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thdorkmagnet · 4 years

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See the Light (Star is Rapunzel AU Part 4)

Summary: A series of one-shots and multi-chapters proving why Star Butterfly should be considered a Disney Princess, as Star and company take over the roles of all your favorite Disney Princess characters! (Starco inevitable)

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Disclaimer: Star vs and all its characters are owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney. Tangled belongs to Disney. All rights go to their respective owners.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Marco was in shock. That much was clear to Star as she cast worried glances at him from across the small clearing the three had settled down in for the night. She was starting to worry about him honestly as he just sat numbly on the log, his unblinking eyes staring deeply and emptily into the flickering light of the campfire. He looked drained, devoid of any and every emotion, and Star was fairly sure she hadn't seen him blink in over an hour.

She couldn't blame him for this reaction, it was only natural after all, it was probably not every day he was in the presence of two magical beings and it was bound to be confusing. Still, she figured he would recover once they had explained the situation to him. She hoped he would at least, it was starting to bother her that he hadn't looked at her in a while, though she had no idea why. For some reason, she seemed to be craving his attention.

Janna settled down beside her friends as she finished setting their meal on to cook over the campfire, just some fish Star had managed to catch after much trial and error. Janna was still in her human form for now, which Star knew had to be wearing out soon, so she figured they better hurry up and explain everything before she changed back, since it was clear Marco didn't speak bat.

The two girls now sat on either side of Marco and Star cleared her throat, deciding it was best if she started. "So, Marco I bet you have a lot of questions, huh?" She asked awkwardly, nearly slapping herself for saying something so dumb. Duh, of course he did.

"Maybe just... a couple," the thief sheepishly admitted, he seemed to be acting just as awkward as she felt and Star found something bizarrely comforting about that.

"Okay well, I guess I should start from the beginning, then," she began, clearing her throat. But suddenly she noticed the way her friend was clinging onto his hand, laying it gingerly in his lap and Star leaned over to examine it closer. "Did something happen to your hand?" she asked.

"Huh?" Marco said in surprise, before following her gaze to his palm, wrapped up tight in bandages. "Oh yeah, I scraped it on one of the rocks back in the cave."

Star frowned, cooing softly, "Oh you poor thing! Here, let me help you."

As soon as she began fiddling with the bandages, Marco began to protest, putting his good hand on her shoulder to try and hold the blond back. "No, no, that's okay. You don't have to-"

"Marco," Star interrupted, her voice soft but firm and the boy froze and locked eyes with her. "Trust me."

Marco stared deep into her crystal blue orbs for a moment before he loosened his grip and allowed her to finish whatever it was she was doing. It's not like she could make things any worse, right?

So instead, the boy just watched in confusion as she began to wordlessly wrap strands of her hair around the scrape, looping it multiple times until the injury was fully covered by her blond locks. "Uhh, so what exactly are you doing?" he asked after a moment, his curiosity and impatience getting the best of him.

"You'll see," she said, with barely suppressed joy, shooting him a playful wink. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath, as her mouth slowly opened. But suddenly, her eyes snapped back open as she rushed to add, "Oh and try not to freak out."

"Whaaa-" Marco began, slightly unnerved now, but Star just closed her eyes and started the same process as before.

"Flower gleam and glow," she began, her gentle smooth singing voice throwing Marco off guard. She was singing again.

"Let your power shine." This was the same song from before, which meant...

And just as expected a warm glow lit up the darkened area, starting at the roots of the blond's hair and slowly crawling its way down. "Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine."

Marco watched in awe as the glowing trail flowed through Star's long locks, sucking in a breath as it reached his hand. "Heal what has been hurt..." Wait, what was that last bit?

"Change the fates' design..." Marco gasped as his hand began tingling but not in a bad way, it felt... oddly comforting. "Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine." Marco, still in shock as the tingling grew into a steady, soothing warmth, looked over to Janna who just gave him a smug, knowing look.

Finally, Marco's gaze returned to Star as she finished her song, her eyes closed and the glow from her hair making her face shine with an otherworldly beauty, causing the boy's cheeks to heat up as he let out a soft breath. "What once was minnnee."

The moment she stopped singing, the glow vanished and the tingling sensation disappeared, leaving Marco blinking as his eyes struggled to adjust to the dim lighting once again. He began to unwrap his hand, wanting to see the result of whatever his magical friend had just done and Star bit her lip as she watched him intensely, waiting to judge his reaction.

The moment Marco saw the state of his hand, he felt the urge to scream, barely stifling the shocked cry as he saw his hand had been completely healed, not a scratch anywhere in sight. "Oh wow, th-that is.. I um, that's... certainly something," Marco chocked out, plastering on a forced smile, trying not to let his discomfort show out of fear of upsetting Star.

"Marco, it's okay if you're freaked out," Star told him, seeing through his act in a heartbeat.

Marco laughed awkwardly, rocking back and forth on the log while clutching his hand to his chest. "What, no. Freaked out? I'm not freaked out. Are you freaked out?!"

"Marco!" Star said, placing her hands on his cheeks and staring deep into his eyes. "Its really alright if you aren't okay," she reassured him softly.

But she felt instant regret for this action as she became all too startlingly aware of just how close she was to him and how deep and vast his brown eyes were. The boy seemed aware of this too because his breath hitched at the action and his face pooled with blood. Star quickly released him, ignoring her own blushing cheeks, playing with a loose strand of her hair, doing her best not to meet his eye.

Marco cleared his throat before asking, in a still slightly unnerved tone, "So, uh, how long have you been able to... do that?"

Star shrugged, finally meeting his eye again. "Basically forever. My mom said when I was really little that people tried to steal my hair so they could use its power. But, turns out if you cut it, it doesn't work anymore and it never grows any longer." She pulled back her many layers of hair to show him a short blond strand. She let her hair drop back, a sad look crossing her face as she admitted, "That's why I stayed in the tower for so long. I didn't want anyone using this power for the wrong reasons. But I figured since I'm old enough now, it would be okay." Her eyes looked into the flickering fireplace as she added bitterly, "Not that mom would agree."

Marco gave Star a sad look, placing his hand gently over hers, causing her eyes to jump to his for a second. "I'm sorry, Star. That must have been terrible, being cooped up and stuck in one place is literally my worst nightmare."

"Yeah, it was pretty tough," the blond admitted. The two shared a long look before Star gave him a small smile and said, "But y'know today has been the greatest day of my life, even with the near-death experiences."

The two shared a chuckle, Marco immediately agreeing, "Same." The young thief blushed before adding, "But I guess that's because I got to spend it with you."

Star's eyes widened at that, twinkling in the dim firelight. For a moment, the two just stared at each other with blushes on their cheeks, until they heard a cough next to them and they both whipped their heads over to see Janna giving them a cocky smirk. She pointed down at their hands and they followed her gaze only to gasp as they realized Marco's palm was resting on Star's. The young thief immediately pulled his hand away, rubbing the back of his neck, while Star began to shyly play with a strand of hair again.

"So uh, Janna," Marco began, hoping the girls wouldn't pick up on the squeak in his voice. "What about you? What's your story?"

Janna shrugged, casually leaning back on the log before saying, "Eh, you know. Snuck into a witch's garden, ate from a forbidden berry bush, got cursed by the witch, just your generic everyday hexing."

"Riiiiighht," Marco mumbled, with a roll of his eyes. But an eyebrow slowly raised and he asked in confusion, "So, wait then how did you meet Star?"

"Oh, it's a funny story actually," Star began giddily before she began recounting her first meeting with her pet and best friend.

Meanwhile, hidden in the bushes just outside the clearing, two forms were watching the group of teens from the shadows. Eclipsa was glaring at the young, smiling boy who had stolen away her daughter. The look he kept giving Her Flower making Eclipsa's insides burn with fury and unease. Especially when Star continually shared the look with the young thief.

Ludo just looked bored, impatiently tapping his fingers on his crossed arms. "What are we waiting for? Let's just go over there and grab her while she's distracted."

The bird Monster took a step forward only to be forcefully pulled back by Eclipsa, the woman telling her partner calmly, "Patience, Ludo. These things take time. We mustn't rush things."

Ludo grumbled but obeyed Eclipsa staying in their hiding spot as he stared longingly at the golden hair that was going to make him rich. He figured it was best to go along with this woman's plans, at least until he had the girl in his clutches. Then he was planning to... 'part ways' with Eclipsa. After all, Ludo wasn't much for sharing his spoils. "Okay, then what do we do?" He asked instead, the impatience clear in his voice.

"First, we need to drive those two apart, otherwise we will have a persistent thief on our tails," Eclipsa explained, her narrowed eyes never straying from the boy in red who was getting a little too close to her daughter for Eclipsa's liking, both figuratively and at the moment literally.

"And how do we do that?" Ludo asked in annoyance. From the look of those two, they seemed inseparable.

Eclipsa just smiled. "Leave that to me."

"...it took weeks to get the smell of burnt hair and grapefruit out of the tower," Star cheerfully said, as she finished up her story. "And Janna and I have been together ever since."

