A/N: Sorry for the delay on this one; college has me busy, and teacher training can be quite time-consuming, to say the least ^^. Also, after watching the first episode of Amazon's The Wheel of Time and nearly gauging my eyes out at how they butchered and desecrated it, I could not write a single word for like a good two weeks. I was fuming. If there's something I hate, it's blatant disrespect for the source material, the author and the fandom, and that heap of hot trash they dare to call an 'adaptation' featured all three! Honestly, R. Jordan is probably rolling in his grave... Just disgusting! On top of that my dog got sick (she's perfectly fine now) so... yeah, this has NOT been a good month for me.
Anyhow, since you clearly aren't here to listen to me ranting for half an hour and neither am I, onto the story!
Replies to the reviews from Chapter 13 (77):
Guest: Magic!
Sugar: Yeah, that's how I usually do things. Start out happy and cheerful then emotionally scar my readers at the end. As for what Janna is, that is for me to know and for you to figure out, hehe.
TheFireFox123: Aww, thanks! And sorry that I left you guys hanging for so long, but I'm gonna finish this thing if it kills me!
Rock Raider: Sadly there's gonna be a whole lot more confusion before you find out anything! Fair warning, things are about to ger really dark!
Disclaimer: I do not claim the rights to Star vs. the Forces of Evil or any of the characters that appear in the show. They are the property of Daron Nefcy and Disney. I do, however, claim the rights to any original characters that may appear in this story as well as the plot, and would kindly ask for a permission request should you want to include any of the story elements in your own works.
Star vs. the Forces of Evil: Staring it up!
Chapter 14
In Tenebris
Wa... p!
She heard a faint echo, distant yet familiar. It reverberated in her head, and she wanted to reply. But she was tired, so tired, and her body felt sore. She ignored it. She needed the rest.
Sta... wak... up!
The images still flashed before her eyes. Her mother, butchered by one of her closest friends; Toffee gloating over her dead body; her family bound and gagged on the ground, helpless and forced to watch the gruesome play unfold. And Zora. Her poor, darling Zora, undergoing who knows what form of torture by whatever wicked incantation Diana, a name she wouldn't forget anytime soon, had cast on her.
Star! Wake up!
At that moment, she couldn't think. Hearing her darling daughter's agonizing scream, feeling her pain, she could not hold herself back. She'd wanted to make it all go away, the pain, the suffering, the anguish... She knew it was forbidden, she knew Dark Magic was prohibited, but back then, the temptation had been too strong, so she'd reached for it. And how wonderful it had felt. The rush of pure, unhinged ecstasy she'd felt as the power coursed through her veins. If she hadn't lost control, if she hadn't been so weak, she could have obliterated Diana with a snap of her fingers. With that power, she could have done anything, and she knew it. She could have even brought her mother back. If only she'd been stronger. And she could remember the temptations voice whispering to her, guiding her, telling her what she wanted to hear, promising her relief from the pain, and sweet, sweet revenge. But just as she was about to embrace the power, become one with it, the voice had gone silent, and the pain had subsided, and her thoughts had returned to her. And she missed it! Oh, how dearly she missed it! She had to find it again! That wonderful power! That succulent voice! That feeling of-
"Star! Wake up! Star!
"Wha...?" Slowly, the young princess opened her groggy eyes to see a veil of blackness that stretched out in all directions, seemingly to infinity. Before her was a familiar face; the face of a blue, elderly figure whose size was roughly that of her head. "G-Glossaryck...?" the princess murmured through half-lidden eyes as she recognised the small blue man.
"Of course, who else would it be? Unless you know any other good-looking blue magical advisors?" Glossaryck said through a mouthful of chocolate pudding. "By the way, you don't happen to have any napkins with you?"
Star stood upright and put the palm of her hand to her forehead, her legs wobbling and her world spinning.
"Easy, now!" Glossarick exclaimed, throwing aside the empty pudding cup and rushing over to her just in time to give her the support she needed not to fall over. He held her for a full minute before slowly letting go. Thankfully, the princess did not topple over. "There we are. Easy does it."
