Jaune and Courage the Cowardly Dog
Chap 83: Mondo Magic
"What was professor Peach's assignment again?" I asked, curious.
"She wanted us to gather samples of some native flora from a location of her choosing. Then, we write a report on what effects that flora would have if we brought them to another area and planted them there." Velvet answered in place of Ruby, whose mouth was stuffed with cookies.
"I have never seen someone like cookies so much." Iris said, shocked at how many cookies Ruby ate in such a short time.
"I LOVE COOKIES!" Ruby exclaimed, although it was hard to understand her.
It was two weeks since the Snowman incident that made Winter, Willow, Weiss, Penny, Courage, and I head to the North Pole. Thankfully, no reports of side effects have occurred since we sealed the hole in the ozone layer. Yet, Iris contacted a fellow deity to ensure the tear stayed patched as an added measure of assurance. And after a week of no issues and relaxation, the Schnee family went back to Atlas along with Penny. Once they were gone, I figured Iris would be leaving as well. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised when she told me that she was staying as she had no work for the next few months. This meant we had lots of time to catch up with each other and spend some quality time with each other. I could even take her out to that fancy restaurant that opened recently.
However, before I could mention it to Iris, we were interrupted when we heard familiar voices nearby. Looking around, as we were in Nowhere town at the time, we noticed Ruby and Velvet conversing across the street. Calling out to them, we got their attention before racing across the street. We then started to catch up with everything that's happened before asking what they were doing here in Nowhere. As it turned out, Professor Peach assigned second-year students to first-year students for an assignment regarding flora. And in a surprising twist, Peach paired Velvet up with Ruby and gave them Nowhere as their location. Although, we had an inkling that it was only an excuse for Professor Peach to gather some samples. Either way, we invited them back to the farmhouse to rest since they recently got off the bullhead. Not surprisingly, when we returned, Muriel became delighted at guests and quickly made some snacks for everyone. Although, she did have to make a separate batch for Ruby as she would devour the cookies before anyone else could have one.
"We can see that." Iris said with a chuckle.
"How's the rest of your team, Velvet?" I asked.
"They are fine. Fox and Yatsuhashi are on an assignment for Professor Port and won't be returning to Beacon for another week. Coco, on the other hand, is furious." Velvet answered, becoming nervous at the end before taking a bite out of her carrot cookies.
"How so?" Iris asked.
"Her favorite coffee brand has been discontinued; her go-to coffee shop closed down, and the price of her clothing and ammunition jumped up one-hundred and ten percent recently." Velvet answered.
"Ouch." We said with a wince. We all knew how much Coco loved her coffee, so it was understandable she would be upset about her favorite brand and coffee shop closing down. And while I never had to worry about ammunition, since I used a sword, I could easily imagine how costly the ammunition was now, which would cause anyone to cuss up a storm.
"How about your team, Ruby?" I asked, turning to her.
"They're fine." She answered with a mouth full of cookies before swallowing. "Weiss is with another second-year doing their project. Blake is helping Yang study for Professor Port's upcoming exam as she forgot about it."
*Knock Knock*
"I wonder who could that be?" Muriel said, curious as she got up from her chair before heading to the door.
'Hopefully, nothing bad.' Courage nervously said as he followed her.
"OH!" Muriel and Courage gasp, which set us on edge when a flash suddenly appeared and nearly blinded them.
"Are you okay, Muriel?" I asked, worried.
"I'm fine." She answered while adjusting her glasses.
"Who's at the door?" Ruby asked, curious. Yet again, it was hard to understand her as she stuffed her mouth with cookies.
"No one, apparently. But someone did leave us a gift." Muriel answered, looking down at the gift someone left at the door.
'YAY!' Courage cheered, excited.
"I don't know who it is for, but you can open it if you want, Courage." Muriel told him.
'YES!' Courage cheered before bringing the gift inside.
