Tír na nÓg, the country known for beauty, health, abundance, and joy. It was here that the magical beings such as the faye lived. Which consisted of fairies (a divergent group that did not eat skin unlike the ones in the Boiling Isles), merrows, the Wolfman Tribes, the Leprechauns, the Far Darrigs, the Clurichauns, and the Fear Gortas. And of course, one cannot forget about the various spirits that inhabit the land of Tír na nÓg, the ghostly beings that can traverse the living world and the spiritual world. It was unclear to many if these spirits were of actual dead human beings and other sapient creatures, or if they just hailed from a realm that was entirely spiritual to begin with, having no real connection to their world.
Whatever the case was, they were welcome in Tír na nÓg. The only other place that spirits could walk freely was in the Boiling Isles Empire, but that depended on certain conditions, the natural barrier seemed to be not as strong in Tír na nÓg, so spirits often roamed freely. Human beings in Tír na nÓg learned to coexist with their spirit and faye neighbors, creating a friendship between them. Due to this friendship, Tír na nÓg had become known for its abundance of rare plants that were infused with magical properties. It was said that living in Tír na nÓg would actually increase your lifespan due to the natural magic that flowed freely through the air.
In order to better commune and make use of these magical properties, many humans took on the profession of using magic and crafting elixirs and items from the natural resources, while at the same time, being good stewards of the land. These practitioners were called "Druids", and they were responsible for creating some of the best healing potions in all of Gaea, and at the same time, being excellent healers of both body and spirit. Even Potion Coven witches in the Boiling Isles couldn't compete with Tír na nÓg's healing potions. There were some that could accelerate the body's natural healing capabilities with little to no side effects, and then there was a particularly strong healing potion that was capable of healing someone within seconds of drinking it. And if administered right away, can even keep someone from dying.
However, the plant used in its making only bloomed once every ten years. So, it was of vital importance that they be harvested carefully and given great care. And due to this, the "Panacea" potion was closely regulated, and to only be used in the most extreme cases when all other options of healing have been exhausted. Which was why hospitals around the world were only given a small supply of this.
Although today was not about stuffy economics and trade, no, today was a day full of fun and excitement. On this day, Tír na nÓg was holding its annual Day of the Faye, which celebrated their magical brethren by allowing the faye folk to come out from their forest dwellings and celebrate with their human brethren with food, drink, and games.
This celebration was taking place in the capital of Tír na nÓg, Cathair an Aoibhneas. Which literally translates to "City of Joy".
The city, like many of the others in Gaea, was a large city, but one that managed to blend into the landscape and had many trees growing tall inside the city, along with flowing rivers that led out of city. There were white stone buildings that would peak out of the city here and there, and in the center of the city was the white stone castle of King Peter McGee and Queen Sharon McGee. Some hover chariots would fly over the festival and move onto other parts of the city, while others landed close by to drop off their passengers before heading off to ferry more people in. And atop the castle, watching over the festivities below, was the guardian Shugod, God Coinín. The mechanical creature was yellow colored, with pink eyes, and large ears. Every once and a while God Coinín would release a squeak of happiness.
Down on the ground, many booths were set up, some dedicated to games, and others solely to food. Despite being spirit beings, the ghosts that would come to the festival showed that they could indeed eat physical food. Some wondered how this was possible, and where the food even went after they ate it. It was speculated that when the ghosts ate the food, it was broken down into pure energy for them, which meant no waste to worry about.
Among these festival goers was a girl who was being followed by a floating camera sphere. She had platinum blue hair that reached down to her waist, light brown eyes and similarly colored eyebrows. Her skin was fair and had some freckles around her face. She wore a pink hoody with a glowing stripe that went up both sleeves and had both halves joined at the center of the hoody to form a circular pattern. Along with this she had a lavender skirt, maroon leggings, and white shoes with blue circuit lines on them. On her hands were a pair of gloves that also had glowing circuit lines that were used to control her camera pods. Her eyes shined for a second, indicating that the special Augmented Reality contact lenses just turned on.
