Possible spoilers between the ⭐🦋 and 🦋⭐.
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Star and Marco stood on the sidewalk outside a nondescript building in Dublin, California. A sign above the door read "Crazy Cavalier Clinic."
"Okay, so now 'The 3C' makes sense ... but what does 'cavalier' mean?" Star asked.
"I think," Marco replied, "in this context it means 'an honorable and courteous soldier.' I think it's meant to be humorous, and I'm not used to medical people having senses of humor. They tend to be dour and joyless, that's how you know they're doctors."
"Not on Mewni."
"Yeah, well, Mewni's idea of advanced medicine is loading a being with mental health issues into a catapult and flipping them away."
"True."
"It's unusual, but I guess I like it, it's cheeky." Marco pinched a butt cheek of Star's as he said "cheeky." She shoved him. "I think you're actually getting stronger," Marco said, as he regained his balance.
Marco took a deep breath. "Well, they came highly recommended, and located in the middle of all these military bases they're probably quite experienced, so ... shall we?"
Marco offered his hand, which Star took. "As Janna says, 'to infinity; and beyond!'"
Marco rolled his eyes as the two teens entered the building.
Five minutes later, they were sitting on a couch in a small room, waiting for the psychiatrist. Above the door as they entered was the sign "Judgment Free Zone," which Star, in particular, found comforting. The room was sparse, painted in neutral tones, with pleasant, nondescript, paintings. There were no photographs or medals or any military mementos or regalia. Marco found that strange at first, but then realized that when dealing with "battle fatigue," PTSD, or other service-related psychological issues, such reminders might not be a good idea.
A knock came at the door, then a woman entered. She was tall, fit, and a bit past middle age. Her graying hair was in a short, military, cut, and she had a prominent scar along her right jawline. Star and Marco stood as she entered.
"No, no; no need to stand, I'm not an officer any longer and ... you two are way too young to have been in the military, anyway."
"Well, Marco here was a Commander General."
"Really," the woman said, cocking an eyebrow.
"Yes," Marco added, feeling strangely reticent, "it's roughly equivalent to a division commander."
"I see. Please, sit." Star and Marco sat, as the doctor took a seat across from them. As the doctor sat, Star realized she was missing her left middle finger. The doctor noticed Star staring.
"I lost it in battle," the woman said.
"Coooool," Star replied, almost bouncing off the couch.
"Yeah, I stuck my hand out from where I'd taken cover and flipped the bird at the enemy, and a sniper shot the finger off. Rather stupid of me, but, you know, kids. My colonel didn't know whether to award me the Purple Heart or bring me up on charges for dereliction of duty. I think that's when I started developing my admittedly macabre sense of humor around battle casualties."
The doctor shifted in her seat, her bearing making it clear it was time to get down to business. "I'm Doctor Trudy North, former soldier and medic, multiple tours, and forever an army brat. Please call me Trudy. You filled out the online forms, so you know my medical credentials and experience. I still need to put names to faces, though ... who might the two of you be?"
"I'm Star Butterfly, a magical princess from another dimension, and this is my boyfriend, Lord Marco Diaz."
"A princess and a knight?"
"Yeah, but here on Earth we're just Star and Marco."
"'On Earth' ... so you're aliens?"
"Kinda sorta," Marco jumped in. "Long story short, even though Star here is from another planet, recent DNA analysis shows her people originally came from Earth a thousand years ago. We haven't had time to sort through the how ... and the implications."
"Ah."
"I'm from Echo Creek, a suburb of Los Angeles."
"Yet you have those Cheek-Thingies like Star."
"Yes. It's a side-effect of using magic."
"Magic?"
"Yeah. It's not magic in the way we tend to think of it on Earth; think Green Lantern but without the ring." Marco conjured a perfect replica of a Green Lantern ring, tossing it to Trudy. "Actually, if you're into the comics, Jade is probably a closer analogy."
Trudy examined the ring, then tossed it back to Marco, who poofed it away. "I understand," Trudy said. "I collected comic books in my younger days and remember the characters. So ... we normally see only military personnel and veterans ... but you're too young, and yet our staff scheduled you. Why is that?"