"Who would leave such a nicely wrapped gift without a note?" Velvet asked as she walked toward Courage and examined the gift.
"Considering what we have seen, it could be anything or anyone. We better be careful, though." I answered.
"But it could be a nice gift. OH! MAYBE IT'S MORE COOKIES! OPEN IT, COURAGE!" Ruby shouted, excited.
'Don't have to tell me twice.' He said while delicately untying the ribbon. However, that all went out the window as, in his impatience, he tore the gift wrap off. 'OH!'
"A MAGIC SET! YES!" Ruby cheered, reminding me that she always loved magic shows or movies about magic. However, we became confused when Velvet groaned, and Iris became concerned.
"What's wrong?" I asked, worried.
"I'm not sure, but I feel like I have seen that face before." Iris answered, trying to remember.
"And I hate magic, mainly because I want to see actual magic and not just sleight of hand tricks. Plus, I'm getting tired at seeing so many so-called magicians pull a rabbit out of a magic hat." Velvet added with an irritated groan.
"Well, maybe this one will be different." I told her, smiling at Ruby and Courage's excited faces.
"Maybe." She said, not convinced.
"Oh, isn't this exciting?" Muriel said, clapping her hands. Courage nodded in agreement as he opened the box and pulled out a wand and hat.
"Let's see what your first trick, Courage." I said as I examined the cover of the box. I got an uneasy feeling from the man's face on the lid for some reason.
'Alright. Alakazam, Abracadabra.'He declared while waving his wand around. And to our surprise and amusement, the rod transformed into a bouquet of fish.
"Well, I did say I wanted to see actual magic. I was just not expecting that." Velvet said, trying to hold back her laughter.
"I think you said the wrong incantation, Courage." Iris said, chuckling.
'OH! HA, HA, HA.' He sheepishly laughed before gulping. Closing his eyes, he began to chant another incantation while waving the fish around. And this time, he must have said the correct phrase as the fish transformed into a bouquet of flowers. 'Oh.'
"Oh. Wasn't that wonderful?" Muriel said as Courage gave her the flowers and took a big whiff of them.
"It sure was." We agreed.
"Big deal." Eustace mocked while folding his arms.
'Oh.' Courage whined dejectedly, causing us to glare at Eustace.
"Hey, I got a trick for you, dog. Make yourself disappear." Eustace mocked while laughing. However, that laughing soon turned to pained groaning when Iris summoned lightning to strike him down. "Ow."
"Thanks, Iris." I told her before leaning to kiss her on the cheek.
"On, Courage, just show Eustace your biggest trick. He'll have to be impressed." Muriel suggested.
"I doubt that." Velvet whispered, to which we agreed.
"What else is the gift?" I asked.
'Let's see.' Courage said as he went back to the gift and pulled out what seemed to be a treasure chest.
"I don't have a good feeling about this." Velvet said, getting an ominous feeling from the chest. While at first glance, it might seem safe enough, it had the men's face plastered on each side. And with each passing second, our unease grew. Well, all except Ruby.
"YOUR GREATEST TRICK!? OPEN IT! LET'S SEE IT!" She shouted, excited.
"I don't think you should." Iris warned. Turning to her, I saw that she was fidgeting, something that I learned a while back that only occurred when she was unsure or highly anxious about something. Moving to sit next to her, I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Yeah, maybe we should try something else." I agreed.
"Oh, nonsense. Go on, Courage." Muriel said, upset that we tried to dissuade Courage.
'Alright.' Courage said as he moved to the center of the room with the chest.
He then opened the chest while chanting some more phrases. However, as soon as he finished chanting, a bright, pink glow with stars started emanating from the box. Naturally, Courage screamed in terror before dropping the box and ran towards Muriel while screaming in terror. Yet, it seemed whatever was happening wasn't done as the lights soon turned into a tornado with a big puff of smoke obscuring our vision a second later. Thankfully, the smoke turned out to be fake as it didn't cause us to choke and disappeared as quickly as it appeared. But before I could ask if everyone was alright, we saw something that made our jaws drop to the floor. In front of us were two ladies dancing with strange white tigers roaring next to them. And if we weren't so surprised by their sudden appearance, we would have noticed the lights going out and the sounds of a cheering audience coming from all around us.
