Starnapped: A SVTFOE Story

Starnapped: Chapter 10 - Cleaved

Star awoke with a start, a sharp pain in the back of her head forcing her out of her slumber. The girl sat up from her position and stretched, her back feeling stiff from all the nights she had spent on the floor. Turning to her left, and then to her right, her comrades appeared to be still asleep, which was good. They needed the rest. Overpowering her grogginess, the princess stood up, ready to begin her day.

As much as she wanted to forget about the events of the last few days, it felt as if the memories had been branded into her mind, forever lingering to taunt and torture her beyond belief. Sighing with defeat, Star took one last glance at her sleeping rescuers before stepping outside into the dark wilderness. However, before she could step away, she heard a small rustle from inside the building. Twisting around quickly, she scanned the room, only to find nothing but her sleeping comrades sprawled across the floor. With a smile on her face, Star gently closed the door, unaware that she was being watched.

She was not exactly sure where she was going. She just needed to go away. Gather her thoughts. Hone her skills. She would get back at Eclipsa for what she had done. Or die trying. In her head, she tried to imagine a vague map of the forest, some sort of guide. In her earlier days, Star visited the forest almost daily, fighting monsters and exploring the vast wood. But even from those memories, everything seemed to look the same. Each direction only bore more trees, each patch thicker than the last. It was official. She was lost.

In any normal situation, she would panic. Think about how she may never see her friends and family again. But this time it was different. Star was on a mission to stop the queen, and if that mission became a suicide mission, so be it. At least she would die fighting for her leadership. As each thought flowed slowly through her mind, she began to realise a pattern. It almost seemed as if she was starting to sound like her mother.

Just the thought of it shocked the rebellious teen: how could she, Star Butterfly, be starting to act like her boring, old mom? She had accepted at this point in her life that she never wanted to grow up, always wanted to stay just as she was. But it seemed like her mind was taking her a different route. A detour to her desires. However as she began to try harder and harder to push the thoughts out of her mind, they only seemed to cement themselves in deeper, sealing the maturity into her conscience.

Star dipped her head down in defeat, a sigh escaping her mouth. "I suppose there is no way of escaping my future. No matter how hard I want to." the princess thought to herself, memories of her past flickering by as if it was an old film. At least the process was slow. For the time being, she was still just normal, young, rebellious Star Butterfly. The one who was rejected, the one who was sent away. At least she would be remembered as the Queen who pulled through. Dragged on through her hardships, saved some friends along the way. Maybe being royalty wasn't so bad afterall.

Just as Star reached her conclusion, a light rustle was heard in the bushes. Snapping out her thoughts quickly, she turned around slowly, careful not to make a sound. She was certain she was being followed. It felt as if a single pair of eyes was watching from the underbrush, studying her every move. And she didn't like it one bit. Loudly clearing her throat to grab the creature's attention, she finally broke the silence. "Whoever, or whatever you are, step out from the shadows in the next ten seconds I'll blast your face off. And I won't hesitate."

She spoke with an amount of confidence in her voice that could not possibly be fake. The determination overflowing her mind had engulfed her humanity, her morals, replacing each with a lack of reasoning and a need for revenge. "Ten." Silence. "Nine." "Eight." Star was beginning to have doubts. She thought they would have definitely surrendered by now. However, despite her empathy, she was also starting to lose patience. "Seven six five four three two one! Say goodbye, stranger." Suddenly, as Star began to summon a rocket launcher around her wand, a voice came from the shadows.