Marco knew the forms he filled out contained all that information. He decided it wasn't so much what he said, but how he said it, so was being asked to repeat it in person. That was consistent with what he remembered from his own meager training in psychoanalysis.
"We fought a minor war, a coup d'état if you will, instigated by a powerful magic wielder that had used awful means to live for hundreds of years, and who turned out to be my great-great-something grandmother."
Trudy blinked hard at that statement.
"Yeah, it's complicated, and as long as this historia is, it's still a summary. We've both lived to thirty years old in another dimension, our bodies reverting to their age in this dimension when we returned. Even if we hadn't, Star's planet has a medieval society so very young officers, even among general officers, are not unusual. I ended up a general in command of two corps of light infantry, and Star was a monster."
"A monster?"
"I said it was complicated."
"And several years before that," Star interjected, "to stop another coup I had to kill myself in front of poor Marco here." Marco bristled and flushed, a physical response that did not go unnoticed by Trudy. "I got better, then turned the evildoer to goo, but ... it traumatized both of us. The nightmares we've been having since then ... well ... really suck."
The teens stopped, looking expectantly at the doctor. Making sure they were finished, Trudy asked, "Anything else?"
"Isn't that enough?" Marco asked, a slight edge to his voice.
Trudy smiled. "I want to emphasize one thing; we must have total honesty here. Suggestions based on dishonesty not only aren't useful, they could make things worse. That also means no repercussions between the two of you for what we talk about. If there are, we'll need to have separate sessions. I usually suggest that anyway unless it's couples therapy, but Marco emphasized to our staff that you two are a team."
Star and Marco didn't even hesitate, both immediately nodding their agreement.
"Good. Since you're a team, how about we start with a quick summary of your lives starting with when you two met."
For the next hour-and-a-half Star and Marco tag teamed the tale, while Trudy made frequent notes in her notebook. The teens couldn't help but be reminded of Babystoat and Jej.
When they were finished, Trudy said, "Unless you have something you want to tackle right away, may I start things off?"
Star and Marco nodded their assent.
"First, Star, you have serious self-esteem issues, and it's being made worse by something you really shouldn't be beating yourself up over. I'm going to do something I rarely do, and make a categorical statement: your family did not steal anything and you're not a fraud."
Star inhaled to protest, but Trudy raised her hand. "The lesser of two points, you're not a peasant nobody. Whether or not your family's claim to the throne is legitimate, it still holds the throne so you're still royalty. Regardless, I want you to spend some time asking yourself why you continue to call yourself a 'peasant' in a deprecating tone when you also state you don't want to be royalty. There's a contradiction there that you need to work out, and I'm here to help you with that, as is Marco."
Star nodded.
"The second, and more important, point: your family didn't steal a goddamn thing. Your family is as much a victim of the, what did you call them, Magical High Commissioners, as Queen Eclipsa and Princess Meteora."
Star sighed and looked at the floor; she was clearly torn.
"Furthermore, today, three hundred years later, your family's claim to the throne is perfectly legitimate. Usually there's some legislative act, but even in the case of conquest, after enough time has passed, the descendants of the conquerors are the legitimate rulers. Yes, your line was given the throne due to a massive fraud rather than conquest, but you didn't perpetrate it, nor did your mother, grandmother, and so on. Yours is the legitimate royal family of the Butterfly Kingdom now. Eclipsa being freed, and discovering Marco and his family are Butterflys of the original line, does complicate things a bit, but even if your laws stated ... and, if I understood you two correctly, they do not ... that Eclipsa should be queen and ..." Trudy riffled through her notes, then, after finding the answer, "... Angelica should be crown princess, you and your family are not thieves and frauds. And if King Shastacan officially adopted Festivia before he was ... erm ... eaten, that's the end of it."
"But ..." Star began.
"Star, I want you, with the help of your boyfriend, to think about that, and we'll pick it up again in another session, but I'd like to cover something else in the time remaining, if that's okay?"
Star nodded, as did Marco.
"Several times you mentioned a place called Saint O's, and your fear of the place is palpable, even though, if I understand correctly, it no longer exists. Even if it does, the headmistress that gave it that reputation was Meteora, who is now dead."
