*We return to Jay's Workspace, where we see RJ "Jay" Writing Ink sitting in an industrial-strength massage chair and holding a bag of ice to his head, trying to do his best to relax.*
Jay: So, you're probably looking at me right now and thinking to yourself that I'm like this because I spent the better part of an hour banging my head on a brick wall out of sheer frustration over my stupidity. And you'd be partially right. But the other reason is that I've had a very stressful time at my day job. One of our team members is out for a few days, so we have to pick up the slack, and I'm trying to tread water. So, yeah, this is me trying to relax and enjoy myself. And I hope that you guys enjoy the second half of the Blood Moon Ball.
Full disclosure: I thought it over, and I decided that I'm using Brina Palencia as the voice of Tammy from now on. She was my original choice, but I thought Cristina Vee would be better, but now I'm just not feeling it.
Oh, and if you guys haven't figured it out, the Meg in this story is the character from Family Guy. She seemed like the best choice for a genderswapped version of Brian, since she's one of the more sane members of the main cast.
Far, far below the surface of Mewni and its many kingdoms and fiefdoms, lay the Underworld. And on this night, all across the underground realm, demons and ghouls were preparing to celebrate a legendary celestial event: the Blood Moon. On this night, the largest of Mewni's moons would bathe in a crimson hue as it illuminated the night sky.
The veneration of the Blood Moon was said to go back millennia, long before the Mewmans mysteriously appeared in Mewni. According to legend, two lovers, threatening to be torn apart by a terrible war between their families, met under one such moonlit night, vowing never to let themselves be parted. The Moon's spirit saw their plight and took pity on them, using its power to bind the two together in an unbreakable bond. Together, the lovers were able to stop the senseless struggle for good. While wars still plagued the Underworld for centuries, it was said that this event marked the first step towards lasting peace and unity. Thus, whenever the Blood Moon shone once more, the denizens of the Underworld would honor it with great festivities, and none were grander than that of the Blood Moon Ball. Those demons who lived long enough to attend would speak of its grandeur, the dancing and music, and the sacrificing of pig-goats to the Blood Moon itself.
It was unfortunate, then, that everyone who came to this year's Blood Moon Ball found themselves not at the riotous and chaotic ceremony of old but what looked like a cheap high-school prom! There would be no animal sacrifices, no fountain of blood, and no streamers made from dried entrails hanging up. And everyone had Princess Tamara to thank for it! Tammy insisted on keeping things as low-key as possible for Comet's sake, and everyone had no choice but to go along. However, that didn't stop people from complaining, saying that she turned the sacred event into a cheap holiday greeting card.
None of the back sass helped Tammy's mood as she walked around the ballroom, organizing last-minute preparations. She swapped out her black dress from earlier in the day in favor of a more formal, white ball gown. The gown was very elegant by Underworld standards, with the ends lined with frills mixed with red lace and a shoulderless top exposing a modest amount of skin. She also had on white gloves that went halfway up to her elbows to compliment the dress. The Princess's hair was done up in a braid/bun combo, completing the look. All told, she looked exceptionally lovely, though that didn't help her stress levels at the moment as she walked around the ballroom with Meg at her side.
"It's so frustrating, Meg. Try as I might, I can't get the sight of that girl standing near Comet out of my head. It's driving me nuts!" Tammy recounted to her life coach as she felt the need to vent.
"Tammy, could it be that you might be overreacting a little?" Meg politely proposed.
"Am I, though?" Tammy said as she turned to look at the woman. "Did you see how quickly she came to the defense of Comet? And how protective he was of her? I'm telling you, there's more to them than they're letting on," Tammy said as she waved her hands around.
"And is that why you look like you're on the verge of having a meltdown?" Meg sarcastically asked, to which Tammy vehemently shook her head.
"No! Well...okay, yes," Tammy admitted. "It's just that those two are living together, and look how close they already are. If I don't prove myself to Comet tonight, I may never have another chance! I can already see what could end up happening if I fail..."
And with that, Tammy's imagination started to run rampant. First, she saw Comet looking down at her from on high as he held Marcia in his arms.
"I'm sorry, Tam, but it doesn't matter how much you changed yourself for me. I just don't feel the same way about you anymore." He said condescendingly. "After all, I have a new woman in Marcia, and she's way more fun to be around than you," Comet then looked at Marcia and gave her the most loving and most delicate look imaginable. "Come, Marcia, let's start planning our wonderful future together while poor, angry Tamara spends her life alone." Comet then laughed as he walked away with Marcia nestled in his arms, leaving Tammy abandoned and melancholy.
"Or maybe something like this..."
Now Tammy envisioned a gigantic version of Marcia gazing down toward Tammy with an annoyed expression on her face. "So you're Comet's ex that I've heard so much about. How does it feel to know that you spent all that time working on yourself to win back your man, only to learn you lost to someone from Earth? It hurts, doesn't it? But don't worry, Tamara. I'll make sure to take real good care of Comet for you. The giant Marcia then broke out into a fit of haughty laughter, the kind that you would from a stereotypical Queen Bee in an anime.
"I JUST CAN'T STAND THE THOUGHT OF LOSING MY LOVE TO THAT GIRL, MEG!"Tammy cried out in anguish, much to her coach's concern.
"Okay, Tammy, breathe. Take a deep breath and relax," Meg instructed her charge, who momentarily began to follow her instructions. Within a few seconds, Tammy had calmed down.
