A/N: I'm feeling a bit Melancholic right now since I had to say goodbye to yet another part of my childhood; Samurai Jack. With the 5th and final season being over and the masterpiece finally having a conclusion (A damn good one, although a bit rushed) I can only say thank you to Genndy Tartakovsky for giving me all of these wonderful memories and giving us original fans (From WAAAAY back when the show first started airing on Cartoon Network) the conclusion we were all impatiently waiting to see.

Also, I'm SERIOUSLY concerned after watching the Season 3 SVTFOE movie trailer. Why? Because it may actually end up being VERY VERY similar to the plot I have written! It obviously won't be the exact same but the spell that -presumably- young Moon Butterfly chanted is somewhat along the lines of what she did in my Universe (but that's probably me being paranoid... I hope...)

Replies to the latest reviews:

EAurelian: Same. I've yet to find a couple as perfect as Holo and Lawrence. I've recently ordered the first three Spice&Wolf novels and am impatiently waiting for them to arrive! And the Anime is definitely one of the most underrated and underappreciated works; People don't understand that the purpose of it wasn't to show action or some big adventure but to explore the world and the growing relationship between Holo and Lawrence. (Still hoping for a Season 3!)

RobLebron: Um... what? Who exactly is Nova and have you not read the previous Chapters? Zora is from the Dimension of Mewni but was a servant/slave in a Kingdom outside of the Mewman Kingdom. I toyed a bit and made Mewni a Kingdom within the Dimension of Mewni.

Guest Sorta: No, but I'm just not that interesting of a person. I mean, my definition of a good time is reading a book or working on my novel, or just sitting/walking and talking with my friends, whereas the majority of the girls (and dudes) I've met at my University literally can't wait to go to a party and get drunk, then jump around and behave like a bunch of monkeys... Alright, that sounded stuck-up from me but it's not far from the truth.

Rock Raider: There's a very special reason he's so proficient in magic :P. Oh, thanks!

RedHood001: Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, I just needed someone to play the role of the temporary instructor and didn't wanna make another character, so I just used Cosmos. Btw if you wonder how he sounds like, imagine something along the lines of Professor Charles Francis Xavier from the X-Men.

Captin jar: I prefer the term Combat Mage.

Epitaxus: *Laughs evilly* Can't wait for you to get to the end of this Chapter ;)!

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 3

"My Queen, I plead you to reconsider!" One of Moon's personal advisors said to her. "There are surely other ways than starting a war!"

"I'm not starting a war!" Moon exclaimed from high up on her throne. "I just want our armies to begin mobilising and enter high-alert mode and scout the borders for any monster activity. The last thing Mewni needs right now is pointless conflict."

"What will the neighbouring Kingdom's think when they receive reports of our troops marching along their borders!? They'll be outraged!"

"Remember who you're speaking to, Sir Longshire." Moon narrowed her eyes at her advisor. The man jumped and bowed his head apologetically, having been put back into his place. "And they won't be outraged," continued Queen Moon. "If anything they'll be curious. I'm friends with Queen Aurelia, and the nobles ruling the Borulian Alliance won't jump to any conclusions before getting more information." Moon sighed. "I'll just have to answer a lot of questions..."

"Your words are as wise as always, my Queen." The man bowed his head respectfully and cleared his throat. "Anyway, moving on to more local affairs-"

"Urgh!" Queen Moon grumbled distastefully and rolled her eyes. "You needn't finish your sentence, Sir Longshire, I already know what you're about to ask, again!"

"I pester you with this only because the people grow more and more impatient with each passing day. They demand to know whether the boy, Marco Diaz, is worthy of becoming their next King or not. Remember that they're still outraged over the lies they'd been told."

"We didn't lie to them. Things just... escalated very quickly and Star ended up taking another's hand. And we didn't keep it secret given that we told them the next day!"

"Yes. A commoner's hand. One who isn't even from our dimension," argued Sir Longshire. "I myself was also upset, but I shall not question your judgement, your highness."

"And I appreciate your loyalty and am fully aware of the situation. Fear not, Marco Diaz will soon be tested and the people will judge whether he is worthy of the crown."

"And if they reject him?"

Moon's response came after a long delay. The queen spoke, confident yet reserved, "We'll deal with that obstacle should it come. But I know Marco very well. While he is a mere human and, um, fragile in comparison to Mewmans, he is also a smart and well-educated boy whom I happily entrust to look after my daughter. And frankly," all grace disappeared from Moon's voice and was replaced with a blunt dullness. "He's the only being I've met thus far that knows how to keep Star in line. It's a trait that'll be most welcome in the castle once she takes over my place as Queen of Mewni..."

