*In Jay's Workspace, RJ "Jay" Writing Ink is using his powers to rearrange everything into movie theater setting that he had used once before. Once the projector's up and the popcorn running, Jay then wills a door into existence and opens it. In comes Janna, TFS Nappa, DAU Kermit, Janna, Omnitraxus, Ed, Eddy, GIR, the Warner Trio, Spongebob Narrator, and, for the first time ever, Slick Goku from the DragonBall 2GS Universe on YouTube.*
Jay: All right, everyone. Welcome to my watch-party/Labor Day barbecue/backyard beach extravaganza. The barbecue and beach areas are still currently under construction-
*Jay is still willing the beach and barbecue with hot dogs, pies, hamburgers, and more into existence*
Jay: But once that's done, we can all party the weekend away. But first things first, we all came here to watch the new Marvel film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. And before that, we're going to read the next chapter of the Mewnipendence Day Arc.
Janna: Hell yeah! Bring on the carnage!
Jay: Sorry, Janna Banana. That's not for another two chapters. These ones are all about the drama.
Janna: Meh, I can take it or leave it.
Wakko: Can we start the chapter? These snacks aren't going to eat themselves, you know.
Jay: Good point. Full disclosure, though. The ending to this chapter is going to get...emotional. So, be prepared for that.
Two days had passed since Comet had delivered his announcement about the Mewnipendence Day celebration to Echo Creek Academy. Since then, all that anyone could talk about was the upcoming re-enactment. Mere moments after the school assembly had ended, Principal Skeeves' office found itself swamped with requests from students asking to take part in the event. Even a few teachers got in on what some of the wittier students began to call "Mewni Fever," much to Principal Skeeves' chagrin. The day afterward, when it became apparent that the number of people volunteering for the re-enactment wouldn't stop, Skeeves put his foot down and ordered Comet to end signups, much to his dismay.
Despite Comet being upset about this, though, the fact remained that more than two hundred students and faculty members had agreed to take part in the re-enactment. Far more than enough people to put on a worthwhile show, as far as Skeeves was concerned. After moping for about 2.5 seconds over it, Comet quickly bounced back and got to work organizing everyone into either side. And as he had told his friends after the assembly, he had made Marcia his General of the Mewman Armies and Jonah the leader of the Monster Hordes. The rest of his friends had split up into either side.
Now, the day before the re-enactment took place, both factions gathered on the football field to prepare for the coming event. At the same time, Comet went around with Marcia in tow and began to help coordinate the making of costumes in a surprising show of leadership.
"All right, Monster Horde," Comet called out as he approached the area where the "Monsters" were hard at work on their costumes. "Let me see what you guys have got so far!"
"Well, then, my good sir," came the familiar voice of Ferguson amidst the crowd of people on the field. "Allow me to show you some of what we have up with." As some of the students parted ways for the chubby ginger-haired boy, Comet was surprised at Ferg's choice of attire. Instead of wearing his usual outfit, or even the makings of some sort of Monster costume, Ferguson was clad head to toe in the costume of the school mascot, the Awesome O'Possum.
"Well, this is certainly unexpected," Comet couldn't help but comment as Ferguson made his way towards him. "Ferguson, when you said that you and a bunch of people from the cosplay club wanted to be on the Monster Team, I assumed that you were going to make something that resembled-"
"A Monster?" Ferguson guessed, with Comet nodding his head in response. "Yeah, I don't blame you. I actually planned on making myself a costume to look like that giant frog dude that's with Ludo-"
"His name is Buff Frog," Marcia simply said without even looking at the two boys. "And he doesn't work for Ludo anymore, in case you've forgotten."
"Oh, no, I didn't forget." Ferguson clarified. "At any rate, since he's technically not our enemy anymore-"
"Ferguson, Monsters are still the enemy," Comet quickly said. "Buff Frog just happened to be smart enough to realize that trying to get my Wand was a waste of time."
Neither boy noticed it, but Marcia grimaced as she heard that.
"Whatever, man," Ferguson tried to get the conversation back on track. "Since he's not fighting us anymore, and the school never asked me for this Possum costume back, I figured I could make use of it."
Comet pursed his lips as he thought about it. While he was a little disappointed that Ferguson didn't take part in creating costumes with the rest of the re-enactors, he had to admit, he looked monstrous enough in that possum suit.
Not to mention the tail actually works, Comet reminded himself as he thought back to how he upgraded the shoddy suit to its now semi-pristine and professional look. "All right, Ferg. But only because I like the fact that I made that thing for you."
"Well, I don't!" A booming voice called out, accompanied by the brief stomping of footsteps, heralding the approach of Echo Creek Academy's resident Troll teacher, Ms. Skullnick. And she did not look pleased.
"Ferguson O'Derguson," she sternly addressed her student. "That costume you are wearing is officially the property of Echo Creek Academy and has been missing since the game against the Warriors," she said as she pointed at the costume the boy was wearing. "Principal Skeeves had to allocate money from our school's budget to purchase a new mascot uniform, and now I find out that you have had this in your possession all this time?"
