*In Jay's Workspace, we see Janna, DAU Kermit, Omnitraxus, Ed, GIR, and TFS Nappa all looking at two of the newest guests to appear: it's Hooty in his Porta-Hooty form along with King, both from The Owl House.*

Janna: Umm, guys? You know that the watch party ended like two weeks ago. Shouldn't you be getting back to your own Universe or something?

King: As fun, as that might be, sister, we're not going anywhere anytime soon. Now that our show's over and the Boiling Isles are safe, we have a lot more free time. And since Jay's still kinda miffed about Disney axing our show early-

Hooty: We thought hanging out with the rest of you would be fun! Just think about it: getting to spend time with your old pal, Hooty, all day, every day from dusk till dawn! I already have so many ideas for all the fun things we can do; hoot!

King: Also, Jay said he was thinking of having me come onto his YouTube and do some videos! I may not be the King of Demons, but I can still become the King of YouTube!

*Everyone turns to RJ "Jay" Writing Ink, who's floating in midair on his back as he watches Demon Slayer on his phone.*

DAU Kermit: Ummm, Jay? Isit okay if they're here? Like, you know what they're capable of, right?

Jay: Oh, yeah, totally sure, Kermit. Besides, I don't feel like saying goodbye to The Owl House just yet, so they're free to hang here with us.

TFS Nappa: Oh, boy, I think Jay's suffering from post-series withdrawal.

Jay: WHO ASKED YOU, NAPPA?! I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT IN HERE! Sorry, sorry. Guess that's a touchy subject.

Omnitraxus: I say we just let him have this one, you guys. Besides, we need to get on with the story. We're already a week behind schedule!

Rex: Rex wants to fight tiny bird tube!

Jay: I wouldn't recommend it, Rex! You'll lose!

Rex: Too late! Am already fighting bird tube! He is very strong!

Hooty: Oh, boy! A new friend to play with, hoot, hoot!

*Everyone watches in utter horror and fascination as Hooty manages to kick Rex's butt off-screen. Jay, on the other hand, shrugs at the whole thing.*

Jay: Sorry about the wait, you guys. I really wanted to get this chapter out, but again, I still miss The Owl House and everything. Plus, the last two weeks at work were super crazy, and-you know what? Forget about all that. We'll watch Comet and Marcia babysit and gush about how cute the tadpoles are, and then afterward, we can-OH, SWEET MERCY, WHAT IS HOOTY DOING!?

"WHEEEEEEE!"

Comet Dragonfly was screaming with absolute joy as he was going down one of the most fun things a kid could enjoy: a super-long, twisty, swirly slide! If there was one thing that Comet loved, it was the adrenaline that came with going down a high-speed ride like a slide.

Until it ended, that is. Then all that was left was a hole in the boy's heart.

"Aw, man," Comet complained as he reached the bottom of the slide and reluctantly stood up before approaching the tile in front of him. "It always ends right when I'm getting into it!"

"Come on, Comet. Quit complaining, and let's keep going!" Marcia called out from about two flights above him, the pair standing on a recreation of the classic board game, Chutes and Ladders, that Comet had made. He even included actual chutes and ladders to make the game more entertaining for them. "Oh, and...I'm winning by the way," Marcia confidently boasted.

Before Comet could devise a clever retort, they were interrupted by the rumbling of a massive, six-sided dice falling onto the board, rolling until it landed on a two.

"Nice! Snake eyes," Marcia said as she pumped her fist before taking two steps forward...right onto a space with a ladder. "And just like that, folks, Marcia widens her lead even further! Comet will be hard-pressed to catch up with her now!" Marcia said aloud, pretending she was doing commentary on the game.

"Boo!" Comet jeered. "And I'm not saying that because you're winning. It's because you're using ladders. Ladders are boring!"

"Whatever, sore loser," Marcia said as she boasted. "Now, I believe it's your turn." The dice then magically floated back up into the air before falling back onto the board and stopping.

"Hmm...that's six. You got six, Comet!"

"Sweet!" Comet then began to walk across the game board, mentally counting out the number of spaces he moved. At this rate, he would catch up to Marcia in no time!

