Star was suddenly standing beside Marco outside of his house, with nothing but the changing brightness and a swift *pop* to alert her senses. She looked around, surprised, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Glossaryck, without missing a beat, immediately floated to face the two, wearing an impatiently serious face.
"So, Star, you have been here before, so I won't give you the spiel since you'll ignore it anyway. Take care of Marco, and don't go nuts like last time. It's not like you have those scientists to fix your memories or anything this time. I'm about to be whisked away, so good lu-"
pop*
In an instant, Glossaryck was gone, leaving the two standing just outside Marcos house in the bright sun. Marco looked around and immediately began to notice the slight differences with this world and the real one. For instance, there were no longer stop signs, the flowers all had faces, and more importantly, the sky had six moons and was purple.
"Ooookay? Star, we're in your memories, what do we do? Is there like some path of neurons we take between each memory? Or do we just sit tight and things happen?" Star looked around with uncertainty evident on her face and gave Marco a sheepish grin. "I uh, well. I don't really remember. I remember going here, and a couple of things that happened, but that's it. I guess we just look for Toffees finger?"
Marco nodded slowly and gave her a reassuring smile before looking far down the street in the direction of his school, which was somewhat covered in overcast shadow, and a massive yellow star-shaped crystal. "Well, let's try over there. Might help us some. Big creepily ominous high school seems to fit the bill of why we're here."
Star looked over at the familiar sight and nodded, hoping that this crazy adventure would be over soon rather than later. This place was creepy.
They began walking, and noticed another Star walking towards them with an entourage of creatures and a spry tune playing wherever she walked. Both of them moved to avoid her, but she seemed to pay them no mind. Another Star flew by down the street on a bicycle, seemingly calling out to a Marco that was nowhere to be found. Lastly, a Star ran by overhead on some sort of long platform made of heart etched sheet metal, looking absolutely blood driven in her quest. A Marco floated by on a platform, causing the two to plush profusely at the memory.
"Yeah, lets just...keep walking," Star whispered uncomfortably.
Marco turned to her and pointed to the various copies running around. "What's up with them?"
"Oh, they're my memories or something. I think they follow us around?"
Marco thought about that as he watched the music Star and bike Star fade from view and they continued walking. "Yeah, Glossaryck mentioned some 'other you's'. So, should I avoid myself too? I don't want to like, break your memories or anything."
Star grinned at the idea of a group of Marcos walking around to accompany her. "I mean, I wouldn't mind if you and a bunch of my memories wanted to all hang out and-"
"Don't even go there."
"What?! I'm just saying! Maybe it would be helpful! Having more Marcos around wouldn't be as bad as a bunch of Stars!"
"Uh huhhhh...Anywaaaaays, let's head over to the school and see what we find," he answered, making his way down the sidewalk.
Star stopped and turned them both around, only to find that the entrance to the school was right behind them. She turned them around again, only to be given much the same discovery. Marco frowned and tested the physics of the placement of the school for a moment longer, only finding it closer with each turn. "Oooookay. That's a little weird. Definitely not the path of brain cells I was thinking."
Star shrugged and smiled at him, flicking his nose and stepping through the entrance, noting the finer details of the hallways that appeared different. "You mighta guessed this if there were seven more of you, hot stuff," she stated coyly.
He blushed profusely at her and ignored the comment, noticing that the floor tiles of the school were no longer evenly spaced, and the light fixtures seemed to give off less light.
Star, noticing the eerie differences and gloomy atmosphere, decided to push on. "Yeah, this is some weird junk. Let's hurry up and find Toffees finger and get out of here."
She looked down one of the adjacent hallways and stopped, causing Marco to bump into her. He blinked a couple of times and stared at her rigid form, getting a bit nervous. "Star? What's up? You uh, you okay? It's not weird that you want a bunch of me's walking around, you know."
She wore a deep frown and pointed down the hall, staring with cold unfeeling silence. At the end, Marco saw himself and Jackie talking, holding each other's hands and smiling wide. He kissed Jackie and the two parted ways before they both disappeared. Marco slowly reached for Stars hand but she moved to avoid his.
"Star?"
"What." She asked coldly.
