As Comet confidently walked through the aisles of Quest Buy, he couldn't help but look over his shoulders at his friends as they lingered by the cart. They were happily talking amongst themselves or looking in wonder at everything around them. The sight was enough to make Comet giggle to himself.
It reminds me of when I first came to Quest Buy. His parents had brought him there one day when he was younger because they wanted to get him fitted for a suit. It had something to do with this fancy event that Comet didn't give two cents over. His Dad had told him to stay close to them so he wouldn't get lost. So, like any kid in a new and exciting place, he went and did the exact opposite. It wound up taking several hours for his parents to find him, and by then, the store was closing. Which meant Comet got out of a tedious fitting for some dumb event he never wanted to go to in the first place. Good times.
Comet was brought out of his musings by Marcia asking him something. "So, Comet, you come here often?"
Comet smiled. "Well, not that often. Usually, MC comes here for the latest fashion trends, and I ended up going with him. Of course, my Dad would insist on me not going without someone to babysit me. Not that I listened to him."
Jonah then noticed that they were walking by a section labeled "Magic Chargers," which included Wand Chargers. "Say, Comet, does your Wand need a charger or something to keep it running?"
Comet just laughed at that question, making the group look at him like he was crazy. "Sorry, guys, but I couldn't help myself." He then held up his Wand for them to look. "This is an ancient artifact that's been in my family for longer than we can remember. Not only that, but it draws its power directly from the source of all magic in the universe. Saying it needs a charger to work sounds like a plot device from a show whose writers have yet to fully establish the rules for." Comet then seemed to look off to the side, as if he was gazing in the direction of someone watching them.
The group was a little weirded out by this, but then they murmured, "Yeah, that makes sense."
The group then stopped to gaze up a giant, Egyptian-style sphinx blocking their path forward. "HALT, PUNY MORTALS!" The sphinx shouted with an eerie double voice. "None shall pass until they answer my riddle. I do not breathe..."
"A leg," Jackson said.
"...but I jump..."
"A leg," Alfonso said in annoyance.
"...and run..."
"Dude, you're a leg. Let us pass."
"...and...wait." The sphinx then dropped its booming voice and, for some reason, changed to sound like that of a British woman. "How do you guys know that? I'm only halfway through my riddle."
"The Internet," Marcia said while holding up her smartphone with everyone nodding their heads in agreement.
"Internet?" Clearly, the sphinx had never heard of one of the most convenient inventions in the universe.
"Yeah, you should look it up sometime. Super convenient." Comet smiled as the sphinx looked at them for several seconds before sighing in defeat.
"Fine. You may pass." She then lifted a section of the wall to let the group pass.
"Thanks. Oh, and before I go, here." Comet then waved his Wand. "IPad Internet Grenade." In an instant, a giant tablet appeared in the sphinx's paws, and a little earpiece appeared underneath its headdress. "Now you can discover the joys and horrors of the Internet, and that earpiece will let you control it with your mind. Plus, the battery never dies."
After the group had passed, the sphinx looked down and started browsing the Internet before finding a website with the universe's best riddles.
"Huh. Neat."
As they continued walking past the aisle of the Sphinx, Comet looked at everyone and smiled. "Okay, I know that this trip's been long and had several detours. Some of which were not intentional. But we should be coming up on the animal care aisle right about...now!" Comet then bounded forward and used his free hand to present their final destination to them...only for his face to fall flat. It didn't take long for everyone to see why.
"Ghost repellant, gnome repellant, extra strength gnome repellant. Hijo de un, we're back where we started!" Marcia cursed to herself.
Ferguson walked to Comet. "Dude, what the hell? You said you knew where we were going."
"I do. I don't know what happened." Comet then brought up the map on his Wand. "I know that we followed the map to the...ah, crapbaskets."
"Talk to me, Comet. What does that mean?" Karla asked before Comet turned to the group with a sheepish grin on his face.
"So, guys, funny story. See, I was so busy having fun with you guys that I forgot to keep an eye on the map, and we made a wrong turn somewhere. That's my b!" Everyone groaned at this, making Comet feel guilty. "Don't worry, you guys. I just need to look at the map again, and then we can.."
"Sorry, Comet, but I'm not taking any chances," Marcia interrupted. "I'm going to look at that map over there and figure out where to go." Marcia then walked over to a nearby map to retrace their steps. Meanwhile, Jonah was busy eyeing up the Gnome heads, much to everyone else's concern.