"A reasonable choice, milady. So, when is the trial scheduled?"

"In a few days. I'm still waiting for River to return from his hunting trip." Moon sighed. "I swear, the older he gets the more pointless shenanigans he does..." She shook her head wearily and looked at Sir Longshire, and said, "Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?"

"No. I believe I've asked all I've wanted to. I'll relay your words about our troops and tell out generals to begin mobilisation."

"Very well. You are dismissed." Moon waved him off, to which the man bowed and exited the throne room. She sighed and slumped into her throne. "I'm getting too old for this..."

Earth

Cosmos shot an energy bolt at Marco, which the boy promptly deflected back at him by swiftly casting a mirror spell. Cosmos dissolved the magic before it could reach him, and barked.

Excellent! You cast spells like a sorcerer, yet I can see that your combat skills are that of a true warrior!

"Thanks!" Marco responded with a proud smile on his face. "I never thought casting spells would be so easy and effortless! I thought there was more to it than just jumping around and making karate poses."

There should be more to it, but you learn remarkably fast, especially for a human! Have you ever done magic before? Cosmos tilted his head curiously and barked.

Marco shook his head. "No. I didn't even think it was possible to do magic without a wand until I read it in the book, honest!"

Comet was and still is a natural but even she needed several tries to flawlessly execute a spell; You're acing them all at your very first try!

Marco shrugged. "I don't know how I do it. I just do the moves in my own way and poof! The spells just work!"

I know. This is quite interesting. It's been awhile since I've last had the privilege to oversee the training of a Combat Mage.

"Combat Mage?"

Yes. Very few are able to find the balance between fighting and casting spells and never truly master both, therefore they specialise in one. Having the ability to spellcast while fighting is a very rare trait! You should be honoured that you've been blessed with it!

"Uhh... Thanks," said Marco and chuckled awkwardly. "But these spells aren't exactly top-tier, are they?"

True. Cosmos nodded. The spells we've used so far are the simplest ones there are. Here- Cosmos turned forward a few pages. This is a more advanced spell. Its purpose is to create a defensive ward that protects you or your target of choice from fire. Try casting it.

Marco studied the moves carefully for a few moments, then performed the moves in order, along with some of his signature karate chops and kick. For a moment, the spell seemed to be working as a red circle formed underneath the boy's feet, but it soon exploded in a gust of flames, leaving the charred ground behind. Luckily, it didn't set anything on fire and Marco seemed alright, apart from coughing out the inhaled smoke.

As expected; The advanced spells are not yet within your grasp. Said Cosmos through their mental-link. However, I am astounded that you managed to manifest it, even if only for a few seconds. At this rate, you'll become adept in no time!

"You think so?"

I do think so, yes. The amount of effort you'll have to put into your training will probably be a grain of that which other users must. Cosmos said. His ears twitched rapidly and he barked. Anyway, I'd love to stay and oversee you a little longer, but I'm afraid this was I the time I could afford to spare in this dimension. A more important duty calls.

"What kind of duty, if I may ask?"

You may not. Responded the wolf, his voice firm and decisive. These are matters that are need-to-know only, and you are outside of the circle of people that we can entrust with this information. Hearing this made Marco frown. Be glad, child. Some things are better kept out of daylight.

Marco sighed. "If you say so... But you will tell us if it's anything serious, right? Star and I would gladly help out if we could."

I appreciate the offer, Marco Diaz, but I pray the two of you need not involve yourselves any further than you already are...

Marco jumped. "Hold on!" He exclaimed, taking note of the hound's words. "What are Star and I involved in!?"

Good day to you, Marco Diaz. Cormos barked once, creating a magical rift in mid-air and departed, leaving the Latino boy alone and confused. Marco muttered something under his breath and picked up the appendix that Cosmos had left behind. "Well, I've still got a little time to spare. What other useful spells are in here?" he said as he began fluttering through the pages.

Star's Room

Both Zora and Star toppled onto the floor with their backs and sighed loudly. The princess patted her pizza-stuffed tummy and burped. "I've gotta say," she said, "Out of all the dimensions I've been to, Earth had the must yummy stuff to eat!"

Zora gave her a smile and a 'mm-hmm' in agreement, despite not having been to nearly as many dimensions. Since the topic had already been brought up, the girl couldn't help but ask, "How many dimensions are there?"

