Star and Marco vs Evil Book 2 Chapter 6: VI, a star vs. the forces of evil fanfic

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This is a work of fiction portraying alternate universes; all similarities to beings living, dead, or undead are entirely convergent.

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Possible spoilers between the ⭐⭐and 🌟🌟.

⭐⭐ Star and Marco stepped out of a space-time portal into a forest. It was cold, the dead of winter, and ice covered many a branch, rock, and puddle. The forest was thick with trees having crimson leaves, retained despite the season, and bark white as the gentle snow that sprinkled through the canopy.

"Radiant Shadow Transform!" cast Star, replacing the pairs' spring adventuring clothes with those suitable for the cold.

"Where are we?" asked Marco.

"I'm not certain, but the Bleeding Willow Trees make me think it's the Forest of Certain Death. But I've never seen so many in one place before."

"Me neither; no wonder I didn't recognize it right away."

The odors of smoke and death were heavy in the air. Looking out past the tree line, what the pair could see of Castle Village was burning, and they could faintly hear screaming. They took a few steps forward so they could better see Butterfly Castle; it, too, was burning. Standing atop one of the castle towers was a figure pointing to the sky and glowing with green magic. Both teens immediately recognized the silhouette despite the distance; it was Toffee.

"I think ..." Marco began, fear evident in his voice, "I think we should get the hell out of here."

"Yeah," Star replied, "totes."

Star was about to open a space-time portal to home when the teens heard a voice behind them command, "Surrender now, Star Butterfly!"

Whirling, looking desperately for the source of the demand, the pair spotted a clearing. They could see figures and flames but couldn't tell what was happening.

"I doubt that was meant for you," Marco said.

"Let's move closer, see what's going on," Star replied.

"No, let's get out of here before they see you and think you're their Star."

Star was already moving toward the clearing, ignoring Marco's plea. Marco sighed, then followed. They took up a position where they would be well hidden but still have a good view of the clearing.

Many of the trees surrounding the clearing were burning. In the middle was Star, standing over a body, but a Star like they'd never seen before. One eye was blue, the other red, and her hair was blonde on one side, red on the other.

More disturbing was the figure on the ground. He wore charcoal and red armor, a closely cropped beard, and was very clearly dead. They were surrounded by dark, armored, beings.

The AU's Red Star fell to her knees, screaming, "You took him from us!" The scream was so loud that the armored beings, as well as Star and Marco, covered their ears, in pain. Red Star then screamed wordlessly, as the air, and ground beneath her, rippled with raw magical force. The armored beings fell to the ground writhing in pain, as Star hastily threw up a shield bubble around herself and Marco.

The bubble almost didn't hold. "Damn, she's powerful," Star said in awe.

Two dark figures in black cloaks emerged from different spots along the tree line, both behind Red Star. They moved against the rippling magic toward Red Star, like beings walking against a heavy wind. As the figures moved closer, the two noticed each other. One stopped, hesitated, then turned and walked back into the trees; the other pushed on. When the remaining cloaked figure reached Star, a blue-white, faintly tinged with pink, helical sword of magic appeared in its hands. With no apparent hesitation the being drove it into Star's back.

The ripples of magic immediately disappeared, as Star looked in shock at the blade protruding from her chest, just barely missing her heart. The cloaked being pulled the sword out, turning and walking away as Star fell forward onto her Marco.

The dark knights slowly stood, saw Star slumped over Marco's body, then turned in the direction opposite the cloaked beings, leaving the clearing. Quiet descended on the four beings left behind.

Star and Marco were silent, stunned, disbelieving what they had just witnessed. It was inevitable they would eventually visit a Mewnian dystopia, but the reality of one unfolding as they watched was a shock.

Star noticed Red Star stir, groaning. "We have to help her," she said, dropping the magic shield as she stepped into the clearing.

"No, Star ..." Marco sighed; they needed to have an uncomfortable conversation when they returned home. He was confused; Star knew the dangers of interacting with an AU, had agreed to be cautious, yet was behaving like none of that mattered.

Star cast a spell that doused the burning trees, then knelt in front of Red Star, asking, "How can we help you?"