Ferguson honestly didn't know how to respond; no matter what answer he gave, he'd likely be screwed! "Um, yes?" He nervously said before tightly shutting his eyes, fear the worst was about to happen.
Much to everyone's surprise, though, Ms. Skullnick didn't yell at him any further. Instead, she just let out a light sigh. "Well, to be fair, it's not entirely your fault, Ferguson. After everything that happened at that game, retrieving our mascot suit was on the low priorities list, and we never bothered to inquire whether or not it was still in your possession. So I'll make you a deal." Ms. Skullnick then pointed a green finger into the air. "As long as you swear to return that suit to the school when this is over, I will allow you to wear it for tomorrow's re-enactment."
Ferguson practically got stars in his eyes as he heard this. His opinion of his teacher just shot way up! "You mean it? Thank you so much, Ms. Skullnick! You won't regret this!"
Then, just to make things even more hectic for the group, who should arrive on the scene but Jonah Ordonia. Only, instead of his normal outfit, he was wearing a costume that looked like a fusion of Alucard from Hellsing Ultimate and Vincent from Final Fantasy VII, with blue flames added onto the jacket. "Now, don't tell me that you're going soft on us, Skullnick," he teased his teacher, much to her irritation.
"Zip it, Ordonia. I don't need to hear that kind of sass from you," Ms. Skullnick tried to rebuke him, only for it to fall on deaf ears.
"I think you mean 'High Lord Ordonia, leader of the Monster Horde,' Ms. Skullnick," he said, flaunting his newfound authority in her face. "Comet appointed me the head of the Monsters for tomorrow's re-enactment. And, since you decided to join up with us, that means that I'm in charge of you now."
"Why couldn't I have known that Comet was going to put you in charge of this?" Ms. Skullnick complained aloud as she cursed her bad luck. She didn't know why she had volunteered to join the Monster team. She could've just sat back and watched on the bleachers with the rest of the school. Yet ever since the field trip incident, she had felt a lot less stressed about her job or her lot in life and had become a little less stern thanks to that. That, and she wanted the chance to see what her Troll bod could really do. Yet having to put up with Jonah was almost too much for her pride to bear!
"At any rate, Comet," Ferguson said, getting the conversation back on track. I believe that you wanted to know how our costumes were going. Well, I've got good news, bad news, and cool news."
"All right, lay it on me," Comet told his friend, prompting him to continue.
"The good news is that everyone's costumes are starting to coming along great," Ferguson said as he gestured to himself and to Jonah.
"Awesome. I can't wait to see what Monsters you guys are going to be dressed as!" Comet enthusiastically said.
"Well, that's the bad news," Ferguson then hesitantly added on. "See, apart from the members of Ludo's gang, none of us have really seen a lot of Monsters from Mewni. Sooooo-"
"-So we decided to improvise," Jonah butted in. "Instead of just two-headed red imps and giant chickens, we decided to add in some Monsters from Earth."
"Yeah, that," Ferguson confirmed. "I'm sorry if that's a problem, but to be fair, there are a lot of Monsters in myths and pop culture that we can draw from. And I think some of the students have gotten really into them, too!"
As if to prove his point, Ferguson then began to gesture to some nearby students, currently engrossed in conversation and making their costumes for the battle the following day. One girl with glasses had taken an old baseball cap, spraypainted it green, and then used adhesive to attached a series of tubes decorated to resemble snakes. When she put it on, she looked like one of the Gorgons of Greek Myth. Another student took the Monster-idea even further. He was creating a makeshift harness with giant, black wings attached to it, along with matching, stone-grey gloves, and shoes. When he put all of them on, he looked like a regular gargoyle. And off to one side, another group of students was currently donning. Even more surprising, one group of ambitious students had decided to put on turtle shells and become Koopa Troopas from The Mario Bros franchise, complete with their own Bowser to leader them!
"So, what do you think?" Ferguson asked. "I'm betting that we could throw in a few alien Monsters before the big battle tomorrow."
Comet had to admit, he was a little upset that some of the students weren't using traditional Monster costumes like they did back on Mewni. However, that was largely offset by his appreciation for the sheer level of creativity that everyone had shown off. That, and he'd quickly become a sucker for Earth pop culture in the time that he'd been living there.
"My dude, no cap: this is absolutely AWESOME!" Comet admitted.
"I figured that you would say that, Comet," Jonah smirked. It had been his idea to improvise the Monster costumes, despite objections from some of the team members. He knew that once Comet saw what they planned on wearing, there was no way he could resist.
"If this is what you guys were able to come up with, then tomorrow's going to be amazing!"
"If that's true, then you haven't seen anything yet," a familiar voice said. The group of three turned around and saw, much to their surprise, the entire cheerleading squad. Only, they had swapped out their uniforms for a series of color-coordinated, snake-themed bodysuits. And at the head of the pack were none other than the old trio of Chantel, Sabrina, and Brittney, each wearing a yellow, green, and purple snake suit to compliment each other. "So, what do you think?" Brittney asked as more than a few people of both genders began to look at them.
