Star vs The Forces of Evil

When Dimensions Cleave

Fanfiction Summary: Following the events of the Star vs episode "Cleaved," Star and Marco adjust to their new world and begin contemplating the next step of their relationship and their lives. But not everything is smooth sailing. Something went wrong when Mewni & Earth merged, and everything comes to a head with the return of familiar faces, the return of a dangerous foe, and the unearthing of shocking revelations that could change everything for everyone...

Part 1: Closures and Openings

Star and Marco kept their gleeful gazes on each other. The chaos of the newly created world surrounding them didn't once faze either of them.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Star, wh-what happened to your little hearts?" Marco pointed out the immediate elephant in the room.

"They...They went away when all the magic disappeared." Star said, somewhat sullenly. She felt her cheeks where her hearts used to be. "It feels so weird..." She moved her hands to her beating heart. "But I still have this one. And it's all yours."

Marco smiled wider, fighting back tears. Finally, he surrendered to the overwhelming love and rushed right into Star's arms, embracing her harder than he's ever hugged her. Star was quick to return it. "I was petrified...I thought-"

"We'd never see each other again?" Star sniffed back tears. "So was I. But, Marco..." She looked at him and smiled. "You were willing to leave everything behind. Your parents, your new sister, your...your Earth friends. All...for me."

"Well...so were you." They both chuckled. "I was prepared to die down there with you."

"Me too. Marco, I love you. I'd rather die with you than live without you." More smiles.

"Hey, look on the bright side. Now you don't have to worry about that. Cause we're together, here in..." Marco's voice slowly trailed off as he took a good look around at his new surroundings, taking in all of the commotion and chaos taking place. "Um...what are we calling this place now?"

Star joined him in observing their surroundings, leaving her equally dumbfounded. "I...I have no idea. I'm not even sure I know what happened."

"I mean, i-it looks like Mewni and Echo Creek kinda...kinda-"

"Cleaved?" Star interrupted. "What was it Glossaryck said? 'You can cleave something apart, or you can cleave something together.'"

"Okay, so that's what happened, but how did it happen?"

"Ya got me. Last thing I remember is us being stuck in the Realm of Magic just as it was going to the pits. We were hugging and then I think my cheek marks started glowing..."

"Wait, so did mine. I felt that."

"Yeah and then there was that portal that led to Earth and Mewni, but...I don't know, it doesn't really make any sense. Maybe Glossaryck would k-" She stopped suddenly, her eyes going wide, then sullen. "Oh wait...right..."

"...I'm sorry, Star."

She sighed. "Thanks. At least he thinks I made the right decision. But...did I?"

They separated from their hug. "What do you mean?"

"Marco, think about it. All of those magical beings that died - Hekapoo, Omnitraxus, Rhombulus, GLOSSARYCK! They're all dead, Marco. They're not coming back! Not to mention all of the sentient spells from my wand that perished. Heck, even the dang pony that POWERED THE WAND!" Her eyes slowly went wider and wider. "So many magical beings...dead..."

"Star!" Marco gently shook his new girlfriend to get her out of her self-destructive rant. "Listen to me, was there any other solution that would've stopped Mina and preserved everyone's lives as quickly as destroying the magic?"

Star had to give it a hard thought for a moment. She then sighed in defeat. "No. Not that I can think of."

"Then you made the right choice. You had to protect everyone, and Mina was not going to give you any time to think of a different plan. I'm sure if they were still around they'd understand."

Star looked down at the ground, then at Marco. She embraced him again. "You're probably right. Thanks." She said as she pecked his cheek. "So now what? I mean, I'm literally done with royalty and with being a princess. I can finally just be a normal person."

"Then...how about we just have a normal day?" Marco proposed. "We have a new world we can explore. Let's go explore it. We can have the entire day to ourselves. Scout's honor."

Star chortled. "Marco, you're not a scout. But...thanks. To tell you the truth, though, I'm kinda looking forward to just...not getting wrapped up in any of the madness around us right now. I just want to focus on you and me. Why don't we go back to your house?"

"I think my folks would be too busy showering us with hugs to give us any private time..."

"But that's okay! That's okay! I can deal with that. Honest."

"...Really?" Marco raised an understandably confused eyebrow. "But you just-"

"Marco..." She caressed his face and smiled. "I really like your parents. Like...a lot. They accepted me right away without so much as a question. They're fun people to be around. And they were incredibly tolerant of the magical shenanigans I got you and I into."

"Tolerant would be the understatement of the century. I can't stress enough just how laid back and chill my folks really are."

