Hi guys - I'm back again! Here's the next chapter…hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 4

The rest of the day went great—starmendous—for Sabrina. Vivica didn't bully anyone after she stood up to her, and as a result, every Star Darling developed a newfound respect for the loyal Wishling. As they ate dinner together, Sabrina noticed that all the girls seemed more comfortable around her than they did before classes had started. Tessa and Leona showed her many different ways to enjoy the cafeteria food, Astra taught her some sport tips, Sage and Scarlet entertained her with their powers…it was wonderful.

As she learned more about the Star Darlings and their world, Sabrina couldn't help being lost in thought. She'd never had more than one friend at a time before; she'd always thought having just one BFF was the way she needed to go. Just one special person to stand aside, to help out, to stick up for. She'd always thought simply being loyal and generous was how friendships were supposed to work. But now that she was here, with eleven new friends who had an entirely different point of view when it came to how friendship worked, Sabrina found herself having second thoughts about what she'd been taught back home. Actually, come to think of it, she was having second thoughts about her entire life.

Ever since she was little, she had been the most selfless and loyal person in Paris. Being a police officer, her dad had taught her a very important lesson: those who served and protected what was important gained strong appreciation. It hadn't taken Sabrina long to figure out what was important to her. Once she met Chloe back in grade school when they were little, she had begun doing her homework for her, and they'd been BFFs ever since then. Sabrina had done all the good deeds and chores Chloe could ask for, and in return she gave her fancy clothes and accessories. She'd always thought that meant Chloe was giving her the strong appreciation that was the reward for serving and protecting, but now she was being given a different kind of strong appreciation. A kind that Chloe had never given her.

Sabrina gulped down the many-mixed-vegetables-in-one-plant thing she was eating and gazed at the Star Darlings, happy on the outside but confused on the inside. Their version of friendship wasn't what she'd been taught all these years, but it somehow felt better. Instead of giving her fancy things and asking her to do their homework like Chloe had always done, these girls were giving her compliments and insisting she didn't have to do their homework—or any of their work.

On an ordinary basis, Sabrina would have told herself that she was on another planet and that was why things were different. However, the Star Darlings weren't the only ones who had told her Chloe wasn't a true friend. There had once been a time where her classmate Marinette had told her that Chloe was taking advantage of her. Sabrina had believed Marinette was a better friend after that, but when she didn't help her with the assignment they had to do together, she'd realized Marinette wasn't the right friend for her after all. Then Chloe had given her a fancy hat as a present, and she'd gone back to being her BFF. But somehow, even that hat didn't feel quite as good as the advice and positivity the Starlings were giving her.

School had finished half an hour ago, and since Chloe was still busy in the principal's office, Vega wasn't sure what to do. She had no idea where Sabrina lived, and she couldn't ask around without raising suspicions from the Wishlings.

What Vega was sure of was that she needed to be careful. Her mind controlling spell on Chloe had exposed the truth about who really did her homework, but to everyone in class, the spell part had been just as obvious. Ladybug and Cat Noir, the town's superheroes, were said to be searching for any villain who could have been created alongside the one named Horrificator, and Vega knew it was only a matter of time before the heroes realized the truth. They probably had secrets of their own, but if the heroes found out about Starland and the fact that Sabrina had temporarily been replaced with a girl from another planet, things wouldn't go well at all.

Deciding to take a walk around town until she could figure out what to do next, Vega observed her surroundings. Some Wishlings were getting into cars and driving off, while others chatted with each other on the school steps. She wanted to go spend time with them and have fun; that would help Sabrina gain some new friends who would treat her the right way. But Vega decided to take that step tomorrow. She'd already risen enough suspicions with her mind controlling powers. If she did too much too soon, her cover would be blown.

Vega suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and stepped back, startled. Chloe was standing behind her—and she didn't look happy at all. Vega braced herself, but Chloe didn't say anything. She just stood there, glaring at her and tapping her foot. Quickly, Vega thought hard. What would Sabrina say in this situation?

Chloe finally spoke—no, finally yelled—to her. Right in Vega's face, to be precise. "Fine! I'll just tell you why I'm angry. WHY DID YOU GET DADDY AND ME IN TROUBLE WITH MISS BUSTIER?!"

