Story 6: "Star vs. The Forces of Evil" [SVTFOE Superhero Reimagining]
– Season 1 (2015): "A teenage princess named Star Butterfly is on the lam for a committed crime...or so they say. While attempting to evade the authorities, Star unintentionally teleports herself to Earth – specifically the small Californian town of Echo Creek – and decides to get acquainted with her surroundings. She then meets a personal friend of her mother who becomes her mentor and decides she should stay for the time being. She enlists Star into Echo Creek Academy and anonymously appoints her a guide in the form of Marco Diaz...a cynical freshman who functions as a vigilante at night. So, in addition to learning the strange customs of Earth, Star must also practice and harness her growing powers, all the while discovering her true destiny." / The story's tone is only slightly darker and edgier than the series it's based upon (particularly the first season), slightly because of the inclusion of Wonder Woman. The style is something you would call a "decon-recon switch"; in this case, the action/adventure/fantasy/superhero tropes are taken apart to further its importance and comprehension in real life before modifying them so it can function in both fiction and reality. Yes, taking major liberties with properties may concern/anger some, but it isn't without its reasons.
Episode 1: "Arrival"
Cold. That's what she felt. The cold breeze of a hot world. A world that was out to get her. Get her for the crime she committed.
Wait...what? What crime?
. . .
Why, the crime of treason, dear!
She shot up from the ground instantly and winced at the incoming effects of muscle pain. She shook her head and struggled to stand up, not fall down. Gazing downward, she found that she was wearing the exact same dress she wore on her birthday: an elegant blue dress with puffy light blue sleeves with dark blue strings around them, a medium blue vest with a darker blue trim and gold buttons, a blue puffy skirt with light blue ornaments and two strings with several hearts, dark blue shoes with light blue puffs on the toes and white socks, and a gold tiara. The only difference was that it was dirty and torn, but not to the point of being incapable of usage ever again. Taking off her tiara and staring at it longingly, the princess felt like a princess no longer. She was now reduced to a shell of her former self and maybe less.
She was no longer Star Butterfly, the princess of Mewni. She was now Star Butterfly...the peasant of...wherever she was.
After glancing around and seeing that nothing architectural resembled her home kingdom, Star nodded in understanding as the fact become apparent to her: she had absolutely no idea in the slightest where she was exactly. Plus, the ground was covered with a blanket of...some sort of cold, fluffy, and wet material. It allured her. Picking up a lump of this frozen material, Star gazed at it longingly before promptly dropping it. Quite possibly the only best thing about this land... Where am I exactly? I have no idea, no weapons, no nothing... Except the brown leather satchel that contained her book of spells and her magical wand. She picked up the satchel in question and slung it over her shoulders before journeying down into town. The town in question was quite the antithesis of Mewni. It was brightened with flashing lights, riddled with strange transporting carriages, and inhabited with people of various ages donning rather obscene clothing not akin to her aesthetic attire. Some shot her bemused looks, others didn't shoot her looks of anything. Star didn't like the halfhearted attention these people conferred on her; it didn't bother her by any means, but the looks they gave her made her seem like a creature from an other world. Ironically enough, she actually was, but she was far from their average alien. She looked like them, she sounded like them, but...she was not like them. In any way.
Star felt her mental train of thought derail when a voice beckoned her over. "Star... Star Butterfly..." The former princess shot her head up and blinked her eyes. Glancing around in confusion, she heard the voice repeat itself again and again. She then took a left into the alleyway when the repeated voice became closer and closer when she delved deeper and deeper. Assuming the voice belonged to an unknown adversary, she pulled out her wand and took a defensive stance, dangerously close to using it when she turned the corner.
The voice belonged to a 30-year-old woman with black hair, blue eyes, a black designer biker jacket, a dark grey long-sleeve V-neck, a pair of navy blue skinny jeans, and a pair of black combat boots. The expression on her face clearly read to both of them that she meant no harm. This prompted Star to lower her wand and upper her voice.
