ACT XIII: Comet II, the Underestimated Part 5: Running With Scissors

Earth-Realm.

After school ended, Marcia Diaz and Comet Dragonfly went their separate ways. Comet went back to the Diaz residence to study the Great Book of Magic and make sure the stopwatch was safe. As for Marcia, she went straight back to Britta's Taco's for a second date with Jackson Lee Thomas. Of course, she wasn't sure if it was a real date or if he only considered it hanging out with a friend. She still hadn't told him that she had a crush on him, but she was happy to spend time with him regardless.

Currently, she was sitting at one of the picnic tables, listening to Love Sentence with her headphones - one of her guilty pleasures - while Jackson got the tacos. Once the skater arrived, she immediately took off her headphones and pocketed her phone. "What're you listening to?" Jackson asked, curiously.

"O-oh, y'know, hard rock, heavy metal, rap, that sort of thing." She lied, nervously. She still had a reputation to uphold. "Thanks for the tacos."

"No problem." Jackson smiled as he took a bite of his taco. "I gotta admit, I'm surprised you wanted to hang out. I didn't think you liked me too much."

Marcia nearly choked on her own food. "Uh, w-well, I've just been pretty busy, y'know? 'Cause, like, midterms are coming up, and I've been looking after Comet. I just don't usually have the time for this kind of thing."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot your parents hosted the foreign exchange students. Comet seems like a pretty cool dude. Although… is he for real with that whole 'magic prince' thing?"

"Yeah, he is." Marcia nodded. "I mean, I thought he was full of shit, too, when I first met him. But he's totally legit."

"Well, I bet that's exciting." Jackson mused. "I mean, having a real prince living with you must liven things up, huh?"

"Heh, yeah. Never a dull moment." Marcia chuckled as she fondly thought back on all the excitement she had experienced since Comet entered her life. "So, uh, what's new with you?"

Jackson considered. "Well, there's this ameatur skating competition going on tonight. 10:30 at the skatepark. I don't know if you'd be interested in that kind of thing, but I thought I might enter. And I'd like it if I had a friend to cheer me on."

Marcia felt a slight ache in her heart at being considered a "friend" by the boy of her dreams, but she decided to take what she could get. "I'll be there." She promised.

Later that afternoon, Marcia blissfully made her way back home for dinner, once again listening to Love Sentence. Once she arrived at her house, she collected the mail from the mail box and set the trash cans to the curb for collection day the next morning. When she finally made it inside, she found herself frozen in confusion as she saw what was going on in the living room. Prince Comet paced around the floor in circles with his arms wrapped around the air in front of him, as if he were dancing with an invisible partner. All the while, the Great Book of Magic hovered in front of his face and followed him while he danced. After a few more minutes, the prince let out a tired sigh, closed the Book, and slumped onto the couch. He was about to turn on the TV when he finally noticed his housemate.

"Oh, hey, Marcia!" He smiled as he stood back up. "How was your date with Jackson?"

"It wasn't a date." Marcia shook her head and made her way over to him. "But it was still fun. And I'm gonna see him again tonight. What've you been doing?"

"Oh, I've just been brushing up on my ballroom dancing exercises and reading the Great Book of Magic." Comet replied and sat back down on the couch. "Our meeting with Mother Time was a real eye-opener for me, Marcia. I can't allow myself to make such a mistake ever again. But… this one chapter seems to be locked."

Marcia sat down next to him to get a better look. "Which one is it?"

"It's the only chapter kings are forbidden to read. The chapter of Eclipsine, King of Darkness." Comet pushed the Book aside and used the scepter to illustrate his story. The images displayed an Elizabethan-esque battle ship sailing through violent waters. Multiple featureless silhouettes of crewmembers frantically scurried around the deck to keep everything under control.

"Many years ago, on a dark and stormy night in the raging seas of Mewni, a son was born to King Solarius and his lover. That son was named Eclipsine." Comet narrated as the image shifted to show a red silhouette of a man holding a purple silhouette of a baby. The images continued to change, showing the purple silhouette growing up under the watch of the red one, until the red one disappeared. "Legend says that when Eclipsine was born, everyone was already afraid of him. Everyone, that is… except for his father. Solarius loved Eclipsine with all of his heart, and Eclipsine loved him. But over the years, with his father's absence due to the Great Monster War, Eclipsine grew bitter and angry. And on the day that Solarius died, something inside the prince snapped."

