Vestiges

Checklist:

Marco's Emotions - check.
Marco's Strengths - check.
Marco's Cynical nature to others - check.
Higgs now has full Character Depth - check.
Elaboration as to why EVERYTHING is happening- check.

11.

Star looked at the sentient version of herself on the board game remain in one corner. In the past, she had played this board game with Marco back on earth; those happy days without a care, they'd both play the game, one by the rules, and the other without them. Now, the princess could only stare at her lone game character sit unenthusiastically by itself, an exact copy of the original. Aside from how the magic of the board created a life-like representation of her, she had to admit that the board captured her likeness well.

"Am I a bad person?" Star asked aloud to the game character.

'Mini' Star looked up from where it was seated, and the princess could've sworn that the game character nodded in response, all with a sullen, yet accusatory expression on its face. Seeing this, Star's mood plummeted even more. It was true, she told herself. She was a bad person, a bad friend. She'd been trying to make decisions, the best ones, in order to salvage the best outcome. Instead, all she'd done had caused Marco to be banished back to his home, moreover without any of his belongings that he'd gained on Mewni, not to mention the things that had been his before. Even worse, she'd even had access to his belongings multiple times while in his room, yet she'd failed to do what she felt was right.

The key to the room was lost, and she was too afraid to admit to those in authority that she'd lost it. But why would she want the key-… only to retreat from them into the room once more? To avoid their questions as to Marco's habits and ways of thinking? To dodge her responsibilities when the pressure increased? To steer clear of those who demanded an audience with the princess to query about the events of the Bash to unite the societies of Mewmans and Monsters?

She was a bad person, wasn't she?

The room felt darker and blurrier all of sudden as her eyes filled up with tears. Never, never before had she felt so lonely. She was the princess of Mewni, friends in gaggles, a boyfriend who was readily present whenever she hailed for him, servants at her beck and call, and parents who looked out for her. Yet these were friends who seemingly judged her for her stance, the boyfriend who had his own obligations in his dimension, servants who whispered about her behind her back, and parents who burdened her with 'responsible' upbringing. Those that she could ask for help, Glossaryck or even Eclipsa, weren't available. The first was bereft of his mind, and the latter was under increased guard ever since Marco's arbitration by the Magic High Commission.

Star-… the center, the pearl of Mewni …-yet utterly desolate and alone.

The tears in her eyes caused the world to haze like an abstract painting. In a bid to regain herself, she thought back to the root of the issue. The root of her issues.

"Am I a bad friend, Marco?" she asked dismally as if she were about to break into pieces.

Just as she was about to try to wipe the proof of sorrow from her eyes, she saw a splotch of red pass by her open doorway in the hallway. It was the exact shade of red that Marco's sweater had, and without even thinking as to the backwards logic of Marco never being able to return to Mewni in the first place, she got up and ran to the doorway and looked up and down the long corridor, trying to catch a glimpse of him.

There was nothing to be seen except for the empty hallway. She even wiped her eyes in an effort to clear her vision to make sure that she wasn't missing anything. There was no Marco, no one, nothing with even a hint of red.

But she had been so sure that it was him. In any case, something should've been there, something that was red.

Instead, there was nothing.

"…Marco?"

"I'm not crazy."

"Ain't no problem, B-Fly. Crazy is fun! It's just that your version of crazy is the kind that gets people into problems. Like how it did for Marco-"

"Of course!" Star shouted, nearly in a frenzy. "Just like it did for Marco! I see him everywhere, Pony Head! I see him in the halls, outside my window, even here in my bedroom! Just like how Glossaryck used to do when he died!"

Pony Head shook her head as she floated. "Just like… who? Glossaryck?" She looked at the mystical being curled up and sleeping in a chair, absentmindedly scratching himself behind his ear with his foot like a dog. "You're not making any sense. One… that blue guy's crazy, and it sounds like you're trying to drive on the same street as he is. Two… Marco's not here, not in the castle, not outside your window, not even on Mewni. He doesn't even have his dimensional scissors, girl! How's he supposed to even come back?!"

