Hello again! Thank you for continuing to read my short stories and for following, favoriting, commenting, and most of all reading my story! This chapter will be a bit different, I hope you enjoy it. I don't own Star vs the Forces of Evil or any of its fun and wonderful characters.

17). Quiet-This is a Library!

Wooly hair blew behind her as she gazed into the horizon. With a sigh, she pulled back her mane into a loose ponytail and frowned in concentration. "Come on. Come on." She whispered under her breath. The young girl narrowed her eyes, willing the spot in front of her to transform. "Come on….Ugh-this is hopeless!"

Kicking at the dirt in front of her, Kelly turned around while blinking back tears. Why did she keep doing this to herself. Knowing nothing had changed, she still looked behind her with hope a portal had opened. Nothing. Nada. Zip. She was stuck on Woolandia.

For the past three months, Kelly had come to the same spot where she suddenly appeared-completely healed from her wound with the Solarian warrior, she might add-after the last battle at the Monster Temple on Mewni. It took her over a day to find Jorby again. And she had no idea if her friends were okay. All she could do was hope.

And come to the spot. Every day.

Kelly glanced around the hairy desert, mounds of hair forming into rolling hills. Reaching into her hair, she dug out her pair of dimensional scissors. Glancing to her left and right to assure herself she was alone, she took the scissors and began trying to cut a hole in the air like she used to do. Effortlessly. A loud swack startled her, as she fumbled with the scissors and shrieked, "I wasn't doing anything!" A bird soared over her head and she let out a sigh.

"Ahh-haha. Close one." Scissors were banned on Woolandia-except by those who pass judgment onto others, like cops, judges, and librarians. Taking a breath to steady herself, she drew out her scissors and concentrated. "Okay, Kelly. You can do this. Just think of Mewni." Closing her eyes, she raised her scissors and began to cut the air…and nothing happened.

"DANG IT!" Winding back her arm, Kelly chunked the scissors far into the desert. She turned and began to stomp off toward her town. After a few seconds, she paused, then raced back to the scissors and picked them up. "Sorry. Sorry. I didn't mean to throw you." Slipping them into her hair, she began to race home.

After a good few hair-raising miles, Kelly finally made it to her house. "Hi mom! I'm home!" She called as she shoved her way into her mother's hairy doorway. Once she brushed through into the living room, Kelly kicked off her shoes and flopped onto the couch.

"So this is all that life is good for now." She sighed as she dug under the couch cushion for the remote and flipped on the screen. Three wrestling women were punching each other on the screen. Usually, this would have cheered her up even a little-but today, she had finally reached her limit.

And, evidently, so had her dad.

"Kelly! What is the meaning of this?!" The remote was suddenly swiped from her hand and the screen went blank. Kelly blinked twice and began to punch the air multiple times as if it were the power button of her remote. Suddenly, she was dumped onto her feet. Whipping around, her father was poised, nun chucks at the ready. "You need to get out in the world again!"

Rolling her eyes, Kelly just flopped back onto the couch and groaned. "And you think fighting is going to cheer me up, Dad?! I'm fine. I'm just…bored. All my friends are on other dimensions and I can't get to other dimensions…for some weird reason."

Suddenly, a heavy weight was on top of her and Kelly had to spit out hair from her mouth. "What you need is to do something better with your time. Like learning new fighting styles! Here-let me teach you-"

"Puh-puh-gross, get off me, Dad!" Kelly shoved her father off of her, though any fire to fight him was gone. "I don't need to-" Suddenly, an idea came to her. "Oh, uh, yeah. You're right, Dad." She began to back away toward the front door. "I just gotta go fight it out. You know-learn some new styles. I'm going to the library! Okay, bye!" With a dash, she picked up her shoes and combed her way out of the door.

"Oh…Okay. I'll just fight myself than." Kelly's dad lowered his nun chucks.

"I would fight you, dear." Kelly's mom's voice rung through the house.

"Thank you, dear." He sighed back.

But Kelly didn't hear of that, she was long gone, racing toward the library. Of course-how did she not think of that before! There was bound to be some book on how to get back to Mewni-and why everything was suddenly closed off and how she ended up in the desert!

After a long bus ride and a painful punch to the arm, she arrived at her destination. Perfect…Racing up to the help desk, she noticed the librarian her and Marco had defeated months before for the late fee. Ducking behind a stack of books, she glanced around to see her back turned. Scanning the direction menus on the front of the desk, she looked for- "Interdimensional travel section! Perfect!" Crouching down, she brushed past the desk toward the direction the arrow pointed.

"Dimensional travel, dimensional travel-there is a dimension of cats with human faces? Focus, Kelly. Dimensional travel, Dimensional-here it is!" Brushing her fingers against the spines of the books, Kelly opened both her arms as if to give a big bear hug and scooped up all the books she could hold. And she instantly set off to work. Kelly opened the first page and became absorbed into the pages of the book.