Ferguson began to blush deeply. Being part of the cheer squad meant that all of its members were in fairly great physical shape, and it showed with their slim, well-built bodies. Many guys in school dreamed of dating one of the cheerleaders but knew that they had to be content admiring them from afar. However, their current outfits left about as much imagination as that of Zero-Suit Samus.
And, of course, Comet remained the only guy in sight who managed to contain his composure, smiling as he approached them. "Cool outfits, Brittney. I mean, we don't really have snake people on Mewni, but who cares? Did you come up with this yourself?" he cheerfully asked.
"Actually," Brittney said with a small smile on her face, "this was all Sabrina's idea," she pointed to her former lieutenant, causing the latter's face to get a slight tint of red on it.
"I just thought that, since we're supposed to be Monsters, we might as well look good while doing so. And-" Sabrina hesitated to add this last part but nonetheless kept speaking. "-I thought that it would help with some of our member's confidence in their body image?"
"Well, I've never heard of snake people living on Mewni, but I think that it's a really cool idea." Comet complimented Sabrina while giving off one of his trademark, brilliant smiles as he did so. Unfortunately, despite being aware of how popular he'd become, Comet remained, far too often, blissfully unaware of the effect that something as simple as the act of smiling could have on the girls of Echo Creek.
By that, seeing him smile at them was enough to make a few of the cheerleader's hearts begin to ring like a church bell. Poor Sabrina was blushing up a storm!
"Th-tha-thank you so much, Comet!" Sabrina sputtered out to the boy. "It was nothing, really!"
"Oh, don't sell yourself short, Sabrina," Brittney cooly said as she put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "This was a great idea, and everyone else thinks so." Just hearing the Wong heiress say that was enough to put Sabrina's mind at ease.
Ever since the field trip, Sabrina and Brittney had slowly begun to repair the bridge between them. Despite being invited back to the spirit committee, Brittney steadfastly refused, saying that Sabrina was a much better choice. However, this didn't stop her from helping her former lieutenant out when she got in over her head. At first, the other cheerleaders grumbled over this, thinking it was an attempt by Brittney to place Sabrina under her thumb once more. However, Brittney made it clear that she had no intention of returning; all she cared about was atoning for years of bitchiness. It was slow-going, but slowly, the other cheerleaders had started to trust her. Needless to say, seeing Brittney comforting their new leader was a welcome sight for the girls.
Speaking of girls, I can't help but notice that a certain guitar-playing muse isn't here, Comet thought to himself. "Has anyone seen Karla around here?"
"Karla said that she wanted to work on her costume at home with her old man, and Kevin's too big and intimidating to be left by himself on school grounds, so they're both at home," Jonah explained. "But I assure you that the two of them will be here tomorrow and ready for battle."
"Dang. I was hoping to get a look at her costume early," Comet said, pretending to mope, making a few of his more perceptive friends (Jonah and Marcia) laugh a little.
"Karla said that she wanted to work on her costume at home with her old man, and Kevin's too big and intimidating to be left by himself on school grounds, so they're both at home," Jonah explained. "But I assure you that the two of them will be here tomorrow and ready for battle."
"Fair enough," Comet admitted. "Well, if that's everything, you guys, then Marcia and I better go see how the Mewman side is doing with their armor and weapons. Talk to you guys later!" Comet then winked at everyone before beginning to walk away. Before he could, though, a look of realization came over Jonah's face.
"Oh, yeah, that reminds me, Comet," Jonah said. "What are we supposed to do about weapons?"
This question made Comet stop dead in his tracks. He turned around to face the others, a look of confusion on his face.
"Weapons?" he simply asked.
"Yeah, weapons," Jonah repeated. You know: the things that you use to stab, shoot, maim and kill your opponents with?" Jonah even held up his hands like they were finger guns to emphasize that part.
"And what about them?"
"Well, Comet, it's just that we noticed that earlier, you were giving out a lot of materials to the Mewman side that you could use to make weapons," Ferguson pointed out. "But you never seemed to give us any? Did you forget to get us some?"
Comet looked confused for another moment or two before he realized the misunderstanding. "Ferguson, I can forget about a lot of things. Most of them have to do with my Dad and his lectures on etiquette. But I didn't forget to give you weapons."
"So, where are they?" Jonah asked.
"Oh, there are no weapons. You guys don't get any."
Everyone in range went completely silent at this. The cheerleaders began to murmur amongst themselves. Jonah and Ms. Skullnick, though, were sharp enough to see where this was going. Unfortunately, Ferguson did not.
"No weapons? But what are we supposed to fight with?"
"Well, duh. You guys are super-strong Monsters that can bench-press rocks and fly around and razor-sharp claws. So, just use those, like nature intended!" As if to drive the point home, Comet began making slashing motions while imitating the growls and hisses of various Monsters, much to everyone else's concern.