"I dunno!" Star yelled as she tugged on her frazzled hair. "I'm stressing out already with my duties, and me seeing Marco isn't helping things! I see him everywhere, and even when I don't see him, I feel like he's always just leaving where I'm headed to, always just one step ahead of me, always behind every corner! I even feel like he's been in my room at night…"

"If I had a tape recorder… and you could hear yourself… girl, if you're not crazy, you're not far. I hope you haven't told anyone else about this."

"Stop talking as if I've lost my mind!"

"That's because you have lost your mind," Pony Head said calmly, not allowing herself to be intimidated by the wily behavior of her best friend. "First off, it's impossible for Marco to get here; one does not simply walk from Earth to get to Mewni, and his scissors are locked up in his room! Even if he could teleport with or without them, do you think that the M.H.C would even allow him to do it! If after all of that and he IS here on Mewni, then how could he make it so that you're the only one who sees and knows that he's here and no one else has even seen him? Do you know why? It's because you're hallucinating. Marco… is… not… here…"

"But-"

"But nothing, Star. You need to get over whatever feelings you have about him, and move on."

"I can't."

Pony Head raised an eyebrow as she floated closer, staring Star in the eyes. "Can't, or won't?"

"Both," the Butterfly admitted. "I know it sounds crazy. You're the only person I can talk to about this. I know that I've been through a rough patch. I might sound crazy, look crazy. But I'm not." The distraught princess got unto her bed and allows herself to sag backwards onto the pillows. "I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't even cast my spells properly… it feels like he's messing with me… maybe he wants me to think I'm losing my mind, or make me look like I am."

"Why? You sound as if this is revenge or something."

Star didn't say anything more about that topic. Instead, she heaved herself up to plead her case, only to see the subject of her thoughts seated on the window sill. As was his traditional attire, Marco was in his red sweater and skinny jeans, but his face was bland in emotion, save for his now cold green eyes. They were bitter as if full of nothing but hatred of her. Her breath caught in her throat as he tapped his index finger on his lips as if shushing her to keep quiet about his presence. Star's eyes widened in recognition that he was completely in her viewpoint, not some vestige of a deranged imagination. She pointed excitedly at him and yelled at Pony Head, whose back had been turned and had been completely oblivious of his presence.

"THERE HE IS!"

As soundless and quick as a shadow, the figure leaned backwards out of the window and fell out, wholly disappearing from sight before Pony Head could even catch a glimpse. Almost barreling her friend aside, Star made a mad dash to the window, wildly looking out but saw nothing. When Pony Head got to the window and reached her final conclusions, Star knew that she was completely discredited.

"He was JUST HERE! Sitting here in the window!"

"… Star…"

"Please believe me!" Star begged, almost at the point of tears as she pleaded to her friend, "I know he's here. He's here! I swear, he was just here!" Pony Head mumbled to herself about her best friend's issues before flying out through the window to check all around, just to confirm that she hadn't made a mistake. Seeing that there wasn't a trace of the Diaz to be found, she merely cautioned the Butterfly to 'take it easy', before leaving her be. All alone now, Star took a seat by the window, looking out through it until she'd finally fallen asleep from exhaustive stress. It'd been late evening when Pony Head had left, and when she woke up, night had descended like ink spilling over the sky. The nighttime sky served to remind her of much time had passed, and how much time it had taken her to reach a decision, even subconsciously in her sleep.

"I know that he's here," she muttered. "I know it." Moving to the center of the room, she eased the mat aside with her foot to reveal a trap door which she opened. Reaching into the space beyond, she retrieved her 'Book of Spells' (her notebook) that she had been trying to fill with spells from memory or those taught to her from her mother. It was getting to be crammed with incantations and assorted journal entries, but she needed only one spell from it, she comprehended, as she closed the trap door again.