"Wow, that was a pretty incredible story," Marco said mystified, his eyes shimmering with joy as he and Star shared a smile. He paused, before adding hesitantly, "And if not for the day I had I probably wouldn't have believed it."

"Yeah, guess it is a bit far-fetched, I mean I didn't even know pig goats could climb a tower," Star admitted.

Marco laughed, his hand unknowingly squeezing Star's, causing the blond's fingers to tingle at the touch. "So what, is it always that crazy for you?"

"Ah, yeah I guess," Star replied hesitantly, not sure if Marco saw that as a good thing or a bad thing, remembering his less than enthusiastic reaction to nearly drowning earlier today. She didn't know why, but it really mattered to her how Marco felt about her. She wanted him to like being around her as much as she liked being around him.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it if you keep hanging out with us," Janna said with a casual little smirk.

Marco smiled back at the two and Star felt her heart flutter in her chest as Marco's shimmering brown orbs froze on her for a second, causing her cheeks to heat up with a blush. Especially as he added sweetly, "Yeah, guess I will."

But the moment was quickly interrupted as Janna stated with slight annoyance, "Hey, guys, the fire is starting to die." The two broke their gaze as they turned to the fire-pit and sure enough the flames were already starting to lose their flicker, in a couple of minutes there would be nothing left of it but hot embers.

"Oh guess you're right, Jan," Star said, absentmindedly, her brain still consumed by the mental image of a soft, brown gaze. "Guess we better throw on another log."

"Yeah, see that's the thing, we don't have anymore," Janna replied. "Because somebody didn't grab us enough." The girl shot Star a fixed stare, causing the blond to puff out her cheeks in annoyance.

"Hey, I did my best considering this is my first time outside ever!" Star whined defensively while shooting her friend a glare.

"Hey, no worries, Star," Marco spoke up before the girls' argument could get any worse, standing and smiling down at the two. "I'll just go get some more," he reasoned pleasantly, pointing over his shoulder at the thick foliage behind him.

"Thanks Marco," Star said in her typical cheery tone.

"And I'll go with you, just to make sure you get enough and don't end up getting eaten by a bear," Janna said, rising from the log herself and throwing an arm around the boy's shoulder, slowly leading them away from the safety of the fire.

"I don't need a babysitter," Marco said with a scowl.

"Oh but I think you do," Janna said in a sing-song voice, much to the young thief's annoyance. "I mean, I left you two alone for like a minute and you almost drowned."

"That's not the same thing!" Marco shouted, before their voices and forms faded from view, leaving Star alone in the flickering firelight.

The blond smiled at her friends' playful banter, glad to see the two acting so close despite the short time they had known one another. To Star, it felt like she had already known Marco her whole life, rather than a day, their time together something she knew she would treasure from now until the end of time. Star couldn't help but smile and blush at the thought of Marco, he was so nice to her and so much fun to hang out with, the image of him singing earlier in the bar causing her whole face to light up. She really wanted to get to know him better and luckily for her she would have plenty of time to-

"Well, I thought he would never leave," a voice said behind her, and Star's eyes widened in fear, slowly turning around to see the form of her mother, staring blankly down at her. Her skin was more wrinkly than before, strands of greying hair were seen peeking out from beneath the rim of her hat.

A wave of guilt washed over Star as she shot to her feet, her mind reeling in shock to see her mother standing there. "M-Mom?" Star stuttered out nervously, shifting uncomfortably while her fingers were busy fiddling with a strand of golden hair. "W-What are you doing here?"

"Well I came home a bit early and you'd never guess what I found back at the tower," her mother said in what was clearly a fake pleasant tone, the scolding look in her eyes sending shivers down Star's spine. "Can you guess what I found, Star?"

"Ummm..." Star muttered out, her heart hammering away in her chest.

But Eclipsa didn't allow her daughter to finish, as she said quickly in a forceful and reprimanding tone, "The answer is nothing. Because my daughter found it better to lie to me and sneak out behind my back."

Star cringed, looking lost down at her feet, hoping they would somehow provide the answer. But, to her disappointment they didn't, so the blond had no choice but to reluctantly raise her head and meet her mother's sharp gaze as she swallowed the lump in her throat and nervously replied, "I'm sorry, mom. I know I shouldn't sneak out but you didn't give me any choice."

"No choice. You knew exactly what you were doing when you lied to me, young lady," Eclipsa scolded.

"Well I had to, you weren't listening to me," Star said in exasperation. Ugh, why couldn't her mom just see what she was doing to her? "I tried to tell you about the floating lights and that I was old enough to go see them but nooo-"

"I was trying to keep you safe, Star," Eclipsa argued. "The outside world is a dangerous place, you could get hurt, someone could try and steal your hair or-"

"Yeah, well I've been outside all day and nothing like that has happened!" the blond replied with an annoyed huff, crossing her arms bitterly in front of her chest. "I'm not a little kid anymore, mom! I can take care of myself!"

"Oh really?" Eclipsa said, giving her daughter a long, hard look.

"Yes, really!" Star shouted back. "Besides I'm not completely alone out here, mom! I've got someone looking after me-"

"Oh yes, the young wanted thief, he's certainly doing a great job of protecting you," the older woman interrupted sarcastically. "He obviously has nothing but your best interest at heart far more than I do," she added bitterly, putting a hand to her chest as her eyes shone with hurt.

Star felt the familiar tug of guilt at her mom's words but they were instantly overpowered by the accusation towards her new friend, a wave of anger passing through her. And feeling the need to stand up for her friend she snapped out without thinking, "How can you say that?! Marco has been nothing but nice to me since I met him! Sure it was a bit of a rocky start but since then he's looked out for me." Star paused her cheeks flushing some as she added, " And I-I like him and I-I think he likes me, too."

Eclipsa stared at her wordlessly for a second before bursting into laughter, much to Star's surprise and embarrassment, her cheeks pooling with so much blood she was afraid she might faint. "Oh darling, you really are too naive for this?" her mother whispered, shaking her head. "You're not thinking clearly. This is the whole reason I told you not to leave. Can't you see he's just using you to get what he wants?"

Star's eyes sharpened into a glare as she argued, "No! No, Marco, isn't like that. He cares about me, he does!" The blond didn't allow any room for doubt, keeping her voice firm and confident.

"Oh, really," her mother said, the disbelief at her daughter's words as plain as day. A clever smile slowly crept across her face as she added, "Well then, why not put him to the test to see if he is really who you say he is?"

Star had a bad feeling about that but not seeing any way out, she replied, "What do you mean?"

"Well if you're so sure he won't leave you once he has what he wants then why not give it to him early," Eclipsa said, while slowly reaching behind her back and pulling out... Marco's satchel.

Star's eyes widened in disbelief, her mouth dropping open at the sight. She took a step back, frantically asking, "How did you find that?!"

"I have my ways," her mother replied simply. "But the bigger question is: What will your little friend do once he sees this? Will he stay with you? Or will he leave and never look back?"

Star's surprise quickly faded into determination as she snatched the satchel out of her mom's hands, the woman just staring at her daughter with a smug, knowing grin. "Marco isn't like that. And I'll prove it to you!" Star turned on her heels, ready to face Marco for whenever he got back, her voice tight with anger. "He'll stay with me, you'll see."

Eclipsa shrugged. "Very well. But when he rejects you, don't bother to come crying to me because I tried to warn you," the woman said, her words poison to Star's mind, who slowly felt her determination wavering, doubt beginning to flood her mind. “Just remember, you wanted to be treated like an adult, Star. Well, now you get to learn just how harsh the real world is."

Star, feeling the doubt beginning to overpower her senses, swerved around to say something to her mom, both of out of need to tell her mom she was wrong and to calm her own mind. But to Star's surprise, her mom was completely gone, like she had vanished into the night. Star looked around a few times for any sign of her mom before realizing she was alone again. Alone with her thoughts.

Star slowly looked back down at the satchel in her grip, her hands tightening so much around it her knuckles were starting to turn white, and she did her best to swallow down her doubt, her mother's words still ringing in her ears. Was she right? Would Marco leave? No, no of course he wouldn't, she argued with herself. Marco would never do that. Would he? Star bit her lip as her worried thoughts overwhelmed her, making her hesitant to decide what to do.

What was she going to do?

But before Star could make a decision she heard a familiar voice echoing through the trees, getting closer and closer every minute. Star panicked, looking around for a place to hide the satchel, before spotting a large rock and quickly threw the bag behind it, hopefully out of view from either Marco or Janna. The girl then turned to face her friends, plastering on the most innocent smile she could as she listened to their conversation as they got closer.

"Unbelievable! I can't believe you turned back into a bat and made me carry all the firewood by myself?!" came Marco's annoyed tone.

Janna let out a few squeaks, confirming to Star that Janna had finally reverted back to her original form.

The boy growled under his breath, before adding, "Oh don't give me that, I know that look, you did it on purpose, didn't you?"

Another more innocent squeak this time.

"Y'know I may not be able to understand you, but I can tell you're being sarcastic," Marco scoffed, rolling his eyes just as he stepped into the clearing, Janna perched on his shoulders and a large pile of wood in his arms. The young thief then loudly called, "Hey Star! I got the-"

But the boy stopped as he spotted Star standing in the middle of the clearing, a guilty look in her eyes and a far-too-wide-to-be-real smile on her face. Marco and Janna's eyebrows both shot up as the boy asked suspiciously, "Star, what's going on?"