...is what he would've liked to say if he hadn't noticed on the fifth space the sight of a giant, tantalizing, swirly slide. After that, his train of thought left the station.

"Ooooo..."

"Um, Comet? You're at five right now. You gotta move one more," Marcia called out to him as she tried to keep him focused.

"But it's so big and slippery..." Comet was getting this weird look in his eyes as he eyed the chute.

"Comet. Move another space. You rolled a six."

"Buuuut...I don't wanna go six. I want to go five and go down the swirly slide," Comet said in a very childlike tone.

"No, that's not how it works, Comet. You rolled a six, so you have to move six spaces," Marcia pointed out. "Those are the rules of the game."

"But I don't wanna. Comet wanna go on the slide and have fun times," Comet whined, his voice sounding like a little kid's.

"Comet, no. That's against the rules!" Marcia said, this time a little more sternly.

"But Marcia, what's the point of having rules if they get in the way of having fun?"

"Preach it, little brother!" A loud, booming voice shouted, revealed to be the actual Comet Dragonfly. For, in truth, Comet had not shrunk himself and Marcia down to the size of the game board. Nor had he converted his room into a life-sized version of the game Chutes and Ladders. He just made too few duplicates of himself and Marcia and used magic to upgrade the game, like any sane person would. Because that just made sense.

"Look, Comet. The whole point of the game is to get to the end. That's how you win," the little Marcia pointed out, making OG Marcia smile with pride.

"I have to side with my super adorable friend here, Comet. That's how we play the game."

"Awww, you," little Marcia said as she blushed from the compliment, while Comet and little Comet gave them both a deadpan look.

"Marcia, you can't just keep following the rules your whole life," Comet tried to argue. "Imagine what life would be like on Earth if Humans never challenged the rules and colored inside the lines all the time. You'd all still be thinking that the Sun revolved around your world, and jazz and rock music would still be considered low-tier garbage."

"To rule break is to innovate! We are the instruments of progress!" the little Comet shouted, much to OG Comet's joy.

Great. My best friend is turning into an anarchist, Marcia glumly thought as she tried to get things back under control. "Look, Comet, I know that having rules might not always be fun, but they're in place for a reason," she said, trying to reason with him. "And that reason is usually to keep people from doing dumb stuff. Ergo, that's why we follow the rules."

"But what about rules that don't make sense and deserve to be broken? Like that Rosa Parks lady that wouldn't give up her bus seat. Would you have rather she'd done that because some guy who had a bird for a last name said that people had to give up their seats for others because they were different?"

"I, uh..." For once, Marcia was at a loss for words. She couldn't come up with any counter-argument without validating what Comet said, and he knew it.

"Admit it, Marcia. I'm totally right! And ergo, mini Comet wants to go on the slide, mini Comet gets to go on slide!"

"Wheee!" With that, the little Comet began to go down the slides on the board game without regard, much to Marcia's exasperation.

I can't believe it! Comet managed to stump me in an argument. I can't let him do this, or I'll never be able to stop him from doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants! That would bring about complete anarchy!

As Marcia struggled to find a way to get Comet to see reason, the Universe decided to relieve her of this issue as a distraction. For at that very moment, the five (Coryn had been dozing on a perch) found themselves interrupted by the familiar sound of a tear being opened in the fabric of space-time. Looking toward the balcony, everyone was surprised to see a portal opening up into his bedroom.

"What in the...?"

"Oh, crud! It's not my parents, is it?!" Comet asked in a blind panic. Thankfully, it wasn't the King and Queen of Mewni that exited the portal, though it was someone else both teens were familiar with. It was a large, green, and heavyset, humanoid amphibian in a green tunic.

Comet and Marcia couldn't help but gasp as their eyes widened in surprise, apprehension, and joy.

"Buffrog!" Comet and Marcia both said at once, prompting the frog-man to let out a deep, friendly chuckle.

"Hello. We meet again, Prince Comet, and-"

Buffrog's greetings were cut off, though, when the two teens unexpectedly hugged the Monster, catching him off-guard.

