Star and Marco vs Evil Book 2 Chapter 10: X, a star vs. the forces of evil fanfic

— OoOoO — O — OoOoO — O — OoOoO —

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

In Star's bedroom, the lid of an extremely large steamer trunk slowly raised. Once the lid had swung all the way open, Star, in her nightgown, stiffly climbed out, followed by Marco in his jam-jams.

"Well," Marco said, stretching, "that was an interesting Friendship Thursday activity. Let's never do that again."

"Agreed," Star replied, shrinking the trunk to its normal size.

After Star cast Radiant Shadow Transform to clothe them in their day-clothes, the pair sat together on the couch.

"Well," Marco began, "I guess we achieved a partial success; that's way better than it could have gone."

Star was struggling to see the positive in the outcome of their efforts for Monster equality and rights at the Conference of Nobles. "I just don't understand what's wrong with those beings," Star said, a touch of anger in her voice.

"That's politics, and you know that better than I do. We're trying to undo a thousand years of distrust and discrimination, and, frankly, the amount of change we did get was extraordinary."

"I know. But it's odd ... how can you outlaw discrimination yet not grant full citizenship? At least each kingdom was allowed to grant citizenship within its borders. It was no surprise the Spiderbites didn't approve it within theirs, but I was really surprised that the Jaggy Kingdom also didn't."

"There's more distrust from the Jaggys because of what the Monster Kingdom has been doing lately. Expecting them to rise above it was probably too much."

"But maybe there was something more I could have done. I can't help feeling like I failed ... again."

"Star, you have to stop selling yourself short. Hell, look at the Johansen Kingdom; they voted for full citizenship, despite their general distrust of Monsters, because they trust and respect you, their 'favorite niece,' as King Johansen said." Star blushed. "Well, we have to work with what we're given, and so the fight goes on. The Lucitor Kingdom still hasn't decided on citizenship within its borders, so we can continue the fight there in the short term. Speaking of things continuing ..."

Marco reached for Star, pulling her to him. They had just begun engaging in behavior that would scandalize Star's father if he caught them, when Marco's phone chimed with his mother's ringtone, indicating a text. He reluctantly grabbed his phone and read the text.

"Well, they're here," Marco informed Star. "The genetic testing results."

"Yayyyyy!" Star squealed.

"Mom said they're sitting on the kitchen table. Can you conjure me up a dimensional portal above the table so I can just reach through and grab them?"

"Sure." Star waved her hand, opening a small dimensional portal.

Marco reached into the portal. He grunted, feeling around, until he felt the small box containing the microSD with the results. "Got 'em," he said. He tried to pull his arm out of the portal, but he couldn't budge. "And I think something got meeeee..." Marco was pulled halfway into the portal.

"Marco!" Star yelled. She grabbed Marco around the waist and began pulling, taking care not to pull so hard she yanked his arm out of its socket. After a few tries, Marco flew out of the portal, the two falling heavily to the floor, the portal automatically closing. Star looked at Marco ... and saw half a dozen lipstick prints on his face.

Marco shook his head as he wiped off the prints with a sleeve of his hoodie, saying, sheepishly, "Moms; am I right?"

Star grinned. She stood, helping Marco off the floor. Marco retrieved his tablet from Star's desk, plugging the memory chip into the tablet's card slot. They then sat on the couch, Marco sitting back to look through the results, while Star sat next to Marco on her haunches, facing him, eager to hear what the scientists found.

"Well, Mewmins and Monsters do have DNA, and you'll be happy to know that you are indeed your mother's and father's daughter," Marco swiped to the next page, "... aaaaand ..." Marco looked at Star, bug eyed, "you are my sister!"

Star squeaked, "What?"

Marco snorted. "Just kid...OW!"

Marco rubbed his arm where Star had punched him. She gave him three quick kisses on the cheek.

Continuing, Marco said, "You won't be so happy to know you're not related to Eclipsa, as expected, and," Marco swiped to the next page, "Meteora was indeed Eclipsa's daughter." He again swiped to the next page. "And I'm ..."

Marco scowled. He began swiping quickly through the remaining pages, scanning them.

Star could tell something was wrong. "What is it?"

