The Spider & The Butterfly

Past Fires

It was a day like any other, except the moon was faded red. School was in session when a pillar of fire burst from the ground outside. A horse could be heard neighing. When the flames cleared, a maroon and black carriage drawn by a unicorn made of bones and a fiery mane emerged. 

A figure stepped out of the carriage. He had pale lilac skin, spiky salmon-colored hair with two pale orange-white tipped horns on the sides of his head. He wore a black jacket with black pants and shoes, a black belt with an army green buckle, a white button-up shirt with a protruding collar, a black tie, and sunglasses with three lenses. 

He walked to enter the school, small fires created with every step. As he traversed the halls, he gained the attention of students not currently in class. 

Star was in class when the figure walked in. He used a stream of fire to lift the desk between them before levitating before her. He flicked his shades off, revealing he had red eyes and an extra eye in his forehead as well as black vertical lines under each eye. 

"Hey Star." he greeted. "I'm here to take you," He held out his right arm and a red crescent moon made of fire formed over his palm. "To the Blood Moon Ball." he proposed. 

Moments later, Star is dragging the boy by the wrist back outside. "No, no, nope, nope, nope. You need to leave, right now." she said while using her magic to open the carriage door. She shoved him in. "So take your carriage, and fire, and dead horse, and go back to the Underworld."

The unicorn raised his head at the last part."Wait. I'm dead?" it asked. 

Star ignored the question and started walking back inside. The demon tapped the ground with his shoe, sending a trail of fire her way. "Oh come on Starship." he said. The fire lifted her by surprise and into the boy's arms. "It's the Blood Moon Ball! It only happens once every six hundred and sixty seven years." he stated while levitating a few feet in the air, finishing with a dip. 

Star rolled out of his arms and landed on the ground on all fours. "We broke up." she stated while getting to her feet. "Period." She turned away and walked. 

Her ex gently grabbed her hand and turned her around. "Wait, wait, wait Star. Hang on" She complied and he gave her some space. "I'm a changed man, okay? I got a life coach, Brian." He gestured to the carriage and a short chubby Earth man with glasses poked his head out. 

"Hey." Brian greeted while handing his client a pink bunny. "He's awesome. A happy bunny. And, and I have been anger free for fifty three days." He pulled his over shirt aside to show Star a red pin with '53 Days Anger Free' in bold white. 

"Fifty three." she muttered. 

Her ex held out the bunny in both hands. "Want to pet my bunny?" Star looked at it. "Well it is adorable."

"What's going on out here?" a voice called. Both offworlders turned to see Peter on the front steps. "Star, who's the purple guy?"

"Peter! This is *sighs* Tom. My demon ex boyfriend." she introduced. 

The Earth teen had approached the two. "You had a boyfriend? Who's a purple demon? Right."

Tom held out his hand. "Nice to, uh, meet you, Peter." Peter looked at the gesture for a few seconds before taking it. "Yeah. Likewise." 

Peter turned to Star. "So what is he doing here on Earth?"

"He wants to take me to the Blood Moon Ball." she sheepishly answered. 

"Star, never go with a predator to a second location." Peter warned. 

Tom handed the bunny back to Brian. "Look, I can see you're mad. You think I'm a total jerk, I get it. But I have changed. Remember, I'm not the only one with horns." Tom said, gesturing to Star's headpiece at the end. The two smiled at each other. 

"Why didn't you tell me I'm dead?" the unicorn asked Tom. 

"The horse didn't know he was dead?" Peter whispered. 

"No pressure." Tom said while stepping back to the carriage. "If you decide you want to go, just toll this bell." He handed Star a black bell with a small crimson crescent moon on the top. Star studied it, and the carriage caught fire. A second later, Tom cut a window through the flames. "Whoops." He chuckled. "Almost forgot the little hammer." He handed her a small hammer of a similar design. "I hope I see you there." he said softly before the carriage disappeared. 

Later that night, Peter checked up on Star in her room. "I think you're making a mistake Star."

"Maybe. But it could be fun." she said while carrying a pink dress.

"Why don't you stay here? Where it's always fun? You know, we can beat down some crooks, eat some food, maybe catch a movie." he listed in hopes of getting her to change her mind. 

Star was at her mirror when she turned around. "Well this is a different kind of fun. Don't look! I'm gonna change."

Pete rolled his eyes and stepped out the door. He leaned against the wall outside. "I don't know. I got a bad feeling about Tom and it didn't even take my Spider sense. Maybe I should go with you." 

Star slipped her dress on. "Peter, you weren't invited. Besides, you said you would trust me to do things for mysellllfff!" Star said after blasting herself with magic to style her hair. 

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah... totally, totally, totally. I just got to stop using magic... on my face."

"Right... all I'm saying is guys like Tom never change."

"Well, only one way to find out." Star turned around. "What do you think?" 

Peter walked back in the room. She was wearing a sleeveless red and pink cocktail dress off her right shoulder with hearts around the skirt, a white bow with a heart in the middle tied around her waist. Long white gloves, high heels of the same color with hearts at the bottom and sides. Her hair was up in a big top knot with curls hanging over her ears and complimented by her regular headband. 

Peter looked in awe. "You look... amazing."

"Thanks Pete!"

"Don't go." he warned in a whisper. 

"I'm totally going." she whispered back. She grabbed the bell Tom gave her and rang it. The bell sounded more like a deep gong, and immediately flames burst outside Star's balcony. 

A red gargoyle flew up with a black carriage in tow. Star smiled at Peter. "Mmm. Smells like burnt toast." she commented before getting in. "Let's get his show. On. The. Road!" she said while knocking on the top of the carriage. 

"Which floor mortal?" the gargoyle asked. 

"Uh. I guess the bottom." she answered while gesturing. 

"Let me just ride down with you." Peter offered while getting in. Star kicked him back on the balcony. "Goodbye Peter."

The gargoyle began to move away from the house. "See you after the Blood Moon Ball!" Star said. The carriage doors closed, and the two began their descent to the Underworld. 

Peter looked over the edge as they disappeared in flames.