#the whole time I drew this I kept on thinking about the finale of stampede and I don’t think I’m emotionally ready for the couch

[hinaliix]

𝓐𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓵 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓗𝓲𝓼 𝓦𝓸𝓻𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓻 🪽

[thdorkmagnet]

Chapter 41: Baby (Preview)

Summary: His whole life Marco Diaz has been raised by monsters, living under the cruel rule of their leader, Toffee. But one day Marco escapes into Mewni where he meets a magical princess and Mewman like himself, who begins teaching him all about her world. Together they will learn about life, love, and the lights within each of them, as they change their world forever.

Chapter Synopsis: The time has come for Star’s magic performance review to test her knowledge and growth as the wielder of the wand. Although Star is nervous her and Marco have done all they can to prepare her for the test and they are confident she will pass. But when Baby arrives things don’t exactly go the way they planned...

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Index

Disclaimer: Star vs and all its characters are owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney. All rights go to them.

“Okay concentrate, Star. You can do this,” Marco said in an encouraging tone, making sure to keep a supportive smile on his face as he watched his girlfriend cross her arm into an 'x' symbol, the wand held tightly in her left palm, pulsing with pink magic just waiting to be set free.

Star closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath, before muttering softly to herself, “I can do this.” The girl then began an intricate series of steps, the wand waving around as her body gracefully danced through each technique with practiced ease, Marco completely awestruck by his girlfriend's movements no matter how many times he had seen it in the last few days. The way Star owned every flick of her wrist or turn of her hip left Marco speechless, her body moving with the grace and poise of a professional ballerina. Her feet were always in the correct position and her arms were always kept at just the right angle, the wand leaving trails of magic sprinkling to the ground with each new gesture.

Finally Star held the wand aloft, shouting in a clear, calm voice, “Warnicorn Stampede!” There was a burst of pink magic in front of the blond royal, before a single, tiny unicorn appeared in front of them, looking completely harmless and adorable. “Aww,” Marco cooed, unable to resist fawning over the cute creature his girlfriend had just created. The little unicorn let out an adorable neigh before trotting forward right into a head-on collision with Star's couch.

Star face-palmed, groaning in annoyance and disappointment, before loudly exclaiming, “Ugh, what am I doing wrong? Why can't I figure out this lousy spell?!”

“Well it is the hardest spell in the book,” Marco pointed out, as he flipped through page after page of Star's spell book, trying not to get lost in the intriguing and dense knowledge this book contained. “Glossaryk said most queens can take years to learn it.”

“Yeah well if I don't get this down soon, I'm gonna fail the magic exam for sure,” Star retorted, crossing her arms bitterly in front of her chest.

Marco thought over his reply for a moment, trying to come up with the best way to comfort his friend. He knew Star had been stressing ever since the Magic High Commission first announced Star have a magic performance review to see how far her abilities with the wand had come. They had given Star only a week to prepare for the upcoming exam and since then Marco had spent hours upon hours helping to get Star ready for the test. And now, on the day of said exam, he knew she was more than ready for anything her examiner could throw at her. But it was Star who needed the convincing, second guessing herself as she failed the one spell in the book she had yet to master. Not that he blamed her, the pressure had to be unbearable for her, failing would  mean proving to the world that she was unfit to wield the wand and Marco knew how terrified Star was of being seen that way.

Failure was simply not an option. Especially since both Star and Marco suspected the whole exam was just another scheme by the MHC to sabotage their commission. Star seemed to have no doubt that if she didn't pass the MHC would disband their commission so that Star could 'focus on her studies', which only added to the pressure the blond royal was feeling. Finally, the hooded teen spoke up in the most reassuring tone he could, “You aren't going to fail, Star. We've been practicing all week, you've read the Book of Spells top to bottom, you know every spell including the ones that were removed from the book, you're more than ready.”

“Except for the one spell I can't get right,” Star reminded him, gesturing over to the little unicorn who was now chewing on Star's couch cushion. “If Baby asks me to cast Warnicorn Stampede I'm totally dead.”

“Well remember what Glossaryk said, your emotions effect your magic, that's probably why you can't cast it,” Marco pointed out, still flipping through pages of the spell book. “I'm sure you'll get it down in time.” He cringed as he came across a page covered in chains with a large skull on it, quickly flipping to a different page. When he had first come across that he had asked Star about it and all she had told him was that it was a forbidden chapter and that no one was allowed to look in it. Marco had steered clear of that section of the book ever since. Though he did wonder why Glossaryk hadn't removed it with the rest of the dangerous spells.

“Yeah, you're right,” the blond replied, letting out a breath of relief, her hands fiddling with the handle of her wand. “I guess I'm just nervous, is all.”

Marco closed the book before going over to his girlfriend and pulling her into a comforting hug. “Hey, I believe in you. I know you're gonna pass this test with flying colors,” he whispered into her shoulder. He could feel Star's body relaxing in his grip as she let out a deep sigh, finally untensing for the first time in hours, maybe even days.

“Thanks, Marco,” the girl said, before finally pulling out of the hug, a bright grin on her pretty face. “What would I do without you?”

Marco shrugged. “Don't know, though you'd probably get a lot less hugs,” the boy said playfully.

Star laughed before giving him a friendly shove, chuckling, “I'm serious!” The two shared a laugh together before the blond gave him a shy grin, the gentle look in her crystal blue eyes sending goosebumps down Marco's spine. “Thanks though, Marco. Really, I mean it. You have no idea how much you've helped out this week and I don't just mean helping me get ready for the test. If it weren't for you I'd probably be a jittery mess by now.”

“Ah, I doubt that,” Marco replied, his cheeks flushing some. “You're way braver than I am, Star.”

“Hey, don't sell yourself short,” Star retorted, cupping his face in her hand while giving her boyfriend a loving smile. “You're just as brave as I am, maybe even more. The only reason I'm so brave is because of you, when I see you facing whatever makes you afraid it makes me want to do the same.” The girl then leaned forward giving her boyfriend a tender kiss on the lips. Marco closed his eyes letting the moment wash over him, the two besties sharing a blissful moment as one, their heartbeat once again beating in time together.

Finally the two parted, giving each other goofy but incredibly happy looks, their cheeks painted pink as Marco finally said, “Well I'm glad I could help.” The girl laughed before pressing her forehead to his. “You always are.”

“So you think you're ready to try that spell again, Star?” Marco asked, giving her an encouraging smile. He felt Star's body tense up just slightly but the hooded teen could now see the resolve in her eyes as she nodded.

“Yeah, let's do it,” the girl said with unwavering determination.

Marco stood back as Star crossed her arms again, taking a few smooth breaths before beginning the incantation dance once again. Her body moved as fluidly as before, every step perfect and on point as she went through the motions just like every time beforehand, but to Marco's surprise Star's wand was now glowing white instead of the typical pink and her hearts were glowing brighter than ever. Finally the girl finished her spin before holding the wand overhead and shouting, “Warnicorn Stampede!”

Marco watched slack-jawed as at least a dozen warnicorns appeared behind her in a puff of smoke, neighing loudly as they galloped through Star's room in a wild herd, knocking over anything they came close to and impaling objects with their sharp horns. Star undid the spell quickly, leaving her room a tattered mess but she didn't seem to care as she began jumping up and down in joy shouting, “I did it! Marco I did it! I just pulled off my very first Warnicorn Stampede!”

“Oh Star I'm so happy for you!” Marco shouted as Star pulled him into an excited hug. She lifted him off the ground spinning him around in a circle as the two laughed and cheered for the blond's success. Once Marco was on his feet again, the boy declared, “I knew you could do it!”

“Thank, Marco, guess you believing in me was all I needed,” Star said, her bright grin incapable of vanishing, her eyes gleaming with self-pride and it made Marco's own heart leap at the sight. He couldn't think of the last time he saw Star this happy with herself and it made him swell with pride knowing he had been partially responsible for his girlfriend's positive change in attitude.

But a ringing from Star's phone drew their attention away from all the celebrating as Star ran over and picked up her mirror, flipping it open to read the new message. Her eyes widened before she turned to Marco and said, “Looks like I figured it out just in time, too. Baby's on her way now. Shawn just gave me the head's up.”

“Wait, since when do you and Shawn talk to each other?” Marco asked in confusion.

“Since I bribed him with some of our super awesome nachos, no creature can resist those,” Star replied, shooting her boyfriend a wink.

Marco smiled before focusing on the task at hand, asking, “Okay so how long do we have?”

Star shrugged. “Not long, she could be here any minute,” the blond replied, biting her lip as her anxiety returned once more.

“Okay well I'll go check on the food, you stay here and... clean up,” Marco said. The two cringed at they looked around at Star's destroyed room.

“Good idea,” the blond replied, putting her mirror phone away before starting to work repairing her room back to his normal state.

“Back in a few,” Marco said as he ran for the door, wanting to hurry and not leave his girlfriend alone for too long. He needed to be there when Baby arrived to help keep Star calm. Besides he was beyond curious who this Baby was after a week long build up.

“Okay,” Star called after him, pushing out any troubling thoughts as she just focused on her task, thankful for something to do to keep her mind off everything. The last thing she needed now was to psych herself out.

[razieltwelve]

First 7 Win Draft! (MTG Arena)

In Magic: The Gathering, I’ve generally been better at constructed than draft. However, with the way MTG Arena is structured, getting better at draft was something I wanted to do.

So, over the past couple of months, I’ve been saving coins and even using gems to do drafts to try to improve. The first month was pretty awful. I’m not going to lie. The fact that I was also rare-drafting to help fill out my collection didn’t help either. It was also a way of mitigating my losses since I tended to be awful, so at least I’d walk away with some rare cards even if I bombed out. And there were most definitely drafts where I bombed out.

But I kept at it, and I started studying more. I read draft guides; I looked at tier lists; I practiced on Draftsim; and I watched a lot of more skilled drafters in action. I found the videos by Nizzahon Magic to be especially useful since he talks a lot about why he drafts the things he does or makes the plays he does, and I felt we had a similar approach to the game in general.

I also had to get used to the different rhythm of draft. When you’re playing constructed, just killing everything is an option because you can build a deck with enough removal to do that. In draft, you’ll basically never have more than a few pieces of removal, so you have to use them sparingly. Likewise, your threat density in draft is so much thinner than in constructed, so you have to be much more aware of how you manage your creatures. That 2/1 or 1/3 isn’t something you can throw away, and you’ve got to really shepherd your fliers and other evasion critters because they might be the only way you can get damage through later.

Today, I finally managed to get to 7 wins in premier Zendikar draft. 7 wins is special because once you get to 7 wins, the draft ends, and you get the highest level of rewards possible. I’ve never done it before. I’ve gone 6-3 a couple of times, but each time I stumbled on the final match. Not this time.

But let me set the stage...

I started off by doing a Theros quick draft since I wanted to get some drafting in, but I didn’t want to spend any gems. After drafting what I felt was a very solid deck with plenty of playable and more removal than I ever thought possible, I proceeded to go 2-3 after getting horribly mana screwed twice and getting run over by someone with a playset of Iroas’s Blessing and the sort of hyper aggressive B/R deck that you dream of drafting. Seriously, that deck was incredible. Looking at my deck, I thought it would go at least 4-3, but it just wasn’t to be.

I was a little bit aggravated by that, but at the same time, I was also very happy with the deck that I drafted. I thought it was super solid. I just didn’t get much help from the shuffler, and I ran into the equivalent of a rocket-propelled freight train. So I thought... why not give premier draft a go? My recent drafting attempts had managed to garner me a decent quantity of gems, and I had a good feeling about it since I feel I’ve got a better grasp of Zendikar draft than Theros.

So I paid up my 1500 gems and gave it a go. Of course, since I’m me, I decided I’d do some rare-drafting as well. 

The first pack wasn’t bad. I opened a Haggra Mauling for a super easy first pick that was also a rare that I wanted. I also picked up some nice playable like Shepherd of Heroes and Malakir Rebirth although I hadn’t settled yet on a colour to pair with black. About halfway through the pack, it became clear to me that black was relatively open since I was able to load up on plenty of mid-range (in quality) stuff to help round out the pack. I also dipped into red after Roil Eruption and Cinderclasm came by while white only had a few playables, but nothing as good as those two cards except the angel.

Pack two began with me picking the Mankindi Throne (yes, I know it’s draft garbage, but I needed it for my collection...) and finding out that red was getting cut by somebody else. I was a bit surprised since the Roil Eruption and Cinderclasm had gotten to me late in pack one, so I’d assumed red wasn’t taken, but I got nothing out of red from pack two. With red cut, I switched fully to white, which seemed to open up as a Canyon Jerboa and Felidar Retreat made their way to me mid-pack. At that point, I was questioning the sanity of some of my fellow drafters because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Felidar Retreat go pick 7 before. That card is completely nuts and requires basically no commitment from your deck other than you have some plains in it. 

Despite only committing properly to white in pack two, I was extremely relieved to be able to pick up some solid playables for it. I even managed to snag a second Shepherd of Heroes, which had me feeling even better about my decision to switch from red to white.

Pack three began with some more good luck. I opened a Squad Commander for an easy pick, and there were suddenly some clerics available to help fill out the party sub-theme I had going. I grabbed a couple, and I must have sent a strong enough signal because a Cleric of Life’s Bond wheeled and made it’s way into my deck. I didn’t have enough for a full on cleric deck, but I had enough clerics + incidental life gain that I thought I could make it work. If nothing else, I did need a two drop to fill out my curve. Getting a Mankindi Stampede in pack three was great too, and I was pretty certain that, at most, only one other person was drafting white because I was getting some goodies in the mid-to-late pack that I wouldn’t be getting if more people were in white.

My deck ended up being a BW mid-range deck that used clerics and a party-sub-theme to get through the early game and put on some aggression before landfall stuff (e.g., Prowling Felidar, Dreadwurm, Canyon Jerboa, and Felidar Retreat) combined with my fliers stabilised and took control of the game.

It did not start well.

In fairly short order, I was 2-2 with my two losses being just brutal and my two wins being close fought. At that point, I was already consoling myself with the fact I’d managed to snag quite a few rare cards during the draft, and at least I’d get some gems back (albeit not many) for winning twice. I told myself that I just had to focus on getting one more win since three wins gets you most of your investment back.

That fifth game was extremely close. It basically came down to me surviving an onslaught of aggression and trading creatures until I finally managed to slam Felidar Retreat onto a basically empty board. Felidar Retreat then did what it does best, and I basically out-valued my opponent the rest of the way.

From there, I played three more close games. Seriously, the games were tight, and I don’t think I’ve ever played better in a a draft. I won all but one of them with barely any life left after always going second (I think I only went first once the whole time), and there were a stack of complex decisions to make about how to use the removal I had and about when to trade and when to just take damage. The only easy game I had was the one in which my opponent got stuck on three mana, and I drew like a boss to just run over them with Canyon Jerboa shenanigans.

The last two games were nerve-wracking. In the game for my sixth win, I was up against this white-green party build. The early game was basically me getting punched in the face over and over again as they curved out like a champ and used three copies of Practiced Tactics to blow me out. After the second one, I thought, there’s no way they can have a third... and they did.

The pivotal moment in the game came when they went in to attack with their entire team, and I was able to engineer a situation that resulted in my team trading for theirs thanks to a Practiced Tactics of my own on a key creature. With the board clear, I was able to find my fliers, and they soared over for the win.

In the game for my seventh win, I was again on the back foot early. I went second, and the opponent was playing this awesome three colour landfall build with a party sub-theme. I was knocked down to 10 life in a real hurry as his landfall creatures outclassed mine, and I couldn’t find good spots to trade. I even got stuck on four mana for a bit. Finally, though, I found a Shepherd of Heroes and Felidar Retreat to stabilise with the lands to make them work. Unfortunately, they had a Territorial Scythecat, a Canyon Jerboa, and a bunch of creatures on their side with a Seagte Banneret threatening to pump their team. 

The game stalled out, but the biggest moment came when I could have played a spell on my turn but elected not to because I wanted to bluff a trick after showing him a combat trick earlier. I didn’t have anything, but the game was so close that I felt sure they wouldn’t attack into five open mana with three cards in my hand.

They played Mind Drain. In my hand were two cards that I didn’t super need... and my one copy of Mankindi Stampede. If I had played a spell, I would have been forced to discard it since I’d be left with only two cards in hand. Instead, I got to keep it, and I was able to gradually add to my board even as he forced through damage using Angelheart Protector to make his gigantic Scythecat indestructible. 

Since they weren’t in blue (they were running BWG), I knew that if I could just get enough creatures on the board, then my Stampede would win me the game. Unfortunately, I stopped drawing lands, so I couldn’t keep using Felidar Retreat to go wide, but I did draw a few creatures. However, they were drawing plenty of creatures themselves, and that Scythecat just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

At this point, with the board basically stalled out, I had a slight edge since I had the only flier on the board. I was slowly but surely chipping away at their life total, but then they made their move. They had played a Tajuru Blightblade earlier, but they’d kept it back to dissuade my reasonably large Prowling Felidar from cracking back at them. That’s when they drew a Taunting Arbormage.

I knew exactly what they were thinking. The kicked Taunting Arbormage would force everything to block the Blightblade, so that when they swung with the rest of their team, I wouldn’t be able to block, and I’d be dead.

There was just one problem: I was holding my Practiced Tactics in hand.

I blew up the Blightblade and started assigning blockers. The end result was me being alive and them without any blockers left to stop my counter swing for lethal. Once the dust cleared, they conceded, and I had my seventh win.

I might have done a little dance around the room when I realised that I’d finally gotten it.

7-2. 

Not bad. And the six packs I got as part of the prize? Solid hits on all of them.

Best night on Arena ever.

[thorne93]

Unforeseen Chasm (Part 51)

Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together.

Word Count:3608

Warnings: Language, fighting, lost control of powers OFC, reader argues with loki, heart to heart, hurt reader, feeling out of place, homesick loki,

song for this part: Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my novels). It’s a collaboration with the amazing @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo​​. It started as a funny “What if…?” and it evolved and got huge. This took two years to write. We are both proud and happy and we hope you enjoy it. It follows from Thor 1 to Endgame in the MCU. Some of the timelines may be off in order to fit certain people, and some characters may show up earlier or in different ways than they have in the movie. But for the most part, it follows the MCU. It also has a bit of crossover with some other Marvel characters throughout the story.

Masterlist for Unforeseen Chasm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You and Shannon were sitting on your beds, playing on your phones when you heard what sounded like a stampede in the hall. Both of you peered up curiously. 

“What’s going on?” Shannon called out. 

A young girl, Julie you think her name was, answered with excitement, “Tony Stark and Loki are fighting in the gym! Logan is referring!” 

Your eyes met Shannon’s and the two of you made a mad dash for the ring as best you could. You two wanted to fly, but with the toll the transfusions were taking, that just wasn’t possible. So you scrambled along as fast as you could down the hallway to the gym. 

Just as you walked in, you saw Loki land a hard punch on Tony’s jaw, sending him to the mat face down. As Loki moved toward Tony though, Tony turned and kicked him in the stomach with a hard grunt. The motion made him wheeze as he fell to his knees, gripping his stomach. 

“What are you doing?!” you boomed out, your emotions flaring. 

Logan upon seeing both women knew exactly what could happen so at the top of his lungs, he shouted, “Everyone OUT! I don’t want to see a single student in here right now.” His deep voice making a rumbling echo in the room.

There was a collective “aww” made by the students. A few were actually aware of the reason behind it so they helped lead the others out and back to their schedules.

“You heard the guy!” Wade puts up his macho man act on. “Scram!!” He crosses his arms and he give the students a look.

“What is wrong with you two!” Shannon yelled but the two men were too busy trying to continue fighting. “Y/N, we have to stop them they’re going to get hurt and I can’t heal them in this state I'm in. I'm not sure how much more I can see before my powers try to take over.” She looked to her friend and just as she finished her sentence, her powers (as if called upon) activated causing her to rise up into the air. Her eyes had begun glaze over a milky white then suddenly became swirls of red and purple.

“Holy shit,” you muttered, fear wrapping around you before your eyes darted to the two men. “Hey! Knock it off!” you screamed at the two. They finally heard you, both of them turning to you before their eyes traveled up to Shannon, floating in mid-air.

“Umm, boys it looks like we are in for some trouble. You better stop your fight now,” Logan said as he saw his close friend being controlled by what she was trying to get rid of.

“Looks like you two are in for a world of trouble now!” Wade grins seeing his badass of a friend get ready to do her thing. “Give it to ‘em  cupcake!” He roots for her.

Knock it off Wade!” Logan gets closer to the other man and smacks him upside the head.

“Shannon!” Tony yelped when he realized that she was up in the air, unable to control what was happening.

“Y/N?” Loki said in a confused tone, eyeing you.

All you could do was stare at him. What on Earth was he doing?

“Enough! You two are acting like children,” came Shannon’s booming voice that echoed and made the lights flicker and shake from the sound. “What is wrong with you two?” Her hands were filled with two growing energies and she was ready to throw them to split the two apart.

“Shannon, sweetie, you need to get down. You're not strong enough to be doing this right now.” Tony took his gloves off and was walking towards the edge of the ring. “Babe, I’ll stop, okay? Look, I’m going to get out of the ring.”

“You shouldn’t have been in there in the first place, Anthony Edward Stark.” she was visibly upset and he knew that she only ever called him that when he’d done something wrong. 

In the very same instant, Bruce was entering the room and noticed everyone looking up and he panicked seeing Shannon in mid-air when she was in no condition to be doing so. “Shannon, get down you’re going to get hurt!” 

As if his words were a command, she closed her eyes and grabbed her head and just like that she was falling. 

“Shannon!” came from all but Loki’s mouth as they all rushed to reach her before she hit the floor.

The first one to actually reach was Bruce and was able to catch her in time, he saw just how much doing something as being up there had drained her of any energy she might have been getting back from her rest.

“Nice catch Brucie, guess the fun's over for now,” He pats the man on the shoulder. “Let me know when she wakes up so I can see her.” Wade pulls out a sucker from his pocket and walks away.

He nods his head and looks down at Shannon. “Y/N, we need to get back to the room and check her status. I may need you to do another transfusion if necessary,” he said looking at her after making sure he had a good grip on Shannon. “Come with me. We need to hurry.”

You bit your lip. “Alright, fine, yeah, just tell me what you need.” 

“Bruce, is she okay?” Tony had jumped down from the ring and was at the Dr.’s side in an instant. “Here, I’ll take her you can go ahead and get things ready.”

“No, I think you’ve done more than enough, Tony.” He frowned at the man. “Logan, go inform Hank that I need him down in the room. We need to do a complete check on her.” Without a second glance, he walked out of the room and hurried as carefully as possible to get Shannon back into her bed. “I hope you didn’t over do it, Shan, what the hell were you thinking?”

“B-Bruce?” Her voice was hoarse. “What happened? All I remember was telling Y/N something then things went black.”

“It’s okay, I’ll explain when we get back to the room, okay?”

Shannon nodded her head and she leaned it on his chest.

All four men and you had followed Bruce back to the room adjacent to the Med Bay. Just as Shannon was put back in be,  Hank entered the room with the equipment and Charles soon after showed up to find out what had happened.

“Can someone please explain what occurred?” Charles looked to the men but they all seemed to avoid looking into his eyes.

“Tony and Loki were in the ring, fighting,” you explained evenly. “I think Logan arranged it. I’m not sure why they were there to begin with, but by the time we got there, they were bloodied and bruised. I think the sight upset Shannon too much and her powers overcame her and she collapsed from mid-air. Bruce caught her though.” 

“Her vitals aren’t stable,” he informed everyone in the room. “The best I can tell is that she’s suffered from an attack. Something much like a heart attack or anxiety attack.” 

“Logan, I presume you have something to do with this.” Charles looked over at him. “Why am I not surprised, really to these lengths you’d go.” He shook his head.

“It was better than letting these two idiots duke it out in the middle of the hall causing a commotion,” was his response. “Dr.Banner notify me when she’s woken up. I wanna say I’m sorry for causing all this.”  And with that he walked out of the room.

“You got it, Logan.” Bruce tucked a strand of hair behind Shannon’s ear unaware of the look Tony was giving him. “Are we ready for a full scan, Hank?”

“Y/N,” Hank started and your eyes darted towards him as you chewed your nail. “I hate to ask this. I know you did a transfusion today, but I’m going to need another one. Her body is a wreck right now and I need some more of your power to sort her cells out. Do you think you’d be up for it?”

You nodded. “Sure.” Easily, you lifted your hand and let the power stream out of you and into your best friend. With each second, you could feel yourself getting tired, weaker, your legs were close to giving out, but she needed this. For a moment, the words of Frigga and Thor echoed in your head about needing to be in Asgard, that you drew your power from there.

Tony could see just how much of a toll this was on you. He hadn’t been around when you would do the transfusions and knowing you’re doing a second one on the same day he felt guilty. None of this would have happened if he had kept his mouth shut, but he was too frustrated with what he had seen earlier. He walked over to you and helped steady you so that you wouldn’t collapse.

