*We open up on Jay's Workspace, currently packed with many of the characters who have made cameo appearances in his story thus far: Janna, Omnitraxus, the Eds, the Warner Siblings, DevilArtemis Kermit, Lemongrab, GIR, and more. Yet Jay's nowhere to be seen.*
Janna: Okay, where the heck is he? He said he would be here for some big stunt.
Omni: Don't worry. He'll be here.
?: HEADS UP, GUYS!
*As if on cue, RJ "Jay" Writing Ink makes his appearance, riding the iconic motorcycle from the anime film Akira into the pocket dimension. He zooms past everyone before proceeding to do that iconic pose from the film using the bike, and then gets off, revealing he's wearing a modified version of Goku's gi, only with the symbol for the Olympics on it.*
Jay: Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone. You have no idea how hard it was to plan that.
Janna: I see that you're showing off your inner geek loud and proud this week, Jay. It takes a big man to reveal who he really is.
Jay: Yeah, well, today marks two important events: first, the start of San Diego Comic Con, albeit it's still only livestreamed. And, tonight's the opening ceremony for the Olympics-
Kermit: They're still having them? Even with COVID still around?
Jay:-and according to rumors, the opening ceremony's going to have a lot of shout-outs and references to Japanese pop culture. So, I figured doing a tribute to the film Akira was in order. Especially since they somehow predicted the Olympics would be in Tokyo in 2020, give or take a year.
*Jay then gets serious as he looks at everyone.*
Jay: Now, while we let the readers enjoy the new chapter, who's ready to see what SDCC has to offer us this year, and then react to the opening ceremony of the Olympics?
Janna: Oh, I can't wait to see the Rick and Morty Panel.
Jay: Hell, yeah! Let's do this shit!
Comet had only been in charge of his classmates for an hour, and contrary to what all the adults in his life had told him, being a leader wasn't that hard. In fact, Comet had found being a leader to be super easy.
Miss Skullnick always complained that none of the kids would listen to her directions save for Marcia and a few others. Yet when Comet told them what to do, they didn't question him.
"Excuse me, Comet!"
As if to prove his point, Comet heard his name being called out by CometFan13 and another student, a short, chubby boy by the name of Francis Smithington. The two were standing next to this mini black-hole in the middle of the floor that was surrounded by at least a dozen warning signs.
"CometFan and I were wondering if it was cool if we jumped into this ominous-looking vortex we found," Francis asked the Prince. Comet took a look at his friends and then at the warning signs. Then, in his mind, he let his imagination play out the worst-case scenario: falling forever as he felt his body being stretched out like spaghetti. Cool, but no.
"Sorry, guys, but I don't think that's a good idea," Comet said, his voice filled with regret. "And if I say something's not a good idea, then you know that it's not a good idea."
Francis and CometFan both looked at Comet, and then at each other, and shrugged their shoulders. "Can't argue with that kind of logic," Francis admitted.
"And I'll do whatever Comet says," CometFan admitted. The two boys then waved goodbye to Comet as they went to explore another part of the museum.
"I hated doing that to them, but there's no fun in doing something if you're going to regret it right away," Comet said to himself. He had many experiences throughout his life that had taught him that there was a limit to even what he would do. Like never eat a raw volcano pepper to see if it would make him breathe fire.
"I can't believe how much ice I had to eat to stop my throat from melting," Comet thought as he reminisced on that painful memory before continuing on his way.
Some time afterward, as he was looking at this metal, garbage-can-looking casing used by beings mentioned in King Skye's entry of the Book of Spells, Comet saw a dark shadow pass overhead. When he looked up to see what it was, his eyes nearly popped out. There, flying overhead, was Jackson, riding a giant, Dermathian Stingray. Which was like a stingray found on Earth, except, through means that seemed to defy the laws of nature, it could fly. And Jackson was surfing on the back of one like it was no one's business!
"WOO-HOOO! RIGHT ON!" Jackson whooped as he flew overhead, prompting Comet to react by summoning his faithful, sentient cloud, Cloudy.
"Hi, Comet!" Cloudy cheerfully said. "How can I help you today?"
"Follow that Dermathian Stingray, Cloudy!" Comet said as he hopped on board, with Cloudy dutifully following him into the air.
"Jackson!" Comet cried out once he was within range of his friend. "What the corn are you doing, man?"
"Oh, hey, Comet," Jackson said, casually waving. "Pretty cool, huh? I found this guy hanging around near a dragon skeleton. He seemed friendly, so I decided to hop on and enjoy the view!" Jackson then pulled out his phone and began to look at the various exhibits and attractions. "So, do you see anything crazy stupid around here yet? I don't know if you heard, but me and Marcia-"
"-have this bet over who can come up with the funniest photo by the end of the day. Yeah, she told me," Comet interrupted. "But listen, man, you shouldn't be riding one of those things without training first," he tried to warn his friend. "I mean, if I fell, I'd probably live since I'm a Mewman and have magic, but you could get yourself killed."
