I'm baaaack! Welcome one and all to the sequel to The Sign of the Moon and the plan is for each chapter to come out once a week.I hope you guys enjoy!

There is nothing like the feeling of wind in one's hair and old leather rubbing the legs while riding through the burnt fields of the Underworld. At least to Star Butterfly, there wasn't a greater freedom than being out on an adventure. Savoring the scents of sulfur and burnt toast that permeated everything in the dimension, she slowed Sir Runs-A-Lot at the forest's edge to survey the land in front of her. Hmm, …she tapped her chin, squinting her eyes.

Today's mission focused on finding the pack of hellhounds that had broken into a skeleton horse breeding farm and ate an entire herd of foals. It was always a shame when beasts terrorized farmers and chased peasants in any of Mewni's Kingdoms. This year, the harsh weather had driven many of the creatures mad in desperation to find food. In fact, not too long ago, Star had to spearhead a campaign against a bunch of Mewnian corn moles that had decimated fields and eaten a few hapless farmers. Her avant-garde choice to get personally involved in protecting the kingdom naturally turned a few heads, especially from the other members of the royal family. Normally, queens let their knights do all of the riding and fighting, but not this almost eighteen-year-old young ruler. Why let others have all the fun?

"Have any leads, Star?" She turned with a smile when her partner and king, Marco Diaz-Butterfly, trotted to her side on his mount, Sol. The two horses gave each other a quick touch with their noses before going back to the important task of chewing on their bits. She flashed her darling husband a quick smile, saying without words, "Nothing yet. Might have to give the place a good smell to find those doggies." Being able to talk to one's soulmate mentally through the mysterious bond of an ancient moon sure had its perks when stalking hungry demon-dogs. Leaving her to it, Marco fished for a map from one of his saddlebags.

It was hard to scent much of anything in the Underworld—even for a female Mewman used to tracking down her husband by his pheromones. "I heard that." She snickered when he shot her a quick glance then resumed trying to figure out where they were in the dimension. In hindsight, she should have brought the laser dogs—they loved tracking and outings.

"I wish I could have brought Nachos along," Marco thought longingly of his dragoncycle who loved long trips, but they both knew that Nachos and panicky skeleton horses would mix as well as a wolf in a sheepfold. True, riding her would make the trip go by much faster, but the warnicorns did an excellent job too. Shifting on all fours, Star sniffed around in a wide arc and sneezed when she accidentally inhaled a bit of ash. "Bless you, my Queen," Marco chimed in. From the intelligence she had collected, there was a faint scent trail of the marauders heading deeper into the dark wood. Already, she could feel her king grumble about why it always had to come to riding in a creepy forest. The answer: because it's more fun. Duh.

Satisfied with the discovery, Star mounted her ride and led Marco into the black trees. The atmosphere was quite eerie, even by Underworld standards. Perhaps it was because the canopy shrouded the land in shadow and that an owl in the distance wouldn't stop hooting. Seriously shut up! Too bad chucking rocks at birds was frowned upon by a certain Earth boy. Star knew Marco shot her a look at that thought even without turning around. They continued on for an hour with the forest getting ever darker. Low branches kept getting in the way, more so for Marco than for Star. It paid to stay the same height and not suffering a growth spurt like a certain someone.

Suddenly, the horses halted with a snort and pawed the ground with fear. The doggies were nearby and their steeds' natural instincts to run made them useless from this point on, so it was time to go without them. Star slipped off her gelding, then took off his bridle and saddle with her wand. After doing the same for Sol, she slapped their butts to urge them to go home.

"Should we change into our hunting gear?" She asked Marco with a look. He shrugged, though mentioned that, of course, she would vote for the hunter gear. Who could blame her when she had such a hot husband? Rolling his eyes, her king kept marching forward, allowing magic to change his clothes to his green hunting attire. Nice… His glowing cheekmarks added to the sultry effect, making Star chew on her wand while giving Marco a once-over. "This isn't a good time for that," he sighed at her.

They continued in silence, keeping all of the senses open and ready for action. Star still couldn't smell much of anything, which made her frustrated to no end. How were they supposed to find anything in this stupid forest?

"Hey, Star?" Marco interrupted her train of thought. "Didn't the farmer say that this pack didn't have an Alpha?" It was strange to have hellhounds roaming around without a leader. The Alpha was like the Queen; he was the ruler and protector of the pack. Without him, the rest of the hellhounds could not function, which made the idea of an Alpha-less pack laughable.

"Do you think it's the same pack from that one time?" Marco stopped, looking her in the eyes with a serious expression. Ah, what a great trip that had been! Nothing like camping with your clingy ex-boyfriend and new boyfriend, complete with being stuck on a raft, awkward feelings, and videogames. The latter part made the trip worth it but dealing with Tom bordered deep into uncomfortable territory. It was kinda her fault though because being nasty to him didn't help. At least everyone was on good terms now. As to Marco's question, she doubted that a bunch of stupid demon mutts would remember them enough to hold a grudge. When she told him that, her partner shrugged, "Maybe, but everything in the Underworld seems to be extreme."

"Oh, my beloved Marco," she said aloud, shaking her head. "I highly doubt that those dogs are even—" Out of nowhere, a low wailing howl filled the air with more joining in from all sides. The sound made the hairs on Star's neck stand up in dread. The pair banded together, letting the magic flow through their veins to prepare for the inevitable attack. The unseen foes ran around them in a mighty circle, trying to intimidate them by stirring up noisy sticks and rocks while barking.

"Enough with the games; show yourselves!" Marco challenged, letting red magic shroud his fists. Did he really think the dogs would obey?

Sure enough, the commotion ceased and out of the brush stepped a pack of sixty black hellhounds with their skeleton heads glistening in the half-light of the forest. Bright red eyes possessed a demonic light that reflected the crackling dark energy ruff around their necks. Glancing around, Star saw no Alpha among them and there was something about the focus of each of the dogs that made her feel uneasy. The point Marco had made about these dogs being the exact same from two years ago was starting to make more and more sense, seeing the scars on some of their muzzles.

"I guess they told their pups about us too," Marco whispered, noting the numbers. Well wasn't that fantastic? Star tightened the grip on her wand, hoping that her partner had a good idea to see them through. "Uh…just stay alive. Go for total annihilation," he told her privately. We're screwed! She groaned for a moment before charging into battle.

Hmm, what spell should I knock them with first? She pondered while rushing at full speed towards the first group of evil mutts. Today, the queen was feeling in the mood for the old-school spells versus her more powerful Butterfly-form ones. Twirling her wand, she summoned her trusty Narwhal Blast and knocked the lot off of their paws with some disappearing in a puff of black smoke. Getting better all the time, she marveled at the level of devastation she caused. Fifteen-year-old Star was only about two-thirds as lethal and that wasn't the only magic trick up her sleeve! When the survivors regrouped, Star tapped into Marco's magic and made her fists glow red. She punched the ground, causing a large shockwave that sent the entirety of the pack flying back.

"A little warning next time!" She turned to see Marco hanging from a large tree branch twenty-feet above her. Oops. He jumped down and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek.

"Wanna try the wand for a bit?" She asked him, "I'm dying to give wandless magic a try."

Nodding, Marco took the wand from her hand, watching it shift into its javelin form. "Holler if you want it back!" He threw the weapon into the heart of a leaping mutt then finished it off with a roundhouse kick to the jaw. Star could spend eons watching her battle husband fight by her side. To think they cemented their strong friendship after a somewhat disastrous first day together. "That was my fault for not embracing your weirdness, my love," Marco quipped as he grabbed a hellhound's throat and chucked the beast into a thorny bush. She probably could have been a little less destructive though; Earth people were so much more fragile than Mewmans. "Then you wouldn't be the crazy girl I fell in love with," her king flashed a smile while trying to pry his axe out of a dead hellhound skull.

Sighing lovingly, Star tried to conceal her vivid blush while blasting mutts left and right. She was getting better at simple spells without her wand, but Glossaryck urged her to dip into the harder spells. The wand wouldn't be hers forever and she had to be able to do the cool stuff without relying too heavily on her Butterfly form. What could she work on today? Warnicorn Stampede was still a bit much…so were most of her ultra-explosive spells.

"Rainbow Fist Punch!" Star roared at an oncoming hellhound. Out of her hand came a colorful fist that smacked the dog on the side of the head. It wasn't exactly a rainbow—green, blue, and purple were missing—but it hit the enemy. We're getting somewhere! She shot a few more incomplete yet effective spells at the hellhounds but noticed that the seemingly endless tide of hellhounds never slowed down.

"Marco!" She called out, "I think this is more than one pack!" They should have made a sizeable dent right about now after killing at least sixty of the mutts. How long was this going on and could Star and Marco keep up with the pace alone? Soon, the clearing was filled with dogs, ready to launch themselves in a cloud of fury and fangs. Fortunately, a wide arc of blue flames appeared in a protective dome around the pair that flung the dogs back.

"Tom!" they cried in unison as their friend landed in front of them. He threw off his shades and grinned devilishly at the limping animals, the wind rustling his pink hair like an action hero. "You mean you two come down on my turf and go hellhound hunting…without me?!" The prince's voice was edged with mock hurt.

