Hi everyone; sorry for the long wait! Oh dear, that last chapter ended on a cliffhanger—for both sides! Will things get better? We shall soon find out…

Chapter 4

Sabrina kept a watchful eye on Vivica throughout each of their classes. The disguised Starling sat next to Chloe of course, since that was the only seat left. But Sabrina couldn't help noticing the way Vivica smiled once she ended up next to Chloe; clearly she was pleased to see her for reasons other than her fame and fortune.

As the lessons went on, Sabrina noticed Vivica continuously trying to secretly make conversation with Chloe, who eventually began showing her pictures of Ladybug. No surprise there—Chloe was Ladybug's self-proclaimed biggest fan who liked dressing up as and pretending to be her. Both girls were too far ahead for their words to be heard, but one thing was clear: Chloe was talking about Ladybug, and Vivica seemed to be interested in what she was saying.

Then Sabrina knew what was going on: Vivica was trying to find the two superheroes. She wasn't sure how she'd even known about Ladybug and Cat Noir, since she hadn't told her about them back in Starland, and Vivica had been missing in action during the Star Perfectionist incident. It was clear that she knew about them though, for whatever reason—and she was using Chloe, Ladybug's biggest fan (Sabrina wasn't sure how she'd known that part of the story either), to find the duo.

Yet it wasn't a surprise that she was talking to Chloe, of all people, about this; with the Miraculous supervillains out of the picture, Ladybug and Cat Noir didn't appear in public as often. When they did, it would always be for a talkshow with Nadja Chamack or Alya, or it would be to help the police with matters they couldn't deal with on their own. However, lately the heroes had been warning the public that soon, they would have to go into hiding for good. The main reason for their presence had been to stop Hawk-Moth and Mayura, and now that they had…well, it would only be a matter of time before Paris would see them for the last time. If anyone could bring the heroes out of hiding before that day, it was someone famous and wealthy who practically worshipped them: Chloe Bourgeois.

As Miss Bustier allowed Nino to answer a question, Sabrina tried to piece together the rest of the puzzle. She guessed Vivica probably knew about Ladybug, Cat Noir, and the fact that Chloe was a fan of theirs because she'd overheard her telling the Star Darlings about them—there simply wasn't any other explanation. And then came the toughest question: why did the heroes stand out to Vivica so much that she was trying this hard to find them? She had an easy time imagining how she'd found her way to Wishworld after all of Libby's visits, but why was she so interested in Ladybug and Cat Noir?

Sabrina sighed. There was only one option left, and she knew it wasn't going to pleasant. There was even a chance it wouldn't work, since Vivica still remembered her and knew it was vice versa too. But it was her last hope of figuring out what she was up to so the Star Darlings—whenever they'd be arriving in Paris—would have an easier time stopping her.

The lunch bell eventually rang, and everyone filed into the cafeteria. Marinette and the rest of her friends sat together at the biggest table, but Sabrina hung back, pretending she was having trouble deciding what food to get from the lunch counter. She was watching Vivica and Chloe, who both seemed to be chatting about something that made them both happy, and tried to think. How was she going to put her plan into action without Chloe catching on and trying to sabotage it? Sabrina was just about to consider sneaking toward the girls' table and eavesdropping, when suddenly she saw Vivica rise from her seat, say something to Chloe, and walk away. Yes! Maybe this would turn out to be a piece of cake (no pun intended) after all!

Vivica wandered around the cafeteria with uncertainty at first, but then noticed the food-collecting counter and headed straight for it. Sabrina saw the look in her eyes and stepped in front of the counter just as the disguised Starling came near. Sure enough, as soon as she did so, Vivica arrived at the counter, grabbed her by the wrist, and forcefully led her into the girls' bathroom. There, she closed the door and crossed her arms, glaring at her new Wishling classmate.

