#lifted spirits

holy crap guys I have not been able to bring myself to write after the catastrophe of part three, but apparently you guys like having your hearts shattered???????????? Idek here ~A.Y.

Part 4: Forgetting

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Star has become fed up with Tom.

"I’m breaking up with you!" She screamed, turning the heads of the demons surrounding Tom. His jaw dropped, but his shock quickly turned to anger.

"You don’t even have a reason to, Star! I’m a nice guy!" He shouted back.

"You’re a jerk, and you don’t even wanna fight monsters with me anymore. You just want me to hang around like a prize or something! We’re over, Tom!"

She grabbed his scissors from behind him and tore open a portal in a fit of rage.

"And stay away from me, you creep!" She shouted back, throwing the scissors on the ground and stomping through the portal.

It had been about four months since she’d said goodbye to her best friend, and though she didn’t tell anyone why she was so down, Pony Head had down her best to try and get her spirits up by causing havoc and fighting monsters whenever they could. Star had also begun to date Tom after going on a few dates with each other, but that obviously didn’t work out. Star dragged her feet along the cobblestones as she stomped towards her home. Her 14th birthday was only in eight months, and she perked a bit at the thought of getting the royal family wand. I mean, how awesome is it gonna be?! The most precious family heirloom, of the utmost power, given to her?!? I mean, obviously her parents aren’t gonna be as excited as her about this, but she knew that they’d give it to her nonetheless. I mean, they’ve taken away enough, haven’t they?-Oh. Right.She groaned in frustration as she remembered that she wasn’t going to go back to a fresh letter from……from………

Her best friend.She held a scowl as she stomped into the throne room, the guests gasping at her horrid appearance, since just before her break up Tom had played a rude prank on her by sic’ing his friends on her. All she had said was that she could take down a monster before he could, but of course he had taken offense. She stalked past her parent’s looks of concern and simply said, “I dumped Tom.” She lost her anger bit by bit as she rose away from the hall, her fury dripping to weariness. She slipped off her dress and put on her favorite lounging outfit: Her taco t-shirt and a skirt. She slipped the skirt on and shoved her head through the neck hole, realizing it was growing small. She sighed and flipped open a book on distant lands, skipping to the end on the legendary monsters and such to study up in who she could take down next.

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Marco was wearing his hoodie over his head, trudging out of school.

It was eight months since……..

He sighed in exasperation as he tugged at the drawstrings of his sweater. He couldn’t find any memoirs of his friend anymore. He had lost his box full of letters from his pen pal, but it didn’t even mean that much anymore.

He had just been voted “Safest Kid” at his middle school his last year there, and it totally sucked. He’d tried so hard to get rid of his stupid reputation of being incredibly wary and paranoid, but now that he was at high school, it stuck to hum as if someone had tarred and feathered it onto his butt.

He glumly walked inside his house, mumbling a hello to his mom, and shutting himself off from the world in his room. He practiced some defense moves he had learned a while ago, brushing up on his fighting skills. As long as he could remember, he’d always wanted to be a ninja, but as he grew it dwindled away into a hobby, and even a way to get himself out of sticky situations. He remembered faintly of his distant friend cheering him on about his dream, and he laughed, but quickly frowned. He really wanted to find those letters, and even turned the entire house upside down in his search, but he just could not remember where he put them. He exhaled loudly and rubbed his forehead with his finger. With a tired look, he put away his gear and sat at his desk to finish his homework, putting his ear buds in and setting the music to full blast.

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Star raced away from a cave of monsters as they wailed and stomped after her. It was the second time that day she’d be beaten up the beasts, and they were now chasing after her as she whooped with glee. She strung through the forest and wound around the trees, jumping to avoid swipes as she giggled insanely.

"Come on, fart faces, can’t you catch a dainty wittle pwincess?" She shouted behind her cockily, but gasped as she saw the forest led to a cliff. She looked behind her worriedly and saw the monster advancing with no hesitation. She ran towards the cliff, fearing impending doom, until she heard the familiar high-pitched whinny of a friend and turned around, stopping at the edge of the cliff.