"Hey Fandreas! Andrea Davenport, coming to you live from the happiest place on Gaea! Tír na nÓg! More specifically, Cathair an Aoibhneas!" Andrea announced.
Through her contacts, she could see tons of emojis, thumbs up, and hearts icons floating off to her left-hand side, while on the right she could see comments coming in almost every second. Andrea waved her hands, making the icons and comments a little smaller so that they didn't obstruct her view.
"Today is Tír na nÓg's Day of the Faye Festival! Now, every city and town in Tír na nÓg is having their own festival, but the biggest – and by far best – party is right here my Fandreas! And why's that? Because my best gal pal is MCing the whole thing!"
Andrea stopped, smiled, and began making her way towards the castle. The booths for games and food continued all the way past the front gates of the palace and right into its courtyard. At the front of the main doorway to the castle, a large stage was erected. On that stage was King Peter McGee of House McGee. He had red hair and a beard, green eyes, and was light skinned. He was quite tall, but not very muscular when you compare him to his other relatives. He wore a golden crown atop his head, a green shirt with golden leaf patterns, brown pants, and black boots. A red cape flowed down his back, and at his hip was sheathed his Ohger Calibur.
Next to him was his wife, Sharon McGee. She was a native of Amphibia, and a relative of the Boonchuy family, the ruling family of that nation. She had a stout physique, was tan skinned, dark brown eyes, and had brown hair that she tied into a bun. Her outfit consisted of an aquamarine dress, a color normally associated with her homeland, but it was also embroidered with golden leaf patterns to symbolize her joining this nation, and atop her head she wore a golden crown like her husband's.
Sharon and Peter had met a long time ago when they were teenagers, and developed feelings for each other over the coming years, and so, when it came time for Peter to choose who he wanted to marry, he made the announcement, as king, that he wished to marry Sharon Boonchuy. Of course, they talked this over with the ruling heads of Amphibia, and since both parties wanted this, that being Sharon and Peter, it was approved. And thanks to this, Amphibia and Tír na nÓg's relationship was strengthened.
There were some clans that didn't quite approve of King Peter's choice, but those voices were quickly silenced on the day that she was born. Speaking of…
"Okay, Fandreas! It's time for this party to officially kick off!" Andrea declared as she aimed the camera up towards the top of the castle.
God Coinín looked down at the crowd, and then jumped straight up into the air. The mechanical rabbit did a couple of flips in the air as it descended towards the ground. Some of the faye and humans in attendance looked a little worried that God Coinín was about to crush them, but at the last second, God Coinín's legs emitted a pulse of yellow energy, creating a cushion that prevented its hard landing and instead allowed the rabbit mech to land safely behind the stage.
A shimmer of yellow light appeared before King Peter and Queen Sharon, and when it faded, there stood Princess Molly McGee. She was in a bright yellow shirt, white shorts, and had a green sash over her chest that had the words "Master of Ceremonies" written in white on it. Molly took after her mother, having tanned skin, dark eyes, but her hair, although dark in color, had shades of red when the light hit it just right. The Princess of Tír na nÓg raised her right hand, which had a microphone in it before bringing it close to her mouth.
"HELLO TÍR NA NÓG!" Molly exclaimed. "Welcome to the Day of the Faye Festival! And to all those all over the country celebrating in your towns and cities, let's all have a day full of fun and joy! This day's all about how all of us are able to coexist with each other, and how we help each other! This land wouldn't be Tír na nÓg without the faye and humans! So, eat, drink, and be merry!"
The whole crowd released loud cheers, whooping it up, and clapping their hands.
"Also, as a reminder, please throw all your trash into the designated recycling bins, and that alcoholic beverages are not to be served to anyone under the age of eighteen. That includes those whose ages corollate to the human equivalent of anything under eighteen. So, sorry, but all kiddos like me and faye kiddos, you're not getting any of that."
