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Not only did Moon wake up all alone in the forest in the middle of the night but she was also in her birthday suit. So being alone was actually a good thing. “Star!” she remembered. Queen rushed to make some kind of garment like her husband wore to hunt. Her hair might have been long and puffy it was not how she`d like to fight a giant monster. She would not let Star face another beast on her own again, future queen or not, she was still her teenage daughter. Yes, River was there, but no matter how brave, caring and selfless her husband was, magic had always been the main force on their land. And Meteora had it. “Considering the situation Star`s probably an acting queen” Moon thought forming a messy bun on her head. There would be so many things to do if she survived. The damage to the kingdom would take month to be repaired. She also had to do something with Eclipsa. Under the moonlight she noticed her arms and hands weren`t dark anymore. Moon concentrated on transforming into a butterfly. Then she fled. On her way to the castle she was forming different kinds of strategies to be ready for whatever she would find at home. She was surprised and relieved to find her subjects alive, psychologically traumatized a bit but still alive. The general condition of buildings, including the castle, was poor but unsurprising. Her Star was scratched and burnt a little, her hair a mess and her eyes wide with shock. But the memories of the battle for Mewni, when she`d thought she`d lost her forever, were still fresh. Moon knew better than to be ungrateful for what she had. “Mom,” Star said in her embrace, “I gave Eclipsa the wand”. Moon`s arms were pale as of china figure`s but the darkness was yet to be defeated.
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Moon woke up to her husband shouting her name and his beefy arms around her. She reflexively hugged him back recalling past events. “Where`s Star, River?” she asked her heart pounding. “She`s fine, Moonpie. We shouldn`t disturb her. The fight against Meteora had drained her both physically and magically. She needs some rest”. Moon sighed in relief. “I presume she`d won,” she smiled tenderly. The habit to lower her gaze and bit her lower lip in state of nervousness Star had most certainly inherited from River. “Actually, it was Eclipsa who defeated Meteora,” he said looking straight in her eyes. “Meteora? But how? She can`t dip down,” except for that time she`d let Moon almost die she could. “Please tell me it was all handled peacefully”. “Eclipsa used the wand to destroy Meteora after Star had been weakened from the battle”. Moon felt the urge to see Star immediately but River just tightened his gentle embrace. “Let her rest, Moonpie. You don`t know what happened next”. “What happened?” she asked quietly her mouth dry. “Star says Eclipsa used some kind of destructing spell on Meteora. When it was all over, Star decided to let Eclipsa have the wand. Eclipsa took it, and then there was a sound of a baby screaming. Somehow the spell has turned Meteora into an infant. Eclipsa fled with her daughter in one hand and the wand in the other,” River frowned. “Glossaryck has been bamboozling all of us. He`s been shouting the name of Eclipsa`s monster husband all this time. He knew, Moonpie. Eclipsa fled to reunite with Globgor”. It was all confusing and so logical at the same time. The puzzle was turning into a horrifyingly glorious picture she had been too close standing next to before. She needed some time to comprehend it. “Star really should rest,” she said. “Meanwhile, we`ve got some things to do”.
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No matter what time it was, the light was always bright in the Sanctuary. But instead of golden the magic around Moon was the familiar shade of purple. Her arms were clear, so Moon could add two and two. She was the cause of it. And she had no idea how to fix it. The memories of her deal with Eclipsa, her total victory against the Lizard, his dashy come-back, his defeat for good, Eclipsa`s much more unpretentious come-back, the understanding and even some kind of friendship forming between them, and then her betrayal. But how could one call it betrayal when Eclipsa tried to protect her flesh and blood. Moon would do the same thing for Star. What she`d learned from all of those events was that things tended to repeat themselves. Star was probably facing exactly the same she herself had faced when her own mother had been slaughtered by that monster. His last words, his maniacal amusement haunted her in her sleep. How much was she unaware of? Why was she sent to the Magic Sanctuary?