"You're okay!" Marcia cried out in joy.

"I can't believe you're here, man!" Comet seconded that statement.

For a moment, Buffrog was taken aback by this display of affection, but he chose not to question it. Instead, he chalked it up to the fact that the three had not seen each other for some time.

For the longest period of time, Buffrog, Comet and Marcia had been on opposing sides. Buffrog had been the right-hand Monster to Ludo Avarius, the self-proclaimed King of the Monsters and someone who sought the power of the Dragonfly Magic Wand. With it, he believed he could restore the Monsters to their former glory as rulers of Mewni and maybe even beyond. However, after their plans had failed far too many times, Ludo had chosen to throw Buffrog onto the streets, only for him to meet the same fate when his army turned on him in favor of the enigmatic Septarian known as Toffee. After that, Buffrog not only chose to not seek conflict with Comet further but even helped their friend out in a competition by exposing their opponent as a cheater.

In the end, Marcia got herself captured by Toffee, leading to an unlikely alliance between Comet, Buffrog, and Ludo to rescue her/take back Castle Avarius. While that mission ended with the Castle leveled and Comet's Wand getting remade, neither teen knew if Buffrog had gotten out in time.

Basically, they were both happy to see that Buffrog was perfectly alright.

"Dude, where the heck have you been?!" Comet said as he finally broke off the hug. "When Castle Avarius exploded, I was worried that you didn't make it!"

"Da, Prince Comet. It was a close call, but I managed to escape with my life," Buffrog happily told them.

"But what about everyone else? Did they make it out alright?" As happy as Marcia would've been to never see the other Monsters in Ludo's Army again, it wouldn't sit right with her knowing that they were all potentially dead.

The girl's concerns were soothed, though, with a nod from Buff Frog's head. "Da. We all managed to get clear of explosion. After that, everyone went separate ways."

"You guys split up?" Comet asked. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel a little sad hearing that, though he didn't understand why.

"Da. With Ludo gone, former comrades out of job and home. Some chose to leave Badlands behind and head to Forest of Certain Death, try to find village where they can work. Others chose to leave Mewni behind altogether. Most of us keep in touch, though." As he spoke, Buffrog's eyes couldn't help but wander down towards Comet's hands, surprised to find that he was carrying a Wand in one of them.

"And I see that you managed to keep your Wand after all, boy," Buffrog said, prompting Comet to get a little defensive about it. In response to this, Buffrog chuckled. "Do not worry. I have no interest in Dragonfly family's greatest treasure. Though I am surprised that you kept it."

"Oh, right," Comet said as he realized that Buffrog didn't know what happened after he bailed. "After that huge explosion, my Wand ended up rebuilding itself," he said as he held up the newer version of his Wand. "More or less. I'm pretty sure half of the crystal got vaporized in the blast, though."

"Somehow, I would not expect anything else," Buffrog commented.

"But...why are you here, though? *gasp* are you moving back to Earth to find work? Because I know a few places that might be accepting job applications, and I can make you a little house in the backyard and-"

"No, no, no, no!" Marcia said as she quickly shot down that idea. "We may not be fighting anymore, but I'm drawing the line with letting him live in my backyard! We already have enough mouths to feed here as it is!"

Buffrog held a hand up. "Do not worry, Karate Girl. I would not impose on your family like that. I already have home in swamps of Forest of Certain Death. Besides, I am here for other reason." Upon saying this, Buffrog reached into the portal behind him. As Comet and Marcia watched in curiosity, the Monster pulled a massive stroller...filled with a bunch of little tadpoles!

Comet's eyes went wide as he squealed in joy "BUFF BABIES!" Marcia had to physically restrain to keep him from trying to hug them all. "Let me go, Marcy! I must hug them now!"

"Comet, no! Restrain yourself!" Marcia shouted as she kept Comet in a full-nelson. Though, secretly, she found herself gushing over the adorable tadpoles.

As Buffrog watched all this transpire, he got an apprehensive look. Still, he knew that the people in front of him were the only ones he could ask, so he pressed on.

