ACT XIII: Comet II, the Underestimated Part 7: Marcia vs Tiffany
The Johansen Kingdom. Mewni. Years Ago…
A thirteen-year-old Tiffany Lucitor impatiently waited outside of Castle Johansen for her boyfriend to come back to the Underworld with her. To satiate her boredom, she resorted to using her demonic powers to set tiny insects ablaze. But still, all she wanted was for Comet to come outside so she could take him back to her future kingdom. She had already begun to persuade him that he was too good for his family's kingdom, and once he saw how cool the Lucitor Castle was, he would finally be all hers. At last, the giant wooden doors to the castle creaked open, and Comet stepped outside with his escorts; Lady Dama and the Solarians Three. Queen Lake must have still been wrapping up business, as she was not close behind the prince yet. But that suited Tiffany just fine. No parents around would make the trip to the Underworld that much easier.
However, she saw that Comet had taken a moment to speak with the four Solarian trainees in private. The princess was delighted at the thought that he was ordering them to stay back while she teleported them to her kingdom. The four knights seemingly had no problem with the order, as they quickly went about entertaining some oncoming admirers as Comet slowly made his way over to her. "Tiffany…" He spoke softly. "I need a word."
The demoness smiled, sweetly. "Anything for my snookums."
Comet gulped and held his hands behind his back; he would have felt much more confident in doing this if he had his family's scepter. "I'm breaking up with you." He said at last.
Needless to say, Tiffany was not pleased. "You can't break up with the princess of the Underworld." She growled before letting out an amused chuckle. "Don't you know what happened to Ryan, the Riddled when he tried to break it off with-?"
"That was because he killed her." Comet interrupted; he wasn't going to let Tiffany manipulate him anymore. "You're no good for me, Tiffany. You're always telling me what to do, scarring off anyone who seems to like me - I mean, you tried to make me think my own parents didn't love me."
Tiffany's confidence was quickly deteriorating and panic soon took over. "Oh, snookums! Th-that was a joke!" She stammered, desperately. "I-I just thought that you'd rather not be seen as your father's replacement when you grew up!"
"It was still wrong." Comet stood his ground. "You're no good for me, Tiffany. We're done."
Tiffany's pupils vanished as her anger levels rose. "NO ONE BREAKS UP WITH THE PRINCESS OF THE UNDERWORLD!" She shrieked.
Comet turned his back on her and crossed his arms. "Well, I just did." He said, walking away.
Tiffany growled in fury before conjuring a portal back to the Underworld. "FINE! But know that none of those stupid mewmans will ever love you like I do!" With that, she returned to her home dimension to drown her sorrows in ice cream.
Once Tiffany was gone, Comet allowed a sigh of relief to slip through his lips. Even if Tiffany was manipulative, she was one of the few people he had thought was his friend. Having to let her go was just as heartbreaking as it was relieving. As he continued walking along the path, he could hear the boisterous laughs of the Solarians Three as they told the crowd another fabricated story of saving his life. Of course they had to fabricate stories; he was never allowed to get into any trouble that would actually require their protection. Among the trio were Vincent, the oldest and heaviest of the three; Franklin, the youngest and most flirtatious member of the group; and Harold, the silent and serious warrior who acted as the voice of reason among his comrades.
"... there we were, surrounded by the legion of rogue monsters - all thirsty for royal blood!" Vincent boasted as he chewed on an enormous turkey leg. "And with Lady Dama having been called away by her Solarian instructor, only we three stood between Prince Comet and certain death!"
"Were you scared?" One woman gasped.
"Ha! Of course not, love." Franklin chortled as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Why, with our training, we could take on three times as many monsters as we saw that day."
"How many monsters did you see that day?" A curious child asked, eyes twinkling with wonder.
"Oh, there must have been at least twenty!" Franklin bragged.
"Twenty-five!" Vincent corrected, eagerly.
"Thirty, at most." Harold grunted, having his back turned to the crowd as he drank his mead. "We fought from dusk til dawn while the young prince slept."
Just then, Comet and his mother walked past the crowd, prompting the peasants to bow in respect. The Solarian Trio bowed as well, but Comet ignored them and was content to walk all the way back home by himself. But he stopped once Vincent called out to him.
"Your highness!" The rotund warrior laughed. "We were just telling these fine folks about our camping excursion last week!"
Harold grunted once more, finally turning around to face his companions. "I'd hardly call it an excursion, Vincent. We barely left the magical barrier."
"Have you forgotten, Harold the Grim?" Franklin chuckled. "The precious prince isn't allowed to venture too far out into the real world before getting the scepter."
Comet clenched his fists as he heard the peasants snickering behind his back. The heart-shaped marks on his cheeks split apart as his blood boiled. A few sparks of green magic flashed over his eyes as the laughing continued. Lake tried to rub his back to comfort him, but pulled away once she felt a static shock before even touching him.
"Perhaps once he does earn the scepter, he can actually explore the kingdom he's supposed to inherit!" Vincent's laugh grew louder. "That is unless he'd still rather play chess with the queen and his girlfriend!"