The images shifted once again, the purple silhouette turned black as it levitated into the air. A small storm cloud materialized above the image as many other silhouettes ran away in fear. The storm cloud transformed into another silhouette that towered over the other. The two images lovingly caressed each other and pressed their foreheads together. "Eclipsine dabbled in the dark arts of magic and sought that which was forbidden. His dark desires eventually led him to abandon his son, his wife, and his kingdom to commit the ultimate taboo; he married a monster."

At last, the images displayed multiple silhouettes attacking Eclipsine until he vanished. "Eventually, the Magical High Commission were able to defeat the fallen king. And Festivio - the son Eclipsine sired with his Mewman wife - was forced to take up the throne."

The images disappeared, and Comet set his scepter down on the coffee table. "Or at least, that's what my dad told me." He shrugged. "But… I've been thinking about what Mother Time told us, and something doesn't make sense."

Marcia, having been equally amazed and perturbed by the story, could only arch an eyebrow at her friend's statement. "When exactly did things stop making sense?"

"Mother Time said Eclipsine apologized to her on behalf of Skywind and Thaddeus when he was sixteen. But that was after his own father was killed." Comet explained. "If Eclipsine was so evil, why would he feel the need to apologize to her? I've been trying to figure it out, but I can't unlock his chapter."

Marcia closed the Great Book and shoved it aside before grabbing the TV remote. "Well, maybe you just need a break. Wanna stream with your best bud?"

"Oh, yes, please!" Comet clapped happily. "I've been watching Camp Pining Hearts and I just love it!"

"Which season are you on?"

"Five."

"Ugh. Trash."

"I know." The prince groaned. "But I have to watch all of the seasons or I could end up skipping a critical plot point. I just wish this season wasn't so ding-dang boring!"

Marcia cringed at her friend's lingo. "I am literally begging you to just say 'fuck.'"

Comet rubbed his arm in embarrassment. "I can't. My mom doesn't like me to swear."

"Your mom doesn't - pfft!" Marcia had to cup a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from laughing. "Well, your mom's not here. C'mon, just once I wanna hear you cuss for real."

Comet crossed his arms and held his chin up high. "No. A prince should never sully his lips with profanities." He said, haughtily.

Marcia smirked and sat down next to him. "Oh, come on. You mean to tell me you're never going to say a real cuss-word? What about 'damn?' That's pretty tame, nowadays. Or 'damnation.' Does that make it better?"

"Darnation." Comet stuck his tongue out, teasingly.

In response, Marcia took out a bill from her pocket and held it up in front of her friend. "Twenty bucks. Say 'damn' and it's yours."

Comet snorted. "I come from the wealthiest family in Mewni. You think you can bribe me with money?"

Marcia sighed and pocketed her cash. She decided that with the constant monster attacks and the stress of dealing with his uptight royal family, he would cuss on his own at some point. For the next few minutes, she tried to sit down with Comet and watch the show with him, but the boredom finally overwhelmed her. "I can't watch this. I gotta get ready for tonight, anyway."

"What's going on tonight?" Angelo asked as he came out of the kitchen. "Your mother just finished dinner."

"Yeah, well, I had a late lunch so I'm really not that hungry." Marcia remarked as she got up from the couch. "I'm meeting Jackson Lee Thomas at the skatepark at 10:30."

"Oh, no, you're not." Angelo said, sternly. "You can't be out that late. Tonight's a school night."

"But, dad, I told Jackson I'd meet him tonight!" Marcia whined.

"Well, forget it." Angelo stood his ground. "Now, you can either go get ready for dinner, or go to your room without dinner."

Marcia angrily stormed upstairs, slamming the door to her room, and slumped onto her bed. She finally had a shot with Jackson Lee Thomas, and now her stupid parents were going to ruin it. But she refused to take it lying down; she was going to sneak out that night and make it to Jackson's competition. The only problem was figuring out how to do it. In order to make it to the park at 10:30, she'd have to leave the house no later than 9:45, and her parents didn't go to bed until 10:00. It was also impossible to make it downstairs and sneak out the back without making too much noise with the squeaky stairs. She could try to climb out her window, but her room was on the second floor above the garden's cacti. Just when all hope seemed lost, she suddenly remembered something Comet had that would help her.