Marco noticed Star's breathing quicken, so he reached for her hand.
"Tell me about that. Not about the actual place, but how your fear of it impacted your life."
Star thought for a few seconds. She began, "Saint Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses was a terrible, horrible, place, and no one who went in came out the same."
"Except for Pony," Marco reminded her.
"Sure, but only because we interfered so early in her reformation, and because, well, it was Pony. For a being that was all head, there wasn't a lot of brain to wash."
Star turned bright red, embarrassed by her cruel joke at the expense of her deceased friend, but she calmed when Marco winked at her. Star glanced at Trudy, who gave a small nod.
"Anyhoo, my mother badgered me constantly, going so far as to send me a daily reminder to 'behave like the queen-in-training' that I am. Hanging over it was the implied threat of being sent to Saint O's. I was terrified of that, so much so that the very mention of the place literally sent me screaming." Marco caught Trudy's eye and nodded confirmation.
"My own mother," Star said quietly, "suffocating me with all the duties of becoming a queen for the rest of my life, and scaring me with what could happen if I didn't measure up. I can't believe that stupid bitch did that to me." Star breathed in, wide eyed. "I didn't mean ..."
"Yes, Star, you did," Trudy interjected. "Maybe it didn't need to be put in such harsh terms, but her actions clearly had a very negative impact on you. In fact, I think that contributed to your being fearful of losing so many things in your life, including losing your bestie there. Losing yourself to Saint O's would have included losing him, more than likely, and you knew it."
Star glanced at Marco, who put on a neutral face. He would be honest if asked, but didn't think it was a good idea to offer, in that moment, that he harbored resentment toward Moon over Saint O's.
"Just remember the sign above the door, though: 'Judgment Free Zone.' I'm simply pointing things out. I'd like to talk more about your mother in a future session, and how this impacts your relationship with her, but for whatever it's worth, I have yet to hear anything that makes me believe she was malicious."
Star nodded, reluctantly. "Still, Marco was the first person to fully accept me for who I really am. Dad, Ponyhead, Kelly ... even as great as they were, they still too often saw the princess over the person. Marco has been my lifeline ever since we met; I'd be a very different person if not for him."
"Same for me," Marco added. "Star broadened my horizons, made me more confident and outgoing. She showed me adventures and love I don't think I ever would have had without her; she's my bright and shining Star."
Trudy smiled as she checked her watch. "On that note, our time's almost up for today and I'd like to end with you, Marco. You are definitely suffering from PTSD. You are as fearful of losing Star as she is of losing you, maybe even moreso because you made Star your entire world for a time. Thinking you had lost her, violently, multiple times, caused some deep-seated traumas. You've opened back up to family and friends, especially lately, and I want you to continue to do that. As for your fear of losing Star ... well ... we lose people, it's a part of life. For now, try to focus on enjoying life with what you have, rather than living in fear of what you might lose. Can you do that?"
Marco stared at Trudy for a few long moments, expressionless, then finally, slowly, nodded.
"Good. I encourage you both to come back for at least one more session and as many more as you need. Today was a fact-finding session, and I have enough information to start on treatment plans. For next time ... assuming there is a next time ..." Trudy looked inquiringly at the teens.
"We'll ... talk," Marco said. Star was surprised there wasn't an immediate commitment.
Trudy, too, was surprised, but chose not to press. "I agree the nightmares need to be addressed, and I also agree there's a lot behind them. We'll start there, and refine the plans as we learn more together."
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For the rest of the day, Star had princess duties and Marco had lordly duties, so they didn't have a chance to debrief on the session for some time. When they finally did, Star did not even attempt to hide her confusion.
"Just what the fuck was that?" Star asked. "You're the one who insisted for weeks we need professional help."
"I know. But all knowledge isn't always good knowledge, despite what Eclipsa thinks. It's one thing to do psychoanalysis, it's another to be psychoanalyzed. I found myself really resenting what Trudy was asking, and saying in response to the answers." Marco chuckled. "Maybe that means I need professional help more than I thought."
