Chapter Text
Marco had just arrived home. He opened the gate to his backyard and saw... a police helicopter, frozen in mid-air, with a crane attempting (and failing) to retrieve it? He tore his gaze away from the bizarre, yet unsurprising sight to see Star and Tom. The pair had obviously been crying earlier, their eyes red and puffy. Tom's eyeliner was deformed, his arms dangled loosely in front of him. Star had lost that mischievous glint in her eyes; her arms too hung sorely at her side.
Marco felt a deep sense of empathy for his friends, though he couldn't quite pinpoint exactly why this moment felt so heavy. "Whaaa... deeh?" Marco says, confused, while looking at Star for answers.
"Tom and I..." Star says slowly, "are breaking up."
Marco responds quickly, his arms gesticulating wildly. "What? Why?"
"I... it's complicated. But... but it's the right thing," Star states before Tom holds her hand and says, "for both of us."
Marco felt a mixture of relief and sadness, the scene stirring something undefinable within him.
Tom looks at Star, feeling calm once more and says, "I should go. I think I am ready now."
To which Star responds solemnly, "Me too."
Tom walks to the other end of the yard and creates a hypnotizing, swirling inferno. "Catch ya later, Starship," he says as he flies into the torrent of fire. Marco watched, feeling a strange mix of awe and something he couldn't quite identify.
Noticing how this is affecting Star, Marco says comfortingly, "Come on, I'll make you some nachos."
"That sounds pretty good," Star responds, sounding a bit happier, as they start to walk towards the house. Marco says, "You know, I hear the new season of Fiesta de le No..." before he is cut off by Tom shouting, "AWW C'MON!!" Tom's face appears through the still-roaring flame. "ARE YOU KIDDING?!" He floats out of the fire, groaning in annoyance, landing before Star and Marco as his column of flame disappears. "Guess whaat," he says, his head slightly tilted. "Nooooo. Still?" Star exclaims, her hands on her face.
"Still what?" Marco asks, to which Tom replies, "We have been trying to open portals ALL day."
"But apparently, we're both too emotional to do it," Star continues.
"Well, I'm not upset at all," Marco says, receiving deathly glances from Star and Tom. "...What I mean is... I can help you," Marco produces his dimensional scissors and points at them. "With my scissors." He walks to the middle of the yard, opening his scissors. "One non-emotional portal, coming up." Marco tries to open a portal as he normally would with his scissors, confident, eyes closed while saying "a-biewwww"... nothing happens. Star points this out with, "Uh, Marco." Realizing it did not work, Marco tries again, then again and again, growing more and more worried with each try until he is just waving the scissors dangerously in front of him. "This has never happened to me."
"Aah great, we infected Marco with our sad vibes," Star says.
"Wait, wait. Soo... what does that mean?" Tom asks.
"I think it means you're stuck here," Marco responds.
As day turned to night, Marco had set up the guest mattress on the floor with some spare blankets and pillows beside his own resting place for Tom before getting into his bed, pulling the covers up and trying to sleep. He felt a strange unease, attributing it to the day's events.
"Psst. Hey Tom, you awake?"
"No..."
"But you're talking right now."
"You're right, miraculously, I'm talking in my sleep. It's a demon power."
"Wait. Is, is that a thing?"
"Of course it isn't, Marco! That'd be stupid."
"Okay, okay, sorry for bothering you."
"No, look I'm sorry, man, I... I just think I am too emotionally exhausted to hold a proper conversation right now."
"Dude, I get it. It took me months to get over Jackie."
"Did it though?"
"Uh. Yeah, it did," Marco says defensively. "And I get what you and Star are going through."
"Thanks. Ya know, I just hope I get some time, some nice, calm..." Suddenly, Star KICKS down the door with a loud CRASH causing Tom to jump and grasp his chest in shock. "PLEASE, USE YOUR HANDS!!"
"What's happening?" Marco asks, concern visible on his face. His heart raced a bit faster.
Star immediately responds, the worry in her voice obvious, "I don't know, but something really, really weird. It's not just the portals that are all out of whack, look." She takes her compact out of her pocket and gives it a command. "Call Mom." The compact responds, "Calling Mom," before going static.
"Maybe she's asleep?" Tom says, confused.
"Nuh uh. Call Ponyhead." The compact responds, "Calling Ponyhead," before going to static.
Tom, now realizing the severity of the problem, says, "But Ponyhead stays up until at least four A.M!!"
Marco chimes in, looking more worried than before. "So are our emotions doing this as well?"
"No. Something serious is going on." stars voice turned grave "We have to go back to Mewni."