self in the unblinking glass-like eyes of the recently deceased and she didn't know how to feel in that moment, probably too shocked to react.
Mina gave the little royal a sad look before lifting her up and making a dash towards the barracks to inform her fellow knights about the possible threat of a monster attack on the castle. The last thing Star managed to see that day was the lifeless body of the little peasant girl laying on the grass, as the wind moved her long dark hair to cover the eyes.
Marco pinched the bridge of his nose at the mental images and groaned as he laid his head back against the chair. That's too much for anyone to witness, especially a child. Poor little Star was never the cheerful little girl she once was, he assumed, and couldn't blame her.
Her family had tried to help her but it was too late. The monsters had robbed her of her child-like innocence, which made Marco grip the armrests in anger at such a stupid occurrence that should have never happened.
Where the fuck was the security or knights when that happened?
But that wasn't the only thing Star had to deal with.
According to Star, the candidates before him had rejected her due to her… problems. Star was sadly suffering from PTSD from that day in the garden, which caused her to have nightmares so vivid that she would accidentally attack the candidates (the closest person there) as she sleepwalked. Was she trying to defend herself or save the little girl? Marco didn't know and Star didn't say. She also didn't mention what she did to them, just that they rejected the position from the infirmary… as soon as they were able to move their jaws again.
Marco did not like the sound of that but hid his uncertainty to avoid worrying Star.
She was also suffering from major depression and stress. The depression was due to being rejected for something she had no control over and because of how the nobility and the people of the kingdom treated and saw her.
The nobles treated her as if she were crazy and stayed away from her unless Queen Solaria was present, where they were forced to act as if they liked the princess (she didn't mention how they treated her sisters, which was odd). They also scoffed at the idea of her being Queen one day, which was messed up since they didn't know Star's troubles. It didn't help that Star appeared to have an inferiority complex, something Marco concluded at the end of their talk. Basically, she believed that she was a terrible choice for Queen or anything for that matter.
As for the citizens of Mewni, well, they thought Star was… unstable (mentally) and some had even outright told the Queen to get her some help, which she didn't take to kindly of. Overall, people were judging her without actually knowing why she was acting the way she was, something Marco found to be a common theme that both Earth and Mewni shared.
Maybe it was a universal law to be assholes and assume things about people.
In regards to her stress, it was obvious. Star did not want to become Queen, at all. She absolutely loathed the idea but didn't want her other sisters to be stuck with the burden of being Queen so she decided to sacrifice herself so they could be free from the shackles that came with the throne, even if she thought so little about herself.
Marco removed his hand from his face and looked back at the sleeping Star, causing him to let out a sad sigh. Why? Because the things mentioned weren't what put the nail in the proverbial coffin of his heart. No, what truly caused him great worry about Star was what she had basically pleaded for him to help her with…
To make her feel love again.
…
Except…
Marco had no fucking clue on how to do that.
But he was going to try. His mother had raised him to help those in need, no matter the situation, and he wasn't about to disappoint her or Star. But the problem was the love part because there are different types of it. Marco shook his head, deciding to think of that later, and walked over to Star. He noticed her face was scrunched up and kept twitching, probably from a nightmare she was having. He placed his hand on her forehead gently and she seemed to calm down from the touch alone, which was odd to him but he didn't question it. If touching her forehead caused her even the slightest of relief from her wonderful life and memories then he would gladly do it.
He wasn't overstepping any lines by doing it either.
'I have to talk to Skywynne about a few things, as well as Solaria. I need to arrange a way for me to be able to keep in touch with my actual life, but how?... Wait, wasn't Skywynne going to talk to her daughter about that? Huh, maybe I'll let her deal with that, for now. [Looks at Star] I have a feeling I'm going to have my plate full in this crazy ass dimension.' Marco thought with a slight chuckle… then his stomach decided to make itself known. 'Guess I better find something to eat. There might be some beef jerky in my pack-'
He moved his hands from Star's forehead and her eyes shot open, intense blues, startling Marco. "O-Oh, h-hey Star. Sorry for waking you. I'll leave," he said with a nervous and embarrassed chuckle as he backed away, thinking his loud stomach had woken her up. But Star said nothing as she kept staring at him, which was awkward for Marco. He opened his mouth to say something else but, before he could utter one syllable, Star jumped out of the bed and screamed bloody murder at the top of her lungs, rattling every fiber in his body.
