Back at it with another chapter and it's a pretty long one. Last detour before we get back to Star and Marco, but since I want to bring another character to Mewni, we gotta give our Skater Girl a proper introduction, don't we?
Special thanks go out to my friends RickRolland and Blackwolf for giving me impressions and feedback on the chapter during drafting.
"Wow, a human! Never thought I'd see one of those in my existence. Hey… Are you still alive over there?"
Jackie felt her mint green eyes slowly blink open, her body feeling oddly lethargic. She held her throbbing skull, trying to make out the blobs of white, black and red that appeared before her. Once her vision cleared up, she was able to make out dark red stonework with chains and cuffs attached to the walls.
She got on her feet in an instant, but was surprised at how light she felt. Looking down at her feet, Jackie raised an eyebrow at the heeled boots now snaking up her toned legs.
I didn't dress up for Halloween…
Looking over herself, Jackie felt even more confused. Gone was her usual long-sleeved shirt with a sea-shell pattern in the middle, same for her comfy sneakers and blue shorts. Instead, she was wearing a somewhat long blue skirt with undershorts that matched with a sea-blue top. Despite it revealing her bellybutton, she was thankful it still covered her entire chest area.
She touched her shoulders, surprised at how 'poofy', for lack of a better word, they were. Pressing down on them, she felt some kind of armor beneath the soft fabrics.
To make matters even more confusing, her hair was different too. It was slightly longer, touching her back. Jackie's left eye was covered with blue highlights that usually were in the middle of her hair. Even her arms were covered by somewhat long light blue gloves, not unlike a Princess or something of that sort.
She gave the skeleton across from her a harsh look, folding her arms.
"Okay, did Janna set this up? I get it… I'm the 'popular' one but making me dress up like some kind of…"
She shook her head, not wanting to say that last part out loud.
"Whatever, and having me in a prison cell? Not really my style dude… So, what's your name?"
The skeleton laughed at Jackie, so much so his jaw fell off his chin. He looked at his jaw, laying on the hot ground. His eye sockets gave her a look.
"You're lucky I feel bad for you, being chained up and all that…" She walked over, reattaching the poor saps jaw in place. "Now, explain… All this, please."
"Thanks lass, though I'm just as confused as you."
Jackie folded her arms, not convinced.
"I'm serious, have no reason to lie to a Princess of all people." He tilted his head, as if trying to raise an eyebrow. "Tried to use your scissors? Sorry to break it to ya, but they've been busted for months now."
He's making no sense…
Her blue boots tapped the ground, Jackei felt annoyance bubbling up. She instead tried focusing on what happened before she woke up. After focusing hard, she could only muster the memory of her jumping after Janna after she jumped into a well with Ocram, trying to get to…
Oh! So I must be on Mewni then.
Putting the dots together, she smiled and walked over to the skeleton.
"Right! I was… uh, trying to find my friend. She's my…" She tapped her chin, thinking of the right word.
The skeleton sighed, shaking his head and breaking Jackie out of her thoughts.
"You don't have to lie to me, but keep that in your backpocket. Most in this crappy land would kill to pass as a royal." He shuffled a bit, getting a better posture. "To answer your real question, I saw you laying on the ground for the past half hour. Thankfully, no guards passed by but they will soon."
Jackie felt nervous, looking for a way out. One option was a small vent but her new attire would very easily get caught on something.
Not having any demons or skeletons see anymore than… this.
She looked at the barred window, being very high up.
Would need my board and some ramps to reach up there…
She looked at the cell door, noticing a keyhole. Jackie smirked despite herself and walked over the door.
…Can't believe I'm going to listen to Marco but here goes nothing.
The skeleton watched Jackie as she took out a bobby pin from her skirt. She carefully put it in the keyhole, making sure it fit. Jackie wiggled the thing around for a few moments, and eventually a small 'click' was heard.
Now completely opened, Jackie smiled at a job well done.
When I find him, make sure Marco knows those Prison Break movies actually taught me something.
She walked over the skeleton, getting ready to undo his locks, but the bobby pin snapped in half.
"I appreciate the gesture, but I'm better off rotting here. Us creatures of the night live for this treatment, you know?"
Jackie shook her head, trying to fiddle with his shackles using her gloved hands. To her surprise, she was able to rip the skeleton clean off the wall… With one of his arms still dangling from the shackles.
"Oh… My god. I'm soooo sorry, let me…"
The skeleton laughed, nervously backing away from Jackie.
"I'll just distract the guards for ya. You me a good chuckle miss." Jackie slowly got out of the cell, hiding behind a barrel as the skeleton started making panicked shouts and cries.