It was a bit of a shame. She thought that she'd know the words by now, as it'd been a long time since she'd used the spell. Flipping through the book until she found the entry, she then read it to memorize the words and picked up her wand.

This was it.

"I summon the All-Seeing Eye…" Already, she felt a lump form in her throat as she whispered the spell, and her cheek-hearts began to glow in response to the magic. "…to tear a hole into the sky. Reveal to me that which is hidden. Unveil to me what is forbidden!" Instantly, a green vista shone from the wand, revealing a scene through a sight-portal. First, she tried to spy on his room on Earth, just to see if Marco was there. Hoping against hope that he'd be there since it should be night hours at his home, she peered around the room, but the room was devoid of anyone there.

"Where… where is he?"

Afraid now, she decided to just search for Marco by his persona, rather than general locations. She didn't find him immediately, but soon she saw that she was looking at herself.

"What the… why's it showing my room…?" Looking closer, she saw that she was indeed looking at her own figure from behind. She glanced behind her reflexively as if expecting to see Marco (but didn't), before returning her attention back to the portal. She questioned herself as to why the spell would show her room when she was searching for Marco, but no answers came as she continued to stare at herself looking at the sight-portal.

Then, like a creeping horror, a shadow seemingly detached itself from one of her darker walls and approached her silently, the portal clearly showing that he was stalking after her from behind. In alarm, she turned just in time to see the form reveal arms and legs from its seamless robes, attacking her in a sudden bout of unarmed combat. Bringing up her wand to cast an offensive spell, she was too slow as the wand was chopped out of her hands.

"Agh!" Not about to be deterred, she brought up her fists to hopefully land a punch of her own, but her assailant blocked them easily, and almost at the same time, cuffed her shoulder with a palm so hard that it half-turned her. As she stumbled, the person grabbed her around the neck from behind with the inside of his elbow and pinned her arms with his other hand. Already gasping for air, the princess struggled to escape the hold, but it was much too secure, and the attacker much too strong. She tried to muster a kick, but after weathering it on his shins, the attacker stepped backwards and half-knelt, bringing her down to sit on her ass before him.

She was utterly overpowered.

"I have to ask… how's it feel to be labeled as the 'crazy' person, hmm?" the attacker asked condescendingly.

Star grated to talk, but her attacker barely allowed her decent leeway enough to breathe, let alone to speak. "… Marco? What… are… nnng...you… doing? Can't… breathe…"

Marco ignored her appeals for breathing. "You didn't even last a good week, yet you had me written off as crazy for more than a month."

"I did that …to… protect you…!" Marco, apparently, didn't like what he heard and subsequently tightened his hold on her neck. He felt neutral when he heard her gasps and felt her feeble struggles for him to ease up on his grip, yet he slackened up all the same. He wasn't done with her, not yet. "Marco… please…"

"SHUT… UP." Marco whispered sternly. "You're the powerful princess, aren't you? Dependent on magic almost to the point that you can't even help yourself without it. But that's not what I'm focused on, oh no. I heard what you told Pony Head. You could've forgotten about me, leave me abandoned without my things. But you didn't have to make an enemy out of me!"

"I'm… your… friend!" Tears were brimming up in her eyes, threatening to fall, not simply because of the physical pain, but from the emotional one as well. "I'm… your… bestfriend!"

"Oh, sure. You've been about as friendly to me as a kick to the head. But instead of even taking the time to visit me on Earth, you chose to use the All Seeing Eye Spell. I knew that you would use that spell if I made you paranoid enough… but didn't you know? Spying leads to crying."

"You wanted me… to… spy on… you?" It was all that he allowed her to say before he constricted on her neck for the last time, pressing down on the carotid arteries of her neck as well as closing off her air passageways. Her attempts to struggle free would've hurt him psychologically if he had been his old self, but now, it was all impartial. Spots danced in her tunnel vision; too late, she thought of transforming into her Butterfly state, but her blood-starved brain finally succumbed to unconsciousness as her blue eyes lidded shut. "Marco… no…" she wheezed faintly.

