So how 'bout that midseason finale, eh?

Gave me all sorts of hype that forced me to channel it into a story.

Enjoy.

S&DS&DS&DS&D

Enough was enough.

Moon had tried to ignore it, tried to let Star the freedom to draw her own conclusions, to develop her own proper grasp on the situation. But it wasn't working.

Star had spoken with Eclipsa. Multiple times and, despite her mother's warnings, showed no signs of stopping. Moon scarcely dared to imagine what kind of poison the Queen of Darkness was dripping into her daughter's ears. But whatever it was…

She was going to put a stop to it. Star's protests be damned.

Star may have read Eclipsa's chapter in the book, and Moon suspected she had may have even been playing around with some of its minor spells. But the Queen knew for a fact that her daughter had not cast any of the truly vile magic Eclipsa had devised.

Moon clenched her hands, pushing back the urge to shudder at the tingling numbness of her blackened veins with the ease of long practice. No. Star could not truly understand. Not without experiencing the creeping sickness of those horrid spells first-hand, and that was something Moon would sooner die than let that happen.

And so, she was left with no choice but to confront Eclipsa herself.

She wasn't looking forward to this. She wasn't afraid of it, she did not fear the ancient queen. But… so much as looking at the Eclipsa reminded Moon of the darkest time in her life. When her mother had been… taken from her, when she had become queen, when she had been forced into a corner so tightly, the only way out had been to strike a deal with a devil.

Moon shook her head. Those were not but unpleasant memories, and should hold no sway over her. She needed to focus on the present, on Star.

She stepped into the royal garden, spotting her quarry immediately. Eclipsa was tending to the flowers again, the dragon chain around her ankle clunking with every move. Moon made a subtle signal, dismissing the various guards and knights hidden amongst the flowers. She would confront Eclipsa alone, Queen to Queen.

Steeling her nerves, she approached the kneeling prisoner. Eclipsa had her back to moon, humming some slow and somber melody as she plucked a withered rose from its stem.

"Eclispsa."

"Hmm?" the woman turned, a pleasant smile on her face, which widened when she saw whom had addressed her. "Why Moon, you've come to visit me. I was just starting to doubt if you would. You haven't seen a garden trowel lying around anywhere, have you? I had one earlier, but I suspect Glossaryck buried it somewhere when I wasn't looking."

Moon narrowed her eyes. She would not let herself be diverted by idle pleasantries. "I have come to discuss something of great import with you."

"Oh, I see." Eclipsa nodded understandingly, getting to her feet. And brushing the dirt form her dress. "I apologize for bothering a queen with such an idle request, it is merely my chain is not long enough to reach the spare tool shed, and none of the guards respond when I ask them if they'll fetch one for me." She sighed, "I suppose I could mold a new one for myself from cursed souls of the innocent, but it just seems like an awful lot of bother." She smiled into Moon's glare and added. "That was a joke, by the way. I can't actually create garden implements from the souls of the damned. Only cutlery. I was never able to figure out why."

Moon crossed her arms, refusing to rise to the silly games while patiently waiting for the Eclipsa to start taking this seriously.

"Oh, very well." Eclipsa gave a long-suffering sigh, "May we at least sit down on that bench over there? There's no reason for royalty such as ourselves to stand out in the sun, after all."

"Very well." Moons said impatiently. If it would get Eclipsa to focus, then Moon could allow her that.

"Wonderful." Eclipsa smiled, and moved towards the bench. She walked with an aggravating slowness. Moon pursed her lips; unsure if it was being done it on purpose to irritate her, or if the chain around her legs were really that heavy. Probably a little bit of both.

After what felt like an age, Eclipsa sat down and stretched out her legs with a contented sigh. She patted the space next to her invitingly. As if she thought Moon would be willing to sit with her like she was an old friend.

"I will remain standing, thank you," she said icily.

"Fine, be that way if you must." Eclipsa rolled her eyes, amusement twinkling in her eyes. "What would like to discuss, your majesty?"

"I demand that you stop speaking with my daughter." Moon declared, getting straight to the point. "I cannot over look your actions any longer."

"I see. And, which actions would those be, exactly? upholding my end of a conversation with someone who wishes to speak with me? I'm afraid that's simply social etiquette, my dear…" Eclipsa paused. "or at least, I assume so. I confess I haven't kept up with the modern mannerisms," she frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose it would explain why no one besides Star will say a word to me."

Moon ignored this. "You know very well what I mean. I will not have you whispering poison into her ears."

"Whispering poison? Dear me. We certainly can't have that!" Eclipsa smiled. "So when Star next comes to visit me, what would you like me to do instead? Sit there silently and stare at her until she leaves? She might find that rather suspicious, don't you think?"

"Star will not be meeting with you again. You will avoid her. If you refuse to do so, I shall see that you are returned to the dungeon cell until your trial."

"My, you are quite serious about this, aren't you?"

"I am indeed," Moon said, scowling Eclipsa's impertinence was an expected, yet nonetheless sore test upon her patience. She leaned closer, meeting the former queen's purple-grey eyes. "Star is wonderful girl, and I will not have you tainting her. Not like you did to me!" her hands clenched reflexively.

