Warfare
Fifty miles west from Echo Creek was a beautiful and secluded beach that not many knew about. The bright full moon illuminated the getaway, casting shadows even during the nighttime. There was a small wooded area that segregated the unpaved road from the beach, making it difficult to bring in a car. As the beach spread out to the right, the sand disappeared and grassy land continued up into a cliff that overlooked the horizon-crossing mass of water. On this cliff, was a figure of a woman that Star recognized as her mother.
This figure was a shadow of Star's past. It was a dangerous foe that can easily kill the magical princess, let alone a regular human. Star couldn't help but inspect the features of the shadow. Matilda's shadow had a disembodied head, Primrose's was deformed like charred corpse, and this one had many bright lines circling various parts of her body. Her wrists, humeri, shoulders, neck, thighs, and a few others. It gave Star chills and shook her breath. What could have happened to her mother?
"Star..?" Jackie called out to her, making her turn to the skater. She looked scared and unsure of what to do. Jackie saw Primrose and how powerless a human can be against a shadow. No doubt this wouldn't be any easier. Star looked at her other friends, they looked frozen. They needed an order. They needed guidance if they were going to make it out okay.
"..Should we.. get the flare guns?" Janna asked in hesitancy. Janna wanted to protect her friends more than anything. It made sense that her first thought was to grab a weapon.
"Th-They're in the.. in the car.." Brittney added with a shaky voice. She's never seen what the shadows can do but something about the visual of a dark silhouette of a woman creeped into her skin. Star had just made friends with Brittney last night. They had a wonderful time and got to know each other very well. Eating food, playing with make up and nail polish, watching reality television shows and documentaries about animals made it something Star will forever cherish.
"I parked kinda far, though.." Oskar pointed out, making everyone realize that they'd have to move around 20 meters just to reach the car. Star knew they could make it if she and Marco kept the shadow busy. As long as her friends didn't provoke it, they'd be safe. It was Star that the shadow wanted.
"Is it even a good idea to move?" Alfonso asked in fright. Star saw the fear in his eyes. The lack of confidence in them pushed Star to want to protect him, protect them all.
"W-We can't just stand here!.." Ferguson panicked.
"Everyone." Star said aloud with an enticing leadership. She stared the shadow down, refusing to be shaken up anymore. "Everything will be okay.. because you have me.. and I have you." Marco looked at Star's confident smile. It set a fire within him. "I can't say none of us will get hurt but in the end, it'll be like this never happened." Star took a deep breath. She had to be strong for her friends, for the people she cared about. "So trust me, each other, and yourselves. We can do this!" Everyone gave their appealed acknowledgments. Marco let his magic spread throughout his body, ready for anything. "Marco will stay by me! Everyone else, go to the car and ready the flares!" Her shouts prompted the shadow. Two large butterfly wings suddenly spread from its back, surprising the group. Star did the same, manifesting her wings of light in an instant. "Go!" As the others made their way to the vehicle, Star looked at Marco. "We have to get out of the water. It'll be easier to fight on dry land."
"Right!" He said unflinchingly, making Star grin in delight. Marco definitely made it easier to keep her confidence up. The two powerfully jump out of the water and onto the shore. Marco slams into it, grinding his feet into the sand with the momentum. Star floats down much more gracefully. "Show off.." Marco jokes.
"I know, I am pretty cool." She boasted, getting a smirk from Marco. The shadow of Star's mother began to hover, keeping its gaze on its victims. Star was worried that the others going to the car would get the shadow's attention, so she decided it was time to attack. "You ready?" She asked Marco next to her.
"I'm ready.." He told her. Star gave him a look of resolve before switching to the shadow. With her arms up, ready to shoot a blast, Star thought to herself. She didn't know why a shadow form of her mother existed and she was terrified to find out what could've happened. However, she knew that she could not bear see her like this. Even if it's not her actual mother, Star swore that she would defeat the shadow and free her mother's spirit.
Star fires a blast of light so powerful that it raises the sand and water around her. It flies at a high speed toward the shadow of Moon, ripping through the calm ocean breeze. The fast-acting shadow takes off from the cliff, dodging the blast and barreling at Star with a deadly intent. Moon's left arm transformed into a large blade-like appendage. In a blink, she reaches the princess, ready to attack. Star stares down the shadow with confidence, not letting herself feel fear. Before Moon's sword could be brought down on Star, Marco dashes in front of her and catches the blade with his hands. The force of the block sent a wave of vibrations that turned the stomachs of the teenagers and caused the car to alarm, even shattering the windows.