"Who are you?"
The woman sighed in relief and introduced herself, "Star Butterfly... You probably don't remember me. My name is Diana Prince. I am a friend of your mother's. On behalf of her, I was assigned to protect you."
Star was taken aback by this woman's response, her mind racking to recalling any memories of this particular woman being a part of her family life. Should I remember her...? Wait... Diana Prince...?
"Aunt Diana...?"
The woman named and confirmed to be Diana nodded slowly and smiled softly, "Yes, Star. It is me. It's alright. I am one of the few people to realize your innocence; your mother and the rest of the Magic High Commission have as well."
And...my father...?
"And...my father...?"
Diana could only shake her head in uncertain silence. Star felt her eyes tear up and lunged forward for a hug, which her aunt returned with no hesitation. They both stood there as nothing but the silent and faint light accompanied them both. After a moment's notice, they broke apart and Diana beckoned Star to follow her. She was led to one of those strange transportation carriages, which ‒ to her surprise ‒ had very more comfortable and smoother seats. Diana, wearing an amused expression at her niece's naivety, turned over the engine and drove off.
"Star... You should get some rest. Besides, we still have a few hours."
"A few miles from where?"
"... The safe house."
Upon receiving her answer, the former princess indeed got some rest.
Hot. That's what he felt. The hot blast of a cold world. A world that was out to kill him. Kill him for the crime he committed.
Wait...what? What crime?
. . .
Why, the crime of vengeance, son!
He shot up from the bed instantly and winced at the incoming effects of muscle pain. He shook his head and struggled to sit up, not slouch down. Gazing downward, he found that he was wearing the exact same tuxedo he wore on her birthday: a dark grey suit jacket, a light grey long-sleeve collared shirt, a navy blue solid tie, a pair of dark grey dress trousers, and a pair of black leather dress shoes. The only difference was that it was dirty and torn, but not to the point of being incapable of usage ever again. Taking off his tie and staring at it longingly, the prince felt like a prince no longer. He was now reduced to a shell of her former self and maybe more. However, he never saw himself as a prince or even a capable member of royalty. He merely saw himself as a normal guy trying his best to do the right thing.
He was no longer Marco Diaz, the prince of Echo Creek. He was now Marco Diaz, the peasant of...wherever he was.
After realizing he had dipped into one of his sarcasms again, Marco shook in confusion as the fiction become apparent to him: he had absolutely an idea in the slightest where he was exactly. He had an idea, an weapon, an anything...except his sense of human. He walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, the intent of cleaning himself up (and not just his act) still fresh on his stale mind. Completely undressing until he reached his birthday suit and stepping into the glass shower, he turned the valve and sighed in serenity as the warm water washed all over him. He grabbed the shampoo and washed the dust off, taking this procedure and applying to the rest of his fairly masculine body. When he was done, he turned off the shower head and stepped out of the shower, a red towel wrapped around his waist and a teal towel wrapped around his hair. He then dried himself as he marched to his closet for something to wear. In a few moments, he decided on all black and blue: a black trench coat, a blue suit jacket above a white long-sleeve collared shirt with a blue waistcoat, a pair of blue dress pants, and a pair of black leather dress shoes.
Marco located his father's highly customized Colt MK IV Series 80, checked the ammunition, and performed a brass check before holstering it. Gazing at his mirror's reflection for a moment or two, he only briefly hesitated to leave the house out of fear that something dramatic would occur in his absence. He shook his head in disbelief and turned tail, exiting the house and locking the door behind him. A few miles later, he arrived at Echo Creek General at a very late hour. However, the reason for his tardiness was a very good reason.
His parents seemed so far away when separated by the glass. He felt like a complete fuck-up because of this fact.
"Marco? Are you okay?"
Marco turned to face the source of the concerned voice: a 14-year-old girl with wavy platinum blonde hair with a left-sided aqua streak, tan skin, mint green eyes, and freckles. She donned a grey trench coat above raglan shirt, an aqua scarf, a pair of navy blue jeans, a pair of brown flat-bottomed boots, and a multiple-pierced right ear. He recognized her as his childhood friend.
