Legends: A Story of Monsters [Star vs. The Forces of Evil, Gravity Falls, Big Bad Beetleborgs]

[The Ero-Sennin]

Holy schedule slip, Batman, I really let myself go! Oh well, let's rectify that.

= - = 10-3 = - =

|Public Perception|​

With the facilities of his scrap yard up and running, Noxic was able to repair his heavily damaged body much faster than normal. Despite being entirely devastated by Tara's blast the night before, he was already more than eighty percent repaired, which Barla found curious.

"Noxic," the Mercenary Warrior spoke. "Why do you not self-repair like your Scabs?"

Noxic, who was getting his armored body worked on by a few Scabs using everything from fine tools to soldering irons and welding torches, turned his head 180 to look at her.

"Scabs are too cheap! Yeah with the Vespbot core I can regenerate on the fly, but if something takes it out, that's it! I can't be giving myself a weakness like that!"

Typhus, who was standing off to the side, nodded. "Yeah. You see how fast those kids deal with 'em, baby. Even with numbers on our side, they've gotten real good at tagging them."

Barla folded her arms. "And you can't place the cores anywhere else?"

"Like where, center mass where they'll be easier to hit? Or on a limb that might get taken off fast?" Noxic asked. "The Vespbots only work if they're connected! If the core gets lopped off the rest of the body crumbles."

He had a Scab manipulate his right arm to hook a thumb at himself. "As long as my software's intact, I don't need to self-repair!"

Barla's brow knitted. "Your software?"

Typhus nodded. "Yeah, Noxic's body is just a body, baby! Inside that noggin of his is the real Noxic!"

Jara walked up. "A computer virus that is, for all intents and purposes, immortal—so long as his head survives."

"And there ain't a thing that can knock my noggin! Not even Vexor!" Noxic boasted.

Barla turned to Jara and saluted her crisply. "Jara."

Jara returned the salute and nodded to her. "I finished my reconnaissance. That anti-teleportation barrier is still interfering, but it doesn't appear that the human authorities are aware that the house is their base."

Barla smirked. "Not yet."

"Hey, speakin' of bodies," Noxic called. "What's the deal with that armor, huh? It's got more bells and whistles than I've ever built in a bot. It's probably more powerful than Death Launcher!"

Barla looked at Noxic, then down at her armor—particularly the dragon head that made up the chest plate.

"This armor is forged from the remains of a Black Star Eater that Jara and I slew."

"Yeah, you mentioned that," Noxic said, "The heck's a Star Eater?"

Typhus knew. "A pretty big deal, baby. It's exactly what the name says!"

Jara nodded. "Star Eaters are great space-faring dragons who feed upon stars. They are tremendously powerful, vastly ancient, and notoriously vindictive."

Noxic was impressed. "Whoa… those sound like bad news, and you two killed one?"

Barla gestured to her armor. "Yes. It was a very young Star Eater—a hatchling—but even then the hunt was perilous, relentless, and nearly killed the two of us many times over."

"It is honestly a good thing we were brought to this universe," Jara said. "If any other Star Eater came across us, it would not go well."

Barla laughed. "'Not go well' is a fabulous understatement! A proper adult would scour the surface of this planet clean in retaliation for killing one of its kin!"

"And chase us to the end of the universe," Jara chimed in.

"Physical and chronological," Barla finished with a nod.

"Yikes," Noxic said. "Just another reason to be glad we ain't in the Nightmare Realm anymore."

"That, and Macho Number 5," Typhus teased.

Noxic's head spun around twice before stopping to glare at Typhus. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU?!"

With a sudden burst of flame, Vexor abruptly appeared in the workshop, and the mood immediately chilled.

Jara and Barla stood at attention, while Typhus just let out a low growl.

Noxic would make a face if his wasn't mechanical. "Speaking of vastly ancient and notoriously vindictive…"

Vexor swept into the main area of the workshop, magnanimously choosing to ignore that. "Jara, your report?"

Jara turned to Vexor. "The authorities have not approached the house. They appear unaware that it has any connection to the Beetleborgs, Butterfly, and their allies."

"Curious," Vexor said. "I will need to gain more insight into this world's law enforcement, or—at the very least—this locality's law enforcement."

He turned to Noxic. "Would you be able to penetrate their communications networks?"

Noxic hummed in annoyance. "You think I ain't tried? Fun fact, I tried to set off this world's nukes as a gag, but all that junk's air-gapped! And there's a buncha quantumania with their high-level security, too. I can't bypass encrypts if the keys ain't even sure they exist!"

Vexor weighed this revelation. "Barla."

The Mercenary Warrior nodded to him. "Yes?"

"Do you suppose this world has police scanners?"

"I would be shocked if they did not."

"You or Jara, acquire one," Vexor said.

Both Mercenaries nodded.

Noxic grew indignant. "A police scan—why didn't you ask me for something like that?!"

"So I could get an honest explanation for your failure at cyber-espionage."

Noxic fell quiet. "Crab jerk."

Vexor chose to ignore that as well. It was simply blasé. "Is there anything else, Jara?"

"Yes," Jara said, "The enemy that attacked Noxic during his skirmish. I have identified them."

This was what Vexor wanted to hear. "Oh?"

"She officially goes by Major Blast II. She is a well-known, but controversial figure in this city and its surrounding lands. Despite claiming to be a hero… she seems broadly disliked throughout the city."

How interesting, Vexor didn't have to wait long. "Really?"

"No hero is without supporters, but it would seem Major Blast has a reputation for pursuing and driving off other heroes. This has made her broadly disliked among the public," Jara explained. "It would appear that she is exactly what you are looking for: someone whose pride will not allow them to be outshone."

"How fortuitous," Vexor said in contentment. "Someone strong enough, and with the exact mindset needed to be pitted against our other foes and drive them into a corner. All we need to do is give her… direction."

He turned to Typhus. "Can I entrust that to you, Typhus?"

"Yeah, that don't seem like a problem." Typhus turned to Barla. "Hey, Barla. You mind helpin' me out with that?"

"Of course. Do you have a plan in mind?"

"Yeah. Figure all I need are a few Jet Fighters and you. I'll draw Major Blast out, and give her that direction Vexor's lookin' for, baby."

Barla nodded, already understanding both Typhus's intent and the shape of the battlefield. "As you wish, you have my support."

Noxic was happy to assist. "I'll get those fighters set up for you real quick. You're gonna need a lot of 'em, I think Major Blast has something nasty up her sleeve with that suit of hers."

Vexor turned to Noxic. "Hm?"

Being surprisingly forthcoming, Noxic answered Vexor. "Yeah, there was somethin' about that beam blast that felt familiar. You get hit with enough magic nonsense and you start to be able to detect it, and that energy got the same vibe as that Princess' magic."

