THE TALE OF MARCO - CORNBALL COMMOTION

As an athlete, Marco didn't understand cornball all that well. He'd commentated on a match of the Mewnian sport during Queen Eclipsa's reign, and struggled to make sense of the many complicated rules. In comparison, karate was simple; Hit your opponent, you score a point; Whoever scores more points is the winner. Still, he was determined to play and win, for his cherished girlfriend's sake...

After brushing up on the complexities of cornball for hours, Marco made his way to Warnicorn Stadium, a recently-constructed sports complex housing its titular team; The Echo Creek Warnicorns. The Warnicorns were part of the Earth-Ni Youth Cornball League, a place for young athletes in all the cleaved regions of the world to compete in Mewni's favorite pastime.

Once he changed into a uniform with the team's green and blue hues, Marco made his way to the benches to meet up with the other players. Most of them recognized him; Because of all his heroic exploits as Princess Turdina, Martial Boy, and plain old Marco Diaz, he'd become something of a local celebrity. The athletes warmly greeted him, and he was approached by a burly, blonde-haired boy.

"Marco Diaz! What's up, dude!" This happy fellow was Justin Armberg, the quarterback of Echo Creek's Awesome Opossums.

"Justin? I didn't know you played cornball."

"Yeah, this sport's way cooler than boring old football! I joined it 'cause it's from Mewni, just like Star! Speaking of which, she's playing with us today; Star Butterfly RULES!"

"About that..." Marco sighed, hesitant to break the bad news to his lover's admirer. "Star won't be playing tonight, she's...not feeling well."

"Aww, man! I was really looking forward to it. Is she alright?"

"Yeah, thank goodness. She sent me to play in her place."

"Really? That's great! Star's lucky to have a guy like you." The former quarterback complimented, making Marco smile. "C'mon, lemme introduce you to our team captain. She's an awesome player, but SUPER competitive; She kinda scares me." Justin explained, whispering that last part.

"Hey, I'm sure she's not THAT bad." Poor Marco was proved wrong when Justin brought over the Warnicorns' captain, a mewman girl with pale skin, freckles, and short orange hair. A lump formed in Marco's throat when he saw the familiar face from his past; It was Higgs, another ex-squire who considered him her rival.

"You gotta be kidding me..."

"What are you doing here?" Higgs asked in an accusatory tone. Before Marco could ask the same question, she took note of his athletic uniform. "YOU'RE playing with us? You don't know jack about cornball, Earth-nerd!"

"I know more than you think! Besides, you should be treating me with respect; I'm the guest of honor." Marco retorted.

"Not to me." Higgs scoffed, then turned to her other teammates to talk tactics. As Marco just stood there looking blankly, Justin stepped over to ask him a question.

"What's her beef with you?"

"We used to be co-workers..." The former squire sighed; Now that he knew who the captain was, playing with the Warnicorns seemed easier said than done...


As guests poured into the seats of the stadium and stocked up on snacks, Marco was warming up on the sidelines with the rest of the Warnicorns. He started off by doing some stretches, while making sure to keep a safe distance from Higgs. Once he was done, he looked towards the other end of the field; There stood a team of muscular young mewmans clad in fur uniforms and horned helmets. Their warm-up method was much different from the home team's; Instead of doing stretches, the athletes lifted heavy boulders and gorged on large hunks of meat.

"Who's the other team?" The Earthly teen asked.

"Them? They're the Meatheads." Higgs retorted.

"Hey, that's not nice! Show some good sportsmanship, Higgs."

"But they're from the Johansen Kingdom; Their team's actually called"The Meatheads." explained Blabby Frontfaws, a seasoned monster athlete.

"Huh. Okay then."

The referee then sounded her whistle; It was time to get started. The athletes all headed onto the field, and Marco got into position as secondary cob-kicker. He looked at Higgs, who responded with a glare that just screamed "Stay out of my way." This was going to be a tough match, indeed. The whistle sounded once more, and the game was afoot!


"SPLASH!"