"Marco, I liked her. Also, I think we share so much that we share bad things as well as good. Maybe that makes it so that sometimes one of us can't help the other because we're trying to help solve problems we can't solve for ourselves. Friends and family are probably too close to the subject, too."
Marco grimaced.
Star reached out and cupped Marco's cheek. "That doesn't mean we can't help each other. Talking about mom today made me remember that, when you were being my friend playing 'Marco PhD,' you said I have mother issues, and today proved you were more right than either of us realized."
"Playing ..." Marco said under his breath, not so quietly that Star didn't hear him.
Star removed her hand from Marco's cheek and wagged her finger. "Hup, bup, bup, the point is, I think we need to keep going ... unless you want to never have a good night's rest again."
"I dunno..."
"Well, then, there's always the catapult."
"Good point."
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⭐🦋 The next day, Star and Marco stepped out of a space-time portal onto a sidewalk along an American street. Looking out the way, it was clear they had arrived in the AU's Echo Creek, but the slight breeze carried the scents of soot, soil, and decay. There was a light rain, and the mud from the blasted heath was washing into the gutter and on into the sewers.
Blasted heath... "Star, what have we blundered into now?" Marco asked. "So much for thinking happy thoughts," he mumbled.
When no response came, Marco turned his head, seeing Star was facing the opposite direction, eyes wide. Marco turned to see what was upsetting her, his heart leaping into his throat from what he saw.
They were on Avocado Terrace. Marco had not recognized it because all the houses were gone, save one: 4815 Avocado Terrace, the Diaz home. It was in ruins; it was half collapsed, part of the roof was missing, and Star's tower, still part of the house, was similarly damaged.
Star said, "Maybe we can find something that will tell us what happened."
As Star stepped forward, Marco noticed movement through the tower window. Marco reached out and gently grabbed Star's arm. "Wait," he cautioned, "I saw someone in there." He looked around, seeing a small outbuilding still standing on one of the lots. "There; we can get out of the rain and be hidden from the tower."
They hurried over to the shed. "Maybe we should go home," Marco suggested.
"I'm dying of curiosity," Star replied. "How about using The Eye?"
"The Eye? Oh, the All-Seeing Eye spell. Yeah, good idea."
Star concentrated, waving her hand. The spell's portal opened before them. Star swiped the surface of the portal like the screen of a phone, moving the location of the view. All they saw was debris. "Try the tower," Marco said, "that's where I saw the movement."
Star swept her hand up, The Eye focusing its view on the inside of the tower.
The AU's Marco stood at the window, as if watching for something or someone. Its Moon was kneeling on the floor across the room, her hands bound behind her with Dragon Chains.
"Any moment now, your highness." Marco turned, walking toward a damaged dresser. As he played with a large dagger, he said to Moon, "Believe me, I know I've sunk pretty low, but whatever I've done," his voice took on an edge of rage, "you deserved!"
"Variant ..." Moon began.
"Quiet!" Marco screamed, nearly hysterical. "You're all so ridiculously apathetic to the suffering of others, so oblivious of the 'little people,' that you won't even use my name; you keep calling me a 'variant,' whatever the hell that is. My name is Marco. Marco Ubaldo Diaz, son of Angie and Rafael Diaz, deceased! Dead, killed by you people." His voice became rough, emotional. "Killed by Star!" Star's "besties photo" lay on top of the dresser and, in his fury, Marco slammed the dagger through Star's face, sinking the point deep into the wood.
Star and Marco exchanged a glance.
"If you want to pretend I'm the bad guy, that's fine. It's no fault of mine, and some justice at last will be served for my parents, friends, and all the other people Star killed."
"Please, listen..." Moon entreated.
"No! It's time to step up, or it's time to back down, and there's only one answer for me." Moon gasped in shock as Marco turned, showing her the Butterfly wand that he had retrieved from the top drawer of the dresser. As she watched in horror, it transformed into its Marco-Cast, the air crackling with purple energy; light-red crescent-moon Magic-Pips, spiderwebbed with purple veins, appeared on Marco's cheeks.
Marco smiled a smile with no humor, no warmth ... no mercy. "I'll stand up and fight, 'cause I know that I'm right, and I'm ready; ready as I'll ever be. I'll make you hear me, the voice of vengeance!"
