Not gonna lie, I had a lot of fun with this prompt. Hope @starco-week and the rest of you enjoy it!

If there was one thing Princess Star Butterfly of Mewni had never learned to do, it was wait.

Tapping her foot incessantly against the floor of her bedroom, she checked her watch, looked up at the empty space in front of her, and checked her watch again. To her immense frustration, it refused to move any faster in spite of her concentrated willpower.

“Uh, Princess, are you sure about this?”

Angrily, Star looked up at the source of the inane question-a young knight nervously holding a large burlap sack.

“Higgs,” she said, “We’ve gone over this. Everything has to go exactly the same as it did originally, or else the entire space-time continuum could be destroyed. Destroyed, Higgs.”

Higgs sighed. “Yeah, but… are you sure you didn’t, like, just dream it or something? I mean, seriously-you think this is happening today of all days? How do you even know-“

Before Higgs could finish, both of the women were blinded by a brilliant flash of light that exploded from the center of the room. Cursing, Star blinked her eyes rapidly to try and restore her sight-and to her horror, saw a blurry figure standing in the middle of the room.

“NOW HIGGS!” Star shouted. Higgs, still half-blind from the flash, lurched forward with the sack and managed to envelop the surprised figure, while Star ran forward with her wand. Stepping forward into a home-run swing, she cracked the struggling figure right in the side of the head and sent it collapsing to the ground.

For a moment, Higgs and Star stood over their still captive, breathing heavily.

Shaking her head, Higgs glanced at Star and raised her eyebrow. “Didn’t you said you were going to cast some kind of knock-out spell?”

Star rolled her eyes. “Did the trick, didn’t it?”

Higgs shrugged. “Hey, you’re the Princess.”

“Damn right I am,” Star said. “Now grab her legs, we don’t exactly have all the time in the world here.”

Higgs smirked. “I thought time was-“

“One more word and you’re back to being a squire.”

The knight opened her mouth, raised a finger, and then closed it shut.

“That’s what I thought. Now let’s get moving.”

———-

Star Butterfly awoke with a start.

The first thing she felt was pain-a sharp throbbing in the side of her head that made the very act of thinking painful. The second was the ropes tied around her wrists and ankles, binding her to her chair. Instinctively, she pulled against them, only to feel the nylon dig even deeper into her skin.

Helpless to do anything else, Star looked around the room. To her shock and surprise, she instantly recognized it as a cell in the Butterfly Castle dungeons-and they were, unfortunately, just as dark and damp as the last time she’d been held prisoner.

Star shook her head, hoping to clear the pain-induced fog that had enveloped her brain. The last thing she remembered was standing in her room with Marco, joking about using her wand to skip past a boring banquet she was supposed to give a speech at-and that, when she’d jokingly uttered a nonsense spell, there’d been a brilliant flash of light.

“Princess Butterfly. Awake, I see.”

Star froze at the sound of someone talking behind her. A second later, she heard the clack of footsteps against the cobblestone floor-but in spite of her efforts, she couldn’t turn her head far enough to see who or what it was.

“Who are you?!” Star shouted, struggling against her restraints. “What’s going on?”

At that moment, the unseen figure entered Star’s field of view-and she could only stare, slack-jawed, at the sight of her own face looking back at her.

It wasn’t a perfect copy, of course. The Star that stood before her was clearly older, by ten years at least. Her hair was shorter, her eyes more weary… but it was her. Star.

And boy, did she look stressed.

“You’re…” Star said slowly, “You’re me!”

“Brilliant observation,” the older Star said. “Alright look, I’m gonna cut to the chase: You’re in the future now, by exactly ten years. Remember that!”

“Ten… years?!” Star exclaimed. “That’s… imposi… incred…”

The older Star shrugged. “Sure is! But it happened anyway, funny how that works.”

For a moment, Star was filled with a rush of excitement and wonder-but it quickly died down against the reality of her current circumstances.

“Well, that’s great,” Star said, “But it still doesn’t explain why you tied me up.”

Her captor sighed. “Look, the time-space continuum is very fragile. Any knowledge you take back into the past could have drastic consequences, and any changes could break things apart altogether. I mean, you’ve seen Back to the Future, right?”

Star returned a confused expression. “Back to the what?”

The older Star groaned. “Ah shit, I thought you saw that with Marco already. Anyway, the point is-“

“Say, where is Marco anyway?” Star interjected. “He’s still your squire, right?”

“He’s not-he’s-that’s not the point!” the older Star said, flustered. “The point is, I can’t tell you, even if I wanted to. Any knowledge you carry back into the past could change the present. That’s why we’re going to sit here for the next twenty minutes, not talk about anything, and wait for the portal to open back up to your own time.”