"You're supposed to be at a prince retreat," Marco countered.

Tom was about to answer when a dog tried to bite his leg, but he dealt with the beast by setting it on fire. It yelped in pain before running off to expire alone. Without missing a beat, the prince shrugged, "It's boring without you there, bro. Besides, the fun is over here!"

Now with Tom on their side, the team mowed through the hellhounds easily. Star had her wand back and was racking up the body count like a videogame on easy mode. She wished that she could be this awesome without the family heirloom, but everything happened in stages. Plus, there was nothing wrong with having fun while on a work assignment. The three chained and combined attacks with deadly precision, destroying the mutts at a record pace.

When the stragglers tried to mount an assault, Tom snapped his fingers and Cerberus popped out of a fiery portal. In hindsight, Star should have asked to bring her along—the giant dog loved eating wild souls. With all three of her massive head snarling and drooling strings of red saliva, she looked truly worthy of being the hellish guardian of the Lucitor family. Though Star knew that she was normally a big sweetie who loved pets and tummy rubs.

"Go get 'em!" The prince pointed at the shaking hellhounds and his guardian chased after them with a gleeful bark. Just like that, the battle was over with Cebbie munching on the remaining, yelping hellhounds while Star and Marco looked on in a sense of both pride and horror. Better them than me, the queen blinked while her husband had to refrain from vomiting.

Smirking, Tom called his girl back to give her a kiss on each of her heads before hugging both of his friends. "See? Way more fun than listening to Rich Pigeon talk about money or relationship drama." Star rolled her eyes at the last point: what drama could a bunch of single princes have?

"Says the girl who basically had two boyfriends when she was a princess," Marco folded his arms. She jabbed him in the ribs with Tom and Cebbie looking on in confusion.

"Oh, right, the Blood Moon thing," Tom rubbed his arms. "Wanna get cornshakes?" Before they could speak, a low whine from a retuning Cebbie answered on their behalf. After trekking all day in the middle of Burnt Toast land, Star was more than ready for food and something sweet. She sent a glance to Marco, her keeper of royal engagements, to see if she had any meetings or other boring stuff to do. "We can swing it," he nodded.

Opening a portal back to Mewni, the trio and Cerberus stepped onto the outside patio of their favorite cornshake café. The place had expanded to a much larger building and had several locations all throughout the kingdoms in Mewni and one poised to open on Earth next year. Who knew having the patronage of the queen could make a business so popular? A long line wrapped around the building twice with some customers buying Goblin Dogs to keep from starving.

"Oh, look! It's the Queen!" A cry came from somebody in the line, and soon after Star found herself surrounded by a throng of joyful townspeople asking for autographs on anything they had on them—including foreheads and babies.

She never understood why they always made such a fuss when she was out in public—she left the castle grounds all the time, plus she hadn't done anything meaningful yet as queen. "Easy, easy guys," Star squeezed her way into an opening, dragging Marco by the hood. "The queen has had a looong day fighting doggies with a bigger doggie and would just like a quiet afternoon with her boo and best buddy." Cebbie barked at her, wagging her stumpy tail as children climbed on her massive paws. "And with Cerberus, of course," the queen added. The commoners cleared a path to the café, bowing humbly and insisting that she eat before them.

"Ugh, why do they always have to do this?" Star grumbled to her husband when they took their seats at a table with the crowd cheering. He shrugged, suggesting that they loved her because she was already doing a good job. "But it hasn't been two years yet and I worry that I'll never do anything meaningful," she sighed then Marco squeezed her hand, urging her to not worry and have fun.

"Man, your kingdom loves you," it was Tom who interrupted her moment with a low whistle. "You never get crowds like this around the Lucitors—but whatever. What's on the menu today? I see we even have Earth flavors on here like…uh Marco, what's a kiwi?" The king blinked, before going over the fruit with the demon shrugging.

"Guess, I'll try that…actually, let's get classic root beer for me and a Screaming Soul XXL for my big girl," Tom decided. Star and Marco went with their go-to flavors of Sugarito and a chocolate corn malt respectively. The next few moments were spent slurping up drinks and devouring plate after plate of other corn-related goods until all members of the gang were satisfied.

Once the primal needs were met, it was time to indulge in friendly talk to feed the social itch that came with being young adults busy with royal duties. A lot had changed with them in the past few years. Marco had shot up about five inches and now had a thin layer of peach fuzz on his cheeks below his permanent red moon cheekmarks. His height came in handy for retrieving stuff from high shelves. Tom was still the lanky demon prince, though he was in a weird hair phase where he wore his hair in a ponytail—which he insisted was not a man bun. Calling it such resulted in a blast to the face. Star herself was still the same height, thanks to her Johansen genes, but plenty strong enough to kick a giant's butt. Sometimes, Star felt like they were all a hundred years old with all their responsibilities, when in fact they had not changed too much since being fifteen. They were all still their dorky selves.

"So, how's life going, bro?" Marco took another sip of his drink, "How are things with Janna?"

The demon's face fell, and he slouched in his chair, fiddling with the wrapping paper from the straw which Star and Marco exchanging a glance. Did something happen? Tom sighed, looking at them with watery eyes. "Marco…do you know what it's like to wake up every day to an empty bed?"

"Huh…?" the king tilted his head.

"She was my sun, my sky. Now all I feel is empty nothingness," lamented the prince, wiping a tear from his third eyes.

"Dude, she's just in college," Marco said flatly, shaking his head. "So's Jackie and most of my Earth friends. You knew this was coming."

Tom glared at him, "What do you know? You dropped out of high school and got married at sixteen—"

"—Foreign exchange program, and Star and I didn't have much of a choice on the last matter," Marco corrected him, but Tom ignored him.

"Imagine if Starship disappeared one day, leaving you alone."

"Uh…that happened and at least your girlfriend isn't rebounding with her ex. I remember how Star hit me with a burrito when I returned to Mewni."

Star scowled at Marco for bringing up that sore subject. Aside from dating Tom again because Marco acted way too slow on his feelings after her confession, how was she supposed to act when he climbed through her window randomly? That was weird. He had scissors and the castle had doors. Otherwise, she agreed that Tom was being melodramatic over Janna being away at college. It was just grownup school—as Marco put it—and at least she was still in Echo Creek.

"You'll see her again, Tom," Star patted his hand. "I mean, you can also visit whenever."

"Tried that and scared the crap out of her roommate," he sighed, "Apparently bursting into a dorm in a column of flames sets off the fire alarm." Star pulled her hand away and said nothing. It stunk seeing Tom so inconsolable and she understood his pain. Star would have had to live the same reality if Marco had stayed on Earth, the fire alarm part included. Then again, she felt bad that his king duties prevented him from living a normal life. Did Marco feel like he missed out on the important milestones of other Earth teens? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him shake his head, "This is way more fun."

Suddenly a messenger approached on horseback, galloping through the crowd to the table. Star knew it was Higgs because she was dwarfed by her black war-mare and because of the red plating on her shoulder that signaled her high rank. It was usual for a Vice Captain of the Kingsguard to be so young, but then again, Star and Marco were the same age too. Higgs bowed respectfully to Star but halfheartedly to her king. Since making a scene wouldn't be in their best interest, both of the royals let the behavior go.

"You're needed at the castle, Your Majesty," the knight's voice rang through the steel helmet, "Urgent business."

Star chugged the rest of her drink and got up, "Sorry we gotta ditch ya, Tom, but hang in there about Janna."

The demon nodded, "I'm a strong, independent, demon prince. I can manage."

After saying their goodbyes, Star and Marco mounted their steeds and followed Higgs back to the castle. On the highest hill in the town stood the Butterfly Castle as proud and grand as ever. Since the fight with Meteora and Eclipsa destroyed most of the building, Star and Marco had it practically rebuilt from the ground up. While the exterior remained the same to match traditional Mewnian style, the inside had a massive upgrade. The doors opened to reveal the foyer with updated blue tiled floors, a grand spiral staircase, and a royal portrait of Star and Marco. She insisted on the two of them being painted in their trademark "best friends" pose, which was a favorite for photo booth pictures, instead of the stuffy, traditional style. Standing for hours had hurt, but it was totally worth it. There were also new rooms in the castle like an observatory, a gaming room, a laser tag arena—among others. Who said being a royal meant not having fun?

Star burst through the castle doors with Sir Runs-A-Lot neighing triumphantly as they whizzed by running knights and screaming servants. "The Queen is back! What's up?" Star had her gelding rear for show, then quieted him down by having him pace around in an arc. His black hooves echoed throughout the halls when they hit the marble.

"Star Butterfly!" The rider slapped her face and groaned when an angry, old woman's voice cut through the castle. Leaning on a cane for support, Aunt Etheria slowly waddled her way to Star with a deep scowl etched on her wizened face. Can't wait to deal with the no fun patrol, the queen tapped the pommel of the saddle between her legs. Marco walked in behind her without his horse.

"My love, you can always just walk into the castle," he chuckled. After helping her down and summoning for a guard to take the horse to the stables, Marco kissed his wife sweetly. "But I know you. You've always had a flair for dramatic entries."