"Nothing," the girl said much too quickly.

"Is everything... okay?" the boy asked, worry pinching his brow for a moment.

Star nodded. "Yep, everything's fine. Nothing to worry about, whatsoever," the girl continued, waving a hand at the boy.

Marco didn't seem convinced but he just shrugged and let the subject drop, dumping the pile of firewood on the dimming coal, reigniting them back to life. He sat down on the tree trunk again, asking slightly worriedly, "So should I be worried about any negative side-effects to you healing my hand like that?"

"No, why?" Star asked, plopping down next to him.

"Well, I was just thinking," the boy continued, looking down at his arm. "Is my arm gonna be like super-strong now or like glow in the dark or grow to twice the size of my own head or become a sentient monster arm that tries to devour the soul's of my enemies!"

"Marco, you're spiraling," Star said, placing a hand on the boy's back as he panted heavily from his almost panic attack.

The boy took a few deep breaths to calm himself before turning to Star with a sheepish grin, "Uh, sorry about that."

Star just giggled and shook her head. "It's fine. But don't worry your arm is totally normal. No weird magic applied."

The boy let out a sigh of relief. "That's good." He gave the girl a playful smile. "Although, it would be kinda cool to have a magic super arm or something."

"Yeah, then we could be magic twins!" Star agreed brightly.

"Yeah," the boy in red replied, shooting her a grin.

The two shared a laugh as a pleasant moment passed between the two, one that felt like an eternity for the two teens as they gave each other wistful smiles, brown and blue dancing in the firelight. But then Star remembered the satchel hidden not two feet away, her gut twisting in guilt and she reluctantly broke eye contact with her friend, letting out a fake yawn, stretching her arms over her head. "Oh wow, it's getting late, isn't it?" the girl said quickly, pretending to be more tired than she felt.

Marco gave her an odd look, which made Star's heart rate spike, before he simply replied with a shrug, "Yeah, we should probably head for bed. It's a big day for you, tomorrow. Gotta be ready for it."

"Mm-hmm," the girl agreed, plastering on a fake smile to try and hide the worry and guilt she was feeling from her friend's observant eye. The boy didn't seem to pick up on the blond's distress this time, just laying down in the grass and saying in a tired tone, "Okay well, goodnight, Star."

"Night, Marco," the girl whispered back, watching from her spot on the log as the young thief's eyes closed. She laid down on the grass a few moments later, her back to the boy, listening to his gentle snoring and staring guiltily at the rock that hid her greatest secret. She contemplated her options for a bit, wondering what she should do. Her mother seemed convinced Marco would leave the moment she gave him the crown but that wasn't true, right? She had been confident in defending him at the time but the more she thought about it the more worried she became. Marco had no reason to stay with her once he had the crown, he was only helping her because she had blackmailed him not because he cared about her. Star wanted to believe her speech to him was what convinced him to take her to see the floating lights, but how could she be sure?

She couldn't, not until she gave him the crown, and the thought of doing so now petrified her. What if he left, what if after this whole adventure was over, the two parted ways? Star had always figured that was the plan but now she didn't want him to go. She didn't want things to go back to how they were, she wanted to live and explore the world and, most importantly, she wanted Marco to be with her through all those adventures. Star didn't want to be alone again. Before she had always known she was bored, but it hadn't occurred to her just how lonely she was until she met Marco. Janna had been her only friend for so long and her mom was almost never home. When this whole adventure was over, what then? And the fact that she didn't know the answer scared her more than anything else.

Star didn't get a lot of sleep that night.

…

The clearing remained undisturbed through the night, the sun slowly peeking out from behind the treetops changing the peaceful night into an equally quiet morning. Star had finally managed to doze off into the late hours of the night, using her hair as a make-shift pillow and blanket, curled up into a comfortable ball, smiling to herself in sleep. Janna was perched upside down on one of the tree branches, her wings folded around her to keep out the annoying morning light. Marco lay sprawled out on the grass, snoring loudly, lost deep in peaceful dreams, unaware of the world around him turning. That was until a shadow fell over him, and a drop of water him directly in the face.

The boy's face scrunched up as he was disturbed from his dreams and he mumbled something incoherent in his sleep, before drifting off again. Until another drip hit his cheek and he groaned. Then another and another until finally, he opened his eyes to see what it was that was assaulting him with water. His eyes went wide though as the angry and soaked form of Pony Head stood over him, letting out long puffs through her nostrils while glaring daggers of hate and malice at the young thief. Marco gave her a weak smile, trying his best to scoot away from the enraged horse as he stuttered nervously, "Oh, uh, h-hey, buddy, any chance you came all this way to forgive and forget the whole incident yesterday?" He put on the most charming smile he had in hopes of pacifying her.

Star awoke to the sound of a high-pitched scream nearby and she immediately sat up straight, wide-awake as she looked around the clearing for any signs of trouble. That's when she spotted Marco being dragged away by the horse from yesterday, one of his feet held tightly in the pony's teeth while his arms flailed around wildly in the soft grass, trying to grab onto something, anything to save himself from being taken. The moment he locked eyes with Star he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Star, help me!"

"Marco!" Star screamed back, as she jumped up and ran over to her friend and his animal kidnapper. Star grabbed the young thief's arm pulling back on him with all her might. Pony gave a sharp tug on the boy's leg, hoping to dislodge the blond but to her surprise, Star stood firm, able to match Pony's strength despite her frail-looking form. From there, the two engaged in a fierce tug-of-war over the boy, both putting everything they had into their effort, much to Marco's discomfort and pain. "Ow, ow, ow! Star, my arms don't stretch that far!" the boy shouted in pain but both just ignored him as they continued fighting for victory.

"Give me back my friend, you jerk," Star groaned through gritted teeth, digging her heels into the ground as best she could.

Pony's eyes narrowed in anger at the comment, her grip for just a moment lessening and Star took advantage of the temporary distraction to finally pull her friend free, the two collapsing on the ground in a pile and Pony stumbling back in surprise.

"Marco, are you okay?" Star asked, sitting up and putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

The boy let out a groan as he muttered, "I feel like I just got ripped in half."

"Sorry," Star said, giving him a sheepish smile before turning her attention back on the horse. Pony Head stood there startled for a second, staring at the two teens in shock, then down at the boy's empty boot in her teeth, before finally realizing what just happened and let out a puff of anger.

"Uh oh," Star whispered.

Pony dropped the boot from her teeth before moving toward the two with fire and purpose in her steps and Star quickly jumped to her feet, placing herself between her friend and his animal attacker, holding her hands up in an attempt to calm the horse. "Whoa, whoa, okay. Easy there," Star said in the most soothing voice she could. "Calm down, everything's okay, just stay calm."

Pony Head stopped, observing the two closely and Star smiled hopefully, feeling like she was actually getting through to the horse. She turned to grin at Marco when Pony suddenly trotted past her, now heading right for Marco. The boy screamed and ran away from the crazy horse and Star could only watch in disbelief as Pony chased the boy around the clearing, Marco doing everything he could think of to escape. Eventually, he managed to get his hands on the frying pan, holding it threateningly out as he yelled in warning, "Don't come any closer! I'm armed and I know how to use this thing... sorta!"

Finally, Star could take no more as she let out a loud groan and stormed over to the pair, her hands clenched into fists at her sides as she once more put herself between them. "That's enough, both of you! No more fighting!"

"She started it," Marco argued, pointing an accusing finger at Pony Head, who gave an argumentative neigh that roughly translated to, Oh no you didn't just say that!

"I don't care who started it, you both need to cut it out right now!" Star replied, before turning her attention back on Pony Head. "Okay, look I don't know what you're problem with Marco is but this is the biggest day of my entire life and I am not letting anything ruin that for me," Star began, keeping a firm glare on Pony Head, who actually seemed to falter some under Star's determined and aggressive tone. The blond sucked in a deep breath, before continuing in a much more upbeat tone, "So how about you two make up so that you won't have to fight anymore?"

Pony didn't seem to like the idea, looking stubbornly away from the pair and Marco decided to make the first move, letting out a sigh before saying, "Look, I'm sorry I rode you without permission but can we please just start over?"

Pony Head looked between the two for a few seconds before, rolling her eyes, thinking in her head, Yeah right, like I'd ever be friends with a turd like you.

Star could tell the horse wasn't going to go along with her plan and tried desperately to think of a way to convince her, biting her lip in concentration. That's when a new idea popped into her head and she switched tactics saying, "How about this, you put whatever issues you have with Marco aside for one day and let him take me to go see the floating lights and after that, you can go back to hating him all you want, okay?" Star gave Pony Head a bright grin, a hopeful gleam in her eyes as she waited for the horse's answer.

But Pony still didn't seem convinced and Star decided to add in an extra layer giving the horse a pouting look, her wide eyes trained on the horse as she held her hands up in a begging motion. "Pleeease?" she whimpered, before making little whining noises.

