It was snowing outside. Snowflakes fell in a slow, lazy motion, blanketing everything in a thick cover of bright white snow. Icicles hung from every tree, and virtually everything was encased in frost and ice.

Marco had decided to go for a walk to one of his favorite places in Mewni to try to relax a bit. Running a kingdom almost entirely by himself was incredibly stressful. Sure, there was River if he ever needed advice...but his advice often involved either extreme violence or ignoring the problem. Neither really helped him much. Besides, River seemed really depressed lately. He couldn't blame him for it; everyone was feeling kinda down at the moment. Besides, no one could blame him for taking a day off, today was a special day after all.

Marco and his daughter Cressida were walking together. They were both dressed for the weather appropriately, with heavy fur coats and warm gloves, and boots to help walk through the snow. Marco carried a insulated package under his arm, and Cressie had her ukelele/wand slung over her shoulder.

He sighed loudly. His daughter looked up at him with a worried look on her face when she heard the sound.

"Dad, is everything alright?"

"Yeah...I guess I'm just feeling a little sad, that's all," he sighed. "I know it's been a long time, but...it still really hurts. I'm guessing you feel the same way, aren't you Cressie?

"Yeah....I'm starting to feel a little better, but I still can't believe that she's really...gone. I guess I just...took her for granted, you know? I just wish that...I had spent more time with her."

"Yeah...I know what you mean."

They walked in silence for awhile, the snow crunching noisily under their boots with every step they made. Cressie was starting to shiver in the bitter cold, her teeth chattering together loudly.

"Cold?" Marco asked sympathetically. "Here, have my coat. I'll be fine."

Cressie accepted the coat gratefully. "Thanks Dad," she said softly. "I'm not as cold anymore. But you sure you're alright?"

"Heh, you kidding? A little cold never hurt me!" he exclaimed. "Come on, let's keep walking. We have a ways to go before we get there."

They continued walking, admiring the quiet beauty of the world around them. Snow was rare in Mewni, and seeing it was always an incredible sight. Marco sighed again. Star would have loved to see this.

"Dad?"

"Yes Cressie?"

"I was wondering...what were things like when you and Mom were around my age?"

"Hmmmm...what were things like..." he murmured. "Well, for one thing, I used to be really shy and insecure!"

Cressie gasped, her eyes growing wide. "You? Shy??" She shook her head in bewilderment. To think that her dad, the man who made bad dad jokes constantly, was fully capable of fighting and defeating nearly anyone in combat, who could make excellent food, and looked like one of the models that she had seen in magazines when she visited earth, was once shy? Incredible.

"So, um...what changed? And what were you like before?"

I never felt that it was wise to wish too much...

"Well, I used to be kinda nervous about, well, pretty much everything really," he said softly.

To dream too big would only lead to being crushed...

"Especially when it came to one girl I had a crush on. I was always so worried that if I ever tried to actually do something with her, like talking to her, asking her out, or anything at all, that I would be rejected and everyone would think I was a joke"

"So what made you change?" she asked curiously. Marco smiled, with a genuinely happy expression on his face for perhaps the first time that day.

Then I met you, you weren't afraid of anything

"Well Cressie, I met your mother."

You taught me how to leave the ground, to use my wings

"She was the one who brought me out of my shell. She made me stop being the 'safe kid' and go on all kinds of adventures. I began to have more confidence in myself, and just kinda became better because of her."

I never thought a hero would ever come my way

"You know Cressie, your mother really was an amazing woman. Brave, strong, confident, and whenever she had a problem, she saw it as a challenge. There's a lot of her in you, Cressie."

Cressie smiled brightly. "You think so?"

"Cressie, I know so," he assured her. "I'm sure she's proud of who you are know."

But more than that, I never thought you'd be taken away...

Marcos smile faltered as he remembered that fateful day. It was the final battle between them and Eclipsa. Everything was going well, but then...

Star had leaped in front of him to take a spell-blast meant for him. It had knocked her down, but after a few seconds she got up, none the worse for wear. The battle continued, and after the long fight was over, they had won (mostly due to sheer luck more than anything) After that, they'd all thought Eclipsa and her influence was over. They were so very, *very* wrong.

And now it's cold without you here...

Marco shivered in the cold, each exhale easily seen in the winter air. He still couldn't believe what had happened. Star was fine for several years. There was no reason to worry about anything.

It's like winter lasts all year...

Together, they had rebuilt Mewni, worked hard to bring equality to Mewmans and Monsters alike. They had even had a daughter, their wonderful Cressida. He even thought that they could have been happy for years to come...

But then one day, Star started to get sick. That spell that Eclipsa hit her with had slowly started to poison and corrupt her, gradually draining away her life. She had lasted for an incredibly long time, managing to resist it for years.

And yet...it finally caught up with her. No one had known, she had just suddenly started being sick and ill. He knew that no one could have any way of knowing, that there was no way that any of them could have done anything about it. Maybe if Star had told someone earlier but...she had always hid her pain from everyone, not wanting anyone to worry about her.

But your star’s still in the sky

Marco sighed heavily. At least he still had Cressie. He didn’t know what he’d be without her. Nothing probably.

“Dad?”

He was startled out of his reverie.

“Yes Cressie?”

“Do you think Mom really is watching us?” she wondered. “I mean, I know that we were able to talk with Grandma Moon once...but do you think she’s watching us all the time?”

“Of course she is dear. In fact, all of your Grandmas can see you, not just your mother. You know how all of the queens are named after different celestial objects?”

“Umm...yeah? But what does that have to do with anything?” she asked uncertainly.

