*We open in Jay's workspace, only instead of the normal black environment that gets filled with whatever Jay wants for the story, we find the entire place transformed into the ruins of what appears to be the smoking ruins of Hong Kong. Suddenly, Janna pops her head into view and looks at us, the readers, enjoying a giant frosty before walking into view.*

Janna: What the? What are you guys doing here? It's not even Frid-oh yeah, that's right. Good Friday, so Jay was going to release the chapter a day early. Well, I hate to say it, but Jay's too busy at the moment. Doing what, you may ask? Well, for April Fool's Day this year, someone shaved off all of Kong's fur and then stole all of those scaly-fin things on Godzilla's back. And then they decided to pin the whole thing on Jay, and well...

*Janna looks up past the ruins of the skyscrapers to see Jay piloting a giant, Pacific Rim/Gurren Lagann fusion mecha, is running for his life from a finless and hairless Godzilla and Kong. Both Kaiju are so mad that it's impossible to describe in words alone.*

Jay: COME ON, GUYS, IT WASN'T ME, I SWEAR!

*Godzilla fires a blast of Atomic Breath that narrowly avoids hitting Jay's cockpit as he ducks just in time.*

Jay: SERIOUSLY, WHY WOULD I PISS YOU GUYS OFF?! I LOVE YOUR MOVIES! I'M PROBABLY GONNA GO SEE GODZILLA VS. KONG TWICE!

*Kong roars at Jay and tries to throw his axe at him, only for Jay to take cover behind a building*

Jay: LOOK, CAN'T WE TALK THIS OUT? OR FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO FIGHT!

*As this goes on, Janna just chuckles to herself as she continues to enjoy her frosty*

Janna: Oh, yeah. This was definitely worth the time it took. Best prank ever. Anyway, you guys go see if Comet gets his game or gets beaten up by an angry mob. I'm gonna sit here and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Jay: AHHHHHH!

"AHHHHHH!" And with that cry of pain, another student failed to pass the Gauntlet of Fire. Sensei looked on with a strange mixture of acceptance and disappointment. He had known going in that this test would be nearly impossible for his students. Even people who had trained for years in martial arts could struggle with this trial. What disappointed him, though, was the fact that they all gave up so easily.

The Gauntlet of Fire had a second, hidden meaning to it. Besides teaching martial artists how to channel their emotions, it's meant to teach them the importance of determination in the face of adversity. Learning how to keep getting up and fighting even against overwhelming odds was one of the most important lessons anyone could learn in life, something that most of his students had yet to grasp. That is, save for one: Marcia Diaz.

"The only way I am leaving this dojo is by overcoming this or with my feet covered in blisters. I am doing this." While most of the other students had given up, Marcia remained determined to finish the Gauntlet of Fire. Sensei gave her a nod of approval. She was the one student who had gotten the closest to grasping the meaning of this lesson.

Even if she doesn't succeed, she's getting that red belt, Sensei Brantley thought to himself.

On the other hand, Jeremy didn't even bother at attempting the trial. He merely sat in the bleachers and laughed at everyone's failures, much to their chagrin and Sensei Brantley's disapproval. However, once Marcia stepped up to attempt the challenge again, he got off his butt and pulled out his phone, setting it to record.

"And here we have the lovely Marcia Diaz, or rather, the future Mrs. Jeremy Birnbaum, approaching the Gauntlet of Fire," he began to narrate. "It's been a tough fourteen years for Diaz. Few friends worth her time; cursed to be at the bottom of her school's social hierarchy. Luckily for her, she has her knight in shining armor here to sweep her off her feet. And what lovely feet they are, aren't they?" Jeremy then used his phone to zoom in and focus on Marcia's legs, much to the other student's objection. His stupid crush on Marcia was one thing, but this was bordering on creepy.

It didn't help that the sheer level of arrogance and entitlement in Jeremy's voice had begun to get to Marcia. "Jeremy, would you please knock it off with the commentary. I'm trying to channel my emotions, and you're not helping!" Marcia yelled at him before reminding herself not to lost control. Easy, Marcia. He's not worth the time or the effort. Just focus on getting that red belt.

*Click*

"And that's one for the collection," Jeremy smugly said to himself, not realizing that he had said that out loud.

"Wait, what collection?!" Marcia asked, her anger building up with every passing second as she swiped Jeremy's phone out of his hands, much to his surprise.