Her yelling was so loud that all the Wishling teens nearby heard it. They immediately stopped what they were doing and stared. A girl with reddish-pink hair, a black cap, and roller blades started to go up and say something to Chloe, but a taller girl with black hair in bright purple streaks held her back. Vega noticed them staring at her and saw a chance to make things official. If this was far from the first time Chloe had yelled at Sabrina, then from that starday on, there would be no more yelling at Sabrina. The poor girl deserved way better than this. It simply couldn't wait any longer.

"Because you get me in trouble every day," Vega answered Chloe, "I never told you this, but I'm getting really tired of it!"

"You can never get enough of it," retorted Chloe, "And when you do complain about it, you always come running back to me in the end. Did you get re-akumatized with Mylène? Or is Dupain-Cheng trying to turn you against me again?"

"The only one turning me against you is you, Chloe," said Vega, "We're done." And with that, she turned and walked away. Chloe was about to yell even more, but then her classmates began clapping and cheering. "YEAH SABRINA!" shouted the girl in roller blades.

Chloe scoffed and walked away, shouting, "Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" As soon as she was gone, Vega sighed in satisfaction and walked up to the cheering Wishlings. "Come on," she said, "let's have some real fun together."

"Your choice," said the girl named Alya, appearing impressed but a little surprised, "It's time you had a turn at making decisions."

Vega thought about possible suggestions she could make. She wasn't entirely sure what Sabrina's interests were, since the only interests the girl had told her about were things she did with Chloe—none of which didn't involve hurting someone's feelings. Quickly, Vega thought back to the last time she'd been to Wishworld: her Wish Mission. The school her wisher went to had been filled with clubs, all of which had fun activities to offer. The activities had all been fun, but the one her wisher had introduced her to brought back particularly starmazing memories.

"How about we do some knitting together?" Vega suggested. Many Wishlings nodded in excitement and delight.

The day (or starday) had been big, for both Vega and Sabrina. Living each other's lives had its ups and downs, but they each overcame the downs as they came their way. For Vega, it had been pretty easy. She was on Wishworld to clear away her stress while simultaneously helping Sabrina improve her life and make her own decisions. Both of those tasks were proving to be very easy. Sabrina considered her part of the switch easy too, but unlike Vega, she found herself doubting that was true. She tried to hide her uncertainty as the day ended and the night began, but even as she went to sleep, she could feel it in her.

The next few days (or stardays) passed by, though mostly uneventfully. Since Sabrina was spared from having to attend Vega's classes, she had a lot of free time on her hands. She used that time to get used to life on Starland: the chairs that immediately adjusted themselves so everyone who sat in them would be comfortable, the strange but tasty food, the holo-books that were completely different from the books she was used to reading, the apps on the Star Zaps. After classes, she hung out with the Star Darlings, who each introduced her to the things they liked to do. Whether she listened to the singing of Cassie's pet glowfur (and helped make sure the animal stayed hidden from the faculty), skateboarded with Scarlet, or made music with Clover, Sabrina had the time of her life.

Meanwhile, Vega spent the next few days living the typical Wishling life. She spent the nights with Sabrina's father Roger, and the days going to school with Alya and all of her friends. During each class period, Chloe brought a fancy accessory or outfit to school and waved it in front of Vega, trying to win her so-called BFF back, but she easily ignored her and walked on by. Chloe eventually gave up trying to bribe "Sabrina" to be her friend again, but what she didn't give up on was making sure Ladybug and Cat Noir found out why the girl was acting so weird. Neither of the superheroes were happy about having to do favors for Chloe, but because of how obvious it had looked that a speech-controlling spell was what made her admit her wrong-doings to Miss Bustier, they agreed with her. An akumatized villain definitely had it out for Chloe (which Vega learned happened a lot these stardays), and regardless of whether or not she deserved it, the villain still had to be stopped.

Okay, so maybe the next few days weren't so uneventful after all. Since Chloe made a big deal out of things whenever she was in danger, and since Alya posted any akuma attack evidence online when she could, Vega was quick to learn that if she didn't do something fast, then sooner or later, Ladybug and Cat Noir would figure out that the spell Chloe had been under wasn't caused by an akumatized villain. Then eventually, they would question Vega about it and her true identity would be revealed.

