So after nearly a year, this arc is finally completed! It has been repeatedly delayed numerous times, primarily due to my studies and research projects I keep getting roped into. I've just never found neither the time nor the motivation to finish this and it sat at like 4k words for like 2 months... but since I'm stuck at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I should manage to get things done a bit sooner now.

Anyway, I'm glad you guys have been patient with me and I hope this chapter shan't disappoint ^^!

Disclaimer: I do not claim the right to Star vs. the Forces of Evil or any of the characters that appear 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, and would kindly ask you to inform me should you want to use anything from this fic in your own story. -jolleIQ

Beta read by ElleFreak.

Story cover by Luzz015. Be sure to check her out on DeviantArt!

Star vs. The Forces of Evil: Staring it up!

Chapter 11

Queen's Lament

Final Part (Yes, Actually)

Ula watched in horror as the creature, for she could no longer call it Moon Butterfly, began a calm stroll toward them, dragging her blackened sword-wand across the floor, grinning evilly all the while.

"Hold your ground, men," said Tethys with the voice of a true leader, raising arms. "She may look fierce, but if we fight her together, we can-"

"Your majesty," interrupted one of the monsters standing at his side. "Please, don't take us for fools. We stand no chance against the likes of that. We'll hold it off while you and Lady Ula and Young Nerida make your escape."

"If you think I'm leaving-"

"Your survival takes precedence over a handful of worthless soldiers like us!"

"None of you is worthless!" Tethys growled. "And if you say that again, I'll end you myself! Besides, we can take her!"

"Don't be a fool! Did you see what she just did to Rupert!?" Moon fired another blast of dark energy at them, but this time, Tethys deflected it with his sword that glittered with runes and absorbed the blast. Once the blast was absorbed, the sword cracked a tiny bit, and they knew it couldn't absorb many more of the black demon's attacks. "There's no way we can fight that!"

Upon hearing that remark, Tethys smirked silly and chuckled.

"Don't underestimate us..."

"Lady Ula?" the monster asked, wide-eyed. The soldiers exchanged bewildered glances and turned to look at Ula who was still clutching Nerida tightly. "You expect her to fight!?"

"I don't expect her to. I couldn't stop her even if I tried." Tethys flashed his wife a grin. "Right, darling?"

Ula sighed and gave a nod. Suddenly, the black demon lunged at them with superhuman speed, closing the distance in less than a hairsbreadth, and Tethys just managed to deflect the blow. As their swords were locked, the demon flashed a wicked smile, revealing its sharp, beast-like fangs.

"I'm going to use those as a backscratcher once I'm done with you!" the king proudly declared and kicked at the demon, but it evaded the blow and jumped back a few feet.

"Come on, men! Let's show here what real monsters are made of!" cried Tethys and he and his men charged the corrupted Queen of Mewni, furiously swinging their blades at her, but the black demon giggled as it fought, effortlessly parrying blow after blow as though it was toying with them like a cat toys with a mouse before delivering the killing blow. "Honey! Any time now!" Tethys called out to his wife and nearly paid the price for it as Moon swung her sword-wand at his neck, but one of his men managed to intercept the edge of the blade.

Ula gently put her daughter on the ground and knelt down so they were eye-level.

"Nerida, listen carefully," as Ula spoke, she lifted the seashell necklace off her neck. "Mommy is about to do something very dangerous," Ula placed both hands on Nerida's shoulders and stared into her swollen, confused, scared eyes.

"Mommy?"

Ula gazed about the room for a moment, then turned to her daughter with a serious look. "Go and hide behind one of the pillars, and whatever you do, don't come out no matter what."

"I-I don't understand..."

Ula smiled tenderly and embraced the confused little girl.

"I know you don't, sweety, I know you don't. But promise me one thing-" Ula placed the seashell necklace around her daughter's neck and kissed the softly-hiccuping girl on the forehead and smiled a motherly smile. "Promise me that, regardless of what happens to your father and me, you'll stay a good and kind girl, alright?" Ula wiped a single tear off Nerida's cheek and stood up, muttering, "I love you more than anything in this world, my little oyster. Now go."

"I don't wanna!" Nerida cried and wrapped her arms around Ula's right foot, hugging it tightly and sobbing. "I don't want mommy to leave me! I don't!"