"Hey, give that back! That's private!" Jeremy said as he tried to grab his phone, only for Marcia to use one arm to keep him at bay. She quickly found a folder in his photos labeled "Mrs. Jeremy Birnbaum" and opened it up. What she found disgusted her on so many levels. Somehow, Jeremy took pictures of her, not just at the dojo, but also in various locations across town. What disturbed her even more, though, was that he photoshopped some of them and put her face onto the bodies of different female athletes and super-models!

Marcia was so stunned by her privacy violation that she didn't even notice that Jeremy had grabbed his phone back. "There you are, my babies. Don't worry: daddy's here for you," he said as he rubbed his cellphone. At that, something in Marcia finally snapped as she felt all the anger and frustration at the day's events boil over. Her body went rigid, as her vision went red as she looked at Jeremy with pure bloodlust.

That's it. This kid's going down! Finally releasing all her pent-up stress in a single cry, Marcia pounced at Jeremy, who panicked before ducking and trying to flee. Driven by anger, Marcia became an unstoppable wrecking ball, tearing at everything to get to Jeremy. Whatever he tried to throw in her path, she would swat aside or expertly dodge, much to everyone's surprise. Jeremy tried to climb atop Sensei's trophy case in desperation, but this proved to be a fatal error, as it toppled over, giving Marcia time to catch him. Now pinned, Marcia then grabbed the boy by the scruff of his Gi with one hand and held his phone in the other. Marcia looked at her childish tormentor with eyes filled with hate and disgust, bringing him to eye level.

"Let me get this through your incomprehensibly thick skull. I am not your girlfriend; I am not your future wife; I wouldn't date you if you were the last boy in the universe," she coldly told him. "And I don't know how you got these pictures of me, but you can kiss them all goodbye." Marcia then crushed Jeremy's phone with her bare hand as he watched in horror.

"Noooooooooo!"

"Oh, you think that's bad? Because that's nothing. If I ever catch you doing this again, I will not hesitate to call the police and have you sent to juvie for harassment. And no amount of your parent's money will be able to bail you out. Understood?" Jeremy whimpered but otherwise nodded in acknowledgment before Marcia dropped him to the ground, making him howl in pain. Confused, Marcia looked down before realizing that she had been standing on the coal pit the entire time...and had felt no pain.

"This, people, is what it means to channel one's emotion and do the impossible," Sensei Brantley proudly said as everyone looked on. "Congratulations, Miss Diaz. You have earned this." Sensei then proudly got out the coveted red belt that she had been working towards for so long.

"My red belt," Marcia reverently said as she held it in her hands. "I can't believe it. I finally managed to reach the next level in my karate training. I'm one step closer to a black belt! Thank you so much, Sensei!" Marcia tearfully said. "I will treasure this moment now, and al-why do I smell steak burning?" Marcia suddenly realized that she got so caught up in the moment, she forgot she was standing on hot coals.

"Oh, no," Marcia whispered as the adrenaline finally wore off.

"AHHHHHH..."

"HHHHHH!" Comet screamed as his makeshift rocket cart continued to barrel down the streets of Echo Creek at speeds that would make a sports car jealous. Several times during their impromptu joyride, the duo had come close to crashing into things like street signs and cars. Worse, they came close to hitting a few unwary pedestrians that didn't notice them until it was too late. Fortunately, thanks to Comet's quick thinking and a bit of luck, they managed to avoid hitting anything. Now it looked like their ride was nearing its end goal. As the cart flew down a gently rolling hill, Comet saw a gigantic building appear about half a mile to the southwest. Glancing down at his compact and seeing the map pointed in that direction, the Prince let out a victory cheer.

"Coryn, we found the mall! We're in the clear!" Comet could already picture himself wearing that SPARTAN-II helmet.

"THERE HE IS!" Unfortunately for him, Comet's luck seemed to run out. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the angry mob of pirates, customers, and dogs appear on a side street, and they looked more enraged than ever.

"How in the Seven Hells did they follow us? We must be going 70 MPH, at least!" Comet complained as the mob continued to chase Coryn and him. "Screw it! Winged Shopping Cart Transformation!" With the power of his Wand, the shopping cart traded in its rocket boosters for a pair of wings. Lifting the boy and Pokémon high into the air, Comet looked down to see the mob become specks.

"I should have done this from the start, Coryn! We could have avoided all the near misses!" Comet shouted before shifting his weight to turn the cart towards the mall, with the mob refusing to quit.