So every day, as soon as school was over, Vega hung out with Alya and her friends, but she also kept a close eye on Ladybug and Cat Noir to monitor their progress. At night, Vega would formulate a plan to save face, which didn't take long at all. She'd just wait until an akuma attack took place before or after school hours. If it happened to be someone who had been missing in action since Vega's arrival, she would secretly follow the villain everywhere and use her special skill to make Ladybug and Cat Noir think that villain had been responsible for the spell on Chloe, and had just been in hiding, waiting for the right moment to strike. By the time her plan was fully thought out, the Starling was convinced that it simply couldn't fail.

Before Sabrina knew it, Saturday arrived. With no classes to attend, she was able to spend the entire day with her new friends. They all had fun, including her, but somehow Sabrina's uncertainty increased the more they hung out. She couldn't understand it, or at least thought she couldn't. She wasn't really sure.

That night, after saying good night to Piper, Sabrina went to sleep and had a strange dream. Or maybe it was just the way she felt that was strange. The dream wasn't supposed to be strange—it was about her spending time with Chloe. First they were doing Sabrina's favourite activity: dressing up as Ladybug and Cat Noir and cuddling in Chloe's bed together. Then they were at school, and Sabrina was doing Chloe's homework for her.

It was supposed to be the best dream Sabrina ever had, but for some reason it was making her uncomfortable instead of happy. She was especially surprised when Chloe started complaining about the cafeteria food, and she found herself looking away from her and gazing longingly at Marinette and her friends. Longingly?! What was going on? Marinette was supposed to be her rival! She didn't want to be friends with her…or did she? No, she didn't. Not at all…right? Ugh! Sabrina couldn't understand why she wasn't enjoying this moment. Chloe was her BFF—she loved spending time with her!

The dismissal bell rang sooner than Sabrina expected, and without a backward glance, Chloe got into her limousine as always. The door closed, the limo took off, and Sabrina was tasked with running after it like usual. But for some reason, her legs wouldn't move. Seriously, what was up with her? Running after Chloe's limo every day and holding a big suitcase filled with things she might need the whole way was routine! Sure, it always left her frazzled and winded by the time they arrived at school or at Chloe's apartment, but she didn't mind. She never did…no, of course not! No!

Sabrina was annoyed with herself. What are you doing? Just RUN! Chloe needs you! YOU'RE HER BFF! She had to force herself to run by pushing her legs out in front of her with her arms, which had never happened before. There had just never been the need for it. Eventually she was sprinting down the street, like she always did at times like these. However, this time she found herself growing tired much quicker than usual. And where she'd normally feel frazzled from her aching legs and increasing exhaustion, she instead felt discouraged. Sabrina forced herself to keep running and not slow down, and that was when the strangest part of all happened. As she forced herself to continue running, words popped into her mind all on their own: why did I trap myself in this?

Hey, Sabrina told herself, trying to speak above that weird voice in her head, what's wrong with you? It's not a trap, it's…a gift! The greatest…gift…you've… Suddenly her exhaustion increased way faster than it normally did, and she found herself tilting to the right, as though she were falling off an invisible cliff. Next thing she knew, she was landing on the dorm room floor, all tangled up in Vega's blanket. Sabrina lay there, gasping for air. Her legs still hurt; she must have been running in her sleep. After getting her bearings and catching her breath, she jumped. Piper! Had she woken her up? She quickly sat up and looked at her, but Piper was still sound asleep. She was tossing and turning slowly, which meant she was probably having a dream of her own.

Slowly and quietly, Sabrina freed herself from the blanket and placed it back on Vega's bed. She then got back under the covers and tried to process what just happened. That dream could only mean one thing, and it was the one thing she didn't want it to mean. Was it really possible that she didn't like following in Chloe's footsteps all the time? No, that's impossible! I do like being her friend! She may have a different way of showing it than the Star Darlings, but— Sabrina stopped herself. Chloe had a different way of showing it than they did? What was wrong with her? They were the ones who had a different way of showing it than she did!