There was a lot of laughter coming from the crowd, along with some obvious groans coming from the few faye children who were looking to use their advanced age as a loophole.
"Other than that, enjoy!"
Once Molly had given her little speech, the crowd went back to their activities. Molly switched off the mic and walked up to her parents, feeling proud and excited.
"Nice touch with God Coinín there, didn't see that coming," said Peter.
"Aww, thanks, it was something I thought of last second." Molly looked up at God Coinín and said, "Thanks a lot, Judy! Go on and have some fun too!"
God Coinín nodded, chirped happily, and then took off in a random direction.
"By the way, Molly, where's Darryl?" Sharon asked.
"I thought he was with you," said Molly.
"No, we thought he was with you," Peter remarked.
All three McGee's went silent.
"When's the last time you saw him?" Molly asked.
"Uh…Uh…An hour ago, I think. I passed by him in the castle," Sharon answered.
"I thought I saw him heading out here, but now…" Peter started to look worried.
Molly put on a nervous smile.
"It's fine. It's fine. What kind of trouble can Darryl really get into…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"And now I am going to patrol the grounds. Not for any other reason aside from my MC duties!" Molly announced as she hopped off the stage.
Molly's parents decided to check the castle one more time, just in case.
As the young princess began walking, she was immediately set upon by Andrea, with the platinum blue-haired teen wrapping her up in a hug.
"Hey, girlfriend! You, you were amazing~! We're blowing up!" Andrea exclaimed, excitedly.
"Oh, Andrea, hey! And – no particular reason whatsoever – but have you seen Darryl around?" Molly asked.
Andrea shook her head in the negative.
"Sorry, no. But check this out!" Andrea made a square shape with her index fingers and thumbs, and then widened her hands, creating a holographic screen. "Looks like we're totally trending online right now! We're beating out Calderon and 'Moon Girl'."
Molly sighed as she walked, with Andrea right next to her.
"Andrea, you know I'm not into this who little social media rivalry you have with that Casey girl."
Andrea gave a little giggle.
"Oh, Molly, 'rivalry' entails they're on equal footing…they're just another steppingstone to make you the best future queen!" Andrea declared.
Molly blinked and asked, "Not that I'm not appreciative of you helping me with my enhappifying mission, but why do you want to hype me up? No offense, but you're from Scientia like Lunella, shouldn't you be rooting for her?"
Andrea placed her left hand on Molly's shoulder.
"Well, of course, I'm supportive of my homeland. Buuuut, I also love your whole enhappify thing. I think we could use more of it, especially…"
"Down with the Day of the Faye!"
"…with those kinds of people around."
Molly and Andrea turned towards a small crowd of Tír na nÓg citizens. They were holding signs that read, "Tír na nÓg for Humans!" and "The Faye Cannot Stay!", as well as other things that weren't exactly friendly. Molly noticed that some of the other human citizens, along with the fairies and few other fayes, were giving the group of humans some awkward glances. And some were just glaring at them.
"Ugh, Purists," Andrea scoffed. "Who invited them?"
"Nobody…but they are citizens of the country, and they do have a right to enjoy he festival, too," said Molly.
"Yeah, but they aren't," Andrea pointed out. "They're just being jerks and ruining everyone's good time."
Molly sighed as she put on a serious expression but kept her smile as he approached them.
The Purist Movement was a relatively small organization that was scattered across Gaea. They were humans who believed that human beings were the true rulers of the world, and that the magical creatures like the faye, witches, demons, and Amphibians, were aberrations in their world. Unnatural beings in their natural world. Of course, many did not ascribe to these notions. Yes, some would join their ranks, but they were small for the most part, and didn't go beyond protests, at least so far. And as the Princess of Tír na nÓg, Molly had a duty to quell this little protest before it sparked into something.
"Hey there citizens! Looks like you got a little protest going on here, huh?" Molly asked.