"And that is only one of the many problems on my list today," Etheria, just making it over to the couple, parted them with her cane. Pouting, Star and Marco rolled their eyes but braced themselves for a good ol' Etheria lesson. It was truly a shame that the old lady and the rest of the Butterfly family were allowed to move into the castle after Moon's death. River and Marco tried to forbid it, but the older Butterfly insisted that she would help raise Star, who was practically an adult because she had done the same for Moon.

"Okay, Aunt Etheria, what did I do now…?" Star sighed, folding her arms. Apparently being an awesome queen was never enough for her extended family.

"What didn't you do," the lady began with a huff, waving the cane with each word. "Constantly leave the castle grounds for hours each day, neglecting your family to hang out with your friends—I heard where the Vice Captain found you. Drinking cornshakes? Tut tut. Also, why is Marco allowed to sit in at negotiations—his job as a king is to be a figurehead and make you heirs—though I hope that doesn't happen."

"Can we send Etheria on a one-way trip to the Outer Dimension?" Star groaned to Marco who silently agreed that he may look into it as a possibility. A whack of polished wood to the head made the queen reach for her wand.

"You better be listening to me, missy," Etheria growled. "I'm not done."

"Well I am," Star shot back, hands glowing with red rage. A queen can do whatever she wanted, so blasting a stupid woman sky-high wouldn't even make the front page of a tabloid. Luckily, Marco took her hand and gave it a squeeze to help her calm down. She could settle this like an adult. Breathing for a second, Star replied in the calmest way she could manage, "It's not like I leave the castle to goof off. Marco and I were in the Underworld, fighting hellhounds with Prince Thomas. Sure, we got shakes after this, but we earned them."

Etheria narrowed her fat-lidded eyes, "You can send your knights. It's improper for a queen to go out on quests. We need you here."

"And my subjects need me out there!" exclaimed Star. "I'm not like the past queens, and it's not like I leave the castle undefended. Dad is still here."

"Did someone say 'Dad'?!" The former king slid down the railing of the stairs in his old king attire with sunglasses on his face. Landing on his hands, he walked in a circle around his clearly disgusted in-law and poked her with a toe. That really set Etheria off and she shoved him to the ground.

"Ugh, you stupid Johansen," the venom in her voice made Star flinch, her hands itching to slap that sack of blubber for insulting her dad. He was all she had left of her mother…of her old life. The old king pulled himself to his feet, laughing joyously, "Don't worry, Etheria, old gal. I've still got a few good decisions left in me. If Star and Marco wanna have fun, then let them. They're still kids!"

Star flashed him a grateful smile, then turned to lay it into her great aunt about Marco. The queen hadn't forgotten about that, because no insulted her king and lived. She scooted closer to her aunt, towering over her by a few inches and glared. "Now about my king," she sneered the word "my" for emphasis. She had fought this battle years ago when she made Marco her prince. Having to live through her family and Tom's trying to split them up over and over, really made her protective. "Marco and I are a team. We do things together and always have. He's allowed at any negations or anything else I do."

"Thanks, my queen," Marco leaned in to kiss her cheeks as she stared defiantly.

"But he's not a Mewman, and kings on Mewni don't rule. Only the queen does!" the little lady continued her rant. "I am raising you like I did Moon. And speaking of, I'm surprised that your mother never—"

This time, Star actually blasted a hole in the castle wall behind Etheria, just inches from grazing her body. Her aunt, father, and husband were in speechless shock as she stomped loudly upstairs. Marco shot Etheria a pointed glare, although his attempts to reach his angry wife through the bond were in vain. She blocked him out then the world when she slammed the wooden door shut with such force that it cracked in the middle. I'll fix it before Marco comes up, she sighed in defeat, slumping on their huge, fluffy bed.

The Royal Bedroom received a bit of a makeover since Star and Marco took up occupancy. The layout mirrored Star's old tower with three levels under an arching dome and painted in bright colors. Posters of boy bands and random, cute animals were replaced by a huge tapestry portraying a map of the realms of Mewni—which Marco got for their first anniversary—a copy of their royal portrait, and a two-hundred-inch flat screen TV for telenovelas and videogames.

On this evening, when the queen flopped on her bed, her eyes drifted to a small, framed picture on her nightstand. It was of Moon holding her as a chubby, little toddler while sitting on the castle roof watching fireworks. That was one of Star's first memories. On a cold night towards the end of the Corn Husk festival, the two had stolen away to spend time together. Moon was always a busy queen, looking over the kingdom and attending countless appointments, so Star didn't see a lot of her. It was largely the castle guards who raised her when the queen wasn't around, which was why the three-year-old had mastered chokeholds on all of her stuffed animals.

That night, the queen showed a different side of her, beside the regal yet firm Moon the Undaunted. Watching the bright trails of red, blue, and yellow light crash and explode in the air was a toddler's delight. They looked like comets against the backdrop of stars.

Laughing at her daughter's amusement, Moon gathered the young princess in her gloved arms. "You know why I named you Star?" When the princess shook her head, her mother replied, "Because when I looked out of the window the night you were born, I swear I saw the stars dance in the sky. No matter what happens, I hope you remember me saying that…."

"I do, mommy," the teen cradled the picture closer to her like a baby. What she would give to have Moon with her now instead of crusty, old Etheria! As the young royal neared adulthood, not having her mother at her side made Star feel hollow. She remembered that feeling specifically on her wedding day. That was supposed to be a day where they would have bonded over her new role of officially being Marco's wife, and do hair and makeup together. Even though Star was surrounded by her friends, the absence of Moon ate at her heart. Speaking of, her mother's namesake shed its beams through the open window. I wish you were here.

Getting up, Star walked to her mirror and asked it to call Pony Head. Sitting in her room made Star more and more depressed. She was young; it was time to liven up the night. "Heya giiirl," her floating horsehead best friend called loudly from her end. Pony Head was in her room with headphones on listening to music, but she shook them off to give Star her attention. "What's shakin' girl? Have any time to get down with your bad self at the Mosh Pit?"

"You know it," Star folded her arms with a confident grin. There was nothing partying like an animal in the Waterfolk kingdom with her bestie couldn't fix. She would know too. "Can Kelly come?"

"Hmm, I'll have to check, but you know I could use a few drinks and hotties to take a break from this stupid, adult, royal stuff. Like is Turd coming or are ya coming solo again?"

"Solo. See you in five," Star dismissed the mirror, so she could change. Waving her wand over her head, she poofed out of the riding leggings and light armor into her go-to party outfit: a white, off-the-shoulder T-shirt and short, jean shorts over black and pink legging. Slipping into her signature boots, Star opened a portal to her favorite hangout place. A nagging part of her mind wondered if she should let Marco know where she was going, but Rebel Queen does what she wants—in reason.

The Waterfolk dimension was known for many things: turbulent civil wars between factions, its distance from Mewnian politics, and its wicked party life. No other dimension had more clubs, bars, and concerts than this one, because the seafaring citizens knew how to have fun despite their environment. At night, the glow of brightly lit signs, strobe lights, and more could even be seen from the surface of the ocean. With the Bounce Lounge long defunct, Star and Pony spent their carefree nights bar crawling and dancing like their old days before Earth in the heart of watery realm.

Tonight, Star strolled into her favorite bar, The Mosh Pit, and it was packed with beings from all over the kingdoms. Demons sipped on strong drinks, monsters were dancing to the band playing a nautical mix of rock and dubstep in the background, and a collection of Mewmans, Waterfolk, and Pony Heads were scattered about enjoying the party environment. Maybe Mewni could become this cool and accepting under Star's rule. After entertaining the thought for a few seconds, she shoved the burden of being queen away and let herself get immersed in the crowd.

"Over here, B-fly!" A pair of familiar faces flagged her down from seats at the bar. Climbing on the high bar stools, which were just a tad too tall for a girl with Johansen blood, Star joined Kelly and Pony Head who were peering over empty shot glasses between them. Star threw her arms around both girls who were giggling from a slight buzz.

"Only on the first round," Kelly grinned, "So you ain't missed much." The bushy-haired girl had her green, leafy hair pulled back into a long ponytail and wore a bright yellow dress. Pony Head looked like her usual self, though her pink mane was longer. The bartender serving them was a young Mewman male who looked about twenty. He wore his hair slicked back with gel and had a black muscle T-shirt to match. When Star appeared, the bartender let out a low whistle and flashed her a confident smile.

"What may I do for you this fine evening?" He winked at Star, who felt an urge to lean back a little. Kelly and Pony were snickering knowingly, muttering about how hot the guy was in hushed tones. Ignoring the hint of flirting in his voice, the queen replied, "Hit me up with a round of your hardest Dancin' Demon, on the rocks." When Star Butterfly drank, she went for the top shelf stuff that packed the truest punch. The liquor in question tonight was an Underworld take on Fireball whiskey that literally smoked from the glass and blazed a vivid red.

Star caught the glass when it slid in her direction with her left hand and chugged the monster down. Why her left hand? Though she was right hand dominant, catching a drink with her left was a universal sign of a married woman. It allowed the male in question to take a good look at wedding rings. Star's finger bore two. The first was her wedding band from the Prince's Ball, a silver number with a Mewnian sapphire star in the middle that flickered blue at night and fiery red in the day. Behind it was her wedding ring proper, a slender darker ring with a modest-sized diamond surrounded by rubies. Marco wanted her to have something that followed closely to Earth traditions since it was her home too.

