Crazy trouble with love part 9
Meteora and Marco
Series: Star vs the Forces of Evil
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"Narwhal Blast!" Star cried out, shooting the aquatic beast towards the cackling figure in a strange blue and black cloak with timeglasses on it.
"Foolish girl!" he laughed, waving his hand as the narwhals all got hit by a wave of magic, each of them turning into tinier and cuter versions of themselves who fell on the ground and flopped about. "Your magic will fail you! The Butterfly wand is nothing compared to my own skills!"
"Ha, you think so! Marco, now!" Star called with a cocky grin.
"Heeyah!" cried her roommate, jumping down from the nearby tree, kicking the figure in the gut with his foot, making them groan in pain.
"My spleen…"
"Ha, take that you evil wizard!" Star smirked. "Oh it feels good to fight a normal bad guy! No weird feelings, no weird past connection to my family, just a random weirdo!"
"Weido? I have…mastered the ancient arts of…manipulating time as you know it. I am MORE than a random weirdo!" he proclaimed. "If anything, I am…THE WEIRDO!"
"Yeah yeah, all I know is that you're going down weirdo!" Star shouted with a smirk. "Hit him again Marco!"
"With pleasure." he took a fighting pose, making the figure laugh.
"Your fancy jumps won't do much when you can't reach me!" he held his hands out and chanted random gibberish before a beam shot out and hit the ground right underneath him. "I'll send you far into the past where you'll never meet me again!"
"What?!" he let out, right before a spinning vortex formed, making him cry out as he went falling right into it.
"Marco!" Star cried as the portal closed behind the red hoodie boy.
"Nyehehehe! What are you going to do now princess, your servant is gone forever!"
Star glared at the figure with her wand out. "Oh, you done messed up. BIG TIME!"
Meanwhile, Marco groaned as he fell out of the portal, landing in a patch of tall grass. He looked up and saw the portal close quickly behind him, making him roll his eyes. "Really? You think a portal is going to stop me?"
He moved over and started climbing a tree, then a branch to reach the area he came from before reaching out. He figured he could feel or see his hand go through the portal, only to get air. "Oh…. ok, no portal…ok, I can just make my own." He said, shaking his hands and pulling out his scissors. He held them out and tried cutting a portal, but nothing happened. "Huh? Did I grab the right scissors?" He wondered, looking down at them in confusion.
Seeing they were the same ones he got from Hekapoo, he tried again, and again, and again, each time growing more and more panicky. "C-C'mon! Why. Won't. You. Work!" he shouted, throwing them down finally in frustration. He hopped off the branch and took a deep breath before exhaling. "Ok Marco, don't panic. I'm sure wherever that weirdo sent me to isn't so bad. Heck, me and Star have probably been here tons of times." He thought, looking around only to feel a spike of fear as he realized he was next to a very familiar castle.
He was standing in front of St. Olga's school except…it seemed less evil than the last remembered? That and the wall and gate was gone. If anything, it looked like it was recently refurbished and more new.
"Huh, that's new." He said, looking around in amazement. "I guess that guy wasn't lying about controlling time…" he moved over near a forest and leaned against a tree with a sigh and his eyes closed. "Alright Diaz, no need to freak out. I'm sure Star will show up in no time after kicking his butt. So, I might as well get comfy, and relax." He said, leaning against a tree and closing his eyes. "Any minute now…"
(Two hours later)
"Any….minute now…" he repeated again, for the…he lost track of how many times he kept repeating himself. "Any… yep, saying it over and over again isn't going to change reality." He sighed, sitting up. "Ok, so maybe I need to do something else, keep myself busy to pass the time." He muttered before glancing at the castle. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to explore a bit, as long as no one sees me I'll be fine."
With that, he made his way towards the castle, but crouched down and stayed low to the ground. As he got closer he noticed there wasn't a single guard around, making him let out a sigh of relief. "Man, if it was this easy as before, I wouldn't have wound up in a dress."
When he reached the castle he peaked in, and saw the inside of the castle was well decorated castle, looking like something he'd see inside a royal castle. 'Wow, whoever lives here must be rich.'
"Mother please, I'm sorry!" A young, teenage voice pleaded, coming closer to the room Marco was looking into.
"Apologies aren't worth anything if you've managed to already mess up." A female yet robotic voice chimed out. "That is why you will be punished."
"B-But I didn't mean to!" Called the voice as the door swung open and a teenage girl with pale purple hair was pushed in, she was wearing a purple and white dress, and holding her arm was a strange robot designed to look like a rich woman from the 1800's.
"That does not matter. You will learn to listen, one way or the other." it spoke as it dragged her over to a chair and strapped her down by the wrists and body, before putting a device on her head that made her eyes open and look forward before the robot pushed a button on it's arm, causing a screen to slide down from the ceiling. "I will be back to check on your progress in six hours. This should remind you that a proper lady never forgets to wear her makeup, much less let it get smudged."
Marco's eyes widened as the robot left the room, stunned at not just the harsh treatment, but at how familiar the girl looked before seeing the screen turn on and show what looked like the same brainwashing video he was forced to watch before. 'They still have that stupid video?! Wait, she has to watch this thing for six hours?!' He thought in disbelief. 'That's horrifying and messed up!'
As he watched the girl be forced to watch the video, he looked closer at her and started to see the similarities before he went wide eyed as it clicked. 'Miss Heinous?!' He thought, the pieces coming together. 'I must be in the past! Wait… does that mean I shouldn't do anything to affect the future?'
He quickly slipped away, darting away and back into the forest, trying to let this sink in as he gasped for air. "Oh…my…god! That weirdo sent me back in time!" He cried out, pacing back ad forth. "O-ok, ok, I can deal with this, I've seen enough movies…I just don't have to do anything too radical to affect the timeline, right?"
"H-Help!"