"Holy shit!!" Oskar yells at the sudden chaos. He unlocks the car, shutting off the alarm and digging inside for the box of flares.
"Star!!" Marco screams as a spurt of blood escapes through his clenched teeth. "Now!" His command immediately summons Star to slide under him and aim her palms upward at the shadow. She fires, blasting the monster away into the air toward the ocean. It stops midair, putting out any fires on it with its wings. The shadow of Moon hovers a few dozen meters in the sky, watching her prey. Marco falls to his knees, feeling the brunt of the force from the shadow's attack within him.
"Marco!" Star kneels down to his aid.
"It's okay!" He assures with a cruel smile. "This is nothing.." He wipes the blood from his chin and stands back up, to Star's worry. Janna sees this and a chill travels up her spine. Just one attack put Marco on his knees and he blocked it.
"Got it!" Oskar alerts the others as he brings out the box full of flares. Janna rushes to him and yanks the box out of his hands. She opens the box and grabs a flare gun, keeping it close before checking if it was loaded. Jackie does the same while everyone else grabs fusee flares. Star and Marco look up at the floating shadow, waiting for an attack. Before long, they saw the large wings of darkness spread wide. They glowed with Light magic in several areas before many orbs shot out like a hail of arrows toward Star and Marco.
"It can use Light magic?!" Star screamed in shock. "Marco, get low!" As her command is addressed by her partner with a crouch, Star puts her arms out, creating a shield around them. The orbs of light fall around them like a downpour. To Star's confusion, none of them hit them directly. They would hit the floor around them and spread wide circles of light. One even spread around the car near the others. When the barrage ended, Star waited anxiously. She looked around the large bodies of light surrounding their area.
"Did she even try hitting us?" Marco asked.
"I don't know.." Star released her shield with a strain, having difficulty keeping it up for long. "Maybe she's just trying to limit our movement." The shadow of Moon stared down the teens momentarily before flying up high and nose diving into one of the puddles of light. To Star and Marco's dismay, she disappears into one of them.
"Wait, what?!" Marco gasped, bewildered by the shadow's action.
"She went in one of them!" Star told him, no more sure of what the point was. Marco thought for a moment before looking around at the puddles of light everywhere. If the shadow was trying to limit their movement, it could have done better. Sure, there were lots of the puddles but they were easy to maneuver around. Perhaps, it wasn't the plan to pin them down.
Upon coming to this conclusion, Star felt an energy appear behind her, a killing intent that shook her to her bones. Before she can react and put her hands up for a blast, the upper half of Moon's shadow emerged from one of the pools of light next to her. In the blink of an eye, it slashed at Star's leg with her arm blade. The princess felt herself lose balance and fall to the floor.
"Star!!" Marco growled in fury as he tried grabbing the shadow, hoping to drag it out. The monster was too quick however, sinking back into the light. "Dammit!" The angry boy looked back at Star. She had fallen to the ground. As Marco approached to help her up, he realized something that froze him.
"Guess I know how you felt now." Star told him with a pained grin. "At least a little. Heh heh.." She gripped her thigh, as the pain of her leg missing at the knee was tormenting her. Marco stared in shock, he couldn't move. The sight of Star in such a state terrified him to his core. It made him angry along with the fear of uncertainty. He could feel his control on the dark magic loosen. "Marco, snap out of it!" Her brash voice snapped the boy out of his daze. "I need you on top of things!" Marco gave a scared look before shaking his head.
"R-Right!" He shouted.
"Help me up! Let's go back-to-back!" Marco gives her a nod before he helps her up on her foot. The others look on in horror as the seriousness of Star's injury became apparent.
"You can heal yourself, right?!" Marco asks her in urgency.
"Yeah!" Star assured as she stood up and leaned on her partner. "As long as I have my leg! It's around here.. somewhere." Janna looked on from the vehicle in a panic.
"Come on! We have to go help!" She told Alfonso and Ferguson next to her.
"What the fuck are we supposed to do about that?!" Ferguson vexed.
