A/N: I just discovered a Ned Flanders metal band... Not even joking; It's literally 5 guys dressed as Ned Flanders and playing metal... I love the Internet.

On a side note, I'm gonna try and write a short Christmas special. Not sure if it's gonna be focused around Starco since I have many fanfics that already have that topic covered. I'm thinking of making it more or less 'friendship' oriented. What would you guys like to see? I'm actually thinking of posting it as a Zootopia fanfic, since I have been wanting to do a Zootopia fanfic for awhile now!

Replies to the latest reviews:

amythestblade: I doubt that Jackie will turn out to be Evil. But I do wonder what the show has in store for us! Some good drama, hopefully! And if not, you'll get plenty of drama right here ;). And like I said, a friend linked the Episode to me cause he knows how much I love Power Metal, especially 'Through The Fire and Flames', a true masterpiece of the genre. Idk, might check out the show.

Rock Raider: Sorry, Father Time ain't gonna appear in this fic; At least, not in the same way as he did in the show.

Guest Sorta: Well then... K... I don't know how to respond to that.

princess: I'd like to clarify now that I'm not a man of science. I'm actually gonna drop this study and go study my true passion; Philosophy. I mean, I'm doing alright and passing most of my exams but I just don't see myself as a Chemist or a Scientist. I just regret that I looked at job opportunities when selecting my study instead of doing what I love. As for Comet's explanation, well, while mainstream science is important, I put higher values on 'what could be' instead of on 'what is' and try to look at things differently.

ElleFreak: If you liked that fight scene, just wait till you read this one! Not that you haven't already since, you know, you're my BETA-reader but still...

Disclaimer: All characters from Star vs. The Forces of Evil belong to the creators of the show. The plot of this story and any original characters that may appear in it, however, do belong to me, and I would kindly ask you to inform me should you want to use anything from this story in your own fanfic.

Beta read by ElleFreak.

Story cover by Luzz015. Be sure to check her out on DeviantArt!

NOTE: This chapter is meant to bring Comet to life and expand her character and also give you guys more backstory about her. I've worked really hard to create her so tell me what you think!

P.S. No, I'm not dead XD! I deleted an annonymous review literally saying 'RIP jolleIQ'. Seriously, just because I don't update for 2 weeks you assume I'm dead xD!? I've been busy! BTW I will update 'Farewell' this Tuesday!


Star vs. The Forces of Evil: Staring it up!

Episode 2:

Playing Hooky

Final Part

Ugh... my head... Marco groaned. The boy way lying on the ground. The last thing he recalled was half a dozen knives flying straight at him and Comet before exploding mid-air and sending them tumbling away.

His vision was blurry but he tried his best to look at his surroundings. He was still inside the seal Comet had placed underneath them while everything else was grey; Frozen in time.

Through the ringing in his ears, he managed to distinguish battle-sounds. Looking to the side, he spotted Comet. The girl was holding Star's wand and firing several magic projectiles at her assailant, who was having no trouble dodging them, dashing around at lightning speed; Marco had trouble keeping track of him at times. Comet, on the other hand, didn't share his struggle as the figure never fully evaded her sight.

More knives came flying in her direction, however, Comet whipped the wand through the air and created a barrier in front of herself. The daggers exploded against it on impact, inflicting no damage on her.

"Couldn't you have done that earlier?" Marco complained while getting up and dusting himself up. Comet glared at him. She then muttered something and shot three ice-spikes at her assailant, only to have him dodge each one and counterattack by throwing more daggers at her, which she easily deflected with another barrier spell.

"Most impressive, Star Butterfly!" The figure exclaimed. "I regret to inform you, however, that playtime is sadly over!" With those words, the assailant pulled out two short curved swords from behind his back and dashed towards Comet.

The princess raised the wand and fired a blast of energy at him. As soon as it reached him the assailant deflected it with one of his two blades, sending it flying to the side. Comet tried again; Same result. She then fired multiple bolts at him only to have him evade them.

"Look out!" Marco exclaimed and grabbed her by the hand and pulled her away just in time to prevent her from being cut in half by the assassin's blade. "This guy's fast!" Marco noted. "Who is he? What does he-"

"Are you seriously expecting me to explain this now of all times!?"