"Wow. Don't tell me that Comet the rebel is telling me to be safe?" Jackson teased, irritating Comet more than he'd like to admit.
"Fine. I mean, you've got experience flying on your U-Board, so I probably shouldn't be worried," Comet conceded. "Just make sure you look out for mid-air collisions. I've had plenty of near-misses ever since I started using Cloudy."
"We almost got banned from the airport!" Cloudy cheerfully proclaimed.
"It's true," Comet admitted. He got bored while Marcia was at karate class one afternoon and used Cloudy to fly to the nearest airport. Unfortunately, his eagerness to see how planes worked came close to causing several accidents.
"Hey, isn't that Karla Greason down there?" Jackson pointed out, immediately diverting Comet's attention. Sure enough, there was his crush, walking through this bizarre-looking art gallery. At that moment, any concern he had for Jackson was overshadowed by his desire to spend time with his dream girl.
"Bye, Jackson! Let me know if you won the bet!" Comet said as he jumped off of Cloudy and descended to the ground, leaving Jackson incredulous.
"And he told me to be careful," Jackson said as he steered the stingray in a different direction, leaving Cloudy alone.
"Well, guess I'll go back home now," Cloudy said before evaporating into mist, screaming as he did so. Why he did that, or if he felt actual pain, no one knew.
Spongebob Narrator: Meanwhile...
Ms. Skullnick made her way inside the exhibit labeled "Walking with Trolls," not knowing what she could hope to find. Whatever she saw, though, she doubted that it would make her feel any better about her hideous, new body, courtesy of Comet Dragonfly.
Comet Dragonfly... just thinking about that boy made Ms. Skullnick's blood boil. She had no idea what everyone saw in that boy. He was nothing but a nuisance! He wouldn't pay attention in class, he would use magic for the smallest of problems, and worst of all, he put everyone in school at risk. Hell, after the Mewberty Incident, there was an emergency PTA meeting held over whether Comet should even be allowed to attend school, and Ms. Skullnick had been among the most vocal about expelling him. Yet it had all been for naught thanks to Comet's heartfelt apology and his parent's willingness to pay for all damages, as well as assure everyone that such an incident wouldn't happen again. To sum it up, Ms. Skullnick hated Comet, and she doubted anything could change her mind.
Reminding herself not to get worked up over Comet, Ms. Skullnick made her way through the dimly lit exhibit to a stand labeled "Lifespan of a Troll." Seeing a button labeled "push for an audio tour," Ms. Skullnick decided to go for it and pushed the button. In response, lights flickered on in front of her, revealing a series of detailed illustrations of a Troll growing from infancy to old age.
"Trolls are one of the Universe's few ultra-supercentenarians," a voice told her in the darkness. When Ms. Skullnick looked around in confusion, she saw that the voice source was, for some reason, a tiny spider with a megaphone. "Which means they live a really, really, really, really long time." Just to confirm the spider's statement, Ms. Skullnick looked at the writing on the images...and her eyes widened when she saw the average age a Troll would reach: four hundred.
"I'm going to live to be four hundred?" Ms. Skullnick asked in disbelief.
"That is just the average," the spider said. "Some Trolls have been recorded as living close to six hundred years."
Ms. Skullnick felt like her whole world was turning upside down! "I thought I was going through 'the big change.' But it turns out I'm a teenager again!" She had to say that last part out loud for sheer enjoyment. "I'M A TEENAGER AGAIN!" Forget finding a boyfriend! She'd have plenty of time to do that. She'd have plenty of time to do anything!
No, no! Ms. Skullnick had to remind herself. She wasn't going to let this change her opinion about Comet Dragonfly. Just because he had accidentally given her a body that could live for centuries doesn't mean she didn't think he was a royal pain, pun intended.
And nothing is going to make me think otherwise!
Karla had been standing in the middle of the most surreal art gallery she had ever seen for the past ten minutes, and she had loved every minute of it. Being a musician, most people would think that someone like Karla would have little interest in artwork or sculptures, but that wasn't true. To Karla, music was every bit as arty as that painting made by that Da Vinci guy. And like any great artist, Karla liked to find inspiration from real life and those who came before her.
Karla had been in the middle of admiring this giant stone statue of what appeared to be a one-eyed triangle with a top hat when she heard a familiar cry come from above. She turned around just in time to see Comet making an epic, Frieza-style pose in front of her.
"Missed me?" He said with a cocky smile on his face, making Karla smile in amusement.