Ula turned to her daughter and patted her on the head softly.

"You don't need to worry, my little darling. No matter what happens, I promise I'll always be at your side." Ula knelt down and gently freed herself from her daughters embrace, and with glossy eyes, she placed her finger on the seashell necklace. "I'll always be right here. Now go, I need to aid your father, and after this is done with, we're all going home. Go."

Nerida nodded, fighting back tears and sobs, and did as instructed, running off and vanishing behind one of the pillars. The second she was out of sight, Ula wiped a tear of her own, took a deep breath, and put on a serious face as she turned to face the black demon. Tethys and the fellow monsters were covered with cuts and bruises while the demon kept flashing its wicked smile as it danced and giggled while fighting the _ opponents.

"Tethys!" Hearing his wife's voice, the monster king cast his gaze at her. Upon seeing her expression, he smirked and let loose a mighty roar and swung his sword will all his strength, forcing the blackened Moon to retreat several feet. The demon hissed at them and charged at him, but Tethys hopped to the side to avoid the swing. As the demon smirked and aimed the tip of its sword at him, it glanced to the side and not a moment later was hit by a powerful beam of pure energy that sent it flying into the wall on the other end of the Throne room.

"What was-!?" one of the monsters cried, and Tethys burst out laughing. The trio of monsters were startled, then turned around and saw their Queen marching forward, her eyes and hands aglow with a mix of golden and green energy. On the other side of the Throne room, the black demon got up and hissed viciously at the Ula, then charged at her.

"Queen Ula-" as one of the monsters was about to jump to the aid of his queen, a large hand stopped him. It was Tethys, blocking his path, a sly smirk on his face.

"There's no need for that."

"Huh?"

"Watch and learn."

The trie of monsters looked at each other quizzically, then turned their attention to Ula. The Monster Queen raised a single hand and encased all of them in a protective barrier in the nick of time as the demon swung its sword-wand at them, only to have the blow deflected. It hissed and swung and jabbed and stabbed, but Ula's barrier didn't give way. Seeing that the blackened sword could not pierce Ula's magic, the demon summoned forth its destructive magic and blasted the shield only to have the beam of dark energy deflected right back at it, sending it hurtling across the Throne room. Ula dissolved the barrier and clasped her hand together, and began a vicious assault.

The three monsters stared with gaping mouths, and Tethys sat on the ground.

"Before we were married-" Tethys trailed off as he watched Ula hurtle two magical comets at Moon, forcing her to dodge. Ula followed up with a blast of energy and landed a hit that pushed the black demon back a few feet, but otherwise it as unharmed."-and before we had our daughter, we used to train together. I wanted to learn to combat magic, and she wanted to learn to keep a safe distance against sword users, particularly those with enchanted blades. After each training, we would then have a little sparring session-" the blackened Moon hissed and lunged at Ula with her sword, but the Monster Queen blocked it with a shield-spell, then encapsulated Moon with it and charged it with lightning from the inside, and the black monster within cried in agony before breaking free and retreating several feet, shooting a venomous glare at Ula, who stood fearlessly, then put her arms together and closed her eyes, muttering a spell as a large orb of light began forming within the palms of her hands, growing larger and larger the more she muttered the spell. Tethys grinned broadly and stood upright.

"I never won a single fight!"

Ula's eyes shot open, gleaming as the sun, and she hurtled the spell at the black demon, who was unable to dodge it and took the full impact as it exploded with a blinding flash of light and screamed an agonizing scream. Ula heaved a sigh and averted her gaze along with the others, Tethys laughing haughtily while the monsters by his side were shocked beyond words.

"That ought to have shown her!" Tethys declared, confident that Ula's spell had got the job done.

The light began subsiding and Ula gazed in the direction with narrowed eyes. When the blinding light fully vanished, her eyes grew wide, and the others stood flabbergasted.

"What the-!?"

The demon stood there, unharmed.

"It survived that!?" Tethys cried. "What kind of power-!?"

The demon flashed its fangs and giggled, and raised the tip of its black sword at them.

