Marco Vs The Forces of Darkness
Disclaimer: I do not own Star vs the forces of evil.
Chapter 10: Back to the Past
Boring, that was something Star hating being. She didn't think there would be any chance to be bored when she started living with a magical prince. But here she was in her living room, bored on a Saturday.
Star was there with Jackie, Sabrina, and Janna playing a simple card game trying to kill time.
They had hoped to do something with Marco but that seemed to be a pipe dream.
Then there was a knock on the front door, Star walked to the door and answered it.
"Oh Marco~" Brittney waited on the other side, she was dress in a nice purple dress, "I was free today, and I was wondering-"
"Hey Brittney," Star happily greeted the girl.
The head cheerleader blinked, "Butt-erfly?" Huh? Where's Marco?" Brittney hadn't really paid attention when the door opened up and just go into a speech she had planned out.
"Marco is out." Star told her, waving inside.
Brittney stomped in, "What? Where is he? When is he coming back?"
"He's on Mewni," Star started to explain, "Mina is taking him on a retreat through a forest there so he can practice his sword fighting in different locations and environments. I'm not sure when he's going to be back, he said he'd probably be late. I think he's probably going to check in with his parents, probably have dinner with them."
Brittney let out an exacerbated sigh and she let herself drop onto the couch, "Oh great! I cleared my schedule to spend the afternoon with Marco but he's not even here."
"Hello Brittney." Sabrina greeted her.
Brittney looked at her, "What are you doing here? When did you show up?"
Janna annoyed by her behavior decided to grab the last of the cookies that Sabrina had brought.
She wanted to say something but she had similar plans as she was sure the other girls did too. For the first few days Marco had seemed off, a little shaky.
Janna really couldn't put her finger on what changed, she spotted him by his lockers and then the next thing she saw Marco seemed different. Like something traumatic had struck him in the blink of the eye.
Normally she'd say it just her imagination but in the short time Janna had known Marco she'd gotten a good feel for him. It was like sometimes she knew what he was thinking, but this was not one of those times. She worried about Marco, she hated to think something was bothering him and he wasn't talking about it.
Well, if she wasn't what was bothering him.
"Oh!" Star perked up, "I have an idea!" She pulled out her pair of scissors. "Marco took us to somewhere really cool!"
0000
Moments later the group stepped out onto the Plains of Time.
They were all of just waiting for Marco and that was getting boring.
Most of the girls marveled at the strange new world before them. They didn't have much in the way of plans but just looking for a distraction.
"EEP!"
The girls turn around to find Sabrina tackled to the ground by large blue hamsters.
Sabrina giggled at the nuzzling of the large fuzzy creatures.
"They seem to like you." Father Time said from his wheel.
"I'm good with animals." Sabrina chuckled fending off the kisses from the rodents.
"Star! Jackie!" The blue man greeted the girls, "It's been an age! Or has it been an infinitesimally small fraction of time in the eyes of an immortal doomed to roam this wasteland alone and unfulfilled?" Father Time gave them a thousand yard stare, "Ha ha ha! I have no idea, How have you been?"
"Hey Father Time!" Star greeted the blue man, and idea struck her, "Hey do you mind if we borrow your wheel?"
Father Time shrugged and jumped off the wheel, "Sure thing."
"Ah, Star?" Jackie questioned her friend as she pulled Sabrina from the hamsters. "What are you planning?"
"Let's go to Mewni!" Star held out her hands with a flurry.
"You wanna go check on Marco?" Janna wagered a guess.
"Maybe," Star smiled, "we can cover a lot more ground with a ride and even if we don't find him he'll end up at the castle sooner or later. Plus I just want to ride this thing at least once."
Brittney huffed before she started to climb onto the wheel, "Fine, but I'll drive this thing."
"Why you?" Janna questioned, "Have you ever rode hamster before?"
"No, but I've ridden horses and can't be that much different."
Janna couldn't come up with an argument for that, she and Jackie helped Sabrina climb up as Star created a portal to Mewni.
Star climbed up the wheel, "Let's go!"
Brittney snapped the reins and the hamster pulled the wheel into the portal.
Father Time waved good bye before looking around, "So this is boredom? Amazing!"