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Buff Frog was a gentleman, Moon concluded. Not only did he help her when she was in vulnerable and, well, revealing state, he was also as hospitable as she remembered him. She saw how he interacted with other monsters. As a leader they needed and deserved, that`s how. Moon saw how other monsters acted around her; some had hatred, mistrust, even fear written on their faces. None of them dared to attack her though. It felt more like they were ready to protect each other, if she would try to hurt them. As funny as it sounded for them Mewnians were the beasts. “No, it`s not funny” she thought. The more she actually interacted with monsters the more she felt like she was getting old. These monsters left Mewni, but Moon didn`t feel triumphous. Her thoughts and feelings about them were mixed and confusing after the past events. Monsters turned out to feel love to their kin, to have layers, to deserve her respect, and she didn`t know what to do with that. Star was much more open to view them as individuals, not only as claws and fangs. Moon felt like in her daughter`s reign Monsters and Mewnians would finally start living in peace. She had been thinking a lot about the future. She hoped when Star was old enough and felt ready herself Moon would step aside hand in hand with River. She hoped Star would find someone as beloved and precious as River was to her. Together they were a power couple containing peace and prosperity on Mewni. It had become harder recently with all the nemesis figures popping out of nowhere. River had always been able to not only be strong himself but also fill her with strength as well. He was the one who helped her fully realize her potential as a queen. He inspired her. He made her laugh. And for that and everything else she loved him. When they retired there would be so many opportunities they had missed in their youth. She had been a queen before she became a wife after all. Star had to find herself a spouse as young and open to changes as her. Someone who would ask logical questions like 'How is a giant six-armed butterfly or a demon different from any monster?' Someone to support and protect her. Someone who could challenge principles just like Star. They surely seemed to become outdated. She had no time to ponder though. Buff Frog was so kind to open a portal to Mewni for her, and she had to act fast. “Good luck, your majesty,” he said. “Please tell Star me and my family say ‘Hi’”. “I will,” she nodded. “Thank you, Buff Frog”. And before she left: “You`re doing great at leading your folk, by the way”.
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Moon was sitting on the couch in the reproduction of Lord Brudo`s house made of garbage wearing a potato sack. The dimension she was in felt like a border between reality and imagination. Not in a sparkly magical way but in a way that could turn people insane, if Ludo`s behavior was any indication. It was like that dimension was linked directly to one`s unconscious and reshaped itself in small touches accordingly. “I`ve been having so many guests lately,” said Ludo. “First Spider with Dennis, now you”. She`d found two dolls made to look like Star and Marco in Ludo`s closet. Had Dennis really been there? Moon didn`t know what exactly in the long list of issues made her more disturbed. She didn`t know if they and the house for that matter were made by Ludo or the dimension itself. She didn`t know if their surroundings seemed different to him. Maybe his was mind was affected that it all seemed convincing for him. It wasn`t that she was afraid of Ludo. Even though there were reasons to be. It was just that Moon was confused. The unicorn had sent her to him specifically. Maybe to help him or maybe to face her own psyche. It didn`t matter though. Ludo clearly needed help so she wouldn`t leave him there. But how could they leave? There were no dimensional scissors. It would be too dangerous to return to the Realm of Magic. She had already forgotten herself once for crying out loud! There were no available means to go back to Mewni. She could only stay there and have a very, very long talk with Ludo. And find out how the dimension actually worked.
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“When I was like nine years old my brother Crudo told me to close my eyes because he wanted to show me something, and when I opened them I was standing on a cliff! And Udo, oh, Udo! He gave me a fluffy cat on my birthday, and I thought like ‘Hey, maybe he didn`t mean to feed me candies made of boogers. Maybe it was an accident, and he really thought those were caramels. Where would he get them anyway? We`ve got nibs!’ And you know what? It turned out that kitten transformed into a bloodsucking panther at night. And don`t get me started on Manudo!” Ludo`s been ranting about his childhood for three hours. For a moment Moon thought that Ludo was a creation of the dimension made to drive her mad. “Queen Moon?” Moon heard someone`s voice behind her. “Oh my Gosh, he did it!” she thought. She slowly turned back to find Dennis looking at her in confusion. And a spider. “Thank Goodness, Dennis, I`ve never been happier to see you!” “You`ve met me like twice,” he said. “Come on, Ludo,” she called. “Let`s get out of here”. “But I can`t leave! I still have things to work through-” Moon lifted him up not letting him finish. “Of course, Ludo, but I think it`s about time you finished the doll therapy and switched to something else”.