*In Jay's Workspace, we see DAU Kermit, sitting on a couch all by himself, bored out of his mind*

Kermit: *sigh*

*Suddenly, a tearing sound is heard throughout the pocket dimension, followed by a blue portal appearing in the void. Out of it pops the head of a familiar figure wearing thug life glasses.*

Jay: I'M BACK, BITCHES!

*Out of the portal comes RJ "Jay" Writing Ink, wearing his signature AC hoodie and carrying his gamer Keyblade in one hand*

Kermit: HOLY SHIT, JAY! You're back from your vacation!

Jay: You bet your sexy green ass I am. And the best part is Book Two of Comet vs. The Forces of Evil! That's right, I decided to split this series up into separate books just because I can! This next part will cover the first half of Season Two, so expect a lot of funny stories mixed with plot development. And if you wait until the end of the chapter, I've got a few announcements that I'd like to make. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go wait for the rest of the guests to arrive.

"Guess whooooo?"

As the camera on the laptop came to life, the image, already blurry from trying to focus on its main target, began to fog up. Then, a hand proceeded to wipe away the fog revealing the person who was talking.

"What is up, all my shooting stars out there! It's me, Comet Dragonfly, the devilishly dashing Prince of Mewni and magical boy wonder, back with an update for all my adoring fans!"

Ever since Comet had discovered the concept of social media on Earth, he had insisted on diving right into it. Within a few days, he had set up his own YouTube account and connected it to Twitter, Instagram, and more. The boy would then upload everything from the standard lets plays, reaction videos, and blogs about his life to videos that showed off some of his craziest magical spells. Even though his parents warned him about the people of Earth freaking out about 'magic being real,' most people on Earth's Internet were very chill about it. That, or they thought it was all just special effects and didn't ask questions. Either way, he was already pushing half a million subscribers.

"So, you're probably all wondering where I've been for the last week or so," Comet said as he lazily sat on the sink in the bathroom. "Well, it's a long story, so here goes." Then a bunch of images and special effects began to play on the screen.

"So, first Marcia and I, that's my best friend, got into this huge argument about me being reckless and stuff, and she stormed off to her room. And then her Mom told me that she was only mad because she cared about me, so I went to apologize. Except Marcia wasn't there. It was one of Ludo's Monsters, and they nabbed Marcia!"

*Cue the 'Dun Dun Dun'*

"So, they said that if I wanted to see Marcia in one piece, then I had to come to their evil Castle and give them my Wand. And then I called all my friends, they started freaking out, and I decided to go what my friends called 'Liam Neeson' on the Monsters' asses. But when I went back to Ludo's Castle to get Marcia back, I found out that Ludo wasn't behind it; he got kicked out by this new lizard-man named Toffee. Side note, who the heck calls their kid Toffee? So, I teamed up with Buff Frog, this Frogman who used to work for Ludo, but isn't anymore, and we stormed the Castle. There was a lot of fighting, and I blew a bunch of stuff up to get Marcia back. Including the Castle. And more importantly, my Wand."

*Cue the 'Aw, Man'*

"And I was so bummed because I thought that this meant I would never get to use magic again. But that's when I got, drumroll please..."

Somehow, a drumroll began playing in the background as Comet reached into a drawer in the sink and began to pull something out.

"MY NEW WA...Oh, wait, that's a hairbrush. Hold on a sec..." Comet went rummaging through the drawer some more before he managed to find something else.

"MY NEW WA..." But it was a hairdryer, so back into the drawer he went.

"MY n..wait, where in the Seven Hells did this thing come from?" Comet asked in bewilderment as he held this strange, grey-gun-like controller with a vial filled with these green, glowing liquid. Seeing this, Comet just shrugged and put it back inside the drawer as he continued to rummage around until he finally found what he was looking for at last!

"MY NEW WAND! For real, this time!" Comet proudly proclaimed as he held up his Wand, now in its new appearance, complete with the half-missing star in the center of the bell. "Oh, and Marcia's fine, by the way. Say hi to everyone, Mar-Mar!" Without any warning, Comet proceeded to turn the laptop around so that it could face where he was looking, revealing it to be the Diaz family's bathroom. And it just so happened that Marcia was stepping out of the shower, having finished wrapping on a towel while she currently had another one in her hair. However, the moment she saw that, a.) Comet was in the bathroom while she was using it, and b.) had a live camera pointed right at her, Marcia screamed as her face turned beet-red.

"COMET DRAGONFLY, YOU TURN THAT OFF RIGHT NOW!" She shouted as she dove for the laptop, quickly shutting it off.