“Here let me help you,” was all he said as he held you up.

“I’m okay, Tony, I can still stand, I might need help getting to my bed though.” You pointed towards where you had been sleeping lately. “Thank you though.”

“We’ll talk later, okay? You need to rest,” Tony replied and helped you to your bed. All the while Loki just stood there watching the whole thing. He hadn’t said much since he said her name in the ring.

“Thanks, Tony I look forward to our chat,” you replied. You looked over at Loki, seeing him look anywhere else but at you. 

“Looks like Shannon is back down to a good level. I suggest these two women be left alone for the time being,” Hank told the other people in the room.

“Alright this should be enough for now, Y/N. Why don’t you go get some sleep. I’ll wake you up in a few hours?” Bruce suggested.  He turned to Charles. “She’s stable again, since she’s had two transfusions in a day, we should wait until the next one. Her body may not be able to resist going into a semi-comatose state.”

“You’re right. We’ll give them both a longer time to recover before continuing.” Nodding his head towards everyone else, he left the room.

“I’ll let Gambit know he won’t be able to visit this afternoon so you can relax okay?” Bruce told you as he checked your vitals once you were comfortable on your bed.

“He’ll probably still show up later but it’s fine, thank you though.” You smiled at the man.

“No problem.” He walked away letting them get situated.

Before you could sleep though, you needed a word with your boyfriend. You pushed him out of the room and in the hall, closing the door behind you.

“What the hell is the matter with you?” you demanded of Loki, not hiding the anger in your tone.

“Me? I could ask that of you. I thought you were bedridden?” he accused angrily. 

“I am,” you insisted. “Who told you I’m not?” 

“I saw it with my own eyes. You were holding, I don’t know who,” he informed. 

“Remy? I was dancing with Remy. Is that a crime?” you asked. “Besides, what the hell does that have to do with beating the shit out of Tony?”

He looked off, pressing his lips together. You knew that look, he was trying to calm himself before he answered. “I saw you with that man and I… Stark and I may have exchanged words right after.” 

You shake your head, pinching the bridge of your nose. “You have to be joking. After everything I’ve done? After risking my life, after almost dying for you, after sacrificing living a normal life for you, do you still think I would love someone else?!” 

His eyes turned hard as they focused on you. “And you’re really that blind? I’m not worthy of your love. I’ve nearly gotten you killed. Had you imprisoned. Because of me, you’ve been outcasted by all your friends and family. It makes sense for you to love anyone else but me.”

All you could do was shake your head before quietly confirming, “Yeah, it does.” 

With that, you turned on your heel to race to your room, your heart racing and tears threatening. 

----------------------------------

Loki stood in the hallway dumbfounded, questions if maybe his self destructive ways had finally come back to bite him in the ass. Just as he picked up his ego off the floor and headed out the door, Tony approached him and slapped his back. 

“Now that we’ve gotten the testosterone out of our system, what do you say we go get drinks?” 

Loki stopped, completely stunned. “You honestly want to go out on a social outing with me?” 

“Sure, why not? Not like either of us are wanted here right now. Come on, I’ll drive,” Tony offered in his usual casual laid back way. 

Loki seemed incredulous, but after the unusual day he’d already had, he succumbed and climbed into the flashy sports car, and he actually admired it. 

Before too long, they wound up at a bar far on the outskirts of the city. Tony didn’t want either one of them to be recognized and he knew if he went anywhere in Manhattan or the surrounding boros, they’d be spotted in an instant. He wanted to be left alone for once.

“So, Reindeer Games, what happened to make you want to fight?” he asked as he sipped a cherry merlot. “Something happened with you and Y/N/N?”

“Not directly,” Loki muttered as he toyed with the full glass in front of him. “I…She’s dancing with some man. I don’t know who he is. She shouldn’t be dancing with anyone but me. I thought she was bedridden. She looked so…” He stopped, getting angry, and felt odd telling Tony all of this. “Why do you care anyway? It just gave you an excuse for us to be violent with one another again.” 

“Hah! If I knew any better I'd say you're jealous of that guy, but fear not, he won’t do anything.” reassured him. “I won’t say that I care, because I don’t, at least not one hundred percent.” He stopped to phrase it right. “But for the sake of Shannon and Y/N things are tough.”

“I realize that, Stark, thank you for the incredible insight,” he snapped and rolled his eyes. “How do you know he won’t do anything?” he suddenly questioned. “They looked fairly comfortable to me. Remy…” he mused with distaste. “That’s what she called him. I think he’s her friend from childhood. So yes, if you must know, Stark, I am jealous. She’s been here for weeks and I haven’t seen her. Then when I do come to visit, she’s dancing closely with...him.” He scowled. “She looked so… comfortable. So happy…” 

“And why on earth did you decide today of all the times you could’ve come to see her, did you choose today?” He still couldn’t understand that. “She’s asked for you constantly, as for Remy they’re like brother and sister.” He took another sip. “They only ever had each other when they were orphans so it's normal for her to feel comfortable around him, they also happen to share the same powers and he lives at the mansion.” He went on explaining their relationship to try to ease Loki about the situation.

Loki’s jaw clenched. “You’re right, I know, I just…” He tried to keep his temper in check. “Wait, why were you angry today? You were looking for a fight more than I was. What had you so bothered?” he questioned, turning the tables. He knew it was silly to be jealous, but how could he help it? You were free now, in more ways than one and you could, if you so chose, find a different mate than him. You were no longer confined to a cell with Loki. You could very well leave him in pursuit of another now. 

“Well...I.. listen, we’re still talking about you and Y/N don’t try changing the subject,” he tried to push it back to him, but he knew the other man would continue to ask, so he told him anyways. “With Shannon having been at the mansion so much, Bruce took it upon himself to become her nurse of sorts and I found them enjoying some time out in the gardens. She was relaxed in his lap listening to what he was saying and if what I’m thinking is true, then Banner has grown feelings for her.” He shook his head never would he have thought he’d be here with the god having a touching moment of honesty.

“Ah, I see. So the green eyed monster has hit us both, then hmm?” Loki noted, a little amused. “ As for you and Shannon, I’ve never seen a woman so enthralled by anyone. She puts up with all of your… you-ness, and still comes back to you every day, happy. I don’t know either of them too terribly well, but I don’t think either would ever set out to hurt you. People can’t help how they feel, and if they’re both ignoring said feelings for your sake, which I assume and think they are, then you have nothing to fear. Shannon is your wife. I was at the wedding. It was… lovely, for lack of a better word. Your love doesn’t have a threat.” He played with the glass some more, still not drinking. “I am just worried… I’ve outstayed my welcome in her life, if that makes any sense.” 

To be honest, it felt good to talk to someone. Thor wasn’t around, and he couldn’t confess how he felt to you, because you’d just assure him you still loved him. So it was nice to vent to someone other than you, confide in a new person… a new confidant.

“You honestly think that? That your time has expired? You couldn’t be more wrong she’d be devastated if you left.” He looked at the man next to him. “There’s nothing she wouldn’t do to prove to you that you’re all she needs, but there’s been so much that you haven’t even had a chance to digest it all because I'm assuming this is all too much, right?” 

“You can say that again,” he muttered. “I just wish… I wish we didn’t have to be here. Asgard is our home. Despite my feelings towards Odin, Thor is still my brother and Y/N’s parents are from there. She’s from there! I guess I just always thought we’d return home to Asgard one day. Not stay here… But it’s clear she enjoys her life on Earth.” He twisted the glass between his long fingers, spinning it on the bar slowly. “I suppose for the first time together, we want two different things.” 

“Well why not take a break from being here and go back home?” He figured some time away would help clear his mind. “Talk with Y/N and see if you two want to go there for a little vacation and come back when you're ready?” He turned to the bartender and asked for one more glass of wine. 

“You’re suggesting I tell Y/N I want to leave her home, and go back to mine? Won’t that send the wrong message?” 

“Well not if you dont explain why,tell her you miss Asgard.” He shook his head. “She'd like to go visit too is my bet.” He raised an eyebrow.

Loki conceded with a sigh. “I may do that, and if she doesn’t want to come back with me, then perhaps I should go back on my own, just for a little while.” 

“There you go! Let me know what gets decided and I’ll get the paperwork ready and approved.” He clapped the dark haired man. “How long would ya like to be out for? Granted I can't give you more than a few weeks due to your probation.”

“Give me however long is allowed,” he requested. The more the thought on it, the more he wondered if perhaps you really were better off without him. Tony hadn’t explicitly said it, but he got the notion in Loki’s head that maybe you belonged here on Earth, and he belonged on Asgard. He didn’t want to leave you. It would kill him, but he wanted you to have a chance at a happy life, and that wasn’t possible with him in the picture. You’d said yourself that it made sense to love anyone else but him. So this was him, doing the noble thing for once, and stepping aside so you could have a good, normal, happy life with Remy, or whomever you chose. “I never thought I’d say this, Stark, but thank you… for the drink, the talk, and what the hell, even the fight.” He let a warm smirk creep onto his face as he glanced sideways at Tony. 

“You know what? I could say the same thing for you. Looks like we can agree on something.” He laughed. Who would have thought that after everything that has happened he could sit down with the guy and talk like old friends. “You want to get one more drink and get back to the city?” He smirks back at him.

“Sounds good, Tin man,” Loki said, trying to hide his smile, and failing miserably.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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UC: @lokis-high-priestess​

[strvwberryblcnde]

👫 ford nd bradley

send a 👫 and I’ll write four headcanons i have about our muses’ relationship.

i feel like they have a recurring theme of rooftops.... they’re always hanging out on them historically in threads bt i also feel like they have a couple of different things they do on rooftops. obviously a staple is drinking an atrocious amt n smoking until their throats r hoarse with it bt. i feel like once bradley invited him to a rooftop in college n when he arrived she just had a duffel bag w a bunch of watermelons in. how had she lugged them all up there i honestly dnt know. n it would be a weird cathartic thing in a way of just. hurling them off n watching them splat on the pavement a few stories below. inevitably once bradley said smthn rly alarming bt she’d say it in her nonchalant way like. sometimes i picture it as my skull when it cracks open. all tht gutted fruit kind of looks like brain if u stare long enough. if u know what brain looks like. know what i mean? n she’d look at him n smoke n do a small smile like tht wasn’t the most horrific thing to say in a casual conversation..... Just Bradley Things <3 bt then also maybe this wld evolve into a fun thing where she brings a sharpie n they draw someone they kno tht pisses them off on the watermelon to give it a face before they toss it. she probably drew elias once n before she threw it she was like She Slept In My Bed! Sh-sh-sh-sh-she Slept In My Bed! pretending to remix him crying at the party tht time before lobbing it n laughing when it exploded into mulch. mayb once it hit a car windshield of a professor n the alarm started blaring n they were like. shit. n had to run away. bradley wld laugh as they ran she finds chaos amusing

i dnt think they’ve ever kissed tht i can recall???? n in a way bradley is probably kind of thankful fr tht. it’s like when ur a kid n u shut ur eyes like somehow that means the monster won’t b there bc u can’t see it. her eyes r very much shut to the concept of ever actually indulging tht want bc it just is clearly.................. a doomed possibility tht she knows shd be let go. black balloon by the kills playing in the bkground. even if they were in a situation where they got told to kiss as a dare or smthn like that i feel like bradley wld deflect from the dare being given n start roasting a random npc tht had given her the dare just fr the sake of shifting the focal point of conversation n avoiding it. it’s jst a bit like giving a crumb to a starving person n expecting them to nt want to eat more. it’s better to have nothing at all than to get a taste of something bt know u’ll never be allowed to feel full. he’s destined to get married n have bebes with vee n bradley knows this n knows she’s destined fr........ something else shall we say! reminds me of the new girl nick n jess scene where he doesn’t wna kiss her on the dare n she’s like why not let’s jst do it n he blurts out NOT LIKE THIS!!!!! n she’s like huh.... except the roles r reversed n bradley wldn’t say tht it’s just. the sentiment. it’s a nice daydream every so often when she’s drunk enough to nt be able to ignore it bt that’s what it’ll have to remain <3

ok so building from tht one time when she vanished fr a month to mexico n didn’t even contact anyone except fr ford in the form of rly weird concerning postcards when... she was unravelling a little mentally..... they were mostly incoherent n just saying random choppy sentences that didn’t quite cooperate with one another n just.... making strange jokes n doing little drawings n whatever..... bt i feel like there was one that was the least nonsensical of them all tht bradley never sent to him bt she just kept it fr herself n the front was a beach at night where nothing was rly visible except fr the moon in the water n everything was almost jet black. n on the back she just wrote “i don’t want to be scared any more.” bradley hates being vulnerable w her emotions so much n any admission of a bad feeling she categorises in her brain as stupid n childish bc of her dad’s brainwashing so idk if she wld ever share this w him n..... she’d usually expect herself to erase the evidence n rip this up into pieces n throw it away bt she just can’t bring herself to. she doesn’t know why. in a way it feels like the only physical manifestation of the trust she has in ford tht she’s ever been able to put her hands on n hold. n even if it makes her feel small tht isn’t something she can bring herself to get rid of. subconsciously she doesn’t wna give up on the idea tht someone is still capable of reaching her like tht

lastly. idk if u remember tht one time she lived in a loft n she ws rly depressed n she just let a bunch of randoms come in n party in her place all the time n she ended up w so many strangers jst.... squatting in her place n partying 24/7 she’d hv to lock herself in her bathroom if she wanted to b alone fr a minute to breathe in her own place... she jst was not doing well.... which was made most evident by the fact she splashed a bunch of black paint of her white brick wall n painted out a rly messy weird scrawled lump of a Thing with holes for eyes and teeth. it kind of looked like a wolf bt nothing Of This Realm. if we’re being real it ws meant to be her dad n how he’s always with her no matter where she is jst Looming. she was just.... Not Okay to say the least bt. i feel like one time she wld have greeted ford if he came over n she’d just b in her rage against the machine tank n no pants smoking lking so run down.... someone get her a banana bag iv..... some vitamins.... please im begging..... n anyway i jst feel like if he saw that on her wall n saw all the people there he’d evict them for her bc she was at a point where she honestly didn’t care abt anything so wouldn’t even think to do it herself n maybe he’d come back w white paint n go over it once she’d finally let herself crash enough off 45987425 drugs to get a few hrs of sleep..... jst like...... them being there fr each other is always thru indirect acts i feel rather than actual acknowledged words n. sighs. i can just see this being the conclusion to tht whole destructive narrative or at least an attempt to rectify it. again bradley hates being vulnerable bt she wld just rly briefly be like. thanks. nt even looking him in the face n then just change subjects like she hadn’t said it. ask if he wanted to go to a dive bar n shove ppl over in mosh pits so they gt stampeded like mufasa fr the thrill

[mrs-dragneel-stark-solo]

Unforseen Chasm (Part 51)

Part 51 of Unforseen Chasm

Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together. Word Count: 3608 Warnings: Language, fighting, lost control of powers OFC, reader argues with loki, heart to heart, hurt reader, feeling out of place, homesick loki, song for this part: Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my other fic series). first major Collab with my best friend @thorne93​​ what was first a simple “what if” moment turned into a two year writing session and I’ve never been more prouder of myself than when i started my first series. goes through most of the MCU plots there are some changes to accommodate for what we wanted and there is a bit of a crossover between the MCU and other characters. I hope you guys enjoy reading this just as much as I enjoyed writing it.

You and Shannon were sitting on your beds, playing on your phones when you heard what sounded like a stampede in the hall. Both of you peered up curiously. 

“What’s going on?” Shannon called out. 

A young girl, Julie you think her name was, answered with excitement, “Tony Stark and Loki are fighting in the gym! Logan is referring!” 

Your eyes met Shannon’s and the two of you made a mad dash for the ring as best you could. You two wanted to fly, but with the toll the transfusions were taking, that just wasn’t possible. So you scrambled along as fast as you could down the hallway to the gym. 

Just as you walked in, you saw Loki land a hard punch on Tony’s jaw, sending him to the mat face down. As Loki moved toward Tony though, Tony turned and kicked him in the stomach with a hard grunt. The motion made him wheeze as he fell to his knees, gripping his stomach. 

“What are you doing?!” you boomed out, your emotions flaring. 

Logan upon seeing both women knew exactly what could happen so at the top of his lungs, he shouted, “Everyone OUT! I don’t want to see a single student in here right now.” His deep voice making a rumbling echo in the room.

There was a collective “aww” made by the students. A few were actually aware of the reason behind it so they helped lead the others out and back to their schedules.

“You heard the guy!” Wade puts up his macho man act on. “Scram!!” He crosses his arms and he give the students a look.

“What is wrong with you two!” Shannon yelled but the two men were too busy trying to continue fighting. “Y/N, we have to stop them they’re going to get hurt and I can’t heal them in this state I'm in. I'm not sure how much more I can see before my powers try to take over.” She looked to her friend and just as she finished her sentence, her powers (as if called upon) activated causing her to rise up into the air. Her eyes had begun glaze over a milky white then suddenly became swirls of red and purple.

“Holy shit,” you muttered, fear wrapping around you before your eyes darted to the two men. “Hey! Knock it off!” you screamed at the two. They finally heard you, both of them turning to you before their eyes traveled up to Shannon, floating in mid-air.

“Umm, boys it looks like we are in for some trouble. You better stop your fight now,” Logan said as he saw his close friend being controlled by what she was trying to get rid of.

“Looks like you two are in for a world of trouble now!” Wade grins seeing his badass of a friend get ready to do her thing. “Give it to ‘em  cupcake!” He roots for her.

Knock it off Wade!” Logan gets closer to the other man and smacks him upside the head.

“Shannon!” Tony yelped when he realized that she was up in the air, unable to control what was happening.

“Y/N?” Loki said in a confused tone, eyeing you.

All you could do was stare at him. What on Earth was he doing?

“Enough! You two are acting like children,” came Shannon’s booming voice that echoed and made the lights flicker and shake from the sound. “What is wrong with you two?” Her hands were filled with two growing energies and she was ready to throw them to split the two apart.

“Shannon, sweetie, you need to get down. You're not strong enough to be doing this right now.” Tony took his gloves off and was walking towards the edge of the ring. “Babe, I’ll stop, okay? Look, I’m going to get out of the ring.”

“You shouldn’t have been in there in the first place, Anthony Edward Stark.” she was visibly upset and he knew that she only ever called him that when he’d done something wrong. 

In the very same instant, Bruce was entering the room and noticed everyone looking up and he panicked seeing Shannon in mid-air when she was in no condition to be doing so. “Shannon, get down you’re going to get hurt!” 

As if his words were a command, she closed her eyes and grabbed her head and just like that she was falling. 

“Shannon!” came from all but Loki’s mouth as they all rushed to reach her before she hit the floor.

The first one to actually reach was Bruce and was able to catch her in time, he saw just how much doing something as being up there had drained her of any energy she might have been getting back from her rest.

“Nice catch Brucie, guess the fun's over for now,” He pats the man on the shoulder. “Let me know when she wakes up so I can see her.” Wade pulls out a sucker from his pocket and walks away.

He nods his head and looks down at Shannon. “Y/N, we need to get back to the room and check her status. I may need you to do another transfusion if necessary,” he said looking at her after making sure he had a good grip on Shannon. “Come with me. We need to hurry.”

You bit your lip. “Alright, fine, yeah, just tell me what you need.” 

“Bruce, is she okay?” Tony had jumped down from the ring and was at the Dr.’s side in an instant. “Here, I’ll take her you can go ahead and get things ready.”

“No, I think you’ve done more than enough, Tony.” He frowned at the man. “Logan, go inform Hank that I need him down in the room. We need to do a complete check on her.” Without a second glance, he walked out of the room and hurried as carefully as possible to get Shannon back into her bed. “I hope you didn’t over do it, Shan, what the hell were you thinking?”

“B-Bruce?” Her voice was hoarse. “What happened? All I remember was telling Y/N something then things went black.”

“It’s okay, I’ll explain when we get back to the room, okay?”

Shannon nodded her head and she leaned it on his chest.

All four men and you had followed Bruce back to the room adjacent to the Med Bay. Just as Shannon was put back in be,  Hank entered the room with the equipment and Charles soon after showed up to find out what had happened.

“Can someone please explain what occurred?” Charles looked to the men but they all seemed to avoid looking into his eyes.

“Tony and Loki were in the ring, fighting,” you explained evenly. “I think Logan arranged it. I’m not sure why they were there to begin with, but by the time we got there, they were bloodied and bruised. I think the sight upset Shannon too much and her powers overcame her and she collapsed from mid-air. Bruce caught her though.” 

“Her vitals aren’t stable,” he informed everyone in the room. “The best I can tell is that she’s suffered from an attack. Something much like a heart attack or anxiety attack.” 

“Logan, I presume you have something to do with this.” Charles looked over at him. “Why am I not surprised, really to these lengths you’d go.” He shook his head.

“It was better than letting these two idiots duke it out in the middle of the hall causing a commotion,” was his response. “Dr.Banner notify me when she’s woken up. I wanna say I’m sorry for causing all this.”  And with that he walked out of the room.

“You got it, Logan.” Bruce tucked a strand of hair behind Shannon’s ear unaware of the look Tony was giving him. “Are we ready for a full scan, Hank?”

“Y/N,” Hank started and your eyes darted towards him as you chewed your nail. “I hate to ask this. I know you did a transfusion today, but I’m going to need another one. Her body is a wreck right now and I need some more of your power to sort her cells out. Do you think you’d be up for it?”

You nodded. “Sure.” Easily, you lifted your hand and let the power stream out of you and into your best friend. With each second, you could feel yourself getting tired, weaker, your legs were close to giving out, but she needed this. For a moment, the words of Frigga and Thor echoed in your head about needing to be in Asgard, that you drew your power from there.

Tony could see just how much of a toll this was on you. He hadn’t been around when you would do the transfusions and knowing you’re doing a second one on the same day he felt guilty. None of this would have happened if he had kept his mouth shut, but he was too frustrated with what he had seen earlier. He walked over to you and helped steady you so that you wouldn’t collapse.

“Here let me help you,” was all he said as he held you up.

“I’m okay, Tony, I can still stand, I might need help getting to my bed though.” You pointed towards where you had been sleeping lately. “Thank you though.”

“We’ll talk later, okay? You need to rest,” Tony replied and helped you to your bed. All the while Loki just stood there watching the whole thing. He hadn’t said much since he said her name in the ring.

“Thanks, Tony I look forward to our chat,” you replied. You looked over at Loki, seeing him look anywhere else but at you. 

“Looks like Shannon is back down to a good level. I suggest these two women be left alone for the time being,” Hank told the other people in the room.

“Alright this should be enough for now, Y/N. Why don’t you go get some sleep. I’ll wake you up in a few hours?” Bruce suggested.  He turned to Charles. “She’s stable again, since she’s had two transfusions in a day, we should wait until the next one. Her body may not be able to resist going into a semi-comatose state.”

“You’re right. We’ll give them both a longer time to recover before continuing.” Nodding his head towards everyone else, he left the room.

“I’ll let Gambit know he won’t be able to visit this afternoon so you can relax okay?” Bruce told you as he checked your vitals once you were comfortable on your bed.

“He’ll probably still show up later but it’s fine, thank you though.” You smiled at the man.

“No problem.” He walked away letting them get situated.

Before you could sleep though, you needed a word with your boyfriend. You pushed him out of the room and in the hall, closing the door behind you.

“What the hell is the matter with you?” you demanded of Loki, not hiding the anger in your tone.

“Me? I could ask that of you. I thought you were bedridden?” he accused angrily. 

“I am,” you insisted. “Who told you I’m not?” 

“I saw it with my own eyes. You were holding, I don’t know who,” he informed. 

“Remy? I was dancing with Remy. Is that a crime?” you asked. “Besides, what the hell does that have to do with beating the shit out of Tony?”

He looked off, pressing his lips together. You knew that look, he was trying to calm himself before he answered. “I saw you with that man and I… Stark and I may have exchanged words right after.” 

You shake your head, pinching the bridge of your nose. “You have to be joking. After everything I’ve done? After risking my life, after almost dying for you, after sacrificing living a normal life for you, do you still think I would love someone else?!” 

His eyes turned hard as they focused on you. “And you’re really that blind? I’m not worthy of your love. I’ve nearly gotten you killed. Had you imprisoned. Because of me, you’ve been outcasted by all your friends and family. It makes sense for you to love anyone else but me.”

All you could do was shake your head before quietly confirming, “Yeah, it does.” 

With that, you turned on your heel to race to your room, your heart racing and tears threatening. 

----------------------------------

Loki stood in the hallway dumbfounded, questions if maybe his self destructive ways had finally come back to bite him in the ass. Just as he picked up his ego off the floor and headed out the door, Tony approached him and slapped his back. 

“Now that we’ve gotten the testosterone out of our system, what do you say we go get drinks?” 

Loki stopped, completely stunned. “You honestly want to go out on a social outing with me?” 