"Okay, well it was nice playing with you guys! Brush up on your fighting skills, won’t you? I’m getting tired of winning! Okay, bye!" And fell backwards of the cliff. The monsters stopped, confused at this action, until they saw the princess holding on to the neck of Pony Head, her best friend who’s recklessness and random bursts of part fever are equivalent to Star’s.

"You busted them up good, B-fly! Next time, you call me up so we can party like there’s no tomorrow!" They both laughed as they flew together over the kingdom of Mewni, and soon they were running on the pavement of a road, trying to beat each other to the steps of Star’s royal palace. They raced through the grand hall, laughing and talking rapidly, until her mother shouted, "Star Butterfly!"

The two stopped in their tracks as they saw the Queen have a face of utter distaste at the sight of the state of Star. She had ruined the third dress this week(and it was Tuesday), her hair looked like a rat’s nest infested with termites, and Star’s skin was scuffed and cut all over.

"Star, this behavior is not one of a proper princess! You are part of the royal family, so act like it!"

Star huffed as Pony Head’s eyes darted around shamefully. The Queen and King exchanged glances, and the Queen sighed irritably.

"Star, in one month you are going to receive the royal wand. Whether we like it or not. And unless you prove to be responsible between now and then, you will be burdened with the destruction of those who crumbled under your irresponsibility. Grow up, Princess." She said the last three words with a sharp edge, which cut through Star. She tried holding in her tears. Her mother glanced at Pony Head.

"I take you saved her again, Princess Pony Head?" She said.

"Yes, your highness. But Star was like, behaving the way she should have been, honest! At least, she didn’t raise the roof off the building! Don’t be too hard on her, please, Miss Queen?" Star looked at Pony head with large thankful eyes, but the King cleared her his throat.

"I trust you, Princess. So be it! Star, my daughter, all I ask is that you spend the rest of the day here, okay Princess?" The Queen looked annoyed that she wasn’t receiving a harsher consequence, but Star knew why her mom kept quiet. They were the royal family. Everyone was watching how they handled everything.

"Thanks, dad. I’ll see you later, okay Pony Head?" She hugged her friend, who winked at her and nodded her chin up, her secret signal used to basically day, "Keep your chin up, I’ll bust you outta here." Star smiled widely and ran up the stairs to her room. She giggled as she tore off the dress, and searched for her favorite outfit. She looked through her clothes to find her favorite shirt, humming as she held her skirt in her mouth. She furrowed her brows as she looked at the bottom of her pile of clothing, hoping to find it there. She frowned and slipped on her skirt, settling for a blouse that was comfy enough. It might’ve gotten thrown away. She shrugged and flopped on her bed, thumbing her tiara as she stared at the window overlooking Mewni’s town square.

"Eh, I don’t even remember where I got it from. It was a comfy shirt, tho-Ooh, cute boy!"

She stretched her neck out to look through her window, forgetting her train of thought.

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"Focus on the work, not Jackie. Focus on the work, not Jackie.Focus on ANYTHING other than Jackie."

Marco was intently writing down notes that didn’t exist to try and avoid staring at his crush for the millionth time, since the last time he did it, she noticed. He felt shame and embarrassment just thinking about it, so he scribbled away on his paper.

School had started about two months ago, and high school may not be the smoothest ride, but he was managing. He still held the title of “Safe Kid” at age fourteen, however, and what he wouldn’t give to have SOMEONE look at him and not see the “Safe Kid”, but him. Marco Diaz. Or better yet, see the “Safe Kid” part of him and accept that as a part of him, and maybe even like it.

Nonetheless, he was scribbling away as his mind returned to the faint sensation of a tugging at his mind, sort of like when you know the answer to something and it’s at the tip of your tongue. He couldn’t quite understand why he felt this everytime he thought about wanting a friend like that, but he shrugged it off and avoided eye contact both with the hot girl behind him with a bored look on her face, and the teacher painting het toenails with a look of murder on hers. He ignored the faint crackling of the P.A. system, and the first time it spoke, the words slipped past him.

"Marco Diaz to the principal’s office!"

He continued to write, until it repeated his name. It clicked in his mind, and he processed all the possibilities of why he was being called. He perked up and smiled slyly.