Part 4 starts shortly after Part 3, a few minutes after Marco sprints upstairs. Note that any text in italics belongs to either Star or a new OC.

Favs, reviews, and constructive feedback are all really helpful. Thanks!

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Chapter 4 - Estrella

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Help

11:40 PM New Year's Eve and Star Butterfly is still laying on the Diaz's living room floor. It had been a long day for the Cleaver of Worlds and it was looking like it might be a longer night. The big question on her mind as she stared at the partially disassembly Christmas tree, why in Earthni did Marco run away to his sister's room?

Once she realized that he wasn't coming back, two facets of her personality debated over what to do next. Bogbeast-Star wanted to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, even if it meant kicking Mariposa's door down. However, Good-Friend-Star knew that a big confrontation wouldn't be the best approach. This was Marco, her Marco, and if he needed a little space she was going to respect that. Also repairing a kicked down door was a LOT harder now that her family's magic was gone. Instead she settled on the safe-kid approach, the long-haired blonde started getting ready for bed.

After teeth and a nightgown, Star sat on top of Marco's bed sheets with her knees pulled up against her chest. Her thoughts alternated between regret, curiosity, and wishing she knew what to do next. Needing to do something she finally made a decision.

"Call Pony Head."

The purple cellphone in her hand immediately took action, "CALLING PONY HEAD. BEEP-BEEP. BEEP-BEEP. BEEP-"

"HOLD ON, I GOT A CALL HERE PEOPLE. I'M SUPER POPULAR YOU KNOW." Although the future queen of the Pony Kingdom had answered, it was clear that Star's floating friend was still in the middle of something.

"Pony! Bestie emergency, I need help!"

"B-FLY! HEY GIRL, YOU SHOULD BE AT THIS YACHT PARTY RIGHT NOW. THIS PLACE IS HOP-PING! THEY GOT MUSIC AND DANCING AND FILTHY-RICH EARTH KIDS. THIS ONE GUY IS WEARING MORE BLING THAN RICHY PIGEON DID AT HIS CORONATION. HELL YEAH, I FINALLY FOUND MY PEOPLE!"

"Sorry Pony, that sounds super great and all but I'm having a boyfriend situation. I kinda need to talk to somebody or my brain might explode."

"HOLD ON STAR. PEOPLE, KEEP IT DOWN! I HAVE A BEST FRIEND WHO'S DEALING WITH A LOT OF EMOTIONAL PAIN AND SUFFERING! YEAH, THE ONE WHO DID THE DIMENSIONAL CLEAVE-THING WITH TURD FACE. BY THE WAY, I WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE WHEN THEY GOT THEIR MERGE ON BUT THE DOCTORS WOULDN'T LET ME LEAVE MY HOSPITAL BED AFTER OUR SOLORIAN BATTLE. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING RIGHT, I'M AN UNSUNG HERO!" Once the volume of the background noise was acceptable, the floating princess returned back to her conversation. "ALRIGHT B-FLY, THEY DIALED BACK THE MUSIC. TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED AND IF THAT TURD DID ANYTHING TO HURT YOU I'M SO-O-O GOING TO STICK A HORN WHERE THE SUN DON'T SHINE."

"No-no, it's nothing like that. You see-" Star bit her lower lip as she tried to force the words out. "-I...I might have asked Macro to tell me about the stuff that happened to him in the Neverzone and now he's hiding in his sister's room. And when I say 'might have asked'...I yelled at him after freaking out. And when I say 'stuff that happened'...I asked if he fell in love and had Never-babies."

"DAMN GIRL. I'M GOING TO FLOAT TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS BOAT SO I'M AWAY FROM EVERYBODY, SOUNDS LIKE YOU NEED MORE THAN A PONY MINUTE."

"I kinda do. I wanted to be all cool about this Neverzone stuff but I totally starred it up. Now I'm worried that it's something he doesn't want to talk about a-and...w-well...maybe he's thinking we should break up. I totally played into the hands of that evil-multi-world-lady." Star paused for a moment as she made a realization. "Now that I think about it, she probably planned this all from the beginning!" The angry young woman punched one of her pillows before strangling it with the hand not holding her phone. "Oh, if I ever get a hold of that fate woman, so help me!"

"LISTEN B-FLY I SWEAR ON MY MOST EXPENSIVE SKINNY JEANS, THERE'S NO WAY MARCO IS LEAVING MY BESTIE JUST BECAUSE SHE ASKED SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT GETTING SOME NEVER-BOOTY, NO FREAKING WAY. HEY, WEREN'T YOU TWO SUCKING FACE IN FRONT OF EVERYONE AT A PARTY LAST WEEK?"

"Yeah, we might have been but...okay maybe he won't want to break up with me right now, but what if this makes him think about us not being together in the future? You know, another nail in the corn-ffin." As she said the phrase the young mewman imagined herself in a corn filled coffin while a somber Marco hammered away at the lid.

"NO-NO, THAT BOY WOULDN'T GIVE MY STAR THE KELLY TREATMENT. A-L-T-H-O-U-G-H, NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT-"

"Kelly treatment? What's the Kelly treatment? What did he do to Kelly?"