Later that night, Comet finished studying the Great Book of Magic and got ready for bed. Ever since Luna's first attack, the prince had seen fit to sleep with his scepter in his hand for protection. As for the stopwatch and his inter-dimensional scissors, he kept those hidden inside the drawer of the nightstand next to his bed. He settled into his bed, turned off the light, and peacefully drifted off to slip. A few moments later, his bedroom door creaked open.

Marcia quietly tip-toed into Comet's bedroom, trying her best not to wake her slumbering friend. She froze in shock as he suddenly began to move. However, the slumbering prince merely yawned and rolled to the side. Shaking her head, she quietly made her way over to his nightstand and opened the drawer. Just as she'd hoped, she found the scissors inside. She pocketed the magic device and quietly made her way back to her own bedroom. Checking her watch, she saw that it was only 9:00; plenty of time for her to get to the park.

"Okay… so I think he…" Marcia opened the scissors and moved them upwards while thinking about the skatepark, but nothing happened. Frustrated, she smacked the scissors on her bedpost to try and provoke a reaction. She tried the motion again, and the crystal embedded in the handle started to glow as a portal finally opened. She couldn't see what was on the other side, but if she was going to make it to Jackson's competition in time she had to take it.

Mewni-Realm

Marcia would have been disappointed with where she ended up if she hadn't been immediately fascinated with her surroundings. Up until now, she only had a vague idea of what Comet's home looked like based on stories he had told her. But to truly see the magic dimension in person took her breath away. Mewni's architecture and fashion reminded her of a campy renaissance fair, but most of the transportation and communication devices were reminiscent of the ones in her own dimension. Checking her watch, she saw that she had enough time for a quick look around before heading back to Jackson's competition. She pocketed the scissors and headed towards the nearest town.

As she walked, she noticed a sign that read "Welcome to Dragontown; Birthplace of Queen Evangeline." As she continued, she saw a group of people gathered around a fenced-in area cheering for someone named Hicks. Her curiosity piqued, Marcia pushed her way through the crowd to get a better view of what was going on. Two boys around her age were sword fighting in the middle of the ring, trying to push each other out of bounds.

One was a ginger with green eyes and freckles wearing a chainmail tunic, armored pants, and sports tape wrapped around his forearms. He held a broadsword in his right hand and a shield in his left. The other was a dark-skinned boy dressed in purple pants, a white sweater with violet stripes, black boots, and a large pair of glasses. His aquamarine hair was worn in an afro and he didn't seem to have a nose. But what really made him stand out was the giant, double edged sword he managed to wield with ease. Marcia noticed that the crowd seemed to favor the ginger, despite the fact that the other guy clearly had the upper hand.

Eventually, the green-haired boy managed to use his sword to shatter the ginger's shield and kicked him out of the ring. Marcia started clapping for him, but slowly stopped once she saw how upset everyone else seemed with the outcome. Nevertheless, the victor smiled in gratitude at her before walking over to offer his opponent a helping hand.

"Don't touch me, you filthy Woolet." Hicks sneered as he got up on his own. After brushing himself off, the disgruntled Solarian trainee gathered up his own weapons and hopped down from the ring. "Go back to whatever squaller you call home."

With that, the rest of the crowd dispersed from the ring to go about their business, murmuring and whispering about the fight as they went. The green-haired boy remained in the center of the ring, sadly staring at his reflection in his sword. Marcia checked her watch again and decided to move on.

"Goblin dogs!" Someone shouted. "Get your premium goblin dogs!"

Marcia glanced over towards the source of the voice and smiled. A street vendor was selling something that looked very similar to hot dogs. Remembering how hungry she was after skipping dinner, she hurried over to his stand. "I'll take two on pretzel buns with mustard and relish." She requested, licking her lips.

The vendor prepared the goblin dogs as she described and wrapped them up in tin foil. "That'll be five dollars."

"No problem." She handed him the twenty dollar bill from her pocket and reached out for the goblin dogs. But the vendor angrily smacked her hand away.

"Is this a joke?" He asked, holding up the bill. "Mewman dollars only."

"Oh…" Marcia shrugged. "I don't have any Mewman money."

"Then you don't have any goblin dogs, either!" He crumpled up the bill and tossed it at her face.

Marcia was about to throw a punch when someone behind her handed the vendor a Mewman five-dollar bill; it was the green-haired boy she saw earlier. "It's on me." He offered.