Jara and Barla were both surprised.

"You didn't think to mention this sooner?!" Jara yelled.

"Gimme a break, it ain't gonna change what's about to happen when Typhus is done with her!"

Vexor brightened. "Oho! A very interesting revelation. I dare wonder what the connection is, and sincerely hope that I will not wait too long to have my curiosity satisfied. I leave it to you."

With that, Vexor vanished back to his lair.

@@@@@​

Dipper thundered down the stairs of Shermie's home, rushed through the house, and burst out into the backyard, where Mabel and Misao were already waiting by the picnic benches set up in the yard. Star was with them, Dimensional Scissors in hand, and carving open a portal as an amazed Kelly Hamdon stared at the portal.

"No, but seriously… that is amazing? How do they work?" Kelly asked.

Star turned to her. "Magic!"

Kelly's face fell. "… Uhh… how does the magic work?"

Star waved her hand back and forth in a dismissive gesture. "There's a whole thing about sticking your hands in hobo stew, it's a whole complicated metaphor and I'm still running on vibes until I figure it out."

She looked at the door and saw Dipper. "Morning, Dipper! I'm going to grab Jackie then head to El Sereno!"

She jumped through the portal. "Bye~!"

Misao, eyeing Kelly's Shooting Star Special, just numbly waved after her. "… Auf Wiedersehen~"

Mabel held a hand over her eyes. "You're still in a Mabel Juice crash."

She turned to her brother. "Hey, Dipper, you won't believe this–"

"I read the message," Dipper said before he addressed Kelly. "Can you tell us about SheZow?"

Kelly stared at Dipper, mouth hanging open. "Uh…"

"Yes, he's a stud," Mabel said. "Tighten it up, Kells!"

Dipper rolled his eyes as Kelly snapped out of it and quickly shook her head.

"Right, sorry. I have had a lot thrown at me since I got to Zoom! Between finding out you guys really do know FaithfulPony371, seeing actual freaking magic portal stuff, meeting BIG NANO in person, and now I'm here and–"

She turned to Mabel. "Your brother is freaking hot, and oh my god the caffeine and sugar rush is hitting."

Mabel took Kelly by the shoulders, and pulled her into a hug. "Okay, take a deep breath."

Kelly, her face buried in Mabel's chest, took a long, slow, calming breath.

Misao, taking advantage of her and Mabel's distraction, appropriated the Shooting Star Special from Kelly.

Mabel looked down at Kelly. "You good?"

"… I am learning things about myself…"

"Girls always are with me," Mabel said before tightening the hug. "Take another deep breath and then we'll sit down."

Dipper chuckled as he walked over to the picnic table and sat down. There were worse ways to have his morning interrupted.

After a few more deep breaths, Kelly pulled away from Mabel and sat down across from Dipper with Mabel directly next to her. Misao sat down beside Dipper, drinking the Shooting Star Special.

Honestly, Kelly was fine letting it go.

"You're still in a crash," Mabel warned again.

"And this is the hair of the dog that bit me," Misao retorted.

Mabel stopped, surprised she just learned the whole saying like that.

Dipper shook his head before speaking to Kelly. "So… you're SheZow's sidekick?"

Kelly placed her hands on the table, and got down to brass tacks. "One of them, yeah. I actually came here to ask you guys what's going on—because it's causing SheZow to freak out hardcore."

Dipper tilted his head. "Freak out?"

"Yeah, SheZow has a power called She-SP. Basically a precognition for danger that can even cause SheZow to transform from their alter ego, and this has been going on for months."

"Months…?" Dipper repeated, before quickly understanding. "This power's been reacting to Star, too."

Kelly nodded. "Exactly. The first She-SP trigger went off not long after Star began vlogging. It's only gotten worse since."

She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone and set it down. A few swipes later, a spreadsheet was projected into the air above it, showing a timeline of Magnavore attacks correlating with the number of transformations and their duration.

"This past week alone has been crazy. It's been basically every day at this point."

Dipper was impressed at Kelly's organized data compilation. "That's a lot of data. Is this something you like to do?"

Misao set down the frozen cappuccino. "I think we're skipping past an important question. If SheZow is still around, what are they doing? We could really use the help."

Her question took the wind completely out of Kelly's sails just as she was about to explain her affinity for collecting and organizing data. Stopping, she looked down at the table with a sigh.

"Oh, yeah… believe me, I've been asking that since Star showed up," Kelly revealed. "But… SheZow doesn't want to go out and fight for personal reasons."

Mabel had to ask. "Is it because she's really old?"

Kelly went from somber to confused. "Huh? No, SheZow isn't–"

She stopped and her eyes widened. "Oh… you're talking about the previous SheZow. She passed away back in 2010."

Dipper, Mabel, and Misao gave a start.

"It was that long ago?!" Dipper asked.

"Yeah," Kelly said. "My Great Aunt Agnès Monroe, she was the previous SheZow."

"She was your Graunty?!" Mabel said in amazement.

"Believe me, it was a shock to us when we found out…" Kelly said.

"Then the SheZow who was driven off by Tara… that was her successor," Misao said.

"… Yeah…"

Dipper looked at Kelly's hands, and saw no sign of the ring on her fingers. "SheZow is someone close to you, another relative? A sibling?"

Kelly flinched, but took a deep breath as she realized she was going to have to talk about this. "… Yeah, my twin brother, Guy."

The Pines Twins and Misao were once again taken aback.

"A guy named Guy is the current SheZow," Misao murmured. "The irony there is cosmic."

"He wears it well," Dipper said.

Mabel gave Kelly a knowing, sympathetic look. "Let me guess—you found SheZow's ring, and Guy put it on before you could as a bit."

Kelly nodded. "That's exactly what happened."

"Just twin things, am I right?" Mabel asked with a sage nod.

"Just twin things," Kelly agreed. "Honestly, he's fantastic as SheZow. He did way better back then than I could've done with the ring."

"So what happened?" Dipper asked.

Kelly sat back and sighed. "You all probably know the story. SheZow's villains all broke out of confinement and went on a rampage. We all went out together and spent a week straight rounding them up, before Tara swept in with the cops and chased down SheZow to try to arrest him, too."

Misao spoke up. "And that was enough?"

Kelly shook her head. "No… there was something else that happened after, that made Guy quit… it has to do with our dad."

Something clicked in Mabel's head. "Hang on… is your dad… a cop?"

Kelly's shoulders dropped. "I'm pretty sure you've all met him by now."

"We have," Mabel said through her teeth.

Dipper could only imagine it. "It goes that deep, huh?"