Marco smiled sheepishly. "Good point..."

The momentary distraction gave the man enough time to throw another one of his sharp daggers and have it impale itself into the ground between Marco and Comet. Before the two could react it exploded and sent them flying in opposite directions. Comet got the worst of the blast and tumbled several feet after hitting the ground, receiving numerous scrapes and bruises.

She tried getting back up but felt a sharp pain in her ribcage and collapsed back onto the pavement.

"Comet!" Marco shouted. He stood up and tried running over to her but suddenly felt restraints around his limbs holding him in place, yet there was nothing visible. He tried moving his joints without success. He looked at the figure and noticed its outstretched arm. The man had cast some sort of spell on Marco, keeping him in place.

Marco swallowed; He could only watch in horror and the figure slowly made his way over to Comet who was struggling to stand up, the last blow having taken a huge toll on her body. The wand was out of reach. The man finally arrived at his destination and looked down at the young princess and shook his head.

"Such a waste..." he dully commented, raising his blade and pointing the sharp tip at her neck. "Goodbye, Star Butterfly. I-"

The man was cut off when a powerful blast of purple energy hit him on the side and blasted him away, sending him flying into a tree. At that very moment, the invisible bindings which were holding Marco back broke, releasing him from their grip and thus allowing him to move freely. He looked in the direction the blast of energy had come from and spotted Cosmos, Comet's familiar. The small wolf barked once before using his little wings to fly over to Comet.

The girl looked at him and smiled. Cosmos barked anew and fetched the wand and brought it over to her. "Thanks, buddy. I owe you one," Comet said and Cosmos responded with a proud bark.

"Héil" Comet said, casting a self-healing spell on herself and standing up moments later, fully healed.

"Are you alright?" Marco said fro the side as he walked over to the two.

"Oh, I'm just peachy, aside from some assassin nearly running his blade through my neck," Comet chuckled.

"Why do I have the feeling that you've been in this scenario before?" Marco awkwardly asked, not really expecting an answer.

"You'd be surprised. Anyway-" Comet put on a serious expression as her gaze wandered back to her assailant who was rubbing his head and slowly getting back up. Marco followed up on her gaze, as did Cosmos. "We still gotta deal with him!"

The figure got back onto his feet and locked his eyes onto the trio. Comet raised her wand in preparation to counter his attack while Marco took up a defensive stance, something he'd learned during his Karate training.

"Wait a minute!" the man exclaimed upon seeing Cosmos. "You're not Star Butterfly!" he added, pointing at Comet. Suddenly, the man's eyes widened as if he'd come to some sort of realisation. "You... You're not Star Butterfly! I know who you are! You're princess Comet Dragonfly, Butterfly's cousin!" he exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter who I am," Comet responded in a cold voice, "Because either way, I'm gonna kick your butt and make sure you're locked up in Rune Prison for the rest of eternity!"

There was an eerie silence. Then, the man started chuckling, which soon turned into maniacal laughter. Comet, Cosmos, and Marco stared at him, confused and frightened.

After he regained his composure, he looked at Comet and smiled, his grin being obvious even through his mask. "You really do resemble your mother..." he said, sounding almost gleeful.

Comet raised a questioning eyebrow at him and lowered her wand. "My mother?"

The man nodded. "Yes, your mother. Oh, how I remember her clearly! Her graceful posture! Her rich voice! Her unmatched confidence and charm!" he spoke in an enthusiastic and psychopathic voice which was beginning to creep the three out. He then spoke in a grim and low voice: "The look of terror on her face and her dying scream as I slit her throat..."

There was silence.

Marco couldn't believe what he'd heard. He was frozen stiff like a popsicle. Hesitantly, he looked at Comet and saw her stunned expression.

Comet's breathing became heavier and her hands began shaking. The man then took out a small knife from his pocket and twirled it in his hand before throwing it into the air and catching it close to his face. "With this... very... dagger..." he concluded before throwing it towards Comet and having it bounce several times, finally landing a few feet in front of the girl.

She stared at it before bending down and picking it up and staring at it.