Red Star looked up, her face showing confusion as she realized who was standing before her. She painfully sat up, touching the cauterized rent in her chest, which was seeping blood. "Are we dead?" she asked. "Are you our spirit?" Red Star gasped as Marco walked up. "We must be dead."

"No, you're not dead," Marco said gently. "Not yet," he mumbled. Marco moved to take up a position where he could see both Stars and keep an eye out for the cloaked beings.

"Then ... who are you?"

Star answered, "I'm Star Butterfly, a magical princess from an alternate universe, and this is my boyfriend, Sir Marco Diaz. We're you and Marco from a different timeline."

"Oh ... we actually understand that. Marco told us Earth stories about such things."

"Who did this? Was it Toffee? We saw him on top of Butterfly Castle looking all magicy and scary."

Red Star nodded. "Toffee had been a threat for a very long time, but this time he was at the head of a Monster army far, far, larger than any we'd seen before, or even thought possible."

"Did he have help from Meteora? Our Meteora was killed by her mother for waging a war where she turned Mewmins into monsters. Maybe that's how Toffee won here; working with Meteora gave him more troops."

"Meteora?" Red Star thought for a few moments. "Meteora the Merciless, who drove the last of the dragons and Monsters from the Heartlands? That was hundreds of years ago." Red Star coughed, spitting up blood. "We know the fucker had help, but it obviously wasn't Meteora. We don't know who helped him; and now, we'll never know."

"Please, let us help you," Star pleaded.

"No." Red Star looked at the body of her Marco. "He was our royal protector, brought from his home dimension by the gods, in answer to our plea for help when Toffee attacked Saint Olga's. He was so caring, and brave, and really, really, hot."

Red Star brushed the hair back from Marco's forehead, then lay across his body. Star and Marco heard her final breath rattle in her chest.

Star, tears sprinkling down her cheeks, said quietly, "I want to go home now."

Choked up himself, Marco couldn't reply. He simply pulled out the wond, then opened a space-time portal. He took Star's hand and led her through. 🌟🌟

After the portal closed and silence returned to the clearing, Bob stepped from the shadows where she had been watching and listening. Two things in the conversation stood out to her.

First, in all her AU travels, she had encountered only one other Star and Marco ... Marcia, in that universe, what Bob called the "Gender-Swap AU" ... that had learned how to travel to alternate universes.

Second, it was clear from the conversation that these two were from the universe where Eclipsa had killed Meteora, unique among all the alternate Mewnis Bob had visited.

A third factor that had already been weighing on Bob's mind was from her observations of this Marco's use of magic fighting in Bob's proxy war. While other AU Marcos had learned magic, none had become as proficient and powerful as this Marco did. Bob thought it likely that this one had become powerful out of necessity, due to fighting Meteora, so was a threat of Bob's own making.

Traveling to AUs, Eclipsa killing Meteora, and Marco being powerful; three unique things in a single AU. Bob knew an old saying: "once is happenstance; twice is coincidence; thrice is enemy action." Bob realized she needed more work in the shadows of that AU before she attacked openly.

Bob stood looking at the latest Star and Marco to die, another Star by Bob's own hand. She felt no pity, no remorse, only a deranged hatred for the two and, by extension, Mewni.

Bob then realized that the other cloaked being had returned and was watching her. The being pulled back the hood of its dark green, almost black, cloak, revealing a woman somewhere short of middle age. She had blonde hair almost to her shoulders, and upon her brow sat a golden crown that would have had two short horns were one not broken off near its base. The two regarded each other for several moments, then Bob opened a space-time portal, leaving the being, and Bob's latest apocalypse, behind.

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The quiet and darkness of Star's room gave way to the sound and light of an opening space-time portal. Star and Marco walked out of the portal together, hand in hand. After Marco closed the portal, the two stood, staring at a wall.

Finally, Star said, "Hold me." As she reached to embrace Marco, he walked forward to the window, causing Star to hug nothing but air. The lingering silence was thick and uncomfortable. "Marco?" Star asked, concern in her voice.