The prince had finally heard enough. With lightning reflexes, he grabbed Vincent by the collar of his coat and hoisted him high above his head. Vincent stopped laughing, as did the peasants and other Solarians. Harold hurried over to grab Comet's arm, but the prince effortlessly swatted him away with a backhand smack, breaking Harold's nose in the process. Franklin grabbed his latest lady friend and moved her away from the confrontation. Even Lake was speechless at her son's brash behavior.
"You dare to mock the future king of Mewni?!" Comet snarled.
"P-Prince Comet! Calm yourself!" Vincent stammered in shock at his liege's sudden outburst. "We speak merely in jest! We're your friends!"
"Comet Dragonfly the Second, you let him go, this instant!" Lake scolded, having finally found her voice again.
Reluctantly, Comet released his grip and let Vincent fall to the ground. The prince angrily marched back towards his mother, who grabbed him by the ear and pulled him back to Dragonfly Castle. Harold and Franklin helped their friend back to his feet just as Lady Dama returned from her personal training to switch places with one of her companions. Needless to say, she was confused to see Vincent's clothes all dirtied up, Harold with a broken nose, and the prince nowhere to be found.
"... did I miss something?" She asked, curiously.
The Underworld. Present Day.
Deep within the center of the first circle of the Underworld, Castle Demonicus loomed over all the damned souls suffering for their sinful lives. This castle acted as neutral territory for the rulers of the multiverse's underworlds and netherrealms. Key among these rulers were His Infernal Majesty of the Cruel-Realm, the dream demon Bill Cipher of the Mindscape, Hailey Abadeer of the Nightosphere, Carrion Beetle of the Colempian Pantheon, Zagan Spider of the Undying, and King Wrathmeir Lucitor of Mewni's Underworld. Most of these kings kept to their own realms, but every so often, they would converge to ensure that the being known as "The Spawn of the Black Mass" remained trapped beneath Castle Demonicus. As much as these demonic monarchs cherished chaos and discourse, the Spawn of the Black Mass sought the destruction of all forms of life in every realm of the multiverse. Without any mortals, there would be no despair for the demons to feed off; thus, they tasked themselves with guarding the Spawn of the Black Mass.
But this castle currently only had two occupants at the moment, and the Spawn of the Black Mass was the least of their concerns. Tiffany Lucitor - princess of the House Lucitor - sat across from the rogue monster Queen Luna. After the human girl had foiled her plans to make Comet her eternal soulmate at the Blood Moon Ball, Tiffany had spent the next week angrily shoveling buckets of ice cream into her mouth as she tearfully plotted her revenge. The demon princess had cleaned herself up the best she could before her meeting with Luna to discuss her proposal.
"My plan is simple, Queen Luna…" Tiffany began. "That human bitch has my poor little snookums wrapped around her finger. If I'm going to get him back, I'll have to get rid of her first. My spies tell me that Comet will be distracted by the petty laws of the Earth-Realm dimension. Apparently, the humans rightfully deduced that he's a threat to their world with the scepter, based on your previous failures to steal it from him."
"Those were not failures!" Luna sneered, bitterly. "They were… practice runs! Yes! I was merely trying to test my men's competence!"
Tiffany rolled all three of her eyes before moving on. "Anyway, my plan is that while Comet is distracted by the humans, I can lure the human away. And while I'm killing her, Comet will be unprotected enough for you to steal his scepter - but you must leave him alive! Once word of his failure to protect that dusty old trinket spreads to Mewni, he'll be disowned by his parents and have no choice but to join my side and rule the Underworld as my beloved husband!"
"Whatever! As long as I get that scepter!" Luna nodded in agreement, only to rub her chin in confusion. "But, uh, how are you going to get the punching girl alone?"
The demoness flashed her razor-sharp teeth as her lips spread apart in a devious grin. "Oh, I have a plan for that."
Echo Creek. Earth-Realm.
At that very moment, a man dressed in a neat suit with an orange tie and sunglasses made his way down the streets of Echo Creek towards the Diaz residence. Stopping only to try one of Britta's famous tacos and play soccer with a group of kids for a few minutes, he finally arrived at his destination. Straightening his tie and clearing his throat, he reached into his coat pocket with his left hand and rang the doorbell with his right. Twenty seconds later, he was greeted by who he assumed was the man of the house.
"Mr. Angelo Diaz?" He asked.
"Yes?" Angelo arched an eyebrow in confusion.
The man held up a badge as he introduced himself. "I'm Special Agent Alexander Casoy of the Earth-Mewni Embassy. But you can call me 'Alex.' Your family is currently acting as the host of an inter-dimensional exchange student from Mewni, are you not?"
"Uh, yes." Angelo nodded and opened the door wider, allowing the agent access to his home. "Come in, come in. May I ask what this is about?"
Just then, Comet and Marcia walked down the stairs, on their way to hang out at the mall with their friends. Alex smirked and gave a bow. "Ah, the very topic of conversation. Prince Comet, I presume?"
