A/N: Dear guy who sent me a PM with spoilers to every Episode I had yet to watch at the time. Thank you for taking your time to write that sincere message. I appreciate it and grateful from the bottom of my heart.

Go to Hell.

Love,

-jolleIQ


IMPORTANT! Here's the conclusion to this Chapter! Also, I've been working on something special (ElleFreak knows what it is since I showed it to her already) and you should check out my Tumblr or my DeviantART, because I've posted it there!

IMPORTANT UPDATE: The links, apparently, weren't on my profile (gg ) but since I have no respect for the admins I'm gonna post them here. Suck it!

*h*t*t*p*:*/*/*jo*lleiq*.*deviantart.c*om*/ (Delete the *)

*h*t*t*p*:*/*/*jo*lleiq*.*tumblr.c*om*/ (Delete the *)

Oh, and a quick opinion on the 'Just Friends' Episode. I'm so happy that Star actually fucking lost it at the end XD! Drama, baby! The Episode definitely had the desired effect on the audience, so gj, Nefcy! My only real complaints? I didn't like the music (That band is the manifestation of every boy band in the history of ever, which I can't really stand. I still have nightmares of the time I 'accompanied' some friends to a similar concert... And autotune? Seriously?Learn to sing, instead...) and Jackie's ear piercings were ugly AF. Why so many?

Also, have faith, fellow Starco Shippers! The battle may be lost but the War is not over! Have faith! We shall prevail!

Replies to the latest reviews:

LordThunderGamer: You call me Joel one more time and Imma start a manhunt. I know people...

Devontae Daniel: I'm moving this fanfic along at its own pace. I hate rushing things. Also, I'm not that big of a RWBY fan. I love Anime (Code Geass, Mirai Nikki, Fullmetal Alchemist, Toradora!, Clannad, Angel Beats, Blood-C, etc.) but the 3D computer animation is really weird... I prefer my cartoons and Anime in 2D.

Rock Raider: I think that kisses should be spontaneous, not pre-planned. Realistically speaking, if I were in that position I'd also get lured in by temptation. Not many men wouldn't... Now, onto the more important topic. I've definitely got something spicy planned for both Toffee as well as his 'relationship' with Queen Moon.

Guest Sorta: I'm not debating this. It's unnatural from a biological perspective, that's a fact; Why else can't 2 people of the same sex reproduce? Because nature didn't intend for it to happen, therefore it's unnatural. I don't discriminate homosexuals but I don't approve of them either. They exist, whatever.

RedHood001: Question is, what was Moon's relationship with Toffee?

Beebop: Yessir!

FeMorgenstern11: I think you'll be very surprised by Tom's involvement! Unfortunately, I don't wanna spoil the episodes so I can't really give out many details but I've liked this season (or half-season) so far! I'm just hoping the hour-long finale is gonna be worth it! I anticipate tonnes of humour and drama! And, hopefully, Starco; Unless Nefcy decides to torture us for another Season, which she probably will... #FeelsBadMan

Emojiswagger123: How I manage to write fluff? Long story short, I've always been a fan of Romance Anime and Manga (Still a guy!) and have watched/read way too many to keep track (Toradora!, Spice and Wolf, Golden Time, Clannad, Zero no Tsukaima; naming a few off the top of my head...) and I draw inspiration from them. I don't copy/rip anything off but they do help me write Starco fluff and fluff in general. Also, Star and Marco have this natural Chemistry that's ridiculously easy to work with; Jackie and Marco, on the other hand, have less of it...

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!


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

Chapter 3

First Date

Final Part

The Underworld, Tom's Castle, Chamber of Forbidden Artefacts

"Here we are, Master Tom," Trisha said as the two stopped in front of an ominously-looking door. "The Codex is in that room, along with numerous other artefacts your forefathers have deemed too dangerous to be left unattended."