Even the stubborn Pony Head couldn't ignore the pleading look, the girl's eyes practically digging into her soul and she accepted defeat just this once, letting out a groan before nodding, still looking none too happy about it, though. Alright fine, you win this round, girl.

"Yay!" Star exclaimed, pumping her hands into the air in victory. "Aw man, thank you so much!" the girl continued, hugging the horse tightly, who froze up in surprise. Star didn't seem to notice though as she continued talking at a mile a minute. "You won't regret it, I promise! And hey, I have a great idea, how about you come with us? Yeah, I bet you know your way around the kingdom! Maybe you can show me some stuff since this is my first time out of my tower! What do you say?"

Pony looked between Star and Marco for a minute before nodding her head and Star squealed in delight. "Yes, this is awesome! Welcome aboard... ummm, oh wait, I don't even know your name, hmmm..." The girl looked down at the small crest on the horse's neck and read it aloud, "'Pony Head'. Huh, that's a weird name but okay! Pony Head it is then!"

While that was going on though, Marco was feeling hesitant, keeping a wary eye on his enemy and his new friend, unsure about having this crazy horse travel with them. After all, something told him this horse wasn't much for following the rules and he doubted she would keep true to her word if given the chance to take him down. He decided to voice this concern out loud, saying nervously to Star, "Uh, Star I'm not sure if having this horse-"

"Pony Head," Star corrected.

"Fine, I'm not sure having Pony Head come with us it a good idea," Marco replied.

"What, why not?" Star asked, her eyes shining with innocence.

"Because she's tried to kill me before and I don't trust her," Marco explained with slight exasperation.

"Aw come on, Marco, it'll be fine, Pony's not gonna try anything," Star reassured her friend, before directing her attention back on the horse. "Right, Pony?"

The horse gave Marco a smug look before flipping her mane, keeping her head raised in a superior manner.

Star and Marco locked eyes as the blond said, "See?"

"Do you even know what that means?" Marco asked, an eyebrow slowly rising.

"Of course I do, Marco. She said yes," Star said with a confident grin, before she added under her breath, "I think."

"Wait, what?"

"Now come on, let's get going!" Star exclaimed, ignoring her friend's concern as her excitement and eagerness took control, practically hopping around the clearing. "I can't wait to get to see a real town with my own eyes! Janna, wake up, it's time to go!"

The small bat lazily unfolded her wings, somehow sleeping through the whole noisy incident earlier, yawning and stretching her wings over her head, before starring over at the horse in surprise for a second. But she just shrugged, figuring there was no point in questioning it and flew after her friend, who ran out of the clearing, still squealing in joy.

"Wrong way, Star!" Marco called after her and the blond reversed course, shouting as she ran past them, "I knew that!"

Once the girl and bat disappeared from sight, Marco turned to Pony Head, giving her a distrusting glare. "I'm watching you, horse. You better not try anything, especially something that might get in the way of Star's big day," the boy said in warning, making his voice sound as threatening as he could.

Pony just continued to give him a smug look and the young thief grew more and more suspicious, his eyes narrowing with each passing second before Star's far-off voice interrupted the tense moment. "Come on guys! I think I can see the town up ahead!"

The two finally broke off their heated glare before following after the girl, though they still flashed each other distrusting looks the whole way there.

…

By the time the group made it to the Kingdom of Corona Star was practically shaking with excitement, the smile on her face incapable of growing any wider as she gazed transfixed at the massive city in front of her. She turned to the others, pointing at the collection of buildings with disbelief and Marco smiled and gave her a thumbs up. The girl squealed before racing across the bridge, her trail of hair soon covering the whole length of the stone structure.

Once she was in town, she couldn't help but gap at every sight she saw, her mouth hanging open as she took in the simplistic beauty of the kingdom, her senses alive and in overdrive as every sight, smell, and sound made goosebumps leap up her arms. There were so many things to see, everything festive and full of wonder, and there were more people here than Star had even thought possible. She didn't know so many people could be together in one place like this and she happily waved to every soul who passed her, though they kept giving the strange girl confused and baffled looks, all of them beyond curious of this bright, bounce girl with unbelievably long hair.

But Star didn't seem to notice, she was too enchanted by the quaint town to care as she took an eager few steps through the bustling streets. So distracted she didn't even notice as several people tripped over her hair, one of them carrying a box of chickens which broke and sent the birds scattering around the town causing trouble. Marco, however, took notice of this, doing his best to scoop up as much of his friend's hair, frowning as he tried to think up a solution to Star's hairy problem. It was Janna that spotted their solution, gaining the boy's attention before flapping over to a group of small girls, happily braiding each other's hair and Marco grinned in triumph. He whistled gaining the girl's attention as they looked up in confusion, only to gasp in delight at the sight of Star's long and unbraided hair. It wasn't long before Star's hair had been properly braided by the group of girls, who even decorated it with flowers, the blond giddily thanking the girls for their help, beyond pleased with her new look.

From there, Star and Marco started exploring the town, with the festival currently going on there was more than enough to do and the former was eager to see it all. The young thief didn't protest as he was dragged from sight to sight by the enthusiastic blond, feeling his own heart swell at the pure joy on Star's face. The two spent the rest of the day experiencing everything the Kingdom of Corona had to offer, Star would try any piece of food offered to her, would partake in any activity she saw, and greet every smiling face within view. Soon her bubbly energy seemed to spread to the rest of the town, as everyone became even more festive and friendly and Star relished in the peaceful atmosphere. Marco had to be careful to avoid being seen by any guards that patrolled the town but other than that, no one seemed to recognize or care about him, too focused on his cheerful friend to even notice his presence. Not that he minded, happily staying on the sidelines and letting Star take center stage.

He did, however, go out of his way to show Star a few things the village had to offer, bringing her to the town library (which Star almost passed out when she saw) and buying her a cute little flag that had the golden sun crest of Corona and various other things. When Star found out about the 'Lost Princess' she insisted that they buy a flower to honor her, which Marco was powerless to argue over, he basically gave into Star's every whim. But then almost everyone in the town seemed to do the same as she at one point even managed to drag the whole town into a dance in the center of town, her bright energy almost intoxicating and completely irresistible to pretty much anyone. Something about her just made people want to be near her and her naive but charming ways seemed to draw people in. The blond even somehow convinced Marco to join in on the fun, pulling him reluctantly out onto the dance floor, the two laughing and having a good time as the kingdom celebrated. Although for some reason the boy's heart kept skipping a beat every time he looked Star's way, his cheeks turning red against his will. And when the final dance ended with the two face to face, holding hands and staring into each other's eyes, Marco could feel brain cells frying from the beautiful look on Star's face, her cheeks lightly flushed from all the dancing and her eyes shining with so much joy it nearly took Marco's breath away.

The day eventually drew to a close as people made their way to the docks in preparation for the floating lights spectacular that was about to begin. Marco rented a small rowboat and began to slowly row them out to the center of the large lake, Pony and Janna waiting at the docks for them to return, the two happily munching on a bushel of apples Marco had bought. But for whatever reason, Star didn't feel excited to witness the very thing she had been dreaming about her entire life, for some reason she felt... nervous. A little afraid, even. She started to wonder if maybe she had gotten sick or something because it felt like there were butterflies in her stomach from the way it kept doing flips and her whole body was on edge. She tried to take deep breaths to calm herself but it didn't help much, her brain spinning out of control as she stared down at her reflection in the water, leaning against the side of the boat.

Marco finished rowing them out to a good spot, right in the center of the lake where they would be sure to see everything and he smiled as he looked over at his friend. But his smile dropped as he saw the nervous look in her eyes and asked, "Hey, what's wrong? Aren't you excited?"

Star shrugged, before replying unenthusiastically, "Yeah, I guess."

"Well, what is it?" Marco tried, seeing very clearly that something was upsetting her friend to make her act so unlike the Star he knew.

"It's nothing," the girl muttered, dipping her finger in the water and watching it ripple in response.

"Come on, Star, you can tell me," Marco insisted, moving so he was at her side, placing a comforting hand on her back, trying to ignore the tingle that ran up his arm.

"It's just... I've waited my whole life to see this and now that it's about to happen, I'm scared," Star confessed, playing with a loose strand of hair that had come out of her ponytail. "What if I don't like it? What if it doesn't live up to what I've been dreaming about for so long? I just don't want to be disappointed."

"You won't," Marco assured her in a comforting tone. "It'll be worth the wait, trust me."

"How do you know?" Star asked, turning to him with wide eyes and the boy swallowed the lump in his throat.

He shrugged. "I just do," he replied simply, giving her a warm grin.

Star smiled back at him, before asking hesitantly, "And once it's over, what do I do then?"

Marco took a moment to think about his answer to that, before he said in a confident tone, "Well that's the best part, you get to find a new dream."

Star's face brightened at that, the joy returning to her eyes as she looked deep into Marco's chocolate brown, saying in a wistful tone, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks, Marco."

"Anytime, Star," the boy replied, moving back to his previous seat. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Star felt her chest clench up as she remembered the satchel she had tucked under her seat when Marco wasn't looking, feeling the familiar guilt tugging at her heartstrings. "Yeah, right," she whispered painfully, still torn over her decision.