Marco was fighting an internal battle. He loved Star dearly, but he was livid. He wanted to say nothing, to only comfort and love Star, but he was so shaken by what he just saw that it added fuel to his anger.

Undisguised rage in his tone, Marco asked, "Just what the hell were you doing?"

Star was taken aback. Cautiously, she replied, "What do you mean?"

Marco turned toward Star, his face red with fury. "You knew what kind of danger we could have been in, you knew what damage we could do to ours and that universe, yet you waltzed right into ... the situation. And what's worse, you didn't seem to care!"

Star felt the grip on her temper loosening. "I'm a rebel princess; I do what I want!" she shouted. "I've been through a lot the last few years and I'm going to do what I want, when I want to do it, and nobody, not even you, is going to take that away from me! I saw somebody who needed help and I wasn't about to just stand by."

"You wouldn't have been in that situation if you had listened to me and left when I said!" Marco yelled. Star was unconcerned about Marco's anger, she knew he would never attempt to hurt her, yet when Marco's voice suddenly became quiet and soft, it scared the bejeebus out of her. "Look, Star, I appreciate that you've had a lot of emotional traumas the past few years. I understand how badly your heart hurt when you saw me with Jackie; don't forget, I endured watching you with Tom for longer. I can only imagine what the pressures of being a princess are like, how you're feeling about yourself because of your heritage, and your concern for the treatment of Monsters."

Marco turned back to the window. Star walked over to him and began massaging his shoulders. "I was right there with you as you went through those things, so I shared your pain, even if I didn't feel it exactly the same way you did. But Star," Marco turned to face her, "I saw you turned into a monster right before my eyes, and I could do nothing about it. Don't you remember what my worst nightmare is about?" Marco's voice began to break as he spoke. "Watching you literally kill yourself right in front of me and not being able to do a goddamn thing to stop it."

Star wiped a single tear off Marco's face. "But I was fine," Star replied.

"No, Star, you weren't. The fact that you were able to come back doesn't change the fact neither of us knew that you even could when you did it. I care about what damage we can do to our own or another universe, but I care about you more." Marco looked away. "I can't stand watching you do things that could end up getting you killed ... again."

"Look, Marco," Star said, her anger rising for a second time, "I can take care of myself. You have to let me do things. No, strike that, it's not your place to let me do anything! If I die, I die, and it's my right to make that decision."

"Yes, it is. But I thought we were an us." His face still creased with anger, Marco walked out of the room, saying, "Since we're not an us, I'm going to my room."

Star stared after Marco for a few seconds, yelled, "I hate it when you act like this," then threw herself onto her bed, using a pillow to stifle half a dozen angry screams. After her rage subsided, her heart instead began to ache. She didn't really think she had just ruined things between her and her bestie boyfriend, but she couldn't keep her mind from flirting with the idea. As her anger disappeared completely, she began to feel morose, guilty, and downright stupid. She couldn't believe she had said such a ridiculous thing as it was her right to decide to make Marco watch her die.

Star thought about what she would feel like if Marco said the same to her, and she nearly sobbed. Star decided she didn't want to end the day on such a disagreeable note, and, even more, she wanted Marco. Star clambered out of her bed, then headed for Marco's room.

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Marco had almost drifted off to sleep when a knock came at his door.

"Marco?" Star called. "I'm sorry. I was a jerk, it's just that I ..." There was a noticeable pause. "I actually don't know why I said those things. Please let me in."

Marco didn't hesitate, at all. "Enter," he called.

Star entered, closing the door behind her. She turned toward Marco, hesitating. Marco's heart ached at the sight ... he hadn't seen Star so downcast and vulnerable since the Corn-Holing incident.

Without a word, Marco scooched over, raising the covers, for once not caring about the propriety of sharing a bed. Star crawled in with Marco, snuggled up to him, and laid her ear against his heart. Marco covered up the two of them, then returned Star's embrace.

"Pegasus feathers, I like this," Star said quietly.

"Yeah, me too," Marco replied.

"Are you still mad at me?"

"Yes."

Star sat up, facing Marco. "Then why ..."