"Not stand here pissing our pants!" She advised before dashing to her friends in need.
"Oh, god! Oh, god!" Alfonso grasped the hair on his head in anxiety before following the gutsy girl. Ferguson releases a heavy exhale of frustration as he watched his two comrades dash toward the danger.
"You guys are fuckin' nuts!" He screams before following. Marco hears Star whimper in pain as he remained back-to-back with her.
"Star, you have to heal yourself." He tells her. "You're gonna lose way too much blood."
"I know." Star assured. "But I'd have to find my leg first and we don't have that kind of time for a distraction like that.." Jackie watches from a distance as she gripped her flare gun tightly. She felt herself shake from the terror and the small gun in her hands felt heavier. "If we could get another good hit on the shadow, it'll probably buy us some time. But where is it?" Marco looked around anxiously and saw the figure floating above a Light pool near the car. It was right next to Jackie.
"Jackie! Look out!" He alarmed, making the girl inspect her surroundings. She made eye-contact with the shadow. It was just looking at her, as if checking if she was any threat. Jackie began to breath heavily before letting out a scream and shooting her flare at it. The powerful red glow struck the monster in chest, burning it slightly. The shadow retreated into the pool, out of sight. Jackie stood there in awe.
"Good job, Jackie! Gah!" Star congratulated before almost stumbling from her imbalance. Jackie gave a scared smile before rushing to the box to reload. Brittney watched her. From a pool closer to Star, the shadow of Moon erupted out, going up high.
"There, you are!" Star exclaimed before setting her sights on it. As it reached a pinnacle of its rise, Star fired a blast, nearly falling back. At the same time, the shadow fired a smaller Dark blast. Not toward Star, but at Jackie. Brittney sees the zooming ball of darkness and pushes her love out of the way, getting hit herself. Star's Light blast hits the shadow at the same time, launching it away into the darkness of the sky.
"Brittney!" Jackie screams in worry as her friend is propelled into the car by the attack. She crawls to her to see her whimpering and struggling to breath. The blast hit the left section of her ribs and tore her clothes, along with causing a large hole that bled profusely. "Star! Brittney's hurt!" Jackie shouted in a plea, just as Janna and the two boys reached Star and Marco. Everyone looked over in a panic.
"Oh, no.." Star let out in fear. "I have to heal her now! She won't last long with that injury!"
"Like that?!" Janna questioned vexed, pointing out the girl's missing leg.
"This can wait for a bit longer!" Star told her.
"Star, we can't leave you like this!" Marco contradicted. Star thought for a moment before coming to an idea.
Alfonso struck his flare, igniting it and releasing a bright red light. He used the lighting as he scoured the beach for Star's disembodied leg.
"Ahh.. I'm gonna freak out when I find it!" He said to himself as he searched. Meanwhile, Ferguson ran toward Brittney in a struggle as he carried Star bridal style. Marco and Janna followed for protection.
"Ew! Ew! You're bleeding all over me!" Ferguson whined between his breaths. Star elbows him on the shoulder. "Ow!"
"Stop grabbing my butt!" Star demanded.
"Sorry! Sorry!!" He told her. "It felt like the easiest thing to grip!" Jackie saw them approaching and looked at Brittney with a hopeful smile.
"You're gonna be okay! Here they come!" She told her happily. Jackie suddenly feels Brittney's hands grasp onto her's. She brings it close to her chest and hugs it passionately. Jackie looks at her with concern, scared to see her this way. As Alfonso looked and looked, he felt the shadow of Moon flying past him at a high speed toward Star.
"Hey! Look out!" His cry reached Marco, who reacted quickly and bear-hugged the creature as it was about to pass him. It dragged him a bit but he was able to fully stop it. Janna screamed at the suddenness before firing the flare at the shadow. The light hurt the monster enough for Marco to pick it up and throw it far behind him. Alfonso felt the wind of the monster fly past him again in the other direction.
"Agh!" He screamed in the shock of it. "Goddammit!" Marco chased it down as it flew through the air. When the shadow reaches the floor on its feet, Marco jumps to it, bringing his fist back for a punch. The shadow dodges it, using its wings to fly around the danger and swipes at Marco with its arm blade. The magical boy catches it and bucks the shadow back before trying to attack it again.