The bartender nodded at the gesture and stalked off to chat up a few girls on the far side of the bar. "If you need me, holler," he called over his shoulder.

"Dang, Star, you must have some serious magic if you can still work over boys despite being taken," Kelly downed another shot with her tone a tad wistful. It was weird to be so young yet already five steps ahead of other girls her age. While Star was not the youngest bride on Mewni and in the royal family, being still seventeen put her on the far edge of the scale. Meanwhile, the rest of her friends were either single or dating with phases seeming so distant to the young queen. One of the perks—besides being with Marco—was that Star went out to have fun, not to score.

She shrugged at Kelly, "Blessing and a curse. Besides, it's weird having guys look at you when you're married."

"True true," Pony nodded. "How's Turd? I saw that you two and Prince Hotstuff were out slaying hellhounds." When Star shot her a confused look, the flying horsehead whipped out a copy of the Crown Royale, one of Mewni's most infamous tabloids. It was hot off the press too with a glossy cover of the three royals and Cerberus surrounded by hellhounds. I need to figure out how they publish so fast.

Star motioned for another round of liquor before she began her report, "Everything's fine between us."

"Still grossly lovey-dovey?"

"You know it," the queen replied to Pony Head. "It'll be two years a few months after I turn eighteen."

It was Kelly who answered next, "Can't believe that's tomorrow, Star. You finally made it to adulthood like the rest us. Raise a glass to that!" The three clinked their shots glasses together in celebration.

After the tenth-or-so shot, the effects of the alcohol were starting to set in. A warm feeling cocooned Star's belly and throat as the music and noise in the background mellowed to a low thrum of energy. Adulthood sounded awful—full of responsibilities and big stuff. Why couldn't Star stay young and carefree forever? This was where she belonged, not in the throne room holding meetings. Watching the other young adults converse over drinks and dance with strangers, Star held her drink and stared into it longingly. Was she missing something?

"Ayy, Star? Something up?" She turned when Kelly prodded her. Sighing, she turned to her friends before drinking again to calm her nerves and gather her thoughts.

"I know that face," Kelly placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's that 'I'm getting old' face all of us get before turning the big one-eight. Spill." Pony was off chatting up a couple of Pony Head stallions next to her, but it didn't matter since she wasn't a reflective person. Kelly, on the other hand, even when drunk was better to talk to about life.

Star set her glass down rather hard, "It's just…I feel like time is passing too quickly. I went from careless teen to queen in a thousand miles an hour. No brakes. I don't regret any of it—especially not being married to Marco. But it's just…"

"You're finding it hard to find a place to be yourself," Kelly finished her sentence with a soft glance. "Feel ya. We all feel that at some point. I know it's hard with your royal duties and that stuffy, old, fat lady that lives with you...but Star, you'll find that balance. Don't be afraid of the next step."

Before she could thank her friend, a drunken demon in ripped jeans stumbled his way between them, giving the blonde a sleazy, crooked smile. He smelled like the bar itself and his four eyes blinked slowly. He slung himself on Star, who shoved him off roughly. "Hey babe," he slurred, grabbing her hand. "Wanna get lost?

"I think you need to," Star yanked her hand out of his and shoved her ringed finger in his face while Kelly reached for a dagger she had concealed in case of emergency. Normally, any male with a brain would take the news as a sign to step off because no one wanted to tussle with an angry husband. However, this bar crawler was either too impaired or too stupid to take no for an answer. Taking another sip of liquid courage, he doubled down on his efforts. He grabbed her roughly and crooned, "C'mon, we don't have to say anything. Just a one-night affair."

When he pulled on Star to get her to stand up, the queen glared at him harshly. "Aren't we a feisty baby girl…just how I like 'em," when he whistled that, it was the last straw. She charged magic to her fist and punched the creep so hard he flew into a table on the far side of the bar. The music and merriment stopped abruptly, and all eyes turned to an angry girl about to pummel a drunk to dust.

"Get 'em B-Fly!" she chuckled darkly from Pony Head's encouragement from somewhere behind her. Kelly tried to defend her, but Star motioned for her friend to sit down. She had this. Even as she brought up her wand, the drunkard flashed her a blushing smile, "Kitty's got claws."

"Kill him, they can't arrest the Queen!" Kelly shouted that time with the other attendees murmuring amongst themselves.

"The Queen of Mewni? In a bar?" "Isn't she married?" "Oh, he's so dead." The crowd circulated those phrases and more as they formed a loose ring around the action, vying for a good place to watch the brawl.

With pleasure, Star was about to follow through on her attack when a figure hoisted the guy in the air by his shirt collar. She hung back, hardly stifling a laugh when she saw a familiar pair of moon cheekmarks glow red with bloodlust. Even the creep looked shocked to see Marco, who was about a foot shorter than him, lift his bulk like nothing.

"OH SNAP! GO TURD!" The rest of the bar watched with none moving in the slightest. The demon broke out into a cold sweat under Marco's heated glare.

"L-look, man—I mean Your Majesty—I didn't mean nothing!" He pleaded in an undignified whine.

Marco smirked, "To be honest if I really wanted you dead, I would just let my wife deal with you. This is an act of mercy." Dark thoughts of her golden Butterfly form annihilating the guy who dared lay a hand on his Star, swirled like a thick fog in Marco's mind. He was right. If the queen wanted someone dead, it would be simple and easy. "No one calls you 'baby girl,' but me," he growled possessively.

"Now, if you ever so much as look at my Star again, I'll reduce you to dust, got it? Better yet, I'll let the queen see to that. She killed Toffee, after all." The demon nodded hastily at the mad king's words. Then Marco slammed the drunk to the ground, leaving a shallow crater in the floor. The bystanders cheered in thunderous applause. Turning to Star, he flashed a cocky smile, then brought her in close for a kiss. It sent a clear message to anyone in the room: don't try hitting on Star or else.

"Are you okay?" He murmured into her ear, kissing her cheek which made her giggle. "You know I am," she leaned against him and savored the scent that rolled off. He didn't have to show up, but Marco wanted to make sure she was safe. "I worry about you going out so much," he sighed, leaning his forehead against hers. Behind them, the band started playing a slower song and the pair swayed slowly.

As the music played on, Marco brought his wife into the middle of the dance floor. The idea of a dancing made Star replay memories of the Blood Moon Ball and the Prince's Ball to give her man inspiration. "As you wish," Marco let his hands drift lower on her waist which caught her off-guard, making her blush against the flashing lights. Her expression—also aided by the alcohol swimming in her belly—made her partner bolder, dipping her and spinning her as the crowd looked on. She wondered why they were staring when her eyes lifted skyward to see the familiar light of the Blood Moon shine around her and Marco. Though this happened quite often when they danced—at prom, at royal balls, at their own wedding—she never grew tired of gliding across a room with her handsome lover bathed in the red light.

"Neither am I," Marco replied while leaning her back for a sweet kiss. "You're the most beautiful girl in the universe." The audience erupted in applause all around them and resumed dancing. When the main show was over, Star frowned at Marco, sensing worry through the bond radiating off of him.

"You shouldn't worry about me so much," she tried to assure him with a firm gaze. Taking care of herself was her specialty. "But it's still something that crosses my mind, Star," she gasped when Marco dipped her low and kissed her. "I would die for you."

"You already did," she muttered solemnly, her eyes dropping to the floor. The memory of watching him die from Mina's blast stung like it happened yesterday in Star's mind. Of all of the darkest moments she had ever experienced, that was the worst. Watching his body covered in blood grow cold…. A hand gently caressed her cheek, bringing her out of the fog of her pain.

Marco stopped their dance to hold her close, "I'm not leaving you again."

Maybe they could spend the rest of the night dancing and hanging out at the club with friends. There were plenty of drinks to go around—especially since Marco practically got drunk over water. Then, when it got late, or inhibitions faded, the two of them could take the party back to their bedroom, where it's always fun…. She could tell he was debating the same, especially the last part.

"Well…" He nuzzled her neck lovingly, savoring how she laughed from being tickled. Then beeping sound cut through the air and the king groaned when he rolled up his hoodie sleeve to check the time. What royal appointment could he possibly have to dash off to? But her dutiful husband kissed her softly, "I have to do something with Tom. Don't stay out too late."

"If you say so, Marco," she let go of his hand and watched him disappear into a portal.

Stepping into their room, Marco sighed in a mix of worry and love for his adventure queen as he slumped on the bed. He took off his hoodie because the heat and smell of alcohol were a bit much right now. Why must Star always attract the worst of the male gaze? Unfortunately, this tended to happen a lot—the perks of having a hot, young wife. Normally, she dealt with them—one incident led to a bar being burnt to the ground—but tonight, Marco wanted to make a strong presence on her behalf.

Maybe he should tell her to tone the bar crawling down a bit. He understood the need for her to have fun and unwind, but did it have to be every night? Was she not telling him something? But Star was Star, and no amount of acting like a mother hen over her would change anything. Just like at the Blood Moon Ball, Marco had to let her figure things out for herself, be it her role as a queen or her personal life.