"That's not me. That's… the other timeline."
Star continued to frown as they walked along the hall and shook her head. "I know. I still don't like it, Marco."
He was about to make another attempt to console her, when an explosion ripped through the air, blowing the wall to their right to smithereens. As the two ducked low to avoid the debris, a mewberty-ridden Star stood from the rubble and looked around without emotion. She gave a short regard to the two crouched teens, before shooting back through the air at the hidden assailant.
A bright green flash of magic burst from down the hallway, before Vartek shot from the smoke like a rocket. He skid to a stop and rolled to his feet before ducking back to avoid a locker to his face.
"Damned children! You think it's gonna be that easy?! I won't be beaten by a couple of kids!" He screamed at the dark purple figure hovering beside a battle-hardened Marco.
The two teens from the present looked on as Vartek stopped short of a run, turning to face them. "Wha-? There's more? How is that-" he couldn't finish as multiple floor tiles slammed into his body. Thrown back into the shadows, he was pursued by Mewberty Star and Marco.
Present Star turned to Marco and shrugged, opting to move away from the calamity. Marco immediately agreed and the two began to walk away from the fight, down a seemingly endless corridor. The sky above them was a much darker, almost purple color against the clouds and star above them, with the hallways looking hazy and abandoned.
As they walked, Marco looked over at Star and nudged her shoulder. "Hey, about uh, Jackie and I. Don't-"
"It's fine, Marco. That's the other you. You don't have any control over my memories, and it's not that big a deal."
He frowned and stared ahead, speaking in a hushed tone. "I'm sorry you had to see it again, though. I know it bothers you to think about it."
She gave him a genuinely reassuring smile and slugged his shoulder playfully. "Just a little. But I get to have you all to myself in this timeline. So I'm not too messed up by it, safe kid."
"Promise?"
Star smiled and pulled him into a tight kiss. He was shocked at first, but after a few seconds rolled by, he let the alarm subside as the two held each other. After a solid two minutes, Star pulled back and held his hand as they walked, smiling to herself. "Promise, safe kid. Let Jackie try and top that."
They reached the end of the hallway and in the distance, by the football field, a large copy of Castle Butterfly stood proud with its main doors in the endzone. Another memory Star crawled by them, muttering something about looking for a hamster, but the two ignored her, given that that was what they had been told to do. Far down the hallway behind them, another memory pair could be seen approaching, albeit slowly.
Star started to move for the castle but Marco grabbed her arm. "Wait," he whispered quietly.
She gave him a confused look and gestured to the castle with impatience. "Marco we don't have a lot of time to waste! The other Stars are gonna catch up, and I feel like we should check inside the huge out of place castle!"
"Well we did just spend two minutes kissing, Star," he whispered just as impatiently. Marco shook his head and continued staring down the hall to their right. "I think that might be more important right now anyway." He pointed Stars gaze at a set of lockers twenty yards away, and began stepping closer to them, its green glow enticing them to no end.
"Marco...what is that?" She asked slowly, not taking her eyes off the object overflowing from the lockers.
He slowed his pace and once they were in front of the thing, he spoke just above a whisper. "I, I have no idea, Star…"
There, seemingly pouring out of a group of lockers, was a mass of crystalline fragments, bones, and pulsating magical roots, all stemming from a sculpture. One of a heart capped with scissors. Its lime green glow reverberated a soft hum against their ears, and seemed to glow brighter the longer they stared.
Star took a step back, and grabbed Marcos wrist. "We should leave, Marco. Now."
O - O - O - O - O - O
"Hi mister Glossaryck, sir!" Shaun yelled from behind his desk, rushing out to greet the newly arrived blue man in the Magic Headquarters foyer. Glossaryck groaned aloud but Shaun ignored it. "The Magical high commission is waiting for you, just up the elevator."
"And does it actually work this time?" Glossaryck asked impatiently. Shaun gave him a confused look, and made to ask what he meant, but Glossaryck diverted the question. "Last time I was here, your elevator was broken. And I'd hate to take the stairs."
In truth, Glossaryck could see the future, in a manner of speaking. He could see multiple paths all branching from the present, leading to various other futures like a river. The closer the futures got, the less of them there were, until it was clear which was inevitable.
