A/N: Alright, someone wants to know my top pairings so I'll post my top 10 here based on my personal rankings, along with the corresponding shows in case you want to check them out:
1. Holo x Kraft Lawrence (Spice & Wolf)
2. Louise de La Vallière x Hiraga Saito (The Familiar of Zero) -Contains hints of adult themes, but should be safe for all ages-
3. Lelouch vi Britannia x C.C. (Code Geass) -Not suitable for anyone under the age of 13-
4. Marco Diaz x Star Butterfly (Star vs. The Forces of Evil)
5. Edward Elric x Winry Rockbell (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) -Watch it-
6. Gasai Yuno x Amano Yukiteru (Mirai Nikki/Future Diary) -Not suitable for anyone under the age of 13-
7. Nick Wilde x Judy Hopps (Zootopia) -Best Disney animated movie in a long while-
8. Taiga Aisaka x Ryuuji Takasu (Toradora!)
9. Phineas Flynn x Isabella Garcia-Shapiro (Phineas and Ferb)
10. Dr. Drakken x Shego (Kim Possible)
Honourable mentions:
Tomoya Okazaki x Nagisa Furukawa (Clannad After Story) -The only show that brought me to tears-
Riza Hawkeye x Roy Mustang (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Akane Tsunemori x Shinya Kogami (Psycho-Pass) -Not suitable for anyone under the age of 16-
Replies to the latest reviews:
RedHood001: My story is set straight after the events of Season 1 and has nothing to do with season 2. It has my own main antagonists, characters, protagonists, storyline, etc.
Rock Raider: Comet will be appearing soon ^^. As for the rest of your questions, well, read and find out ^^
Epitaxus: Thanks!
RobLerbron: Actually, he will appear in person. The photo book was just something I thought of on the spot.
Guest Sorta: Old? Is 20 considered old nowadays? Derp... Anyway, I'm a bit of a nerdy guy and a hopeless romantic, and I doubt many girls are interested in such types. From my experience, they more or less go for the tough and cool guys, which I'm not (Although I doubt any of those guys would survive 10 seconds in a Mosh-Pit...)
matthewshurts: I hate rushed romances. Like, despise them (which is the main reason I badmouthed 'Bon Bon The Birthday Clown'). It just makes the relationship feel fake and forced and soooooo fucking pathetic... I'm a bit of an idealist when it comes to romance and Starco already has that perfect natural chemistry that's ridiculously easy to work with. And thanks! Her initial name was Dawn but I wanted it to be something more unique and, thankfully, my language had the perfect word ^^!
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 6
The Girl with the Mask
Part 2
The final bell rung, signalling to end of the educational day for the students of Echo Creek Academy. For Marco Diaz this merely meant the beginning of a different, unfamiliar kind of education as he rushed behind the school building to more a or less secluded area other students rarely visited. The perfect spot to practise some magic! he thought.
Carrying the book with him in his backpack, the latino cut corners and made extra sure that nobody was following him. The issue wasn't being seen practising spells, given that the entire town knew about his union with the Mewman princess and the inhabitants of Echo Creek were well aware of the existence of magic, he just wanted to do it in private so he could better focus on the complex task before him and not feel as nervous as he normally would.
"Perfect!" He said upon arriving at his destination. It was a small patch of land located behind the school building and surrounded by trees from all sides but one. As long as he didn't make much ruckus, nobody will even know that he was here. And it's not like he was about to go ahead and practise any dangerous of massive spells. He presumed that spellcasting was like maths; You start off with the basics and slowly but gradually work your way towards the advanced stuff. As least, he hoped it worked that way.
Marco took his backpack off his shoulders and set it onto the ground. He opened it and took out the small appendix filled with runic writing that had automatically been translated into Spanish once Comet had given it to him. He would have preferred an English translation but, thankfully, he knew how to speak and write both languages, so this would be no obstacle.
"Alright," the boy murmured to himself as he opened the book and looked at the table of contents. He ran his finger across the page and stopped somewhere in the middle of the page "Magic and you: The basics of Magic," he read aloud and turned five pages forward to the appropriate page, and read, "Magic is a term used to describe occurrences that are connected to the tapping of magical essence from the seven plains of reality that exist within the Universe and using the extracted energy to give shape to spells."
Marco turned to the next page. "There are several forms of magic, but we magic users have grouped them into two categories for the sake of convenience. Good Magic or Light Magic and Bad Magic or Dark Magic, the latter of which is considered to be the more powerful and dangerous one and should never be used, for it can bring forth instability and cause the plains of reality to collide with one another, thereby risking mass destruction and devastation. This power is a consequence of the fact that Dark Magic derives its power from the 8th or 'non-existent' plain of reality, which is a theoretical dimension consisting of..."