The mirror played "Space Unicorn" alerting Marco to an incoming call. Shoving the incident from his mind, he approached the magical object and answered. On the other end, Tom was slouched on his obsidian throne, bathed in the red light of the rose window behind him. A deep scowl was on his face as he petted Cerberus, but his face lit up when he saw Marco.

"So, is everything in order?" Marco asked.

"Aye aye, my king," Tom smirked with a mock bow. "But I worry if this is a good idea. Remember the last time we threw a birthday bash for Star on Stump Day?" Oh yes, the Stump Day incident of three years ago. How could anyone forget that? Marco had poured his heart and soul into giving Star the best fifteenth birthday ever since a Quinceanera was an important celebration. However, the party turned into shambles thanks to an evil dead tree and fighting over Star. That was all thankfully in the past.

Marco nodded, "We have spent the last few years offering extra blood sacrifices to appease the Stump. Plus, this is Star's eighteenth birthday—it's important that we celebrate it on her actual birthday." When Tom nonchalantly shrugged, Marco added with a sly smile, "Also Janna and Jackie are coming because it's the start of their winter break."

At the mention of her name, Tom perked up like a flower that had just been watered. "My Janna is coming? Say no more, let's make this the best birthday ever!"

The next day, Star had one of Marco's biceps in a death grip as they sat in Mewni's Great Room listening to River recite the yearly tale of how the Mewman settlers came together under the mystical influence of the Stump. Of course, the occasion was Stump Day, and the entire Butterfly castle was decked out in festive wooden decorations and the Butterfly altar was stained with the blood of fresh sacrifice. Marco hated that ritual the most—the pig-goats were too cute to die. However, as Mewni's royal protector, he had to be a part of the gruesome event. At least the priests were very understanding that animal sacrifice wasn't a thing where Marco grew up and tried their best to be considerate.

Distracting himself from the painful memory, the young king turned his eyes to the great bay windows, which were frosted with ice. Even in the deep midwinter, snow was rare in these parts of Mewni, but there always was one good snowfall around Stump Day. Being from Echo Creek, Marco never grew up with snow days, so the fluffy white blanket outside was always enchanting. If they were outside right now, he and Star would be building an army of snowmen and having the snowball fight of the millennia, but right now, it was all about story time.

"Long ago, a small band of Mewman settlers was blown onto the coast of Mewni in the winter," River always told the story, since it was tradition for the patriarch of the family to do so. Though perhaps Marco could pick up the storytelling mantle as king, his father-in-law's delivery was unmatched. The attendees of the family Stump Day celebration settled down from chatting to sit on stump chairs to listen.

River continued the tale in his hearty voice, "Though they had been traveling together for weeks in peace and harmony, they began to get on each other's nerves and started fighting. Then, of course, a blizzard came upon them!" The former king turned on a portable fan to blow on the figurines of the feuding settlers.

"Oh no!" Star squealed. Marco couldn't help but feel his heart warm at how she squeezed him tighter, her face showing genuine concern. She had heard this story every year, and Marco, having heard it for the fourth time now, had it memorized. Yet his darling wife relished the story as if it were the first time each time. Seeing the way her eyes twinkled with wonder and the bright smile on her face reminded him why he fell so in love with her. She was his bright and shining Star, bringing life and fire to his world. Literally too on the fire part; how many times had their shenanigans nearly destroyed Echo Creek? "At least a hundred times," she surprised him with a quick peck on the lips.

Behind them, few of the Johansens cooed at the young couple while the Butterflys gave them pointed stares. It's been two years…Marco grumbled as how anyone could still be sour on his marriage to Star. Sensing his thoughts, Star kissed him again for an added measure then shot her family a glare.

"So," River continued without a hitch, "They all banded together and huddled around the Stump as the blizzard waged around them. It caused them to forge a lasting bond on which the kingdom of Mewni was born!"

"To the Stump!" Uncle Grunt raised his wooden mug full of sloshing Stumpnog. Everyone raised their mugs to the cheer, throwing back a mouthful of the strong drink. Star finished her entire portion, flashing Marco a slightly buzzed smile, despite the fact that she had had three of them so far. He was still on his first mug, taking only small sips here and there. It was a lot like eggnog—a thick eggy custard with mulling spices—and of course, the alcohol content was probably high enough to run a car. "C'mon Marco, you aren't even halfway done!" Star teased him, but he knew that his stomach and liver would thank him later if he didn't go too wild. How Mewmans could drink so much and not get cirrhosis will forever stump medical science.

He handed Star the rest for her to finish, which she took way too eagerly while Marco stood up to stretch. Maybe he would snag another bite to eat before starting the final preparations for tonight. Star was going to have the time of her life! Since Marco was occupied with party details, he was unaware of a little troop of warriors analyzing his every move.

"We're gonna get him good," a small Johansen boy eagerly grinned, rubbing his hands together amidst the bite-sized comrades. Now that story-time was over, it was time to play with the grownups. The group gathered around him, analyzing their target when the littlest of them ran to their side. Of the other toddlers, he was smaller and had a slighter build, singling him out as a non-Mewman. "I play?" He asked his larger playmates.

A Butterfly girl nodded, "Of course, Marco Jr. We need you to figure out how to take down the king!" The redhaired boy smiled, joining the huddle because he loved playing with the other children and with his big brother.

"Okay, on the count of three," the leader of the group held up three fingers, which he had just learn to count by himself. "One…two…three!"

Marco had no time to prepare for the tiny warriors' attack on his legs. They knocked him over with a thud and the king laughing at how they tickled him. He had to admit that they formed an effective unit, using numbers over size to take him down.

"Alright, who dares to challenge the king?" He bellowed in a mock-angry voice. The toddlers scrambled back, pointing at one another to avoid being blamed. No matter, Marco was an experienced general and finder-of-truth. Grabbing a couple of the squealing lot, he found it hard to conceal an amused chuckle at their futile attempts to escape. His eyes especially softened when he saw that one of the captives was his own brother. Marco Jr was now two years old, and every day he looked more and more like Angie. Green eyes sparkled with mischief and his red hair complimented the Santa suit he had worn to the Stump Day party.

"Wasn't me!" The kid shook his head, complaining. "I promise, brother."

"I didn't do it either!" Protested the girl in Marco's other arm, "It was him!" The boy she pointed to shot her a look before bolting under a table with the remainder of his band. Marco let the two kids go, watching them scatter to their hiding places. "I'll get them for you," he turned to see Star starting to round them up, hearing playful shrieks from all sides. Star would be an awesome mother, a goofy smile etched across his face at the scene of the Queen hoisting one of her younger cousins in the air.

"I know that look, Marco," he turned to see his parents watching lovingly while sipping on their Stumpnog. It was always nice to have his mother and father on Mewni; they loved big socializing events with the other royals. Though the Butterflys never looked on their king with good favor, they loved the Lords of Echo Creek.

"What look?" He furled his eyebrows when his parents giggled, sharing a knowing look. It was probably the drinks getting to them or…something else. If this wasn't Star's birthday night, he would offer to take Marco Jr. off their hands for the night.

Angie placed a hand on her eldest son's shoulder, "You'll see one day. Anyways, we gotta round up Mini-You because it's getting late. We'll see you!" The family hugged then went their separate ways. In speaking of rounding up someone, a group of toddlers raced past with Star hot on their heels. Marco caught his fun-loving wife in his arms though she tried at every point to get away. Her strength made him dip down a little into his magic to contain her though she whined about it being cheating.

"You haven't forgotten about your birthday surprise, have you?" He whispered low in her ears, relishing in the blush that made her cheekmarks glow a low red. She beamed with a coy smile when he kissed her glowing cheeks. The excitement from her end of the bond made his heart race like her own, which made him smile; she had no idea.

Star grew even more flustered, "Oh. Well, lemme freshen up then. Meet up when the guests leave?"

"Of course, my Queen," he growled in her ear teasingly before letting her go. She blew him a kiss then turned to head upstairs to their room.

The holiday party started to unwind, and the king bade his farewells to all the guests, thanking them for coming. Once the ballroom was empty, it was crunch time to get everything prepared for the biggest birthday bash in Mewni. Marco did a lot of the prep work because he was a control freak about details, especially when it came to impressing his Star. Nothing was too good for her. Ugh, these tablecloths could be smoother, he frowned at the small creases in the pink fabric. Snapping his fingers, he summoned a hot iron and got to work meticulously pressing every single wrinkle. Must…be…perfect….

"Hey! Marco!" The king tossed the iron in the air as he flailed in surprise. Lucky for him, instead of having the hot appliance land on his face, Tom caught it hot side down with an outstretched hand. Oh yeah, he's made of fire, Marco remembered after being in awe of how his friend wasn't burned.

Tom shook his head, evaporating the iron with his hand, "Need a little help, buddy? You're doing that thing where you get all sweaty?"

"I'm not sweaty!" spat Marco hastily right before a bead of moisture dripped into his eye, making it sting from the salt. He could just hear Tom laugh as he wiped his face with a napkin, trying to hide his shame.