"The power of Mewman magic in all its twisted glory, that's what..." Ula said with narrowed eyes and summoned magic into her hands, then hurtled two bolts at the demon. It didn't even bother deflecting them and simply took the blows, completely unphased, calmly striding towards them. Ula continued her assault, spell after spell, trying anything and everything on her list of spells, but no matter the effort, it was futile. None of the spells hit their mark, and the demon continued its calm stride of doom. After a few more attempts, Ula saw the futility of it and decided to conserve her energy. "Her magic is too strong!" exclaimed Ula. "I can't seem to break through her barrier!"

"It was working a minute ago! What gives!?"

Upon hearing this, the demon grinned widely.

"She was toying with us... What a twisted mind..." Ula muttered and put up a barrier around them, hoping to at least buy some time to come up with a proper strategy. However, her hopes were crushed as the corrupted Queen raised her hand radiating with dark magic and the barrier was ingulfed in purple and black flames, after which it vanished, leaving them exposed.

Staring death in the eyes, Ula, Tethys and the monsters readied themselves for the corrupt Mewman queen's next attack. She stopped a few feet before them and lowered her sword, and stared at them, her head tilted sideways, her blackened face expressionless. It kept gazing at them with a deep, piercing gaze, and they could feel their powerlessness.

"Enough."

The group was startled as they heard the demon speak. The voice was not unlike Moon's, but somehow, it was more aloof and they could sense a dark undertone. It raised its sword, ready to attack.

"Alright, here's the plan," said Tethys. "We coordinate our attacks. That thing may be strong, but we outnumber it five to one. If we work together, we can-"

His voice caught in his throat as four shadows split from the demonic figure, each identical to the other, each holding a sword-wand in hand, each peering at them with a demonic gaze.

Then, it was over.

The five shadowy figures launched a coordinated attack. The first to fall was the trio of monsters; two beheaded and one with the tip of the dark blade sticking through his heart. Ula managed to deflect a blow or two but found that the black blade could pass through any barrier she tried putting up, and the sudden shock of having her magic ripped apart send her body quivering and in agony. Tethys found himself surrounded by the five figures, his hands shaking and a drop of sweat sliding down his forehead. The shadows danced around him in a circle, taking their turns attacking. Try as he may, he soon realised what the true meaning of the word 'despair' meant as one of the shadows infused its sword with black magic and lunged at him, and upon attempting to parry the blow, his sword cracked and shattered in a violent explosion that sent him tumbling back several feet, and before he could stand up, dark chains appeared from the ground and wrapped around his feet, wrists and neck, and even with all his strength, he couldn't break them. Two of the shadows carried the body of his unconscious wife and placed it next to him, and the same chains wrapped themselves around her in the same manner, and one etched itself into her mouth, preventing her from even attempting to cast magic.

There they lay, the proud King and Queen of the monsters, beaten, injured, powerless, at the mercy of the evil Mewman Queen. No, not Queen; demon.

Ula slowly opened her eyes and knew then and there that both hers and her husband's fate, and likely that of her people, was sealed.

She and Tethys watched as the five shadows merged into one. It stared at them. Then, it giggled, and the giggling became louder, more intense, and it turned into laughter. Deranged, maddened, demonic laughter that froze every drop of blood in their bodies. Ula aimed her gaze at one of the pillars and saw her daughter's head peeking out, tears streaming down her petrified eyes.

Nerida...

"Queen Moon! Queen Moon!" a voice boomed from one of the hallways leading to the Throne Room accompanied by the echoing of footfalls. Three Mewman soldiers came rushing to the aid of their beloved Queen. "Queen Moon! We're he to-" upon seeing the scene before them, their blood froze. There stood a shadowy figure resembling Moon, holding a black sword stained with blood, three dead monsters bathing in their own blood, and lying before her, chained to the ground, were Tethys and Ula, looking on with petrified eyes. The figure closed its eyes and the shadows slowly faded, revealing the blue-haired queen in all her majesty. Her gaze was icy as she stared at the two murderers before her, and she stepped closer and poked at Ula's neck with the tip of her sword-wand.

"Don't you dare!" Tethys growled and struggled to break the chains but to no avail; the magic was too strong. He shot a glare at Moon. "Damn you... damn you to Hell!"

With a snap of her fingers, two ethereal chains spawned from the ground and closed shut Tethys' mouth. She kept staring at them, then turned to her men.

"Captain. Ready the prisoners for execution."

Her eyes were hollow, her voice emotionless. The soldiers exchanged looks of bewilderment.