"But, that means that we won't be able to fight back," Ferguson was quick to point out. "How are we supposed to make this re-enactment accurate if we can't fight back?"
"Of course you can fight, Ferguson. I'm just following historical accuracy, is all." Comet said with a smile on his face. However, whereas this would often put everyone around him at ease, it did the opposite in this case. "Now, then, I have to go check on my knights and loyal banner people. Talk to you later!" And with that, Comet went on his merry way, with Marcia following not far behind. As she went to join her best friend, though, she turned around and looked back and quietly mouthed the words "I'm sorry" to them before continuing on her way.
As everyone who had been able to hear what Comet said began to digest this new information, a look of concern began to creep onto Ms. Skullnick's face. While history may not have been her exact forte as a teacher, she knew enough about it to know that something wasn't right. What Comet had said about his people's history and what he said just now made several alarms go off inside her head. As she, too, tried to process everything, she was surprised to stare at Jonah and find an uncharacteristically dour face having replaced his normal, cocky one.
"I've got a bad feeling about this, Ms. Skullnick," Jonah said. And for once, Ms. Skullnick was inclined to agree.
Meanwhile, Ferguson was doing his best to look suave as he approached the Cheerleaders. "Hey, ladies, are any of you interested in-"
"Ferguson, I may be trying to be nicer, but if you even think about hitting on any of us, then I won't be held responsible for what happens next," Brittney said, glaring at the boy for trying to hit on them at such a bad time.
Ferguson gulped. "Noted," he nervously said.
"All right, Justin. Now, I'm going to want you to lift your right leg up as best as you can, then tell me if there are any problems with it," Alfonso explained as he looked up at the towering figure inside the giant suit of metal armor.
Justin nodded before slowly raising his leg up from inside the suit, careful to make sure no parts of his suit fell off. "Like this, Alfonso?"
Seeing the football player's suit of armor passed that first test, Alfonso gave him a thumbs up. "Yep. Now, try and bring your knee to your chest."
Justin just said, "Okay then," and did as the bespectacled boy told him. It was slow-going, at first, due to what he was wearing, but he was eventually able to complete Alfonso's instructions.
"All right, Justin!" Alfonso said. "It looks like your new armor is in working order and ready for battle."
"Awesome! I can't wait to try this out tomorrow!" Justin enthusiastically said. "Thanks, Alfonso. For a nerd, you're actually pretty cool."
"You know that at this point, being called a nerd isn't really an insult anymore, right?" Alfonso pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Justin conceded. "All right, I'll be back if any of my teammates need help with their armor!" Justin said as he closed the visor onto his helmet (which was just a modified version of his football helmet) and walked off to the other players.
"Well, this is going a lot better than I thought it would," Alfonso said aloud as he looked around at the members of the Mewman half of the re-enactment. "Maybe choosing to sign up for this side was the right decision."
At first, Alfonso had planned on joining the Monster side with Ferguson, if only so that he could have fun with the cosplay. However, when Comet showed him the armor that he would magically create, the gears in his head started to turn. The next thing he knew, he was busy coming up with many different upgrades and add-ons for the suits and then getting Comet to implement them. The end result looked like a fusion between the suits of armor worn by the medieval knights of yore and the more modern and high-tech suits worn by the likes of Iron Man and War Machine. Or, in the case of Lars Vanderdud, Iron Monger.
And that was just for the ones based on Western influences. A few of the anime-loving fans on the team asked Alfonso to help make their suits resemble Mecha from various anime. Even Jackson got in on it, making his armor look like a mesh between his skater gear and a Gundam. And CometFan13 had proceeded to paint a chibi version of Comet on his breastplate alongside the words "Comet is #1 husbando!" which several girls proceeded to copy.
Then there were the actual weapons. While Alfonso had told Comet that he was more than happy to use his Black Kabuto and that the others could use staves and prop weapons from the drama club, the Prince insisted on providing them with the good stuff. One wave of his Wand later, and everyone has shiny halberds, spears, swords, and more, ready for battle.
All told, things were progressing quite well for the Mewman side, and everyone was in high spirits for tomorrow's events.
"Yo, Alfonso!" came the familiar voice of Comet, bringing the boy out of his private musings. "How's everything going on our end?"
"Oh, it's going great, Comet," Alfonso cheerfully noted. "Everyone's suits are almost done, and I think that we're getting the hang of the weapons that you gave us."
*BAM*
"Ah, my leg! My leg!" someone cried out in pain.
"Oh, lighten up, Steve. These things are made out of wood and plastic. There's no way that they could hurt you that badly." Someone else said, criticizing their friend's reaction.
"Yeah, well, it still stings, man. And I always wanted to use that line!"
"Yeah, it's still a work in progress," Alfonso noted. "Good thing all those weapons you gave us were just toys and props."
"Yeah," Comet agreed. "I mean, I can wield a dangerous weapon without any trouble because I had training, but you guys would be liable to lose a limb. Even I'm not that dumb," he laughed.