But ever since Marco arrived back in the past, or glossarycks present, his vision was skewed. Fragmented even. It was no longer clear which inevitable future was correct, and his entire plan that took hundreds of years to create was in jeopardy. But much like his predictions, the closer to the end he got, the easier it would be to act it out. For now, he had to operate on the same plan as Marco: just use what happened last time to your advantage.
Shaun gave Glossaryck a smile and a shrug before walking over to the elevator and pressing the button. It gave a soft 'ding' and its doors slid open. "Magics a bit on the frits, but at least the elevators working! I don't think I need to remind you that there's no magic permitted on the premises, sir?"
"Shaun, young man," Glossaryck began, smiling back at the little antlered guard. "I am made of magic. And I can bend the reality of this compound to my will. You'll just have to trust me." With that, he floated casually into the elevator and rode it to the top, missing the nervous stare Shaun was giving him.
Once at the top floor, Glossaryck pushed open the doors to the large meeting room overlooking the void that surrounded the Magic headquarters. Inside the room was Moon, Heckapoo, Lekmet, Rhombulus, and Omnitraxus. And none of them seemed to be in a good mood.
"And to what, do I owe this request of my presence, your highness?" He asked in a formal tone directed solely at the queen. Moons worried expression didn't waver for an instant as she made her way across the room and sat down at the head of the table, joined by the magical high commission at its sides, and Glossaryck on the end.
"Glossaryck, I don't want to waste either of our time, right now. I have to ask a favor of you. Something I haven't asked in a very long time." She said solemnly. He nodded for her to proceed, now sharing with the magical high commission his undivided attention.
"Tell me what our future holds."
Glossaryck said nothing, instead opting to float down and sit on the table. He closed his eyes began to breathe deeply, carefully watched by the other members. After a moment of quiet meditation, he opened his eyes again and frowned at the Queen, shrugging. "Yeah, I got nothing. Just a bunch of jumbled up nonsense."
"I see," Moon began, leaning forward. "Then if we are unsure of what our future holds, we must instead move to prepare for anything. We've noticed random fluctuations of corrupted magic throughout the universe, as well as a drain of magical energy. Usually, corruption is easy to contain and destroy, but this...this is different. It's spreading rapidly, even as magic grows weaker."
Rhombulus shook his head and crossed his arms, scoffing towards Glossaryck. "And why are we telling him this? He can't see the future, and my crystals are as strong as ever. You should just let us handle it!"
Heckapoo glared at him, but he continued. "Glossaryck should have been able to see this coming! So how do we know he's telling the truth?! Or that he isn't behind this? I say we crystalize him right now 'til we know for sure what he's up to!" He stood up and was about to make good on his suggestion, but Moon cleared her throat and stood.
"That will not be necessary. We don't know what the corruption or drain is doing to magic as a whole, so for now we observe and prepare for the worst. Glossaryck, I need you to-"
"No," he prematurely answered flatly. There was a silence that echoed through the room as he merely floated up in the air and sighed. "My Queen, I know a great many things about this universe. And those who choose to occupy it and try to control it. Whatever it is you need me to do, for now, trust that I have a plan of my own."
Rhombulus stood and pounded his fists against the table. "See! He's hiding something from us! He admitted he knows what's causing the corruption!" Hekapoo stood and angrily pointed at the door. "You! Out! Right now! And no listening outside the door!"
He made to say something else but a hardened glare from Hekapoo silenced him. "Ugh! Fine! Didn't even wanna be in this stupid meeting anyway. Stupid Glossaryck, stupid corruption." He continued to mutter to himself as he left the room, leaving the remaining occupants in silent annoyance.
Moon turned to face Glossaryck and gave him a soft smile. "You've always done what was best for me, even if I don't know it. So, can you promise me at the very least that Star will be safe?" The four councilmembers looked to the small blue man, but his answer surprised them.
"No." He said flatly. Moon frowned at that and made to ask another question, but he continued. "I cannot promise her safety, my Queen. The road ahead for her is fraught with danger, hardship, and choices that she alone will have to make. But I know what I'm doing. When I suggested Earth as her training dimension, I set her on the right path."