"I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO SAY ANYTHING BECAUSE I PROMISED THE WOOLET I WOULDN'T, B-U-T SINCE I'M NEVER GOING TO SEE THAT GREEN MOP AGAIN...SO-O, MARCO ACTED LIKE HE WAS GOING TO ASK KELLY OUT FOR MONTHS BUT THEN SAID SEE-YA AFTER GETTING ALL FRIENDLY WITH HER ROOTS."

"Woah...Kelly let Marco touch her ROOTS?" Star imagination switched to an image of her boyfriend looking slightly bored as he gently massaged the woolet's scalp. "Wait, hair roots or...? Pony, I need details!"

"SO I RAN INTO KELLS WHILE SHE WAS WAITING FOR GOBLIN DOGS AND THE GIRL WAS LIKE ALL TEARY EYED BECAUSE SHE HAD BEEN INTIMATE OR SOMETHING WITH MARCO. BUT AFTER SIX MONTHS OF THEM PLAYING SOME BUDDY-BUDDY GAME HE GAVE HER A LINE ABOUT NOT KNOWING WHAT HE WANTED TO DO WITH HIS LIFE AND THEN HE'S TELLING THE BEANPOLE THAT HE'S DONE BEING INVOLVED WITH A WALKING PILE OF HAIR."

"Wow. That seems weird though, even if Marco didn't want to get all boyfriend-girlfriend with her he'd never say something as mean as that."

"OKAY, I ADMIT I MIGHT HAVE MADE-UP SOME DETAILS BECAUSE THE STORY SHE ACTUALLY TOLD ME WAS REALLY BORING. LIKE SO BORING THAT IF THE BREAKUP HAPPENED ON A SITCOM THEY WOULD HAVE DONE IT OFF-SCREEN BECAUSE GOING TO GET A SANDWICH WOULD BE WAY MORE INTERESTING, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING. WHAT IS TRUE IS THAT YOUR BOY GOT KELLS THINKING KELCO MIGHT BECOME OFFICIAL AND SHE GOT REAL HEARTBROKEN WHEN HE DUMPED HER ASS. THAT TURD MIGHT BE ON MY SHORT LIST OF BOYS I'D REPOPULATE A DIMENSION WITH BUT IT STILL WASN'T COOL OF HIM TO LEAD A GIRL ON FOR THAT LONG."

Star wrinkled her brow as she thought about how around that same time her relationship with a certain half-demon was also dragging on. "Well, none of us are perfect."

"B-FLY, IF THERE IS A SERIOUS STARCO BREAKUP, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE SEXY EYES AT TOM AGAIN."

"Sexy eyes at Tom!?" Star was so unprepared for the statement, her words coming out three octaves higher than normal.

Hearing her friend's reaction, Pony guessed that the best way to ensure her bestie's long-term happiness was pressing a few buttons and maybe knock some sense into her bestie. "HEY, WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT BOY WHO COULD MAKE A KEYBOARD SOUND LIKE A DYING WHALE? MAYBE YOU CAN MAKE VAMPIRE KID WEAR A RED HOODIE FOR YOU. IF YOU TEACH HIM HOW TO MAKE NACHOS I'M SURE AWFUL-MUSIC-GUY WOULD BE A WAY BETTER FAKE MARCO THAN TOM WAS."

"Lilacia Pony Head!"

The light-blue girl smiled at Star's reaction, happy her button pushing had been one-hundred percent successful.

"OR MAYBE GET YOUR EX-PRINCESS ASS OVER TO WHEREVER TURD FACE WENT AND TALK TO HIM UNTIL YOU GET THAT STARCO MAGIC GROOVING AGAIN!"

Feeling angry and disgruntled, the former princess ran a hand over her face as she tried to collect herself. "You know if something did happen between Marco and I...I'd be completely fine not dating for awhile! I'm an independent woman, I don't NEED to be in a relationship!"

"SO SAYS THE GIRL WITH MORE SHIPS THAN THE MEWNI NAVY...ASSUMING MEWNI STILL HAS A NAVY. ACTUALLY, DO WE STILL HAVE A NAVY AFTER THE CLEAVE?"

Star was furious but didn't get a chance to launch a counter offensive before hearing the bathroom sink.

"Pony, I gotta go. I hear him brushing his teeth. I can't believe you'd say something like that about Tom and Oscar, we're talking about this later!"

"NEWS FLASH B-FLY, THERE'S A BOY WHO LOVES YOU AND HE'S THE REAL THANG. NOW STOP DOUBTING YOURSELF. EVEN IF YOU MESSED UP YOU CAN FIX IT. EVERYONE KNOWS NOTHING GETS IN THE WAY OF MY STAR!"

Thinking about Pony's words, Star starts repeating them to herself. "Right-right-right-right. Nothing gets in my way. Nothing gets in my way. That still wasn't a nice thing to say but...thanks Pony."

"LOVE YA GIRL! BYE-EEE."

Somewhere on a 150' yacht the powder-blue princess tucks her cell up inside her neck hole. "I love you B-fly, I really hope you figure this out." After whispering to herself the floating teen makes her way back to the ship's portside New Year's Eve bash. "NO-NO, NO WAY DID YOU GUYS START DANCING WITHOUT ME. HEY, WHICH TWO OF YOU LUCKY HUNKS WANT TO BUFF MY HORN?"

