Summary:
The cycle of peace has fallen to a cycle of war
Chapter Text
Estrella watched as her lovely daughter strolled into the room. It would be a shame … how was she going to paint such a spectacular and amazing moment now that her favorite brush was gone?
Maybe they should have worked on a replacement. Well, Rose could help her with that later, whenever she got here that was. Apparently the old habit of the Pink knight's knack for being late for the ceremony had reared its head again. She'd heard stories about it, and found it amusing every time.
Nonetheless, she looked out at her approaching daughter, as young and beautiful as ever, even if she had just a touch of flour smudging her face. Like Estrella herself, Comet was a bit of an artist, though her skill lay more in the confectionery rather than paintings.
One of her favorite test subjects was the commission. It both gave her a better standing with them, and they were immortal enough to survive some of the more … exotic ingredients. They were still putting out the fires from the dragon peppers.
She couldn't have been prouder of her, and she eagerly awaited whatever marvelous feats her daughter would bring to Mewni."Are you ready to take up the responsibilities of the Butterfly Family, Comet?" She asked.
"I am, mother." The little angel smiled. "I promise to bring peace and full stomachs to all living things." Maybe this one could finally bring peace between Mewmans and Monsters.
"Then I present you with your wand." She smiled, handing down her brush. "And remember … you don't have to make me proud, you're already amazing as it is."
Her darling daughter only squealed in delight as she accepted the wand, making their family heirloom burst out in an amazing color of light as it transformed into a rolling pin. "Yes, I've been meaning to get a new one! Now I can perfect my Red Solanaceae pie."
"I hope I get to be the first one to taste it." She chuckled as the doors burst open.
In came a disheveled rose, tapping a bit of fire on her hair. "Alright, I made it …" She paused. "Oh come on, how do I keep missing these things!? I was so good with Celena!"
"I assume you've been having an eventful day?" Estrella laughed a little.
"That doesn't even begin to describe it. The Avariace's keep asking for more, and quite a few of their demands are…less than reasonable to say the least." Rose sighed, and Estrella couldn't blame her. Her reign as Queen was a bit stagnant, but her time wasn't the moment to bring about a change. It needed to be a gradual process, and she more than believed Comet and future generations were capable of accomplishing that.
"Do you need me to make a cake for them?" Comet asked. "A feast always solves a problem." They said with a brilliant smile.
"... Oh I am going to enjoy someone else being the optimist for a change." A feat in itself. A once in a lifetime situation where it was a Butterfly that inspired Rose instead of the other way around. This generation already had great potential in it.
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Comet hummed as she worked on her latest dish. "That spice you gave me was exactly what I needed to counter the pure frozen nature of this ice cream Amethyst. Thank you." It was a rare treat for all of the Rose's Guard's team on earth to appear. The short purple one rarely made an appearance, usually going off with Heckapoo to do who knows what.
"No prob. Whenever I try giving it to people back home, they just freak out and start breathing fire. Wimps." Amethyst laughed as she swallowed one of the spare bags of flour. "Already, you're my favorite Queen."
"She could do some more work in spellcasting." Pearl noted from a corner.
"You're just saying that because you hate eating." Amethyst countered.
"It travels inside of you, that's just wrong!" A large disagreement from the gem that she personally wished to rectify, but maybe save it for some other point in her life.
"It's not like I'm not working on my magic, it's just that most magic I have is suited for the kitchen and not much else." Comet answered. "Cooling down things just right, a bit of quick baking, condiment creation, processing ingredients normally tougher to gather." The queen listened.
"I think it's perfect." Glossaryck said through the mouthfuls of pudding.
"Yes but … you're a terrible judge, so your opinion is actually negative." Garnet deadpanned.
"Sure sure, like pudding isn't the source of all power, I'm a terrible judge." The blue genie rolled his eyes.
"Now, let's not give the girl the wrong idea." Rose came up to her after a light laugh. "I've been across many dimensions. I can't tell you how many problems could've been solved had there just been a little more food to spare. You're an amazing cook, Comet."