"M-my Queen?"

"That's an order, captain. And make it quick."

The soldier wore a concerned look.

"My Queen, with all due respect, according to Mewman law, they are due a proper trial. Most of the guests don't know what's going on, and neither do the people outside the castle. It's pure chaos in here and out there, and executing the King and Queen of the Monsters would hardly do anything to calm the issue. Please, reconsider-"

"I did not ask for your opinion, Sir Kinsley. That was an order."

"But-"

The man never got to finish his sentence as Moon slashed her black sword-wand through the air and a bow of dark energy flew at the man, hitting him straight in the neck, decapitating him on the spot, and blood poured out of his neck like a fountain. The rest of the soldiers stood petrified, gazing fearfully at their matriarch. One of them dropped his weapons and turned tail to run, but Moon slashed her sword once more, and once the bow of energy reached him, he screamed an agonizing scream and dropped dead on the spot, his body cut in half. The third soldier whimpered on the spot and wet his pants as the terrifying Queen kept staring at him with a lifeless, hollow expression, and before he could speak up, the sword was slashed for the third time, and the man's lifeless corpse fell to the floor. Ula and Tethys could only gawk in horror, as did the petrified Nerida, still out of sight.

Slowly, Moon turned her gaze to the couple and saw Tethys glaring at her, attempting to speak through the chains in his mouth, but all he could do is mutter incoherently, although she had a good idea what he was trying to say. She knelt down and stared into his vengeful eyes with her own that were filled with void, and he kept struggling and letting out grunts and throaty growls. She tilted her head to the side and inched closet to him, as if studying him. She then stood up, her gaze still locked onto the chained and gagged king of the Monsters.

"Silence."

With a single whip of her sword arm, the proud king fell silent, a stream of blood pouring from the open cut in his neck, his eyes ovulated and his body twitching as the life was rapidly draining from it. Ula cried through the chains on her mouth and could feel the ethereal steel cutting her lips, but she ignored the pain; her eyes were only on her husband, dying before her. Behind the pillar, Nerida was covering her mouth with both hands, her body quivering as she tried her hardest to remain unseen and unheard.

It only took a few moments for Tethys's body to fall limp, and the pool of blood forming around him soon reached Ula's hair, dyeing it crimson. Moon stared at the body in silence for a time, then kicked it twice to make sure it wouldn't move, and then she aimed her lifeless gaze at the petrified Monster Queen who looked as though she would lose all shreds of her sanity any moment.

Seeing her thus, Moon decided to be somewhat merciful and save her more suffering, not that she'd earned it.

Moon placed the tip of the black blade on Ula's neck once more, and tears began pouring from the Monster Queen's eyes that stared pleadingly at the young Mewman Queen, but to no avail. Whatever shroud of madness was clouding her mind was impossible to pierce.

"...Suffer..." Moon muttered, her voice dark and filled with bitter hate, and she slowly slid the black blade into Ula's neck, twisting and turning it whenever it would not go smoothly, and Ula's body quivered and shook as she felt the blade piercing through the innards of her neck, inch by agonising inch. The blade cut cleanly and there was a *chink* as the tip of the blade tapped against the stone-cold floor. An odd feeling of delight filled her mind and soul as she took pleasure in the sight of Ula waning on her blade, twitching and gagging. The struggle against mortality is a futile one, and Ula finally gave up, her vision fading and her eyes closing, inch by inch. She felt tired, oh so tired, and she needed to rest.

She'd tried her best and failed.

The future was no longer in her hands. She was powerless, defeated.

What would happen now?

She cast one final glance at the pillar and saw the blurry image of her daughter in tears, and she flashed her a soft smile, even if Nerida couldn't tell. She wished she could leap to her daughter's side, hug her, pat her on the head and promise her that everything would be alright, but she couldn't. Not just because she was bound but because she wished her daughter to survive; to live a long and healthy life and perhaps, one day, forget the pain and suffering wrought upon her this day, and perhaps uncover the true reason behind the great tragedy that took place.

One day...

A great weariness overcame her, and her eyes closed shut. She took one final breath and exhaled, and at last, the pain and anguish vanished.

Moon tilted her head to the side, gazing at her curiously, and pulled the blade from the body and whipped it through the air to clean off the blood.