Unsure of how exactly she should start the conversation, Sabrina decided to play it safe and pretend her Starland memories actually had been erased. Smiling cheerfully, she said, "Um, hi Vivica! Are you enjoying being in our class? I know Chloe can be really mean sometimes, but—"

"Stop pretending, Sabrina," retorted Vivica. "I saw that look on your face when I first came in. You still remember me and those Star Dippers, don't you?"

Sabrina sighed in disappointment. "Alright, I admit it. I do…but wait. If you weren't at the Star Darlings' concert when I accidentally changed back into my real self, then how did you know it was me today?" As she said that, she suddenly felt ridiculous for not relying on that fact when Vivica had first walked in that morning. She'd had detention during the concert—there was no way she could have recognized her Wishling form! And yet her first theory, which had been entirely based on fear and impulsiveness, ended up being confirmed.

Vivica scoffed. "My friend Violetta saw you from the audience, and she recorded the whole thing on her Star Zap. She'll do anything for me, because she's impressed by how mean I can be. Anyway, aren't those so-called Star Darlings supposed to erase their wishers' memories once their exclusive wish missions are over?"

"Yeah, but…wait a minute, how did you know about the true purpose of the Star Darlings?"

"Don't think the entire school didn't find out about the battle against Rancora, Star Dipper Replacement."

"No, Libby told me they did. But she also said Lady Stella erased that memory from all the non-Star Darling students! Including you!"

"Sorry, but…not including me. I'm still trying to figure out how I remember it, but that's not important. What is important is that I know the truth about your Starling friends. And now, I also know the truth about your memories not being erased either."

Sabrina narrowed her eyes. "Why are you trying to find Ladybug and Cat Noir?"

"Oh. So you were spying on me and your ex-friend." Vivica smirked, placing a hand on her hip. "Okay, I'll tell you a little secret. Chloe knows we're in here. She likes that we have attitude in common, like Violetta, so becoming her new best friend wasn't that hard. It was actually her idea for me to bring you into the bathroom. But she thinks it's just because she needs my help to get revenge on you for abandoning her. There's another element to it too, and that's me telling you to stay out of my way."

"And what if I don't?" Sabrina retorted.

Vivica shrugged. "Then, I don't know…maybe I'll go back to Starland and have Rancora do something to you. Those Star Dippers may have stopped her from making our planet go dark, but that doesn't mean she's not still out there, with just enough power left in her to literally give people nightmares."

Sabrina gasped. "Rancora? You're working with her?"

"Why wouldn't I be? She loathes the Star Darlings just as much as I do, and I need a better teacher anyway. Someone who can actually teach something useful. All I have to do is one simple favor and she'll let me rule Starland with her!"

"Vivica, listen. I don't know how all that ties into Ladybug and Cat Noir, but whatever you and Rancora are up to, you're both going to fail. If the Miraculous superheroes can stop Stoneheart, Antibug, and all those other akumatized villains, they can stop you too."

The spiteful Starling rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Like those two wannabes stand a chance against me. Chloe said something about them only being able to use their powers once before they need to transform into their powerless forms. Starling magic never needs to be recharged...but it could always use an upgrade." And with that, Vivica tossed her almost-white blonde hair and left the bathroom, letting the door slam closed behind her.

But it could always use an upgrade. Vivica's final words to her bounced back and forth in Sabrina's mind. She couldn't understand how or why, but for some reason those words seemed like very important information. What did Vivica mean about Starling magic being upgraded? Power Crystals were the only substances Sabrina knew of that could upgrade Starling magic…but wouldn't she need to grant a wish or two in order to get one that would work on her and Rancora? Besides; to gain enough wish energy to formulate a Power Crystal, Vivica would need a Wish Pendant to collect the energy in. Sabrina hadn't seen her with anything that would qualify as a Wish Pendant, so she couldn't be looking for a Power Crystal. And again, what did Ladybug and Cat Noir have to do with the evil Starlings' plan?