"Thank you, Meg. I needed that." Tammy said, smiling.
"No problem. And trust me, I get what it's like to be worried about losing the person you like. Can't even begin to count all the failed crushes I had in high school," Meg said in a reassuring tone. "So don't you worry. You focus on having a good time tonight, and I'll be there to be your wingman. Or Wing girl? Wingwoman?" Meg then shook her head to get back on track. "The point is, I'll be there to help if things go south."
"Lady Tamara?" One of the servants, a winged demon, came forward. "Comet Dragonfly has arrived," the demon informed her, making her perk up right away.
"Excellent! I will go to greet him. Have the staff see to the other guests in the meantime." Taking a deep breath, Tammy then began to walk to the elevator, watching as Comet stepped out of the carriage...and blushing a little at how handsome he looked in his suit.
For his part, Comet didn't even notice Tammy at first. He was too busy looking at his surroundings. It had been some time since he'd last been in the Underworld, after all. Considering that even setting foot in Mewni ran the risk of his dad discovering he could travel to other dimensions, this would likely be the last time he'd be there for a while.
"Still the same dark and dimly lit place as ever, I suppose," Comet thought aloud. "Guess some things never change."
"You never know, my love," he heard a familiar voice. Looking ahead, he then saw Tammy, clad in a lovely ball gown, as she walked towards him. "And don't you clean up quite nicely."
Comet inwardly winced at this. He honestly didn't know if he should be flattered or offended by her statement. Since this was the Underworld, though, it's possible it was both. Plus, Tammy hasn't always been the most discreet of people, Comet reminded himself. So, he grinned and posed. "Tammy, you should know me better than that. I look amazing no matter what I'm wearing!" Eliciting a laugh from Tammy. "You look nice, too," he said, complimenting her dress and making her blush.
"Th-thank you!" she nervously said. While Tammy tried to put on an air of confidence in front of others, Comet was the rare exception. She could wind up a nervous wreck at times in front of him. Comet honestly thought that it was adorable.
It kind of makes me wonder why we broke up in the first place, he thought as he remembered all the good times they had together.
"Oh, here. I got you this," Tammy said once she collected herself, holding up a (hopefully) dead horned spider. "It's a hair thing. You know, so you'll fit in around here."
And there it is, Comet thought. One of Tammy's biggest problems was that she could be very controlling at times, wanting things to go her way. Comet learned that the best way to deal with that was the direct approach. "Sorry, Tammy, but I've got my own thing going here. It took me a long time to get my hair like this, and I don't want that to be for nothing." This was a lie since he used magic to do it; he just didn't want a dead spider in his hair! "Now, come on, Tammy! Let's go have fun already!" Comet ran into the ballroom, not even bothering to look behind him at the angry mess that his ex was no doubt turning into.
He was right. Tammy started to growl to herself in anger over this. She'd worked her butt off to make sure Comet liked the dance; she thought the least he could do was meet her halfway! Lucky for her, Meg was there on standby to help defuse the situation.
"Remember, Tammy: you can be positive that your anger is negative. Also, I have Panne with me." Meg then quickly held up the pink bunny, allowing Tammy to pet it and get the anger out. Smiling, she then went to join Comet inside the ballroom, still optimistic about her chances for the night.
After Comet had gone to the dance, Marcia did her best to keep her mind occupied. But whether it was practicing karate, meditating, or playing video games, nothing worked. Finally, she gave up on trying to distract herself and decided to wait in Comet's room until he came back.
For some strange reason, Marcia felt the urge to dress up. So, she went rummaging in her room before finding the dress she wore for Dia De Los Muertos last year. It was a beautiful black Catrina dress decorated with a vibrant array of pink, yellow, and blue flowers. A faux-silk red belt wrapped around her slim waist to connect to the red pleated underskirt, letting her keep her trademark favorite color. Adorning her neck was a simple, blue-beaded necklace, while the laurel from earlier lay atop her head. Marcia found the old Dia De Los Muertos sugar skull mask she made one year to complete the outfit, but she didn't put it on at first. She didn't feel the need to, and she was still depressed over Comet going to that dance.
That was why Marcia was now sitting on a lawn chair in Comet's room, listening to music in Espanol and watching the Blood Moon rise as she sorrowfully ate a bag of nacho chips. She was even committing the sacrilege of eating them without cheese or salsa!
"Who needs Comet, anyway?" Marcia muttered in between handfuls of chips. "I'll just throw my own Blood Moon Ball in Comet's room. Where it's always fun." Marcia threw her hands in the air as she tried to sound excited, but it was clear to anyone walking by that she wasn't, including her!
The worst part, though, was the fact that Marcia didn't know why she felt so worked up in the first place. She knew that part of the reason was that she didn't trust Tammy. She remembered how hurt Comet sounded when he told his friends about her after the Diavolo debacle. Having to dump her was a wound that hadn't fully healed, even after so much time passed. The last thing he needed was to get his hopes up, only to have them get dashed. It would break his heart!
The fact was, Marcia felt that Comet made a mistake going to that dance, but this felt like more than mere concern. There was some other feeling buried deep within, something she couldn't quite name at first but knew that it hurt. It hurt to feel like that. Marcia thought about it as she sat in Comet's room, and after a while, she realized what she was feeling. Jealousy.
