A/N: So someone complimented my drawing of Comet (I know they're lying because my drawing skills are equivalent to that of a one-armed monkey but I am grateful nevertheless) and wondered whether her initials 'BG' I described and drew have any deeper meaning. You guys know how every author likes hiding subtle things that reveal bits and pieces of his own persona in them? Well, this is exactly the case. The initials 'BG' stand for Blind Guardian, my favourite band, commonly referred to as 'The Bards'. I just like the idea of my own character being a fan of them, although it'll play no part in the story. So there you have it, that's literally it. That's the whole mystery behind the two initials.

Also, sorry for posting it a day later than intended. I've been busy with some stuff and didn't wanna rush it out without a few finishing touches.

That being said, enjoy the Chapter!

Replies to the latest reviews:

RobLebron: There's another reason for his quick learning. And she isn't a cat -.-

Rock Raider: As always, I can't really answer anything without giving away the whole story, sorry xD!

Epitaxial: The Safe King.

RoaringWall: Thanks a bunch! And I'll miss it, too, but at least it has an ending!

RedHood001: Oh, Toffee isn't the main antagonist in this story, but yes, he is involved.

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

Final Part

"You get back here this instant! I refuse to get into trouble because of you!" yelled the Mewman princess as she chased the creature that had once been Zora through the streets of Echo Creek. The pedestrians stared at the duo in shock and confusion as the two ran by. Fortunately, Zora, or whatever that thing was, paid little to no attention to the passerby and instead kept darting in the same direction, knocking the people over if need be.

Star, on the other hand, was more careful and tried avoiding any needless collisions with the pedestrians. She'd thought about summoning Cloudy and having him chase the creature from a high vantage point, but she had to make sure that she could stop the creature in a heartbeat if it decided to attack an innocent.

It was immune to her magic.

Star had already tried freezing it and creating magical shackles on its feet, but as the beam of magical energy reached the shadowy figure it got cancelled out by the cloak of shadows and didn't even slow the creature down.

Maybe I can cast a spell on the ground or somewhere and trap it that way? Star raised her wand and was prepared to turn the floor into something sticky, or maybe quicksand, but decided against it. There was no guarantee that it would work and she would put many lives in danger if she went through with it. The Princess groaned irritably. Why was there never an easy solution to anything? It was almost like some mysterious force was hindering her from finding simple solutions to simple problems.

Not that this is that simple of a problem... she reflected.

The creature made a ninety-degree turn, dashing toward the park.

"Where is it- she going now!?" The princess yelled, frustrated, and mimicked the movement to near perfection, thus not losing any of her momentum.

Meanwhile

Zora stood up groggily from the floor, a light moan escaping her mouth as she slowly opened her eyes.

Blackness. Everywhere. An endless void of dark.

She looked from left to right.

Nothing.

"Hello?" She said. The echo of her own voice rung in her ears. Then it stopped. All was silent.

She looked downward. There was no floor.

What am I even standing on? And what is this place?

"Hello?" She repeated. Same result as before. "Um... Is anyone here?" she shouted.

No response.

The girl sighed. "Well," she muttered to herself and looked around. "Might as well see if there's anything here..."

And so she walked. And walked... and walked... and walked...

A low growl.

Alarmed, she spun her head around.

...nothing

"Who's there?" her voice echoed.

No response.

Another growl. This time, from her left.

She whipped her head towards the direction.

...nothing.

She swallowed. The sound of her heart, pounding inside her chest, her only company.

Or was it?

Another growl.

And another.

And another...

Something's looming in the shadows, she concluded. She took another step forward, thus resuming her former pace.

It felt as if she were standing in place.

All was hollow. Empty.

Something caught her eye, something very familiar, hovering in the air right above her.

"My mask!" she shouted, tapping the top of her head to confirm that the object was no longer on her head. She jumped, trying her hardest to reach it.

She fell short and landed on the... whatever was underneath her feet, keeping her afloat in this bare domain.

She jumped again. Same result.

She was prepping to jump for the third time but stopped. The mask began moving, drifting through the void and away from her.

Where's it going? she wondered, curiously.

Another low growl sounded. This time, it was closer.

She kept her calm.

I guess I'll follow it. Maybe it'll lead me to something else, although I highly doubt it.

Fearlessly, she followed the cat mask, paying no mind to the growls around her.

Whatever this was, she was going to get to the bottom of it and find a way out...