Sabrina decided to try putting two and two together, and then all at once, everything made sense. Hawk-Moth had always been hungry for more power because he thought it was the only way to revive his wife, who at the time had been in a coma. That was why he and Mayura had akumatized the town's civilians and created sentimonsters—because Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses would give them upgrades, especially if they were used together by the same holder. Was Rancora trying to create an alternate universe with the heroes' Miraculouses and using Vivica to do it? If so, then Earth, Starland, and the rest of the universe could all be in great danger.

I've got to do something about this, Sabrina told herself. But first she needed to find the Star Darlings. She wasn't the only one on the hunt for Vivica, after all…

Libby stayed in her room for the rest of the starday, feeling truly miserable. She'd been hoping it wouldn't come down to this—the Star Darlings never understanding how she felt, her expelling herself from the team because of it. She'd hoped they would come to realize their mistake and make things better…and yet the exact opposite had happened instead.

Classes went by, one by one, as did lunch, but despite the bell ringing and the notifications on her Star Zap, Libby didn't leave her room. After what had happened in the glorange tree forest, she just didn't feel up for dealing with any of her teachers and classmates—especially Sage and Cassie, who were each in a few of her classes because they were first-year students like her. She knew she couldn't avoid Gemma of course, since they were roommates and would have to see each other again sooner or later. She wasn't planning on avoiding her anyway; she never complained when she talked about pink, boys, shoes, and parties. But the rest of the girls…she just couldn't handle it.

Sure, deep down she wished she hadn't quit the Star Darlings so soon. She could have waited until after they solved the Vivica problem; it would have been nice to see Sabrina for an extra few starmins. But after what happened today, Libby wanted as little to do with the Star Darlings as possible.

Tears welled up in Libby's eyes for the twentieth or thirtieth time that starday, and she began sobbing again. She never ever imagined that she'd finish up with only one true friend in the entire universe—that was a thought that had always been unbearable to her crowd-pleasing personality. Now it was reality; she had no friends on Starland, and only one friend on Wishworld that she only had a chance to talk to during the starnights, while everyone else was asleep. That left her with very little to do during the stardays, she realized. Without any friends other than Sabrina to spend time with and no Star Darling missions to go on, classes at Starling Academy and mealtimes were the only things she could look forward to at the moment.

Just as dinner began, the door burst open, and Gemma rushed into their dorm room. Before Libby had a chance to say anything, her chatty roommate exclaimed, "Where were you all this time? I looked everywhere, and I couldn't find you! It's not like you to miss class for no reason. After Scarlet did that for stardays and none of us knew where she was until she was chosen to save Ophelia, I was worried I wouldn't—"

"I'm fine, okay?!" Libby interrupted loudly. Gemma backed away from her in starprise, and she lowered her voice. "Sorry." Tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

Gemma walked toward Libby to comfort her, when suddenly her gaze wandered to her roommate's neck; where her Wish Pendant used to be. She gasped in shock. "OMS! Sage told me you quit the Star Darlings, but I didn't think she was serious! Why did you do that? You deserve to be in the team!"

"I can't be a Star Darling if my so-called team keeps trying to change who I am and leave me out of missions," whimpered Libby. "I don't understand. Why can't anyone just stop treating me like this?"

"I know," Gemma said, sitting next to her. "I overheard Clover making a weird remix yesterday about you talking about pink and boys and…you know. And it was strange at first. Like, why would someone who can't stand it when you do that make a remix about it? But after what you said just now, it makes sense, considering the reason why they wanted you to stay behind during the search for Vivica. In case you're wondering, we never found her, and Lady Stella says all of Vivica's teachers reported her absent not just today, but yesterday too. The academy staff's outside looking for her right now, but they haven't found her yet."

"She's on Wishworld," Libby murmured automatically.

"What? How did you know that?"

Sabrina figured it out, that's how. But of course, Libby couldn't say that out loud. If she did, the Star Darlings wouldn't just be going to Wishworld to find Vivica—they would also be going there to erase Sabrina's memories. So, thinking quickly, Libby said, "I mean, I don't know that for sure. But it's a possibility."