Then she was gone.

With a small grunt of acknowledgment, Marco released his hold to pick up her limp body. Although she was almost as big as himself size-wise, he lifted her easily and rested her on her bed, making sure that she would lie comfortably, before covering her with the sheets. The wand was the next thing he picked up; regarding it for a moment, he then placed it on the bedside table and began to leaf through her book of spells.

"Hmm… do I detect a hint of sensitivity?"

"Of course you don't," Marco whispered in response. Of course, he could speak to his inner inhabitant in his mind, but it felt more comfortable to speak somewhat out loud. "No sensitivity, no mercy."

"Although the conflict was short, you didn't even use a closed fist. Yet you allowed her to do so."

"I couldn't afford to leave any marks or bruises on her. She'll wake up and she'll think that this is all a dream. Even if she doesn't, she won't have any proof, and she'll look and act as if she's lost her mind," Marco replied with a grin.

"Interesting," Appendaxuz stated, "you're making her look mentally unstable as she did to you? I don't believe that was just out of retribution and revenge."

"No, it wasn't." Marco finally found what he was looking for-… the map of the locations that Star had been sleep-portaling through, the very same map that Hekapoo had made when tracking the Butterfly. "I couldn't find this map at first, but it made sense that she would keep it in her amateur book of spells. I couldn't find the book either, but I realized that she would use the All Seeing Eye Spell to find out where I was, instead of coming to see me herself. She's been a bit of a coward when it comes to things like that."

"Ah," Appendaxuz said with pride and delight, "And when she went to consult the book for the incantation, she led you right to it. Well played." Marco nodded to the compliment before he used his phone to take several pictures of the map before inserting it back in the book, which then was returned to its rightful place. Once he was sure that everything was properly restored, he went through the window and making his way down carefully from the great height by using niches and wide cracks, climbed down safely. Once on the ground, he dashed off into the night, heading straight to the local speakeasy.

The illicit drinking establishment wasn't very well known, and so it wasn't patronized by the knights and upper echelon of Mewni, only by the poorer folk in the village. He drew more eyes than he would've cared for; it was expected from the seamless black robes he specifically wore to camouflage himself with the shadows of the night. His face was hooded, however, and his concealed face was what counted. With that in mind, he approached a lone girl at a table by herself, drinking her mystery beverage in sips. He knew her well, yet found it hard to recall her features as every time he thought he would see her face, it would be conveniently obscured by a shadow that the lone lantern of the bar failed to reach.

"This light isn't flattering you." His greeting was curt, but the light was fortunately just enough to light up the grin she gave him in response.

"You're hiding your face too."

"You've been here long?"

"Not as long as it would've been if I had waited for you in Hekapoo's dimension. Remember that half of a minute equals one year where she's living. I've been sitting here for fifteen minutes. I don't think you'd like working with a fifty-odd-year-old woman, since you gave me so much sass about it before."

"I've gotten over it. Don't fret about it, Sienna, age is just a number," he admonished gently. "Did you get the fuse from the Ward?"

For the first time, Higgs revealed her face fully for only a second as she leaned forward. "Yeah. Took me a while to dig it out of the Ward tower, given the many distractions. The princesses over at that has-been fancy boarding school were throwing a nonstop party… celebrating their heroine Princess Turdina." She smiled humorously when she saw him face-palm himself out of embarrassment, before shaking his head.

"Keep it to yourself. I don't want Hekapoo catching wind about that." Higgs shrugged in response before she finished her drink and got up, snipping open a portal as she did so.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to impress her."