"Sup?" Karla said to her friend. "I thought you'd be too busy watching over everyone to be having fun."
Comet gasped. "Karla Greason, I am shocked! Just because I'm in charge of everyone's well-being and safety doesn't mean I'm going to throw my own wants and needs to the wayside!" Comet was doing his best to try and sound upset, but Karla knew him well enough by now to know that he was joking. So she simply decided to humor.
"Alright, alright. You got me on that," Karla said. "But seriously, this place is awesome. I mean, look at this guy!" Karla gestured to the triangle guy. "Did you know that this was modeled after some kind of dream demon that tried to terrorize the Universe?"
"I think I read about that somewhere, actually. Or heard about it; hard to tell, really."
"And look over there!" Karla pointed at a series of increasingly bigger, more advanced, blue sci-fi robots. "Those are supposed to be replicas of a highly advanced robot. According to the exhibit, the AI that pilots them travels the stars on a quest to share the greatest entertainment that he can find."
"You know, that sounds a lot like this late-night anime block that Marcia told me about once," Comet told her before he tried to recall what its name was. "Toonami, I think it was called? Yeah, Toonami!"
"I'm getting some serious inspiration for new music here, Comet! This is probably the best field trip I've ever gone on!" Karla admitted, making Comet blush a little, but he quickly suppressed it.
"Well, since I'm here right now, do you wanna walk around the museum together. Between the two of us, we'll probably find the coolest stuff here."
Before Karla could respond, though, a familiar voice called out, "Hey, Comet," catching both teen's attention. They turned in one direction to find Alfonso & Ferguson calling out to them as they stood next to this blue-looking portal. "Can we jump through this weird light-ray thing?" Ferguson asked.
Meh, at least that looks safer than the black hole, Comet thought as he mentally shrugged. "Knock yourselves out, my curious sparrows!"
"All right!" And with that, the two boys jumped into the portal...only to come out on the other side as a conjoined centaur, leaving the four teenagers stunned.
"This...is...GREAT!" Alfonso cheered as he saw what he and his best buddy had turned into.
"Friendship rules!" Ferguson cheered as the two proceeded to gallop off in another direction, leaving Comet and Karla in absolute stitches over what just happened!
"Oh my Mewni, that is so weird!" Comet guffawed.
"I can't believe they actually did that!" Karla said as she struggled to stop laughing.
Once the two had managed to get the laughter out of their system, they looked at each other, and they both knew what they needed to do: they had to find something in this place that could top what they just witnessed.
"Shall we?" Comet said as he gestured to the rest of the art gallery.
"Let's," Karla said, following her friend's lead.
As the two teens went off together, Brittney and Sabrina watched them from their respective hiding spots. Both girls were determined to use this field trip as a means to get closer to Comet, but they had no idea how to go about doing so. Even so, they knew that they had to think of something soon, or else they would miss their chance. That's when Sabrina noticed something floating in the sky in the direction that Comet and Karla had gone, and she got an idea. Moving fast, Sabrina made a beeline into the gallery, making sure that Comet didn't see her. Unfortunately for her, Brittney saw her former lieutenant and knew that she was up to something. Once again, her jealousy began to flare up; she wasn't going to lose Comet to Sabrina, and thus she took off in pursuit.
Neither of the girls realized that they were all being followed by Ludo's Monsters, waiting for the right moment to strike.
As all this was going down, Ms. Skullnick was still enjoying herself inside the "Walking with Trolls" exhibition. And thus far, she had learned a great deal about her new form and its history. Right now, for example, she was looking at a considerably ancient-looking tapestry, showing a low-level society of Trolls progressing from the age of hunter-gatherers to developing basic metalworking technology.
"For many centuries, the Trolls remained isolated in their home dimension, a land that contained very little in the way of plants and animals but was rich in metals and minerals. It is unknown when they first made contact with the rest of the Universe, but once they did, their society underwent a period of rapid growth and industrialization." The spider narrator explained. As he did so, Skullnick saw the images change. The basic smiths and metalworks began to evolve into factories and manufacturing complexes within a few decades. Dozens of Trolls were shown to be hard at work in these factories, building and crafting various things out of the metals they dug up.
"However, it was not until the Third Mebulic Millenium that Trolls began to show their true worth to the rest of the Universe with the rise of the famed 'Troll Warriors.'" At this, an image of a Troll dressed in fearsome-looking armor and carrying an enormous halberd appeared before the school teacher.
"Oh, my," Ms. Skullnick said, impressed.
"Trolls are known to be abnormally strong, capable of lifting a hundred times their own body weight," the exhibition guide explained, much to Ms. Skullnick's disbelief.