"Oh, come on, guys. Quit looking at me like everything I'm interested in could potentially cause the apocalypse." Jonah complained as Jackson tried to keep him from putting the Gnome heads in the cart.
"Let's see," Marcia muttered as she looked over to the map. "We went here, made a left turn there, made two right turns there, and then...yep, we went in a circle. Now, all we need to do is find the...ah-ha!" Marcia's face lit up as she found the Animal Care department. "And organization and planning win again." Marcia came out of her victory celebrations, though, when she felt a cart crash into her, making her jump a little before she turned around to speak to whoever was behind her.
"Whoops. I'm sorry; let me just get out of..." The rest of the words died in Marcia's mouth as soon as she saw that said cart was carrying a very pissed off Ludo.
"Heeey, Ludo. You're looking well." Marcia said as she tried not to panic. "You're not still mad about the whole 'Monster Arm' thing, are you?"
In response, Ludo glared and pointed at Marcia. "Get her."
"Yep, you're still mad." Marcia then did the smart thing and chose to run back to the group. "COMET, WE GOT A PROBLEM!" She shouted to warn the others, but it was too late. Ludo was already on top of them.
"Well, well, well, it's Comet Dragonfly and the brat who beat me senseless. Guess Quest Buy does have everything you could ever want." Ludo said, smirking. "Now hand over the Wand, or there's going to be a clean-up on aisle...uh, I'm sorry. What aisle is this?" Ludo looked at one of the humanoid Sloths that seemed to run the store as he passed by.
"That's not my department." The Sloth simply shrugged before walking in another direction.
"Distraction attack!" before Ludo could even process what was going on, he found himself being pelted at by several rocks that seemed to come out of nowhere. Looking around to see who dared to throw stuff at him, he noticed that the perpetrators were none other than Alfonso and Ferguson, holding their new slingshots.
"So glad we got these."
"Oh yeah."
Ludo's face got so red that he looked like he was about to blow a fuse. "GET THEM! BRING ME THE WAND!"
Comet and Marcia both got into battle positions, trying to keep Ludo's Monsters away from their group. "Guys, take cover!" Comet barked, and everyone else obeyed as they grabbed their stuff and dove behind a stack of diapers.
Marcia leaped into the fray almost right away, striking at Three-Eyed Potato Baby with a high kick to the face. The blow was enough to make the Monster stumble back before clutching at his face and growling. Potato Baby then charged at Marcia with a swinging right hook, only for the girl to deftly dodge out of the way. Beard Deer then tried to reach behind and get her in a bear hug. In response, she somersaulted out of the way before bringing her right leg up in an attack on his junk. Beard Deer fell to the floor, reeling from feeling one of the three greatest physical pains any sentient being could feel.
"Why do they always go for that? WHYYYYY?" Beard Deer howled in a cartoonishly high voice.
Meanwhile, some of the other Monsters were trying to play it smart by targeting Comet's friends, knowing that he would have no choice but to surrender if they were in danger. Alfonso and Ferguson tried to fend them off with their slingshots, but they were ready for them. Lobster Claws and Spike Balls were using their hands to deflect the rocks, and Boo Fly just outrighted dodged them in the air. Within a few moments, the Monsters were almost on top of the group.
Panicking, Ferguson then grabbed the nearest box of giant diapers and started hurtling them at the Monsters. "Big Boy Diaper Volley!" he screamed as loud as he could. Somehow, it managed to connect, making Boo Fly fall out of the sky and hitting Spike Balls in the gut. The others then started to throw things at the Monsters, with varying success. Lobster Claws was able to get on top of them, only to be met by pepper spray to his eye-stalks followed by a painful shock by a taser, courtesy of Jonah.
"Don't mess with the best, chump," Jonah said as Lobster Claws started flailing all over the place in pain. Ironically, he wound up doing more damage to his comrades than the teens did.
Comet was facing down the Giraffe Man, Big Chicken, and Buff Frog as all of this was happening. "Cheesy nacho shuriken storm!" On Comet's command, dozens of shurikens made out of Marcia's favorite food came out of his Wand and flew through the air at his adversaries. Most of them managed to find their mark, but they didn't hurt, to the Monster's surprise. Not even a little.
"Um, was that supposed to do something," the Giraffe Man asked, only for Comet to smirk.