Instinctively, Comet bowed back in respect, even though he was just as confused by the stranger's sudden appearance as his host family. "Prince Comet Galaxius Astro Celestio Cosmo Dragonfly the Second, yes. And who are you, good sir?"
Alex shook the prince's hand. "Nice to meet you, your highness. I'm Special Agent Casoy of the Mewman-Human Embassy. I'm here to conduct an investigation, your highness."
"'Investigation?'" Marcia repeated, curiously. "For what?"
Alex took off his sunglasses, revealing his auburn eyes. "Well, I hate to be the one to tell you all this, but over the past two months since Prince Comet has been here, we've received multiple reports of disturbances in this area. Most of America doesn't know much about Mewni or its citizens, but our government understands that the ruling monarchy possesses power of a… ahem, mystical persuasion. That much power in the hands of an adolescent can be dangerous. I'm here to determine whether or not Prince Comet is a risk to national security."
Angelo and Rosa gasped in shock. "Comet?! No! He's no risk!" Rosa insisted. "He's such a sweet kid!"
"Wait, is this about the whole broken time thing?" Marcia asked in a concerned tone.
"Marcia!" Comet yelped.
Alex blinked at the question. "Uh, no. But let's put a pin in that. This is about whether or not it's safe to have an untrained user of supernatural arts living in an American city with minimal supervision. I'm here to interview Prince Comet about his time here and how he is related to these alleged disturbances. And then, once I finish writing up my report and send it to my superiors, they'll determine if Comet's safe to stay abroad, or if he needs to be deported back to Mewni."
"Deported?!" Comet and Marcia spluttered.
"Is there somewhere Comet and I can talk in private?"
"Um, y-yes, his guest room should do just fine." Rosa suggested.
"Perfect! After you, Prince Comet." Alex smiled as he motioned to the stairs. Marcia tried to follow her friend, but the agent blocked her path.
"Let me through!" Marcia grunted, irritably. "I'm the one responsible for showing Comet around! Whatever you want to ask him, you can ask me!"
"I'm sorry, Marcia, but this conversation has to be strictly one-on-one with Comet and myself." Alex explained, gently. "Trust me, kid; I'm the good guy."
"So is Comet!" Marcia insisted. "He's not a threat to national security! Mom, dad! Say something!"
"Marcia, cálmate." Rosa replied, uneasily. "This is the government. There's nothing we can do. Just let him talk to Comet, and everything should be okay."
Despite how nerve-wracking this situation was for the young prince, he managed to flash his friend a gentle smile and give her a thumbs-up. "It's okay, Marcia. Go ahead and meet up with Jackson and Jonah. I'll catch up later."
Marcia clenched her fists; she felt so helpless. "Fine." She muttered and walked out the door.
One hour later, Marcia had met up with Jackson and Jonah at the mall's food court where she explained the situation. Jackson did his best to comfort her, certain that Comet could handle being interviewed by a government agent. Jonah, on the other hand, was a bit more skeptical. Marcia rolled her eyes as her friend proceeded to rant and rave about how Agent Casoy must have been trying to learn about Comet's magic so that the government could harness it and weaponize it.
"Hey, come on, Jonah." Jackson chuckled, softly. "The Earth-Mewni Embassy's been around since the thirties. Why would the government wait this long to try and get their magic?"
"Better question; why does everything have to be a conspiracy to you?" Marcia grumbled.
"... I had this pen pal when I was in middle school." Jonah explained as he dumped the contents of his backpack onto the table and rummaged through the mess until he found an envelope. Inside was a picture of a young girl with blue hair petting a white fox-like creature. But what really caught his friend's eye were the other pictures of her dealing with ghosts, giants, and monsters. "She lived in some Scandinavian city called Trolberg. And she was, like, always getting into these crazy adventures involving elves, and trolls, and sea monsters, and a whole lot of other crazy shit. Like the kind of shit you and Comet get up to."
Marcia's annoyance had disappeared as she curiously glanced at all of Jonah's photographs. "So… what happened to her?"
Jonah pulled out one final letter from his backpack. "In the last letter she sent, she said the Trolberg Safety Patrol were deliberately trying to start a war with the trolls living outside the city. And then, one week later, I saw on the news that Trolberg had been destroyed by some kind of massive earthquake. But something in my gut kept telling me that there was more to it than that."
"What do you mean?" Jackson asked, now fully invested in this story.
Jonah pointed to the picture of Trolberg after the catastrophe; specifically the outline of the enormous crater that was surrounded by a demolished stone wall. "Look at the shape of this crater. It doesn't look like anything caved in, it looked like something broke out. And check out the markings on the surrounding mountains. Those are claw marks. I think that the Trolberg Safety Patrol meddled with something they shouldn't have, and it… I don't know - woke something up. The whole reason that city was called 'Trolberg' was because it was built on a troll settlement! The survivors have spent the last five years trying to rebuild, but there's still a lot of questions left unanswered. I've been trying to figure out what happened and contact her again, but any mail I ever send out gets returned."
Jackson gave a worrisome glance. "Maybe she was killed in the accident."