It was done.

The traitors were dealt with; her parents were avenged.

But wait, wasn't one member of the treacherous royal family missing?

She looked about herself, eyes narrowed.

"Where could she b-"

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"

The powerful scream came from the doorway. Moon turned her gaze to it and saw a lizard-man standing there, his trademark black tuxedo ripped and his shocked face covered in cuts. He was panting heavily, his eyes bulging, his bottom lip quivering. In his right hand, he was holding a rolled-up parchment, sealed with a red wax seal with the symbol of the Monster Alliance embedded on it. Slowly, his eyes narrowed into a bitter glare aimed at none other than the murderous Queen, standing there with a deadpan expression, her face and dress covered with blood, the same that was slowly dripping from the black blade in her hands. Behind him, several monsters rushed in, allies he'd picked up along the way running towards the castle to prevent the calamity taking place before his eyes, and they froze on the spot, in utter disbelief.

Toffee fell to his knees, tears welling up in his glaring eyes, and he dropped the parchment to the floor.

"What have you done..." he muttered, his voice low and rumbly, filled with hatred for the tainted queen. Moon gazed at him with lifeless eyes, then looked at Ula's corpse.

"Justice," came her one-word response, her voice cold as ice, and she turned to face the monsters, her eyes filled with a void.

Toffee stood up and met her gaze. Tears were no longer welling up; his gaze was a harsh one, as was his voice.

"I thought you were wiser than this. I thought you'd taken after your mother. I thought that with you on the throne, we might finally enter an era of peace between Mewmans and Monsters. I was mistaken. You're nothing but another marionette whose handle accepts any master." Toffee knelt down and picked up the parchment and threw it at her. It landed about halfway between them, and Moon arched an eyebrow. Toffee said nothing.

Footfalls thundered from within the castle and the shouts of several Mewman soldiers cam echoing. Toffee shot a nasty glare at Moon, then turned to his distraught men.

"Time's getting short, so follow me! We're getting out of here!"

"Commander?" asked one of the monsters, glaring venom at Moon. "We must avenge our fallen king and queen! We must!"

Toffee smacked him hard, and the monsters looked on in shock and confusion.

"Live today, avenge tomorrow," said Toffee, briskly, and turned to face Moon one final time, narrowing his eyes at her. "What? Not going to stop us?" She stood in complete silence. "How generous," he scoffed and pushed through his men, signalling them to follow swiftly, and they obeyed and were gone moments before Mewman soldiers poured through the doorways into the throne room.

"My Queen!" one of the men yelled, rushing to her. "Are you al-" his voice was caught in his throat as he saw the corpses of Ula and Tethys and Moon's clothing splattered with blood. "Uh... never mind..." Moon watched as the soldiers exited through the massive front door of the castle, presumably to aid the ongoing battle outside the castle walls.

Now alone, she walked to the sealed parchment and picked it up, broke the seal, and unrolled it. She read it top to bottom, reading each word carefully, and her hands shook, and the parchment fell to the floor. She stood there, her body shaking, the life back in her eyes that were now filled with terror and confusion.

"Wha- where-" she began looking about herself and rubbed her eyes.

Where was she?

The throne room.

Why was she in the throne room?

"The Ball!" she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "I must-" she took a step and stopped in place. Her right show was wet. Did she step in a puddle?

She looked down, and as soon as she noticed what she stepped in, her body went limp, her lips trembling. Lying before here was Ula, her throat pierced, blood leaking out.

Her eyes grew wide with horror and took a step backwards, and stumbled, and blood splashed all over her.

Ula's blood.

And she screamed. The memories came flooding through, every gruesome detail being etched into the innards of her mind. She grabbed her head, didn't care about the blood soaking her hair. Her head was about to pop.

This wasn't reality. It couldn't be. She'd worked so hard, there was no way this was real.

It was her mind playing tricks on her. A bad dream.

A nightmare.

Just a nightmare.

Just a nightmare...

"But it's what you wanted, is it not?"

She turned her head towards the voice, her voice, and saw herself standing there. No, that wasn't her.

"Diana?" Moon asked, her voice trembling as the spirit-girl walked towards her, calmly, a hint of a smirk adorning her face.