"What, with this...Marco boy? Is he really that big of a part in all this?" Moon asked slowly. The other council members opted to stay out of this further, with Hekapoo noting the familiarity of the name. Glossaryck rolled his eyes and floated closer to the Queen. "Your majesty, you have no idea what those two together are capable of. I can't promise Stars safety, because it's ultimately up to her what happens in the future. But I can promise that she is in good hands."
Moon thought about that for a moment, before nodding slowly. Hekapoo shook her head with folded arms and stood up to adjourn the meeting. "So, what? Were leaving the fate of the universe in the hands of a couple of teenagers? Forgive me if I'm a little skeptical."
"Baaaaaaahahahaaah!" Lekmet belted from his side of the table. Hekapoo nodded and frowned. "Yeah, you said it. I don't put much stock in that." Glossaryck smiled and floated over to her, wearing his smuggest face to date. "Then perhaps you should go and see for yourself, just how capable our 'couple of teenagers' are."
With the meeting adjourned, and all members moving to leave, Hekapoo smiled and opened the door. "Maybe I will, Glossaryck. Maybe I will. Here's hoping they survive what I have in mind."
O - O - O - O - O - O
Star and Marco raced across the football field, heavily tailed by their memory counterparts. After trying, and failing to explain their position, they opted that running was a better option. They had only fifty more yards to go, and a clear lead, but the memories kept coming.
"Star!" Marco yelled above the entourage of copies, "When we get inside, what do we do?" She looked at him with worry evident on her face before glancing back at the crowd. "I don't- I don't know! I can't remember what happened last time! I didn't even grab your hoodie or the rocking chair!"
Marco stared at her, confused, before stopping in his tracks. Star was hesitant to follow, but she skid to a stop and grabbed his hand. "Marco! What are you doing!? We have to move! They're-"
"Did you hear that?" He asked quickly. She only shook her head and threw rapid glances at the approaching crowd. Marcos expression turned serious as he turned back to face the memories, handing Star his scissors. "Take these, and get to the castle. You'll be safe inside! Just get moving!" He shouted.
"What are you talking about, Marco! I can't just leave you out here with them!" She yelled back. Marco shook his head and began walking toward their copies. "Something just told me that you need to go in, and I need to stay out here and hold them off."
Star stared at him, appalled. "What!? Marco now isn't the time for weird voices in your head giving us instruction! We don't even know who's saying that! Come on!" Despite her words, however, Marco didn't move. He just smiled at her and gave her a hug.
"Don't worry. I'll hold em off, and you get inside. Besides, they're us, Star. They won't hurt me, and I won't hurt them. Just trust me." She gave him an uneasy glance but nodded before turning on her heels and racing towards the castle's main entrance.
Far behind her, she could see the charging herd of memories reach Marco, and stop just as suddenly as they had. The group circled him, but not a soul moved. Marco seemed to be talking to them, but she couldn't make out the words. Not that it mattered, because once she was inside the castle, a new memory of her would appear.
She burst through the large doors and slammed them behind her, breathing hard and waiting for any sign of herself. When a full minute of quiet rolled by, she allowed herself to take in the intricacies of the grand rotunda. There were several hallways branching off that she recognized, with two that she didn't. One was well lit, and the other was as dark as night.
"Well that's a pretty easy choice to make, isn't it, Star?" She asked herself. A short nod later, she was making her way towards the well-lit hallway. The walls of the rotunda were mostly familiar, but some of the designs were slightly off, like paintings being too high, or statues facing the wrong direction.
She paid them no mind at first, but stopped when she reached the entrance of the lit hallway. She stared far down the seemingly endless corridor, noting the multitude of paintings, and the way it got dark near the end.
'No,' she thought to herself, taking a step back. 'Not that hallway. It's the one from my dream,' she said in quiet realization. Any further contemplation on its presence was immediately overshadowed by a quiet voice behind her. It was soft and friendly, but held a pain that Star felt in her heart.