Why am I jealous?What do I have to be jealous about, anyway? Marcia asked herself. Sure, Comet was her best friend, but she didn't see him like that! At best, he was like the super annoying/cool brother she never had. Was it because he went without her? They were allowed to have their own lives; it's not like the two were glued at the hip or anything! The more that she thought about it, though, the more upset Marcia felt.
"I wish I could've gone with Comet," Marcia sighed as she slumped into the lawn chair.
Blood Moon tonight.
Marcia shot up out of her seat when she heard this. Carefully, she looked around the room, her muscles unconsciously tensing in case there was an intruder. However, she didn't see anything. The laser puppies were sleeping in her room, and Coryn was flying around the neighborhood. There was no one else there, except for this painting of this grizzled old lady in a sea captain's uniform that Comet had hanging up. According to him, the woman was an explorer of the Universe and advisor to the Dragonfly family centuries ago.
"You're just hearing things, Marcia. No need to get so worked up," she nervously said as she went back to eating her chips.
The Moon of lovers.
Marcia froze. She knew she heard something that time! As she frantically looked around the room for the source of the voice, she came up with nothing once more. Looking at the sea captain's portrait, though, Marcia felt something supernatural was afoot. And as she looked at the rising Blood Moon, and then at the bell and hammer Tammy left for Comet, that feeling only got stronger. Marcia's safety instincts began to kick in, and they all began to tell her one thing: something was going to happen at that dance.
Do I really want to go there, even though Comet told me not to? Marcia began to fret to herself. On the one hand, she wanted to trust her best friend. On the other hand, she knew that Comet would pull a similar stunt if the roles got reversed. And while Marcia would get mad at him afterward, he would say he did it because he cared about her.
Marcia made her decision.
To quote the words of the two great morons, Beavis and Butt-Head...this sucks.
Comet had read up on the Blood Moon Ball after Tammy had left, and from what he learned, it was supposed to be this big, blood-filled blowout. Yet so far, all that Comet had seen was the Underworld equivalent to one of those dances that you would see schools do on TV. And not the fun kind, either. At the moment, Comet was standing in line with Tammy for something that he wasn't paying much attention to while Tammy kept talking to him. He tried to listen, but for some reason, he couldn't. He was too out of it.
Maybe I should have asked Marcia to come and crash this party, Comet absentmindedly thought to himself. That's when his ears perked up as he heard Tammy mention something about unicorn blood.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that last that, Tammy?" Comet asked in confusion as he finally got out of his head.
"I said I'm so excited to be covered in blood with you. But don't worry. It's not real. It's from a unicorn," Tammy said with a giddy look on her face.
"Okay, A.) pretty sure unicorn blood is still real. And B.) my best friend's a floating unicorn head, so nerp," he explained, putting his foot down.
"What? They're not related," Tammy said, trying to talk him into it.
So you want to play it like that, huh? Comet thought. "Also, you do realize that we're both wearing white clothes, right? I doubt blood will come out that well in the wash," Comet pointed out.
Tammy's eyes widened as she realized Comet was right. "Good point. Punch bowl?" She suggested.
"Punch bowl," Comet agreed, and the two went over to the punch bowl to get something to drink. They had only meant to stay a few minutes, but then Comet got distracted by the skeleton fish in the punch bowl. The next thing they knew, Comet started recounting everything that had happened to him since they last saw each other. How he got sent to Earth, met Marcia and the others, battled Monsters, saved Aqua, and more. For her part, Tammy couldn't help but smile as she listened to her love light up about everything, but at the same time, she felt the bitter pill of resentment forced down her throat. She had spent months feeling angry over the events that led to their break up, and from the sounds of it, Comet had managed to move on with little problems. He already had tons of new friends on Earth, and he'd already met up with two old friends of his.
It's like he forgot about me altogether, Tammy sadly thought to herself. She hated that; she didn't want Comet to forget about her. To toss her aside like she was nothing, leaving her alone. And without even realizing it, Tammy began to feel her anger over the human girl begin to swell up again. Fortunately for her, she was saved by Meg and Panne's timely arrival, with the bunny happily letting the demon pet her. Unfortunately, the act did not go unnoticed by Comet.
"Tammy, are you...getting angry?" Comet questioned, making Tammy yelp in embarrassment. As the demon princess tried to come up with some excuse, she found herself tongue-tied by her inability to lie to Comet. Luckily, Meg was able to come up with one for her.
"Nah. I just happened to be getting some refreshments here, and I thought Tammy would want some quality time with her pet bunny," the life coach explained, leaving the two teens confused. "What? It's free food. I'm not going to turn down free food," the woman said as she started eating some of the hor d'oeuvres.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm getting angry!" A new voice said, causing Comet and the other guests to turn around to see two newcomers. One was a chick with horns growing out of her head, which for some reason, also doubled as her midsection. The other was tall with a small head and had bat-like ears growing out of it. "Are you Tammy's date? Because I don't see anybody else hanging around here that looks like a Mewman!" The stubby demon said.
"Um, yeah, why?" Comet nervously asked as he looked at Tammy and Meg, who were both trying to figure out what was going on.
"Well, I hope you're happy because the Princess went and made this whole party boring for you!" the weird chick said, much to Tammy's frustration. She was about to give the rude girl a piece of her mind when she felt Meg hold her back and decided to back down. Comet, however, had no such luck.
"I wouldn't go as far as calling this whole boring, ma'am..." he tried to say, only for the demon to rudely cut him off.