"Star," Marco interrupted, "my love for you and my anger at you are two separate things. It's not 'I love you unless I'm mad at you,' it's 'I love you and I'm mad at you.'"

Eyes welling, but with a cheeky grin, Star said, "Like Tom, I guess I settled for the right being."

Marco chuckled. "I call pig-goat shit on that one; we all know none of us settled."

After a quick kiss, Star returned to listening to Marco's heart. They lay quietly for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company, but Marco's mind was still troubled.

"Star, not caring about the dangers to yourself, or the damage you might cause, especially to other beings, that's the old you." Marco sighed. "I'm sorry, too. The fact is, neither of us is acting entirely like ourselves. We've had disagreements before, but man, this time I was so mad I thought I was going to burst a vein. I ... think we need to talk to somebody about our demons, and by demons I don't mean Janna and Tom."

"Your parents did say they were there for us, for whatever we need, whenever we need it."

"I know, but ..." Marco hesitated, "I think this requires more expertise."

"Oh. Marco, I'm not getting in the catapult, not even with you."

"Geeze, Star, I meant counseling on Earth. But you're at least thinking in the right direction. I think we need to see a specialist in combat PTSD ... maybe we'll include Janna in that ... but who can also help us with our more personal issues."

Marco felt Star stiffen. "I thought we were okay."

"Well, every couple can use a little help, but that's not what I meant. We both still have nightmares, and the only thing that prevents them is sleeping together. Being in the same room together simply reduces how often we get them, and how bad they are. I know what you want to say, but even if I was willing to do that, it would just be putting a bandage on the symptom, not curing the problem. Remember, the sleeping nightmares started before the waking nightmare of the last two years. We need to root out what's screwing with us, and stomp on it ... if we can. At the very least, maybe we'll learn how to cope with it better."

Star responded simply by holding Marco tighter.

"I made a few friends when I was taking those early-placement psychology classes at mom's community college. I'll start doing a little networking tomorrow, see if they can recommend someone."

"Okay."

After the two had drifted off to sleep, a dot of golden light appeared out of nowhere, hovering a few feet off the floor. It elongated into a line, then the line split up and down, forming a door-like portal. Three soldiers in black armor stepped out, accompanied by a man with gray hair and moustache, wearing a suit. Two of the soldiers quietly approached the sleeping teens, then, carefully, placed collars around their necks. For good measure, the soldiers zapped the pair with what looked like long cattle prods with glowing purple gems on their ends.

With a quizzical look on his face, the man spread his arms and mouthed "why" at the lead soldier, a buff woman with dark skin. She merely shrugged. The man shook his head and whispered, "Wow."

Satisfied the teens would not wake up, nor be a threat even if they did, the two soldiers hefted Star and Marco and carried them through the portal, followed by the man and the lead. The portal closed, leaving behind a quiet and empty room.

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Star and Marco stood in what looked like a courtroom, in front of what looked like a judge, except she wore a brown uniform rather than a black robe. For hours they had been poked and prodded and paraded around, their clothes taken and replaced with what looked like gray prison fatigues. They were forced to sign stacks of papers about their histories, overseen by a bored and slightly annoyed bureaucrat. Their magic did not work in the dimension, whatever it was, and the collars gave their captors physical control at a distance so the teens could not use their own bodies as weapons.

Even though it was clearly not the Abs Dimension, the pair were in their thirty-year-old forms. That was the only thing they understood and, still groggy from the stunning, they were not really absorbing what they were being asked and told. They had finally been brought to the courtroom and forced to take a number, even though nobody else was present. As they waited, a Jurassic-Park-like infomercial played, narrated by a female voice with a strong twang from the southern United States in the Earth Dimension. Star and Marco flat out ignored it, still trying to come to grips with what was happening, and to shake the cobwebs from their brains.

Finally, Star's and Marco's number had been called, so they moved to stand before the judge. "Welcome to the TVA," the judge said. "You variants are accused of crimes against the sacred timeline. How do you plead?"

"The Tennessee Valley Authority?" Marco asked. "This is clearly not Earth. What does the evilest organization on Earth have to do with this? And why are we in our cheesecake and beefcake forms?"