He froze and turned back to the castle, hearing the girl's cry which made him gulp and bite his lip. "This is…This makes no sense. Miss Heinous? Being forced to watch that schlock? I thought she was the one who came up with it." He said, glancing back at the castle. "I… would it really hurt the timeline if I helped her just this once?"
"P-Please! Mother! I'm sorry!"
Marco winced, hearing the desperation made him feel bad for her. If that really was Miss Heinous, then this would be proper karma for her, except with this being the past, she must not have become the one he and Star knew. Meaning that treating her the same would be messed up on every level.
"...worst case scenario she has at least one nice memory I guess?" Marco sighed, heading back to the castle. 'She technically hasn't done anything wrong yet at this point, she doesn't deserve this, no one does.'
He reached the castle and peaked in, seeing her straining to try and turn her head away from the screen. He looked around and didn't spot the robot, and took a small breath. 'Now or never…' He thought before pulling himself up and through the open window. He pulled his hoodie over his face as best as possible before running towards the girl from behind, loosening the restraints.
"W-What? What are you doing? Who are you?" She asked with a gasp, shocked by the stranger's sudden appearance.
Marco didn't say anything, already too nervous about pulling this stunt. When he was finished with the straps, he ran back to the window and climbed back out.
"W-Wait!" She cried, racing after him. She saw him already sprinting far away from the castle and heading towards the nearby forest. She stared in amazement as he disappeared into the woods. 'Who was that?' She thought before shaking her head. 'I better fix my makeup, those…birthmarks were showing again, then I need to find a way to convince my mother that I actually sat through my punishment.'
(Later)
'Ah… finally, good thing this forest has some food.' Marco thought, carrying several rabbits over one shoulder as he headed back towards his small, impromptu camp. After a few more hours after helping Miss. Heinous and no Star, he realized he had to prepare in case Star didn't appear for awhile. Thank god for his years of experience on his own. As he reached his camp, he noticed someone standing awkwardly next to the small embers of his fire. He dropped the rabbits and paled when he saw it was Miss Heinous.
"Y-You're him, right? The one who helped me?" She asked, turning to him when she heard the rabbits drop.
He panicked and quickly pulled his hood up and tried making his voice deeper. "U-Uh, no no, that was some other guy in a hood. I'm a…completely different one."
"But…you're wearing the exact same clothes?" She said in confusion. "And you looked the same."
'Shit she's right!' He thought before pausing. 'Wait…if I'm also working with time travel rules then she would have recognized me the first time she saw me in the future…so she must have forgotten my face after meeting me? God, time travel is confusing I think… Maybe I shouldn't rely on movies?' He thought before letting out a sigh and pulling back his hood. "Ok you got me, I'm the one who loosened your straps."
"T-Thank you…if you don't mind me asking…why did you? Also who are you?"
"Well, I couldn't just let you stay there and suffer. You looked like you didn't wanna deal with it, so I just….helped without thinking." He said with a shrug. "Plus you literally called for help, how could I say no?"
"You heard me? All the way from here?"
"Well, in my defense I literally just got here and I was already near the castle, checking it out." he admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I….was passing by, from my traveling!"
"You're a traveler?" She asked, her eyes going wide and a smile appearing on her face. "Where have you been? Have you traveled outside the kingdom before? Have you seen the rest of the world?"
"Uh…well…let's just say I come and go." he replied, trying to be vague as he sat down on a log. "I'm here, then I'm there, and before you know it, I've been everywhere. Metaphorically I mean." He said with a shrug. "Heck, I'm not even a Mewman."
"Really?! Wait, if you aren't one… then what are you?" Her eyes wide as she stared at him in confusion, curiosity, and even a little bit of hope. 'Maybe… he's whatever I am?'
'Crap! Did I say too much?!' He thought before deciding to bite the bullet. 'There's magic in this world, surely traveling through dimensions isn't too strange here…right?' he thought before sighing. "Yep, I'm technically a human from the planet earth, it's from a different dimension."
"Wow. I've never heard of that one before." She said in amazement before gasping and shaking her head. "Oh my, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot my manners, I forgot to ask you your name!"
"It's ok, it's Marco." He said without thinking. "What's yours?" he asked, inwardly slapping himself in the face over and over. 'Darn it! I should have used a fake name!'
"Well Marco, it's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Meteora Heinous." She said with a small curtsy.
"Nice to meet you." he responded back. 'Wow, never thought I'd see Heinous acting so…sweet and nice. Especially to me. Man was she a different person.' He thought as he knelt down to pick up the rabbits he dropped. "So… I'm guessing this is the first time someone helped you with whatever…that was inside the castle? Was that torture?"
Meteora looked at him in the eye while standing up straight, hands folded together. "Oh no, that was just a natural punishment for breaking a rule."
"Natural?" he raised an eyebrow. "You were strapped to a chair and forced to watch that horrible movie while calling out for help."
"Y-Yes, I assure you, it was natural, I… messed up, I sneezed, and when I held up my hand to cover it I accidentally smudged my makeup and let….well I let something unnatural show." she let out before shaking her head. "But I'm fine now, and it's all well and good. After all, I have a nice home, my mother makes sure I'm on the proper path, so a small mistake like that is nothing if it helps me become a proper young lady."
"I dunno about that, you've been nice ever since I met you, what else is there?" Marco asked before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry but I just…don't get it I guess?"
"Well it's just mother's way of helping me." she tried giving a smile, which Marco could see right through.
'Jeez, that robot she calls a mom must have really messed her up. Doing that to your daughter is NOT something you see as fine. Maybe I can get her to be a little more honest.' he thought looking at the fire before something clicked. "You know, while traveling around dimensions, I've had some pretty crazy stories let me tell you, and one of them involved me getting a literal monster arm."