"S-Star? W-What's wrong?! Did I do some-"
Marco, acting on instinct, barely managed to sidestep a magical blast of some kind, cracking the wall behind him into an intricate web-like pattern. "Star! What the fuck was that!?" The Earth teen was beyond confused right now and needed answers to figure out how to deal with whatever the hell was going on! He put up his hands in a defensive, but neutral, pose and tried to analyze the situation, this case being Star.
For one, Star's body language was tense and shaky. Her eyes were wide and glossy, probably on the verge of crying, but what really put him on edge were her fists. They were clenched and glowing with a pink hue, almost like how radiation did in movies or cartoons.
One thing was for certain, though.
Yup.
Star was clearly terrified... but of what?
"Stay away you monster! Don't get near us!" the scared princess yelled at Marco, which further confused the fuck out of him until she stepped a little into the moonlight and got a good look at her eyes. The pupils were kind of hazy, almost like if she wasn't fully there. He's seen that look several times before when he woke up Janna to take her back home before his mom could notice she was there. In those instances, it took him a few seconds to notice that she wasn't actually… awake...
FUCK.
"Dad sure likes to talk a lot," groaned out a tired feminine voice.
The door closed behind the two princesses as they made their way over to a bed with dark violet sheets, a color that the entire room seemed to share. Once there they sat on the silky fabric, the sisters pondered the day's events, specifically the ones involving their younger sister, Star.
Never had they seen their sister act with so much emotion, which said a lot, since the incident in the garden many years ago. They tried to cheer her up by spending as much time as they could with her and did everything in their power to make her smile, but nothing seemed to work. The only times they saw her smile were brief, which involved her clutching the pendant on her chest as she gazed into nothing until she returned back to being melancholic. The last time that happened was a couple of years ago when they were having breakfast, before the slight happiness she showed vanished.
And now…
Now, some stranger had made Star smile without actually doing anything, while they had tried to do the same for years. "This is stupid…" Moon said with a sad frown as she looked at her feet. Eclipsa knew what her sister was feeling; jealousy. It was only fair for them to feel that way… or was it? The blue-silver haired princess groaned, snapping her older sister out of her thoughts, and faced each-other, deep blue meeting magenta.
"So, what do you think of him?"
Eclipsa hummed in a thinking manner, "Well, he seems capable enough to protect our sister if he can fight against Mina and not be a broken mess by the end of it. Also, Star seems to like him? So that's good, right?" she said with uncertainty.
"I think so? [Furrowed brow] I still don't understand how a human could stand on equal ground with Mina, Mom's second in command!" exclaimed Moon with anger.
"[Sighs] Calm yourself, Moon. We both know of someone who is far stronger than Mina, probably as strong as grandma, and she was a human too." Moon's eyes went wide when she realized what her sister was implying. The stories Grandma Skywynne had told them of Angie 'the Champion' Diaz, her best friend, appeared to be out of storybooks or fairy tales. As far as they knew, everything she said was…
Fictional.
The reality of someone like Angie existing was both scary and amazing at the same time, and they may be in the presence of her only child.
"Y-You think that Marco is Angie's son?!"
Eclipsa picked up Moon's slightly scared tone and couldn't help but chuckle, "There's no need to be shaken up. Grandma did say that Marco was the first one on her list of candidates and that he was the son of a family friend which, giving his last name, means that he is indeed Angie's son. So there's nothing to worry about Moon… [Smirks] Marco isn't cheating or anything. His strength is probably inherited for all we know."
Moon breathed in a sigh of relief until she picked up on what her sister was implying. "Hey! I never said he was cheating!"
"BUT you were insinuating that he was since he held his own against Mina, your secret crush." she said with a wiggle of her brows, even dragging out the word 'crush' for effect. And she got the result she wanted. Moon's face was as red as a rose and Eclipsa couldn't help but laugh at her sister for being so easily flustered. "S-She's not my crush! I-I just happen to admire her a lot since she is what I hope to be one day, a knight!"