"Yeah, good thing, too. I think I saw Cometfan13 drop his mace on Lars' chest. If it had been real, the big guy would've gotten seriously hurt!" Alfonso added.
As the two continued their conversation, Marcia got an impatient look on her face. "Yes, yes. Comet's safe for once, and we're all proud of him for it," she told them, managing to get their attention. "But listen, Comet, I need to talk to you about something."
"Oh. What's the matter, Marcy?" Comet asked. "Is there something wrong with the outfit I made for you for tomorrow?"
"Actually, I think it looks cool, and I'm going to look great in it," Marcia quickly said. "No, it's about what you were saying to the others about not giving the Monsters side weapons."
"Wait, what?" Alfonso asked, though his two friends didn't respond.
"Look, Marcia, I was being historically accurate," Comet argued. "Remember that book I gave you last night that outlined the final battle of Mewnipendence Day?"
"Well, that's just it, Comet," Marcia said as she pulled out the book from inside the backpack she'd been carrying it in, revealing it to be a children's storybook. The fact that her friend was basing this whole event on a pop-up book meant for little kids was already a bit of a red flag in Marcia's eyes. However, once she actually started reading the book (which Comet had conveniently used magic to translate from Mewman to English for her), the warning bells began to ring like crazy. "I don't think that this book is very accurate, Comet."
"What do you mean?" Comet asked. "Let me see that for a second," he asked, prompting Marcia to hand the book over to him. Opening the old book, softly smiling as he saw his five-year-old self's message saying "Property of Comet Dragonfly," Comet began to flip through the pages, wondering what could be in it that could worry Marcia. He'd read this book from cover to cover since the day his parents gave it to him for his first Mewnipendence Day. Nothing in it had ever stood out of the ordinary for him. Still, if Marcia said something was wrong, then he should at least consider the possibility.
After going through the initial story, Comet finally got to the big, climactic battle between the forces of the First King and the Horde of Monsters. Everything was as he remembered it: there were a bunch of terrible Monsters of all kinds charging against the ranks of Mewman knights and warriors. The Mewmans were clad in powerful-looking armor that was several stories tall, quite literally letting them stand tall and proud against their hated enemies, with the weapons to match their size.
For several moments, Comet studied the image with uncharacteristic focus. He looked it over, trying to see what could be wrong with it. Then, it hit him!
"Ow, wow...you're right, Marcia. I can't believe that I didn't notice that before..." he said as he looked around at both teams and saw what they had to work with.
Marcia let out a sigh of relief. She was glad that she managed to get through to her friend. "It's all right, Comet. You were able to recognize what was wrong about this whole thing, and that's what matters," she reassured him.
"You're damn right, Marcia. I mean, look at this!" he dramatically gestured to the people on the Mewman side. "For starters, their armor is way too small! It should be at least twice-no, three times as big as it is now!"
"I'm sorry, what?" Marcia asked in surprise while Alfonso just stood there with his jaw hanging open.
"And their weapons!" Comet continued, oblivious to his friend's reactions. "They need to be bigger, larger, pointier! Cooler looking! And you!" Comet then pointed towards Francis, who happened to walk by at that exact moment.
"Me?"
"Yeah, you," Comet said. "You need to be on a Warnicorn!" Before Francis could even protest, Comet proceeded to zap him with his Wand, making his already large suit the size of a small giant and an equally large, tough-looking Warnicorn for him to ride on, much to his friend's disbelief.
"Thanks for pointing that out, Marcia. I never would've caught that unless you had said something about it!" Comet thanked his best friend and partner in crime. "Now, come on! We need to go make some upgrades to everyone's costumes for tomorrow!"
"Comet, wait, that's not what I-" but before Marcia could even say anything, he had already run off in another direction. "God damn it, Comet," she cursed in frustration.
"Okay, so I love cosplaying as much as any nerd, but this cannot bode well for anyone," Alfonso said in concern.
"No, Alfonso. No, it cannot."
Unbeknownst to the others, Jonah had heard everything from his hiding spot behind the bleachers. He had followed Comet in the hopes of trying to talk some sense into him. Still, after Jonah saw Marcia pull Comet aside and explain everything, he ducked into a corner and, for once, hoped to God (or whoever ran the Universe) that Marcia could get the Prince to see reason. Instead, he got a front-row seat to the entire thing backfiring and making things worse! And Jonah was not happy about it one bit.
"What the Hell is that idiot thinking?" Jonah asked himself as he ran back to the Monster's half of the field. He had to find Ferguson, Brittney, or Sabrina and tell them what was about to happen. Luckily, he was able to quickly spot Ferguson amidst the crowd of people. Costume or not, the chubby boy stood out like a sore thumb.
When Ferguson asked Jonah why the guy looked uncharacteristically worried, the beanie-wearing boy took him off to the side and explained what he had overheard. It took all of Ferguson's willpower not to cry out in a panic.