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Unpacking

11:58 PM and Star Butterfly is in their shared darkened bedroom. From the bed she watches the bathroom door open and close. As he walks in Marco purposely keeps his head down, doing his best to avoid eye contact.

"Hey"

"..h..i.."

The moonlight from the window cascades over the young man while he makes his way around several piles of Star's laundry, some clean, some dirty. The former magic wielder then stares as Marco removes his hoodie and pulls a pair of light-gray pajama bottoms out from under the air mattress pillow. The former knight didn't even bother looking for the matching shirt that Star hid under his desk that morning. Normally Marco would go back to the bathroom to change but instead he got ready right in front of her. Star took this deviation from his normal routine as yet another sign that something was wrong.

Needing to break the silence, the mewman went with the most soothing voice she could muster.

"Marco, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten all weird downstairs and it really wasn't cool of me to push you on this Neverzone stuff. It's just...you know, my imagination goes in weird directions sometimes but I DO trust you. I never should have assumed that-"

Just as midnight flashed on her phone Marco closed the distance between them before leaning down to give her a quick peck on the forehead. The young woman blinked as he lightly pushed back on her shoulders. Taking the hint, Star nervously laid down. With her head now on the pillows she was sure she felt a tear falling from above.

"Oh-no Marco, what happened?"

Reaching out, his fingers gently touched the blonde's ear before making its way along the edge of her jaw. Star wanted to speak but the light strokes at the base of her cheek were almost too distracting.

"Please Marco, maybe I can help?"

He gave a nod and then began his tale, "O-once upon a time..."

-O-

Years before, in dimension X-103, a fully grown Marco Diaz reflects on one of his many life choices.

'All I said was that a cream based sweet potato soup would be better if it started with a proper roux! Was that really so wrong! I thought Tom was bad but seriously, necromancers are the worst at taking constructive criticism, right up there with pizza restaurant owners. Okay, damage assessment time. No pain anywhere, but I can't open my eyes. So why am I only hearing my voice in my head? Crap, I've read about this. He must've trapped my soul. Maybe he turned me into a really cool sword? Hmm, no...my outside feels cold and damp. Maybe I'm stuck in a dead body because he's a necromancer? Man, it'd be awesome if I was trapped in some sort of sweet samurai blade.

Think Diaz, if I can't move what do I do? Or maybe I should be asking, are there any movies that deal with a situation like this? There was "Johnny Got His Gun" but I don't like the idea of convincing someone to smother me. As lame as it sounds I might have to play the long game on this one. I just wish I could shift a little or...eww...what the hell is growing out of my butt? Man, necromancers are the worst!'

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One week later.

'This is so-o-o-o-o boring. Wet, dry, wet, dry. I think I can feel the hair on my body moving but it's so slo-o-ow. Too bad Star wasn't here when that dude got all Gordon Ramsay on me, she would have flattened him with narwhals or maybe coated him in insect attracting honey. Her magic must be awesome by now. Alright Mr. Diaz, it's time to stop addressing yourself in the third person and initiate Operation Stay Sane. Step one, let's see how many times I can sing the entire Love Sentences catalog in alphabetical order.'

~ Awesome feeling, nothing's gonna take us down- ~

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Several weeks later.

~ Twenty-seven Hekapoo flames to blowout, twenty-seven Hekapoo flames. Run one down, fling her around, twenty-six Hekapoo flames to- ~

'Hello.'

'AAAAAAAAAHH!'

'Ah...aaahh?'

'WHO'S IN MY HEAD!?'

'Head? What's a head?'

'Who are you and how are you talking to me!?'

'Our roots are touching.'

'Roots!?'

'Did you get hurt during the upheaval?'

'What are you talking about!?'

'That's when all the other yams disappeared. The ground moved and then all the others were gone.'

'You...you're a yam? This is it Marco Diaz, you're twenty-seven-years old and you've become a complete loony pants! How can I be talking to a yam!? '

'Well, you're a yam.'

'Oh...OH...no-no-no-no-no-no-no, I'm a human from Earth who was cursed by a necromancer into a...DAMN IT, HE TRAPPED MY SOUL IN A YAM!'

'Hello human from Earth. I'm a yam.'

'ALL I SAID WAS THAT HIS SOUP COULD'VE BEEN BETTER!'

'What's soup?'

'Oh, you know...water, salt, root vegetables, meat if you have any, a few spices, and a proper roux if it's going to be cream based and you want it to actually taste good!'

'You seem to know a lot more words than the other yams human From Earth. Are my roots too close to you? If they are, I can stop growing in that direction. I don't want to crowd you.'

'Is that what these things are? I can't believe...wait-wait-wait, wait-wait...HE'S GROWING ME SO HE CAN TURN ME INTO SOUP! Oh god, this...this is the worst adventure ever. I'd cry right now but I don't even have eyes!'

'Human From Earth, what are eyes and what's an adventure?'

'Y-you don't know what an adventure is?'

'Should a yam know what an adventure is?'