"C-Comet?" Marco finally said, his voice a mixture of both concern and fear. "W-What does he mean by-"

"So," Comet spoke up, ignoring Marco, her voice emotionless. "You're the person that took my mother from me?" As she spoke, a red glow started manifesting itself around her and her grip on Star's wand tightened.

Marco swallowed. Oh boy...

Carefully, Marco placed a hand on Comet's shoulder and tried speaking as calmly as possible. "Comet, listen. Just calm down and-" before he could finish, however, a powerful force shoved both him and Cosmos away from Comet, making them land several feet away from her, luckily unhurt.

"You!" Marco heard Comet shout. Her voice was now dark and menacing, hardly even recognisable. The red glow around her was now very intense and it had spread to her eyes. Marco looked at her in terror and confusion. What was happening to her?

The ground began shaking violently. Red colours started flashing everywhere inside the magic circle as Comet's rage grew. Suddenly, the girl gripped her head with both hands and closed her eyes. "No!" she painfully exclaimed, a few migraines visible on her head. She fell to her knees in pain and screamed in agony.

"Ígnis!" the assailant exclaimed and waved his hand through the air. A strange blue glow surrounded Comet. The girl's eyes fully opened then rapidly closed as she swayed back and forth for a moment before hitting the ground face-first.

"Comet!" Marco exclaimed in panic. Was she-

"Fret not, child," the man said, gaining Marco's attention. "I merely cast a sleeping spell on her. As interesting as it may have been, I'd rather not have her rip this planet it half; And besides, she isn't the target..." he sheathed his swords.

Marco thought about his words and grit his teeth. "You come anywhere near Star and I'll-"

"You'll what?" the man challenged Marco, arms crossed.

The boy's expression fell. "I... I... um..."

"Precisely," the figure spoke, his voice firm and his tone mocking. "You'd sit there and watch helplessly much like you did today," he added. Marco's expression fell, realising just how powerless he was when facing such enemies.

Suddenly, a strange dizziness overcame the man and he placed a hand on his head. "Darn! I've been in this realm for too long..." he muttered, grabbing the hilt of one of his swords and swinging it through the air, thereby opening a portal. Marco's eyes narrowed; This portal looked different from the ones he normally saw. Ise seemed to be much darker and looked unstable.

The man was about to walk into it but stopped and turned his head around and looked at Marco and sighed. "Good day," he muttered and walked into the portal. The moment he was fully through, it closed.

Marco remained on the ground for a minute or two before he snapped back to reality and stood up. Cosmos was already by Comet's side, the small wolf licking her several times on the cheeks. Comet stirred awake and straightened herself with a tired groan. She opened her eyes. Her next move surprised Marco. "I can't believe I just- He got away and- argh!" Comet screamed in frustration and carelessly threw Star's magic wand away from herself, scaring Cosmos, before pressing her knees to her chest.

"Comet?" Marco asked, generally concerned about the girl but also frightened by her outburst Upon not receiving an answer, he hesitantly made his was over to her and sat down beside her. "I know this is a stupid question but... are you alright?"

She didn't answer. This increased Marco's worry and the fact that she looked like Star wasn't making things easier on him.

The boy cleared his throat. "Listen, I don't know what's going on but if you wanna talk about it I... um..." Marco scratched the back of his head awkwardly and sighed. "What that guy said... Is it...?"

Comet sighed and raised her head, staring off into the distance, locking her eyes onto a Frisbee which was suspended in the air due to her spell, a dog chasing after it, eager to leap from the ground and catch the plaything.

"I wasn't even 8 when it happened," Comet began. "My mother and father had just gotten back from an important meeting in a neighbouring kingdom. I was in my room playing with Cosmos when I spotted the carriage from my window so I started making my way downstairs to greet them. Then, I heard it; screaming..." she trailed off, pausing and taking a deep breath. She hugged her knees tighter. "I came downstairs and... and..." Comet's voice cracked as her eyes began filling with tears. "I saw my mom just, lying there in this pool of red liquid! I didn't know what was going on or what to do! People were running around and shouting at each other and telling to go to back to my room!"