"He's going to do what?!" Ferguson asked Jonah, wanting to make sure that this wasn't some dumb prank.
"You heard me, Ferg. He's going to make the Mewmans side even bigger and deadlier while we're left with nothing," Jonah told him.
"Oh, man," Ferguson started to rub his hands together in a panic. "Oh, man. I can't go through with this!" Ferguson told his buddy. "If we go out there and have to fight them tomorrow, something's liable to get seriously hurt!"
"No shit, Sherlock!" Jonah harshly told him. "Even I'm worried about this. And I never worry about anything!"
"Look, maybe we should just talk to Comet about this," Ferguson suggested. "Maybe we get him to see reason-"
"Bro, I appreciate the optimism, but if Marcia couldn't get through to him, then how the Hell are we supposed to?" Jonah was quick to point out.
"Then what are we supposed to do? Grin and bear with it as we get squashed by knights in armor the size of a Gundam?"
"Uh-uh," Jonah said. "I've got a better idea. Now here's what we're going to do." Jonah then brought Ferguson in close and told him of his plan.
"Are you sure about this, Jonah? I mean, what if that just ends up making things worse?" Ferguson asked, clearly not sure if this would work.
"Well, it's not like we have much of a choice, now, do we? And I have no intention of laying down and accepting defeat like this. Now, are you in or not?" Jonah held out his hand, and Ferguson looked at it for a moment or two.
"All right, I'm in," Ferguson said, grabbing Jonah's hand.
"What do you two think you're doing?"
Ferguson yelped a little and then turned around to see Ms. Skullnick standing behind them with a very disapproving look on her face.
"Um, Ms. Skullnick, I can explain-"
"No need, Ferguson," the teacher said. "I heard everything with my Troll ears. I know that you guys are planning to do something about the re-enactment tomorrow."
"Guilty as charged," Jonah said, not even bothering to deny it. "But look, Skullzy, it's not what you think. If we don't do this, then someone could end up getting hurt." Jonah may have liked to pull pranks on people, but he would never do something that could seriously injure someone unless they deserved it. He had standards!
"I know. And that's why I'm going to help you," Ms. Skullnick said.
"Huh?" Jonah asked, completely dumbfounded. Did he hit his head on something as he was walking back from the bleachers, or did one of his experiments into the occult destroy whatever sanity he may have had? "I'm sorry, Ms. Skullnick, but I couldn't hear you over the crazy in my ears," he told the teacher. "It sounded like you said that-"
"I want to help you. You didn't hear me wrong, Mr. Ordonia," Ms. Skullnick reiterated.
"But...why? You never help me with anything! Like, ever!"
Ms. Skullnick sighed. "All right, look, kid. I don't like you, and I'm pretty sure your sole purpose in life is to torment me," she said, not even bothering to hide her disdain for Jonah. "But I'm still your teacher, and that means I'm responsible for you and the rest of my students. And as such, I cannot abide by Comet going through with this."
"Because you have to make sure that we stay safe no matter what?" Ferguson asked.
"That, and because like Jonah and several of you have already figured out, this whole thing is nothing but toxic propaganda glorifying something that shouldn't be celebrated in the first place."
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Jonah said. "I mean, I know a lot of the Monsters are jerks, but seeing this happen to them is just sad. And pathetic. Like watching an orphan with no arms or legs."
"Okay, dark but accurate," Ms. Skullnick agreed. "Listen, boys, as you may or may not know, but these kinds of things, all this glorifying some shitty event as this noble crusade, are found all throughout history. And as much of a pain in the neck Comet Dragonfly can be, he's, admittedly, a good kid," Ms. Skullnick said. "And as his teacher, I cannot, in good conscience, sit back as he operates under this delusion. That's why we have to do something."
"So you'll really help us?" Jonah asked, still skeptical about the whole thing.
"Yes, but just this once."
"Welcome aboard, then, Ms. Skullnick," Jonah smirked, relishing the fact that he got his teacher to join him on his mischief. "All right, then. Tell Sabrina, Brittney, Karla, and anyone else of note on our team to meet us in Echo Creek Park tonight. We've got to strategize., and we'll need all hands on deck for this."
"Right."
"Understood."
With that, the unlikely trio broke off and began to spread the word amongst the Monster team of what Comet was doing...and how they planned to put a stop to it.
"GAME!"
"AW, YEAH! THAT'S ANOTHER WIN FOR THE PRINCE OF MEWNI!" Comet cried out in jubilation. "IN YOUR FACE, MARCIA!" he teased his best friend as she just sat there, staring at the screen.
"Oh, joy," Marcia said with faux excitement. "You're on a winning streak tonight. Whoopty doo for you."
"Your damn right I'm on a winning streak, Marcy! I think this is the third time in a row that you've lost to me tonight!"
"Don't remind me," Marcia simply said.