The vendor reluctantly accepted the bill from him and immediately held it up towards the sun to inspect it's authenticity. "Hmm… alright. Take 'em." He grunted and handed the goblin dogs over to the girl.

"Thanks, man! I'm starving." Marcia smiled as she bit into one of the goblin dogs. As they walked away from the vendor, she offered one to the boy. "I'm Marcia Diaz, by the way."

"Thanks! I love goblin dogs. I'm Kyle Storkson." He smiled and accepted the snack. As he took a bite, he examined her outfit. "Not from around here, are you?"

Marcia shook her head and took out the scissors. "Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but I'm actually a human. There's just been a mistake, I was just trying to get to a friend's competition, so I borrowed these things from-"

"Prince Comet!" Kyle snapped his fingers and pointed at her with a smile. "I thought I recognized you! You're the prince's official Earth-Realm escort, Marcia Diaz!"

Marcia blinked in surprise. "You know who I am?"

"Are you kidding? Everyone in Mewni knows who you are!" To prove his point, Kyle reached into his hair and pulled out a piece of newspaper with a picture of the first day Marcia met Comet. "After the prince burned that town down, the king and queen announced to everyone that they were sending him away to study in safety. And that they found someone to keep him from hurting anyone. You're kinda famous."

Marcia grabbed the newspaper and read the article next to it. Apparently, the people of Mewni had been led to believe that she was some sort of highly skilled bodyguard the king and queen hired to protect the prince. The article also explained to her that the reason Comet had been sent to Earth in the first place was because he accidentally burned down a small village on the first day he earned the scepter, and his own great-uncle Etherio had even petitioned to something called the Magical High Commission that Comet was unworthy of such power. But when Queen Lake explained to the citizenry that Marcia Diaz - the strongest and smartest girl in Echo Creek - had been assigned to keep Comet out of trouble, everyone seemed to be more accepting of Comet becoming king in the future.

"Huh… cool." Marcia smirked. "So, uh, what was the deal with that crowd? They didn't seem to like you very much."

Kyle sighed. "Mm, a lot of people aren't too thrilled about the idea of one of my kind becoming a Solarian warrior."

"Shouldn't all Mewmans be nice to each other?"

Kyle snorted. "You mean like how all humans are nice to each other?"

Marcia wanted to argue, but found herself at a loss for words due to Kyle's logic. "... touché."

"Anyway, I'm not a Mewman." He explained. "I'm a Woolet; a refugee from one of Mewni's sister-dimensions. We've been allies with Mewni ever since King Solarius, but they only reached out to us because we're a war-like people. King Simon allowed us to cross over when Woolandia was destroyed and gave us the same rights as everybody else, but we're still considered second-class citizens by much of the populace. I mean, you were there, weren't you? You must have heard him call me that."

Marcia snapped her fingers. "Oooooh, right! 'Filthy Woolet.' I misunderstood him. I just thought it was some kind of Mewman slur."

"It might as well be. The only reason I was even considered for the Solarian program was because I'm the last descendant of the Aquamarinos; the best of the best." Kyle unstrapped the sword from his back and proudly displayed it for her to see. "But this sword has been in my family for generations and I am honor-bound to see that it tastes the blood of those who threaten the innocent!"

Suddenly, Marcia's watch alarm went off and she realized that she needed to get a move on. She took the scissors out from her pocket and opened another portal back to Earth. Much to her relief, she saw the skatepark on the other side. She was just about to climb through when the portal shifted into a wall of flames. "What te fuck?" She muttered.

Kyle was equally confused by the spectacle. "Hey, where is Prince Comet, anyway? If you're here then-"

He was cut off when two arms reached out from the portal, grabbed both of them, and pulled them through.

Dimension X-103.

Marcia and Kyle grunted as they were roughly thrown to the ground. Marcia was the first to stand up, and was the first to notice their bizarre surroundings. They were in a grotesque desert wasteland realm with red skies, rotting trees, and wildfires everywhere. She turned around to help Kyle up when she spotted their abductor. Standing before them was some kind of demon with chalk-white skin and blood-red hair with bangs that covered his left eye, wearing a neatly pressed orange suit with a red tie, and a black crown that rested between two orange horns. While slightly put off by his appearance, Marcia didn't seem too scared by him. In contrast, Kyle humbly bowed in fear and respect as if he had seen this person before.