Tom reached for the handle, only to be stopped by Trisha. He looked at her and saw her dead-serious expression. "I must warn you, master," she said, "There's a reason that book was cast down into the Abyss, so to speak. The knowledge it contains may be dark and dangerous. I'd advise you to proceed with caution."

Tom nodded and turned the handle and opened the door.

The two walked inside and were startled by numerous torches lighting themselves, thereby illuminating the room.

"You know," Trisha began, "Now that I think about it, the chamber is meant for members of the royal family so-"

"I'm gonna need all the help I can get," Tom said, cutting Trisha off mid-sentence, then added, "You're way more experienced in finding important details in books than I am, plus I'm not a fast reader, which, I'm assuming, you are."

Trisha sighed and nodded, then followed Tom into the room.

Tom was impressed by what they saw; The chamber was, indeed, stockpiled with odd weapons, scrolls, books, armour, staffs, you name it. Everything seemed to be divided into sections and subsections, to make things more transparent. The two headed over to the books' section and Tom turned to Trisha, and spoke, "Got any idea what that thing looks like?"

Trisha smiled and giggled. Tom raised an eyebrow at her.

"Just clap your hands together twice," she told him.

Tom, still confused, did as she instructed.

"Good. Now say 'Codex Ex Inferis'"

"OK... Codex Ex Inferis."

As if by magic, which it probably was, an old decaying book levitated out from one of the shelves and over to Tom.

"It's fully automated, for the sake of convenience," Trisha explained.

Tom grasped the book and turned to Trisha, then spoke, "Well, this was easy. And a major letdown..."

Trisha shrugged. "Yeah, it was underwhelming, wasn't it?"

"I'll say!" Tom exclaimed and chuckled. "Next thing you'll tell me is that all I have to do is say Turn to the page that has information on The Bloodmoon Ball and it'll-"

Right on queue, the book broke free from Tom's grip and began floating in front of his face. The pages turned rapidly until it stopped on a page titled 'Information on the Bloodmoon Ball'.

Tom glared angrily. "Seriously!?" The demon sighed, then spoke, "Well, at least it saved us the trouble, I suppose..."

"Shall we return to the Alcove, master Tom? This place is kinda giving me the creeps..."

"Yeah." Tom once again grabbed the book and the two made their way out of the room. Hopefully, they'd be able to find something significant about the Bloodmoon and its magic.

Earth, Echo Creek Central Park

Star tapped her belly and slumped, content, onto the chair, before letting out a sigh, followed by a burp, "Excuse me," she giggled.

Marco chuckled, finding her action cute, in a gross kinda way. He disposed of the now empty plate of Nachos, and spoke, "I can see that the fancy meal was to your liking, Princess Butterfly?"

Star rolled her eyes and decided to keep playing along, "Why yes. The meal was most gratifying. Although..." Star trailed off and turned her head around so that she was now facing the lake. Its surface was as calm as a slumbering child and the Moon still shone with all of its force and beauty. A smile formed on her face.

"Although...?" Marco questioned, gaining her attention.

Star shook her head calmly, "Uh, nothing. Forget about it..."

A sudden smirk crossed Marco's face. The boy stood up and made his way over to Star, then offered her a hand at standing up. "C'mon," he said.

Our of curiosity, the princess raised an eyebrow at him, and asked, "Um, are we going somewhere?"

"Um, yes and no."

"Huh?"

"Just... Come along and you'll find out."

Star hesitantly took Marco's hand and stood up. The two strolled over to the lake and Marco cleared his throat. "So, um, err..." Marco scratched the back of his head with his free hand while Star eyed him curiously. "What do you think of boats?" he blurted out.

"Uh..." Star was unsure how to respond to that, "They're... boats...?" she offered.

"Oh, um, definitely! Definitely... Boats are definitely boats, hehe..."

"Yeah. Boats sure are very... boaty..." Star commenced awkwardly. She was starting to guess where this conversation was headed but didn't want to jump to any conclusions.

"Yep..." Marco muttered.

"..."

"So..." Marco continued, his face heating up, "You wouldn't happen to have your wand with you, right?"