"Nope. But this will. BOOM!" Comet pointed the Wand at the Monsters, and the nacho shurikens exploded, covering the three of them in a cheesy, gooey mess. Try as they might, they could not get free. Big Chicken, though, had the worst of it, as the cheese started to pull out his feathers.
Comet then turned to look at his friends trying to fend off the Monsters, and then Marcia, who was currently fighting Man Arm, a crocodile Monster with this ridiculously swole right arm. Realizing that they were at a disadvantage due to the non-combatants, Comet made a decision. He rushed forward, extending his Wand into its staff form, and brought it down on Man Arm's giant arm.
"Zipper Man!"
As soon as the Wand's bell connected with the arm, a zipper began to form on it and began to open. In a flash, the giant arm fell off Man Arm's body, making him reel in shock. While he was distracted, Comet rushed over to Marcia.
"We can take these guys, but our friends can't. Do you know the way to the Animal Care department?"
Marcia nodded before pointing in the direction of an elevator. "According to that map, the quickest way to it is through that elevator. Also, did you just cut that guy's arm off?" Marcia motioned to Man Arm as he looked at his arm, only for Comet to brush her concerns off.
"Relax, Marcy. I just used zippers to detach it from his body. Soon as he picks it up, it'll reattach itself with no problem. Now let's go!" The two then made a beeline for their friends, knocking aside the still-reeling Monsters.
"Let's move it, people. We can use that elevator to get to animal care!" Grabbing their cart, the seven then made their way to the elevator and piled in, with the Monsters closing in. Luckily, the door closed, and the elevator began to rise before Ludo's army could get to them.
"Grr, we can't let them escape. Everyone get in!" Ludo gestured at a second elevator that his minions promptly piled into with their tiny leader following. Just as they were about to head up, they saw a slug man slithering over to their direction, waving at them to hold the elevator.
"Sorry, but this elevator is full. Please try again later!" Ludo then shut the doors right as the slug man made it.
"Aw, man."
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"So, what did we all learn today?" Marcia asked her friends as they tried not to move too much in the elevator.
"That it pays to organize. Yeah, yeah, we get it, Marcia. No one likes a know-it-all." Jonah remarked. "By the way, Comet, where'd you come up with that move with the arm?"
"Saw it in an anime on TV. I've been recording stuff to watch on DVR for weeks now."
"So that's where all those recordings of Toonami are coming from!" Marcia said.
"Hey, guys, I think that's where we're supposed to go, right?" Karla then pointed out a sign for something that said "pet care" on one of the floors that they were approaching.
"All right, it looks like we're home free. And all our precious loot is still in one piece." Alfonso cheered before rubbing at the box for his UGC. "Don't worry, my precious. I'll protect you." As soon as he said that, though the lights went out, the elevator came to a complete stop.
"Um, Comet, is this normal?" Jackson concernedly asked.
Comet sighed. "No. No, it is not. Alright, make way, people. I'll get us out of this." Comet then made his way to the door and whispered a spell. "sub-sonic leech bomb." A bunch of tiny, glowing leeches then appeared on the door as Comet motioned for everyone to step back. A few seconds later, the leeches exploded, blowing the door off the elevator and tearing down an "out-of-order" sign hanging in front of it. They were greeted by another Sloth covered in casts and bandages.
"Sorry, folks, but the elevator's broken beyond this point. Welcome to the booby trap department." The group then looked ahead of them to see that the Sloth wasn't joking: the store filled the entire section with weapons, traps, and devices that could quickly kill or maim someone. "Please watch your step as you make your way-" the poor Sloth got cut off as he accidentally stepped on a giant mousetrap, pinning him to the ground and eliciting a hiss of pain, much to everyone's shock.
"Oh my god, are you okay?" Marcia and Jackson ran over to help the poor guy, only for the Sloth to wave them off.
"Don't help me up. I'll get worker's comp for this," the clerk smiled as everyone looked at him incredulously.
"They've got worker's comp here?" Jonah said, asking the question that was on everyone's mind.
"Guess labor rules must be universal, then," Marcia said. "Bigger issue, though: how are we going to get through there without dying or breaking our stuff?"
Comet thought about this for a moment and then got an idea. "I know how," and then he waved his Wand. "Anti-booby trap suits." Everyone became covered in these transparent suits that extended from their heads to their feet in a flash.
"These will repel any weapons or other dangerous objects we may encounter. And this-" the boy then pointed at their cart before covering it in a protective bubble "-will keep our stuff safe."