In another part of the country, a teenager around Comet and Marcia's age wearing a yellow shirt was staring at the screen, perplexed by what he saw.

"Aw, jeez. Was-was that Rick's Portal Gun just now? How did that guy get it?"

Elsewhere, a young Thai-American girl was watching the live stream on her phone as her cat rested on her lap, looking surprised by what just happened.

"Girl, if I were you, I would be reacting the exact same way. Just glad that my frog friends have never done that."

"Did you say something, Anne?"

"No, Polly. Go back to fixing Frobo!"

A six-year-old boy with spiky blonde hair and a red, striped shirt sat in front of the computer next alongside his tiger/best friend as they watched this.

"Well, that was weird," the boy said.

"Yeah. Wanna go use your parents Netflix account?" the tiger asked.

"You read my mind!"

In her home in the All-Blue, Aqua watched the stream with relief in her eyes. "I am so glad that they are safe, Misty, but...should I be worried that Comet was in the bathroom with Marcia like that?"

"Horsea!"

"You're right. Comet's not like that."

In Echo Creek itself, CometFan13 looked at his screen in confusion before tapping his keyboard a couple of times, trying to make sure he wasn't the reason the stream got cut off.

"Comet," Marcia sternly said to her best friend. "While I'm happy that you got your Wand back and that we both made it home alive, we talked about this: no going in the bathroom when one of us is showering!"

"Or using the toilet," Comet added on.

"That too," Marcia agreed. "The last thing I need is you barging in here filming something and catching me naked in the shower!" Marcia's mind then began to wander to all the horrible things that could happen. "If someone were to see me like that and take screenshots, they could spread it all over the Internet, and that would completely ruin my social life!"

"Don't you think you're-"

"No, Comet, I do not. Imagine what would happen if Jackson were to somehow see me like that!? I would never be able to show my face around him again! Or worse: what if Jeremy Birnbaum saw it!?" The very idea of that little budding sociopath seeing her in that state and what he would do with that kind of imagery was enough to scare Marcia more than anything in the Universe. Even more than...him.

Without meaning to, Marcia found her mind beginning to flashback to the events that happened less than a week ago. In the span of a single night, she'd been kidnapped and briefly tortured at the claws of the lizard man known as Toffee. Then, she had to watch helplessly as Comet, with an unlikely ally, mounted a near-suicidal rescue mission. Just when it looked like they would make it out in one piece, things took a turn for the worse when Toffee revealed that he poisoned her. If Comet hadn't sacrificed his Wand, she would very likely be dead right now.

Oh, God. I could be dead right now if it weren't for Comet!I could've...

"Marcia? Marcia!"

"Huh? What?"

"Marcia, you're doing it again," Comet said as he looked at his best friend, deeply concerned about what she was thinking. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, Comet. I'm alright," Marcia said, though, in truth, she felt bad about herself. And the worst part? She knew why she felt like that.

After getting rescued by Comet, the healers at Castle Dragonfly worked their magic (literally) and managed to heal Marcia's injuries. She didn't even have a scar on her body. However, she was versed enough in psychology to know that the mental scars she accumulated from that night's events would take longer to heal.

Marcia had noticed it the day after they got back. The nervousness, the shaking of her body, the trouble sleeping the first few nights afterward. She was experiencing minor emotional shock, and she knew it.

"Sorry, Comet, I was just thinking about what happened with...Toffee." She said.

"I know. What happened messed me up too, Marcia," Comet said sympathetically. "But we can't let this, uh, what did you call it?"

"PTSD?"

"That's it! We can't let the mental trauma beat us, Marcia," Comet said, reminding her of what she had told him, making her smile.

"You're right, Comet," she told him, grateful for the reminder. Thanks to her knowledge of psychology, Marcia knew that the best way to deal with the emotional trauma they went through was by talking it out with their loved ones. Thankfully, everyone they knew had been very open to listening to them regarding what happened in Castle Avarius, and Marcia could tell she was already making progress. It would take time, but she knew that she'd be able to move past what happened to her at the hands of Toffee.

"Of course, I'm right, Marcia!" Comet said, grinning. "And while we're on the subject, why don't we talk about how we can improve your body image?"

Marcia's face went completely deadpan at this suggestion. "Really, Comet? Freaking really?"

"I'm serious, Marcy," Comet happily told her. "If you want to win Jackson's heart, then you've got to learn to stop being so insecure about your physical appearance."