“Sure, why not? Not like either of us are wanted here right now. Come on, I’ll drive,” Tony offered in his usual casual laid back way. 

Loki seemed incredulous, but after the unusual day he’d already had, he succumbed and climbed into the flashy sports car, and he actually admired it. 

Before too long, they wound up at a bar far on the outskirts of the city. Tony didn’t want either one of them to be recognized and he knew if he went anywhere in Manhattan or the surrounding boros, they’d be spotted in an instant. He wanted to be left alone for once.

“So, Reindeer Games, what happened to make you want to fight?” he asked as he sipped a cherry merlot. “Something happened with you and Y/N/N?”

“Not directly,” Loki muttered as he toyed with the full glass in front of him. “I…She’s dancing with some man. I don’t know who he is. She shouldn’t be dancing with anyone but me. I thought she was bedridden. She looked so…” He stopped, getting angry, and felt odd telling Tony all of this. “Why do you care anyway? It just gave you an excuse for us to be violent with one another again.” 

“Hah! If I knew any better I'd say you're jealous of that guy, but fear not, he won’t do anything.” reassured him. “I won’t say that I care, because I don’t, at least not one hundred percent.” He stopped to phrase it right. “But for the sake of Shannon and Y/N things are tough.”

“I realize that, Stark, thank you for the incredible insight,” he snapped and rolled his eyes. “How do you know he won’t do anything?” he suddenly questioned. “They looked fairly comfortable to me. Remy…” he mused with distaste. “That’s what she called him. I think he’s her friend from childhood. So yes, if you must know, Stark, I am jealous. She’s been here for weeks and I haven’t seen her. Then when I do come to visit, she’s dancing closely with...him.” He scowled. “She looked so… comfortable. So happy…” 

“And why on earth did you decide today of all the times you could’ve come to see her, did you choose today?” He still couldn’t understand that. “She’s asked for you constantly, as for Remy they’re like brother and sister.” He took another sip. “They only ever had each other when they were orphans so it's normal for her to feel comfortable around him, they also happen to share the same powers and he lives at the mansion.” He went on explaining their relationship to try to ease Loki about the situation.

Loki’s jaw clenched. “You’re right, I know, I just…” He tried to keep his temper in check. “Wait, why were you angry today? You were looking for a fight more than I was. What had you so bothered?” he questioned, turning the tables. He knew it was silly to be jealous, but how could he help it? You were free now, in more ways than one and you could, if you so chose, find a different mate than him. You were no longer confined to a cell with Loki. You could very well leave him in pursuit of another now. 

“Well...I.. listen, we’re still talking about you and Y/N don’t try changing the subject,” he tried to push it back to him, but he knew the other man would continue to ask, so he told him anyways. “With Shannon having been at the mansion so much, Bruce took it upon himself to become her nurse of sorts and I found them enjoying some time out in the gardens. She was relaxed in his lap listening to what he was saying and if what I’m thinking is true, then Banner has grown feelings for her.” He shook his head never would he have thought he’d be here with the god having a touching moment of honesty.

“Ah, I see. So the green eyed monster has hit us both, then hmm?” Loki noted, a little amused. “ As for you and Shannon, I’ve never seen a woman so enthralled by anyone. She puts up with all of your… you-ness, and still comes back to you every day, happy. I don’t know either of them too terribly well, but I don’t think either would ever set out to hurt you. People can’t help how they feel, and if they’re both ignoring said feelings for your sake, which I assume and think they are, then you have nothing to fear. Shannon is your wife. I was at the wedding. It was… lovely, for lack of a better word. Your love doesn’t have a threat.” He played with the glass some more, still not drinking. “I am just worried… I’ve outstayed my welcome in her life, if that makes any sense.” 

To be honest, it felt good to talk to someone. Thor wasn’t around, and he couldn’t confess how he felt to you, because you’d just assure him you still loved him. So it was nice to vent to someone other than you, confide in a new person… a new confidant.

“You honestly think that? That your time has expired? You couldn’t be more wrong she’d be devastated if you left.” He looked at the man next to him. “There’s nothing she wouldn’t do to prove to you that you’re all she needs, but there’s been so much that you haven’t even had a chance to digest it all because I'm assuming this is all too much, right?” 

“You can say that again,” he muttered. “I just wish… I wish we didn’t have to be here. Asgard is our home. Despite my feelings towards Odin, Thor is still my brother and Y/N’s parents are from there. She’s from there! I guess I just always thought we’d return home to Asgard one day. Not stay here… But it’s clear she enjoys her life on Earth.” He twisted the glass between his long fingers, spinning it on the bar slowly. “I suppose for the first time together, we want two different things.” 

“Well why not take a break from being here and go back home?” He figured some time away would help clear his mind. “Talk with Y/N and see if you two want to go there for a little vacation and come back when you're ready?” He turned to the bartender and asked for one more glass of wine. 

“You’re suggesting I tell Y/N I want to leave her home, and go back to mine? Won’t that send the wrong message?” 

“Well not if you dont explain why,tell her you miss Asgard and your mother because I'm sure you do.” He shook his head. “She'd like to go visit too is my bet.” He raised an eyebrow.

Loki conceded with a sigh. “I may do that, and if she doesn’t want to come back with me, then perhaps I should go back on my own, just for a little while.” 

“There you go! Let me know what gets decided and I’ll get the paperwork ready and approved.” He clapped the dark haired man. “How long would ya like to be out for? Granted I can't give you more than a few weeks due to your probation.”

“Give me however long is allowed,” he requested. The more the thought on it, the more he wondered if perhaps you really were better off without him. Tony hadn’t explicitly said it, but he got the notion in Loki’s head that maybe you belonged here on Earth, and he belonged on Asgard. He didn’t want to leave you. It would kill him, but he wanted you to have a chance at a happy life, and that wasn’t possible with him in the picture. You’d said yourself that it made sense to love anyone else but him. So this was him, doing the noble thing for once, and stepping aside so you could have a good, normal, happy life with Remy, or whomever you chose. “I never thought I’d say this, Stark, but thank you… for the drink, the talk, and what the hell, even the fight.” He let a warm smirk creep onto his face as he glanced sideways at Tony. 

.

“You know what? I could say the same thing for you. Looks like we can agree on something.” He laughed. Who would have thought that after everything that has happened he could sit down with the guy and talk like old friends. “You want to get one more drink and get back to the city?” He smirks back at him.

“Sounds good, Tin man,” Loki said, trying to hide his smile, and failing miserably.

Unforseen Chasm Tag list- @reigningqueenofwords​ @oldfreakything​ ​ @adefectivedetective​ @dontbetooobvious​

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Marvel: @reigningqueenofwords​ @flowerbunbunny​ @zelda2248​ @misz-adrii​

[blackroseaki38]

Varian’s Nightmare

@badthingshappenbingo 

Trope: Impaled Chest

Fandom: Tangled: The Series / Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure

Requested: By moanafan on FF.net, one of my long-time Varian followers. They always comments on my fics, so this is for you! <3

Warning: Blood, gore. description. Death. suicide attempt. impaled chest. Read at own risk. NSFM!

Not Canon: Think of this as an au where the Golden Trio decides to wait till they have plans, supplies, and a strong caravan built before they leave. Maybe enough time for a certain alchemist to recover enough to join them.

Can or Cannot be connected to Varian’s Return , a piece I wrote in response to an art piece someone made. Some people like me to write sequels. Um no. I write either chapter fics or one-shots that can or can not be loosely connected with one another. So, you can read this with or without reading Varian’s Return. 1st link Tumblr and 2nd link Ao3. Enjoy

Varian was walking home with his best friend Rudiger by his side. Ever since Rapunzel saved him from his own stupidity after he drank the mood potion, he's been committing himself to help everyone he's ever hurt. Even though the King advised him to take some time to rest, he just couldn't be idle when other people are cleaning up his mess — so he's been helping the soldiers clear the debris around Old Corona.

He yawned as he got near his home, wondering what his dad made for lunch. Ever since they moved back into their home, er well their basement, since most of the house was still wrecked, his dad's been insistent that they eat every meal together. He stepped through the large gaping hole where the door used to be and called out a greeting as he took off his boots, making sure his furry friend wiped his paws as well.

"Dad! I'm home! What's cookin'? It smells good!" Varian hollered as he walked towards the thankfully intact kitchen. As he got closer, a strange smell reached his nostrils. It was a sickeningly sweet scent that practically overloaded all his other senses. He looked at Rudiger, wondering if his friend forgot to remove one of his old winter stashes of nuts and berries somewhere within their home.

It was when he stepped into the kitchen that he realized where that horrible metallic odor was coming from. The oven was wide open, with a tray of abandoned cookies resting in it. Bread and pieces of ham were scattered on the ground, with groups of ants dominating the fallen food. In the middle of it all, lay a motionless body, impaled by dark spike, similar to all the other rock-like spikes scattered across the kingdom.

"DAD! What happened? This can't be happening! Not again," Varian cried out as he knelt by his father, paying no attention to the growing pool of crimson blood gathered under his knees. His father, still alive, gripped his gloved hand as he heard his son's voice.

“V-varian? I must leave now.”

"No, Dad! You can't leave me! Not again! You promised you would never leave my side again!" he shouted as he held his father in his arms, trying to ignore the huge spike speared through his father.

Quirin lifted his head to look at his son one last time as he spoke his last words. "Son, don't worry about me. I'll be with your mother soon enough. I don't blame you for all the mistakes you made that lead up to this moment. Live your life however you would like to now. Just remember, your mother and I loved you so very much. Never forget that," the old man reassured the young boy as he took his last breaths. Ignoring the cries of his son, he closed his eyes and soon after, his body went limp.

"NO! Dad! Wake up! Please! I didn't mean for this to happen!" he yelled out, not letting go of his father's cold body as he sobbed. The silence that settled into the room was penetrated by Rudiger's screeches. Varian turned around and saw his closest friend leaving. He tried to run after him, but kept slipping on the blood-covered floor.

"No! Rudiger, you can't leave me too!" His shouts for him were ignored as the small ball of fur left, hissing and screeching the whole way.

Varian couldn't believe it. He was all alone once more. His parents were no more. He's ruined his relationship with Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cassandra long ago. He betrayed the Kingdom by causing destruction and kidnapping the queen. His dad is gone, just like before, and his only friend as well. He was all alone, but maybe . . . he didn’t deserve anyone. He wasn’t worth being anything, but alone in this big world.

Varian was just getting up from where he was kneeling when there was a sudden stampede of incoming feet. He looked up and froze when he saw who was there. The golden-haired princess stared at him in shock. Behind her, her lady in waiting and her boyfriend stopped in their steps as well, as they took in the scene of him in blood-stained clothing and the dead body of his father behind him.

"Varian," Rapunzel started, her body shaking, "What have you done?"

Cassandra stepped up in front of her as if she was trying to protect her. Her hazel eyes had always held warmth for him, but now they were like the hardened amber that used to incase his father. It was just like when he . . . went rogue so long ago. Eugene held Rapunzel's hand as if to comfort her as they faced Varian.

Varian was shocked. After all that had happened, they still assumed the worst of him. They actually think he killed his own father! They knew perfectly well that everything he did was all to save his father. His only family. Why would they ever believe that he would kill his own father? After everything he’s been through without him?

"Guards, arrest that murderer!" Rapunzel bellowed out as she and her friends stepped to the side to let the soldiers pass through.

The young alchemist snapped out of his disbelief at the situation and did the only thing he could think of. He ran. He turned around and ran like he never did before. He slipped out the back door and didn't look back. Throwing some of his alchemical bombs behind him as he dashed into the forest. He wasn't even looking at where he was going until he was cornered on a cliff. Behind him, the royal guards stood ready to seize him. Below him, a sea of darkened rocks stood in his way to escape unscathed. The princess and her entourage stood near him, not willing to let him escape for a crime he did not commit.

"VARIAN! Stop running away from your mistakes! It's time for you to pay for them! There's no escape from justice!" she shrieked out.

Varian knew there was no escape from them — but he couldn't go back with them. He'll be imprisoned for life, he was sure of it.  Still, maybe there still is a way for him to flee them. His eyes darted towards the rocks below the cliff, knowing they promised death for anyone daring to rest them. Although it would be a painful way to die, it was better than living. He had no reason to continue to live, not after all that has happened to him. He has no family or friends worth living for. At least this way, he might have a chance to see his mother and father one last time before he goes to hell. Where else would a villain like him go after death? At least the biting pain of living would no longer torment him so.

He turned around to look at his former friends one last time. He smiled as he stepped back, getting closer to the edge. Eugene's eyes widened as he realized his plan. Cassandra dropped her sword in surprise as she too grasped the meaning of his backing away from them. Rapunzel gasped, hoping her eyes were deceiving her.

"Don't worry, guys! I'll never be able to run away from my mistakes ever again. Your right about one thing. It's time for me to pay for my mistakes. It was nice knowing you!" Varian said as he stepped off the cliff, ready to face his death.

"Mom, dad! Don't worry, I'm coming!" he whispered as he closed his eyes.

Suddenly, Varian woke up, alone in his bed. He quickly got up, trying to untangle himself from his blankets. As fast as he could, he rushed to the other side of the basement, separated by a partition. On the other side, he stopped at the foot of the bed, relieved to see his father asleep. Tears streamed his face as he remembered holding his father's limp body once more. He couldn't believe he was still alive. It felt so real . . . just like how real it felt when he was . . . in the amber.

Varian started to sink towards the ground when a pair of strong arms held him up. The young boy looked up and saw him. "Dad," he whispered breathlessly before he threw himself into his arms. Quirin cradled his son in his arms, wishing that the nightmares that plagued Varian would end. But, he knew they would only end after Varian learned to forgive himself.

"Varian," Quirin started off as he ran his fingers through his son's long locks. "What happened in your nightmare this time?"

Varian took a few deep breaths before he was even ready to start talking.

"Daddy! The rocks! They killed you!" he yelled as his hands gripped Quirin's shirt tightly.

"Everything's okay, son. I've got you," the old man comforted the teen in his arms. "Settle down now. Take a few deep breaths. Come on now."

Once Varian stopped shaking and had calmed down enough for Quirin. The man brought the boy to his bed, laying him down, with his head in his lap. He continued to run his fingers through the teen's messy black hair as he prompted him to talk.

"Son, tell me what happened in your nightmare."

Varian bit his lip, wondering if he should just make up some story instead of telling his dad the truth about his nightmare — but, then again, he always knew when he was lying so he would be better off being truthful. The calloused hand that touched his face drew him out of his thoughts. His father touched his lips, quietly reminding Varian about how he isn't allowed to hurt himself, even unconsciously.

"Varian, you know you can tell me anything and it wouldn't change my love for you."

Finally, the teen relented all told his father everything. He told him about coming home to find his body impaled by a spike. How his last words were about how much he loved him, even though he doesn't deserve it. And how Rudiger leaving him right afterward. How exactly the princess and her friends treated him once they saw him as the murderer? Finally, he told him about . . . how he jumped off the cliff.

"I was cornered on the cliff and there was no other way to escape. I knew I would be arrested and everything would never be the same again. I . . . just couldn't stand it all. So, I . . . decided to just end it. Even though I could see Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cassandra seem worried about what I was going to do, I just jumped. I should have faced my punishment bravely, but instead, I decided to take the easy way out by killing myself like a coward."

Varian broke down in tears, knowing his father would probably hate him now. Suddenly, instead of being pushed away like he thought would happen, he was pulled up and into his father's strong arms once more. He held with a tight grip as if he was trying to make sure the older man would not disappear in his arms.

Quirin held his son tight against his chest, wishing there was a way to make the nightmares within Varian go away — but, alas, there was no such a way that existed for him to do so. All he could do is to always be there for him. In the past, he closed off his heart and in doing so, he closed his eyes to see his son's troubles. Doing so had cost his son's smiles and turned him on a path he barely came back from.

Quirin promised himself that he would never put his son behind again. He needed to be there for his son now more than ever, which meant he had to help him overcome the difficulties in life. He was there to help him realize no one except he was to blame for his own condition in the amber. He was there to read over the letter his son never got to read. He was there to help him overcome his difficulties with the princess, her friends, and the royal leaders of their kingdom. He wanted to be there for him for all the other events that were sure to happen in his life.

Though he knew he would be gone from this world one day and he feared how Varian would survive without him, Quirin was sure of one thing for sure. That Varian would never be alone.

After he was released from his indestructible prison, Varian started to make his wrongs to rights. The King and Queen, of course, forgave him, since the King also had some part in Varian's change of heart. The Queen practically adopted Varian and forced him to join her for tea almost every day. The teen also found himself joining the group of soldiers who were commanded to help rebuild Old Corona and helped them out every other day or so. Varian was also able to make amends with the princess and her friends.

Quirin knew that when he would leave this world for another, that his son would be taken care of. He was sure of that fact; but, till that day would come in the distant future, he would do anything in his power to make sure his son knew his father was still there for him.

Once Varian's tears started to subside and his sobs lessened, Quirin knew it was time to help his son realize the truth.

"Son," the father started off running his hands through the teen's long dark brown locks.

"Varian, I know things have been difficult for you since my return and everything you suffered through while I was . . . gone."

The elder knew better than to say the words 'rocks' and 'amber' around the boy. It would only serve to further remind Varian about the past.

"I know your nightmares will not be gone for a long time. I know that personally after all the sleepless nights I too went through after leaving the dark kingdom."

After he returned, the first secret he revealed was about his past in the Brotherhood and how he was a warrior of the Dark Kingdom. It was the first of many secrets he was glad to get off his chest, after years of hiding them.

"I used to have nightmares almost every night. It led me to forgo sleep just so I could stop remembering the past. I hated myself for letting King Edmund force the Brotherhood out of the kingdom alongside all the citizens. I kept having these morbid dreams of the King dying in such horrific ways. I didn't know if those dreams were true or not at the time — nonetheless, they still made me feel guilty for not speaking up. I thought I would never be able to have a good night's sleep again."

Varian looked up at his father, wondering how he never knew these things about before today. There was a lot he never knew about his father before how he changed from his time as a . . . criminal to the kingdom.

"What did you do? How did you get over your nightmares? How did you . . . get better?" the young lad asked.

Quirin smiled and tilted his son's chin upwards towards him so their eyes would meet.

"I learned to forgive myself. I realized that by letting myself not sleep only harmed myself and those around me. I learned to let go by just accepting the fact that the King and all my friends could have been dead, but if I did not think about the possibility of them being perfectly fine, I would never be able to get past my guilty."

Varian knew what his father was trying to do. He knew all his father wanted for him was to forgive himself and the boy wished he could, but he couldn't bring himself to forgive himself yet. He still had a lot to pay for. He would not rest or let himself give up till all the damage he did to his home was fixed, till all of Corona finally got past the old version of him, till he could do alchemy again without thinking he was gonna break done in tears from just looking at his old workshop. He wanted to forgive himself just like all the other people in his life forgave him — but he knew it would not be possible for quite a lot of time.

"Dad, I know what your trying to say. You want me to accept everything I did and try to start a new life. I just can't, not yet! I want to forgive myself for the person I had become, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I need to go along things at my own pace. I want to forgive myself one day in the future, but that day has not come yet. Hopefully, with time, we can talk about things without either of us breaking."

Quirin's grip on his son got tighter. He was proud of his son for getting to the place he was at right now. Varian was trying to change and that was all that mattered right now. He just needed more time to accept that he is not the same person he was during the battle of Corona during the Princess's second birthday home.

"Son, I am really proud of you for how far you have come. I will try my best to always be at your side. Hopefully, you will realize that I will never leave your side again, at least not by choice. I want you to know that even when I leave this world, I will do it with a smile. Because I will be happy to know that me being in your life has helped you in some way. And I will also never stop loving you because . . . you're the joy in my life."

Both the father and son held each other in a strong clasp. Tears rolled down both of their faces as the floodgates opened. All the pent up emotions of the difficulties they both went through came out. The two knew that they would never get past thing completely, but as long as they had each other, they will always be there for each other.

[fireteamepic]

Bandit had become a scavenger.

The word didn't come easily to her mind, certainly not without shame. It was a cruel and meagre existence, and it bruised something hard inside her chest. Pride, she supposed. That, too, was a small and useless thing to her now. She told herself that this was survival. Just doing what she had to.

She scrounged small things, mostly from the dead. Her sidearm from the hand of a dead hunter. Her cloak she'd kept, the one from that Fallen captain, though now it was tattered, scorched, and soaked in blood. Still, the fur made it warm. And she needed warmth.

Her food was mostly trail jerky, found in abandoned packs and caches. Even that was scarce, and she'd begun to eye the small birds and creatures that scurried with a hunger that had crawled inside her and dug out its nest with scraping claws and gnawing teeth.

There were a lot of feelings making their homes inside her now, and she didn't think she liked any of them.

It had taken three days to stagger down the side of the mountain, creeping unseen along craggy outcroppings and ledges barely wide enough to hold her. Every time a foot had slipped, or she'd lost her balance on her good leg and gone tumbling down a slope in the snow, Pyxis had cried out in fear and - to Bandit's surprise - concern. She'd gone on eyerolling at his nagging at first, until, during one of her rare breaks, he bumped into her - twice, insistently, as if trying to shock her back to herself.

She gazed down at him, too cold and tired to really care what he wanted. The sun was a hazy, distant glow hanging in the sky, and she was huddled beneath a small outcropping of stone and ice. She didn't dare built a fire, no matter how much her joints ached and her fingers burned. Well, she thought, the burning had dulled a bit now, at least. A not-real pain.

"Guardian," Pyxis said. His voice was gentle. "Do you remember when you asked me why I didn't just go and find someone else - to bring back to the City?"

Bandit shook her head slowly.

"You did. It was after you left the first time. I… I understand you were scared. I was, too."

Bandit snorted. The little Ghost had struck her as neurotic, bossy… but not afraid.

"It's true!" Pyxis flickered brighter for a moment. "Look, the fact is, I can't find someone else. I searched for you for entire lifetimes. I watched so, so many Ghosts find their Guardians. The one person who carried their Light, who could help them defend humanity - their whole purpose, the reason we exist. They were… whole. But I was still searching - everywhere, in the most forgotten corners of this earth. And I… I was about to give up hope. That I would ever find the person who carried my Light. Because there's only one, okay?" His voice faltered, the light in his eye wavering.  "There's only one."

Bandit held out her hand, her movements sluggish. It occurred to her, as Pyxis floated down to be held in her palm, that he was the only thing she had left. The only piece of life she still clung to. He'd been an anchor, a guide - maybe even a friend. And she'd largely ignored him, trying her best to make her way on her own.

"You have to make it through this, okay?" Pyxis said. "I know it's scary. I know you weren't ready. It isn't fair. But I know you're strong enough. You're a Guardian. You're my Guardian."

Bandit would have said something. She was sure she would have said something - strong, reassuring. Brave. But as her eyes tracked the black-fingered treeline, she heard the sound of baying and the dull roar of several galloping gaits in the snow.

Bandit sprung to her feet, wincing as what remained of her right leg strained with the movement. She drew her sidearm, trying to steady it in her hands as she looked around wildly. She hadn't had to fire it since leaving the city. With her shoulder, she wasn't sure if she could.

The first beast-thing crested a small, craggy hill in front of her, spotting Bandit easily against the white snow. It pawed the ground, sniffed the air, and let out a scream that made every joint in her body freeze stiff. It was the sound of a hunter, and she was the one being hunted.

As if on a single cue, three other beasts came stampeding over the crest of white, red and howling. Bandit clenched her jaw and opened fire.

Time slowed. The sidearm fired. A popping sound. Echoes hollow against the stone and snow. One by one, blood bloomed between their eyes. One by one, they plowed into the snow, and didn't move. Except the last one.

The lead, the largest, lunged. Large paws stretching, mouth snarling, snapping. It covered the distance before she could fire, and knocked her sprawling in the dirt.

For an instant, she thought she was dead. There was snow in her eyes, and there was pain, but maybe death was just a pain she'd forgotten. Then she heard grinding, bone on metal, and blinked back the snow enough to see.

She saw teeth, inches from her face. Bearing down and gnashing, gnawing around - something - pain. Her arm. She'd stopped the beast with her left arm. Her eyes widened. She felt two strong jaws clamp down. A heavy weight crushing her chest. Plating crumpling, tendons and sinew tearing. And all she could do was try to hold it back, away from the killing blow. She couldn't even spare the energy to scream.

She heard Pyxis's voice only dimly. He shouted something, and Bandit saw a flare, a flicker of light throw itself against the beast's skull. Bandit felt the pressure ease, and in the same moment, she reached for her knife with her free hand.

The beast was still struggling when she plunged the blade into its throat. She felt the hot, thick blood drain onto her face. She kicked, thrashed under the sudden dead weight as it went still, eventually rolling it off of her. Clambering to her feet, she hunched over the corpse of yet another thing that had almost killed her. Everything fell back to silence and cold. She clutched her wounded arm, favored her wounded leg. The wind howled empty. The sun hung hazy in the sky.