Gemma shrugged. "She could have received an overdose of negatite from the hedge maze or something. Enough to make Rancora give her a few assignments. They both want revenge on us, so who would put it past them to team up?" She paused, and then stood up. "Guess we'd better deliver your theory to Lady Stella and the others. Come on, let's go find—"

"No," said Libby. "I'm staying here."

"But it was your idea to—"

"Gemma, I'm not a Star Darling anymore! You can find Vivica and put a stop to whatever she's doing without me."

"But we need you!"

"They don't want me there! You saw what happened! They tried to exclude me from the mission!"

"I do want you there," affirmed Gemma. "Maybe they don't, but I always will no matter what they say."

Libby began crying again. "Seriously, Gemma. Just go without me! Nothing's ever going to make them accept me for who I am. Go find Vivica and fix everything without me!"

Gemma opened her mouth to protest, but she was interrupted by Libby, whose crying suddenly turned into sobbing. Clearly this wasn't going anywhere, which left the orange Starling with no choice but to just leave the room and give her roommate some time to calm down. It pained Gemma to leave her friend all alone at a time like this, but she clearly needed some space.

With a sigh, Gemma got up and left their bedroom. "Holo-text me if you change your mind," she mumbled as she closed the door using wish energy manipulation. Even as she walked away, she could still hear Libby sobbing, which nearly brought her to tears as well.

The remaining 11 Star Darlings eventually met up in Lady Stella's office to discuss the situation with Vivica. Gemma, of course, wasted no time in telling everyone Libby's theory about the silver-haired Starling being on Wishworld.

Everyone gasped, and Sage exclaimed, "Why would Vivica be on Wishworld?"

Adora nodded. "She isn't a Star Darling, so she has no way of accessing Wishworld."

"That is true," said Lady Stella. "But the professors and I have looked all over Starling Academy, and there's no sign of her. Perhaps we should consider Libby's theory and go to Wishworld to see if Vivica is there." She then paused, and then added, "Speaking of Libby, where is she?"

Vega glanced at Gemma, and seeing her expression, she swallowed hard. Without a word, the blue-bopped Starling held up Libby's Wish Pendant. Tessa, Adora, Cassie, Astra, Clover, and Piper had already been informed of what happened in the glorange tree forest just like Gemma was, but still, they looked just as taken aback as Lady Stella did. Who wouldn't? No one had expected Libby to quit their team!

The Star Darlings kept still, waiting for Lady Stella to say something, but she remained silent, wanting an explanation. So, taking a deep breath, Leona told the headmistress all about last starnight, the glorange tree forest incident, and most importantly, Libby's sudden outburst and her decision to quit.

Lady Stella looked even more starprised after Leona's speech than she had before it, which increased the tension in the room. Clearly, the wise headmistress of Starling Academy wasn't among the many Starlings who thought Libby's constant boys/pink/shoes/parties chatter was a problem. And now that she knew about what had been going on between Libby and her former teammates, she was definitely not happy. Gemma wasn't happy either, but her expression made that look more obvious, seeing as she'd found out about the situation starweeks before Lady Stella did. Plus, she was Libby's roommate, who had formed a strong bond with the pink Starling and always felt sad when she was faced with something like this.

Finally, Lady Stella spoke. "Star Darlings…I know Libby has very unique interests that she may not share with any of you. I'm also aware that her tendency to talk on and on about those interests can be a little irritating. However, that does not give you the right to try to change who she is, or exclude her from our missions."

Tessa opened her mouth to protest, but Gemma elbowed her in the side to stop her. Then, realizing what just happened, Gemma gasped. "Moons and stars! Usually you're the one who elbows me to stop the wrong thing from being said!"