She watched as a demon and humanoid bat ran over to the cell, having disappointed looks on their misformed faces.
"Really, Skull? Had to make a ruckus again for no reason?" The demon's eyes widened, seeing the cell door ripped clean off. "...No way you did this."
The humanoid bat flew into the cell, getting Skull's body attached to the chains again. "Guessing one of those exploding tumbleweeds again. We've been seeing more here lately."
"Yeah, scared me boneless!" Skull laughed, making his jaw fall on the floor again. The demon shook his head, reattaching the jaw again. "Thanks…" He looked in Jackie's direction, having a knowing look in his eye sockets. "Say, any word on finding the King's bride? Heard from the grapevine she's still out there."
The demon sighed, rubbing his stubbled chin. "We've heard from the royal guards that she's been running around with some human boy. And if you mention the human's name, Lucitor will make you wish there were eight circles down here."
The bat shivered, hugging himself with his wings. "My best friend works with the dining staff… Scary things coming out of the King's mouth."
Jackie rubbed her chin, pondering the information Skull plucked out of the guards.
So… Guessing this Lucitor guy is someone I should avoid, huh?
She stayed put as the guards eventually walked off and used demon magic to repair the cell door. Her eyes dilated at the hellfires at work, raw amazement at seeing magic in action. Jackie knew magic was real, considering Ocram existed, but actually seeing someone cast it stunned her.
Man, if only I could do that…
Jackie heard a girlish giggle, making her turn toward where she heard the noise. It was down a long hallway. She took a deep breath to compose herself, dusting off her skirt and beginning her trek.
Her green eyes darted left and right, very much on guard seeing the lanterns dimly lighting the dungeon. She even caught more cells, seeing various demonic creatures inside them. She saw others like Skull, being chained to the wall. But Jackie was surprised at the variety of creatures jailed up.
A human-looking person sitting in a cell, torn up clothes barely covering their battered form horrified her, with what looked like a living severed horse head mumbling curses as they floated around in their cell being equally beaten up.
Bat creatures, other demons, skeletons and even more were in the other cells. Jackie felt her pace quicken, feeling a genuine sense of fear creep through her body.
If I'm captured, who knows what they'll do to me.
She shuddered at the thought, rushing to a nearby barrel and seeing a boiling-hot water moving down a canal. Jackie saw a small drawbridge, but frowned at it being pulled up.
Need to lower that somehow.
Carefully looking around her, Jackie slowly walked over to the drawbridge. She fiddled with the chains, but was surprised at her own strength. She ripped the chains clean off, making the drawbridge cash down.
It was loud enough to get the guard's attention, with a small batch of skeletons and demons rushing Jackie's way. She was going to find a hiding spot but soon found herself surrounded.
"Hey! It's one of those humans!" A skeleton shouted, pointing their reaper at Jackie.
A demon had a dark grin on his face, rubbing his chin in thought. "And a pretty lookin one too. Maybe the King won't mind if we mess with her a bit?"
Another skeleton guard harshly berated him. "Look at her, she's clearly one of those Princesses. Though… Don't they usually wear more 'dignified' clothing?"
Jackie gave the guards a harsh glare, making them back away somewhat.
Hey, this isn't my typical style. Stop judging me…
The demon coughed into his hand, composing himself and pointing his weapon at Jackie. "...Princess, don't put up a fight and come with us willingly. We don't want to cause problems with your kingdom."
Other skeletons and demons slowly walked toward Jackie.
"Look, I'm down for a good party but this isn't really my thing, alright?" She held up her fists, letting memories of her time in the Diaz Dojo take over.
One skeleton lunged at Jackie, with her side-stepping away from it. She harshly kicked its leg, the poor sap falling apart.
Using one of its legs, Jackie used it to block a few sword swipes from a demon. She found an opening and threw the bone at their head. Distracted, Jackie rushed toward the demon and grabbed them. She pulled a judo throw, with her heightened strength amplifying the demon's pain, knocking him out cold.
One by one, the guards kept coming to attack Jackie. But she was surprised at how easily it was for her to counter their blows and keep the offensive. Whenever it was because of how light she felt, her past training or something else entirely, Jackie felt confident in her abilities.
"Enough!" The guards backed away, with a larger demon slowly lumbering their way toward Jackie. She gulped at how menacing it looked, having larger horns and a hulking frame. "Princess, stand down or face my wrath."
Jackie took a deep breath, composing herself and staying calm. Looking behind her, the drawbridge was still open and all she needed was a distraction to keep this big boy in place.
