ACT XIII: Comet, the Underestimated Chapter 20: Stranger Danger

Castle Dragonfly, Mewni

When Marcia woke up, she instinctively glanced towards her window just as she had every morning before. But this time, instead of the dismal suburb of Echo Creek, she was greeted with a gorgeous view of Mewni's mystical landscape. Suddenly, she remembered; she had accepted a chance to be Mewni's first human exchange student and moved into the castle as Comet's squire. The previous evening, Queen Lake had taken a moment to schedule a training regime for Marcia so that she could learn proper etiquette, Johansen fighting techniques, and other customs a squire was required to learn.

She was just about to get out of bed when there was a knock at her new bedroom door. Comet entered the room with a tray of freshly cooked breakfast food in his hands and a wide smile on his face. As he set the tray down on her lap, Marcia noticed a folded piece of paper tucked under the plate.

"Not that I'm complaining…" She teased as she unfolded the paper. "But shouldn't I be doing this for you?"

"You're my squire, Marcia. Not my indentured servant." Comet replied, coyly. "And I have a right to treat my girlfriend to breakfast in bed."

Marcia rolled her eyes at her new boyfriend's corny remark and read the paper.

"Eyes like pools of yummy chocolate, with a pretty beauty mark upon her cheek, hair like woven silk, Marcia makes my knees weak."

"So, you were serious about the whole 'poems every week' thing." She smiled.

Comet blushed. "Well, I'm no Simon, the Shy." He replied, bashfully, before clearing his throat. "Ahem, anyway. I also wanted to tell you about a small party I'm planning for my dad. He's been very high-strung ever since Taffy was killed - I think he's in denial - so I want to plan a little something with him, mom, Kyle, Dama, and the Solarian Trio. So, your first official task as my duly appointed squire is to coordinate the festivity with Kyle and Dama."

Marcia smirked, got out of bed, and playfully bowed before her best friend-turned-boyfriend. "As you command, my prince."

Comet giggled. "In the meantime, I have duties of my own to attend to."

Twenty minutes later, while Marcia set about her task, Comet had prepared an entirely separate breakfast for his mentally ill teacher. He had strapped Indexia into a high-chair and was making airplane noises with his mouth as he attempted to spoon-feed Indexia mashed turnips. But, as usual, Indexia wouldn't eat.

"Globgal!"

"Ugh, Indexia, you need to eat your vegetables." Comet groaned. He tried again to prompt her with plane noises, but the mage only flailed her arms around in protest. At last, Comet dropped the spoon and pulled out a baby harness and leash. "Okay, do you want to go for a walk?"

Once she was secure, Comet led Indexia down the halls of the castle, unaware of the brilliant glow coming from the gem in her forehead. Indexia's subconscious sensed a presence she hadn't felt in centuries and headed towards the window. Comet felt her tug on the leash and noticed a squirrel-nicorn resting in the windowsill she was heading towards.

"No! No. Indexia, no!" Comet tried to pull her back, but Indexia was determined to chase the animal. "Indexia, stop! Don't you do it!"

"Globgal!"

The leash snapped in half. While Comet fell backwards, Indexia propelled herself forwards and began chasing the squirrel-nicorn. The prince hastily got up and chased after his mentor, cringing as she recklessly knocked over potted plants in her blind rampage until she led him into a secluded garden.

"Indexia! Come back!" Comet grunted as he ran after his mentor.

The diminutive mage ignored her student and continued to chase the squirrel-nicorn, crushing multiple rose bushes as she went. While his main concern was catching his mentor, the prince couldn't help but wonder why he'd never seen this garden before. By the time Comet finally caught up to Indexia, he found that she had been caught by a stranger in a dark indigo suit with pale skin, green hair, and purple spade-marks on his cheeks.

"Hello there, friend!" The stranger smiled.

Assuming this man was the royal gardener, Comet bowed his head and profusely apologized. "I am so sorry, good sir! My mentor is, um, she's just-"

"Oh, nothing to worry about. They're just flowers." The stranger waved off the boy's concerns and gently scratched the gem in Indexia's forehead. "Not nearly as interesting as a squirrel-nicorn, right?"

"Glob… gaal…" Indexia immediately calmed down and went limp in the man's grasp.