"Oh, please. There's no muscle here," Ms. Skullnick argued as she flexed her arm. To her utter disbelief, though, she saw her arm begin to pulse and bulge with muscles so huge and veiny that it would make a body-builder green with envy! Ms. Skullnick gasped in utter shock. "Did that just happen?"
"Oh, yeah," the spider said, nodding his head. "Trolls are absolutely jacked, which is why they are feared and respected as great warriors throughout the Universe. Many Trolls have found work as mercenaries, guards, and skilled laborers, making them highly sought after."
"First, I find out I'm going to live for centuries, then I learn I have super strength, and now I'm learning that we're among the most respected people in the Universe?" Ms. Skullnick reiterated. "Okay, I admit it. Being turned into a Troll isn't as bad as I thought it would be!" Ms. Skullnick gleefully said. "This may be the best day of my life," the schoolteacher said as she felt her eyes begin to tear up with joy.
"'A Coastal Kill-a-Pillar. A highly dangerous, carnivorous insect native to a remote dimension. Despite their playful, cat-like nature, these creatures subsist on a strict diet of amphibians, making them highly dangerous to the inhabitants of their native dimension,'" Jonah said as he finished reading aloud the information card before him. The boy then looked up at the creature, which looked like a cross between a white and black cat and a giant butterfly. "That's supposed to be scary? Yeah, right," Jonah scoffed as he continued on his way.
Jonah had made it his mission to locate the absolute weirdest thing in this dimension-sized museum, and thus far, the place had failed to impress him. He managed to find a talking skeleton trapped behind a glass display (who he promptly set free), but nothing cool had stood out to him beyond that. Just then, though, he saw something in the corner of his eye. It was a small pedestal with a high-tech box with a big blue button on it. The box didn't seem to have any protective security measures around it, making it easy for someone to simply reach out and grab it. Curious, Jonah strode up to the box and read the plaque on the pedestal.
"'A Meseeks Box. Capable of doing any small task, no matter what'," Jonah read aloud. "Well, I don't get it, but it doesn't look like whoever runs this place wants to keep us from using it, so..." Jonah then pressed the button on top of the box. To his surprise, a tall, lanky, powder-blue creature with a giant head and tiny black eyes appeared out of nowhere!
"I'm Mr. Meseeks! Look at me!" the creature said in a very high-pitched, cartoonish voice, taking Jonah aback.
"O-kay," Jonah said, not really sure where to go from there. Deciding to test what the plaque had told about the box, Jonah recovered his cool and began to speak ago. "Alright, Mr. Meseeks, can you explain what your purpose is and what this box is for?"
"Yes, sirree!" The Meseeks said. "By simply pressing the button on a Meseeks box, one can spawn a Mr. Meseeks. You can then give us a single task, and we will fulfill it, no matter what. And once we are done, we stop existing."
"Uh-huh," Jonah said, trying not to look disturbed by what the Meseeks just told him. "But why do that when you know that it means you'll die?"
"Because physical existence is painful for a Meseeks, and we will do anything to alleviate that pain. Is that everything?" The Meseeks asked, never losing its cheerful attitude.
"Yeah, that pretty much answers all my questions."
"Okay!" And then the Meseeks disappeared into a cloud of blue smoke. That's when Jonah got an idea, making him press the button once more.
"I'm Mr. Meseeks! Look at me!" the next Meseeks said.
"Mr. Meseeks, show me the most dangerous thing in this museum," Jonah ordered.
"Oh, can do!" the Meseeks said before leading Jonah through the dimension. After a few minutes, the Meseeks brought him to the most dangerous thing in the place. "There you go! All done!" And just like the last one, the Meseeks poofed out of existence.
Jonah took one look at the display, labeled "The Universe's Most Deadliest Creature," and then at what was inside. The display inside looked like a mini living room with a fireplace, only covered in blue wool. And out of that wool came this tiny, button-eyed looking creature that was happily knitting a pair of socks.
"What the fuck?" was all Jonah could say in response. "This is the deadliest thing in the Universe?"
"Heads up!" A voice suddenly cried out. As Jonah looked around in confusion, he saw Jackson in the sky above, jumping off a flying stingray before using his U-Board to safely glide down. "Hey, Jonah. What are you doing?"
"Just trying to find the weirdest and scariest thing inside in this place. But apparently, this is the best they could come up with," he said, gesturing to the little, blue yarn creature. "What a tease," he said, disappointed.
"Yeah, I gotta admit that this is pretty lame," Jackson agreed before he got a great idea. "Oh, wait. This will make for a hilarious photo to send to Marcia," Jackson said as he got out his smartphone and began to take selfies.
Having overhead Marcia (through undisclosed means) explain the bet that she and Jackson had going on, Jonah knew what his skating friend was referring to. "So, if you win, what are you going to make her do?" He asked, trying to gauge his friend's reaction.