"A monster arm?" She asked, gulping nervously. "H-How ghastly…"
"He was kind of a jerk, but that was just him." Marco shrugged. "At first, I was freaked out, and it made me get nervous when I ran into more of them, but I was wrong. I learned that not all monsters were scary. Some of them were really cool guys who just wanted to live their lives just like everyone else. They just tend to get a bad rep from the wrong people."
"R-Really?" She asked in confusion, her eyes wide. "But…they eat children!"
"Have you actually talked to a real monster before, or just read about them and heard stories? Most I've met are pretty much normal people."
"But mother taught me that all monsters were horrid, vicious, disastrous creatures that we're better off not associating with." She said, glancing down at herself.
"And some might be that way, but it's not all. There's good and bad to everything. I mean there's good mewmans, and then there's bad mewmans. Same with humans. It all comes down to who you meet personally, something a book isn't so good at reading." He said with a small smile. "It's something I've found can't be learned, it has to be experienced."
"I see…" She said, trying to process what she had heard. She opened her mouth, but her ears picked up the sound of her mother calling her name, making her panic. "Uh, sorry Marco, but I have to go. Mother is looking for me."
"Ok. Well, if you ever want to talk again I'll be around here for a bit longer. It's nice and peaceful here, I'll relax here for a bit." he smiled as she gave another curtsy before making her way back to the place, giving him the chance to let out a sigh of relief. 'That was close…I thought for sure I'd mess up the timeline…I guess since nothing bad's happened I can relax now. I wonder when Star's going to come get me?'
(Next night)
"Marco? Are you out here?" Meteora called, walking through the woods. 'Where was he camping again?'
"Meteora?" came his voice, her head turning to see him cooking up something and him looking surprised. "You're back? I thought it would be another day or so at least."
"Well, I uh…I had a few more questions, if that's ok?" she asked carefully with her hands held together in front of her. "If you're too busy, I understand. I'll just leave you alone…"
"No, I'm good, I just finished cooking, want some?" He asked, holding up a skewer of meat.
"I shouldn't." she shook her head, even though the smell of it did pique her interest. "A lady musn't eat too much, or else she'll get fat and not fit in her dress anymore."
"Really? It's just some meat, it's not like I'm asking you to eat pure sugar." He said, still holding up the meat.
"No, it's quite fine. I'm full as is." she held a hand up, right before a loud growl came from her stomach, making her face turn red as Marco smirked.
"You sure? Sounds like you could go for a little more."
"E-E-Even if that was true I don't have any plates or silverware!" She protested, only for her stomach to growl once more.
"You just take bites out of it with your mouth." he tried to explain. "I'll show you if you're interested."
"I…ok, but don't tell mother." She said, tenderly taking the skewer of meat. She felt her mouth water from the cooked scene coming from it, making her gulp and lean down before slowly biting into it and tried pulling a piece off, but with difficulty. After a bit she tore a piece off, chewed it, and swallowed, amazed at the taste and how 'barbaric' it was. "My word, this is…delicious!"
"That's right, and all natural." remarked Marco biting into his own. "No chemicals or preservatives, just good old fashioned cooked meat."
"Yeah…" She said taking another bite.
"So, what did you want to ask me about?"
She looked away, taking another bite before she swallowed. "Well, I wanted to know more about your travels? Where you've been, what you've seen, those things. I hardly ever get a chance to move about freely, so I don't really know what the real world is like personally, just from what my mother showed me in books." She said, looking down and letting out a sigh. "I just… I want to hear about it from a real person."
Marco gave her a sympathetic look before leaning back against a tree. "Well, I've seen a lot of different stuff. Some good, some bad, and some stuff so weird and gross it gives me goosebumps. I once went to a dimension where it was overrun by wild giraffes that could fly and spit frogs."
"What is a giraffe?"
'Oh boy, this might take me a while.' He thought with a sigh.
(Later)
"C-Carriages that have no horses?!"
"Eyup."
"But…what about with magic?"
"Nope, no animals and no magic, they don't need them." He smiled. "It's pretty fun to ride in them, and they're pretty fast."
"Amazing…. How is all this possible? These horseless carriages, the yellow demons with massive necks, and the tube of meat called a hot canine?"
"Hot dog, they're really good. Before you ask, they aren't actually made of dogs, it's just how they're named." He said before pausing. "At least most of them for the most part. Anyway, it's really fun, I've even been to a dimension that was made of clouds that you could stand on where there was a non-stop party."
"You mean a ball?"
"No, I mean a a full on party. The kind where you don't dress in dresses or fancy outfits. You mingle and have fun with all kinds of people, and don't worry about a thing."
"That sounds so scandalous!" She gasped, holding her hands up to her face before pausing. "It…also sounds like fun."
"Yeah, some of my friends think so too." he nodded. "And don't even get me started on what I had to do to get my scissors."
"Your…scissors?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Yeah, you know, dimensional scissors."
"Dimensional scissors? The only scissors I've seen have been fabric scissors."
"Yeah, they're how I get around." he looked surprised. 'Huh, so her mom hasn't told her what those are? She must really wanna keep her in line, otherwise she might try and run away, not that I'd blame her.'
"Can I see them?"
"Sure, but uh… they don't work as they should right now." He said, pulling out the seemingly harmless scissors. "They're sorta on the fritz, so right now, just normal scissors."
"They look so strange." She said in amazement as she took them. She rubbed across them, looking at them all over. "These things got you all over those dimensions? Just like that?"
"Yeah, you'd think of the place you wanted to go, cut a hole in the air, and step through it." He nodded. "They just stopped when I came here, but I decided not to worry since I wasn't in any big rush." 'Especially since I'm still waiting on Star to find me.'
"Wow… like this?" She said, opening them and trying to cut the air, unaware that her cheeks were starting to glow.
"They won't w-" he stopped when he saw a portal open up, making his jaw drop as Meteora gasped with wide eyes. "Whoa!"