"Is that anyway to talk to a Princess, bud?" Jackie teased, with the demon charging at her. She channeled her inner pro skater, tensing her leg muscles to jump a little higher. Leaping over the demon, Jackie's eyes widened as a pillar of ice erupted from her heels.
The demon crashed right into it, the thing's horns being stuck into the icey pillar. Jackie gracefully lands on her feet, feeling a strange cold sensation emitting from her gloved hands.
Come on Princess Oasis, use our power!
Jackie was very much confused at the voice speaking to her, sounding just like…
"Tsunami Strike!" Jackie shouted as a surge of water magically shot out of her open palms. High-pressure water hit the demon so hard, it fell through the ice pillar and landed into the boiling hot water. The demon screamed in agony, with Jackie feeling compelled to help him out.
Get a move on Oasis, more bad guys are coming!
"Alright, stop yelling!" Jackie answered back, rushing across the drawbridge and shattering it once she got across by stopping her heels. The oakwood fell apart, falling into the water and setting it ablaze.
She spotted a small room, with its wooden door unlocked. Jackie ran over toward it and slammed it shut, grabbing a nearby chair and boarding up the room so no one could enter it.
"Phew, that was a bit much…" She sighed in relief, leaning on the wall. Sitting down on the ground, she looked at the table before her. A small pixie-looking creature was floating above it, with Jackie narrowing her eyes to study the creature.
It wore a simple green dress, having various reds and blues but what struck Jackie were the pixie's long brown hair with matching eyes. Even had a cute little mole on her…
Jackie's eyes dilated upon realization of who this creature was.
"M-MarMar? Is that you?"
Mariposa smiled, flying toward Jackie. "Finally found you! Been flying around this creepy infierno for a while." She flew around Jackie, her brown eyes sparkling with amazement. "And you look JUST like…"
Jackie smirked, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Well, guess that explains the costume." Jackie held out her hand, with Mariposa sitting in it cutely. "At least I know Janna didn't do anything crazy."
Mariposa frowned, her wings dropping somewhat.
"...Well, got a lot of questions anyway, so guess we should go over everything?"
Mariposa closed her eyes and let out a tired breath. Her form glittered somewhat, with Jackie resting MarMar on her knees.
"The nice blue haired lady did tell me you guys would forget what happened." Jackie raised an eyebrow. "You, Janna and my hermano's look alike found yourselves in the Realm of Magic."
Jackie was silent, feeling very much confused. To Mariposa's credit, she seemed confused too.
"I always thought it was Heaven, though the blue haired lady said the Realm of Magic has many names." She rubbed her arm, frowning. "But big sis looked scary. She looked like…"
"She was going to die." Jackie finished, having a harsh look on her face. "The look-alike she made somehow, using 'Dark Magic' or something."
"So that's what the blue man meant during his odd visits…"
"Blue man?"
Mariposa giggled, shaking her head.
"People never told me their names there. Maybe they forgot them?" Jackie looked confused. "Well, you guys forgot everything. You and big sis didn't even recognize me!"
Mariposa had a hurt expression, eyes looking downcast.
"Was I gone… That long?"
Jackie shook her head, gently patting the girl's head with her finger.
"Of course not MarMar, but you gotta admit… All this magic and Mewni stuff is hard to accept." She sighed, "Janna really took Marco being sent to Mewni hard. Mentioned before jumping in the well she was after this 'Star' person."
"Right!" Mariposa jumped in the air, fluttering her wings again. "The blue haired lady gave me some of her magic, asking me to protect her daughter. Guess she's this Star person Big Sis is mad at."
Jackie made an awkward laugh.
"Mad is an understatement, girl. Seems your big bro found his 'princess' finally," Jackie got on her feet, dusting off her skirt and began pacing around the room. "Sounds like she's 'taken' though, since I overheard some of the guards talk about a demon king."
Mariposa had an unreadable expression before settling on a smile.
"Oh! So hermano is Star's knight then? That's so romantic…" She sighed, cute little hearts appearing in the air around Mariposa. "If she's magical, maybe she could give me my body again."
"Body? But you're here right now." Mariposa shook her head, sitting on Jackie's shoulder and rested her little head between her hands.
"I kinda latched on to you. I was trying to connect with Big Sis but she already had a… 'familiar', as the blue man called it." Jackie looked over her clothes, realizing why she was able to use magic out of the blue.
"So you're the reason I can use magic… And why I'm rocking the 'Princess' look, as the guards kept calling me." Jackie laughed, shaking her head. "Guessing… Whatever happened in the Realm of Magic isn't going to keep us going forever."