“Well, whenever a Mewman queen dies, their soul goes to whatever they were named after. And every time that celestial object appears in the sky, they can see and watch over us. Even in death, they all want to protect us.”

So I won’t say goodbye

“It’s not really goodbye you know. She’s still there…”

“So it’s not goodbye, it’s like...like… a see you later!” she exclaimed happily! “That’s right Cressie. Kinda comforting isn’t it?”

“Yeah. I guess it really is…

I don’t have to say goodbye…

They walked in silence for awhile longer. They didn’t need to say anything; each understood exactly how the other was feeling. Silence spoke louder than words at that moment, and the quiet tranquility of the frozen land around them created a very peaceful, if somewhat sorrowful, atmosphere.

My days of doubt were in the past with you around

“Hey Dad? What was adventuring with Mom like?”

He thought about it for awhile, reminiscing on all of the things they had done. Eventually, he answered, his voice so low that she had to strain to hear him.

“It was...an experience to say the least. We fought monsters, explored dimensions, went on silly quests to find the most random things…” he recalled. “It was without a doubt one of the greatest times of my life.”

You made me feel I had a place, direction found

“Because of her, I finally had a purpose in life. Because of her, I had the courage to actually do things”

You showed me that a greater dream could be achieved

“Honestly? If it wasn’t for your mother, I don’t know where I’d be right now. Sure, I might have lived a happy and fulfilling life, and been completely okay with who I was. But Star pushed me to become better. I *wanted* to become better because of her. Come to think of it, you do the same for me,” he remarked.

“Thanks Dad. That...really means alot to me,” she said gratefully. She looked up at him and asked, “So what kind of adventures did you and Mom go on anyways? I’ve heard a few stories from you, but I’d really like to know what kinda stuff you two did. Especially from when you were my age.”

Enough resolve will conquer all if we believe

He looked down at her for a few seconds, thinking about what to tell her. She looked at him expectantly, eager to know more about her mother. With that expression on her face, it was easy to see how much she resembled Star.

He looked up at the sky, musing on the past. They had done so much together, from epic quests to save Mewni, to silly fun things like having pillow fights or making nachos.

With a sigh, he finally began to speak. “Well Cressie, we did a lot of things. We saved Mewni a few times, we’ve done incredible things that I’m sure people will remember long after we’re both gone. Together, we were...almost unstoppable. But want to know something special?”

“What?” she asked excitedly. After all, what could be more amazing than saving an entire kingdom?

Marco kneeled down next to her, and with a conspiratorial grin on his face he leaned in and whispered, “The best adventures we’ve ever done were doing things with you.”

Cressie, who had leaned in eagerly to hear what he had to said, blinked a few times in confusion before realizing what he said. When she did, she started to blush, embarrassed by what he just said. “Daaaad!” she giggled. “You’re starting to embarrass me!”

“It’s true!” he exclaimed. “The best times we had were with you. I promise.”

Cressie smiled softly. She knew how much her parents loved her, of course, but hearing her Dad reaffirm it was...something she always loved to hear.

The light you gave to guide me will never fade away

They continued their walk, the sound of their breath and the crunch under their feet the only sounds in the frosty environment. Marco looked up from the path they were walking on, starting to recognize the surrounding area.

“Well, looks like we’re finally here.”

They had reached the end of their long walk through the frozen Mewnian countryside. They stood atop of a small hill, and much like the rest of Mewni, everything was covered in snow.

Setting aside the insulated package he had been, and brushed the snow off of the two slabs of stone on the ground. With the snow gone, the engraved words on the smooth marble slabs could finally be read.

‘Queen Moon the Undaunted’ and…

‘Queen Star the Defiant’

Underneath the name read the simple words: ‘A queen, a wife, a leader, but most of all, a mother. May she watch over us always.’

But moving forward never felt as hard as today

“Hey Star,” Marco said hoarsely. “Me and Cressie came to visit you. We’ve been doing well...just wish you were still here.” He took in a few ragged breaths, struggling to compose himself. He unwrapped the insulated package, inside which was a plate of nachos, somehow still warm despite the cold. “I brought you some nachos. Your favorite…”

Marco sighed sadly. Turning to his daughter, he asked, “Do you want to say anything?”

“Yeah, sure,” she replied.

“Hi mom. It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? Things have been...kinda hard since you left. Glossy has been teaching me, but with you gone...it’s just not the same. I’ve still been working hard though! Making you and Dad proud is something I’ve always tried to do, and...I’m doing my best. I hope...I hope that you’re proud of me…”

“I…”

“...”

“I just wish you were still here!” she cried.

Marco suddenly enveloped Cressie in a hug. She gasped, surprised by the sudden contact.

“Me too Cressie. Me too.”

They knelt there for awhile, each with tears freely streaming down their face, neither of them trying to hold them back anymore. They didn’t care about the wet snow soaking into their clothes, or the bitter winter wind blowing around them. All they cared about at that moment was the comfort they were both seeking, and the loss that haunted them.

Eventually, Marco released the hug and stood up. Although he was sad to leave, he knew that he needed to get back to the castle. “Come on Cressie, let’s head home.”

Both of them stood there for a minute more, each not wanting to leave. Eventually, Marco sighed and turned back to the gravestone. “Happy anniversary Star. I hope we’ll be able to see you someday soon.” he said softly.

Turning back towards the direction they came, they returned home. They were still both sad of course, but then again…

It wasn’t goodbye. It was a ‘see you later’.







And now it's cold without you here

It’s like winter lasts all year

But your star’s still in the sky

So I won’t say goodbye

I don’t have to say goodbye…