"Oh, hello, Jackie," Marco greeted Jackie as he forced a smile, "And yes, I'm okay."
Let's hope... Jackie frowned at her childhood friend's attempts to mask his sorrow.
"Why are you here?"
"Oh, well... I saw you on my way home and I thought you needed the company."
"... Thanks, Jackie. I actually needed someone to talk to."
"Thank you, Marco. And don't worry, I'll be here whenever you need me to be."
A solemn (if not somber) silence soon followed as they overlook the two adults currently in the ICU. A silence that was soon broken by the ringing of Marco's phone, which promptly caught the attention of him and Jackie. He dug out his black iPhone 6 and read the following text:
Marco, I have a job for you. I can't tell you what it is; only your Principal can. I can tell you this: your job is very important, and I can trust you in performing this task perfectly and carefully. Good luck.
– W.W.
Marco could only sigh in resignation. He pocketed his iPhone and turned to Jackie, "I gotta go, Jackie. Duty calls."
Jackie could only nod in understanding, waving goodbye to Marco, "I understand. I'll see you around, Marco."
Marco waved goodbye back and left the hospital, his hands in his pockets like he just didn't care. Upon arriving back at his house, he immediately searched for his backpack. When he located it, he slung it over his back (as one would do) and left the house again. He started down the path to his school, preferring to suffer through the exercise rather than succumb to the laziness of using the school bus service. (Of course, there will be a time when he would utilize it for emergencies, but this time was not that time.)
At the same time Marco entered Echo Creek Academy, a silver 2009 Nissan 370Z pulled up to the curb. Its two occupants, Diana and Star, exited out once the car's engine was turned off. Diana was wearing the same outfit from earlier today (aside from the sword slung over her back), while Star was wearing a different outfit entirely. She donned a blue winter coat above a sea green short dress with a white collar, white lace on the long sleeves and bottom of the skirt, magenta-and-orange leggings, purple knee-high boots, and a small star bag. It was considered both formal and informal for Star's standards, but she loved it regardless, much to Diana's enjoyment. They both entered the school as the students (arriving and loitering) shot them confused and intrigued looks as they traveled down the hallway. Knocking on the door three times, a disgruntled "Come in" sounded through and gave them the okay to come in. The Principal himself was preoccupied with important (and not-so-important) documents, but they both got a good look at him after a quick survey. He was a rather heavyset man with a dark grey suit with a light purple long-sleeve collared undershirt, a dark purple bow tie, and a pair of dark grey dress shoes.
The Principal set aside the rest of his paper bills and folded his hands. "How can I help you, ladies?"
Jackie didn't want to get out of bed. Not because she was full of sleep, but because she was sleepless in Echo Creek.
She eventually forced herself to do so, however,as it was too late to stay in bed for a little longer. She was fully energized and aching to shoot up from her covers. Heading towards the bathroom, stripping down to her birthday suit and turning on the shower head along with the radio. She proceeded to began to wash off any dirt her body clenched tight. All the while, the thoughts of a heartbroken Marco plagued her little mind, despite her best interests. Not even the masterful combination of warm water and shampoo soap could clearly cleanse her head of the sickening nightmares that replaced her soothing daydreams. She was concerned for Marco. She was his girlfriend, after all... Or, rather, ex-girlfriend. Even after they broke up, Jackie clearly loved and cared for Marco. Did he clearly loved and cared for Jackie in return?
It remains to be seen.
Jackie turned off and stepped out of the shower when she was done, a seafoam towel wrapped around her waist just as the song finished. After getting dressed in proper winter wear, she took out a Beretta 90-Two out from her nightstand and loaded it. She then tucked it in her coat pocket before heading out to the hospital.
That's where things hit the fan.