0000
The girls found themselves screaming in a whirl of chaos and clocks.
"This has never happened before!" Star screamed holding onto the wheel.
Normally the portal was instantaneous but suddenly they found themselves in a whirling corridor of energy and clocks.
"Make this stop!" Brittney yelled out as she pulled on the reigns, that didn't do anything as there was no ground for the hamster to halt on.
The spun around wildly and Star pulled out her scissors and cut a new portal.
It happened too fast for them to take it all in, they crashed with a huge bang.
"Let's not do that again." Sabrina clung to the wheel.
"That was unpleasant." Jackie agreed shaking a bit.
"I think we made it to Mewni." Star looked around.
They were on a strange field with large crystals scattered all around. It didn't look all that familiar but above lay three moons and at a distance a large fairy tale castle.
"Yeah, the moons are a give away," Janna fixed her hat. "How long were we there? It's gotten dark already."
Janna noticed that sun was already setting.
"We better start heading to the castle." Jackie suggested as she looked at the wheel that now lay on its side. "We're gonna need help to get this back up. We need to get this back to Father Time so he can keep time going - Wait, time still going with this out? Or was it Marco's spell-"
Three huge pyramid like figures crashed around them.
The lead one bellowed out, "You are in the Forbidden Fields! As decreed by King Diaz-"
"Wait!" Janna let out, "I know that 1930s Radio announcer screechy voice, "Will?"
The figure leaned in letting the light hit the girls a better, "Janna? Star? Jackie? Sabrina? Brittney?"
"Hey!" Star waved at the giant, "Did Marco give you guys an upgrade or something? You're huge?"
No wonder they didn't recognize them at first, the little chip was now a huge freaking pyramid.
Will and his clones looked each other confused, "What happened? How are you here?"
"Oh," Star shrugged, "we took the wheel of progress and my scissors and stuff got weird."
One of the clones picked up the wheel with ease and the other picked up the hamsters.
Will bent down and quickly scooped up the girls into his hands. "We have to get you to Marco. He's got to see you right away."
Soon the giants sprinted across the field, Star looked around trying to spot Marco from a distance but the encroaching darkness made it had to spot anything. As they made it into the kingdom Star didn't even notice other people or anything. It looked quite, it must have been because it was getting dark.
She looked up at the shinning moon and saw a large crystal hanging in the air, she was certain she was seeing a huge cloud in the middle of it.
Before she could ask about it the pyramid jumped landed in the in front of the castle.
"Your Majesty!" Will yelled, "I have found something you have to see."
One of the halls a shadowed figured walked out.
"Marco's dad?" Janna asked noting the figures wide shoulders.
"Will what's this about?"
The girls all paused and stared confused by this new player.
Star was the first one to find their voice, "…Marco?"
It was clearly Marco but he was different, he was older, like in his early twenties. His hair was feathery and now had a crown on it. He wore a black royal jacket with red trimming and golden tassels.
"Whoa…" Jackie let out.
"He got hotter." Brittney whimpered.
Janna would have commented on that but, "…Yeah,"
Marco had gotten taller and like she had guessed he'd gotten broad shoulder and buff like his father. It looked good on him.
As Marco moved onto the balcony he got a better look at the girls, he stared at them unsure of what to make of this. He quickly leapt off the balcony firing a blast from his wand to give him a boost. He quickly landed besides the girls and pulled them into a big hug.
"Your back!"
Sabrina whimpered into the nice warm hug as she found herself sandwiched between Marco and Brittney.
Star blushed, "Marco? What happened?"
0000
They found themselves in the great hall, sitting at the dinner table with dozen of servants running around them placing food before them.
"You vanished," Marco began the explanation, "I got back from my expedition with Mina and none of you were there. Your dad called you," he looked at Star, "we thought you'd just gone off to hang out with your friends… probably forgot to charge your phone."
Star patted her pockets, "Huh, yeah, I didn't even remember to bring it."
"Marco continued, "The next day you hand't shown up and your mom started to get worried and we starting to search for you. Thats when he found out all of you had gone missing." Marco looked at his plate of food poking it with a fork, "We didn't find any sign of you, any of you. Your parents were all in a panic. It didn't take me too long to come up with the idea that you might have gone to another dimension."