Comet was both astonished and impressed. "How did you do that? And teach it to me now."

The stranger shrugged and handed Indexia back to the prince. "Eh, she just looked like she needed a good head scratch. Every once in a while, you need to take a moment to appreciate the little things in life. Like the feeling of a good head scratch. Or the smell of a freshly bloomed rose. Or the sound of a wolf's howl in the distance. Or the sight of a full moon at midnight. Or the taste of a delicious candy bar." As if to prove his point, the stranger pulled a Snookers bar out of his pocket and quickly gobbled it down. Stifling a belch, he tossed the leftover wrapper into a wooden pail with countless other wrappers. "I… may have some self-control issues."

Comet shared a chuckle with the kind stranger. "Huh. Y'know, you seem very familiar to me for some reason." Comet stated, tilting his head slightly. "Have we met before?"

"Hm, maybe. I used to spend many an hour in this garden when I was around your age." The stranger's eyes lit up with joy and he pointed to a decrepit tower in the corner of the castle. "Oh, have you ever been to the rose tower? The view of the garden is absolutely divine!"

"Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no." Comet shook his head. "That tower's been condemned for decades."

The stranger laughed. "Don't let that stop you."

Comet's smile widened. "Y'know, good sir, I like the cut of your jib! A few of my friends and I are going to have a little get-together later tonight; I'd like you to come with us so I can get to know you better."

"Well, that's very nice of you, young man." The stranger nodded. "I'd be happy to join you. What's the occasion?"

"Well, as I'm sure you know, the kingdom was almost overrun by Taffy and her lizards, and my parents are still trying to clean everything up." Comet explained, starting to blush. "S-so, my girlfriend and I are planning a celebration of our victory with some of our friends. We just want them to relax now that everything's back to normal."

Suddenly, a giant pair of hands shot out past Comet's shoulders and pinned his new friend to a wall on the far side of the garden. The prince turned around in shock to see Omnitraxus Prime holding the stranger while Hekapoe rushed forwards to keep a pair of scissors close to the man's neck. Before Comet could ask what was going on, his father stormed in with a dozen Solarian guards.

"Keep him surrounded!" Mars ordered. "Don't let him get away! And somebody find Rhombulie and get her over here!"

"Yes, your majesty!" One soldier saluted and ran off.

"Hey! Stop!" Comet shouted. "What're you guys doing?!"

"Comet!" Mars immediately rushed to his son's side. "Are you alright?! Did he hurt you?!"

Comet was perplexed and disturbed by the Commission's extreme behavior. "What? No! No one hurt me! I was just talking to that nice gentleman!"

"'Nice gentleman?!'" Mars spluttered and pointed at the stranger. "Comet, that's Eclipsine!"

The kindly stranger smiled once again at the sight of a familiar face. "Oh, hello, Mars. Long time, no speak. How'd that spell I gave you work out?"

"Not another word out of you, villain!" Mars snapped. "Omnitraxus, take him away and await Rhombulie! Everyone else, I want Eclipsine under constant surveillance!"

Comet's eyes widened in shock at the revelation. "Wait, that's Eclipsine?!"

From that moment on, everything was a blur. While Omnitraxus kept Eclipsine restrained, Hekapoe took Indexia from Comet's grasp and escorted him to the castle's medical ward. The prince was ushered into a decontamination chamber and doused with water. Once he was satisfied, Hekapoe pulled the shivering prince out of the chamber and shined an otoscope into his eye.

"Look into the light, please." He ordered.

"Is this, ugh, really necessary?" Comet grunted.

"I need to check for spots of evil." The blacksmith explained.

Comet glowered. "'Spots of evil?'"

Hekapoe threw away the otoscope and used a tongue depressor to inspect the inside of the prince's mouth. "We need to make sure you're alright, your highness. There's no telling what Eclipsine might have done to you."

"Ah'm elling ooo, Eclitheen idn't oo nything oo me." Comet slurred in annoyance before his mother snuck up from behind with a wheelchair and ushered her son to another section of the ward. "What're you-? Hey! Mom, I'm fine!"

"Just relax, sweetie." Lake brushed Comet's hair. "Trust me, this is for your own good."

Omnitraxus arrived in her crystal ball form and telepathically held up a paddle towards the prince. "Cover your left eye with this and read the chart."