"Marco's getting sweaty already?" They turned to see a familiar friend leaning against a nearby pillar with her arms folded. "That's a great sign that things will go well." It was Kelly who made the remark at which Marco rolled his eyes and tried to play it cool. Though it wasn't like his old friend and sparring partner couldn't see right through him. Beside her, yet another portal opened with Janna, Jackie, Pony Head, and Starfan13 loaded down with food, presents, and bottles of alcohol. Tom's face practically glowed when his girlfriend appeared, leaving Marco's side immediately to be with her. So much for bros before—

"Gonna help me with the bottle collection or what?" Jackie was struggling to balance about four cases of alcohol: she carried them in her hands and under her arms. Any normal human would have only carried one of them but being on Mewni had made Jackie incredibly tough. The king stepped in to take two of them off her hands and she sighed with relief. "Thanks, man. Also, I forgot it would be cold here or I would have changed into something warmer."

It was clear from her attire that she was spoiled by Echo Creek's climate; she wore a blue tank top and shorts while snow continued to fall outside. Janna was also wearing her normal, warm weather clothes but she had her demon boyfriend to keep her warm. Hopefully not too warm, Marco shook his head at how the two had stopped working to make out.

Jackie rolled her eyes, "I feel ya. I'm the RA on her hall and I'll never forget when Princey over there set off the fire alarms at 3 AM…. Luckily because I have connections with the royal house, the university let that slide."

"And I bet the best RA sets a good example by drinking underage," Marco playfully jabbed her, causing his friend to snicker.

"Didn't say I was perfect and I'm legal here."

"Where'd you get all this from anyways? Lemme guess, Janna robbed a liquor store?" He surveyed the haul and estimated that there were probably hundreds of dollars' worth of merchandise on the table.

"I only brought about four bottles," Jackie replied. "Got 'em from some seniors. As for the rest…Janna just told me that she 'knew a guy' so…I have no idea." It was best not to question it further.

Pony Head flew from the other side of the room with disgust on her face, "I've had to deal with Starco and now look at those two over there." They all turned to see that Tom and Janna were getting a tad too involved. "Party can't start soon enough 'cuz like I need to drink all the booze to deal with those lovebirds."

Kelly, who was now armed with tons of board games, shook her head at the princess's pronouncement. "Drama Queen, am I right?"

"Well," Jackie sighed, "I guess it's time to use my RA powers to break them up before it turns into that kind of party."

The last friend to greet Marco was StarFan13, excitedly clutching her camera. "I can't wait to document every single moment of Star's party and publish them in my magazine," she gushed in her raspy voice. Ever since Star became queen, her number-one best-fan went into business founding Butterfly Beatz, the sole good magazine on the royal affairs of the Butterfly family. Who knew that a creepy Earth teen could run such an objectively sound news outlet?

With the gang all here and ready to finish the final preparations, Marco was about to announce marching orders like from his days as general when Tom, who was busy smoothing down his ruffled hair, clasped his hand to his bro's shoulder. "Hey, buddy, like I know you're super invested in setting up but why don't you leave that to us and fetch the birthday girl?"

Basically, Tom was finding a way to distract him from micromanaging the team as usual. I see how it is, he narrowed his eyes, then exhaled. It would be better for everyone involved if Marco just relaxed and let the party happen. Plus, Star was probably sleeping or something. He left the fate of the birthday in the prince's hands to set off to retrieve his wife.

"Oh, Star," he called, opening the door, "It's time for your birthday sur—" The words caught abruptly in his throat and his mouth hung open in shock. For before Marco's very wide eyes, Star was lounging on their bed wearing the thinnest negligée that could count as clothing with rose petals scattered about. She winked at him, sending deep, lusty vibes his way that made him blush.

"Oh, you know I'm ready for my birthday gift, Wild Man," she crooned to him softly, even beckoning him with a finger. Part of him—the majority of him—wondered if Tom would notice if he disappeared for thirty minutes or an hour. He would…. Plus, the rest of their friends would never let him live it down. They still teased Star and Marco about the tent incident. Was it his fault that nearly dying and fighting for hours left him with the burning need to spend quality time with Star? "Is that what you call our sexy time?" Her seductive voice was better than music to his ear, but Marco couldn't indulge yet. "Come to bed with me," she whined. However, Marco had to…resist her siren song and it took all of his mental strength to stay rooted in place.

She frowned at his lack of participation, then her eyes widen when she probed his thought and uncovered his real birthday surprise. It required a lot more clothing than she had originally thought. "Ooooh," she mouthed then sat up on the bed blushing. "Marco, you didn't have to go through all of that."

"But, I love you, Star," he walked to her side, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You deserve an awesome party for such a milestone." If anyone deserved a great night with friends, it was Star. Normally, Marco wasn't someone who pushed for silly fun, but tonight was going to be just that.

"Thanks, Marco," she got up and poofed on her Stump Day outfit from earlier, white horns included. "Let's go!"

Downstairs in the ballroom, their friends were waiting and greeted the queen with a loud "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" when she appeared. They did a great job, Marco marveled at the decorations while Star was nearly tackled to the ground in hugs from everyone. Streamers were hung off of the ceilings and walls in a rainbow of tissue paper, the cake was well-centered on the main table, and Tom even ironed the remaining tablecloths perfectly. What made it all worthwhile was seeing the bright joy on Star's face surrounded by the people she loved on her day.

"By the way, pay up, guys," Kelly held out her hand, "I won my bet." Marco and Star exchanged a confused glance when their other friends fished various currency out of their pockets, dropping them into the green haired girl's outstretched palm. When Kelly saw their faces, she added, "Made a bet on whether or not you two would dawdle upstairs or not."

Marco knew what she meant by that, "We have self-control, guys." Jackie opened her mouth to counter, but he interrupted with, "That was one time."

"But I will never be able to get the sound of you moaning Star's name out of my ears," Jackie smirked.

"Yeah, Marco, you sounded like a girl," Janna chimed in with the rest of the group breaking out into a laugh. "Do I really sound like that?" The king asked feeling super embarrassed, however, Star refused to look him in the eye. It was all fun until StarFan grumbled about how disappointed she was for missing that moment, which made the partiers stare blankly.

"You know, what," Pony blinked, "This is getting a bit awkward so let's, like, get this party started!"

"Shouldn't it be up to the birthday girl, Pony?" Marco cleared his voice. Pony snorted in his face but yielded so her friend could decide the order of festivities for tonight.

"Well…" Star rubbed her chin, "Since I plan on being impaired rather soon, let's get gifts out of the way." Snapping her fingers, she summoned the parcels to a nearby table with wandless magic. Her eyes sparkled at the assortment in front of her, but the largest gift drew her in first.

"That's from me," Kelly grinned when Star opened the green wrapping paper to reveal a giant war hammer with a black leather grip; the head of which was sharpened into a long pike on one side. Star's mouth dropped with Jackie uttering a low whistle in the background.

"I noticed that you had a severe lack of hammers in your personal arsenal," Kelly added while the queen gave the weapon a few good swings. The pike end got stuck in a pillar, making everyone laugh as Star struggled to free it. Blushing with embarrassment, the blonde smiled, "Thanks, Kelly. Can't wait to try this puppy out in battle."

"Well don't be afraid to hit me up for missions." They hugged before Star turned to the other presents.

The next one was from Jackie: a pink skateboard with the Butterfly family crest on the underside of the board and yellow racing stripes on top. Skateboarding was Jackie's favorite pastime, so Star teared up a little when she beheld the gift. Marco remembered watching the two constantly fight over him years ago. Watching the girls hug made everyone smile knowingly.

"I know it isn't much," Jackie started. "It's just an Earth skateboard, but I thought you needed something cool to do when you aren't busy with queen stuff. I'm always up for lessons."

Star's next gifts involved a magic refilling shot glass from Pony Head, a complete Starfan13 cosplay costume on the off chance that one was needed, and a creepy book on magical body possession from Janna.

"There's a section on the Blood Moon in here," the witch smirked, thumbing through the pages for Star. "Did you know that you can possess your darling husband's body with the Blood Moon bond? Now you know." The girls snickered darkly, making Marco and Tom share a concerned look.

Next came Tom's gift which was a pair of bright red fingerless gloves. "I know you've been studying wandless magic," he said while Star tried them on. "So, these gloves will help you channel fire or demon spells. You always wanted me to teach you, so consider this fulfilling my IOU."

"Thanks, Tom," Star pulled him in for a long hug. Letting him go, the queen closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, focusing on how to make a flame. Then she opened her eyes, watching an orange tongue of heat dance in her hand. Tom gazed on her warmly, placing a hand on her shoulder, "See? A natural already."

"I hate to interrupt this touching moment," Marco marveled at the sight of Star trying to juggle the flame with Tom giving her pointers. "But you still have one more present." At least one he could give her right now and in front of people. Shopping for a queen that literally had everything was one of the hardest rituals Marco had to face on a regular basis. Even more so difficult than running a kingdom. She had countless weapons, armor, horses, and more, yet, Marco received a very important tip from her father a few weeks ago.

"Whoa!" Star clapped her hands to her mouth at the sight of her gift: a fancy royal saddle made of black dragon leather. The rest of their friends raised their eyebrows, especially Kelly who knew how much something like this would cost. "I heard you were talking about the Queen's Cup in a few months," Marco said while she gushed over the saddle. "If you really wanna compete in a multi-day race, then I'm going to make you do it safely. This is some state of the art stuff: it changes to match the rider, horse, and terrain, has tons of saddlebag space, and even heats up in the cold. So—"

He was silenced by a kiss. "And I thought you would get me another fanny pack," she giggled while he scowled. That was only one time and it was stylish and practical. "Thanks, Marco," she kissed his cheek, squeezing his hand.