“Twenty minutes!” Star shouted. “You’ve got to be kidding me! I’m ten years in the future, and you’re making me sit in a chair and stare at the wall?”

She glared at her counterpart angrily. “What happened to you? Where’s your sense of fun, of excitement? Sure, time might get a little messed up, but isn’t that worth the adventure?”

The older Star mockingly put a hand to her chin as she pretended to consider the question. “Hmmmmmm, no.”

She sighed. “Look, I didn’t like it any more than you did when I was the one tied up in that chair. But the fact of the matter is, I’m stuck here, you’re stuck here, so we may as well make the most of it.”

“Mmmm,” Star hummed, continuing to glare at her counterpart. Tightly bound as she was, however, there wasn’t much she could do-and as a result, the next several minutes were spent in awkward silence as the two exchanged glares at each other.

“So,” the older Star said, finally breaking the silence, “How’s, uh, earth doing? You still living there with Marco?”

“What? No, I’m back on Mewni now,” Star replied.

“Oh that’s right!” Star shouted, snapping her fingers. “Man, you know, so much happened back then, it all just kinda blended together in my mind.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “Man, what a wild time. I still can’t believe Ruberiot just blurted out I had a crush on Marco. In front of the whole kingdom! Urgh, I just wanted to die of embarrassment.”

Star glared at her again. “Yeah, that’s uh, still kinda fresh.”

“Ah, crap, I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just crazy though, it all feels like it happened yesterday, but it was ten years ago now! Beating Toffee, that whole thing with Eclipsa, that chess game with Trayzn…”

“Who?”

The older Star slapped herself and leaned back against the dungeon wall. “Aagghh, I shouldn’t have said that.”

She sighed again, and turned to her younger self. “Look, Star, I know you want to know everything, and see how things have changed, but… it’s just too dangerous.” She chuckled. “Besides, it’s not like you won’t be able to see everything anyway, eventually.”

Star looked at her older counterpart and sighed herself. “Alright, alright, I understand. I just…”

She mumbled under her breath, which caused the older Star to lean forward. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

Star rolled her eyes. “I said this is…” she said, before trailing off into mumbling again.

The older Star took a step forward, and leaned in close. “Okay, just say it one more-“

Planting her feet and leaning forward, Star pushed off the ground and twisted with all her might. Before the older Star could react, Star crashed the chair against the ground, the flimsy wood instantly splintering against the stone floor. As the ropes around her hands and feet slackened, Star slipped out of her bonds, turned, and bolted for the door, swinging it open and racing out down the hall.

“OH COME ON!” the older Star shouted, slapping herself in the forehead. “How did I forget I DID that?”

Seething with rage, the older Star leaped over the chair’s debris and raced after her younger counterpart, dashing through the door and out into the hall. Up ahead, Star was doing everything she could to delay her pursuer, knocking over chairs and toppling decorative suits of armor as she rushed through the castle’s twisting corridors. Unfortunately, it did little to slow her older self down-but oh boy, Star thought, it sure was making her mad.

Ignoring the stream of threats and curses coming from behind her, Star dove through an open doorway into a stairwell and leaped down a flight of stairs, deftly landing and rolling upon the plush carpet below. Standing up, she was about to take off again when she saw an open window-and was taken aback by the sight outside:

It was exactly the same.

“Seriously?” Star said. “I thought for sure we’d have flying carts by now.”

“HEY! NO FUTURE SPOILERS!”

Startled, Star turned and watched as her future self landed on the carpet behind her, performing a perfect mirror of Star’s own maneuver. Leaping to her feet, she dove after Star, who only barely managed to avoid her grasp.

Ducking beneath the older Star’s grasp, Star booked it down the nearest hallway, managing to stay ahead of her pursuer-but only barely. Desperately, Star looked for an exit-any exit-and, to her right, saw a door that she knew would lead to the Grand Ballroom.

“Don’t even think about it!” the older Star shouted from behind her. “I swear if you go in there, I’ll-“

It was too late. Star had the extra step, and that was all she needed to grab the door handle, throw it open, and swing on through.

And then, she stopped.

The Grand Ballroom was filled with hundreds of Mewmans and monsters, all seated and facing towards the head of the room. As one, they turned and stared at the younger Star, looking on with disbelief as the sounds of organ music slowly echoed and died.

“Uuh,” Star whispered, “I should be-“

“GOT YOU!” the older Star shouted, grabbing Star from behind and pulling her into a full nelson.

“Hey, let me-let me down!” Star said, struggling helplessly against the powerful grasp of her future self.

“Sorry everyone!” the older Star shouted over her struggling self, “Just, uh, needed to take care of something real quick! Keep doing what you’re doing, I’ll be back!”

Someone coughed awkwardly, and Star could swear she heard a groan that sounded suspiciously like her mother’s.