"Uuuuugh…" Comet groaned in annoyance before reluctantly complying with her demands. "'I-A-M-E-V-I-wait! Wait! No!" The prince angrily shook his head. "That's not an eye chart! That literally just spells out 'I am evil!'"

"That sounded like an admission." One guard whispered.

"What?! No! All I did was read what you told me!" Regardless, the prince was strapped to an operating table as a pair of probes were stuck to the birthmarks on his cheeks. "Do you even know what you're doing?!"

"No, but we still need to do a test." Another guard replied. "Are you evil?"

"Uuuugh! No!" Comet snapped, causing the machine attached to him to buzz and display a strange signal.

Hekapoe rubbed his chin in thought while the guard repeated the question.

"Is he alright?" Mars asked as he arrived.

"Yes! I'm fine, dad!" Comet fumed, tiredly. "All I did was talk to Eclipsine for two minutes! He was really nice! It wasn't a big deal."

"It could have been a very big deal, son!" Mars replied, anxiously.

Comet rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. But why? What's the harm in just talking to him?"

"Comet, he abandoned his queen and kingdom to run off and marry a monster." Mars explained. "He left Festivio without a father and threw the citizens into turmoil without a king."

Comet reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Okay, yeah. That's kind of selfish. Then what? Did he blow up a bunch of villages?"

"No, we captured him and had Rhombulie crystalize him before he had the chance." Omnitraxus replied.

"Wait… that's why you imprisoned him?!" Comet spluttered in disbelief. "For falling in love?!"

"With a monster!" Hekapoe reasoned.

"Comet, it's more than that." Mars cut in. "Eclipsine defied the natural order. Remember what I told you? He dabbled with Dark Magic and poisoned the Great Book with a chapter filled with evil spells!"

"Have you even read his chapter?" Comet asked.

"Of course not."

"Well, I have!" Comet reasoned as he used his natural strength to break his bonds and yank off the probes. "It really wasn't that bad! And these 'tests' are unnecessary! I'm fine! And it also sounds like you all imprisoned Eclipsine for no good reason! What, are you going to crystallize me if I do something you don't approve of?"

A deathly silence lingered in the air as the prince glared at the Commission.

Mars sighed. "Give us the room." He ordered.

Hekapoe spoke up to protest. "Your majesty-"

"Now!" Mars snapped, sternly. Lake nodded in agreement and escorted the Commission and guards out of the room. Mars took off his crown and sat next to his son. "Comet, listen, I know I told you that I trusted Eclipsine once, but that was a long time ago. When I was young and desperate. Truthfully, son, you're very capable for your age-"

"Then why don't you listen to me?"

"It's complicated." Mars sighed. "Eclipsine can be very… convincing. For your safety, I need you to stay away from him."

"... what're you going to do with him?"

"I'm afraid the only option is recrystallization." Mars patted his son's shoulder and exited the ward.

"... not if I have anything to say about it."

Comet quickly took the scepter out from his belt and used it to conjure up a flying cloud that delivered him towards the castle's dungeon. When he saw no one there, he tried to think of the next logical place to search. Suddenly, he remembered what the King of Darkness had told him in the garden and flew towards the castle's rose tower. Staying out of sight, he avoided detection from the guards and snuck through the tower's sole window. There, restrained in a corner by silver shackles, was the kindly stranger the prince had met earlier that day.

"Well, hello again, young man." The prisoner smiled. "Come to give a proper goodbye before your father carries out his verdict."

Comet scanned the outside of the tower before facing the prisoner. "Are you really Eclipsine Dragonfly? The King of Darkness?"

Eclipsine snorted. "I hope so. Otherwise, your father is about to be quite embarrassed."

"Then why don't you just use your Dark Magic to escape?"

"Because it would appear that my time trapped in the crystal has caused my connection to the Dark Dimension to ebb. Without a magical conduit to amplify that connection, I cannot use Dark Magic. And even if I could, these would further prevent my escape." Eclipsine held up his wrists, displaying the silver shackles binding him. "Silver is the only pure substance in the universe that negates the effects of Dark Magic. As long as it touches me, I can't use Dark Magic. The Commission's done their homework."