Comet was on the verge of breaking down, her voice quivering with each word. "Just like that, she was gone...".

Comet inhaled shakily, trying her best to keep her composure.

"After that, I just... broke..." she lowered the tone of her voice along with her head. "I lived only because I was alive. I didn't speak with anyone, I didn't eat, I hardly ever left my room, I even started lashing out at Cosmos even when he wasn't at fault because he kept reminding me of my mother... " Comet looked at Marco. Seeing the girl's bloodshot and tear-filled eyes made his heart ache; It pained him to see her like that.

She took a deep breath and just barely managed to regain her composure. "Before I realised it, an entire year had passed. Then, one night, I snuck up to the top of one of the castle's towers and looked over its edge and wondered: What would it feel like if I just closed my eyes and ended it all? No more sleepless nights spent crying, no more despair, no more sadness; All I had to do was close my eyes take a single step forward..."

Comet paused and looked at Marco. The boy was captivated by her tale, his expression betraying his growing curiosity and worry.

"Then I felt something bumping against my leg. I looked down and saw Cosmos looking at me with the saddest eyes" Comet lowered her gaze and put on a sad smile. "I'd neglected him for over a year yet he still cared about me so much; I think that time on the rooftop was the fight time I fully broke down and begged him to forgive me," As Comet explained, Cosmos licked her on the cheek, ensuring her that all was well. She smiled warmly.

"I was about to throw away so much and betray the people who cared about me. It's not what my mother would have wanted. She always kept telling me to be happy and live life to it's fullest while helping and protecting those around me, and serve the kingdom as a just Ruler," she looked at Marco. "I wanted to do that; I wanted to become like my mother but in order to do that, I had to become stronger. And since my mother did have a huge collection of spellbooks, tomes, scripts, etc. I asked my father to hire some tutors and teach me about the art of magic."

"Why did your mother have all of that?" Marco cut in.

"It was part of her job as Queen of Vesperia," Comet explained. "You know how it's Star's the Keeper of the Wand, right?" Marco nodded. "Well, I was next in line to take over my mother's duty as the Keeper of Order, which I did a little earlier than expected due to the circumstances. Basically, whenever something involving dark magic happens, I have to investigate and stop it. To do that, a mastery of the arcane arts it essential, therefore those books have been passed down through generations."

"Wouldn't it be more practical to have a single huge book with a magical tiny man, like Star does?" Marco inquired.

Comet shook her head. "Her book is specifically meant for her. The Mewman wand is already powerful enough, so all she really needs is the right words and doesn't have to understand much to cast them. It's made for practical use while the books I have are for theoretical use and understanding of the plains of magic. Understanding how something works is crucial when confronting dark or unstable magic."

"Makes sense," Marco muttered. "Anyway, you were saying...?"

"Hmm? Oh, right!" Comer cleared her throat. "My training was progressing really fast and I had no trouble grasping even advanced spells. They saw that I had a gift for the arcane arts and keeping me in the castle would only hinder me, so my father asked me if I wanted to enrol into the Grand Wizards and Sorcerers Academy. Truthfully, I wanted to stay there and keep him company since I knew that, despite seeming cheerful, he was still grieving for my mother. But it was something I simply had to do, for both my own sake and the kingdom's. And, on my 10th birthday, my father signed the papers and I was on my way to the GWSA," Comet smiled. "You can imagine how I felt."

"Excited?"

Comet chuckled. "More like scared beyond belief!" she exclaimed. "I was 10 and far away from the place I'd spent the entirety of my life in! And it didn't help that the rest of the students were several years older than me; I only got accepted because of my title and a lot of people envied me for it."

"They envied a 10-year old?" Marco asked.

Comet nodded. "Sorcerers tend to be 'competitive' if you will," she replied. "And being a prodigy didn't help with my popularity either. But luckily-" she smiled, petting Cosmos, the wolf snuggling up to her. "- Cosmos was always by my side, protecting me, keeping me company, helping me; I don't know what I'd have done without him. So, anyway, the years passed with me keeping my studies up while fulfilling my royal obligations."

"Yeesh, sounds like you had it pretty rough..." Marco commented.