"Oh, really? Well, take a look at that cauldron that isn't melting people's faces off," she said as she pointed to a random, bubbling cauldron on the table. "What do you call that?"
"Something that's not a safety hazard?" Comet said, not knowing what the right answer was.
"And look at all these guests! They're all way too attractive!" she next complained, pointing to a random demon couple that happened to be standing nearby. "Snoresville!"
"Um, they say beauty's in the eye of the beholder?" Comet nervously suggested as Tammy felt herself getting worked up.
"But let's not forget about that!" The demon lady said, pointing to a random trash can with an empty cup lying haphazardly next to it on the floor. "Garbage that doesn't even try to eat your face or destroy the Universe! WORST BLOOD MOON BALL EVER!" Before anyone could even blink, the stubby demon lady then broke down in tears and ran off, leaving the others thoroughly confused.
I have absolutely no idea what just happened, Tammy thought as she felt her anger subside.
"Oh, boy. Tammy, I better go and help her out," Meg said as she watched the entire exchange. "You good here?"
"Um...yeah, I guess?" Tammy numbly replied. And with that, Meg grabbed Panne (and many other snacks) and ran off after the weird little demon.
"You wanna dance, cutie?" the remaining demon asked, holding out her hand. Tammy ran over and put herself in between the two of them right on cue.
"Sorry, ma'am, but this gentleman's dance card happens to be full," she said. While she sounded polite, her eyes told a different story filled with jealousy and protectiveness that could be summed up in one word: mine.
"Oh, I get it," the bat lady said. "I bet you think that, like, your soul and his soul will get chosen and will go mmmm!" The demon slid her fingers together as she emphasized that last part, giving a knowing smile.
"What exactly is Mmmmm?" Comet said while copying the demon's actions, making Tammy nervous.
"I-it's nothing, sweetie! Just a little surprise for you!" She frantically told him, praying that he would end up buying it.
"Well, okay!" Comet cheerfully said, with Tammy breathing a sigh of relief. She was almost in the clear!
At that moment, the sound of a tapped microphone then directed everyone's attention to the podium near the entrance to the ballroom, where there stood a demon in a black robe on the platform, the devil, whom Tammy put in charge of overseeing the Ball once it got underway, began to speak.
"If I may have your attention, please? It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to the Blood Moon Ball. Now I request that you all direct your attention skyward." Above, a giant, stone hand moved atop the ceiling, revealing a crescent-shaped hole in the middle of the roof. At once, blood-red light from the Moon above began to flood the room.
"When the light of the Blood Moon dribbles down and picks two lucky souls, binding them together for eternity in its hypnotic, ruby brodum."
Whoa...that sounds really romantic, now that I think about it, Comet thought as he looked up in awe. Not that he cared about that sort of thing, though; he didn't need some celestial event telling him who was his dream partner. He was Comet Dragonfly, and he'd pick the person he'd spend the rest of his life with. Go ahead, Blood Moon. Find someone who needs your help more than I do. Comet didn't realize it, but Tammy wouldn't stop looking at him as the demon spoke.
This is my moment. The time when I show Comet that I'm the only one for him!
As the crimson light of the Moon began to creep closer to the ballroom, everyone began to pair up with their respective partners. As the ceremony proceeded, the organ started to play a soft, gothic melody as everyone began to pray that the Blood Moon would choose them. Unfortunately, Tammy was too distracted by the fact that they weren't playing the music she asked.
"Dang it, this is going to drive me nuts!" Tammy cursed under her breath. "Wait right here, shooting star. I'll be right back," Tammy hastily said before running over to the organist.
"Uh-huh. Sure," Comet dumbly said. Unbeknownst to Tammy, Comet didn't hear anything she said. He was preoccupied with the allure of the red light beaming down into the room. He began to wander around the ballroom like a ship sailing aimlessly at sea with no destination in mind with only the light of the Moon to keep him company. Rather, it felt like the Moon knew of his goal and sought to guide him towards it, yet it refused to explain where he was going. Under normal circumstances, that would be frustrating, but now? Now, Comet felt an eerie sense of calm as he wandered around the ballroom, unsure of what he was even doing there.
"Comet! Comet!" Comet became confused. For a moment, he thought he heard someone call his name. Maybe the light's playing tricks on me or something, Comet thought as he continued walking around the place. The further he walked, though, the closer the voice seemed to get. Finally, it stopped, much to his confusion. Before he could wonder what all that was about, Comet suddenly felt someone tug at his hand. Without warning, he found himself pulled towards a mysterious, masked young woman in a black dress. A lovely young woman, Comet heard a voice say in some portion of his mind.
It took Comet a few moments to realize what had happened and fewer still to surmise what was going on: whoever this girl was, she probably didn't want to be the only one without a dance partner. Poor girl. She really doesn't deserve to be alone at a place like this, he thought. At the same time, though, he knew that Tammy saw this stranger with him, she'd probably lose it.
Right as Comet was going to politely decline her offer, the atmosphere in the ballroom began to change. The crimson lights enveloping the ballroom turned an eerie blood red. Everyone present began to gasp as the red glow of the Blood Moon had centered on one spot: the spot where Comet and this stranger were standing.
Comet didn't know why he did what he did next. It was like his body was running on autopilot, driven by some primal instinct. But he felt himself place a hand gently on the girl's waist and another on her shoulder.