Marco turned to Star, chewing his lip. After a couple seconds, he said, "I need to talk to Moon; she needs to call Hekapoo in for a meeting. River, Eclipsa, my parents, and us, too." Marco stood and moved quickly toward the door.

"Wait," Star called, worry in her tone, "aren't you going to tell me?"

Catching the tone, Marco said, "It's nothing bad, boo. But I think it's best to reveal the results when we can get some answers to the questions they raise."

— OoOoO — O — OoOoO — O — OoOoO —

Star, followed by Marco, stepped out of a dimensional portal into Hekapoo's dimension, the pair in their thirty-year-old cheesecake and beefcake forms. Hekapoo, unsurprisingly, refused to obey Moon's order to meet with the Butterflys and Diazes. Marco strongly suspected she knew something, so, as much as he hated doing such a thing, he knew they had no choice but to compel her attendance.

Star turned around to face Marco, catching him looking her up and down, a smile on his face. Star looked down at herself, discovering she was naked.

At nearly eighteen, Star's body had taken on her adult build and curves. In The Abs Dimension, just like Marco's, her physical form was even more buff, and curvier, than it was in her own dimension.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot when you come to this dimension the portal puts you back the way you were when you left. Still makes no sense." Star reached behind her, pulling her once-again calf-length tresses forward to cover herself. "Guess I should have put on some clothes before we portaled home last time. Hey, Marco?" Star snapped her fingers. "Marco!"

"Hunh?" Marco asked, his concentration on admiring Star broken.

"As much as I'd like to take advantage of this, we have work to do. Radiant Shadow Transform!"

Star was now fully clothed in her huntress outfit, its primary element a knee-length, dark maroon, sleeveless, woolen dress. It provided light protection from the elements and weaponry, while allowing for free movement. Her wool leggings were a very dark pink, and her leather boots were brown, the leather lacing extending all the way to the knees. Her fingerless gauntlets were black leather, and she wore a leather armband on her left bicep, the same color as her leggings. The dress had a voluminous, gray, fur collar, closed in the front with her heart locket, transformed into a clasp. Her horned hairband was the same color as the dress, and a knapsack, the same color and material as her boots, hung over her left hip from a leather strap over her right shoulder and crossing her chest. Her hair was shortened back to its length on Mewni, and her bluish-silver streaks again colored purple.

"I think I probably need something more practical as well," Marco said.

"Aw ... wish I hadn't said anything. Radiant Shadow Transform!"

Star replaced Marco's X-103 adventuring clothes with a complementary outfit. Instead of a skirt and leggings, he wore pants tucked neatly into his boots, and instead of a blouse he wore a short sleeved shirt. The trousers hid a holster for the wond, allowing Marco to keep the wond concealed yet easily draw it for combat. Replacing Star's fur collar was a capelet, maroon leather on the one side and gray fur on the other, worn fur side out. The chainmail cape clasp was gold-colored zidanium, with heart-shaped terminals, one with a red gemstone and the other with a blue one.

Although the clothes were comfortable, something didn't feel right to Marco; he felt a cool breeze against his midsection. Looking down, he saw that the shirt front was completely open, his abs fully exposed. "Star, what gives?" Marco asked. Looking up, he saw Star was staring at his abs, a slight blush on her cheeks as she chewed on an index finger. "Star!"

"Hunh?" Star asked, her concentration on admiring Marco broken.

"Work to do, remember?" Marco brushed a hand over his bare abs.

"Now I'm really regretting having said anything. Oh well, fun later." Star waved her hand, glowing pink with her magic, fixing the shirt.

Marco thought Star might not be taking the quest seriously enough, but he decided it wasn't worth arguing about. Besides, he found he liked Star lustfully ogling him.

Star and Marco looked around, trying to get their bearings. "Where are we?" Star asked.

Marco was confused. "I don't recognize any of this. The sky is the wrong color, there's another moon, it's colder than I remember, and I've never seen this mountain range before." Marco tapped his chin in thought. "How many years have passed here?" Quietly, he said, "Good thing this isn't long division."

Star wandered about, looking at the vegetation and listening to the call of animals, while looking for any signs or clues. Marco's eyes flit back and forth as he did calculations, mumbling, "Let's see ... days and years are the same length on both Earth and Mewni. One minute on Earth is two years here, I was here with Hekapoo closing Star's portal in December 2015, we both were last here in April this year, so ..."