"T-T-That was magic!" She cried, dropping the scissors as if they were hot, staring at the portal in amazement.
"Yeah… it was." Marco said, staring at it in surprise. 'Did they finally start working out of nowhere?'
Meteora raised a hand up and slowly moved it towards the portal, before stopping and pulled back, holding her hand as they saw the portal close. "H-How…that… mother never showed me something like this…" She muttered in amazement.
"I guess you were missing out." Marco said, reaching down and picking up the scissors and experimentally trying to cut a hole back to his home, only to groan as nothing happened. 'Why didn't it work, clearly they still work, right? Why did it work for her?'
"Uh….did you pick up any skills on your travels?" she quickly asked, changing the subject.
"Oh, uh, yeah, I learned how to fight, I learned how to cook, how to survive in the wild and a bunch of other random skills I suppose." he stood up and cracked his arms. "In fact, let me show you some." He picked up the nearby log and tossed it into the air. Taking a ready stance, he let out a battle cry and swung his foot up, hitting it dead center and splitting it in half.
"Oh my!" She said in awe, staring at the split logs.
"You like that? Then check this out." He moved over to a tree and gave a firm strike to the center, making the branches shake with nothing happening, right before all the leaves on them came down at the same time.
"How did you even do that?!" She cried out in amazement.
"That my dear, is the power of martial arts." he put his fists on his hips, inwardly screaming in pain with his knuckles bright red.
"Could you do that again? Ooh! Perhaps on a rock?"
"M-Maybe later." He said, paling a bit at the idea of hitting a rock. "So… what do you learn in that big castle?"
"Well, mother teaches me the proper way to stand up straight, how to drink tea with my pinky out, and which fork is proper for eating salad." She listed off, as Marco blinked in surprise.
"That's it? That sounds kind of…boring? I-I mean different." he let out as she looked away and sighed.
"I know. It all feels bland and monotonous every day. Sometimes I wish I was allowed to do something more thrilling, like what you just did." She sighed, leaning back. "Unfortunately mother says that a proper young lady must be perfect in every regard that matters…"
"Well, if you want me to be honest, your mom is wrong." He said, making her eyes go wide. "If you want to do something then you should be allowed to, at least something reasonable like martial arts. It's insane to focus on being 'the perfect woman' and nothing else."
She stared at him in shock, looking around in concern. "You shouldn't say that so loud, what if she hears you?!"
"Meteora? We're far away from the castle, in the forest. If she could hear us, she would have by now. Besides, I'm not scared of her." He said with a smile. "What could she possibly do to me? Attempt to scold me?"
Meteora wanted to retort, but that's when she picked up her name being called and stiffened up before standing on her feet. "She's looking for me, I should go."
"Alright, I'll be here if you want to talk again. It was nice talking to you."
"Yes, it was…very exciting." She said before hearing her mother once more. "I-I have to go! Goodbye!" she quickly ran off as Marco watched her, finding himself smiling.
'Huh, who knew Miss Heinous could be so nice?' he thought as he looked up at the sky. 'But how did the scissors work for her? I keep trying and get nothing, but they suddenly started to work on her first try? Is that some weird coincidence meant to mock me?' He thought, looking down at them in confusion. As he thought about it, an idea came to him. 'Wait…the scissors only travel through space, cutting a hole between dimensions… not time. I was trying to get back to Star who was in the future…is it really that simple?'
He rubbed his head and kept pondering over this before letting out a yawn and burp. "Maybe I'll worry about it in the morning, I gotta get some sleep."
(Later)
Marco yawned as his eyes began to slowly open up, the sun hitting his face. "Ahhh, time to get up and nab me some breakfast." He yawned as he got up and began to walk away from camp. 'Maybe I'll get lucky and find some eggs.'
"AAAHHH! Mother, please!"
Marco jumped when he heard the scream and ran for the castle without a second thought. As he began to see it he saw the front door burst open and Meteora came running out, a long purple tail poking out from under her dress.
"You will stop making this more of a hassle than it should be young lady!" her 'mother' called out, wheeling out behind her, a large pair of sharp scissors in one of her mechanical claws. "You have an unsightly growth, the best course of action is to get rid of it permanently."
"Mother no! It's not a growth!" She cried out, her cheeks glowing with shamrocks as tears fell from her eyes. "It's just a part of me! You can't cut it off, please!"
"A proper young lady listens to her mother!" called the robot as Meteora kept running, but tripped and fell on her knee, making her yelp and hold it as her 'mother' snipped the scissors and loomed over her. "It will be done before you know it, now hold still and let mother do what's best."
"No, no, please!" She cried as she tried to back up, only for the robot to grab her tail with one hand. "Noo! Please! Help, anyone, please!"
"No one c-" The robot started, only to be interrupted by a foot to the face, knocking her back.
"I can!" called Marco with a glare, taking a fighting stance as Meteora's eyes widened in shock.
"M-Marco?" She said in amazement before they heard a loud crash, making them turn back and look at the robot, who had fallen over from Marco's kick.
The robot's head twitched a little before it turned to them and slowly pushed itself back up. "Who are you?"
"I'm the guy who's not gonna let you hurt this girl."
"N-N-Not your jo-jo-jo-job." She said, her head twitching as it let out sparks.
"Oh yeah? Then what's yours? Trying to cut a piece of your own daughter like she's some weed? I've seen a bit on what you do, and it's NOT what a parent does, it's what a cold heartless machine does. That's not some growth you can ignore, it's her tail, and it's part of her."
"I am…am…mother…ma-m-make monster a la-la-lady." She buzzed out. "It is my job….is my…monster….job…." She sputtered, smoke starting to come from the robot.