"Probably have her do my math homework for me for the next month. That way, I can focus more on practicing my skating."
"Not very original, but I'd do the same thing," Jonah admitted. "But seriously, is this display supposed to be some kind of bad joke? I can think of a million things that are deadlier than this. Even Ludo's two-bit gang of Monsters is scarier than this, and that's setting the bar pretty low."
"Um, Jonah?" Jackson said as he tried to get his buddy's attention.
"Yeah, they may act all big, tough, and intimidating, but as we've seen numerous times, they fall apart like a house of cards at the first sign of resistance."
"Jonah-"
"I mean, do you remember how they reacted when I showed up in Comet's backyard that one day? That fly guy looked ready to have a heart attack when he saw me! What a bunch of losers-"
"JONAH!" Jackson shouted as he poked him on the shoulder.
"Yeah, what is it?" Jonah asked as he finally turned around to look at Jackson. And that's when he saw what got Jackson so worried. Standing in front of them were none other than Lobster Claws, Boo Fly, Potato Baby, Dave and Ping Pong, and Bearicorn. And all of them were very pissed.
"Whozzz a bunch of lozerz, now?" Boo Fly sinisterly asked.
"Ah shit," Jonah thought. "I knew I shouldn't have left my alchemy stuff at home."
"So, it says that this piece is supposed to be of a pair of great heroes being chased by an intergalactic tyrant," Comet explained as he and Karla looked around the art gallery.
"Really? Because it looks like a guy cosplaying as Skeletor is chasing a Muppet riding a dinosaur," Karla offered her two cents, making Comet snort with laughter. True to her word, the painting they were looking at was of a small, furry, orange creature with a big green hat riding on a pale-blue dinosaur across an exotic landscape. Behind them, an angry-looking skeleton in red robes and sneakers was chasing and shouting at the pair while many tiny, living eyeballs in helmets followed them.
Comet liked being able to spend time with Karla, just the two of them. Whenever he saw Karla, they were either in school or hanging out with their friends. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing since Come loved hanging out with his friends. Yet, a part of him wanted the chance to get Karla alone with him so that he could get closer to her.
Even though he had teased Marcia about her complicated plan to win Jackson's heart, he was ashamed to admit that he was trying to do the same thing with Karla. The big difference was that Comet wasn't letting doubt hold him back in any way. He would befriend her, get to know her better, and when the time was right, he would ask her out on a date. Then they'd become a couple, get married, and she would become Queen of Mewni and be able to spread her musical vibes throughout the Universe. And no matter what, Comet was certain that he would succeed!
"Comet, help!"
Too bad other people had different ideas, as Comet heard someone cry out his name in distress. Comet then looked above and saw Sabrina trapped on some kind of surreal, floating stairway. Some stairs went up, down, left to right, and in directions that seemed to defy the laws of gravity. And in the midst of all this was Sabrina, trying desperately to get off, only to fall upwards, injuring herself!
"Sabrina! How did you get up there?" Comet called out.
"I don't know! But now I just want to get off-oof!" Sabrina continued to tumble and fall across the weird structure, which only hurt her even more.
Comet winced. He didn't know what to do, but he knew that he had to do something! "Hang on, Sabrina. I'm coming!" He then hastily turned to Karla. "Don't worry. I'll be right back."
"It's cool. Go do your thing, fearless leader," Karla teased, making Comet smile as he pulled out his Wand and aimed it towards the ground.
"RABBIT ROCKET BLAST!" Just like that, Comet was soaring through the air with a trail of cute little rabbits in his wake. Within moments, Comet had made it to the floating staircase and Sabrina, who was lying limply on the ground. "You alright?"
"Uh-huh. Can you please get me down?" Sabrina numbly asked.
"Don't you worry, Sabrina. You're going to be alright." Before the girl could even have a chance to say otherwise, Comet scooped her up in his arms. "Hold on tight now, okay?"
For a moment, Sabrina's brain stopped functioning. Whatever Comet had just said sounded dim and muffled to her ears. At that moment, all that she could think about was how muscular the Prince felt. Even when he was wearing a shirt and open-hoodie combo, Sabrina could see the outline of his still-developing yet toned chest and abs. And as she wrapped her arms around Comet's neck for support, it was like grabbing ahold of warm marble.
Oh my God, he's so hot, Sabrina thought as she tried, and failed, to hold back her blush. Fortunately, Comet didn't notice her reaction, as he just smiled and looked at the ground below as he prepared another spell.
"RABBIT ROCKET BLAST!" For the second time in as many minutes, Comet blasted off to a trail of rabbits in his wake. Whatever gravitational pull that had kept Sabrina trapped on the staircase proved to be no match for Comet's magic, as they quickly broke free and hurtled towards the ground below. Sabrina gasped as she saw how fast they were approaching the ground and at the fact that Comet didn't seem to be slowing down.