One man stepped out from the small crowd of protesters, the ringleader, Molly figured. He was a tall, stout man, with black hair and a bushy beard.
"Princess Molly, we of the Purist Movement strongly condemn this festival! We're basically relegating ourselves to slaves for the day," he said.
Molly scratched the back of her head as she said, "Um, well, I'd have to disagree with you. We're not slaves, and they're not ours. We live in harmony with the faye, we help each other."
"Humph! Tell that to our brethren in the Boiling Isles!" the man sniped.
Molly winced. Yes, the Boiling Isles Empire didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to treating humans right. Especially since they do have some laws that allow for wealthy individuals to own slaves, both demon, witch, and especially humans.
"Okay, yes, the Boiling Isles is one example. But Amphibia doesn't treat its human citizens like that, and of course, neither does anyone in Tír na nÓg," Molly rebutted.
Andrea stepped up and added, "Plus, both here, and Amphibia, are ruled by human royalty, chosen by the guardian Shugods. If that was really how it was, then the Amphibians and faye would've just revolted, right? But I don't see any revolts happening."
The platinum blue haired girl turned to her floating camera as she looked at it.
"What do you say, my Fandreas of Amphibia and Tír na nÓg, do you feel oppressed?" Andrea asked.
Suddenly, the camera orb opened small panels that began projecting dozens of comments for everyone to see.
[No way! I love Amphibia!]
[My best friends are human and Amphibians!]
[Tír na nÓg is for everyone, faye and humans!]
[I'm from the BI, while I wish things were better, I still love my home!]
More and more comments appeared, and the rest of the human and faye citizens around the Purist group began to shoot smug expressions at them.
"Look, we can all enjoy our time here, together. Humans and non-humans all want the same thing in the end, to be happy! And when I become queen, my goal is to enhappify the world! So…" Molly quickly dashed over to a vender, got some cotton candy, paid the vendor, and then reappeared before the leader of the Purists. "Let's just have fun!"
There was a look on the man's face that made it appear as if he wanted to slap the proffered cotton candy stick out of her hand. But even he knew that that would be an incredibly stupid thing to do. For one thing, this girl was the Princess of Tír na nÓg, if he took any hostile action towards her, there was no doubt that the guards might take him and his group into custody for doing so. That and the fact that this other girl from Scientia was live streaming this whole incident for a lot of people to see, and of course there was the problem with the other human and faye citizens watching them. All of them gave him and his group a slight glare as if daring him to refuse Princess Molly's kind gesture, or to just give them an excuse to run them out of the fairgrounds.
Plus…It didn't help that Princess Molly was looking up at him with those sparkling eyes that had nothing but pure, kindhearted intentions. It would feel like kicking an abandoned, three-legged, puppy, in a rainstorm.
With some reluctance, the man gently took the cotton candy from Princess Molly and silently gestured to his group to disperse. The others grumbled but did as he said as they all moved together and walked away.
Now that the Purists were gone, the gathered crowd cheered for Molly, making the young teen blush from the attention.
"And she does it again, Fandreas! Princess Molly McGee, her good vibes are so strong, not even those annoying Purists can stand it. Like, comment, and subscribe!" Andrea stated before turning her attention back to Molly. "Seriously, Molly, that was great."
Molly sighed as she crossed her arms.
"Thanks, but I really wish I could change their minds about this whole purity thing. I mean, we all live on the same planet, we all share this world. So, why do they have it in their minds that one race should be above the other?" Molly questioned.
Andrea shrugged.
"Dunno. I mean, despite all of us humans being humans, we certainly don't a look alike. Some of us are different skin tones, facial features, some of us even have our own languages that aren't exactly native to the faye, demons, witches, or Amphibians. Honestly speaking, if they have it their way, I don't doubt we'd all be fighting each other trying to determine which humans should be in charge," said Andrea.