That was the sound Marco made when he fell into the opposing team's moat. He had been "accidentally" knocked into it by not an opponent, but one of his own teammates; Surely, you can guess which one.

Once Marco clambered out of the moat, his clothesespecially his socks—sopping wet, he looked to see the Meatheads score yet another point. Their superhuman speed and strength made them natural cornball champs, and formidable foes for the Warnicorns to face. The first half of the game had just ended, and the score was 22-6; The away team was taking the lead!

"We're getting destroyed out there! Step it up, you guys!" Higgs commanded. Their disadvantage was reason enough for her to be feisty, but having to work with her biggest rival was fuel for the fire. "And as for you, Marco; Keep out of my way."

"In your way? You pushed me into the moat!"

"It was an accident." She replied insincerely. "Besides, you hardly know what you're doing. Why'd you even bother to show up?"

"I did it for Star! She's counting on me to win this match."

"Star, huh? Looks like some things never change." Higgs sneered, further getting under Marco's skin. As much as he wanted to just let loose and cut into her with his words, the noble teen knew winning required teamwork, despite the circumstances. Besides, a genius strategy idea had just popped into his head...

"Hey, everyone, I got an idea!" Marco exclaimed. The other players gathered around him, while their captain just watched with disdain. "This isn't the first time I've competed with Johansens; I beat them in the Game of Flags." The other Warnicorns gasped in surprise at this shocking revelation; Even Higgs couldn't help but be impressed.

"While they're super strong and lightning fast, they only think that might is right. To beat them, we have to play smarter, and use moves they won't expect. But most importantly, we have to work as a team, despite our differences." The former squire instructed. The other Warnicorns looked towards their leader, who surprisingly seemed less frustrated.

"I hate to say it, but you're right." Higgs admitted. Marco extended his hand out, and she begrudgingly shook it. "Let's win this match."


For the next half of the game, the Warnicorns used the Meatheads' headstrong demeanors against them, by switching things up with crafty tactics. With the Bean Bag Blitz, Hula Hoop Hustle, and other tricks rarely seen in the Johansen Kingdom, they miraculously managed to catch up to their opponents; The score was 22-20. Now, the final minutes were upon them; It could be anyone's game.

"Marco, catch!" Higgs hurled the ball to Marco, who swiftly caught it. The two athletes then leapt over strategically placed obstacles whilst tossing the ball back and forth, in what's called the Husker Hurdles.

"NOW!" Higgs leapt up to kick the ball towards the goal; Alas, before she could execute her potentially game-winning move, she was side-checked by one of the Meatheads, and was knocked down HARD.

"Higgs!" Marco cried, and hurried to his fallen comrade's side. The referee blew her whistle loudly, and called a time out.

"Illegal contact! That's a 10-foot penalty!"

"No contact's illegal in the Johansen Kingdom!" As the Meathead argued with the ref, Marco and the other Warnicorns gathered around their downed captain.

"Are you okay?" Justin asked.

"I'm fine! I can still play." Higgs tried to get up, but quickly fell back over, and groaned.

"Medic!" Marco beckoned. At his request, a couple of medics rushed towards Higgs with a gurney, loaded her on it, and began wheeling her away, despite her protests.

"No, take me back! I can still fight! I CAN STILL FIGHT!" As the medics took the former squire out of the stadium, the other Warnicorns began to worry now that their star player was out of commission.

"What do we do now?" Blabby worried. The cornball team continued clamoring, until Marco spoke up.

"Don't worry, guys, we can still win this; Just follow my lead..."


With the blow of a whistle, the last minute of the game had begun. The Meatheads played harder than they were before, motivated by the fear of losing to those they considered weaker than them. The opposing team captain let out a loud howl and hurled the ball towards the goal; Just when it was mere yards away from making it in, the ball was caught in an oversized mitt, courtesy of midfield husker Danny Doom.