Star looked at Marco. "Maybe we should go home," she said.
Before Marco could answer, through the outbuilding's window he saw a dimensional portal open across the street from the ruins of the Diaz house. The AU's Star stepped out of the portal. She was wearing her octopus dress, rhino boots, and a red hoodie over her hair, with the hood up and the arms tied around her neck.
"Marco," Star called, "please let me in. I'm alone, unarmed, and I know you have my wand." A hand beckoned from the window. Star opened a portal with the royal dimensional scissors and stepped through.
Rather than leave, Star and Marco turned back to The Eye.
Inside the tower, Star stepped out of the portal. Marco had retrieved his dagger and moved behind Moon, putting her between himself and Star. He held the dagger at Moon's throat.
"Marco, please," Star begged, "stop this. Mewni is in ruins. Toffee has taken Butterfly Castle, and Kelly is leading a last-ditch attack to take it back. Please come with me; please stop helping Toffee and help us stop Toffee."
"No," Marco answered calmly. "You don't deserve it, because of what you did."
Despair in her voice, Star answered, as tears began to fall, "Marco, I could never do that, I loved your parents like they were my own, and I love you! It was Toffee that did it!"
"Liar!" Marco screamed. "I saw you! I saw you do it!" Marco calmed himself. His voice cold as ice, he said, "And now you'll see me do it." Marco buried the dagger to the hilt in Moon's throat.
Marco stepped away as Star ran to her mother, screaming, "No!" She dropped to her knees, cradling her mother in her arms as Moon tried to speak, producing only a gurgle as her life bled out onto Star's dress and the floor. In moments, Moon was gone.
Enraged, despairing, Star stood. Tears freely flowing, she turned toward Marco as green magic began to flow from her, licking the floor and walls like lightning. Marco raised the wand, glowing with purple magic, and grinned with brows furrowed and a single upturned corner of his mouth.
"Murderer!" Star screamed, as the hoodie she wore, one of Marco's that she had taken when she returned to Mewni, was turned to ash by her green magic.
The All-Seeing Eye blinked out of existence as Star's tower exploded. In shock, the teens saw nothing left of the house and tower but rubble. There was no sign of the AU's Star or Marco. "Where'd they go?" Marco asked.
"I bet I know," Star replied. She opened a dimensional portal, grabbing Marco's hand and pulling him through with her.
On the other side, they stepped into the tree line of the Forest of Certain Death. They had a good view of Butterfly Castle and Castle Village, while still being distant enough they weren't in danger from the battle raging before them.
It was hard for them to tell for certain, but it appeared that an army made up of remnants of Lucitor, Johansen and Butterfly armies were desperately fighting an army of Monsters. Star and Marco could see Toffee in the distance, directing his troops. They could also see the MHC in the thick of the battle, as well as Kelly, fully armored and swinging her family broadsword. She was on foot; they could see Jorby nearby, lying on his side in a pool of blood.
"Where's ..." Marco began, as a castle wall exploded outward. The AU's Marco flew out with the debris, using the wand to reorient himself and levitate. Even at a distance, Star and Marco could see livid purple veins glowing in his exposed skin.
Marco asked, "Star, have you noticed how the distance between two points, in different AUs, varies based on what it is we want to see?"
"No."
Before Marco could muse further, the AU's Star, in her Butterfly Monster form, emerged from the hole blown in the wall by the explosion.
Star and Marco were in awe. They knew it was a life-and-death struggle, but they could not tear themselves away, wanting to know the outcome. As they watched, Dark Marco blasted his Star into a tower wall. She fell to the ground, stunned, or possibly dead.
The two saw Toffee raise his hand, then, when he had Dark Marco's attention, point to where Kelly and Hekapoo were fighting in tandem. Marco swooped down, unleashing a massive bolt of purple magic. Hekapoo saw it coming and portaled away, her attempt to grab Kelly missing. The surge lifted Kelly from the ground, flinging her high into the air toward where Star and Marco stood at the edge of the forest.