Comet couldn't have picked a better time to do this. Seconds later, another elevator opened up, with the Monsters spilling out it and almost crushing Ludo. As the diminutive Avian crawled out from under the dogpile, he saw Comet and his friends standing in front of them. If the teens didn't know better, they could swear they could see nukes going off inside of his eyes in anger. That alone was enough to make them gun it.
"There they go. After them!" The Monster horde then began to charge after Prince and his entourage, though Ludo did stop and look at the Sloth trapped in the Mousetrap.
"Hey, um, do you need help?" Ludo asked. When the Sloth shook his head no, Ludo just shrugged before resuming the chase.
Back with Comet's group, they were running through the booby trap department at full speed, not caring about all the blow darts, spikes, and axes on pendulums that they were setting off in the process. They didn't have to; Comet's magical suits were able to repel anything that got in their way.
Alfonso couldn't help but notice how easy it was for them. "You know, when you don't worry about skewered by or poisoned, you kind of realize that all these booby traps.."
"Are a complete waste of time, space, and energy?" Jonah said, finishing his friend's thought. "Yeah, it's almost like these suits were meant to show how stupid this stuff is."
"Hey, it was this, or we run for our lives and risk mortal peril," Comet spoke up. "Also, at least it's slowing down Ludo and his flunkies."
Looking back, the group could see that, despite them activating most of the booby traps, there were still a few that they had wound up missing. As a result, Ludo's group, which didn't have the luxury of Comet's magical suits, had to go at a slow and steady pace. One two-headed Monster had tried to step forward onto a tile, only to pull back when it saw spikes popping out right where its foot was. Another Monster, a three-eyed boar man, had made it past the spikes, only to get hit by darts that knocked it out cold. Plenty of other Monsters were simply too scared to try to make it across, with Ludo among them.
Not all of Ludo's forces were having as much trouble. Despite his size and bulk, Buff Frog was able to use his powerful legs and tongue to dodge most of the traps. Lobster Claws discovered that thanks to his crustacean biology, darts simply bounced off his shell, letting him act as a living shield for the others. Spike Balls, meanwhile, was using the hands that gave him his namesake to smash the traps in their way. Slowly but surely, they were making progress and would catch up to Comet's group if they didn't gun it.
There was also another problem. The next obstacle the groups faced was smashing in on each other repeatedly, leaving them with no time to get through. Fortunately, though, Comet had an idea. Waving his Wand out in front of him, he chanted a new spell.
"Stopza!"
In a moment, the walls stopped moving. It was as if time had become frozen for them.
"Come on, guys. This spell can only freeze them for a few seconds. Let's move!" Comet's friends followed his directions and dashed through the trap. They managed to get clear just as the walls resumed their smashing.
Ludo's forces were less fortunate. When they got to the walls, they tried using their stronger members to force it to stay open. However, with the rapid pace at which the walls were moving, this was impossible.
"Grr, we don't have time for this," Ludo growled. "Come on. We'll have to find another route!" Ludo then led his remaining Monsters off in another direction.
As for Comet, he and his friends had cleared the last of the booby traps, much to their relief. They were then greeted by another one of the Sloth Clerks.
"Hello, and welcome to the pet care department. How may I help you today?" Hearing this, the group let out a few cheers over having finally made it to their destination. Karla then stepped forward and spoke.
"Hey, man. Do you guys got anything on food and training for a griffin the size of an SUV?"
The Sloth looked impressed with Karla before pointing in two directions. "Over there, you can find pamphlets and books on training for large birds of prey, which is what we classify griffins as despite their hybrid bodies. I would still recommend that you also invest in cat care supplies, such as a scratching post. As far as food concerns, your best bet is to go with an eternal meatball. It's heavy and hard to carry, but it will provide most of the food your griffin will need. Furthermore, you should get it bonemeal and vitamins to supplement its nutrient intake."
After the Sloth finished speaking, he began to walk away, as another group was starting to come over. To their annoyance, they soon saw that it was Ludo and his guys. They were battered, bruised, and very angry at the teens for making them go on a wild goose chase.
"End of the line, Dragonfly!" Ludo shouted before point his staff thing, signaling the group to attack. Thinking fast, Comet used his magic to grab several desks and chairs telekinetically and piled them in the center of the aisle, creating a makeshift barricade before turning to the others.