Molly shivered at the thought, that just sounded stupid and horrible. But it made sense in a way, there were certainly some faye that didn't get along with each other, and ancient history taught that Amphibia's caste system heavily favored the newts over the toads and frogs. If humans really did become more dominant as the Purists keep preaching and wanting, how long would it be before there were divides? There were certainly some questions raised about her own heritage. With her mother being from Amphibia, and her father of Tír na nÓg, she was the first mixed human race royalty of Tír na nÓg, along with her little brother.
"Oh, sweet baby corn! I almost forgot!" Molly exclaimed.
"Forgot what?" Andrea asked.
"Uh…" Molly glanced at the camera pod and then back to Andrea as she whispered, "Could you go off the air for a little bit?"
"Sure." Andrea turned to face her floating camera pod. "Okay, Fandreas, gonna take a little break to recharge and hang with my girl!"
With a snap of her fingers, the stream went to break time.
"Okay, so what's up?" Andrea asked.
Molly grabbed Andrea by her shoulders, bringing the platinum blue-haired teen close to her. Andrea blushed hard when she did this. It was no secret that Andrea considered herself "queer", her fans knew this, and Molly and Libby certainly did as well. And if she was being honest with herself, she did find Molly incredibly cute, so having her bring herself within kissing distance was making her queer heart pound in her chest.
"Uh…M-Molly, what's up?"
"Darryl is missing!" Molly exclaimed.
Her little queer panic immediately ended as concern replaced it.
"Wait, was he kidnapped?" Andrea questioned.
"No! Nothing like that! I think he might be planning something!"
"Molly, c'mon, you don't seriously think Darryl's going to be doing something on the Day of the Faye Festival, do you?"
"It's Darryl."
"…"
"…"
Andrea tapped the top of her gloves, and immediately seven more camera pod orbs flew out of her backpack. The teen influencer quickly backed away from Molly as she got into her live stream persona and went back on.
"Hey guys! I got a fun game for you all! I'm going to have my cameras float throughout the fair, and your job is to find this guy." Andrea made a square shape with her thumbs and index fingers and widened it. On the VR side, this had the effect of blowing up an image of Molly's little brother. "This is Prince Darryl McGee. He's hiding somewhere in the fair. If you find him, let me know, and to the first Fandrea that managed to find him – provided we verify he is there – you will receive a one-on-one private chat sesh with me! As well as some Davenports swag!"
The AR created a banner that displayed exactly what Andrea promised, and her fans were already getting fired up for the challenge.
"Okay, everyone, keep your eyes peeled and…GO!"
Andrea waved her hand and the seven orbs all fanned out.
"Well, with all my Fandreas looking for him, it should only be a matter of time," said Andrea.
"Molly!"
The two girls were distracted for a moment when they saw another of their friends appear.
She was taller than both of them, with long brown hair that reached her waist. She wore a faded green tunic top, with brown pants that had a tear in the left knee, and gray boots. This girl was another of Molly's friends, the first friend she made in Tír na nÓg, her name was Libby Stein-Torres. She was a shy girl, but very intuitive, creative, and smart. But her shyness often relegated her to being a wallflower, but as she has told both Andrea and Molly, she likes being in the background.
"Hey, Libbs, what's going on?" Molly asked.
Libby stopped before the two girls, panting as she caught her breath, and said one word, "Scratch."
Molly's expression deadpanned.
"As I told you, sir, you've hit your limit at my stall," said the vendor.
"I have no limit, 'sir'!"
Molly, Andrea, and Libby appeared at one of the food stalls, and it was here that they found Scratch. He was a ghost, a phantasm. Some wondered if these ghosts were either from an afterlife that was from another world, or if it really was their own ghost world where their deceased went to after they died. Some decided not to question it, as it allowed many to have the hope that they would be able to commune with their loved ones even after death. That, and the fact that it could also mean the veil between the spiritual and physical worlds is weakening too much, but most tended to look on the positive side of this.