"After everything she had already survived?" Jonah snorted, skeptically. "I doubt it. Hilda was way too tough to let something like an earthquake put her down."
Before anything else could be said, the entire ground began to rumble. A fiery pentagram burst into existence in the middle of the food court, frightening the other patrons away. Marcia got up to usher her friends to safety, but a wall of flames separated her from them. At last, a familiar figure rose from the center of the pentagram, and Marcia found herself face-to-face with Tiffany Lucitor of the Underworld.
Marcia snarled and lifted both fists to fight. "Didn't get enough last time, puta?!"
Tiffany summoned a brimstone slab behind her would-be attacker, and multiple chains burst forth to restrain her. "Don't be so cocky. You only beat me because you took me by-" Tiffany flinched back in fear as Marcia nearly lunged forward to hit her. "-surprise. But I don't think you realize what you've cost me. You beat me down in front of an entire ballroom of demons! Including two head rulers! I've become a joke! But I'm gonna make it right. If I can beat you in single combat, no one's gonna laugh at me!"
"I'm sorry, what?" Marcia blinked in confusion.
Tiffany snapped her fingers, and the pentagram rose from the floor, teleporting both girls to Mewni. Next, waving her hands around as if she were conducting an orchestra, Tiffany created a macabre stadium with a caged boxing ring in the center. Snapping her fingers again, Tiffany made the brimstone and chains rot away, freeing Marcia.
"Human Diaz, I challenge you to single combat!" Tiffany declared. "If you win, I'll never bother you or Comet again. But if I win, YOUR SOUL IS MINE!"
Marcia felt a cold sweat running down her forehead. "And if I refuse?" She asked.
"You don't have a choice!" Tiffany sneered as she used lightning speed to steal the inter-dimensional scissors from Marcia's pocket. "You're not going home until you face me!"
Marcia was now legitimately worried. During the Blood Moon Ball, her unexpected rage towards Tiffany was what allowed her to beat the demoness into submission, mostly due to catching her off-guard. But with Tiffany fully focused now, she wasn't so sure it would be easy to beat her. But at the same time, the demon princess clearly wasn't going to take "no" for an answer, and without the scissors she wouldn't be able to get back home. And something inside of her just couldn't let Comet get stuck with his ex-girlfriend again. At last, she made up her mind.
"Alright…" She began. "If I agree to this, then we need to set up some basic ground rules."
Tiffany frowned. "... go on."
"First of all, you have to fight me as an equal. No fucking demon powers."
"... fine."
"Second of all, you have to swear that if I can beat you, you won't bother me or Comet anymore."
"... fine."
"And third, I'm gonna need some time to prepare for all this."
Tiffany thought for a moment. "Okay… go into Dragontown and ask to speak with Lady Dama. She'll teach you everything you need to know. And she can even act as the referee. You have until sundown to be back here and face me or the deal's off."
Marcia recognized the name "Lady Dama" from stories Comet had told her of his childhood and nodded in agreement. "Alright, then." She huffed and headed towards Mewni's rural villages. "What a day." She muttered to herself.
Back in Echo Creek, Earth-Realm.
Agent Casoy could see that Comet Dragonfly certainly seemed like a good kid; polite, well-behaved, quiet, and cooperative. But he knew he had been sent to judge the boy's stability, not his character. As he finished eating his share of the take-out Rosa had ordered for them, the lady of the household returned to take their dirty dishes.
"I hope you were okay with Chinese food, Agent Casoy." She remarked.
"Oh, I love Chinese food! Thank you, Mrs. Diaz." Alex smiled and handed his plate to her. After she left, the agent continued questioning the prince. "So, Prince Comet, would you say the magic you use is dangerous?" He asked.
Comet tugged at the collar of his shirt. "Um… define 'dangerous,' please."
Alex rolled his eyes. "Have you ever used it to harm anyone?" He clarified.
Comet hesitated. "W-well, my ancestors have used this magic as a weapon in many of the wars fought on Mewni, but I've only used such magic in self-defense. Heh-heh. Swear to Skywind."
"Mmmm-hmmmmmm." Alex muttered, doubtfully. "So, what else do you use that scepter for?"
"Oh, um… I use it to help me get to school on time, levitate my books so I can study and exercise at the same time, and, uh-"
Alex cut him off again. "Alright, let's talk about the disturbances I mentioned earlier." He took out his phone and displayed pictures of Luna and a few of her minions. "We caught sight of these creatures on CCTV footage. At first, we didn't think much of them since they hadn't posed much of a threat to anyone, but recently…" Another picture showed Luna and Buff Frog fighting Comet and Marcia; Comet's face paled in fear. "We captured this picture of you and Ms. Diaz interacting with these creatures. Care to explain?"
"Uuum…" Comet nervously bit his lip as his face became drenched in cold sweat. "I-I've never seen these things in my life. It must be that photoshop thing Marcia tells me about."
Alex crossed his arms. "Are you sure about that?"
Suddenly, the entire house shook and Comet and Alex heard Angelo and Rosa scream from downstairs. Alex drew his gun and rushed downstairs to deal with the disturbance with Comet following close behind. Much to Comet's horror, Luna and her minions were tearing the house apart while the Diaz's lay unconscious on the floor. Comet drew his scepter from his belt, but was pushed aside by the special agent.