As Sabrina instinctively closed her eyes and braced for impact, Comet just smirked before pointing his Wand at the oncoming floor. "Pancake Pillow Protection!" Out of nowhere, a giant pile of buttermilk pancakes appeared on the floor right as they were about to hit. Somehow, the pancakes were able to cushion the impact of the fall, giving Comet enough time to adjust himself so that he could land safely on the ground.
"You can open your eyes now, Sabrina," Comet said, getting the girl to do as he asked. To her relief, they were both safe and sound. And for some reason, there was a giant pile of pancakes next to them. And she was still holding on to the boy like her life depended on it. As much as she wanted to stay there, wrapped up in the Prince's arms for the rest of eternity, Sabrina's common sense kept her from doing so. Reluctantly, she let go and allowed herself to stand on solid ground.
"Th-thank you for saving me, Comet," Sabrina said. "You really are a good leader, you know?"
"Thanks, Sabrina," Comet said. "I guess that I am. I don't know what Ms. Skullnick was talking about; this stuff is easy!" The sight of the Prince acting so confident and self-assured made Sabrina giggle a little to herself. It was adorable seeing him acting so cocky.
"If that will be all, Sabrina, then excuse me while Karla and I finish touring the museum together. Later!" And with that, Comet flashed Sabrina one of his trademark smiles before running off to rejoin Karla. By the time that the girl was able to process that he was leaving her behind and that she should stop him from doing so, it was already too late; he was gone.
"Darn it. And I was so close," Sabrina muttered to herself.
From her secret hiding spot behind a sculpture of a phone booth that was mistakenly colored blue instead of red, though, Brittney was absolutely livid. She had watched everything from start to finish. Sabrina had deliberately made her way up to that weird staircase and put herself in danger just so she could grab the Prince's attention. And what's worse, it worked! There was no way Brittney was going to let that slide!
Sabrina Backintosh, you just declared full-on nuclear war! Brittney fumed as she thought about how she was going to retaliate. She had to do something to get his attention right then and there! The less rational part of her brain was even willing to consider finding a machine that would dissolve clothing. Fortunately, her common sense (and sense of decency) made her realize that was a terrible idea. But it did also give her another, more rational idea: Marcia. She would know how to get Comet's attention!
All right, new plan, Brittney. Find Marcia, ask her what's the best way to get Comet's attention, and then outdo Sabrina! And so, Brittney Wong ran off in search of Marcia Diaz. She was lucky that she left when she did. If she hadn't, then she may have been caught by the guys who just took Sabrina.
Comet quickly made his way back to the art gallery where he had left Karla, thinking up all sorts of ways to apologize to her, even if it wasn't necessary. As he passed an abstract painting of an old man in a white lab coat and a boy in a yellow shirt that looked around his age, Comet began to pick up the pace. Finally, he had made it to the painting of the Skeletor cosplayer chasing the Muppet and dinosaur. "Sorry, Karla, that took longer than I thought it would, but if you're still up for it-"
It was only then that Comet realized that he'd been talking to himself. Karla Greason was nowhere to be found.
"Ah, pegasus feathers," Comet cursed. "She must have decided to do some more exploring by herself," he surmised. He wasn't that upset, though; he would probably run into her again. In the meantime, he decided not to waste an opportunity to spend time with friends and started to backtrack to the pancakes, hoping that Sabrina was still around.
Once he had made it back to the pancakes, though, he was met with the same thing: nothing. For a moment, Comet thought that the cheerleader had gone off by herself to check out some of the other baubles and doo-dads and would have left it at that. However, he then noticed something small and colorful lying on the ground. Going to pick it up and exam it, Comet saw that it was a small, green scrunchy that Sabrina wore on her wrist. Marcia had told him that she got it for her as a gift when she became the head cheerleader. She never went anywhere without it.
Right away, Comet's senses went on high alert. The fact that Sabrina had just up and vanished without her scrunchy was a warning sign. Something was wrong; very wrong! That was when Comet noticed something he hadn't before. Despite how big this dimension was, Comet should've been able to see or hear his classmates as they ran around enjoying themselves. Yet besides Al, Ferg, Karla, and Sabrina, he hadn't seen or heard anyone!
Oh no. Comet didn't know what was going on, but he knew that this field trip had just taken a turn for the worse. "I've gotta find the others. I've gotta find Marcia!" Comet then darted off in search of Marcia, doing his best to keep from panicking. There was no way that he was going to let his friends get hurt on his watch! Whoever, or whatever, was behind all this, they had better be ready to face his wrath!