Star, finding nothing useful and becoming bored, embraced Marco from behind, standing on tiptoes so she could place her chin on his shoulder. "You're a little taller here," she said.

"You too, I think." Marco finished his calculations, saying, "Wow. About 2.5 million years have passed since closing that portal, 125 thousand since we fought Meteora."

Marco stepped out of Star's embrace, turning to face her and taking her hands.

"So why aren't we, you know, dust? Why are we just thirty years old?"

Star shrugged. "For the same reason the portal put you in your questing suit and me in my birthday suit ... magic's weird."

Marco decided he was wasting his time trying to figure it out. "Regardless of how much time has passed, we still should have rifted outside Hekapoo's forge. Maybe there was, I dunno, continental drift and this is where Hekapoo's forge used to be? Let's try again."

The teens let go of each other's hands, Star waving one to open a portal. Nothing happened. "Um..." Star said, confused.

"Let me try." Marco pulled out the wond, attempting to open a rift. Again, nothing happened. He holstered the wond, then pulled out his dimensional scissors, which the "Safe Kid" still carried just in case. The scissors were also ineffective.

Star's eyes widened. "Hekapoo! She must be blocking rift-making. Oh shit, can we get home?"

Star successfully opened a portal to home, Marco sticking his head through to confirm that's where it led. Star closed the portal after Marco pulled out; he had half a dozen lipstick prints on his face. "When did Eclipsa start wearing lipstick?" he asked, as he wiped the prints off. "Anyhoo ... looks like we can get home. I think you're right, Hekapoo's behind the portals not working. I'm guessing she's still angry with us, or really is hiding something, or both, but isn't being vindictive ... she could easily trap us here, leaving us to die." Mumbling, Marco said, "Wish we would have thought of that before coming here."

"Mess-up twins?" Star asked.

"Mess-up twins," Marco said. "We probably ought to work on fixing that, before we get somebody killed. In any case, I'm glad we can get home, I don't know what we'd do if we couldn't."

"We'd live in the woods, Marco, live in the woods. So, what do we do now?"

"I guess we do it the old-fashioned way and go looking for her. I hope it doesn't take sixteen years this time. Your decade-and-a-half stay was more recent than mine ... suggestions?"

Star turned a full circle, looking in all directions. "I'm sorry, although they're more distinct when we're here, my memories are simply less fuzzy, not clear. I don't recognize anything, either. These mountains seem familiar, I think maybe I was on the other side of the range, which doesn't help us at all."

"You can go BM a lot easier than me, why don't you flit up above the trees and see if you can see anything."

"That's gross, Marco." Star transformed into her Butterfly Monster form, then flew up above the canopy. She called down, "Hey Marco, does your phone's compass work here?"

Marco pulled his phone out of a pocket, the contents of which Star had thoughtfully preserved when she changed their clothes. He opened the compass app, spinning to test its functionality. "Only the magnetic compass is working, and it's a bit wonky."

"Good enough. Toss it up here." Marco threw Star the phone. She took several photos, and took a couple bearings, storing them in memory, then alighted next to Marco. After dropping out of her Butterfly Monster form, she said, "I saw some spires and a couple roofs; I think there's a sizeable town in that direction."

"How far?"

"Do I look like a ruler to you?"

"No, but you do look like you will be a ruler, one day."

Star snorted in derision. "Puns carry the death penalty on Mewni, Marco."

The teens turned toward one another, simultaneously saying, "Quest time!" "Let's get a movin'."

— OoOoO — O — OoOoO — O — OoOoO —

Star and Marco ran like their lives depended on it. They were well ahead of the creatures, but they were tiring. Despite the kitten bombs and other explosive spells, and occasional direct hit on an individual creature by a narwhal or other spell, the creatures showed no sign of giving up.

The two questing teens were at a distinct disadvantage. The trees and the thick debris on the forest floor hampered their movement, reduced their speed, and increased the effort needed. They bobbed and weaved between the trees, leaping over fallen limbs and trunks, but they knew they were running out of time.

Unexpectedly, they ran into a clearing in the middle of the forest. Star yelled, "Here!" the two teens coming to a stop, immediately dropping into a tandem defensive formation. They had only a few moments of rest before a frightening horde of the creatures began streaming out of the understory and canopy.