"In that case, you've just been fired." He said, kicking the robot once more, making it sputter and whir before going silent, its lights turing off. "Well, that was…an easy fight." he said, turning back to Meteora who couldn't stop staring at the cold metal husk that for all her life had been her 'mother'.
"Is…Is she….gone?" She asked slowly, as if she couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
"Y-Yeah, I uh… you just seemed like you needed help and she was going to cut off your tail." He said, glancing at the appendage in surprise.
She moved over and lightly tapped the robot's head, but it didn't twitch. "She… she saw my tail this morning… she also knew I had been sneaking out an-and said that it was the monster in me, that she had to …get rid of it to make me a lady…"
Marco looked at her with sympathy as she held her tail and looked down at the robot.
"I…I didn't want it gone, so I just ran. She never did like it when I had it out, so she always reminded me that no boys like a girl with a tail, so I had to wear dresses that always hid it away." She said, putting her head between her legs as she began to rock back and forth. "Now…now she's gone…you've seen it, you know I'm a freak…it's over, it's all over…"
"Meteora, hey, hey, it's fine, really, everything is going to be ok, I promise." he moved over and crouched down, holding her shoulders. "A real mom does whatever she can to help their child, not try and hide away who they are. She might have helped you this far, but if her idea of making you a proper lady is something that messed up, then you're better off without her."
"R-Really? But then…what do I do now?" She asked, looking up to him.
"I'll…stay here and help you get on your feet, I promise." he said, making her tear up again. 'I….fucked up big time, haven't I? This is going to mess with the timeline so much, isn't it?'
"You mean, you'll take responsibility?" She said, wiping her eyes. "You'll… take responsibility for me?"
"I…guess? Yes?" he replied, going with it as they saw one of the eyes pop out of the head, making them avert their gaze. As they looked away neither noticed a small antenna pop out and start broadcasting a small message. "Let's…go inside, we can deal with her later, ok?"
Meteora didn't say anything, just got up and walked back into the castle with Marco following.
(Later)
"So… what do I do now? I-I don't think I can go on practicing to be the perfect lady…" remarked the girl, sitting at a chair as she rubbed her hands together, completely lost and scared.
"Well, uh… you could take this time to relax a bit?" Marco suggested. "Or maybe you could do something your mother wouldn't let you do?"
"Like what?"
"You know, something you've wanted to do, but never could with her around." He said, making her pause and glance at him.
"Well…I did like talking to you I guess… and she didn't approve of that." She muttered, a small blush on her face.
"Oh." Marco was a little caught off guard, but didn't say anything to counter her. 'Huh, whatever else she liked must have been ruined by that tin can. Guess she might not grow up to be the Miss Heinous I know, which means…SHIT! I royally fucked up the timeline! I mean it was for a good reason, but still!' He thought, gulping nervously. 'M-Maybe it wasn't that bad? I mean, I'm not disappearing, so that's a plus, right?'
'If he's going to take responsibility, then that would mean we'd have to stick together, right? I mean, he doesn't seem like the kind to just leave me alone. And…would that mean we'd travel the dimensions together?' She thought, smiling at the idea. 'He would know all the best spots, and it would be lots of fun too, just the two of us….together…alone….wait, no, stop it! A lady doesn't think like that!'
She felt her cheeks heat up and shook her head while Marco tried to keep himself from having a meltdown in his own head.
"A-Anyway, how about we stay here for a bit longer, get you used to the idea of leaving before we jump off the deep end and start traveling to other dimensions, huh?"
"I'd like that." She smiled. 'He's so nice, looking after me, putting his desire to travel aside for me….he's really nice.'
"Just out of curiosity, but got any rooms I can bunk in for the time being when it gets dark?"
"Y-Yes, there's a few empty rooms near mine, and…if you get scared at night or if the room isn't to your standard I suppose….n-nevermind! There are plenty of rooms!" She said, her face red. 'What am I doing?! I almost offered up my bed!'
"Cool." he smiled with a thumbs up as the camera panned away from them and across numerous dimensions, following the signal the robot sent out. The signal binged around through receivers before finally ending its travel at a large building with the name 'The Magic High Commission" on it.
Inside, said commission members were going over boring forms at the table, each of them wishing to be anywhere else but there.
"And so the current budget this year is good enough to where we CAN splurge a little more extra on donuts." Hekapoo finished as the others sighed. "C'mon, I don't want to do this either but we have to."
"But why? It's boooooring." Rhombulus groaned when suddenly a shrill alarm went off and a crystal on the ceiling began to glow red. "Huh? Who? What? What's going on?!"
"The alarm! The failsafe failed!" Hekapoo said, sitting up in alarm. "That robot mom thing failed!"
"Baaa!" Lekmet let out in concern.
"Agreed, we can't let Eclipsa's daughter wander around freely, since she destroyed her robotic mother it's clear she'll follow the same path as her real mother." Omnitraxus said with a frown from his crystal ball. "Rhombulus? You know what you have to do."
"Agreed, I'll take care of it!" He saluted as Hekapoo created a portal for the strange being. He made his way through it and appeared outside the castle with a determined look. "I won't let that beast run rampant and eat babies like her mama!"
"She didn't eat babies! Different person, ya doofus!" Hekapoo called as he jumped through the portal.
"I'm coming for ya!" he cried out with his snake arms held up, not bothering to be quiet as he ran towards the building. He burst in, screaming as he ran down the hall, confusing the occupants as they heard the screaming.
"Is…is that normal?" Marco asked in confusion.
"Not at all."Meteora said when the door to the library burst open and Rhombulus spotted them.
"Evildoer and her minion!"
"Wha-" Marco started only to get blasted by the crazed monster along with Meteora. Both of them wound up encased in a crystal prison with surprised expressions on their faces.