"Libby is just as special as the rest of you," Lady Stella continued. "She may have different interests than us, but she also has a rare ability to understand multiple sides of any kind of debatable situation. She is also exceptionally kind and generous to everyone. Those are qualities that couldn't be harder to come by, both in Starland and on Wishworld. She is a very valuable Star Darling, and she deserves to be respected just as much as all of us. This unfair attitude you've been giving her lately has got to stop, because if she keeps receiving this negative energy from you, it could not only jeopardize her chances of returning to our team. It could also jeopardize the very safety of Starland, which is already in danger because of the negatite seed incidents today."

Cassie gulped. "How could it…do that?"

With a sigh, Lady Stella answered Cassie's question. "As all of you have learned, negative wish energy can be very strong and powerful. However, there have been rare cases where it can be formulated inside a Starling if they do something very terrible to someone, or if they experience enough negative emotions. If nothing is done to fix what is causing the negative energy to form within the Starling, then it'll continue to expand and corrupt their mind, until it gets to their heart. When a Starling's heart is exposed to negative energy, it blackens and turns them evil…so evil, they transform into a Dark Starling like Rancora."

The Star Darlings gasped in horror. Despite everything, they hadn't once thought that Libby becoming a Dark Starling was a possible result of their actions toward her! Maybe she had interests that annoyed them every time they were mentioned, and maybe she tried way too hard to impress them, but she was still by far the sweetest and most caring girl they knew. Could the anger and sadness they'd triggered in her really turn her into an evil Starling? One that was the exact opposite of sweet, kind, and generous?

Guilt came over each of the Star Darlings who were sitting at that table; Gemma because even she hadn't seen the Dark Starling possibility coming and she now wished she'd confronted the other ten girls about this thing sooner, and the others because they were now aware of the consequences—both present and future—of their actions. How in Starland could they endanger their friend by causing such a ridiculous fight? More importantly, did they have any hope of fixing things with Libby…or was it already too late? And if she really was about to turn into a Dark Starling, how much time did they have to make amends and save her once and for all?

"We need to make things right," Clover finally said. "Our beat can't keep repeating."

Lady Stella nodded. "Unfortunately, we also have to deal with Vivica's absence. So, three of you will travel to Wishworld and see if she's there, while the rest of you try to fix things with Libby."

Everyone went wide-eyed with anticipation. "Which three?" Gemma asked.

The headmistress smiled. "As a reward for their starmendous work with saving Wishworld from the Miraculous-wielding supervillains, the chosen Star Darlings are…Sage, Scarlet, and Astra."

Astra leapt out of her seat and let out a loud cheer, pumping a fist into the air. Scarlet smiled, trying to ignore Astra, while Sage simply said, "We won't let you down."

"You'd better be quick," Gemma warned, clearly still upset with her teammates about the Libby situation. "If Libby sees you're not with the rest of us when we go deliver our star apologies, she might think you're never going to understand how she feels."

"Relax," said Astra. "My special talent is teleportation. We'll be back with Vivica in tow before any of you even know it."

Gemma and even Cassie looked doubtful, but everyone else nodded. Astra's Wish Mission starweeks ago had taught them all that having teleportation as a special talent made getting things done a lot easier—and a lot quicker. Plus, she, Sage, and Scarlet all had Power Crystals, which would make this mission even easier.

Within starsecs, Sage, Scarlet, and Astra were in each of their dorm rooms, packing their things and choosing outfits they could wear once they made it to Wishworld. Once they were finished, they headed to the Wishworld Surveillance Deck so they could each climb onto a shooting star. Normally the rest of the Star Darlings—or at least the chosen ones' roommates—helped them with these tasks, but today was not a normal starday. Vivica wasn't the only Starling the eleven girls had to worry about, so things were going a lot differently this time.

While Sage, Scarlet, and Astra were safely attached to their shooting stars and then sent flying to Wishworld, the rest of the Star Darlings headed for the Little Dipper Dorm together. Since all the dorm rooms had automatic locks that could only be opened from the outside if their respective two occupants used their hand scanners, Gemma would have to let them all into the right room herself. She was a bit reluctant about doing this because she knew how sad Libby was, but the last thing she wanted was for her roommate to turn into a Dark Starling.

