Chapter 3: Quasar Caterpillar part 1

There once were gods.

But before there were gods, there were mortals.

I never believed in gods. I was a woman of science. The supernatural were only the natural that could not be properly understood. Luckily for me I understood many things. For I had learned much as a child growing up in the prosperous City of Inwem.

Inwem was a powerful hub for all manner of creatures across the universe. They all came here with a purpose. Some looked for shelter within the massive walls of the city and its army, others looked for work, for opportunities within the large factories mining light out of the earth. These were good people, honest folks.

But I had seen my fair share of crooks, too. Tricksters and grifters. People who aimed to swindle good people out of their honest work. My mother, President Luna Caterpillar had always hoped to one day clean up the streets of Inwem from the thieves and dishonest aliens of outer realms. Her programs were incredibly efficient, but they couldn't clean up everything.

I too hoped one day to be able to help my mother in her endeavors. It was a noble goal, one to advance our civilization to a new age towards the Stars. I too shared such a Dream. For this world was one full of technological marvels, sciences of a modern world willing to look and perhaps even travel to the future beyond.

Flying vehicles? Check. Pocket-sized supercomputers? Check. An artificial intelligence looking over the city with its vast network of services and defenses? I helped designed a lot of these for crying out loud.

I never believed in gods, because if gods existed, they would be from Inwem.

"But what about me?" Indexia asked. "Am I not a god?"

To which I responded:

"No. You're just one with great knowledge. Like me."

"Arrogant words, I see."

"More like confident."

I had no need to play god, I knew I could create life if I so wished. Skackie, the robot companion to Shmarmo, my best friend, was proof of that.

"You did what, now?" Indexia muttered, almost shocked this time.

"He didn't have a date to go to the dance, so I figured I'd do something about it, you know?"

"Why go through the trouble? Why not just go with him?"

"I'm his best friend, not his date," I said. "Besides, I have work to do. You remember Ludo?"

"The bird man thing? The one you sent through that portal at that graveyard?" Indexia scratched her chin, "Nope. Never heard of him."

"Well, I've been digging around as of late," I said as I pulled up some files on the computer screen. "And apparently it turns out he's not from around here."

"Oh?"

"No birth records, no identifications, no bank account, no signature, nothing. Reports claimed he appeared out of nowhere. Perhaps through a portal? But I assume you already knew all that."

"Don't know what you're talking about."

I grunted at her snark. But this was a common daily occurrence, no use in dwelling on it. That woman was as unhelpful as a door without a doorknob. Constantly hoarding knowledge to herself.

"Anyway," I continued. "Is it possible that he may have traveled here from another dimension? But where?"

"Why do you even care?"

"Because this is a foreign object entering Inwem," I explained. "What if this is the beginning of an invasion? You know I can't let that happen."

"Well, it is a vast cosmos after all, with vast possibilities."

"Hmm… you're right. We cannot rule out the possibility he may have come across a pair of dimensional scissors somewhere. Hekapoo has always been careless, or crafty."

"Forgive my daughter." Indexia said. "There is no end to her creativity."

"It doesn't matter, I suppose. I'll be investigating this regardless. Can't let any stones un…"

A violent spatial storm instantly cut my thoughts off, flinging my body right across the room onto the metal walls. It was quick, too quick for me to react. I should've had my bell on me, maybe I could've defended myself then. But truth be told the shock was more overwhelming than the pain, which was minimal.

There before me, glowing bright as crystals, a portal swirling in a pool of powerful magic. Its glimmer was mesmerizing. Hiding secret knowledge waiting to be snatched by the perfect opportunist. I could feel it taunting me from the other side.

"That looks like trouble," said Indexia. "I advise against it."

"I know… but this portal… maybe – it has answers." A small fascinated spark gradually formed within my hungry eyes, "Sorry, Indexia. I will not follow your orders."

"Not an order, but a guide. You'll die otherwise."

I responded with a sharp smirk:

"Only if I choose so."

I called the magic bell onto me, the golden machine soared through the air and straight to my palm. It was a complex device, but it was all I needed for this journey. With it, I could push beyond infinity. And here was the portal that invited me to take that step.

The light was bright, and the warmth of the magic overwhelmed my senses, but the golden bell protected me with its glow and glorious ringing. It deafened me, but it was soothing somehow. And before I knew it, I was already on the other side, my eyes flinging wide open to a strange place I had never seen before.

