Sugar and Spice - Chapter VII: Waning Moon

Sugar and Spice
Chapter VII: Waning Moon

"... alright. Let's try the next technique. I think this will be the last one for the evening."

With no clocks or natural light in the Sanctuary, Marco had no idea how Moon could tell it was evening, although he decided to take her word for it. Marco had been meditating with Moon almost since they'd arrived, and he'd become so focused on it that he had completely lost track of time. Now, after a food break and several changes in method, Marco felt like he was starting to get the hang of things.

For her part, Moon seemed to find it effortless. She had actually been quite relieved to get an opportunity to center herself after the last few hectic days. "Now, Marco... feel the blood moving through your body. Listen the beat of your heart."

As Marco focused on the sound, he noticed it seemed to be getting louder. Substantially louder. He felt no different, but he was starting to become concerned as the noise was quickly reaching a volume that shouldn't have been possible. "Uh... Queen Moon? Is it possible to listen too hard?" As Marco opened one eye, he saw that Moon was already standing at full awareness, looking up at the ceiling, toward the true source of the vibrations. "Hubba-wha?" The quaking slowly intensified, and the entire structure shook as something rammed rhythmically against it, the walls rattling with the force.

"Get to the vault and lock the door. Now." Moon didn't even look at Marco, taking up a battle stance and not bothering with any further explanation.

Not that Marco needed it. He had already realized what was happening. Star was here. He got up and dashed toward the stairs, pulling the hidden lever, heading for the vault and preparing to seal himself inside.

Moon, meanwhile, was busy trying to analyze Star's plan of attack. It was difficult to tell from where she stood, but she thought Star was most likely trying to focus on a single point to create a breach. It didn't take long to confirm her suspicions. As a small crack started to form in the ceiling, water began to leak through from the lake above. Moon raised her hands, reinforcing the area with her magic and halting the flow of liquid.

After a few more impacts, the sound ceased. Despite a brief glimmer of optimism, the Queen was sure it wouldn't be that easy.

Pausing for a brief respite, Star soon began ramming the sanctuary again. Moon figured her magic would be enough to bolster the specific point Star had been attacking, but she soon noticed a new crack forming in a different location.

Moon strengthened that point of the ceiling as well, but she quickly realized Star would win the war of attrition. With the weight of the lake bearing down on the sanctuary, Moon knew she couldn't keep up with many more breaches for very long.

As Star halted her attack once more to find another angle of approach, Moon released her magical hold on the cracks. She dashed over to a nearby wall, pulling a lever. The Sanctuary began to shudder, this time less violently, and with a low rumble it began its slow ascent back toward the surface. It would take some time, but at the rate it was rising, Moon knew she didn't have to worry about flooding. She only had to worry about Star.

With that, she turned her eyes back toward the ceiling. It didn't take Star long to figure out that Moon's protective magic had fallen, and with a final strike at one of the fresh cracks, she broke through into the sanctuary. Scanning the room with her blank eyes, Star ignored Moon entirely. She was soon eyeing the wall concealing the vault, seeming to know exactly where she was going as she hovered toward it.

Moon took a deep breath, knowing she had no choice in what she was about to do. She fired a warning shot of magical energy at Star's feet. Moon interposed herself between her daughter and false wall. "That's far enough. I don't want to do this, Star, but I made a promise. No matter what happens, I'm going to protect Marco. Even from you." Moon vainly hoped she might somehow get through to her daughter, but deep down, she knew it was a lost cause. As Star continued her approach, Moon lept into the air and spread her wings, taking on her own empowered Butterfly form.

Even in her current mental state, Star seemed to know she was being threatened. Star assumed a combat stance, apparently trying to intimidate her opponent, but Moon held her ground. Star held out her hand, firing a web of sticky purple hearts at her mother. Moon easily dodged to the side, having known from her own experience more or less what to expect from the fight. Star lunged at her mother, but Moon parried the attack as Star flew past, firing a blast of magic at the Princess, just strong enough to keep her attention.

As Star charged at her mother, Moon evaded with an unearthly grace forged from years of experience and practice. Though her movements were far more efficient than Star's wild flailing, the Queen was sure that she would tire before her daughter. As Moon knew well from her own experience with Aphrodisia's magic, Star's current form granted her a level of strength and stamina well beyond her already impressive natural capacity.