"Look how far you've come, Star Butterfly," it whispered. Star whirled around to face the source of the voice, but no one was there. It was just a large, open rotunda with one open corridor leading to darkness. Before Star could register that all the other hallways were gone, the woman's voice spoke again.
"I've heard a lot about you, little lady. But by the gods, you're less than I imagined."
Star frowned and faced the open door, glaring at the void in defiance. "And what's that supposed to mean? I could still kick your butt!"
"Haven't even seen your foe, and you already believe you can defy them. You are special, if not ignorant. But I like that. You're just like me," the voice chuckled. A soft, warm gust of air blew from the open corridor, and a glowing green woman stepped through, her light only showing once she stepped from the darkness.
She had curly, forest green hair, and freckles adorning her cheeks. She was somewhat muscular, from what Star could see through her battered black armor, and stunning in complexion. She reminded Star of Jackie, and that annoyed her if only slightly.
"Who are you?" Star asked cautiously, keeping her guard up and her senses alert. But the woman only smiled. She didn't look old, but Star could tell she was at least an adult. When she spoke, her voice didn't sound from her mouth, but instead reverberated from every surface in the room.
"I, am Merina. Magic-wielding Red Warrior of the Monster army, and the next Moon-Bonded soul after you and Marco." Stars eyes went wide at that admission, and her guard went up even further. She brought up both fists and stared Merina down with icy resolve. "You're with Vartek. The one who tried to kill a Queen. Aren't you?"
Merinas soft expression turned sour as she sighed and stared at the floor. "Yeah. That would be me. I married Vartek a year after we were bonded, and I died fighting Queen Nebula Butterfly."
Star continued to glare with a scoff. "So ya died fighting one of my family members, and what? Now you sick Vartek after me to get even? Hate to break it to ya, sister, but you're in a different timeline. So killing me won't change anything." Merina didn't say anything. She only shook her head and motioned for Star to follow her into the gloomy hallway.
When Star didn't move, Merina spoke, not turning to face the Princess of Mewni. "There's so much I need to explain. So I'll start with this: Nebula slaughtered my people in droves. She waged a war against monster kind after a lone assassin killed her husband. I did what I did so that the war could end, and my people would be safe. In doing so, my fate was sealed, and Vartek sacrificed his soul and sanity to save mine."
"And why should I believe that? Your hubby's kinda trying to kill me."
Mirena turned around and smiled genuinely, which given the context gave Star goosebumps. "Because I can show you, and I can explain. I don't want you dead, Star," she began, taking a step towards the princess and extending her palm. "I just need you to help me." A brilliant lime green light engulfed the room, only to die down after a few seconds.
Star looked around and saw that nothing had changed, and she was unscathed. "What was that about?" She asked incredulously. Merina smiled and gestured to the young girl before her. "Try to remember. My memories of the war are now yours."
Star continued to glare at Merina but ultimately gave in. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment, and without warning, the remnants of war and death and justice came flooding into her mind. With a grunt, Star fell to her knees and began breathing hard.
"Merinaaa! Get out of there!"
"I can't! Vartek help me!"
"She's slaughtering our people! We have to fight back!"
"If I have to die then so be it! I won't abandon my people!"
"Promise me we will get revenge for this."
"Queen Nebula Butterfly! You will pay for what you've done to the Monster kind!"
"No! This bitch needs to suffer for everyone she's killed!"
"Vartek, our children can't grow up in a world like that. You need to trust me, just this once."
"Vartek! Get me out of-"
The memories suddenly stopped, fading out of Stars mind as she came back to her senses. Merina was still standing there, uneasy. Her expression was pained, and her eyes were glued to the floor.
"I have shown you what I have been through. I don't stand by my actions, but I'm not alone in my inability to control myself when someone I love is in danger. I feel the same speaks for you."
Star grimaced at the idea of someone in her bloodline being so evil, finding nothing but pain and death in every thought in her mind. "Yeah. Except I didn't die."
"Not yet. Unless you let me help you. So we can both get what we want: a happy, safe life with the person we love." Merina turned to begin walking down the dark hallway, only this time, Star began to follow, taking uneasy steps into the veil of darkness. The air was cold and lifeless, and it made Star wildly uneasy. But after a moment of unguided walking, she emerged in a room she remembered. The grandma room.