But this was soon forgotten as she looked out across the river and saw a bright light reflecting in the dark waters, her eyes widening to the size of saucers as she looked up, seeing a small beam of light lifting into the air. Her heart stopped for a second as time seemed to stand still, watching the small lantern float up into the night sky, a thousand stars decorating the view, making it look absolutely breathtaking. Then another floated up behind it then another and another, until soon dozens of floating lanterns were released into the air. Star gasped though, as soon there were lights all around them, the citizens lighting up lanterns all over town, until the whole kingdom was lit up in a warm glow. Before long the whole sky was filled with the lanterns all spinning lazily through the air as they sprinkled the sky around them like falling snow. Star stood up, nearly tipping the whole boat and causing Marco to struggle to regain his balance but the blond didn't notice, her eyes never leaving the beautiful sight.

Marco put a hand on her shoulders, guiding her back down to her seat as her shimmering sky blue orbs watched the lanterns in awe. The girl smiled blissfully as she watched the breathtaking display, nothing in her fifteen years of dreaming could prepare her for the luminous sight. She had spent so many years waiting for this moment and at last, she finally felt like she was actually living, really truly existing, like everything up to that point had just been preparing her for right now. Because now she was here, blinking in the starlight, and it was more beautiful than she could have ever hoped for.

And just when she thought it couldn't possibly get any better, she saw a glow coming from across the small boat and looked over in disbelief to see Marco holding two of the floating lanterns, both already lit, giving her a knowing smile. "Marco, what's this?" she asked, leaning closer to stare at the lights in wonder. She hadn't seen one up close before now and it was just as beautiful as the ones floating down around her.

The boy shrugged, replying simply, "Just wanted to make your big day as special as possible, so I picked these up while you weren't looking." He handed her one, the girl holding it delicately in her hands, making her face light up and sending chills down Marco's spine at her unearthly beauty. But her smile for just a moment faltered and the boy felt a sudden wave of anxiety hit. "Do you like it?" Marco asked, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious about his gift.

But when Star looked up with tears in her eyes and a loving smile on her lips, all thoughts and worries instantly vanished, replaced instead with a fast-beating heart and blushing cheeks. "I love it," the blond said in a chocked tone and the boy felt his smile return wholeheartedly.

"I thought you might," he replied, shooting her a wink.

And suddenly Star felt herself come to a decision, unable to ignore her friend's kindness any longer, he had to know the truth. He deserved to know the truth. After everything he had done for her, it was the least she could do for him. And so, taking in a deep breath Star said with a slight tremor in her voice, "I have something for you, too."

Marco gave her a confused frown, but it quickly turned to surprise as he watched the girl reach under her seat and pull out the satchel. Star watched nervously as Marco's wide eyes jumped from her to the satchel and back to her, his mouth making an adorable 'O' shape. She bit her lip before confessing, "I, uh, shouldn't have taken this in the first place and I knew I should give it back to you bu-but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. And I know, I'm bad, I'm a bad person but I just- I was afraid." She felt a lump form in her throat, tears surfacing in her crystal blue eyes as she chocked out, "I was afraid that once I gave this back to you that that would be it. We'd go our separate ways a-and we'd never see each other again and I didn't want to face that because... I like you, Marco! And I don't want to say goodbye to you!" The girl sniffed, swiping a hand across her face. "I'm sorry, I know I messed up but I just don't want to be alone again."

Star waited for Marco to start yelling at her or scolding her, telling her that it was all her fault and that they weren't friends anymore and he never wanted to see her again, but to her surprise, he didn't do or say any of those things. Instead, he just smiled at her, a warm and sincere smile that made Star's heart float, and gently put a hand on the bag pushing it forgotten to the bottom of the boat, before saying in an understanding tone, "I'm not going anywhere."

Star stared at the boy in shock for a moment, unable to believe what she was hearing before Marco held out one of the lanterns to her with a tender look in his eyes. And finally, the blond smiled and took the offered gift from her friend. The two released their lights at the same time and watched mesmerized as the two beams of light floated up into the night sky, spinning and twirling around each other in perfect unison and harmony, almost as if they were dancing to an unspoken song. And as the two's eyes slowly drifted back to one another, they found themselves drawn to each other's eyes, brown and blue shining in the luminescent glow of the lantern light.

And suddenly, everything was different as it felt like they were seeing one another for the very first time. Suddenly all the years of loneliness and unhappiness faded away, the picturesque scene taking place all around them disappeared, only the shining eyes of their partner was all that was left. And slowly the two moved closer, their eyes closing as their lips touched and it was like a firework had just gone off. Nothing in Star's fifteen years of living in a tower could have prepared her for the kiss. The only possible word to describe it was "perfect". Because it was, it was really, truly perfect, so warm and real and right that it took Star's breath away. And to her, it felt like a promise. A promise that the future would be equally as happy and amazing as this moment and she felt herself giving in freely to the feeling, letting it consume her being, safe in the knowledge that Marco was here with her. And that was all that mattered.

In all his years of robbing and thieving, Marco had never actually kissed anyone before but he knew nothing could ever top the feeling of Star's lips against his own. And the pure thrill that came from the simple act was stronger than any caper or mission could ever provide. And suddenly all those years on the run, a blur of adrenaline and close calls, felt meaningless. Marco had finally seen the light and that light was Star. The boy felt Star move closer as if seeking his affection and he happily responded, deepening the kiss as for the first time ever... he felt truly content. Finally, Marco and Star pulled apart, panting as they smiled blissfully at one another, their brains spinning as they tried to process the wonderful moment they had just shared, their eyes shining in the lantern light as a smile slowly splayed across their features.

But suddenly something drew Marco's attention away from Star's gorgeous blue orbs as he spotted a glow across the shore, a shadow of a movement he managed to pick up out of the corner of his eye. And just like that, the wonderful moment came to a crashing halt as he forced himself to tear his gaze away from the infinite beauty that was Star to try and figure out if what he thought he saw was real. It had looked like Kelly, standing on the shore, holding a lantern, before disappearing into the treeline, and in that moment Marco came to a realization.

As long as he was wanted, Star would never be safe. If she chose to stay with him, she would be forced to spend the rest of her days on the run, always having to look over her shoulder or watch her step, an outcast to society itself. Star didn't deserve that. He had seen how joyful she had been to be a part of the festival. How clearly important the sense of belonging meant to her. And right then Marco knew he had to fix this, no matter the cost.

"Marco?" Star's hesitant voice cut into his thoughts as he slowly turned to see her staring at him in confusion. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, no I'm fine," Marco said giving her the brightest smile he had at the moment.

"You sure? You were kinda staring at nothing for a minute," Star asked, still not looking convinced.

Marco swallowed thickly, before saying, "Yeah, I just remembered I have something I need to do."

Marco rowed the boat to the shoreline, right by where he had seen Kelly and he turned to his confused companion with another quick smile. "Everything's okay, I just need to take care of something real quick." He picked up the satchel from the bottom of the boat, feeling Star's eyes watching his every movement.

The blond stared at him nervously for a moment and Marco half expected her to argue but instead all she did was give him a forced smile and said, "Okay." The young thief had only taken a step before the girl blurted out, "Hurry back."

Marco turned to her with a nod. "I will," he assured her, giving her a warm and hopefully comforting smile before disappearing into the fog. The boy continued on for a few feet, clutching the bag close to his chest, ignoring the creeping feeling is his gut or the troubling thoughts in his head. He didn't care if this was a terrible plan. He didn't care that there were a million ways this could end badly for him. He had to do it. For Star.

Finally, he spotted Kelly up ahead, her back to him ,the only thing he could see was her mop of green hair which glowed almost menacingly in the lantern light. He cleared his throat, trying to work up the nerve to say what needed to be said, finally managing to blurt out, "Uh, hey Kelly." The girl didn't respond and Marco took that as an opportunity to continue, sucking in a deep breath before saying, "Look I know we haven't ever seen eye to eye before, but... I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

Marco nervously rubbed the back of his neck, the uncomfortable tension making him feel hesitant. But he couldn't stop now, he had to clear his conscious, he had to make this right somehow. "I know that probably doesn't mean a whole lot coming from me but I really do mean it." He slowly reached into the satchel and pulled out the crown saying, "Sooo here you can have this back. I don't need it anymore. And if you have to arrest me and... well, y'know, that's fine. But just please leave my friend Star out of it. She doesn't deserve to be dragged down with me."

Once the boy finally finished voicing his thoughts he became distinctly aware that something was seriously... off. Kelly hadn't said so much as a word yet or attacked him or anything. The creeping feeling returned as a took a step closer to the hairy girl, muttering, "Kelly?" The boy placed a cautious hand on her shoulder but quickly gasped in fright as the 'thing' he thought to be Kelly fell over. Marco stared at the makeshift scarecrow that he had been talking to, whoever made it using leaves and bramble to make it look like Kelly's hair in the low lighting. And Marco had fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.