After Marco had read through the introductory Chapters that mostly dealt with the origins of magic, the basic elements of magic and the history of magic, he finally got to the part he'd been anxiously awaiting. "The Basics of Spellcasting," he read. "Spellcasting is the practice of using magical energy to make physical manifestations of one's imagination. With the right attitude, knowledge, and experience, one could, theoretically, bring shape to anything and everything. That is, of course, only in theory, for the casting of spells takes a great toll on the spellcaster and can be lethal when done incorrectly or if the user tries to manifest something that is beyond their level of power. In short; We are limited by our minds and bodies."
Reading this made Marco wonder; Just how strong was Star? From what he'd heard, she'd created a giant flaming rainbow that destroyed a good portion of Mewni on her very first attempt, plus she could cast numerous spells without breaking a sweat. An explanation came in the next paragraph. "To allow sorcerers to partially ignore those limits and allow the casting of spells that would normally be impossible for mortals, there exist special magically infused objects. Each is embedded with a magical shard that can withstand an immense strain without bearing any consequences, thereby allowing the wielders to extract and channel an enormous amount of energy that would undoubtedly kill them under normal circumstances."
Marco frowned. Does this mean that he would never be able to cast anything nearly as powerful as other users? How would he protect Star if he was limited by the strength of his own frail human body?
"However, these objects do not allow the users to be careless. While they -greatly- diminish the strain on their bodies, they do not dissolve it entirely. They are merely objects which serve as a shortcut to actual spellcasting but do not allow the disregarding of its fundamental principles; These include knowledge of the actual spell and using the corresponding technique to cast it, not to mention channelling the right kind of energy."
That explains why Star has to practice those moves all the time...
"In short; Even an Unarmed sorcerer can match the strength of a staff or wand wielder with relative ease, provided he has enough training and experience."
"How relative?" Marco wondered aloud. He turned to the next page and widened his eyes at the wall of text before him. He slapped himself on the forehead and groaned. "This is gonna be a long day..."
Meanwhile
"Oh, then there was this one time when I accidentally made Marco's head sprout a pair of giant Butterfly wings!" Star exclaimed as she took out her cellphone. "I even have a picture of it, see?" She pointed the mobile device toward Zora. The girl was fascinated by two things; The first was the small device that somehow allowed, as Star had told her, two people to create contact with one another over vast distances and capture paintings or images of anything in the blink of an eye; something that many an artist would die to have. The second was the red-robed boy's face with two giant wings on each side.
This was indeed a strange dimension.
Zora let out a genuine laugh before looking at Star. "Was he mad at you?"
Star waved her hand dismissively while making a 'pffft' sound with her lips. "Nah. Marco's gotten used to it by now. Everyone in town pretty much has."
"Do they know you're a princess?"
"Oh, of course. They just don't seem to care as much as one would expect..." Star shrugged casually her own statement before looking at Zora with slight a withdrawn smile. "Anyway, I think that's enough about me. Why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"
"There's... not much to tell, really..." sighed Zora and let her cheerful expression drop. "What you heard yesterday was pretty much it. I was brought up as a servant and didn't do much else-"
"No. What I mean is I want you to tell me something about yourself, not your life. Like, ya know, your favourite colour, your favourite food, things you like, that kind of stuff."
"Oh..." Zora fell silent as she pondered Star's words, then said, "Um, green? Yeah, green's a good colour, I think. No! Wait! I meant brown! Or red? Yeah, definitely red! Or maybe green after all? What about-"
Star laughed at the girl's frantic way of speech and placed a hand on her shoulder, grabbing her attention. "Relax, you don't have to decide if you're not sure. There's no pressure."
"Then why are you asking me these questions?" Zora arched an eyebrow at the princess. What was the point of asking questions if the answer didn't matter?
"Because I want to get to know you better," Star replied, short and sweet, to which Zora blinked. "Since you're gonna be staying with us, I figured it would be a good thing to do so the two of us could get along even better!"
"Oh. I guess that makes sense..."
"So go ahead, just tell me... whatever you'd like to tell me. And don't worry, I won't judge," Star said, adding a giggle to the last bit. Her words seemed to have hit their mark, for Zora smiled and nodded. Maybe it was because of her young age that she didn't know how to communicate, or maybe it was the result of years spent in confinement, which made Star wonder. "By the way, I forgot to ask; How old are you?"
"Well, I think I'm around 6 or 7 years old?" Zora responded. "I don't really know. Nobody's ever bothered telling me. I just read it on some ownership papers my former master had stored away in some fancy drawer."
"So you can read?"
Zora shook her head. "No. Just numbers. Nobody ever taught me how to read actual words and I wasn't allowed to touch the master's books."