"Why are we here? And how come there's no other Stars running around?" She asked. Merina stopped at the center of the room, gesturing softly above her. The skylight began to open, releasing the marked pedestals before the tapestries of the past Queens.
"This is where your quest ends. And I wanted to be alone with the real you, so I'm keeping them out for now. I have three things to give you."
"Oookay?" Star stated, annoyed. She still didn't completely trust Merina, but there wasn't much else to do now. "What are they?"
Merina held out her right hand, opening it slowly. Nestled in her palm was a single, severed, scaly finger. Stars memory of her last venture into her wand came flooding back to her as she recalled her last visit to the grandma room. "Toffees finger!" She shouted, rushing forward to swipe it without opposition. "How did you get this? How did you know about this?"
Merina said nothing. She only knelt down and looked Star directly in the eyes. "The second thing is a warning: Don't trust the Blood Moon. She killed me without hesitation. And she could do the same to you and Marco."
Star gave Merina a confused look but nodded slowly, eying the finger in her hands. She didn't want to think of that grim possibility, but she had seen it with her own eyes. Merina was angry and about to kill the queen, however, she was also justified. The Blood Moon killed her for trying to kill a murderer. "And what's the third thing?"
Merina gave her a pained smile and looked around the room. "Just a request. I know you have no reason to help me. I mean, my actions are why I'm here, but… if I can save Vartek, can you let us...stay?"
Star didn't say anything. She only glanced around the room, noting its emptiness and how isolated it had become since her last visit. She didn't know what to say. Vartek had tried to kill her, almost killed Marco, and was still out there, waiting. "I'll think about it," she stated flatly, not looking Merina in the eye.
Merina could only nod in glum acceptance of the answer before taking a step closer to Star. "It's all I ask of you and your bondmate. To spare me and mine. Now, would you like to go home?"
"Yes. And...I'm sorry for what you've been through. I don't know if I can let Vartek go, but you didn't deserve what happened to you. Not completely."
Merina smiled warmly, and Star immediately felt slightly more at ease. The green woman lifted her hand and placed it atop Stars head, speaking in a hushed whisper. "Be safe, and I hope to see you again."
Without so much as a warning, Star was back in her bedroom standing beside Marco. They both took a deep breath and fell backward onto the couch, sitting in silence. Marcos breathing was heavy and ragged, but he seemed relaxed. "That. Was. Horrifying. All of your copies tried to have their way with me!"
Star stiffled a laugh before covering her mouth. "And uh, what did your copies think of that?"
"I told them I was the original, that my Star was inside, and that they needed to wait their turn to get into the castle, but the Stars had other ideas. The Marcos knew I was lying and tried to get past anyways."
After another fit of giggling, Star stopped and grabbed his hand, jerking him closer, looking directly into his eyes.
"Ohmygosh Marco! I forgot to tell you! I met Varteks wife!"
He stopped breathing and continued to look at her with surprise written all over his face. "You what? How? Where? What happened?!" Star sighed and leaned back, recalling the events inside the wand. "Magic? I think? In the castle. I have soo much to tell you, but- it can wait. Can I just, relax with you for a bit while I explain?"
Marco stared at her uneasily, but nodded, prompting Star to lean over and rest against his shoulder. She took a deep breath and smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Okay, that'll do, Marco," she noted. "So, let me tell you about what went down...in the castle!"
To be continued in: Scissor Quest
Star and Marco embark on a perilous adventure to retrieve Marcos scissors, as well as find out what Hekapoo is up to!
AUTHORS NOTE
Hey all! So, sorry about how long this one took. After the finale I started another fic that really ate up alot of my time. Cleaving Earth and Mewni is a headache to try and clean up after, lemme tell you. Anywho, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, as well as the kinda big info dump the charactors are getting lately. Gearing up for something big! Leave a review with thoughts, concerns, gripes, or ideas you'd like to see, and if you have a fanfic account I'll be sure to reply as soon as I can! Big sorry to those I missed last chapter, won't happen again! Have an awesome day, and thanks so much for reading! BUH BYYYEEE!
~Mr. Ronald Reagan