Eclipsa rolled her eyes and patted her sister's shoulder, "Oh I was only teasing, Moon. No need to get your britches in a twist. I also know how much you want to be a knight and will support you in whatever way that I can, no matter what mom says." she said with a smile that Moon returned. "Thanks, Eclipsa, I know I can always count on you… and Star if she ever decides to, you know, talk to us again."
Eclipsa sighed sadly and nodded, relating to what her sister was getting at. Nowadays, for the past few years, Star tended to be holed up in her cold room and wouldn't bother opening the door for anyone unless she had too or needed to go outside for something. Long gone were the days where Eclipsa would comb Star's hair as Moon talked about some knight related thing as they smiled, enjoying each others company.
It was heartbreaking for the two sisters, mostly Eclipsa since she felt responsible for how Star was, even if she wasn't in the kingdom when the incident happened due to some formal gathering her mother pushed her to go to.
But what truly worried Eclipsa was the sense of dread and icy atmosphere she felt when she stepped into her little sister's room.
It was almost suffocating.
Her thoughts then drifted to the teen who had recently become Mewni's Champion and the interactions he had with Star. She noticed that Marco was giving her sister all his attention and respect, even when everyone else in the throne room was being jerks to him. The smiling and words were all sincere and he treated her as an equal, something her sister didn't get from the nobles or anyone besides family. But what she noticed truly separated Marco from the candidates, nobles looking to kiss ass for self-gain, or anyone with ulterior motives, were his…
Eyes.
Marco's eyes held something she couldn't quite place or name. Behind those comforting brown eyes appeared to be pain, sadness, strength, uncertainty, and several other things, all rolled into each other but the one she had yet to see anyone have when they talked to Star is… understanding.
Marco showed to be understanding of her feelings and position. Him asking her if she was oka with him being her champion was a perfect example of that and, because of this, there was very little doubt in Eclipsa's mind that Marco was the one to help Star's condition.
She hoped anyway.
However, as mentioned before, his eyes held something else too, but it appeared to be locked away for whatever reason. She would have to find out what it was and make sure it wasn't harmful to Star or Moon.
She was very protective of her sisters after all.
Eclipsa, deciding to end her long sequence of silent thoughts, looked over at Moon and noticed that she was being looked at with confusion. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" asked a confused princess.
"It's just… you get this look when you're deep in thought. Your nose scrunches up and you nibble on your lip or something. [Smiles] You also begin to tap your thigh hahaha!"
"I-I d-do not do that! S-Stop laughing! It's not funny!" The embarrassed look on Eclipsa's face only managed to add fuel to Moon's laughter, much to her irritation.
"O-Oh, yeah, well, you... were ogling Marco's body!" That accusation stopped Moon's laughter on a dime, causing her to get flustered and embarrassed, which in turn caused Eclipsa to shoot her a victory smirk. The younger sibling scowled at that, "Well at least I wasn't drooling at the mere sight of his abs or looking at him like he was a piece of chocolate! Seriously, Eclipsa, it looked like you wanted to devour him." Moon said matter of factly, followed up by a giggle at seeing her sister's shocked-blushing face.
"Y-You… can't blame me for that," she whispered with a blush, "The possible suitors available to us don't come close to Marco's looks. Compared to them, he almost seems like a deity! [Chuckles] I'm a little jealous that our little sister has him, basically, all to herself, don't you agree?"
Moon simply nodded, not really finding a reason to lie or disagree. "Haha yeah, maybe you can get him to buy you chocolate or something haha… Wait… aren't you basically engaged to Prince Shastacan?"