"Well, I've visited 374 so far, but there are tonnes more," replied the princess and sat upright. Zora did the same. The two girls locked their gazes with one another. "Don't worry. Once we make sure you're well and rested, Marco and I will gladly take you dimension-hopping. Have you ever heard of the Uni Dimension?"

Zora nodded. "Yeah. One of those flying unicorn heads visited the town once. They chased him away, though... But I have heard of it."

"That's great! We can go there and visit my bestie Flying Princess Pony Hea-" Star cut herself short and rubbed her chin in thought. "Oh, right. I forgot that she's still at St. O's..."

"What's St. O's?" Zora asked, her eyebrow arched.

Star shuddered, and said, "A reform school for wayward Princesses... I almost got sent there a few times. Marco and I did crash it once and the Princesses there have started rebelling against that old hag's brainwashing system, but I definitely don't wanna go back there... ever..."

"Is it that horrible?" Zora questioned with a frown.

"Not as horrible as the place you were staying in, but yeah, it sucks a lot!" Star sighed and put on a cheery smile. "But let's talk about something other than that place. Something more fun!"

"Like Magic?" asked Zora, staring at Star's wand.

"Exactly!" Star exclaimed and brought her wand before Zora's face. "This bad boy is the Butterfly's Royal Magic Wand that I inherited from my mother-"

"Queen Moon Butterfly," Zora cut in, proud of the knowledge she'd picked up from several conversations she'd overheard during her years of servitude. "And your father is King River Butterfly, right?"

"Yep!"

"Well, what's it like?"

Star arched an eyebrow at Zora, not understanding her question. "What's what like? Magic?"

Zora looked down at her lap and frowned. "...Having parents..."

"Oh..." Star stuttered and rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "I mean, they can be pretty strict and a little annoying at times. We sometimes get into arguments and they tend to punish me for the smallest of things." Star put on a tiny smile. "But we always make up at the end of the day because, despite our disagreements, we love one another very much."

"That sounds nice," Zora murmured just barely loud enough for Star to hear. Silence settled upon the two, which the elder girl broke.

"Hey," Star placed a comforting hand on her Zora's shoulder and the girl looked up at her. "There's no need to feel so down. For all we know, your parents could still be alive and worried sick for you."

"You think so?"

"I do. Really," said Star in a gentle voice. "I already told you, you're no longer alone. We'll take care of you for as long as you like."

Zora nodded and smiled faintly. "Thank you."

"So, as I was saying," Star let her cheerful persona take hold of her body once more. "This is the wand I cast spells and battle monsters with!" She said, showcasing her wand.

"Is it valuable?"

"Very valuable!" Star raised a finger in emphasis, and continued, "Not only that but it's also one of the most powerful objects known in existence! In the wrong hands, it could cause devastation and Chaos, so I have to guard it at all times!" She leant closer to Zora, and added, "And have lots of fun along the way, hehe."

Zora, too, chuckled. "That sounds like a huge responsibility. I mean, you don't look that old..."

"I turned 15 a couple of weeks ago, but I've had it since I was 14." Star shrugged casually. "It's a family thing."

"Do you know how to use it?"

"Duh, silly! I am a magical princess, after all!" Zora blushed in embarrassment and Star giggled. "Speaking of which, do you want to see some magic?" the princess asked.

Zora nodded excitedly. "Yes, please!" she exclaimed.

Star smirked and lifted her wand into the sky and aimed at the window, and shouted, "Narwhal Blast!" A torrent of water with narwhals shot out of her wand and flew out the window. Star crossed her arms smugly while the crashing of cars and screaming of people could be heard outside.

Zora began clapping her hands and Star bowed proudly. "That was awesome! Do more!" Zora demanded.

Star whipped her wand through the air again and yelled, "Sugar Candy Rain Cloud!" A pink cloud formed about the two girls and, as its name implies, began raining candy onto them. Zora picked up a piece of the candy and eyed Star curiously. The Mewman Princess smiled and gestured her to try the sweet delicacy. Zora did so and widened her eyes as a sweet taste flooded every corner of her mouth, a sensation she'd never before experienced.

"It's candy," Star stated as she herself ate a piece.

"It's very tasty," said Zora and swallowed the sugary treat.

"I know. Just don't eat too much of it at once," Star said with her finger raised attentively. "I got a little carried away one time and my tummy really hurt, so be careful," she told Zora to prevent her from having to endure the same experience. The small girl nodded and ate another piece of sugary goodness.