Marco let out a long tired sigh.
"I called Pony Head and Tom to see if they had seen you and they hadn't. I looked everywhere I could, I even checked in with Father Time, not that he said anything that made sense. We lost him soon after, he got lost in the Plains of Time. My mom was worried too, she got Omnitraxus Prime and Hekapoo to help look for you but even with their abilities didn't find any sign of you."
Marco looked down running his hands through his hair, "I- I- I- i blamed myself. I kept telling myself it was my fault. That I should have taken those scissors from you. To keep you from falling into what ever dimension you all fell into never to come back from."
The fork in his hand crumbling a bit.
"Marco…" Star stretched over putting a hand on his, "It's not your fault, who could have guessed I would have hurled us into the future!"
"Maybe messing with portals and adding a magical time wheel should have raised some red flags." Brittney grumbled.
"You can get us home, right?" Jackie perked up. "We go back to the past then none of this happens. We don't go missing."
Marco looked at her with a heart breaking expression, "I'm sorry, we can't do that. The same rule as with Mina. If anyone here tries to help you get back the timeline would crumble in on itself. The paradox would be…." Marco gulped, "there would be no magic to prevent the nightmares that would follow."
The girls stared at Marco in shock, in the blink of an eye they lost a decade. They never got to go to school with their friends, they lost so many birthdays and holidays with their families, all that could have been was gone.
Marco tried to smile, "It's been…. it's been a long day and you must all be exhausted. This is all a lot to take in. I've had my servants prepare some quarter for you. Try and get some rest, in the morning we'll try and sort this out. Manfred!" Marco called over the servant.
Manfred was still Manfred, his hair now gray but he was still him, "Yes, my King, I will see that they are taken care of."
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"If you need anything don't hesitate to ask." Manfred bowed out leaving the girls in their bedroom.
It was a lavish room with five four-post beds. Laid on the beds were silk sleeping gowns along with new bedding.
The girls were silent, just trying to come to grips with everything.
"….So," Janna began, "Marco is a hunk and we're in the future."
Sabrina hugged her pillow, "Our parents probably think we're dead."
"Yeah, I was trying to dance around that."
"Marco is king." Star spoke up.
"I noticed." Brittney told her. "The crown was a give away."
"I mea-" Star began, "he'd only become king if something…. something happened to his mom, right?"
No one spoke for a moment.
"I mean, none of us were there… it must have been rough for him." Jackie let in a sad tone.
None of them liked this future and every moment they found something else they didn't like.
0000
They talked for a while trying to comfort one another, try and find some way to make things better.
"No! I don't accept it!" Star had enough, "There has to be a way back!"
"It doesn't look like there is," Janna told her, "Well, not without ripping time-space a new one."
"I don't know about you," Star got up, "there are a lot of things I wanted to do! I wanted to go to prom! I wanted to Hang out with Marco at school! I wanted my dad to teach me to drive a car! If I'm going to skip all those years I'm not going to do it without a fight!"
Jackie smiled, "Yeah, I'm with you but do you have any idea how to do that?"
Star let her shoulder slump answer that.
"That little blue freak." Brittney chirped up, "I bet if there is anyone who would have a clue it would be him."
"Yeah!" With renewed hope Star jumped up, "He's Marco's teacher he's got to be around here somewhere."
0000
They got out of the room and walked down the halls. Everything was dark and they assumed everyone was asleep. They'd been to the castle a few times so they figured they could find their way without troubling anyone. They could have waited until morning but Star was insisted.
"If I was the blue pudding thief were would I be?" Star tapped her chin.
"He's basically a living book, the library?" Jackie offered.
As they walked Sabrina paused as she heard something coming from one of the dark halls.
"Hello?" Sabrina blinked, "Is someone there?"
A shadow moved around and quickly jumped around.
"Wait-!" Sabrina let out but was stopped as the figured landed before and placed a hand over her mouth.
"Let her go!" Star demanded.
"Shhhh!" The figure let out, "Be quiet or it will hear us."
A loud thunder like roar echoed through the halls.
"Oh no."
One of the halls began to shine with light and a terrible growl.