The creatures immediately attacked, giving Star and Marco no time to recover from their headlong flight. Used to less extraordinary beings, the creatures were not prepared for the strength of the pair's defense. The teens used non-lethal spells and physical attacks, despite the frightening nature of the situation, as they did not yet know whether the creatures intended to capture or kill.

Hands and feet flying, Star and Marco beat back the creatures when they got close enough, and used magic to try to keep most of them at a distance. They were fighting in sync, their moves and spells complementary. Star would punch a creature in the head, followed by Marco blasting it back into the trees with magic. Marco would sweep a creature toward Star with a kick, who would then apply an uppercut to the creature's chin. Rotating, back-to-back, they would punch and kick the creatures away.

There were too many. Finally, panting, Star yelled, "Enough!" She grabbed Marco's hand, and together the teens conjured an expanding sphere of magic that bodily flung the creatures back into the forest as it grew. Many of the creatures bounced off trunks as they were tossed through the air, to Star's grim satisfaction.

The spell knocked the fight out of the creatures. As the pack hissed and quietly hooted their hunting cry of "ree, ree," a single creature strode out of the forest, being sure to keep his distance and not look threatening. He was around three feet tall, wearing a light blue shirt and dark blue overalls, rounded out with brown dress shoes. He had a brown beard with no moustache, a bulbous, orange, nose, and a mouth filled with pointed teeth. On his head was a red, cone-shaped, hat.

Shaking his fist at Star and Marco, the creature said, "We prize butterflies above all things, so we would have made you our queen. You too, blondie. But you fought us, and now you will rue the day! You think you can stop us? You have no idea what we're capable of! We may be underprivileged, but the gnomes are still a powerful race! Do not trifle with the ... urk!"

Star stood, hand outstretched and glowing pink, watching the gnome fly through the trees. Marco exclaimed, "Star, he wasn't attacking!"

Star looked at Marco in puzzlement. She replied, "You say that like you're making an obvious point, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it is."

— OoOoO — O — OoOoO — O — OoOoO —

After several hours walking through the forest hand in hand, stopping only occasionally to rest and engage in some hard-core snogging, they came to the edge of the forest. Before them was a town, very similar to the medieval-like settlements found on Mewni.

"What now?" Star asked.

"We need information," Marco replied. "We could go door-to-door asking, I suppose, but that seems like it'd be rather inefficient."

"A pub, perhaps?"

"Yeah, I think you're right."

Star and Marco walked toward the center of town until they came to a road wider than most. If the pattern from other dimensions held, the best place for information would be a pub just off the main road. Each taking one side of the road, they continued walking toward the center of town, looking down every alleyway for signs of a pub.

"Ssst!" Star called, pointing down an alleyway. Marco crossed the street then followed Star down the alley.

Two royals walked into a bar, stopping just inside to appraise the customers. They were mostly humanoid, with a few monsteroids here and there. They all looked rough, just the kind of beings likely to know the directions Star and Marco needed.

Marco walked to the middle of the pub, then thumped the nearest table loudly to get everyone's attention.

"We are on a mighty quest," he announced. "It may take months, even years, but nothing, not demons, not peril to life and limb, not snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night, shall keep us from the swift completion of our appointed ... uh ... goal."

Star called out, "We are simply in need of information. Who among you will be brave enough to aid us in our noble quest?"

Without a peep, every denizen of the bar turned back to their own business.

"Bugger," Marco said.

"Well, maybe there's another pub in town. At the very least, maybe ask the barkeep?"

"Yeah, couldn't hurt." Star and Marco walked up to the bar. Addressing the older gentleman tending the bar, Marco asked, "Sir, do you know the way to Hekapoo's forge?"

"I do, young master," the bartender answered. "Go out the door, turn right, go up the alley back to the main street, turn right again, then follow the road about a mile straight to the edge of town. The forge is just a couple dozen yards past the gate."

Star and Marco looked at each other. "Uh," Star asked, "guarded by savage demons? Traps? Math problems? Other horrors beyond imagining?"

"No, young mistress. Just a little garden path, with pretty flowers along it. It's very nice."

