(See the end of the chapter for notes .)

Chapter Text

Queen Moon wanted nothing more but to fall asleep. She had been exhausted for what seemed like an eternity. How many days had it been since she began the trek home? Five? Six? She wasn't sure at this point. She simply kept moving forward in hopes that she was heading in the right direction.

As she trudged along inside the Forest of Certain Death, she began wondering. When was the last time a mewman was foolish enough to enter the enchanted woods without any supplies or survival equipment to speak of? No one that survived, that much was certain. Yet here she was, on the brink of passing out with nothing but her wand and her wits.

Moon looked down at her scepter, the only tool she had. While the royal wand could materialize anything, its potential was limited to its wielder. Without a strong and concentrated mind commanding it, the wand was nothing more than a match for starting fires. Her mind may have been strong, but it was difficult to hold concentration after so long without rest. The wand was practically useless in her hands, and directionless magic would do more harm than good.

Oh, wait! That was what she could use it for. Directions!

She stopped in her tracks and began pointing the wand all around her until the symbols on the crystal read 'SW.’

South-West. The Butterfly Kingdom was just South-West from the forest!

Moon looked behind her. She had been betting on running into Castle Avarius to spend the night there. The Butterfly and Avarius families weren't on the best of terms with each other, but the former diplomats could easily be persuaded with the promise of scratching stickers upon her safe return home. That and, well, it was better than nothing.

Alas, 'missing the mark’ had been the theme for these last few months, so it didn't surprise Moon one bit that she had walked passed the decrepit keep entirely.

Moon sighed and resolved to keep moving forward. She just had to keep going. Her kingdom was waiting for her. Two people in particular were waiting for her, and they must have been worried sick.

A strange howl echoed through the forest and Moon let out a cautious gasp. It was hard to tell if the noise’s origin came from a mewman or some animal. Argh! She hated the forest so much!

One of the worst things was the way everything looked like it was going to kill you. Trees, grass, slightly darker patches of shrubbery, the vines slowly edging toward her-

Right! Those were all actually trying to kill her. She took a few careful-but-hasteful steps away before they could reach her.

She couldn't stop to rest for even a moment, could she?

Up ahead was a stream, which she was sure had hundreds of Snapping Snakes in it, but crossing it was the only option if she wanted to go home. Bloody fantastic....

As she approached the stream, she assessed it's width and if she could jump across. It would be a close call, and if she missed the edge, she'd be one leg shorter by the time she escaped the snakes’ grasp.

Imagine that. She had just become queen not a year ago and she would already need prosthetics. Moon Butterfly, Queen of Peg-Legs.

She shook herself out of those unnecessary thoughts. The stream wasn’t going to cross itself. Goodness she was exhausted...

After a few steady breaths, Moon ran forward and jumped with all her might. While airborne, everything seemed to go in slow motion. She recalled hearing war stories from mewman soldiers experiencing this specific feeling in battle, during the height of their adrenaline. They say that fate itself slows down time in moments like this, to decide if you should live through them or not.

Moon felt her boot sink down into sludge and realized that she wasn’t out of the danger yet. Her other foot touched down, and she was briefly excited to be out of the snakes’ reach, until she started sinking.

Quick Mud! It just had to be Quick Mud on the other side! Moon didn't have much time. She used every ounce of her mental strength to cast her next spell.

“Elastic Appendage Beam!”

A blue phantasmal arm stretched out of the wand, clinging onto a tree branch about twenty feet above her. With her legs already submerged in the sludge, Moon pulled on the tree with all of her might.

Unfortunately, Quick Mud was known to be very stubborn. Once it closed in on a victim's lower half, it rarely let go. Moon couldn't get herself out. In fact, the grip on her was so tight that the tree itself was beginning to tear from its roots as she pulled.

Dammit all! At this rate, the tree was more likely to fall on top of her before it could lift her up!

The roots snapped and the tree very suddenly bent lower, causing a family of rodents to fall into the mud alongside her.