Star giggled. "I wasn't sure if it would be appropriate to say, but...I've always thought of your folks as like...family." She smiled and blushed, tears forming in her eyes.

"Like a second family?"

Star hesitated. "N-N-No."

Marco's eyes went wide. "Oh...Oh I see."

Star looked down at the ground, her blush growing stronger. "Yeah, I didn't want to say anything because, well, we had so much going on and so much was in flux and I wasn't sure how long I was going to be a part of your life, but...the truth is the time I spent on Earth crashing with you and your parents...it was the happiest I had been in a while. And the longer I was on Mewni trying to fulfill my duties as princess, the more I missed them."

Marco's eyes softened as a smile crept onto his face. "Come on, I mean it's not like your parents were terrible...right? I mean ignoring the betrayal and conspiring with Mina to screw everything up-"

"Oh no no, I'm not saying that at all." Star quickly interrupted. "I love my parents, and I know they love me. It's just...it was different with your folks. It was refreshing. My mom wasn't always the most affectionate person in the world, having to be the queen and everything, so she had to be focused and stern to deal with the problems of Mewni. Your folks, though? They're just chill, cool, fun people and...I dunno, I just wish I had more of that in my life growing up. Living in royalty wasn't always that cracked up to be."

"Aww, Star..." Marco brought her in for a hug.

"I know, I know, it's silly to think like that."

"No, not at all. And I'm pretty sure they'd be happy to hear something like that. Come on, let's go see that." He took Star's hand and they begun to walk towards Marco's house, before Star stops him for a moment.

"Wait, Marco! One more thing..."

"What's that-" Before Marco could react again, Star ambushed him with a passionate kiss. When they parted, his face was bright red and he was smiling wider than ever. "Okay, I am never going to get tired of that!" He exclaimed as they started for Marco's home.

They arrived shortly after at the doorstep to Marco's home, hand-in-hand. "What do you think they'll say about us?" Star asked her boyfriend.

"What? You mean will they approve of us? Star, they adore you. There's no way they wouldn't"

"I hope so."

"What are you worried about?"

"I just don't want to upset them or concern them or anything like that." Star sighed. "I...I don't care what my folks think, at least not nearly as much as I care what your folks think. It would hurt a lot more if I ever did something to disappoint them than-"

Before Star could finish her thought, the door swung open. The two lovebirds found themselves behind brought into a massive bear hug by Marco's father, Rafael. "THREE CHEERS FOR THE HAPPY NEW COUPLE!" He bellowed happily. "HIP HIP!" Followed by a noise maker blown by his wife & Marco's mother, Angie. Marco's newest sister, Mariposa, was snugly in her baby carrier on Angie's stomach. "HIP HIP!" Another noisemaker. "HIP HIP!" And a third noisemaker. Finally, he put them back down on the ground. Star and Marco laughed nervously.

"We didn't even say anything yet." Marco chirped.

"Word travels fast."

"Can I just say you two are the most adorable couple I've ever seen?" Angie chimed in, with Mariposa giggling. "After your father and I, that is."

Star let a sly smile creep onto her face. "We'll have to agree to disagree on that." She said flirtatiously before turning to Marco and pecking his cheek. "So, uh...nice world we have outside, huh?" Star chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, I still don't entirely know how all of that happened, but I promise you I'm gonna get to the bottom of it."

"We'll get to the bottom of it." Marco interjected with a smile. "We're a team. I've got your back through all of this."

Star's smile grew even wider. "Thanks."

"Besides, maybe it would do you a bit of good to just, you know, take a break for a bit. You've been under a lot of stress for a while with all of the Mewni madness. It wouldn't hurt to take some time to decompress. Besides, whatever is going on outside with the monsters and the humans...that's not your fault, and it's not your burden to carry."

Her eyes darted to the ground and she started lightly kicking the floor. "Yeah, I guess you're right. So...now what do we do?"

"Why don't I help you get settled into you room? It's not gonna be nearly as cool as your first room, since magic's gone and all..."

"Oh pffft, don't be silly. I'm sure it's wonderful." Star giggled. She took Marco's hand as they walked upstairs to the room Marco originally introduced her to when they first met. It was a plain, ordinary bedroom that didn't' have any of the cool wallpaper or designs Star's magical room always had. But for Star, that didn't matter. This felt like home to her. "I still remember the first day I set foot in this room..." She looked at Marco and grinned. "Boy we've really come a long way, haven't we?"

"We sure have." He replied as she walked over to the bed.