"Alright, missy!" The demon crossed his arms. "Hand over the scissors and no one gets hurt!"

Marcia groaned as she got back up to her feet. "Who the fuck are you?!" She snapped.

"Who am I?!" He scoffed, indignantly. "Who the fuck are you?!"

Angered, Marcia tried to punch her abductor, but somehow missed and fell to the ground again. She reached into her coat pocket to pull out the scissors and escape, only to find that they were no longer in her pocket. Looking back, she was shocked to see that her kidnapper had somehow snatched the scissors away from her and opened another portal before tossing the scissors to Kyle.

"You! Woolet!" He snapped. "This portal leads to the scissors' rightful owner! Take them back to him and he might send you home. Now, move it!"

"Y-yes, sir!" Kyle stammered and jumped through the portal before it disappeared.

Marcia got back on her feet and took a few steps back. This demon turned back to face her and began sizing her up with his hungry and wrathful gaze. The more he stared at her, the more intimidated she became. Slowly, his angered sneer shifted into a dangerous smile before he spoke again.

"You wanna know who the fuck I am?" The demon chuckled as he licked his lips. "I am the Master of the Eternal Forge! I am the creator of every pair of inter-dimensional scissors in existence! They call me… Hekapoe! The Scissors Enforcer! Now, as impressed as I am about how well you were able to figure out how to use that pair of scissors, the problem still remains… I didn't make 'em for you. That pair was made specifically for the crown-prince of Mewni; Comet Dragonfly the Second. And it would be very bad for you if I were to find out that you did something to him."

Marcia shuddered. "N-no! No, it's not like that! Comet's fine!" She explained, remembering what Kyle had told her. "I'm Marcia Diaz! Prince Comet's official human escort! I was just borrowing the scissors for a moment."

Hekapoe arched an eyebrow at his new guest. "Did you get Prince Comet's explicit authorization to use the scissors?"

"...um…" Marcia nervously bit her lip. "Well… not exactly, I mean-"

Hekapoe laughed. "Well, then I hate to break it to you, sweet-cheeks. But where I'm from, that's called 'stealing.' Now, protocol dictates that for such a crime, I'm to take you in front of the rest of the Magical High Commission to discuss your execution. However… I might just keep a cute little thing like you for myself."

"Eeeeeew!" Marcia cringed and angrily took up a fighting stance. "Look, perv, I am not some little slut from a bad harem anime! So if you think for one second that I'm gonna let you - or anyone - lay a finger on me, you've got another thing coming! And fair warning; I'm a self-taught boxer, I don't fight fair, I kick below the belt, I scratch, and I bite!"

Hekapoe was now fully intrigued by this girl. While he had captured and punished many inter-dimensional criminals in the past, none of them had ever been a human before. His sisters in the MHC often saw humans as weaker Mewmans, but Hekapoe was curious to see if this girl was truly worthy of keeping the future king safe and out of trouble. "This is going to be fun." He thought to himself.

"Well?! Are you gonna fight me, or not?!" Marcia snapped.

"Mmm… nah." Hekapoe shrugged and turned to walk away. "I think the Magical High Commission will find it acceptable if I just leave you here to rot."

"WHAT?!" Marcia jumped in shock. "No, wait! Look, I'm sorry if I broke a rule, but it was an accident! Can't you just let me off with a warning?! It's my first offense!"

"Sorry. No exceptions." Hekapoe remarked, dismissively. But the demon smirked as he heard her following after him.

"But isn't there, like, some kind of trial I can take to prove my innocence?!" She begged. "C'mon, man! Please!"

Hekapoe scratched his chin as he considered her words. His smile grew wider as he remembered what he put King Skywind through to earn his pair of scissors. "Alright, little lady, I'll make you a deal." He lifted a hand over his head, snapped his fingers, and a small flame burst to life above the black crown nestled between his horns. "If you can somehow manage to blow out this flame, I will personally make you a pair of your own inter-dimensional scissors to do with as you please."

Marcia arched an eyebrow. "Really? That's it?"

"Well, hold on now." Hekapoe held up one hand as he went on. "Keep in mind that if you accept this challenge, you can't back out."

Marcia crossed her arms and smirked. "Hey, I never back out of an easy deal."

"Alright then…" Hekapoe shook her hand to seal the deal, and she immediately pulled him close to her.