Kelly nodded. "Yeah, Guy is afraid to show himself as SheZow again because of it. I've tried to get him to go back out there and be a hero but…"

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Our dad's a cop, yeah, but… he's a really good dad. Guy and I really care about him and he cares about us. Shoot, he's been worried about how Guy's been secluding himself away from everyone and tries to talk to him, but how are you going to talk to your dad about the fact you're the person he hates the most?"

Misao gasped. "Oh no, it's like that…"

Yep, it went deep.

Dipper sighed and got up. "No, that's legit. We have it pretty good because we have adults we can talk to about the crazy stuff we're dealing with… so I can't judge. I can't even imagine going through that."

Mabel shook her head. "Me neither. I feel so bad for you all."

He took his hat off and rubbed the top of his head. "But even if Guy doesn't want to be SheZow, we need his help with something."

Kelly was grateful that they weren't upset about SheZow's absence. "I can talk to him and see if he wants to come out, but… what is it?"

Dipper put his hat back on. "What do you know about the previous SheZows? I mean… the ones that go way back?"

Kelly raised her right eyebrow. "Uhh… as far as I know, SheZow has been in LA since the 1890s. Why?"

Dipper brightened some. "Do you know what happened during the Los Angeles Oil War?"

Kelly shrank. "Erm… I know SheZow's been around for a while? But I don't know the details about past SheZows besides that. All that lore kinda… died with Aunt Agnès."

Dipper dimmed. "… Oh."

He shrugged. "That's fine. SheZow may be sidelined, but that doesn't mean Guy can't help us."

Kelly perked up. "With what?"

"There's something at Hillhurst related to SheZow from those old days… and his ring is literally the key to opening it."

Kelly tilted her head. "… Key to what?"

@@@@@​

Enraged could not begin to describe how Tara felt as she marched to the large green-and-magenta Toter-Hauled RV parked in the back of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office. Some nosy, obnoxious little weasel of a reporter had ripped the wind out of the sails of her debut and victory lap.

Worse, she had been forced to shut down all of her social media again over things that were not important and were none of their business!

"Robotics Gayly… the moment I find out who runs it, I will grind them into dust! They won't be able to breathe without a cop asking them about it!" She snarled. "Starting with that Maz Kepler brat!"

Tara was also annoyed that when Maz had been told to leave, he had immediately complied with the deputies on hand, and left without further prompting. She wanted to get him on something—anything—that would make him squirm! A weekend in county jail would've corrected his disrespectful behavior!

"I won't have my big push undermined," she declared as she reached the door. "My brand is on the brink of skyrocketing! Tara, the hero who saved Los Angeles from terrorists! I'll make national headlines!"

Just as she was about to open the door, a pair of men walked around from the front of the RV and toward her.

One of them, a clean-cut, photogenic man in his forties wearing a blue button-up polo and khaki pants, called to her. "A woman after my own heart. Agent Sanchez, is it really love at first sight if I've seen her on TV plenty of times?"

Beside him was a somewhat more serious-looking man wearing a pale blue shirt with a tie—but a similar pair of khakis. At the first man's question, Agent Sanchez shrugged as he sized up Tara and found her… wanting.

Tara stopped and looked at the two men, and she immediately recognized the photogenic man. "Steve Haines… you host Underbelly of Paradise."

"That's right," the first man said. "Special Agent Steve Haines, and this is my partner—Agent Andreas Sanchez."

Agent Sanchez nodded curtly, but said nothing.

Tara scowled at both men. "What are the feds doing, sending agents over to my task force?"

Agent Haines gestured to her. "A common goal—combating terrorism and protecting our shores from foreign infiltrators. You struck a pretty decisive blow, and Uncle Sam's decided that while the iron's hot… we're going to strike as hard as we can."

Tara's hands went to her hips, and she continued to scowl at both. "In other words, you're here to take command."

Agent Haines remained nonplussed in the face of her glare. "Not so much taking over. The FBI is joining the Magnavore Task Force and opening up the Bureau's wide-ranging assets to help round up and prosecute these terrorists. And I'm personally offering my own assets to help push the message—that America won't be pushed around by freaks in costumes who read too many comic books."

Tara sniffed—a wet, congested sound that made both men flinch slightly. "And I suppose you want a cut of my glory now that the Feds are involved?"

"Glory for glory," Agent Haines replied. "Let the Bureau have a little credit for taking down these sunbaked losers, and I'll cut you in on some of our action."

That gave Tara pause. "What kind of action…?"

Agent Sanchez glanced at Agent Haines, who smirked slightly.

"Some details on our Coyote hunt?"

Tara's brows shot up, and her hands dropped from her hips. "… Coyote is here? Has been here?"

Her curiosity turned to fury. "In my city?!"

Agent Haines raised his hands in a placating gesture. "The Pacific Standard heist and the Calipatria riot in June, and the Humane Labs fiasco in July. We might even have coyote tracks over at the Rodeo Drive heist a few weeks back, and if that's the case…"

He glanced over to Agent Sanchez, who finished. "… Then the Bureau will need additional firepower. Preferably the kind we don't need to go through Peregrine Law-mandated channels for."

Tara sniffed again. "And you can't just put together a Special Response Team?"

"By the time Washington gets off its ass to approve an escalation," Agent Haines continued, "Coyote might be off the grid again. We need rapid response, we need reaction, we need…"

Tara brightened, her lips curling into a smirk. "A hero to arrive in the nick of time."

She chuckled. "Throw in shutting down a newsletter, and I'm in."

Agent Haines smirked right back and extended his hand. "I'll add that to the pile."

Liking that, Tara took his hand and shook it firmly. "Major Blast, at your service, Special Agent Haines."

Agent Haines shook her hand with the same professional firmness. "Something big is coming to LA, Ms. Bouger. A lot of money is moving, and chatter on the backchannels is getting louder. With the Russians toothless and China in civil war, America is ripe for chaos next, and it's up to us to identify and eliminate the bad actors who'd make it happen."

"My money is on Brazil," Tara quipped as she let his hand go, then shook Agent Sanchez's.

"My money is on it being some connected mad scientist," the other agent said as he shook Tara's hand. "Brazil wouldn't dare try, they're soft."

Stepping back, Tara walked over to the door and grasped the handle. "I take it you'll be in touch, gentlemen?"

Agent Haines nodded. "As soon as Monday. Agent Sanchez and I still have to break the news to the other departments in the task force and establish the new hierarchy. I just thought you'd be first to know."

"You're so considerate," Tara said. "We should talk over lunch at the earliest convenience. Until then, boys~"

With that, she stepped inside her trailer and shut the door behind her.

Agent Sanchez looked at Agent Haines. "We're playing with fire, man. That bitch is deranged."

Agent Haines sneered as he turned to leave, gesturing for his partner to follow. "You don't get anywhere if you're afraid of a little heat, amigo. Now come on, we've got a house to clean."