"Dear me, what a mass..." Diana muttered and offered Moon a hand and yanked her upright. Diana then gazed back and forth between Ula and Tethys, and shook her head.

"Darn shame..."

"Diana... what... how..." She had many questions, but her mind refused to put together a coherent sentence. For the first time in her life, she was lost for words. All those countless hours spent in speech courses and rhetorics classes worth a pile of dung at that moment. She looked at Diana with pleading eyes, but the spirit-girl's gaze remained cold and harsh.

"How? You should know better than anyone, Mona. After all, you're the one who did the deed, are you not?"

"I... I don't... H-how... why...?"

"Who knows?" Diana shrugged casually, and spun around and began making her way towards the exit.

"Diana!?" Moon wanted to rush after her, but the moment she took a step, Diana was nowhere to be seen. Moon whipped her head from left to right and rubbed her eyes.

Was she hallucinating?

She then heard footsteps from behind her, but these were not like those of the monsters nor her own men. They were much quieter, softer, barely audible. Moon spun her head around, and standing there was a small girl, her eyes hollow, her expression lifeless. The girl approached her and stepped into the pool of blood of the deceased king and queen, and just stared at her.

"N-Nerida...?" Moon asked hesitantly, startled by the small girl's presence. Nerida said nothing and knelt down beside her mother and shook the body, but what was once her loving and caring mother was now a lifeless corpse drenched in blood. Moon swallowed audibly, unsure of how to act. The whole situation was too surreal.

"N-Nerida... What are you-"

"Why did you kill mommy and daddy?" The girl's words struck like an arrow, and Moon could feel it piercing her chest as she couldn't find her breath. She could only watch as Nerida walked over to the parchment and picked it up. "Mommy and daddy were innocent, weren't they? And you killed them... Because you lost your mommy and daddy, you took mine." Moon blinked, and suddenly, Nerida was in front of her, somehow at eye-level. "And I'll never forgive you..."

Her head felt light. The world was spinning and she collapsed to the floor. She gripped her spinning head and opened her eyes. The world around her was a blurry mess and she could barely make out the silhouette of the young Nerida standing before her, but something was off about the girl.

She was much bigger, and in her hand wasn't the parchment, but a sword. And beside her stood a woman engulfed in a red glow, giggling ominously.

She couldn't make sense of it.

Nothing made sense. The world didn't make sense.

Whatever trick her mind was pulling on her, it wasn't a funny one.

She was weary, very weary. She needed rest, and her vision faded to black.

...

"Moon..."

She heard her name echoing in the distance, but she didn't want to answer yet, so fatigued were her body and mind.

"Moon..." The voice repeated.

That voice... It sounds familiar...

"Moon!"

The voice was familiar, she'd heard it many times, yet she couldn't pinpoint its owner.

No... I... It's-

"Moon! Wake up already, will you!?"

River!?

Her eyes shot open. She was panting heavily, her body drenched in cold sweat and shaking violently. She wanted to sit upright, but a hand stopped her.

It was River, numerous scars and wounds covering his face.

"Lie down," he said and gently pushed her back unto the bed, and looked at him quizically, blinking rapidly.

"R-River?"

"Yes. I'm here, Moon."

"Where am I?"

Her gaze darted to end fro one end of the room to the other and she quickly recognised her wardrobe, her mirror and numerous other possessions of hers. She was in her room, lying in her bed, River sitting in a chair next to her and looking at her with concerned eyes.

"How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine..." she muttered. "River, what happened? How did I get here."

The boy hesitated, his expression odd.

"River?"

"After I woke up, I went looking for you amid all that chaos and found you passed out on the floor, so I carried you to safety... then passed out myself."

"Oh... ehm... thank you, River." Moon gazed about. It was daytime. "It's morning." She observed.

"Midday, actually," River corrected her. "You've been out cold for a week."

"A week!?"

"Yep, a week. The court wizard said you'd put too much strain on your body and needed time to recover."

"Oh..." Moon paused for a moment, then looked him in the eyes. "What about... you know..."

"We won," said River, not a hint of pride or joy in his voice. "It was a bloody mess, but we managed to overpower and route most of the monsters. Some escaped, but the majority of them are either imprisoned or dead."

Moon looked off to the side. The sun was shining brightly, bathing her thole room in sunlight. She could hear birds chirping outside, singing happy songs.

