Star vs the Forces of Evil: The Ballad of Earth-Mewni

Episode 40: Family First

It was the last Thursday of November. With many of Earth's traditions having carried over into the new Earthni world, that meant it was the time-honored tradition of Thanksgiving Day. And what was the traditional way those that celebrated the holiday would ring it in? With a gigantic feast, of course. And that was the plan for today: Star Butterfly had invited a bunch of her closest friends & loved ones to the Butterfly Castle to share in a massive banquet of meals & reminisce the half-year they've all had in the new world. It was sure to be a wonderful experience for all. But before the festivities could even begin, there was business to attend to for each of them.

This business in question began wtih Marco & his parents. At the Butterfly castle, they were handling the meal preparations. With so many guests anticipated for the afternoon feast, it was imperative that they made more than enough food to satisfy every hungry stomach. But the temptation to take a taste of some of the food was tantilizing for Marco. So much so that his father, Rafael, had to playfully slap his hand away. "Aww, Dad!" Marco playfully whined.

"You can wait just like everybody else, mijo." He jabbed at his son before rustling his hair.

"So, sweetheart..." His mother, Angie, said approaching him from behind. "Can we see it again?"

After a brief moment of silence, he lovingly sighed & acquiesed; he pulled out his wallet & took out what they were dying to lay their eyes on: a driver's license. Since the first test Marco took to get his license went so poorly, he decided to hold off on trying again for a while, keeping himself busy with Star & everything else going on in the world. But following Star's heart surgery & subesequent recovery, he decided to give it another go, studying up on driving tips & tricks, while also doing whatever he could to avoid having Miss Skullnick as his driving instructor again. When he went for his license a week prior, his efforts paid off handsomely, as he aced both the writing portion & the driving portion, and he earned his coveted driver's license. Both his parents were incredibly proud of him, and gazed lovingly at the license he was showing off.

"Look at you, you're so handsome..." Angie said with a giggle, causing an embarrassed blush to surface on Marco's face.

"I wasn't even ready!" He gruffed about his picture, containing one of the most awkward smiles of his life.

"They always ambush you with the picture, sweetie."

"Have you told your partner in crime yet?" Rafael asked his son.

"I've been meaning to surprise her, but with everything that's happened I've...kinda not been sure how I should break it to her. You know, should I just be direct & show her, or should I wait until I get myself a car & drive up to her place & surprise her-"

"Stop overthinking it, sweetie, she's going to be so proud of you." Angie assured him. "She'll probably lose her voice cheering for you."

A huge smile crossed his face. He knew she was right. "Oh for sure."

"In fact, Marco, why don't you surprise her today?" Angie reached into her pocket & pulled out a set of car keys. "Just don't get yourself into trouble, okay?"

The boy's eyes lit up the second they rested on the keys she was holding. They were the keys to their family car. "W-Whoa...a-are you sure?"

She nodded proudly. "We can work on getting you your own car another day. But for today we can just pretend." Marco hesitated, but eventually reached his hand out and carefully took the keys from her, his eyes still shimmering with pride.

"...Thanks Mom. Thanks Dad."

"Oh and don't forget to tell her about college. I'm sure she'll want to hear all about it."