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“We need to trust each other.” It was not a question. There was no lilt to her voice, no direction the tone could have taken, but still, Eclipsa found her head tilting to the side as she looked to the intruder in her home. She hadn’t even heard Moon come in, so focused on her daughter, but there she was, standing in the doorway to Meteora’s bedroom. She was standing tall, strong, and so very proud, but there was a hint of something in her eyes that stood out. Perhaps… Hesitation? She wasn’t sure. It fought against the image Moon was trying to create, was trying to force herself into, and Eclipsa could only sigh, drawing her daughter to her hip as she stood.

Moon was not expected today. That was, of course, not to say she wasn’t welcome. She was always welcome in her home. But Moon, the former queen of Mewni, was anything but improper. Normally, she would have sent a message ahead, to let her know she was coming. She would have given her time to prepare, as if there was something Eclipsa was trying to hide, and to show up unannounced, with such a guarded stance and equally guarded comment… Well, Eclipsa knew when something was about to go south, for all that she had been fighting against to stop things from going that way, and simply let out a barely noticeable sigh.

“Of course we do, Moon,” she hummed, hardly listening to her daughter whine at her interrupted play time, and made her way to the door. Moon drew up taller, her features grew tighter, and she could see Moon swallow a thick lump that seemed to be caught in her throat. Was she expecting a fight? In front of her daughter? As if she would ever… Still, she had to play ignorant. Ignorant meant others trusted her more, revealed more to her, and more information was exactly what she needed. “Why don’t we sit down and have some tea? We can talk then, hm? It is about lunchtime, I believe.”

“I didn’t come here for tea--”

“I know you didn’t.” She wasn’t one to interrupt, not normally, but this was… Well, this wasn’t normal. This was anything but normal. Still, she had to be polite. “But, isn’t it the proper thing to do, to sit down and talk things over in a more proper setting, instead of my daughter’s nursery? Besides, why can’t we take some time to ourselves now and again?”

There was a difficult fight going on behind Moon’s eyes. She was fighting hard against whatever was on her mind, and what she knew was the proper thing to do, and Eclipsa could see it. Still, she had a child to care for, so as gentle as possible, she pushed her way past the former queen, and started off down the hall. She knew Moon would follow, regardless of if she actually wanted the tea or not, and the sounds of her shoes against the flooring only confirmed such a moment later.

“Wait, Eclipsa! I’m not here for tea! This is important!”

“And so is a young lady’s meal time,” she said, keeping her tone light, while Meteora babbled nonsense on her hip. She was squirming more than usual, trying to get down and run away from her mother, but she kept a tight grip on her young daughter. Now was not the time to go chasing after her, after all. “Meteora will get quite cranky if we don’t at least get her a snack, and I don’t suppose you want to see that, hm?”

Silence followed, for just a few precious moments as Moon stopped following behind her, before she heard a resigned sigh. She knew she had won, even before she heard Moon hurry to catch up, her longer legs easily cutting down the steps needed. She cursed her superior height mentally, for just a split second, then glanced to Moon from the corner of her eye. She was still guarded, but there was something… Off about her. Her shoulders were slouched, her eyes to the side, and she seemed to be… Thinking about something. She wasn’t sure what, but she was at least aware of the fact that it wasn’t good.

It couldn’t be good. No, of course not. Mewmans were near rioting in the streets because of her- no, because of the very idea of her ruling, nothing in particular that she had done quite yet- and monsters were finally being treated like equals, which meant they were upset about their past transgressions… Something was boiling under the surface, and Eclipsa could feel it. Still, she knew better than to let it blow up in her face, lest she get scalded, and had simply sat back, watching as things grew beyond the point any of them could stop it with just words. After all, none of them would dare listen to her. It would have to be… Moon.

Moon, who was silent for longer than Eclipsa expected her to be. Moon, who allowed Eclipsa to put her young daughter into her highchair, to set her down some cookies and juice to snack on to keep her quiet, while she filled the kettle. Moon, who looked lost in the doorway, as if she just realized she was invading a domestic moment that she truly had no part in being near. Who finally broke the silence as she turned on the stove, setting about putting the kettle to boil.