"Freeze!" Alex shouted, aiming at the monster horde. Battling-Ram snorted in contempt and charged at the human, only to be blasted away by a powerful gust of wind that shot forth from the agent's weapon. The other monsters - and Comet - glanced in bewilderment at the smirking agent. "I warned you."
Dragontown. Mewni-Realm.
Lady Dama came from a long line of Solarian warriors that led all the way back to when the warrior's guild had first been established by King Solarius, himself. As such, she had been raised from birth to fight until her skills earned her recognition from the most seasoned generals in the Solarian army. After a brief stint as Prince Comet's bodyguard alongside Franklin, Harold, and Vincent, she had been allowed to help train new recruits; one of the youngest warriors to receive such an honor.
Currently, she and her three companions were in the middle of a private training session with a certain Woolet Solarian private. Kyle Storkson, last of the Aquamarino bloodline, wielded his family sword with pride as he sparred with Harold while the others watched with interest. Storkson's curly blue hair had been braided into dreadlocks and tied up into a ponytail so that he could fit a helmet over his head, but that also gave the grim Solarian a chance to grab onto him and throw him to the ground. Franklin and Vincent laughed at their friend's easy victory, but Harold was bored from the lack of a challenge.
After Harold jumped down from the ring, Lady Dama tagged in and took his place. She helped Kyle back to his feet and fixed his helmet. "You're telegraphing, Kyle." She instructed. "Your strength, speed, and skills with a sword are all impressive, but they're useless if your opponent can guess your next move before you can. You must center yourself."
Kyle nodded and returned to a fighting stance; his fingers tightening their grip around Flodvåg, his family sword. Dama took her stance opposite of him, ready for Franklin to ring the starters bell. Once the bell rang, Kyle advanced forward but stopped once he spotted a familiar face.
"Marci-YAAGH!" Kyle yelped as Dama's sword struck the side of his helmet and he fell to the ground once more. Dama sheathed her sword and helped Kyle back to his feet just as Marcia climbed into the ring.
"Holy shit! Kyle, are you okay?!"
"Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Kyle replied, happy to see his friend again. He removed his helmet to show that he had not been harmed. "See? Not a scratch."
Marcia was relieved. "Huh, you got a new hairstyle."
Kyle chuckled. "Yeah, long story. My ex-girlfriend tried to move back in, so-"
However, the trainee was interrupted when Franklin quickly made his way into the ring and slinked his arm around Marcia's shoulder. "My, my, my, Woolet." He grinned, slyly. "Why didn't you tell us that you were friends with such a lovely lady?"
Marcia glared. "I have a boyfriend." She sniffed.
"What a coincidence; I have a bedroom." Franklin flirted with a wink.
In response, Marcia elbowed the Solarian apprentice in the crotch with all of her strength. Harold chuckled in amusement as his friend fell to his knees in pain. "Hm, I like this girl." He said.
Even Dama smiled. "It was only a matter of time before someone did it." She remarked as she shook Marcia's hand. "I'm only sorry that it wasn't myself."
Marcia scowled as she remembered what Comet had told her about these Solarian apprentices, and proceeded to make her way towards Kyle. "Is there someplace we can talk in private?"
Franklin, having recovered, felt insulted. "To think such a fair maiden would choose a Woolet over me." He grumbled.
Kyle chose to ignore Franklin's remark and led the girl towards the training grounds' locker room. Once there, Marcia told him the situation with Tiffany and how she wouldn't be able to go back home unless she could defeat the demon princess. She had hoped to call upon the strength and skills she had acquired over the years spent in Hekapoe's dimension, but for some reason she couldn't remember anything about her time there. Kyle explained that once she had returned to her own timeline, those memories and skills were locked away within her mind unless she returned to Hekapoe's realm. But all hope was not lost - he assured her - as he came up with a plan of his own to give her an edge.
He led Marcia to the Solarian camp outside the town, where she saw a bronze statue of a woman wielding a sword. The base of the statue was made of white marble with stylized pictures carved into it, depicting the woman with a young man hiding his face with a mask. While Kyle started digging in the dirt to find whatever it was he claimed would help her, Marcia circled the statue's foundation to study the pictures and learn about the woman. She was shown hugging him, kissing him, protecting him, marrying him, bearing his child, and being laid to rest with him.
"Who was this lady?" Marcia asked.
"Huh? Oh, this is Queen Evangeline, the first and only Solarian warrior to become a queen of Mewni." Kyle replied as he continued looking. "She became queen after marrying King Simon, the Shy."
Marcia brushed a hand over the marble carving of the royal couple at their wedding. "It looks like she really loved him." She remarked.
"Ha! That, my friend, is what you'd call an understatement. The one thing Queen Evangeline was known for more than her savagery in battle was her immense love for her family. Ah-ha!" At last, the trainee found what he was looking for.