Star and Marco were torn. They knew the dangers of interacting with an AU, but every fiber of their beings wanted to help Kelly. They hesitated too long; Kelly slammed into a tree, the harsh crack of bone echoing through the forest, accompanied by a horrifying, guttural, grunt.
The pair ran to Kelly, who lay groaning. Her armor had prevented her from being killed instantly, but the two teens knew it was just a matter of time; by the angle of her torso as she lay, they knew her back was hideously broken, and she probably had massive internal injuries to boot. Her face was badly burned from the blast of magic, and most of her hair was gone, the remainder ending in melted nubs at her helmet.
Kelly weakly turned her head. "What?" she asked feebly. "Star, what are you doing here ... and why do you look so different? And ... Marco? How dare you!" Kelly grunted as she tried to move, but could lift only one arm, which she flailed uselessly in Marco's direction. "You're lucky I can't feel my legs; otherwise, I'd tear yours off and beat you to death with them."
Marco knelt, taking Kelly's flailing hand. Softly, he said, "I'm not your Marco. I'm Marco Diaz, a magical prince from an alternate universe, and this is my girlfriend, Princess Star Butterfly. We're Marco and Star from a different timeline."
"Oh ... I actually understand that," Kelly said. "Marco told us Earth stories about such things before ... before ..." Kelly sobbed. She looked into Marco's eyes; dying, she was no longer seeing a Marco from an AU, she was seeing her Marco. She pulled Marco's hand to her chest, squeezing it tightly. "I'm so sorry about what happened to your parents, but it wasn't Star! She was here on Mewni when it happened, I wish you believed us. You said the being that killed your family, and all those humans, was wearing a black hoodie, and you saw its face only for a moment. How could you possibly believe with such conviction that it was Star?"
A humongous boom echoed throughout the land. Looking toward the source, they saw Marco, wand held aloft, huge shafts of purple magic and bolts of purple lightning emanating from him. They saw Star dodging them as she flew toward Dark Marco, desperately throwing yellow beams of magic of her own but to no avail.
Marco released Kelly's hand, as he and Star moved to get a clearer view.
Suddenly, Dark Marco and the wand exploded. In horror, the two visiting teens watched the released energy smash through his Star's hastily conjured shield bubble, instantly disintegrating her. The magic expanded outward in all directions like a slow nuclear blast, destroying everything, and killing every being, in its path. Those with the ability to do so portaled away, taking with them what few Mewmans they could.
"Time to go," Star said, panic in her voice. Marco grabbed her hand, channeling his own magic into her to speed the process of opening the space-time portal. "Kelly," he began, but when he turned toward her, he could tell from her open but unblinking eyes that she was already gone. As the wave of destruction moved toward them, the pair stepped through the portal.
On the opposite side of Butterfly Castle, watching from Pigeon Lookout, Bob smiled with satisfaction. Another Mewni destroyed, and this one in the most delicious way. Turning an AU's Star and Marco against each other warmed her black heart, especially when it directly led to the complete destruction of their Mewni. Just rewards, she thought, for Mewni's protectors. She almost felt remorse for killing the Diazes, Janna, Jackie, and the other humans, but she was satisfied it was in a just cause.
Seconds before the blast energy reached the Lookout, Bob stepped through a space-time portal of her own, a song on her deranged lips. 🦋⭐
Back in their room, Star and Marco stood for a few moments, not speaking. Finally, they reached for each other's hand, then lay together on Marco's bed. They held each other tightly; it was some time before they summoned Jej to chronicle their trip.
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Later, after Jej had fulfilled his duty and left, Star said, "Well, that's now four straight horrible dystopias we've visited."
"Yeah," Marco answered, "and four straight with a being cloaked in black. And it's not just this mystery being that's common; there's likely an infinite number of universes, so there should be more disparity than what we've seen so far. Randomly encountering universes that are so similar to each other as the ones we've visited should be quite improbable."
"Hmph," Star mused, "it's almost as if something's guiding us to them on purpose."
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⭐🦋 Inspired by Ready As I'll Ever Be - Star vs the Forces of Evil fan animatic by Art of Rhues (https://youtu.be/-p71qP3ubb0). 🦋⭐