Eclipsa looked at them, staring at the gloves on Moon's hands in silence for an uncomfortably long time. "May I ask you something?" She said at last.

"I beg your pardon?" Moon raised an eyebrow.

"May I ask you something?" Eclipsa repeated, "I assure you, it's a serious one." She raised a hand and placed it over her chest. "Queen's honor."

"You may," Moon said, narrowing her eyes, unafraid of whatever unpleasant thing the dark queen had in store. Whatever Eclipsa planned to say, she would not find Moon the Undaunted… well… daunted.

"Why are you discussing this with me?"

"What do you mean?" Moon's brow inched upwards. "Have I not already made my wishes clear?"

"I'm afraid you misunderstand," Eclipsa shook her head. "I understand your wishes completely. What I mean is: why are you speaking of this to me, and not Star?" a faint smile crossed her ancestor's face. "Why do you believe the so-called Queen of Darkness will be more amenable to your concerns then your own daughter? I can't say I follow the logic."

"I… that…" Moon blinked, taken aback at the question. She cursed to herself, Eclipsa had managed to catch her off guard after all. "It is you that is the problem." She rallied, "You are the dangerous one who must be addressed, not Star."

"Hmmm… so you keep insisting." Eclipsa hummed. "Your daughter does not seem to agree. Have you considered speaking with her about it?"

Moon gaped. The nerve!

"Of course I have!" She nearly yelled, half-wishing she still possessed the family wand so that she could blast this arrogant woman without having to resort to her butterfly transformation. A proper queen did not pull out such a thing every time she lost her temper. "But Star is still young, she does not understand how dangerous people can be, she takes people at face value. Regardless of who they are.

"You're saying she's naïve?" Eclipsa raised an eyebrow. "I can't say I've noticed that."

"She is not naïve!" She shouted, nearly transforming on the spot, propriety be damned. Moon paused, Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down. Attacking the dark queen here, while she was bound in chains would only reinforce Star's opinion that she was a victim.

She was Queen Moon of Mewni, and she would not allow herself to be baited like that.

"Star is stubborn." She said coolly. "When she believes she is right, she simply will not listen to reason."

"Well, of course she is" Eclipsa smiled. "She is a Butterfly, after all."

"Indeed. Which is why I will not allow you to use that against her."

"You should cherish your ability to speak to your daughter whenever you can, Queen Moon," Eclipsa said. "You never know when it might be taken away."

"Was that a threat?" Moon hissed. "Because if it-"

"It was not." Eclipsa interrupted her with a sigh, now it was her turn to look Moon in the eye. "It was merely advice. A daughter is a precious gift."

"What would you even know about it?" Moon demanded, outraged that one who had abandoned her family and duty out of her selfish desire for power would dare to lecture her on such a thing.

"…More than you know." Eclipsa's answer came as a whisper and, for the first time, something other than polite amusement crossed the former queen's face. If Moon didn't know better, she would say it was regret. She… wasn't sure what to make of that. It was the first time Eclipsa had shown anything even resembling vulnerability. But the thought of capitalizing on it felt… wrong. Moon shook her head.

"Star is the future of Mewni. I have a duty, both to her and to this kingdom, to guide her until she is ready to take the throne. Even if she resents me for it, I will do it. I do not expect you to understand."

"Ah. Duty." Eclipsa nodded thoughtfully. "I will admit, you have me there. I abdicated the throne the first chance I got, after all. I never could understand why everyone was so hung up on the concept."

"That is because you are selfish." Moon huffed, she took a distinct pleasure in the fact that Eclipsa did not deny the accusation. "Star is one of the most precious things in my life. I will protect her from anything that would dare attempt to harm her." She held up her hand and pulled off her glove, revealing the blackened veins and darkened skin. "Anything, and anyone."

Eclipsa stared at the hand, then raised her eyes to Moon's.

"Would you like to know how to cure that?" she asked quietly.

"… Excuse me?"

"You hand. The corruption. Would you like to know how to remove it?"

"I… what?" Moon leaned back, derailed by the sudden shift. "It's not permanent?"

"Permanent?" Eclipsa smiled. "Of course not! do you honestly think I would do something like that to myself and not look for a way to fix it?"

"But… then why are your arms still the way they are?" Moon demanded.

"Well, I shan't lie to you." Eclipsa pursed her lips. "The process is not exactly what I would call pleasant. I believe the phrase 'burn out the blight' is a rather apt description. It's not excruciating," she added when Moon opened her mouth to respond. "It is simply unpleasant enough that I saw no reason to do it every time I performed some of my special magic, not when I was just going to dirty my hands again the next day, so to speak. But I assure you, it works and once done, it will leave your body as pure and clean as though you'd never even learned my spell in the first place."

"I-I…" Moon stuttered. The thought of being able to look at her bare hands and not be filled with a sickening regret, to be free of that cold corruption, was... tantalizing, to say the least. Moon shook her head, remembering who she was talking to. "You're lying."