Before me was a wall. Made of some kind of strange glimmering stone, sturdy as concrete, and yet shimmering as the brightest of gems. It felt smooth to the touch, warm and cold at the same time somehow. Burning my fingers for a brief split second before freezing them to absolute zero. Then afterwards cooling down to a bearable degree. I felt no pain, no need to flinch.

The wall stretched out beyond both to my left and my right. So far into the horizon I could not make out where this snake was stretching out to. The height this structure reached to was just barely far above the reach of my jump, preventing me to look over the other side. Oddly specific, as if purposefully built in a way no Inwemese could cross over in one mere leap.

No matter. With my wand here I could accomplish many things. This shall be one of them.

"Levidado!"

I rang my bell, standing there waiting for the spell to levitate me over the other side.

But to my surprise the bell did nothing.

"What the…"

I shook the bell thoroughly, checking its integrity and power. I could've sworn I charged the battery before I got here.

"Levidado!" I repeated once more.

And still the result was the same. Nothing.

"What's wrong with this thing?"

I took the battery crystal off the bottom of the handle to inspect it closely. For some unexplained reason the energy crystal appeared dead. The juice seemed to still be inside when I shook it, but no glimmer or energy seemed to be coming out of it.

Great. What now? Without the bell, there was no way I could make that jump.

But perhaps I could dig my way under and to the other side. The only problem was the ground seemed to be made out of the same material as the wall, sturdy and possibly indestructible.

Invincibility was not something our Inwem science could achieve, not yet anyway. But I firmly believed that nothing in this universe was truly invincible, everything had a weakness. I could find it if I had my tools or my bell. Problem was I had neither.

And I sure wasn't going to find them standing around here. This wall could not possibly be infinite in length. There must be a gate around here somewhere, and I was determined to find it.

My firm beliefs were tested however, the stone wanted to see if my will were as sturdy as it was. Because the longer I walked on, the more the wall seemed to just keep on stretching. This was a strange wall, its purpose evaded me. Not to mention the fact I could faintly hear a sound of a train on the other side when I put my ears up against it. The sound got fainter the more I tried to listen in, to the point I wasn't even sure if it really was a train or something else entirely.

The wall tested me, wanting me to doubt my instincts. The question was who built this wall, and why did they want to test me? Could this be the source to those foreign invading forces I theorized just moments ago? I must investigate the matter to its end.

But this wall seemed to have no end, even though logically speaking it must have and end. It confused me. But perhaps it was just the weary eyes and shaking legs talking. I had lost track of time long ago, dwelling in my inner thoughts and theories.

Something felt off, however. I had walked for longer than this in the past, much longer. My dad had always praised me for my incredible stamina. Why did I get tired so quickly here? Could that much time had passed on already? Impossible.

And yet the wall kept on stretching, and I kept on walking. Soon I would be able to see Dream, then my own death. Why Dream, I wondered. And who was Dream? My weary eyes saw things, things my brain knew was not really there, and yet they still felt so real. Blurring the line between Dream and reality.

"Hey, you there!"

A voice suddenly burst into my ears. I spun my head and saw a young girl, no older than I was. She wore a simple but clean blue dress with a bow strapped around her waist. Her silky blond hair was tied back into a neat little red bow, complimented by big lustrous pearl earrings placed elegantly by the side.

She seemed familiar somehow, but I could not for the life of me put my finger on it. Her shining sea blue eyes were as bright as any star. And her cheek marks – marks of pink hearts. Why did she have cheek marks? Just like me, but mine were that of a planet and its ring. They were different, and yet so painfully familiar.

"Why are you walking in a circle there? Who are you?" The girl asked me.

"What?" I looked down at my feet, and sure enough she was right. From the dirt tracks and footprints, I realized that I really was just pacing back and forth. But how? I was walking along the wall this whole time, or at least I thought I was.

"What's your name?" She asked me.

"Oh… um… I'm Quasar. Quasar Caterpillar."

"Huh… okay… well I'm princess Star Butterfly. You seem… familiar, somehow."

"That's what I was thinking. Have we met before?"

"I don't know. Possibly?" She shrugged.

"Well, it doesn't matter, I guess. Because boy, am I glad to see another person around here. What is this place? Do you know it?"

"I was about to ask you," Star said. "I thought you knew."

"Nope, I just got here."

"Huh, me too. Very peculiar."

"So what are you doing here, Star?"

"Personal business, I'm afraid. I'm looking for someone, an enemy. He took something valuable of mine, and I intend to follow him. His trails led me here to this place, though. Which I struggle to understand."