Moon felt the pressure on her legs lighten up as the Quick Mud dispersed it's strength to trap it's newest victims within itself.

She recalled reading about this in a fauna compendium. The mud creature was unable to distinguish the size of its prey, so when multiple animals are inside of it, it will grab onto each one with equal force. It was now gripping Moon with a sixth of its full strength.

This was her chance! She tugged the tree again, and this time the spell was strong enough to pull her body out of the mud, if just barely. Thankfully, the branch at the top was sturdy enough to support her weight.

As she held onto the tree for dear life, Moon heard the cries of the rodents down below. Now that she had a chance to look, she could see that it was a few squirrels that were knocked from their nest. Guilt began to stir up in Moon’s stomach as she watch them struggle in vain to escape. She thought of using the Elastic Appendage spell to save them, but it was far too likely she’d end up crushing them in the attempt. There was nothing she could do.

Moon wanted to look away. She couldn’t stand seeing such adorable critters suffer like that. But, at the same time, she was the one that did this to them. Even if unintentional, she brought them to their doom in order for her to escape. The least she could do was own up to it.

“I’m sorry…” Moon said, though she doubted her words could be heard by anyone except her. She didn’t take her eyes off the the squirrels until they were completely submerged in the mud.

She took solace in the fact that by now they were most likely dead. There were much crueler ways to die in this world, such as having your throat slashed apart by sharpened claws, leaving you gasping for air as you wonder if the blood loss or the lack of oxygen will be what kill you first, while everyone else in the room is too busy processing the chaos to adequately assist you...

The queen looked up at the sky, ignoring that for a moment. She was still technically in danger. Better to focus on the task at hand.

She assessed her surroundings once more and looked to the other thick, winding trees scattered about. They seemed safe enough.

She cast the Elastic Appendage Beam again and used it to swing to the nearest tree. She didn’t know how far the Quick Mud reached, but she’d rather play it safe above the ground.

So she swung from tree to tree, always double checking that the branches looked safe enough, for nearly an hour.

It was honestly the longest amount of time she’d ever spent without a deadly encounter. She must have been close to the edge of the forest, where the tamer threats resided.

She was happy it was night, at least. If she was this close to the edge, she’d make it back to her kingdom while everyone was asleep in their huts and houses. At worst, she’d only have to sneak around a drunken homeless or two, and no one would be there to see how stupid and reckless she’d been.

In the distance she saw a wall of vines, completely cutting off the forest from the outside world. She was on the southernmost edge of the forest, just an hour or two away from the edge of the Butterfly Kingdom.

She sped up towards the vines, the image of warmth and proper food sending adrenaline through her body, and before she knew it, she broke through the wall and into the fields past it.

Bright sunlight assaulted her eyes and she simultaneously felt relief at the sight of the cornfields and dread at the realization that everyone would be awake to see her return.

Wow, Moon really did lose all sense of time…

Well, no point in waiting until nightfall. If a queen had failed spectacularly in the task she set out to do, then it was only fair that her people were aware of it.

The final walk to the castle’s town went by quickly. Despite the relative ease of crossing the mewman cornfields, a different kind of anxiety brewed inside her the moment she began to hear the hustle and bustle of the townsfolk from afar.

She saw the first inevitably awkward encounter up ahead at the town gate. She was a little relieved to see the two guards patrolling outside the walls. That at least meant some order had been maintained despite her week-long disappearance.

The two armored men spotted her immediately, and assumed a cautious stance. Moon knew she’d need to prove her own identity and explain why she was approaching the outside gates of her own kingdom, alone like this.

“Um, good morning, gentlemen. A fine…. morning we’re having?” Moon said. Clearly not much thought was put into that introduction, but she was far more concerned with thinking of a way to prove her identity to them.

The men scrutinized her briefly, and then smiled wide.

“Queen Moon!” one said. “What a pleasure seeing you here!”

Moon frowned. “Sir Bonesplinter, please exercise some caution. I could be an imposter. Or worse, a shapeshifter. Don’t just assume I’m the queen just because I look like her.”