"God, where is it, where is it?!" Alfonso asks himself in a fluster as he searches for Star's leg. His searching proved well done after he finally did so. "Aha!" He approaches the bloodied limb and hesitated to pick it up. "Oh, g—!.. Eww.." He holds it in his arms like an unwanted child before dashing to the others near the car. By now, Star was in the middle of healing Brittney and Marco was struggling more and more with the shadow.
"Whoo.." Star exhaled in a relief after healing the downed cheerleader.
"Brit! Brit!" Jackie called to her, wanting to see her friend pull through.
"She's unconscious," Star informed, leaning on her arms. "Protect her!" The princess stood up in a struggle, using the car as a balance.
"I've got it! I've got it!" Alfonso announced as he approached the girl. As he did, the shadow stabs at Marco, penetrating through his right palm. He screams in agony before the shadowy silhouette covers his mouth and lifts him up.
"Marco!" Star and Janna shout in worry. "Hurry up! Put it against my cut!" Star commanded Alfonso to line up the opening of her limb to her thigh. Oskar looked around in a panic, unsure what do.
"God,.. I—.. I'm sorry, dudes.." He says in disappointment before running to the driver side of the car and entering. He starts the ignition, shocking the others.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" Janna hazed, watching the vehicle drive off.
"Bro.. Dad's gonna kill me." Oskar lamented to himself before taking a deep breath and sharply turning the car toward the water. "Come on, Oskar! Come on!" He said, trying to enliven himself. Once setting his sights, he slammed the gas pedal down, revving the tires through the sand. The car blasts off, past the other teens. Marco could feel the shadow trying to twist his neck by his chin. He was about to die, staring back at the monster's lifeless eyes, right as Oskar and his car ram into the shadow. Marco is dropped onto the sand. He watched the car carry the shadow into the water, torrenting the vehicle and the monster.
"Crazy guy.." Marco murmurs before standing up. "Oskar!" He runs to the marooned vehicle in worry for his new friend. The car remains slightly buoyant as Oskar exits through the driver-side window. He uses the top of the vehicle to sit on, feeling a sense of loss as his second home sinks into the water. Marco smiles, elated at the boy's action. "Yes, Oskar! Woohoo!! You're the man!" The other teenagers look on in relieved smiles. Oskar gives a weak grin, feeling an equality of loss and victory. His feelings are interrupted when the car shakes. It freezes everyone, for they hoped their battle had ended.
"Get out of there!" Ferguson screams, prompting the others to shout similar commands. Oskar uses all of his strength to jump toward the bank. He rolls onto the sand, looking back at his vehicle in fear. In a loud clang, the piece of machinery is broken apart into many pieces as the shadow of Moon flies through it.
"Knew that wouldn't be enough.." Star said aloud upon fully healing her leg. She glides over next to Marco as they look up at their enemy. It looked weak. A big attack would most definitely put it down. Star grabbed Marco's wounded hand and healed it.
"You aren't tired?" Marco asked softly.
"Way tired." Star answered with a chuckle. "But I think we're almost done!" She told him with a goofy smile. Marco gives her a proud look, ready to end the battle. The shadow of Moon puts its arms in front of itself. The wings on its back send slow-moving streams of light and dark toward its palms, slowly generating an orb of the magical powers. It was preparing a powerful attack to fire on the two teenagers. "Put your arms out." Star commanded, staring down the creature.
"..Okay." Marco wasn't totally sure what was about to happen but he put his trust in Star. He put his arms forward and the girl next to him joined.
"Give it everything you've got!" The two concentrated their power to their palms, mixing their light and dark like the shadow. The other teenagers looked on in awe, feeling the impending climax. Both magical teams had charged their attacks into orbs that swirled with the contrasting powers. Star had half her body in a dark form and Marco in light, both utilizing their inner demons and joy. "Fire when I say!" Star yelled. Marco felt like he could lose control of the orb at any moment but he knew he could do it with his partner next to him.
"Right!" He says with a reliable tone. The shadow of Moon looked just about ready to fire. The growing power of both teams trembled the earth around them. Oskar was lucky/unlucky enough to get a front row seat. Right as the shadow of Moon fired its blast, Star gave her command.