A deep scowl formed on Eclipsa's face at the mention of that royals name. She had never in her conscious years of life met someone so self-centered, spineless, pathetic, and the list could go on and on. "[Scoffs] Don't remind me. I honestly don't know why Mom wants me to marry him. He's disgusting and I rather marry a monster than him." Eclipsa spat, surprising Moon with her display of hatred towards the stuck-up noble. Moon shared her sister's sentiments about him but it still surprised her. She also knew that Eclipsa understood why she was basically being handed over to the Spiderbite family, and no one liked that it was happening, especially their own mother. But the kingdom would be stronger if they got married, uniting two kingdoms during a time of war was always a good thing for the majority, but it usually wasn't the same for the involved parties.
"Eclipsa… We both know why mom is trying to get you two together… the wellbeing of Mewni rests on the outcome of you two getting married or not." Moon said with a sad smile.
Eclipsa glanced to the side and scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief, as tears began to form on the corners of her watery eyes. "I know but… [sigh] I'll do what's best for the people. I just wish there was another way. [Looks at Moon] I really don't want to marry Shastacan, Moon…" she said in a crushed tone, and her mood was transferring over to her sister since she could see that her eyes were getting a little watery too.
A sudden knock from the door startled the two princesses from crying, and in walked their Grandma with a warm smile on her seemingly timeless face. Eclipsa rapidly wiped away her tears, as did Moon, before questions could be asked. "G-Grandma, what are-"
"Girlssss, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation-you really should make that door soundproof. Anywho, Eclipsa, my dear, I think I may have someone who could help you with your little... problem." Both girls looked at her with confusion and she couldn't help but chuckle, "I suggest you talk to Marco about it. Perhaps all you need is an outside point of view and I'm sure he'll be happy to help but, just in case he says no, tell him I'm ordering him to help you." Skywynne said with a big smile.
"... Ummm, o-okay? I'll talk to him, I suppose."
"Great! Now, who's up for some late-night ice cream? You know what, you two don't have a say in the matter so come on. We might as well pick up Star and Marco on the way since I'm sure they want some. [Smirks] And I wouldn't want Marco to get any funny ideas about having a beautiful princess in a room... all to himself... with no one around..." she said plainly, trying to suppress a laugh at the sight of her granddaughters' concerned faces.
Gods did she love to mess with people… Angie was a bad influence on her.
Before either princess could respond to their grandmother's request, a blood-curdling scream followed up by an explosion shook the entire floor, the twelfth floor to be exact.
The one they were on.
Skywynne knew the sound of that explosion anywhere and so did the girls. In a blink of an eye, all three of them were running as fast as they could towards the sounds which didn't take very long since the room was all the way at the end of the long lavish hall. The three of them spotted a familiar pair of the royal family and they all met outside of Marco's room… or what was left of it.
"MOM, WHAT'S GOING ON?!" asked a jumpy Solaria.
"It's Star again! I think she attacked Marco during one of her sleepwalking episodes!" Skywynne replied back in a similar tone. Angie was going to kill her if something happened to her 'baby' boy. The King, not wasting a second, jumped through the hole in the wall and searched for her daughter or Marco. He thankfully managed to find both of them safe and sound in the middle of the debris, but at an odd position, and he couldn't help but also notice that the Earth teen looked exhausted.
"Marco, what happened my boy?! Are you two alright?!" asked the worried King.
"Y-Yeah… Yeah, we're fine, your Majesty. [Phew] S-Star just… Star just got a little physical, that's all." he said in between breaths as he held a tight smile.
The rest of the royal family made their way into the room, that appeared to have had a tornado pass through it, but their attention quickly shifted to Marco and Star, who was kind of hugging on the ground littered with the room's things. The first to make a motion towards him was none other than Solaria and she did not look happy. "WHAT HAPPENED TO MY LITTLE GIRL?!"
Marco sightly flinched at the assault his ears had just been put through and turned to face the angry Queen. "First off, Owww. Second, your daughter was the one who attacked me so if anyone should be upset or ANGRY it's ME! [Sighs] Look, I'm just glad I managed to calm Star down before she hurt herself or anyone else around." he finished with a groan.
Everyone gave Marco a confused look as to why he didn't include himself into the mix. Alphonse noticed that his wife wasn't calming down as fast as he would have liked so he stepped in before she could say or accuse Marco of doing something else. "Sol, hun, calm down. Star is fine. I mean, look at her. She's practically cuddling into his chest, and nothing else happened that would harm our daughter in any way. Right, Marco?" the King said with a calm voice and smile, but it was fucking clear what he was trying to hint at.