"Anything for you, my queen," he replied in kind.

"Alright, I'm not here to watch you two get all cozy," Pony flew in between them, garnering frowns from both of them. "Let's play some drinking games! Show me what got, Bush Girl!"

They all gathered around, sitting in the middle of the dancefloor as Kelly displayed her wide assortment of possibilities. "Uh…Kelly," Marco furled his brows when he studied them, "These are just regular board games." Jackie and Janna snickered while Pony shook her head.

"Oh Marco," Kelly sighed, "Any game can be a drinking game if you stick the word 'shot' in the title. We have Battleshots, Shots of Life, Twisted Shots…." None of the options sounded appealing. The first game brought back memories from the quest, the second was a game Marco always lost by having too many kids and a low-paying job, and the third was painful.

"How about…this one!" It was Star who pointed to a thick white box excitedly.

"Nice pick, Starship," Tom smirked. "Shotopoly, the ultimate game of bankrupting your friends then never speaking to them again."

An impressed whistle came from Pony Head, "Dang girl, going for the heavy hitter on that one. I heard that if you land on Broadway with a hotel on it, you die. That's what happened to some guy's brother's cousin's girlfriend's bestie—or so I've heard."

Marco gulped, "Maybe we should—"

"I'm in!" Star cut him off with a gleeful grin.

"Oh, you know me girl," Pony neighed. "I'm in."

"I'm in because Star's in," wheezed StarFan.

"Danger is my middle name," nodded Kelly.

"I'm down for a good time," Janna shrugged with Jackie nodding in agreement. Tom flashed his girlfriend a coy smile, "Well I'm all fire inside, so I'll be fine. Gonna join us, Diaz?"

The hesitant member of the party folded his arms and huffed. There was nothing about this game that suggested that it would end smoothly. He already had to take care of Star when she came home drunk, imagine multiplying that by six…. "Marco! Marco!" The group began chanting his name, clapping their hands to the rhythm. I can't believe we're resorting to peer pressure, he grumbled inwardly. Maybe he should let loose a little: it was Star's birthday and he could easily negotiate his punishments to something else since he had the least amount of alcohol tolerance. With a groaning sigh, he resigned himself to fate, "Fiiine."

"Alright!" Star hugged him. "Kelly, you're the banker! And everyone, choose your poison!"

From the massive spread of bottles on the table, everyone selected their favorite drink. Marco narrowed his eyes at the collection. Hard liquor was not his forte—they all burned the same. He grunted when Janna gave him a rough jab that actually hurt. "Looking for grape juice?" She jeered at him.

"Hardy har har," he glared at her. I'll show Janna! He grabbed the largest bottle of whatever had the flashiest label without reading it and sat down between Tom and Star. They both made a face at the liquor he had chosen.

"Really? You think you can handle Butterfly Scotch?" Tom eyes him with deep suspicion. "It's like the strongest stuff in the kingdom."

"Of course, I can," Marco replied in a challenge.

"If you guys are done bickering," Kelly called to them from her side of the board. "It's time to start this game." She doled out the rainbow-colored stacks of money then passed the dice to a super enthusiastic Star. Did I make a huge mistake? Marco contemplated when she gave the mini cubes of fate a toss on the gameboard. Whatever he was about to face, the king knew that this would be a long night.

An hour later, the king zoned out for a second too long in an attempt to read what the small font on a property card said. Meanwhile, Kelly counted the fistful of bills he handed her in exchange for yet another stake in land. While Marco's real estate empire spanned all corners of the cardboard plain—containing two full monopolies on the pink and red properties, and about a dozen others—it came with a steep price. But Marco had to show the others he wasn't weak. A true general never lets up until the battle was won.

Already, his plan for domination had ensnared another victim for Jackie landed on one of Marco's green properties with three matching houses on them. The girl groaned while fumbling through her wad of money with a frown.

"Alright, hand me my shot glass, Tom," she sighed in defeat for the six-hundred-and-fifty-dollar fee was too steep. Shakily bringing the small vessel to her lips, she took her punishment with dignity.

"Takes more than that to put me down," her voice slurred. When it came to who was conscious enough to still play, only she, Kelly, Marco, Tom, and Star were will remotely in it. Janna and Pony Head had gotten so loopy that they stopped playing and went off to dance, and StarFan was busy screaming that she was the "realest Star Butterfly."

Tom shook his head at the scene, "I can't believe you guys. I've had four bottles and am only slightly buzzed."

"Four of them…" Star giggled, her mind commenting on how silly the number four sounded coming from Tom's mouth. How the queen was still in this game, Marco didn't know—then again, he hardly knew where he was in general. It would have seemed more likely that the hyperactive blonde would have quit a while ago to party with the other girls, but she held fast to her five properties. Man, …she's so hot…his mind purred.

"Marco!" His brown eyes shot up when Tom chucked the dice at his head. For some reason, the pain barely registered in his nerves. "Stop staring at Starship like that; it's your move."

His hands felt like lead and the dice even heavier, but he lobbed them on the board, landing on a seven. Fishing around for his game piece, he moved it to the appropriate space on the board. It was a wildcard space which meant that Marco would have to pick up a card to read—not an easy task at the moment. After knocking over a few empty bottles, Tom slapped his hand back, "I'll read it for you. Advance to Broadway."

"Easy," Marco smirked but when he landed on the space, his heart sunk like a stone upon seeing a red, plastic hotel on the space. Who on Earth had the money to develop such an expensive piece of real estate? He noticed the evil glint in Star's eyes and he groaned loudly. "When did this happen?" Marco didn't realize that he had said his thoughts aloud until Star cackled loudly, rolling over on the ground in the process. To make it worse, she had a monopoly on dark blue spaces.

Tom blinked, "Uh…how drunk are you? You traded that property with Star."

"When?" The king spat loudly. Even with his brain under the influence, Marco knew many things about Star, but being a shrewd businesswoman was not one of them.

"Marco, you really don't remember at all?" The demon prince eyed him. "To recap, you got so deep in the hole with Star, you traded your properties over something having to do with her Butterfly form."

Marco felt his already flush cheeks turn a darker shade of red. Thank goodness his best friend was truly oblivious sometimes or it would be the aftermath of the tent incident all over again. Of course, Jackie was able to connect the dots though impaired and nearly fell over laughing with Star. Normally he would have done something to defend his honor, but he had a bigger problem at hand. The penalty for his misfortune would cost him over three thousand dollars, which he clearly did not have, and making it up with drinking would require him to down the other half of the bottle in one go. Basically, Marco was a dead man walking because his human liver was surely not up to the task nor ever would be.

"Please, Star?" He locked eyes with his beautiful wife—making sure to really sell how amazing she was at besting her foes—and implored her to show mercy. Good queens did that every now and again, especially to their kings who could compensate in another fashion. But Star was first a warrior, she reminded him, and a true one did not rest until every last village was razed to the ground. "You can do it," her cold, drunken mind told him. She really was River and Moon's daughter.

The king shakily picked up the bottle, eyeing the poison with regret. Maybe he should have gone with grape juice, that would be so much better. Slowly, out of the sluggishness of his limbs and dread, he brought the bottle to his lips when the lights when out in a snap and the windows busted open. The absence of music caused Janna and Pony Head to stop dancing, and StarFan ceased her babbling. Oh no…the still rational part of Marco's brain knew what was coming.

"How is this possible?" Tom met his gaze. "We have appeased this stupid piece of wood and we didn't fight this year!"

"That is part of my beef with you," a sinister voice reverberated around the room, causing the confused and scared young adults to bunch up around each other. Out of the darkest shadow of the farthest corner of the room came the giant sentient remains of a dead tree with swirling root-tentacles that knocked over tables and chairs. "Oops, but not really."

"You can talk?" Marco managed to slowly put together a full sentence, which took a bit more effort than it should have. How was that possible when trees didn't have mouths or lungs or vocal cords?

"Oh yes, I can talk," the Stump said matter-of-factly. "I'm an immortal tree god, what do you expect?"

"I expect you not to be here," Tom challenged with flaming fists. "We were just having a nice time."

"And that is the problem!" The Stump roared, shaking the castle in a mighty shake. He slithered into the orange glow of the fireplace, radiating a red aura of his own. Now Marco was beginning to see why Star hated wood so much and maybe he did too. The Stump leaned towards them as if it was glaring at them then continued, "I am the god of peace and discord. I am the only one allowed to bring people together on my day. In fact, it was I who caused the settlers to bicker and fight, so I could bring them together and have them worship me."

"Geez, aren't we clingy?" Tom snorted. "You can't make people love you. I learned that one the hard way with Star." The queen waved at him and Marco nodded.

Clearly, the Stump was not amused by Tom's touching moral and crossed his woody tendrils like arms. "Well, I can always rip you apart, and not just metaphorically." The group assumed their various fighting stances, standing back to back in a defensive circle. Tom had flaming magic in his fists with Janna managing to generate her own magic, Kelly and Jackie had their weapons drawn, Pony's horn shone in the dark, and Marco's cheekmarks started to glow.