Finally, she whispered a hoarse question to her one companion.

"D'you think I can eat it?"

[dsmroleplay]

#BeautyAndTheBeast Part 13 #DSM #RP #SPN #BtVS

Writers: @HuntersGirlBaby @DeadlyJager @DeanWinchester_ @JulianRyker & @OutcastBrother @Defenderguard

Alyson: *The sound of shouting, gun fire in the distance. Her daddy came for her. Her heart swelled and wept all at once. She would be safe, Graham would be safe. And they would all go home.

Ali peeked from the corner that she hid tightly in. Looking out the window, she could see  the court yard. There was daddy, Graham was there. Julian and daddy circled each other. Her eyes going wide at the horror scene before her. Graham had been whipped his back covered in blood. Fear gripped her heart, Julian would kill daddy. No! Banging on the window she tried to open the window. She cried out.* Daddy!! Run he’s going to kill you!! *she had seen with her own eyes what Julian could do. Hell she had a black and purple bruise to prove he hit hard. The panes of glass to thick. He could hear her. She beat harder on the window. But it  was no use. Daddy and his men had coke to save her. And they all would get hurt. Because of her. Mind racing, trying to form a plan. No one else would get hurt because of her.

As she tried harder to get the window open, a growl rumbled behind her. Her whole body tensed. Jesus, she never should have come out her corner.* Witch! *the woman hissed a growl at Ali. Peeking over her shoulder Rosa stood.* Julian is going to kill your father, and then the traitor. You will watch as your family dies before you! *Something snapped inside of Ali. Anger  poured through her body. Pumping through her veins. Ali turned fully to face Rosa.* NO ONE TOUCHES MY FAMILY!!! *Ali screamed, with a force unlike anything she had felt before. Poured out of her small little body. Gripping ahold of Rosa.

She slammed her against the wall.* IM NOT A WHORE OR A WITCH!! *With each word she screamed she throw Rosa from one side of the room to the other. Anger fueled her, as she stepped away from the window. Her fists held at her sides.* You held me prisoner! You hurt me!! *the more anger she felt, she held Rosa in  the air. Eyes trained on her arms. Breaking each one, Rosa screamed.* You took me from my family!!! *her legs were next as she broke them. The sick sound of bones breaking, echoed around the room.* You. Will. Never. Hurt. Anyone. Again!!! *Blood poured from Ali’s nose. But she didn’t care. As Rosa begged in the air, Ali lost all compassion for her. Her powers curled around Rosa’s neck. Ali twisted her neck, as Rosa tried to fight it. With a hard push she snapped her neck, letting Rosa fall to the ground. Ali felt nothing, with hard eyes she  looked to the woman on the floor. Titling her head studying for a few moments. Still nothing for the woman.

The sounds of serval heavy foot steps pounded behind her. She turned with eyes harden. Well if this was it she was fighting for her family. With a smirk she ready  herself.* This might hurt, just a bit. *they growled, and jumped into action. Shit! Letting her mind take over. She pushed as many back as could. As she kept her distance. Don’t let them touch you. Just long enough until she could run.* ::::::::::::::::::::: Qhuinn: I was right behind Colton. I took on anyone who would attempt to jump from behind. I had to be careful not to reveal what I was, skidding to a stop, I knew this battle was for Colt alone, so I crossed my arms over my thick chest, daring any asshole to interfere. :::::::::::::::::::::: Colt: -As the fight ensued Blackwater operatives took down Julian's men pretty quickly until they began to shift. Julian was taken down and his throat ripped out before he hit the concrete, one of the other operatives managed to kill the perpetrator but it was already to late for Julian. Colt and Julian had drew blood from one another and were on the ground wrestling as Graham finally got loose from restraints. Cracking his neck he spotted Julian and in seconds he'd pulled him off of Colt and snapped his neck. Holding the dead pack leader by the neck for the others emerging to see he let out a growl and by their rules Graham was now in charge of this pack. Within minutes they backed off and Graham dropped Julian Duval to the ground. He offered a hand to Colt and Colt took it, breathing hard still pumping with adrenaline.- Alyson should be inside, they had orders not to harm her. -That much he knew.- :::::::::::::::::::::: Qhuinn: Gritting my teeth, I watched the entire fight before watching some guy come up and snap the guy's neck. Running into the middle of the  battle, I heard Colt talk about Aly and I ran inside the building. "Aly!" I called out, before knocking someone out who thought It was smart to come after me. Inside the building held too many scents, the scent of blood had my fangs punching my gums, fuck! With a hiss, I dropped my head and continued to search the rooms for her, hoping none of Colt's men or Aly see the hardware. ::::::::::::::::::: Alyson: *In the back of Ali’s head, pain swirled, but so much pumped through her little body, mostly anger. She threw pieces of furniture across the room, keeping them away from her. But she didn’t know how much longer she would be able to go. She had to keep going, had too. She didn’t know, what was happening with her daddy, with Graham and who else had come. She needed to hold out and get to them. There was no other way. They all had coke, Graham had kept her safe. Ali would do the same.

Black spots dotted around her vision. She shook her head as ran  to one side of the room. That is when she heard her name. It was Qhuinn! Lifting a heavy table with her powers she threw it at the men as hard as she could. Darting from the room she screamed.* Qhuinn!! *running as fast as she could, blood dripping from her chin and into her chest. But she didn’t care. She ran as fast as she could. Pushing herself to keep going.

Seeing Qhuinn, she waved her arms. Plowing into his body and hugging him tight. He was ok, she was ok. Holding to him as long as she could. But she had to be sure that daddy and Graham were ok. Gripping his hand she looked up to him, buried cheek and jaw.* We have to go! Daddy, Graham! They..they could be badly hurt. *Graham already was, she seen his back. She needed to know he was ok.

Holding his hand, she ran back through the house. Not looking at the  bodies that lay around. She couldn’t right now. Panting already, but she didn’t stop. Bursting out onto the court yard. She stopped dead in her tracks. There stood daddy and Graham. Tears filled her eyes, pouring down her dirty face. Crying out.* Daddy!! *letting go of Qhuinn’s hand. She stumbled and ran to her daddy. He was ok, Julian didn’t kill him. Little body crashing into his. She sobbed, they held each other tight. Shaking in his arms. He was really here. It wasn’t just a dream. Her daddy, soothed her. Speaking softly to her. He  helped calm herself. Letting him, inspect her face and make sure she was alright. Smiling softly as he did so.

Daddy and daughter had their moment. Ali squeezed her daddy, placing a kiss on his cheek. Letting him go she turned to Graham. He had been with her through everything. Seeing him standing there, she thought he would be killed. And it would have been because of her. Without a second thought she went to him. Jumping a little she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. Her tears of relief never stopped. Having to whisper from all the emotions pouring through her.* Graham, I’m so sorry you got hurt because of me. I’m so glad that you’re ok. You protected me, calmed me and you were there for me. It means so much to me. I’ll never be able to thank you enough. *she kissed both of his cheeks.*  You have a place, with me and my family. I..I want you to come with me, with us. *holding to him tightly.* You have me and my family now. No matter what. *her little body sagged in relief. Home. They would all get to go home.* ::::::::::::::::::::::: Ethan: Whoever was holding Alybee. Their heads were going to be dancing on my blade and their limbs would be separate from their body and place on every corner of this world as made an example no one will touch my family.

Ethan made his way through each room like a mad man killed the thing, everyone, insight. He didn't have a care in the world that he was supposed to be the good guy but not this time. Ripping limbs and torturing three guys tied to chairs demanding answering what or who had taken his daughter Alybee. When one of them thought they would be funny and talk in Latin. When Ethan laughed you think you're funny. When he stood and swing his blade slide through the head of the Latin speaking guy. Right who is next? When he cleaned his blade with the dead guy clothing. Speak English and quickly I'm in a mood.

The two men just looked at each other and beg they didn't know anything. When Ethan just murdered them both. With his bare hand ripping their heart out. He moved on from the room searching each room. Shooting his way through the hallways. He was an  angel possessed looking for his family in Alybee and Colt. Making his way thought the building coming across some faces he knew in Colt team. Taking on fire from the opposing side.  Ethan storm through the fire protecting the team to taking on four more slicings them up with like butter with his blade. No one would be left in his wake of his storm looking for  Alybee.

When he could feel her she was becoming closer. He followed suit when he could see Colt just ahead of him fighting his ass off. When he help and join in with the fighting. Tearing two more heads off their shoulder making his way the assault of Julian men. When he stopped to see one of Colt men injured when he went over to look at him, he had been shot in the stomach and was bleeding. Ethan stops to heal him. As there wasn't just humans in this building but a few other supernatural creatures too. Ethan's eyes glowed to start  his stampede on anyone going after the black water teams. When he had caught up with Colt. Tapping him on the shoulder. Shall we continue to get your baby girl? Get the teams and  Stay behind me Colt. I'll take any gunfire. We have a daughter to save. She not that far away now just up one more staircase ahead. I can feel her and someone is injured too near her.

[rebootrevolution]

X-Men Novelization Ch. 59

Chapter Fifty-Nine

It all seemed to be happening so fast. One minute they were all laughing and grumbling around the TV as Bobby hogged the remote. He froze it in a block of ice in his hand so that nobody could remove it, but then Kitty had snatched it right through the ice and suddenly it wasn’t fair to use powers to hog the remote. Hank had just been about to step in and settle the dispute when the TV changed.

He had control of every satellite. Magneto had somehow focused every single one toward broadcasting his ultimatum: every nuclear world power had to disarm itself within 24 hours or he would bring every satellite down. If they did nothing in the 24 hours after that he would reverse the magnetic poles of Earth itself and rip the planet asunder. The Brotherhood would be untouched in their fortress in the sky and any mutant on the ground would be forced to use their powers to survive the wasteland.

And then Scott was barking orders and Charles was telling the kids that all would be well, that he would never let any harm come to them or their families. Kurt and Piotr both wanted to come along, but it was still another month until their shared 18th birthday and Charles would hear none of it. But Hank had no such excuse. He was an adult, a grown man who had to defend the life that he had, and this was the time to defend it.

All of it was a blur. Hank remembered it only distantly as he sat in the co-pilots seat of the Blackbird monitoring the readings and tinkering with the magnetometer he brought along. He tugged at the seams of his costume, so stifling to his overgrown fur. He wished he thought to trim up before going on a mission. He wished he actually trained as dedicatedly as all the students in all the months and years since they had the Danger Room. He wished--

“It’s going to be alright, Hank,” Scott said from the pilot’s seat. His smile was as friendly as it could be with the looming glow of his visor above it. Hank realized that he had been working at the same screw in the magnetometer for far too long.

“I’m just not predisposed toward physical confrontation,” Hank admitted. They were far enough from the others behind them, Logan, Jean, and Ororo, that they could speak in low tones without being heard. “I’m just the science-guy.”

Cyclops scoffed. “You’re a lot more than that. Not predisposed? Hank, you’re the whole reason we ever beat Juggernaut. You think I didn’t hear about that? About you yanking the last bolt of his helmet out with your bare teeth? Come on.”

There were certain advantages to being coated in fur, and chief among them were that nobody can see you blush. “I just wish I’d seen it all from the start,” Hank said. “If I could have known what Erik would become...how many people he would hurt…”

“None of us could have known. We had two of the best psychics on the planet and they didn’t know. The important thing is that we know now, and we’re finally going to stop him.”

Hank looked straightforward and the clouds rushing into the Blackbird. They kept rising higher and higher, knowing that they would be pushing the Blackbird to its limits in order to reach Asteroid M. As they drew closer Hank was able to pull up a radar image of the base and began inspecting it for the best place to attach the Blackbird. Scott could see that the machinery in front of Hank helped distract him.

“Try to get a read on how he holds that place aloft,” Scott said. “If it’s Magneto keeping it aloft I don’t want it tumbling down as soon as we take him out.”

“Hmm,” Hank started, fiddling with the problem, “It’s quite possible that he’s constructed electromagnetic generators which mimic his own abilities. With any luck they should maintain altitude even in the absence of Magneto’s influence.”

“See? That’s why it’s good to have the science guy around.”

Landing was harder than Hank had imagined. Asteroid M was a mishmash of buildings pulled straight from their foundations and massive chunks of rock and dirt that there was no surface flat enough to land on. Ultimately there was no easy solution. Scott’s plan was to keep the jet in autopilot through the duration of the mission and to summon it when we needed it, but without the Blackbird immediately on hand there would be no easy escapes.

“We’re not running away from this one anyways,” Scott said as the Blackbird’s back hatch opened up. It was just a small jump down to the rocky surface of Asteroid M, but Hank hesitated until he was the last to join.

“Come on, Hank!” Jean yelled up at him. A memory flashed through Hank’s mind of her as a young teenage girl, all knobbly-knees and awkward mumbling. Now she smiled up at him confidently, and as he jumped down to join the squad she lead the way toward an entrance.

They managed to find a line of escape pods attached to one side of the base. Wolverine managed to slash his way into one, but just before he slashed them through the other side into the base Jean stopped him, grasping at her temple. “There are two minds walking by. They’ll pass soon.”

“We need to play this quiet,” Cyclops said. “We’re outnumbered and outgunned. Surprise is one of the few advantages we have.”

When Jean gave the all clear Wolverine cut an opening into the base as neatly as they could. The X-Men piled around the open hangar and Beast suddenly felt exposed. He sniffed at the air and found that the closest Brotherhood members were down a stretch of hallway and in a kitchen area. Charles’ voice came alive in all of their heads, linking each of the X-Men up to eachother, and Beast relayed what he smelled to the others.

“We’ll start by incapacitating them then,” Cyclops said telepathically. “Then I want you to use that magnetometer to take us to the big bad himself, Hank.”

Hank nodded, taking up the rear as the others started down the hallway toward the two scents.  He found himself down on his knuckles, walking on all fours like a gorilla. If there were not so much adrenaline heightening his neural synapses it may have disturbed him, but in the moment he took whatever small comforts he could get. He felt more agile on all fours, faster, as if he could spring away at a moment’s notice if he needed.

The first two Brotherhood members that they came across were the one called Blob and a young woman with tanned skin. They were sitting in a commons area drinking beers and laughing when they noticed the X-Men’s appearance.

“Hey! How’d you get in here!” Blob yelled. He stood up from his seat, looking around his shoulders as if for backup, and said “Come on, Eunice! We gotta stop these guys!” before stampeding toward the X-Men.

A moment later he was clutching his throat, down on the floor, his face growing increasingly red before he lost consciousness. Jean held her hand outstretched, assuring everyone “Don’t worry, he’s still alive. I just closed his windpipe long enough to put him out.” Jean turned her gaze toward Eunice and arched an eyebrow. “You planning on raising any alarms, or do I need to put you out too?”

Eunice held her arms up in a gesture of submission. “Whoa, hey, I’m just along for the ride. I’m not here to hurt anyone.”

Jean and the others seemed satisfied, but Hank lingered as they all turned to continue their progress through Asteroid M. Beast gave a strong sniff. The girl’s scent had vanished the moment she noticed the X-Men’s appearance, it lingered only in the parts of the room where she had walked. The girl considered him with curiosity, but did not seem as frightened at Hank’s appearance as others usually were. Without another word he joined the rest of the group.

“Hank, any sense if we’re heading the right way here?” Cyclops asked telepathically.

Hank looked at the magnetometer, then up at the hallways before them, then back at the machine. He pointed “I think I was right about the mechanism by which the base stays aloft. Its signal is interfering with Magneto’s own, but if we assume Magneto himself has the stronger signal then he will be this way. “

They continued on, their progress slow but steady. Every so often Jean would stop the others to make they crossed no paths. The further they got into the base the more nervous and cautious Storm grew. She was learning to manage her claustrophobia admirably, and she never would have admitted to it if Hank brought it up, the way her hooded head darted around her shoulders at every angle gave her anxiety away.

“Wait a second,” Jean broadcasted, stopping them. “There’s something...weird. I think it’s a mind...or...two minds? I can’t quite--

He recognized her at once. All those years ago it was her appearance that first unsettled Hank, that made him feel a revulsion he would only come, increasingly, to fear in others. Before he sprouted fur and fangs and claws and walked on all fours it was her, Mystique, who showed him how inhuman a mutant could look.

She paused in the middle of the hallway, processing the sudden appearance of five young mutants in her path. Wolverine was the first to spring into action, rushing forward with his claws outstretched, a growl rumbling from his chest. She was too fast, vaulting over him, her body line a boneless twisting acrobatic mass. She latched onto the ceiling and skittered along it, her joints popping out of place like some alien insect. It was Cyclops who acted next, trying to catch her with an optic beam, but he missed his one and only chance as Mystique tore away an air vent and compressed herself into it.

“Well,” Storm said with half a laugh, “we may have lost that element of surprise you were talking about.”

“Okay everybody circle up.” Cyclops started, “We’ll need to keep our progress slow, but the emphasis is on defense now. Who knows how many they’re about to throw at us or what all they can do. Our target is still Magneto.”

“Your target is still Magneto,” Wolverine said, the eyes of his mask narrowing as he bent his head forward to track a scent. “I’m no good in that fight, and I think it’s about time I tend to my own matters, Slim.” Wolverine turned and started to chase the smell. Beast caught a whiff of it himself, an undercurrent of wet dog but with an overwhelming sense of alpha male foreboding.

“Wolverine!” Cyclop called after the mutant. When Wolverine disappeared around a corner Cyclops cursed to himself. “This is why we have team exercises. This is why I try to get him to do team exercises.”

“No use fighting it now,” Jean said, pressing on forward. “Besides, if we’re real lucky Mystique just went to save her own tail. Maybe she didn’t raise any alarms at all.”

As if on cue, a red tint overtook the hallways as a claxxon sounded off. “Well, at least we don’t need Charles to relay all of our messages now,” Beast said aloud.

“Come on, let’s go!” Cyclops yelled, running forward as everyone else followed behind. They lost their advantage though. This was Magneto’s domain, and now that Magneto knew they were here the very surroundings themselves became the enemy. The floor started to contort out of shape, the tiles twisting so that Cyclops and Jean were sent forward on a wave of metal as Beast and Storm began to fall. The floor beneath them opened up, sealing over them after the fell through and popping back into place.

They were on a lower level, and they were not alone. On one side of them stood Pyro, now armored in a flame-retardant suit and armed with gauntlets that spit out flames, each spurt lighting up his maniacally smiling face. The gauntlets were connected by hoses to a fuel tank he wore on his back.

On the other side was Avalanche, and while he did not share Pyro’s mad smile he was even more heavily armored and wore an icy determination on his face. Both men prepared their attacks, and the X-Men prepared theirs.

“Mind if I take this one?” Storm asked, jutting her chin out at Avalanche. “We have something of a score to settle.”

“Oh, I’d be delighted to take the human flamethrower,” Beast joked. He wasted no time, sprinting at once toward his target. Pyro thrusted his arms forward, the flames coiling out and taking the shape of pouncing cougars that Beast just barely managed to jump over. Just as he landed, however, the cougars came pouncing back and Beast threw his arm up into his face, the flames crashing into one side of his body and searing off a layer of fur and skin. The acrid smell filled the air, and as Beast lowered his arm and turned to Pyro the grin melted from the pyromaniac’s face.

He unleashed the beast inside of himself and attacked.

[silvachege]

Ghosts of the Night: Part Two

As night finally drew close, I settled into my bed and hoped sleep would take me away from my restless thoughts. I was wrong. As the hours continued to trickle in, and as much as I tossed and turned, I still couldn’t shake off the image of that man’s eyes burning into me. Worse yet, as a gentle breeze came sweeping into my room, it caused my white curtains to flutter. To my horror, the wind shaped them into looming, imposing white figures, like the ones my grandfather had spent the night warning me about. Bereft of sleep, I helplessly watched as night slowly, agonisingly filtered into the day. The howl of the wind was eventually replaced with the chirping of birds. And the gentle lull of moonlight turned into the bitter stab of daylight.

The next day was a Saturday, and I was awoken by a tight embrace from my grief-stricken mother, who just returned from her nightshift. From her reaction, no doubt my Grandfather had told her what I had seen. At breakfast, I absent mildly poked at my waffles and eggs, while trying to snatch titbits of the heated conversation my grandfather and mother were having in the other room. With walls barely an inch thick, it wasn’t too difficult. From what I could gather; my mother was terrified and didn’t feel safe leaving the house anymore, and my grandfather was eager to organise an emergency town meeting at the church tonight.

The rest of the day was spent with my mother sat nervously at the radio, awaiting information about the man I had found and my grandfather was out in town, spreading the word for tonight. A few hours later, my grandfather returned and gently asked me to speak to the congressional about what I had seen. Sensing my hesitation, he assured me that he would be by my side throughout and he’d step in if I felt nervous at all or forgot anything. As usual, this assured me, my grandad just had this ability to make me feel 10-foot-taller every time I was around him.

The clock struck ten and we made our way to the church. The place was packed, but the atmosphere was very different from only a week ago when we celebrated the birthday of the town’s only surviving former slave. Then, the church was alive with singing, clapping and a whole lot of dancing. This time, however, as I walked in I was met with cold, dead silence and the air heavy with unease. Without a moment to spare, my grandfather made his way to the front of the room. Calm and confidently he addressed everybody:

“Unfortunately, from the energy and excitement of last week, barely seven days later, I have ushered you here under very different, much graver circumstance. For those of us of an older generation, our deepest, darkest fears have finally been realised and after years of peace, the Klan has once again emerged from the shadows to terrify and do harm. And it pains me to say that this has led to the life of one of our sons being taken.”

With that, the room erupted in murmurs of shock and speculation. My grandfather tried his best to restore silence in the room, to no avail, fear had already gripped the masses. Then, one voice suddenly ripped through the noise and shut everyone up. “What’s that outside?” immediately everyone, including me, made their way to the window to see what the commotion was about. Hearts instantly leapt into mouths as what was seen was truly terrifying to them all…

Against a blanket of darkness, a large group of looming figures clad head to toe in white stood menacingly beneath burning crosses and effigies. They just stood there – no faces and unmoving. They really did look like ghosts – ghosts of the night. At the sight of them, wives clutched their husbands and children retreated into the arms of their parents. The collective fear in the church was so palpable. For almost an eternity, no one dared to make a sound, move an inch or even breathe too deeply. Then, it took just one scream and like dominos, the whole room fell into chaos and suddenly everyone merged into one giant stampede rushing towards the door. However, my grandfather had already anticipated everyone’s actions and had instinctively stood in the way of the exit. In unison, everyone was halted. If it were anyone else, the people would have trampled over him to get through, but it was my grandad and they knew to show him respect.

“Look, I know that right now you want to bundle me over and burst through this door. But, I assure you, we’ll be playing right into the hands of the Klan. They want us running around like headless chicken, they want to pick us off one by one. But, we’re smarter than that…”

Tears streamed down my face as my granddad knelt before me. Despite by furious, emotional objections, he’d decided to step out of the sanctuary of the church and talk to the ghosts outside, by himself. His plan was to reason with them, ask for mercy… I didn’t care about his reasons, I didn’t want him to go. Other’s protested, but only half-heartedly. In their eyes, it was better him than them. Angered by this, I too dropped to my knees and clamped my arms, vice-like against his leg, trying my very best to stop him from leaving. To no avail, with one powerful arm, he lifted me off his leg, clean into the air and placed me into the urgent embrace of my mother, also in tears.

I watched from the window as my granddad tentatively made his way towards the ghosts, hands rose to the air in surrender. He got within inches of them and then stopped. With his back to us and the ghosts having no faces, it was impossible to decipher what they were talking about. But what happened next, we didn’t need any sound for… The image was horrifying enough. Out of nowhere a rock sailed through the air and struck my grandad in the head, knocking him to the ground. Shock. Everybody was shocked.

Like a volcano, the room suddenly erupted in molten rage. However, what happened next, I was only partially aware of as all I could do was stare at my grandad’s limp, lifeless body. Then, before I knew it, I was moving, pushing through a bundle of bodies on my way to the door. Before anybody could top me, the night air was sailing across my cheeks and grass was beneath my feet. No fear, I just kept moving. The sea of white before me became a mere blur, my eyes were trained on only one thing – my grandad. Within inches of his body, my legs quivered, buckled beneath me and I fell upon him.

I swaddled him, hoping with every fibre of my being that if I held him tight enough or cried until there were no tears left, somehow, he’d wake up and scope me in his big strong embrace, just one more time. Cold. Motionless. Dead. He just lay there. With that bitter realisation, my senses suddenly came flooding back to me and I was suddenly aware of giant white shadow swooping down on me. However, before he’s deafly grip could land on me, the ground thundered beneath where I knelt – whipping round I saw the churchgoers marching across the field, metal pipes held aloft which glistened as moonlight caught them. The ghosts thought about it, some even stepped forward. But as the group came closer and closer, their size and aggression increasingly becoming apparent – they thought better of it. The ghosts turned around to be once again swallowed up by the darkness from whence they came.