They soon arrived at the right room, where Gemma pressed her palm against the hand scanner. The door slid open immediately, and she led everyone in, with Piper softly closing the door behind them.

Libby was sitting in bed, silent but still teary-eyed, when they came in. Seeing them, she shifted so that her back was to them. "Gemma, what are they doing here?"

"It wasn't my idea," Gemma told her. She then quickly bit her tongue to stop herself from adding that it had been Lady Stella's idea.

Vega stepped forward. "Libby…we owe you star apologies."

Libby narrowed her eyes, still hurt from what happened earlier. "It's too late, Vega. You had your chance to say that. All of you did. But apparently, I'm too annoying to be a Star Darling."

"You're not annoying," said Leona. She then thought for a starsec and quickly added, "Well, not that annoying. I mean, it drives me crazy when you talk about boys and pink and parties like you usually do, but that doesn't mean you had to leave our team."

"You just want me back in the band so you won't have to worry about finding a new keytar player," muttered Libby.

Leona gulped. At least in her case, that was actually mainly where she'd been going with this. She cared a lot about the Star Darlings' musical band—more than she probably should be—and as much as she didn't want to admit it, this moment was no exception. Just before Leona's Wish Mission, Scarlet had left the band and started skipping classes after she was temporarily kicked out of the twelve's team by mistake. When Clover didn't last long as a band drummer substitute for understandable reasons, Leona hadn't had a clue what she was going to do. Then, when Scarlet started attending her classes again, Leona had tried to push her to rejoin the band. Yet Scarlet instantly saw the real reason for it and declined returning until she was reinstated into the Star Darlings' team. Since Libby had been the first Star Darling to become a true friend of Scarlet's, no one would be starprised if Scarlet told Libby about Leona's selfish offer before this situation began.

Anyways, Leona was now at a loss for words, which told Libby all she needed to know. With even more iciness in her voice than before, she turned to face her former teammates. "I gave all of you—and Sage and Scarlet and Astra, I can only imagine why they're not here—more chances than I can count to accept me for who I am and what I like! Gemma gets it, but the rest of you just don't! I left the team because I want real friends. People who think that…being yourself is not a problem."

Then Libby began crying once again, as she remembered that those last six words were the exact words Sabrina had said to her during her stay in Starland—the words that proved once and for all that she was the kind of person Libby had always dreamed of having as friend. To think she was also the one friend of hers that had come dangerously close to having her memories erased…

Suddenly, before Libby even knew what she was saying, she blurted out, "Why couldn't you let Sabrina keep her memories?"

Everyone went wide-eyed in starprise. Even Gemma, which was understandable. That was one comment that not even Cassie's intuition or Piper's dream prophecies ever would have predicted.

"Sabrina?" Piper asked. Worry appeared in her eyes, but Libby was too upset to notice.

"Libby, we had to erase her memories," said Cassie. "If any Wishling found out about Starland, we'd be overwhelmed with all kinds of wishes, particularly negative ones!"

"Sabrina wouldn't tell our secret to anyone," Libby insisted, her voice raising in anger. "I know she wouldn't, because when she was accidentally taken to Starland, we formed this friendship stronger than any of you will ever know. She did have a few things to learn about how friendship works, but she learned them really fast! You want to know why? Because I'm a friend pleaser too!"

"Which is another problem. You try way too hard to impress," Adora stated. By the time she realized that was the wrong thing to say, her words were already out.

Libby leapt off the bed and to her feet in rage. "Don't any of you realize what I'm trying to say?! Being a Star Darling is becoming more and more like a prison for me, where I can't be myself! I can't talk about my favourite things, the only true friend of mine who understands how I feel about everything doesn't remember me anymore, and all I've ever done is put up with it because I thought one starday you'd understand how miserable that felt! WHICH YOU NEVER COULD!"