Inside the trailer, Tara's own smile was gone as she marched down the length of the vehicle to where her Major Blast equipment stood, ready to be equipped at a moment's notice.

"Those fed bastards sent an obnoxious Hollywood E-Lister to be the face of my push?! Oh no, this is going to be over and done with before Monday, boys."

She raised her hand and snapped her fingers. The lights in the trailer immediately went out, and the gantry holding the armor hummed to life as holographic screens flickered on around it, displaying the powered armor's status.

Bathed in the green light, Tara stripped off her suit jacket and reached for her tie.

"By the end of today, those clowns and the wannabe brats playing hero against them will be history."

@@@@@​

Down in El Sereno, at the site of last night's battle, Officers Hamdon and Wackerman sat in their cruiser at one of the entrances to the cordoned-off Night Market. Officers from other agencies of the task force were standing guard at the rest of the lot's entrances, while investigators surveyed the site itself.

In the driver's seat, Boxter drummed his fingers on the cruiser's steering wheel as he looked out the window at the cars passing by on the road.

He had been slow to wake up today. He almost called off, that was how deep he was in his turmoil about those kids.

Next to him, Officer Wackerman was watching a clip of Tara's press conference. "Hey, Boxter. That kid who used to hang out with Guy, his name was what, Max?"

Boxter, who was lost in his thoughts, needed a second to realize his partner was talking to him. "No, Jeb, his name's Maz. Maz Kepler."

Boxter knew exactly who he meant, even though Maz had scarcely been around in years. For years, Guy and Maz had been the best of friends getting into all sorts of mischief.

Then one day, Guy announced that he never wanted to hear Maz's name spoken again, let alone see him. Boxter even tried to talk to his son about it…

That went about as well as expected.

"Guy? What's going on with you and Maz?"

"Don't you say that jerk's name around me ever again. I'm done with his crap."

"What…? C'mon, Guy, you two are best friends-"

"We're not. Just drop it, okay?"

And that was that. Boxter tried talking to Maz's parents about it, but they were just as confused by the switch-up. Maz told them that he and Guy simply had a fight… and they weren't friends anymore.

Though he was despondent, unlike Guy.

Every so often he'd catch Maz hanging out with Kelly, but she was just as ambiguous about it as both of them were. And Maz wasn't the same enthusiastic kid he remembered. He never looked in Boxter's direction when they ran into each other—and avoided eye contact when he had no choice but to.

"What about him?" Boxter asked Jeb.

"It's the craziest thing, he was at Tara's press conference as a journalist. He asked some questions that sent Tara into a rage and she had him thrown out. It has to be the same guy, how many people name their kids Maz?"

Boxter shook his head, and chuckled a bit. "I'm not surprised, he and Kelly really don't like her."

Though it did surprise him that Maz was apparently working for the press. As contentious as the media could be, he was proud of the kid for finding a job like that at his age.

"You remember that girl from the golf course who tore into us, right?" Jeb asked. "A lot of kids are still fans of SheZow—even though Tara's done more to put bad guys away in just four years than SheZow did in fifty."

"They don't care about what Tara's done, only what they see," Boxter said. "Yeah, she's got a bad temper and she does act like she's entitled to people's respect… but she's done actual good. Like finally putting away all the villains SheZow could never keep locked up."

Jeb nodded. "Yeah. She jailed Cold Finger, Mega Monkey, Mocktopus, the entire Pushy Pirate Posse, and Big Chow Slim—the actual guy who was using the refugees from China to stir up trouble!"

"They've all been imprisoned for years since Tara drove SheZow out of town, when SheZow could barely keep them in for a week!" Boxter said. "I swear. Besides Tara, CCI getting rated for supervillains was the best thing to happen to this state."

"Did you hear that they already sent Shego up there?"

"Yeah… and hopefully these alleged monsters will get tossed in, too."

Just outside the police cordon, a portal opened and Jackie stepped out, followed by Star. To their dismay, officers were standing guard at every entrance while investigators from several different agencies surveyed the site.

"Shoot, there's a lot of them out today," Jackie murmured as she handed the Dimensional Scissors back to Star. "You want to come back later?"

Star narrowed her eyes at the scene, then looked at Jackie. "Nope, I'm cleaning up this mess. I don't care who tries to stop me."

Jackie gave Star a small smile. "This is why you're so cool."

As they approached the nearest entrance, where Hamdon and Wackerman's cruiser was parked, Jeb noticed them.

"Hey, Boxter, look," Jeb said as he pointed through the driver's-side window. "Two of them are headed this way."

Boxter looked and grimaced when he saw the girls. "Stay in the car, Jeb. Let me handle this."

Squawking the siren to get their attention, Boxter stepped out of the cruiser and shut the door behind him as Star and Jackie walked up.

"All right, hang on, you two," Boxter ordered.

Jackie held out her arm to stop Star before she could answer. "Bro, chill. We're just here to clean up the mess."

"This is still a crime scene," Boxter said. "You can't just be walking around here–"

"Crime scene? This was a battlefield!" Star protested.

"And the only person who did any of the damage this time was Major Karen," Jackie added. "Look, we're not even going to be here long, just let Star do her thing."

Reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose, Boxter sighed. "Come on—the last thing any of you kids should be doing is getting involved in this mess. It's too dangerous, fighting monsters, swinging around weapons, and don't get me started on that magic wand!"

Star looked at the handle of her wand sticking out of her purse, then at Boxter. "Huh? The only reason I'm on Earth is so I can learn to use my wand responsibly—or some junk!"

That threw Boxter off a bit. According to the information the task force had been given about the group, Star Butterfly claimed to be a magical princess from another dimension. Even the documentation Elise Dinkleman had provided corroborated the claim and insisted it was factual.

To him, it was just as likely that Star was just a girl who watched too much anime and was given some mad scientist's trinket to go crazy with it.

He could no longer reasonably deny that the wand did impossible things. That did not mean he had to believe the story about princesses and other dimensions.

So hearing her say something like that so naturally caught him between wondering if Star sincerely believed she was a magical princess from another dimension, or just that dedicated to the bit.

"Look, I can believe a lot of things—I've SEEN a lot of things. A super-genius chimpanzee, a mutant shark/octopus hybrid monster that ragebaits, and all of the ridiculous stunts SheZow could pull. But, listen to me… you're not a magical princess from another dimension. You're just a hyperactive teenage girl, who was given some kind of crazy idiot's superweapon, and all that anime you must've watched is paying dividends for you!"

Star and Jackie looked at each other then at the exasperated policeman.

"Dude, what?" Jackie asked.

Star was straight up offended as she held up the Dimensional Scissors. "Hello! These scissors let me travel between dimensions! You've seen me use them! If Elise hadn't told us we're not allowed to touch you? I'd be sending you straight to Mewni right now."