"Also-" River muttered awkwardly, grabbing her attention. He had a guilty look on his face as he reached behind his back. When his hand re-emerged into sight, he was holding a scroll stained in blood. Moon's eyes grew wide as she recognised the scroll and remembered its contents, and a sudden panic overcame her. River spoke with a guilty smile. "I picked this up. No need to worry, I haven't shown the contents to anyone."

Moon blinked numerous times, her face expressing her disbelief. She swallowed audibly, locking her gaze onto the parchment, and brought her trembling hands up and covered her face.

"W-what have I done..." she muttered and brought her trembling hands before her face.

She felt a soft and gentle touch on one of her hands and moved her hand away to see River smiling softly.

"It wasn't your fault."

"Not my fault!?" she said loudly, frowning angrily. "River! People have died because of me! Me!"

"Moon-"

"And not just that-" Moon raised her hands and brought them before the blonde boy's face. They were trembling. "These are the hands that ended the lives of many innocents and murdered Tethys and Ula! Because of me, everything is ruined!" The young queen covered her face and both hands and sobbed into them, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I even cited the forbidden verses to bring wrath upon them... I'm a monster..."

She felt a soft touch of her right hand and withdrew her hands to gaze at the boy who was smiling the softest smile.

"You're not a monster," said River. "You were scared and frustrated and acted on impulse. Who could honestly blame you? You're only Mewman, after all."

"River, I'm the Queen."

"So?" River replied, briskly. "Does being a ruler mean you aren't allowed to act on your emotions? Does it mean that you can't make mistakes, even costly ones? Does it mean your judgement has to be perfect at all times? No! You're a person just like anyone else, so you should be allowed to have flaws like everyone else!"

"That's not how the peoples of Mewni and the other kingdoms see it, though. To them, being a ruler means precisely that, and when we cease being that, we are either unfit to rule or puppets on fancy chairs. We're only ever allowed to cry and show emotions, our true emotions, and not put up the face others expects, when nobody is around. Frustration, anger, envy, love, malice, pity; we aren't allowed to show those when we truly feel them but when we're expected to feel them. It's simply one of the many costs that come with our titles, and I was unable to pay it." Moon looked off to the side, smiling a pathetic smile, her eyes still stained with the remnants of tears. "'Moon, the Desecrator', or perhaps 'Moon the Cruel-Hearted', that's what the history books will say... Nobody will ask for my side of the story. All they'll see is a crazed, bloodthirsty killer."

"But that's not fair!" River exclaimed, evidently frustrated, and Moon flashed him a smile.

"No, it's not fair. And even if it were different; even if the peoples forgive me; even if the history books tell my side of the tale it won't matter. My name will forever be tainted by genocide and regicide. That's the punishment I must endure for betraying my role."

"What if history says otherwise?"

"What?" She shot him a look of bewilderment.

"What if instead of seeing you as the culprit, the heartless murderer, it sees you as the one who acted in the name of justice?"

"I... I don't follow..."

River's expression grew serious and he looked to the blood-stained parchment resting on the bed.

"As far as I know, you and I are the only ones who know the truth. The real truth."

And Diana, thought the young queen, questioning her own memories of the fateful events and wondering whether she's simply imagined it all. There was also Toffee, but somehow, call it a gut feeling, Moon wasn't worried about him spilling the beans. Not yet.

"As long as we keep it that way," River continued, "We can push whatever narrative we want, right?"

Moon's eyes grew wide as she realised what the blonde boy was suggesting.

"River, you're not-"

"I don't like it either, but what choice do we have?" he asked, frowning, the soft slight brushing against his cheek. "The fact is that Mewni is the strongest military kingdom in all the known dimensions. By far. And most of our people harbour nothing but resentment and hatred towards monsters and will gladly and wholeheartedly support anyone who shares those views. Even if you say it was your fault, the people will find some way of blaming the monsters. Heck, I'm willing to bed a year's worth of corn that most of them would glorify you! And in any case, even if you take the fall and the Council is obliged to elect a new ruler from amongst the noble ranks., they'd elect someone with pure malice towards the Monsters and I... I... I can't even begin to imagine what he or she would do with that power, especially now that the Monsters are weakened and leaderless..."