Moon could already tell that her odds of success would drop the longer the battle dragged out. Though she was fighting fit for the moment, she knew it was only a matter of time. She had no shortage ways to end the fight, but nearly all of them involved lethal force, or at least carried the risk of permanent injury to her daughter. The Queen had been racking her brain since she left the castle trying to think of another option. There were very few tactics that were both decisive and safe for Star, but she had managed to come up with something. Despite the risk in prolonging the fight, she had to bide her time and wait for Star to slip up.

Like a magical matador, Moon allowed her daughter to continue charging, and she deftly evaded each time, dodging every strike and sticky heart blast Star sent her way. As Star continuously failed to land any blows, she appeared to become more agitated, and more aggressive. Before long, Moon could tell that her daughter had lost patience. Star drew back slowly to give herself space, beginning a running charge before leaping through the air, barrelling full speed toward the Queen.

In that moment, the Queen finally saw her opening. Star had overcommitted herself, and Moon knew she wouldn't be able to respond to a counterattack in time. She lept into the air, insantly spinning to face Star. "Astral Chain!" As Moon raised her hands, ethereal chains sprouted from the stone walls of the sanctuary, homing in Star's wrists and ankles at Moon's mental command. Twisting in the air, Star managed to dodge for several seconds, but Moon had already anticipated her daughter's evasive tactics. Moon commanded the movements of the chains, with two of them being used to herd Star toward the ground, where she would have less mobility. Driving the third chain toward Star's face as a distraction, she snuck the final restaint around back to wrap tightly around one of Star's ankles. Star noticed Moon's plan too late, and found herself trapped. With her movements now restricted, it didn't take long for Moon to get the rest of the chains around her remaining limbs. Though Star tried to resist, the chains ratcheted back with each slip, pulling her closer toward the wall until she was firmly against it.

Moon approached slowly, trying to calm her agitated daughter. "Shh, shhhh... darling, it's alright. I'm just going to make you sleep for a little while. It won't hurt a bit. And when you wake up, this will all be over." Star's struggle against her restraints gradually ceased as she seemed to accept her fate, and the Queen began to cast her next spell. "Sand of Dreams..." Standing just in front of Star, Moon opened her gloved palm, now containing a handful of sand, glowing white with the power of her magic.

Star seemed to have some idea that the sand represented a threat, even if it wasn't clear that she knew its exact nature. She began another attempt to break free, straining against the chains, but the magical restraints appeared to be holding fast. The Queen ignored her struggle and softly drew in a breath, about to blow the sand in Star's direction. Raising her hand near her mouth, she suddenly heard an odd creaking sound. As she lowered her palm and looked around for the source of the noise, her eyes widened as she saw the chain holding Star's right wrist beginning to pull out of the wall. "No... that can't be." Getting the Astral Chain in place was the hard part, but once anchored and secured, it was unbreakable as far as the Queen knew. And yet...

Moon had no time to consider the mystery any further. The distraction had only been momentary, but it was all Star needed. With a sudden burst of strength, she jerked the chain away from the wall, gaining some slack in the length. Though it didn't break, she had enough freedom of movement to swing her arm down and back around, striking Moon's palm from below and sending the magical sedative directly toward the Queen's face. Moon instantly snapped out of her trance, twisting to the side and willing the chains to tighten again, but it was too late. She drew in a surprised breath just as most of the magic sand hit her directly in the face.

Moon jerked a hand up to cover her breathing, backing away and falling to her knees. She hadn't been hit with enough of the sand to go under instantly, but she almost immediately felt most of the fight go out of her. She no longer had the power to hold her transformation, and involuntarily shifted back to her usual Mewman form. No longer sustained by Moon's magic, the chains binding Star quickly dissolved into nothingness.

Now free from her confinement, Star loomed over her mother, but did not administer the finishing blow. Instead, she turned her attention back toward the wall concealing the staircase to the vault. In a few strikes, she shattered the wall and floated down the spiral stairs.