"Comet, it's not that easy-"

"Sure it is. Marcia, you're already very cute. All you need is the confidence to back it up, and Jackson won't be able to take his eyes off of you." The fact that Comet could say something like this with a straight face made Marcia alternate between slapping him for embarrassing her or thanking him. However, whatever she may have been thinking was soon forgotten as she noticed something very strange going on with the Wand in Comet's hand.

"Hey, Comet? Is your Wand supposed to be doing that?" she said, pointing to the artifact in Comet's hand, which had begun to shake and vibrate with growing intensity.

"Huh?" Comet looked down at his Wand and saw what was happening, as he could now feel the vibrations in his hand. "Well, that can't be go-"

WHOOSH*

Suddenly, the Wand slipped out of Comet's hand and began to levitate itself in the air. For a few seconds, it remained stationary in the bathroom. Then, out of nowhere, the Wand flew out of the bathroom and began zipping through the house.

"Definitely not good!" Comet shouted as he ran into the hallway, with Marcia following after him.

"Dude! What is up with your Wand?" Marcia asked as she watched the magical artifact bounce around the walls, coming dangerously close to knocking over several framed photos in the process.

"I don't know!" Comet told her. "It's never done anything like this before! And I'm pretty sure my Dad never mentioned this happening to him!" Comet said, ducking as his Wand flew overhead. "Or he might've. Hard to tell, considering that it's my Dad and I never listen to him-"

"It's headed downstairs!" Marcia cried out, bringing Comet back to reality as they made for the stairs. Once they got to the edge of the steps, the two nearly lost sight of the Wand as it continued to fly around the house. However, it was going so fast that they couldn't hope to catch it.

"Mom! Dad! Take cover!" Marcia called out to her parents with a warning. "Comet's Wand has gone haywire and is acting like a magical pinball!"

"Actually...they went out to get groceries earlier," Comet told her. "That's kind of why I went into the bathroom in the first place, so I could tell you." Comet sheepishly laughed, much to Marcia's irritation.

"I'll handle this," Marcia said before whistling.

"Hoot hoo!"

As if out of nowhere, Coryn, the Hoothoot that Comet magically brought to life from the Pokémon games, came flying down the hallway. He did a little flip in the air as he gracefully landed on the railings next to the stairs.

"Hoot, hoo hoo hooo," the little Pokémon chirped, which basically translated to "What do you need, Marcia?"

"Coryn, Comet's Wand has gone haywire and is flying all over the house, wrecking everything! I need you to capture it and bring it to us!"

"Hooot!" Coryn chirped before diving down into the living room after the possessed Wand. The little owl Pokémon weaved and swerved his way through the house, trying to keep pace with the magical artifact. When he wasn't hanging around the Diaz house, Coryn had been flying around Echo Creek by himself, chasing prey in the form of bugs or rodents. It was less out of a need to eat, though, as he could eat at the Diaz home, and more to train and gain experience. The little Hoothoot thought catching the Wand would be no problem with all of this in mind.

It took all of thirty seconds for him to be proven wrong. The Wand was completely erratic. There was no rhyme or reason to wherever it went. One moment, it would be zooming through the kitchen towards a cupboard. The next, it would spin around and head off in another direction. At one point, it even turned around and flew straight for Coryn! The little owl Pokémon was barely able to get out of the way in time!

Seeing that Coryn wasn't proving to be up to the task, it looked like Comet and Marcia would have to head downstairs and help out. Marcia was very reluctant to do so, though, considering she was still in her bath towel. What would people say if someone walked in on her like that!? Fortunately, she never had to worry about that. Unfortunately, that was because the Wand stopped using the downstairs like a pinball machine and zipped right back upstairs, nearly hitting Comet in the face!

"I almost died, Marcia," Comet said, dazed over almost getting hit by his own Wand. It was only when Coryn flew in and started hooting at him that he snapped out of it.

"After that Wand!" Comet said as the three went back to chasing the magical artifact.

After another minute or so of trying and failing to catch the Wand (with Marcia wondering how her towel managed to stay on the whole time), the magical tool then zoomed into Comet's room. Its target was the Dragonfly Family's Book of Spells, which Comet had resting on the floor next to his bed, as he had planned on doodling down some spell ideas later. As if things couldn't get any weirder, the Book ate the Wand.

"Please tell me that that's the end of it!" Marcia shouted as the three made their way into Comet's bedroom.

Alas, the trouble had only just begun. The Book of Spells started acting up and flying through the air, and it was headed straight towards the two teens.