Comet shrugged, "I guess it was stressful at times but it was nowhere near as hectic as it's been since my graduation. For whatever reason, the number of dark occurrences has drastically increased over the past year, so I've been busier than I ever was back then!"

"Speaking of which," Marco cut in, "That guy from before. Would you mind telling me who he was and whether he really..."

Comet frowned "I don't know who he is. Truthfully, the only reason I knew he even existed and was coming after Star was because of Cosmos." She looked at her familiar. "He can sense dark energy and warns me whenever there's something that needs attending to."

Marco raised an eyebrow at her. "Told you? How? Like, with magic or telepathy?"

"Nah, nothing like that. I've just learned to understand what he's trying to tell me." She explained. "Anyway, he sensed that something bad was on its way here, so I took a wild guess and assumed it had something to do with my cousin, given that she was staying here and did have an all-powerful wand. I didn't know what it was, though, until I noticed that guy sneaking around the day I arrived here. Fortunately, he wasn't too keen on fighting 2 magic users at once, which gave me just enough time to devise this plan and catch him." Comet sighed. "Too bad the last part didn't go as planned..." She clenched her fists. "And if he was telling the truth, then I can't wait to find him again!"

"You could've told us," Marco said, frowning, "Star and I can handle ourselves well; We could've helped out!"

Comet closed her eyes and shook her head in disapproval. "That's exactly the reason I didn't tell you," she stated, gaining Marco's curiosity, "Why do you think I went through all this trouble to look like her? Star may be a magic user but the things I face are on a different level than her! You saw how the fight went; Even I couldn't beat him by myself" she explained.

Marco remembered an important question he had to ask her. "Say, what happened back there?" he pointed behind him and at the giant hole her magic had left behind. "Why did I get the feeling that you weren't in control over your magic back there?"

"Because, I wasn't." Comet bluntly stated. Marco widened his eyes; he wasn't expecting such a direct answer. Comet continued: "Do you know what the fuel for magic is?"

"Batteries?" Marco more stated than asked. "I remember the time we had to get a new charger for Star's wand and-"

"Emotions." Comet cut in, interrupting the boy's rant. "When you cast a spell, you pour your thoughts and soul into it; without these two, it wouldn't even manifest, which is why it's crucial for magic users to have their emotions intact," Comet continued. ", Happiness, Anger, Sadness, Envy; Each and every emotion gives us the power to materialise spells. However, there's a catch: Have your emotions cloud your mind and you'll lose control over not only your spells but also yourself."

"I'm not following..." Marco admitted, scratching his head; he was still new to this whole 'magic' business.

Comet sighed. "I'll try to explain it simply; Have you ever felt so angry that you wanted to punch someone in the face?"

Marco was about to say no, then remembered the events from just 2 weeks ago when Shining had come to Earth to court Star. "Uh... maybe..."

"And did you manage to hold yourself back?" Comet pursued.

"Just barely..." the boy shamefully admitted, feeling guilty for his behaviour after finding out that the prince literally was nothing more than a harmless and kind soul.

"Well, imagine having that same feeling only about a million times stronger and having the power to project it into a spell," Comet said. "As you can imagine, it becomes pretty easy to give into the temptation," she added. "Luckily, I managed to stop myself back there. With my knowledge and Star's wand, I could have caused unspeakable Chaos..."

Marco nodded. The boy still wasn't sure exactly how it worked but he had a vague idea. A question popped up in his head. "What about Star? Could she lose control over her herself as well?"

"Possibly." Comet bluntly replied, "If she were exposed to enough Dark Magic or if something traumatic were to happen, then she could very well become dangerous," Comet saw Marco's worried expression and smiled softly. "Hey, that's not going to happen! Knowing my cousin, nothing could drive her to that point!"

"Yeah... you're probably right... She's an amazing and strong girl and I'm, well, me..." Marco muttered in response. Comet became worried.

"Is something else bothering you?"

Marco sighed. "I just realised today that I can't really protect her. That guy has a point, I can't use magic and I'm pretty sure that Star is physically stronger than me, which sucks, by the way. How can I protect her by being a weak human?"