“Only Queen Moon would berate us like that,” the other guard said. “That settles it. You’re definitely her.”

Moon sighed. “Fair enough, I suppose.”

“I see you’ve had a good hunt!” Bonesplinter said, gesturing at Moon’s bloodstained gloves and chest plate.

“I hope you made those monsters suffer for what they did to your mother!” the other guard said. Moon couldn’t place his name. Riftgauger? Ripnogger? Something along those lines. He was fairly new to the guard and she was too tired to remember.

“I did not take on this mission by myself to satisfy some thirst for vengeance,” Moon corrected. “I’m doing this so that while I scatter the remnants of the monster army, our kingdom’s defenses can be at their best. If there was a way to go about this without making anyone suffer, I’d be right on it.”

The guard was taken aback. “M-my apologies, your highness. I didn't mean to imply-”

“There’s no need to apologize,” Moon said. “If that’s how you interpreted it, then it’s simply my fault for making it seem that way. In the end, the kingdom’s safety is more important than misperceived reasonings.”

“I… well...”

Sir Bonesplinter elbowed his companion. “Hey, Ribcracker, how about I go open the gate for the Queen, and you can ring the gate bell? The people will be overjoyed to see her return.”

Sir Ribcracker’s face lit up. “What an excellent idea, sir! Let’s not waste anymore time!”

“Oh no no no. That won’t be necessary,” Moon pleaded. “You’re only supposed to ring that bell for emergencies, so we don’t want to accidentally cause a panic-”

Ribcracker was already ringing the bell, and a loud clang resonated through the air. The sound of the gate creaking open punctuated the ringing, and the people of the Butterfly Kingdom were already out in the streets, eyes glued on the gate.

Of course, to make matters worse, Ribcracker, in a voice much louder than even Blocq Johanson was capable of, announced to the public, “Queen Moon, the Undaunted, has returned from her hunt, victorious!”

Crowds of people began forming by the gate entrance, as Moon realized that the struggle of returning home had just begun. She took a deep breath a moved forward. Before coming through, Sir Bonesplinter gave her a look.

“I want to thank you, Queen Moon. You inspired a new generation of knights. Ever since you single handedly thwarted that bastard lizard, we’ve had new recruits joining us every day. The streets are literally crawling with these young knights and squires. They’re so restless that you’d think they’re disappointed things have been so peaceful lately.” The guard chuckled.

“With all due respect, the majority of these young knights and squires are ignorant to the horrors of war. I could see in Sir Ribcracker’s innocent eyes that he never fought for anything in his life. Wouldn’t he be better off finding a better path than the one leading to his death?” Moon said.

Sir Bonesplinter looked surprised, but choose his next words carefully. “But what path could be more honorable and worth fighting for than the one where you protect what you love?”

A fair response, Moon supposed, albeit a little too childish for her liking. For all they knew, Sir ‘Ribcracker’, if that <> was his real name, only joined the guard for easy fame and recognition. There are motivations beyond pure patriotism.

Still, Moon didn’t want to be viewed as cynical, so instead she responded with: “Well, for their sake, I will personally make sure the day they fight on the battlefield will never come.”

“Ha, well, I wish you luck with that, but don’t put too much on your shoulders. Once things get too hairy out there, we’ll be here for you.” Sir Bonesplinter gave her a casual salute.

“I will try to keep that in mind,” Moon said. She walked away without another word to the guard, and headed towards the crowd.

Immediately, people surrounded her, each welcoming her back and congratulating her on the “hunt”. Some asked how many septarians she killed, some wanted to know if the fight was difficult, and some were just glad to see her back.

She responded as politely as she could, but otherwise kept trudging towards the castle. More than anything, she needed to know how things hadn’t immediately gone to chaos without her, or if it had, how it had managed not to leak into the citizens’ knowledge.

And then, once she found out those things, she planned on promptly excusing herself to her room and sleeping for at least twelve hours.