"Okay. Jonah and Jackson, you guys, help Karla find everything she needs and bring it back here. We'll hold the line in the meantime."
"Consider it done, Comet," Jackson complied, and the three ran in the opposite direction with the cart.
Comet then turned to Alfonso and Ferguson. "As for you guys, rocks may not cut it, so you'll need to use these." Comet waved his Wand, and a bunch of tiny, pink spheres appeared in their hands.
"What are they?" Ferguson asked.
"Sleep pellets. Hit someone with them enough times, and it'll knock them out cold. These things worked great for me during the Warnicorn Incident." Comet then used magic to swap out his typical outfit for a general's uniform, complete with a helmet with devil horns. "Now, on to battle!" Comet struck a defiant pose as his friends began to fire at anyone who got too close to their fortifications.
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Meanwhile, Jonah, Jackson, and Karla were making slow progress with the pet supplies. They couldn't find a scratching post big enough for Kevin, so they decided just to ask Comet to make them one when they got back. As for pet care manuals, they browsed through when one of the books Jackson picked up started to growl and snap at him. As he struggled to get the (apparently) hungry book under control, Karla found two books to suit her needs. One was for training and caring for large birds of prey, while the other was for caring for mythical creatures. Despite the Sloth guy's help, she wasn't entirely sure what Kevin fell under, so she just took both of them.
Meanwhile, Jonah lost patience with Jackson and the living book and just walked over to them. Before the skater could figure out what his friend had planned, Jonah pet the book's spine, making it calm down, much to their surprise.
"Wow. How'd you know that would work?" Jackson asked, impressed at what Jonah had done.
Jonah shrugged his shoulders and said, "I didn't. Just a hunch. Now, if you don't mind, I'll be taking this." Jonah then yanked the book monster out of Jackson's hands. "You guys focus on finding meatballs. I'm going to go back up Comet and the others." Before the two could object, Jonah was already long gone.
"Do you think we should feel sorry for those Monsters for just sending the Devil incarnate after them?" Karla asked.
"Maybe a little. But to be fair, Ludo's guys have been trying to kill us for the better part of an hour," Jackson said, never taking his eyes off the direction that Jonah ran in. He then tapped Karla's shoulder. "Come on, let's find that mega-meatball thing and get the heck out of here."
"On it."
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Back at the Pet Aisle battle, Comet's group had held the line thus far. Comet had kept most of them at bay, first by super-gluing them to the ground and then summoning an 8-Bit version of Donkey Kong to roll barrels at them. Alfonso and Ferguson were knocking Monsters out with their sleep pellets. Lastly, Marcia was knocking back anyone who got too close with her martial arts.
At this point, Ludo's patience was at its limits. That's when he noticed a discarded table lying in a nearby aisle, and he got an idea. Motioning to Buff Frog and Beard Deer and pointing at the table, the two Monsters understood what their leader was planning. Darting out of sight of Comet's group, they grabbed the table and brought it back. Using it as a makeshift shield, the Monsters then began to push it towards the barricade. As for Donkey Kong, Spike Balls simply smashed the barrels that the digital ape threw at them. When they were finally in range, Man Arm (having gotten his arm back on) sucker-punched the gorilla, causing it to de-pixelate and for Comet and his friends to scatter.
At this point, Jonah had made it back to the group. "Comet, Karla, and Jackson are almost done. We just need to find that meatball thing, and we can get out of here." He shouted.
"Good to know. Little help, though?" Comet shouted back as he was locked in combat with Big Chicken, who was not happy to lose most of his feathers. Before Jonah could join the fray, though, he found himself blocked by Buff Frog and Beard Deer, who glared down at him in an attempt to intimidate him into leaving.
"I wouldn't get involved if I were you, little man." Beard Deer snarled as he put on his meanest face.
"Da. We know you not fighter like Comet or karate girl, so leave while you still..." Jonah didn't even wait for them to finish threatening him. Grabbing his can of pepper spray, he sprayed Buff Frog in the eyes while simultaneously using his taser on Bear Deer's chest. Both Monsters cried out in pain, with Beard Deer falling to the ground as Buff Frog flailed around blind.
"Why do you keep doing this to us?" Beard Deer asked as the electricity left him in agony for several seconds. Jonah just smirked.
"Because it's easy, and you guys make it so much fun. See ya." Jonah then made his way past the two towards Comet, only to stop when he saw that Ludo was being thrown through the air straight at him.
