Star vs. The Forces of Evil - Never Hold Back

Chapter Twenty-Eight

It is done. It's over. Finally. They did it. Mewni is just in sight, and a crowd of knights has come to greet them.

“Hail, soldiers, what brings you here?”

What a question. Haven't you heard? The war is over, they're going home. Where is Manfred? They need Manfred; he has the dimensional scissors.

“Manfred? We shall retrieve him for you.”

Bless you, if there may be any god you worship.

And what of their leader? Yes, Star is on her way, and Tom will meet her at the midpoint to make sure she is escorted safely. Though what could go wrong? The enemies are no longer at war with them, she has full control if her butterfly form, she's still powerful! Hm, perhaps it is to escort Tom safely? No, that doesn't make sense…

Wait, what's that?

…

Oh god…

...

Star…?

…

Please hurry…

~☆~

Feeling the wind brush against her wings was refreshing, hearing it rustle the leaves on the trees nearby… Wind, it can carry something far from where it began. Star had yet to understand it, though she appreciated it.

“Star!”

Looking down, she saw Tom on the ground, waving to her to come down. Gracefully, she fluttered to the earth beneath her, brushing off her uniform. The moment her feet touched the ground, the demon ran towards her, looking… terrified.

“Star, oh goodness, Star,” he frantically gasped out of breath. “We gotta hurry to Mewni!”

“Why?” she asked. “The war is over, isn't it?”

Tom nodded solemnly.

“It is now,” he said. “... and we lost-”

It hit like a bolt of lightning; sudden, heartbreaking, and deadly. As quick as it came, it left, but it echoed and lingered like a curse. A scream, no, hundreds of screams, bullets ripping, and then silence…

“Oh… I…. Star… I-I'm so sorry…”

Staring out beyond the horizon, towards Mewni, Star felt her heart, not sink, but seemingly disappear. It was over, no way to turn back time, no way to reclaim anything that was lost. She didn't dare go and see what had just happened, she already knew they were all dead anyway. Looking up, she saw the moon shone… white.

“... Star?”

“I must go there.”

“Why?”

...

“Marco is still alive.”

~☆~

The night grew darker, the wind blew harder, and the thunder roared louder. The reeking stench of death polluted the air, the bodies littered the ground, a river of blood rushing down the hillside. Star and Tom struggled to find a landing point, circling over the land like hunting vultures. At that rate, she had no choice but to land on the bodies of the dead. Reluctantly, she flew downwards, placing her feet atop the corpses. She recognized every face: the Mewmans, the soldiers, even her-… oh god, even her parents...

“MARCO?!” she called. “MAAAAARCOOOOOO!!!”

Soon enough, Tom joined her in calling for Marco. Their cries echoed across the valley of the dead, galloping over them and into nothingness. Star couldn't lose hope, she knew he had to be alive, wouldn't the blood moon signal for danger? As the thought passed her, the moon’s light gleamed a blood red, blanketing the corpses in its shining, ruby light. What could this mean? Was Marco dead? Is he nearby? Is Star the one in danger?

“S-Star?” Tom spoke up. “...What's that light?”

“Oh, the moon?” Star replied. “That's because when our souls bonded, it lets us know if the other is in danger… I think. I dunno, it did that once when I lost my book of spells.”

“No, Star,” Tom said with an almost hollow voice. “...That light over there.”

Star followed Tom’s gaze behind her to see, just on the horizon of the hill, a burning light that shone over the shadows of the carcasses and spread about them. The offending odor grew stronger, yet different, as the light grew brighter and creeped along the ground…

“...Fire…”

Heart pounding in terror, Star called out for Marco, running towards the fire to find him.

“MARCO!!!” she cried. “MARCO YOU GOTTA HURRY OUT, PLEASE!!! THERE'S FIRE!!!”

“STAR!” Tom shouted. “We can't stay here! It's too- ACHKKKK!!!”

As the fire crackled, so didn't the sound of bones. Star whipped around to look at the fate of Tom...only to see no trace of him at all. She froze, staring at the spot where he once stood. Whatever had taken him, she thought, now had its eyes set on her. Taking the hint, she quickly shifted, flapping her wings frantically to escape the blaze-

“STAR! WAIT! HELP ME!!!”

Star halted midair, turning to look towards the familiar voice.

“MARCO!!!” she gasped. “YOU'RE ALIVE!!!”

As swiftly as she rose, she swooped down towards her friend, ready to grab onto him. When she drew close to him, she felt… a sudden pain. A pain that stabbed into her wings and pierced her flesh. She fell to the corpses and crushed the spine of what was once Jackie Lynn Thomas beneath her, screaming out in agony and horror. Blinking, she saw Marco’s terror-stricken face looking towards something out of her vision…

“Oh, look, I caught a butterfly…”