"I am needing your help, Comet Dragonfly and Karate Girl," Buffrog continued. "I have...work to do, and I need someone to babysit babies. Please," Buffrog whined. "Be babysitting them for me! I don't know who else to ask!"

"Babies..." Comet said as he continued to look at the tadpoles. He couldn't help it; he had a weakness for all things adorable! "Don't you worry, Buffrog!" Comet said, his voice filled with determination. "I will watch over your adorable, adopted children!"

"Uhh, actually..." Buffrog awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "I was hoping that Karate Girl would be one who does most of watching," he admitted.

Marcia felt shocked at this, while Comet looked like someone had just dealt him a mortal blow.

"Me? for real? You want me to watch your kids?" Marcia asked, making sure she heard that correctly.

"Da," Buffrog nodded. "I trust Comet Dragonfly to keep babies safe, but I trust Karate Girl to keep babies safe in general. You are most responsible one."

"Oh. Thank you!" Marcia couldn't help but feel a little smug at this. "I don't mean to brag, but I am one of the most respected babysitters in Echo Creek," she boasted, much to Comet's chagrin. "I can take care of your kids, no problem."

"Thank you, Karate Girl. I knew it was good idea to ask you," Buffrog said, nodding his head.

"Hey!" Comet said as he came back to his senses. "I can be responsible too, you know! We can both handle watching your kids!" he objected as he tried not to sound too hurt by the implications. "I'm practically the King of Babysittonia!"

Before Buffrog could question this statement, his mirror phone began to ring. "Excuse me for one moment," he said as he pulled the mirror out of his pocket. "Da, it is Buffrog."

Marcia took the opportunity to pull Comet aside. "Comet, are you sure you know what you're doing? Have you even babysat before?"

"Nope," Comet freely admitted, making Marcia desperately want to face-palm. "But I was a baby once, and I have always been great with kids!"

Probably because you're just like them, Marcia thought, though she didn't say anything. "But Comet-"

"And, I seem to recall how I managed to handle things on our interdimensional field trip. Come on, you know that I can be responsible!"

He's got you there, Marcia, Marcia had to admit. "All right, fine. We'll both look after them. But you gotta do what I say, all right?"

Comet gave a simple nod of his head at this, and Marcia could do nothing but take his word for it.

"Da, I will bring torture bag as well. See you soon," Buffrog said, finishing his conversation before putting his phone back in his tunic pockets. After doing that, he reached his hands inside the still-open portal and pulled out an enormous binder, before handing it to Comet. Despite his impressive level of muscle, Comet found himself straining a little as he struggled to hold the binder in his hands, letting out a notable grunt as he did so.

"Oooh, boy. This thing's got some heft to it, doesn't it?" Comet said, trying not to look weak by joking about things. Marcia couldn't help but raise her eyebrows a little, though. "This, this must be pretty important, huh?"

"Da," Buffrog nodded. "Is binder filled with all of babies schedules and instructions. Very important."

Marcia couldn't help but gain a little more respect for Buffrog as she heard this. As someone who liked having some form of rules and structure in her life, she appreciated the lengths that Buffrog obviously went to. In her eyes, it showed just how good a parent he was.

Comet...didn't really see things like that, though. He took one look at the binder and saw a bunch of dumb rules meant to keep people from having any fun. He did, however, have enough tact to not say anything about it in front of Buffrog. He owed him for helping to save Marcia, and he didn't want to waste the trust he had built.

That didn't stop him from passing the binder onto Marcia, though, much to her immense dismay. Buffrog, on the other hand, wasn't paying much attention to that. He was more focused on his children. There was one tadpole that he was focusing on, in particular. It was smaller than the rest of its siblings, with big eyes that made people want to go "aww" when they saw them. Gingerly, like he was handling something made of glass, Buffrog picked up the little tadpole and made the most adorable face at it.

"Oh, Katrina. My delicate, little glassy pearl," Buffrog sweetly said as he gave the infant a soft kiss before turning to look at the teens. "Please be extra careful with her."

It didn't take a genius for Comet and Marcia to figure out that this tadpole (Katrina, they reminded themselves) was especially dear to Buffrog. Should anything bad happen to her, then Buffrog would likely not forgive them.