She pushed through the welcoming crowds until the castle gates were in clear view. She made eye contact with a guard and he started lowering the drawbridge for her easy access.

By the time she had made it to the gate, the bridge was down and she crossed it, leaving the elated peoples of Mewni cheering at the threshold. She closed the large wooden doors to the castle behind her and the sound was muffled.

Moon took a moment to just take in the quiet. It was a calm quiet, unlike the tension of the forest, and she had a passing thought to just lay down in the Grand Hall and sleep there rather than deal with the six flights of stairs up to her room.

She shook the thought away with the reminder that she had no idea how all of Mewni wasn’t on fire without her for a whole week.

“Moon!?”

It was River, standing on top of the first flight of stairs. His blonde hair was an absolute mess and he was wearing what looked like the gray pajamas the castle would provide for its guests.

“River? Oh thank goodness you're still here. I was worried that when the townsfolk found out I was missing, they'd revolt against you,” Moon said.

“That's why I told them you went on an extended hunt for the lizards. It was the only thing I could think of,” River said, with a meek smile upon his face.

Moon smiled back at him, as she came to the realization that he was the only Mewman she was excited to see after her “hunt”. Even after being gone for so long, River never lost faith in her. That didn’t quite excuse the fact that an outsider to the kingdom took a reckless gamble by lying to her people, but for some reason, Moon couldn’t quite muster the strength to be mad at him for it. She assumed it was just the lethargicness taking over.

Moon then noticed River’s trembling. He was barely supporting himself on the stair rail.

“Are you okay, River?” Moon asked.

“Oh, yes, I’m quite-” River seemed to lose track of his thought and nodded off a little. Had he been kept awake worrying for Moon?

“I think it’s time you got some rest,” Moon said, at the brink of exhaustion herself.

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea,” he said with a tired smile. “You should get some rest, too, though.”

“I will in a moment,” Moon said. “I still have to double check the state of the politics, the servants, the menu, the guests, the-”

“I can handle that,” River said. “You need the sleep more than I do.”

“Oh, but you shouldn’t be responsible for the affairs of the kingdom, and-”

“Why don’t you both just get some damn sleep? The kingdom won’t be gone if you aren’t in charge for another few hours, Moon,” a familiar voice said from down the hall.

Within seconds, Heckapoo appeared in view, smiling.

“I’m glad you’re alive, but dying of exhaustion would really make all that trouble kinda moot, wouldn’t it?” she said.

Moon smiled back at her. “Heckapoo, did you take care of the kingdom in my stead?”

“Well, I wasn’t about to let River do it,” she said, then added. “No offense, River.”

River shrugged “No, I wouldn’t trust me with the kingdom either.” It was funny how he literally offered to take care of the kingdom just a moment ago. At least he was being honest, though.

Heckapoo went up to Moon and engulfed her in a hug. “I was worried about you.”

“I can handle myself,” Moon said, despite having nearly died several times in the last fortnight or so. “But, thank you… It means a lot.” She returned the hug with a weak squeeze, the culmination of the rest of her strength now that she was out of adrenaline.

Heckapoo pulled out of the hug and looked Moon up and down. “Yikes.”

“Yes, I know,” Moon said. “I planned on at least taking a bath before sleeping.”

“Yeah, you smell and look like regret. A bath’s a good plan. I’ll go start it up,” Heckapoo said, walking off to the nearest washroom.

Moon took the moment to breathe and relax.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” River asked.

Moon smiled up at him. “A warm bath and a good rest will leave me good as new. The only thing hurt is my pride.”

“Was it that bad?” he asked nervously.

“They stole my dimensional scissors,” Moon said, taking a deep breath.

“Oh my goodness!” River said. “How barbaric! There really is nothing those monsters won’t do!”

Moon chuckled. It was odd hearing that from a Johanson, but, then again, River was the black sheep of that family. Which reminded her… “River, um, how long has it been since you’ve seen your family?”

River put a finger up to his chin. “I’m… not too sure. Why do you ask?”

“Have you, even visited them once since you started staying here?”