...Probably

Meanwhile

Queen Moon slumped into her throne and let the quill in her hand fall to the ground. Next to her was a small stack of paperwork she'd just finished signing to confirm the mobilisation of Mewni's forces.

The Queen took a deep, fatigued breath, and said, "Done at last! I swear, if I see another piece of paperwork I'll lose my mind!"

Closing her eyes, the Queen murmured, "I can finally get some rest..."

Or so she thought, for reality decided otherwise. A dimensional rift tore open in the middle of the throne room. The guards present aimed their spears toward it and awaited whatever may step through.

Moon groaned irritably. "I am going to kill that court wizard for doing such a sloppy job with the protective magical barrier in this place!"

"You can't really blame him for not being a match for my magical powers," said a familiar voice from the portal. A blonde girl, similar to Moon's own precious daughter, stepped entered through the portal and curtsied with a smile. Moon gestured for the guards to lower their weapons, and greeted the girl, "Hello, Comet. I wasn't expecting a visit from you."

"Honestly, neither was I, Auntie Moon," replied Comet. She closed the dimensional rift behind her. Moon stood up from her seat and made her way over to her beloved niece with the same grace and poise that she was known for throughout her own and many other kingdoms.

"I see your magic is as strong as ever."

"Stronger," said Comet with a sly grin, balancing her wand on the tip of her finger. "What can I say? Preventing cataclysmic forces from destroying the Universe does help you hone your skills."

"Cataclysmic?" asked Moon, eyebrow raised sceptically.

"Alright, I may have exhilarated a tiny bit," Comet said as she raised her hand and made a gesture with her hand by bringing her index finger and her thumb close together. She then added in a blunt voice, "But believe me, the stuff I've fought was no kiddy ride!"

"Like mother, like daughter, I suppose." Moon smiled sadly upon realising what she'd said. "Oh, I'm sorry. That wasn't the best choice of words."

"It's cool," Comet assured. "I'm actually happy that people are comparing me to my mother. She's what I'm striving to become, after all."

"I'm sure you'll become someone even stronger than she was." Moon took a step closer and added in a low voice that only Comet could hear, "Since I've already brought the topic up, how's your father doing? If you don't mind me asking."

Comet's expression and words betrayed her uncertainty. "He's doing better than before, I think..."

"I understand." Moon whipped her head around and was displeased by the number of guards. Dammit, River. I know you're concerned for my safety but I don't need a plague of guards around here!

"Shall we walk and talk? I'm guessing you've something to share with me, and I'd rather be told under more... disclosed terms."

Comet accepted the offer and the two began walking through the castle's halls. Comet's gaze kept darting from picture to picture as she passed numerous paintings mounted on the walls. Most were portraits of Moon, River and Star, either painted together or separately. Comet was forced to suppress a chuckle at the sight of Star's serious face. She simply could not see her cousin being a serious noble. Then again, neither was she.

"So," Queen Moon spoke, breaking the companionable silence, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? I assume it's something urgent given that you couldn't wait for the next Magic Council meeting."

Comet nodded, and said, "I wouldn't say 'urgent' but it's definitely something I don't wanna postpone."

"Do tell."

"But first, promise me you won't tell Star that I informed you of this! I kinda promised her that I wouldn't."

"Alright," Answered Moon, hesitantly. "I won't mention your name if I confront her about it. So, what's she done now?"

"You want the long version or the short version?"

"Short version."

"Alright. When I visited her some time ago, an assassin came and tried to kill her."

"What!?" Moon inhaled sharply and came to an immediate halt, her eyes wide and filled with shock and disbelief. "An assassin tried to kill Star!?"

"Calm down! Let me explain!" Comet pleaded, making gestures for the Queen to calm down. "She was never in any real danger. Cosmos and I made sure she stayed safe! But I wanted to do some research into that guy and confirm that it's indeed the same guy that's known for having murdered several nobles without any clear motives."

Moon froze. Her words came out as shudders. "You mean, him?"

"Yeah, him. Cosmos tracked him down and predicted his actions. We were able to fend him off, but it wasn't easy. Also..." Comet fell silent. Should I tell her about- no. She doesn't need to know that. That's my burden to carry, and my revenge to take. "Also, Star's safe and I doubt he'll be coming after her again. It's strange; we've lost track of him entirely, but Cosmos is trying to locate him."

Moon sighed in pure relief at Comet's reassuring words. Frowning, she spoke, "I'm going to have a little chat with Star about keeping things like this secret from-"

"Don't," Comet interrupted. "To be fair, she didn't even know about the whole thing until after I'd already chased him away. If you wanna blame anyone for not relaying the information to you, blame me."