"Well don't take my word for it," Eclipsa smiled. "You can read all about it in my chapter of the book of spells, the purification spell is on the last page. Oh, wait…" She frowned. "That's been destroyed, hasn't it?" She tapped a finger against her chin in thought. Then her eyes brightened and her smile returned. "Oh, but Star has read my chapter, hasn't she? That means she'll know how it is done." She raised an eyebrow, smirking at Moon's expression, "Isn't that convenient? Now you have a good excuse to speak with your daughter. One even you're your unfortunate sense of duty can't deny. I'm sure she'll be delighted to help you."

Moon just stared. She had completely lost control of the situation, she wasn't sure how, but she had. "Why would you tell me this?"

"Well," Eclipsa drawled, looking away thoughtfully. "I won't say it's because I'm not evil, as that's exactly the kind of thing a villainess would say, isn't it?" She smiled. "Let's just say; it is a gift, from one queen to another." She gave a careless wave. "Oh, I know I was never much of a queen. But you, my dear, most certainly are. And as a queen, do you not have a duty to look after your own health?" she leaned forward and there was something behind her eyes that Moon couldn't identify, something both sad and happy, like a crippled man watching his son run wild and free through a field, and wishing he could join him.

"Go speak with your daughter, Moon. Spend time with her. It doesn't matter how busy you are. You are the queen of Mewni. Mewni waits for you, not the other way around." She leaned back, that sad look of longing disappearing from her eyes as though it had never been. "Don't wait until it is too late to say all the things you want her to hear. We both know what that is like. So go."

Moon took a step back. Then another. Her mind reeling, she felt lost. Uncertain under Eclipsa's tender smile…she… she needed to get out of here.

Moon turned on her heel, and strode from the gardens. Trying with all her might not to feel like she was running away.

"Goodbye, Queen Moon." Eclipsa called, as she turned around a corner. "Until we speak again, and do keep an eye out for that trowel, would you?"

Out of sight, Moon nearly broke into a run. But there were people around, she couldn't… she couldn't let her people think she panicing. She forced herself to slow, walk sedately. Like a proper Queen.

She made it to her official chambers, where she did all of the busy work that kept her kingdom from burning to the ground.

"Aha! There you are, your majesty." Moon blinked. One of her attendants was striding towards her, a stack of papers in his hands. "I've been waiting for you. There are a set of letters and requests waiting for on your desk, my queen. They need your immediate attention. Also, an envoy from the Pony Head kingdom wishes to meet with you as soon as possible."

"I…yes of course." Moon nodded turning to face her desk. Then stopped. The chair behind her desk, tall and lavish as anything else she owned, was sitting behind her desk like a stockade. She had spent countless hours in that chair, doing all the work necessary to keep her kingdom from burning itself to the ground, it was comfy and familiar. But right now, it had never looked so cold, so lonely.

This was not a place of joy. It was a place of duty.

Moon had never shied away from such things. Never. But… but… Eclipsa's words had gotten into her head, just like she had feared they would do to Star.

Don't wait until it is too late to say all the things you want her to hear.

She cleared her throat loudly, and her attendant immediately, stood at attention.

"My lady?"

"Actually…" Moon said, swallowing hard. "I'm… afraid I cannot attend to those at this moment. a very important matter has come up. Would you be so kind as to offer my apologizes to the Pony Head envoy, and assure I will meet with them first thing in the morning?"

The attendant blinked, recovered quickly. "Of course, my lady," he said, bowing low. "Shall I do the same with any other matters that are you sent your way today?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Of course, my lady."

"If you will excuse me." Moon turned, and shut the door to her office behind her. Then she began to stride to the west wing of the castle.

She… wanted to spend some time with her daughter.

For once, the kingdom could wait.

S&DS&DS&DS&D

Hmm… welp, that's definitely a thing I wrote. When I write, the one thing I try to do above all others is keep the characters I'm writing IN character. Proper grammar is a close second.

So imma' jot down my thoughts of the two leading ladies of this story:

Moon: uptight, royal, and dutiful Queen Moon. She has to be serious and cautious, because she literally runs the kingdom. River isn't going to do it. But because her fun childhood was cut short her ability to truly connect with Star is kind of hampered. There's an emotional gulf between them that neither are really sure how to gap.

Sad. But interesting.

Eclipsa: Oh man. Her portrayal has blown me away. There is not a single scene with her that I didn't think was awesome. I have absolutely no idea what she's up to, but there must be something. Pretty much the only desire she's expressed is the one to be free from her imprisonment. Hanging around Mewni castle does not seem like a good way to do that. I hope I'm not disappointed with however her story plays out.

Also, I am, like, 83% sure she doesn't know her daughter is alive. That just makes sense to me and it's really sad.

The one-sided tension between her and Moon was something that the show has not addressed, like at all. You'd think Moon would want to play a direct role in Eclipsa's imprisonment, if she's really that much of a threat.

And that's all I have to say.

This story is a oneshot, but I may make it a two shot if anyone shows any interest. It's be kind of cool to write some stuff about Moon and Star bonding.

So if you liked this, let me know. I may just write more!