"Comet, look out!" Marcia said as she shoved her friend out of the way, taking the full brunt of the Book hitting her. First, it knocked the air right out of her lungs. Next, it sent her flying back into Comet's unopened closet, where she landed with an unceremonious thud. As she struggled to collect herself, she then saw that to add insult to injury, the Book had knocked off-

"MY TOWEL!" As she desperately tried to reach outside the closet door for her towel, she then saw the Book was still headed in her direction! Acting on instinct, Marcia ducked and rolled out of the way just as the Book would've hit her, slamming the closet door shut in the process.

"Okay. That has to be one of the strangest things I have ever seen. And I've seen a lot of strange things in the last few months," Marcia remarked as she looked at the Book.

"Marcia!" she heard Comet call out to her on the other side of the door. "Are you all right in there?"

"Yeah, I'm f-" she was about to finish her sentence, but then she looked down at herself and realized her more immediate problem. She, a teenage girl, was standing in the middle of a boy's closet, with her entire body on display for all to see. And as soon as that realization hit her, she began to blush like crazy.

NO, NO, NO! THIS ISN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE! THIS STUFF ONLY HAPPENS IN COMEDIES OR SLICE OF LIFE HAREM ANIME! She never wanted anyone to see her like this; well, Jackson, but that was only after they had both solidified their relationship well beforehand!

"Hold on, Marcy!" Comet called out as his footsteps began to grow closer. "I'll get you out of there in one second," he told his best friend as he reached for the doorknob.

"Comet," Marcia said right before he could grab hold of the knob.

"Yeah, Marcia?"

"You've been watching a lot of anime on Crunchyroll, right?"

"Crunchyroll, Toonami, Funimation, and more," Comet said, not including that he found...other websites to stream from. "But I don't see what that-"

"And do you remember what happens in all those scenes where that poor guy walks in on a girl as she's getting dressed? Or when she's getting out of the shower?" Comet wasn't exactly sure, but it sounded like Marcia's voice was a lot colder for some reason.

"They get their asses kicked in a comedic fashion?" Comet quickly answered.

"Very good, Comet," Marcia said in a faux-proud tone. "Now, and this is the most important part, what do you think will happen if you barge in here while I'm trapped without a shred of clothing on my body?"

Comet couldn't even see her at that moment, but he was fairly certain that some sort of giant, smiling ogre must've manifested around Marcia. He could feel the malice coming from the other side of the door!

At last, Comet's mind began to connect the dots...and he proceeded to blush like crazy.

"I'M SO SORRY, MARCIA! PLEASE DON'T TEAR MY BALLS OFF OR TURN ME INTO A RAT AND HAVE CORYN EAT ME!" He said as he jumped away from the door, much to Coryn's confusion.

"It's alright, Comet. Just give me a minute or two to find something to cover myself up with," she called out to him from inside the closet. "Also, where the Hell did you even get those ideas?! They sound like something Jonah would say!"

"That's because it is. He told me about this story of this one guy who walked in on this girl while she was bathing, and she cursed him by turning him into a stag, and then his own dogs killed him."

"Comet, that was just an old Greek myth," Marcia clarified as she started tying together a bunch of discarded pieces of cloth to use as makeshift pants to cover up her lower half. "Though, admittedly, I'm impressed that you know about that story."

"Hey, I like learning about your world's various mythologies," Comet explained. "It's interesting. And weird."

"Don't need to tell me that," Marcia said as she put her makeshift shorts on. Much to her dismay, they showed off more of her legs than she'd like. Once that was done, she picked up some discarded socks and slipped those onto her feet. Lastly, she spied a pile of wraps lying in the middle of the floor. Picking them up, she carefully wrapped them around her chest as a type of makeshift sarashi, a type of Japanese cloth undergarment that she'd read about in a book. To complete her makeshift outfit, she took one of the remaining pieces of cloth and tied it around her head like a headband.

Marcia looked herself over from head to toe and couldn't help but feel a little flustered by how she must've looked in her makeshift outfit. She was lucky that Comet was the only other one in the room; she wouldn't be able to live with herself if anyone saw her like this in public!

"All right, Comet," she called out. "I'm done," she said as she went back to the door. However, when she reached for the handle to open the door, she found it wouldn't budge!

"Uh, Comet? The door's locked."

"What?! Hold on, let me try from my end," Comet told her as he reached for the doorknob. Much to his dismay, he found that he couldn't open it on his end, either!

"Pegasus feathers, it's not working on my end! Are you still trying to open it?"

"No," Marcia's voice said from inside the closet. "You're using the knob, right?"

"Yeah. It's no good!" Now getting frustrated, Comet tried grabbing the knob with both hands. When that failed to yield any results, he resorted to jumping up and trying to pull the stubborn device off with his body weight!