Mariposa shook her head, jumping off of Jackie and giving her a confident grin.
"But we got enough magic to be Princess Oasis and help Big Sis!" She folded her arms, an annoyed pout on her face evident. "And giving hermano a piece of my mind after worrying mom and dad."
"Feelings mutual, little dude." Jackie folded her arms, walking toward the door and giving it a knowing look. "Want to talk with Diaz about things too."
"Are you…"
Jackie shook her head, reading her companions' thoughts.
"Nah, just want to patch things up with him. He was a good friend."
Mariposa smiled, sitting down on the door frame.
"Then what are we waiting for? Time to explore this creepy castle!" Jackie couldn't help but smile at Mariposa's optimism. She slowly opened the door, ready to face more untold horrors.
The two slowly but surely walked through drab hallways, carefully avoiding guards using carefully placed barrels and boxes. Jackie felt confused on why all this crap was laying around in a dungeon of all things.
"Overheard one of the esqueletos that they store stuff there." Mariposa started, flying off Jackie's shoulder and scouting ahead.
That makes sense. If so…
Jackie made a careful punch in the box she was hiding behind, making sure not to get the splinters in her gloved hands. She looked through the hole, seeing what looked like a bottle inside it. Grabbing it, she studied it.
"What's that, Oasis?"
Jackie rolled her eyes.
"You can just call me Jackie, MarMar."
Mariposa giggled, sitting on Jackie's shoulder again as they walked up a spiral of stairs. "It's a rule! We don't say our real names when being Magical Princesses."
"This isn't that show, MarMar. We are kinda fighting for our lives right now dude."
"No fun…"
She noticed the bottle in Jackie's hand, flying toward it as they stopped by a wooden door. "What's that?"
"Punched a box and found this inside it. Maybe it could heal us or something." Mariposa held out her arms, with Jackie shrugging her shoulders and passing it to Mariposa. To her surprise, the little fairy was able to easily lift it, though with some minor struggles with her small hands. "I wouldn't drink it just…"
Mariposa slugged some of it down and in moments started falling. Jackie caught her in time and laughed at the little fairy's eyes having spinning now.
"Save the strong stuff for me, you're too young for that."
Mariposa started mumbling in Spanish, haphazardly flying until Jackie tucked her into a pocket. Opening the door, Jackie was surprised to see what resembled a throne room. Red fabrics hung proudly with decor having tridants and flame emblems all over. She even spotted some mounts hung on the walls, looking like warped versions of animals back home.
"Good thing you're out cold, girl. Would've freaked out seeing all this…" Jackie cautiously walked around, looking for an exit. She found a rather large door, walking toward it and pushing it with all her strength. But it wouldn't budge, making her frown in defeat.
"Well, plan B I guess." She looked around, seeing various chandelier's above her. They were so close together that one could leap across them if they needed to, leading to a higher floor.
Unless I could just make a platform out of nothing, not sure how I can…
She blinked remembering the magic she just pulled off earlier.
You're a magical princess, girl. Duh.
Jackie focused on her leg muscles and the budding magic within her, trying to channel another ice pillar. To her surprise, she managed to make a rather large one, using the momentum from the launch to leap to one of the chandelier's.
Regaining her footing, Jackie wiped sweat off her head now noticing guards rushing into the room. She remained perfectly still, careful not to draw attention to herself.
"Uh… boss?" One skeleton guard asked his demon ally. The demon walked over to him, staring at the melting ice platform Jackie just made. "Think this is from that Princess?"
The demon rubbed his temples, a small flicker of fire emanating from his horns in annoyance. "Of course I have to work harder today…" He shouted loudly, with a small army of ten or so demons and skeletons rushing toward him. "Look around this area carefully, the King wants the Queen back in her room."
"But sir, from what the guards in the dungeons said, she's not…"
The demon glared at him with angry red eyes.
"Understood, sir."
Everyone scattered, but now the floor was essentially lava; the moment Jackie jumped back down she would get cornered quickly.
…Well, this sucks.
Jackie carefully jumped between the chandeliers, leaping to the higher level in the throne room. Looking to her right, she spotted a skeleton guard coming her way. She blindly jumped ahead, colliding into a painting and somehow finding a hidden room.
She leaned behind the painting, faintly overhearing the guards talking to each other about spotting something but once they stopped talking, Jackie sighed in relief.
Looking around, she saw various barrels and other boxes laid about. Rubbing her chin, she turned behind her, blinking at the painting. She thought she saw a rather large demon but not she just saw a young man proudly holding a demon boy with stubby horns on his head.