"You know, I never actually got to feel up this bed." She said as she calmly sat down on it. Immediately, she sank into the mattress as a satisfied, almost otherworldly smile crept onto her face. "Wow, this is...this is one comfy mattress."

"You're not just saying that, right?"

"Marco, I would not lie about something like that." She proceeded to lie down and rest her head on the pillow. "Oh my gosh, why didn't anyone tell me Earth pillows were so soft?" Star's smile grew wider as her eyelids started to fall. Marco was left in disbelief.

"You're...you're kidding, right? We have some of the roughest pillows and mattresses on the block. Of course that's what we prefer, but still, I don't know how you go from your obviously fluffed up sleeping beds and pillows to-" Marco's eyes unconsciously darted towards the bed, only to discover that not only was Star completely comfortable on a bed that Marco claimed was rough as wood, but she was actually out cold on it. Lightly snoring with a hint of drool, Star was experiencing the single deepest sleep of her life. It was only 6 in the afternoon. "Um...Star?" No answer. Marco slowly walked over to his girlfriend and gently took off her horns. "Goodnight, Star." He said sweetly, planting a gentle kiss on her cheek and pulling the blankets over off before exiting the room, turning off the lights, and slightly shutting the door.

It wasn't until very early the following morning that Star finally arose again. She suddenly sat up on the bed and took a few deeps breaths. She surveyed her surroundings and deduced that she fell asleep in the bed and was tucked in by her boyfriend. She rubbed the sand crust from her eyes and wiped the bit of leftover drool from her chin and proceeded to head into the hallway. Everyone else was still asleep. She peered into Marco's room and saw the boy fast asleep in his bed. A smile formed.

Afterwards she traversed downstairs into the kitchen. Rummaging through the drawers she found a homemade recipe for chilaquiles, a traditional Mexican breakfast dish, and decided that she was going to do something nice for her host family. Unfortunately, good intentions do not always produce good results. Growing up in royalty, she had her meals always prepared for her. As such, she was never formally taught how to cook food. Even with clear, explicit instructions listed on the paper, she struggled to do it properly. She burned the tortillas, she dropped the peppers, and she butchered the cheese. All in the span of 30 minutes.

Frustrated, she finally threw her hands in the arm and gave up - but not before turning off the stove to prevent any more burning. She took a seat at the table, defeated. Soon enough Marco came down the stairs and saw Star sitting there. "Star?" His voice got her attention fast.

"Marco." She grinned as he walked towards her and embraced her.

"Do you have any idea what time it is right now?"

"Yes, I can read clocks, Marco." She teased, getting a sarcastic laugh from him. "I'm sorry about knocking out so early yesterday, I hope I didn't trouble you or your family. And...thanks for tucking me in." She said the last line with a blush.

"Star, you were out for almost 13 hours. You obviously needed it."

"I gotta tell ya, Marco, I haven't slept that good in...maybe a year. I certainly haven't slept that long in ever."

"I always assumed that your beds in Mewni were, like, super soft and cozy."

"You know what? So did I! I've never actually slept on an Earth bed until last night. What? Did I used to sleep on the floor or something?" They both got a laugh from that.

"You looked so peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you. And you look a lot more rested now, so...why are you up so early?"

She sighed. "It was going to be a surprise, but...I was trying to make breakfast."

Marco blinked twice and stayed silent in thought for a moment. "What now?"

"I wanted to properly thank you and your parents for everything you've done for me, but I'm not really good with gifts. So I thought breakfast would be a nice place to start." She directed Marco's attention to the stove, where the wreckage of her failed efforts lay. "But it's not going as I had planned." What Star didn't realize was as she was speaking, Angie & Rafael, carrying Mariposa, traversed down the flight of stairs and overheard everything she was saying. "I really didn't want to disappoint your folks. But I have no idea what they're going to say-" Her head unconsciously turned towards where the two parents were standing, and she immediately shut up. She was met with two warm, approving smiles from them.

"Oh Star," Rafael said as he and Angie approached her and embraced her. "What a lovely gesture. But it's not necessary."

Star wiped a tear away from her eye. "Thanks guys, but really, I want to do this for you, because...I love you guys."

Now it was the parents' turn to wipe tears away. "Okay, who's cutting onions in here?" Angie quipped.

"It's not that, Star. It's the last day of the month." Marco explained. "The last day of every month, we all go out early for all you can eat pancakes at Paul Bunyan's!"

"Paul Bunyan's? Wait, we didn't used to do that the last time I was here."