But before the young thief could contemplate this any further he heard something hit the ground next to him and barely had time to recognize it as some sort of smoke bomb, before it went off covering Marco in a thick, green gas. Marco collapsed to his knees, choking and coughing on the knock out gas as it filled his burning lungs. The forest floor started to sway as the boy felt his eyes dropping, the sudden urge to sleep almost overpowering him. "Well, well, look who fell into my trap," a voice said above the gasping teen and he looked up to see the small bird Monster grinning evilly down at him.

"L-Ludo?" Marco choked out, before falling into another coughing fit. "Wh-What are you-"

"Isn't it obvious? I followed you here after those idiots let you go. And now I'm going to take what's rightfully mine." Ludo explained, the superior grin never once faltering. He leaned a little closer to the boy, making sure to not breathe in any of the toxic fumes. "And you can't stop me."

"Fine," Marco gasped, his lungs struggling for breath. "Just take the crown, I don't care."

Ludo laughed at that, long and hard, before saying in a shrill voice, "You think I care about some dumb crown?"

"Wh-What?!" Marco murmured, fear clenching his chest. Was he after- No, no that was impossible, Marco reminded himself. There was no way he could know about Star's ability.

Ludo smiled, a smile that confirmed Marco's worst fears, before Ludo said in a hinting tone, "Why would I want a crown when I could have the real prize?"

Marco's heart stopped, as the truth came crashing over him at once. He knows, Marco's fading consciousness screamed. "N-No, Star," the boy coughed, struggling to stand, to stop him from hurting Star but he found it was a losing battle, his limbs felt like they were made of bricks. Still, Marco gritted his teeth and used every last ounce of strength he had to try and stand. Eventually, the boy had no more energy to spare and he collapsed to the ground once more, panting and gasping for air.

"Aww, don't worry, Marco, I'll take good care of your friend for you," Ludo said, just as Marco lost consciousness, the smugness in the Monster's tone causing the young thief's heart to twist with anger. The last thing Marco heard before the darkness overtook him was the shrill cackle of the victorious Monster who had bested him.

…

Star tried not to let her thoughts get the best of her as she waited impatiently for Marco to return. She fiddled with a loose strand of hair, shifting uncomfortably in her seat as she did her best to keep the creeping fear at bay, still hearing her mother's poisonous words in her head, telling her that Marco had left her. No, Star thought firmly, clenching her hand into a fist and forcing her body still. Marco wouldn't do that. He promised he'd be back and she trusted him.

It was then that she heard a noise off to her side and she smiled as she saw a light coming from the treeline, a long shadow of a figure confirming that her friend had returned. She couldn't help but gloat to the inner voice of her mother, thinking victoriously, See I told you he'd be back. She quickly hopped out of the boat, before greeting her friend warmly, "Hey Marco, what was that all about?"

But her smile dropped, her eyes widening in surprise as instead of being greeted by the smiling face of Marco, a small bird Monster stepped out of the woods, a twisted smile stretched across his beak as he observed the startled blond. "Hello Star," he said, his voice an evil squeak.

"Ludo!" Star exclaimed in bewilderment. What was he doing there? But that question was far less important than the larger question that weighed on her mind as she asked, "W-Where's Marco?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ludo said with a casual shrug, before continuing cruelly, "He left you."

Star felt her heart stop, fear and grief clinging to her very being as she muttered out, "No." But remembering the boy's promise from earlier she added a bit more confidently, "No, Marco wouldn't do that! He promised he'd come back."

"Oh, but I'm afraid he lied to you," Ludo continued, the look of pure elation and greed in his eyes, clenching at Star's trouble heart. "Me and him have been working together all along. He just needed to earn your trust so we could get the crown back and it worked! You fell for it!" The small bird laughed viciously at that, Star feeling tears form at the corner of her eyes.

Still, she tried to stay strong, shaking her head and shouting, "No, your lying!"

"Am I?" Ludo said, before gesturing across the lake. Star turned in that direction and felt her heart stop at the sight of a boat cutting through the waves, a familiar figure, grasping the wheel of the ship, staring straight ahead.

"Marco," Star whispered, feeling her heart shatter into pieces.

"You see, Star, he never cared about you," Ludo continued, every word like a knife to Star's chest. "He probably said all kinds of things to you to get you to trust him, but it was all part of our scheme." Ludo smiled at the broken, defeated look on the girl's face as she watched her friend sailing away. This was going better than he hoped and now that she was distracted, it would be the perfect time to attack. He reached into his pocket, pulling out another ball of knock-out gas. He should really thank Eclipsa for all the help she had given him to capture Star. Not that she would ever know, Ludo planning on skipping town with his prize, find a nice safe place to hide out until things died down enough to sell her. I can't believe that old hag was actually dumb enough to trust me, Ludo thought to himself. And now I win!

The bird Monster continued help but rub in his victory to the girl, feeling a dark glee at the prospect of his victory, as he added cruelly, "However, there was a big change of plans when you made the stupid choice to tell him about your power. Boy, don't you feel dumb right now." Ludo paused to laugh, before continuing his hurtful rant. "So the two of us decided to split the profits. He gets the crown and I get you, the girl with magic golden hair."

Star tried to stay strong and keep the tears at bay, not wanting to give Ludo the satisfaction of seeing her break down, but she had to cover her hand with her mouth to stifle the sob that she felt rising in her chest. Her mother had been right all along. Everything she had said would happen came true. And now she was completely alone. Just like she had feared. The world wasn't beautiful or bright, it was dark and unforgiving, just like her mom had said it was. And that revelation rocked the blond right down to her core. She barely heard the small Monster as he continued his monologue, his voice faded in the background, watching helplessly as the one person she had believed in and trusted more than anything left her behind.

"And now, you lose!" Ludo screamed as he ended his speech, raising the ball high above his head, a dark smirk plastered on his face as he stared at the broken shell of his soon-to-be captive. A loud thunk rang out through the woods, finally drawing Star's attention away from the boat as she watched the form of Ludo crumple to the ground, unconscious, the panting form of her mother now standing over him, holding a tree branch tightly in her gloved hands. "Stay away from my daughter!" Eclipsa shouted, protectively.

"Mom?" Star whispered in surprise. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"Oh Star, I was so worried about you," Eclipsa said, running over and pulling her daughter into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry I got upset. I felt simply awful, so I decided to follow you and make sure you were okay, and then I heard that nasty Monster saying all those terrible things to you and then he was about to attack you and I-" Eclipsa drew in a shaky breath. "Well, the important thing is you're okay." She placed a gentle kiss on Star's forehead.

The blond could only stand there numbly hearing her mother's words, she was sure she had been furious with her, she hadn't expected her to come back and yet she had. Her mom had come back for her, even after their fight. All the guilt came flooding back as she realized just how stupid she had been for the past few days. Putting her trust in a stranger, instead of her own mother. And look how well that had turned out. At that thought, a lump lodged itself in her throat as she looked helplessly across the lake again, her heart aching with sadness as the tears finally fell. Before she knew it, Star was crying and her mother pulled her into a warm hug, letting her sob into her chest while whispering words of comfort."Shhh, it's alright. Mother's here. Your mother's here now."

"I'm so sorry, mom," Star chocked out. "You were right, you were right about everything. I never should have left the tower. I never should have trusted him. I-I'm so stupid!"

"Shh, it's okay, dear," Eclipsa cooed. "Everything will be okay."

Star looked up brokenly into her mom's eyes, her vision blurry with tears as they continued streaming down her face. "Can we go home now?" she whimpered, her voice cracking on almost every word.

Eclipsa smiled and nodded, telling her daughter, "Of course, My Flower."

Star didn't fight as she was lead away by her mom, who kept a firm hand on her back, but she barely noticed it. Nor did she hear her mother's words of comfort, everything else drowning out into nothingness. She no longer cared about finding a new dream or about being bored or anything really. All she knew was that Marco had betrayed her and she would never see him again. And despite herself, despite how sad and empty she felt, she couldn't help but glance back one last time at the lake and the dozens of beautiful lights still floating around the kingdom, her heart weeping at the loss of what might have been.

And just like that, she turned away from the light, trying desperately not to think of two bright brown eyes and the promise that they had held. Instead, she pushed out all thoughts and allowed her mom to lead her away into the darkness of the night.

#Star vs #Star vs AU #My Writing #Star is a Disney Princess #Star is Rapunzel #Starco

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squishyocalum · 5 years

Text

Never, and I mean never, call me that again. {C.H}

Warning - Angst. SO M U C H angst.

Summery - Alex see’s Calum for the first time since she found out he cheated on her.

Wordcount - 4K

A/N Okay so my sister and I wrote this chapter, she edited for me and she says that there's a random editors note in here so enjoy that. But anyways yeah there's no smut in this, this is a seriously emotional chapter and I hope you guys like it because I worked really hard on it. Please leave your comments and suggestions and I look forward to getting requests from you guys.

The sky was just beginning to turn a light shade of purple, the fire in front of me warming the night as my friends and I sat around it laughing and fooling around. I hadn’t seen any of them since the tour started but now that they were back – no matter for how short a time – I planned to soak up all the time that I could.

Around the fire sat Ashton, Michael, Luke, Sierra, KayKay, Crystal, and Calum. They all changed just a little since I had seen them before.