Then, a new song began to play. A haunting, yet stately, waltz.
Begin playing Blood Moon Waltz: watch?v=gCFCDFq3Wss
Within moments, all the lessons on ballroom dancing drilled into his head by his father clicked into place. With a light step, Comet began to lead her into the dance. The girl seemed hesitant to follow at first, but she soon joined in with a fervor that matched his own. Pretty soon, she was gracefully following him across the ballroom floor, both unaware of the red light that followed them both.
Comet had been to enough balls on Mewni to recognize someone who knew how to dance. And whoever this mysterious girl was, she knew what she was doing. Like, really knew what she was doing! Every movement she made, every step, every twirl, every swerve was entirely in sync with his! This girl might be enough to give Dad and Tammy a run for their money, Comet thought as they continued to make their way across the ballroom floor, even as the rest of the Universe seemed to fade away.
For the rest of the Universe, though, it felt like the two teens had become its temporary center. Everyone at the dance stood in silent awe as they watched the pair glide across the dance floor. At that moment, everyone present realized that all the tales that the elder demons had told about the sheer beauty of the Blood Moon did no justice to the real thing. And while many grumbled about how the Ball had turned out on this occasion, they all agreed it had been worth coming to witness this legendary event.
As the dance continued to accelerate in sophistication, Comet felt captivated by his mysterious partner. He couldn't tell who she was, for she wore a mask in the shape of a skull. However, Comet knew enough to tell that she was beautiful. Her black dress and the laurel on her head seemed exotic and otherwordly, yet at the same time, vaguely familiar. Her short, brown hair seemed to glisten in the moonlight. And he felt like he could get lost in those chocolate brown eyes hidden underneath that mask.
Comet blushed. Never before had he felt like this around anyone. It was like finding a piece to him that he never even knew needed to be found. He had no idea who this girl was, but he did know one thing: he needed her in his life. He noted the irony. For all his talk of never letting some stranger win his heart, here he was, falling for some girl whose name he didn't even know.
"Psst, Comet?" the girl whispered in a sing-songy voice. It sounded like the voice of an angel, threatening to suck Comet even further into her grasp.
"How did you know my name?" Comet asked in a dreamy, lovestruck state.
At last, the stranger lifted her mask, revealing the identity of the one which had swept the Prince of Mewni off his feet.
"It's me, Marcia!" the girl whispered. In an instant, Comet felt his senses return to him as he realized who was he was dancing with. Standing in front of him was Marcia Diaz, his best friend in the entire Universe, and the one person he didn't want to see at the dance.
"Marcia!? What are you doing here?" Comet asked their dance began to reach its climax.
"Come on, Comet. Let's get out of here. This place is the worst," Marcia told him. Before Comet could even hope to reply, the dance came to an abrupt end, as Marcia was unceremoniously shoved onto the ground and away from Comet by an incredibly irritated-looking Tammy.
End Music
At once, the music came to a screeching halt, and with it, the crimson light of the Blood Moon began to dissipate.
"No! No, you can't leave! Not yet!" Tammy cried out. Alas, it was in vain. The room briefly flickered into darkness before light returned. And when it did, everything was normal. The Blood Moon had made its choice, and it had not chosen Tammy.
For a moment, Tammy just stood there, trying to process what transpired. Then she looked at Comet, who looked completely dumbfounded at everything that was going on. Comet was so out of it that he didn't even notice the emotions that were swirling inside of Tammy's three eyes. Resentment, regret, betrayal. But all those emotions began to take a backseat to the one she felt the most: pure, unadulterated anger. Turning, she stared down at the girl who dared to try and steal her love out from under her...and saw that it was the human girl from earlier. At once, all of Tammy's worst nightmares seemed to come true. How dare she...HOW DARE SHE!
And then, Tammy's eyes began to glow red.
Uh-oh, was the one thing that ran through Comet's head as his worst-case scenario played out: Tammy was about to lose it!
"That dance...was meant...for ME!" Tammy roared at the helpless Marcia as she unleashed the full extent of her command over fire. In an instant, the ballroom became engulfed in flames as demons began to look around in a panic. To her credit, Meg dropped everything and ran to the demon's side.
"Come on, Tammy. Just walk it out-"
Plays "Tom Freaks Out" /E1iD42R2wao
"NOT NOW, MEG!"Tammy shouted as she shoved her life coach off to one side. She was far past the point to listen to anyone as she kept walking towards Marcia. The Diaz girl, realizing just how far into the deep end she jumped, could only shuffle away on the ground in a futile attempt to flee. Tammy, though, wasn't giving her even the luxury of putting her back to the wall. As her hands suddenly felt a searing, burning sensation as he kept scuffling backward, she turned around to see the cause. Tammy had conjured another wall of flames, cutting off any escape attempt.
"YOU'RE DEAD FOR THAT, YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Tammy roared as she showed her true, demonic colors. Wielding her mastery of fire, the demon princess began to float above the ground, held aloft by her flames. As she let out one final roar before striking at the human girl, Marcia closed her eyes, bracing for the blow that would surely kill her...only for it to never come.
When Marcia opened her eyes again, she saw Tammy, frozen in a block of ice. Off to the side, Comet lowered his Wand with a disappointed look on his face. Without saying anything, the boy then walked up to his frozen ex and, using magic, changed the button on her dress to say "0 DAYS ANGER FREE."