'AAAHHH!' Courage gasped.
"Oh, my." Muriel said, shocked.
"What's happening?" Ruby asked, confused. Turning to her, we saw that Velvet had quickly covered her eyes.
"Um, Yang will tell you later." Velvet quickly answered. Turning back to the ladies and tigers, we saw them dance for a few more seconds before bringing their fans together. They smiled before pulling their fans back to reveal a tall man that wasn't there a moment ago.
"Um, who are you?" I asked, worried. But instead of answering, he made some hand gestures, and from out of nowhere, a bag filled with sparkling, glowing dust appeared in his other hand. He then grabbed a handful of the dust before throwing it into the air.
'OH!' Courage gasped, shocked.
"AWESOME!" Ruby shouted, breaking free from Velvet's grip.
"That was neat." Velvet agreed, impressed.
"That was the best trick I ever saw." Muriel said, shocked. "How ever did you do it?"
"Trick? I don't do tricks. I do magic." The man said, sounding mildly insulted.
"HA!" Eustace interjected. "It's all done with mirrors."
"Unfortunately. Which is why I don't like most magic acts." Velvet commented.
"Don't worry, little bunny girl. I don't use mirrors. I am-" The men began, but Iris cut him off.
"I knew your face looked familiar." She began, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You're the infamous Mondo Magic. Master of Black Magic."
"Hmm. A storm goddess is part of the audience. A rare sight with an even rarer sight that she's dating a mortal. But no matter." The man said, annoyed before turning to face all of us. "Yes, I am Mondo Magic, master of Black Magic. But the infamous part is highly exaggerated."
"How so?" Ruby asked suspiciously, grabbing her weapon with Velvet getting into a fighting stance.
"Let me guess. It's because of his mastery over Black Magic." I said, worried for everyone's safety, as while not dealing with it before, I knew we were outmatched should he use it against us.
"Well, yes. But not how you think. I gain the name for how many are jealous of how refined my skills are in my craft. But, no need to worry. I only use it to entertain, not for any malicious purpose." He explained, yet we knew he was lying. But we knew we had to remain cautious as long as he held the dust in his hand. And judging by how Iris nudged me while never taking her eyes off Mondo, told me everything I needed to know.
Heh, if you're so masterful, then show us something masterful." Eustace challenged.
"Please forgive, Eustace. He doesn't appreciate true magic as we do." Muriel apologized. Smiling, Mondo summoned the bag again before walking up and kneeling next to Courage.
"Remember, kid. It's all in the presentation." He told him before standing up. He then grabbed some dust before throwing it into the air.
"Huh?" Courage and I said, confused and slightly disoriented at being transported to the center of the room.
'AH!' Courage gasped when a stage light suddenly appeared above us, blinding us momentarily before expanding to fit Mondo.
He then pulled out a giant red cape from his costume before giving it to us. We were confused but quickly understood what he wanted us to do when he motioned for us to hold each end and move apart from each other. Nodding, he grabbed some dust before throwing it behind the cape. And then, with the sounds of drums coming from nowhere, Mondo ripped the cape from our hands to reveal a baby giraffe behind it.
"Wow." I said, surprised. While I personally didn't mind magic, I was indeed impressed.
"AWESOME!" Ruby shouted.
"Isn't that lovely?" Muriel said as we all clapped.
"Careful, that giraffe might not-" Iris began to warn us, only to stop when a tiger leaped out of the giraffe's mouth, revealing that it was only a suit.
"WOAH!" Velvet shouted, surprised.