"No, Dad, I don't need you to throw me another party to make up for the last one. It was my fault that it got ruined in the first place, so I should own up to it," Brittney Wong said as she walked towards the entrance of the Echo Creek mall. The girl had been in town to do some errands when she saw how close she was to the mall, so she decided to treat herself to some light shopping. Right as she was about to head inside, though, she was surprised to hear what sounded like someone screaming.

*BAM!*

Out of nowhere, a winged shopping cart proceeded to crash land right in front of Brittney, almost making roadkill out of her. "Hey, what's the big idea?" Brittney yelled at the person who was riding inside the cart. "You should watch where you're...you're..." Brittney immediately shut up as soon as she saw that she was yelling at Comet Dragonfly, making her blush.

Comet didn't seem to notice or care that Brittney was about to scold him for his part. Instead, he looked like he was about to panic but then became relieved when he saw who was talking to him.

"Oh, thank corn, it's you, Brittney! Listen, I don't have time to talk. There's an angry mob after me, and if you could throw them off my trail, I'd be so grateful. 'Kay, thanks!" Before Brittney even had time to process what he said, the teen had run inside the mall with some bird hopping after him.

"What was that about an angry mob?" Brittney asked herself in confusion. It didn't take her long to get an explanation, though. A few seconds later, a mob of what appeared to be dogs, pirate cosplayers, and a bunch of people covered in foodstuffs had made it through the parking lot.

"He went in there. Come on, guys!" One of the pirates shouted before leading the group inside.

Well, that doesn't look good, Brittney thought as she watched the whole display. Brittney would have merely shrugged and walked away at one point in her life. However, she was trying to be a better person, and that meant helping others out. And from the looks of it, Comet needed her help.

All right, Brittney. You can do this, she said to steel her resolve as she followed the mob into the mall.

Once Comet had made it inside the mall, he saw that the place was bigger than he anticipated. Standing in the middle of what looked like a food court, Comet saw that the place was a sprawling three stories high with shops and vendors lining every level of the building. Comet estimated that it would take at least an hour to find the store on his own, so he pulled out his compact and called Alfonso again.

"Al, it's me. I'm in the food court at the mall, but I don't see you guys. Where you at?"

"Oh, we decided to wait for you at the game store. It's on the second floor; you can't miss it." Alfonso told him over the compact.

"That doesn't exactly narrow things down for me, you know," Comet remarked. That's when he felt Coryn begin to peck at his foot. "What is it, Coryn?"

"Hoothoot," the Pokémon hooted before motioning to some sort of display chart in the middle of the court. As Comet got closer to it, he then saw it was a map of the entire mall.

"All right, let's see," Comet mumbled as he gazed at the map. "If I'm here, then the store should be right...ah-ha! Got it!" Comet then looked back at his compact again. "Alfonso, I figured where to go. You guys ready to get the game?"

Onscreen, Alfonso seemed to look away from his phone as he began scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, about that, Comet...we've got a problem."

"Problem?"

"See, we were talking to the clerk inside, and it turns out that we didn't pay for the entire bundle before," Alfonso sheepishly admitted.

"Ah, what?" Comet complained.

"Yeah, Marcia, Ferguson, and I didn't have enough money to pay for it all in one go, so we had to put down a deposit for half of it and pay for the rest when we picked it up."

"But we can't. We're broke!" Ferguson called offscreen.

"Yeah, we've got no money. So, unless you're willing to chip in, then we're SOL, Comet. I'm sorry." Alfonso apologized to his friend.

"Oh, no worries, Al. I planned to get it for myself, so I brought some of the Shooting Star's loot. We'll have more than enough to pay for the bundle."

"Aw, sweet!" Ferguson began to cheer.

"THERE HE IS!" Comet looked behind him and saw the last thing that he wanted to see at the moment: the mob was back!

"Look, I'll be there in two minutes. Just be ready to pay for the thing and run as fast as you can!" Comet hastily said to his friends.

"Wait, what about-" Comet ended the call before Alfonso could finish questioning him. He hated having to hang up on friends, but this was an emergency.

"HOO! HOOT HOOT!" Coryn said in a panic as the dogs began to charge at him again.