Marcia leaned over his shoulder to get a better look. Kyle reached down into the hole and pulled out a wooden box and carried it into a nearby tent. Inside was a pair of silver gauntlets. "Hm… shiny." Marcia remarked.
"Behold…" Kyle smiled as he set the boxing gloves in front of Marcia. "The Gauntlets of Mon-Taaj. Legend says that anyone who wears them will be able to gain the strength of weeks of grueling training in less than four minutes. And they're Bluetooth compatible so you can play music while you train."
Marcia's brow furrowed. "Seriously?"
"If what you say is true, and you only have until sundown to face the princess of the Underworld, this may be your only option." Kyle shrugged. "Meet me outside if you want a sparring partner."
Once Kyle left, Marcia sat down in a chair and stared down at the gauntlets in the box. Rubbing a hand over her face in exasperation, she asked herself how she got into this mess. Even if she was one of the toughest people in Echo Creek, she was now up against a literal demon; people who were infamous at cheating and going back on their word. There was no way she could defeat her.
"You can do it, little lady! You've just gotta set your mind to it!"
Marcia turned around towards the direction of the voice, but there was no one there. Her first instinct was that one of the Solarian Three was playing a joke on her, but as she exited the tent, they were nowhere to be found. Scratching her head as she walked, she eventually bumped into the bronze statue of Queen Evangeline. Marcia shook her head and rubbed her eyes; she could have sworn that the statue winked at her.
"Marcia?" Kyle called out, having noticed her odd behavior. "Uh… you okay?"
Reluctantly, she went back to the box and tried on one of the gloves and took out her phone to sync it with the Bluetooth. Once she was connected, she played "Gonna Fly Now" by Bill Conti and got into a sparring stance in front of her friend.
"You gonna spar, or what?" She asked.
Two hours later, the sun began to set on the Mewman horizon. Marcia confidently strutted towards the brimstone colosseum with a determined pep in her step. Kyle walked alongside her for emotional support, as did Lady Dama and the Solarian Three to see how well the temperamental human would do against the demon princess. While the colosseum filled with demonkind, Marcia waited in a locker room to get a drink of water and prepare for the fight. While Kyle taped up her hands, Marcia spoke to the other Solarians.
"What was your problem with Comet?" She asked.
Lady Dama and her trio of friends looked confused. "I beg your pardon?" Dama asked, respectfully.
"He told me about you guys." Marcia explained. "He said you pretended to be his friends when his dad had you be his bodyguards."
"We were his friends." Vincent insisted as he munched on a leg of mutton. "We stood by him through thick and thin!"
"Yeah, well, my friends don't call me a burden behind my back." Marcia replied, sharply. "Or are you calling your prince a liar?"
Dama and the trio shared a guilty look with each other. Harold's expression soured even more than usual as he turned away, Vincent silently continued eating his mutton, and only Franklin had the courage to speak up.
"We were fond of the prince. Truly, we were." He began, feebly. "But when you grow up in a society that values heroes of noble deeds, and you are restricted to protecting a single person while your peers get to go off on grand adventures and noble quests… well, it becomes easy to blame the one you're ordered to protect."
Marcia clenched her fists after Kyle finished taping them up and slipped two red boxing gloves over them. "That's a pretty fucked up excuse if you ask me." She remarked and stood up. "But I guess, as an aspiring psychiatrist, I can at least understand it. But let's hold off on that for a minute. I need to beat the shit out of a demon."
By the time Tiffany and Marcia stood in the center of the ring, the stadium was filled to the brim with hundreds of demonic citizens eager to see the rematch of the century. Kyle, Dama, and the trio took their places at Marcia's corner of the ring. The combatants met in the middle of the ring where the referee laid down the rules, announcing them into the microphone.
"Alright, as agreed; Princess Tiffany is not allowed to use any supernatural powers. This fight is strictly physical. Fifteen rounds, three minutes each. If Marcia Diaz wins, she is free to go back to the Earth-Realm and the princess will never bother her again. But if Princess Tiffany Lucitor wins, the human's soul belongs to her! Now, shake hands to make the deal official!"
Marcia and Tiffany shook hands and returned to their respective corners. The referee bent over the rope and rang the bell to signal the first round. Marcia dodged the first of Tiffany's punches, but took the second punch to the ribs. She swung, but Tiffany effortlessly dodged her blows. Tiffany punched her in the stomach, and the air immediately left Marcia's lungs.
"Lure her into the corner, then duck and take her by surprise!"
There was the voice again, speaking in the back of Marcia's mind. Remembering her experiences with what prompted her to crash the Blood Moon Ball, she took the voice's advice. Ignoring Kyle and Dama yelling at her to stay away from the corner, Marcia backed away until her back was against the post. Tiffany saw this as an easy target and swung to hit her, only to have her fist collide with the post as Marcia ducked under her arm to get behind her. Before Tiffany knew what was happening, Marcia punched her in the face. The crowd gasped in shock and awe at the sight of a mere mortal holding her own in a fair fight with one of their own.