"If I didn't know any better," Marco replied, "I'd think you were jealous." He entered the portal with her before it closed behind them. Now inside a fair room of an Inn (in another dimension altogether), Higgs made a beeline for the shower while Marco went to get some food, and the roles exchanged once both of them were finished with their own upkeep. They were soon ready for bed; they'd both had a tiring day, and Marco was about to go to sleep on a makeshift pallet on the floor as per the usual. Before he could do so, Higgs grabbed him by the wrist.

"What are you doing?"

"Goin' to bed. Isn't it obvious?" he deadpanned.

Higgs beckoned to the bed with her free hand. "On the ground? Again? I really don't mind if we share the bed. It's big enough for us to share."

"What you call 'fat'… is what I call 'personality'. I've got plenty of it." The squire merely looked at the boy's stout frame; even now, his face even lacked almost all of its baby fat as his jaw had begun to get squared.

"No, you don't." He put a half-assed effort to keep her from dragging him into the bed and failed as she easily pulled into it, she herself getting onto the other side. Looking over at the teen who lied somewhat stiffly close to the edge away from her, she clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Relax. I'm not gonna bite you or anything. Isn't the bed more comfortable than the thin sponge on the ground?"

"It is," he whispered as he allowed his taut nerves to loosen up. "Did you just ask or tell me to get into bed with you?" She blushed at his accusation and instead turned away from him.

"I was telling you. Don't over-think it… go to sleep. We've got to go see Hekapoo early in the morning." Marco grunted in response as he lied on his back, relishing the feel of the bed. It'd been a little more than a week since he lay in one last, that of his own bed back on Earth. Whilst trying to ignore that Sienna might've had some ulterior reason to trying to get him into bed besides wishing for his own comfort, he thought back to the assault he'd done his former best friend.

"That was a warning, Star," he muttered, "and next time, I just might use a closed fist."

"And after THAT?" Appendaxuz asked.

"After that… well, Higgs got me my sword back. Enough said."

Inside Marco's mind, Appendaxuz nodded grimly to himself. In a sudden lapse, he smiled a shark-like grin as his form seemed to break apart into formless darkness. Truly, the time that Marco had spent on Earth had not gone to waste. In his amendments, Marco strength and mind had improved even as his own inner resident gained control and knowledge as to how to manipulate his emotions and deaden his conscience and ability to feel guilt. Some facets were easily allowable, and it helped to make sure that Marco believed that it was he himself truly in control. But at last, unlike his previous pawns in the past such as Eclipsa and even Toffee, he'd found the perfect vessel to carry out his work. By the time the iniquity allowed himself to laugh in ominous jubilee, Marco was already fast asleep.


Hekapoo looked up in slight startlement when she heard a portal open up in the area where she considered her living room. Regarding it for a moment, she watched as the adult version of Marco and Higgs stepped through before the latter closed the portal behind them. "Hey, Hekapoo!" Marco greeted. "Are you busy?"

"Oh no. I only have to be the Scissors-Forger and Enforcer of Interdimensional Travel for the entire multiverse. Nothing much."

"You know, sarcasm isn't very attractive," Marco chided as he watched Higgs leave them alone to speak privately. "It was only a simple question."

"Sarcasm's an allergic response to dumb questions," Hekapoo replied, almost in a light tease. To this, Marco sighed, musing whether or not she spoke to him like this because he upset her.

"Do you hate me?"

"No… but I wish you'd stop coming to see me. It's already bad enough that I'm not reporting that you have your scissors and you're running around unchecked. It's going to make me look worse when the truth finally comes out and the others even find out that you've been coming here often."

"Not that I'm not grateful that you haven't reported me, you need to get off the fence and decide which side you're on."

"Mm… hmm…" She smiled somewhat mischievously before she withdrew a pair of handcuffs from a belt and tossed them to the man standing before her. "Alright. I've been saving these cuffs just for you. Put them on. I'm taking you to Omnitraxus and Rhombulus so they can sort you out."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Marco protested as he permitted himself to take a seat on her couch. "Don't do anything rash. I need some help." Feeling her intense stare as she sat beside him, he shrugged. "Alright, fine. I need a lot of help."