"Come on, you stupid...open up already!" Comet grunted to no avail. Just then, the familiar yapping of the laser puppies could be heard as they entered the room, wanting to play with their owners.

"No, no, no, not now, guys!" he said, trying to make the puppies go away. When that failed, he whistled for Coryn. "Coryn, keep them busy, would you?"

Coryn bobbed his body, his way of nodding, and hovered over to the laser puppies, hooting at them to get their attention. The trick worked as the easily distracted puppies chased the Pokémon around the room. Unfortunately, Comet failed to make any progress with the door.

"Come on, you stupid piece of warnicorn shit!" Comet cursed as he pulled with all his might. Yet, the door still remained unopened. "I'm sorry, Marcia. I usually open this thing up with my Wand."

"Well, your Book ate it," Marcia reminded him. "Hold on. Let me try again on my end."

"Also, you better not be poking around in my secrets closet, Marcia. That's where I keep all my...private stuff."

"Like your dirty magazines?" she couldn't resist joking.

"Ha-ha, very funny, Marcia. I have no need for such things. No, I'm talking about real secret stuff that I don't want anyone to find out about!"

"Look, can we just get me out of here?" Marcia asked as she tried working on the doorknob some more.

As the two teens continued to struggle with the door, they failed to notice that the Spell Book had opened, revealing a mildly irritated Glossaryck. Without even looking at Marcia, he made a beeline to the keyhole and poked his head through it.

"Hey, Comet."

"Uh, hey Glossaryck," Comet said as he continued to work on the door.

"You, uh, mind telling me why you're making all this racket while I'm trying to work on my drawing skills. I was just putting the finishing touches on a portrait of your Great-Grandfather Astrum." Comet just gave him this weird look on his face. "What?" Glossaryck asked. "I have hobbies."

"Sorry, Glossaryck," Comet said in between grunts. "My Wand went haywire out of the blue and started bouncing around the house. Then my Book ate it, the two flew inside my secrets closet, and now it's holding them and Marcia hostage! And before you asked, I did try the knob, and it won't budge!"

At last, Comet gave up on using the doorknob to open his secrets closet. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go grab the sonic hand-cannon from underneath my bed and blast the door down." Comet then turned around and marched in the direction of his bed.

"Wait, what was that about a sonic cannon!?" Marcia yelled from inside the closet. "Comet? COMET?"

Glossaryck looked at Comet, then at the doorknob, with a deep look of contemplation on his face. "Hmmm..."

"Comet? Are you still there? Please don't do whatever it is you're about to do!" Marcia said as she frantically tried to pry the door open.

"Oh, he's already left," Glossaryck said as he peeked inside the closet. "Also, what are you wearing, girl? Is this that cosplay thing I've heard about?"

"No," Marcia sighed. "The Wand just knocked me in here while I was still in my bath towel. So I had to cobble this together to save myself from embarrassment," she dismayed. "Glossaryck, what's going on with Comet's Wand? Is this supposed to be some kind of lesson for him, or I am going to have to step in and end up helping?"

Glossaryck shrugged. "I don't know. Are the two mutually exclusive?"

"Touche," Marcia conceded. "But I'd still like to get out of here."

Glossaryck pondered for a moment before his face lit up. "Well, I might have an idea on how you can help Comet get you out of here. You listening?"

"I'm all ears, Glossaryck."

"Very good," the little blue man said while clearing his throat. "Here's a hint: to reach the chunks of the hobo stew, find his secret. That's the clue."

"Why did you say all dramatic like that?" Marcia asked, puzzled.

"Because it sounds cool like that," Glossaryck admitted.

Marcia thought about what Glossaryck had said for a few moments. Solving puzzles, riddles, and anything that required her to flex her brain happened to be one of her specialties. "So," Marcia began, "you're saying that there's something in here that will Comet get me out and that I have to find it." Glossaryck nodded his head, pleased that the girl could figure the riddle out without much help.

"I'm also going to go out on a limb here and guess that you're not going to tell me what it is, are you?" Marcia followed up.

"Nope," Glossaryck teased. "But trust me, young lady, you'll know it when you see it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I better go stop our dear Prince from doing something stupid." Glossaryck then disappeared through the doorknob once more, leaving Marcia by herself.

As the Diaz girl looked around the closet and the piles of stuff inside of it, she knew she'd have her work cut out for her. "Well, better get started."