Laying in their wake were the effigies – still burning, still iridescent against the backdrop of night. Some of the churchgoers attempted to pull me away, as others attempted to take away granddad… like a python I hissed and snipped at their reaching hands, desperate to keep him within my grasp for a while longer. Resigned, they resulted in putting out the effigy instead. As it finally fell, suddenly everything was plunged into darkness. “Come here, baby.” The familiar, comforting sound of my mother’s voice was quickly proceeded by her scooping arms. Instantly I melted into her embrace. My head on her shoulder I allowed her to carry me away. My head turned, I was resounded in not turning around again. Another glance back at him would have destroyed me.

Like a blur the next couple of days passed by me. Family friends and strangers alike passed through our doors with a whole lot of condolences and gifts, but it all meant very little to me. In truth, all I could think about was the ghosts, blindingly white against the blackness of night and over looking at my grandfather’s body, with blank faces and hollow eyes. And as much I tried, that image just kept haunting me, refusing to relinquish my dreams and every waking thought from its deathly grip and nightmarish image.

[thdorkmagnet]

Light of the Sun and Stars Chapter 41: Baby

Summary: His whole life Marco Diaz has been raised by monsters, living under the cruel rule of their leader, Toffee. But one day Marco escapes into Mewni where he meets a magical princess and Mewman like himself, who begins teaching him all about her world. Together they will learn about life, love, and the lights within each of them, as they change their world forever.

Chapter Synopsis: The time has come for Star’s magic performance review to test her knowledge and growth as the wielder of the wand. Although Star is nervous her and Marco have done all they can to prepare her for the test and they are confident she will pass. But when Baby arrives things don’t exactly go the way they planned…

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Index

Disclaimer: Star vs and all its characters are owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney. All rights go to them.

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"Okay concentrate, Star. You can do this," Marco said in an encouraging tone, making sure to keep a supportive smile on his face as he watched his girlfriend cross her arm into an 'x' symbol, the wand held tightly in her left palm, pulsing with pink magic just waiting to be set free.

Star closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath, before muttering softly to herself, "I can do this." The girl then began an intricate series of steps, the wand waving around as her body gracefully danced through each technique with practiced ease, Marco completely awestruck by his girlfriend's movements no matter how many times he had seen it in the last few days. The way Star owned every flick of her wrist or turn of her hip left Marco speechless, her body moving with the grace and poise of a professional ballerina. Her feet were always in the correct position and her arms were always kept at just the right angle, the wand leaving trails of magic sprinkling to the ground with each new gesture.

Finally, Star held the wand aloft, shouting in a clear, calm voice, "Warnicorn Stampede!" There was a burst of pink magic in front of the blond royal, before a single, tiny unicorn appeared in front of them, looking completely harmless and adorable. "Aww," Marco cooed, unable to resist fawning over the cute creature his girlfriend had just created. The little unicorn let out an adorable neigh before trotting forward right into a head-on collision with Star's couch.

Star face-palmed, groaning in annoyance and disappointment, before loudly exclaiming, "Ugh, what am I doing wrong? Why can't I figure out this lousy spell?!"

"Well it is the hardest spell in the book," Marco pointed out, as he flipped through page after page of Star's spellbook, trying not to get lost in the intriguing and dense knowledge this book contained. "Glossaryk said most queens can take years to learn it."

"Yeah well if I don't get this down soon, I'm gonna fail the magic exam for sure," Star retorted, crossing her arms bitterly in front of her chest.

Marco thought over his reply for a moment, trying to come up with the best way to comfort his friend. He knew Star had been stressing ever since the Magic High Commission first announced Star have a magic performance review to see how far her abilities with the wand had come. They had given Star only a week to prepare for the upcoming exam and since then Marco had spent hours upon hours helping to get Star ready for the test. And now, on the day of said exam, he knew she was more than ready for anything her examiner could throw at her. But it was Star who needed the convincing, second-guessing herself as she failed the one spell in the book she had yet to master. Not that he blamed her, the pressure had to be unbearable for her, failing would mean proving to the world that she was unfit to wield the wand and Marco knew how terrified Star was of being seen that way.

Failure was simply not an option. Especially since both Star and Marco suspected the whole exam was just another scheme by the MHC to sabotage their commission. Star seemed to have no doubt that if she didn't pass the MHC would disband their commission so that Star could 'focus on her studies', which only added to the pressure the blond royal was feeling. Finally, the hooded teen spoke in the most reassuring tone he could, "You aren't going to fail, Star. We've been practicing all week, you've read the Book of Spells top to bottom, you know every spell including the ones that were removed from the book, you're more than ready."

"Except for the one spell I can't get right," Star reminded him, gesturing over to the little unicorn who was now chewing on Star's couch cushion. "If Baby asks me to cast Warnicorn Stampede I'm totally dead."

"Well remember what Glossaryk said, your emotions affect your magic, that's probably why you can't cast it," Marco pointed out, still flipping through pages of the spellbook. "I'm sure you'll get it down in time." He cringed as he came across a page covered in chains with a large skull on it, quickly flipping to a different page. When he had first come across that he had asked Star about it and all she had told him was that it was a forbidden chapter and that no one was allowed to look in it. Marco had steered clear of that section of the book ever since. Though he did wonder why Glossaryk hadn't removed it with the rest of the dangerous spells.

"Yeah, you're right," the blond replied, letting out a breath of relief, her hands fiddling with the handle of her wand. "I guess I'm just nervous, is all."

Marco closed the book before going over to his girlfriend and pulling her into a comforting hug. "Hey, I believe in you. I know you're gonna pass this test with flying colors," he whispered into her shoulder. He could feel Star's body relaxing in his grip as she let out a deep sigh, finally untensing for the first time in hours, maybe even days.

"Thanks, Marco," the girl said, before finally pulling out of the hug, a bright grin on her pretty face. "What would I do without you?"

Marco shrugged. "Don't know, though you'd probably get a lot fewer hugs," the boy said playfully.

Star laughed before giving him a friendly shove, chuckling, "I'm serious!" The two shared a laugh before the blond gave him a shy grin, the gentle look in her crystal blue eyes sending goosebumps down Marco's spine. "Thanks though, Marco. Really, I mean it. You have no idea how much you've helped out this week and I don't just mean helping me get ready for the test. If it weren't for you I'd probably be a jittery mess by now."

"Ah, I doubt that," Marco replied, his cheeks flushing some. "You're way braver than I am, Star."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short," Star retorted, cupping his face in her hand while giving her boyfriend a loving smile. "You're just as brave as I am, maybe even more. The only reason I'm so brave is because of you. When I see you facing whatever makes you afraid it makes me want to do the same." The girl then leaned forward giving her boyfriend a tender kiss on the lips. Marco closed his eyes letting the moment wash over him, the two besties sharing a blissful moment as one, their heartbeat once again beating in time together.

Finally, the two parted, giving each other goofy but incredibly happy looks, their cheeks painted pink as Marco finally said, "Well I'm glad I could help." The girl laughed before pressing her forehead to his. "You always are."

"So you think you're ready to try that spell again, Star?" Marco asked, giving her an encouraging smile. He felt Star's body tense up just slightly but the hooded teen could now see the resolve in her eyes as she nodded.

"Yeah, let's do it," the girl said with unwavering determination.

Marco stood back as Star crossed her arms again, taking a few smooth breaths before beginning the Incantation Dance once again. Her body moved as fluidly as before, every step perfect and on point as she went through the motions just like every time beforehand, but to Marco's surprise Star's wand was now glowing white instead of the typical pink and her hearts were glowing brighter than ever. Finally, the girl finished her spin before holding the wand overhead and shouting, "Warnicorn Stampede!"

Marco watched slack-jawed as at least a dozen warnicorns appeared behind her in a puff of smoke, neighing loudly as they galloped through Star's room in a wild herd, knocking over anything they came close to and impaling objects with their sharp horns. Star undid the spell quickly, leaving her room a tattered mess but she didn't seem to care as she began jumping up and down in joy shouting, "I did it! Marco, I did it! I just pulled off my very first Warnicorn Stampede!"

"Oh Star I'm so happy for you!" Marco shouted as Star pulled him into an excited hug. She lifted him off the ground spinning him around in a circle as the two laughed and cheered for the blond's success. Once Marco was on his feet again, the boy declared, "I knew you could do it!"

"Thank, Marco, guess you believing in me was all I needed," Star said, her bright grin incapable of vanishing, her eyes gleaming with self-pride and it made Marco's own heart leap at the sight. He couldn't think of the last time he saw Star this happy with herself and it made him swell with pride knowing he had been partially responsible for his girlfriend's positive change in attitude.

But a ringing from Star's phone drew their attention away from all the celebrating as Star ran over and picked up her mirror, flipping it open to read the new message. Her eyes widened before she turned to Marco and said, "Looks like I figured it out just in time, too. Baby's on her way now. Shawn just gave me the head's up."

"Wait, since when do you and Shawn talk to each other?" Marco asked in confusion.

"Since I bribed him with some of our super awesome nachos, no creature can resist those," Star replied, shooting her boyfriend a wink.

Marco smiled before focusing on the task at hand, asking, "Okay so how long do we have?"

Star shrugged. "Not long, she could be here any minute," the blond replied, biting her lip as her anxiety returned full force.

"Okay well I'll go check on the food, you stay here and... clean up," Marco said. The two cringed at they looked around at Star's destroyed room.

"Good idea," the blond replied, putting her mirror phone away before starting to work repairing her room back to its normal state.

"Back in a few," Marco said as he ran for the door, wanting to hurry and not leave his girlfriend alone for too long. He needed to be there when Baby arrived to help keep Star calm. Besides he was beyond curious who this Baby was after a week-long build-up.

"Okay," Star called after him, pushing out any troubling thoughts as she just focused on her task, thankful for something to do to keep her mind off everything. The last thing she needed now was to psych herself out.

…

A loud distasteful scoff filled the castle kitchen, followed by a very sarcastic voice. "Ugh, seriously you call this a grand kitchen, even their measuring cups are unorganized, talk about amateur hour," Kelly stated with a roll of her eyes, her eyes not even on the pot she was stirring as she just gazed around the fancy kitchen critically. A feast of already finished dishes lay spread out on the countertops around her, everything from cookies to cornbread to even a cooked turkey was present, all of them cooked to perfection and beyond appetizing. So appetizing in fact that Ferguson, Alfonso, and even Glossaryk were all drooling over them, staring at each steaming plate with hungry eyes. "And what's with all the cheap bowls and spoons? My grandmother has better kitchen utensils," Kelly continued in a mocking tone.

"Geez, Kelly. Why don't you tell us something you don't like about the place?" Janna said sarcastically, leaning against the counter with a bored expression.

"Oh, haha, very funny," Kelly said back, shooting the creepy girl a glare. "I'm just saying, it's no wonder Marco asked me to come help cook cause this is just disgraceful." In one fluid motion, the green-haired girl had poured the contents of the bowl into a pan and set that in the oven to bake, slamming it closed with her foot as she set the small timer.

"Well, that and the chefs all conveniently called in sick on the exact day that Baby arrived," Janna added in a knowing tone, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, what are the odds of that?" Kelly agreed sarcastically. "But luckily for you, I was free for the day. Besides this is a great opportunity for me, cooking for a guest of royalty." The girl picked up a spatula and smacked Ferguson's hand as he reached for a nearby cookie.

"Ow!" the chubby king whined as he massaged his sore hand. "That hurt!"

"Hands off the food! I didn't slave over this for six hours so you could snack!" Kelly shouted to the boy, who shrunk some in his seat from the intensity of her glare.

"Well, that's not a problem for me," Glossaryk said, before making a chanting noise, a cookie slowly rising off the plate, suspended by magic. But it dropped back to the plate as Kelly smacked the small blue man on the top of the head, breaking his concentration.

"And that includes with magic," Kelly added, her voice full of fire and brimstone as she cast warning glances to the magical being and then Ferguson and Alfonso, all of whom gave her guilty looks back. "Now anybody else wanna try?"

All three shook their heads.

"Good," Kelly said, a smile instantly appearing on her face as she set down the spatula. She hummed to herself as she went back to preparing the next item on the menu.

"I forgot how terrifying you Wooletts can be," Glossaryk commented, a sad frown on his normally blank face.

"And don't you forget it," Kelly said with a proud grin, giving the three a smug look as she flipped her hair.

On top of said hair, Tad let out an affectionate sigh. "I love it when you're terrifying, babe," he said flirtingly.

"You love it when I do anything, Tad," the girl replied, hiding a smile.

"Yes, but that's because everything you do is amazing!" Tad said and the girl flushed.

"Aw, Tad!" Kelly cooed. She quickly directed her attention back on her work though, as she started to dice vegetable, her hand moving at an almost inhuman speed, somehow managing to avoid her fingers with each rapid swing of the sharp blade. "So who's this Baby anyways?"

"Oh just someone the Magic High Commission decided to send to do Star's magic review," Janna explained.

"Well she must be pretty hungry if she's gonna eat all this," Kelly commented as she continued to chop away, casting a quick glance at their food supply.

"Oh trust me on this, Baby is a bottomless pit when it comes to food," Glossaryk spoke up. "And the more we feed her, the better chances of Star passing are."

"Isn't that bribery?" Kelly asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, we're just making sure our guest is happy," Janna said while casually leaning back and putting her feet on the countertop leaning as far back in the chair as it would allow. "And if it helps us out in the end, what's wrong with that?"

Kelly just rolled her eyes, a small smile on her lips as she pushed Janna's boots off the countertop. "You're impossible," she muttered under her breath.

"You forgot to mention creepy and charming," Janna replied, sitting back up in her chair once again.

Suddenly, the door to the kitchen slammed open, a panting Marco quickly running inside. "Hey guys!" he called loudly, sliding across the smooth tile floor and coming to a stop in front of them. "Oh wow, the food looks great Kelly!"

"Thanks, Marco, you should have more than enough food for your guest," the girl replied, before smacking the grabbing hand of Ferguson. "That is if these three don't end up eating it all."

Marco laughed, before taking a big sniff of the food spread out before him. "Well, it all smells delicious! I'm sure Baby's gonna love it!" the hooded teen exclaimed, a wide smile on his face. "Thanks for coming to help out Kelly, I really appreciate it. I know you've been pretty busy getting ready for that big baking competition coming up."

"Eh, it's not a problem. I'm already more or less ready for that," the girl continued as she started tossing the salad in the bowl before her.

"You must be excited though," Marco continued. "I mean, being asked to represent Fang Tangs this year, that's a huge honor!"

Kelly smiled proudly to herself but kept her voice as humble as possible as she replied, "Yeah it is pretty nice." She paused before adding in a hinting tone, raising her eyebrows knowingly, "Though I am still in need of two other chefs to help me."

Marco nodded. "Me and Star'll be there. No problem, Kelly."

"Good, cause the recipe I have in mind is gonna need some help to pull off."

"Are you planning on using the..." Marco leaned in closer and cupped a hand around his mouth to prevent the others from hearing, before whispering, "... top-secret project."

"Marco, that's still in the testing phase and you know it," the girl hissed back, shooting him a nervous look.

The boy immediately slapped a hand over his mouth. "Oh sorry," the boy replied in a muffled tone.

"Uh, you know we don't care, right?" Janna commented.

The two quickly whipped their heads over to her before sharing another serious look, silently communicating the need to keep that project just between them, while Janna rolled her eyes. Ferguson, seeing Kelly distracted, once again tried to reach for the tray and grab a freshly baked pastry only to receive a smack over the head from Kelly's spatula, the girl not even turning as she knocked him back in one swift motion.

"Ouch!" the boy screamed loudly, before pouting in the Woolett's direction.

"Nice try," Kelly responded. "But I have eyes in the back of my head. Or in this case..." She pointed up to Tad who was facing toward backwards now, watching the three closely. "...on the back of my head."

Marco couldn't help but laugh at the joke, while Ferguson muttered something under his breath, complaining about the terrible treatment he was receiving despite being a king and made a mental note to raise the mirror tax on Kelly's phone when he got back.

"Well, I better get back to Star," Marco said, before racing out of the room as quickly as he had entered. "Just bring up the food whenever it's ready. Star said Baby should be here any minute."

"Okay!" Kelly called after the boy, her focus on the salad as she put the finishing touches on the appetizer grating shredded cheese onto it with all the care and precision of an artist painting a portrait. "There that should do it!" she exclaimed, wiping the sweat from her brow, before turning to the others. "Now who wants to help me bring all this up?"

No one said a word and Kelly just sighed before adding in a slightly annoyed tone, "I'll let you guys have a free meal at Fang Tang's on the house."

The four all jumped to attention quickly rushing around as they grabbed carts and trays to help carry the mountain of food before them, getting right to work and eager to help now that the prospect of free food was on the table. Kelly just watched the four with a deadpanned glare, muttering under her breath, "Figures."

…

Marco was running down the hallway, hoping he wasn't too late. He knew Star needed him to be there for whenever Baby arrived but he had accidentally stayed in the kitchen much longer than he had planned. Which meant he was in way too big a rush, trying to take every shortcut in the massive castle he could think of, barely paying any attention to his surroundings as he focused only on getting back to Star. Which meant he didn't spot the two little girls clearly hiding behind a nearby pillar (their bodies only half-hidden behind it) giggling amongst themselves. But as the boy approached the two suddenly jumped out, shouting as one, "Sneak attack!"

The boy tried to slide to a stop but he was powerless to stop the two girls from latching onto his chest, giggling incessantly the whole time as the boy crashed to the floor with a yelp. The two clung to his middle, still laughing as the boy groaned in surprise and pain from the short fall. "Ugh, girls?" he muttered groggily, his head spinning as he tried to process how and why he was laying on the floor with Daisy and Violet on top of him.

"We got you, Big Brother!" Violet shouted, now sitting on his stomach and grinning ear to ear. "You fell right into our trap!"

"Were you surprised, Big Brother?" Daisy asked with wide, innocent eyes.

Marco couldn't help but chuckle a little himself as he picked each girl up and set them aside so he could stand once again. "Yep, I sure was, you two definitely got me," he said with a bright grin, wiping the dust from his pants.

"Yes!" the two cheered as one before sharing a high-five.

Marco smiled, glad to see the two getting along... for now at least. "Well I'm glad you two are having fun, just please try and be careful, okay. Not everyone is alright with being 'sneak attacked'."

"We will!" the girls promised, hiding their crossed fingers behind their backs.

"Okay then, I better get back to Star," the hooded teen said, about to run off again when Daisy suddenly interrupted him with a panicked shout.

"Wait, Big Brother! We need to ask you something!" the cutesy girl screamed.

The boy paused, turning to her with curiosity. "What is it?"

"Have you seen Edith anywhere?" Daisy asked, worry shining in her bright eyes.

"We've looked everywhere and we can't find her!" Violet added, looking equally as distraught.

Marco stared sadly down at the girls for a second before shaking his head. "Nope, sorry girls, I haven't."

The two's faces fell even more and the boy instantly added, "Uh, but don't worry I'm sure you'll find her. She's probably just hiding somewhere, she'll turn up soon."

Daisy and Violet gave him hopeful looks, their eyes lighting up some in joy. "You really think so?" the creepy child asked.

Marco nodded confidently, shooting them a comforting smile. "I'm positive! And hey it's almost like playing a game of hide and seek, right?"

"Yeah, you're right!" Daisy cheered, back to her vibrant self as she hopped up and down. "In that case, we better get back to looking for her!"

"Yeah, let's do it!" Violet shouted, pumping her fist in the air in excitement. The two ran off down the hall and Marco smiled as he watched them go, calling quickly out to them, "Good luck!"

"Thanks, Big Brother!" the two shouted back, waving to him over their shoulders before disappearing around the corner.

Marco chuckled and shook his head, before suddenly remembering his own task and his eyes widened in panic. "Oh no, Star!" he gasped.

…

Star managed to get her room clean in record time, her wand helping the task along immensely as she summoned an army of cute little cat maids, their furry forms rushing around, fixing and cleaning everything in sight. The blond royal nodded her head in satisfaction as the kittens finished up, her room practically sparkling now. In fact, it probably looked even better than before. "Nice work guys!" she said pleasantly to the cats. She then used her wand to summon them a ball of yarn, saying, "Here. You guys earned it."

The kitten maids all meowed in pleasure as they played amongst themselves, Star walking around her room and double-checking their work just to be sure. But there was not a spot of dust or clutter anywhere and the girl finally let out a deep sigh, wiping her brow in satisfaction with her free hand. "Thank goodness. At least that's one less thing to worry about," she commented to herself, tapping her wand against her open palm, the nervousness starting to resurface some again.

Just then, the window to her room busted open as a harsh breeze blew into the room, catching Star off guard and causing the kittens to all rear back in concern. The girl put up a hand to shield her face from the viscous force of the wind, trying to crack an eye open and see what the source of the draft was, when an ominous cloud of black smoke flew into the room. The cats all yowled in fear as any stray papers or objects were sent flying around the room, the stream of magic smoke circling Star a few times before coming jumping up into the air and landing in front of her. The cloud parted revealing the small form of a cat. The cat had short white fur and translucent wings that fluttered behind her, keeping her always floating in the air. Her tail was at least the length of her full body, maybe even longer, which waved back and forth lazily in mid-air. Her eyes were inhumanely wide, with bright green pupils that seemed to glow with innocence and kindness as she observed the princess up and down. Her tiny paws held a large clipboard and glowing pink pen which almost sparkled with magic.

The wind died instantly the moment Baby appeared, sending the loose objects and papers falling to the ground, Star's room now as trashed as when she started. "Star Butterfly, I presume," Baby said, her voice as cute as her general appearance.

"Uh yes, that's me, Miss Baby," Star said quickly, doing a little curtsey and bowing her head politely. She was glad her voice didn't crack, her nerves still threatening to get the best of her, especially after her initial shock from Baby's entrance.

Baby gave a narrowed gaze around the room before saying in a critical tone, "Hmm, I expected the room to be much neater. Perhaps your busy schedule is taking up too much of your time for such simple things."

Star felt a twinge of anger as she thought bitterly, Only because you messed it up. But she kept the smile plastered on her face. Yep, just as she suspected, this was all a ploy by the MHC, which meant she had to keep her calm and play her part. The future of her Commission and Mewni hung in the balance. Which was why she managed to keep her voice polite and level as she said, "Actually, my maids were just about to get to work cleaning the room, right guys?" She gave them a pleading look and the cat's all reluctantly sighed and dropped the ball of yarn going back to their previous task from before, looking none too happy about it now.

Baby watched the cats silently for a moment, before jotting something down on her clipboard, Star feeling her heart begin to sink. She cleared her throat and said quickly, "Uh sooo, would you like a tour of my room or..."

"Yes that would be acceptable," Baby said, not looking up from her clipboard.

Star tried to keep her calm as she began giving a quick tour of her room, Baby barely paying any attention to anything, only looking up once or twice with a blank expression before going back to scribbling notes down furiously. Star was starting to lose her nerve and wished Marco was here to calm her.

Luckily, just as she finished up the tour, Marco came bursting into the room, panting wildly with sweat dripping down his face as he exclaimed, "Star, I'm back! Sorry, it took me so long I-" But he froze as he spotted the flying cat just over Star's shoulder, fixing him with a critical gaze and he looked over to his girlfriend for help. The blond royal kept her calm as she said in a smooth tone, "Marco, this is Baby." She gestured over to the flying cat who still had yet to blink as her narrowed eyes seemed to be tearing him apart and he continued to stand awkwardly in the doorway. She then gestured over to the hooded teen. "Baby this is my boyfriend and the Monster representative Marco Diaz."

"Uhh, h-hello Miss Baby," Marco said, trying to match his girlfriend's relaxed tone but unable to keep his voice from stuttering some. Star mouthed the word 'bow' to him and he quickly dropped into a late bow, keeping his head submissively down.

"Yes, I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Diaz, was it?" Baby said, her tone unreadable.

Marco stood up at once, nodding as he replied, "Uh yeah. My parents were Rafael and Angela Diaz." He felt a slight boost of pride at that, a bit of his anxiety subsiding.

"Yes, yes the Monster supporters," Baby said, her focus returning to her clipboard, her tiny paw furiously scribbling something down. "I've heard all about them." Something about her tone made Marco feel weary and he cast Star a confused look which she returned but they kept their comments to themselves.

"Now then, if there won't be any other interruptions," Baby continued, her eyes darting up for just a moment to fix the boy with a critical look. "We can officially begin your magic exam, princess."

"Oh, yes, of course," Star said, trying to will down her racing heartbeat. This was it.

"Now then, before we begin, we'll need to clear the room of any distractions," Baby began, looking around at the cat maids pointedly.

"Right," Star said, before unsummoning her spells, making sure to also send the ball of yarn with them for all their hard work and as a little extra thank you for cleaning her room up twice now. Once she was done, she turned to Baby waiting for her next direction.