"All right, that's it! I've had enough of the dogs trying to use my friend as a chew toy!" Comet said in a huff as he pulled out his Wand. "Puppy Pole of Punishment!" In an instant, a pole appeared in the middle of the floor that instantly attached itself to the dog's unused leashes, pinning them in place and leaving them whimpering sadly. "Now stay there and think about what you did until your owner comes to get you!" As for the restaurant's mob, Comet didn't even bother using magic on them. He didn't want to hurt them, and he didn't have time to deal with that mess.

Grabbing onto Coryn once more, Comet then pointed his Wand at the floor. "Rabbit rocket blast!" In an instant, a beam of magical energy and bunnies shout out of his Wand, propelling boy and Pokémon to the mall's second floor. As soon as he felt his feet hit the ground, Comet broke into a run as he scanned his environment, looking for the game store's location. After a minute or two of running, Comet managed to find it, with Alfonso and Ferguson standing at the entrance and waving to him.

"Hey, Comet. Glad you could finally-" Ferguson began to say, only for Comet to shut him up.

"No talk time, angry mob after me. Let's just get the game and get back to Marcia's place!" Comet then hastily shoved his friends inside the store, looking back over his shoulders to make sure the mob hadn't caught up to him yet. When they got inside and got to the check-out desk, Comet dug into his pocket and hastily pulled out a dozen or so gold coins before throwing them in front of the Clerk.

"This for the rest of the Halo 20th Anniversary Ultimate Master Chief Bundle, plus the Master Chief helmet and early access code for Halo: Infinite!" Comet said in a single breath, hoping that the man wouldn't argue about being given foreign currency and just take the money.

The Clerk, a portly man with a ponytail and goatee that made him vaguely look like the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons, took one look at the coins before raising an eyebrow at Comet. "Sir, what exactly are you trying to pull here?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Comet asked in confusion.

"I"m sorry, sir, but this establishment only accepts real currency, not some fake trinkets that you obviously got from a kid's toy chest," the man said as he gestured to the gold coins.

"Fake curr-they're not fake. Those are real gold coins, buddy! Look at them!" Comet was not willing to put up with this level of disbelief. "Now give us the bundle and helmet!" he shouted.

"Sir, if you are not going to pay for this with actual money, then I'm afraid I will have to ask you to leave. No bundle for you!" The Clerk held firm as he tried to talk Comet down.

All right, that's it! I've come too far to give up because some know-it-all thinks I'm using fake currency! In his anger, Comet was about to bring out his Wand and use it to stun the guy while he and the others grabbed the bundle and ran for it. It wouldn't count as stealing if he paid for it!

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" The group of five then looked to the store entrance to see the angry mob of people from the pirate restaurant standing at the exit, now thoroughly pissed.

"End of the line, punk! You're going to pay for wrecking our restaurant!" The pirate woman said to him.

"And for all our dry cleaning!" a customer shouted.

Alfonso and Ferguson began to back away in fear. "Comet, what the hell did you do?!"

"I didn't do anything! For once, events were out of my control!" Comet said to the two boys. "Look, new plan: grab the bundle and run for it!" Comet then raised his Wand and began to think of the biggest spell possible to give them an opening to escape from this chaos.

"STOP!" A new voice yelled, making everyone pause. Comet looked behind the mob to see who had just yelled at them, only for his eyes to widen when he saw who it was: Brittney Wong.

Before Comet could even process this turn of events, Brittney walked into the store and put herself in between Comet's friends and the mob.

"Why are you people chasing after this guy in the first place? What did he ever do to you to warrant this level of anger?"

"He wrecked our restaurant!" One of the pirates shouted, with the others speaking in response.

"Did you ever stop to consider that you should at least hear him out before deciding to chase him around town like a damn lynch mob?" Brittney scolded the group of adults, making them pause as they began to look at each other. Slowly, the anger on their faces began to subside as the reality of what they were doing began to sink in, and they began to feel ashamed of themselves. Seeing that the group was now willing to listen to reason, Comet stepped forward.

"Look, I'm sorry that your restaurant got wrecked, but it wasn't my fault. At least, not intentionally," Comet began to say. "But that only happened because I got caught up in events that were out of my control. First, these dogs started chasing my little friend, Coryn-"

"Hoo," Coryn said in response.

"-And when I tried to hide from them, you guys wouldn't believe me and then got mad when I tried defending myself. All I wanted to do today was buy this awesome collector's edition game bundle for my friends and me. But more importantly, I wanted to prove to everyone, especially my best friend, that I could handle living on Earth by myself."