Comet just felt herself beam at the compliment. "Thank you Rose, I try my best." She nodded as she turned to the cornmeal. "The first thing I tried was trying to make use of as much of the corn as possible. I mean, it's amazing and I love it, but there's just so much more potential in each kernel than most people realize." Popcorn was a rather marvelous discovery after accidentally leaving a few kernels in the oven. "And soon, more and more ideas come to mind, making you realize everything has more to it if you look close enough."
"Every flower has its own charm, every life has its own beauty … that's the wonder of organics." Rose smiled. "Now come on, we better finish before Amethyst gets bored, we don't need you setting the palace on fire … again …"
"Aww, but it's so funny." She would have been more concerned if arson wasn't somewhat common around Mewni. There were stands for pitchforks and torches all around town because angry mobs were that common. She was still working on the calming down knockout pie … still needed something to make sure people woke up after.
"Anyways, thanks for coming. This 'all creatures banquet' is going to be open to everyone willing to come, and I know better than to think a fight won't try to break out." Comet nodded to the gems. "I'm hoping with everyone having a full stomach, everyone will be too happy and satisfied to even think about attacking, but just in case.."
"We'll be standing guard the entire night." Pearl nodded. "The Septari have been rather quiet as of late, and I don't trust it."
"Don't trust it, or are you just salty with how close Rose is to that old lizard guy?" Amethyst snickered.
"As long as he's not attacking it's fine." Rose sighed. "He's getting old … I really hope this will inspire the next generation for peace, we don't need someone worse coming along." Comet didn't quite understand Rose's preferences, but she didn't judge. Lovers were just two people living in peace.
"I hope to at least get the ball rolling with this." Comet smiled as she took out one of her pies. "If there's one thing everyone…" She looked at Pearl, who winced at the smell. "...most people can agree on, it's that they all want food. That's a mutual understanding almost all can come to on any occasion." Put it on display. "That's one bun out of the over …" She looked down at her own stomach. "Now to wait for the next one."
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"Higher, higher!" Moon cheered as she was carried by the Rose Guard. "I wanna touch the sky!" Mommy was out baking in the kitchen again talking to boring people, so that meant Rose got to play with her again! "Take me all the way to space so I can sleep on the stars!"
"Maybe someday I'll take there myself, but for now, enjoy the Mewni sky and all they have to offer." The tall pink lady tossed her in the air. "Now you're flying just like a real Butterfly."
"I'm the strongest Butterfly ever!" Moon cheered as she felt the sun from the setting distance. "I'm gonna be super powerful with magic and be amazing like mommy!"
"That's quite the goal you've got there." Rose gave her a warm smile. "I'll make sure to support you all the way up there. What's your first spell gonna be?" They asked her.
Moon thought about it for a moment. "I'm gonna give a top hat to a spider!" It just made perfect sense. "Nobody makes hats that tiny, so if I make one, they'll be less mad all the time and won't want to bite people so much."
"Then maybe everyone in the spider-bite kingdom can go a day without having a face filled with boils." Rose laughed as she ruffled up her hair. "You'll be on your way to being a peacekeeper like your mom."
"Is it really that important to be nice with monsters?" She asked. "You do fine just beating them up all the time."
"I don't beat them up, I just shove anyone fighting out of the way." Rose clarified. "Fighting just makes more fighting. But if you're nice to people, they can be your friends." She answered. "Oh, like a shifter could get so small they can knit the tiny spider hats with you."
"Wow, really?"
"Yes, Mewmans may have magic, but lots of other creatures can do things you'd never expect. On earth there's a big cat that can run ten times faster than a warnicorn."
"Really?!" Moon's eyes sparkled. "Tell me more. Mom never travels outside of Mewni, but you go all over the multiverse!"
"I do indeed, and each dimension is filled with different creatures, each one unique and special." Rose patted her head. "I've traveled to a world where an entire race lives on the bones of ancient giants, to a kingdom entirely made out of candy from the bricks to the people, even to planets where everything is on a cob."