Star seemed offended by his words, "Marco, why would I bring my wand on our first ever date? This should be about the two of us, not magic!"

"... So yes?"

"Yes..." Star begrudgingly admitted and reached behind her back and lo, her wand was in her hand. She sighed, "I'm sorry. I brought is with me just in case-"

"That's not what I meant," Marco chuckled, "I'm glad you brought it with you. You see, I was kinda hoping you'd have it since it makes the next phase my plan possible!"

"Plan?" Star jeered and raise an eyebrow at Marco, who seemed to tense up all of a sudden. She walked full-circle around him while smirking and lightly brushing his face with the tip of her finger. Finally, she stopped and cupped his face with both of her hands and met his gaze. "Marco?"

The boy swallowed. "Y-yes?"

"Is there something you'd like to tell me?" The Princess smirked and tipped her head sideways.

Marco's cheeks reddened and he tugged the collar of his suit, "I-I may or may not have a date plan written... at home... in my journal..."

"You mean your diary?"

"Hey!" Marco glared at her, "It's a journal, not a diary! Diaries are for girls and I am not a girl!"

Star giggled and withdrew from Marco, "Tell me, what is the next phase of your plan? Hmm?"

Marco promptly regained his serenity and, with a smile and an edge of confidence in his voice, continued his previous words, "Well, I was hoping that you'd accompany me on a boat ride, Princess Butterfly; Just the two of us?"

"Hmm... I dunno..." Star said teasingly. She pointed the tip of her wand at Marco and poked his nose. "We seem to be lacking a boat. Unless...?"

Marco sighed. He knew very well what she wanted from him but to say it out loud... "Will you please use your magic wand to create a boat?" He pleaded.

Star smiled confidently and waved her wand through the air in a jolly fashion. "Buoyancy Operated Aquatic Transport!" She shouted and her wand began flashing in a bright pink light that shot towards the lake and, after it had diminished, a small, wooden boat was afloat on the water. Star smiled, "Ta-da!"

"I'm impressed!" Marco stated, "It didn't explode! Or light itself on fire!"

"What the-" Star frowned and crossed her arms "That's only happened..." she began counting fingers, "Three times!" She exclaimed while pointing her hand at Marco, three of her fingers raised.

Marco rolled his eyes. Picking a fight with her was something he wanted to avoid so he, instead, dropped the topic and walked over to the boat. He got in -and made sure it wouldn't sink- then offered a hand to Star and helped her join him. Once they were both safely seated, Star pointed the tip of her wand at the boat's read end. The wand beamed bright pink, after which the boat started drifting softly across the water.

Star and Marco were each sitting on opposite sides of the boat as an awkward silence settled in between them. Gently, a gust of wind blew and carried a handful of leaves across the sky.

Meanwhile, in the Underworld

"Found anything?" Tom asked Trisha. The Harpy shook her head in response. They were both seated in Tom's Alcove and had the Codex open on the table in front of them.

"Nothing of vital importance," Trisha stated, "However, there is this picture of a cat mask on one of the pages," she noted and pointed at a drawing of a white cat mask that was sketched on one of the book's pages. Its whiskers were red, along with the rims of its black eyes and the insides of its two pointy ears. "Although, it doesn't really say anything important about it..." she added.

"It's probably just there for decorative purposes," Tom commented as Trisha flipped the page.

Trisha's eyes widened and she shot Tom a befuddled look, "Master Tom, you may want to see this..."

"What?" Tom questioned and Trisha pointed at a section of the page. Tom read it aloud, "The reality behind the Bloodmoon-" He jumped, "Curse?"

"That's what it says," Trisha noted and continued reading the text.

Tom slumped into his chair. He was perplexed by what he'd just read. I don't remember anyone ever mentioning a Curse... The heck does it mean? Wasn't the Bloodmoon supposed to be 'The Moon of Lovers'? That's what it's celebrated as, so why did this book mention a curse? And more importantly, what kind of curse?