"Aww, what a little cutie."
Jackie folded her arms, wondering if the little demon was the current King of this place.
I guess if he has the same trident mark on his shoulder, that'll be a dead ringer then.
She shrugged her shoulders and explored this hidden room. Not much helped her gleam where she was at, but Jackie did spot what looked to be an elevator.
Walking toward it, she pulled a small lever but nothing happened.
"Uh… Open sesame?"
Still nothing. She sighed and laughed at an idea coming to her.
"...Star here. Let me in, you butt head."
Just like that, the elevator started working and she was moving upward. In a minute or two, Jackie found herself in a hallway, looking noticeably nicer than anything she's seen so far. Less morbid decor was present, looking more like a typical fantasy castle.
As Jackie explored the hallway, she saw a bunch of portraits of demonic and somewhat human looking kings and queens hanging up. Thanks to the dim candle light and generally warm nature of the castle, Jackie was able to see them clearly.
The first one looked the most horrifying, the rather large demon having four yellow eyes that could pierce one's very soul. It even looked quite buff, barely fitting in his royal attire. His wife matched him, though she looked very much human.
Wonder how they made…
She shuddered at the mere thought, looking toward the next portrait. This one looked less horrific, having a smaller looking demon queen and her human husband standing side by side. She wore a gothic looking dress, while her husband wore a matching black suit.
That could be Janna if I squint hard enough.
Jackie wanted to laugh but the memory of her troubled friend made her heart hurt.
Please be okay, wherever you are.
The other portraits didn't really stick out much, but the one at the hallway's end struck her the most. If anything, it resembled a family picture more than anything. A massive queen the size of a giant stood in the center, her two yellow eyes looking lovingly at her smaller but just as imposing human king. But in front of them both, were two teenagers.
"Ugh… Never let me do that again, Oasis…" Mariposa groaned, flying out of Jackie's pocket and sitting on her shoulder again. She looked at the picture, eyes widening at seeing the girl and boy in the middle. "That's the blue haired lady's daughter! She has those cute little cheek marks like the blue haired lady."
Jackie looked at Star, surprised at how…
She looks kinda dead on the inside, doesn't she?
Her blue eyes looked dulled, a thin line stretching across her dolled-up face. She wore a poofy blue dress not unlike a Disney Princess. The cute little heart marks on the hemming and white-gloved hands matched the look well.
But I could imagine her rocking more… of a bad ass look.
The mental image of Star in viking-like armor appeared in Jackie's head and she smiled at the image.
That's the kind of girl I can see Marco losing his mind over.
"...Is that Lucitor?" Mariposa asked, getting Jackie out of her thoughts. Jackie studied the demon boy next to Star, looking happy as could be. His warm smile and how he had his arm thrown over Star's shoulder implied much.
"Guessing he's the scorned lover." Jackie rubbed her chin, thinking of something. "Doesn't seem that angry here though."
They both jumped at the sound of a door moving, running into a nearby room to hide. Leaning behind the door, Jackie could faintly hear a deep but whiny voice complain about something.
"Ugh! Another damned dead end…" He grumbled, harsh sounding footsteps apparently pacing outside. "And to think, I felt Starship's magic just now too…"
Starship? Even has a nickname for her…
Jackie wanted to chuckle but stayed quiet to keep her cover.
"Maybe torturing some souls could sooth the angires… Keep it together, gotta look strong for your people." He laughed bitterly. "Dad would be furious at me right now for being so soft."
Jackie and Mariposa awaited with baited breath for Lucitor to leave the area, sighing in relief hearing a loud door slam.
"Man, that was scary, huh MarMar?" Jackie asked, but didn't see her fairy companion anywhere. "Did you run off on me again? Can't fly fast like you dude." Looking around the room, Jackie was surprised at how large it was. Simply looking up, she saw two additional floors filled with fancy furniture fit for a queen.
Guessing Star lived here, huh?
Taking a much needed breather, Jackie sat down by a vanity mirror and stretched her tired body. She blinked, taking in her new look for the first time. Green eyes widened at how…
"Gotta say, I really do like the Princess look. Even if it's a bit 'extra' for my liking." She fiddled with her hair, frowning at how long it was. Seeing a bow on the table before her, she grabbed it and tied her hair in a ponytail using the bow. Once it was all fixed up, she smirked at how her new look felt 'complete' now.
Her eyes spotted a small picture stuck on the mirror, picking it up and studying it. It was of Star and Tom kissing one another in what appeared to be a photo booth.