Sabrina got up, pushed open the door, and ran out of the room. She heard it close behind her and knew she'd be locked out. Only the hand scanner could let her back in, and since her hand print wouldn't work because it wasn't Vega's hand, Piper would have to let her in when she woke up—which wouldn't be for another few hours. But Sabrina didn't care. Being on another planet was messing with her head. She just needed to get back to Paris. Then she'd start thinking straight again.

Sabrina rushed into the Little Dipper Dorm's main area, but as she reached the middle of the room, she tripped over a round pillow and fell to her knees. She found herself face-to-face with a handheld mirror that was already on the floor. Staring into it, she saw Vega's face staring back at her. Sabrina didn't understand why, but seeing someone else's face in the mirror only made her feel more overwhelmed. She found herself trying desperately to remember the magic words she'd recited that would make her look like herself again. What was it again? Something about stars…but what?! When the phrase just wouldn't come to her, Sabrina grabbed the mirror and threw it against one of the doors. It shattered, and she began sobbing. Why did she feel so…trapped? There wasn't anything wrong with her life. Why did she feel like there was?

"Sabrina?"

She looked up. Libby was coming out of her dorm room, closing the door behind her. The same door that had been struck by the shattered mirror. Without even thinking, Sabrina stood up and rushed toward Libby, hugging her and sobbing louder. She was worried Libby would tell her to be quiet so she wouldn't wake the other girls, but to her surprise, she didn't. Instead she gently hugged her in return, and a moment later, she guided her out of the room and into the Celestial Café. There, they sat in some chairs, and Libby continued to comfort Sabrina until her crying grew softer.

When she felt the tears were finished coming out, Sabrina peered up at Libby. Everything about her presence seemed to calm her. The concerned and understanding look in her eyes, the way her hands gently clasped her arms…it was true comfort. Comfort she needed. Comfort that she found herself realizing had never once been provided by Chloe. Wait, what?! Horrified at what just popped into her mind, Sabrina tore herself out of Libby's arms. "Leave me alone!" she screamed. "Get out of my head! Chloe's my BFF, and there's nothing you can do to change that!"

Libby froze. "I…I wasn't trying to—"

"YES YOU HAVE! All of you have," yelled Sabrina, "You're trying to turn me against Chloe just because she reminds you so much of Vivica!"

"That's not true," said Libby, "I know you don't see it, but Chloe's a terrible friend. A true friend doesn't force you to do their chores for them or run after their school rides for no reason! And how could she remind me of Vivica? She's a hydrong times worse than her and her cohorts put together!"

"Just stop. Stop trying to tear our friendship apart! We get into enough disagreements as it is! I'm the only friend Chloe has, and twice now, our friendship almost ended forever! Don't try to make it break apart for the third time! Please! Just let me go back to my real life, and don't you dare try to change it!" Sabrina turned and stomped toward the door. She opened it and was about to step into the hallway when she heard Libby beginning to whimper. Turning around, she saw the pink-haired Starling hunching down a little. A glittery pink tear rolled down her cheek.

Sabrina instantly regretted yelling at her. What had she been thinking? All Libby and her friends had been doing was showing her how it felt to be on the receiving end of the kindness she'd always given to others. And after experiencing all that, she realized now that selfishness wasn't simply receiving kindness rather than giving it. Selfishness was only there if you wanted all the receiving to go to you—which hadn't been the case for Sabrina at all. She appreciated all that the girls had done for her since her arrival. She'd been nice to them, and they'd been nice to her. It was a great—actually starmazing—relationship. Did she really want it to end just because she could only have Chloe as a friend? Just because the Starlings' version of friendship wasn't what she'd been taught all her life?

Before she could even think about it and answer that question, Sabrina found herself walking back toward Libby and sitting with her. She gently placed an arm on her shoulder, and Libby fell silent. She lifted her head a little in confusion.

"I'm sorry," said Sabrina, "I'm really sorry."

Libby nodded. "I know. All I was doing was making sure you were okay…but if you need some space I can—"

"No, no, I don't need space. Actually I think I just need someone to talk to." Sabrina then told Libby all about the dream she had, making sure she included every detail—particularly the strange emotions she'd felt as the dream progressed.