Comet then remembered how Marcia had told him she was worried he didn't know enough about Earth to go out by himself. He may have acted like he wasn't paying attention, but in truth, that was just a cover to mask his resentment about what she said. He knew that he still had a lot to learn about Earth, but he also hated it when people underestimated him.

"I'm sorry that your restaurant got trashed. If it's all right with you, I'll pay for any damages. Will that be enough to get you to forgive me?" Comet humbly said, making the mob's anger dissipate and be replaced with sympathy. At last, the pirate hostess walked to him with a look of guilt on her face.

"Only if you forgive us for lashing at you. We should have known better than to take our anger out on a kid," she said, smiling and moving everyone present in the store.

Everyone, that is, except for Alfonso and Ferguson.

"Aw, man! Now we'll never get that bundle!" Ferguson complained out loud.

"Yes, well, you were never going to get it anyway. Because I clearly stated before, these are not real coins," the Clerk said, uncaring about the scene that had transpired. In response to his words, Brittney walked up to the desk and took one of the gold coins in the palm of her hand. She spent several moments carefully looking it over, feeling the heft and looking for any telltale signs of counterfeit. Finally, she spoke up.

"You moron, these coins aren't fake. They're the real deal!"

"Impossible," the Clerk stated as he crossed his arms in disbelief.

"Oh, really? Look at the coin," Brittney told him as she held it up in front of everyone. "It's obvious that this thing's very old, but notice how the metal doesn't appear to be faded or discolored? If it were fake or gold-plated, then it would have started to fade and rust by now."

"That still doesn't make it gold, you know," The Clerk smugly said.

"And then there's the weight and texture. Gold is known to be both incredibly heavy, yet also soft and malleable." For emphasis, Brittney then gently pressed the coin between two fingers, causing it to bend a little.

"Um, well, that still doesn't mean that-"

"And there's one other test you can do." Brittney then took out a quarter and used it to tap the gold coin lightly, making it give off a long, high-pitched sound akin to a bell ringing. "If it were fake or not made of precious metals, then the sound would be shorter and duller. These coins are the real deal!"

"Told you guys!" Comet smugly said to the Clerk, who was at a loss for words.

"Judging by how much this coin weighs, I'd say that this handful has to be worth at least a few hundred dollars. More than enough to get that game bundle and pay for whatever damage your restaurant took," Brittney told all of the adults in the room, making them gasp in shock.

"Are you serious, young lady?!" The pirate hostess exclaimed.

"Yes, I am," Brittney proudly said. "But if money is the issue, then I'm more than happy to exchange the coins for actual cash." Brittney then reached into her purse and pulled out several hundred dollar bills. One of the perks of being the daughter of a wealthy CEO was having a lot of spending cash on hand.

"We'll take it!" The mob, customers, and Clerk all said at once.

"Good choice," Brittney said as she proceeded to hand over stacks over money to the respective parties while Alfonso and Ferguson proceeded to gleefully dance in celebration as the Clerk rang them up.

"Well, then, here you are, gentlemen. And as promised, that comes with the replica of the Master Chief's helmet, and you'll find your early access code for Halo Infinite on the receipt. Have a nice day."

"WE GOT THE BUNDLE AT LAST!" Ferguson cheered as he was starting to weep tears of joy.

"BLOOD GULCH, HERE WE COME!" Alfonso shouted in anticipation as the two of them grabbed the box. As the restaurant people began to disperse, the two boys took the box and began to walk out of the store. They couldn't wait to get to Marcia's place and play the remastered Halo: Combat Evolved!

"Hey, Comet! Are you coming or what?" Alfonso asked his friend, who had just been standing there in silence the entire time. After taking a moment to realize that they'd been talking to him, Comet finally spoke up.

"Actually, guys, I just remembered that I have some other things to do first. How about you guys take the bundle and Coryn back to Marcia's place, and I'll catch up with you."

The boys looked at Comet before looking at each other. They knew that Comet had something he wasn't telling them. At the moment, though, they were too focused on Halo to care. So, they simply shrugged before running off. Coryn, though, looked up at his trainer in concern.

"Don't worry, Coryn. I know the way home from here, so I'll be fine. You just go home and relax after your ordeal today," Comet said in a gentle tone.

"Hoothoot," Coryn replied before quickly hopping after the two boys. Now alone, Comet then turned to the sole remaining person from the group, Brittney, as she tried to walk out of the store with her new coins.

"Hey, Brittney," Comet said, making her freeze.