"Oh, er, okay. Let us give you something for your trouble."

"No need, all part of the service. I can tell you are grand adventurers, just direct those beings you leave alive to my pub. Word of mouth is the best advertising, after all."

"Erm, thanks."

Outside, still chewing on the idea of a bartender not wanting gold coins as compensation for information, they turned right up the alley, following the bartender's directions. The pair walked down the main street, taking in the interesting mix of architectures, while keeping an eye out for an ambush, still not really believing it could be that easy. When they reached the gate at the edge of town, they saw that the being had been honest with them.

Several dozen yards outside the gate was Hekapoo's forge, smoke billowing from the giant, hollow, stump, carried away from the town on the winds coming down off the mountains. There were no visible traps along the path, nor any other dangers that they could see, or detect with magic, and the flowers were indeed pretty. There weren't even any clones guarding the door.

"So ... easy-peasy, taco breezy," Marco said. "No dangerous, arduous, years-long quest necessary. Just a simple stroll down a garden path." He paused a few moments, then said, "Let's never speak of this again."

Taking Marco's hand, Star said, "Agreed."

The pair walked up to the forge's door. Marco raised his hand to knock, but then hesitated. Letting go of Star's hand, he turned toward her, saying, "Actually, let me try to reason with her alone. I'm sure she'll be rather defensive due to you ... you know ..."

"Literally wiping the floor with her? And the walls? And the ceiling? And ..."

Marco grimaced. "Yes, dear, that. If it doesn't work, I'll pop a red burst of magic, then you can come in."

"You got it, boo."

They shared a quick kiss, then Marco turned to the door. He knocked three times, then tried the knob; the door was surprisingly unlocked, so he entered. Hekapoo was clearly expecting him. She stood in front of the giant crucible which held the molten metal she forged dimensional scissors from, tapping a foot, scowling.

Marco closed the door, then strode half the distance to Hekapoo. He sighed, then said, "Hekapoo, we need you at the meeting. I need you at the meeting. Please come with us."

"No!"

"Please? Pretty please?" Marco flexed his biceps, knowing muscles made Hekapoo weak in the knees.

For once, Marco's hot bod had no effect on Hekapoo. She shook her head and crossed her arms. "I'm not going."

"Please don't make me do this."

"The only way you're going to force me there is in a baggie, as dust. You're powerful, fleshwad, but you aren't powerful enough to do that, and you can't overpower me, either."

"I know I can't. But she can." Marco snapped his fingers, a red burst of light reflecting down the huge chimney.

The door burst open, Star entering as usual, with a kick. "Hekapoo!" Star yelled, as pink magic audibly crackled about her, licking the floor and walls like lightning, her pupilless eyes and Magic-Pips glowing brightly.

"I'm not going, and you can't make me, you cloth eared bint." Hekapoo's eyes flared white, as she erupted in flames. "Bring it on!"

"H-poo! Stardust!"

"Don't call me that!"

"Not now, Marco."

"Star, I'm afraid fighting her will accomplish nothing."

Star powered down, as Hekapoo doused her flames. "So," Hekapoo said in a surprised voice, "you're not going to force me to go?"

"I didn't say that."

Marco turned to Star. "She refuses to go, even with the threat of another beatdown, so you know what we have to do, then, don't you?"

"Pegasus feathers, yes!"

The pair both opened their arms wide, running toward each other. Hekapoo cocked her head in confusion. "Hey! What are you two doing?" Realization dawning, she yelled, "No! Don't do that in front of me, it's enough to give even a magical being diabetes. Oh corn, especially don't do that! Dammit!" Hekapoo opened a portal, stepping through it into the MHC meeting room, quickly closing it behind her.

Looking expectantly at Hekapoo were Star's parents, Marco's parents, and Eclipsa. Oddly embarrassed by the idea of telling the bizzy teens' parents what Star and Marco were doing in her forge, Hekapoo skimped on the details, explaining, "They had some business they had to quickie quickly attend to."

As Hekapoo spoke, a dimensional portal opened, Star and Marco stepping out. They were slightly unkempt, sweaty, and red in the face.

"Hmph, about twenty minutes X-103 time. I figured it'd be longer than that."

Marco asked, "Just what are you insinuating?"

As always, stay amazing!