This allowed ghosts from the "ghost world" to come and interact with humans and non-humans alike. Some could even eat and drink like normal living beings. Although what purpose this served was still unknown as they were dead, and technically speaking ghosts shouldn't be able or have a need to eat the food of the living. But some speculated that it gave them energy to sustain themselves in the living world when they came to visit. How true this was, was also unknown. Which brings us to now.
Scratch was a notorious ghost that roamed the land of Tír na nÓg, scaring humans and some faye here and there. He was a loner, generally malcontent, and had quite an appetite. Then he met Princess Molly. Now, some ghosts had the ability to curse living mortals, and so he did it to Molly, mostly because the young human was so persistent in wanting to befriend him. The curse was set up so he would haunt her forever to basically torment her. What Scratch didn't realize was that he had done exactly what Molly wanted, he had hoped to scare her off, but now he accidentally tethered himself to her, and would come whenever she called his name.
Through their interactions, Molly managed to soften Scratch's heart, making him less grumpy, less irritable, and a little more friendly. At least when it came the McGee family, but he was still a bit of all the above when it came to everyone else.
"Listen, buddy, I was told you have a limit, and you reached it at my stall," said the vendor.
"I demand to see the manager! It's all you can eat, and I haven't eaten all I can eat!" Scratch argued.
"Sorry, not my call. Not the manager's either."
"Then whose is it?!"
The vendor glanced over Scratch's shoulder and said, "Hers."
Scratch turned around, prepared to lay into the person who denied him his food, but deadpanned when he saw that it was Molly.
"Oi, should've known."
"Sorry, Scratch, but if I don't put a food cap on you, you'll eat everything and there won't be enough for everyone else," said Molly.
The ghost harumphed and crossed his arms.
"C'mon, Scratch, don't be like that, you still haven't hit your limit on the other stalls, right?" Molly asked.
"…No."
"Then…wait a minute," Molly suddenly furrowed her brow in suspicion, something was up. "Scratch, why are you sweating?"
"Heh, heh. Molly, ghosts don't sweat," Scratch corrected.
Molly raised an eyebrow, for some reason, his ectoplasm was, in fact, sweating. At least the ghost equivalent of sweating. Something was up.
"Libby, when Scratch started to complain, how did it start?" Molly asked.
Libby was wondering where Molly was going with this, but as she continued to observe Scratch, she started to go into detective mode.
"Huh, now that you mention it, his complaints did seem to lack his usual incredulous tone," Libby mentioned. "And I did observe him eating at another stall not too long ago, which also capped him like this one did, but he didn't complain then."
Andrea was raising an eyebrow as well, even she could tell that something was off now.
"Uh…I…I thought it was a fluke the first time, so I tried at this one," he retorted.
All three girls glanced at each other, clearly not convinced. That's when it dawned on Molly, if there was anyone else in this kingdom that Darryl would scheme with, it was Scratch. The two were pranksters, and loved causing mischief whenever the opportunity arose. Molly was about to ask Scratch something, but Andrea spoke up.
"Molly! Just got an update from a Fandrea! They think they spotted Darryl on the east end of the fairgrounds!" Andrea informed.
"Great! Let's go! You too, Libby!"
"Wait? Me – Whoa!"
Molly quickly took hold of Libby's arm and together the three headed to where Andrea's fan had spotted her little brother. The trio maneuvered through the crowd and eventually managed to get to east end of the fairgrounds, and that's when they spotted Darryl.
"Ah-ha! He's…! He's…"
"Giving out balloons?" Andrea and Libby questioned.
Indeed, Prince Darryl McGee was handing out different colored balloons to the children that asked for one. He was dressed in his civilian wear, so it was easy to mistake him for being just another one of the workers of the festival, with a green, hooded jacket, orange tunic, and dark blue pants. Although, this whole setup was suspicious. Molly knew Darryl never did anything as mundane as this. So, there had to be another angle. With that in mind, the three girls marched up to Darryl, with Molly in the lead.