Star shook her head rapidly and groaned as she felt the ache in her head subsiding. She allowed herself a moment of respite before opening her eyes to a barren void, occupied only by occasional glimmers of light that popped up and disappeared again like firecrackers, only that there were no loud booms to accompany them. She searched some something, anything, but she and her blue advisor were the only occupants of this nothingness. As her senses came back one by one, she felt her feet grow cold and glanced down to find her bare feet swallowed in a layer of dark, shallow water, perfectly still like a lake on a breezeless night. She gazed into the mirror-like surface and her reflection gazed back at her, and as the two Star's stared at each other, both their eyes grew wide. This was not because of the faint glow surrounding both like the silver lining of a cloud but more so because of the absence of something. Their clothes. And yet they were not naked, at least, not in the sense she was used to. She inspected her hand and noticed that it was, for the most part, translucent and pale, and hazy like mist, much like the rest of her body as though she were a ghost.
"Glossaryck, where are we?" she asked, glancing about herself. "What is this place?"
"The heck if I know!" the small man replied. "I was just busy eating my pudding when I suddenly found myself here! I think you must've summoned us here."
"Me?"
"Yep. That's the only reasonable explanation I can think of, other than this pudding being expired," Glossaryck said, then tapped his chin and snapped his fingers, upon which an empty chocolate pudding cup appeared in his hand, and he turned it about, gazing at it with narrowed eyes. "Meh, just 17 months overdue," he said, shrugging and throwing it over his shoulder. "Anyhow, Star, I honestly have no clue what this place is. Can't say I've been here before."
"Welp, this isn't good..." The young princess contemplated aloud and kept whipping her head from one end of wherever the heck this was to the other, but no matter where she looked, there was nothing. Blank nothingness and soundless firecrackers.
"Do you have any idea how you got us here?" Glossaryck asked, and Star shook her head.
"No idea. I was in the castle and-" she paused, and took a deep, shuddering breath, and exhaled it slowly. She would not allow her emotions to get the better of her. Not right now, at least. She opened her eyes, and went on, "Well, next thing I know, you were trying to wake me up, and, well, here we are."
"So you didn't cast any spells?"
"No, I-" The pause was just as sudden and abrupt as the first, and Glossaryck cocked an eyebrow at her. "Well," she continued awkwardly, "I maybe kinda sorta might have beentryingtousedarkmagictoobliteratehalfofmewniaftermymomgotkilled!"
"You what!?" Glossaryck exclaimed."
"I can explain!"
"Please, do, because I understood none of what!" The blue man floated closer to her so that he was eye-level. "I think I heard something about Dark Magic?" Star reluctantly nodded. "And you were trying to blow up Mewni?" Another nod. "And... Moon is... dead?" Star visibly flinched but forced a nod. "Oh... oh my..." Glossaryck said, much calmer than before, and floated away from Star's face.
"Glossaryck? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Star. It's just... well, that's a lot to take in!" He rubbed his chin, and after a time, shook his head and gazed at Star. It was time to address the elephant in the room. "So you used Dark Magic, you say?" She nodded. "And you... almost blew up Mewni?"
"Kinda."
Glossaryck shook his head. "Star..."
"Not intentionally! At least, not at first..." For the first time in her life, Star could see genuine anger and disappointment on Glossaryck's face. She wanted to curl up and retreat into a burrow, but sadly, there was no burrow nearby, nor anything, really.
Either way, we need to figure out where we are and how to get out." Star nodded. "A good place to start would be to figure out how we got here. If we know the way in, we could probably find the way out. So, what's the last thing you remember, Star?"
The young princess tried to recall the last thing she saw before ending up wherever she was, but all it resulted in was a migraine. She rubbed her temples and shot Glossaryck a dejected look. "I dunno. It's all really fuzzy. Sorry, Glossaryck."
"It's alright, Star. Hmm. Well then, let's try something to stimulate that memory of yours. What's the last thing you felt before you ended up here?"
It didn't take Star long to know the answer as the feeling was still fresh.
"Hate," she replied, curtly. "Hate. Anger. Pain."
"Was that before or after you seized Dark Magic?"
"I dunno. Fifty-fifty?" she replied, trying her best to recall the events. "All I know is that after Diana attacked Zora, I just, I dunno, felt something, and the next thing I know, pain just shot through my body, and then it all went dark."
"I see. And what did it feel like?"
"What did what feel like?"