As she described the dream, Libby thought hard, processing all that she was telling her. At first she was starprised Sabrina hadn't chosen Piper to discuss this with; no one knew more about dreams than she did. But when she actually heard about what happened in the dream, Libby had a feeling that even Piper wouldn't have been able to explain it the right way. She knew a lot about dreams, but usually when it came to emotions, Libby, being someone who could understand multiple perspectives at once, was more helpful in the matter. The current situation was no exception.

"Promise me you won't take this the wrong way," Libby said, wiping her tears with her hand. Sabrina nodded, and Libby admitted, "I think your life back on Wishworld is something you want to like because it's what you experienced for staryears, but…deep down…you wish it was different."

Sabrina wanted to deny Libby's answer. She wanted to say there wasn't anything wrong with her life, and that she enjoyed having Chloe as a friend. Most of all, she wanted to say it and mean it. But as she opened her mouth to speak, she felt the uncertainty even before the words came out—which they never did. Sabrina closed her mouth and looked at Libby, who was watching her with an understanding and comforting face.

Not taking her eyes off of Libby, Sabrina decided to do the one thing she'd been nervous about doing, unbeknownst to everyone including herself: explore her doubts instead of avoiding them. As she did, she realized Libby was right. As much as she didn't want to admit it, deep down inside her…she hadn't liked being Chloe's BFF. Well, that is, she didn't like specific elements of it. Cosplaying with her as Ladybug and Cat Noir had been fun. Cuddling with her for no particular reason and doing her homework had been fun too. But deep down within her, not everything she and her best friend did together was…fun. Sabrina had always convinced herself otherwise without really thinking about it, but sometimes she wished she didn't have to stand beside Chloe all the time. Serving and protecting was tough, but sometimes she felt like the prices Chloe made her pay were a bit much. And making fun of people couldn't be part of her father's job…could it?

These were thoughts Sabrina hadn't ever paid attention to, and she probably never would have. But ever since she'd begun spending time with the Star Darlings, she had become aware of all the thoughts and emotions she'd kept far away from her complicated mind. They gave her fancy things and introduced her to challenges she struggled with, but there was an extra element to it all: they faced the challenges with her. They took risks and helped her out like she had always done for Chloe; favours Sabrina was always happy to return. There was no selfishness involved like she initially thought there would be. It was giving and receiving, but in this case Sabrina was allowed to receive just as much as she was allowed to give; unlike when she was with Chloe, who forbid her from receiving most of the time. As this thought popped into her head, Sabrina realized Astra had been right. There really wasn't any harm in a balance.

"You're right," Sabrina finally admitted, "Even I didn't realize it, but…Chloe's not…who I thought she…" Tears began rolling down her cheeks again, and she hugged Libby, who stroked her back.

"It's okay," said Libby, "I don't blame you. You're not the only crowd pleaser here. I never realize it, but I also try too hard to impress. It's not just one Starling I try so hard with though, it's…every Starling." She then began to talk about all the things she had done that her friends and family had said was trying too hard. Giving away so much of her belongings including the ones from her parents just so the less fortunate could live happier lives, granting even the simplest requests from her wisher back on her Wish Mission…it was a long list. But the more she said, the more reassured and comforted Sabrina felt in her embrace.

For the rest of the night, the two girls sat in the Celestial Café together, each of them admitting to imperfections and over-loyalty. Sabrina was amazed at how much she had in common with Libby. Not only were they friend pleasers, but they liked a lot of the same things. Sabrina always admired parties, shoes, and the colour pink, while Libby had a lot of moments when she couldn't stop talking about those subjects. By morning, both of the girls' moods had improved, and they even held hands as they walked back to the Little Dipper Dorm. As they met up with Gemma, who, being Libby's roommate, wanted to know where they'd been last night, Sabrina chuckled. She was looking forward to spending time with her eleven new friends—way more forward than she'd ever been.

Wow; so much deep stuff there! I can't wait to hear how you felt about it. ;) The next chapter, which I have a feeling will also involve some deep things, is coming soon. Be prepared…!