"Okay, Darryl, what's going on? Why are you handing out balloons?" Molly asked.
"It's my job for now. Handing out balloons. And then get more balloons and hand those out," said Darryl in a monotone.
Molly scrutinized her little brother for a moment, and after that moment had passed, she realized she recognized the dull look in his eyes, and his lackluster response.
"Oh, no. SCRATCH!" Molly called out.
Within seconds Scratch appeared in a small flash of blue light, his mouth gaping open as he held some food in his hand and was preparing to eat it.
"Huh, what's the…oh…"
"Scratch, did you turn Darryl into a Wraith?!" Molly interrogated.
"Uh…technically I didn't turn him into a Wraith. I simply forgot to close my personal portal to the Ghost Realm, and it would appear that Darryl somehow crossed through it and separated his ghost from his body…" Scratch explained, his ectoplasm sweating again. "This is a shocking development!"
Again, the three girls deadpanned.
"Okay, Scratch, what's Darryl up to?"
"Bro code, can't say."
"Scraaaaaaaaatch!" Molly complained.
Just then, a small flash of green light went off beside Libby, and that's when she saw a little sprite that she had befriended when she was younger.
"Sylphy?"
The little sprite began making noises, although they were intelligible to everyone else, Libby understood. Sprites tended to connect to certain people, and when they did, their language could be understood by that individual, but not when overheard by others unless another sprite was present.
"Guys, Sylphy says they saw a ghost roaming around the perimeter of the festival, and was heading back to the palace," Libby informed.
Molly narrowed her gaze and said, "Darryl!"
The Princess of Tír na nÓg ran until she was in an open area, with Libby, Scratch, and Andrea right on her tail. Once she was in an open square, Molly whistled loudly, having it echo within the square. For a few seconds nothing happened, but then they saw ripples of yellow energy in the air as God Coinín hopped upon the air, as if it was solid ground. The rabbit Shugod landed in front of Molly and looked at her curiously.
"Judy! Sorry, but can you take me to the castle, like, ASAP?!" Molly asked.
God Coinín nodded her head, and after, a pillar of yellow light appeared around Molly, Andrea, Libby, and Scratch. Normally ghosts could go through anything, so long as it wasn't enchanted, but Shugods were the one thing that they couldn't pass through, nor could they escape the confines of their cockpits, as Scratch found out long ago. So, he was coming along for the ride, whether he wanted to or not.
Once everyone was aboard, God Coinín jumped into the air, and began running on the air as she headed straight for the castle. The rabbit guardian Shugod landed in the courtyard of the castle and allowed her passengers to disembark.
"Okay, riding in a guardian Shugod, is so awesome!" Andrea exclaimed.
"Alright, Scratch!"
"Meep!"
"You're going to take us straight to Darryl!"
"Quick question, why would I break the bro code and help bring you directly to him?" Scratch asked.
A devious expression befell Molly's face as she answered, "Oh, you thought this food stall cap was bad? Wait until I make it kingdom wide! And even lower than it was before! I'll make it a crime to give you food!"
Scratch's eyes widened as his pupils dilated.
"Y-You wouldn't dare!"
"Heh-heh, try me."
Molly and Scratch had a stare down, neither the human nor ghost was blinking as Scratch waited to see Molly bend the knee and say she was kidding. However, as the silence stretched on, Scratch was growing increasingly worried. In fact, Molly's brow furrowed more, eyes narrowing as her lips curled just a little more. That's when the ghost thought that maybe Molly wasn't bluffing. That maybe, just maybe, she was serious in her threat.
"Okay! Okay! I give! He should be on the roof of the castle by now!" Scratch blurted out.
"To the roof!"
On the roof, an indigo ghost was busy working with something that looked like rockets.
"Heh, almost done!"
Suddenly, the door to the roof was kicked open as Molly, Libby, Andrea, and Scratch appeared. Molly held out her right hand with an accusatory finger pointed at her Wraith brother.