"Really now? I'm on a personal quest, too. Funny coincidence, isn't it? Recently my home city has been invaded by a foreign force. I want to know where it came from, and whether it is dangerous or not. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you? Are you the one who built this wall? The source of this foreign object?"

"How could I?" Star tilted her head. "I just got here, like you."

"Right, fair point. Forgot about that."

"Wait," Star suddenly glanced down my right hand, where I held my bell, "you have a magic wand, too?"

"Huh, oh this?" I held up the golden machine, "Oh no, it's not a wand. It's a bell. I ring it, and it creates an energy field that allows me to transmute matter from one form to another, allowing me to do various things whether for utility purposes or for combat. It is a powerful device, with its own complex computer system inside."

"Oh, so a magic wand."

"I… um…"

"Well, guess what? I have one, too. Take a look."

The girl held up a similar looking object for me to see, to my surprise. The shape of the object was similar to that of my own, but that was where the similarity ended, for this so-called 'wand' was pink in color, with various accessories attached to the sides. Such as two bird wings, a golden crown on top, and a shimmering gem piece carved in the shape of a star secured tightly in the center. I wondered then what the cogs inside this peculiar machine looked like, how it functioned.

"It doesn't seem to work anymore, I'm afraid," said Star, shaking the wand. "See? No spells, no nothing. I would've launched myself over the wall long ago if it wasn't for whatever is messing with my magic."

"Strange. Same thing here," I told her. "Battery's dead. I could've sworn I charged it. But something is off about this place. And it's this wall here, I'm sure."

"Maybe it's negating our wands somehow?"

"Maybe."

"There doesn't seem to be a door anywhere on either side of the wall," Star said, looking back. "I've been walking for an awfully long time, nothing."

"There's no way it could be infinite, no use standing around here, we have to…"

"Um, excuse me."

Another voice echoed behind me, cutting me off. I spun my head once more and the shock that bolted through me was immense. There another girl approached me, and she was the spitting image of the girl Star I just met. A clone perhaps? But how? And where?

Her complexion was a strange tone of grey blue, hiding beneath her long flowing sky-blue hair. She wore a simple skirt of green and sleeveless shirt of black, and behind her I could see a tail of a lizard – her tail. It sure did go well together with her headband, though, a headband of horns. And those fangs, quite sharp ones I must say.

Just like me and Star, she too had cheek marks. Marks of hearts, but these were darker in color than Star's. She looked too familiar, but for different reasons than the last.

"Hi," the girl spoke shyly, "my name is Star Butterfly. I come from a land far away. I was hoping if you guys know a way over this wall here."

The two of us stood in shock once hearing her name. Another Star? Not possible!

"I'm sorry," the Star behind me rubbed her head, "I don't think I heard you right. Did you say your name is Star Butterfly?"

"Yes?"

"No, that's not possible. I'm Star Butterfly."

"No way. Oh corn, are you my long-lost twin sister?"

"I doubt it," I said.

"Oh, but that doesn't make sense, my dad would've told me about a sister if that were the case. And you don't look anything like my dad either."

"Who… is your father?" Star asked, suddenly getting more serious.

"Huh? Oh, King Toffee of Septarsis. Why do you ask?"

Just like that, at the snap of a finger, a hidden rage burst forth from the blonde's eyes. It seemed uncontrollable and hungry for some retribution that I could not understand, for I did not know her story. The girl clenched her wand tight, and pointed at the lizard girl, even though she knew the device had no power.

"Toffee – took my best friend," she grunted. "And here you are, standing before me, a disciple of that evil monster? The gall!"

"What no! You have it all wrong. My dad isn't evil. He is a kind noble hero. He's the reason I'm even here at all, alive and breathing."

"You lie, monster girl!" Star shouted. "My father is not a monster. He is the noble King River Butterfly, husband to the Mighty Allmother! The Allmother demands the trial of our kingdom's greatest enemy, Toffee of Septarsis. A vile monster who murdered our previous Allmother."

"That doesn't make sense. How could that be? My dad isn't anything like you just said!"

And the answer struck me with its furious thunderbolt of arcane knowledge. Of course! It was right there in front of me the whole time. How could I not see it? I studied the science of this phenomenon my whole life, and yet did not realize it the moment I met this girl.

"It's all so clear now," I slapped my forehead, getting the two Stars their attention, "don't you guys see? It's the multiverse."