Jackie was halfway near the hospital when she stumbled an impromptu robbery taking place in an alleyway. It's always the alleyways, Jackie thought to herself as she decided to investigate, her compensated Beretta drawn. The scene she uncovered was truly a sight to behold: a man who donned a red hood with his dick in his hand and stood above a 12-year-old girl.
"Please don't hurt me!"
"You should've thought of that before you stole from me, you little bitch!"
*CLICK.*
The man's blood ran cold and dared not to turn around and face his soon-to-be executioner. He soon dreaded his choice to assault and potentially molest a little girl, not taking into account that someone would've heard the cries of distress. Indeed, someone did, much to his great misfortune.
"Who's the bitch now?"
*BANG!*
Jackie slammed her locker shut after pushing most of her belongings inside. She left only her history and mythology books out; the first because it was (appropriately) the first period she had, the second because it was a secret hobby she had. Closing her door, she saw a new girl on the block exactly her age and of medium height. She had fair skin, light blue eyes and long blonde hair that went down to her knees; her bangs somehow overlapped her eyes and eyebrows. However, what made her eyebrows scrunch together was the girl's cheeks...which had posh pearl pink hearts on them. She assumed them to be tattoos, but she couldn't exactly remember the last time tattoos glowed a bright pink...or glowed in general.
"Penny for your thoughts, Jackie?"
Jackie turned to face her best female friend. She had tan skin, short dark-blue hair, and brown eyes. She wore an olive green long-sleeve sweater, a turquoise leather jacket, a yellow skirt, brown boots, and an olive green beanie hat. She was recognized by Jackie as her best female friend.
"Nothing important, Janna, but...have you seen that girl before?"
Janna turned to where Star passed and responded with, "Blonde girl, blue eyes, and glowing heart-shaped tattoos on her cheeks? Nope, she doesn't ring a bell. Why?"
Jackie frowned at a fading Star – not out of contempt, but out of concern. "No reason."
"... So...you say she's from another dimension."
Principal Skeeves and Diana, in the midst of their conversation, noticed the lights flicker on and off; they turned to find a naive Star portraying her curiosity to her fullest extent by playing with the light switch. As she did, the former stared in bemusement while the latter stared in amusement. Star ceased her playing and turned towards the adults,
"And you said there was no magic on Earth, Aunt Diana."
Principal Skeeves was taken aback and smoothed his nose bridge. So... The woman before me is an Amazonian princess who came from a secret island of other Amazonian warriors, and the girl behind her is her niece who comes from a otherworldly kingdom called Mewni.
Clearly, I don't get paid enough.
"And you expect me to think that this will all work out?"
Diana smirked and pulled out not one, but two engraved chests, placing them both on the Principal's desk. She then unlocked and unveiled the contents, a bushel of golden coins, red rubies, and blue diamonds among other riches. Moon will never hear the end of this... I never knew humans could form dollar signs in their eyes.
Indeed, the Principal somehow felt his eyes form literal dollar signs as he mused about the endless possibilities he could accomplish with all of this money. Of course, being the Principal, he had a job to do.
"She's gonna love it here!"
Star, oblivious to the real reason as to why she was here today, continued toying with the light switch. Diana frowned and turned to an equally nervous Principal Skeeves,
"She's going to need a guide."
As the snow continued to rain down upon the city, Marco continued to take his test while the rest of the class attempted to do the same. Attempted being the keyword; they seemed to be more enticed with Marco writing down the test rather than the test itself. As Miss Skullnick did nothing to get them to perform the task beforehand (in fact, she did nothing in general as opposed to performing her job properly), she instead opted to paint her toenails and listen to the Principal ("What a man...") boom all over the P.A. System:
"Marco Diaz to the principal's office, Marco Diaz to the principal's office."