"We have to run! To the wise man!" The figure dressed in a raggedy old cloak jumped before them. "Follow me!"
The girls paused unsure of what to do, but then they saw thunder in the shape of a savage wolf scream out, ripping through the halls.
"Taiga?" Brittney stared dumbfounded.
This spells didn't seem to recognize them rushing towards the tearing the hall apart as if ready to swallow them whole.
The girls ran after the stranger, desperate to escape the savage beast.
"Down here!" The figure paused and waved them at a corner. The moved into the side hall just in time to avoid the gaining beast as it rushed down the hall.
The stranger huffed, "It can't make turns well. It will buy us some time. Hurry!"
The stranger ran ahead the girls quickly followed.
Taking a few more turns the stranger pushed open a pair of large oak doors. "Hurry inside."
As they heard growls the girls rushed in and closed the door behind them.
The girls didn't know what to expect all the found was a pillar holding a large book and the book surrounded by pudding cup both empty and not.
The cloaked figure pulled off their cloak revealing themselves.
"You're a frog monster?" Star blinked, "And a girl?"
She looked to be a bit younger than they were.
"Yes, my name is Katrina." She gave them a small smile before returning to the book, "Oh wise man, I ask for your help again."
The book flipped open and Glossaryck popped out. "Hello Katrina, its good to see you again." He blinked, "Oh I was wondering when you would show yourselves."
Katrina stepped up and pulled out a few pudding packs from her pack. "I brought you the offering."
"Thank you! I don't know why but the chefs here just can't make swamp stew pudding. I don't know why." Taking the cup he smiled, "Here is my end of the deal."
With a wave of his hand food materialized and quickly filled the girl's pack.
"What's going on?" Brittney shouted.
"Business," Glossaryck put it bluntly, "the girl and her village need food stuff, I provide in turn for some pudding. I mean, Marco gives me as much pudding as they can make but sometimes I want something else. I know it looks like I'm giving them the better end of the deal but considering all the hoops she has to run to get here. I know some of her siblings haven't made it."
"Why was Taiga like that?" Star yelled, "Taiga was like a puppy last time and now-"
"Security system," Glossaryck told her, "Marco modified the spell to attack anyone in the halls, most people know not to be out there after curfew."
"Fine! Whatever! How do we get back home?" Star demanded of the little blue man.
"Oh you want to keep Marco from becoming the Crystal King?"
"Crystal King?" Janna quirked at the name.
"Crystal King? The King of the Crystal Prisons? The Dark Gem? The Tyrant of Peace? The Czar of Safety? Whatever you want to call him."
"Watcha talking about Glossaryck?" Star blinked.
"You can't be this obvious. Since you arrived haven't you noticed anything weird?"
"The streets looked empty?" Star suggested.
"That field we showed up in has all those crystals now." Janna wagged a finger.
"There was a crystal in the in the sky." Jackie offered up.
"All Marco's cute spells are all huge and scary looking." Sabrina shivered at the memory.
"Yeah, that sounds weird," Brittney looked at the blue man, "instead playing games just tells us what's wrong? Marco has seemed distant since I showed up, his mom or dad aren't around. Not even that Mina girl. If there is something behind it just say it."
Glossaryck sighed, "You happened, or in this case didn't happen."
He waved his hands and a mirror flew into his hand. "Did any of you stop to ask what Marco did after you vanished?"
"He looked for us." Star told him, "Duh,"
"Yes, yes he did. But what do you think the prince did when he didn't find you?"
Katrina shivered at the question to the girls confusion.
Glossaryck continued, "He searched harder. That's when he ran into Ludo."
"The little annoying guy?" Brittney asked.
"Yeah, Ludo went to him promising to return you to him in exchange for the wand."
"But Ludo didn't take us." Janna pointed out.
"Yeah, so when Marco snared him and crushed his bones to force him to return you he didn't have you to give." Glossaryck polished the mirror, "At first Marco thought that Ludo was playing a game, trying to trick him, so he pressed a little harder. And let's say after a week he started to believe Ludo was telling the truth. But by then…. There wasn't much left of him."
The girls cringed at the thought, Jackie spoke up, "That's not something Marco would do."
