Chapter Three
Time passed, as it is wont to do.
Just as their Ancients had said, there would be long waits between events where they were needed, and now was one of them.
New Years Day, which happened on the winter solstice, came and found the Best Friends For Life celebrating at home with their parents and siblings. Trollzopolis was too far south for snow or for much in the way of seasons, so it was pleasantly cool. The months passed, and each troll girl had her 19th birthday, and their relationships with their boyfriends grew closer.
Sapphire continued toward her goal of a degree as a General Specialist. Amethyst had finally decided to take Political Science. Onyx took some writing courses and continued to work on the book about their Ancients. Ruby signed up at TCC for a course in Spell Bead Creation. Topaz continued to work at Rock Candy Fashions.
Jade changed her major to Astronomy and continued to work with Sapphire on some private projects.
As promised, Dr. McTroll had kept them appraised of things. The comet showed all the signs of being very large and bright, and well-placed for viewing.
Spring came, and they started planning their 15th annual BFFL Party.
There was a long debate between Mystic Fallz and Trollhiti as the location, now that they knew they could get there easily. In the end Mystic Fallz won by a vote of 3 to 2.
There was also debate about allowing their boyfriends and Jade along. The guys got together and talked, and as much as they wanted to be with their girlfriends, the BFFL Anniversary was a private thing and should stay that way. Jasper also pointed out that, while they were still close, their lives had diverged a bit, and this was a chance to reconnect. Jade agreed with them.
Everyone was at Ruby's house, making last minute adjustments to party plans, and deciding who was going to bring what. That it would be a campout was without question, considering Comet Trollzawa-Trollberger was now visible to the naked eye.
"Well, Miss Comet Queen, are you bringing a telescope?" asked Ruby.
"Jade's loaning me hers," answered Sapphire. She looked at her friends. "You should all bring binoculars, though. The comet will be too big to take in all at once with a telescope."
The other four made a note, Topaz asking Amethyst how to spell 'binoculars' in a whisper.
"B-I-N-O-C-U-L-A-R-S," she answered, "I think it's great that Saph found a comet."
"Yeah, you almost caused the end of the world once, now it's her turn," said Onyx, smirking.
Amethyst blushed, and glared at the dark troll girl.
"What do you mean?" asked Topaz.
"Throughout history comets have been warnings of disasters about to happen," she answered, "I did some research and can give several examples, if you want to hear them."
"Onyx, that's silly," protested Sapphire, "New comets are unpredictable, and there's always some kind of disaster going on somewhere in the world. Any such connection is pure coincidence."
"I dunno..." said Onyx, shaking her head, "What about the one that hit and made the Great Lake like eighty million years ago? That was a huge disaster."
"Well for one, that was an asteroid, not a comet. Completely different," said Sapphire.
"How are they different?" asked Topaz.
"A comet is dust, gas, and ice, with maybe a bit of rock mixed in. An asteroid is a lump of rock and metal, iron and nickel, and as a rule can't be seen without a telescope," was the answer. She looked at Onyx. "And that wasn't a disaster, it was a good thing. It was so huge it changed the climate for the whole planet, killed off the dinosaurs, and let trolls and other intelligences evolve."
"It was a disaster for the dinosaurs," retorted Onyx, crossing her arms.
Sapphire started to answer, paused, and closed her mouth with a snap. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she finally conceded.
Onyx just smirked again.
"Enough with the ancient history," said Ruby, impatiently. "Is it going to hit us?"
Sapphire shook her head. "Not a chance. We've already passed through it's path. That's why it's in such a good position to be seen. It will loop around the sun and head back out into space. Dr. McTroll told me they weren't sure if it would come back or not. They'll have to wait until after it's passed the sun to determine that."
"So we might get to see it again someday?" asked Amethyst.
"That's right," nodded Sapphire.
Topaz giggled. "That is sooo cool!"
bffl bffl bffl
The morning of BFFL Anniversary Day they loaded their skoots with sleeping bags, tents, and food. This time they met at Topaz's house as it was closest to their destination. She still lived with her parents and little brother.
Together they took the road to Trolladelphia to the turnoff to Mystic Fallz Park. Once they arrived they checked in with the office and headed for the spot Amethyst had reserved for them.
She had managed to get the same one they had last time, right in front of the falls. There had been a few improvements since then. A bath house was new, as was the stone grill. The Fallz themselves looked the same, six forty-foot drops to a pool that carried water off to their right. Around them other families were at other spots, enjoying the fine weather of a late spring day.
They parked their skoots out of the way, and started taking out their equipment.
"How long has it been since we were last here?" asked Topaz.
"Five years," answered Amethyst. "Remember after Simon nearly spoiled the party for us we were reluctant to come back."
"Oh, yeah," said Topaz, "I remember those cookies that made us evil. They tasted good, but the aftertaste! Yech!"
"I don't think I'll ever forget that," said Onyx, shuddering. "Never had to hurl so much in my life."
"More ancient history," said Ruby, "Let's get the tents up! I want to party!"
Soon the tents were ready, and a campground grill was being used to make burgers and hot dogs. Amethyst and Onyx were doing the cooking while the others got the table ready. A boom box belted out tunes.
Ruby came over to find Topaz cleaning up a mess. "what happened?"
"Sorry," giggled the blond, nervously, "I kinda had an accident."
Ruby looked at what was broken. "Topaz, those were paper plates! How did you break them?"
"Well, I-" she started to answer.
"And the mustard bottle was plastic! It's in three pieces! What happened?" wondered the redhead, picking up one of the messy pieces of the squeeze bottle.
"I, uh..." said Topaz.
Ruby held up a hand. "On second thought, I don't want to know. Let's just get this cleaned up. Good thing I brought more than enough plates."
"And here's another bottle of mustard," said Sapphire, putting it on the table. She had decided she didn't want to know how Topaz had managed it either.
After lunch they looked at their reflections in the water, and found the good omen that they were together and happy.
"B-F-F-L!" they chanted together, and gave each other a high five.
Later they went swimming, along the way taking a leap over the falls as they had when they were younger.
Once they were done, they finished off the leftovers and rested.
"Man that felt good!" said Ruby, lying back in a fold-up recliner, "It's been too long since we've done anything together."
"Don't say that too loudly," cautioned Onyx, "You might just get what you asked for."
Sapphire advised they should take a nap that afternoon, since the comet wouldn't be up for viewing until about two in the morning. They took her advice, setting their clocks and watches for then.