She poured through each page meticulously, soaking in every word, conditioning herself to see things she normally wouldn't see. Though there was so much information-there was still nothing that could help her leave Woolandia without using her broken scissors. Kelly's frustration was growing and growing. She couldn't find anything! Finally, after what felt like hours, she blinked her red eyes and stood up to stretch. Glancing at the clock, she gasped-it had been hours. "Well, no wonder I have to pee…"

"Excuse me-can I fight you for that book you are reading?" A voice chimed up from a nearby chair. Kelly glanced down to see a little old woman who looked vaguely familiar-almost like the lady who Marco offered his seat to on the bus…

"Sorry, I can't-I'm still reading it." Gulping, Kelly realized her mistake before she could stop herself. How could she be so selfish?!

A collective gasp was heard around the library. Many people stood up from their seats, one scooting his so loudly that it screeched then thudded onto the floor. "How could you?!" Someone shouted, shaking his fist into the air. "I'll fight her!" "No-I will!" "I'll fight her for the book! Let me at her!"

"QUIET!" A loud voice rang out! Suddenly, the librarian thundered over to the scene. Her pink hair bopped up and down in her bun, her glasses framing her angry eyes. "This is a Library!" Suddenly, she locked eyes with Kelly. Kelly took a big gulp. "You…." The librarian whispered. With a flash, she whipped out four knives, and gave a battle cry.

With a clash, chaos and books exploded throughout the library. Books and hair went flying. Kelly ducked under a table, grabbing the book-it was the last one. It had to have something! And she had to get out of there. Though her insides were yearning to join the fight, she knew that finding the answers were much more important than getting a black eye in a silly fight. Kelly slipped between two women slapping each other with braids and another man choking the librarian with his beard. The librarian saw Kelly dashing out of the door. "I will get you, Green. You will pay the fee."

Kelly chuckled as she skipped down the stairs and to the park. "Yeah-I'd like to see you try." She smiled (though she didn't realize it was the first smile she had since she arrived back on Woolandia) and sank down onto a park bench. "Okay-now let's-" She paused. This was the bench she and Marco had sat down and learned about Wool-Hair-Do and Dual Mode together.

Her smile instantly sank off her face. Marco. And Star. Pony Head. Janna.

She missed her friends. Kelly sank down and looked sadly at the book in front of her. What was the use-it wasn't like this book would have the answers-nothing so far had-

"Well, hey, Kelly!"

No, no, not him again. Groaning to herself, Kelly glanced up to the tree above her to see none other than Tad, her ex-boyfriend. "TAD! What are you doing here? Well-I guess it's better than being in my hair but still-why are you HERE?"

"Namaste, Kelly." Tad bowed to her from his perch, hair blowing out of his face. "I can see that you are distressed and anxious-something I have long since left behind me now that I have found purpose in life."

"Tad, can you leave me alone? I have purpose-"

"I don't know, Kelly. I've known you for a long time now, and I see that you are not at peace with your inner-self."

"Ugh, what does that even mean, Tad?" Kelly rolled her eyes and frowned at him. She got up to leave but he continued on.

"I have found enlightenment now. I am at peace with nature. I see the balance in the self and in the earth." Tad sighed in content as three baby birds popped out of his hair and began to chirp as their mother flew in with a worm in her mouth. "I am a provider now. I provide a home for life. There is no higher calling."

Kelly resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. "If that bird flies away with you then you'd have an even higher calling."

Tad sighed contently as the mother bird began to throw up and bits of worm guts flicked onto his eyebrows. "Sigh. The unbelievers will never understand."

"Did you literally just say 'sigh'? Look, Tad. Leave me alone."

"Kelly, Kelly, Kelly." Tad shook his head as a baby bird began to peck near his eye. He winced as its beak poked him in the eye. "You can find inner peace like me if you learn to give instead of receive."

Kelly had had about enough of him at that very moment. "Okay, well, I'm going to GIVE you space. Goodbye, Tad." With that, she thrust the book into her hair and began racing away. Though she didn't want to admit it, Tad's words affected her. She was not at peace with herself. She couldn't find joy in fighting anymore. She felt lost.

And she knew how to get it. (Or, so she thought.)

Finally, after a few miles of nonstop sprinting, Kelly collapsed onto the desert floor at the most familiar spot to her in the world. Panting, she looked up, noticing the sun was slowly beginning to set. Mountains of hair waved in the wind in the distance, a tumble-hair-weed blew past her. Pulling out the book, she began to skim through the remaining pages. Once she reached the last page, she stared blankly at the back cover.

That was it. There was nothing else.