"Alright, Comet: just keep your arm nice and steady," he said as he attached the sonic hand cannon, which looked like an exact copy of the one used by the various incarnations of Megaman, to his dominant arm. Carefully, he aimed the weapon at the door, using his other arm to guide it and keep it upright. Comet flexed his muscles inside the cannon and moved his fingers, making the device start charging up. An eerie, blue light began to emit from inside the cannon's mouth as he felt it generate enough power to fire.

Right as he was about to fire it off, though, Glossaryck appeared out of the keyhole once more. "Oh, dang!" Comet cried out as he realized that he was on the verge of hitting his magical teacher.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Comet!" Glossaryck hastily said as he floated over to his student. "Comet, put that...whatever that is down. There's no need to resort to something like this!"

"Sorry, Glossaryck, but the charge on this thing is already reached critical levels," Comet told the little blue man. "If I don't fire this thing now, it's going to blow up in my face! Literally!" As if to emphasize this point, the blue cannon began to glow red as it suffered from overheating. "Shit, shit, shit! I need something else to hit!"

Coryn came back into the room at that exact moment, being chased by the laser puppies. As the Hoothoot did so, though, he failed to notice Comet and ended up flying right into him. The force of their collision was enough to throw the Prince off-balance and send him falling to the ground. The second he touched the ground, the cannon went off! A bright, sky-blue blast of raw energy rocketed out of the gun before speeding straight for the wall, blowing a hole clean through it, and then disappearing off into the sky.

For a moment, everyone just stood there slackjawed. Finally, Comet spoke up. "Well, I hope that doesn't hit anything important."

Spongebob Narrator: Meanwhile, at NASA

"Sir," one scientist said, calling out to his superior. "You know that asteroid that just passed the orbit of Mars and appeared to be headed to within Earth's vicinity?"

"The one that was supposed to be half a mile long?" his colleague asked.

"Yes, sir. It looks like it's been vaporized."

"Vaporized? How is that possible?"

"Unknown, sir. One moment, it was there, and the next, it was gone. It's like something blasted it into hundreds of smaller fragments."

"Well, at least we won't half to resort to launching a nuke at it, then."

"No, sir."

"All right, then. We'll just tell the higher-ups that it fragmented on its own. Now let's get back to work on finding a spot for the next Moon landing."

As Glossaryck examined the damage done to the wall, he resumed speaking to Comet. "Well, Comet, it looks like you've gotten yourself into quite the problem."

"Tell me about it," Comet said as he took the sonic cannon off and carefully set it aside. "Marcia's stuck in there, and I have no way to get her out."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound good," Glossaryck chuckled. "Now, look. There are two options that you've got going forward, kid." Glossaryck held up his fingers. "You could either, A.) continue to throw things at the door and hope that you can get your buddy out of there without bringing the house down. Orrrrrr...you could just open the door with magic."

"I can't. My Wand's inside the closet, and without it, I can't use magic."

Glossaryck gasped as his eyes began to widen. "Why, Comet. I'm surprised at you! I thought that someone as cool as you would know about...the hard way."

Comet perked up at those last words. "The hard way?"

Glossaryck nodded his head. "The hard way."

Comet got this wild grin on his face as his eyes widened in excitement. "I wanna know the hard way. Show me the hard way!"

Hook, line, and sinker, Glossaryck thought to himself. Part of being a good teacher meant knowing what one's students best responded to. Having known Comet since the day he was born, Glossaryck knew that the hyperactive Prince relished the idea of learning something new and exciting. It was almost too easy, sometimes!

"Very well, then. I shall teach you about the hard way," Glossarcyk said as he repressed the urge to smirk. "For the first part of the lesson, you must...get inside my eyeball!" Glossaryck then held out his eyelids as wide as he could.

"In your eye?"

"Get in my eye, kid!" Glossaryck reiterated.

"Well, that's not something I'd ever thought I'd hear," Comet said to himself before shrugging it off. "Marcia, I'll be right back. Glossaryck's going to show me how to open the door!"

"Okay, then. Just don't be too long!" the Diaz girl's voice called out to him from inside the closet as she continued organizing everything.

And like a professional diver in the Olympics, Comet proceeded to jump directly into Glossaryck's waiting eyeball. Albeit, he couldn't resist crying out "Geronimo!" as he did so.

The next thing that Comet knew, he was no longer in his room. Instead, he found himself standing on a small platform that floated in the middle of the vast, purple background. All around him, there were these strange, violet-colored gemstones that twinkled and glimmered like the stars in the night sky. Comet had to admit, it all looked quite beautiful.

If things weren't so urgent, then this would make for one heck of a photo for Instagram, Comet thought as he looked around this strange, unknown location.