'No, I guess not. Sorry, I'll try to calm down. It's just you're the first thing I've talked to in however long it's been and you surprised me. Thinking about it, I should just be happy that I finally have someone to communicate with. But wait, how do I know that I can trust you?'

'Trust?'

'You really are a yam aren't you?'

'I yam."

'So-o-o, what do yams know?'

'I know about dirt and mud and water and roots and warmth on my leaves. Us yams know all about those things.'

'Hmm...so you've never had to mow the lawn or do homework or take puppies out for a walk?'

'Nope.'

'That must also mean that you've never had a birthday cake or watched a TV show or gotten a hug from your best friend?'

'I don't even know what those things are.'

'Got it, that makes sense. And there were a lot of other yams here before?'

'Yup, a whole yamly.'

'Yamly?'

"That's short for yam family.'

'I remember it was around harvest when that necromancer invited me over for dinner, they must've missed you. Anyway, since it's just going to be the two of us for a while, I should tell you what's happening above-ground.'

'Things happen above-ground?'

'Yes, yes they do. Okay, sit back and let me spin you a tale. No-no, let me tell you about the adventure that started all this.'

'Sit back?'

'Sorry, keep doing what you're doing now and feel free to stop me if you have any questions.'

'I can't wait to learn what a tale is.'

'Far, far away, in a magical land called Mewni, there lived a princess named Star Butterfly.'

'What's a princess, what's a star, and what's a butterfly?'

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Growing

As late fall turned to winter the tubers engaged in a series of long conversations just a few inches below the Neverzonian surface. It took a while for Marco to explain all of the differences between Earth, Mewni, X-103, and all the other dimensions he'd visited but slowly they got through it. Several days were spent just on Mexican food and how it was mostly the same ingredients, just prepared in different ways. Although the true yam didn't have many stories, Marco the Adventurer still wanted to know everything there was to know about being a plant. It started with an explanation of all the different types of dirt and mud, but before long 'yam' had told its life's story from seed, to first roots, to leaves, to flowers, and finally to the moment it touched Marco. Before the last harvest the yam had three others in its yamly and each of those yams knew others beyond them. All those vegetables used to talk, their conversations alternating between the weather and local gossip. Evidently it was a big deal to know which yams might be developing rot.

'Yam' in turn wanted to hear everything about the above-ground world. There were questions about what it was like to see, hear, and smell. Even more enthralling to the yam, the concept that things could actually GO PLACES. By mid-winter Marco was explaining movies, malls, family, and festivals. The plant even thought the California public education system was interesting.

Marco appreciated the distraction but in the back of his mind he was always thinking about his escape. If he pushed himself out of the ground would the curse end? Could he grow a vine that would trip the necromancer as he walked by? The two vegetables schemed together until spring, that's when Marco's first leaves emerged and finally he felt the warmth of the sun. Later that spring came another first.

'So I told Brunzetta, that's not a swamp hag...that's his sister!'

'Ha-ha-ha, sister!'

'Oh, those were good times. Hey! Hey-hey! I-I think it's happening! Something's moving one of my flowers!'

'Prepare to be pollinated my friend. It always puts me in a state where I finally feel like I understand my place in the dirt.'

'To think, I'm going to have a thousand yam babies. Oh, that almost tickles. WOW, they really get up in there. I don't know what type of bug that is but they should have at least asked me out to dinner first!'

'Tell me Marco, how many times have you been pollinated as a human?'

'Well, human reproduction and plant pollination are similar at the cellular level, but at the organism level it's COMPLETELY different. For humans, if you want to do it right, you need to find someone you'd like to be with and they also need to like you. Just that can take a lifetime. Then when you have a girlfriend you have to play these games like guess-what-I-actually-mean-when-I-say-I-want-to-hang-out. What makes it hard is that you have no idea what the other person is actually thinking! It could be that they want to go skateboarding or maybe they'd be happier seeing a movie, who knows? Back when I was a kid I went on a few dates with this girl named Jackie and I had no idea if I was doing anything right. These relationships, they seem like they should be easy but it gets complex REALLY fast.'

'This quest to know what a girlfriend is thinking, couldn't you have just asked her?'

'I wish. Sadly if you don't play the games right the person you're interested in won't think you like them enough.'

'So you can't ask and you have no way of knowing the right answer. That does seem hard.'

'One example, I never was able to figure out if Jackie and I went on dates because she liked me or because she felt sorry for me.'

'Did you ever guess right and pollinate with her?'

'Oh-no, not even close. We didn't do more than a few kisses goodnight. Even if I'd guessed what she was thinking, being intimate with Jackie was way beyond my forty-two step plan.'

'Then did you pollinate after you left Echo Creek?'

'I've been here for years now but I've never really had a chance. The Neverzonians are all weird ghost-like creatures so it wouldn't work even if I did like one of them. I've hung out with Brunzetta a bunch but she's made it clear that she'd cut me in half with her battle axe if I ever tried anything. The closest I've gotten is maybe with Hekapoo. She flirts with me every time I'd see her but whenever things looked like they might get serious she jokes about not wanting to distract me from my scissors test. Plus she's like a bajillion years old which kind of freaks me out if I think about it too long. Maybe things would be different if I was fine having one-night stands but I've always wanted to have a relationship with someone special to me, even if love is just an illusion.'