'AH!' Courage gasped, his eyes becoming big and bloodshot before falling out of his head and rolling across the floor. His body soon fell to the floor, temporarily lifeless and hollow.
"Mirrors." Eustace complained, not believing it. Smirking, Mondo placed the cape on the tiger before throwing some more dust on it, with a poof happening a second later. Curious, we moved closer to see what he had just done, only to become shocked when he removed the cape to reveal that he transformed the tiger into a dove.
"Now, that is magic." Velvet said, now entranced by the show.
"Oh. OH!" Muriel gasped while clapping her hands.
"EH!" Eustace shouted, not impressed and still thinking Mondo was only using mirrors.
'Thank you, Blake.' I thought as I swiped some dust out of Mondo's bag as he took a slight bow. Initially, I thought I wouldn't need it, but now I'm grateful that Blake taught me how to be sneaky and light-handed.
"Now, I will require an assistant." Mondo declared while putting away the dust.
"Not happening." Iris growled out.
"I've always wanted to-" Muriel began, getting out of her seat, but Mondo interrupted her.
"Not you. I have something else up my sleeve for you." He told her.
"Like what?" Velvet asked suspiciously, snapping out of her trance and realizing what Mondo was doing.
"Something special." He answered before turning to Eustace. "How about you?"
"I DON'T DO NO ILLUSIONS!" Eustace shouted.
"Oh, go ahead, Eustace." Muriel encouraged, causing Eustace to grumble.
"Maybe, you can poof me up one of those big-screen TVs. I want to feel like I'm part of the action." Eustace suggested mockingly. As if on cue, the lights turned off, with the spotlight reappearing as Mondo took out his bag again. He then took a pinch of the dust and threw it above Eustace, where he disappeared instantly.
'AAAHHHH!' Courage gasped, his eyes going big and bloodshot again.
"Where did he go?" Ruby asked, curious as we looked around the room.
"EUSTACE! Where'd you go?" Muriel shouted, hoping to get an answer. But we quickly got our answer when the TV turned on with Eustace appearing on screen.
"HEY! WHERE AM I!?" His muffled voice demanded.
"A quick tip. Unless you are certain, they have a pure heart and are friendly, always be specific with all magic users." Iris warned.
"Noted." We all said, amazed.
"HEY! I'm in the TV!" Eustace shouted, banging on the screen. Only to stop and smile when he finally realized his situation. "Hey. I'm in the TV."
*RING RING RING*
"Oh, that can't be good." I said, worried but slightly excited for what's about to be shown. And I was right as the camera pulled back to reveal that Eustace was in a wrestling ring.
'Sir Flabalot looks angry.' The announcer said as the camera moved to Eustace's opponent. And the opponent was a giant muscular man that looked like he could crush a car with his bare hands.
"Uh-oh. AAHHHH!" Eustace said before running away in fear. Flabalot gave chase and quickly caught Eustace before bringing him into a headlock.
'This looks like it's curtains for the farmer.' The announcer declared as Eustace tried to escape the lock with his nonexistent muscle. But before we could see the end result, the TV turned off.
'HA, HA, HEY!' Courage laughed hysterically, which told us that he turned the TV off.
"Well, he got what he wished for, but I wonder what would happen if we changed the channel?" Velvet asked, curious.
"He's probably get teleported to whatever channel we land on and whatever is playing at the time." I answered.
"Now, who's next?" Mondo asked.
"No-" We began, but Ruby cut us off.
"ME NEXT! GIVE ME SOME COOKIES!" She shouted, excited and momentarily forgetting how dangerous Mondo can be with his magic.
"Something simple. But even a novice can turn something simple into an extraordinary performance." Mondo declared before pulling a red handkerchief and a plate. Placing the handkerchief on the plate and sprinkling some dust on it, he gave a light bow before removing it to reveal some freshly made strawberry cookies.
"YES!" Ruby cheered as Mondo gave her the plate of cookies. Although, he became surprised at the speed at which she ate the cookies.