As Moon tried to gather herself, she found she could rise to her feet, but not much more than that. She could already hear her daughter banging against the vault door. After seeing Star in action, Moon was no longer entirely confident that it would hold. As she was trying to decide whether to follow Star for one last ditch effort to stop her, she heard a strange sound that she thought was metal scraping against metal, followed by a massive THUD echoing through the entire Sanctuary. It took her a moment to realize the only thing that could have made such a sound, although she could hardly believe it. If she was right, Star had simply ripped the reinforced metal vault door right off its hinges and tossed it aside. Her suspicions of the vault being breached were confirmed by a scream from Marco, followed by what she believed to be a plea for mercy from some sort of human deity.

At that point, Moon reluctantly reached the conclusion that staying wouldn't serve any purpose. It would take hours for her to fully recover from the effects of her own sleep magic. Star hadn't showed any sign of slowing down, and the Queen felt she had almost nothing left in her. Having been so determined to succeed, she hadn't had much of a plan B, or at least not an immediate one. She cupped her hands and shouted toward the staircase. "Marco! I'm sorry!" Moon had no desire to have insult added to injury by staying to hear her daughter's... activities. She evacuated the Sanctuary as quickly as she was able, deciding she could sleep in the carriage and return inside for supplies in the morning.



Making her way to the carriage that had been parked outside, Moon heard a rustling in the bushes. This far out from civilization, she guessed that who or whatever it was probably wasn't friendly. Though she was drained from her fight with Star and her own sleep magic, if anything in the wilderness meant her harm, she was determined not to go down without a fight. As she heard the movement again, she looked toward it and found a pair of eyes staring at her from the foliage. She wasn't looking forward to a battle in her weakened state, but she took up a combat stance all the same. If she was lucky, she thought she might be able to scare her stalker into retreat or surrender. "Come out now, if you know what's good for you!"

A short, stocky figure stepped forward from the leaves, clad only in a loincloth and a crown. The man looked almost embarrassed at having been caught, and he addressed the Queen in a hesitant tone. "... hello, Moon Pie."

"... River?" Moon lowered her guard as her husband emerged from the forest. The King was quite possibly the last person she had expected to see at the Sanctuary, especially considering he wasn't supposed to know she was there. "What are you... did you follow Star out here?"

"Er... no. Not exactly." River looked a bit nervous, like he was afraid of explaining himself. "It's just, I thought I could be at large just as well without being cooped up in the castle, so... I actually followed YOU out here."

It didn't take the Queen long to realize why. "You didn't think this would work either. You didn't think I could do it." As Moon thought about it, she realized his assumption had been right. "Of course you didn't. That's why you made me bring that bed..."

"Moon, please..." River slowly walked over to his wife's side, taking one hand in both of his. "If anybody could find a way break Aphrodisia's spell, it's you. But... you know even better than I do what it's like."

Moon jerked away, turning her back on River and hiding her face in shame and anger at her own failure. "I PROMISED her! My own daughter! I gave her my word that nothing would happen to him..."

"You did everything you could. She'll understand. They both will. There are some things even a Queen can't control." River reached up and rested a hand on her shoulder from behind, doing his best to offer his wife some comfort. "But I know they'll be alright."

Moon barely turned her head back toward the King, watching him out of the corner of her eye. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because." River smiled softly, looking back at his wife with a gaze full of encouragement. "They're just like we were."

Moon now turned fully back toward River, returning his smile. She leaned down to embrace her husband, grateful for his support through all the chaos of the past few days. "Thank you, River."

"Of course, dear." River wrapped his arms around her briefly before they both pulled away. River then pointed in the direction of the bushes he had just left. "Now then! I found a clearing not too far from here and set up camp. I already have a Southern Murder Boar on the fire, and a bedroll fit for two! You, ah... look like you could use some sleep."

Moon rubbed her tired eyes, laughing darkly as she followed River to his campsite, thinking she might end up skipping dinner and heading straight for the sleeping bag. "River, dear... you have NO idea."



The next morning, Moon returned to the Sanctuary with River to inspect the damage, both to the structure and to its occupants. As promised, Glossaryck had been waiting outside when they arrived, and he joined the royal couple as they headed in. On the way to the vault, Moon stopped to grab a bag full of clothes and other supplies from the stash she had brought, with River having brought a bag of his own with him from the castle. The trio carefully made their way down to the vault, finding that the door had indeed been ripped away from its hinges as Moon had suspected.