"Maybe not normally, but desperate and blaming himself for your disappearance he needed something to vent his anger with. Another opportunity came when Ludo's parents got involved, they might not be fans of their son but they wouldn't let this stand. Marco used the accords against them, pointing out their son had attacked him and that it could be seen as an act of war and well…. Marco became the War Prince."
"War Prince?" Sabrina couldn't image that as Marco.
"Mewni for the most part was delighted, they had a reason to go to war with the monsters. It didn't last long. Marco was certain these monster had something to do with you all vanishing. The war lasted one day, he lead the army and with a simple plan flushed the monsters out of the forest."
"How?" Star asked regretting she did.
Glossaryck turned the mirror to show Marco with his wand shooting flames, "He set the Forest on fire, all of it. The army surrounded the forest and captured anyone that fled it. And then he questioned them." Glossaryck cleared his throat, "He began to question them, one by one. Let's say that near the end even Mewmans started to feel for the monsters."
"Marco?" Britteny shivered watching Marco setting fire to monster homes.
"Marco told everyone he did it so the monster wouldn't attack them. So, what happened to you would never happen again. That he was keeping them all safe. All his cruelty came from not being able to protect you."
"Reverse Batman!" Star stared in horror "Marco went reverse Batman, but instead of fighting crime he's pretty much causing it."
"Yeah, he kinda went a little nuts after that." Glossaryck showed them the mirror showing Marco fighting off his own knights. "Marco went on to fight the Underworld when Tom tried to talk some sense into him. He thought the Underworld was too dangerous and to keep people safe he crystallize the whole kingdom."He claimed it kept them safe from themselves and the rest of the universe from them. Then he froze the Cloud Kingdom, honestly things got weird with that place. Pony Head was all docile and letting everyone do what they wanted, the place was a mess. Marco just crystallized the whole place. It got so bad that the High Commission and his own mother tried to stop him it didn't work out for any of them."
Glossaryck rubbed the mirror and the image changed to Marco sitting on the throne alone, crown on his head.
"The loneliness just let him stew with his own fears and insecurity and he grew worse. Soon he started to crystallize his own citizens, whenever they did something that he deemed unsafe." Tapping the mirror again it showed a field with large crystals with mewman in it trying to run away, "Pretty much the only ones left are people too scared to say anything against Marco. Honestly, surprised Manfred made it this far."
"How is this possible?" Janna looked on, "Marco, isn't capable of this stuff? A demon took him over? Some sort of curse? Brainwashing?"
"Nope, it's truly Marco." Glossaryck told them, "100% him. Look no one is all good or all evil, Marco has a darkness deep in him. Something dark forged by the negative emotions expressed by his people, refined by his own loneliness and anger at them and at himself. It got better when he met you, he started to feel better about himself, you all showed him friendship and kindness and help subdue it. But leaving just left a void in him that the darkness used to grow. His rage tied into his magic and began to corrupt him, he took out his frustration, regret, and hatred and started to lash out and everyone using the excuse that he protecting them. The last shred of goodness in him allowing it to continue because he does believe they are safe like this. But it's a terrible cycle, the more he 'protects' them the lonelier he is and the more angry he becomes at himself and the more the darkness festers."
The girls looked at Glossaryck, "Then help us get back!" Star looked on refusing to let her best friend turn into this.
"Nope, can't do that." Glossaryck leaned back tossing the mirror back where it shattered. "Yeah, a universe shattering paradox would take me out too."
"THEN WHAT WAS THE POINT OF TELLING US ALL THAT?" Brittney yelled, her hands shaking, "Why tell us all that? You always seem to know more than you say? I wouldn't be surprise that you knew we time jumped this whole time and just didn't Marco. Now he's turned into this evIl King! My Marco would never be that! My Marco should never have become that!" Brittney gasped, "I wouldn't let him! Why tell us that if we can't do anything about it?"
Glossaryck blinked uncaringly, "I said I couldn't help. Any actions I would take to change the timeline… well, time is tricky it tries to correct itself. Should I try and change the past it would correct itself in someway, or just paradox if any of a billions things go wrong. What I mean is I don't have to help."