An audible gasp pulled his mind back to reality and he looked at Trisha, the Harpy having covered her mouth with her talons that acted as substitutes for hands. A look of dismay was glued onto her face as she kept staring at the page.

"What is it?" Tom asked and followed her gaze, trying to find the cause of her sudden frigid outburst. After awhile, his eyes widened and his mouth parted open.

"What the..."

Earth, Echo Creek Park

The two lovers were now on the same end of the boat. Both were in a half-lying position, Marco resting his back against the tip of the boat while Star rested hers on his chest, just under his chin and having Marco's arms wrapped around her. They were gazing at the crystal-clear sky as the boat cruised at an even tempo across the lake, never hitting land but making circles repeatedly instead.

"You know," Star began, still staring at the sky, "If someone'd asked me a year ago if I would ever be sharing a boat ride with my Bestie while using him as a pillow and having his arms wrapped around my waist, I'd have probably Narwhal Blasted them..."

Marco chuckled, "Ouch. Was I that undesirable?"

"No," she responded flatly and with no hesitation, "But these kinds of things are reserved for couples, which we weren't, at the time," she explained.

"To be honest, I never saw this coming either," Marco began gently brushing her hair, "But hey, I'm not gonna complain..."

Star smiled and sighed blissfully, "Stars sure are pretty, aren't they?"

"Yes. Yes, you are."

"You goofball..." Star murmured sweetly, "What, do you have a list of smooth comebacks written in your 'journal'?"

"No!" Marco retorted. Star turned her eyes upward and gave him the 'oh, really?' look. Marco sighed, "Maybe..."

"Ahh, Classic Marco..." Star chuckled,

"Oh, don't you start with that!" Marco said with a glare.

Star giggled. "A candlelit dinner, nachos, a boat ride..." she trailed off, "Yep. You're just a big ol' sap tree, aren't you?"

Marco rolled his eyes. Her words were somewhat irritating, although in a rather strange, comforting way. "To be fair, I have had this planned out for quite some time now."

"I have got to get Janna to bring me that diary..." Star murmured.

"What was that?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing, nothing..."

Marco shrugged, "If you say so."

A tranquil silence settled over the two as they kept lying in each other's embrace, and it didn't take too long for Star to let out a long yawn.

"Feeling a little sleepy?"

Star nodded, "Yeah. This tends to happen when I get too comfy..." she explained, her eyes half-lid. It was at that moment that Marco noticed the dark circles under her eyes.

"Are you tired, by any chance, Star?"

She shook her head dismissively, and said, "What? No! I'm not tired! I-" she was cut off by none other than herself as another yawn escaped her mouth. Marco raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed, "Ok, maybe a little..."

"That's weird. You're usually the last person to go to sleep and the first to wake up," Marco noted.

A blush crept onto Star's face as she spoke, "I got a little too excited for our date today and didn't really get any sleep, sorry..."

Marco smiled softly and kissed the top of her head, "It's alright. No need to apologise. What do you say we end out little voyage?" He asked, then added, "I still have something I wanna show you."

Star nodded and crawled to the rear end of the boat, then took out her wand and tapped the rear end with it. The boat made a straight line for the shore of the lake and the two got out as soon as it hit land, Marco exited first and helped Star out.

He walked with her back to their table underneath the tree and said, "So, you remember that thing you told me about wanting a surprise?"

"Wait-" Star raised a finger questioningly, "You mean the boat ride wasn't the surprise?"

"Why would you think it was?"

"I dunno, I just assumed..."

Marco took her hand into his own, "Nope, that wasn't the surprise."

"Alright then, where is it? Do you, like, have it with you or something?"

"Actually, it's right in front of you," Marco said and pointed at-

"A tree?" Star asked. Marco nodded. "Uhh... I don't get it... How is a tree in the middle of the park supposed to be a surprise?"

Marco chuckled lightly, and said, "Well, you may not be aware of this but the tree we're underneath is actually the oldest tree in Echo Creek."