As his head was a-hung, the class could barely notice the smirk forming on the boy's face. At that point, Marco had completed his test and handed it over to Miss Skullnick; hilariously, the students – not including Jackie, Janna, and Oskar (he was a different story entirely) – realized that their next grade would be a failed one and took rushed guesses in order to finish their tests on time. Marco on the other hand was already out the door by the time his classmates realized that fact and headed toward the Principal's office to know what the big man desired. The scene he arrived to consisted of two girls, one Principal, and a big kerfuffle. Except... It wasn't. For some reason, Principal Skeeves had not one, but two treasure chests sitting atop his desk. However, it was neither them nor the leather-clad woman with the noticeably protruding sword on her back that piqued his interest. No, it was the blonde girl playing with the light switch for some inane reason that caught his attention.
Who was that...? Blonde hair, blue eyes, and the naive yet eccentric personality... She seems like trouble. The good trouble, I mean.
"Principal Skeeves... You called for me, sir?"
"Ah, yes," Principal Skeeves stood up from his desk and led Marco to Star as an informal introduction, "Marco, I want you to meet our new foreign exchange student – Star Butterfly. I need a responsible, never-take-chances type to keep an eye on her, and who better than you, the safe kid?"
Oh, you complete fat-ass of a principal... "Sure, Principal Skeeves. Try taking into consideration that I'm the wrong guy for once."
Apparently Principal Skeeves caught wind of Marco's dry delivery of that comment, as he instantly frowned upon hearing it. "You're adorable, Marco." He then reverted back to his cheery, happy-go-lucky self as he picked up the two chests with a surprising amount of strength. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm off to the ice cream shop. Daddy's getting all 52 flavors!"
Marco, Star, and Diana watched as Principal Skeeves hopped all the way to the ice cream shoppe, two chests in each arm. I'm literally surrounded by literal man-children as of this moment... Diana shook her head as Marco turned to face her, an unamused expression crossing his face.
"Okay, Diana. What's the real reason I'm here right now?"
"This is the real reason you're here right now, Marco. Okay?" Diana pointed out Star to Marco, "This is my niece, Star Butterfly. She's...not from here."
... Well, judging by the way she was fiddling with the light switch earlier... "No shit."
"Language, Marco," Diana scolded, "Anyway, Star has been wrongfully accused of a crime she didn't commit and wrongfully banished as a result. She needs someone to guide her through the trials and tribulations of Earth life."
"And you assumed me to be the right guy?" Damn, why does this sound like a really sucky 'So Bad, It's Good' fan fiction story? "Why, pray tell, did you?"
"... You trust me. I trust you. And I trust you to keep an eye on my niece and not let anything happen to her while she is attending school here. Understand?"
Marco took a look at Diana's apparent niece. Star was innocently observing all the Principal's belongings and playing with them whenever she got the chance. Diana may trust me, but she certainly doesn't know me. Even if this Star Butterfly is her niece, what made her think that she trusts me enough to watch her is beyond me. I can already tell that she is not the first superhuman I'll ever encounter...and she certainly will not be the last.
"Let's hope." Was Marco's response. He approached Star, who continued staring off into the distance even after Principal Skeeves departed. "Hey... Star, was it?"
Star turned to face Marco. "Yes?"
"Um..." Boy, where do I begin with this girl? "As my good old principal introduced me to you, I am Marco Diaz, your tour guide around Echo Creek and the school you're unfortunate enough to attend. Echo Creek Academy has been through crazy experiences involving magic, not unlike your and your aunt's own. Believe me, a new student transferred here from Colorado and has a lot of experience with sorcery, witchcraft, and all that good stuff. Therefore, I shouldn't expect you to be different."
"You don't know that."
... Did she just interrupt my speech?
"What?"
"Did you just interrupt my speech?" Marco grimaced and frowned.
Star became flustered all of a sudden, "Oh, did I? I'm so sorry. But I would just like to point out something. You never know that I might be...different from the other magical people you've encountered. Say, you might think that my magic would be utilized for evil. It isn't."
"But I don't know that," Marco countered.
"Uh, yes, you do. I just told you," Star defended.