"Now, for my next and final magical feat. I shall require the assistance of a lovely lady." Mondo said, walking up to Muriel and extending his hand.
"ME! Oh, my. I'd be glad to." Muriel said, taking his hand and allowing him to help her up.
'Oh, no.' Courage whined in trepidation.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Muriel." I told her with the other nodding in agreement.
"Oh, nonsense." Muriel said before turning back to Mondo. "Ready."
"Let's begin." Mondo said as he threw a small cloth onto Muriel's head. He then threw some dust onto her before removing the cloth. However, we became confused and concerned when nothing happened. Mondo then gave Muriel a handheld mirror.
"I don't see anything different." Muriel said, confused.
"How are you feeling, Muriel?" Iris asked, worried while casting glares towards Mondo.
"I feel-HEAVENS!" Muriel began before screaming in terror when her eye came out of her head and blinked in front of her.
'AAAHHHH!' Courage screamed.
"MURIEL!" I shouted, scared as I raced over to her.
"Hmm... I don't think I had anything like this before." Muriel said, confused while examining.
"That concludes tonight's show. You've been a delightful audience." Mondo said as the lights turned back on. However, Iris sent a lightning bolt at his feet as he started to leave.
"Turn her back to normal." She said through gritted teeth.
'Please turn her back.' Courage begged, running up to Mondo and tugging on his cape.
"Show's over everyone. I've got to wet the old magic whistle." Mondo said before leaving.
"You're not leaving!" Ruby said as she and Velvet moved to stand in front of him. Iris moved to stand next to me, ready to strike Mondo down.
"OH MY!" Muriel said, shocked. Turning to her, we saw that her other eye was now outside her head.
'Please turn her back.' Courage begged as he pulled on Mondo's cape. However, what happened next surprised us. Apparently, Courage pulled so hard that he revealed that Mondo was wearing a disguise all along. And that Mondo actually resembled some mutant turtle with eyes similar to how Muriel's eyes currently were.
'EEE!' Courage screeched with his heart literally beating out of his body.
"WHAT THE!" The rest of us screamed in shock.
"What are you?" Velvet asked, unsettled.
"It does not matter what I am. What matters is that by midnight tonight, the transformation will be complete." Mondo said while taking out a pocket watch to check the time. He then pocketed it before moving towards Muriel. "And I shall take her as my bride."
"Oh, help me." Muriel said, distraught.
'Come on.' Courage said as he grabbed Muriel's hand before pulling her towards the front door.
"You're not-" Mondo began but stopped when Iris threw another lightning bolt in front of him while Ruby aimed her scythe in rifle form at him. Velvet did the same with a copy of Ruby's weapons she created using her camera. Seeing that they had him preoccupied, I turned around and headed towards Muriel as she needed my immediate attention. However, as soon as I reached them, I had to dive to the side as Muriel sneezed and fire came out of her nostrils. Unfortunately, Courage didn't react in time and got hit by the flames. And once the fire dissipated, we saw that he was covered head to toe in smoke and ash.
'YAH!' Courage screamed with the smoke and ash coming off his body before running through the door and off into the distance.
Knowing that we needed his help, we reluctantly left Muriel with Mondo before chasing after Courage.
'Hopefully, we can reverse this before it's too late.' I thought as we ran across the field after Courage.
10:30 P.M.
"Oh, my." We heard Muriel say in dismay as more of her body transformed into the species that Mondo is.
"Do you know of any deity that could help?" Ruby asked, curious as she used the sights on her rifle to keep an eye on Mondo and Muriel.
"There are some who have experience with black magic and could undo all of this. Unfortunately, they don't like to help others too much as they prefer to remain in their domains. And the ones that would help won't be able to make it in time." She answered.
"Maybe we could use the dust he uses against him. I did see Jaune snag some earlier." Velvet suggested.