"Urgh, the lucky ones..." Star said while slumping her shoulders as some not-so-fond memories of being practically forced to study mewman law and tradition surfaced. The young princess swiftly chased away the small gloom with a smile directed at Zora. "Well, if you're interested, I could teach you how to read Mewman, and I'm sure that Marco will be more than happy to teach you all about Earth's writing."
"Is it different from our dimension's writing?"
"Yep. Took me a good month to figure out how to make sense of those scribbles, but it's not that hard once you've got the hang of it."
"Then how come we speak the same language?"
"That's..." Star paused and rubbed her chin in thought. "Huh, you're right," Star said as she came to a sudden realisation. "Come to think of it, how come every dimension I've ever visited has the same language? What's up with that?"
The two giggled at the obscurity. Star then looked at the clock, then at Zora, and said, "Wow, time sure flies when you're talking to someone. It's already lunch time. Are you hungry?"
Zora shrugged. "A little."
"Alright then," said Star, standing up. "Mrs. Diaz left us some money to order a Pizza, or would you prefer to eat something else?" Zora stared at the princess awkwardly for a few moments. A blush crept onto Star's cheeks upon realising the foolishness of her question. "Oh, right, you've never had pizza..." she said awkwardly, then chuckled. "I'll just order mine and Marco's favourite one, and we can always order something else if you don't like it, alright?" Zora smiled and nodded. "Great! The number's downstairs on the fridge, so I'll be right back."
"Ok." Zora watched the princess dash out of the room with a smile on her face. I think I'm going to like it here.
Meanwhile
Marco let out a tired sigh as he finished the final page of the introductory chapters and was ready to move on to the actual learning of spells.
"Ok then, let's see," he began. "To simplify and hasten the process of spellcasting, it is mandatory for each and every spellbook in existence to come with a magical instructor. To summon him, simply stand on one leg and stick your tongue out while hopping in place and fluttering your arms like a bird."
Marco sat the book onto the ground did as instructed. After a full minute of performing the odd ritual and a surprising lack of a magical instructor, he picked the book up and turned to the next page. "Wow. I wasn't expecting you to actually do it. Made you feel stupid, didn't I?"
Yep, she's definitely Star's cousin, alright...
"In all seriousness, tap the cover of the book twice and throw it into the sky. That should to the trick."
After following the actual summoning ritual, Marco was astounded to see the book hovering mid-air as the pages turned rapidly and a blinding purple glow surrounded the book, forcing Marco to look away. Once it had subsided, Marco opened his eyes and before him saw none other than Cosmos, Comet's familiar. The small wolf floated over to Marco and handed him a note he was carrying in his muzzle.
Marco unrolled the piece of paper and from it read, "Marco Diaz of Earth. If you're reading this, then it means that you've successfully performed the summoning ritual after standing on one leg and looking like a complete bimbo (Don't lie; You did, didn't you?). Regardless, you may have noticed that my precious Cosmos is going to be your instructor. Please take note that his time with you is limited because I need him by my side, and I couldn't trust any other magical being with the task of teaching you the ropes. Now, you're probably wondering something along the lines of 'How's a small wolf going to teach me anything?'. Put simply, as I've mentioned during my visit, Cosmos is very smart and powerful, so I entrust him to make short work of your introductory training. As for communication, just touch his forehead with the palm of your hand and be amazed. Signed, Comet."
Marco stared at the diminutive blue-striped wolf before extending a palm toward him and touching his forehead. Marco then waited one minute... two minutes... three minutes...
"Um, is something supposed to happen or...?" Marco trailed off, slowly beginning to suspect that this too had been some form a ploy from Comet.
Not really. But I'd appreciate it if you took your hand off my forehead. You have sweaty palms.
Marco sprang at hearing the silky masculine voice and looked at the tiny hound before him, who was wiggling his tail.
"Wait, so you can talk?" said Marco, removing his hand
Telepathy, Marco, telepathy, echoed the voice for the second time. I see I have a lot to teach you! What fun!
The feeling of having someone intrude into his thoughts felt plain weird to Marco. And he was engaged to a princess from another dimension, so 'weird' was a term he rarely -if ever- used!
"Can you read my mind!?" Marco yelled.
No. I can only communicate with you through a mental link I've let you establish, like I do with Master, although we never use it. She's learned to read me without the need of such silly methods.
"Alright. So, if I understood correctly, you'll teach me how to use magic, right?"
Indeed. Master has instructed me to supervise you during your first training and make sure you don't end up killing yourself. Once you've got the hang of things, I won't be available anymore due to some... pressing matters Master and I must attend to, so you'll be left to study on your own, unfortunately. Luckily for you, Master's book is very detailed and beginner-friendly, so you shouldn't encounter any issues.