"Guess this is when you still had the hots for the demon king. Wonder what made you move on…" She sighed, sitting back in the chair and looking at the mirror. Memories of her break up with Marco played on loop, a somber frown looking out of place on Jackie's face.
She could recall the day easily, being yet another failed attempt to get Marco out of his rut after Mariposa's death. Jackie was surprised at being able to get Marco out of his training room for once and they had a walk around the neighborhood, sightseeing and all that. But when asked about how he was holding up…
"I'm fine!" Jackie recoiled at him yelling at her in the park, with everyone looking at them. He winced himself, realizing how much of a jerk he sounded like. "S-Sorry, maybe I should just…"
"Go home?"
Marco blinked, seeing Jackie's genuinely furious expression. He was silent, encouraging her to continue.
"I get it, you've been focusing on things to get your mind off MarMar. But she's been gone for months now." She folded her arms, softer look now in her green eyes. "You need to move on."
Marco glared at Jackie, making her take a step back.
"She was my sister, Jackie! How could I move on from losing my family?"
She tried to reach out, but pulled her hand back and took a deep breath to compose herself.
"By accepting love from people still alive, Diaz."
He visibly looked hurt, refusing to look at Jackie now.
"...Maybe this was a mistake."
Jackie's eyes widened, realizing what he meant. They looked at each other, brown meeting green.
Wordlessly, the couple split apart and went home there separate ways. Jackie didn't need to look behind her to know Marco was cursing at himself and crying on the way home. But she also felt tears coming down her face as well.
Jackie covered her face, feeling annoyed at the bitter memories bubbling to the surface. She wanted to punch something but composed herself and stood up, remembering she was in some hellish kingdom and needed to find a way out fast.
Besides, once I find Marco we can hash things out.
Part of her hated that after the break up, he completely shut her out of his life. She didn't blame him, since everyone in their school saw the break up and wouldn't shut up about it. But she did enjoy being his friend.
Shaking her head, she focused on the sound of moving clothes in a nearby closet. Walking past a rather large bed and what looked like an armory of various weapons proudly hanging on the wall, her eyes dilated at how extensive the clothing collection was.
Dresses and outfits of all kinds were hung up proudly. Some dresses looked proper, like a typical princess, but other's looked downright wild. A rainbow dress with cute little stars on the hemming, one comfy looking teal dress with a narwhal at the heming and a badass warrior dress with spiked shoulder pads and boots impressed her the most.
"Look at what I found, Oasis!" Jackie saw Mariposa fly toward her, carrying an adorable red dress with white hearts at the hemming and a cute red heart on its shoulder. "Can I keep this?!"
Jackie shook her head, gently taking the dress from Mariposa and hanging it back up. "This is a Queen's closet. I think it's a bad idea if we steal things from her."
Mariposa raised an eyebrow, looking at the blue bow keeping Jackie's hair in place. Jackie shrugged her shoulders, making Mariposa annoying pout her cheeks.
"You can take cute things to make you even cuter but I can't? No fair, Puta…"
"You know I understand Spanish, right little dude?" Mariposa blinked, mouthing 'sorry' and awkwardly flying out of the room. Jackie giggled at her companions' flustered expression and the two spotted a rather large balcony.
"Wow! This place actually can look pretty." Maripsoa sat down on the armrest, with Jackie joining her.
"Can feel ya, MarMar. This place looks like one of those metal albums Janna likes to listen to." Jackie smiled, for once feeling some sense of calmness in this hellish kingdom. "Guessing Star saw that too at one point? She clearly was out of place in a land of demons and skeletons."
Mariposa shrugged her shoulders, flying up and sitting on Jackie's head.
"I guess, I never saw any demons or criaturas in Heaven. Just a lot of people looking like me and you."
Huh, so maybe this IS Hell after all.
Jackie pondered her faith for a hot second before Star's door slammed open. She hastily grabbed Mariposa, putting the fairy in her pocket and entering a battle stance.
"Who's there?!" Lucitor glared at Jackie, before his eyes softened. "Starship?" He looked hopeful, taking a step forward. "You look… Kinda different but that's alright. Glad you're back home."
Jackie blinked, looking over herself again.
Either he's in denial or he took some of Oskar's stuff.
"Uh, sorry to break it to you King but I'm not your girl." Lucitor stopped moving, narrowing his three eyes for a moment and shaking his head.
"Damn it!" He shot a fireball at an owl clock, it turning to pure ash. "You have her magic so…"
Tense silence lingered in the room, with Jackie getting progressively more on guard. Jackie got major psycho vibes from Tom, very much not liking how he was looking at her. She charged her fist with magic, feeling ice cover them.