"I thought corntopia was just a myth." Moon gasped in awe.
"It was nice … but for some reason the scientist there wanted me to run away." Rose looked confused for a second. "You know, you could totally make a girl made of corn."
She thought about it for a second. "Maybe if I'm trying to trick mom …" Like a twin sister. "But am I ready to make a corn baby? What if I can't feed her enough? And will there be enough room? And what about their future? Can they really survive in a world where their mere existence means they're delicious?"
"You're very existential for a kid your age." Rose muttered. "But I'm sure they'll live just fine. I once met a bubble man that went to work every day, a corn person seems quite tame compared to that."
"I guess I'll make that plan b if I don't marry anybody." Moon concluded.
"Don't be like that, there's plenty of people out there that'll be sure to amaze you one way or another." Rose encouraged her.
"But everyone at the silver bell ball is so boring." Moon groaned, before pausing. "Except maybe that River kid, but he gets so sweaty whenever I talk to him."
"Just try doing something with him instead of just talking, see how it goes." Rose chuckled for some reason. "Now, wanna see the top of the castle?"
"Skydive!" Moon began running with a laugh.
"Wait, I meant sitting, don't jump from tall places!"
"But tall places are meant to be jumped off of!"
"I'd think your mother would rather make pancakes with you than watch you turn into one!"
"But I'm not hungry now." She giggled. These times were the best! Nothing could ever take it away from her, ever!
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Toffee waited for the moment. Given that he was the new leader, after the untimely demise of Seth, they were invited to a new peace summit, in an attempt to 'unite the species' under a banner of 'peace'. It was revolting, but it gave him an in.
He kept himself rather discreet as the monster 'officiates', aka, random puppet leaders Mewmans were able to bribe well enough to control, sat around the table, gorging themselves on pastries and deserts. They had absolutely no dignity or shame. Just like dogs, they wagged their tails and bowed their heads the moment they were presented with treats.
The disgrace … then again they weren't Septari, so they could honestly go die in a ditch for all he cared. As long as his kind knew the truth, everything would be fine. "I'm glad to see so many people showed up." The Rose Guard gave a detestable smile. "It's wonderful to see so many people trying to better Mewni for a change instead of just fighting."
You mean sit around and wait for the camel to die out from all the weight. "If Mewmans make food this delicious, then maybe there's something to not trying to wipe them out." One of the dumber and fatter monster representatives, Archduke Batwin, smiled as he shoved another slice of pie into his mouth. "I know no better baker in all of the land of Queen Comet."
"I told you all, empty stomachs share everything in common." If there was any good that the old queen, the lazy painter, had done, it was to make the MHC look constipated with withheld rage. Seeing them be incapable of doing or saying anything was almost worth looking at the gag-inducing sight of the rest of these morons alone. "We just had to wait for the right time."
"Indeed." The naive fool herself, Queen Comet Butterfly, smiled as she sat down next to her daughter, a mere caterpillar at the moment, too young to be a true threat, but one he would make sure to extinguish thoroughly. "Everyone, have you ever wondered why we're here?"
They looked around with confusion. "Parents having sex?" One man suggested.
"What's sex?" The princess asked.
"You haven't given her the talk yet, have you?" The Rose Guard smirked.
"I don't want to ruin her little smile." The Queen pouted. " And no. We're here because life wants to bloom. It wants to grow endlessly, yet we keep going against it with endless fighting." They explained. "We can help life by helping each other, nobody wants to die."
"So naive.." He heard Heckapoo silently mutter. For once, he found himself in complete agreement with his enemies. He'll make sure it was the only time.
"We're all living creatures. We hunger, we're curious, we ponder, and we desire the safety of our children." Comet went on. "When at the end of the day that's all we want, when those values are the most important to us, why try to take those away? What would be the point in fighting if someone's losing something that precious in the process?"
The representatives looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Such malarkey. If that's what they truly valued, then they should be stronger than whatever threatens them and wipe them out. That was the law of nature. To have peace, you needed to take out any opposition possible.