"Yo, Comet, you got incoming right behind you!" Jonah's warning came too little, too late, though. Ludo headbutted Comet right in the center of his back, knocking the wind out of the Prince and making him drop his Wand. Marcia and the others saw what had happened, but they were too far away to stop Ludo from reaching down and grabbing the Wand.
As Comet managed to get some air back into his lungs, he managed to look up and watch as the Wand began to change shape for Ludo. It became smaller as it shrank to fit his hands, with the grip becoming pitch-black. The bell began to twist its form into it resembled that of a tiny skull, complete with bat wings and three spikes sticking out of the top.
Ludo laughed in victory. "YES, I GOT IT! HAHAHAHAHA! I FINALLY HAVE THE WAND!" He then looked at Comet, who was still processing everything, and an evil grin crept across his face. "And I know the first thing that I'm going to do with it," he said darkly as he began to walk to Comet.
When Ludo was at point-blank in front of the Prince, he raised the Wand to his face and watched as it began to glow. "Any last words before you die?"
"I've got three for ya: monster book Grenade!"
"Monster book, wha?" Ludo turned to look up at whoever shouted that, just in time to see the monster book that Jonah had been carrying hit him square in the face, making him scream and panic.
"AHH! SOMEONE HELP! GET THIS THING OFF ME!" Ludo begged anyone nearby to help him. Seizing on the opportunity that Jonah had given him, Comet returned what Ludo had done to him by kicking him so hard, he flew halfway across the aisle. Comet then got back up and picked up his Wand, turning it back into its normal appearance.
"Thanks for the save, Jonah. That could have been messy."
"Anytime, man." Just then, the group heard a rumbling in the distance, followed by the appearance of a giant meatball being pushed by Karla and Jackson.
"We got what we needed, guys. Everyone ready to head home?" Karla called out.
Seeing that Ludo's Army wasn't getting up anytime soon, Comet motioned for everyone to gather around the cart and meatball and gestured for Marcia to be ready with the dimensional scissors.
"Epic Exit Beam!" Just like that, the seven and their purchases were propelled towards the awaiting portal.
"Hey, are you gonna pay for all that stuff," one of the Sloth Clerks asked as they zipped by.
"Just charge the bill to Ludo over there. He owes me for all the trouble he caused us." And with that, the seven friends made it through the portal, which quickly closed behind them. The Sloth then turned to look at Ludo, who was throwing a fit over how close he was to winning.
"I had it! I had right in my claws, and I lost it!" Ludo then looked up to see the Sloth looming over him, not happy over the mess he and his cohorts had made.
"So, you're the one who's going to be paying for all of this, huh?"
Ludo gulped and then frantically tried to get his wallet out, only to realize that it wasn't on him. "Oh, um, I must have dropped my wallet in the fight," he said, laughing nervously. The Sloth made its anger known as it growled at Ludo before leaping on him and beating the snot out of him.
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"Okay, so it says here that I want to calm him down when he's stressed, I need to put a hood over his head," Karla read from one of the books she got. "But where am I going to find a hood big enough for you, Kevin?" She looked up at the griffin, who was happily chowing down on the endless meatball as most of her friends looked on. Meanwhile, Jackson was busy putting his new U-Board through its paces in the school parking lot.
To say that Jackson loved the U-Board was an understatement: he wasn't sure if he'd ever go back to a regular board, ever! Having tested out the skateboarding aspect, he had switched to flight mode and was soaring through the air, doing barrel rolls, loop-de-loops, and stunts that would make stunt pilots jealous.
"Looking good, Jackson," Marcia shouted to him from the ground, waving as she watched the skater have the time of his life. "This makes up for breaking your board, right?"
"Are you kidding me? Of course it does, Marcy! And thanks, Comet!"
"Anything for one of my friends, Jackson!" Comet called out as Alfonso, Ferguson, and Jonah walked over to him.
"Seriously, Comet, we can't thank you enough for all this cool stuff," Alfonso said. "Thanks to my new UGC, not only will I be able to finish Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but I can play every game I still have!"
"I'm glad you like it, Al, but you sure you don't need help setting it up?"
"Nah. I'm pretty good with technology. And I've got Ferguson to help me if I need it," Alfonso said while pointing at the chubby redhead behind him.
"He promised me pie if I helped out."
Jonah, on the other hand, did not look as happy as the others were, something that Comet was quick to notice.