"Hey, Comet. You're gonna wanna focus here. Now's not the time for you to be daydreaming," came the voice of Glossaryck. Comet then shook his head, reminding himself of his mission: free Marcia from his secrets closet! Once he got his head in the game, Comet then saw that he and Glossaryck weren't the only things on the platform. There was also a log for him to sit on, along with this big black cauldron, bubbling and boiling over a blue, otherworldly fire as Glossaryck stirred the weird stew inside with a golden spoon.

"Now, Comet. Imagine that the Universe is like this cauldron here," the magical teacher said as he lightly tapped the side of the cauldron. "Now, imagine that the stew bubbling inside of here as all the magical power in the Universe. And lastly, imagine this spoon as being like your Wand." Glossaryck removed the spoon from the stew and held it up to emphasize his point.

"Now, the spoon isn't that big or long, so it can only skim the surface of the hobo gravy, so watery and brown," he said as he set the spoon aside. "So, if you want to get to the good stuff, the real meaty chunks, then you can't use the spoon." Glossaryck's hands grew massive as he put them inside the stew. "If you want to do that, you've got to...dip doooowwwwwnnnn." Glossaryck removed his hands from the stew within a moment, revealing them to contain several chunks of meat, a few cut-up vegetables, and even the random bone or two. "You get it?"

Comet stared at Glossaryck for a moment, then pondered what he said in his mind. Finally, he spoke.

"So, here's how I see it, Glossaryck," he began. "You're telling me that the Wand lets me use magic by drawing on the source of all magic in the Universe. But since it's so small, it can only draw upon a fraction of it. So, to use magic to its fullest extent, I need to learn how to use magic without my Wand. And by doing so, I'll be able to do far more with magic than I would otherwise be capable of. How's that? Am I in the ballpark?"

Glossaryck didn't say anything for a moment. He just floated there, his eyes wide with shock and his mouth hanging open.

"Glossaryck?" Comet asked, now concerned.

"You...you understood all of that just like that? No questions asked?" his teacher asked in disbelief.

Comet shrugged. "I'm not an idiot, Glossaryck. When you travel the Universe, you tend to learn about metaphors," he explained. "Personally, though, I would've gone with a locked door, keyhole, and key, but that's just me."

Glossaryck just kept staring at Comet for a few moments. Then, he started smiling as he clapped his hands. "Well, I was not expecting this. Color me impressed, kid. You managed to cover just about everything!" Sometimes, even Glossaryck underestimated how clever his student really was. He's going to be a magical force the likes of which few have ever seen.

Comet, for his part, couldn't resist pumping his fist in a muted celebration of victory. He was getting the chance to become even more awesome at magic! His satisfaction, though, soon gave way to curiosity.

Turning back to his mentor, he spoke once more. "So, does that mean that everyone in my family can use magic without the Wand? And, for that matter, can anyone learn to use magic without the Wand?"

Glossaryck chuckled to himself. Even though Comet could be quite lazy at times, when he was truly interested in something, he had a curiosity that rivaled the most seasoned scholars.

"Well, Comet, it's a bit more complicated than that," the magical entity said, deciding to amuse his student's curiosity. "To start off with, I seem to recall that you entrusted your friends with the knowledge on how the Wand worked some time ago. A little reckless, to be sure, but given what I have seen of your companions, they will not use that knowledge for their own gain."

Comet nodded his head as Glossarcyk continued.

"Now, to answer your questions, I must explain to you just the Wand is meant to be." with a snap of his fingers, an image of the Wand appeared in thin air. "Think of the Wand as like training wheels on one of those bikes that humans seem so fond of using. They're meant to get the user used to the feeling of magic. It draws on a fraction of the magical power found in the Universe, allowing the user to channel that magic within themselves. By doing so, anyone can wield magic for themselves."

The images then changed to show an ancient and worn image of a young man wearing a crown and a staff in his hands. "When your ancestor, the First King, discovered magic and created the Wand, this was how he was able to use it. But as generations passed, his descendants continued to be exposed to the radiation that magic emits. And because of that, they began to change."

Another image, this time of another Dragonfly King came up. Only this time, they were performing magic without the Wand!

"Your family discovered that, due to it being exposed to it for so long, their bodies evolved to the point that they could draw on magic itself. If you will, you became living magical batteries, constantly drawing power from it. It's part of why you Dragonflies are so tough and durable. Your cheekmarks-" Glossaryck pointed at Comet's heart-shaped mark, "are a side effect of this exposure. Their presence means that you can wield magic. The Wand is just a way to show you how. Once you've gotten used to it, you won't even need the Wand to perform magic anymore."

"Really?"