"Dark Magic," Glossaryck said, grimly. "How did it feel wielding it?"
Star pondered for a moment, trying to relive the sensation. "It was... it felt... wonderful," she admitted and found herself suppressing a laugh. She could still remember the riveting feeling of having so much raw, untapped power coursing through her veins, and the knowledge that with but a snap of her fingers, she could have done anything. Anything. Light Magic couldn't hope to recreate that sense of ecstasy. At that time, it was her own fault for losing control, but with enough focus, she could control it. She knew she could, and if she did manage... A thought crossed her mind. "Maybe if I tried using it again, I could get us out of here! I could-"
"NO!"
"But Glossa-"
"NO, STAR!" the little blue man exclaimed, and his voice boomed and reverberated in the looming nothingness around them. Star took a step back; this was the first time her magic mentor had raised his voice on her. "Don't even think about using Dark Magic! Not now, nor ever!" he floated closer to her and met her gaze, his eyebrows cocked downward and his lips curled into a stern frown. "Are you even aware of the dangers Dark Magic brings with it? It's Evil, Star! Evil! And even if it wasn't, it's far too dangerous and difficult to control!"
"But-"
"No buts, Star! Not after what you've just told me! I can't have you going around blowing up Mewni!"
"I just lost control over it, alright? If I do it again this time, I'm sure I can use it without the backlash!"
"You can't, Star! Nobody can! Dark Magic doesn't like being bent to the user's will as Light Magic does. It tries to consume the user! It- wait! What's that over there?" Glossaryck cut himself short as something caught his attention. He pointed over her shoulder, and Star spun on her heel to see what her mentor was talking about. Far off in the distance, what looked to be a pale, ghastly humanoid shape, not entirely unfamiliar, was lazily creeping towards the two, and as it got closer and closer, delight filled the young princess' face as she recognised the owner of that all-too-familiar face.
"Marco!" Star exclaimed, and her feet were already moving at full throttle. The shallow water splashed and splattered with each football, yet the droplets passed right through her, and she felt no sensation of neither cold nor wetness. Glossaryck floated after her, riding a miniature cloud and sitting cross-legged. As they drew closer to Marco, Star noted that, much like her, he was but a pale afterimage of the Marco Diaz she knew, but his presence sent waves of relief surging through her nonetheless; whatever was going on, if there was someone who could figure it out, it was probably her boyfriend and betrothed. Her furious pace stopped only when she was mere feet away from the boy, and she flung herself at him with open arms but passed straight through him as though he were mist and landed face-first in the water. Welp, that didn't go as planned, she contemplated, standing upright and spinning on her heel to face the boy, whose back was turned to her.
"Star!" Glossaryck said as he floated up to her. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Glossaryck. I just guess that hugging isn't exactly possible right now, which is sort of a bummer," the princess replied, walking up to Marco and standing at his side. Just to be safe, she snuck a glance at his face, and there was no mistaking it; this was definitely Marco, cure mole under the eye and everything, and much like her, most of him was hazy and translucent, but it was him nonetheless, of that there was no doubt.
"Hello, Star," he said, his voice calm, and his gaze locked in the distance. Both his hands were behind his back, and his expression was for the most part unreadable, but if she had to guess, something was on his mind. Maybe he was trying to think of a way out? Still, he could have shown at least some joy upon seeing her, but given the situation, she couldn't blame him for not being in the best of spirits, and whatever was on his mind must have been heavy and complex, or at least, that's what his face said.
"Marco! Boy, am I glad you ended up here, too," Star said and attempted to grab his hand, but hers passed right through, which irritated the young princess, but compared to how the rest of the day had been, this was a minor annoyance at best. "Do you have any idea where we are or how we got here?" she asked, "Glossaryck and I are trying to figure out how we ended up here and what here even is, and I can't really remember much of anything after Diana attacked Zora, so maybe you-"
"She didn't attack her, Star," Marco said, cutting her short.
"Didn't attack her? Marco! Zora was literally screaming in pain! What else could Diana have been doing?" Star retorted, her eyes narrowed. How could Marco even think of defending that... that woman after everything that he had seen and heard? And yet the reply that came was calm and steady, as though he knew for certain what he was talking about.