"I'm not helping you, Brittney," Marcia bluntly told the Wong heiress.
"Please, Marcia!" Brittney pleaded. "I know that we've had our differences, and I know that you aren't exactly thrilled about the idea of me trying to date Comet-"
"Yes, and I know that you're trying to change," Marcia pointed out. "But the idea of you trying to date my best friend still makes me want to puke up blood."
"Okay, harsh," Brittney told the Diaz girl. "But please, Marcia. I am begging you to help me with this!"
Marcia sighed as she looked up from her phone. "Look, even if I wanted to help you, Brittney, I don't know what I could do for you. I may live with him, but when it comes to what he sees in girls, I'm as clueless as you about Comet Dragonfly." She then gestured to her phone. "And besides, I'm too busy trying to win a bet with Jackson so I can make him take me out on a date."
"Really?" Brittney deadpanned. "You're too busy to help me impress the guy I like because you're too busy trying to win over yours?"
"Yes, the irony's not lost on me, Brittney," Marcia admitted. "But like I said, I don't know how to help you. Besides, I'm sure you'll think of something. Just like I'm going to think of something to send to Jackson and win the bet." At that moment, though, the bell on Marcia's rang, letting her know that she just got a text from Jackson, making her spirits sink. "Shit, I may have spoken too soon," Marcia said as she opened up her phone, secretly praying that it wasn't that funny. Whatever concerns she may have had about the bet, though, were about to take a backseat to her fears about Jackson himself. Rather than send her some goofy photo of something that he had found in this massive museum, all she got was a simple, four-letter text:
HELP.
"Oh, no," Marcia softly whispered to herself, getting Brittney's attention.
"What? What is it? What's wrong?"
Before Marcia even had a chance to explain what she was talking about, they saw Comet running towards them at top speed, shouting like crazy.
"MARCIA!" Comet yelled as he ran towards them, his face contorting into one of sheer panic. "Marcia! Something's up. All of our classmates are missing. I can't get ahold of any of them and look at this." Comet held up Sabrina's scrunchy. "Sabrina wouldn't leave this behind. I think something got them!"
"Okay, okay, Comet. Let's calm down. I'm sure that they're fine. Let's just stay calm and figure this out. I doubt that there isn't anything here that could get all of them at once."
*Ker-thwack*
As soon as Marcia had said that, Comet felt something hit him in the back of the head, much to the trio's surprise. Comet looked behind him and discovered that it was a paper airplane, much to his surprise. When he saw that the girls were just as clueless about this as he was, Comet bent down, picked up the airplane, and began to the (barely legible) writing.
"Prince Comet Dragonfly of Mewni, we have all your friends. If you ever want to see them again, bring the Wand to, yada yada yada..." Comet skimmed through the rest. "Signed...oh, for crying out loud!"
"Comet, that doesn't sound very promising," Marcia told her friend.
"It's Ludo again! He had his goon squad nab everyone while I wasn't looking!" Comet said as he tore the letter into shreds. "That no-good little-!"
"Comet, calm down!" Marcia shouted at him. "Now's not the time to freak out."
"You sure about that, Marcia?" Comet asked her as he kept pacing back and forth. "I told Ms. Skullnick that she had nothing to worry about. That I would have everything under control! Instead, I was too busy trying to have fun that I let everyone get taken hostage by the birdbrain who thinks he's my worst enemy. And did I mention that I promised Ms. Skullnick that she had nothing to worry about? She's never going to let me live this down!" Comet was so upset that he tore his hat off his head and threw it on the ground. "Why in the Seven Hells does being a leader have to be so damn hard!?" He bemoaned.
Marcia and Brittney both looked at each other, the fear and confusion etched all over their faces. Finally, Marcia went to pick up Comet's hat, dusted it off, and put it back on his head. "Don't worry, Comet. This is still Ludo we're talking about, so I doubt that the others are in that much danger. All we have to do is find Ms. Skullnick and tell her what's going on-"
"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Comet yelled as she shot up from the ground. "If I do that, do you have any idea have furious she'll be with me? She'll never let me live this down! No, I've got a better idea: I'm going to find out where they're keeping everyone and do what I do best: kick ass!"
As Comet made to go look for his classmates, though, Brittney yelled to him, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" making him stop dead in his tracks. As Marcia and Comet turned around to look at the young heiress, they were even more confused about why she was yelling at him. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long for an explanation as she continued to chew Comet out.
"You're seriously going to go charging in without any plan whatsoever? That's probably what those freaks want you to do: go in, guns blazing, and put yourself and everyone else at risk."
"But I can't just sit here and do nothing, Brittney! I'm in charge of them, so it's my fault that this happened!" Comet tried to argue. But Brittney wasn't having any of that.