"It's more likely a mad scientist's portal device. Krei Tech was working on a portal machine a few years back!" Boxter argued.

That was news to Star. "Who?"

Jackie rolled her eyes before turning to her friend. "Star? Ignore this loser—he's just trying to make it make sense to himself."

Boxter quickly shook his head, realizing he misstepped. "I'm just worried about you kids!"

Both Star and Jackie stopped and stared at him.

Having their attention, Boxter took a deep breath. "I have two kids of my own, they're your age. The idea of them going out there and getting into danger like this keeps me up at night, and seeing you all fighting these monsters… and just how dangerous it is… I can't help but to be worried sick for you, too."

Jackie looked back at Boxter. "Dude… I get being worried. But when this crap started, my friends chose to fight those monsters."

Star put away her Scissors and pulled out her wand. "I've always been fighting monsters, even before I got my wand! It's practically my job!"

"I chose to fight these monsters, too. Just like how Kim Possible chooses to go out there and do actual good in the world. The only people who seem to have a problem with it are people like Tara, who is the world's neediest attention whore."

"And people like you," Star said. "People who immediately write us off as idiots who don't know what we're doing! I can't stand that!"

She turned and looked at the ruins of the Night Market, as her cheek marks began to glow.

"Everything that happened here—even though Tara caused it—is still our responsibility to make right. And as long as I have the power to do something to make it right, I will!"

Star raised her wand above her head as it too began to shine brightly.

"Because it's always the right thing to do!" Star declared as she swung the wand down. "Super Mega Cutie Kitten Clutter Cleaners!"

As with her previous casts of the spell, a veritable wave of civic-minded kittens in various adorable uniforms surged from the wand and raced across the entire ruined lot. Investigators at the scene jumped in surprise as the wave passed over melted ruins and exploded fuel tanks, leaving pristine market stalls and undamaged equipment in their wake.

Even the melted, ruined asphalt was repaired. The deep crater blasted into it vanished, leaving several surprised investigators who had been working inside it standing on smooth, level pavement.

Boxter stared in surprise at the sheer completeness of Star's work.

Yes, he'd seen the spell do this before, but this was so much more.

Jackie smiled at Star. "You could make so much money doing this."

Star turned up her nose. "Ah, but dearest Jacquelyn, this is merely the essential duty of royalty. To use our great power to help those in great need!"

Jackie let out a chuckle. "Noblesse oblige."

"Noblesse oblige!" Star said before quickly adding, "But, you know, for royalty."

"Right, right…!" Jackie quickly agreed as she giggled.

Before Boxter could say anything, a great commotion rose from across the street.

He looked back and saw crowds of people cheering wildly. Some stared in disbelief with cameras and phones in hand, while others had fallen to their knees, weeping with a mixture of joy, awe, and relief.

Just by looking at the crowd, he quickly realized who they were.

The people of the neighborhood. Local residents, vendors, and their employees—people who had come to behold the disaster and mourn the loss of the Night Market as they tried to figure out where they could possibly go from here.

Then, just like that, it was all back—their stands, their equipment… their entire livelihoods.

And Boxter felt it right in the pit of his stomach.

Tara had gone on television offering no real consolation or sympathy, celebrating her own achievement instead.

And these kids had come here just to fix what she broke.

As the crowd got ready to rush across the street to thank and praise Star, Jackie's phone rang and she looked at it. "We gotta go."

Star pulled out the Dimensional Scissors. "Yeah, we should get going before we get mobbed!"

Boxter turned back to them. "Hey, what? But you just…!"

Star opened the portal. "We can't stick around and bask in people's adoration all day! We've got stuff to do!"

"Yeah, dude," Jackie said as Star disappeared through the portal. "We're not actually in this for the clicks."

She followed Star through the portal, and it immediately vanished.

Boxter stared at the spot where the portal disappeared, then looked at Jeb as he stepped out of the cruiser and looked at the Night Market in amazement.

"Well, shoot," Jeb said. "If Tara was mad about how her presser went, she's going to be raging now."

Boxter blinked as it dawned on him… Jeb was right.

= - = 10-3 = - =​

Well, that's another series for the crossover lol

 

[The Ero-Sennin]

Oops, had a small error of continuity but I think I fixed it? I'm pretty sure I did.

Star never gave the scissors to Mabel back in Public Perception, she needed those to go to El Sereno, and for the following, lol.

= - = 10-4 = - =

|Take Me Out|​

A portal opened in Drew's bedroom, and he stepped out before he looked back at Star as she followed him through. "Thanks for getting me home quick, Star."

"No problem," she replied. "And have fun on your date, okay? Don't break Sabrina's heart, or Brittney will hate you more than she ever did me! No pressure, bye~!"

With that she disappeared back through the portal and it closed. Drew stared at the empty spot on the floor where it had existed, and swallowed audibly.

"Sheesh, no pressure much, Star?" he asked before he got ready.

Sabrina had texted him just as he got out of the shower in the dojo. She would be at his house in about ten minutes, with Dudley driving her.

Drew figured Dudley was a punctual guy, so he quickly changed out of his casual clothes and grabbed a nice dark blue pair of pants, a loose, light-blue, long-sleeved button-up shirt, and the blue Chuck Taylors he wore to the dance.

"First we're going to see a movie," he said as he pulled on the shirt. "Either Maze Runner or Boxtrolls."

He sat on his bed and pulled on a pair of white socks. "Then we have lunch and walk down Santa Monica Pier. Easy stuff."

Hopping around as he struggled to work a leg into his pants, he stopped when he noticed himself in the mirror set up on his door and examined his damp hair. "Huh…"

Drew nodded and used his telekinesis to make his hair look fashionably messy in that way that looked more stylish than lazy. "There we go. Today will go just fine."

Making sure he had his wallet, money, and his secret phone hidden deep in his pockets, Drew stepped out of his room, and into the hallway–

Where he found his father waiting at the top of the stairs.

"You need to stop sneaking in and out of my house like you can do as you please," Mr. McCormick immediately warned. "You're still grounded, remember?"

Drew narrowed his eyes. "Okay?"

His father looked him up and down. "Where are you going?"

"Out, with a friend," Drew said. "I'll be back in the evening."

"You're not leaving this house while you're grounded," his father replied.

Drew rolled his eyes.

"Do not roll your eyes at me." Despite the order, Mr. McCormick neither raised his voice nor changed his tone. "You are getting too big for those britches, and need to remember your place."

"I remember it plenty, that's why I'm going out," Drew looked at the path his father blocked, and strongly considered going back into his room and out his window. "How about you remember yours, and go back to listening to The Eagles while quietly seething over everything I do like I'm too embarrassing to look at."

He gestured to his father dismissively. "Because suddenly being on me for having a social life ain't it, Dad."