"What are you talking about?" Jackie looked on confused. "I've seen my fair share of time travel movies and I don't get it."
"Yeah," Sabrina agreed, "You couldn't help Mina. She couldn't go back because history said she didn't go back."
" We couldn't provide Mina with a way to change time because it would result in a paradox but you brought your own means to time travel. This future doesn't have to provide, and your own future is stll open and if you want to string it back into the past you can."
Star blinked, "My scissors and the wheel! We didn't time travel with a dead monsters! We can go back in time!"
"A little slow but when properly motivated you get there." Glossaryck smiled.
Star already pulled out a pair of scissors and attempt to get back to the hamsters but no portal formed.
Glossaryck smiled," Yeah, Marco set up a tramorfidian crystal and so no portal can form on the castle grounds."
"Okay, so we need to get the hamsters and the wheel and get them off the castle grounds." Jackie started to plan out loud.
"Marco told me his family had a stable, he'd probably have them there with his warnicorns." Sabrina told them.
"If it's a stable we're going to need to keys to get them out." Brittney pointed out.
"If we need keys from Marco I can get them." Janna offered up her help.
"Yeah, if Marco is still like Marco then he should be taking his before bed shower." Star told them.
"Then it's the perfect time to do it." Janna fist pumped.
Sabrina paused and turned to Glossaryck, "Is there anything you can tell us that could help."
"Hm," the magic man tapped his chin, "the only reason that you guys didn't get back is because something didn't work out and you were stopped. So, don't do everything like you'd normally do. And maybe… As that old adage goes: Put a little love in your heart. If you want the world to know, we won't let hatred grow, put a little love in your heart."
"Cryptic and useless!" Brittney shouted.
With some sort of plan the girls headed out to advert destiny.
Katrina looked at Glossaryck, she'd only just understood what was happening, "Do you think they actually do it?"
Glossaryck shrugged, "Probably not, they didn't do it the first time, or the second, ugh, time travel is such a pain. This why we don't tell anyone its possible." Glossaryck blinked, "I wonder if I should have told them about the moon." He shrugged, "I'm sure they'll figure it out later."
Katrina kinda wanted to help but as Glossaryck said they could not change their own past. She could only hope that they would triumph.
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The girls found their way through the halls, they were careful not to make any loud noises in case of alerting Taiga. They made their way to Marco's room and quickly entered it thanks to Janna's lock picking skills.
They were quick to search the room, they heard water running in the adjoining bathroom so they had a few moments without Marco to worry about. They riffled through Marco's clothes looking for his keys.
"Got him!" Janna held out the keys finding them in his jacket.
"Okay let's go." Star told them, but as they started to leave they heard the water stop.
What followed next was the sound of foot steps.
"Hide!" Sabrina quickly alerted the rest of the group, without thinking they all hide under the bed.
The girls hid just in time as Marco stepped out of the bathroom.
The girls held their breaths as they planned an escape. Marco hummed a jaunty tune to himself as he prepared to go to bed.
"Okay, this isn't bad." Star tried to remain hopeful, "The first chance we get we have to run out."
Then they heard the sound of a towel dropping onto the floor. The girls looked at each other as they started to blush.
Brittney moved a little closer, Janna didn't fail to notice and placed her hands over the cheerleaders eyes.
"Hey!" Brittney quickly tried to pry her hand off. "Like you weren't about to try it."
"Hush." Sabrina tried to quiet them down.
As the girls continued to feud the other tried to stop them. Then they heard another door close as Marco returned to the bathroom.
"Okay, let's leave now." Jackie hissed dragging the girls from under the bed with her.
They quickly existed the room through the door and walked as fast as they could. Maybe they made too much noise maybe it was just close but they heard Taiga growl.
They took another corner and rushed into the first room they could.
"Okay, so we just wait until we can't hear Taiga anymore and run for it. Just a few minutes." Janna spoke, but stopped as she noted where they were.
It was throne room but in the center of it stood Queen Angie encased in crystal. At the end of the room sat one lone throne and by it stood two figures, one on each end. One was Mina holding out a sword as to slash it at whoever was meant to sit on the throne. On the other side was a red haired woman in a yellow dress lunged at the throne with a pair of daggers.