"Diana did not attack Zora, Star, nor did she cause her any harm. Once she wakes up, she will be-" Marco paused as if searching for the right words. "Zora will be as good as new, perhaps even better, although she may need some time to accept the truth, but she will simply have to, just as I have and just as you will."
"Marco, you are seriously starting to creep me out!" Star said, taking a step back from the boy. She could sense that something was off about him. To add to her unease, Marco chuckled.
"I also tried running away from it. At first. But in time, I learned that any attempt to flee was futile and only ended in pain and suffering, until, finally, I allowed it to have dominion over me, to do as it pleased it with me, and it was only then that I realised what I fool I had been for trying to resist it and the wonderful gifts it brought along with it." Marco turned his head to her, and gazing into those eyes, those beautiful spheres that she could normally gaze into for hours on end, she felt a chill run down her spine. They looked cold and distant, not anything like the warm gaze she was used to. "You have also had the pleasure of touching it, have you not, Star?" Marco said, and his tone made her feel uneasy. "That wonderful power? Dark Magic. There is no need to answer that question. After all, if not for our bond, I could never have even hoped to grasp a single straw of it."
"Marco, wha-"
"Answer my question, Star."
The princess swallowed a thick puddle of saliva and gave a reluctant nod.
"...yes, I-I did touch it, but-"
"And it felt so wonderful, did it not?"
"...it did feel pretty awesome..." Star reluctantly admitted and failed to suppress the elated laugh that snuck its way out of her mouth. Try as she may, she couldn't deny the fact that her body and mind were yearning, practically screaming at her to grasp the source of that wonderful energy and allow it to flow through her again, but in the back of her mind, something kept telling her to resist the temptation. She shook her head, and the yearning disappeared. As she locked her gaze with Marco's, she could see a disappointed frown on his face. She opened her mouth to reply, but a tap on her shoulder cut her thoughts short, and she turned to see Glossaryck staring at her with a look that could have been carved from stone. Somehow, she understood the implication and remained silent, which only deepened Marco's frown.
"Marco," Glossaryck said, still floating next to Star's head. "How do you know all this? Seems a little far-fetched to say you've just been winging it. So tell me, how do you know all of this?"
Marco remained silent for a time, staring at his reflection in the dark pool of water, then spoke, "I have been shown the truth. The time I have spent here has given me much time to contemplate on it."
"Time?" Star asked, her left eyebrow arched. "Marco, we've been here for like a few minutes at best." Her statement elĨicited a cold chuckle from the boy, but he didn't reply otherwise. Seeing that he had no intention of elaborating anything, Star instead opted for another question. "Well, what do you mean by 'shown the truth?' And who showed it to you?"
"That would be me, my dear Princess."
Star didn't hesitate for a moment to face the owner of the voice, and upon seeing the pale figure, for a heartbeat, she felt joy and happiness and her lips almost curled into a smile, but the alarm bells in her mind rang, and she knew she couldn't afford to be fooled. That figure, despite being a spitting image of the girl in the portraits that hung on every wall in Castle Butterfly, was not the girl in those pictures. No, that girl had grown up; that girl had become queen; that girl had grown up, grown up and had her very life stolen from her. This was not Moon. Gazing at her, Star could feel a raging bonfire grow to life within her, and she let her emotions erupt.
"Diana!" Star spat, and reactively the teacher for her wand but found the item missing. With narrowed eyes, the young princess stared at the wretch before her, and she had to exercise every ounce of self-control to stop herself from reaching for... it.
"Hello, princess Star Butterfly," the young Diana spoke calmly, her face devoid of emotion. "We meet in person, at last. Or, well, I should say that this is the closest we've come to meeting in person, discounting our prior encounter at the castle, of course."
"What have you done to Marco!?" Star demanded, her fists balled. Diana seemed unphased. Either that or she was deliberately ignoring Star's outburst.
"I have done nothing, Star Butterfly. I have merely shown him that which he wanted to see, as was his demand after the... calamity. The conclusions he has drawn are his own, as are the decisions he shall make."
"Marco," Star said, turning to her boyfriend, "what did she show you?"
"The truth, Star," Marco calmly replied.
"What truth, Marco?" Glossaryck questioned, and shot a glare at Diana. "What did you show him?"
"It is not my place to make bare his mind," Diana replied, coolly, and turned to look at Marco. "If you will, my Lord?"