"Back away, bub. Not in the mood for anyone getting handsy, alright?" Jackie entered a proper battle stance, using her free hand to gently soothe a terrified Mariposa in her pocket.
"Woah, take it easy…"
"Ja…"
Don't tell the creepy demon king your name, girl. Might stalk you or something.
"Princess Oasis."
"Right, Oasis." He composed himself, fixing his oddly dapper looking suit and making a mock bow toward Jackie. "Name's Tom Lucitor, king of this fine kingdom."
"Fine is reaching a bit but okay…"
"What?" Tom's eyes twitched, his third eye faintly glowing red for a split second.
"N-Nothing, nice to meet you… Tom."
Silence lingered for a few moments, before Tom spoke up again and started walking around Jackie.
"Since you are a Princess, you must know where Starship is at, right?" Jackie gave him her best poker face. Thankfully, he bought it. "Sorry, bad habit of mine. Star Butterfly, Queen of Mewni and my bride to be. She ran off on me after a bad misunderstanding of something and I want to find her."
Jackie folded her arms, not buying any of his crap.
"Forgive me if I'm speaking 'out of line', but it sounds like you scared her off. Getting major creepy stalker vibes from you, no offense."
Tom raised his finger, eyes glowing red for a moment before taking a deep breath and emitting smoke from his nostrils.
"L-Look, maybe I'm not explaining myself well enough…" He took a step forward, his black shoes leaving a flaming imprint on the floor. "You are not in a great situation here, Princess."
Jackie backed up, charging magic into her hands.
"You broke into my wife's room."
He took a step forward.
"You have her magic flowing through you."
He was now inches away from Jackie's face.
"You reek of that human's stench, despite being a Princess."
Jackie glared right back at Tom, shoving him hard enough to fall on his rear. He looked genuinely taken off guard, nervously getting back up as Jackie walked toward him.
"First of all, back off punk." She pointed her gloved finger at him, making him gulp. "And that's no way to treat a Princess, let alone lady you prick."
She grit her teeth, furry coming over her. "And that human is more of a man you will ever be! He actually respected my personal space, for starters."
Tom got on his feet, fixing his tie and trying to stand tall again.
"You think I'm afraid of some wannabe Princess?" Tom shot her a creepy smile, charging blue fire into his hands.
"You should be." Jackie charged into Tom, jumping into the air and slamming her right fist down on him. He recoiled from the impact, but didn't have time to recover as Jackie made a round-house kick to his chest.
He collided into the wall, spitting out some fire from his mouth. Tom then jumped in the air, using fire in his hands to fly around the room. Jackie carefully studied his movements, but was still hit by some of his fireballs.
She looked over her clothes to make sure he didn't burn them off, sighing in relief at them being unharmed. Focusing on her inner magic, she wondered what spells she could pull off.
As Tom charged into her, she shoved her hands forward. "Sea Bottom Surge!"
Tom blinked as a flood of water escaped her hands, encasing him whole. But the water didn't flood the room, it instead incased Tom in a bubble of water. Jackie grinned as she slammed her palms together, making the water bubble turn into pure ice.
Seeing that he wasn't moving, she sighed in relief and checked her pocket. "You okay, MarMar? Think I'm getting a grasp on this magic…" She was interrupted, with the ice bubble shattering into a million little pieces.
Tom fell on the ground, eyes glowing an evil red.
"The only person to encase me in ice was Starship."
Jackie nervously looked around the room for anything to fight against the clearly angry demon. She spotted a trident on Star's weapon rack. Pointing it at Tom, she felt her hands shaking at the raw darkness reeking off him.
"I will enjoy punishing you in the dungeons, human."
Jackie was backing away, but felt her back press against the balconies railing. Looking between the castle rooftops and the angry demon…
Here goes nothing…
Jackie back-flipped, channeling her inner skater and braced for impact on the castle rooftops. She instinctively held the trident like a skateboard, attempting to use it to grind across the smaller pathways on the rooftop. But Jackie was shocked to see the trident transform into a crystal blue skateboard.
And she even felt her head get slightly heavier, with a helmet not unlike the many in her collection back home now firmly protecting her noggin.
I'll protect your head, just focus on getting us outta here, Oasis!
"Will do, little dude." Jackie felt her body tense up as she landed on the castle railings, her body on autopilot as she effortlessly shredded her way across the rooftops.