"JAUNE! YOU DID WHAT!?" Iris asked, shocked.
"When he was bowing, I swiped some of the dust. I figured it would be useful to have some in case something happens. And it looks like I was correct. Although, I feel like we would need more." I explained before realizing what she meant. "Sorry. I should have told you earlier."
"You should have. Now hand it over as I don't want you anywhere near it. It's too dangerous." She demanded. Sighing, I reached into my pocket, took out the dust, and handed it to her.
"Shouldn't we at least try and use the dust? Perhaps it could work and save us a lot of trouble. Maybe it could even get rid of Mondo permanently." Ruby suggested.
"I prefer not to, as Black Magic is highly unpredictable. Only those that spent most of their lives can partially control its outcomes." Iris explained.
"I know, but it's not like we have many more options right now." Velvet countered, causing Iris to let out a frustrated sigh.
"Fine. But only as a last resort." She relented.
"Thanks, Iris." I said while kissing her on the lips.
"You're welcome." She said before adding. "But you still better make this up to me for not telling me about you snatching some of the dust."
"Of course." I said, smiling as we pulled each other into a hug.
"Remind me again, why are we waiting on the side of the road again?" Velvet asked, smiling.
"Courage is making a call for help." I answered.
"Who could he possibly be calling?" Ruby asked, curious. However, before we could answer, we heard loud stomps rapidly approaching us. Looking down the road, we saw an elephant racing down the road and stopping in front of us.
"One of you howled?" The voice of Dr. Vindaloo asked.
'It was worth a shot.' Courage nervously explained when we cast questioning glances towards him.
"Who is sick?" Dr. Vindaloo said as he got off the elephant.
"Muriel needs your help." I answered as Courage grabbed Vindaloo and carried him to Muriel and Mondo.
"Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about Dr. Vindaloo helping." Velvet commented, and we couldn't help but agree as we followed after them.
'Here. Help, help.' Courage said as we reached Muriel while putting Dr. Vindaloo back on the ground.
"MM-MMM." Vindaloo hummed as he examined Muriel before gasping. "UH! This looks like Black Magic. Nothing to worry about, nothing at all."
'That's good.' Courage said in relief.
"Wait for it." Iris, Velvet, Ruby, and I said while mentally counting down from three.
"But there's nothing I can do." Vindaloo said, shrugging his shoulders.
'Oh.' Courage groaned in dismay.
"Magic must be fought with magic. Oh, yes." Vindaloo said while raising his hand. "Ha, ha, ha. That's a good one."
"I was afraid of that." Iris said with a sigh. However, Mondo growling caught our attention before we could say anything else.
'AAHHH!' Courage screamed when Mondo took out his bag and threw some dust at Vindaloo, transforming him into lettuce.
"I am now a head of lettuce." Vindaloo announced before bouncing away.
'OOH.' Courage gulped, sweating pouring down him.
"Come, dear. Let's head inside for some privacy." Mondo said, getting up.
"Oh, alright." Muriel said, following him inside the house.
"Um, I don't want to put added pressure, but guys, it's nearing midnight." Ruby told us.
"How much time do we have left?" Iris asked.
"Only one more hour we have." Velvet answered.
"I guess that means we have to use the dust; otherwise, Muriel will be trapped in the form. Sorry, Iris." I told her.
"It's fine. Just be careful." She said as she handed us the dust.
"How should we go about this? We need a plan; otherwise, Mondo could use the dust against us?" Ruby asked.
"Courage, and I'll distract him while the rest of you steal the dust while he is distracted." I answered.
"And how will you be distracting him?" Velvet asked.
"With a magic show of our own." I answered while mentally preparing myself for the beating Coco will deliver upon me in the future should I have to resort to a particular magic trick.
"Alright. Let's head inside and get this over with." Iris said with a sigh as we entered the house.
11:00 P.M.