"C-Comet! Um, look, I can explain why I helped you. Y-you see, I just wanted to..." Brittney struggled to come up with an explanation as to why she helped him. That, and to hide her blush.

"Is it all right if we talk?" Comet politely asked, catching the wealthy, young heiress by surprise. All she could do was quickly nod her head in response to this.

Comet led Brittney to a nearby bench to chat by themselves, but Brittney was having difficulty even looking at him. The things that he had said to her the last time they spoke still rang in her head, and she had no idea what she could even say to him.

"Listen, Comet, I-" Brittney said in an attempt to break the awkward silence, only for Comet to hold up a hand to get her to be quiet.

"Just...just let me talk first," Comet calmly said. "Before you invited me to your party, I barely knew anything about you. All I knew was that you were the head cheerleader and that you and Marcia didn't get along for some reason. But then, I learned how the two of you used to be best friends, and I thought that maybe you wanted to be that again. Or at least, be my friend. Instead, I saw you try to bully and publically humiliate her while calling her things like 'skank' and 'floozy.' I had to look up what those words meant, but I knew then and there that they had to be some of the most degrading things you could ever call a person! So I wanted absolutely nothing to do with someone like you and made sure everyone knew it."

"Yeah...you did," Brittney sadly noted.

"But...then I heard about what you did when I went through Mewberty the other day. And just now, you bailed me out of a situation that, in all honesty, could have gotten to the point where someone would call the cops." Comet then looked straight at Brittney. "And right now, all I want to know is why you did that? If you were anything like I began to think you were, you would never have helped me like that. So, why are you suddenly acting so nice to people? Who are you really, Brittney?"

Brittney saw the look of utter seriousness on Comet's face, and knew that if she made up some excuse now, then she may never get another chance to talk to him. So, she decided to admit everything. Sighing, she then began.

"I'm pretty sure you knew this already, but a lot of people would consider being born into wealth and power to be a dream come true. You would never have to worry about money, people would wait on your hand and foot, and you could do things that most people can only fantasize about. What most people don't realize, though, is how lonely it can get for some people. Growing up, my mother and father were never really around for me. They were always too busy with work, running our family's company, and making business arrangements. Sometimes, they would go on trips for days, leaving me to be looked after by the servants. But while my Dad was too busy to be that involved in raising me, my Mom at least had the common sense to know that I needed someone to look after me when they couldn't. That's why they hired Mrs. Diaz to babysit me."

Comet didn't say anything; he just quietly listened as she continued. "I'm sure Marcia already told you this, but her Mom always brought her over to play with me. She was the first person my age that I ever got to interact with, and we became inseparable as a result. But as we got older, my parents started wanting me to play with the kids of other wealthy people. They said it was so I could build strong foundations for partnerships later in life or something. And the more I spent time with them, the more I started to think like them. I began to see myself as better than most people by virtue of my status and that I should only associate with those on a similar level as me. I started to spend less and less time with Marcia and began to see her as a worthless nobody. Then one day in Third Grade, Marcia came to me and asked me why we hadn't hung out in a long time. Do you know what I told her? I told her, 'someone who was destined to do great things in life shouldn't spend her time with a nervous train-wreck like you.' And just like that, our friendship was over. She ran away in tears, and I felt absolutely nothing in response." Comet could almost taste the bitter regret in Brittney's voice as she said that.

"After that, I did everything I could to push Marcia out of my life. I never talked to her unless I had to and made sure that no one knew that we had ever been friends. And then, I spent years building up a following of people. Some of them followed me out of fear of what I would do to them, like Sabrina. Others were in it for the status and perks. But despite how it may have seemed, none of them were my friends. And then, you showed up. You went and began to turn everything I built on its head. And worse, you started hanging out with Marcia, the one person I never wanted to associate with. I tried to win you over to my side at my birthday party, make you think like I did. But instead, you were the first person in God knows how long to call me out on my behavior."

"Well, you did deserve it," Comet dryly noted before letting her continue speaking.

"I'm glad you did," Brittney told him. "It made me take a good, long look at myself and what I had turned into: a spoiled, self-obsessed bitch who let herself believe that wealth and power were the most important things in life. Someone who pushed away the only person that liked me for who I was and not because of my money or status. And I hated myself," Brittney bitterly said as a tear began to fall from her eyes.

"So, I decided that I had to change who I was and how people saw me. And I knew that the first step to doing that was making amends with the first friend I ever had." Brittney looked down at the ground in front of her in defeat. "But I don't know how to do that."