Moon shot the girl a stern look, and sighed, tiredly. "You're too honest for your own good..."

"Thanks. I think...?" There was a pause as Comet contemplated on what to say next. Queen Moon beat her to the punch.

"Do you need any assistance in your search? I'd be relieved if I knew this murderer was behind bars."

Comet shook her head. "No," she said, "Cosmos and I can handle it. Just keep an eye out for anything strange. There's always the possibility that he may go after you."

"And if he goes after Star?"

"Don't worry. Cosmos and I have taken a few, um, 'precautions' to make sure he'll regret doing it."

"And those are?"

Comet zipped her lips shut. "That's to remain a secret, for the time being."

Moon shook her head and sighed. "You never are straightforward, are you?" Comet chuckled at the remark. "Alright," Moon continued. "Is there anything else I should know of?"

"No. That's about it, I think." Comet took out her wand and tore open a magical portal. "Sorry for making this visit short, Auntie Moon, but I need to get back to Cosmos and see if he's found anything."

"Be careful."

Comet smiled. "I'm never careful," she said and waved Moon goodbye, then hopped into the portal.

Echo Creek Animal Preserve

"I said come over here!" Star yelled frantically as the chase continued. Any normal person would have collapsed from exhaustion by now, but not Star Butterfly! She always kept herself in top physical shape; You never know when something strange might happen, like this bizarre situation!

The shadowy form did not respond to the princess' cries and instead kept running in the same direction. It looked like it was headed for Echo Creek Academy. Why? She didn't know. Perhaps it was headed somewhere else entirely and the school just happened to be on the same path? Honestly, she didn't care. Zora was somewhere in there and it was her fault for transforming her into that thing. She had to find a way to reverse it.

What else could have caused such an abominable transformation? Although, now that I think about it, it does look kinda cute, in a shadowy image of death kind of way- NO! You are NOT thinking about this! That's Zora! If Marco finds out what you've done he'll kill you! Just catch her and turn her back to normal, ok, Star? And why are you speaking to yourself in third person!?

Being focused on her own thoughts and having a mental argument with herself, Star failed to notice that she was nearing Echo Creek Animal Preserve, the place where Angie said she and her group from the Echo Creek Society for Animal Habitat Preservation would be protesting against the habitat being torn down and made into a construction site for a new road.

Speaking of which...

"We won't stand up for this!"

"Yeah!" the group yelled in unison as their signs of protest were raised high. Pictures of wild animals in their natural habitats decorated the signs, from forest animals to birds and even insects.

"People, please!" the man in charge of the construction pleaded to the upset audience, Angie Diaz at its head. He sighed. "Listen. I know that you're trying to preserve the wildlife of Echo Creek, but rest assured that the animals will not be harmed! They'll be transported to the local Zoo where they'll be able to live undisturbed."

"Like they are right now?" Angie challenged, crossing her arms. "This animal preserve," she gestured around herself, "is Echo Creek's only one! The animals like it here and tearing it down just to build some stupid road is unacceptable!"

"Yeah!" The group backed her up with their loud cheer.

The man frowned. "Listen," he spoke, "I don't like the idea either, but this road will save travellers and truck drivers over an hour of driving!"

"And spread pollution!" Angie countered. "I'm sorry, sir, but we of the Echo Creek Society for Animal Habitat Preservation cannot and will not support this decision! After all, we don't want to anger the spirit!"

"The spirit?" He questioned, looking a bit lost.

"Yes, the spirit!" exclaimed Angie. The group of protesters began nodding and murmuring in agreement.

"Alright. And what exactly is 'the spirit'?" He asked, expecting a profound answer, which he received.

"The Legend says that if the animals of Echo Creek are ever under the threat of being driven out of their natural habitat, the spirit will punish those who dared defy mother nature."

The man frowned and sighed irritably, then said, "Look. I don't care about your superstitious mumbo-jumbo! This road is happening whether you tree-huggers like it or not!" As he was about to order the drivers to start their engines and ignore the protesters since they would likely scatter, something in the distance caught his attention. He squinted and gazed at the black figure in the distance.

"What the-!?" He exclaimed, his voice filled with alarm. A black cat-like figure dashed past him, knocking him over in his moment of fright. He, along with the protesters, stared blankly as the figure disappeared into a nearby bush.