"Too easy." Marcia chuckled and took a deep breath to blow out the flame. But before she could release her breath, her opponent slipped from her grasp and disappeared out of sight. "What the fu-?!"

Someone slapped her upside the head, prompting her to turn around and see the smug demon behind her. "Oh, ho! That was a dirty move!" Hekapoe clapped. "You're definitely my kind of girl!"

"Okay… fine." Marcia growled and shrugged off her jumped towards Hekapoe, but the blacksmith swiftly moved several feet away from her. He started running away, and Marcia gave chase. But Hekapoe proved to be much faster and soon disappeared over the horizon. Marcia cursed under her breath, only to feel Hekapoe slap her upside the head and run off into the horizon again.

This went on for a few seconds until Marcia realized what Hekapoe was doing and stopped running. She turned around and began running in the opposite direction with a determined gleam in her eyes. Just as she'd hoped, Hekapoe was running towards her at the same speed as he had been. She took another deep breath, but Hekapoe dodged out of the way, grabbed the hood of her hoodie, and threw her towards a cliff. Marcia desperately clawed at the ground, trying not to fall off as Hekapoe leaned down to look into her eyes.

"Give up, yet?" He taunted. Marcia responded by using her full strength to pull herself off of the cliff and blow out the flame. Hekapoe gasped in shock and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Hey! Come back! I passed your stupid test! Now give… me… my… scissors…?" Marcia stood in dumbstruck silence as she looked out at a legion of Hekapoe clones laughing at her.

"If you want those scissors…"

"... you have to find…

"... the real Hekapoe!"

Marcia sighed and took off her hoodie to tie it around her waist as she got into a fighting stance. "I'm never gonna make it to Jackson's competition."

Earth. Eight Minutes Later.

Kyle tripped on his way out of the portal and quickly hurried away from it before it closed. Taking deep breaths, he scanned the room he was in until he spotted Comet sleeping in his bed. Even though he had just met her, the Solarian trainee refused to let Marcia suffer.

"Prince Comet! Prince Comet!" Kyle frantically shook the prince. "Wake up, your highness! Wake up!"

Comet rubbed the sand out of his eyes and blindly reached for the lamp next to him. "Marcia? What time is it?" He turned the lamp on and screamed at the sight of an unfamiliar face. "AH! WHO SENT YOU?!"

"No, no! I'm not gonna hurt you! I need your help!" Kyle held up his hands in a calming manner, showing off the light-green birthmark on his palm.

"You… you're a descendant of the Aquamarinos!" Comet's eyes sparkled in wonder and delight. "The warriors who fought alongside the Solarians in the first Mewman-Monster War! You guys were legendary! I used to dream of becoming an Aquamarino when I was a child! Well, uh, I mean - that is, until I found out they were all Woolets." The prince suddenly blushed and held up his hands, defensively. "N-not that there's anything wrong with Woolets! No, I-I like Woolets! Woolets are a fine bunch of people. I just, uh, didn't want to appropriate your culture. I think it's great that Woolets have an honorable and noteworthy organization of their own warriors willing to fight for the oppressed. It's about time." He finished his rambling with an awkward thumbs up. "Um, I-I'm Prince Comet Dragonfly the Second. But, perhaps you already knew that."

Despite the unorthodox meeting, Kyle humbly bowed before the prince. "My liege, I come with grave tidings. Your escort borrowed your scissors without your permission, and has been abducted by Hekapoe as punishment!"

At the sound of those words, Comet immediately sprang into action. Still in his pajamas, he grabbed the scepter off his bed, and the scissors out of Kyle's hand to open another portal to Hekapoe's forge. "C'mon, let's go!"

Dimension X-103. Sixteen Years Later.

Two Hekapoe clones marched in circles around their master's forge to protect him from the intruder. Suddenly, someone riding a tamed dragoncycle swooped down and parked in front of the forge. She stood six-feet-two with her green hair shaved into a pixie cut. She wore a black leather leotard, matching black boots, and a tattered red hoodie wrapped around her waist. As the clones charged at her, she drew a katana and used it to kick up a dust cloud with a strong swipe. The dust blew out one of the flames and the clone vanished. She backflipped over the other clone and blew out his flame with a gentle breath.