'Touch my daughter in a way I wouldn't approve of and you're dead.'
Marco understood the message loud and clear so he nodded as fast as his neck would allow, which Alphonse seemed to be pleased with.
"See, now let's go back to sleep- *but*- and let your mother handle this. We have several meetings to attend and I don't want to deal with a grumpy Queen in the morning who did not get her beauty sleep so come on." In an impressive display of strength, Alphonse managed to drag his struggling wife back to their room as she could do nothing but express how angry she was at being treated like a child.
No one commented about them once they left, except for Marco who mumbled something about the King having it "rough."
Once they disappeared out of sight at the end of the hall, Skywynne turned to Marco and Star. She could kind of guess how the events planned out from the state that Marco's room was in, but she had to be sure. "Marco, what happened here?"
Marco gave the princess in his arms a quick glance before turning to face Skywynne with a confused look. "I… don't know. Star was sleeping on my bed and I stayed to make sure she was okay," A mixed look of sadness and anger quickly flashed on his face before returning to normal, "She told me about her past… Anyway, I was about to head out to get a quick bite to eat when she woke up but didn't? It... was like she was sleepwalking, then she started getting violent on me with, I think, magic? [Sigh] I'm lucky I managed to get a hold of her and put her to sleep before anything got out of hand." he said with a look of relief.
Skywynne and the girls gave each other quick worried glances before helping Marco with Star so he could get up off the ground. Eclipsa and Moon took their sleeping-drooling sister out of the destroyed room and decided to take her to the room they were in before the commotion began. Marco was about to follow after them when Skywynne stopped him from walking past her, earning a confused look from the earth-teen.
She gestured for him to stay quiet and waited for a few seconds so the girls wouldn't be within hearing distance. After those seconds, the time magic user tapped Marco's forehead and he slumped onto the floor but managed to catch himself in a kneeling position. He slowly raised his head to look at Skywynne and struggled to move any more than that, his body refusing to listen to him. It felt like lead was coursing through his body at how heavy it felt.
"W-What.. di-d you.. d-do?"
Skywynne bent forward a little to come face-to-face with Mewni's Champion and smiled at his struggling. "Nothing, just a little paralysis spell. It's no big deal really. Now, [grabs his chin] you're going to tell me how you managed to stop my grandaughter's attacks without so much as a scratch on you and, depending on your answer, I won't-"
… Chuckling…
Skywynne stared at Marco with mixed emotions as to why he was chuckling, and then her eyes went wide when he began to stand up as if he wasn't just paralyzed mere moments ago. She took a step back and composed herself, a smile slowly forming on her face. "Well, would you look at that…"
Marco took a deep breath and exhaled, eyes never leaving her, "If you wanted to talk, you could have just said so. [Pops kneck joint] Also, if you're going to try to paralyze me then you're going to have to knock me unconscious because that stuff isn't going to work on me, thanks to my mama." he said with a grin.
Skywynne shook her head and scoffed, "I wouldn't expect anything less from Angie, so I'm not that surprised. Come on, let's talk in my room for a bit before we go check up on Star."
Both of them walked out of the hole in the wall (which was quickly repaired by Skywynne as well as the entire room) and headed towards her room, which was on the other side of the castle so it was quite a long-silent walk.
Once inside, away from any prying eyes or ears, Skywynne cast a spell on the room for extra precaution so no one would bother or hear them.
"So what did you want to talk about," asked Marco as he stood in the middle of the room, eyeing the covered item hanging on the wall.
"Marco, listen carefully, (that got his attention) I want to make it clear that I am your friend here. What happened back in Star's room was me trying to be intimidating, and would never actually hurt you. I apologize for-"
"[Shrugs] Ehh, it's fine. I didn't feel like I was in any danger so don't worry about it. Besides, I know that you wouldn't do anything to give my mama a reason to think less of you. You're best friends after all, which leads me to what I wanted to talk to you about: Star's condition." he said in a serious tone.