Moon gazed at her lap and gripped the bed sheets tightly. River was right, and what's worse, he knew only half of the whole picture. The truth was even more disheartening. The nobles of Mewni, those whose power was second only to its ruling monarchs, constantly urged for the sleeping giant of Mewni to start exercising its power and expand its dominion. The Monsters were the current target, but Moon was sceptical whether the hunger for territory and power could be sated so seamlessly. Hers was the task of balancing the scales as was her mother's before her; to keep them satisfied but wanting; to incite conflict while maintaining peace; to agree with all yet give right to none. Right now, the scales were on the verge of tipping in one direction, all they needed was a mere speck of mass on either end. It was too late to subtract the mass from that end of the scale, all she could do was add to the other end.

Many would suffer, many would die, many would be subject to a great injustice, but she didn't have the luxury of choice; either many would suffer and die, or many and then some.

And she would shoulder it all and meet her deserved fate with a smile, knowing the fault was hers.

For that purpose, she would create a new truth, not the one she was aware of. A truth which would depict Ula and Tethys as the antagonists; a truth that would force pleas for forgiveness from the Monsters; a truth that would further the resentment towards them but maybe, just maybe, buy enough time to salvage the shattered pillar of peace her mother and Ula had been working on so diligently. Yes, that would become the new truth, the truth told to all.

She gazed at River, and after retaining eye contact for a few moments, her gaze drifted away shyly, and her cheeks coloured.

"You're still here."

River blinked a couple of times.

"What?"

"Here. In my room. Next to me."

"Um... apparently..." he scratched his head, visibly perplexed.

"River." She looked at him with a sincere expression. "You know what I've done."

"Yes."

"..." Moon stared at him, her face expressionless. "... then why?"

"Why?" River chuckled. "Why indeed? Any sane person would probably open a rift in spacetime and jump to the furthest dimension possible just to get away from you, yet I can't help but want to stay by your side."

"Even now?"

"Even now," he assured her and put his hand atop of hers, squeezing it gently. "Moon," he cast her a serious look. "Please, allow me to share this sin with you."

"River-"

"No buts, Moon!" he cut her off, knowing what she was about to say. She was startled as the boy rarely used her name without her formal title strapped to the beginning, and his sudden brashness caught her off guard. "You should learn to share the weight of the world with others. And besides-" his gaze drifted to the blood-stained parchment on the bed, then back to Moon. "It's not like I'm entirely innocent, and I won't pretend otherwise. We're in this together, and I'm not going to abandon you. Not now, not ever."

Moon stared at him with a blank expression, blinking numerous times.

Realising what he'd just said, River blushed violently and recoiled, stammering awkwardly as he tried to explain himself.

"I-I-I I didn't mean that! Well, I did but- it's not what I meant! I mean, who wouldn't want to be by your side now and forever? Well, m-maybe not now but- I mean definitely me... now... and-"

He was cut short as he suddenly found himself in a warm embrace as Moon leant forward and pulled him into a tight hug. He was like a cat seeing its own reflection for the first time, eyes wide and unsure of what to do. Moon giggled.

"Thank you, River."

He hesitated for a long while before steeling himself and awkwardly returning the tender embrace. He still wasn't sure what to make of the situation, but he felt ecstatic to the point that he wanted to jump out of his skin and skyrocket to the sky. Not even the most tender pork with the most delicious corn stuffing could hope to compete. A surprise indeed, but a more than welcome one.

"...And River?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry."

The boy's eyes grew wide as he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head and Moon gently set him head on her lap.

"It's too late for me, River," said Moon, softly brushing the unconscious boy's cheek before wiping a single tear from her own. "I'm already tainted with sin. My soul was condemned to the abyss the moment I recited the forbidden verses and tapped into powers no mortal should ever have access to." She moved her hand up and swept her hand through the boy's blonde locks, then leant down and kissed him on the forehead. "This is my sin to bear, and whatever punishment is to follow is mine alone." She withdrew her hand from his hair and looked at the palm of her hand and noticed a single lock of greasy blond hair stuck to it, gazed at it curiously and smiled.

As she gazed out the window, she chuckled at herself; amid all the chaos and grief, the only thought occupying her mind was the colour of her daughter's hair, and as she gazed at the boy resting on her lap, she felt like she knew the answer.

FIN