Inside, they found more or less what they expected. Ruined clothes were strewn about the floor, and the whole place generally looked like it had been destroyed by a raiding party. Marco was lying in bed and staring wide eyed at the opposite wall, still shellshocked from the previous night, appearing to have gotten little or no sleep. He remained motionless and stone silent, not even reacting as they entered, almost as though he was asleep with his eyes open.

Star was curled up peacefully next to him, smiling in her sleep, appearing as if she was having a pleasant dream. The sound of the King and Queen's footsteps echoing through the doorway was enough to rouse her from her slumber. The sounds from her parents got her attention, and she turned slowly toward them, trying to speak through a yawn as she awoke. "Mom? Dad?" As Star regained her awareness, she quickly began to realize the situation she was most likely in. She cringed silently, hoping she was wrong about the warmth she felt under the covers next to her. Star shut her eyes tight before turning to her other side, slowly opening one to find an obviously traumatized Marco. "Uh-oh."

"You know Star, if you keep breaking your toys like this, your mother and I aren't going to get you any new ones." Though Marco remained frozen, the King, Queen, and Princess all turned and stared daggers at Glossaryck, who simply floated there like nothing had happened. "So can we try my idea now or what?"

"Glossaryck... a word." Moon decided to take the situation in hand before anyone else could start asking questions. She started to head up the stairs with Glossaryck, looking back to the her husband on her way out. "River, I'll meet you at the carriage in a bit. Until then..."

River held up a hand in front of him, already knowing what his wife was thinking. "Say no more. I'll take care of things here. Starting with getting these two dressed." River set his bag down on the floor, reaching into it and pulling out Marco's loincloth, along with Star's own wilderness attire.

Moon noticed Marco's eyes dart toward the loincloth as River removed it from the bag, but he showed no further reaction. Well, at least he wasn't actually dead, Moon thought. "Once again... close enough." Moon grumbled quietly, but considering the conversation she was about to have, she was in no mood to start a war on yet another front. Besdies, she figured that Star and Marco would get into proper clothes on their own soon enough.

The Queen returned to leading Glossaryck up the stairs and out of the Sanctuary entirely, not straying too far from the structure, but far enough that she was certain they wouldn't be heard or disturbed. As soon as she felt they had found a suitable spot, Moon dropped all pretense of regality. Glossaryck knew that look. He was in for an extremely... spirited discussion.

"I'm going to speak freely. What you proposed to me when this all started barely qualifies as a plan." The ranks had already been fully dropped, and Moon's entire bearing had changed.

"You know, I'm getting the strangest sense of deja vu here..." Glossaryck, meanwhile, felt quite comfortable carrying on as usual.

Moon thought might she end up actually strangling Glossaryck if he didn't start taking this seriously, but she held herself back and spoke through her clenched teeth. "There are still other alternatives for dealing with Aprodisia's magic..."

"Oh? And how have your alternatives been working out so far?" Glossaryck didn't bother to wait for a response. "Besides, what have you got to lose? Even if it fails, it's not like it would be any worse than any other failed plan."

"It isn't going to work!" Moon was absolutely convinced of that much. She could hardly even believe Glossaryck's proposal was serious. Knowing him, it might not have been.

"All I'm asking for is a chance. If I'm wrong about this, we'll go back to doing whatever you want." Glossaryck could sense Moon's growing frustration, and though he understood her concerns, he didn't expect Moon's future plans would go any better. "I was able to help back when it happened to you, wasn't I? Let me help your daughter-"

"Yes, MY daughter!" Moon had finally had enough, and she was on the brink of completely losing her composure. "Not to mention poor Marco! You're talking about the fate of my CHILD-"

"And MY student! This isn't just your problem, Moon! You aren't the only one who's worried about them! So swallow your damned pride, take your hands away from the reigns, and for once in your life, accept that someone else might know better!" Glossaryck floated quietly for several seconds, watching Moon's shocked expression, waiting for a response that never came. "Oh, were we not speaking freely?"

Moon stood in stunned silence at Glossaryck's outburst. She was used to his dry and caustic wit, but it was rare to see him truly lose his temper. She turned away from him, considering what he had said as the fire slowly drained from her veins. Though she hated to admit it, she realized he had a point. Despite that, she wasn't sure Glossaryck was up to the task. There was a certain perspective that he lacked. Moon took some time to collect herself before turning back toward him, finally asking the one question in all the universe she believed Glossaryck couldn't answer. "What do you know about love?"