With a shutter, tears began to spill down her face. Kelly rubbed them off her checks but more began to replace them. Without meaning to, Kelly burst into sobs. She tucked herself into her hair, letting her locks become damp. The tears wouldn't stop. And she didn't want them to. She hadn't had a good cry since the first day back on Woolandia. And she finally realized-she wasn't ever going to leave. She was going to be there forever.

Suddenly, Kelly felt herself being jerked into someone's grasp. With a yelp, she pulled back her hair to see Jorby pulling her into a hug with his tail. "Hey Kelly!" He yelped with is barking voice. "Don't cry, Kelly. I got you. Just cry it out."

Standing up, embarrassed to be caught crying, Kelly frowned at him angrily. "Jorby! You just don't get it! We're stuck here! Forever! We are never going to see our friends again or know if they are okay or if Mina was stopped or-"

"I get it. They were my friends too." Jorby ducked his head to the side, his doglike snout frowning sadly. "I miss them too. But you aren't alone, Kelly, like you've been pretending to be for the past three months." He looked back at her. "I'm here, and we can still fight stuff and battle evil librarians and hair minions all day!"

Angrily, Kelly pushed him away and wiped away more tears. They had finally stopped falling. She looked out toward the desert again and sighed. "I'm tired, Jorby."

Suddenly, Kelly was thrown to the ground. Whipping around, she was staring directly into Jorby's eyes. He was glaring down at her, his snout touching her nose and fogging up her glasses. "So what if you're tired! Fight on, Kelly!" Angrily, Kelly kicked up with her legs, catching Jorby in the nose. His head flew backward as she rolled into a crouch. With a scream, Kelly pulled out her ancestral sword and launched herself at Jorby, emotions flying.

Jorby dodged her advances with a growl. Kelly slashed as his claws met her blow for blow. Jorby would swipe at her and she would duck into a roll and pop up to slash at him again. The dance continued on for many minutes when suddenly, Kelly noticed they had an audience. The two slowed to a stop, glancing around them. Though she was panting heavily, a smile was forming again on her face. Jorby noticed this smile but didn't want to comment. He was just glad his best friend was feeling a bit more like herself again.

As they glanced around themselves, Kelly and Jorby noticed they were surrounded by pink, savage Hairballs. The hairballs began to whoop and holler, jumping up and down as they pulled out small knives and bows. Without a word, Kelly and Jorby glanced at each other and nodded. As if in Dual Mode, Kelly jumped onto Jorby's back and raised her sword. With a wide sweep, she blew a path through the hairballs as the fight began.

One by one the hairballs fell, each knocked out or retreating in terror. As they began to fight, Kelly felt her heart begin to lighten. Though she was still sad, she was actually feeling better. She wasn't alone-she had her family and friends. They were going to be okay-and her friends were okay too. Sure, she might miss them but she had people who loved her here too.

Finally, as the last hairball retreated waving a white hairy flag, Jorby and Kelly sank to the ground, exhausted. Kelly leaned against Jorby, feeling his chest heaving as she leaned her back into it. "Whoa." She realized, flinging her arms to the ground. "My dad was right. I just needed a good fight." She turned to smile at Jorby, who gave her one in return. "And a good friend to talk to. And…weirdly, Tad too."
"Ugh. Don't tell me you're back with him again." Jorby sighed, causing Kelly to laugh and shake her head no. Yeah-like that would ever happen.

"I still miss our friends." She sighed as she pulled out the scissors from her hair. She smiled wistfully at them as she replaced them. She knew just the place to keep him at her house-and not in her hair to use every day.

"I do too." Jorby smiled at her. "But at least we have each other."

Kelly smiled at him, then stood up and began to clap the leftover hair off her hands. "Come on. I have to return a library book."

The smile on Jorby's face instantly fell, his eyes going big "Seriously? We got to go to the library? Kelly…LET'S DO THIS! WAR CRY!"

With a laugh, Kelly jumped onto his back and the pair rode off into the sunset, ready for whatever new adventures awaited them.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I felt that something different would be fun, plus we didn't ever get to truly see how they reacted. I wanted to use that snippet that Ponyhead talked about in the finale of how the others were doing in their dimensions so I took that last scene with Kelly and Jorby and used it in this story with her fighting those hairball things. Plus, another thing I wanted to convey (I'm not sure accurately I did) was that bad things happen and it is okay to be sad. People may not always understand but eventually things will get better. Just find the ones that love and support you. It won't be instantaneous or anything but things will get better. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think-and thank you again for reading! Until next time!

SugarQueen97: Thank you for your honest feedback about the last chapter. I hadn't really thought of it that way, I really appreciate you bringing that to my attention. The goal was to keep it true to how the show presented the characters-which now that I think about it, Star doesn't really apologize a lot and Janna can be a bit of a bully. Thank you for letting me know, I really appreciate your thoughts! I will try to avoid that in future writing.

Starco4everr: Thank you so much! I am glad you like the part about the Apology meat-that is something that was so random in the show but I loved it!