As the sensation of shock gradually crept up their faces, I was prepared to take in one deep breath to explain to them the vast intricacies of the various sciences I had learned long ago of the quantum theories.

And yet, instead of questions, the two of them just turned to look at each other, eyes wide in wonder and confusion. Not because they did not understand what I meant.

"It's not possible," Princess Star said. "I mean… it's not a myth?"

"Um… I… no…" I said. "We are the proof of it. It's got to be, I'm sure of it. Ah, no wonder why I found you two so familiar. I thought I have seen you somewhere before in my life, perhaps even distant family or something. But you're me! Both of you, literally speaking. Alternate versions of me, sure, but there's no doubt about it."

"A multiverse…" Princess Star took one step back, "I don't believe it."

"It must be," the lizard girl insisted, almost brought to tears. "See, look! I even have a wand. Just like you. What I said is the truth."

She held up her blue wand, and just as she said it, it was a magic wand with a diamond piece in the shape of a star placed at the very center. Two black bat wings and a pair of horns. There was no denying it. It was the truth.

Princess Star took one deep breath, then gave perhaps what seemed to be the longest sigh I had ever heard.

"You must forgive me," she said. "I just find it… difficult. This monster girl. This… MonStar…"

The lizard girl's eyes twitched ever so slightly, it was hard to spot, but I noticed. She did not take kindly to that name, surely. And yet she closed her eyes, taking in one deep breath just as Princess Star did. And when those eyes opened – they were filled with nothing but compassion.

"My father was part of a race of monsters," she said. "But make no mistake, I understand your pain. I too have lost something dear to my heart. Many things in fact. That is why I am here. He sent me here, my father. To safety by orders of my mother, the queen, Moon Butterfly. He sent me out of bondage, and out of death. It is the fates I wish my people could also avoid."

Princess Star glanced up to the monster girl, scanning her thoroughly, looking for any sign she might be telling a lie, a fabricated story. But I knew she could find nothing but sincerity. The girl nodded her head, but in the end – I suspected she was not completely over those feelings of anger, not yet.

"So…" the blonde said. "What now? What do we do with this wall here? A wall so wide we cannot get around it, and so deep in the stone I doubt we can dig under it."

"I have a feeling that the wall will increase in height if we were to try to climb it," said MonStar.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Call it a hunch," she said. "Magic is a peculiar thing. It's difficult to explain. It is a pathway to impossible abilities and knowledge."

"Magic is merely science people do not yet understand," I commented. "Fortunately, I understand many things."

"Oh?"

"It's clearly a super structure of some kind," I told them. "Perhaps meant to be a scientific experiment of sort, with the wall here being the maze, and we the mice. Someone must be manipulating the wall to stretch out beyond our fields of vision via a complex system of gears turning from within. But only beyond our fields of vision, only to make it look like the wall is infinite, when it is not."

"How do you know that?"

"Think about it," I explained. "There are finite resources in the universe, hence one cannot possibly hope to build something infinite in length, height or volume. So the next best thing is to create the illusion of infinity."

"Hmm, I guess we can't rule out the possibility," said Princess Star.

"I even managed to hear a moving train over the other side of the wall," I said. "It's faint, and difficult to make out, but the sound is there I assure you. If only my magic bell is not out of juice. I could confirm my hypothesis by asking the bell itself. It has never steered me wrong."

"But you're not being steered by the bell here, no?" Said Princess Star.

"Pardon?"

"She's right," MonStar joined in. "There are other possibilities. We do not know what this is nor where we are. We all stepped through a portal each did we not? We are far from our home realm. Our magics do not work here. Why is that do you reckon?"

"Perhaps because of the multiverse?" I wondered.

"Maybe our wands only function within their home universe," Princess Star theorized. "The Allmother told me once of a place called the magic dimension. A realm where my magic wand draws power from. She said it was a realm that encompasses the universe. But she never mentioned anything of the multiverse."

"It's possible," said MonStar, glancing down her own wand. "When I left my home universe, I felt my wand's life force leaving this shell. You see, my dad, he planted a fail-safe in cases of emergency, to make sure that if this were to ever fall into the wrong hands, hands of villains, then they would not be able to enjoy the gifts of this weapon. I thought he went through with it, until I met you guys. Now I am uncertain. Perhaps he still has faith in me, faith that I will accomplish my mission, then in the end, to return to a world where the magic has survived the fail-safe."

"Then what do we do now?" Princess Star wondered.

"What can we do?" I said.