After Comet had finished upgrading the Mewman's side to make their armor and weapons ever bigger, Comet got up on a podium he made and thanked everyone for all their hard work over the past two days and that he couldn't wait to see them all tomorrow. He then headed home in very high spirits, not noticing the fact that more than a few of the volunteers looked at him with very...confused looks on their faces. And Marcia had a feeling why they were all looking at him like that.
It didn't stop there, either. Comet was acting even more cheerful than usual the entire way home, constantly humming and mentioning how awesome everything was going to be at the re-enactment. Normally, anyone who knew Comet would find this trait of his endearing. However, today Marcia found it to be getting on her nerves. Much to the Diaz girl's dismay, Comet just kept this attitude up when they got home. He wouldn't stop talking about what would happen tomorrow, making Marcia want nothing more than to go to her room and lock her door. It was like the most obnoxious, inconsiderate aspects of Comet had completely taken over her best friend, and she couldn't deal with that.
As it turns out, not even the sanctity of her room was enough to deter Comet, as he proceeded to kick her door open for the umpteenth time and tell her that they should celebrate with a round of Smash Bros before bed. Knowing that he wasn't going to say no, Marcia reluctantly agreed, though she didn't like playing.
"Marcia? Marcia? Did you hear me?"
"Huh?"
"Did you hear me? I told you that it's your turn to pick the next stage."
Realizing that she had zoned out thinking about the events of the past few days, Marcia reminded herself to get it together and focus on the task at hand.
"Oh, oh yeah, sure," Marcia said, without any hints of enthusiasm in her voice as she did so.
Comet frowned. Marcia had been acting strangely ever since they got home, and he had no idea why. The whole time they'd been playing, Comet had been trying to rack his brain to figure out what seemed to have her so upset but came up with nothing. Realizing that tiptoeing around this problem wasn't going to work (it wasn't his style, anyway), Comet decided right then and there to go for broke and address it head-on.
"Okay, Marcia, pause that for a second," he told her. "Why are you acting so cold tonight?"
"Wow, you noticed," Marcia sarcastically congratulated him.
"See? That right there, that is how you've been acting since this afternoon," Comet pointed out. "And I am still trying to figure out what I did to piss you off like this. Is it because I ended up eating your box of Captain Blanche's Sugar Seeds?"
"Wait, you did what?!" Marcia asked in shock.
"Okay, clearly you're not mad about that, and now I have to go get some more for you," Comet said. "But if it's not that, then what is it, Marcia? Why are you acting so unfriendly to me right now?"
Marcia stopped messing with the UGC controller and turned to face Comet, a look of complete and utter seriousness on her face. "You really don't know, do you?" she said, clearly disappointed in her friend.
"Well, no. That's why I'm asking you," Comet said, clueless as to how thin the ice he skated on was.
"Alright then," Marcia cooly said. "I'm upset about what happened today, with the re-enactment. And what you did, or rather, didn't do."
"I don't-"
"The re-enactors, Comet," Marcia bluntly told him. "I'm upset with how you handled dealing with everyone who volunteered for this event, especially the ones who are going to play the role of the Monsters."
"Look, Marcia, if you're upset because I didn't give them any weapons, then that's not my fault. I was just following what the history books said about the final battle-"
Marcia just gave him the most deadpan of stares, one that screamed, really? "Comet, you're literally basing all of this off of a children's storybook."
"Which, I'll have you know, is incredibly accurate-" Comet tried to counter.
"No, it's not," Marcia said, abruptly cutting him off. "It's a book meant to be read to little kids before bedtime, not some carefully researched and thought-out analysis of what actually happened," she said, disparaging the book. "I've read enough history books to know when one is not truthful about the events it's covering."
"But at the end of the day, does it really matter as long as we enjoy ourselves?" Comet said. "I mean, it's going to be us fighting Monsters tomorrow, just like we always do-"
"That's not the point, Comet!" Marcia suddenly shouted as she stood up and looked down at him. "The point is, the point that everyone is thinking, but I'm the only one willing to tell you, is that this whole re-enactment is seriously flawed and incredibly biased against the Monsters."
"How? The Monsters are the bad guys, Marcia, remember?" Comet argued.
"You're still missing the point, Comet. Giving the Mewmans armor the size of Titans. Having the Monsters fight without any weapons? Telling them to 'use their claws?' For all your people's talk about the Monsters being the bad guys, you guys sure love to make them look weak in comparison. It doesn't add up!"
"Wha-but they're not weak, Marcia. You've seen how tough they are in action!"
"It doesn't matter how strong they may be, Comet," Marcia pointed out. "If the other guy has access to all the best weapons and equipment, then they've still got the advantage. Face it, Comet. What happens tomorrow won't be a battle: it will just be a one-sided massacre that everyone will have to sit through and watch. In fact, it's got me questioning the whole concept of this holiday."
Comet just looked at Marcia in surprise. "What?"
"Think, Comet, think!" Marcia told him. "When your people first arrived in Mewni, did the Monsters really try and wipe them all out the moment they first saw them, or did the Mewmans take one look at them and decide to take the land for themselves and then drive the Monsters out when they rightfully objected? Then, once that was done, and they felt proud of what happened, they wrote the story to make themselves look like the good guys. The brave Mewmans, come to civilize Mewni and save it from the marauding Monsters. Because that's exactly what it sounds like, Comet."