With the guards gone, she whistled for her dragoncycle to drive closer to her so that she could reach into her knapsack. She pulled out a notebook and added two more tally marks to the page. Over the past sixteen years, she had defeated nine hundred and ninety-nine clones and countless other bounty hunters Hekapoe had hired. All that remained was the original. With a gleam in her eyes, she kicked open the door to the forge and found Hekapoe creating a brand new pair of scissors.

"Well, well, well…" Hekapoe smirked, crossing his arms as he leaned against his forge. "It only took you sixteen years, but you finally found me, legs."

Marcia closed the door behind her and leaned against it to block the exit. "You didn't exactly make it easy, H-Poe." She smiled.

Hekapoe frowned. "Please, don't call me that."

With the door secured, Marcia confidently strutted around the forge. Her gaze never left the flickering flame resting above his head as she paced around the area. "Y'know, I was actually starting to get bored after the first year." Marcia admitted. "But hiring those bounty hunters to help your clones made things interesting. I mean, a Tetramand from Khoros? An actual ghost from the Ghost Zone? Even an Emerald from Homeworld? You seem to have a lot of contacts."

Hekapoe shrugged with a smug smile. "What can I say? Being a member of the MHC has its perks. I guess this means you're ready to finish the challenge and go back home?"

Marcia was now right in front of Hekapoe, still smiling. "Oh, I'll finish the challenge, alright." She declared. "But I'm not going home. These past sixteen years have been the biggest rush of my life. I'm gonna travel all over the universe, test my limits, and finally live the rest of my life as myself. As weird as it sounds, I'm kind of glad you brought me here to show me all the possibilities."

"Always happy to help."

With that, Marcia leaned down and finally blew out the flame atop Hekapoe's crown. The mystic blacksmith chuckled at her accomplishment and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a brand new pair of inter-dimensional scissors and, with his right index finger, carved her name into one of the blades. "Congratulations. You earned 'em."

"Thanks." Marcia smiled as she accepted the gift. "I'm gonna need 'em."

Suddenly, another portal opened up inside the Forge. Marcia instinctively pocketed the scissors and drew her sword, but instead of some sort of monster or raiders, out stepped the Prince of Mewni and a familiar Woolet.

"Hekapoe!" Comet growled. "Where is Marcia?!"

"Comet!" Marcia happily pocketed her sword and ran to hug her friend, absentmindedly squeezing his face in between her bosom. "It's been so long! I thought I'd never see you again!"

Startled, Comet hastily broke free from her embrace and aimed his scepter at her in defense, trying to hide his blush. "Stay back, beautiful stranger!" He snapped. "Who are you?! And how do you know my name?!"

She blinked a few times before she realized the prince didn't recognize her. "Comet, it's me! Marcia! See…?" To prove her identity, she untied the sleeves of her old hoodie from her waist and showed it off to the boy.

"Marcia…?" Comet gasped as his eyes widened and his heart-shaped marks shone bright red. "M-Marciaaaa…."

"Oh, man, you have no idea what I've been through since I last saw you!" Marcia rambled. "First, I was messing around with your scissors to help me with Jackson, but then Hekapoe kidnapped me and forced me to face a trial, and while I was here I-"

But Comet wasn't really listening; he was too enamored by his best friend's adult body. "Buh… Buh-huh… B-buh… Boooooobies…" He muttered.

"- and now you're here!" Marcia finished. "Hey, wait… how are you so young after all this time? Are Mewmans and Woolets immortal?"

"Immortal?" Kyle arched an eyebrow. "We're not immortal. And what do you mean by 'all this time?'"

"Marcia, you've only been gone for eight minutes." Comet explained after coming out of his trance.

Marcia's jaw fell to the ground. "It's only been eight minutes?!" She spluttered in disbelief. "Look at me! It's been years!"

"Ooooh, yeah." Hekapoe smirked, mischievously. "Time works a little differently in this dimension. Did I not mention that?"

Comet shook his head and grabbed his friend by the wrist. "C'mon, Marcia, let's just go home."

"No." Marcia gently broke away from his grip. "Look, Comet, I appreciate that you came here to save me, but I don't want to go home."

"What?" Comet spluttered. "What do you mean?"

"Back on Earth, I'm just some angsty safe-kid who pretends to be a bad-girl." Marcia explained. "But with these scissors, I can travel all over the universe! I can finally be myself! And have fun!"