“Why don’t you have the servants make the tea?” she asked, with a tilt of her head that was pure of simple curiosity, one of a woman who had never had to live without servants until recently, and loathed the idea of how much she had to do without them. But still, Eclipsa knew she was no better. She hadn’t lived without someone around- be it her mother, her uncle, or even her advisers- until she had ran away with her darling Globgor, and had lived in this very castle, learning to do everything for herself, until she found out quite how much she did like learning to do things on her own.

“Oh, why bother them with something so simple? It’s just a kettle, dear.” Her tone was still warm, still inviting, and as she leaned against the counter, placing her palms down and weighing the options of swinging herself onto it, she saw Moon pause. She saw her think it over, giving a small nod, and a thick swallow of something stuck in the back of her throat. This was rather important, wasn’t it? No way it wasn’t. Moon was so hesitant, had even came here against the proper training they had both received before they could take the throne, and yet… She was still guarded. Still fighting against running out the door, as if Eclipsa would pull out the wand and turn her to stone at any moment.

Not that she would, of course. Moon was a friend, she liked to think.

It was then she decided to pull herself onto the counter, making herself comfortable, and crossed her legs in front of herself. It wasn’t the proper thing to do, far from it, but she wasn’t exactly the most proper queen in the Butterfly lineage. Then again, for the last few generations, there hadn’t exactly been a true Butterfly lineage, had there?

When Moon turned to face her again, her brow wrinkled as she took in the sight. She looked… Annoyed, perhaps, and a hand drew to her forehead to rub at the wrinkles there, as if that would ease the thoughts that plagued her mind. Eclipsa simply waitied, swinging her legs back and forth slowly, as Moon worked out her thoughts. There must have been a lot of them, because instead of staying in the doorway, Moon made her way closer. She hesitated next to Eclipsa, her shoulders squared, and instead of relaxing like she hoped she would, Moon crossed her arms over her chest, her expression defiant in nature, but a mixture of something near scared trying to bury itself behind her eyes.

“Look, Eclipsa… We both know I didn’t come here for tea--”

“You have made that quite obvious, dear. I am the one who suggested it, after all, and you won’t stop arguing with me about it.”

“Yes, well...” A pause, a slight blush to her cheeks, and a slight cough into her fist told Eclipsa that she was getting under her skin, just a little, and she chose to dial it back, wanting to hear why Moon was here. “Eclipsa, I came here because the kingdom is struggling. Mewmans have been displaced from their homes-”

“The homes they took from monsters, you mean?”

“Yes, yes, I get it! Won’t you let me finish? This is rather important, you know!” The sharp tone, a hint of anger dancing in her eyes, was enough to draw her hands from her sides into the air in defeat. So be it. She’d shut up. She even moved to draw an invisible zipper across her lips to prove such, drawing a sigh from Moon as one of her hands once again rose to massage her temples, no doubt fighting this encounter to be irritating. “Sorry. I... I shouldn’t have snapped like that.”

“It’s alright, dear. I’m sorry for interrupting so much. I’ll stop now, so please, do go on.”

“Thank you… As I was saying, mewmans have been displaced from their homes, and are close to rioting, while monsters are still struggling without a proper place in the world. Monsters and mewmans alike are starting to come to terms with past transgressions, and it’s only going to get worse. You need to do something, Eclipsa. The Magical High Commission is going to start stepping in soon if you don’t.”

“What can I do, Moon?” For the first time since Moon had shown up unannounced, her tone dropped. Gone was the happiness, the light joking and prodding manner. Instead, she let her emotions get the better of her, tears drawn to her eyes and threatening to spill down her cheeks. She tried not to let them show, but instead found her hands drawing to her cheeks, her gloved hands scrubbing away the tears with near practiced ease. “No one even tries to listen to me. They want you. You, back in power, and me… Back in the crystals. They hate me, Moon. Everything I try to do, everything I talk to them about… It just… Goes wrong. I try working with them, but they fight against me every step of the way. The only thing I can do is just… Give the throne back to you, but even then that wouldn’t solve anything, would it?”