The bell rang out again, announcing the end of the first round. Tiffany was so angry that she and Marcia had to be split apart by the referee and sent to their own corners. By the time the second bell rang, Tiffany's guard was up and she cautiously approached her opponent. Marcia kept her distance, letting the voice guide her. Much to her pleasant surprise, thanks to the voice's advice, she managed to avoid getting hit throughout the entire second round.
Kyle beamed with pride as the third round started. Dama crossed her arms as an impressed smirk spread over her lips. Even the rambunctious Solarian Three were cheering for Marcia and singing her praises. And it proved that they were right to root for her, as Tiffany became the first to fall and hit the ring's floor. Marcia was ordered back to her corner while the referee started to count. Tiffany managed to push herself back up before getting called out, and rushed towards Marcia. But the bell rang once more.
In the fifth round, Tiffany was practically foaming at the mouth as she tried to knock Marcia out.
"Oh, no. Her anger's making her serious." Marcia whispered to herself.
"No, her anger's making her sloppy!"
The voice's prediction proved true. Tiffany was so angry that she was trying to hit where Marcia was instead of where she was going to be. The next ten rounds went by, quickly. Marcia was far ahead with points, and her victory was all but certain. Now, on the last round, Tiffany's anger reached the boiling point. She refused to lose to the same human, twice. But as the clock ticked down, Marcia managed to land every blow and evade any further injuries.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Tiffany screamed in blind rage.
Having had enough, Tiffany ignited her fist with hellfire and struck Marcia directly on the jaw. Marcia fell backwards as her opponent advanced. Marcia tried to get back up, but dropped herself back to the floor to dodge another blast of fire. She was backed into the corner, and closed her eyes as she awaited the inevitable. But her death never came.
She opened her eyes again and saw that Tiffany was completely frozen in place. The demoness held both hands over her head with a massive fireball, but was unable to bring it down. The ground trembled as a pentagram that eclipsed the entire stadium formed. The hundreds of lesser demons in the audience fled in terror before their master arrived. At last, a massive demon in a black suit erupted from the ground, accompanied by a Mewman woman in a gothic dress. This was King Wrathmeir Lucitor, one of the major rulers of the Underworld, and his lady wife.
"THEOPHANIA LUCITOR!" He scolded.
"He's off the throne…" Tiffany gulped. "He's off the throne. That's not good."
"Long have I ignored your misbehavior, Theophania, but I cannot ignore this." Wrathmeir proclaimed. "You broke a deal you made with a mortal, and cost the Underworld a soul simply because you were too weak to defeat her in equal combat. Such disgrace cannot be tolerated."
"But, daddy-!"
"SILENCE!" Wrathmeir's voice shook the very stone foundation of the stadium. "You are grounded, young lady!"
Before Tiffany could protest any further, her father summoned another pentagram beneath her feet and she sank into the ground. Once the pentagram disappeared, Marcia managed to get back on her feet just as Countess Dana Lucitor made her way over to her with a bottle of water.
"I'm so sorry, Ms. Diaz." She apologized as she rubbed Marcia's shoulder. "My daughter gets very jealous. I hope she didn't hurt you."
"Uh, no, I'm fine. Gracias." Marcia panted between sips of water. "What… what'd he do to-?"
"Oh, don't worry. She's just been grounded." Dana explained with a smile and handed Marcia her scissors. "A few centuries on the Isle of Silence to think about what she's done will do her good. In the meantime, why don't you go ahead and head back to Earth-Realm?"
"Oh, yeah…" Marcia nodded, gratefully, as she opened a portal back to Echo Creek. "Uh, thank you, your majesty… your grace… your… royalty?"
"Oh, you can just call me Dana, dearie." The countess laughed before leaving to join her husband.
Marcia was about to step through the portal when she was stopped by Kyle and the others. Kyle helped take off her gloves and tape, and handed her her hoodie and jacket back; he had been keeping them safe for her while she fought.
"Thanks, man." She smiled and put them on. "How'd you know training with the gauntlets would give me a voice that'd tell me how to fight?"
"It did?" Kyle scratched his head in confusion. "Huh. That's new."
Lady Dama approached Marcia with a soft smile. "When you return to the prince, tell him I'm sorry." She asked. "I truly was fond of him. But his relationship with Lucitor made expressing that… complicated."
Marcia gasped as she suddenly remembered. "Comet!" She cried. "He's still with that agent guy! I gotta go check on him!" With that, she hurried through the portal.
Meanwhile, after regaining her consciousness, Tiffany stood up and tried to scream in the ancient tongues to summon another pentagram, but no words escaped her throat. Looking around at her surroundings, she noticed that the trees, water, and animals had no color. A snake slithered up to her foot and opened its mouth to hiss, but there was still no noise. This was the Isle of Silence; a prison of the Underworld where nothing made a sound. One way in, no way out. The demon princess silently screamed in fury.
Echo Creek. Earth-Realm.
When Marcia stepped through the portal back to Echo Creek, she had correctly expected Comet to be holding his own against Luna's forces until she got there to help him. What she was not expecting was for Special Agent Casoy to be fighting alongside the prince, utilizing karate and taekwondo to defend himself from the monsters. Shaking off her initial shock, Marcia rushed forward to join the fray. And it was a good thing she arrived when she did, as she took out Bearnicorn just as she was sneaking up behind Comet.