"Me? Oh, nothing much." Glossaryck rolled his eyes at Moon. "I've only spent the last few thousand years as a teacher for young ladies on the cusp of adulthood, experiencing stirrings in the depths of their hearts and loins for the very first time."

"Glossaryck..." Though she had calmed a bit, Glossaryck was still on her last nerve. His rather blunt criticism hadn't made things any better, even if she found some truth in it, but the Queen held herself in check. She glared coldly at him, waiting impatiently for a serious answer.

"What do I know about love? Well... where do I start." Glossaryck closed his eyes, lost in thought, searching through millenia worth of memories. "I've seen a thousand weddings and all the joy that comes with them. I've watched Kings take arrows meant for their Queens, and just as often, the other way around. I saw Eclipsa walk away from her throne, knowing that it could bring down an entire kingdom. And I saw you defy the entire royal family and stand against centuries of political rivalry, all so you could be with one man. Shall I go on?" Glossaryck opened his eyes again, a bit surprised to find Moon with an almost pitying expression on her face.

Moon knew Glossaryck wasn't entirely wrong in what he said, but she felt he still didn't understand the problem. "All that may be true. But have you ever felt love? Have you ever BEEN in love? Have you ever kissed or made love? Have you ever had a true equal? A partner? Have you ever known beyond a shadow of a doubt that you would spend the rest of your life with one person, forsaking all others, and be buried side by side, together even in death? Do you have any true understanding of the feelings that made me fight so hard to marry River?" Moon didn't even wait for Glossaryck to respond, already knowing the answer to each and every question. In a way, she felt sorry for him, knowing that he could never have that experience. "As you were always so fond of reminding me, you don't have feelings."

Glossaryck nodded slowly, willing to concede the point. "You're right."

"Deny it all you like, but-" Moon stopped dead, blinking in surprise as Glossaryck's admission finally registered in her brain. "I'm... what? Did you just learn that phrase?"

"HOWEVER!" Glossaryck barely missed a beat, choosing not to dignify Moon with a response. "This isn't just about mortal emotions, or I wouldn't be volunteering for the job. And besides, I know my history. I've been around long enough to notice the patterns. I've helped a lot of Princesses through a lot of magical problems over the years, including your daughter. Trust me, I can help her with this one too." He was sympathetic toward Moon's concerns, but somewhat resented her lack of confidence in his abilities after so many years. "And yes... I'll admit that this is a rather unconventional method. That's because Star is a rather unconventional Princess. But then again..." Glossaryck laughed quietly to himself. "Well, she has a lot in common with one in particular."

Moon sighed softly, giving Glossaryck a knowing smile. "More than I care to admit. But even so... this is NOTHING like how you helped me deal with Aphrodisia's chapter."

"Look... Moon. I understand what you've been trying to do these past few days. And I won't tell you how to raise your daughter. But the fact that it she IS your daughter, and that you've been in her shoes before..." Glossaryck tried to choose his next words carefully, aware that he was treading dangerously close to territory outside his domain. "In my professional opinion as her magic teacher, that's making you come at this from the wrong angle. I believe your perspective is... skewed.

"And yours isn't?" Moon knew she had her biases, but despite his supposed neutrality, she wasn't convinced Glossaryck was any better positioned to solve the problem. "How much can you really see from a mile up, detached from everything you claim to know?"

"I have a closer view than you might think. I've been watching those two together since Star first went to Earth. How much do you really know about how Star and Marco treat each other, especially recently?" Glossaryck didn't wait for an answer. "When they're around you, they're on their best behavior. But I've seen them from inside the Book. I know what they're like when they think no one is watching." Glossaryck gave Moon a devious smile. "And I know exactly how to handle this."

Moon had no arguments left to make, and nothing more to lose. She still wasn't entirely confident in completely turning the matter over to Glossaryck, but he seemed to be aware of his own limitations. Besides, at that point, she was forced to admit had no better ideas. With a deep sigh and great reluctance, she finally reached a decision that she hoped she wouldn't regret in the morning. "This had better work."

Glossaryck laughed mischievously, rubbing his hands together with glee, both relieved and delighted that he finally been given the blessing to proceed with his plan. "Not to worry, my Queen. All those two need is a little nudge in the right direction..."