“Oh, well, not really. Time flies when you’re having fun, after all!” River immediately regretted saying that. “N-not that waiting around the castle, worried sick about you has been anything resembling fun!” he stammered. “B-but, don’t worry! My mother has been sending me letters regarding the affairs of the Johansen Kingdom. Now, comprehending her dreadful handwriting is another thing entirely, but I can assume-”

“River,” Moon interrupted, “you’ve been a great emissary since my mother’s passing and you’ve lifted my spirits in more ways than one, but maybe you should go home. I’m sure they miss you.”

River seemed shocked at her advice. “I know you mean well, Miss Moon, but I know my family, and they most certainly do not miss me.”

There was something about River’s sheer honesty in that statement that made Moon feel sorry for him. The poor thing.

“Although, perhaps I am long overdue for a visit. I suppose coming over one night for supper wouldn’t hurt. Would you… like to join me?” River shyly asked.

For just a moment, Moon’s heart skipped a beat, but then reality hit her like a stampede and she took a deep breath. “River, I don’t mean for one night. I mean for good.”

“But then I couldn’t be here for you,” River said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“You’re barely useful in this castle,” Moon said, not meaning to come off as condescending, but trying to get her point across as clearly as possible. “You’ve admitted that you’re horrible at politics, and you can barely handle choosing a menu for a night.”

“So then take me out with you when you leave the castle,” River said. “I can back you up on your monster hunts!”

The mental image of shy, quiet River Johanson trailing behind her as they trekked through the forest of death passed through Moon’s mind. Then the distinct image of River tripping on an untied shoelace, leading him to die of a heart attack. “You wouldn’t last a day out there.”

River looked briefly offended. “Excuse me?”

“You are a sweet man, River, but a warrior you are not,” Moon said.

River’s eyes watered up ever so slightly. “How dare you say that to a Johanson!”

“You may be a Johanson, but you’re not like any of your family, River!” Moon said, her voice raising a little. “You aren’t strong or fast or imposing! The sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll be!”

River’s lip quivered and he sucked in a breath. “Y-you’re wrong. I’ll prove it!”

“Oh, will you?” Moon said. “Would you like to march down here and show me what you really have then?”

Moon was tired, bruised, and broken, but River’s eyes went wide and he took a step back. “I, uh.”

“Bath’s ready,” Heckapoo said, breaking the tension like shattered glass and catching Moon’s attention.

Despite what she had walked in on, Heckapoo showed no signs of surprise at the verbal fight the two were having. In fact, her indifference to the whole situation was slightly irritating.

Moon gave River one last look. “Go home, River,” she ordered, before walking down the hall to the washroom, where the largest bath in the facility was filled with water.

Moon unhooked the armor she was wearing and let it fall to the ground with a resounding clunk. Soon enough, her dirty shirt and pants were atop it, and then her undergarments atop those. She normally took better care of her clothes when she undressed, so that the Wash would have an easier time with them, but these were headed straight for the trash anyway.

Eyeing the tub, she slipped her gloves off her hands and threw them haphazardly on the pile.

“So, you got him, huh?” Heckapoo said, examining the purple veins on Moon’s arms.

Moon briefly looked over where the dark residue had spread to after her use of the spell on the most recent Septarian. “Only one. There were three others. They got away.”

Heckapoo fully entered the washroom, keeping a safe distance from the water, and finally resting her back against the wall. “Tell me everything.”

Moon splashed her face with some water and grabbed a nearby sponge. “After the Mewman Scouting Party sent me the blueprints of the monster village, I teleported there using the scissors. I spent a few hours observing it from the tree-tops, and came to the conclusion that they were hiding the Septarians inside one of their tents. They’re considered war heroes, after all.”

“Sounds like it wouldn’t be easy to get to them alone,” Heckapoo noted.

“I devised a plan. I lured one of the non-lizards away from the village using an ear of corn attached to a string. Once he was far enough away, I captured him, gagged him, and tied him to a tree.”