"Thanks, Marcia!" Comet beamed as he fired another narwhal blast at Buff Frog. "How was the mall?"
"It got cut short, buddy!" Marcia replied as she tussled with Battling Ram. "I'll explain later! Can you give me a lift?"
"No problem!"
Agent Casoy watched with interest as the two teens worked together. Comet used the magic of his scepter to levitate Marcia over the horde so she could elbow drop onto three of them. Then, four wings sprouted from his back and he spiraled through the air like a bullet, knocking over multiple enemies at once. Once she saw that Marcia was back, Luna realized that Lucitor's plan had failed and ordered an immediate retreat. Comet hugged Marcia in triumph, giddily spinning with her in the air until they both remembered the third party. Agent Casoy impatiently tapped his foot on the ground with his arms crossed as he waited for the duo to land.
"Prince Comet." Alex said as he approached the levitating mewman. "I get the feeling you haven't been completely honest with me."
Comet retracted his wings and adjusted his outfit as he approached the agent. "Now, just listen, Agent Casoy." He said, sternly but politely. "You and I, we both want the same thing; to protect the people of this realm. It is true that I struggle with my magic from time to time, but I am learning to control it. Largely due to the fact that I have Marcia to look out for me. I've come to love this realm as a second home, and would be very disappointed if you saw fit to send me away simply because my presence frightens your government. But if you work with me, you may consider me an ally of this world."
Alex maintained an unreadable expression for a few minutes, even as Marcia walked up to stand by her friend. At last, he let out an amused chuckle and took his orange sunglasses out of his coat pocket. "Well, this ought to be interesting." He mused out loud. "Alright, Comet, I'll tell my superiors that you're safe. For now. But in the meantime, I'm going to be keeping an eye on you. Goodnight, your highness. Ms. Diaz."
With that, Alex put his sunglasses on and left to return to his agency. Comet sighed in relief before turning to properly address his best friend. He looked on in horror to see her tattered clothes, messy hair, and bruised skin. "What happened to you, Marcia?" He asked, concerned. "Those monsters couldn't have hurt you that badly."
Marcia laughed, wondering how she would explain to him how she fought Tiffany again and got her banished from both realms. "Well, bud, I've got good news and good news."
Dragontown. Mewni-Realm.
Kyle was just about to place the gauntlets back in the box to bury them when something caught his eye. "Lady Dama… look at this." He beckoned.
The raven-haired warrior made her way over to the Aquamarino with a curious gleam in her eyes. "What is it, Storkson?"
Kyle held up the gauntlets Marcia had used in her battle against Tiffany and pressed the battery button. "The gauntlets hadn't even been charged before Marcia put them on. She received absolutely no enhancements from the gauntlets before her battle with Lucitor."
Dama looked shocked. "You mean… she beat Tiffany Lucitor on her own?"
"So it would seem…" Kyle mused. "But then, what was that voice she was talking about?"
Neither of them noticed that the statue of Queen Evangeline was now beaming with pride.
To Be Continued!
Epilogue:
Little did Comet and his host family realize that Special Agent Alex Jackson wasn't completely honest with them, either. It was true that he was a special agent sent to keep an eye on Prince Comet Dragonfly, but he wasn't sent by the Earth-Mewni Embassy. As he entered his car, he held down the button on his wireless earpiece to contact his real agency; the World Organization of Human Protection.
"This is Special Agent Alex Casoy calling WOOHP." He said. "Requesting contact with Director Jane Lewis."
Author's notes: I told y'all this wasn't just gonna be "Star Vs but genderbent." Expect Tiffany to remain an antagonist for a while longer than Tom was.
NEW CHARACTERS UNLOCKED:
Lady Dama - A teenage Solarian trainee around Comet and Marcia's age. She is brave and noble, and longs for glorious combat. She has an older brother who is already a full-fledged Solarian guard, but he'll be introduced later. Her family lives in the Johansen Kingdom.
The Solarian Three - Three teenage Solarian trainees who long to make a name for themselves, but keep getting low-key assignments. To cope, they come up with exaggerations of their missions to build up their reputations. Franklin is dashing and flirtatious and skilled with a rapier. Harold is goth, bored often, tough as nails, and only finds excitement in the heat of battle, he carries a mace. Vincent is overweight but strong and durable, overbearing but jolly and good-natured, and prefers to use a battle ax in combat. All three come from the Johansen Kingdom.
Special Agent Alexander Casoy - He is a genderbent version of [CLASSIFIED] from the cartoon [CLASSIFIED] but now he's grown up to be a full-time agent. His two best friends [CLASSIFIED] and [CLASSIFIED] are around the world dealing with other potential threats to national security like the Trolberg incident mentioned above, as well as [CLASSIFIED]and [CLASSIFIED]. Expect to see more of him in the future. (Whoever figures out who he is without Googling it gets a free shout out in the next chapter.)
As always, please read and review!