"Keep quiet." I whispered as we hid behind the couch. The others nodded as we waited for the right moment. On our way inside the house, Courage persuaded us into trying another of his plans before we resort to using the dust.
"This all feels just so wrong." Muriel explained in dismay as her hands transformed before crying. "OH, NO!"
"We are getting closer, dear. Only one more hour until you are mine forever." Mondo told her.
"All right." Muriel said, giving up on any hope of returning to normal.
'HEY! HEY!' Eustace shouted, getting everyone's attention.
"Eustace?" Muriel asked, surprised.
"HEY! OH! HEY!" Eustace shouted. Taking a peek around the couch, I saw that the TV was tuned to the racing channel with Eustace on the track.
"HA, HA, HA." Mondo and Muriel giggled at Eustace's unfortunate but well-deserved luck.
"Now, Courage." I whispered. He nodded before allowing Velvet to place him on the couch. He then threw a cloth on Muriel's head before pulling out his wand again.
'Alakazam. Hocus pocus.' He chanted while waving his wand around. He then removed the cloth, hoping that his plan worked. Only to see that it had failed and for Muriel to roar in his face before slapping him to the ground. Knowing that they might turn around and discover us, I raced over to Courage, surprising them.
"Get real, kids. I am the greatest magician in the world." Mondo boldly declared.
'Aw.' Courage said in dismay. But a nod from me and the others got him smiling as we put out plan into motion.
"Care to back that up." I challenged as we stood up.
"Okay. Let's see what you both can do." Mondo said, accepting our challenge.
'AHA!' Courage shouted before handing me a top hat. We then grabbed our hats and placed them in front of our faces.
"Ha, ha, ha." We laughed, putting on our silliest expressions. We then quickly repeated the process a few more times. And each time we did so, Mondo became more shocked and confused at what we were doing.
"How did you both do that?" Mondo asked, shocked and amazed.
'Ha, ha, ha.' Courage and I laughed as we repeated the trick a few more times.
"Amazing." Mondo said, astounded while taking out a mirror. He then tried to do what we did but with his hand instead of a hat. Only to become frustrated when he didn't see any change. "How do they do that?"
"Now." I whispered to the others. They nodded before each taking a handful of dust. However, as Velvet was about to grab some of the dust, Mondo started to put away the mirror. Knowing that she would get caught, I quickly caught his attention while waving my top hat in one hand and the dust clenched in my other hand.
"Are you trying something with the hat again?" He asked.
"What do you think of this trick?" I asked before placing some dust onto the hat. Thankfully, he didn't notice it as I reached into the hat and pulled out a pissed-off Velvet by her rabbit ears.
"Ha, ha. Jaune. Very funny." She said with an uncharacteristic snarl and fierce glare.
"Sorry." I whispered.
"I'm getting you back for this." She whispered back.
"An old trick. But I am impressed that you pulled out an entire person rather than just-HEY!" Mondo began before realizing that we stole some of his dust. "Don't you dare!"
"Oh, we dare." I challenged as Courage threw some dust towards Muriel. Only for eyes to widen in shock when she transformed into a cactus.
"Oops." Iris said, embarrassed.
Mondo, however, growled before grabbing some dust and transforming Muriel back to her previous form. Not giving up, Velvet threw some of her dust at Muriel, only to wince when it changed Muriel into a cow. Snarling, Mondo grabbed some more to revert the change. This time I threw some dust towards Muriel, hoping it would work, only to groan when it only changed Muriel into Dr. Vindaloo.
"I AM NO LONGER A HEAD OF LETTUCE!" He cheered, only to be changed back into Muriel as a monster when Ruby threw her dust at him.
"Sorry." She said with a wince.
'Note to self. Find and change Vindaloo back into his old self.' I thought as Mondo smiled, thinking that he had won. Luckily, while he was distracted, Iris took the entire bag of dust from him.
"I'm out." I said, realizing that I had no more dust.
'EEE!' Courage screeched when he realized that he also had no more dust.