"I said, stop running!" a voice boomed and a blonde girl emerged from somewhere. She was running in the same direction as the thing, but stopped momentarily and smiled at Angie. "Hi, Mrs. Diaz!"

"Hi, Star."

"I'd love to stay and chat but I'm kinda in a hurry. See you later!" Star exclaimed and ran off.

An awkward silence settled upon the gathered group.

"So," the head of the road construction said, breaking the silence. The protesters stared at him, blankly. "That thing won't come after me if I cancel the road construction, right?"

Meanwhile

Marco sat down and gripped his right arm as the strange sensation of ants crawling under his skin returned, along with nausea. He moaned in discomfort and shook his head rapidly in an attempt to get rid of the whirling sensation.

"Alright. I think this is a sign that I've done enough practice for today..." he concluded and closed the spellbook.

An odd feeling washed over him, one he couldn't explain.

The nausea and the tingling in his arm disappeared.

He shrugged.

Location: Unknown

Zora came to a stop.

The mask, once in motion and moving freely through the black space was now floating just beyond her reach.

"That's good," she said. What wasn't good was the continuous snarling around her.

"Ok, now to reach it. But how...?" she pondered. Sadly, there was literally nothing in this place to help her reach the mask.

Fortunately, some questions answer themselves without the need for intervention.

Her mask began descending slowly toward her.

She smiled.

It would soon be in her reach.

... Probably

With Star

As the chase progressed, the two drew closer and closer to the school.

For Star, this was both bad and good news. The bad part was that Marco was still probably at school doing... whatever he was busy doing -she would have to ask him about that later- and would undoubtedly see the mess she'd created.

The good news was that there were no people around, which meant that she could manipulate her surrounding without the fear of hurting anything or anyone.

Star, wand in hand, readied herself to cast a spell that would hopefully stop the shadowy creature.

Luckily, there would prove to be no need for that.

With Zora

The girl hopped up and grabbed the mask.

Smiling, she strapped it onto her head.

The void shook violently.

From the darkness, more snarls roared.

The void began breaking.

A loud boom sounded behind her.

She turned her head around and was blinded by a flash of light.

Echo Creek Academy

Star rubbed her eyes fiercely.

What was that? she wondered, having been momentarily blinded by a powerful glow. The princess opened her eyes and widened them upon seeing Zora standing before the school entrance. The girl was back to her normal self.

Huh. The spell must've worn off or something, she concluded and walked over to the confused girl as the later kept whipping her head around and staring oddly at her surroundings. She spotted the princess, and asked, "Uh, how'd I end up here?"

Star raised a peculiar eyebrow at her. "You don't remember anything?"

Zora shook her head. "No. All I remember is talking about magic and some stuff about becoming a bird..." she explained. "Why? Did something happen?"

"Uh, I'll...explain it to you some other time, alright?"

Looks like she doesn't remember anything, the princess thought, relieved at the realisation that nobody, especially Marco, would ever find out about her little chase.

"Look, there's Marco!" Star exclaimed and pointed her finger at the Latino boy who was walking toward them with a pleasantly surprised grin.

"What are you two doing here? I thought you were at home," he said, giving the princess a welcoming hug.

Quick! Think of something! "We wanted to surprise you and pick you up from school," Star responded hastily and broke the embrace.

"We did?" Zora questioned, still confused.

"Yeah! Duh! Of course, we did!" Star chuckled nervously. Zora shrugged it off; Things were confusing enough already, so it was best to just go with the flow.

"Huh. That's oddly thoughtful of you." Marco noticed the drops of sweat running down his girlfriend's forehead, and said, "How about we go get some ice cream? You look like you just ran across half of town."

"You have no idea..." Star murmured to herself and put on a bright smile. Looking down at Zora, she asked, "You want some ice cream?"

"What's ice cream?"

"I'll take that as a yes," Star replied and took her hand.

Together, the trio walked to the ice cream parlour.

End of Chapter 6!


Dear Lord, this chapter is pure Chaos xD... I just didn't feel like dragging things out any further, so sorry if it wasn't up to my usual standard. I've had a busy time with moving back home from my dorm and finishing up the semester + doing some needless formal paperwork...

I'll try to do a better job next time!

Either way, this is another filler kind of chapter, whose events will be explained in more detail later on, plus will play a significant role.

Also, expect a small bonus this week! A scene I'd planned to include in this Chapter but decided against it. I think you'll like it; It'll reveal something a lot of you have been wanting to know for quite some time now!

Well, see you guys soon!

Expected update: In a few days