But Baby's focus switched to Marco, who had finally moved away from the doorway, shutting the door but still standing awkwardly off to the side, looking unsure. "All the distractions," Baby said in a hinting tone and Marco felt his eyes widen. Wait was she asking him to leave? But he was supposed to stay and help Star. She needed him to help keep her calm. What if she failed without him? He couldn't leave but Baby had just given a direct order... well kinda. Baby continued staring at him, waiting for him to go and the boy shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Uh, well I-I-" he stuttered, unsure how to politely word this.

"Actually Baby," Star spoke up on his behalf, seeing her bestie struggling to speak up for himself. "I was hoping Marco could stay. I need him for... moral support." She flashed him a loving smile, which he returned with a grateful one.

Baby sighed before saying, "Very well, but I'm making a note of this." She quickly wrote something down and Star swallowed back the biting comment hovering on the end of her tongue. Having Marco there wasn't a bad thing, how dare this stupid cat even think that.

"Okay then," she said instead, plastering on another false smile. "I'm ready when you are."

Baby nodded before saying, "First things first, I'll need to ask you a few questions."

Star had been expecting this, her mother warning her she might need to refresh her mind on basic Mewman history and she and Marco had taken extra time to get her ready for this portion of the exam. The blond royal nodded, ready to draw upon the knowledge she had kept tucked away in her brain. "Of course, I'm ready."

"Very well, can you tell me who was the first Mewman to ever wield the wand?" Baby asked, looking down at her notes.

Star replied in one steady breath, "Cosmos the Infinite. They say the wand was gifted to her by the beings of the magic realm because of her pure heart."

"Yes, and was she a member of the Butterfly clan?" Baby questioned while writing down Star's answer.

Star nodded. "Yes, she was."

"And how did the Butterfly clan rise to power?"

"Our Trait," Star replied, looking over to Marco to see him giving her an encouraging thumb's up.

"Which is?"

"The ability to wield the magic wand. Only certain members of the Butterfly clan can channel its power," Star said, feeling more and more confident with every answer. "In anyone else's hands, it's completely useless."

The fairy continued to ask question after question, Star answering every single one with zero hesitation, her study session's paying off well.

Marco, meanwhile, felt his heart swelling with pride for his girlfriend, unable to keep the bright smile off his face. That was until a slithering feeling jumped up his spine and he jumped some in surprise, managing to stifle his scream. Star and Baby didn't notice this, too invested in their quiz and the boy tried to calm his now racing heart. What the heck was that? Marco wondered.

Then there was more shifting only this time on his stomach, the movement on his ticklish belly causing him to laugh out loud. Star and Baby immediately whipped their heads over to him and Marco slapped a hand over his mouth to hold back his giggles as the feeling continued. Star looked concerned as her boyfriend burst out laughing over nothing, while Baby just raised an annoyed eyebrow. Finally, the feeling stopped and he was able to get in a breath of air, his lungs sore from the random tickle attack. "Uh, sorry about that," he said sheepishly, feeling Baby's intense stare on his skin. "I, uh, just thought of a funny joke." He smiled, hoping the cat would buy it.

Baby just rolled her eyes before saying, "Well maybe next time you should leave the room, instead of interrupting me in the middle of a sentence." She put her furry paws on her hips as she fixed him with a scolding glare and the boy looked down at his feet.

"Right, sorry, it won't happen again," he said softly.

"Good, see that it doesn't," Baby replied harshly, before going back to her question taking. Star answering each one but kept casting worried looks over to her boyfriend now.

Marco waited until they got back into a steady rhythm before turning around and pulling open his hoodie to see what was moving around in there, only to see a pair of beady eyes and a forked tongue looking up at him innocently. "Edith?!" he said in a loud whisper. "What are you doing in there?" He quickly reached down and pulled her out from his hoodie, holding her long form in both hands. "You need to get out of here," he continued.

"Marco?"

The boy turned on his feet hiding Edith behind his back, plastering on a smile. "Hmm, yes," he responded far-too-quickly, looking between Mewman and fairy.

"Are you okay?" the blond royal asked.

"Who me, oh I'm just fine, nothing to worry about here," the boy said in a very unconvincing tone, doing a quick thumbs up with his free hand.

"Okay then," Star said reluctantly, before returning her focus on the test.

The boy breathed a sigh of relief, before pulling his hands in front of him again, only to find Edith gone and he gasped in surprise. "What? Where did she go?"

A tiny head popped up on his left shoulder and he nearly jumped in surprise. "Edith," he whispered quietly. "You can't be in here, Star needs to focus. I'm taking you back to Daisy and Violet."

But Edith wasn't listening to any of this for she had just spotted something of interest, a small, furry cat... with a delicious, mouth-watering diamond implanted in its forehead. Edith's small mouth dropped open, drool dripping from her stone fangs as she stared mesmerized at the treat in front of her. She had never eaten a diamond before but they were supposed to be the greatest tasting gem of all time and there was one right in front of her!

Edith was about to slither over and grab it when she was snatched up by the one in red, the one with the very noisy yell, blabbering on about something under his breath as he turned and headed for the exit. But Edith wasn't going to miss this chance, no way. So she began squirming in his grip, easily slipping through his fingers before landing hard on the floor. She was dazed for half a second, before shaking her head and slithering over to her meal, hissing happily.

Just as Marco reached for the doorknob he heard a thump and looked down only to see a small, blue form disappear between his legs. He quickly ran over and snatched Edith off the ground, who hissed in protest.

Meanwhile, Star had just finished answering her last question, Baby nodding as she jotted down a few notes before tapping the pen against the clipboard thoughtfully. "Hmm, it would seem you know your history, Princess Star.”

Star smiled and Marco couldn't help but grin as well, despite the urgency of the situation. But he began to quietly tip-toe away, slowly reaching out for the doorknob.

"Marco!" the boy flinched as his name was called and swerved on his feet, tucking Edith into his hoodie pocket and out of sight.

"Yeah, Star?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even despite his slight panic, knowing Edith could ruin the whole test.

"Where are you going?" the blond royal asked, arching an eyebrow while silently asking him what was going on.

"Oh, just to go check on the food," the boy said, keeping his gaze locked with Star, trying to convey to her that something was wrong and that he'd explain later while his hand reached backward for the knob.

Only for the door to slam open, nearly hitting Marco who stumbled forward in surprise as Kelly, Janna, Ferguson, and Alfonso entered into the room, pulling carts filled to the brim with the Woolett's dishes. The green-haired girl smiled brightly at the three in the room, her face and voice polite and professional as she said cheerfully, "Sorry for the intrusion but we figured you could use some sustenance after you're long trip, Miss Baby."

Baby's eyes widened to unbelievable proportions as she hovered slowly closer to the delicious array of food, clearly holding back her urges as she licked her lips hungrily. Kelly seeing this added, "We prepared all this for you, so help yourself." The Woolett then dropped into a bow, the others doing the same behind her.

"Food!" Baby screamed before disappearing into a cloud of smoke again, which flew past the carts at an inhuman speed, leaving behind only empty plates and crumbs as every bit of food was devoured in an instant. The others all watched flabbergasted at the display and Marco, seizing his opportunity at the distraction, lifted the silver lid off a plate and set Edith onto it, before covering the Gem Feeder completely. There, Marco thought to himself. Now they can take her out of here and no one will ever know.

The plume of darkness finished its meal before jumping next to Star again, Baby appearing a second later, licking her paw greedily. "More please," she said simply.

Kelly recovered from her shock as a look of anger flashed across her face, she had just spent the better part of the morning making all that and not only had Baby not had the decency to acknowledge her but she then demanded even more from her! Marco noticed this look and thinking quickly said, "Yes, I'm sure Kelly wouldn't mind making you something else to eat, Miss Baby. Right Kelly?" He turned to the girl with a pleading look, silently begging her to help them out.

Kelly stared at the boy for a moment before sighing and replying with forced cheer, "Of course not, I'll just go do that right now." She plastered on a fake smile which looked more like she was grimacing but Baby didn't seem to notice nor care as she looked through the notes written on her clipboard. The Woolett turned and exited the room, the others pushing the empty carts behind her, but not before shooting the hooded teen a look that said, You owe me for this. Marco smiled and gave her a thumbs-up, letting her know he would indeed pay her back for her help. With that, the door closed leaving the three of them alone once again.

"Well now that that's out of the way," Baby said, gaining the two teens' attention back. "It's time to see just how far you've come in your training, Princess Star." The fairy cat snapped her fingers and a second later a dummy appeared in the center of the room, a crudely drawn face scribbled onto it, its body made of a faded burlap sack which was leaking straw and two sticks jammed into the sides of it to represent arms.

Star nodded, a look of determination on her face, her hand squeezing the wand tightly in anticipation. This was it, she thought, trying to keep her calm.

"Please, show me you're best Narwhal Blast, princess," Baby said, starting off easy but watching the girl closely none the less.

Star smiled at the easy spell. That was one of her specialties. She waved the wand in a circle before holding it straight out shouting, "Mega Narwhal Blast!" The reaction was instant as a series of aquatic mammals were sent flying around her room, hitting the dummy and crushing it instantly.

"Hmm, very good," Baby said with a nod, jotting down a quick note, before looking back up at the royal teen. "Double rainboom."

There was a puff of smoke and the dummy was standing once more, waiting for the next attack. Star did a twirl, sparks of lightning forming around her wand before she held it out, and yelled the appropriate chant, "Double Rainboom Devastation!" Two streaks of rainbows shot out of the wand, twisting around each other before colliding with the dummy, exploding with a massive bang that caused Star's walls to rattle.

Marco covered his ears from the loud sound but quickly started clapping at the amazing display. There was nothing left of the scarecrow this time, only a singed pile of ash and broken tile from the harsh impact. Baby barely acknowledged this one, writing something down, before snapping her fingers and restoring the dummy to its former glory. "Honeybee Tornado Swarm."

That was a bit harder but Star, feeling more confident, nodded, and said, "No problem." She swiped her wand through the air while shouting, "Honeybee Tornado Swarm."

Marco watched mesmerized as Star's spells devastated the target, again and again, Star casting each spell with conviction and power, any sign of anxiety gone from her sweet face. Now that the whole Edith fiasco was over, Marco could just sit back, relax, and watch his girlfriend pass her test with flying colors. He sat down on the floor, a small grin on his face as he watched Star expertly cast each requested spell.

"Cupcake Blast!"

"Winterstorm Hyperblow!"

"Cotten Candy Devastation Blast!"

That was until he spotted a small blue form slithering across the floor slowly making its way over to the two and more importantly, into the line of fire from Star's spells. Marco jumped to his feet, managing to suppress his surprised squeak as he watched Edith getting closer and closer to Star's destruction. How did she even get back in here? Marco wondered to himself, before shaking his head free of the unimportant thought. It doesn't matter right now, I gotta focus on saving Edith.

Just as Edith slithered into the line of fire, Star sucking in a breath as she prepared another spell, Marco jumped in front of her shouting, "Wait!"

Star doubled back in surprise, nearly dropping the wand in her fright, while Baby just glared angrily down at the boy. "Mr. Diaz, what did I tell you before about interrupting us during-"

"Yeah, I know," the boy interrupted, trying to quickly think of an excuse. "I was just thinking, uhhh, that this is too easy. M-Maybe it would be better if Star attacked a... moving target."

Star gave the boy a confused look, while Baby thoughtfully rubbed her furry chin with her paws, thinking over the boy's idea. "What are you doing?" the blond royal whispered, quietly.

"I'll explain later," the boy replied softly. He couldn't risk distracting Star. She needed to focus on the test, he could handle the rest.

"Hmm, you have a point," Baby said thoughtfully, clearly liking the idea. "Would that be alright with you, Princess Star."

Star nodded, before replying, "Sure, I can handle that." Though she cast another quizzical look to her bestie.

"Very well," Baby said, before snapping her fingers, before the dummy came to life, bouncing around the room in a random pattern but moving slowly enough he was easy to aim at. "Please continue the spell as requested."

Star nodded, waiting for Marco to move out of the way before sucking in another breath, making sure to keep steady aim on the target now as it hopped around the room. "Bacon Kitty Hawaiian Nightmare!" she screamed, before destroying the moving scarecrow in an instant with the toughest spell yet.

Marco let out a sigh of relief, before looking quickly around for the slippery snake, wondering where she could have gotten off to now. When he spotted her he nearly screamed, she was slowly making her way up Star's lamp, doing loops around its thin frame, which was right next to Baby. The small cat seemed none the wiser to the snake, positioning itself behind her, even as it leaned over, opening his mouth wide as it got closer and closer to the blue diamond on the fairy's head. Marco rushed over as quietly but quickly as he could, trying to leave a wide berth so he wouldn't be noticed by the other two, before snatching up Edith at the last second, the snake mere seconds away from devouring Baby's crystal.

Baby turned, giving the boy a quizzical look but he just smiled and flicked on the lamp saying nervously, "Thought you could use some light."

"Yes, thank you," Baby muttered but the suspicion in her eyes was clear.

Marco felt panic seize his chest but somehow managed to keep a straight face as he said, "No problem." He then turned around to glare at the naughty snake, whispering harshly, "Edith, what are you doing? Do you want Star to fail her test?!" But Edith just flicked her tongue in response.

Baby looked over to Star who was starting to pant now from exertion, the numerous spells starting to wear on her. She wasn't used to casting this many in a row, even while training she had paced herself and she could feel her magical energy beginning to dwindle. Hopefully, they would be done soon.

"Your boyfriend is very strange," Baby commented.

Star, looked over to her boyfriend, who had his back to them, whispering something under his breath like he was talking to someone and the blond royal felt her worry increase. Something was clearly wrong and whatever it was Marco was keeping it to himself, which made Star even more unnerved. Marco told her everything, no secret ever kept between the two of them but if he was keeping whatever it was to himself on today of all days then it couldn't be good. Still, she would just have to trust her boyfriend to handle whatever it was and focus on her problems. She had a test to pass, after all.

So not knowing what else to say, Star simply shrugged and replied, "Thank you." Baby seemed surprised by the answer but Star just wanted to get this test over with so she could rest, not to mention figure out what was going on with her bestie, so she quickly added, "I'm ready for the next spell."

"Are you sure, princess," Baby said, her keen eyes focusing in on the bags under the blond's eyes and the heaviness to her limbs. "You can rest for a minute, don't want to overdo it."

Star could tell by the fairy's tone this was less about Baby's concern for her well-being and more of an insult. She was clearly testing Star to see how she'd react, see if she was as weak as everyone said she was and Star felt a fire in belly at the thought, wanting nothing more than to prove this stupid cat wrong.

"No, I'm fine, let's keep going," Star said, holding her head up high to show Baby she wasn't backing down.

"Very well," Baby said, her tone suddenly mischievous, the slightest hint of a smirk on her face and Star knew instantly what was coming next, thinking worriedly to herself, Oh no. "If you're so confident why don't we try a harder one, how about..." Baby paused pretending to think it over, before saying, "Warnicorn Stampede?"

Star felt her heart drop and Marco turned around with panic in his eyes, having heard the name of the absolute toughest spell in the spellbook. Edith was forgotten as he watched Star closely, her body tensing up some and her eyes showing the slightest hint of fear in them. Baby seemed to notice this as she added in a superior tone, "You have the learned that spell, correct?"

Star nodded quickly, trying to hide her nervousness behind an iron mask as she replied, "Of course."

"Then you should have no problem casting it for me," Baby said, her sharp gaze suddenly feeling like it was trying to dig into Star's soul and she resisted the urge to glare at the instructor.

"No, none at all, I'm happy to do it," Star said with a forced grin.

"Good, then show me," Baby said, snapping her fingers again as the dummy appeared in the center of the room, still and unmoving this time.

Star looked over to Marco for encouragement and he happily obliged, giving her a small nod and a thumbs up, the brightest, most positive smile he had in his arsenal stretched across his face as he mouthed the words, You got this. This alone seemed to relax Star down, just knowing her Marco was there supporting her giving her the confidence needed to perform the spell. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, pushing out all thoughts except that of Marco, focusing on the image of his smiling face to relax her as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

She then began to perform the Incantation Dance, her movements swift, smooth, and precise as she turned and swayed through each step of the complicated spell. She knew this spell by heart, she had practiced it dozens of times before and had even successfully pulled it off not even an hour ago, Marco was right, she had this completely under control. And as Star continued with her graceful dance, a blissful smile formed on her face as she felt the magic gathering around her, relaxing her aching muscles and giving her much-needed energy.

While this was going on, Marco watched mesmerized for a second before feeling Edith squirming around in his hand and he looked down just in time to see her slide out of his grip, falling toward the floor. The hooded teen quickly snatched her up out of mid-air, but she continued to slither around in his hands, making it impossible for him to get a good grip as she slipped through his fingers. His hands fumbled to catch the slippery snake as Edith merely bounced around in his hands, unaware of the painful drop that waited below her, her only goal in sight being that of the delicious crystal.

Finally, after much trial and error, the boy managed to get a good grip on Edith, walking swiftly over to Star's closet and setting her carefully inside before closing the door as quietly as possible. But thankfully, the sound was muffled by Star's loud shout.

"Warnicorn Stampede!"

The boy leaned heavily against the door as he watched a dozen or so angry looking unicorns appear around Star, raging around the room as they galloped past the dummy, crushing it underneath their thick hoof prints. Star let out a small cheer of joy at her success, turning to Marco with a smile of victory and the boy gave her a tired thumbs up in response.

Baby, however, noticed the boy lingering by the door and asked accusingly, "What are you doing now, Marco Diaz?" The small cat put her paws on her hips for emphasis.

Marco froze up for a second as he struggled to think up some sort of answer, his mouth opening and closing a few times as he struggled for words, looking over to his girlfriend for help. But all Star could do was shrug, looking just as lost on him and he finally replied, "I was, uh, afraid there might be a... draft."

"From the closet?" Baby said, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Well, I mean, you never know," Marco said with a nervous grin.

Star, seeing that a distraction was needed, quickly spoke up, saying, "So, Miss Baby, how did I do?"

This seemed to work though, as Baby returned her focus back on her job, humming to herself as she flipped through the clipboard and her notes, trying to compile them together into a grade. Star cast Marco a quick glance, the two both looking equally relieved they hadn't been caught, even though Star was still lost on what exactly was going on. That could have been a disaster. Thankfully, they had avoided anything major going wrong.

"Well, for the most part, I would say you're doing quite well," Baby said finally and Star seemed to visibly relax at that. "There are still some areas that could use some improvement but overall I think your magic training is coming along nicely."

"Oh, that's great to hear," Star breathed out, placing a hand over her heart. She had done it. She had passed the test and now everything would be-

"However, there is still one more task I'd like you to complete for me," Baby said, interrupting Star's moment of victory as fear clenched the girl's chest.

"W-What?" the blond royal whispered, caught off guard by this change of events. There was more? But she had just performed one of the hardest spells in the book flawlessly, what else could Baby possibly have her do that was more difficult than that? She had studied every spell, had trained her mind, body, and spirit for this test, and yet nothing could prepare her for what happened next.

With a simple snap of Baby's fingers, a pedestal appeared in the center of the room, a large, red apple set on top of it. "I'd like you to please, bring me that apple."

"Wait, seriously?!" Star exclaimed, blurting it out without thinking, too shell-shocked to make sense of anything.

Baby's eyes narrowed just an inch as she said, "You do know the proper spell for that, don't you?"

"U-Uh, of course," Star said, recovering some from her bafflement as she responded to the question being asked, racking her brain for the answer. "That would be Levitato." Otherwise known as one of the easiest spells in the whole book. Why would Baby be testing her on something as simple as that?

Baby nodded, before saying, "Then please, whenever you're ready." The small cat held out a hand in wait, keeping her gaze focused on Star, watching her every move closely. The blond royal forced herself to focus as she directed her attention onto the apple, holding her wand out as she got ready to perform the spell, waiting patiently for the energy to gather.

Marco, still keeping himself pressed against the door, couldn't help but lean forward some, intrigued by the conversation between his girlfriend and her instructor, his mouth hanging slightly open as his head spun with questions. There was more to the test? Was this some sort of bonus round or something, like in one of those video games Tom had shown him? Or was this another test in itself? The task seemed simple enough, maybe there was something he was missing?

"Hey, Marco, what's up?" a voice suddenly said beside him and turned to see Janna in bat form fly over and perch on his shoulder. "How's the test going?"

"Okay, I guess," Marco said via whisper, not wanting to distract Star to any degree. "But what are you doing here?"

"Oh the others asked me to see how things were going, so here I am," Janna replied, spreading her wings wide.

"Well we have a slight problem, Janna," Marco muttered, trying not to grimace as he remembered the determined reptile just on the other side of this door.

"I'll say, that cat's got a serious eating problem," Bat-Jan remarked sarcastically.

"No, I mean another problem. Your pet snake is in here and keeps trying to attack Baby."

"What?" Janna said in disbelief. "Edith is completely harmless, what possible reason would she have to-" That's when the creepy teen spotted the gemstone on the cat's head. "Ooohh, okay, that explains it. She's after the diamond." Janna said, nodding her head.

"Wait, are you serious?" Marco said in a raised whisper.

"Yep, diamond's are basically irresistible to Gem Feeders," Janna replied, matter-of-factly.

"Well, at least she can't cause any more trouble," Marco said, leaning back against the door.

"Uh, I wouldn't be too sure of that," Janna said and Marco gave his friend a confused look before she gestured to up ahead with her wing. Marco gasped, nearly falling over as he saw Edith slithering across the smooth tile.

"How did she get out?!" Marco exclaimed, barely keeping his voice low enough Star and Baby wouldn't hear.

"Edith is very sneaky," Janna answered simply.

"Yeah, I noticed," the hooded teen said, before adding hastily, "Now come on, help me catch her before she messes Star up."

The blond was breathing slowly and steadily, in and out, in and out, letting the magic gather trying to ignore the impatient tapping of Baby's pen on the clipboard. She tried to push out all distractions again, but a loud shuffling behind her, drew her out of her concentration and she took a quick glance over her shoulder to see what was going on, her wand still held out and ready. She nearly dropped said wand though as she saw Marco dive forward, with Janna perched on her shoulder, scooping up Edith off the ground, who hissed unhappily. Baby seeing Star's shocked reaction and hearing the small noise behind her started to turn and Star quickly tried to signal to Marco to do something, waving her hands in the air.

Marco spotted this and seeing Baby starting to turn, he threw Edith right over Baby's head and Star sucked in a breath at the unexpected action. But Janna was already ready for this as she zoomed off Marco's shoulder, swooping over and snatching the snake up in her claws without the cat noticing. Star could only watch in disbelief as Janna winked over at her and then flew out the window just as Baby turned back around. The blond royal stared dumbly out the window for a few seconds, her mouth hanging open before she shot her boyfriend a questioning look. What the heck was that about?! Her eyes asked and the boy gave her a sheepish grin.

Baby watched the short exchange between the two before marking something down on her clipboard. She looked up from it, giving the hooded teen a harsh frown, "Is there something you wanted to say, Mr. Diaz?"

Marco shook his head, before saying quickly, "Uh no, ma'am. I was just-"

"Um, Miss Baby," Star spoke up, trying to save her boyfriend from further scolding, hoping to draw the cat's attention back onto her. "I'm ready to perform the spell."

"Oh, that won't be necessary," Baby said.

Star's eyes widened in surprise. "W-What?!" the blond royal muttered in confusion. "But you asked me to-"

Baby held up a silencing paw. "I've seen all I needed to see," Baby replied simply, her tone cordial and chipper but Star could hear the condescension layered just beneath, which sent Star's nerves over the edge.

"But I didn't do it yet," Star tried, her voice hopeless and desperate as the familiar tendrils of fear claimed her. She turned to get back into position again. "If you'd just let me-"

"I'm not interested, princess," Baby retorted immediately. "The test is over, I'm afraid. I've made my decision."

Star tried to swallow back the creeping doubt as she asked nervously, "Then, h-how did I do?" There was a slight quiver in her voice as she held the wand up to her mouth in anxious anticipation. Marco too held his breath, crossing his fingers behind his back, both teens hoping for the best, waiting for Baby to say...

"You failed." Those two simple words shattered Star, the girl stumbling back in surprise as her head spun. Marco gasped in surprise, his eyes going wide as he struggled to comprehend that statement, unable to believe his girlfriend had actually failed. Star felt her knees go weak and had to sit down on her bed to keep herself from falling over as she stared blankly ahead. "I-I failed," the girl mumbled as the reality of the situation settled over her. How was that possible? After everything she had done, after all the work she had put into it. She had still failed. She was a failure of a princess and a Butterfly. What would Mewni think of her now?

Marco, seeing the devastated look on his bestie's face, decided to take matters into his own hands and attempt to change the fairy's mind. He sucked in a deep breath, before asking in the most convincing, friendly tone he could, "There has to be some mistake. If you'd just give Star another chance, I'm sure she could do the spell no problem."