"I was actually about to explain that to you. But first, I apologize for not informing you of her condition in detail beforehand, but I wanted to see if you were actually serious about looking after my granddaughter. As you can probably already deduce, any information about Star outside of the family is very limited to the outside world, even the castle staff, especially when it's about her… problems." Skywynne said with a sour expression.
"Hmm, I figured as such. [Sigh] So I'm going to tell you the truth about how I feel about this whole thing… Star has a lot of issues and I don't know if I'll be able to solve them," Skywynne's expression fell at hearing those words, "BUT I'm going to try to help her. I can't leave a girl like Star to suffer, especially for things out of her control... No promises though." he said with a smile as he shrugged.
Skywynne returned the smile, only wider, and quickly enveloped Marco in an embrace, surprising the teen, "Thank you, Marco, thank you! You don't know how much it means to me that you're willing to help Star after what you've seen and know about her. [Scoffs] The first candidate ran away screaming when he saw Star using magic to attack him, and the rest weren't that much different. It was all such a pain...," she said with a tear slowly gliding down her cheek.
Marco pulled away from the embrace slowly and wiped the tear away as he stood in front of her, "Hey, it'll be okay. I'll look after Star for as long as I'm here. [Chuckles] Her magic is kind of unnerving, though. However, I promise that will be there for Star... but I am going to need something in return."
She smiled and shook her head, already guessing what it might be (probably armor), "And what is it that you need?"
Marco smirked and tapped his head, "I'm going to need to learn... some magic."
Skywynne's mouth opens out of shock, accompanied by a look of utter disbelief.
She was not expecting that.
.
.
.
But she liked the idea and knew the perfect people for the job.
"Oh, and a phone."
*A Week Later*
A stray beam of sunlight managed to pass through the closed pitch black curtains of the room. The sounds of birds chirping a little past the dawn of a new day was almost calming if it weren't for the random barking of dogs in the neighborhood and honking from the occasional car. Other than that, everything was eerily silent throughout the home… until the alarm went off.
The person laying on the bed began to stir, groaning in the process as the alarm continued to assault their eardrums from under the pillow. The alarm was quickly disarmed and a head full of messy hair shot out from under the covers, followed by more groans.
"Dammit. This better be worth the trouble after it's all over," the person grumbled. "Marco better be all over me when he sees how much I've changed." It was true. Janna's physique had certainly improved and now had curves that rivaled Jackie's model like body. She could also do the splits now! So she was more flexible, something she knew Marco would like. How those results happened in such a short amount of time, she had no idea... but it seemed Ms. Diaz knew what she was doing if these were the results. However, Janna wanted to see more results but hated the fact that she had to work for them!
The sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs were ignored by the groggy girl until the door was opened, shortly followed up by the yanking of curtains.
The person hissed in an overdramatic display of pain as the warm sunlight touched her skin, causing the other individual to chuckle. "Oh come on, Janna. You would think after doing this for a week you would get a little used to this routine by now."
Janna looked with a half-opened eye at the person who had opened the curtains to her misery and scowled. "Jackie, leave."
"Sorry, I can't do that. In fact, I remember a certain love-sick girl telling me about a week ago to drag her out of bed if she was being difficult." Jackie said with a smirk.
"Oh yeah? Well, that same love-sick girl needs more sleep so you can go tell Ms. Diaz that I'm going to take today o-"
"Sadly, I can't allow that Janna," a honey-sweet voice interrupted, "You agreed to this and can't back out now." Both girls turned towards the voice and saw Angie in her usual workout attire (t-shirt and sweatpants) leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. The girls couldn't help but be impressed by how fit she looked despite her age. Angie then gestured to the bottom of the stairs with her head and told Janna she had five minutes to get ready before she left without her, which would be a bad decision on her part.
Jackie quickly patted Janna on th back before going down after Angie in her own workout attire (a workout top and shorts), leaving a grumpy Janna behind to get ready. This was basically the routine for the entire week of them doing this, so she didn't understand why Janna wouldn't just stop being so dramatic and get ready.