"What's wrong, Jonah? I thought you'd be happy with those books you got."
"I was, but it turns out that they're written in a language that I don't know." He then held up the books for the others to see. Sure enough, they were in a language not found on Earth.
"Oh, man. I'm so sorry, Jonah. Guess you won't be learning how to summon demons or doing any of that alchemy stuff anytime soon." Marcia wanted to sound sincere, but she couldn't help but let the feelings of relief leak into her voice. Jonah also seemed to notice this, as he adopted one of his trademark smirks.
"This is just a minor setback. Now that I know I can do this kind of shit, I'm not going to rest until I master it." He relished in seeing Marcia fail to hide the concern on her face.
Comet put her hand on Marcia's shoulder to ease Marcia's anxiety. "Relax, Marcy. It's just Jonah; what's the worst that he could do with this kind of stuff?"
Marcia then looked up at him. "Let me put it this way. I'm not sure which would be scarier: if Ludo had the Wand or if Jonah somehow got control of an army of demons."
Jonah spoke up again. "Oh yeah, I've meant to ask you Comet: what's the whole deal with your Wand? Back in Quest Buy, Ludo picked it up and transformed it into something else?"
Comet's face became uncharacteristically nervous from this question. His eyes started to dart around as he seemed to want to look at anything besides his friends. Worse still, Comet could feel beads of sweat began to form on his brow, which didn't help things at all.
"Comet, are you alright, man?" Ferguson asked in concern. "You're starting to sweat bullets."
"I um, as in- see the thing is-" Comet sputtered before feeling Marcia's hand on his shoulder.
"Comet, it's okay. You can tell us. We're your friends, after all," Marcia said in the most soothing tone she could make. By this point, Karla and Jackson had also noticed what was going on and walked over.
Sighing, Comet relented at last. "All right. I know I'm not supposed to tell anyone outside of the family this, but what the heck." Comet then took a deep breath before speaking again.
"My family hasn't always been able to use magic, you know. It's said that when we first arrived in Mewni from who knows where, we were as normal as everyone else. According to legend, the First Dragonfly King found an ancient wellspring of magic. And with it, he was able to craft our family's Wand." The Prince held up the Wand for emphasis before continuing.
"Like I said in Quest Buy, the Wand's connected directly to the source of all magic in the universe. By using it, the First King was able to wield magic for himself and found the Kingdom of Mewni. But as it turns out, magic is also radioactive."
"Wait; what?" Marcia asked before everyone took a step back.
"Relax, guys. It's not lethal in any way. The only real side effects we get from using it are these on our faces." Comet then pointed to his heart-shaped cheekmark to clarify. "These cheekmarks are also a sign of our inherent ability to use magic."
Comet continued his explanation as everyone listened. "The thing is, though, the Wand doesn't just work for our family. Anyone who holds it can use it to wield magic. As for why it changed shape, it does that for everyone that uses it. My Dad said it was something about reflecting the user's personality or something. Any questions?"
The group took a moment to let everything they heard sink in. "So, anyone can use that Wand?" Jonah asked, only for everyone else to glare daggers at him.
"Don't even think about it, Ordonia," Marcia warned him.
"Relax, I'm just joking. Besides, who needs a Wand when you can summon demons?"
Getting everyone back on topic, Marcia spoke again. "So, in other words, anyone can use your Wand to become all-powerful?"
Comet shrugged. "Basically, but I think it's harder if you're not a Dragonfly."
"Then we're going to have to be extra careful from now on. Now that Ludo's gotten a taste of what it can do, he's going to be even more desperate to get the Wand's power." Marcia said as she looked at everyone to make sure they understood how important this was.
Comet then flashed one of his trademark smiles. "Don't you worry, Marcia. Between the seven of us, I think that we can handle anything Ludo will throw at us."
"That's the spirit, Comet!" Jonah said.
"You think we wouldn't have your back after everything you've done for us?" Ferguson asked.
"Yeah, man. You're our friend, and friends stick together." Jackson said.
Looking at everyone and seeing how happy they were, Comet once again thought about how grateful he felt living on Earth.
*Back in Jay's Workspace, we see him and everyone else finishing reading the newest chapter on a giant TV.*
Yakko: Well, I wasn't certainly wasn't expecting any of that to happen. But at least you met your quota for pop culture references for this chapter.