"Darryl, as your older sister, Princess of Tír na nÓg, and Master of Ceremonies, I demand you stop whatever it is you're doing!" Molly ordered.
Darryl turned around, his eyes wide when he saw his sister and her friends, along with Scratch.
"Aww, c'mon Scratch! You snitched?!" Darryl complained.
"She threatened me with food, Darryl! She had me boxed in! I cracked!" Scratch admitted.
Darryl sighed as he put his hands on his hips and said, "Oh, well. Not like it matters now. Everything's ready."
"Darryl, what did you do?" Molly inquired.
Darryl's lips curled into a suspicious smile.
"Wanna find out, sis?"
Molly watched as Darryl got something that looked like a remote control. She wasn't sure what kind of prank he was about to set off, they normally ranged from harmless fun, to sometimes chaotic and messy. And the fact that he had Scratch turn him into a Wraith, just so that he could go unnoticed to set up whatever prank this was, meant Darryl was serious about this.
"Darryl, you wouldn't…"
"I would."
Molly rushed towards Darryl, in an attempt to stop him, but unfortunately forgot that he was in Wraith form. The moment she reached out to tackle him, she passed right through his body and fell on her face.
"Should've seen that coming," said Andrea as she winced.
"Yowch," Libby commented.
Darryl floated a little higher out of Molly's reach, and then pressed the button. The moment he did, the rockets on the roof of the castle launched and fired straight up into the air. When the rockets reached the desired height, they exploded, revealing that they were in fact fireworks. More fireworks shot off from around the castle as the sky was lit up with dazzling, multicolored shapes and patterns.
Molly got up as her eyes went wide with awe as she witnessed the fireworks painting the sky with fantastic images.
"Darryl, you set up fireworks?!" Molly exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You were busy getting everything else, ready. So, I decided to do this as a surprise, but I had to do it as a Wraith to make sure you guys didn't notice," Darryl explained. "But it ain't over yet."
Darryl pressed the button again, and that's when several more fireworks rockets were launched from different spots around the perimeter of the fairgrounds. One salvo after another was released as the citizens of Tír na nÓg watched the sky light up with fireworks, cheering, oohing, and awing at the spectacle. Darryl floated down from the air and next to his big sister as he smiled at her.
"Aww, c'mere you!"
Molly went to give her little brother a hug, but once again passed right through him and fell on her face.
"Okay, you're doing that on purpose at this point," Molly stated, her voice muffled by the stone.
"Heh-heh, maybe."
"Ugh…"
Andrea tapped on the top of her glove as she had all her camera pods trained on the sky to give her "Fandreas" a front row seat to the fireworks. Darryl offered his big sister a hand up, but this time making his body solid enough to grasp her hand. Once she was up, the two of them draped an arm over each other's shoulders as they kept watching the show.
Molly then glanced at Scratch and asked, "Wait a minute, Scratch, were you in on this whole time?"
Scratch rubbed the back of his head as he confessed, "I mean, you did a lot to make sure this whole festival thing went off without a hitch. Only seemed right we did a little something extra for you."
"Aaaaaaawwwwwww! Scratch! Come here you!" Molly gushed.
Before Scratch could protest, Molly had used her other arm and wrapped it around the ghost's neck, bringing him closer as they all watched the fireworks explode in the sky.
"FYI, I might've also set up a prank or two that's set to go off right about…now."
"Wait, what?!"
Suddenly, there were goopy explosions in four different areas of the festival grounds. Molly rushed to the edge of the roof and saw that each section was blasted with a paint bomb that coated the buildings and people. The people weren't hurt, and many were actually laughing and now tossing handfuls of the goopy paint at each other in a free-for-all paint war.
"Boom!" Scratch and Darryl exclaimed as they high fived each other.
"And with that, we're out," said Darryl.
Molly turned back around and watched as her brother and Scratch phased through the roof and away from them.
"Should've seen that coming."