“Mhmm,” Heckapoo said, seemingly bored with the story already. Moon kept going, though.

“I told him to let his ruler know that I had the place surrounded, and if they didn’t tie up the Septarians and present them outside in an hour, we would burn their homes down.”

Heckapoo pulled a nail file out from one of the shelves beside her and started filing her nails.

Ignoring her, Moon continued. “I let him go. Less than an hour later, it’d seemed they’d followed my commands perfectly. The four Septarians were bound and on their knees outside the closed gates of the village. They were left to their death. So, naturally, I interrogated them first.”

Heckapoo looked up briefly from her nails to show she was still kind of listening.

“I started with the most important question: where was Toffee hiding.” Moon paused, taking a deep breath, before splashing the water in frustration. “And it was the same damn answer every time! They had no idea where he disappeared to after I cleaved his finger off, and when I asked if they knew him personally, they all claimed their general was a stranger. Oh really? A Septarian you lot never meet before was able to convince you to disregard orders and attack my mother? He was apparently that good at public speaking, I suppose.”

“Never doubt the power of a moving speech, my Queen,” Heckapoo said. “And since you’ve been receiving this same answer each time, we have no choice but to believe them at this point.”

“I thought the same, so I-”

Heckapoo motioned her to stop. “You’re good, Moon. I get it.”

“Well, what happened next is the most important part,” Moon said, a little offended.

“I’m sure I can piece it together.”

Moon huffed. “I’m positive that you can’t.”

Heckapoo raised an eyebrow at her. “It turns out the monsters didn’t sell their war heroes out. The lizard guys weren’t actually tied up, and when you aimed at one of them, the others jumped you. Am I on the money?”

She was. Moon frowned.

“Right, so then you managed to kill one, but the rest got away with your scissors and you had to slog back home.”

Moon looked down at her reflection in the now-murky water. “I tried to chase them, but they’d managed to evacuate the whole settlement before I could break through the gate. It became a ghost town instantly.”

“Your majesty, do I have permission to speak freely?” Heckapoo asked. Her constant use of formalities such as ‘my queen’ and ‘your majesty’ were beginning to get on Moon’s nerves, only because she hadn’t referred to her that way up till now.

Moon sighed. “Permission granted.”

“You fucked up. Big time,” she said coldly.

“They got the drop on me!” Moon said defensively.

“Yeah, because you did everything wrong . You forgot to check that they were actually bound, you forgot to bring back up, to cover your blindspots, and you acted impulsively pretty much the whole time,” Heckapoo said. “And now the enemy has dimensional scissors .”

Moon walked out of the tub and headed for the nearest towel, feeling guilty for relaxing at a time like this. “I understand. We need to get those scissors back immediately.”

“It’s been two weeks already! Two weeks of uninterrupted use of those scissors, Moon!”

She was right. The Septarians were no longer making due with the dwindling resources of the local forests. They had the entire multiverse at their disposal. An entire multiverse of new weapons, magic and even scissors they could acquire. Taking that out of consideration, they also had a means to of regrouping with their comrades. Moon felt like trembling at the thought of her months spent scattering that monster army amounting to nothing because of her recklessness.

“We need to tell her immediately,” Moon said.

“There’s nothing she can do! She can’t sense scissors she created, only the portals from them. That wouldn’t be reliable enough to track them down, especially if they use them conservatively.”

Moon frowned. Well, that plan was out the window.

“The monsters are going to get a second wind now. They’re going to form another army and they’re going to attack again,” Heckapoo said. “That spell won’t be enough to scare them anymore.”

“But, what can I even do in the face of that?” Moon was a good fighter, but she certainly wasn’t going to be able to face an entire army.

“Really?” Heckapoo said. “You have an army! You just have to use it, you moron! Stop going on missions by yourself! Bring backup! Even “Lone-Wolf” Toffee knew the importance of having numbers on his side.”

“Backup? I don’t want to put any of my people in harm’s way,” Moon argued.