"Lord?" Star repeated the word aloud and looked at Marco in confusion and disbelief. Marco did not even bat her an eye, and instead stared at his pale reflection on the water's surface, and spoke with an eerie calmness.
"I have been shown many things, many outcomes, all fundamentally the same, Star, each as inescapable as the other, each tied to that wretched Bloodmoon that bound our souls, and with it both blessed us and doomed us."
"Marco, what-"
"It is our fate to die, Star, each at and by the other's hand," Marco continued, speaking as though she had never interjected, "each time, each fate, all fundamentally the same." A dark smirk crept onto his lips. "Except for one." To illustrate his point, he slowly turned to gaze at her and raised a single finger, and to her horror, a streak of dark, purple light streaked forth, and she could feel her body quiver at the sight, both from pleasure and horror. There was no mistaking that wonderful, wretched sight.
"Dark magic..." Star whispered, and licked her lips. She could practically taste it, that unique, wonderful- "No!" Star shook her head. Whatever it was doing to her, it felt right yet also wrong, and the conflicting thoughts felt like two tornadoes clashing with one another, the pressure of their conflict causing her head to nearly burst.
"Still trying to resist?" Marco asked, amused, and let the power go, and with it vanished Star's headache. "You'll give in soon enough," he added. "After all, we share the same source." Marco raised his ring finger and pointed at the silver and gold wedding band resting on it. "A blessing and a curse."
Star gazed at the boy, refusing to believe it was him. No, it couldn't be him. Even if she knew the truth, she chose to believe in the lie; this was not Marco Diaz. This couldn't be Marco Diaz. This was the wretch's doing, and Star aimed her fury at her.
"Who are you!?" the young princess practically shrieked, yet Diana remained perfectly poised, regal almost. "What are you!? And what have you done to my Marco!"
"I am what I am," Diana replied, coolly. "As you are what you are, as Marco Diaz is what he is. No more, no less."
The single coil of rope holding together the dam burst, and anger came flooding through, violently shoving away all other emotions. Despite knowing better, she reached for it, and felt pure, raw power flow through her, and it filled her soul, made her feel invincible. Yet the sensation lasted only for a moment. Her vision spun, and she toppled to the ground, and water splashed about her, and rushed into her mouth. She emerged, coughing violently, desperately trying to empty her lungs. She could hear Glossaryck's alarmed voice, but it was muffled by the water clogging her ears. She came to, shook her head, and her senses returned, but she was still grovelling on the ground, splitters of water spewing from her mouth with each cough. Across from her was Diana, offering support to Marco, who was gripping his head, his legs wobbling, his eyes shooting daggers not at Diana, but at her.
"Both of us cannot tap into the same source at the same time, Star," he said. "If we do so, we will both be torn apart. That is one of the truths I have since learnt." He shoved Diana away, and straightened himself. "And do not suggest for us to simply stop using it. The more we resist, the more it will call to us until it becomes impossible to resist. Another truth you will soon learn. Yet we share the same source. You see the problem, I presume?" After a pause, he added, "and the solution is also just as clear."
"My Lord," Diana said, staring at him, and Marco cast her a sidelong glance. She said not one word more, yet even so, Marco nodded, then looked to Star.
"I am afraid we must cut out little chat short, Star. Do not worry, we will meet again. Soon. Maybe then you will understand the futility of it all..." Marco turned his back to her, and as his form began disappearing, he added, "only one of us can live to use this power. There is only one outcome that allows either of us to live, and I have no intention of dying. Goodbye, Star."
"Mar-coh!" Star gasped, holding back the urge to choke on the water in her throat, but her cry went unheard as both figures vanished. Just like that, they were gone. She stared in the direction for a long time, unable to clearly process a single thought. She was utterly lost, confused, broken. She wanted to cry out, to scream, but her emotions were numb, as were her senses. She did not hear a word Glossaryck said, did not care to hear it. She was tired, drained of all energy, of all will to live. Star closed her eyes, and the last sensation she felt was a splash of cold water hit her face as her consciousness slipped.
To be continued...
Chapter end notes:
Welp, I did promise dark things, so, erm, surprise? Look imma be honest if more than five characters are alive by the end of this fic I'll be the one who's surprised...
'Till next time!