"OK..." She said, trying to follow his words.

"And, well... I wanted to give you something really special but it was kinda hard to come up with something, given that you can just conjure up anything you want with your wand. So, I, uh... J-just see for yourself..." Marco murmured and led her around to the other end of the tree, "Well, whaddya think?"

Star was confused and examined the huge plant. She was about to ask something when her eyes landed on on a weird shape embedded into the tree. She let go of Marco's hand and made her way over to it to get a better look. She ran her hand over the spot; It was a heart carved into the tree with their names inside. In addition, the words 'Safe Kid' and 'Rebel Princess' were written next to the corresponding name.

Star turned around stared at him with wide eyes, "You carved our names into the oldest tree in Echo Creek?"

Marco blushed and spoke, all while rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, the embarrassment in his voice evident, "Yeah... This way, whenever we walk past this tree, we'll always remember tonight," Marco said, looked away, and added, "I know it's not much, and probably considered vandalism, but-"

"Marco... This is... I... Thank you..." She whispered and strolled over to him.

Marco raised an eyebrow. "Thank you? For what?"

Star looked at his with eyes so serene and sincere that his heart stopped for a moment. "For being the most absolutely amazing dorky guy in the Universe!"

"Wait! I'm not-"

He was cut off by Star, who pulled him into a crushing hug. Marco blinked several times, "So, I'm guessing you like it?"

Star pulled away and locked her gaze with his own before leaning in and kissing him passionately.

I think that means yes...

Meanwhile

"Did you get a good shot!?" Rafael Diaz asked his wife, Angie, frantically.

Mrs. Diaz smiled and nodded. "Yep! See," she showed him the recording.

"Ok, now all we have to do is-"

*Cough* *Cough*

The two adults turned their heads around and saw the large and very irritated frog-man tapping his foot and eying them sternly. They both smiled sheepishly before being picked up by Buff Frog and carried away to who knows where, thus giving the young couple their well-deserved privacy.

While that was going on, Star and Marco ended their tender embrace and the former rested her head on his left shoulder. Soon, her breathing evened out.

"...Star?" Marco asked but didn't get a response.

Later

Marco was carrying Star piggy-back style. The smile on his face spoke for itself, tonight had been awesome!

He listened to get gentle and even breathing and chuckled. Out of all the ways they could have ended their first date, it had to be this one! Star Butterfly never ceased to surprise him.

He heard her mumble something and turned his head around and saw the content smile on her face.

"Alright, Star, let's get you to bed and-"

He was interrupted by a familiar sound. An interdimensional portal opened in front of him. Before he could react, two figures stepped out of the portal. He lowered his guard. It was just Tom and some Bird-like girl. He noticed that the demon was carrying a black book with himself and bore a serious look.

"We need to talk," Tom said flatly.

Marco was confused by his sudden presence. "Alright? Let me just wake Star up and-"

"No," Tom said, surprising Marco, then continued, "This makes things a lot easier."

"Huh?"

Trisha stepped forward, and spoke, "Just set her down somewhere so we may talk in peace, Marco Diaz."

Hesitantly, Marco walked over to the nearest bench and set Star down. He was extra gentle, not wanting to stir her from her slumber.

The moment he turned to face Tom again the demon shoved the open book into his hands.

"Uh, what's going on?"

Tom didn't say anything but instead pointed at the open page. "Read," said.

Marco raised an eyebrow at him and did as he was instructed. How come every single book in the history of ever is always in English? He wondered but quickly forgot the thought as he kept reading the page.

"I don't get it..." He muttered after awhile, "What am I supposed to-"

A lump formed in his throat and all blood drained from his face. His hands began shaking violently and his pupils widened. The book fell to the ground. A feeling of dizziness overcame him and he stumbled backwards onto the bench, narrowly avoiding Star's head. Luckily, the princess was out cold.

Marco was speechless. He looked at Tom, the demon staring at him sympathetically, and shook his head.