There was some doubt in Glossaryck's story, they didn't want to believe it but here they saw some solid proof.
The girls stared at the queen, they didn't know what they'd expected but her expression was something else…. A strange mixture of pain and sadness. She had her hands up, magic swirling around them.
"I didn't want you to see this." Marco strode up from the hall in his pajamas and robe. "You've been wandering after curfew."
The girls all took a step back.
"I don't know how I would have told you, to have your own mother turn against you and bring an army to try and kill you." His voice was bitter and angry. "She didn't like the way I was doing things. I guess the army never did, the people never liked me, they joined her without another thought. Mina and the Commissions joined her without another thought."
The girls took another step back.
"It's been a few hard years for me." Marco's thumb ran across his wand. "After that day there was really no going back. I would love to nothing more to move on. But I can't let me, that's why I leave them here. Mina and Hekapoo nearly killed me there, they're a constant reminder never to let my guard down not even to those who I trust. Because there will be people ready to kill you just because they disagree with you." Marco paused as looked at his mother, "And my mother taught me never to hesitate in what you do because your enemy won't."
Marco turned to the girls and held out his wand. "I put a binding spell on everything I own. I noticed the instant that my keys left my room. Now tell my why you took them. Tell my why I don't crystallize you."
"Because we can fix this." Star said, "This, this isn't you."
"Then who am I?"
"Not this." Jackie spoke up, "Marco, I saw your past, you were such a lonely kid. Your own people making fun of you and all that pain and misery, all of that just made you kind. I'm so sorry that we weren't there when it got even worse -I really am- but please let us be."
"What do you mean?" Marco never wavered, never lowered his wand.
Sabrina spoke up, "We can go back. We can be there Marco. Please let us be there. If not for us then for yourself, because Jackie is right, You are one of the kindest people I have ever met and it hurt me to see you like this." Sabrina began to cry.
"I see," Marco's voice was soft, "I'm sorry, but I can't let you. I knew what I was doing, I made my choices and good or ill I'm sticking to them. Don't you hear it? No one is in pain, no one is making fun of anyone, there is no violence, there is no pain. The choices I have made have brought peace to Mewni and if you like them or not, I'm sticking to them. I'm not going to let you take my life, I'm never going to let anyone take anything from me again."
Marco raised his wand as it began to glow, "Good bye my friends. I never got to say that the first time and I am glad that I get to say it now. I promise you won't feel a thing."
"Marco…." The girls whispered together.
The Marco they knew and cared about was long since gone and the man before them just had his name."Cry-"
Something struck Marco.
Katrina jumped him and held him as best she could. "Run!"
The girls were shocked and stunned by the turn of events.
"He's taken my father, my brothers, my sisters! Please don't let this happen!" Katrina yelled crying as she dug her finger in his eyes. Marco tried to pull her off.
Katrina didn't know what she was to doing when she followed the girls, maybe it was curiosity or maybe it was fate. But here she was throwing everything away on a chance. She pulled the wand out of Marco's hand and it flew through the air hitting the floor.
"Run!" Katrina begged them.
Janna bent down and picked up the wand, and they ran. As they left the room they heard Katrina screamed as the sound of a spell going off was heard.
0000
The wand in Janna's hands was strange, it had green bell with a spike on top and a spike beneath the handle. The handle itself was a dark brown and wrapped with ripped dark blue ribbons tied in a small knot at the end. Instead of wings or a sword cross hard it had a bone sticking in the middle. A small green gem hung in the middle of the bell and glowed bright green.
Janna could feel magic in it, could feel the power she had often dreamt of possessing. Why couldn't it make her happy?
Because she knew that something was wrong with Marco and now manner of magic could fix that.
The girls ran down the dark halls as fast as they could.
They paused at the back entrance, there were several figures trap in crystal there, the goat man, the crystal headed man, and many knights. They rushed out into the yard where they saw a young red haired woman in armor leading knights into the castle, all now trapped in crystal. Above them floated a figure with a skull for a head, he too trapped in crystal.
They raced to where they saw the stable.
They reached it quickly and unlocked the doors. They rushed in and found the hamsters and hooked them up to the nearby the large wheel.