"You've been doing a good job so far," Comet smiled. "Don't belittle yourself like that. My cousin needs you more than you think. And you may be human but that doesn't make you powerless or weak!"

"Well, I kinda feel like staying positive isn't going to do much if some nutjob throws exploding daggers at me..."

"OK! OK!" Comet, to Marco's surprise, chuckled. The girl reached into her pocket and took out a small book "You can have this."

"And this is...?"

"My handbook," Comet opened the said book and revealed that it was filled with runes, symbols, drawings, etc. She handed it to Marco. "The writing is in ancient Runic but I do have an appendix at the end which should help you make sense of it. I enchanted it so that it adapts to the language of the reader. Try it!"

Marco turned the book to the last few pages which were labelled 'Appendix' and was surprised to see that the various runes and symbols changed into...

"Spanish?" Marco inquired, his eyebrow raised.

Comet chuckled. "This should help you get a grasp over magic. There are lots of protective and shield spells in here and even a few dozen ward-spells, which aren't hard to cast, with some practice. I think this will prove useful to you! Only, don't tell Star about it. We magic-users are... sensitive when it comes to outsiders learning our ways..."

Marco nodded and smiled. "Thanks! This is exactly what I need!"

The boy then spotted Star's wand still lying on the ground and walked over to it and picked it up. "Careless of you, wasn't it?" He smiled at Comet who shot him a playful glare.

"Say, could I potentially use this thing?" the boy asked.

Comet shrugged. "I don't see why not. Wands merely serve as amplifiers for magic, anybody can use them. Only, I'd be careful if I were you; An inexperienced magic user plus an all-powerful wand with the power to destroy the entire Universe isn't exactly the best combo..."

"I'll keep that in mind," Marco said as he handed her the wand.

With a snap of her fingers, Comet then dismissed the magic circle, thus allowing time to flow anew. The damages that were caused during the fighting were also reverted, not leaving a single trace behind. Jackie sat upright and rubbed her head. "What happened?" she asked, not remembering any of the events.

"Oh, an assassin came after me because he thought I was Star and I froze time to prevent anyone from being in danger" Comet replied as if it were nothing special.

Jackie wasn't really phased by her words and stood up. "Bad guy, huh? Well, nothing out of the ordinary, I guess," the girl bluntly stated. The school bell then rang, indicating that 2nd period was about to start. Jackie hopped onto her skateboard and rode away, waving the two goodbye.

As Marco the Comet were making their way to class, the former looked at Comet, a thought popping into his mind. "Say; If you planned all of this, wasn't it a bad idea to send Star out with Janna?"

Comet smirked and walked over to him, leaning closer and whispering something into his ear. Marco pulled away and stared at her. "You're evil, you know that?"

Comet giggled. "Maybe a little bit..."

Later that day

"I hate you guys..." Star flatly stated, glaring angrily at Janna and Comet. The group of friends; Marco, Star, and Janna, were gathered in front of Echo Creek Academy's gate. A dimensional rift was open behind Comet and Cosmos, the former no longer being dressed like Star but instead back in her trademark clothing. With her mission now over, it was time for her to head back.

"I still can't believe you paid her to lead me in circles for 6 hours!" Star exclaimed to Comet, then turned gaze to Janna. "And for 20$? Really, Janna? Really?!"

Janna shrugged. "Friendship is friendship but 20$ is 20$."

Frowning, Star looked at Comet. "Seriously, why would you do that? I even let you take my place for a whole day!"

Comet raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "Um, to protect you from an assassin, maybe?" she rhetorically asked, having explained the situation to Star once the latter had returned with Janna.

Star rolled her eyes. "Whatever!" she angrily exclaimed, either not grasping the danger she was in or simply not caring enough.

"Star, that guy was dangerous," Marco stated. "I don't exactly agree with her methods but I'm glad she put you out of harm's way."

"Yes, and dragged you into it without my consent!" Star frantically replied.

"Star, there was just no other way," Comet stated. "I had to make it look convincing and I knew you'd have never gone with my idea so I did what had to be done to protect both you and him. You're my closest cousin and I just wanted to keep you safe. Plus, you have your job, and I have mine."