"It's a fairly new tradition. You can thank my wife's cravings for that one." Rafael chimed in.

"Cravings?"

Angie hugged Star. "Star, sweetheart, when you one day get pregnant & bare a child, don't be surprised when you find yourself ingesting Lima beans at 3 in the morning."

"Lima beans? Pregnant? Okay whoa! Back up. We're not anywhere near that point. Marco and I aren't even married!" Star said with a chuckle. "...yet." And Marco's eyes went wide while Mariposa laughed. Rafael and Angie joined in the laughter.

"I'll tell you what, Star. If you really want to cook something, I'll teach you how to make my famous chile spaghetti tortillas later. You can be my cooking protege."

Star gasped with delight. "Do chefs get to wear capes?"

"Eh...no. But they do get to wear-" Rafael rushed into the kitchen, opened a drawer, and pulled out a traditional chef's hat. "This neat chef's hat." He walked back to Star and put it on her head. She took a moment to let it sink in before letting out an ear-splitting squeal.

"I LOVE IT! I ACCEPT!"

"That's the spirit! Now let's get going. If we hurry we'll get a good parking spot before rush hour." Angie and Rafael made their way to the car. Marco grabbed Star's arm lightly before she could join them.

"Um...what did you mean by "yet?"

"Oh don't mind that, I was just rambling. It didn't mean anything." She held a brief laugh before stopping herself. "Unless you want it to mean something." They both started blushing.

"Uh...well...I don't..." Marco sighed, still blushing. "It sounds really nice." He said sweetly. "But I'm not ready for that kind of step. Like...at all."

"Me neither." Star sighed loudly before returning her gaze to him with a big smile. "But...I hope to be someday. You're right, it does sound nice."

Marco embraced her and gave her a kiss. "When you're ready, I'll be ready." With that, they parted and went out the door to join Marco's parents.

At Paul Bunyan's, Star, Marco, Angie, and Rafael (who was still carrying Mariposa) were seated at a large table, eagerly awaiting their meal. "Okay, so you like pancakes, right?" Marco asked Star, getting a nod. "And you like chocolate chips, right?" Another eager nod. "Okay, but do you like pancakes AND chocolate chips? Together?"

Star ooh'd and ahh'd loudly. "You're making my mouth water, Marco." She didn't have to wait any longer to find out, as a waiter brought out their giant stake of chocolate chip pancakes and set it in the middle of the table. Everyone took a bunch, including Star. She hesitantly cut herself a small bite. "Alright, Star. Moment of truth." She took a bite of her pancake. Almost instantaneously, her face lit up to the nth degree.

"OMG THAT'S THE GREATEST FOOD IN THE HISTORY OF EVERYTHING MY MOUTH IS WATERING WITH HEAVEN AND CHOCOLATE AND FLUFFY BREAD I LOVE IT FIFTEEN OUT OF TEN!" She spat out shockingly quickly, garnering the laughter of the Diazes.

"I think she likes it." Rafael sarcastically remarked.

"Gee, what gave that away?" Marco sarcastically said back. His family's laughter drew the attention of the people in the next table, who just happened to be Tom and Janna. Tom peered over the table to see Star enjoying her breakfast a little too much.

"Star?"

The sound of Tom's voice immediately drew her attention. "Tom?" She looked his way. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

"Having breakfast with Janna."

Star gasped. "Awww, that's so nice."

"Don't get any ideas, we're just here as friends." Janna retorted.

"Suuuuure. That's what they all say." Star couldn't help herself. Janna rolled her eyes. "Actually, I'm glad I ran into you. There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, sure, of course."

"Could we talk somewhere where there's nobody around?"

"Y-Yeah, of course." Both Tom and Star stood up and proceeded to leave their tables.

"Would you guys excuse me for a moment?" Star asked politely as she left the table and walked with Tom to the farthest corner of the restaurant, basically out of earshot from everyone else. The four others left behind exchanged confused glances with each other.

"Star, I hope you didn't ask me over here just to say you broke up with Marco and wanna get back together with me." Tom immediately began. "That would be just a giant bummer."

"What? No, no! It's nothing like that at all. I'm actually really happy with how things are going with Marco." Star responded with a blushing smile.

"Well, that's good then."

"Thanks. Actually, I..."

"Yes?"

"I...wanted to apologize to you."

Tom, in disbelief, blinked twice. "Apologize? I-I don't understand. What exactly are you apologizing for?"

