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

Episode 18: Demontilion

Following Star's chaotic meltdown in the Tapestry Room, Marco & Moon brought her back up to her room & tucked her back into bed, all nice & cozy. They then returned to the castle kitchen & worked together to whip up a nice, large, hot meal for her. They set it at the side of her bed; while she devoured her meal rather quickly, Marco got onto the bed himself & gave her a quick foot rub. "You didn't have to do this for me..." Star said somberly, but with a faint smile on her face as she took the last bites.

"We know." Was all Marco said as he and Moon again smothered the struggling girl with affection. "We love you, Star."

"I love you guys too. So much..."

"You sleep now. You need to recover your strength after the insanity you went through."

Star was ready to object. "N-No, I can't." She tried to sit up, but her struggling heart had other plans, jolting her with a huge shock of pain forcing her back down. "I can feel it in my bones, if I fall asleep now, I'm not waking up until like tomorrow or even a couple of days..."

Marco's smile never wavered. He quietly tucked her under the blankets and gently kissed her soft lips. "Then we'll see you in a couple of days." That was that. And Star knew it. Then again, she knew that they meant well and always would. "And hey, when you do wake up, your mom and I are gonna take you to the mall. You can get whatever you want, no questions asked."

She sheepishly smiled. How could she ever be upset at the adorable, try-hard smile on his face. "Even if I just want to ride around in the cart like a little kid?"

Marco nodded proudly. "Absolutely."

"You know it's not good behavior training to reward a child for throwing a temper tantrum, right?"

He caressed her cheek several times, delivering another kiss in the midst of it. For Star, it wasn't the frequency of her depressive episodes that concerned everyone. It was the severity of them. More often than not, she was good. But when she was bad, she was really bad. "We're not rewarding you for a tantrum. We're supporting someone who's fighting depression. It's different."

"If you say so."

"I do. Think of it as all of us making up for lost time. Love you, baby girl." He leaned in & kissed her once more before tucking her in & fetching her her patented noise-cancelling headphones, sleep mask, & stuffed Marco doll. Absolutely nothing was going to disturb her.

"Wait..." She called out weakly just as they were about to head out. "Mom...would you...would you just apologize to the rest of the family for me?"

Moon & Marco exchanged looks of confusion & concern. "...Apologize for what, dear?"

Star shrugged, almost shedding another tear. "I don't know, just...something? Anything. Please? I...don't think I can face everyone right now..."

Again they exchanged looks, but rather than argue with her, they nodded in silence & played along. Star, in return, laid her head back down on the pillow & relaxed. She didn't even wait for them to leave before she closed her eyes & was out like a light. Moon went off in her own direction, leaving Marco to his own devices.

Well, since Star's out of commission for the day, I might as well find something to do. He pulled out his phone. I wonder if Janna is available to hang out. Uh oh, Marco must've been desperate. Actively seeking out Janna of all people? Sure, Janna was mostly harmless and he at least appreciated how "out there" she was, but still, she was rarely his first choice. Not like it mattered, anyway. Marco's attempts to call Janna were met with an immediate decline, followed by a text message from her.