“ All of your people are in harm’s way, and it’s because of your fuckup.” Heckapoo said.

“I’m.. tired…”

“Yes, I’m well aware you’re exhausted, and we can deal with this in the morning after you’ve rested, but you need to be aware of the consequences-”

“No... not that. I’m tired of people dying, Heckapoo. Why does it have to be this way? My mother came so close to achieving peace with those vile monsters, and Toffee just had to step in and ruin everything she worked for. It’s not fair!”

“I’m sorry.” It was the only thing Heckapoo could think of to console her.

“I hate fighting, and I hate killing, and I hate getting hurt, but as long as I’m the only one dealing with it, I can live with that. But to see my people, young and old, so willing to get themselves killed for my sake. I… I couldn’t live with that.”

“I get it, but you have to use the resources you’ve been given,” Heckapoo said. “Your kingdom’s army has never been bigger. Everyone’s inspired to fight for what they love the way you have. Who are you to decide whether they can or can’t?”

“I’m their queen?” Moon said. “I don’t want them risking their lives for patriotism.”

“But if you die, what will happen then?”

“The Magic High Commission will take over?” Moon suggested.

“Oh please. They don’t have time for that. Heckapoo is running Scissors Quests right now to make up for the ahem volunteers we lost to the Septarians. Rhombulus is hunting down gigantic monsters that are threatening less developed dimensions. Lekmet’s following Rhombulus to heal his wounds. And Omnitraxus Prime is, I don’t know, reading horoscopes or something.”

Glossaryck was holed up in the book, mourning the loss of Moon’s mother, so he wasn’t much help either.

“Okay, yes, I can see that they don’t have the proper time to watch over the kingdom. Why else would they send a clone to come in their stead?” She groaned and leaned back in her chair.

“Ouch,” Heckapoo said, holding her chest mockingly. “But you understand now, don’t you? If you don’t let the people willing to help you do it, then your kingdom will be without leadership and your people will be slaughtered by the enemy.”

Moon frowned. The image of an army of monsters, bursting through the walls of the Butterfly Kingdom and then massacring the helpless townspeople within flashed in Moon’s mind. Heckapoo was right. “But I don’t know how to lead an army.”

“Then learn. You’re queen. Figure it out.” Heckapoo paused. “I’ll help you.”

Moon smiled. Okay, so there might actually be some hope in this after all. “Heckapoo, I’m sorry I called you a clone.”

She smiled back. “And I’m sorry I called you a queen. It was a real misjudge of character on my part.” Moon enjoyed the fact that this Heckapoo was willing to tease her like that. So many of her subjects put her on such a pedestal that criticizing her was out of the question. With her it was second nature.

“I meant that you are so much more than a clone assigned to watch me over. You’ve been my closest confidant. Sometimes I feel like you’re the only person I can trust.”

Heckapoo’s eyes got a little watery. “Don’t get too attached, kid. Us clones aren’t exactly built for longevity.”

Moon frowned. “Can you promise me that you’ll stay with me as long as you can manage?”

Heckapoo nodded. “Sure. I won’t go dunking my head in the tub anytime soon. But you have to make me a promise, too.”

“Of course,” Moon said.

“When I’m gone, promise me that you won’t go it alone anymore? Even if you have to work with River . Just, stop carrying the world on your shoulders, okay?”

Moon took a deep breath. “Yes. I promise.”





Moon awoke suddenly and shot up in her bed. Beside her, River jumped ever so slightly, but then relaxed.

“Ah. Good morning, Moonshine!” River said.

“Good morning, River. I just had the most peculiar dream,” Moon said.

“Nothing too bad, I hope!” he said a little nervously.

Moon smiled. “Do you remember the time I lost my scissors?”

“Of course. We spent days tracking them down together. It was just you, me, and old Chauncey, and... about five dozen others. What an adventure that was,” River said with nostalgia.

Moon chuckled. “Yes, the dream was actually about the argument we had prior to that hunt. I remembered thinking how you were too much of a peaceful soul to partake in fighting, and I tried to kick you out of the castle because I thought your life was better spent doing anything else than waiting for me.”