'What about with your best friend from Mewni? It sounded like you were good at knowing what she was thinking.'

'With Star!? Oh man, we had a lot of awesome times together and we got along great but...no, she was never into me like that. Even if she was, she's this magical princess from another dimension and I'm just some dork from Echo Creek. I'm just lucky to have been her friend. What she needs is a prince who's good enough to be the king of Mewni one day.' Marco the yam paused for a moment, distracted by images of the best friend he hadn't seen in over a decade. 'Now that I think about it, I've been gone so long she's probably queen now. Whoever she married is one lucky guy. Star is a really good person, she likes to do all sorts of fun stuff, she's adorable, and well...Star's the best. Don't get me wrong, she was a handful sometimes but I really hope I catch up with her when my test is done. I can't wait to see the look on her face when I show up with those scissors. I bet she'll give me a huge hug when I return them. I do wonder if she'll still want to go adventuring with me now that we're grown up. But even if she doesn't, I really want to see her again.'

'Marco, after we let loose our seed, can I go on adventures with you? Plus I want to be there when you see Star. These hugs you keep talking about sound amazing.'

'Definitely! Once I figure a way out of this yam body I'm heading to a magical crystal cavern that, if I play my cards right, should give me a map to Hekapoo's forge. I learned about the place while I was staying with a convent of monks two days east of here. If everything goes as expected, a few weeks after my great yam escape I'll have everything I need to finish my scissor test. But before we make too many plans, there's a problem you and I need to talk about.'

'Me being a yam, that's a problem isn't it?'

'I'm not going to lie, being a yam will make it hard to get you interacting with the above-ground world. Overcoming not being able to hear or see is rough but worse is you not being able to move. I'm not sure what to do about that.'

'Would you at least be able to pull me out of the dirt and take me with you?'

'That I can do once I'm human again. I'll even teach you Morse code so I can tell you what's going on by tapping patterns on your skin.'

'That would be great! You can put me in that magical dimension you called a pocket. Then, every once in a while, reach in and fill me in on what's going on. It'll be like I'm adventuring right there next to you.'

'But there's one important piece we can't forget.'

'What's that?'

'Every adventurer needs a cool adventuring name.'

'Can I be like your friend and you call me Star? I like that name.'

'It's a great name but I'm not sure the universe can handle more than one Star Butterfly. How about we go with Estrella, my yam sister? According to my dad Estrella is a different way to say Star. Plus, I think it's a better fit for you."

'Estrella. My name is Estrella and one day I'm going to be an adventurer.'

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Compared to the rest of his time in dimension X-103, it had been an easy year for the yam-man. The above-ground world may have been dangerous but below the surface the former human was able to stay relatively safe. Marco did note several short but intense rainstorms that hit only him. The fact that they were so brief made him wonder if a certain necromancer was urinating in the area as an additional form of punishment. Eventually spring became summer and the red belt's seeds fell away. Sadly the baby yams he expected never showed up. His best guess was that they'd been collected for planting elsewhere. He was still happy though, he had Estrella by his side and their roots became more and more entwined.

One autumn night, as suddenly as it began, Brunzetta was lifting Marco's human form out of its subterranean home. A certain necromancer made the mistake of bragging about a hoodie wearing food critic being ready for harvest and that was enough of a hint for the axe wielder to figure out the fate of the friend she'd now forever tease with the name 'Yammy'. However, what Brunzetta couldn't figure out was why Marco wouldn't leave without taking one specific root vegetable with him.

Two months later, Brunzetta had moved on while Marco continued his scissor test. After a few brief adventures the muscle-covered twenty-eight-year-old finally convinced a dimensional scholar to lead him to the Cavern of Final Wishes. The words of the guide echoed through his mind as he stepped inside, "WhAt yoU sEeK liEs WitHiN, bUt oNly tHrouGh saCRifiCe caN oNe moVe fOrwArd." Upon entering the cave he tapped on a wooden box that he wore on his belt repeating the warning in Morse code while adding, 'With a cheesy riddle like that I'm sure this is a hoax.'

To his surprise, the long windy descent placed him in the exact crystal filled cavern he was seeking. Before going any further he started tapping again, 'Looks like we made it. It's a big place and I'm seeing maybe a hundred tunnels leading away from the main chamber. I'm going to mark how we got in, one of the rumors I heard is that there's only a single path to the surface.'

Kneeling down he formed an arrow out of several small stones before exploring further. Among the room's crystal pillars, beams of sunlight fell through cracks in the ceiling. Treading carefully Marco spotted one, then two, and eventually a dozen skeletal corpses. He guessed they were previous adventures who either got lost or wished for too much. More importantly however, he found the crystal altar. Laying on the platform were the objects he'd been hoping to find, three gilded books. He smiled knowing that each volume held the possibility of leading him to the scissor forger's home.

Before opening the first tome, Marco removed the wooden box from his belt and placed it on the other end of the naturally formed crystal table. It was as if he wanted to give the object a chance to view each page as he flipped through them. 'This might be it. The books are here so I'm going to open one up and see what I can learn.' After tapping his message the muscle bound Marco was heads down in the largest volume. He was thrilled that there was enough light to allow him to read, but discouraged when he couldn't understand a single word. While trying to decode at least one of the mysterious symbols an unexpected voice made him look up. Seems he wasn't the only one granted a wish that day.