Before anyone could advise her not to, Tessa retorted, "Sabrina's memories were erased because Lady Stella didn't want to risk her telling anyone about Starland. And besides! When Sabrina's class along with her dad, Chloe's dad, and the Miraculous supervillains found out Vega's true identity, we really didn't have a choice!"

"Did it ever cross your minds that we could stop the villains no matter what they did to us?! Especially with the good Wishlings like Sabrina helping us! I'd give anything to be able to talk to her freely again. She's the only one I can talk to about this!"

"But if she still remembered us, then that would mean the villains—"

"I don't care if the villains remember us. Why did you have to take away the most faithful friend I've ever had in my life?! Why don't you care about me?!"

"We do care about you! The reason why we're here is to apologize to you so you won't turn into a Dark Starling!"

Libby gasped in shock. That explained it; her so-called friends had suspected she'd finally snap, so they were trying to trick her into calming down because they were scared she'd get revenge on them in the worst possible way. To make matters worse, that comment about the Dark Starling thing hadn't come from any of the Star Darlings she had been angry at since they'd first come in here. Gemma, whom she'd started to think was the only Star Darling truly on her side, was the one who said it.

The orange Starling instantly realized her mistake and clapped a hand over her mouth, but everyone knew it was already too late. Libby's starprise melted into a mixture of sadness, anger, and hurt, and using wish energy manipulation strengths she never imagined she could manage so well, she thrust open the door and shoved everyone including Gemma out of her room. Part of her felt bad about making them leave this way, but then again, it wasn't like simply telling them to leave could possibly be effective at this point.

Once she was alone and the door was closed, Libby fell to her knees, breathing heavily. She wanted to cry and let out all the inner pain she was feeling, but somehow no tears would come. All she could feel was a tense sensation throughout her body; the kind everyone feels when they get angry. With that feeling, she could sense negative energy brewing up from inside herself. Every subject she'd mentioned in her outburst along with Gemma's betrayal was just…unforgivable. She clenched her fists and her eyes tightly, and a weird but angry sensation began to make its way up her arms. Becoming aware of the sensation, Libby opened her eyes and screamed—not in anger, but in fear. Her wrists and the tips of her sleeves had turned completely black, and a trail of negatite was creeping up her arms!

"Think positive thoughts," shouted Libby. "Think positive thoughts, think positive thoughts NOW!" Quickly, she recalled the starday she'd discovered that not everyone lived the rich and fancy life her family lived; the moment where she first developed her dream to give everyone who deserved the best exactly what they wanted. She also recited her mirror mantra several times, anxiously waiting for that comforting feeling to come over her.

Eventually the negatite trail cleared away, restoring her hands to their natural light pink colour. Libby opened her eyes and sighed with relief, but then she began to feel scared. Did her anger over what happened with her former teammates cause the negatite trail to form? And what would have happened if she'd let the trail continue its path up her body? She shivered, not wanting to find out.

Doing her best to stay calm, Libby got up and crawled into her bed. "I'd better not go to Wishworld tonight," she whispered. "Whatever's happening to me, I can't let it harm anyone else. I have to stop my problems with the girls from getting to me. I have to protect Sabrina…but how am I ever going to explain my absence to her?"

Libby sighed. She would figure that out later. Right now, she had another person to protect from her negativity: herself.

Whoa! Can Libby find a way to stop whatever's happening? Will Sabrina and the remaining Star Darlings be able to stop Vivica from taking the Miraculouses (if that's what she's up to)? The next chapter's coming soon. Feel free to express your opinions via reviews, and I will see you all soon! :)

Note: I have to admit, I really don't know exactly what happens when someone (almost or completely) transforms into a Dark Starling. I know the result of the transformation has got to be the kind of powerful witch Rancora became, but the actual process…no clue. This was honestly one of those situations where all you can do is make a guess based on the information you do know, and I can only hope the ending of the Star Darlings episode "The Power Of Twelve" gave me enough info to make a correct guess! *nervous chuckle* Just thought it had to be said. See you in the next chapter!