"Uh... ok..." Marco picked the book up from the ground and looked at Cosmos. "Well, I'm ready to start whenever you are, uh, Sensei!" said Marco, the habits of his karate classes coming to surface.
Alright then. Now, from what I've heard Master tell me, you wish to focus primarily on defensive spells which will allow you to shield your beloved, correct?
A blush crept onto Marco's face. "Uh, yeah..."
Good. Luckily for you, Defensive spells are the relatively easy channel, unlike Illusion or Destruction, for example, and draw power from your will and resolve, consequently putting the least amount of strain on your body.
"That's great!" said Marco excitedly. He was well aware that he'd never match up to the strength of a monster or a Mewman, so knowing he wasn't limited solely by his physicalities was a welcome sign.
You're enthusiastic, I like that! Now, let us begin by performing the simplest defensive spell; A basic barrier spell that can be directed at any target of your choice. Let go of the book, please.
Marco obeyed the small wolf and loosed his grip on the appendix. Instead of falling to the ground, it hovered over to Cosmos. The magical being barked once before putting his paw on the book and opening it, then cycling through the pages.
Ah, here it is! Cosmos turned the book toward Marco, who looked at the drawings on the page that depicted a figure performing a series of moves. The final one portrayed the figure surrounded by a blue circle, presumably a shield.
Alright, it's very simple; Perform those moves in the correct order and envision the spell you wish to cast. Try it.
Marco nodded, and took a deep breath. "Ok, here we go," He murmured and performed a series of kicks and arm movements, then finished by clasping both hands together above his head. After a moment of delay, the area around him exploded in a puff of blue smoke, leaving his coughing and gasping for air. Cosmos barked twice and the smoke disappeared entirely.
And that's what happens when you don't focus solely on the magic, Cosmos scolded the boy who still busy coughing his lungs out. Still, you performed the moves gracefully and in the right order, so it's highly unusual for a spell to backfire to such an extent...
Cosmos took the book in paw and flipped a few pages forward. Let's try something even simpler, a 3-move spell for creating a common shield. Cosmos turned the book toward Marco once more. Be sure to focus this time, alright?
"I was focusing, but I'll try..." Marco murmured and studied the three poses carefully, then took performed them in order and threw his right hand up into the sky, only to have a small puff of smoke escape his hand. The boy sighed. "Well, at least it wasn't as much as before..."
Hmm... This is... Strange... Cosmos narrowed his eyes in thought. Your moves were spot-on, and this spell requires minimal focus and energy to cast... How about I try channelling the energy for you? Try again.
Marco did as instructed. Same result.
Something definitely went amiss. Try again.
After the 3rd unsuccessful attempt, Marco groaned out of sheer frustration. "Why isn't this working!?"
Remain calm! Cosmos told him through his thoughts while making a calming motion with his paws.
"Remain calm? How can I remain calm when I can't even do the simplest spell?"
This is unusual and frustrating, I agree, but you must be patient and give me a minute to figure out what's wrong!
Marco sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry, but I just wanna grasp this stuff as soon as possible so I can better protect the people close to me again some magical threat! I mean, it's not like I can friggin do a bunch of karate moves-" to emphasise his words, Marco began chopping and kicking the air before him, "-and do this-" He then performed a few moves similar to the first ones he'd seen in the book, "-and hope to accomplish anything against an actual threat!"
Um...
"What?" Marco said irritably, his eyebrow raised. It took his brain a moment to register that he was surrounded by a transparent blue barrier. "Huh?" The boy asked, both astounded and confused, his hot temper gone.
Cosmos, too, was taken aback by what he'd just seen. Try doing what you just did with the second spell I showed you.
Marco, hesitantly, performed a few karate kicks while incorporating the spell-poses into his moves. After he was done, a small, round shield manifested itself on his right arm. He looked at Cosmos, the small wolf completely baffled and staring at Marco with wide eyes.
This... I... Cosmos tapped his chin with one paw. Interesting. For whatever reason, your 'karate' or whatever it's called helps you channel magical energy.
"Is this a bad thing?"
No. I've heard of magic users utilising their own techniques to cast spells but have never seen it. Until now, that is. Cosmos handed Marco the open book. I'd like to see more. Please, perform a few more spells.
Marco smiled and nodded. Maybe this wasn't going to be so hard after all?
To be continued...
Well, that's the Chapter! I'm still planning on drawing Cosmos but I just find the time. Meh, I'll do it eventually. Also, remember that Cosmos is only small and young in appearance but is 486 years old (I believe it's mentioned in one of the first few chapters, not sure).
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the Chapter! As always, feel free to leave a favourite and a review. I'll see you guys next time! Bye!
Expected update: In 2 weeks.