"Yes, you're in charge of them, Comet. But that's why you shouldn't act so recklessly. That's only going to get us in even more trouble, and that is the last thing any of us want right now!" Brittney's facial features then softened as she let out a heavy sigh. "Listen, Comet. I know what it's like to be in charge, only to screw up. It's beyond frustrating because, as the leader, everyone expects you to always do what's best. But sometimes, leaders don't know what they're doing. So, they can either refuse to acknowledge their shortcomings, double down, and hope for the best, only for everything to blow up in their faces. Or, they admit that they need help and get it from people who know what they're doing."
"Wow," was all Comet could say.
"Yeah. Wow," Marcia added on. She was actually impressed by what Brittney had just said.
"So, what you're saying is that I should swallow my pride and go ask Ms. Skullnick for help?" Comet summed up, to which Brittney nodded, making him sigh. "Okay, fine. I'll ask Ms. Skullnick for help, but only because I care more about my friends than I do about one-upping an authority figure."
"I'm proud of you, Comet," Marcia admitted. "Now, come on. I think that 'Walking with Trolls' Exhibit is back this way," she said as she gestured in the opposite direction that Comet had come from.
"That won't be necessary, Ms. Diaz," a new voice said, making all three kids wheel around. To their surprise (and Comet's dread), Ms. Skullnick was standing there with her arms crossed. And as she walked closer to them, it was clear that she was not happy.
"Heeeey, Ms. Skullnick," Comet said with a sheepish look on his face. "So, I don't know how long you were standing there or how much you heard, but-"
"Long enough, and I heard everything, Dragonfly," Ms. Skullnick sharply replied, and for once, Comet didn't argue. "And as much as I want to chew you out for failing to keep the rest of the class safe, now is not the time. My students are in danger, and all I want to know is how you're going to help me get them back."
"Wait, you, you seriously still want my help?" Comet asked, amazed that his teacher would still want his aid even after hearing everything. Maybe she does have faith in me, after all.
"No," Skullnick bluntly told him, killing his hopes. "But I can't handle all those Monsters by myself, so we might as well work together on this."
"Works for me!" Comet said. "But how are we going to track them all down? That ransom letter didn't exactly tell us where they-"
"Check the back?" Marcia suggested. Comet paused for a moment before looking at the back of the letter.
"Huh. It says here that they're located at-oh, wow, I didn't realize that that was a thing." Comet said as he showed the others the location on the letter.
"Think it's a trick?" Marcia asked.
"Doubt it. Ludo's too obsessed with the Wand to pull something like this."
"Then that's we're headed," Skullnick said. "But first, we need to stop somewhere. I'm going to need some gear."
"Lead the way, Ms. Skullnick!" Comet said. And thus, the unlikely quartet headed out on their mission.
*Back in Jay's Workspace, everyone's enjoying themselves watching the panels for SDCC while waiting for the opening ceremony. That's when Jay realizes that the chapter's done.*
Jay: Yeah, no duh, me. I'm the one who wrote this stuff. And no, I'm not going to start arguing with myself. Instead, I want to do something more productive.
Jay: Firstly, I noticed how many of you figured out that I was combining "Interdimensional Field Trip" with "Mewnipendence Day." I had meant to say something about that at the beginning of the last chapter, but then I went to the movies and forgot about it. Also, Janna was too busy fighting Bugs Bunny to care. What I'm trying to say is, don't worry about "Mewnipendence Day." I've got something way more fun in store for that.
In the meantime, let's respond to some
READER'S REVIEWS
LockAndKey989-Happy birthday!
NightAroma-I already privately messaged you on this, but I still want to say it: I don't know where you got that idea about Sabrina. She's not the new Brittney. She's not even a Queen Bee. She's just in charge of the cheerleaders, and she's way nicer than Brittney was. The only reason she's acting like that is that she's still bitter about Brittney treated her for years.
Julayla-Julayla, I have the story planned out clear to "Bon Bon." And that's just right now. I'm going to finish planning the rest out very soon.
FungusDungus000-Yes, I am still using that episode.
Guest 1-Thank you. But Brittney's redemption arc is not over yet. She's got a ways to go.
TheWanderingHippie-Unlike Star in canon, Comet's a little more intelligent due to the circumstances in his life. As we've seen, he can be a great leader; he just doesn't like doing that. And don't worry; Toffee already made sure that this plan is doomed to fail. And you'll see why.
You know what to do: fave and follow this story, and follow me on Twitter (JZ-Gaming), Insta (RJ Writing Ink), and YouTube (Jungoguy).
And I'm giving you guys a test: I want you to name at least one reference that I made in this chapter. Any of them. And I swear that if NONE OF YOU know who Mr. Meseeks is, I'm going to be so disappointed!