"Now!!" With a passionate battlecry, both Star and Marco release their built up energy, firing a large beam of light and dark. The two pillars of magic collide with a boom, pushing everything living, and not, around them. Marco felt like he was going to fall back at any moment. The force of the shadow's power shook his arms and legs. "Don't let up! We can do this!" Star encouraged him, however. Her voice was all he needed to fight to his last drop of blood. Marco tensed up, feeling his power overflow within him. The other teenagers, all grouped up, shout and cheer for a victory for their two fighting friends. The teenage roars excited Star and Marco, prompting them to let one out of their own as they pushed their assault. They leap into their attack, going head-on toward the shadow with their magical power. In an instant, the three magic users collided into a large blast that blinded the others.
As the light and particles of the explosion dimmed, the teenagers looked around for their friends. They yell for Star and Marco, desperate to see their well-being. Janna searched the dark sky as well as she could, trying to spot Marco. A wide smile grows on her face when she sees him. However, it fades when she realizes he was unconscious and plummeting toward the shore.
"Marco!!" Her cry of fear wakes the boy. His tired eyes open wide upon realizing his plight. He screams and waves his arms in a panic, trying to change his trajectory to hit the water as much as possible. The building momentum was halted by a snag at his left wrist. Marco looks up to see Star holding onto him, easing themselves down with the flight of her wings. She looks down at him with a seemingly-neutral stare before a look of joy takes over. She starts to giggle softly before Marco joins her enthusiasm and laughs.
As Star and Marco floated down from the height of their battle, their teenage comrades rushed them, giving embraces and praise for their triumph. Their stamina was weak, their skin was bruised, and their clothes were torn in several areas but it was still a victory. Jackie watched her friends from afar as an unconscious Brittney rested her head on her lap. Janna jumped onto Marco, giving him repeated kisses on the cheek.
"Jesus, you scared the fuck out of me.." She told him with a tight hug. Marco hugged back, delighted to be back in the comfort of his girlfriend's arms.
"That was the coolest thing I've ever seen!" Alfonso said enthusiastically, shaking his battle-worn friend in excitement. "I can die a virgin and still be happy because of tonight."
"Hey, don't be hasty, Fonso." Ferguson stepped in with a laugh. "But, yeah, that was badass."
"You are the coolest girl in the world, Star." Oskar tells the princess with a hand on her shoulder.
"I know." Star agreed boastfully, making Oskar grin. "Sorry your car died." The licensed boy exhales in disappointment, not looking forward to the repercussions of the fact.
Over with Jackie, Brittney was coming to, the first thing she saw was the girl she loved illuminated by the lunar glow. The cheerleader blushed, feeling like she was in a dream. Jackie looked down at her, joyfully smiling at her friend's awakening.
"There you are!" Jackie said happily. "You okay?" Brittney took a moment to stare longer before responding.
"Yeah.." She said softly, almost hypnotized by Jackie's radiance.
"You missed a really big explosion." Jackie laughed. "Guess that's what happens for saving my life." The skater girl's face was angelic to Brittney. She wanted to say what her heart felt but could only muster a simple question.
"..Do you want to go out and eat with me sometime?" Brittney asked meekly. Jackie looked at her with a confused face, unsure why she was so awkward about a normal question.
"Y—.. Yeah. Haha."
"Star," Marco called out to his battle partner, "what now?" The girl gave a puzzled look as she searched the area.
"I guess just wait for that memory." She answered, taking a deep breath. "This one's gonna be a really bad one. I know it.."
"Don't worry!" Alfonso butt in, "We'll be right here for you." The other's agreed with him, giving Star some inspiration to tackle whatever she had coming her way. The princess senses something from the sky and looks up in a shock. She saw the black orb of a memory. It was slowly approaching her.
"Well,.." She said, "there it is." The others watch the small ball float down. "Everyone,.. no matter what I feel after this memory, remember, I love you all."
"Likewise, Star." Janna replied, getting similar responses from the others. In a subtle and quiet moment, the orb flies into Star's chest, halting her consciousness.
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K. O.
Well, that was fun!
I'm sure it looked a lot cooler in my head than my writing could do justice. But there it is.
Thank you for reading!!
It's almost over. It's actually almost over.
And you've stuck with it. Seriously, thank you.
Hope to see you for the next one!
Byyyyyyye!