Michael and Crystal had gotten engaged. The night that we all found out Crystal wouldn’t stop crying and I’m not going to lie I cried with her. Michael seemed so happy knowing that he was going to spend the rest of his life with her – and that’s all I want, for my best friend to be happy.

Luke finally got rid of that horrid bitch and is with Sierra now. An amazing choice really. His lip ring is gone, and it sort of looks like his hair got darker, but don’t listen to me my eyes are going bad. Other than that though, his hair is definitely longer and he looks so much happier than the last time I saw him.

Ashton, sweet adorable Ashton, has traded his beautiful dirty blonde hair for vibrant read curls. When I tell you, I wanted to hit him with a spoon when I saw it, I kid you not if I could’ve booked a plane ticket I would have. Its growing on me though, it’s not that I don’t like it but it happened out of nowhere and I found out over instagram. It was a shocker.

Calum and his damn hair was going to be the death of me honestly. So many things have changed about Calum – to many. He isn’t the same Calum that I fell in love with all those years ago, the Calum that I love would never have done what he did to me. There was just something about the way he smiled and laughed as I stole secret glances at him through the loose flames that ripped my heart apart all over again. It had been four months since we broke up. Four long painful months since the tabloids came out with pictures of him with his tongue down some brunets’ throat. I remember calling him and crying, begging him to tell me that it was fake. He only said he was sorry. He ‘had too much to drink’.

I was having to decline so many phone calls that eventually I just turned my phone off. I didn’t turn it back on until I was with my mom at the Apple store getting a new phone and number. The lady had asked me if I wanted to see the messages and said they looked important, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at them. The boys were given specific instruction to not give my number to Calum because at this point, I wasn’t only sad, I was sad and angry. I was ready to cut anyone in my life out if it meant that I wouldn’t ever have to see him again.

Here I am, however, at a welcome home party for all my friends and the man who broke my heart.

Yeah, maybe I’m weak. Judge me if you want but all I wanted to do was see him.

“Alex.” Luke’s voice spoke breaking me from my thoughts “You okay over there?” He peppered the question in a small chuckle, but he had been my friend long enough to know what was going through my head – they all did. The expression on Calums face proved that he knew what was going through my head. Not today, Hood. Today is a good day.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” I smiled grabbing my water “Just thinking about grabbing something to eat is all.”

They all looked at me with a worried expression, some of them looking over to Calum who now had his nose stuck in a phone. When his eyes moved to meet mine the air in my lungs went away, and I felt as if I might explode.

This isn’t healthy.

“Is it okay if I invite a friend over, Allie?” He spoke. I let the words saturate in my mind before I answered.

“Yeah, Calum. That’s fine.” The smile on my face faltered for a split moment when he thanked me and informed us that ‘she’ would be here any minute. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to go to snapchat, I was going through my friends’ stories when a text from Ashton popped up.

Ash- Alex… you aren’t okay.

I looked up and made eye contact with not only Ashton but KayKay too. I felt like I could cry at any second but like I said earlier this is my night with my friends. He may have taken my heart, but he wasn’t taking this.

Me- I’m doing just fine over here, don’t worry.

Ash- I can kick him out if you want?

Me- Ashton don’t you dare. That’s your best friend. I’m okay

KayKay- You know who he invited over right?

Was I going to have to carve it in my fucking head that I’m fine for fucks sake?

Me- I don’t care who it is.

After sending that message I put my phone on do not disturb and threw it somewhere in the grass. Honestly knowing Calum it’s probably just a friend from another band.

“Michael, will you call and order the pizza? I’ll pay.” I suggested hoping to tear my mind away from the thought of Calum.

“Why can’t you call- “

“Because my phones off for the night.” I answered quickly hoping no one would push it any farther, but with my luck Mikey whispered something into Crystals ear and lifted her off him. He grabbed my arm and forcefully pulled me into my back door and almost instantly I felt tears prick in my eyes.

“I can’t do it Michael. I thought I could, but I can’t.” I sobbed and he pulled me into his chest. “What did I do? Did he ever talk about it? Did he even care-”

“He did.” He spoke lowly “But I won’t be telling you what was said after you changed your number.”

“What do you mean?” The sound of my front door opening and closing stopped Michael from responding. When I turned around to see who it was pure rage trampled my nervous system.

Bailey Flowers – the girl who kissed my boyfriend – just walked in my fucking house.

“Hey!” She smiled “Cal told me to let myself in- “

“He’s out back.” Michael stated quickly “Now get out of her house, thanks.”

The look he gave her obviously confused her but when she looked at me, she realized quickly that I was in fact the girl from his home screen that night and I was indeed the girl who he walked out on. Her mouth opened as if she was going to say something, but she stopped while she was ahead and hurried outside.

“I want him gone.” I mumbled pulling out of his grip. He protested but not roughly as I made my way out of the back door where tensions were already high.

“So, this is how we do things now. Cal?”

Ashton was on his feet in seconds walking over to me and putting his hands on my shoulders, but I pushed him away “Four years. Four fucking years that you threw away because you were drunk. How dare you bring her here.” I was crying now, not lightly, not a little, I was bawling, and choking on my own words. I had never talked to Calum about this and I suppose now is as good a time as ever, right?

“You’re the one who wouldn’t call me back!”

“Oh, fuck you Calum. I called you every single night while you were on tour to make sure you were okay, that you ate, showered, got enough sleep. I told you were I was going, how long I would be out, and why I was going because you were worried that I would cheat on you. How fucking ironic was that? Then one night – you don’t pick up – so I text Luke to make sure your okay and he tells me your drinking. You know what I did? I sent you a goodnight fucking message and told you I loved you. While I was asleep in our bed you were fucking her in a hotel. So, fuck you – fuck her. Get out of my fucking house.” I felt KayKays hand on my arm as she tried to pull me back into the house, but I couldn’t break eye contact with him. I felt tears pour down my face and I really wanted to hold him, I wanted to go back in time and ignore that any of this ever happened but that isn’t going to happen. My attention spread to the girl for a split moment but I decided to stay focused on him.

I wasn’t as mad at her; she can spread her legs for whoever she wants she was single; he was not.

“Can we just go talk, Alex?” He took a step closer to me before Luke pressed his palm on his chest stopping him from getting any closer.

“You need to go, Cal.”

It was Sierra who spoke, her voice was stern and even Calum seemed taken aback by it.

“Allie, just five minutes.” He locked his eyes with mine searching for sympathy but when I tell you that my heart was being shredded, I swear to you there’s no better way to explain it. “Please let me explain.”

“You have exactly five minutes and then I want you gone.” I breathed out stepping away from my friends. I looked at the boys who all had equally worried expressions on their faces and nodded to them before I walked into my house once again. I heard his footsteps behind me and as much as I wanted to look at him I couldn’t, I knew as soon as I did this wouldn’t end well for me.

“I miss you, Alex.” He spoke softly, making one more tear in my heart.

“You don’t. You wouldn’t have invited her over if you did.”

“I was being stupid, I wanted to see if you would even care.”

“You wanted to see if I would care? Are you serious?”

“Yes, Allie. I love you, I always have – “

“Then why did you do it?”

“Because I was drunk! It was a mistake I swear to god!”

“Do you think I’m stupid Calum? My sister and I both work for TMZ, you think I don’t know you were seen with her more than once?”

He stared at me with a desperate, broken stare. I knew him well enough to know that he was trying to find a way to dig his way out of this without telling me the truth. After two minutes of him staring at me I stood up from my chair and walked up to him staring him in his face.

“Get out of my house, take her with you.” I turned to walk away but I was stopped when he grabbed onto my wrist and pulled me back to him sending a sharp pain through my arm. “For fuck sake Calum, don’t grab me like that!”

He looked at me with eyes full of worry, and when he pulled the arm with the bracelets strung all around it pulling them apart to see the fresh scars accompanied by the older ones he couldn’t help but tear up. I had been struggling with things like this since I was a kid and he knew that.

“Baby girl..”

I pulled my arm away in complete disgust.

“Never, and I mean never, call me that again. You don’t get to do that, you don’t get to break my heart, make me feel like I don’t matter and then swoop in and save the day.” I was crying again, and somehow I knew that he was going to use that to his advantage. I hated letting him see me cry.

“I hate seeing you this way princess-”

“Calum stop.” I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him away lightly “You’ve hurt me enough. Do you have any idea what it was like seeing your name show up on my screen and having to make myself decline it or ignore it? What it felt like to skip over your texts and knowing that I didn’t have the mental strength to block you? I would stare at myself in the mirror everyday and ask myself what it was about me that made you walk away. I hated myself because of you.”

“I never wanted to hurt you Allie, I was drunk when I met her I swear. You weren’t there and I wanted to be with someone. It was so selfish, I would never hurt you like that again if you would just let me prove it to you.”

I looked up at him again for what seemed like the hundredth time tonight with tears flowing from my eyes. I wanted him to leave, but I wanted him to stay; my heart and my mind were at war right now. He placed his hand on my jaw rubbing his thumb over my cheek. I gave in and allowed my head to lean slightly and rest in his palm placing my hand on his stroking it before gently pulling it away.