"What other spells can you cast?" she asked Star while chewing on the sweet.

"Oh, a whole bunch of stuff. Summoning spells, teleportation, flying, transformation-"

"Transformation?" Zora asked curiously.

Star nodded. "Yeah, transformation. You know, like turning someone into an animal or a monster or something like that. Temporarily, of course."

"Oh, that sounds neat," Zora said, smiling.

"Do you want me to demonstrate it for you? It's really fun!"

"Hmm..." Zora tapped her chin in thought and shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I've always wondered what it's like being a bird."

"Then a bird you shall be!" Star exclaimed and aimed her wand at Zora. "Just stand back and let the magic do the trick!"

Meanwhile

Sudden nausea overcame Marco and he felt an odd tingling sensation in his right arm. He placed the palm of his left hand on his forehead and took a few steps backwards, trying his best not to fall from the dizziness. "Urgh... What was that..." he murmured and rapidly shook his head. "Must've used a little too much of that energy Comet's book was talking about..."

Star's room

Zora gripped her head with both hands and screamed in agony as she fell onto her knees.

"Zora!" Star yelled in panic and rushed over to the girl, dropping her wand in the process. The Mewman princess knelt down next to the screaming girl and grabbed her by the shoulders. "What happened? Is everything alri-" She never finished her sentence. Instead, the blonde girl widened her eyes as red and purple runes began appearing across Zora's skin, slowly spreading across her entire body. Her dress and skin began turning black as charcoal. A shadowy mist formed around the small girl as the transformation continued.

Did my spell do this? Star thought. She hadn't perfected it yet, so a miscast may have occurred. She swallowed. Marco is going to kill me if he finds out about this!

"Don't worry! Don't worry! Uh... I'll fix this!" The princess exclaimed and rushed over to her wand, picking it up from the floor.

Upon turning around, Star noticed that it was no longer Zora who was occupying a portion of her room. Instead there now stood a small, dark humanoid-feline figure shrouded in shadows and covered in odd runes and lines that kept shifting between red and purple. The black figure was the same size as Zora, but Star could tell this was not the little girl.

Star watched the figure creep over to her bed and from it retrieve Zora's cat mask. It strapped the mask onto its head and turned around to look at Star, one eye glowing fiery red, the other dark purple. Both kept leaving a thin trail of the corresponding light behind every time the creature turned its head, which vanished moments later. Star stared at the figure as it stared back, unmoving. What is that thing? Did I screw the spell up that badly?

"Z-Zora?" Star stammered. The figure remained silent and kept whipping it's three dark cat-like tails. Star didn't know what to do, but she had to reverse this... whatever it was before anyone saw the mess she's created... Again...

Meanwhile

Marco, after having drunk a bottle of water to re-hydrate himself, took a deep breath and smiled. "Alrighty then!" he said, his voice beaming with confidence. He opened Comet's appendix. "Let's see... No... No... Nope... Aha!" He set the book onto the ground. "Mirror-Image Spell. Creates an illusion of any object or person within 100 feet and places the replica on the desired spot. Sounds useful enough."

Marco studied the moves carefully and took up a karate stance, then performed a few moves while picturing himself standing 10 feet away. He executed the magic gestures he'd seen in the book and soon enough an exact replica of himself stood exactly 10 feet in front of him. He noticed that it was inanimate, which was to be expected. Marco put on a sly smirk and crossed his arms smugly. "Marco Diaz, sorcerer extraordinaire!" He said to himself.

Star's room

The shadowy figure whipped its head away from Star rapidly and prowled slowly towards the window as if it were being driven by some unnatural force.

"No no no! You're not going anywhere until I find a way to get you back to normal!" The princess said authoritatively and grabbed the creature's attention. It stared at her silently and hissed, startling her, and, with a movement as swift and elegant as an arrow piercing the air, it jumped out the window.

"Hey!" Star yelled after a moment of delay, snapping out of her trance, and followed the creature outside. "You get back here right now! I am not getting into trouble because of you!" The princess yelled frantically as she chased after the demonic feline.

To be continued...


Chapter End Notes:

I told you there's more to Zora than meets the eye. It'll be explained soon enough, but you guys are smart so I'm sure most of you will figure out where she's headed and what caused the sudden transformation.

Anyway, feel free to leave a review!

Expected update: In 2 Weeks!

P.S. I'm working on a Fillmore! fanfiction story that'll be up by the end of next month if all goes well! Keep an eye out for that!