Star looked at the ground and started shuffling her feet. She wasn't certain if she had the guts to say what she was about to say. "For being a lousy girlfriend." She blurted out, much to his surprise. "I mean I've had a bit of time since our breakup to think about things, and it kinda dawned on me that...I wasn't that good to you. There's a lot of things I did when we were together that I wish I had done different. I wasn't as attentive to you as I should've been - you went through so much effort to change and to be a better person and I didn't really give you the respect that it justified. I didn't tell you about my kiss with Marco in the photo booth but I should have. You shouldn't have had to learn it from him. I pushed you to the side during that monster party where all I could think about was trying to make peace with the Mewmans and the monsters. Plus the whole time I was with you, my feelings for Marco were constantly changing and bouncing, and it kept me in a loop, and I wasn't straight with you about it. The truth is I had wanted to break it off with you sooner, but you did so much to change yourself and be better that I knew I would've felt like scum if I did that. So I stayed. I didn't mean to string you along the way I did, and I know I probably hurt you a lot along the way. I'm sorry, Tom."

Though Tom was looking right at Star, he had partially zoned out, completely floored at what he was hearing. "I...I'm sorry, I don't know what to say. I wasn't prepared for something like this. But look, it wasn't...it's not like you were doing it to be mean, you had a lot on your plate, and I didn't always give that important stuff consideration-"

"Tom." Star interrupted, shaking her head. "I appreciate what you're trying to do but please don't make excuses for me. All of that might be true, but it doesn't excuse any of it. I still could've handled things a lot better than I did. Honestly I'm just amazed you put up with me for so long."

"Oh come on, you make it sound like you're an annoyance, and you're the farthest thing from that. Even with all of your charming and adorable quirks."

Star giggled. "It's funny. The first time we broke up it's because your anger issues pushed me away and I was convinced you weren't going to change. This time, you were the one that behaved and I was the one that just kinda meandered and derped around. I guess I still have some growing to do."

"Well, maybe I'm just not the right person to help you grow the way you need to." Tom placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "And maybe you're not the right person to help me. But...that doesn't mean that our relationship was a bust."

She smiled at him. "That's true. And I'm glad we did get back together. It was nice while it lasted. And you're going to make some gal or dude very happy one day."

"...gal or dude?"

"What? I don't judge." They shared a laugh with each other. "You've grown a lot, Tom. I know this is cheesy, but...I'm very proud of you. You deserve someone that'll light up your world the way Marco lights up mine. You deserve a lot better than me."

Tom shook his head lightly. "Even if that is true, I don't know how I can do better than Star Butterfly." His statement got a blushing laugh from Star.

"Still, I feel pretty lousy about it all. I don't regret us breaking up, because I think you're right. We both need someone we can call a "best friend" to date. I just wish I had done things better with you. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Tom gave it a serious thought for a brief moment. "Well, if you really insist on doing this, there is one thing..."

"Name it." Star said without a hint of hesitation. Tom chuckled before getting serious again.

"Promise me one thing."

"Shoot."

"Promise me you won't screw things up with Marco." Tom's request took Star a back quite a bit. "Marco is awesome." That statement drew a wide smile and some tears from Star. "I don't know how much better it gets after Marco. You're lucky to have someone as awesome and loyal as him in your life, and I'd really hate to see things go bad between you two."

Star wiped some tears away and then saluted Tom. "I'll do my best."

Tom smiled before sticking his hand out for her to shake. "Friends?"

But Star bypassed the handshake and went right for a hug, which Tom easily reciprocated. "And Tom?"

"Yeah?"

She pulled slightly away from the hug to face him. "Take care of yourself. Make yourself happy. You deserve it." She pecked him lightly on the cheek before breaking off the hug and walking away.

"So do you, Star. So do you."

Star returned to her table and started to eat some more of her pancake. "Everything okay, Star?" Marco asked. She nodded in return and chewed some bites before talking.

"Yeah, everything's alright. I just had a few things to get off my chest with Tom." She kept talking as Tom walked past their table and returned to his.

"And you two are...?"

"We're okay. Honest, Marco. We're fine." She kissed him gently on the cheek and then returned to eating her pancake. Marco shrugged and followed suit, relieved to see his girlfriend happy.

End of Part 1

So it seems I'm not nearly the only one with a post-finale idea. Here's hoping I can do enough to distinct mine from the rest.

Anyway I've been in a massive writer's block for seemingly years now and it's about time I try to break out of it. Here's hoping this does it. It's a solid start to what I consider to be my most ambition idea in years. Things will start to make more sense as we go along and I'll do my best to honor and respect the Star vs lore.