"M-Marco, can you show me this hug?"

"Hu-h?"

Her hair was dark and ran down to her knees, its texture that of a yam's finest roots. Her skin had an uneven earthy tone as if she'd spent her life embedding it with mud. Her eyes had no irises, just pupils in a soothing sea of ivory. Overall her form matched how Marco had described his bestie, although instead of a dress her clothing was a layer of green leaves that did little to conceal what was underneath. Everything about his yam sister was striking but two features stood out the most. In the center of her chest, close to where her heart should be, was a large rectangular opening. In it her original yam body hung, suspended by its roots. The other was the pink flowers that stood proudly in her hair, right in the spots where Star wore her horns. Had he not known better, Marco would have thought this was Star Butterfly dryad princess. But he did know better. It was his Estrella and with a joy filled grin he hugged his yam sister like he was finally meeting an old friend.

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Provisions

Twenty days later, in the same crystal cavern, a feverish and slightly emaciated Marco Diaz sat on the cold dirt floor. On his left lay the three gilded tombs, their language still incomprehensible. On his right was his yam sister, still as captivating as the first time he gazed upon her animated form.

"You ate swamp-shrooms didn't you?"

"Maybe."

"Marco, you told me that swamp-shrooms make you loopy. Was that the last of your food?

"I made soup out of the provisions I had left, including the mushrooms we found. I could have eaten it all uncooked but I figured by adding water it would do a better job of making me feel full. Sorry if I start acting weird."

"I sense that your body is severely lacking its required nutrients."

Marco closed his eyes, actively ignoring that last statement. "I explored three passages today while you were getting your sunlight. I would have done more but you're right, I'm feeling a little...under the weather."

"Is it the lack of nutrients or do you have the rot?"

"Rot? I might be sick but it's not exactly rot. S-still, not pleasant." As he spoke a drop of sweat fell from his brow.

"You told me that the scholar who brought you here gave a warning. 'What you seek lies within, but only through sacrifice can one move forward.'"

Marco gave a nod.

"I'm worried that if you don't get better soon you're going to be the one that ends up being sacrificed."

"Don't worry about me, we'll find the way out soon. Normally for a gift like these books you only need to sacrifice a memory, a finger, or maybe a small piece of your soul. That's why I only wished for a tiny bit of knowledge, I didn't want the cost to be too high. It's not like we asked for unlimited wealth or magical powers. Wishes have weird rules but we'll figure this out."

The dryad looked pensive as she placed a finger on her soft fibrous lips. "Right, we're adventurers. We can handle this."

"Exactly." He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself focused. "I'm just glad you're fine swallowing dirt and sitting in a beam of sunlight for half the day. I'd be upset if you didn't have everything you needed."

"I wish you humans could exist on sunshine too. Are you sure I shouldn't worry?"

"I admit, I have a fever but I'll...I'll be fine. Just a short nap and then we'll do some more exploring. We have fresh water from the stream you found and I'll be able to survive on what's left in the cooking pot until we figure this out. I just wish I knew what keeps happening to our tunnel markers. This cave is playing way too many tricks. Anyway, try not to worry. We have everything we need for now."

She wasn't happy with his answer but the plant-woman decided to accept it. As Estrella considered her options for further cave exploration, Marco closed his eyes. Not sure which tunnel hadn't already been explored, she instead decided to keep Marco company. While leaning over him her twenty-day-old eyes settled on the strange drawing that lived on his arm. Curious, she poked at it to see if it would move.

"That...that's a tattoo of scissors. It's basically a permanent mark some troublemaker placed on me."

The girl wrinkled her brow as she studied it. "Do most adventurers get drawn on?"

"Well-" Marco paused for a second as he tried to figure out if he could accurately answer her question. "-maybe? Anyway, the weird thing with this tattoo is that I don't remember getting it. I assume Hekapoo or one of her clones put it there but I'm not really sure. Maybe I asked for it? It's been on me for years now. One day I woke up in a puddle and found it while cleaning up."

"Hmm, some adventurers have tattoos. If it never goes away, does that mean you'll always be an adventurer? And if you stop adventuring, will you leave the Neverzone?"

"I assume I'll want to stop someday but I have no idea when. As for leaving, I likely won't have to but I...I'm not sure what I'll do. I miss my old life sometimes, but this place is almost simpler. Eat. Try not to get eaten. Hunt Hekapoos. Wander. That's pretty much it. Plus, with how much time has passed I'm not sure if I even have a place I could go back to. The people from before...my friends, my family...I bet they've all moved on with their lives. I'm going to wait until I get those scissors before deciding but it'll be hard walking away from this world. Plus I have this sweet dragon-cycle, you totally have to meet her. No way could I leave Nachos behind."

The yam-dryad didn't understand everything Marco was saying but kept poking at his tattoo as she tried to imagine Marco's childhood on Earth. Eventually she started looking over her own body in a search for similar mysterious images. Not finding any Estrella made her way over to the metal pot that hung over their fire pit's coals. The small cauldron was in the back of the cavern when they first arrived and although no person sized exit had not been found they collected several bundles of branches from the debris piles that formed under each of the ceiling's largest openings. Everything they needed was within reach, at least until Marco's provisions ran out.