"You already are, Brittney," Comet told her, making her look up at him again in surprise. "I won't lie to you, Brittney. You were a total bitch to Marcia, and I don't think she'll ever be able to forget the things you said to her. But the fact that you're willing to admit that you messed up is the first step to being a better person. After that, you just need to keep working at it, remember what it feels like to help others out of the goodness of your heart. And you've already managed to do that, too! You helped all those girls I, ahem, kidnapped while I was going through Mewberty, and you saved my ass just now. You're already on the right path to fixing things," Comet reassured her, which made her face brighten a little. Which only made what he had to say next even harder.

"You still have a long way to go to prove yourself to Marcia, though. She's known you longer than anyone, and she's not going to forget all the pain you've caused her over the years," Comet honestly said. "But if you keep at it, I think that she'll eventually come around and forgive you."

"You think so?" Brittney asked him.

"Hey, the day I met Marcia, I proceeded to freak out with a giant butterfly monster, get all her furniture sucked into a black hole, and proceeded to soak her to the bone with a magic raincloud before driving her out of her own home. And we still became best friends. If Marcia can forgive me for all that, then there's hope for you!" Comet flashed a big grin that managed to make Brittney laugh in response. A real, genuine laugh lifted her spirits in a way that she hadn't felt in a long, long time.

"Thank you, Comet. I needed to hear that," Brittney said in gratitude.

"And thank you for help during Mewberty and for saving my butt in the game store," Comet said in return.

"You're welcome."

Comet then got up. "Now, if you don't mind, I think I'm going to head home and help Al and Ferguson get everything set up," he said as he got out his Wand and summoned Cloudy.

"Hey, Comet!" the cloud spell happily said.

"Hey, Cloudy! Can you take me back home, please?" he asked as he got on the sentient cloud.

"Sure thing!" Cloudy said as he got ready to fly. Comet then looked back at Brittney one last time.

"See ya later, Brittney! And if you ever want to hang out with my friends and me, I'm more than happy to vouch for you!" And with that, Comet took off on Cloudy, leaving Brittney by herself, smiling at being given a second chance.

There may be hope for me yet, Brittney thought to herself as she got up to head home. She wanted to see what she could do with the gold coins Comet had traded her.

Marcia returned home with her feet still sore from the burns but with her face held high. Not only had she managed to earn her red belt, but she finally managed to give Jeremy some well-deserved payback. If she was lucky, he might never bother her again. If not, then Marcia felt far less irritated by him after the events of the day. After putting her bike back in the slot in the wall and making sure it was pad-locked, Marcia walked through the front door.

"I'm home, everyone!"

When she got into the living room, she couldn't believe what she saw. Sitting on her couch were Alfonso, Ferguson, Coryn, and what looked like Comet wearing the Master Chief's helmet as they were playing a video game on the TV.

"Hey, Marcia! I conquered my boredom!" Comet said, pausing the game so he could get up and talk to her. "Oh, and I see you got your red belt! All right!" the boy said, congratulating his friend.

"Not only that, but I think I finally managed to put Jeremy in his place!" Marcia proudly said, leaving out the fact that she destroyed his phone; or that he had that creepy photo album of her.

"That's awesome, Marcia!" Comet then happily gave his friend a high-five, which she gladly returned. "As for me, I went out and got us the Halo 20th Anniversary Ultimate Master Chief Bundle, just as I said I would!"

"I know. I was there, Comet," Marcia said with a playful roll of her eyes.

"Marcia, you gotta try this game! The graphics are total next-next-gen on the UGC!" Ferguson said, calling out to the Diaz girl.

"Well, Marcia, it would seem that, despite your concerns, I have effectively proven my mastery of life on Earth," Comet. She couldn't see underneath his helmet, but Comet was looking as smug as hell at the moment. "So, is there anything that you'd like to say to me?"

"All right, I admit it, Comet. I'm sorry I underestimated you," Marcia told him. "Happy?"

"You know," Comet began to say, "some people would decide not to make a big deal out of this and demonstrate that they're the bigger person. However, I am not one of those people! IN YOUR FACE!" Comet then proceeded to break out into a dance that he created specifically for when he wanted to rub something in people's faces.

"~In your face! In your face! In your face, uh-huh, in your face!~."