"Maybe…" Princess Star began tapping her chin, before shaking her head, "no, that won't do."

"What?" I pursued. "Do you have an idea? There are no bad ideas here. Come on, let's hear it."

"Well… I have this thing," she said. "It's hard to explain. It's called the Moonforce."

"What's that?" I asked.

"I've never heard of it before," MonStar commented.

"Well, it's…" Princess Star scratched her head. "I… don't actually know what it is exactly. But it's not magic. I can't say for sure. It's a mysterious energy my Allmother wields. Its power – enigmatic, but its reach – beyond infinite."

"How is that possible?" I asked.

"I don't know," she answered. "All I know is that she is the Allmother for a reason, and the Moonforce is one of those reasons. Before I left for my journey across the cosmos, she granted me a small fraction of her infinite power. As in, a drop of water compared to the mighty ocean. The powers, I tell you – is unlike anything I've ever felt. It lets me do many things, many absurd, impossible things. It might even be able to knock down this wall here."

"Wow."

"Sounds a bit farfetched if you ask me," I commented.

"How come my mom doesn't have the Moonforce?" MonStar wondered. "She is also Queen Moon, is she not?"

"Like I said," Princess Star shrugged, "I myself do not know a whole lot about this power. Only the Allmother knows. I assume it all just comes down to the difference in our universes, the difference in the timelines. From where I come from, my mother is first and foremost the Allmother, she is queen second, and a mother third."

MonStar nodded, perhaps feeling empathy for a potential difficult childhood. Princess Star continued:

"There is only one problem with using the Moonforce, though. And that is the simple fact that I am not ready for such power. The Moonforce, the magic wand, they show me things, things I could never see, not on my own. Power, but more importantly knowledge. Its power is overwhelming. The last time I used it I almost went mad. It took me a while to fully recover, but the damage has been done."

"So that's it then?" I asked. "We are out of options? Is that it?"

"Not necessarily," MonStar chimed in. "I think we need to look at this problem from a different perspective. One not concerning with raw power, but instead belief."

"I don't follow," said Princess Star.

"Think about it," she explained, "the wands give us power, but what is the force that directs that power? What gives it instructions?"

"Our will?" I said.

"Exactly!" MonStar snapped her finger, "This device is one of, if not the most powerful weapon in the universe. A device capable of shaping thoughts, molding Dreams into reality. But only if it is instructed to do so, willed to do so."

"So, what? We just need to believe hard enough and the wall will give us a door?" I said, "Doesn't sound very scientific."

"Mayhap not," said Princess Star, pondering. "But it is worth a shot, is it not? A way for us to truly prove ourselves, prove to the world, nay, the universe that we are worthy to wield the power cosmic magic. It is a big responsibility. My Allmo… my mother said to me some final words before I left, she said that it is not her, the Allmother who asks of me to journey ahead, it is not my kingdom that asks of me to wield the wand and protect our borders, no – it is the multiverse itself which asks of me its guardian. Maybe this is a sign, us three, meeting here of all places, in such a time."

"A coincidence?" I asked.

"Maybe," said MonStar. "I may have believed it so once upon a time. But now – I believe in Fate."

CONGRATULATION.

A deep rumbling voice shook from the wall, shaking from all sides. It forced me to ready myself with a combat stance, wielding the empty magic bell. For it was in my nature to be prepared, be vigilant. Before of course, I realized how ineffective that would be.

But the wall's nature was peculiar. Once indestructible stone made from shimmering light now morphed its form into a liquid of sort, strange liquid, nothing like anything I had ever seen before. Certainly not something on the periodic table. Nothing I had seen on Inwem, and for good reasons. Because behind the liquid of the wall hid the essence of new cosmic secrets. For now I had finally realized that the knowledge of this foreign new world was not taunting me at all. This was an invitation. And I could not even begin to describe the immeasurable honor I felt at that very moment.

Behind the wall was a stairway, infinite in length, with divine light shining so bright I was forced to shield my eyes. In the distance I could barely make out a vast hall full of machinery, equipment and forges so alien and bizarre to my eyes. The furnace of distant fire, the anvils of celestial stars, but most impressive were the smiths, wearing peculiar aprons and armors of alien symbols I did not recognize. They were big, bigger than any Inwemese in my lifetime, double the size easily. But their impressive size paled in comparison to the wonder of what they were – unicorns.

With great strength, they stepped down from their sturdy marble stairs, and greeted us into their majestic heavenly realm:

"Welcome – to the Magic Source."