Omni: Oh, yes. I counted at least two big references in this chapter. Very noticeable, but also vague enough to make fans work to figure out what they are.
Spongebob Narrator: And the lamp-shading of the whole 'Wand Charger' concept was funny, even if Hippie did it already.
Janna: Yeah, come to think of it, this whole, two chapter arc seems like it took a lot from Wandering Hippie. Not very original.
*Jay just scratches the back of his head sheepishly*
Jay: I know, but I liked the concept of what Hippie did so much that I couldn't help myself. But at least I had the decency to add on my ideas.
Yakko: Yeah, because that whole U-Board thing was all yours.
Jay: Actually, I'm the one who gave ROTHEM that idea. Ergo, I feel like I have the right to use it. Like I said at the end of the last chapter, it's a cool concept.
Janna: Whatever, man. I still say you took too much from Hippie, what with Comet bringing all his friends to Quest Buy.
Jay: Well, in this case, I thought it was necessary for my long-term plans for this story.
Yakko: Care to enlighten us then, Heminway? Because I know the readers will want to know, you know.
Jay: Very well. See, I knew from the start that I didn't want to just re-tell the show; I wanted to do what Wandering Hippie and many other writers have done and improve on it. And one avenue to do that was making sure that the side characters that Daron didn't know what to do with would remain relevant. So I needed to do one of two things: one, I had to involve them in more of the early stories and establish a good group dynamic. Second, I needed to justify why they could continue going on potentially dangerous adventures with Comet and Marcia. Many of them aren't traditional fighters.
*Looks at Alfonso and Ferguson and thinks about how they'd get torn to shreds*
Jay: Ergo, I had to give them the means to keep helping Comet out as the story progresses. Hence the need for them to get stuff at Quest Buy. And while each of them will be of some help in the future, there's one of Comet's friends that you need to pay particular attention to going forward.
Janna: It's my lovable, gender-swapped counterpart, isn't it?
Jay: Nice try, but I'm not divulging anything since I know you'll leak it onto the Internet. But that's enough foreshadowing. It's time to get to
READER'S REVIEWS!
LockAndKey989- So did I, man. So did I.
The Wandering Hippie-Hey, I have you and ROTHEM to thank for the concept to this whole chapter, man. You're the one who came up with the idea of Star and Marco bringing their friends along with them to Quest Buy. I just expanded on it by giving them a bunch of cool swag that may or may not play a role in their development later on.
Also, I wouldn't count on Comet bribing Principal Skeeves to get out school. Even if he thought about doing it, he might not, because if his parents found out, they'd both be in trouble.
LordCornwalis- Nice to finally see you here, buddy. First off, you're the first person to mention my writing's improved. No one even bothered to mention it to me, and since I don't use a beta-editor (I trust myself and I have Grammarly), I had no clue. It prompted me to re-read the first few chapters and made me realize that I've improved. I also saw a lot of missing words and stuff, so I'm going to want to go back and fix some things. Maybe rewrite some sections entirely.
Secondly, I knew before I even started that I didn't want this to be a straight-up retelling of the show. The show had a lot of great things in it, but it didn't always live up to that potential. Ergo, my goal has been to write the show in the way that I would like.
As flattered as I am by your compliments on my world-building, I feel like I don't deserve it yet. I'm still following the show a good deal and will likely do so for a while. But I plan on spreading my wings as much as I can.
Also, you might want to buckle in. This story will take years to finish, even if I keep releasing it once a week as I have been.
Julayla- Nice to see someone else agrees with my reaction to Nostalgia Critic's review of Star vs. The Forces of Evil. Having heard all of that only reaffirms my desire to do better and give the story that fans can enjoy from start to finish.
Interesting. While I don't want to give away too much, I plan to delve more into the lore of the Septarians. They're going to play a significant role in the story as it continues.
Also, I decided that Ben Diskin wouldn't be a good fit for MC. Instead, I'm using Ben Schwartz as my headcanon. I loved the guy as Sonic the Hedgehog, I love him as Dewey Duck, and the voice just feels right to me.
And, as promised, shout-outs go to...absolutely no one. Because none of you even bothered to figure out the references in the last chapter. COME ON, GUYS, AT LEAST TRY TO GUESS!
You know what to do: fave and follow this story, and follow me on Twitter (JZ-Gaming), Insta (RJ Writing Ink), and YouTube (Jungoguy)
See you guys next chapter. You're going to be in for an extraordinary surprise.