"Don't worry, Buffrog," Marcia said as she struggled to hide how nervous she was. "We won't let you down."

"Yeah," Comet chimed in as he confidently placed his hands on his hips. "Like a durable suitcase, we got this handled! Eh, eh?"

Marcia had to resist the urge to cringe from Comet's horrible pun. Buffrog couldn't care less about that, though.

"Take good care of children. Or else..." he said while narrowing his eyes to pinpricks as he added this last part, making Marcia shudder nervously. He only kept that expression for a moment, though, as he turned to his babies and adopted a warm, loving look on his face. "Okay. Daddy will come to get you after work. Six o'clock sharp. Be good and listen to baby-sitters."

With that Buffrog then walked back through the portal before it closed, leaving Comet and Marcia alone with the Buff Babies. And Coryn...and the miniature versions of themselves from the board game.

"Well, now that that's taken care of..." Comet got a mischevious glint in his eyes as he looked at the tadpoles as they lay on the ground in front of him. "HUG-TIME!" Like a maniac, Comet then dove straight for the tadpoles, ready to shower them with love and affection!

"Nope!" Came the sharp cry of Marcia, who roughly grabbed hold of Comet's hoodie and using it to keep him in place. "Comet, I have several ideas about what it is you're planning to do, and the answer to all of them is 'heck no!' So knock it off, you idiot, or I am cutting off all of your streaming privileges!

Comet let out an audible gasp. "You wouldn't! I'm just getting caught up on One Piece! And I haven't finished the latest season of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure!"

"You really want to risk that, Dragonfly," Marcia asked, narrowing her eyes firmly. Seeing that she was dead serious about this, Comet relented.

"Fine. We'll do it your way," Comet grumbled as he crossed his arms.

"Excellent," Marcia smugly said as she let go of Comet, who continued to stare at the adorable babies while they looked back at him with wide, innocent eyes while Marcia looked at the binder. "Now the first thing we should do is-"

"Hoot hoo hoo hoot!"

At that moment, both teens were distracted by the familiar hooting of Coryn the Noctowl. The owl Pokémon had hopped off of his perch in the corner of Comet's bedroom and flown the short distance over to the tadpoles, who he now began to chirp and eye at, much to their concern. Then, to make matters worse, Coryn reached down with his beak and started to try and peck at the thin membrane of egg protecting the tadpoles from the outside world, much to Comet's surprise and Marcia's horror.

"We should probably move the babies someplace else." Comet said, any thoughts of playing with the babies overshadowed that Coryn's curiosity might harm Buffrog's kids.

And that is where we are going to leave things off for now! I know, it's a short chapter and we only covered the start of this episode. I had meant to get a little bit farther before ending this chapter, but I didn't want to rush myself. So, instead, I decided to use this chapter to reintroduce us to Buffrog after all this time as well as set up the conflict in the next chapter: Marcia's order against Comet's chaos and how they can both benefit from each other. Plus, it gives me more time to focus on the chaos that Comet's about to unleash.

Now, let's get started on some

READER'S REVIEWS

95-Thank you. I worked hard on the Kings of Mewni. Had to really go back and look at the Wikis and the Book of Spells.

NightAroma-Actually, NightAroma, I want to do both. It's always been a dream of mine to do something I consider fun for a living. And I've started to see that my ability to do reaction videos with a camera isn't as good as I wish it could be.

Hmmm, interesting idea about Solarius. If I can, I wouldn't mind delving into his backstory a little more when the time comes. And don't worry. I wouldn't dare spoil the Super Mario Bros Movie for you. I'm not a monster.

And believe it or not, I still haven't seen Puss in Boots: The Last Wish yet. I need to get on that.

KryptonJoyWrites-Yeah, it sucks. But there will always be good, serialized cartoons out there.

You know what to do: fave and follow this story, and follow me on Twitter (JZ-Gaming), Insta (RJ Writing Ink), and YouTube (Jungoguy).

Come back in about a week for some babysitting hijinks! Now, I need to go make sure Hooty and Rex don't kill each other.