It was silent again, too silent really. The only real sounds in the room was the water in the kettle starting to boil, and her darling Meteora noisily munching on her snacks. She didn’t dare look up at Moon, finding herself unable to do anything but stare at her lap as she fought against the tears bubbling in the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t stand to see another former queen of Mewni disappointed in her. As if she didn’t see one of those in her dreams every night, as she desperately fought against the memories of how much her mother would hate to see what she had become, as if she didn’t have nightmares about waking up with her mother standing above Meteora’s crib, sword at the ready--

The kettle blew, but she made no move to grab it. It was taking all of her energy to keep herself upright, let alone daring to move from the counter to grab the pot and move it from the heat. She couldn’t even draw her head up to look at Moon’s face, staring at her feet instead. It was an easier target, something to focus on that wouldn’t result in Moon seeing the tears threatening to streak her cheeks, and something she didn’t have to worry about looking disappointed.

A sigh broke through the whistle of the kettle, and she watched Moon take a step back. She tilted her head up, just a little, and watched as Moon stepped over to the stove. “Perhaps,” Moon started, as she pulled the kettle off the heat and set it to the side, idly turning off the burner it had sat on, “we can work together. Together, we can… Work out a plan for the future. We can make sure monsters and mewmans alike are getting what they need, and… And make Mewni a better place for our daughters. Do you trust me, Eclipsa?”

“Of course,” she murmured, and she could see Moon’s shoulders deflate. With barely a thought on how she looked, she wiped the tears from her eyes, letting her glove absorb the arrogant little traitors, and found herself leaning back on her palms. She had to be calm, she had to be collected. Together, they could work this out. It was all they had. “Do you trust me, Moon?”

“Honestly?” Moon looked to the side. To Meteora. She watched the infant, and the small little moment dragged on for far longer than Eclipsa would have ever liked it to. It felt like an eternity, with Moon hesitating, dragging back her answer and fighting on saying what she knew she shouldn’t. But, finally, it broke with a sigh, and Moon looked back to her, defiance and motherly affection burning in her eye, strong and powerful enough to nearly make Eclipsa draw back in shock. “Not really. But for the sake of Star, for the sake of Mewni, I’m willing to try to trust you, as long as you’ll work with me. Do we have an understanding?”

“As always, dear Moon. As always.”

Description
“We need to trust each other.” It was not a question. There was no lilt to her voice, no direction the tone could have taken, but still, Eclipsa found her head tilting to the side as she looked to the intruder in her home. She hadn’t even heard Moon come in, so focused on her daughter, but there she was, standing in the doorway to Meteora’s bedroom. She was standing tall, strong, and so very proud, but there was a hint of something in her eyes that stood out. Perhaps… Hesitation? She wasn’t sure. It fought against the image Moon was trying to create, was trying to force herself into, and Eclipsa could only sigh, drawing her daughter to her hip as she stood.

Moon was not expected today. That was, of course, not to say she wasn’t welcome. She was always welcome in her home. But Moon, the former queen of Mewni, was anything but improper. Normally, she would have sent a message ahead, to let her know she was coming. She would have given her time to prepare, as if there was something Eclipsa was trying to hide, and to show up unannounced, with such a guarded stance and equally guarded comment… Well, Eclipsa knew when something was about to go south, for all that she had been fighting against to stop things from going that way, and simply let out a barely noticeable sigh.

“Of course we do, Moon,” she hummed, hardly listening to her daughter whine at her interrupted play time, and made her way to the door. Moon drew up taller, her features grew tighter, and she could see Moon swallow a thick lump that seemed to be caught in her throat. Was she expecting a fight? In front of her daughter? As if she would ever… Still, she had to play ignorant. Ignorant meant others trusted her more, revealed more to her, and more information was exactly what she needed. “Why don’t we sit down and have some tea? We can talk then, hm? It is about lunchtime, I believe.”

“I didn’t come here for tea--”

“I know you didn’t.” She wasn’t one to interrupt, not normally, but this was… Well, this wasn’t normal. This was anything but normal. Still, she had to be polite. “But, isn’t it the proper thing to do, to sit down and talk things over in a more proper setting, instead of my daughter’s nursery? Besides, why can’t we take some time to ourselves now and again?”