Pulling Star back out of the ballroom, the older Star set herself down, spun her around, and grabbed her shoulders. “Look,” she said, “I was in the same position you were. I came to the future, I wanted to see everything, and in turn I saw some things I shouldn’t have. I know what you’re going through right now, but…” she sighed, “Can you please make this easier for me? Today’s a big day for me, and I really wanted it to go perfectly.”

Star looked into her eyes. In that moment, it was like looking into a mirror-and at last, she gave in.

“Alright,” she said, “Take me back. I won’t try and see any more future stuff.”

At those words, her older self knelt down and wrapped Star in a tight embrace. “Star, you don’t know how much that means to me,” she said. “Well, you will. Eventually.”

She stood up, and clasped Star on the shoulder. “So, let’s get back up to your room. The portal back should be opening up soon.”

Star nodded, and followed her older self through the castle hallways. As they walked, Star looked around and saw that in some ways, things had changed-there were, for instance, a number of electrical outlets and lights that lined the hallways, replacing the oil lamps Star had grown up with. Suspiciously, she noted, there were also a number of blank spots along the walls where portraits had once been hung up, and several tapestries had been rolled up and pinned to the ceiling.

“So,” Star said, “Did you know I was going to escape?”

“Yup,” The older Star replied. “It’s a stable time loop-just talk to Omnitraxus about it, he’ll explain all the complicated stuff. But yeah, you did everything I did, pretty much, and in ten years you’ll get to deal with it from my end.”

She groaned. “Trust me, you are not going to look forward to it.”

Star nodded sagely. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to deal with me either.”

Her older self smirked, and tousled Star’s hair. “Hey, you’re not all bad. Yeah, there’s some stuff I think back on and go, like, oh man, what were you thinking?”, she laughed, “But for the most part… just keep doing what you’re doing, and everything will turn out alright-Unless it doesn’t!” she added quickly.

Star shrugged as they reentered her bedroom. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Well, I guess I’m still alive, right?”

Her eyes brightened. “So does that mean-“

Her older self groaned. “Please Star, for the love of everything in Mewni, do not test that theory.”

Star kicked the ground. “Aw, you’re no fun.”

“Hey, I’m still plenty fun.” The older Star said, flopping down onto a beanbag chair. “You wouldn’t even believe half the stuff I get up to these days.”

She grinned. “Why, just two weeks ago, Katerina and I-“

She saw Star’s anticipatory smirk and stopped. “Oh, I see what you did there. Well, trust me, Star,” she said, “That is the last thing you’re getting out of me.”

“Pfff, fine.” Star replied.

At that moment, there was a flash of light, and a glowing white portal appeared in the middle of the room.

Stretching, the older Star stood up off the beanbag, walked over, and hugged her younger self again. “Alright, time to go. Take care of yourself, alright?”

Star nodded. “Oh, don’t worry. And hey, you too, okay?” She smiled. “There better still be a rebel princess kicking around by the time I’m your age.”

The older Star chuckled. “Oh don’t worry, you’ll-“

The two were interrupted by the sound of a door swinging open, revealing an older version of Marco, dressed in an elaborate suit, and holding a long, detailed list.

“Hey honey,” Marco said, not even bothering to look up, “I know you asked me not to see you before the ceremony, but I just had a quick question about the vo….”

He looked up and stared.

Star stared back, then looked at her older self, and then back to Marco. Her jaw dropped.

“Are you-am I-“

Before Star could get another word in, her older self grabbed her off the ground and physically threw her through the portal. As the younger Star flew through the gateway, the spinning matrix of magical energy flashed and exploded into pure light.

Once again, Star blinked rapidly to clear her eyes, and to her relief found the room empty once more.

“Uh, should I worry about that?” Marco asked.

“Oh, pff, it’s just some time travel shenanigans, don’t worry about it.” Star said. “Now would you please get out? Whatever it is you can ask me later, I kinda need to get dressed if you didn’t notice.”

“Alright, alright.” Marco said, exiting the room. But before Star could close the door, he stopped. “Say, wait, if that was a time travel thing, and in the past you traveled to today, does that mean you knew we’d-“

Star laughed. “Oh, actually I saw Tom, it’s pretty hilarious in retrospect.”

Marco laughed uproariously, slapping his knee. “You? And Tom! HA!”

He wiped away a tear. “But seriously, did you-“

“Hey, look at that, no time!” Star said quickly. “Gotta go, talk to you during the ceremony!”

With that, Star shoved Marco out of the room and slammed the door shut. Marco stared at it for a moment, then smiled, shrugged and walked away.

After all, he thought, if there was anything he’d learned over his eleven year relationship with Princess Star Butterfly, it was that the answer to some questions was well worth the wait.