Janna got out of her bed, begrudgingly, and was visited by another person who looked like an older version of the Filipino girl. "Janna, don't forget to wear your sports-bra, sweetie. You don't want to accidentally hit yourself with them again-"
"MOM! GET OUT!" exclaimed a flustered Janna, as her mother ran down the stairs with a huge grin on her face, who got a high-five from Angie (a close friend) and laughter from Jackie.
After their hour-long run, the three found themselves back in the Diaz residence, Janna being the most tired-sweaty one out of the group. Angie soon walked into the living room with a tray of what she told the girls were "workout drinks." They tasted like "ass" as Janna had put it, followed up by Angie questioning her how she knew what that tasted like.
...
The conversation ended there.
Angie gave both of the girls their respective drinks and sat down on a chair across from the couch they were sitting on. "I'm surprised with how much you've improved Janna. The first day we went out you only lasted ten minutes, and we had to carry you back here." Angie said with a smile as she shakes her head. Jackie almost choked on her drink at the memory of that but managed to suppress her laughter, earning a tired glare from her friend.
Janna downed her drink and placed the glass on the table between them, followed up by an intentional burp that made Angie's face scrunch up. "Well, mother-in-law, thanks for the compliment but I still don't understand why you're pushing me so hard. I get the cardio stuff, even if three miles a day and core exercises are a stretch for me, but why the self-defense lessons?"
"Yeah, Ms. D, what's up with that?" asked Jackie.
Angie took a deep breath and began to bite her lip nervously, "I just want you girls to able to defend yourselves... since my son isn't here to watch over you and I don't want you two to rely on him too much. [Smirks] I'm also teaching you two a fighting style that my son doesn't know about. A style that will surprise him once he sees it." she said with a smile.
Janna and Jackie gave each other confused looks as to the pause in Ms. Diaz's sentence about the watching over part.
"Why would you teach us something like that?" asked Janna as a sudden look of realization struck her, "Wait... what kind of fighting styles did you teach Marco?" Jackie, now wondering the same thing, looked to Angie for answers. They were both more curious about his fighting after the whole karate incident and also because he wouldn't like to talk about his training with them for some reason. The one in question mentally cursed herself for letting that information slip out since she was mostly focused on them not questioning their special training but seemed to be in a worse position by doing so.
"Umm, well... M-Marco knows about other styles of combat but only learned three because he wanted to focus more on those than the rest. One of the styles is passive to avoid hurting people, another is for the actual fighting, and the last one... he... didn't tell me what the last one was." Angie replied with a smidge of worry in her voice. She had taught her son the passive one and allowed him to learn whatever else he wanted on his own but when she asked what styled he learned, he told her that one was Karate and the other was... a secret.
That was the first, of many secrets, that he would keep from her and she knew about the fact that he kept to himself about those secrets. It was a little... heartbreaking to see her little man not confide in her but she ruled it out as him growing up and 'needing' space.
It still hurt though.
Jackie was the first to break the silence by clearing her throat, "I'm sure he has a good reason for not telling you Ms. Diaz. It is Marco after all so I'm sure he didn't mean anything bad by it." she said in an attempt to comfort Angie's sad demeanor. Janna also voiced her opinion in an attempt to help her possible future mother-in-law, she even called her "mother-in-law" again as an added bonus.
Angie smiled but rolled her eyes at the girls' attempt to make her feel better, but she appreciated it never the less. However, a quick frown formed on her face from being called that again but it began to quickly fade. Angie decided to get a little even with her son's potential girlfriend so she reached into her back pocket, pulled out a picture, and showed the girls, who looked at it with confusion and some tinge of jealousy for several reasons. "This is another reason why I'm being so hard on you, Janna. [Sighs] Do you honestly think that my son wouldn't look at another girl or woman's way? Or vice versa? [Scoffs] My son may be able to restrain himself but that doesn't apply to the other person. [Chuckles] A woman can be extremely deadly when she wants something bad enough, trust me, I know, which is why knowing how to defend yourself is very important."