Hekapoo frowned. "So you want me to help you… the very same guy who's gonna slit magic's throat? Just because I haven't turned you in doesn't mean I've taken a liking to your cause. Everything I've done revolved around magic for thousands of years and will do continue to do so for thousands more. You expect me to turn my back on all of that?"

"After I'm done with this magic problem… you'll have time to do everything else besides work."

"It's my purpose, Marco." Hekapoo said simply. "It's why I exist. I wasn't born for this, born to choose. I was made for this. Now tell your girlfriend to stop raiding my fridge, and the both of you can leave before I change my mind about keeping quiet."

Marco ignored her bluff. He'd come to realize a little while back that she had a decent amount of care for him, and wouldn't turn him in to the Magic High Commission. He had the same consideration for her as well, although he wished that she'd help him. Granted, he'd never even expected to see her this flexible as she was a stern person, though he needed her co-operation. He thought of begging her while using the pet-name he had for her, but thought the better of it. The last thing he needed was a kick to the face-… there was no telling what she'd do if he pissed her off.

"I need to get to the Wellspring. You need to stop contributing to the Apocalypse." Marco said in complete seriousness.

"You need to stop talking out of your ass, that's what you need to do. I need to get back to work." Getting up to go do just that, she was belayed as Marco stopped her by resting his hand on her shoulder. "Muscles, I-"

"I understand. I won't force you of all people to do something you're not comfortable with. Just by being neutral to me, you've been more helpful to me than a lot of people, especially those I thought were my friends." He stood up slowly, his eyes not leaving her own. "I'm not gonna lie to you… this isn't a black-and-white situation, and each side has pros and cons. There's good and bad on both sides."

"Your side? Who's 'good' on your side?" Hekapoo asked unsurely.

"Higgs is 'good'," he said bluntly.

"And what about you?"

"There's no safe way to answer that."

"And…?" Hekapoo pressed on. "Who else is 'good' on your side, hmm?"

Marco took a deep breath to steady himself, gently squeezing her shoulder affectionately. "Hekapoo, you are. You're 'good', and you're on the right side. More than anybody else, I wouldn't want a kickass, beautiful goddess to be my enemy."

Hekapoo cocked her head slightly sideways curiously, yet smiling in appreciation of his compliment. "It's demigoddess-… flattery will get you nowhere." To this, Marco remained silent as he waited for her to continue. "This is asking a lot, Marco."

"I don't want to cause any more trouble for you-"

"It's too late for that."

Marco shook his head, deciding to dub her with his warmhearted name after all. "Pretty please, H-P-…" Before he could even finish, Hekapoo quickly shushed him with a finger on his lips before he could call her by the nickname he had for her.

"Shh-shh-shhh! Don't call me that…!"

He kept quiet, silently looking into her large expressive eyes with his own pleading ones.

"Fine. I'll help you this once, okay?" Finally removing her forefinger, she turned to face away from him before he could see her cracks, her vulnerability. She'd already crumbled before he'd even finished calling her by her affectionate name, yet there was one small part of her-… the part that was beating furiously in her chest-… that regretted not allowing him to fully say it. That part of her liked the name… a lot.

She tried to suppress it, but there was no way to stop a heart and keep on living.


So I asked a couple of people for opinions, and plot-drama won out over Hekapoo romanticism in today's chapter focus. Nonetheless, despite the difficulty of getting Hekapoo out of the neutral zone (romantic-wise and support-wise for Marco's cause), I tried to concentrate their interaction, and cement her feelings. There'll be more of the two in the next chapter if my plot-line remains as undeterred as it's been so far.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and happy Valentine's Day when it comes. Or if you're stressed/lazy and need a holiday in the middle of the week… happy Ash Wednesday.

Valete!

MRAY 4TW.