Star sighed and smiled softly. "I'm still mad at you but... I guess I understand. But you'd better make up for it the next time you come to visit!"

Comet returned the smile and nodded, then turned around, facing the portal.

"Well, it's certainly been eventful. I wish I could stay longer but Duty calls. I'll come and visit again as soon as I have the time. Either way, I'll keep monitoring this premises for strange magical activity in the event that that guy decides to come after you again..." Comet stated. "And I'mm be sure to settle the score with him when he does..."

"What score?" Star asked, not having been told all of the details.

Marco put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, telling her to drop the topic. Star frowned but nodded.

"Stay safe, alright?" Comet said.

"Don't worry, I'll protect her," Marco stated.

"You'd better! After all-" Comet smirked devilishly. "What nobleman wouldn't keep his Lady safe, right?"

"OK! BYE!" The boy exclaimed while blushing violently, earning giggles from the three girls.

"Take care!" Comet exclaimed, waving the three 'goodbye' before disappearing into the portal with Cosmos, which closed shortly after.

"So," Janna spoke up, holding up her 20$ bill. "Anyone want smoothies? My treat!"

"It better be!" Star angrily stated, putting both hands on her hips. Marco and Janna laughed at her reaction, and the three made their way to the mall.

That night, Jackie Lynn Thomas' room

Jackie was sitting behind her oak-wood desk catching up on some homework when she heard a strange noise coming from behind her. The girl turned around a saw a dimensional portal being opened. She raised an eyebrow. I wasn't expecting anyone...

Moments later, to her surprise, Comet walked through the portal, Cosmos not being by her side. "Good evening," the princess greeted her.

"Um, hi?" Jackie said, confused. "-comet, right? What are you doing in my room? Maro told me that you'd left earlier today and-"

"I know who you are," Comet stated, her voice frank, not allowing Jackie to finish her sentence.

"Um, excuse me?" Jackie asked, not sure what Comet meant by that.

"I know who you are..." Comet repeated. A brief silence followed, the two girls staring each other in the eyes.

"Ok... " Jackie began, "Listen, you're kinda creeping me out right now and I still have some work to do, so would you mind-"

Jackie was cut off again when Comet reached into her pocket, took out a small picture, and threw it towards Jackie. It landed on the floor at few feet in front of her. Hesitantly and with wide eyes, Jackie picked it up and locked her eyes onto it.

Jackie looked at Comet, visibly shocked. She then glared at the princess "Where did you get this!?"

"You didn't think that you could hide it forever, did you?" Comet responded.

Jackie sighed in defeat and shook her head. "So... I'm guessing you're gonna tell them now, aren't you?"

Comet shook her head. "No, I won't say a single word about it to anyone. It isn't my place to do so, however-"

Caught by surprise, Jackie raised an eyebrow at the princess. Comet continued, her tone and expression saddening. "-I will warn you; Revenge isn't a cure, it's a poison, and it will only bring you more sorrow," Comet looks to the side shamefully "Trust me, I've been there..."

Jackie made a thoughtful expression before putting on a determined one. "I'm sorry but-" Jackie stood up and walked over to Comet, handing her the picture. "I've come too far and sacrificed too much to turn back now..."

Comet sighed, nodding. The princess pocketed the picture and turned around, facing the portal and making her way back inside. Before doing so, she spoke: "Losing something that is important to us often leads us to walk the path of Revenge, and while we may gain back what we've lost, we may end up losing ourselves. Remember that..."

Jackie stared at the closing portal, the princess having gone through it and vanished. She sighed and got back to her Algebra homework, trying to get Comet's words out of her head.

End of Chapter 2


Chapter End Notes:

Well, I did promise a darker turn! And in case you're wondering; I didn't make up the names of those spells by myself. Instead, I just used the names of ones I've come across in various fantasy books and even a few games and movies. And if you're mad about me making up some cheap plot-twist with Janna and Star: Good! That was my intention!

Next time: Star and Marco decide to go on their first official date, which doesn't go exactly as Marco had hoped and leads to some new revelations. Meanwhile, our favourite demon, Tom, does some digging and discovers something significant about the Bloodmoon's magic.

Expected Update: In 2 weeks!