With a wooden cup and spoon she returned back to the sickly man from Echo Creek. Slowly she fed him until he was ready to sleep. "You focus on getting better Marco Diaz, I'll find us a way to escape."

.

The thin rays of light from above were nowhere to be seen when Marco fought to open his eyes. Instead shadows danced on the crystalline walls as the low flame from their stone ringed fire barely lit the space around him. He felt terrible now. Shivers, his face was too hot, his limbs too cold. Even worse, every one of his muscles ached as if they'd been poked over and over again by a thousand tiny needles. Despite the pain, Marco Diaz willed himself awake. Scanning his surroundings, his eyes finally settled on the concerned Estrella kneeling by his side and the full wooden cup that sat between them. The carved mug was a souvenir from his battle with wolf-bears. Seeing that he was now focused on her, his yam sister left the container on the ground while using one arm to pick up the matching spoon.

"Thank you Estrella."

"Eat up, I want you to get better. I-ah...f-found something buried in the ground that looked like it would be good for you. It was in one of those spots where the sun hits the dirt during the day. I think it's corn but I'm not really sure."

The adventure smiled, realizing how hard it must be for someone who'd never heard, touched, or seen human food until a few days before to have any of the information needed to identify each type. "Not corn." He broke up a fibrous chunk with his tongue as he tried to pin down the taste. "Maybe…maybe sweet potato."

"Just you eat up, I don't like seeing you this wilted."

"Hey Estrella, if...if I don't make it...you've been a good friend."

"Don't make what?"

"If I don't survive...this."

"No Marco, you're going to beat this rot." Putting the spoon down, Estrella rubbed her face with the same hand she used to feed him. Confused, she began to study the clear liquid that was dripping from her eyes.

"Those are tears. I told you about them."

Not sure how to react to her new feelings, she simply stared at her damp palm while trying to understand if this emotion was making the water or if somehow her eyes had developed leaks.

"When you get out of here, if you ever meet my other friends-"

Finally accepting what these new feelings were doing to her body, she wrapped her one good arm around his neck while pulling him close. "No Marco, you're going to get better!"

"-tell them all that I...I love them."

"You're going to get better!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't...I couldn't show you more of this world."

"Adventures should always get better-" Raw emotions now poured out of her. She remembered wishing for a body that could move and breath, but she wasn't at all prepared for everything else that came with it. "-adventures...should...always...get...better."

.

Marco had no idea how much time passed. He had memories but they were all fuzzy and disjointed. He remembered a wet cloth being placed on his forehead, similar to how his mother would when he was a child. He saw images of Estrella feeding him whenever his eyes were open for a few seconds. There were also strange memories of the woman pulling herself across the ground instead of walking as if her legs had failed. The most surreal of visions however was one where the crying dryad clawed at her own chest while leaning over the fire. The image being a hallucination was all that made sense.

Eventually the fever broke and his slumber ended. As he lay on the ground a warm breeze swept across his body. Marco was dumbfounded. An exit was directly in front of him in a spot he knew they passed at least a thousand times. Beyond the natural archway lay the bright light of noon just a few feet away. Although better, Marco was still tired and confused. The sight of the outside world on top of that caused him to doubt if he was really awake. After taking a minute to adjust his clothing, he grabbed his bags and checked to make sure the ancient texts were inside.

"Estrella?"

The words echoed through the tunnels unanswered.

"Estrella!?"

There was no sign of her. The fire was cold and only a small lump of mush remained at the bottom of the cooking pot. Wanting to take the edge off his hunger, he finished off everything that was edible before slowly walking outside. He considered searching for the dryad within the cavern but it seemed more likely that she'd taken advantage of their new found freedom while he was asleep. "Estrella!? I sure hope you're out getting some sunlight."

Stepping through, Marco found the midday light blinding having been away from the sun's full strength for so long. Once he adjusted, he was able to scan the ground for prints that might show which direction his friend fled. He didn't see any.

"Estrella?"

Finally he looked back to the cave thinking she must be still inside. A few feet from the fire pit, by the base of a crystal pillar, he spotted the dryad's flowers laying on a pile of dirt. And like that the way back into the cavern disappeared.

Hours later Neverzone Marco resumed his scissors test. Over time he pushed every memory of that year back into the furthest corner of his mind, as far back as he could get them.

-O-

Realization

Sometime between the start of his tale and the moment he finished, the young couple had curled up in bed. Marco was the little spoon and Star the big one. As the boy talked, his girlfriend slowly ran her slender teenage fingers through his unbrushed hair as she did her best to make him feel safe.

"You wanted to know if I had children...does making seeds count? Honestly Star, I don't think it does but I really don't know. As for love, I loved her in a sisterly way or like a mentor loves a student. She was a great friend and she helped fill the Star sized hole I had in my life. The best I can explain it, I wouldn't have started anything romantic but I was in a place where if she wanted something to happen, she was special enough where I wouldn't have said no."

The young woman's response was to squeeze him just a little bit tighter.