"Better luck next time, Tamara. Not that there'll even be a next time after tonight," Comet bluntly told her. He then looked down at Marcia, who was, understandably, still freaking out over her near-death experience.
"Come on, Marcia. We're leaving." Marcia didn't need any more encouragement after that. She hastily got up and followed her best friend to the exit without another word.
The ride back to Earth was an incredibly awkward one, to say the least. Comet didn't say a word to Marcia the entire time. He didn't even look at her! He merely stared out the window, looking at the flames that encircled the elevator as they continued to ascend to the surface. For her part, though, Marcia couldn't figure out what to say to him. Should she apologize for following even after he told her not to? Did Marcia want to bring up the (honestly) romantic dance the two seemed to share in front of the entire Underworld? Or was it simply that Marcia wanted to say something about Tammy in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, Comet was mad at his ex and not her?
After a few minutes, the elevator brought them back to Comet's balcony, and the door swung open. Sighing, Comet then took off his dress shoes before getting out, with Marcia following close behind.
"Thanks for the lift," Comet politely told the winged demon, who nodded his head before descending back down to the Underworld. After that, the balcony was bereft of noise for several agonizing seconds as Marcia tried to think of something to say to her best friend.
"Listen, Comet, I-"
"Do you not trust me, Marcia?"
"Huh?"
"I said, do you not trust me, Marcia?" The whole time, Comet never looked at her. He merely kept his back turned to her as he awaited her answer.
Marcia was at a loss at how to proceed, but she knew that there was no way to get out of this. Thus, she decided to press on. "Well, duh. Of course I trust you, Comet. I mean, we're best friends, right?" the girl nervously said.
Comet finally turned around, allowing Marcia to get a clear glimpse of his face. It was uncharacteristically dour, his bright, blue eyes that were frequently filled with light and merriment, now seemed flat with disappointment. "Then why, Marcia? Why did you follow me even after I told you not to?"
"Well, to be fair, I tell you not to do a lot of things, too, so..."
"That's not the point, Marcia!" Comet started to shout out of nowhere. "I'm not a little kid that needs to be babysat wherever I go. I'm sure as hell not some pampered noblemen's son who needs someone to wipe his ass every time he uses the bathroom. And, last time I checked, I'm not what people on Earth would consider 'normal.'" Comet made sure to make air quotes for that last word.
"Comet, calm down. Whatever your problem is, I can help," Marcia offered out of concern.
"My 'problem', Marcia, is that people don't trust me to do anything right! They never seem to remember how I'm a fourteen-year-old boy who already lives away from his parents, fights Monsters, and travels to other dimensions on a daily basis. And all of that's on top of the fact that I can use freaking magic! I could handle a jealous, demonic ex-girlfriend with one hand tied behind my back!" As he continued to talk more, Comet's temper seemed to be rising further and further, like he was letting out some deep-seated issues in one go. "And even with all this, with all this going for me, nobody trusts me to look after myself. So is it any wonder that I'm standing here yelling at you, my best friend, for crashing the party and almost getting yourself killed by my potentially yandere, fire-bending ex-girlfriend because she doesn't think that I'm capable of looking out for myself? AND IS IT ANY WONDER THAT I SEEM FURIOUS!?"
Marcia looked at Comet; she knew he'd be upset, but she had no idea it would be this bad. Or rather, she had no clue that he'd been carrying around this level of frustration within him. Comet...this is about your family and how all those elitist jerks treated you, isn't it? Marcia was grateful that she studied psychology; thanks to it, she could see what was really bothering her friend and knew what to say. Sighing to calm herself down, Marcia opened her mouth to begin.
"You're right, Comet," she calmly acknowledged. When people worked themselves into this kind of state, Marcia found the best thing to do was deescalate things. "You're not a normal guy, you're not some kid that needs to be constantly looked after, and you're not some pompous jerk who has to be waited on hand and foot. You travel to other dimensions, beat up Monsters regularly, and use magic in ways that seem to defy every rule of science there is. You're more than capable of handling someone like Tammy on your own. But the thing is, Comet, you don't have to."
"Wha-what are you saying, Marcia?" Comet asked in bewilderment. He genuinely had no idea where she could possibly be going with this.
"I'm saying that, just because you can take care of yourself and do things that most other people can't, doesn't mean that you have to do it all alone. I'm your friend, Comet," Marcia said as she confidently gestured to herself. "And if there's one thing that I know, it's that friends are always there to help each other out, even when they don't think it's needed. Be honest with me, Comet: if our roles got reversed tonight, and you were the one left behind while I went to that dance, would you really let me go alone?"
"Of course not! I'd follow you anyhow to make sure you were safe!" Comet said without a second of hesitation, only to realize that he fell for Marcia's logic hook, line, and sinker.
"Exactly, Comet! You'd do the same thing that I did tonight!" Marcia said, now pointing her index finger at Comet. "And do you want to know why? Because even the greatest people in the Universe need help from time to time. And if they're too dumb to recognize that fact, then that means that they're not as great as everyone thinks they are!" Marcia proclaimed to her friend. "But above all, being friends with someone means knowing when they might need your help, even if they claim otherwise. So, please, don't try to do everything on your own, because you're not alone. You've got far too many people who care about you to let you go it alone."