"So I made a peace treaty, listing ways for us to get along, and avoid fighting." They pulled out a piece of paper with colorful writing on it. "Feel free to read it over yourselves." Comet said as she slid over the parchment.
Monsters lined up and took it over. Fool, she made herself wide open. The only issue in his plan was the Rose Guard. He was fast enough to deal a lethal blow, but the woman's healing capabilities made that tricky to work around. He needed to be swift and brutal in the short timespan he was given.
"I believe that there's a problem we need to fix." Toffee stated, approaching the queen.
"Of course." They gave a pathetic smile. "What would that happen to-"
Toffee cut her off by digging into her throat and pulling, blood and flesh falling apart. He would have done something ironic such as stabbing her peace filled heart, but he needed to be instantaneous with the Rose guard capable of healing. Dead silence filled the room, other than the gargled shock from Comet as her eyes dimmed.
One Butterfly down … another to go. "The one thing we need to fix." He began to move to the princess, his bloody and esophagus covered claw raised above her head. "Is that idea that peace was ever a valid option-"
Toffee came too minutes later after blacking out. It was rare that such a situation happened, usually when something destroyed him from the waist up without a single cell being left. Opening his eyes, he saw the cause. The Rose Guard over his body, screaming with a rage she had never shown on Mewni before. He was starting to see what Seth found interesting in this woman.
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"BASTARD!" Rose killed the lizard again. "IT WAS SO CLOSE!" And again. "SHE WAS DOING SO MUCH GOOD!" And again. "AND YOU MURDERED HER FOR WHAT!?" And again. "SOME STUPID HATE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!?" She threw him through the third mountain today.
She didn't know how long she had been doing this, or how many times she's killed the lizard. The only thing on her mind was Comet, one of her best friends, probably the best one she's had since Eclipsa, lifeless face, and the absolute horror and terror on her daughter. She rammed her hand through the bastard's chest and ripped off his head for what felt like the hundredth time.
She stood in furious silence, watching as his corpse regenerated once again, coughing up blood like he should be. "I … I must say." He muttered between coughs. "When they said you had thorns … I honestly never saw it." The lizard stood up. "Too obsessed with naive and unrealistic ideals."
"There's so much more to me than you'll ever know." Rose slammed him back down into the ground and crushed his windpipe. "And now you're experiencing it for some petty vengeance from some pathetic form of revenge." She growled out. "What did they do, what did Mewmans do that justified THIS act of cruelty!?" She shouted.
"They existed. They were born. They got in my way." The lizard coughed up blood. "I don't need a reason to hate you all." She was almost floored by that revelation, quickly followed by rage.
"And that gives you justification for endangering everyone!?" She shouted, stepping on him. "Every Mewman, every Monster, every life!?"
They laughed through the pain. "You're mistaken Rose … the Septari will live on because we can heal from anything … it's not like other races matter."
Never before had Rose encountered such a complete disregard and detain for life, not since the Diamonds and Solaria had she met a being with this level of demented extremism. "You're not going to get away with this. You're not infallible, and I know for a fact you're not immortal. Your time will come."
"All you've done is prove my point." The lizard grinned as he stood up. "If you can't kill me, what consequences do I have to be afraid of?"
"I can't believe Seth would have agreed to something like this." Rose spat out her hate. "He's an ignorant fool, but even he couldn't have been this…"
"He was a fossil way past his time." The lizard gave his neck a loud and twisted crack. "He was incapable of doing anything truly beneficial to our kind, so I had to put him out of his misery."
".... I may not be able to kill you." She let her energy run rampant. "But I can get very … very close."
"Rose!" She turned her head and saw the sobbing face of Moon.
"Moon, get out of here, he's…" She turned her head, and saw nothing. "Damn it! He's gone!"
"Rose…mom….she's dead…mom's dead…" Moon fell to the ground.
She ran up and hugged the girl. "I know … I'm so sorry." Rose let herself cry as well. "I couldn't save her … I'm sorry …" Another mistake for Rose Quartz. That was the story of her entire life, wasn't it?