There was a difficult fight going on behind Moon’s eyes. She was fighting hard against whatever was on her mind, and what she knew was the proper thing to do, and Eclipsa could see it. Still, she had a child to care for, so as gentle as possible, she pushed her way past the former queen, and started off down the hall. She knew Moon would follow, regardless of if she actually wanted the tea or not, and the sounds of her shoes against the flooring only confirmed such a moment later.

“Wait, Eclipsa! I’m not here for tea! This is important!”

“And so is a young lady’s meal time,” she said, keeping her tone light, while Meteora babbled nonsense on her hip. She was squirming more than usual, trying to get down and run away from her mother, but she kept a tight grip on her young daughter. Now was not the time to go chasing after her, after all. “Meteora will get quite cranky if we don’t at least get her a snack, and I don’t suppose you want to see that, hm?”

Silence followed, for just a few precious moments as Moon stopped following behind her, before she heard a resigned sigh. She knew she had won, even before she heard Moon hurry to catch up, her longer legs easily cutting down the steps needed. She cursed her superior height mentally, for just a split second, then glanced to Moon from the corner of her eye. She was still guarded, but there was something… Off about her. Her shoulders were slouched, her eyes to the side, and she seemed to be… Thinking about something. She wasn’t sure what, but she was at least aware of the fact that it wasn’t good.

It couldn’t be good. No, of course not. Mewmans were near rioting in the streets because of her- no, because of the very idea of her ruling, nothing in particular that she had done quite yet- and monsters were finally being treated like equals, which meant they were upset about their past transgressions… Something was boiling under the surface, and Eclipsa could feel it. Still, she knew better than to let it blow up in her face, lest she get scalded, and had simply sat back, watching as things grew beyond the point any of them could stop it with just words. After all, none of them would dare listen to her. It would have to be… Moon.

Moon, who was silent for longer than Eclipsa expected her to be. Moon, who allowed Eclipsa to put her young daughter into her highchair, to set her down some cookies and juice to snack on to keep her quiet, while she filled the kettle. Moon, who looked lost in the doorway, as if she just realized she was invading a domestic moment that she truly had no part in being near. Who finally broke the silence as she turned on the stove, setting about putting the kettle to boil.

“Why don’t you have the servants make the tea?” she asked, with a tilt of her head that was pure of simple curiosity, one of a woman who had never had to live without servants until recently, and loathed the idea of how much she had to do without them. But still, Eclipsa knew she was no better. She hadn’t lived without someone around- be it her mother, her uncle, or even her advisers- until she had ran away with her darling Globgor, and had lived in this very castle, learning to do everything for herself, until she found out quite how much she did like learning to do things on her own.

“Oh, why bother them with something so simple? It’s just a kettle, dear.” Her tone was still warm, still inviting, and as she leaned against the counter, placing her palms down and weighing the options of swinging herself onto it, she saw Moon pause. She saw her think it over, giving a small nod, and a thick swallow of something stuck in the back of her throat. This was rather important, wasn’t it? No way it wasn’t. Moon was so hesitant, had even came here against the proper training they had both received before they could take the throne, and yet… She was still guarded. Still fighting against running out the door, as if Eclipsa would pull out the wand and turn her to stone at any moment.

Not that she would, of course. Moon was a friend, she liked to think.

It was then she decided to pull herself onto the counter, making herself comfortable, and crossed her legs in front of herself. It wasn’t the proper thing to do, far from it, but she wasn’t exactly the most proper queen in the Butterfly lineage. Then again, for the last few generations, there hadn’t exactly been a true Butterfly lineage, had there?

When Moon turned to face her again, her brow wrinkled as she took in the sight. She looked… Annoyed, perhaps, and a hand drew to her forehead to rub at the wrinkles there, as if that would ease the thoughts that plagued her mind. Eclipsa simply waitied, swinging her legs back and forth slowly, as Moon worked out her thoughts. There must have been a lot of them, because instead of staying in the doorway, Moon made her way closer. She hesitated next to Eclipsa, her shoulders squared, and instead of relaxing like she hoped she would, Moon crossed her arms over her chest, her expression defiant in nature, but a mixture of something near scared trying to bury itself behind her eyes.

“Look, Eclipsa… We both know I didn’t come here for tea--”

“You have made that quite obvious, dear. I am the one who suggested it, after all, and you won’t stop arguing with me about it.”