Comet could only stare as Marcia finished her rebuke. Normally, he hated being lectured like that, but what she said wound up hitting the mark for some odd reason. As he walked over to the railing and gazed out at the town under cover of night, he sighed in defeat. "You're right, Marcia. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I was just upset because this drudged up some unpleasant memories," he said as he began to reminisce about his childhood. "Back home, it seems like half my family doesn't trust me to do anything right since I refuse to conform to their ideas on how royalty should behave, with Eternia the worst of them all. It feels like my own dad doesn't trust me half the time. That's why I like staying on Earth so much. Most people here don't judge me because I'm a prince, but just for being myself. People like Jonah, Jackson, and you." Comet then turned around to look at Marcia and smiled. "Thanks for having my back tonight, Marcy."
Marcia smiled as she proceeded to reach out and hug her best friend, glad that the two of them patched things up.
"So, I hate to ask, but was the Blood Moon Ball as good as you thought it would be?"
Comet merely shrugged. "Honestly, it was a total snoozefest. Nothing like I thought it would be. But hey, at least it wasn't a total loss."
"Why's that?"
Before Marcia could protest, Comet swiped the laurel on her head and placed it on his. "Because now I know that you can dance like the best of them," he teased before handing her back the laurel. That's when both of them noticed that the headwear managed to mess up their hair, making them laugh.
"Hat hair!" they both said at once, making them pause. "Whoa! We both said-!...The same thing!" Both teens started to get freaked out at this new development, repeatedly clasping their mouths to get them to stop talking in sync, but to no avail. "Okay, stop that!" When neither seemed unable to stop, Comet panicked, grabbing his Wand before pointing it at the girl. After a few seconds of silence, though, the two began to laugh at the weirdness of the situation, letting what little tension remained from the events of the night melt away.
"Well, that was new," Comet said once he finished laughing at the ridiculousness of the whole thing.
"Yeah. Totally didn't see that coming." Marcia nodded in agreement.
"Alright then. Now go make us some nachos, and let's salvage this night with some Smash Bros!" Comet ordered his best friend to do.
"You read my mind, Comet," Marcia happily said as she strode off to the kitchen.
And for the rest of that night, the two best friends wound up playing video games together while stuffing their faces full of nachos.
"Okay, that's it. Just set her down in the fire pit nice and gently," Meg said to a pair of demons who were currently carrying the block of ice that Tammy had been frozen inside.
"Why are we doing what this lady tells us again?" one of the demons grunted as they struggled to keep the ice block from tipping over. "She's not even from the Underworld!"
"Look, I hate it too, but the King and Queen said to listen to the mortal about any matters regarding Princess Tamara. Now quit your whining! You're going to make us demons look bad!" the other demon said to his compatriot, silencing him. Finally, the two demons managed to set the gigantic ice block inside a fire pit that Meg had constructed before sighing in relief.
"Thanks for the help, you guys. Take the rest of the night off," Meg said, instantly improving the mood of the two demons.
"All right! Come on, buddy. If we hurry, we can find a Blood Moon festival before they close up for the night!" One of the demons said to the other as the two then ran out of the room as fast as their cloven hooves could carry them. Meg, however, stayed behind to tend to the fire, making sure it was hot enough to melt through the considerable amount of ice.
Fortunately, Meg didn't have to wait for long. It only took a few minutes before the ice had begun to melt. It started out slow, but soon, the ice was rapidly dripping and melting onto the floor in large puddles as the fire got closer to freeing the girl inside. Finally, Meg began to see Tammy's body begin to twitch and move as it began to return to life before, finally, Tammy managed to free herself in a fiery explosion that sent what little ice was left flying all over the room.
"WHERE IS SHE!?" was the first thing Tammy said, or rather, roared after being freed from her icy prison. "WHERE IS THAT LITTLE BITCH!?" Tammy bellowed as she began to look around the room in search of the girl that had dared to take her man out from under her. She snarled like a wild animal ready to pounce on its prey and began to get even angrier when it became apparent that the human girl was nowhere to be found.
As a matter of fact, the more Tammy looked around, the more she realized that she wasn't even in the ballroom anymore. As she began to take stock of her location, the bloodlust that had been coursing through her veins just moments before began to dissipate. In its place, though, came confusion. "What is-where am I?" Tammy asked aloud.
"Hey, girl," Meg said as she walked over to Tammy, now certain that it was safe to approach her.
"Meg? Where am I? What happened. Where is my darling Comet?" Tammy began to look around in confusion. "The last thing that I remember is leaving him to go tell the band to play the right music, and then, it's all red.
"You don't fully remember what happened, huh?" Meg sighed, know that what she had to do next was for Tammy's own good, but that didn't make it any easier for her to do.
Over the next few minutes, Meg recapped everything that had happened. And by the time she was done, Tammy had long since fallen to her knees, her eyes struggling to hold back the tears that threatened to leak from them.
"My sweet, darling Comet..." Tammy sniffled as she struggled not to cry.
"There, there, Tammy," Meg said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I know that you're upset. You put all that effort into trying to change yourself for the better, only to have it all made worthless in the span of a few minutes. But it's not the end of the world. Maybe Comet will be willing to give you another chance."
"How?" Tammy asked her life coach. "This was my one chance, and I blew it! Now Comet's going to hate me for the rest of my life!"
"Tammy, I doubt that he's going to hold this against you for the rest of his life. And besides, you two did seem to get along well when I saw you."