"Me too." Ruby said with a groan.
"Same." Velvet said with a sigh.
"Get real, all of you. If you want to make it big like me, it takes years of practice, and you all only have four minutes." Mondo cockily said while checking the time on his pocket watch, unaware he no longer had his dust.
"Do you have any advice then?" Velvet asked while eyeing me with a glare.
"Yeah, work on your presentation. After all, it's all in the presentation." Mondo answered with a smug grin.
'That's it!' Courage said before adjusting his top hat and growling at Mondo. Then, thanks to Iris, who used some of the dust, a curtain appeared in front of us. 'TA-DA!'
"OH! HOW LOVELY!" Muriel cheered, excited for the show. Seeing that he had their attention, Courage pulled out a small cloth and placed it on his hand. He then chanted a bit before removing the cloth to reveal a duck in his hands that wasn't there before. "AH!"
"Hmm. Not bad." Mondo said, not impressed. Realizing what Courage was planning, I plucked one of the duck's tail feathers and used it to tickle Courage's nose.
'AH... AH... ACHOO!' He sneezed after a moment. The force behind the sneeze reached Mondo's bag and caused some of the dust in it to fall onto Muriel.
"YES!" We cheered when Muriel changed back to normal. Although, we became slightly nervous when dust remained in the air. Luckily, it landed Mondo and transformed him into a rabbit.
"Aw, cute. Can I keep him?" Ruby asked. However, she became startled when the rabbit bounced towards the still broken front door.
"You're going to hear from my agent about this." Mondo, the rabbit, declared before exiting the house.
"Well, that's taken care of; let's get this house back in order and head to sleep as it's past midnight." I said, tired. Only to shout in pain when Velvet kicked me in the shin. "OW!"
"Never do that again, Jaune." She said with a growl.
"Alright. Sorry." I said, rubbing my shin.
"Oh, I'm not done yet. And neither will Coco." She warned.
"I know." I said with a groan, already dreading the pain that would soon come for me.
Next Day
"HEY! WHERE AM I!?" Eustace shouted as he swam away from Karmen.
"Now, this is what I call TV." Coco said, smirking. Surprisingly, Coco arrived only an hour after Velvet messaged her about what had happened. Luckily, the punishment beating wasn't that bad when she learned why I did the rabbit in a hat trick. Although, that did not mean I got off easy as I will be feeling the bruises for the next couple of days. Her purse definitely hurts.
"How do you think we will get him out?" Velvet asked, curious as she leaned into Coco while eating a carrot cookie.
"Not with any of the black magic dust." Iris warned.
"Maybe Courage can use the top hat to get Eustace out as Jaune did with Velvet." Ruby suggested.
"That could work." Velvet and Coco agreed while giving me a light glare.
'Let's see.' Courage said as he hopped on top of the TV and placed his hat down on the TV. He then began chanting before reaching into his hat and pulling Eustace out by his head. 'TA-DA!'
"OH! How I love magic. OH!" Muriel said, smiling.
"Where will you be storing the dust, Iris?" I asked, curious.
"In my domain until one of the other deities can come and move it into a more secure location." She answered.
"That's good." I said as she laid her head on my shoulder. Smiling, I kissed her on the lips before turning our attention back to Courage as he continued to perform more magic tricks.
Note:
The Next Chapters: (1) Swindlin wind with Emerald and Mercury. (2) The Gods Must be Goosey.
Iris will appear in the Gods Must be Goosey. Should anyone else appear as well?
Will be needing a little help in Gods Must be Goosey. Should another god be after Iris as the Goose God is after Muriel, or no? If so, what kind of God? Suggestions would be appreciated. But if not, should it only be Iris helping Jaune and Courage shift the Goose God's attention elsewhere and eventually to Eustace's truck?
Lastly, for Iris and Jaune's wedding? Just a random thought, but should I have some Oc's be as Iri's parents and have them appear?