"Ha! Got ya!" he gloated with his snake heads on his hips. "Phew, that was a close one. Who knows what sorta evil plan they had in mind if I didn't show up. Props to me for doing a good job. I think I'll reward myself with a whole box of donuts." He smirked as he turned and left, his snakes hissing in agreement. In his excitement he forgot to grab the two frozen teens away to his dimension, leaving them where they were frozen, stuck there, possibly forever.
(Two years later)
The castle had seen better days, after its occupants had either been destroyed or frozen, it had fallen into disrepair, nature had slowly but surely begun to reclaim the vast stone structure, and vines were beginning to grow over the two crystallized beings.
Both of whom were still stuck in the same poses as before, without any sign of movement.
Suddenly, without warning the air in front of them split apart and a familiar blonde stumbled through. "Marco?!" She called out, looking around. "Marco! You here?"
She looked around in confusion before spotting a familiar shade of red hidden in a tangle of vines and crystal. She ran over and started to rip the vines away, causing her to see the surprised face of Marco. She gaped in surprise as she stared at him before noticing the crystal went beyond just him, and pulled more vines away to reveal Meteora. "What the…nope, I'll ask questions AFTER I get them back." She said as she waved her wand, making the portal she had gone through move over her and the two frozen teens, disappearing all of them before fizzling out of existence.
(Back on Earth)
"Ugh…. what happened?" Marco groaned as he blinked his eyes in confusion, momentarily blind.
"I saved you is what happened, you're welcome." Star beamed. "So… who's your friend?"
"Marco? Where are we?"
Marco rubbed his eyes, sitting up on the bed and saw Meteora beside him who looked utterly lost and nervous.
"And who is this girl?" Star asked, looking at her in confusion.
"She's Meteora, she's a friend." Marco said, gulping. 'If she's here…wait, if she's here and nothing's happening is the timeline ok?' "Star? How long have I been gone?"
"Um…. maybe a minute? I had to beat the guy up until he promised to bring you back."
"A minute?!" he exclaimed with wide eyes before letting out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness."
"Yeah, why? How long were you gone? Long enough to make a friend?" She asked, glancing at Meteora, who was looking around in amazement.
"Yeah." he nodded before looking at Star and leading her away near a corner. "Star? I gotta ask you. You remember St. Olgas for Wayward Princesses, right?"
"You mean St Luthrine's? Who's Olga?" She asked, blinking in confusion.
"Oh, nobody. Just wanted to see if I could trick you." he chuckled. 'Well that confirms it, and it doesn't look like anything else here is different. I guess the timeline didn't change too much.' He thought in relief. "So, that's Meteora, I helped her out and I guess she's here now."
"Marco, where are we? Is this another dimension?" Meteora asked in amazement, trying to reach up and poke at the light on the ceiling.
"Yup, this is Earth. Or at least it's my house, which IS located on Earth." he clarified with a smile. "It's an amazing place, I think you'll like it… unless you want to go back to the castle?"
"What? No!" she shook her head quickly. "If we're in your home dimension, that's all the more reason for me to explore. I can finally see it all. I…I'm finally free." She said in amazement.
"Alright, well I'm glad to hear that." Marco said with a nod. 'She's taking this a lot better than I thought, I was sure she would get overwhelmed at first.'
"But…I'll still need help to understand it all. You still promise to take responsibility, right?" She said, looking at him nervously. "Y-You can't just abandon your responsibility because we're somewhere new!"
"And I won't, promise." he reassured her with a smile, making Star raise an eyebrow as she saw Meteora calm down and smile in return.
"Hey, Marco, do you mind if I borrow her for a bit, show her around, and give you a chance to relax a bit?"
"Sure, I could use the chance to get a real shower. Trying to get cleaned up in the woods isn't all it's cracked up to be." He said with a chuckle before turning to Meteora. "Are you ok with that? I trust Star, she won't let anything happen to you, ok?"
The girl looked at Marco and then Star who gave a smile and wave, making her grab her dress and glance away briefly before nodding. "Ok, I trust you Marco."
"Great, I'll see you in a bit, have fun!" he said with a smile as Star grabbed Meteora's hand and began to drag her away. 'Now then, time for a real shower!'
Star brought Meteora down to the living room, giving the girl a chance to look around at the way it was decorated as Star held her hands behind her back while looking away.
"Sooo, Meteora? How do you and Marco know each other?"
"Well, he saved me from one of my mother's lessons on how to be a proper woman, and then we met a few times in the woods, then he…saved me again." she admitted with a smile while looking away from Star, making the girl raise an eyebrow.
"Proper woman?"
"Yes. You know, how to properly stand, how to have tea the right way, keeping your outfit clean and proper, not showing you t-ankles!" she quickly changed the last part.
"You sure you aren't talking about St Luthrine's?"
"I'm not familiar with that name." She said, shaking her head. "All I know is that mother said my skills were lacking, and that the best I could do was keep practicing forever and not show my…nevermind, the point is until I met Marco, that was all I did."
'Hmmm, something's up.' thought Star with suspicion. "Sounds to me like your mom was a real killjoy."
"N-no, I…she said she gave up everything to properly train someone like me!" she shook her head quickly. "She said it was all to help me and my future."
"Welp, maybe she was wrong?" Star suggested. "You look fine to me." She said with a shrug as Meteora shook her head.
"No, I…I'll never be perfect…" she held her hands together while looking down sadly. "I'm…not like other girls."
"What do you mean?"
"Well…I have…something. It's something my mother wanted me to keep hidden."
"Well, last I checked she wasn't here, right?" Star said, grinning, her curiosity peaked.
"No, she isn't."
"Which means there's no reason to hide it away. Here on Earth you can do anything!" she cheered. "I've gotten to do so many things my parents didn't want me to back home, and it's so intoxicating that I'm still on a rush!"
"I-It is? And that's normal? That seems improper…" Meteora said hesitantly.
"Well I am a princess, and isn't a princess the pinnacle of being a 'fine young lady'?" Star said sarcastically.