Taken aback by Star's response, Marco staggered ever so slightly and blinked in surprise. What the hell was this girl's deal? She and I just engaged in a type of witty banter! I don't know what type it was, but I need to think of a name of the witty banter where one person was being literal. Anyway, I have a job that needed to be performed properly.
"... Alrighty then. Come on."
"Where are we going?"
"... The reason I'm here. Who else is going to show you around the school...if not the entire city?"
That last part was muttered under his breath as he walked away from her. She aimlessly trailed behind him, waving goodbye to Aunt Diana as she did so. Diana herself returned the wave before heading back to her car.
A few hours later, the duo ended up in the cafeteria, each carrying a respective tray of food: Marco with a cheeseburger, a holder of French fries, and a chocolate chip cookie; Star with a hot dog, a holder of French fries, and a red delicious apple.
"Savages," Star remarked as she tilted her head at the sight of her hot dog, which she took a bite out of as she and Marco headed toward their table. To her own surprise, she actually enjoyed the presumably deceased animal, turning to her guide with a question in response.
"What breed is it?"
"It's just an expression, Star," Marco chuckled. Well, what more would you expect from a princess from a magical kingdom from an alternate universe?
Star and Marco made their way to their table where three more teenagers waited them. Star didn't recognize any of them. Marco, on the other hand...
"Hey, Jackie. Hey, Janna. Hey...Oskar? What are you doing here? Not wanting to be mean or anything, but..."
The moment Star turned to face "Oskar"...was the moment the world (both literally and figuratively) slowed to a stop. It wasn't until Marco moved out of her line of sight that she got a very good look at this "Oskar"; it only got better when she got closer and closer. He had brown hair which masked the color of his eyes, a dark brown corduroy fleece-lined jacket, a red neckerchief, a pair of dark grey jeans, a pair of purple-and-white boots, and two white fangs on both sides of his mouth. What is happening to me...? My stomach feels weird. My head is pounding. My eyes are twitching. What is this feeling...?
"No worries, Marco. Jackie invited me to sit with you guys rather than freezing my behind and getting it stuck on the hood of my car outside," Oskar shrugged and reassured Marco before noticing Star standing behind him. "Who's your friend?"
"Oh. Everyone, this is Star," Marco brought Star forward and introduced her, "She's our new foreign exchange student for the time being. I was just showing her around the school. Star, this is Oskar, Jackie, and Janna."
All three teenagers sounded their way of expressing greetings towards their new if temporary foreign exchange classmate; yes, even an equally starstruck Oskar. The duo sat down with the trio as they (minus Star) discussed a rather controversial topic.
"The Red Hood Gang struck again," Jackie spoke first with a tone of contempt towards the discussed subject.
"What is their problem?" Janna scowled at the mere mention of them, "Geez, I am all about occultism, but...this is extreme. Too extreme in fact."
"I don't think the Red Hoods are part of a cult, Janna..." Oskar scratched the back of his head, "...if you count their pursuit of meaningless lives."
"Even so, they're monsters," Marco tightened his knuckles and gritted his teeth, "They deserve to die. Every single one of them."
Jackie saw where this was going and placed one hand of one of Marco's shoulders. She was being tactful when comforting him, cautious when choosing the right words: "Marco...what happened was not your fault. Your parents were trying to protect you."
"... True...but I could've protected them in return."
As they were holding their breath in suspense, Janna and Oskar let out their respective sighs of relief. Jackie continued rubbing Marco's back while Star was watching the entire scene unfold before her as questions ran through her head. Who is this Red Hood Gang? Why do they deserve to die? What happened to Marco's parents? Did this Red Hood Gang...? Oh, no...
The bell ring of the lunch dismissal derailed the five of them from their respective trains of thoughts. They all stood up and slowly exited the cafeteria, Star and Marco trailing behind the trio. A solemn attitude of concern washed over the both of them: Star for Marco's hatred for this Red Hood Gang, Marco for Star's impression of him following their little tour.
Alas, this was the least of their problems...