"Oh, I'm sure she could too," Baby said. "But unfortunately, that's not why she failed." Her gaze narrowed in on the hooded teen, shooting him a scolding glare as she stabbed her pen in his direction, adding harshly, "The reason she failed was because of you, Mr. Diaz."

Marco was taken aback, putting a hand slowly to his chest as he replied, "M-Me." He swallowed guiltily, shrinking some into himself, before saying in a soft, defensive tone, "But I was just trying to help."

"That may be, but it's clear to me that all you are is a distraction to Star," Baby continued, holding nothing back as she voiced her true thoughts aloud, openly and cruelly criticizing Marco, uncaring of the hurt that flashed across the boy's face with every word. "She can't go more than a few seconds without staring at you and it's clear she can't focus on her tasks with you around. It's obvious to me that Star would be much farther along in her training if not for 'distractions' getting in the way of her progress."

Marco hung his head in shame, feeling guilt and remorse flowing through him in painful waves, tears forming in his shaky vision. He did his best to fight back the negative thoughts but it was like Baby had just opened a dam of emotions that he had spent months trying to rid himself of, a new fear threatening to thwart all the progress he had made. It was as if Baby had come and just reset him back to the old days when he lived in constant shame and dread under Toffee's cruel rule.

Star seeing how the fairy's words were affecting her tenderhearted boyfriend, felt something inside her snap, temporarily blacking out as all the pent up anger consumed her very being, painting her heart dark for a fleeting moment. Without even realizing it, Star was storming over to Baby, getting right up in her furry face as she shouted aggressively, "Don't ever say that about Marco!"

Baby was taken aback by this, fluttering back to put some distance between her and Star but the girl wouldn't be thwarted, taking a step forward into Baby's personal space once more. "Marco is not a distraction! If anything he's the whole reason I can do magic in the first place!"

Marco's mouth dropping open as his eyes flashed with concern for his friend, shaking his head slowly to try and tell her to stop. But the girl didn't see her boyfriend, all she saw was red, all of her anger directed solely at Baby for daring to insult her Marco. "He's helped me in more ways than I can count and that includes with magic! He makes me a better person and inspires me to do more! The only reason I was even able to do this stupid test at all is because of him and instead of blaming him for stuff you should be down on your knees thanking him because I wouldn't have gotten this far without him!"

"Star," Marco spoke up, his voice a quiet squeak as he tried feebly to gain his girlfriend's attention, trying to keep her from saying something she would regret... any more than she already had.

But Star couldn't be stopped, not until she had finished saying her piece, as she yelled at the top of her lungs in the most violent, enraged tone she could muster. "And if that's how you really feel then you can just... leave!"

All at once, the resentment and rage vanished from Star, leaving her feeling shaky and empty, panting as she stared into Baby's disturbed eyes. The fairy looked downright terrified, her eyes so wide it seemed she was staring at death itself and Star felt her heart clench as she realized what she had just done. She turned to Marco, casting him a concerned, fearful glance, only to find his face the picture of disbelief. She swallowed hard before turning back to Baby, who's horrified face had morphed into an angry scowl.

"U-Uh, um, Baby, I... I..." Star whispered, trying to think of some way to backtrack, to save herself from her previous actions. She couldn't have just ruined everything for herself... could she have? There had to be some way to fix this.

But as Star's brain struggled to come up with a way out of the mess she had made, it seemed she was already too late as Baby said in a monotone voice, "Very well then." And in the blink of an eye, she was gone, exiting out the window's of Star's room in a puff of black smoke, sending papers and other things scattering about the room at the abrupt action but Star was too numb to notice or care. Instead, she just stared lost out the window, unable to believe what had just happened.

She had just failed her test.

The blond royal felt her knees go weak again and she slowly backed over to her bed, plopping down on it hard as she stared forward in bewilderment. "I-I can't believe I just did that," she muttered to no one in particular, letting the sentence be drowned in the emptiness around and inside of her. "I just yelled at Baby," she continued, the confirmation feeling like acid on her tongue. But none moreso than the words that followed. "I-I just failed my test."

Marco watched his girlfriend closely, feeling his heart clench at the brokenness he saw on her face. She looked devastated and he was partially to blame for that. He had helped contribute to her failure, without even meaning to. "I'm sorry, Star," he said with a long sigh. Star looked up at him with confusion and he added apologetically, "You only failed because of me." The guilt threatened to eat him whole as he swallowed down the lump in his throat.

"What?! No, Marco, don't say that!" Star shouted at once, shooting him a panicked look. "This isn't your fault! It's mine." She put a hand to her chest for emphasis, giving him what she hoped was a comforting look. "I should have known better than to yell at Baby like that but when she said all those things..." Star shook her head, her eyes flashing with anger for just a second. "I just... lost it."

"Yeah, but," Marco muttered quietly, avoiding Star's eyes as he stared guiltily down at his shoes. "That wouldn't have happened if I hadn't-"

"Marco," Star said firmly, finally capturing Marco's attention as he looked up and locked eyes with her. She saw the tenseness in his body and gestured him closer. "Come here."

The boy obeyed, slowly walking over to his girlfriend, before standing nervously over her as she looked up at him with starry-eyed vision. "You did nothing wrong. I meant what I said to Baby, even if I was angry at the time. Every word."

"Really?" Marco muttered and Star gently placed her hands on his cheeks, causing his suns to spin.

"Absolutely! Marco before I met you, I could barely handle a Narwhal Blast," Star said, her voice sweet and light and full of affection for her dear bestie. This caused Marco to smile and this encouraged Star to continue. "And then you came along and inspired me! You made me want to be a better me and you made me feel confident, both in my magic... and in myself." That's why I love you, Star added in her head, her cheeks flushing slightly at the thought. But she forced the thought down before she got too flustered, as she finished with a bright grin, "I'd be lost without out."

Marco gave Star a goofy, puppy-dog grin as his shimmering eyes flooded with tears, unable to contain his joy at hearing those words from his girlfriend. He sniffed, wiping the tears from his eyes with the back of his sleeve, Star giggling at how adorable he looked in that moment. "I'd be lost without you, too," the boy said, his voice choked up with emotions.

Star felt her heart melt at the sight of her cute boyfriend, wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing him closer to her, so their noses could touch. She stared deeply into his gorgeous chocolate brown eyes, whispering breathlessly, "Thank goodness that's never gonna happen."

Marco nodded, causing their noses to rub up against one another and sending tingles down each others' spines. "Yeah," he agreed, feeling like his heart might explode from the rush of wonderful emotions in his chest. However, a worrying thought crossed his mind as he asked nervously, "But what are we gonna do now? What if the MHC shuts down our commission?"

"Then we'll deal with it together. Like we always do," Star replied, no longer fearing the future. Not so long as she had her Marco here in her arms. As long as they had each other than there was nothing they couldn't fix. "And you know what," the blond royal added, still staring unblinkingly into endless brown orbs.

"What?" the boy asked, his eyes sparkling with childlike curiosity that set Star's very being ablaze.

"I don't regret what I said," the girl explained. "No one talks to my Marco like that."

Marco smiled brightly at that and thanked the girl with a gentle kiss. Star's eyes widened as their lips met, before sliding closed, enjoying the moment. It was pretty rare for Marco to initiate the kisses but boy was he good at it. His lips moved so expertly against her own, leading her into blissful wonderment while still keeping her in the moment, his hands lightly squeezing her sides as he deepened the affectionate kiss. Their cheekmarks lit up bright white, Star's wand laying next to her on the bed, doing the same as it had done many times before.

Only this time, there was another reaction from within the room.

The apple, which lay forgotten in the middle of Star's room, started to glow. White magic flowed around the fruit's form, causing it to shudder and quake before splitting open. The two perfect halves of the apple lay still for a second before the seeds were soon covered with the same white magic from before, small roots soon growing from the seeds. Those roots sprouted out limbs, which turned into a thick trunk, each tangle of branches looping around each other in a hypnotic dance, as more and more branches and roots sprouted out from the steadily growing tree. The tree soon filled at least a quarter of Star's room, spreading out as much as it possibly could, still glowing with magic the whole time.

Its branches were pink and red, the top of the tree making a heart shape. One of the long branches reached out over the two oblivious teen's heads, still too lost in their kiss to notice the miraculous sight. Finally, though an apple formed at the end of said branch, before cutting itself loose and dropping down toward the two... hitting Marco directly on the head.

"Ow!" the hooded teen said with a cry of pain, breaking off the kiss as he put a hand to the top of his aching head. He hissed in agony, his eyes scrunching up as he rubbed at the sore spot. "What the heck was that?!" he asked in confusion, looking down at whatever it was that had just injured him, Star following his gaze.

But their eyes both widened in surprise as they stared at the juicy apple, Star muttering, "Wha?" before the couple looked over at their unknowing creation. The blond royal jumped in surprise seeing the large tree now taking up space in her room, while Marco's eyes filled with bafflement, clearly lost on what he was staring at.

"Um, Star, why is there a tree in your room?" the boy asked naively.

Star just shook her head though, replying in an equally stunned tone, "I have no idea." But finally, she spotted the source of the large plant, her pupils shrinking as she stared at the apple core. "But, I-I think I did this somehow."

Marco turned to her with surprise, his eyes widening with both joy and confusion, "So you did magic without knowing it? Just like back in the graveyard."

"I guess," Star said with a shrug. She didn't quite understand it herself. She hadn't been even thinking about the apple, her focus and attention on Marco. Was the magic seriously acting on its own again? And if it was, why did that keep happening? It was always so random and unpredictable. She should probably have a talk with her mom about that later.

"Actually, you both played a part in it," a voice said beside them and the two screamed in surprise as they turned to see Baby snacking on the fallen apple, watching them closely from her perch on Star's bedpost.

"Baby?" Star said in disbelief.

"What are you doing back here?" Marco asked at the same time.

"Oh I was just observing the final part of your test," Baby replied as if the answer should be obvious.

"Wait, final part?" Star repeated dumbly as she dared herself to hope that all was not lost.

"But I thought she failed," Marco added, still looking lost, his eyebrows scrunching together cutely.

Baby shook her head. "That was all part of the test, I wanted to see how Princess Star would react to negative emotions and feelings," Baby explained simply, her voice light and bubbly.

"So wait, you insulted Marco to see how I would react!" Star shouted, feeling another quick flash of anger.

"Yes, and do forgive me for my behavior earlier, Mr. Diaz. It was necessary for the test," Baby replied.

"Uh, sure," Marco said, surprised by the sincerity in Baby's voice now. It was like he was talking to a whole different person- or cat- or whatever.

"But yes, there were three parts that I was told to test you on," Baby continued, a kind smile on her face now. "The first was to test your knowledge on the wand and it's history which you passed. The second was to test your actual ability with the wand, which you did exceptionally on. And the third was to see how your bond with Marco is affecting your magic growth."

"Wait, my bond with Marco, what do you mean?" Star asked.

Baby paused, before asking, "Has Glossaryk not covered this subject with you?" Star and Marco shared a look, their cheeks blushing slightly, the fairy's keen eyes watching the exchange closely. "I see," was all she said, before pausing to think of the best way to explain this to the two teens. "Well to put it quite simply, your feelings for one another can have an effect on your magic and on each other."

Star gasped, shooting Marco a disbelieving look which he returned, before the blond royal exclaimed, "Seriously?!"

Baby nodded. "Yes, your magic is tied very closely to your emotions, so your feelings can affect the strength of your magic and in some cases can even act on those feelings without a need to be cast or summoned." The cat turned to the tree with a knowing look. "And from the looks of it, I'd say you and Marco have a very strong bond indeed."

"Soooo, what you're saying is, I helped make that?" Marco asked, pointing numbly up at the tree that towered over them.

"Somewhat, yes," Baby answered, clearly pondering it some herself. "But it is a bit more complicated than that."

"So then, is there a way for me to control that power?" Star asked, hoping to find some way to use this ability to her advantage. If she let it go unchecked who knew what would happen. "Cause right now it's just kinda random if it works or not."

"Eventually yes. But that will take time to master. For now, the best thing you can do is to stay together and see how your bond grows with time. The closer you two are, the stronger your magic will be." The cat grabbed each of their hands, before guiding them together, the two curling their fingers around the others warm palm before sharing a loving smile, their cheeks pooling with blood.

"Thanks, Baby," Star said, her eyes never leaving Marco's. "We'll keep that in mind."

"Good to hear," the cat fairy said cheerfully. "I'll just be on my way, then. Farewell, Princess Star. Marco Diaz." She gave a quick nod to the two teens before turning to leave, only for Star to call out to her.

"Wait, I have one last question for you!" Star shouted, stretching out a hand in the cat's direction.

Baby turned to her with wide, surprised eyes which gently softened as she waited patiently to hear the girl's question. There was something that was bothering her about this whole thing, why would the MHC care about her relationship with Marco? Especially if it was all a scheme to take down her commission. It just didn't make sense. Had she been wrong this whole time? "Whose idea was it to test me on my relationship with Marco?" she asked, her eyebrows scrunching together. Other than her mom she couldn't think of anyone who would even care about this. Maybe she had set up the last bit of the test? She was an active member, after all.

Baby gave the girl an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, princess. But I'm not at liberty to say, I'm afraid that's top-secret information."

Star let out a sigh before muttering, "Figures." It was definitely her mom. It had to be. But she pushed down her annoyance as she gave Baby a lighthearted grin, saying politely, "Well, thanks anyway, Miss Baby."

"Just Baby is fine," the cat said with a wink.

Then, just like before Baby vanished into a cloud of smoke, which blasted through Star's room at a breakneck speed. It swirled around Star and Marco a few times before heading for the window it had come in through.

At that exact moment, though, the door to Star's room opened, Kelly walking in briskly with a tray of delectable goodies in her hands, Alfonso, Ferguson, and Janna following behind her. "Okay, get it while it's hot-" the hairy teen started to say, only to stop mid-step as she looked over at the swirling cloud of smoke. However, the smoke cloud quickly altered course, zipping by the tray and causing Kelly's hair to blow back wildly. In a second, everything on the plate was completely gone, not even a crumb left behind as the cloud of smoke returned to its original path and flew out the window, which slammed shut on its own.

For a few seconds, no one said anything, standing there stunned as the room settled down from the latest windstorm, Star room now messy than when she began this whole fiasco. Finally, it was Kelly who broke the long stretch of silence, groaning in annoyance as she shouted angrily, "Seriously, still no thank you! Just gonna eat and run." She let out a scoff, as she smoothed out her messy hair. "Ungrateful."

"Kelly, you're a waitress, how are you not used to that by now?" Janna asked sarcastically, Edith resting happily on her shoulder.

"Doesn't make it okay!" Kelly replied sharply, crossing her arms in front of her chest, while Tad gave her a comforting pat on the head.

"I'm sure it was delicious, babe. How could anyone not love your food," her boyfriend praised, lovingly.

"Thanks, Tad," Kelly said with a sigh.

"So how did the test go?" Janna asked, scratching Edith under the chin and shooting the two teens a knowing look.

Star shrugged. "I think I passed... somehow," the girl replied honestly. "It was kinda all a blur."

"You did amazing, Star!" Marco said, putting a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder.

"So did you! I couldn't have done it without you, Marco," Star said giving him a loving look.

"Hey, what are besties for?" the boy said, with a playful grin.

Star giggled at that, before giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "You're the best bestie a girl could ever have," she whispered lovingly to him.

"Sooo," Janna spoke up, eying the massive shrub taking up a large section of the girl's room. "You wanna explain what's with the giant tree in your room?"

Star and Marco shared a look, their cheeks flushing somewhat as the memory of how the tree had been created rushed back to them. "Ohh... it was just... part of the test," Star muttered shyly, sharing a knowing smile with her boyfriend.

"Well, fill us in on the details later, right now I could go for some grub," Ferguson said, rubbing his rumbling stomach and Alfonso nodding in agreement.

Star and Marco laughed, the former saying, "Oh man, sounds great! I'm starving."

"And on the way, we can give this little troublemaker back to Daisy and Violet," the hooded teen added, giving Edith a scolding glare while scratching her underneath the chin at the same time.

"Alright! How about it Kelly, you up for one more round of cooking?" Ferguson shouted, pointing dramatically over to the girl.

"Not happening," Kelly deadpanned, her body sagging with exhaustion as she rubbed her tired eyes with the palms of her hands.

Marco put a hand on his friend's shoulder before saying, "Don't worry, Kelly. Star and I can make some of our famous Super Awesome Nachos."

"Yep, it's the least we can do after everything you did for us, today," Star added sweetly.

Kelly gave her friends a grateful smile. "Don't mention it. Happy to help out my friends." She paused though before adding hintingly, "So long as my friends are ready to return the favor."

Marco and Star nodded, catching on to her unspoken request. "You're on," Star replied.

"Ready to help you win this year's baking competition for sure!" Marco shouted, pumping a fist in the air.

"Good to hear," Kelly said with a curt nod.

"So what are you planning on making, Kells?" Star asked as the group all exited the room together, leaving the messy, unorganized room to the work of the maids, the friends ready to celebrate their victory and plan for their next one.

"Glad you asked..." the hairy girl began, with a sly grin on her face.

…

"Star's magic progression is coming along nicely," Baby began her report while munching greedily on a snooker's bar at the same time, speaking in between bites of food. "She's already mastered some of the toughest spells in the Book of Spells, with no help from Glossaryk I might add." The fairy finished up the bar before tossing the wrapper aside and starting on a new one. "At the rate her magic is growing she will exceed standards and full mastery of her Trait within a year or two."

Baby quickly downed the bar of chocolate, chewing noisily before swallowing and continuing, "Her emotional state and confidence level, which showed concern beforehand also seem to be leveling out thanks to the efforts of Marco Diaz and the rest of her friends. Although she does show issues with temperament and judgment where her friends are involved, particularly that of Marco Diaz." The fairy shuddered as she remembered the pure rage and hate on Star's face after merely insulting the hooded teen. Heaven help the unlucky soul who had to face the protective wrath of that girl.

Baby shook her head clear of this thought though as she carried on with her report, picking up yet another candy bar and throwing the previous wrapper onto the growing pile. "As for the nature of the princess's relationship with the Diaz boy... well, I haven't seen a bond like theirs in a long time. And the pure magic that grows from their love is... quite astounding. With time, it could be a very valuable tool indeed."

Baby finally finished with her report looked up at her boss, saying in a soft tone, "It's exactly as you predicted, Councilmen Lekmet."

The goat creature nodded solemnly, his brilliant mind just thinking and calculating for a few moments, turning over possibilities and thoughts too complex for mere mortals to even comprehend. Before finally, he met Baby's eye bleating out a commanding message to the feline, "Thank you for your assistance in this matter."

"Of course, Councilmen Lekmet," Baby said before bowing. "Shall I send this report to the rest of the commission?"

Lekmet shook his head, holding out a paw toward Baby. "No, I will deliver it to them myself," he replied and the fairy happily passed him the clipboard, before going back to eating her treats. Lekmet read over the tiny print for a moment. He would have to be sure to 'fix it' before turning it into the others. He couldn't give them any more tools against Star. Remembering to cover his bases, he added sternly, "What we discussed here does not leave this room."

"That's probably for the best," the fairy said, peeling back the wrapper on another snooker's. "Heckapoo and the others sure have it out for those kids. But personally, I can't help but route for them. Star and Marco's goals are noble. I hope they can pull it off."

Lekmet's gaze softened while his mind turning with a thousand possibilities and outcomes, before holding on a shining future where two teens achieve the impossible, Monsters and Mewmans united and at peace. And even though, Lekmet knew he held very little sway amongst the other, younger members of the commission, he would still do everything in his power to see this future came to light. Even if that meant going behind the commission's back. Star and Marco may not know it, but they had a hidden ally, silently cheering them on in secret. "As do I," Lekmet said in a soft, far-away tone, a hint of sadness and longing just barely creeping into his voice.

[asegbolu]

A Royal Diadem

A ROYAL DIADEM

By Walter C. Lanyon

 CONTENTS 

You Sent That Letter Didn't You? 

Realization 

Your Talent 

I Am That Which I Desire to Be 

Camilla 

Before the Sandman Comes 

My Cup Runneth Over 

The Other Fellow 

A Divided Kingdom 

Let There Be Light 

 YOU SENT THAT LETTER, DIDN'T YOU? 

YOU sent that letter this morning, didn't you? You carefully wrote it, addressed and sealed it, and then you dropped it in the box. You didn't have a string tied to it, did you? No, you just dropped it in the box and went on your way. You didn't think that the box was especially burglar-proof, did you? And you didn't wonder how it would get from the box to the postoffice, and from the postoffice to the train, did you? You didn't spend all that morning worrying about whether the train would arrive with it, did you? No, you dropped it light-heartedly into the box and forgot it.

You sent that prayer this morning, didn't you? You carefully made your declarations for right and offset the wrong thoughts. You addressed your prayer to the All Highest and only ONE. But what did you do after you had sent it? You had a string of worry attached to it, and kept pulling it back to you to see if you could not add another word, or to see if it were really "made." All morning long you doubted, and the next morning you sent another prayer; but it, too, was attached by a string of doubt and fear and did not get far.

Several days after you sent the letter you received an answer which read: "I have your letter of such and such a date;" and you recalled that you had written a letter. Still you didn't rush out of doors and stop every passer-by and say, "I sent a letter and got a reply," and then elaborated on how you went through the whole affair, how you had hunted for paper and spilled the ink, or lost you pencil, etc. No, you accepted the letter, read it, got the benefit from it and went on you way.

And finally, in a half-hearted way, the poor little prayer which only half loosened, came back to you with a ray of light and you rushed to you nearest neighbor and said: "I had a demonstration - - you see it was this way, etc."

"O ye of little faith!" Why don't you cut the strings of worry that are attached to you every thought and "loose it and let it go?" Have the same faith back of your prayer that you have back of the letter and it will return to you with greater certainty and with surer reward.

Away out in the front lines while the battle was raging, a carrier pigeon was let loose with a message, and as he disappeared into the distance, fading away into the limpid blue of the sky, no worried thought hampered his voyage. When they "loosed him and let him go" they knew that he would fly to his destination and results would follow.

Who had not felt the perfect faith of a child in St. Nicholas? They ask for their heart's desire and are never left without some expression of love. When ye ask, ask as believing ye shall receive. You don't go into a store and ask the clerk for a certain article and then chase madly about repeating the request a thousand times. You ask and then wait. And so when we learn to ask and wait - - wait with the patience which is absolute faith - - then we shall constantly receive the reply, the reward that is rightfully ours. "Ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you; seek and ye shall find." Don't knock and at the same time try to force an entrance by the window. The master of the house will take you for a robber and only bar his doors heavier.

And so as you send a letter send your prayer - - let them go forth unhampered, untrammeled by fear, worry or care. Don't stampede your thoughts - - a multitude of assertions accomplish nothing, they only congest you thinking. Speak to your Father in secret, and he will reward thee openly.

REALIZATION

STOP waiting and start realizing. "All things are possible to the man who believes and who trusts in God." You don't have to wait for the Kingdom of Heaven until you die. You cannot die into it, and long years of waiting will not bring it any nearer, for "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." NOW is your keynote - - stop living in the future and get into the NOW of your life.

Wherever this finds you, look about you and see what percent of your life you really live in waiting, expecting something that is coming, and never grasping the idea that it is all here right now.

"Act as possessing all things." Jesus' mission on earth was to set aside all old ideas of material growth. He didn't have to spend long years digging in the mountains to find gold with which to pay his taxes. He turned to the illimitable source of supply which was at hand to bless, and drew his substance - - his gold. He did not have to plant wheat, cultivate it and worry along with it in order to have bread to feed the multitude. He just reached out into the storehouse of the all-present Mind and realized that it was the substance of all things and that what he needed to do was to realize it. He realized all things and always acknowledged their presence before they were seen with the material eye. For we read that he "raised his eyes to heaven (centered his attention on the inexhaustible source) and gave thanks." Yes, he gave thanks before he could see it. Why? Because he knew that God is the source of all there is and that he abundantly supplied his ideas with that which was needful. Not gold in the desert, where there was nothing to buy, but water. The mind of God is logical - - it is logic - - it works in rhythm - - in cadence - - and never loses or gains in action, but is a steady perpetual motion.

"God is in his heaven - - all is well with the world." "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" - - "The Kingdom of Heaven is within you." Only believe, and all things are yours. "Now is the accepted time" - - right now, while you are reading this. Right now while I am writing "is the accepted time" to bring about realization, to live it, to sing it, to go about our Father's business, using his inexhaustible supply. Absence of God in our thoughts is the only thing that can keep away demonstration. Where God is, there is an abundance of all things - - he feeds us on his ideas.

You think you lack love, money, home, etc., but what you really lack is the consciousness of God. If He were dwelling in your thoughts continually these things would be added. Jesus did not worry about hotel accommodations when he went from place to place, he simply knew that "the upper chamber" was always ready for him. All things are mental before they are expressed in the material. Then speak the word out: "My word shall not return unto me void, but shall accomplish whereunto it is sent." What a wonderful command to leave with us, and he has said that "the things I do, ye shall do also - - and even greater." He spoke the word to the sea and it was calm; he spoke supply to tangible existence; he spoke health to light; and "the things I do, ye shall do also."