"Oh! Apologies, your highness." she quickly curtsied, making Star roll her eyes.
"Oh come on, don't be like that. I'm not someone who gets uptight over stuff like that. Here on Earth I'm just a normal girl." She said as she patted Meteora on the shoulder. "Here you can do the same, you can relax, ignore your mom's lessons for a bit, cut loose, have fun!"
Meteora looked at Star unsure, twiddling her fingers together. "I…I don't know…"
"Well lucky for you, I know the best way to help you cut loose. We'll go check out the best party spot around, but first, it's time for a makeover!" She said as she grabbed her hand and began to drag her away. "Be prepared to have the time of your life!"
"M-Makeover?" Meteora asked in surprise, gulping nervously. "I've never had one before…but if you say so your highne- I mean, Star."
"You just leave it to me~" Star said with a grin. 'Plus once you're all relaxed you'll tell me how you feel about Marco!'
(Later)
"Alright, just a bit more here." smiled Star, applying some eyeshadow to Meteora who had her eyes closed. "We're almost done."
"Ok." Meteora said, curious on what Star was doing to her face.
"And….done!" she pulled back. "Alright, you can look."
Meteora slowly opened her eyes, gasping at seeing purple eyeshadow over her eyes, but also seeing what she was wearing, making her jaw drop even lower. She was wearing a purple top that left her arms bare and a short skirt over a pair of purple shorts, and she was wearing a pair of black combat boots.
"Tada, your new look." beamed Star as Meteora jumped up and tried covering herself with a blush.
"I-I-I'm practically naked!" She cried out, her face practically red. "T-T-This is too indecent!"
"Nah, you look great!" Star grinned, giving her a thumbs up. "If I gave your hair some extra color, you'd be nailing the whole bad girl look."
"B-B-B-But my skin! So much of it is showing!" she let out before grabbing the bed sheet and tried to cover herself. "Y-You can even see my bare legs."
"Yep. Also, did you know you have a tail?" Star asked, pointing behind her. "Was that always there or did I accidentally add that?"
"Ah!" Meteora jumped, seeing her tail sticking out from the shorts and groaned. "No…you didn't add that…it's mine."
"Cool, it looks great on you." Star said with a smile, making Meteora's eyes widen in surprise. "Do you have some monster blood in you?"
"...what…did you say?"
"It looks great on you." Star repeated before pausing. "Wait…is this what you meant when you said your mother said you'd never be a proper lady?"
Meteora didn't say anything, just look away with a sad expression.
"Look, she was wrong, alright? Just because you have an awesome tail doesn't mean you're less of a person, ok? No one would ever think that!" spoke Star firmly, surprising the teen. "I mean come on, who wouldn't want a tail? I've even tried to get one, but then my mom wouldn't let me keep it."
"You…wanted a tail?" She asked in surprise. "So I'm… not a freak of nature?"
"Girl, I got a best friend who's a floating unicorn head. And an ex-boyfriend who is the prince of demons. You really think I haven't seen weirder stuff?"
"Well…besides Marco, I've never really…met someone else my age." She admitted slowly. "You're the only other girl I've met…"
"Well, I promise we're going to have an awesome night!" Star pulled out her own scissors before opening up a portal and grabbed Meteroa's hand, pulling her through it.
(Later)
"Whooo! This is awesome!" Star cheered as she danced, with Meteora trying her best to dance as well. They were at the bounce lounge, with Meteora amazed by everything and everyone around her. The wild dancing, the various shapes and sizes of the partygoers, and the lack of uptight clothing that would have made her mother lose it. It truly was a whole other world in her eyes. "Having fun Meteora?" Star called, snapping the girl out of her daze.
"Oh, well…it's definitely exciting. A bit different, but exhilarating." She admitted, trying to copy Star's dance moves and try not to feel self conscious as her tail swished with her movements. She was trying to ignore the past lessons engraved in her, and instead focus on cutting loose.
As she let go of her control she began to feel a rush, for the first time since she met Marco she was feeling free, she felt like nothing could hold her back, and that feeling was amazing, and it was addictive. It was like her blood was pumping faster and faster the more she shook her hips left and right. As she danced she didn't notice that her pale hair was beginning to darken, turning purple, as if it was coming back to life.
"Heck yeah! That's the spirit!" cheered Star, seeing Meteora really getting into it, but not paying much attention to the change in color. "You feeling better now?"
"I feel great!" she cheered with a laugh. "I never knew dancing could be so fun and not boring!"
"If you think this is great then you're gonna love what comes next!" Star promised with a grin.
After getting off the dance floor for a change, Star brought Meteora over to the bar area to grab a drink. PG ones mind you since it WAS still a hangout for young adults, so nothing too strong. However, given that Star was getting drinks for a girl who up until now the wildest drink she ever had was orange juice, caffeine was proving to be an…interesting experience.
"WOOOOH!" Meteora let out as soon as she downed her whole cup of soda, feeling her body tingle and get goosebumps. "THIS FEELS GREAT!" She laughed as Star handed her another cup.
"Glad to hear!" She grinned, watching the purple haired girl down another cup. She was easily handling her own soda easily, but that's when she noticed Meteora's hair color. 'Huh, weird, I didn't add any dye before we left. Or did I? I can't remember.' She thought before shrugging. 'Eh, it's a good color for her either way.'
"Oh yeah, that's the stuff!" Meteora sighed, crushing her cup against the ground.
"That beats dumb old juice by a long shot."
"Ha, you can say that again." Star grinned, turning to get them another round. As she did so, she missed how the tip of two horns began to poke out of the top of Meteora's hair.
"I'm never touching juice again!" laughed Meteora, her mouth slightly open to show her teeth seemed slightly sharper than usual.