"But that was before that stupid Earth hussy showed up and stole him right out from under me! Did you see the look on Comet's face when she was dancing with that human girl?" Tammy felt more tears coming on as she vividly remembered how lovestruck Comet had been at the girl, even if he hadn't realized it.
"Yes. I was there, too, Tammy. I saw everything. And honestly, he was just as surprised as you that he was dancing with that Earth girl. You may still-"
"Please don't finish that sentence, Meg," Tammy said, holding up a hand. "We both know that that's not true. At least, the way things are right now." Tammy wiped the tears from her eyes and got back to her feet. "We've got work to do, Meg if we want to fix this."
"All right, that's good," Meg said, getting to her feet. "We can start back on getting your anger under control first thing tomorrow, and then we can-"
"I'm not talking about getting my anger under control, Meg. I'm talking about that girl," Tammy clarified as her voice began to become colder than before. "As long as that human is around Comet, there's no way that I can hope to win my beloved's heart back. She is a threat to my chance at happiness, and I will deal with her like one." Meg began to take a step back as she saw a circle of flames starting to form at Tammy's feet.
"Tammy, you're starting to catch on fire again-" Meg pointed out.
"I don't care, Meg," Tammy said, her voice now sounding far more demonic in tone. "The only thing that I care about at the moment is making that little hussy regret ever stepping near my man! MARCIA THE HUMAN, YOU HAVE JUST MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF YOUR INCREDIBLY SHORT LIFE, YOU HOMEWRECKEERRRR!"
"Oh boy. This is going to be a whole thing, isn't it?" Meg said as she watched months' worth of progress go up in flames. "Oh well, at least I'm still getting paid." And with that, Meg steeled herself for what may have been her toughest challenge yet: trying to deal with a pissed-off yandere.
*Jay looks at the story on a monitor that he conjured in front of his massage chair, the ice pack now sitting off to one side as Jay smiles at his work. We also see Janna, Omnitraxus, Kermit, and the Spongebob Narrator watching the story off to the side. And more importantly, making sure that Jay doesn't have another meltdown like before.
Kermit: Holy shit. When you said that Tammy was going to be a yandere, you weren't kidding, Jay.
Omni: I thought that she was actually going to kill Marcia for dancing with Comet.
Janna: I know, right? How awesome is that?
Omni: Janna!
Janna: What? That's what yandere's do, right?
Spongebob Narrator: Still, though, that's messed up, Janna.
Jay: Agreed. It doesn't matter how pretty they are. Yandere's are nothing but trouble.
Janna: Oh yeah? Then why is my super-handsome counterpart still gunning for her?
Jay: For the same reason fans wanted you and Tom to be a thing. And Personally, I think that was a missed opportunity from the show. One that I will seek to rectify.
Janna: Fair enough. Good job, though. Really liked how you continued touching on the issues that Comet has with his family.
Spongebob Narrator: Oh, yes. That was a very clever tie-in.
Jay: Yeah, trust me, guys. Comet overcoming the problems he has with his family will end up being a big part of his character development. And I have plenty in store for Tammy, so don't you worry about her.
Now that that's out of the way, it's time to respond to
READER'S REVIEWS
LockAndKey989-The notion of Tammy bragging about how big her chest is did cross my mind, but I couldn't find the best place to add it to the story.
Lord of the Storm-Yeah, you were right, Lord. I changed Tammy's VA to Brina. It just made the most sense to me. And I'm glad that you liked what Jonah said. Let's face it: JanTom not happening was a missed opportunity for the show, and everyone knows it. Also, I'm pretty sure Janna was a demon in a past life, so her becoming Queen of the Underworld makes sense.
NightAroma-Thank you for the feedback about the wand charger, but it wasn't meant to come off as petty. It was supposed to be a funny jab at some of the show's early weirdness since the wand charger was a big-lipped alligator moment. Something that comes out of nowhere makes no sense, has no effect on the overall plot, and is never mentioned afterward.
The Wandering Hippie-Hippie, I'm sure that we've both seen enough anime to know how high school boys will react when a random, beautiful girl walks into school. This was the only way I could think of the guys reacting. Also, you are wise to avoid yandere's.
I hope that I did the dance scene justice in this story. It was one of the hardest parts of the chapter to write, so I'm grateful I got some experience from ROTHEM's story. As for the argument at the end, I know that Comet and Marcia trust each other deeply, which is why I framed Comet's rant as less about him being upset at Marcia and more about her decision drudging up his memories about his relatives.
FungusDungus000-No surprises here, Fungus. I kept everything the same as it was in the show. I just hope that you enjoyed this chapter, especially the extra scenes that I added.
SammieQ-Yeah, I put a lot of time and effort into developing Tammy. Unlike Tom and Star, Comet and Tammy knew each other a lot longer before they started dating, so they had a closer relationship than their canon counterparts. And despite everything, Comet can't help but remember how much fun they had together. But, as we've seen, he doesn't let his feelings get in the way of the reality of what Tammy can be like.
Also, Tammy knew how to draw Comet in pretty well. I'm not sure if I mentioned it in the last chapter, but she knows Comet has a thing for legs, and was deliberately using that to her advantage.
You know what to do: fave and follow this story, and follow me on Twitter (JZ-Gaming), Insta (RJ Writing Ink), and YouTube (Jungoguy)
See you guys next Friday. We're headed into Royal Pain, which means the return of Lake Dragonfly. As well as the return of another character that I'm equally fond of...