“Yes, well...” A pause, a slight blush to her cheeks, and a slight cough into her fist told Eclipsa that she was getting under her skin, just a little, and she chose to dial it back, wanting to hear why Moon was here. “Eclipsa, I came here because the kingdom is struggling. Mewmans have been displaced from their homes-”

“The homes they took from monsters, you mean?”

“Yes, yes, I get it! Won’t you let me finish? This is rather important, you know!” The sharp tone, a hint of anger dancing in her eyes, was enough to draw her hands from her sides into the air in defeat. So be it. She’d shut up. She even moved to draw an invisible zipper across her lips to prove such, drawing a sigh from Moon as one of her hands once again rose to massage her temples, no doubt fighting this encounter to be irritating. “Sorry. I... I shouldn’t have snapped like that.”

“It’s alright, dear. I’m sorry for interrupting so much. I’ll stop now, so please, do go on.”

“Thank you… As I was saying, mewmans have been displaced from their homes, and are close to rioting, while monsters are still struggling without a proper place in the world. Monsters and mewmans alike are starting to come to terms with past transgressions, and it’s only going to get worse. You need to do something, Eclipsa. The Magical High Commission is going to start stepping in soon if you don’t.”

“What can I do, Moon?” For the first time since Moon had shown up unannounced, her tone dropped. Gone was the happiness, the light joking and prodding manner. Instead, she let her emotions get the better of her, tears drawn to her eyes and threatening to spill down her cheeks. She tried not to let them show, but instead found her hands drawing to her cheeks, her gloved hands scrubbing away the tears with near practiced ease. “No one even tries to listen to me. They want you. You, back in power, and me… Back in the crystals. They hate me, Moon. Everything I try to do, everything I talk to them about… It just… Goes wrong. I try working with them, but they fight against me every step of the way. The only thing I can do is just… Give the throne back to you, but even then that wouldn’t solve anything, would it?”

It was silent again, too silent really. The only real sounds in the room was the water in the kettle starting to boil, and her darling Meteora noisily munching on her snacks. She didn’t dare look up at Moon, finding herself unable to do anything but stare at her lap as she fought against the tears bubbling in the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t stand to see another former queen of Mewni disappointed in her. As if she didn’t see one of those in her dreams every night, as she desperately fought against the memories of how much her mother would hate to see what she had become, as if she didn’t have nightmares about waking up with her mother standing above Meteora’s crib, sword at the ready--

The kettle blew, but she made no move to grab it. It was taking all of her energy to keep herself upright, let alone daring to move from the counter to grab the pot and move it from the heat. She couldn’t even draw her head up to look at Moon’s face, staring at her feet instead. It was an easier target, something to focus on that wouldn’t result in Moon seeing the tears threatening to streak her cheeks, and something she didn’t have to worry about looking disappointed.

A sigh broke through the whistle of the kettle, and she watched Moon take a step back. She tilted her head up, just a little, and watched as Moon stepped over to the stove. “Perhaps,” Moon started, as she pulled the kettle off the heat and set it to the side, idly turning off the burner it had sat on, “we can work together. Together, we can… Work out a plan for the future. We can make sure monsters and mewmans alike are getting what they need, and… And make Mewni a better place for our daughters. Do you trust me, Eclipsa?”

“Of course,” she murmured, and she could see Moon’s shoulders deflate. With barely a thought on how she looked, she wiped the tears from her eyes, letting her glove absorb the arrogant little traitors, and found herself leaning back on her palms. She had to be calm, she had to be collected. Together, they could work this out. It was all they had. “Do you trust me, Moon?”

“Honestly?” Moon looked to the side. To Meteora. She watched the infant, and the small little moment dragged on for far longer than Eclipsa would have ever liked it to. It felt like an eternity, with Moon hesitating, dragging back her answer and fighting on saying what she knew she shouldn’t. But, finally, it broke with a sigh, and Moon looked back to her, defiance and motherly affection burning in her eye, strong and powerful enough to nearly make Eclipsa draw back in shock. “Not really. But for the sake of Star, for the sake of Mewni, I’m willing to try to trust you, as long as you’ll work with me. Do we have an understanding?”

“As always, dear Moon. As always.”