"I am not 'on you' for having a social life," his father replied. "You don't suddenly get one of those overnight."

"Well said by someone whose idea of a night out is collecting Eagles memorabilia with Mom."

"You are up to something, and I'm coming down on it before we have to pack up and move out again."

That agitated Drew something fierce. "The only kids who've ever messed with me here in Echo Creek moved out of town last week. I haven't been in trouble with anyone, and I have actual friends now. I'm not twelve anymore, Dad—not that I did anything wrong when I was twelve."

Mr. McCormick reached up and adjusted his glasses with his pinky finger. "What do you mean they moved?"

And there he went again, showing more concern for the people who tormented him than his own son. "Trip and Van moved out of town all of a sudden; their dad lost everything on the stock market, and now they're gone."

That appeared to genuinely surprise Mr. McCormick, the man's eyes widened behind his glasses. "Did they say where they were going?"

Drew tilted his head slightly, his expression blank. "Dad, why in the world would I care?"

He realized that Dudley was going to be pulling up any minute now. "They aren't going to harass me anymore, so I can focus on trying to graduate. If it bothers you that much, write them a letter or something. At least one of us would be sorry they're gone."

Mr. McCormick's composure returned. "You're still not leaving this house, and if you try? I will call the police to drag you back here."

Drew felt a flash of frustration rise in him before he had an idea.

"Okay, call the police, and on the ride back I can ask them about what happens when parents don't take their injured kid to the hospital, and somebody else has to after a few days."

His father visibly flinched. "No one would believe you."

Jo called from the bottom of the stairs. "Oh, but the fun part would be investigating who's telling the truth. And how would that look."

His expression tightened again, and he turned to look back at her.

"And boy, who knows what'll get dug up?" she finished before calling up to Drew. "There's a really expensive car parked outside, I think it's for you."

Drew blanched. "Crap, Dudley's here."

He took advantage of the gap his father opened and rushed past him down the stairs. "Thanks, Jo!"

"No problem, brotron," Jo said, patting him on the back as he passed her to head for the garage. "Have fun!"

"Andrew, come back here, right now!"

Jo looked back up at her father and let out a dramatic sigh. "Seriously, how are you gonna stop him, listen to an Eagles 'Best Of' as loud as you can? Just let him go, Dad."

Mr. McCormick walked down the stairs, lifting his glasses to squeeze the bridge of his nose. "Josephine, what happened to the Vanderhoffs?"

She shrugged. "They went broke and moved out of town in the dead of night because people were after them. At least that's what I read on the school Facebook group."

She folded her arms as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Why? Isn't it a good thing that the jerks who messed with Drew are gone?"

Something was going on behind her father's eyes as Mr. McCormick walked past her. She couldn't put her finger on it—and she didn't like it.

"It's just unexpected," he said as he went to the chair and sat down.

Jo watched him. "What happened to calling the police?"

Mr. McCormick sat down. "Go to your room."

Letting out a huff, Jo headed upstairs. "I'm going to the library. Have fun wallowing in your impotence, Dad."

As his daughter retreated upstairs, Mr. McCormick sank into his chair and narrowed his eyes.

The Vanderhoff brothers just disappearing was unfortunate. No, it couldn't have been worse timed.

Now he needed to think of something else.

Jogging out of his garage, Drew found Dudley standing by the rear driver's-side door, to open it for him. "Hello, Dudley."

"Greetings, Master Andrew," Dudley replied before he opened the door. "Master Sabrina awaits."

Drew nodded in thanks and climbed into the car, where Sabrina sat on the other side of the back seat, trying not to fidget nervously. "H-Hey Drew!"

"Hey," he said as he buckled himself in while Dudley closed the door and walked to the driver's side. "You look… amazing."

Immediately Sabrina's cheeks turned red as she looked him over, then averted her eyes. "Thank you… um… you too…"

Right away she wondered if she said too much or too little. "I mean, you look great! Uh… amazing… yeah… ahh… good! You look really good!"

Drew smiled and let out a small laugh. "Thank you. And… it's okay, we both want to be here, right?"

Sabrina stopped and stared at him… before she smiled. He had a point there. "Yeah, you're right."

"So, we're off to the movies," Drew said. "What do you want to see?"

"I really want to see Maze Runner, what about you?"

Drew was a little relieved. "That sounds just fine. I was hoping for that, actually. So… how was your week? I heard you got caught up in like… two monster attacks?"

That he had his ear to the ground surprised her. "Y-yes! I was at Britta's and at the golf course."

She sighed. "Both times monsters chased after us, and Dudley protected us until help arrived. Noxic even zapped him…"

Drew looked over at Dudley. "… Are you okay?"

"Yes," Dudley replied. "I only needed a day's rest, and I was good as new."

After being shocked by Noxic? Drew was impressed—then again Brittney probably had a hand in it.

"I'm glad, thank you for doing this for us."

"Of course, Master Andrew."

"Luckily that was it," Sabrina continued. "The entire week has been pretty uneventful since the golf course."

She then brightened. "Oh, do you know who TC Darnell is?"

Drew had heard of him. "The artist who draws made-up faces and puts them on shirts?"

"Yeah, he just popped up out of nowhere right before Britta's was attacked, then split up from us. He even gave Brittney and me some t-shirts."

That surprised Drew. "One of TC's shirts goes for like two grand a pop. He just gave you them?"

Sabrina nodded. "Even crazier, after the fight he and I ran into each other again, and he asked if I wanted to be drawn on a shirt."

Drew went from surprised to shocked. "For real?!"

"Yep, ask Heather, she was there. Unfortunately, his agent called him and he had to leave. And… I think his agent is still looking for him, or the paparazzi are—because someone came right up to my house just this morning before Dudley arrived, asking if I'd seen him."

"Huh, does he disappear like that a lot?"

"Seems so, but my mom said that guy was probably just looking for a scoop on him. I don't know, though…"

Drew shook his head. "I guess with enough money, you can make anything disappear—even yourself."

"R-right?" Sabrina replied. "It's kind of scary."

Drew nodded. "It is very scary."

He shed no tears for what Misao's mother did to Trip and Van, but the fact someone could just wipe someone off even public records was haunting.

He smiled warmly at Sabrina again. "But hey, you had an exciting week, saw superheroes fight, and got a free t-shirt. So… a win's a win?"

"A win's a win," Sabrina chirped back. "How was your week?"

Drew chuckled. "Not really exciting. I spent most of the time hanging out at Zoom or with Roland and my sister—we missed most of the action."

He stopped. "Well, Tang Soo Do class was almost canceled because the Magnavores went after Sensei Brantley."

Sabrina gasped. "Marco's teacher?! I heard the Magnavores attacked there, but they went after him!"

"Yeah. Marco, Star, Sensei, and the Blue Stingerborg handled him pretty easily, though. We even had class after."