"But, what about your life back on Earth?" Comet reasoned. "If you stay here, you'll lose everyone who loves you! What about your parents? Or Jackson? Or Jonah…? Or me? Jonah's been your best friend for so long, you can't just abandon him!And if you just open up to your parents, they'll be there for you! And if Jackson agreed to go out with you once, I'm sure he'll love to get to know the real you! And me…? You're the best friend I've ever had… you can always be honest with me."

Marcia pulled her new inter-dimensional scissors out of her pocket and looked down at her reflection. She opened them up and saw Comet's reflection looking up at her with a soft, hopeful smile. She smiled back at him and opened a new portal back to Comet's room on Earth. She went back to shake Hekapoe's hand.

"Thanks for the scissors. Take care of Nachos for me?"

"Your dragoncycle?" Hekapoe smirked. "No problem, legs."

"Great." Marcia escorted Comet and Kyle through the portal before giving another teasing grin to her demon friend. "See ya later, H-Poe!"

"I told you not to call me that!" He snapped.

Earth-Realm.

Comet yelped as he tumbled out of the portal, with Kyle falling on top of him soon afterwards. At last, Marcia stepped through, and her body shrank back to its original size and shape. Even her hair had grown back and the green dye instantly faded away.

"Oh." Comet remarked as he stood up.

Marcia looked down at her tattered clothing that was now loosely hanging on her body. "What the fuck?! What happened to my hot bod?!" She screamed.

"Pat-pat." Comet teasingly giggled as he patted Marcia's flat chest, prompting her to recoil in embarrassment. "Oh, it looks like your body's back on Earth's timeline."

"Ugh…" Marcia looked back down at her pocket, feeling the scissors inside. She felt better knowing that she still had a way to travel the universe whenever she wanted.

Kyle adjusted the position of the sword strapped to his back as he got off of the floor. "So, uh, I guess you don't need me anymore. Well, it was nice meeting you two."

"Know this, Kyle Storkson; you helped me find the best friend I ever had in time to prevent her from making a big mistake." Comet smiled as he rested a hand on the Solarian trainee's shoulder. "And for that, I am forever in your debt. If there is anything I can do for you, do not hesitate to ask. I mean it."

Kyle smiled and thanked the prince for the offer.

The Next Morning.

Marcia sat in the school's courtroom, eating her lunch alone while listening to Love Sentence. Earlier that morning, when she woke up, she realized she had completely forgotten to go to Jackson's competition, and she was too afraid to speak to him today. But just as she was about to finish her sandwich, Jackson sat down next to him.

"Hey, Marcia." He greeted. "I didn't see you last night."

Marcia sighed and took her headphones off. "Yeah, I'm sorry. My parents wouldn't let me out after dark, and I… I'm sorry."

Jackson stifled a laugh. "That's okay. I understand."

Marcia blinked in surprise. "You do?"

"Yeah. Did you think because you missed one competition I wouldn't want to hang out with you anymore…?" Jackson trailed off when he noticed the screen on Marcia's phone. "You listen to Love Sentence, Marcia?"

Marcia paled in fear. "Um… y-yes…?"

"Dude… I love Love Sentence!" Jackson smiled, excitedly, and took her hands into his own. "Aw, man, I listen to them all the time when I'm freestyling!"

Marcia felt butterflies in her stomach and a flutter in her heart. "Really? Y-yeah, they're my absolute favorite!"

"Hey, there's a concert coming to town in a few months! We should try to get tickets!" Jackson suggested.

"That sounds amazing." Marcia told herself to thank Comet for convincing her to come home later.

To Be Continued!

Author's notes: For those curious about Comet's story about Eclipsine (which he is now beginning to doubt thanks to what Mother Time said to him in the previous chapter), I can explain. Obviously, over the three centuries that Eclipsine was imprisoned, his story was blown way out of proportion with slander and lies. As a result, he has been vilified in the eyes of the Dragonfly family. But Comet is going to look for the truth. And if anyone's curious about Marcia's adult appearance, I based her off of Punching Judy from "OK, KO! Let's Be Heroes!"

NEW CHARACTER UNLOCKED! Kyle Storkson is my genderbent version of Kelly. Like her, he is a Woolet and a warrior. He faces discrimination and ridicule because of his race, but that doesn't stop him from wanting to become a Solarian warrior and protector of the people. (Also, Comet's not racist, he's just awkward.)

As always, please read and review!