"Heads up, Justin!" Danny lobbed the ball for the jolly jock to catch, and he swiftly sprinted across the field. One of the Meatheads was charging towards him like a raging rhino, so he passed the ball to Marco. The athletic young man dodged the barbarian ball players with amazing agility, then jumped up on top of one of them. He leapt off his opponent like a launch pad, and hit the ball towards the goal with a mighty karate kick! The goalie tried to stop it with his catching stick, but to his surprise, the ball broke right through it and landed in the goal, winning the game for the Warnicorns!

The audience burst into raucous cheers for the home team, whilst the Meatheads shouted to vent their rage. Marco felt rather conflicted about beating them; After all, the Johansens could be his future in-laws. Before he could fret any further, the other Warnicorns picked their hero up and carried him across the field. They set him down on the sidelines, and continued to praise him.

"Marco Diaz RULES!" Justin excitedly exclaimed, as he poured a big barrel of corn-based energy drink on the boy. Once again, poor Marco was drenched, socks and all. A news reporter and her cameraman then approached the soaked sportsman for an interview.

"Excuse me, Mr. Diaz! You're a knight, a princess, a superhero, and so much more; What made you choose to play cornball?"

"Well, I did it for someone very special to me. My sweetheart, my brightest star, and my best friend in the whole Multiverse; Star Butterfly."


While the other Warnicorns continued celebrating their valiant victory, poor Higgs was stuck in the stadium's in-house infirmary, where an orthopedic brace was fitted to her wounded knee.

"You sprained your knee pretty badly, Miss Boson. You'll have to go a few weeks without playing to let it heal." The physician explained.

"Aw, what? No fair!"

"Sorry, that's how injuries work. Get well soon..."

Higgs hobbled out of the infirmary on crutches, feeling dejected; Her pride was arguably hurt worse than her leg. Her head was hung low out of shame, which caused her to bump into who but Marco, who had just changed back into his casual clothes. Startled by her sudden blunder, Higgs dropped one of her crutches and stumbled backwards; Luckily, Marco acted fast and caught her by her shirt collar, causing the former squire to blush furiously.

"Higgs! I am so sorry, let me get that for you." Marco profusely apologized, and set her down on a bench so he could pick up the crutch she dropped.

"Moron." She huffed, and crossed her arms, annoying the hoodie-clad boy. Her sour attitude was really starting to grate on him.

"Hey, I'm helping you. Would you do the same?" No response from Higgs. "Why are you even still mad at me? We're not knights anymore, that's behind us!"

"EXACTLY!" Higgs shouted; Marco had just struck a nerve. "Ever since you and Star destroyed magic, my life has been garbage! There's no kingdom to protect, no more knights to fight by my side; Hell, I'm all old and frail in the Neverzone, so I can't even enjoy that anymore!"

"Oh..."

"I tried branching out into cornball to try something new, but you just had to prove you're better than me at that, too." The redhead then buried her hands in her face, emotionally exhausted from letting her rival have it. It worked, too, as Marco genuinely felt bad for her.

"Higgs, I'm sorry...but you're wrong. I'm not better than you at cornball. I barely knew what I was doing! Heck, all I ever did was score the final point! But you, on the other hand? You're a natural!" Marco commended. "You're gonna make it big someday, I know it."

Now it was Higgs' turn to be speechless. She certainly didn't expect him to praise her like that, especially after all she'd done to him; Even weirder, it felt good coming from his mouth.

"Wow...um...thanks..."

"I wish you a speedy recovery; Your team needs you." With those parting words, Marco got up and began to walk off, but stopped in his tracks when he heard the sound of someone blowing a raspberry. He sighed in frustration and turned back towards Higgs, who, to his surprise, was smiling at him; Not a menacing smirk, but a faint, but genuine smile. He responded by playfully blowing a raspberry back at her, and continued on his merry way.

Marco wasn't sure what to expect when he chose to play cornball; He didn't expect to score the winning goal, nor did he expect his socks to be drenched twice. But he never could've guessed that he'd make amends with one of his fiercest rivals; That was a surprise he certainly enjoyed...