"What..." Marco said breathlessly and shot the two a hopeless look, "This is a joke, right?"

Tom sighed.

Trisha frowned, and spoke, "I wish it was. I'm sorry."

"But if that's true then..."

Tom nodded. The demon walked up close to Marco and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at Star, then back at Marco, and spoke, "It's foretold that one of you will... kill the other..."

As Tom finished his sentence, the wind began howling ominously.

Meanwhile

"Oh my," Toffee said. The lizard had just witnessed the events through a magical spying mirror. Next to him stood Jackie, her expression emotionless.

"It appears that things are progressing faster than we'd anticipated," a feminine voice spoke from behind them. It was the woman, her looks matching those of Moon Butterfly to perfection, the only two differences being the two spades on her cheeks and her purple clothing.

"Shall I do my part, mother?" Jackie asked.

The woman shook her head, and spoke, "No. It's still too soon for that." She snapped her fingers and an image of Tom appeared on the mirror. The demon was staring silently at Marco as the boy kept staring into the void with lifeless eyes. "I should have disposed of you when I had the chance!"

Toffee turned to face the woman, "What should we do now, your majesty?"

The woman tapped her chin in thought. After a brief silence, she said, "Unfortunately, we have no other choice but to let things take their course and pray our preparations are completed, before too long. Striking now would result in a disaster and-"

"Your Highness! Your Highness!" Boomed a voice from the corridor and gained the attention of the sordid trio. It belonged to an ogre, who ran towards them at full speed, his frantic expression revealed signs of uneasiness, "She's been sighted!" he yelled. Silence fell upon the room as Jackie, Toffee and the ogre stared at the woman in anticipation, waiting for her to speak up.

"Where?" She asked bluntly, her voice and facial expression as steady as ever.

"She appears to be dwelling in a small Village on the Northern borders of Mewni!"

"Hmm..." The woman spun around so that she was facing the viewing mirror and clapped her hands together a couple of times. The image of Tom was replaced by a blurry portrait, which, moments later, turned into something rather odd; A picture of a white cat mask identical to the one in the Codex. The woman laughed and a smirk crossed her face, "It looks like our plans have just been hastened! How wonderful!"

Jackie seemed worried, "Does that mean...?"

"Hmm? Oh, no. Your time to act has not yet come, my darling. However," she faced Toffee, "Yours, finally, has! You know what to do, I assume?"

"The troops shall be dispatched at once, your greatness," Toffee responded.

"Oh, and another thing," The woman smirked and chuckled grimly, "The term 'survivors' is an unfamiliar one, understood?"

Toffee smirked and bowed his head, "Survivors? Stop making up silly words."

The woman chuckled and looked at the mirror again, the cat mask still present on its normally reflective surface.

To be continued...

Bonus/Deleted Scene

Rafael and Angie were at home with satisfied smiles on their faces. "Well," Angie started,"We may not have gotten the entire thing but there's still plenty of footage of our son's first date!"

"Let's make a backup of it on the Computer," Rafael suggested and walked over to the machine and turned it on. Angie plugged the camera in and Rafael opened its folders.

"Wait," He looked at her curiously upon noticing something odd, "Why are there two recordings?"

"Hmm? Oh, that!" Angie waved her hand, "I couldn't be at home so I recorded the latest episode so I could watch it some other time."

"Episode of what?"

"CSI-"

"Oh," Rafael muttered, "That's a pretty good show, I guess."

"-Miami."

"Get outta my house..."


A/N: So... Yeah... I kinda love embracing my dark side... I'm not saying this fanfic will take an 180° turn and suddenly become dark and messed up but things will definitely not be as lighthearted anymore, in certain chapters. You've been warned.

Also, to any of you wondering; Yes, we will see Ludo. Yes, Alfonzo and Ferguson still exist. No, I haven't forgotten about Prince Shining, he still has a chapter reserved for himself. Comet will also make an appearance in future chapters.

Expected Update: In 2 weeks.