Janna held the wand and looked at it, she felt a pull to it something telling her to use it.
"Janna," Moved over to her and placed her hands on Janna's. "Janna you might need to use it, use it against Marco. If any of us has a chance to make a good spell, it would be you."
Star hated to even say that, but she reminded herself this Marco would not show them any mercy.
Janna looked at the wand. "He's here." Janna looked up her eyes meeting Star's, and she swore that for a moment a red light shone on them.
She looked around to see Marco there as any tint of red faded.
"Give me my wand." Marco demanded.
Janna pulled away and held out the wand. Her mind searched for countless spells she'd read about.
But instead the words of the little annoying man rang in her head, 'don't do everything like you'd normally do' she wanted to lash out at the false Marco. But that was what he did, he gave into his darker intentions. She didn't like the idea of hurting people, not even this false Marco. She would if she had to but…
"Brittney!" Janna tossed the wand to the cheerleader.
Brittney barely caught it, it transformed in her hands, this action took everyone by surprise. As Marco turned to her Brittney let out, "Love-Me Chain!"
Golden chains of light shot out of the wand and wrapped around the prince.
"What are you into?" Janna smirked.
"Why did you do that?" Her heart was pounding, Brittney looked ready to faint.
"Doing something I normally wouldn't."
"Let me go!" Marco bellowed as he struggled against the magic chains.
"Nope!" Star jumped on the seat.
"Its ready." Jackie announced.
"Get going hamsters!" Brittney pulled on the reins when everyone was off and they ran out.
Using the wand Brittney fired at the gates that blocked their way and they ran into the the village.
As they raced down the streets they smashed one of the building with the wheel, as a wall gave way they saw the people inside were trapped in crystals.
Star tried to use her scissors but the crystal must have still been close.
Suddenly the wand ripped from Brittney's hands and flew away.
"I think Marco can use wandless Magic." Sabrina whimpered.
"Fiery Drake!" Marco's voice echoed through the darkness.
"Marco is trying to use Tad Cooper?" Janna snorted, "That lizard with wings?"
The air behind them was filled with fire and suddenly replaced with a massive figure, a dragon seemed to fill the sky,
"….Star get those scissors working." Jackie simply said.
Brittney cracked the reins and the hamster sped on.
"Wait!" Star yelled, "We have to go back! How? I opened the portal for the wheel in the front and we went forwards in time. Don't we have to go backwards to go backwards!"
"I can't go backwards!" Brittney yelled, "Hamsters don't have a reverse switches!"
The streets cracked as Tad Cooper landed before them. The sweet little dragon was now replaced by a thing that gave monsters nightmares. Sabrina was launched forwards and landed on the whimpering rodents.
Star tried her scissors again, a portal formed and she ripped it open right behind the wheel. "Go backwards!"
"Please go backwards." Sabrina whispered to the Hamsters.
They didn't need to be told twice and jumped back pushing the wheel through the portal as the dragon reached for them. The dragon lunged at the snapping its jaws at them, the hamster barely missing it as they fell into the closing portal.
0000
A tear formed and the wheel came crashing down on the Plains of Time.
"Back already?" Father Time smiled to the girls.
0000
A portal formed in the Butterfly household, and the tired girls stepped out.
"Hey!" Mina greeted them.
They stared blankly, Mina had spear sticking through her chest.
"Okay, don't worry I think we've got everything." River ran in with a first aid kit and a saw.
"Don't worry, its all going to be fine." Marco quickly followed behind.
The girls saw him, their Marco rushed at him and gave him a big hug. They held him and silently made the same promise, never to allow him to feel that same soul crushing loneliness that would make Marco into him.
"Hugs are nice and all," Marco muttered, "but we should really help Mina."
"Meh" Mina shrugged, "this isn't even the worse stab wound I've had." Mina moved over and gave him a sideways hug.
Author's Notes: Okay, so this is one of the earliest my own stories for this series. No tweaked version of a story. This story also went a lot longer than I expected. I hope you all had a happy holiday season and this is probably going to be the last update before the new year. Please let me know if you guys have any ideas for any cover art for this fic. So happy new year. So leave a review telling me what you think and a happy new year.