River laughed. “Well, it’s not like I was going to let my Moonpie kick me out that easily!”

Moon nudged him playfully. “I recall you being on the verge of tears. I felt pretty bad about it after the fact, and planned to apologize, but when I woke up the next morning, you hugged me with renewed determination, smelled my dirty clothes, and lead us through the trail to the Septarians.”

“Not in that order!” River said, almost defensively. “I’d smelt the clothes and caught the scent before you woke up. I didn’t want to be creepy.”

“Ah, yes. You certainly managed that,” Moon said with a laugh. “Anyway, I was so overwhelmed by your sudden change in assertiveness, that I never did make time to apologize to you.” She placed her hand on her king’s. “I completely underestimated you, River Johanson, and I’m so glad you’ve proved me wrong.”

“Aw,” River said, blushing a little and cuddling up to her. “Thanks.”

For a moment, it was just Moon and River, having a sweet moment in the morning. She reveled in the peace and quiet, free from the constant stresses that being a queen brought to her. From the constant looming threat of the fritz, and the worry of Glossaryck missing, and the numerous decisions her people needed from her, and her daughter-

Moon turned to River. “What time is it?”

“Well, no one’s come to wake us yet so-”

There was a quick knock on the door.

“I stand corrected.”

The door opened ever so slightly and Belladonna stuck her head through the door, “Good morning, my queen! Oh! And I see King River is awake for once as well.”

“I just don’t get people who knock and then open the door anyway,” River said to Moon.

“Are you ready for breakfast, my queen? And will your daughter be joining us this time, or will we be sliding it under the door for her like an animal again?”

“Bella, you didn’t tell anyone that Star was back, did you?” Moon asked. If the Commission found out that Star had to return to Mewni, it could lead to complications…

“Of course not, my queen!” Belladonna said. “But, of course, I’ve had to stop the housekeepers from cleaning her room, instruct the guards to ignore the room on their daily routes, instruct the chambermaids to collect a pot from outside that room, and gather royal-grade clothing fit for a teenage girl from the wash, so I assume word will spread by the end of the day.”

“Ugh,” Moon said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Moonpie, we should talk to her,” River said.

“Oh, also,” Belladonna said, “her cute boyfriend has been waiting in the conference room all morning. Should I tell him Star isn’t here as well?”

Moon sighed. Of course he was there. “Is he alone?”

“No, he brought some girl with him, who seemed very entranced by the castle architecture.”

It had better not be Ms Thirteen. “Alright. Let me get dressed and I’ll meet with him before breakfast.”

“And if everything turns out well, maybe you can even invite him to eat,” Belladonna suggested with a shrug, before excusing herself from the bedroom.

Moon went over to her wardrobe and started getting dressed.

River gave his wife a look of concern “Moon…”

“River, it’s been two days since we left the Diaz residence, and you never once gave me your opinion on what I did. Be honest, do you think I made the right decision?” She finished tying the back of her dress and then pulled her hair up into a bun.

He stroked his beard in thought before answering. “I think… you have a tendency to underestimate people, but I have no doubt that every decision you make is out of love, even when it’s doesn’t seem that way.” River smiled at her.

“That’s not a real answer,” Moon said.

“I know,” River said with a shrug. “But it's more important if you think you made the right decision.”

"Fair enough." Moon sighed and looked a her dresser, where two important items were displayed. One was her dimensional scissors, the very same pair she lost and retrieved years ago. The second, was the royal wand. She snatched it from Star after they went through the portal home. After it lost half of it’s crystal, it would not transform and would not allow anyone other than Star to use it.

Yet another mystery that fell on Moon to solve.

“You don’t plan on using that, do you?” River asked.

“It’s just a precaution,” Moon said. She may not be able to use it for magic, but she could certainly use it to bluff, if need be.

She grabbed both items from the shelf.

“I’ll be joining you for breakfast,” she said, before cutting a portal to the conference room.