Now it was Comet's turn to get upset, as he still failed to understand why Marcia was bent out of shape about this. "Are you saying that this whole thing's based on a lie? Is that what you're saying?"
"Yes! That's exactly what I'm saying, Comet! Mewnipendence Day is nothing but a lie your people told themselves to justify what really happened: you stole the Monster's land and drove them out of their homes!"
"Because they're Monsters. They're the bad guys!"
"Not all Monsters are going to be bad, Comet. Remember Buff Frog?"
For the first time in this argument, Comet had no defense to give, and Marcia knew it.
"Yeah, you remember," she said, pressing the attack. "How the two of you teamed up to help save Ludo and me from the Monster Arm? Or how about when he stepped in at the rollerblade race and exposed Lars' cheating?"
"I...cannot refute that, Marcia," Comet conceded. "But that was just one of them. Look at the rest of Ludo's gang."
"And did it not occur to you that the only reason that they're even following Ludo is that he promised them a better life for themselves?" Marcia pointed out. "That their lives are so miserable that they feel like they've got nothing left to lose? Because when you hit rock bottom and feel like the world's out to get you, Comet, you'll believe anyone who will make you feel less powerless. Even if they then order you to go and beat up another group for something as stupid as simply existing!"
Comet blinked, then looked at Marcia for a moment. Finally, he said, "You lost me on this."
Marcia growled in frustration. He just didn't get it, no matter how much she wanted him to! Having lost all patience, Marcia simply chose to make for the door. "I'm going to bed," was all that she said as she walked out, not even bothering to respond to Comet's calls to come back and help explain what was going on.
After it became clear that Marcia wasn't coming back soon, Comet slumped to the floor in defeat. Over on the bed, Coryn and several of the laser puppies looked at Comet with sadness in their eyes, having watched the whole thing. Finally, Coryn decided to hop over to his friend and began to nuzzle his head against Comet, trying to cheer him up.
Comet let out a heavy sigh as he felt the frustration in him beginning to bubble up. Not just from what Marcia had said about this holiday, but at the fact that he didn't understand why she was so upset. He was utterly clueless about this whole thing!
"I need a snack."
*In Jay's Workspace, everyone's fallen completely silent, their mouths agape at what has just happened.*
Slick Goku: Damn. That chick just tore right into Comet, huh?
DAU Kermit: Holy shit, I did not see that coming.
TFS Nappa: Really, Kermit? Because I saw it coming from a mile away. I mean, Marcia emphasized with Buff Frog after hearing his story about how the Monsters have been treated like dirt for centuries. This revelation is likely what's led to her being so morally opposed to this whole battle.
DAU Kermit: And how do you know-
Slick Goku: Man, don't you remember the DBZ Abridged videos, Kermit? Mr. Clean majored in child psychology. Teenagers aren't that different from kids, so of course, he'd know what he's talking about!
Janna: That, and Marcia pretty much says so in the story.
Slick Goku: Yeah, that.
Eddy: Wait, so we have to wait another week to see the fallout to this whole thing?! What a ripoff! I want my money back!
Ed: But we didn't pay for this, Ed-dyyyyyy-
Eddy: Zip it, monobrow! I'm trying to pull a scam here.
Jay: Can we please focus, you guys? I was trying to make that shit as emotional as possible! The least you can do is give me some feedback.
GIR: YOU GOT ANY MORE OF THEM TAQUITO'S?!
Jay: And I've lost them. Oh well. At least I can trust the readers to give me their honest opinion. Speaking of which, while I get ready to start Shang-Chi (and finish the beach and barbecue), let's do some
READER'S REVIEWS
NightAroma-Oh yeah, this is going to be much larger. It's also my way of flipping the bird at all those FPS shooter games that don't have the nerve to make the multiplayer maps big enough for that many players. As for restrictions on Jonah, there are none. Comet forgot in all the excitement, and it's not like he can stop Jonah.
And yeah, she was very uncomfortable with all of this. And as you'll learn in the next chapter, there's a good reason why.
LockAndKey989-Bzzt! Wrong! That's not until later!
Julayla-Let's just say that Ludo's screw-up is going to be way bigger than it was in the show.
TheWanderingHippie-I didn't need Marcia to spill anything. As you can see, people started to figure it out on their own. But this is going to lead to it affecting the mock battle when the time comes. And Jonah leading an army of his own is definitely not foreshadowing to him becoming some sort of Prince of Darkness or something.
Also, real talk. When are you going to come back to writing? Because I miss your stories.
You know what to do: fave and follow this story, and follow me on Twitter (JZ-Gaming), Insta (RJ Writing Ink), and YouTube (Jungoguy)
Happy Labor Day, everyone in the US. See you next week for the, um, fallout as Comet learns something important about Human History.