"Like right after?" Sabrina was astounded.

"Yeah, Sensei and Marco spent the whole class hyping each other up, and praising each other for their immaculate skills mid-fade."

Sabrina blinked. "I didn't realize you went to Tang Soo Do."

Drew chuckled. "I only recently started. It's actually really fun and I'm already learning stuff."

"It's really surprising. Kind of like finding out that Jackie Lynn Thomas is actually a really good martial artist."

"… Really? A chill girl like her?"

"Oh yeah! She was fighting monsters at Britta's and at the golf course. I was surprised that she was so good."

Drew had signed off on Jackie joining the team personally, but it still surprised him that she knew how to fight and could even hang with Marco.

"I guess you don't really know anyone just by going to school with them, right?"

"Yeah," Sabrina agreed. "That's, um… why I want to get to know you."

Drew smiled again. "Yeah, I want to get to know you, too."

Up front, Dudley took advantage of a stoplight to look back at Drew and Sabrina. With the faintest shadow of a smile, he looked forward and drove on—headed for the coast.

@@@@@​

At the Echo Creek Public Library, Roland and Marco led Jo, Dipper, and Janna up to the front desk. The woman behind the counter, in her early forties, brightened when she saw Roland and Marco in particular. She smiled warmly at the group.

"Roland—and Marco, too!" She greeted them.

Roland smiled back. "Hey, Ms. Honey. You good?"

"Of course!" The librarian replied. "I see you brought some friends along. Welcome to the Santa Catalina branch of the Echo Creek Public Library, please keep your voices down, and if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask."

Marco looked at Roland. "You're popular here, too?"

Roland nodded. "Nano donates extra books all over LA. Ain't a library in SoCal that don't know when we pull up."

Marco gave Roland a sidelong look that slowly turned into a smirk as Roland's wealth of connections reared its head again in real time.

"Ay, chill on that, cuh," Roland muttered back when he caught his gaze.

Dipper stepped forward, Roland and Jo standing aside for him. "Actually, can you tell us where old newspapers are archived?"

Ms. Honey brightened at the query before pointing to her left. "The newspaper archives are over there. We also digitized and catalogued them on the library's local network, if you don't want to search through the physical copies. Those are the computers right beside the archive cabinets."

That was convenient, Dipper thought. "We'll use both, thank you."

It was nice to see young people so interested in history. "May I ask—is it for a school project? The library has numerous other resources that may help."

"It is, actually," Dipper said. "We're researching the Los Angeles Oil War of 1899. You wouldn't happen to know anything about it yourself, would you?"

Over in the non-fiction section Principal Skeeves looked up from a book about financial crimes, and glanced toward the group. He gave a start when he saw them, but then adjusted his glasses and peered closer at them.

Once more the librarian was impressed. "That's such an obscure bit of the city's history, though in my opinion it should be celebrated more. The story of how the country's first female Oil Tycoon—and the granddaughter of one of the town's founders—changed Echo Creek forever."

Dipper wasn't sure how he felt about such glaze for an Oil Tycoon—since she was, after all, an Oil Tycoon. Still, the librarian seemed to know her stuff. "What do you know about the Oil War?"

"Well, personally not much," the librarian said. "But there's something curious about the Oil War that even most people familiar with it don't know."

The others shared looks before Dipper asked, "What?"

"Nobody knows how it started or ended."

That was interesting. "What do you mean?"

Jo spoke up. "So it wasn't anarchists or Dr. Hillhurst opposing the oil wells?"

"Exactly that," Ms. Honey replied. "Yes, there were a few incidents involving Ms. Blakesfield-Bonner and alleged anarchists, but October 1899 was much more than that. Whatever happened, a lot happened… and then, just like that, it was over and everything was fine. No one knows what actually caused it—or what brought it to an end."

Dipper was practically vibrating where he stood, and everyone could see it. "Whatever happened, the context of it all was stripped out."

The monsters at Hillhurst couldn't remember anything about that time around the Oil War. Dr. Hillhurst didn't even tell Flabber anything about it. The only possible record of it—Dr. Hillhurst's journal—was taken by that woman Flabber identified.

This was a coverup! A conspiracy to keep the truth about Hillhurst Mansion hidden that extended beyond the house itself!

"Thank you!" Dipper said. "We're trying to solve THAT very mystery, and maybe there's something in those records we missed!"

Ms. Honey was surprised by Dipper's excitement. "Oh goodness! Well, the archives are yours to peruse. Just, be careful with the physical copies and…"

She leaned in. "Remember that this is a library. Though, I really love that you kids are so determined to learn about the past. As long as it's not too disruptive, I'll look the other way on too much excitement."

Roland and Marco both liked that.

"Thanks, Ms. Honey," Marco said.

"I'll put in a good word for Nano to add more books to her donation next month," Roland added.

Jo immediately took the lead. "If this place is anything like City Hall, it shouldn't be too hard to look up where to begin and what to focus on."

Janna joined her. "October 1899, and at least three months afterward. Just see if anything lingered on."

She snapped her fingers. "Oh, yeah, obituaries."

Jo gasped. "Yeah! If people died during the Oil War, then their deaths had to leave some kind of record. We can look up arrests, court cases, any kind of land transfer as a result, too."

"Huh!" Dipper realized that there were plenty of avenues to cover. "It's not direct information, but it can add context. Good call."

As they made their way over to the newspaper archives, Marco got the feeling they were being watched and glanced back.

Principal Skeeves, just a little bit faster, ducked out of sight behind a book shelf.

When Marco turned away, Principal Skeeves peeked out to observe the group.

@@@@@​

Deep beneath Hillhurst Mansion, in the Beetle Battle Base's command center, Jackie and Star were snuggled against one another near the windows overlooking the underground hangar where Gargantis was stored. Jackie was leaning into Star, her head on her shoulder, and the fingers of her right hand interlaced with Star's left.

Both were looking over the various designs Star, Jackie, Janna, Mabel, and Misao had been cooking up for the armor Star wanted to make for all of them, as they levitated in front of them on Star's magic.

There was a smattering of designs, including Super Sentai-style body suits (Star's idea), modern battlefield-combatant-style armor (Misao's idea), extravagant and modern stylish suits with capes (Mabel's idea), darker and more esoteric hoods with a gothic edge (Janna's idea), and more minimalist, cyberpunk-esque streetwear designs, using bandannas, hats, and other low-profile pieces to obscure their faces (Jackie's idea).

"There's so many good ideas here," Star lamented. "I want to do all of them at once, but I feel like that would be too much. But then doing something individual for everybody would… I dunno… clash?"

Jackie laughed. "No, I get it. We wanna look like a team but not like with everybody looking the same. I don't think we should be too flashy with these fits, either. Especially if we got the cops up our butts."