"Maybe, but you haven't tried anything until you try Howdarian juice, it has enough caffeine to keep you awake for a week." Star grinned. "You have an endless selection from millions of dimensions to choose from!"
"Bring it on!"
"Sure thing…actually, how about we go somewhere after this last round?" Star suggested with a grin. 'Almost there, just a bit more and she'll tell me what I wanna know.'
(Later)
"WHOOOOOOO!" Meteora cried, riding on a rollercoaster that was taking her in loops, sharp turns, filling her full of a rush she'd never experienced before. "I'M ON TOP OF THE WORLD!"
"Yeah!" Star cheered, sitting next to her. 'I knew this was a good idea!'
"FASTER! GO FASTER!" Meteora cheered, unaware her body reacting to the adrenaline, the skin on her arms darkening and turning purple and large tigerlike stripes appearing as well.
The rollercoaster turned on a sharp left turn, going straight up a tall hill with the speed slowing down.
"What?! It's stopping?!" She groaned, shaking her hand.
"Oh no, it's getting to the good part." smirked Star. "Hang on tight."
"What do you me-AAAAGGGHHHH!" Meteora cried out in gleeful surprise as the rollercoaster reached the top of the hill and immediately shot downwards, faster than before. She gripped the bar as tight as possible, her head reeling back from the strong wind and force. 'This is amazing!' She thought, screaming with joy.
The ride kept going for a few more minutes, both girls screaming their lungs out until it began to slow down. The rollercoaster then coasted to a stop at the platform, the ride ending.
"So, what did you think?" Star asked with a grin, turning to Meteora only to blink in confusion.
"What do I think? What do I think?! I think I should have ran away from my uptight mother years ago if I knew all this existed!" She said, her eyes wide in excitement, showing red, slitted eyes she hadn't had before she got on the ride, and she was grinning from ear to ear with sharp, inhuman teeth.
Star was caught off guard before she looked down and noticed the other changes to Meteora. "Uh…Meteora?"
"Yeah Star? What is it?" She asked with a grin.
"Maybe uh…maybe it's time to head home." She said, stepping off the rollercoaster and cutting a portal in the air. "I'd say that's enough fun for one day. Don't wanna burn yourself out so soon."
"What? But we were just getting started!" She groaned.
"I know, but take it from an expert, you keep going right away and it loses its luster after a while. Gotta take it one step at a time." She said quickly. "Besides, it's about time we get back to Marco-"
"Marco!" Meteora exclaimed, her eyes widening with a grin. "Oh I feel alive, like I can do anything! And I know JUST what I'm going to do!"
"Great!" smiled Star, right before Meteora ran past her and jumped into the portal, making her blink. "Wait a sec, I forgot to ask her details about Marco!"
"I'M COMING MARCO!"
"...that doesn't sound good." Star said, pulling out her phone. She quickly hit speed dial and held it to her ear.
Back on Earth, Marco sighed with a smile, in a bathrobe and towel on his head as he relaxed against his pillows. "That shower hit the spot. Wonder what Star and Meteora are up to."
Suddenly his phone began to ring, making him smile as he saw the caller ID was Star.
"Yo, what up Star?" he asked as he answered.
"Marco, I think I may have goofed up, you gotta hide, now!"
"What? What for?" He asked in confusion as he sat up.
"Just trust me and hide, quick! She should be getting there soon!"
"Wait, she?" he looked at the phone lost before hearing footsteps outside his room, right before the door went crashing onto the floor, showing an excited Meteora standing in the doorframe, looking much different. "Wait, Meteora?! Is that you? What ha-"
"MARCO DIAZ!" She said, marching towards him with a massive grin. "I feel like a brand new woman!"
"I can see that!" he cried out, wide eyed and dropping his phone.
"Yep, I feel better than ever before, I feel free, and now there's only one thing I want to do now~" she growled with a half lidded expression before lunging, crashing onto the bed with her over him as she grabbed his face. "Kiss me~!"
"Wh-" He started, only for her to lightly grab his head and pull him into said kiss, making his eyes go wide. He was so stunned he didn't move, but he did hear her growl into the kiss with her tail swishing as she tasted his lips.
'Mine, mine, mine, he's mine, he promised, and I plan to make him keep that promise!' She thought, wrapping her arms around him. She held the kiss as best as possible before pulling back, huffing with a smile as Marco was still stunned and speechless.
"W…W…Wow…"
"Yeah, it was great…. At least I think it was? It was my first." She said, looking down at him with a smile. "Marco, I think I love you, ever since you first saved me I've felt it."
"Loved…me?" he got out, face heating up at the admittance.
"Yes, I would have said it sooner but now I feel free, excited, better! I feel like I can finally tell you!" She said before pausing and looking down at him. "Do…do you feel the same?"
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Mostly due to how sudden and overwhelming this was hitting him. "I…I…I was…I…I think so? This is so sudden…"
"Yes!" she cheered, pulling him into a tight hug against her with a smile, not noticing her arms were squeezing him harder than she intended, making him groan and feel the air get pushed out.
"M-M-Meteora, a-air!"
"Noooo!" A faint voice came out from under them, from Star who had heard the entire exchange from the phone call Marco never ended. "Not fair!"
(Later)
Marco and Meteora sat on the couch, said girl cuddling against his side while holding his hand with a smile, Marco himself letting this all sink in while Star watched with a pout and crossed arms as she sat in the armchair.
'Why couldn't he just listen and hide?' Star thought in annoyance. 'Why did I have to loosen her up?!'
'Out of all the girls who would make the first move on me, I never saw this coming.' He thought in amazement, staring at Meteora. 'Wow…she really changed when she was out with Star… but she's still the same person, I'm sure of it, I guess this is what she is without all the brainwashing, huh?'
"Marco?"
"Yeah."
"After what just happened, does this mean we're going to get married?" Meteora asked nervously, making his eyes go wide.
"Huh?!"