"We are not that evil organization, and I resent you even suggesting it. That is the second most evil organization in the multiverse, surpassed only by Dis ... look, never mind. You're in your older forms because we don't portray children bumping uglies here. Now, I asked, 'how do you plead?'"

Star and Marco exchanged a glance, then fell to their knees. Star grasped her hands together, repeating, "Please, please, please, please," while Marco prostrated himself over and over, repeating, "We're not worthy, we're not worthy!"

"Shut up and stand up, you look like the poster children for birth control! Don't do that again in my courtroom!"

Star and Marco stood, grinning.

"I'm a judge, so I have no discernable sense of humor. A Jôrg Førman Grïll from Earth 616 that fries up the best chopped-kitten patties in the multiverse, yes; a sense of humor, no."

"Kittens!" Marco exclaimed in horror, as Star wiped drool from a corner of her mouth.

"I'll ask this one last time only, how do you ..."

A chime, from what looked like a fifties-era television, sounded. The judge quickly read the screen, then sighed.

"My apologies, you're the wrong Star Butterfly-Diaz and Marco Diaz-Butterfly," the judge said, then, under her breath, added, "Damn that Mobius, even if he is a cute idiot."

The judge addressed the teens. "My apologies, again. You are from Domain 667, which is not an Alternate Universe in Domain 616, the domain of the Sacred Timeline. You're from a separate reality, what we here at the TVA informally call a studio."

"Oh ... we actually understand that," Star began. "You see ..."

The judge cut Star off, saying, "As long as you've had no contact with Universe 650, you're free to go." The judge eyed the teens warily. "You have nothing to do with six hundred fifty, correct?"

"Correct, your honor," Marco answered, innocently.

"Bailiff, kindly send them home. Oh, and remember this: no matter what idiots might claim, this story of you two and your AU came first. Its beginning, middle and end were written before the other studio even started writing its story."

"Story? What story?"

"Don't worry yourself about it, sweetie, just remember it. Yours is a love for all time; always. Next case, please!"

The bailiff removed Star's and Marco's collars, then opened a space-time portal, beckoning the pair to enter. Star was the first to turn, and the moment she did, the judge winked at Marco and blew him a kiss.

Although Marco had no interest in a serious relationship or even a fling apart from Star ... not romantic, not sexual, not even furry; only platonic would be acceptable ... he nonetheless grinned. Still got it at thirty, he thought proudly to himself.

Star and Marco joined hands, stepping into the portal. Before he was through, Marco heard the judge say to the next defendant, who had entered while he and Star were being tried, "Laufeyson. Variant MCU1138, AKA Loki Laufeyson, is charged with ..."

After stepping back into Marco's room, the teens slowly made their way to the sofa and sat down. After a few minutes, Star turned to Marco, asking, "I know we agreed to pretend it never happened, but you do remember seeing that boy-Star and girl-Marco when we were walking to present the Petition of Friendship, yes?"

Marco nodded.

"I have no idea why this question just occurred to me, but if I was to kiss ... no, let's say get bizzy with ... boy-Star or you with girl-Marco, would that be considered sexual relations or masturbation?"

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⭐⭐ Inspired by The Royal Protector by The Eternal Winter (www dot fanfiction dot net /s/12229746). 🌟🌟

As always, stay amazing!

A/N: Yeah, I've been accused. According to them, it's impossible for more than one storyteller to come up with a female villain, wearing a dark cloak, wielding magic across alternate universes.

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Mr. Spinner: How many hours have you spent mulling over the string of train wrecks that is the STAR VS LOVE DODECAHEDRON? Because that was NOT a run of the mill explanation.

I don't know how many hours I spent, but they were spread over two years. One of the reasons this show spoke to me is I have similar baggage from my youth (yes, I was once a magical princess from another dimension I mean a teenager) that I never dealt with. I planned that chapter since I first made the decision to write this story, and have been subtly, and not so subtly, setting it up since chapter one. Now that the baggage has been brought into the open and the raw nerves poked, our cast of characters can start to deal with it and eventually move on from it.