"Get her!" Tom shouted in the background, with demonic bat creatures flying toward Jackie. She grinned, feeling lost in the moment as she rode down an incline on the roof.
Pulling off a sick kick-flip, Jackie leaped high into the sky with a trail of water glistening off her board. She unintentionally made a beautiful rainbow, a sight unseen across the Lucitor Kingdom.
The demons were floored at the sight, inspiring an angry Tom to fly past them. Shooting fire out of his hands, he flew toward Jackie at fast speeds. She turned around after landing and was surprised to see Tom be inches away from her.
She shoved her hands forward, blasting cold water at Tom. His flames died down and he harshly tumbled down the roofs, landing in lava surrounding the castle.
"That's gotta hurt…"
And that will if you don't focus, Oasis!
Jackie looked ahead off her, eyes widening a tower being a foot away from her. Focusing on her magic, Jackie casted a small dome of ice around her, helping her plow through the tower wholesale.
"Stop destroying the towers, Butterfly!" An old sounding demon grumbled.
Jackie made an awkward smile, mouthing 'sorry' to the cranky demon as she jumped off another incline. She landed on the castle drawbridge, using her board to continue her escape. The sounds of guards and other demonic creatures following her made her sigh, knowing she wasn't out of the woods yet.
We should use a Forte Wave!
She audibly laughed aloud.
"I'm not one of those magical girls, MarMar. No way I could…"
She turned back into a small fairy and flew into Jackie's face.
"Woah!"
Jackie kicked her board her, hastily looking between the annoyed fairy and the literal army of the dead coming her way.
"Trust me, we can pull it off… Jackie."
Jackie smiled, patting Mariposa's head and putting the little fairy on her shoulders.
"I think you mean, Princess Oasis."
She stood her ground, ready to take out the entire army coming her way. Focusing on her magic and a mental image Mariposa seemingly put into her skull, Jackie picked up her board and turned it back into the trident. She spun it around playfully, wiking at the army and jumping into the air.
"It's time to open your hearts!" Jackie pointed the trident at the army. "Chaos Groovy Wave!" A jet stream of water struck the entire army but the amount of water shot out of Jackie's trident was so powerful, it hit Tom's castle hard.
The entire thing started crumbling, only being held up with demon magics that the guards inside were using. But the castle wasn't the only thing that was hit by the impact.
Jackie and Maripsoa were sent flying, the attack flinging them into a small demon village. Thankfully, they crashed through a building and landed in a bed.
"Ugh…" Jackie groaned, body not used to using magic that powerful. "Remind me to stay put when doing that next time, okay MarMar?"
"N-Noted…" Mariposa mumbled, her cute eyes spinning from the impact.
They didn't have long to rest though, as a door flung open and they were confronted by a girl around Jackie's age, having long blonde hair and strange pink hearts on her cheeks.
"Alright Tom! Back off or…" She paused, fixing her bath towel and having a genuine confused look. She looked between Jackie, Mariposa and the destroyed wall behind them. Star folded her arms and smirked at Jackie once realizing the situation at hand. "...Let me guess, popped your magic cherry and went on a joyride, huh?"
Jackie awkwardly laughed, shrugging her shoulders.
"Star, I heard a lot of…" A new person walked into the room and fixed his boxers, freezing on the spot seeing Jackie. "J-Jackie?! How did you…" Marco's eyes were unsure how to even take in Jackie's new look. "And why are…"
"Hermano!" Mariposa snapped out her trance and flew toward Marco. The moment he registered who just spoke to him, he passed out cold. Star, Jackie and Mariposa looked at the comatose Marco and then at each other.
Star folded her arms, snapping her fingers and putting on some clothes. "...You need to explain yourselves." She looked right at Mariposa, eyes narrowed. "And why do you kinda feel like my mom's magic?
So now we got the core cast set up for the rest of the narrative (...give or take) and it was a ton of fun figuring out my take on Jackie. She's a character the show kinda wasted somewhat. She was just 'the girl next door' Marco had a crush on in Canon and while her role was justified, she can be a fun character. And giving her the 'magical girl' treatement was a twist I didn't realize could work so well.
And we finally meet Mariposa. Very curious about people's feedback on that, since she's a very critical character for Marco's growth specifically. And for music recommendations, highly recommend you listen to various Persona 5 Royal tracks and a specific City Escape remix for some scenes in this chapter. Helped amplify the scenes when I was writing them.
Next two chapters are going to be fun, with one having a great scene I had a blast writing (yes that's right, got two chapters in production at the same time). Let's just say, a curtain leaked Sonic Frontiers track really fuels a great fight scene coming up.