Star sighed. "But even before then, I gotta figure out how to make the armor. The stuff my mom used for hers: Zidanium, moonglow stones, virgin kelp…? I don't think there's any of that stuff on Earth, and I know for a fact that Zidanium is really hard to find."

Jackie turned her head to look at her. "Virgin kelp, like seaweed?"

"Yeah. Do you have that?"

"I mean, sure, but… I don't think it's what you're looking for." The first thing that came to mind for Jackie was tall stalks of kelp waving in cold currents with seals, and sharks.

Star pouted. "I think I should make it out of materials on Earth. Misao says she has all sorts of ideas—but Kevlar and titanium sound so… mundane! No offense."

"None taken," Jackie assured her. "Plus, I'd feel better with something even half as tough as the Beetleborgs armor, or the Rainbow Sentai spell."

"In that case, I don't think there's anything on Earth that tough that I can make into armor," Star lamented.

Jackie gave Star a reassuring smile. "Hey, I'm sure we'll think of something. Misao probably has some huge connections for freaky experimental stuff, Dipper and Mabel might know about weird mysterious materials."

She gestured to the ceiling. "I mean, who knows? There might be something inside Hillhurst we could use."

Star smiled back. "You're right."

Leaning in, she pecked Jackie on the cheek. "You're the best."

Jackie blushed and chuckled. "Only the best for the best, babe."

The blast doors leading to the ramp up to Hillhurst from the base's command center, and Misao and Mabel walked in—followed by Kelly.

Mabel looked around, before finding Star and Jackie snuggling. "Oh, hey! Look who we brought!"

Kelly was gazing at the command center in wonder. "… Wow, you've got all of this? It's like the She-Lair, but the Cassette Futurism aesthetic goes hard."

She looked at Star and Jackie as they stood up, and flushed when she saw them holding hands. "O-oh! Hello again."

"Hey, there!" Star greeted.

Mabel gestured to her. "This is Kelly Hamdon! SheZow's sidekick!"

Jackie gave a start. "No way. I thought her sidekick was that dude who kept showing up dressed as Marvel heroes."

Kelly winced a bit. "Uh, that's her other sidekick. I was more of a behind-the-scenes sidekick."

Misao nodded. "The command-and-control—like Wade Load to Team Possible, ja?"

"Oh!" Star replied to the exchange student. "So like how Dipper and you have been!"

"Ja!" Misao chirped back.

Jackie turned back to Kelly. "It's so cool to meet you. I'm Jackie Lynn Thomas, I've been a huge fan of SheZow since I was little."

"Yeah, me too," Kelly replied. "I don't know if they gave you the heads-up, but the previous SheZow was actually my Great Aunt."

Jackie was stunned. "No way! Are you the new one?"

Kelly shook her head. Apparently, they hadn't been given the full story. "SheZow, the one from a few years ago that Tara chased off. That was my twin brother."

Jackie's eyes grew wide. "Wait… SheZow's a guy?!"

"In a myriad of ways," Mabel said, unable to help the pun, as Kelly nodded in confirmation.

Jackie thought about it. "He wears it well."

Star then cut in. "Does he still have the ring?"

Kelly turned to her. "Um, yeah? He can still be SheZow, he's just… unable to bring himself to."

"Well, good!" Star said. "That ring belongs to my kingdom and we need his help!"

Kelly froze, and her eyes grew wide. Dipper hadn't told her that.

"Wait, wait…" She sputtered. "The Glamazon Power Ring belongs to the Kingdom of Mewni?!"

"Yeah!" Star said. "Glossaryck, my magic instructor, says it's a powerful artifact granted to powerful warriors to protect the multiverse from evil!"

That stunned Kelly. "… Whoa. W-what else can you tell me about the ring? Or the Glamazons? Or the previous SheZows?"

Star's expression dropped. "Not much else. Glossaryck is kind of a jerk and doesn't seem really excited about telling everything he knows."

Jackie frowned. "He sounds like a tool."

"He literally is."

Star wasn't wrong.

Kelly walked back over to the computers of the Beetle Battle Base. "There's so much here… how do you manage it all? Does the base have an AI?"

"No," Misao said. "Because of how all this came into existence in the real world, everything in the Beetle Battle Base is based on the earlier Big Bad Beetleborgs books."

Jackie, who read enough comics to know, chimed in. "I think there was a point in the comics where the Beetle Battle Base had an AI, but it was corrupted by Noxic or something and they had to destroy it. Not that we need anything like that."

Star hugged Misao. "We have our own supercomputer, right here! Misao's crazy-smart and good and cute!"

"Hehe!" Misao giggled back.

Kelly nodded. "In the She-Lair, we had Sheila… but after Guy stopped being SheZow, he shut her down."

Misao stopped. "Wait, you have a supercomputer… with an AI?"

Kelly nodded again. "Yeah, but to be honest we're both worried about what'll happen if we reactivate her."

Misao clapped her hand to her forehead, and began cursing quite colorfully in German. Mabel hadn't even heard some of these yet.

"… What is it, Misao…?" She asked.

Misao then threw up her hands. "WHAT IF SHEILA KNOWS EVERYTHING WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT ABOUT HILLHURST MANSION?!"

Mabel, Jackie, Kelly and Star all stared at Misao, before the same realization clicked for all of them.

It was sometimes humbling to remember that they were all still teenagers who could overlook or miss things like this.

Kelly clutched the sides of her head. "Oh em five-gee to the power of twenty! You're right!"

Her hands dropped to her sides. "Even when we were using Sheila, we never ASKED about Aunt Agnès's time as SheZow, never mind anything before her!"

"Not that you'd have a reason to," Jackie pointed out.

"We actually did!" Kelly said. "But we didn't because stuff was so messed up!"

Kelly palmed her face with both hands. "Sheila might know stuff that could've helped us beat Tara back then!"

Jackie shrugged. "Dude, you were what—twelve? That's okay."

"We all mess up, especially when we're twelve," Mabel said. "Take me for example. I messed up so badly, it almost destroyed the universe. So don't feel bad."

Kelly turned to her, genuinely upset by how much information they might have been sitting on without ever using. "But…!"

Misao rested a hand on her shoulder. "There is no point in lamenting what has passed. We cannot go back, we can only go forward."

Mabel agreed. "She's right. Instead of being mad that we fumbled, let's pick up that ball and run to the end zone!"

Kelly calmed down some and looked between the other girls. "You're right… it's water under the bridge… I can't do anything about what happened."

She then looked at Mabel. "… But, destroyed the universe?"

Star leaned in. "Wait until you hear about Gravity Falls, it's a crazy story."

Jackie and Misao both nodded in agreement.

= - = 10-4 = - =​

Another ally joins the cause.