Marcia couldn't help but let out a giggle at how childish Comet could be at times, but in a good way. "All right, champ. How about you save the gloating until after I get changed out of my uniform. Plus, I need to order new pants for it." Marcia then walked up the stairs to her room to get out of her uniform and the embarrassingly short pants.

Meanwhile, Comet got settled back down on the couch and resumed the game with his two friends.

"Hey," Comet said.

"Yeah?" Ferguson asked.

"You ever wonder why we're here?" Comet said.

"Haha, he said the thing!" Alfonso commented, giddy at the blatant Red vs. Blue reference as the boys continued to enjoy themselves.

*Back in Jay's Workspace in Hong Kong's rubble, Janna and RJ "Jay" Writing Ink are seen sitting on the ground, enjoying large frosty's together. Jay's Mech is seen resting off in the corner, while Godzilla and Kong are nowhere to be found.*

Jay: So, after fighting with the two of them for a while, all of a sudden this army of Colossal Titans from Attack on Titan shows up, ready to flatten everything.

Janna: I know, Jay, I was there. I still can't believe you managed to convince Kong and Godzilla to team up with you to fight off that army of Titans.

Jay: Yep. It was just the three of us against hundreds of giant, world-destroying Titans. But, all they could do was release crazy-hot steam, so it wasn't that hard to fight them all. Too bad it was too complicated to write into this outro.

Janna: So, what happened to the two, anyway?

Jay: Oh, I used my powers to grow back Kong's fur and restore Godzilla's dorsal plates. I know that I didn't take them, but I figured it was the best way to make peace. After that, they went off to do their own thing.

Janna: Crazy story, man. Really crazy story. Speaking of which, how do you think readers will like what you did with Brittney in this chapter?

Jay: Well, if you'll recall, the Mewberty arc was when I wanted to start Brittney's road to redemption. And while she did make progress via her actions, I wanted this to be the part of the story where her redemption begins in earnest. Now that she knows Comet's watching her, she wants to really improve herself. For her own sake. I just hope that people can forgive her, given time.

Janna: You're not going to give us some long-winded speech about bad people changing for the better, are you?

Jay: No, I'm too tired from fighting for that. Instead, let's just skip to doing

READER'S REVIEWS

ThDorkMagnet-Hey, DorkMagnet! Glad to see that you're still liking this story! And yeah, I figured that I should use the first chapter to better explain why Comet got sent to Earth. In canon, the Book of Spells explains it was due to Star blowing off steam after breaking up with Tom, which led to her setting that town on fire. But that didn't happen until after the show was underway. I wanted to establish it right away while also establishing Comet's relationship with his family and people.

And yes, I liked what I did with Marcia, even the bra scene. It's what happens in anime, and I'm using that as an influence. NOT. SORRY.

And it's Fairy Tail, not Fairy Tale. And you're going to be in for far more challenges as the story continues.

Shaeril McBrown-RIP Jessica Walter

LockAndKey989-I didn't skip Toffee or...that school. I merely pushed them back until I needed them.

Guest 1-You're welcome. I only learned about it on Twitter.

FungusDungus000-I actually have a similar concept to that that I'm planning on doing down the line. Also, what cringe-inducing account?

Guest 2-Hey, it's cool. You're just giving constructive feedback, not hating. But you may want to tell Hippie that.

Julayla-I will miss Jessica Walter. Also, Solar Opposites was hilarious.

Seth Scorpio 95-Hmmm. You may have wanted to have lead with that. Sometimes, I don't always connect the dots.

The Wandering Hippie-THANK YOU for the compliments on my writing. I never intended to include a Red vs. Blue reference in there, but it just felt like the most appropriate way to break the news. And I think I captured Grif and Simmons' personalities fairly accurately.

LOL, no. I'm not trying to be a better writer than the people on the show. I'm probably just getting lucky. If not, then I would be writing on a real show by now.

And preordering the game was necessary. As a gamer, I know the importance of doing so in the event of shortages. I refuse to let anyone deal with a "race to claim" story.

And I hope I satisfied your desire to see Jeremy get the shit beat out of him. Honestly, I was a little worried that I was crossing the line with the photos, but then I remembered that it's supposed to be creepy. That just shows how obsessed Jeremy is with Marcia and that he needs to be taught a lesson. He may or may not still cause trouble for her in the future, though.

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 Friday, where I'm pleased to say that we'll be doing a story that some people have been waiting for since the start: The Blood Moon Ball.

HAPPY EASTER, EVERYONE!