"After, I completely boxed up everything. Sadly I found not thinking about Estrella was the only way I could deal with what happened. Then after a few weeks of fighting to survive I...I'd done it. When I got back from the Neverzone maybe I could have tried to work through my feelings, but instead I distracted myself with all the Earth stuff I'd forgotten. I focused on getting back into my computer, figuring out how to do homework. I remember asking Janna for my locker combination. After a few days back in school X-103 was just just another dimension I told stories about." Marco took a deep breath as he prepared to finish. "I'm glad you were there when my scissor test was over and you did the right thing when you convinced me to return home. The part that's hardest to explain is that I stayed the same person the whole time. Maybe I should have been different after. Maybe boxing it all inside myself was why I wasn't."

"So you're saying that even after all that, you've always been the same Marco?"

The former knight replied with a slight nod. "I learned skills, but the experiences both good and bad didn't change who I am."

On the back of his head, right in the spot Hekapoo once left her mark, Star placed a kiss. "I love who you are."

"Thanks. That...that means a lot. Sorry about Santa and for not telling you about the medical stuff. You might not like it, but trying to keep other people happy is also part of who I am. Maybe if I thought things through I would've realized that we'd both be happier if I never hid the truth from you."

"Before you ran upstairs, you said you were disappointed in yourself. I hope you don't blame yourself for what happened."

"I'm mad because I let her get into that mess. I realize a lot of what happened was beyond my control, but that doesn't change how I feel about myself. The other disappointment...well, this is going to sound weird but I'm also mad that I didn't take advantage of the opportunity."

"I-I don't understand."

"Imagine if I used those sixteen years to become a scholar or studied medicine or to write a novel. What if I used that time to learn how to paint or studied something useful? I know there weren't any Earth style universities in X-103 but I'm disappointed that I was given an extra sixteen year of life but I don't have anything to show for it now. Don't get me wrong, the adventures were amazing and I was super happy to have earned my scissors, but since we can't travel dimensions anymore how important was it all? Looking back it feels like one big missed opportunity."

"Marco, you became more confident in the Neverzone and you learned to sword fight like a pro and-and you can fly a dragon-cycle better than anyone I've ever met. You then used those skills to flip warnicorns, to-to close portals with Hekapoo, to keep me alive, and to do all sorts of awesome stuff! I get that hindsight might make you wish you did something else with that time but you shouldn't regret what you learned!"

"Hmm, I guess."

"And after hearing that story you just told me, it sounds like your years in the Neverzone were really important to some other people. Super important."

He shrugged and went back to dwelling on what could have been. As he did, Star held him in silence, still trying to provide some comfort. She replayed parts of his tale in her mind. Her thoughts then wandered between what it must have been like having only a yam-sister to talk to and how her own life would be different if she had lived an extra sixteen years.

"Marco, between now and your second time turning thirty you're going to do tons of awesome stuff, I just know it. Think of your first time as practice. With everything you learned you're going to nail the second one. Also, I want to apologize again if I seemed weird about Estrella. Sounds like she was a really-really-really special person."

"She was."

"I know that I want you to tell me everything about everything, but now I get that there might be parts of your past you're not ready to talk about. I'm going to try to respect that. Just let me know when I'm pushing too hard and I'll stop, promise."

At this point Star brought the hand that had been petting him down around his waist so she could lock him with her arms.

"Am I the only one who you've told this story to? Did Brunzetta or Hekapoo find out about Estrella?"

"Hekapoo didn't or if she did she never said anything. I tried to hide it from Brunzetta but I'm pretty sure she knew the yam was special to me."

"So with her flowers on the ground was it possible that she was still inside the cave? Or maybe she left her flowers before going out to explore and you missed her tracks? Knowing you, I'm sure you kept searching for her."

"..."

"She still had sun and water in the cavern so if she was trapped she could still have survived, right?"

Star stopped when the boy in her arms shook his head slowly. Suddenly the young woman made a realization.

"Oh...oh-no."

"Star, s-she sacrificed herself for me. S-she put herself...the...she...she was the soup Star. She was the soup."

Like that, Star Butterfly finally understood what Marco Diaz was going through.

For the rest of her time awake the former princess refused to let go of her boyfriend. Marco didn't show any emotions, instead he stayed silent until his exhaustion caught up with him. Star knew he was asleep when he started breathing deeply but that didn't stop her from worrying. She lay awake rolling the same thoughts in her head over and over again, was she the worst because she didn't trust him? Was she the worst because she forced him to relive that terrible year? Or was she the worst because she never reached out to him before now to see if he needed to talk about any of the awful things he might have been through?

In the end there was only one clear answer. She couldn't fix the past, but fate be damned she was going to fix the future.

.

.

Dear wise and powerful Dark Lord of the Multiverse,

With dinner, did you want the side of sweet potato fries or the candied yams?

Your humble servant,
Olin Nordenn

I THINK this is the first fan story dealing directly with Marco being a yam, we'll see if it's the last. Too weird? I tried to make sure Marco pushed these memories so far back that this story would easily work with what happened in the show. Hopefully I did that. - Olin

For those interested, Mono1472 posted some Estrella sketches on Tumblr. Search for #starcovsparenthood.