“You can’t do that, Calum.” I whispered as my voice broke apart along with my heart. I knew that if I forgave him he would do it again, there was no way for me to fully trust him again. No matter how much I loved him I couldn’t put myself through that again.

“Alex-”

I walked away from him holding back sobs when I heard him call out to me. I all but ran to my room locking the door behind me letting all the pain built up in me out. I made my way to the closet were I grabbed the box of memories I had never been strong enough to look at before.

The first thing I saw was a picture of him and I. We were at the beach and his arm was wrapped around my shoulder, my hand was slung over his arm and we were both smiling.

I ripped it. I ripped it to shreds. I threw the picture frames giving them freedom to shatter against my wall. I tore the journals to pieces, the necklace he got me for my twenty first birthday was tossed about, I was sobbing while I destroyed the last of our memories. I slid down my wall hugging my knees to my chest hoping that when I woke up in the morning this would all be over; if i was lucky maybe it would all be a dream. I was trying so hard to calm myself down but I couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

(E/N YOOOOOOOOOO FUCK THIS GUY)

“Go away Calum.” I demanded when I heard a knock from the other side of my door.

“It’s Michael Luke got Calum to leave.” I audibly let out a sob as chills ran up my spine. As much as I wanted Calum out a piece of me wished he would’ve tried harder - as selfish as that sounds. I got up and unlocked the door letting my arms wrap around my bestfriend.

“I love him so much, Michael.” I felt him stroke his hand over my hair as he rocked me back and forth. “I can’t stay here in this house. I can’t fall asleep in the same bed that we fell asleep in, I can’t walk into the kitchen and see his coffee cups-”

“Allie, you can get rid of those things.”

“No, i can’t. He’s in these walls. Everywhere I walk I see a memory. I can’t walk down my own hallway without remembering how I used to run down the stairs when he would come home and how he would scoop me in his arms and hug me for what seemed like forever. I never wanted him to let me go. I can’t take a bath without remembering what it felt like to lean on him and almost fall asleep while he played in my hair. Damnit I can’t breathe in this house without thinking of him.”

“Where would you even go? You just quit your job for College.”

“I could move campuses, go to the one a few states over.”

He pulled away from me now looking at me with sad eyes.

“Would that make you happy? Really?”

“It’s the only way to get away, Mikey.”

“When do you want to leave?”

“I would love to leave tonight but I don’t have the money or the energy.”

“Don’t worry about the money. I’ll get you a ticket, and you can leave in the morning, right now just think about getting some rest.”

“Mikey, I don’t have anywhere to stay - maybe I just need to sleep.”

“Look at me,” He grabbed my chin and made me look up at him, “Will leaving make you happy?”

After a moment I finally responded with tears in my eyes. “Yes. Yeah it would.”

“Then when you land in Washington, you’ll have an apartment waiting and i’ll get your car sent over. Be happy Allie. You deserve it.”

I was shocked to say the least. I knew he was best friend, and I knew that he would do anything for me but I didn’t think he would ever go that far.

“You mean that?” I whispered

“Yes, I do. Now get some sleep. Crystal and I need to get home but I’ll email you your ticket okay?”

“Okay.”

Michael and I said our goodbyes and agreed to not tell anyone else. I loved the boys with all my heart but Ashton loved Calum too much to not tell him where I was and Luke had loose lips. The girls would never keep anything from the boys and that meant they could only know I was leaving, but not where. I didn’t sleep in the bed, I couldn’t, so after I packed some clothes and the things that I needed I grabbed a blanket from the hall closet and fell asleep on the couch.

``````````````

“Allie,” A voice spoke through my dreams “Why are you on the couch?”

I jumped up when I realized who it was, wondering at first how he even got in but then remembering that this used to be our house and he knew the back sliding door didn’t shut right.

“Jesus Christ Calum. Go home.”

“I am home.” He spoke sitting next to me “I need to talk to you, baby. I need you to listen to me.”

At first I wanted to push him away and make him leave, but there was a part of me begging to let myself be around him happily one last time. Plus I knew if I played this right I could get him out of the house without running into more heartbreak and drama.

“Okay, talk then.” I said in a shaky voice. He took a deep breath before he started talking, signaling that I was doomed to start crying any second. Great.

“I love you. I love you so much that it hurts. I called you everyday after the last time we talked, I texted you for the stupidest shit thinking that you would forgive me and this could all be over and when you didn’t it hurt me. I know I screwed up. I also know that I would never do that to you again. I want to be with you - I want to marry you, Alex. I want it to be us against the world.” He stopped for a moment, allowing me to take in his words. A few months ago hearing Calum say he wanted to marry me would have knocked the wind out of me and made me jump with joy; tonight, however, I’m setting myself free.

“Did you just say you wanted to marry me?” I whispered

“Yes, I want to be with you, Allie. I want to live together, like we used to. Create new memories in this house. We could move past this if you would just let me.”

God, I want to move past this so bad. I wish it had never happened.

“I’ll tell you what, Cal. You go home, get some sleep. When you come back in the morning we’ll go over everything.”

“Are you forgiving me? Is that a yes?” His eyes were full of hope and happiness, but so were mine way back when.

“I forgive you, but can we please talk in the morning-” Before I could finish my sentence he grabbed the sides of my face pulling me into a kiss. I melted into him, just like I always did, and kissed him back. I know I should have pushed him away and told him to go but instead I allowed myself to run my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck and his hands to gently grab onto my jaw. Lucky for me and my pride, he pulled away.

“You’ll be here in the morning when I get here? Promise?”

“I promise.”

Just like you promised you’d never hurt me.

He left about an hour later, with doey eyes and a love sick heart beat. When I heard the door shut I let out a sigh, knowing he was gone put my mind at ease. This was really the last time I would ever have to see Calum hood, the last night that I would spend in a house coated in memories of a broken home. I couldn’t be more grateful for Michael, I just hate that he’s spending all this money on me; at least he’ll know where I am. I lay my head back on the throw pillow knowing that at seven AM I will be boarding a plane to leave this all behind and trying to not think about what just happened. I love Calum, I love him so much. I wish with all my heart that I could have said yes and meant it. I drifted to sleep, thoughts and plans for my new life swimming around my mind.

The next morning

Calums POV

I pulled up to her house with a red velvet box in my front pocket, last night was a spur of the moment proposal, but today I had a speech planned out and everything. (A/N Awe my little squishy i’m hurting right now) I knocked on her front door with a smile plastered on my face, I waited so long to try to get her back, I don’t know what I would have done if she hadn’t taken me back. I don’t think I would have survived it. After a few seconds I knocked again but once again no one answered. That’s weird. It’s 11, she never sleeps this late. I walked around to the backyard slipping through the fence and making my way to the glass door.

“Allie?” I called as I walked into the kitchen. “Are you awake?”

“She’s not here, Calum.” Michael walked around the corner and confusion wrapped around my brain.

“Michael? What’s going on?” I chuckled softly hoping to hide some of my discomfort. She has to be here, I was here last night. She was just here, right there on that couch.

“She’s gone. She won’t be coming back.” He seemed tense, very tense. There was a mixture of anger and sadness swirling in his eyes. Paic rose up in my stomach sending chills up my back.

“What? Like dead-”

“No you idiot. She left town.” I stared at him with wide eyes silently begging him to be lying. I know my face was twisted with pain because I could feel it.

“I was going to marry her-” I choked out.

“You feel that, Calum? That pain in the center of your chest that makes you want to lay down and cry and never get back up? You put her through that, you did that to her-”

“No we talked. She forgave me, she said she would marry me.” I whispered “She promised.”

“She promised you? Like you promised her you’d never hurt her?”

I won’t try to counter that because he wasn’t wrong. He stared at me for a moment before he scoffed and handed me the key to the house.

“Stay here, if that’s what you want. Or get the rest of your shit and get out, either way don’t expect her to come back because her flight was at seven, so she’s already gone.”

He left after that without another word, leaving me in this empty house. I walked over to the staircase and looked at the spot where Allie had spilled paint on the floor when we were decorating for Christmas our first year in the house. I don’t think I had ever laughed so hard. I looked up and saw the picture that we took in front of the Christmas tree with Duke. In the kitchen I found her favorite coffee cup, it still had her lipstick stain on it. She must have had coffee before she left this morning. The curtains hanging over the windows in the living room had a small rip in them were Duke got ahold of them when we were putting them up. The fireplace still had a burnt spot on it where she accidentally knocked a piece of wood out when I was asleep.

I almost couldn’t make myself go up the stairs but when I did, the first room I went to was our bedroom. She had taken most of her clothes, but laying on the edge of the bed was the old Zeppelin shirt she wore when we left our hometown. I bought it for her on the road and she always wore it when she missed me. She said it reminded her of me. There were pictured torn apart and laying everywhere, glass was strewn everywhere. I laid in our bed holding onto her pillow and let myself cry. I love her, but I can’t blame her.

So I’ll stay here in this house for as long as I can, with the ghost of her.

#calumhood #calum hood imagines #calum 5sos #luke 5sos #ashton 5sos #michael 5sos #michael clifford #luke hemmings #5sosimagines #5sos preferences

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