"Why do you think the Wand's passed down from parent to child, kid? It's so the next heir to the throne can learn how to use magic. And, as I recall, your father showed that he could do so. Remember, on the day you got your Wand?"

Comet winced a little. In truth, that day had been such a flurry of events that he almost forgot about this one detail. As he thought back on it, though, he remembered his Dad using magic to put out the fire he caused.

"So, to answer your first question: yes. Anyone in the Dragonfly Family can use magic without the Wand. But since it's only passed down from King to Prince, none can learn it. In addition, there are also cases where a King never learned how to dip down. As for your second question: yes and no."

"Hmm?" Comet wondered.

"Throughout the Universe, there are those who can use magic without the Wand, such as myself. However, we are so few in number that you could hardly count us at all. However, if someone outside your family were to use the Wand for extended periods or be exposed to a source of raw magical power, they could gain access to magic." Glossaryck then shrugged his shoulders. "But that's never happened before, so there's no need to worry about it. So, any more questions?"

"Nope," Comet said as he got up from the log. "I know what I have to do now: I've gotta dip down, open the door to my secrets closet, and free Marcia so that she may put on some actual clothes!" he said as he struck a heroic pose.

"That's great, kid. But, how are you going to do, exactly?"

"I have no idea!" Comet admitted, immediately killing the mood. "Any idea on how I go about doing that, Glossaryck?" Comet nervously asked.

Glossaryck sighed, then snapped his fingers.

Just like that, the pair were now back in Comet's bedroom.

"Look, Comet. I've already given you all the tools that you'll need. It's up to you to get your brain working and figure out how to solve this problem," Glossaryck said.

"So, I'm on my own?" Comet asked.

"Yep," Glossaryck told him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back inside the closet. I need to check up on your little friend's progress, and I need to inspect the Wand."

"So there is something wrong with it?"

"Could be. This kind of thing's never happened before, so no one can know," Glossaryck admitted. "Good luck, kid!" Glossaryck called out as he then floated over to the keyhole before wriggling his way inside, leaving Comet alone with Coryn and laser puppies.

"Dip down, huh?" Comet wondered aloud as he had to figure this puzzle.

*Back in Jay's Workspace, we see that most, if not all, of the people who've visited the place have now arrived: Janna, Omnitraxus Prime, Spongebob Narrator, Ed, Eddy, Plank, TFS Nappa, DAU Kermit, Slick Goku, GIR, the Warner Siblings, Freakazoid, Lemongrab, Baby Yoda, and Hooty are all present. As everyone gathers together, Jay comes walking in, now wearing a fusion between his hoodie and Mandalorian Armor.*

Jay: Alright, everyone, thanks for coming to our welcome back party. Now, I've called you all here to say a few things, but first: yes, this armor is meant to be a nod to The Book of Boba Fett. Bite me!

Now that that's out of the way, time for some annoucement:

No, I did not finish planning out the story, I don't know when I will finish planning out the story, I have everything planned out for the first half of season two which covers this book, and yes, I do intend to keep to my weekly release schedule for as long as possible. I can fall back to bi-weekly if I have to.

Janna: What's the real announcement?

Jay: Oh, yeah, that! Well, it turns out, this series now has its own TVTropes page! Thank LockandKey989 for that!

*Everyone cheers!*

Jay: But it's incomplete!

Yakko: Ooh, that's bad.

Jay: But I already have plans in place to add more to it!

Dot: That's good!

Jay: But I don't know how.

Wakko: That's bad.

Freakazoid: Hey, didn't you guys do this bit with Plotz in your show?

Yakko: Yeah. Good times.

Jay: The point is, I need my readers to go to TV Tropes and help write the rest of the page. By which I mean, add all the subsections in. Specifically, the characters section. Also, feel free to add imagery for the genderbent and original characters found in this story. If we're lucky, Tassji S, the one who came up with the poster for the first book, will allow us to use them as long as we give them credit!

Speaking of which, Tassji, I used your image for this book, too! Don't be mad about it!

Also, while I don't normally do this, I'm making an exception since it's 2022 and we're still in the pandemic to send a message to everyone: if you haven't gotten the vaccine already, then do yourself a favor and go get it. It will ensure that COVID-19 can never menace the world again, like it did in 2020 and 2021, and it will just make everyone safer.

Kermit: YEAH, DON'T BE A JERK AND JUST GET THE VACCINE!

Jay: Kermit! He's right, though. Just get the vaccine so we can start getting to a new semblance of normality. I hate COVID-19, and I want to be able to go out without wearing masks and start meeting people again.

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 week!