Janna and Jackie were looking at the woman in the picture because that's what she clearly was, next to a younger (and hot as hell according to the girls) Ms. Diaz and couldn't believe such a being existed. The woman looked to be a demon-vampire of some sorts with golden horns that had a flame in between them and adorable pointy fangs that were showing from her alluring smile. Her skin was milky-white, had yellow eyes with some orange, long silky-fiery hair with an obsidian crown on her head, and was wearing a yellow gown that left little to the imagination about her voluptuous curves that would make any guy salivate. Her prominent bust alone made Janna and Jackie self-conscious, nevermind how much beauty and sex-appeal she appeared to be radiating.
"Who is that?" asked a troubled Janna.
"That is Hekapoo, forger of dimensional scissors, member of the MHC, and aclosefriend but that's not important." Angie said quickly, "But what is important is that she will seek out my son, eventually, and she doesn't care much about playing nice. She's a woman with a very short fuse if you catch my meaning."
"But why is she after Marco?! They've never even met!"
Angie couldn't help but grin mischievously at Janna's reaction, knowing she had her on the hook again, "Because I promised my son to her when he was a baby after we had an interesting... exchange of words. It's only natural for her to be curious about him."
As soon as those words reached Janna's ears, she shot out of her seat and would have punched Angie in the face if it weren't for Jackie stopping her from sending the punch. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?! THAT'S FUCKED AND CRUEL! WHAT KIND OF PARENT DOES THAT?!"
"Relax, Janna! That means nothing to Marco, you should know that he doesn't care much about shit like this! Remember what he said in history class about arranged marriages? He said it was stupid and depressing." Jackie said in an attempt to calm her raging friend, which seemed to work by how Janna's breathing began to slow and steady itself. She let go of her, and they both sat down.
Angie continued to drink from her glass, unfazed by Janna's outburst and placed it down when she was done. She slowly stood up and sat down next to Janna, worrying Jackie at what would happen if she wasn't quick enough to stop her friend from exploding like that again if Angie made another provoking comment. Janna was about to say some very colorful words to her but was stopped by Angie's intense gaze. "Janna, I'm only giving you the facts and possibilities but, as Jackie said, the decision of who my son chooses is his and his alone. Sure, I could suggest options to him but I know my son well enough to recognize that he doesn't listen to me as much as he used to, especially about things like this..."
After a few seconds of silence, she placed her hand on Janna's shoulder and smiled at the out-of-shape-sweaty girl. "Janna, you have to see this from my perspective. Marco is the only family I have left, and... he means the universe to me, so I just want him to choose the right one and live his life with as little complications as possible someday. To start a family of his own, and give me some grandchildren (Janna liked the sound of that if the blush on her face was any indication) before I'm too old to move about." she said with an infectious laugh that caused the two girls to join her.
"[Grins] I understand your point Ms. Diaz, but you have to understand that I do love your son. Like a lot!"
"Dangerous levels of a lot," a smirking Jackie quickly added.
"The point is, I will do everything in my power to make him happy and I can assure you that there will be no problemas in the grandchildren department," said Janna with such a serious face that Angie couldn't help but burst out laughing. She could kind of see why her son cared for her if only a little bit.
"HAHAHA Alright Janna, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but could you tell me how you fell in love with my son? I haven't heard anything specific from Marco regarding you two, so could you enlighten me?!" Angie asked in a happy tone since she was about to find out a secret that her son didn't want her to know, which is information she could probably use later on.
Jackie glanced at Janna and knew what her answer was going to be so she laid back and closed her eyes, having heard the reasons why she fell in love with Marco about a thousand times already. As for Janna, she wasn't sure if she should tell her but decided "what the heck, it won't hurt anybody."
Janna took a deep breath and began to tell Angie about the times and reasons she fell and is still in love with Marco Ubaldo Diaz…
A/N: How was this update? I thought it was alright lol, not much action. Next chapter in this story will most likely start with a flashback of the characters earlier years, so heads up. Anyways, like always, thanks for the support and reviews! The reviews especially since they help me figure out the overall story better, as in what I'm not doing a good job on or what I am doing a good job on so please review! Well, see you all next time! Peaceeee!