Wake up your realization - - make it part of your daily task to realize things for right now. Act as possessing all things. "When ye pray, believe that ye shall have these things." The Bible is vibrant with help and instructions for the NOW-ness of our lives - - constantly are we invited to live now.

Start realization to work today - - realize that you have God's love with you right now - - and as you grow from step to step you will see the "word made flesh" you will feel the thrill of this present PRESENCE. Keep saying to yourself, "Now is the accepted time - - now is the day of salvation." There is no material law that can hold you back - - the way is clear and the open door is through this consciousness of Realization.

YOUR TALENT

DID you know that you had a special something, a special, peculiar little something that made you different from the whole world? Of course you did; but you never dreamed that it would enable you to step out of the ugly grey mass of routine living and give you a little place all of your own. No, I don't mean that it would make a queen or a mighty monarch of you, but it will make you infinitely greater; and this little something that lies wrapped in the napkin of fear, and which you only visit in the very secret closet of your own imagination, is your Talent.

You've been so used to fading out of sight and being a member of those who accept all things, that you never even made an effort to see what you would really be like if you "cut loose" once and let this little seed in you take root and flower.

In your heart of hearts is written your name - - a name which is peculiar to you and which no other idea has - - and it is this name, this something, which is to be brought out, to be made great.

Mariah was from far off Russia. She worked hard in the fields with her sisters and brothers, but something kept whispering to her. Something within stirred - - it was talent which was working itself out of the napkin. It pointed the way out across the land for across the seas into a strange place that she knew not of; but a fearlessness led her on, and every day the way was made clearer, until at last she found herself in her place - - a place which was waiting for her in a land where few spoke her tongue; but that place was hers and the Talent led her to it and it was a place of growth and success, of happiness and harmony.

So within you the Talent keeps whispering and trying to edge its way out of the napkin of your fear, but you keep wrapping it tighter with new illusions and will not let it come to the light. You are afraid to do what it bids you do. "What would people say." You are overcome with the fear that other people would say things. They intimidate you into a state of "greyness" you don't dare to come out and be yourself. You coward! - - you are afraid to live your life - - the life you cherish above all things. You are scared to become great because it means work and it means hewing to the line and letting the world take care of itself. Let them talk - - their gossiping and sneers will soon be turned into hero worship. They are the "grey mass" to which you belonged and they change with the wind. Don't mind them when they say, "You cannot," or "Aren't you afraid to do that?" These very voices will be saying, "I always knew that you would make a go of it."

Here's what you need: It's more communion with God. Take Him at His word and trust Him to the last letter of His promises. He wants to bless you - to manifest Himself through you, to make your talent shine forth - - and He's the only partner you need in life's business. You need Him and you need His instructions. "Get wisdom." Wisdom comes from cutting away from the worldly things and turning your attention to Love - - childlike (not childish) and simple.

Your place is waiting for you - - it is the place of your desires, if your desires are good - - it is beckoning you, and God is willing to lead you there and to call you by the secret name which is written in the tablet of your heart.

Can't you just let go? Can't you just break away from all the old things and plunge forth guided by this Talent - - by this name - - and live your own life? By so doing you will be losing your material sense of life, and find that which is real, that which is eternal and lasting. When the material napkin which is holding your Talent from the light is taken away, then you are wrapped in the substance of Mind, which is infinite and in which you can go on unfolding, growing grander, nobler and lovelier each succeeding year.

I AM THAT WHICH I DESIRE TO BE.

DO YOU know the secret of life? Do you know the password which will open all closed doors? Do you know the thrill of real life? Would you like to feel continually as you do on some fine spring morning when the sun is just peeping through the rose and turquoise and flirting with a million diamond dewdrops?

YOU CAN.

Here is the password for you:

"I am that which I desire to be."

One moment, please. Use no headstrong, blind and stubborn will power. Use no struggling, mental gymnastics, and contort your mind by vainly declaring so many words.

LISTEN:

You remember who "I AM THAT I AM" is, don't you? It is the name of every living man. Because "I AM" has sent me. My name is "I AM." Your name is "I AM."

What did "I AM" send you here for, but to give expression to Himself; to give expression to love, beauty, holiness, harmony, happiness? Take your Bible down from the shelf and find out what the attributes of God are. They are peace, holiness, happiness, beauty.

Your means of communication with God is called prayer, and prayer is desire. Doesn't it begin to look simple? You have your "I AM" and your meaning for "desire." And since all good comes from God, who is good, then even your desires are in reality the "still small voice" seeking utterance in you - - yes, your very desires are (in reality in so far as they are good) the open lines of communication - - are the messages from God to you.

Did you ever desire to be that which you are not? Did you ever desire to be strong, well, happy and well supplied? Aren't these all good desires? Where did they come from? From the base, so-called mortal mind?

You never stopped to realize, did you, that your desires are the embryonic formations waiting to be made manifest in the flesh? "Thy will be done" - - let thyself be manifested in me.

"As a man thinketh in his heart so is he." What are you thinking? "Now are we the sons of God" - - NOW, in great glowing, vibrant letters. No matter what you were an hour or a minute or even a year ago - - "NOW are we the sons of God." NOW - - think about the present possibility of the word - - NOW.

The pattern which moulds our desires is already cast for us "Sons of God." Then desire to be what you are - - a child of the King. Are you acting to the full extent of your nobility? "Seek (in prayer desire) the Kingdom of Heaven (which is within) and all things shall be added."

"All things are yours." "You are that which you desire to be NOW."

CAMILLA

CAMILLA is not a story book character, she is not a creature manufactured to suit the issue, she is a real, live woman - - a nun, living in an old grey stone convent which is situated on a beautiful mountain which overlooks the winding Moselle River.

We met her one morning coming from the little chapel where she had been at prayer. It was a clear morning with a high blue sky, the faint perfume of wild mountain flowers and vegetation was in the air - - the year was at spring. As she stepped out into the open she seemed to fit perfectly with the setting, as if she were the personification of youth eternal. As she passed us she did not shyly cast her eyes to the ground, but looked up at us with wide blue eyes - - eyes full of lovely fearlessness, eyes full of depth and wonder; eyes of youth with the wisdom of the ages shining through them. This woman had youth in her grasp - - clear, firm, white skin with a transparency to it; lips red and full of expression - - youth was so evident that it made itself felt.

"Not a minute over eighteen," said one of us. But Camilla was a woman who would soon count her years sixty. Later in the day I talked with her, and here is how she did it.

"At twenty I found myself practically an old woman, both in mind and body. I was weary and life was more or less of a burden to me, and it was at this time I became a nun. Soon after I began to study the 'Word' it came to me that I had never really lived, that the sense of fleeting youth which I had was nothing but a shadow - - a shadow of the real youth which was eternal and everlasting. I soon realized that God could not grow old, not in the sense of decay; that nature never grew old - - she renewed herself annually - - and gradually I came to know that if God could not grow old, that Man - - His idea and image and likeness - - could not age.

"In seeking the Kingdom of Heaven first, we are told that all things shall be added to us. In seeking the Kingdom of Heaven we are seeking youth, joy, harmony, happiness. The Kingdom is not made up of aged persons, it is vibrant with youth eternal; and finally I began to realize that I was a part of the Kingdom of Heaven and that in reality I was only seeking my true self.

"'Seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you; ask and ye shall receive,' so I went forth seeking the real life. As God was everywhere present I found Him expressed in all nature. I found Him expressed in His universe - - and I was of His universe, in fact I was a part of it - - not apart from it. Just like the lovely force which impelled the rose to cover her vines with snowy white blossoms, I found that power growing and growing in me, swelling up in me, until one day I felt the complete thrill - - the 'Divine spark' - - which awakened in me and made me feel this rejuvenation taking place. God is everywhere and He is life eternal and youth eternal. If He is eternal youth and is everywhere I could literally bathe in youth. Not only that, but I felt I was a part of the whole scheme and drew my life, my vitality, my youth, from the same source which impelled the whole plan. Yonder on the mountain the grey mist hovered and swayed over the crest, the sun plunged through it and then the blue patch showed in the distance. The heather on the foothills was like a flash of purple, the white hawthorn tree glistened in the warm sun, and I a part of it all, vibrated with youth eternal."

"I learned to love it all - - love the whole plan like one loves the members of his own household - - nothing was unlovely when viewed rightly and everything yielded to the touch of it gentleness - - the touch of love. If it rained I went about my duties with a feeling that everything was being purified - - that everything was being filled full of purity - - and I too drank deeply of purity. If the sun poured down upon me, I felt it making a halo about me of pure gold - - gold that would endure. I felt it sifted joy all about me and filled the throats of the birds with glorious notes, and so I sang and thrilled for life. If the wind blew and raged about, I was happy yet in the thought that things were being changed about. This was a readjustment; old dead leaves were caught up and carried off - - dust was moved from secluded corners - - readjustment was taking place - - and so I felt the readjustment enter me - - the power to say, 'Not mine - - but thine be done.' In winter when the snow fell I knew that everything in this universe was busily engaged working and studying, unfolding and getting ready for greater growth.

And so I learned from the weather that after all it was but for a lesson to us - - that we should rejoice regardless what the manifestation was. Further I began to realize that not only was I seeking youth, happiness, harmony, but that I was youth, happiness, harmony."

* * * * * * * * *

Just then a band of happy youngsters came running up the hill and caught Camilla in their arms - - grabbing onto her long black skirts - - youth had sought youth and found it and bore her off down into the flower - - dotted valley. Camilla was sixty - - the world called her sixteen.

Before the Sandman Comes

DID you ever invite the Sandman over to see you and have him turn you down? Or have you ever waked up in the night and found that half a dozen long, never-ending, black hours were awaiting you before morning would come? I know you have, and I know that sometimes you have tried that old trick of self-hypnotism of counting the sheep as they went over the fence and found that it, too, failed; and at last in sheer despair you have tossed and tumbled about and mentally flayed yourself into a state of absolute fatigue. Did you know that there was a sure and direct way leading into Slumberland? - - so easy to travel, so inviting and interesting; strewn along the way with drowsy, nodding poppies and heavy-scented white lilies, and ever so often a nodding little sleepy-head child and cuddled up so comfy and securely in its mother's arms, and presently such a happy, snuggly feeling comes to you that you let go and tumble off the cliff of dreams into the land of forgetfulness. Let me show you that road.

When you wake, always remember that "I shall be satisfied when I awake in Thy likeness," and what is that likeness? One of its attributes is "Love," so we will start with that. "When I awake in Thy (Love's) likeness I shall be satisfied." You are already awake in an atmosphere of Love, for "In Him you live and move and have your being." Now the way to bring this Love into your mind is to put it into use - - start loving - - and to do this you begin forgiving. Forgive Mr. X - - that little resentment which you hold against him, and Mrs. Blank the hurt that you received from her words. Take them by the hand and lead them out "Through green pastures" and "Beside still waters." Say to them, "I forgive you; I have nothing in my heart against you - - nothing in my heart against anybody, for I love the whole world." Such a feeling will come to you - - such a contented, peaceful feeling, and you will be all aglow with the flame of real Love; and finally, as you go on your way forgiving you will come to your own poor self standing there - - that poor old dear which you have so hatefully accused of all sorts of wrongs, of sickness, sin and death. You have fastened all these things on it, and it needs to be forgiven, too. "Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more." Now you have loosed everything, even your own self, and no wonder you lie there and radiate and radiate love.

And at last as you ponder on the wonders of Love and the thrill of forgiveness, you will feel the soft feathers of His wings folding about you. They will hover over you and the "Everlasting arms" with your head snugly nestled against your Father's breast you will be borne off into that haven of rest - - and shall arise therefrom, glowing with newness of life and purpose.   And so the next time the Sandman won't come to see you, you try this plan of forgiving the whole world and see if a sweeter sense of peace does not come to you than you have ever experienced before. A tired and wornout soldier boy tried this on dark night when it seemed that the enemy was pretty thick and that they were pretty near and were doing their best to keep him awake, but when he walked with them through green pastures and beside still waters, and when he "anointed their heads with the oil of forgiveness," the noise, and the unrest and fear all faded away and he went over the cliff of dreamland.

My Cup Runneth Over

THOU anoint'st my head with oil, my cup runneth over," sang the psalmist. The cup of our desire is to be filled with joy - - not only filled, but filled to running over. The cup of our desire is a complete willingness to let God enter your life and there have full sway. "The Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth rejoice." And then we read that the temple is the body. Now the Lord is in the midst of us - - He is in our very midst and is filling the cup of our desire to the brim and running it over.

Like the mountain spring rushes, gushes down the mountain sides, fills the basin full - - yes, full to overflowing - - and the surplus waters the valley beneath, so God is filling our hearts with the spontaneous, live-giving joy which, when we let it run over on all sides, blesses and heals all who come in contact with it. It's an impersonal matter - - you let your cup be so full of joy and take no thought where it is going to run-over - - everything in the universe thrives on joy. Even your dog knows when the joy is running over, because you meet him with a dash, with a snap, and responds with the same joy; your best friend responds immediately to your joy, he slaps you on the back or puts his arm over your shoulder; he is happy to see you, to bask for a while in your joy. The child in the street greets you with the smile you give it. The man in the street feels helped by your joy. Let your joy be so spontaneous, let if flow; let it burst up in the midst of a desert of gloom and see its oily, soothing effect on the crowd.

You have a reason to be happy - - there is a reason of the faith which is within you. Floodtides of love are open to you, and constantly flowing to you, and you are but the channel, open and free for it to pass through. Then relax, let go of the stiff formal life where you are always under a mask, afraid of public opinion, afraid that something will happen if you let yourself be natural. Sure something will happen, and that something is that you will find yourself a new creature in Christ Jesus - - the new mind will be in you - - the new name will be written upon your forehead and ye shall be called blessed.

Hatred cannot stand the power of joy; a joyful man can outwit and overcome it at every turn in the road; anger is turned aside by joy; sin is blasted and withered in the presence of this holy substance, for it finds not its pleasure in the senses, but in right doing, in clear thinking and in purity. Real joy is born of purity - - its motive power is right doing - - it glories in the fact that it is reflecting the "Word" - - that it is in reality "The Word made flesh." It goes about its work singing not a foolish little ditty, but a lofty psalm of praise which is more felt than heard.

So in the morning, when you turn over for that last forty winks, just have a little talk with your "friend" self and decide to begin the day with joy. See if you cannot get that full-to-overflowing feeling in your heart - - let it gush up in you, that great feeling that "I am one with God" - - I am one with the very source of joy. I can go about my work with the real song on my lips and in my heart. I will flood everywhere that I go with light and joy, like the sun floods the earth. "Still, still with thee when purple morning breaketh" - - always with God. No matter where you make your bed, you turn hell into heaven because you know "if I make my bed in hell thou art there," and where God is, is heaven.

He has anointed your head with oil - - your cup runneth over with joy - - you are joy. Then go forth and give to the starving world - - fill all their vessels full of the blessed substance.

The Other Fellow

"I CAN'T help it," said the young student with a bitter wave of self-pity, "while I want to do the right thing the other fellow always wants to do the wrong. While I wouldn't deal unjustly with anyone, knowingly, yet the other fellow seems to take a keen pride in 'getting by' with all sorts of injustices."

Did you ever come to this place? Did you ever seem to stand in this fellow's shoes: that while you loved, you believed that the other fellow hated? That, while you lived in accordance with your highest knowledge of Truth, you manifested all sorts of ailments, while the other fellow went gaily along with perfect health? That while you studied and prayed to be Christlike, you believed that the other fellow derived all the benefits - - that he received the things you wanted and needed?

Of course you have; and you have also believed that while you were more or less righteous (that is, at least, you desire to be) that your path was beset with thorns, while the other fellow thread along a path of roses and 'lived by the way,' indulging in all sorts of worldly pleasures.

And then you have wondered and wondered why. And right here a great big wedge of despair would force its way into your mind and make you blue and unhappy.

Suppose two men started to build houses side by side, and one of them would drive a nail and then hurry and look around to see what the other was doing, and because he saw the other making a move which "he considered false," he would finally get so that his gaze was constantly on the other fellow, and he would whack away at his own house without looking to see where he drove his nails. True, after a time he would be able to drive a nail reasonably well without looking at it, but a good many other errors would creep into the construction while he was watching the other fellow make what he called "some mistake." At nightfall he would be not only physically fatigued, but would be a mental wreck as well, because he had spent the day assuming one of the most important duties - - and at the same time a forbidden one - - that of judging. God has lovingly relieved you of this unpleasant duty - - you don't have to judge anything or anybody, for He takes care of this and rewards accordingly. "Judge not from appearances." How often it seems that something is being entirely destroyed when only way is being made for something much more wonderful and better. The breaking of the tiny blue shell of the robin's egg does not spell disaster, as might be thought from the appearances; no, it is an evidence of greater progress. So it is with man; often the thing that is taking place in him, the development which is going on, is a tearing down, a reconstruction which seems grossest error to us.

Get real busy looking within, for there you will find the Kingdom of Heaven, and forget the other fellow in so far as criticism is concerned; put him entirely of your mind, and spend your time getting the napkin (mortal bondage) off your own talent so that it can come to light and grow.

Listen! "Ye shall be like a tree planted by the side of a river" - - a great and majestic, swaying tree - - sweeping the water's edge and touching the sky. Out yonder the mushroom may spring in prominence in a single day, while you are yet a struggling twig - - and your growth may be slow and even tiresome at times - - but when a little flurry of mortal mind takes place, when a little rain descends, the mushroom topples over and drops into the dust, and you are helped on by these storms. They strengthen you and make you cling closer to the real principle of life. After a while in your growth you sit for some sunny moment and look back and remember only faintly the little mushroom which so troubled you. Long ago it passed into oblivion - - long ago it fell into the dust, and you smile inwardly that you ever bothered to "wonder why" and be discouraged because it seemed to be getting all the benefits and you doing all the work.

You want to take with you this little word - - "Judge not from appearances." Let the other fellow develop through whatever lines that seem best for him - - you are concerned only in helping him when you can. You can let him unfold in the particular way that is best for him, for "He watching over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps" and is the only true Judge.

A Divided Kingdom

THAT little kingdom that you call your very own - - look at it, examine into it. Is it divided? Are you of one mind and that one the mind that was also in Christ Jesus?

 Do you believe that some people love while others hate you? If you do, then your kingdom is divided. "Love and hate cannot mingle" - - there is no common basis for them to meet on, and they cannot dwell in the same kingdom without causing strife, turmoil and finally a division in the kingdom. If you endow that man with a power to hate you, what good is it for you to say to yourself, "There is naught but love?" What good for you to say, "Love is all powerful?" Your kingdom is divided and it will fall. Perhaps it will not be utterly cast down, but it will be at strife. Enemies are not for the purpose of retarding your growth, but to aid you and to cling closer and closer to this great, all absorbing Love which heals everything, even so-called hate.

Do you believe that matter is the original creator - - do you think that the original sin, which is the very foundation of the lie that life is in matter and hence creation is matter, possible? If you do your kingdom is divided, and what good is it, or what profiteth it for you to declare the nothingness of matter? Do you believe that Love is both spiritual and sensual - - and say to yourself, "Suffer it to be so now?" If you do, your kingdom is divided and will fall. It will be of little merit or profit to say there is no sin and that it has no power, while you are indulging the senses. The divided kingdom will tell its own tale when it lies in a heap in the dust.

Do you believe in sickness to the extent that certain things are more difficult than others - - that there are so-called "stubborn cases" which do not yield at once" Do you believe in this and also try to believe that God is Health and that He is ever present and that He is all powerful? Then the Divided power will finally cleave to one of your arguments and in your direst need who shall say that it will not be to the belief in stubborn cases.

Do you believe that you have to probe deep into the minds of the wayfarer and find out all his little personal secrets in order to pronounce some certain thing the cause of his trouble? This isn't love, but morbid curiosity which is hiding behind the veneer of Truth which you hold up to your patient. Soon the divided kingdom will no longer be a storehouse of the Word of God, but a storehouse or a madhouse of little petty, personal secrets about this one and that.

Your kingdom is the ever present NOW - - flowing with milk and honey, a place of light and joy - - it is the sheepfold with open doors by which all may go in and out with perfect assurance that therein they will find healing waters and green pastures of rest and strength. Set the walls of your kingdom to the line - - make its four walls true to the standard laid down in the Book. You can do this; start today by taking a positive stand for God. Build daily with words of love and light. Fill the well of your heart with love - - let it overflow so that the thirsty may drink freely. For every error which you have been telling and repeating, start a word of truth in its stead; every time you want to utter an unkind word, stop a moment and find one of your soldiers who are fighting on the side of good and send him out. Good words are the soldiers who are fighting on the side of right, and bad words the soldiers of darkness. When you bring out a whole battalion of these wicked soldiers and turn them loose in your attempt to picture your brother, you are throwing all your weight in the balance of evil. Words are the expression of thoughts - - so many bad words represent so many bad thoughts and vice versa.

If you will try for a single day to use nothing but good soldiers - - don't even allow a bad soldier to show himself, let alone be used - - you will find that by noon of the first day you will have won a victory that you never dreamed of. Keep firing away with good words at the objective you wish to win and it will soon be yours. Don't repeat error of any sort, don't even say the words, and finally good words with their subsequent good deeds and results will be the rule instead of the exception in your life, and wonderful discoveries will come to you and with it a great, grand feeling of a kingdom which is whole - - a kingdom which is not divided and which will stand.

Let There Be Light

THE troop train jogged along at a disgustingly slow gait, stopping at intervals and making long, tiresome waits. Night finally came on and darkness hovered about like a heavy black mantle. There was a period of quiet. Finally at the far end of the boxcar a soldier found a stub of a candle in his kit, and lit it. "Oh, light," was the murmur that went around the crowd, and then a mad scramble ensued to get near it. Some to read, others to sit in it, and others to get a view of it - - but one thing for sure - - all were seeking it. The light "drew all men unto it."

And so is it with the waiting world - - they are all hungry for light. They have lived in the dark, damp cave of mortal reasoning long enough and are groping for the sunlight of truth. Darkness and ignorance go hand in hand, and with them sin and death - - they are of one and the same fabric. In the darkened cloisters of an old cathedral you will find the faithful praying a prayer of ignorance - - a prayer of beseeching and begging instead of "realization" - - "All things are yours," "All that the Father has is thine." Come out into the light of understanding an acknowledge that which is already yours - - or thrill with the joy of gratitude.

No wonder the Master said, "Let there be light." When he said "Let" he did not mean that we were to stay on bended knees for hours begging light. "Let" in this sense means "permit or allow." Then He said, "Let your light shine before men." You have a light all of your own - - it is individuality of you, it is the you of you - - and this light is the Light of Love - - which is filtered through your mind and which is reflected by you - - which you let loose through the channel provided. Did you know that you were a "Keeper of Light?" a "Keeper" not in the sense of hoarding up light - - for such a thing were impossible - - but a keeper as the "Keeper of Light" in the lighthouse tower. You have but to keep your mind open and free from worldly darkness to keep the lenses of your mind polished and shining - - to give forth this light so abundantly that "All men shall be drawn unto you." I care not what your business may be, if you bring "Light" into it you will "Draw all men unto you" - - you will draw all success and happiness unto it. For the darkened world is searching for a gleam of light and will find you no matter what your location or how far you may seem removed from the rest of the world. "Ye are the light of the world" - - the light which is within the tower on the hill cannot be hid - - neither can your light be obscured.

Did you know that with that simple yet majestic command, "Let there be light," you have the "open sesame" to all material problems? That all doors are opened before it, and no complication of mortal reasoning or doings can withstand the potency of it! When the day is breaking what a wonderful prayer to say in your heart of hearts: "Let there be light" to guide me through this day. What a wonderful day of light would be yours; it would come flooding and streaming in on you as you went your way, until men would recognize you as a "Keeper of the Light" and would come to you to seek the light on their problems. "Let there be light" may be just the thing - - just the prayer - - that you need to break the ice of materialism and free the imprisoned river of your activity.

If your mind is full of light, then no darkness can enter there - - no ignorance, sin or death - - for Light and Life are one and eternal. Let a soft, white glowing light of Truth accompany you, be a part of your speech and a part of your life - - let it enfold you like a mantle "white and glistening." Jesus did this, and those who came within reach of Him were healed by the light.

Light shining on the darkness of earth draws from it the secret of the flowers - - draws from the dead, dense mentality the flowers of hope, fruits of use and trees of strength. So turn your light inward sometimes and let is shine on the darkened corridors of your mind. Make a lighthouse of your darkened chambers - - fill them with praise - - put on garments of light. "Arise and shine for thy light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee." "Let your light shine before men." Only, I say, "Let." "Be still" and let. "Ye are the light of the world - - a light that is set upon a hill cannot be hid." 

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