"And I have a camera!" StarFan whipped out a camera to document the battle.

They were about to attack as one when Star jumped eagerly in front of them. "WOOHOO! IT'S TIME FOR A HOLIDAY SHOWDOWN!" She screamed at the top of her lungs which made even the earless piece of angry wood flinch. "NARWHAL BLAST!" While her effort was well-meaning, Star tripped at the last second, sending the whales in the direction of her comrades than the Stump. Marco took one right in the face and he flew across the room. The endless assault of spells from a magic-happy Star continued to wreak havoc on the wrong set of victims, sending everyone but the laughing Stump into hiding under tables, chairs, or anything that could hold its own against an assortment of animals, beams, and whatever else she came up with.

"Star is totally a loose cannon!" Kelly shouted over a sonic boom caused by one of Star's lightning spells. The bolt bounced off of the ceiling and exploded the table the green-haired girl was hiding under. Tom and Marco, who shared their hiding spot together, gazed on the magnificent warrior with the same concern as that one time in the cave. What was worse: mind-controlled Star or drunk Star? Definitely the latter….

"Marco," Tom grabbed his shoulder, "Go out there and calm her down or something or we'll—" A stream of colors whizzed passed Marco's face and sent Tom flying into the far wall. Sighing because the king was way too impaired to try to intervene, he rolled out of the cover to avoid another beam of magic and rushed to Star.

"Oh, Star!" He called to her. "Why don't you—" A shower of crystal hearts streamed his way and he instinctively slashed them away with an arc of his red magic. The effect, however, sent them streaming towards their friends. Oops, he grinned sheepishly at an unamused Tom who was busy trying to rip one of them out of his thigh.

"THAT IS IT!" The prince growled as he burst into flames, "I'M GONNA GET YOU TWO!"

"Yes, my subjects!" The Stump waved his roots, "Surrender to the chaos!" Marco tried to run but Tom's demon magic caught him and Star. At least she stopped, he tried to look on the bright side of his impending doom. Star was rather unfazed by her fiery ex, even commenting on how cool his hands looked. With a roar, Tom caught them both on the right below the sternum and hit them with super-heated hands.

"Tom! OW!" Marco shouted when he let go. "Why'd you do that?!" Now there was a hand-sized hole in his hoodie! Some friend he was! And he hurt Star, who was quivering beside Marco from the pain.

"Notice anything, Diaz?" Tom extinguished the fire from his body though he still used his demon voice. Beside burn marks? Marco wanted to sneer but didn't. Then it hit him. His limbs were felt lighter and his mind was sharp again like the drinking game had never happened. Oh, he mouthed to Tom. Now he understood: the heat from Tom's blast must have hit their livers and burned off all of the alcohol. How on Earth does that even work? This would be a question to ask Jackie later or just accept as one of Mewni's mysteries.

Suddenly, a root shot past the trio and carried away a screaming Jackie who was frantically slashing away with her axe, then reached for more victims. Star, Marco, and Tom scrambled for cover, jumping over their struggling friends and squirming roots in their wake. "We need a plan and now!" Star glanced at him with panic shining in her eyes. As Marco was about to answer but his mouth hung open when Tom shrieked as a root wrapped around his ankles and hoisted him in the air.

"Tom!" The pair screamed as they watched him get consumed by the wooden prison.

"Run, fools!" He managed to call out to them before the Stump's grip covered his face. They heeded his final words and ran. Star gripped Marco's hand tightly as she made a mad dash for cover—the janitor's closet on the far end of the room. I didn't know we had one, Marco was going to ask Star where the place of refuge came from when he felt something wrap around his ankle.

"Star!" He screamed as he was nearly ripped from her hand by the evil tree, but Star kept her grip tight on him. A couple of joints popped as Marco became caught up in a painful match of tug-of-war between a determined spouse and an evil tree. The opposing sides had entered a stalemate, which added more stress to his straining body. "Hold on sweetie!" She encouraged him through the bond. "I'm thinking of something!" The queen dropped a hand then sent a blast of fire at the root that just missed Marco's foot. The Stump roared in pain, dropping Marco and recoiling the injured limb. It bought enough time for the pair to scramble into the closet and slam the door shut. In the silence, they remained braced against the door trying to settle their racing hearts as well as keep the Stump out.

After a few moments, Marco felt his breathing levels drop to normal, allowing him to speak. "How did you summon fire?" She smiled at him and summoned a palm full of fire that lit up her new gloves from Tom. "Didn't think they'd come in handy so soon," she admired them.

"But did you see how the Stump reacted when you burned it?" Marco held her hands excitedly. "That's the key! We're gonna have a real Stump Day Bonfire!" The Stump might be a powerful entity, but it was still a stupid tree. Too bad Tom was trapped because he would be a game changer. If the two royals could come up with a foolproof plan to free him, then maybe….

Suddenly, the door was ripped out of behind them and the Stump loomed menacingly with the rest of the party attendees trapped in his tentacles of wood. "You can't hide from the spirit of the holidays, mortals," it growled at them. Marco and Star gave each other a horrified look and held hands in the wake of their doom. "If we go down, we do so fighting," she nodded her head at the Stump. Marco tilted his head in confusion at the odd glint in her eyes; the one she reserved for her daring plans. Before he could question her motives, the Stump whacked Marco across the head.

"Marco!" He could hear Star frantically call his name as well as the crackling of flame as his head swum in and out of blackness. Finally coming to, his heart stopped when he saw that the fiendish log had Star in its clutches. "No!" he roared, punching a deep dent into the side of the tree god but it inflicted very little damage. Curse this dimension! He gritted his teeth in frustration from all of the enemies he had had to face on Mewni. First lint monsters, then Star's crazy ex-boyfriend, the knights, the Forest Guardian, Meteora, Mina, Eclipsa…. Why couldn't someone be easy to defeat? Why can't I be stronger to protect Star? His despair made him dip down, channeling enough magic to leap in the air after Star. Watching her struggle in the tree's grip gave him the energy to pry off a root with his bare hands.

"Star, grab my hand!" He pleaded when he managed to free half of her, but she shook her head. "I'm impressed, but let me go," she insisted. "It's…apart of the plan…"

But! He wanted desperately to attack but sighed, landing back on the ground. The Stump wrapped more limbs around Star and hauled her close to its center. "At last!" it proclaimed in victory, "Now no one will celebrate anybody but me!" Marco sank to his knees feeling defeated. The whole point of tonight was to make Star feel special and now it was a disaster.

"That's what you think!" Her scary voice came out of nowhere, either as a challenge to Marco, the Stump or both. A small trail of smoke rose upwards from a sizzling section of roots near the base of the dead tree. Then with a fiery boom, Golden Butterfly Star emerged from the heart of the tree with fire all around her and their friends gathered in her arms. Marco staggered back and smiled; he should have known better than to underestimate his wife. Tom and Janna joined up with fire attacks of their own with Kelly, Jackie, and Pony attacking weak spots.

"C'mon, Turd!" Pony Head yelled at the awe-inspired Marco. "Get off your butt and do something!" The Earth boy got up and lent his magical strength to beat the living sap out of the Stump. In only a few moments, the evil tree was beaten back to a smoldering heap with the circle of friends glowering over it.

Star, shifting out of her Butterfly form, stepped on a knob in the tree. "Let's finish it, guys!" As they were about to finish it, the clock struck midnight and the Stump faded away. As he disappeared, the Stump's voice whispered, "You can never kill me. I'll be back…."

The lights in the room were restored, revealing the damage left behind from the fight: broken furniture, burnt walls, and destroyed decorations. Marco rubbed his head, looking away from Star in deep shame, "I'm sorry, Star…I wanted this day—" He was stopped by a hug from his wife who was shaking with laughter.

"Are. You. Kidding?!" She grinned. "This was the best birthday ever! We had gifts and games and butt kicking. That's everything I love, Marco!" He smiled as a wave of relief washed over him—maybe the general had serious birthday planning skills. A beam of red moonlight rested on their shoulders and they sighed, feeling a swirl of emotions flow between them.

"Thinking what I'm thinking?" She whispered slyly, tracing shapes on his chest. Since he could read her mind, yes, and he was thinking the same. They leaned in for a kiss when a rough cough made them pull apart abruptly.

At their feet, Pony Head gave them a serious glare, "Look here, lovebirds, we're all tired from drinking and almost dying so can you please not right now!" Marco turned to see all of their friends laying where they stood fighting just moments before, passed out. I finally threw a cool party, Marco realized with an odd sense of pride. Jackie had told him stories of college parties that made people so tired that they fell asleep while dancing.

Being a rulebound king, he was about to wake them up to send them home when he was picked up by Star and held bridal style in her arms. Her thoughts were definitely on other things—the kind of activities that made him both blush and excited himself.

"You still owe me that birthday surprise," she teased him in a low voice, carrying him towards their room. "What am I going to do with you?" He chuckled slightly, marveling at how she carried him with no effort up the spiral staircase and down three sets of halls after all of the fighting. "Oh, we both know, Wild Man," she rubbed her nose against his. The party was just getting started.