Comet sat down on the floor and rubbed his chin in thought. "Why did you go against the natural order?" He asked. "Why'd you risk so much by studying Dark Magic?"

"Because I discovered something. Brian, the Predominant - the first official king of Mewni - did not lead Mewni to prosperity alone."

Comet arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I doubt you'll find it anywhere in this castle's library, but I found a diary buried beneath the garden when I was around your age. A diary that belonged to Nikolai Firefly, Brian's squire." Without the aid of magic, the fallen king resorted to drawing in the dirt floor of his cell in order to illustrate his story. "According to the diary, after Brian Dragonfly received the scepter from the Stump, his connection to the Realm of Light inadvertently sent out a beacon - a ripple in the space-time continuum - that attracted the Stump's long-lost rival; the Living Void."

Comet listened with interest while watching Eclipsine trace his finger through the dirt. The fallen king had sketched a duo of stick-figures, a large tree stump, and a spiral. Eclipsine added a crown and scepter to one of the stick-figures and a sword and shield to the other. He went on to depict the figures fighting against the spiral until the swordsman became encircled by the spiral's rings.

"According to the diary, Nikolai Firefly was a close friend of Brian." Eclipsine narrated as he continued to draw. "After the Living Void invaded Mewni, King Brian tried to use the power of the scepter to fight back, but at the time, he was too inexperienced to single-handedly take on such a threat. So, Nikolai came up with an idea on how to tip the balance of power back in Mewni's favor."

The King of Darkness began drawing Castle Dragonfly and several spikes alongside it. The stick-figure with a sword took one of the spikes and stabbed it through his chest, causing black flames and bolts of black lightning to surround him.

"You see, when Light and Dark Magic were introduced to Mewni, it had a bizarre side-effect on the dimension's geology, creating a new element called mewtonium. Light Magic begets light mewtonium, and Dark Magic begets dark mewtonium. Each one acts as a conduit for their respective realms. For instance, the crystal within our family's scepter is pure light mewtonium. However, since the power of the scepter proved insufficient to push back against the Living Void, Nikolai decided to fight fire with fire and infected himself with dark mewtonium, giving him an unstable connection to Dark Magic. With the powers of light and dark working together, Brian and Nikolai managed to banish the Living Void back into the Realm of Darkness."

"That's… good, isn't it?" Comet asked, confused by Eclipsine's melancholy tone. "King Brian and Nikolai defeated the evil god of darkness and banished him to his own realm."

Eclipsine chuckled at the prince's naivety. "Darkness is not inherently 'evil,' my dear boy." He explained, patiently. "And Light is not always a good thing. It all depends on the people who use them."

The King of Darkness proceeded to sketch in the dirt, continuing to tell the tale of Nikolai Firefly. The next drawing depicted King Brian being lauded over by his subjects while the Stump's roots spread further around the castle. Nikolai, on the other hand, seemed to be isolated from the crowd with his spirals.

"The diary went on to explain that after the Living Void was banished, Brian began to show his true colors." Eclipsine gravely narrated. "The predominant king became conceited, holding himself above all others; second only to the Stump. As such, he neglected his kingly duties, and the kingdom quickly fell on hard times. Because of this, Nikolai was convinced that he could use his Dark Magic to do what Brian would not do with his Light Magic. The squire began traveling the land, using his magic to cure diseases, provide food, and ward off raiders. However, once he heard of this, Brian's paranoia led him to believe his friend was planning to usurp him."

The drawings then depicted the spiteful king ordering an army to hunt down Nikolai.

"Brian would go on to accuse Nikolai of conspiring to bring back the Living Void and condemn Mewni to eternal damnation with his Dark Magic. Nikolai was forced to abandon his wife and son for their safety, and go into hiding. Never to be seen or heard from again…"

Comet's heart sank. Every history book in Mewni had always depicted Brian, the Predominant as a benevolent ruler who only cared for the kingdom's best interest. But now, everything the prince had ever believed was being called into question. Not only that, but he was beginning to think that his connection to Dark Magic wouldn't automatically lead to his demise. He had so many questions, and Eclipsine was the only one with answers.

Suddenly, the door behind him creaked open, and the prince jumped to his feet.

"Comet! What are you doing?!" Mars spluttered.

"Traitor!" Rhombulie accused as she prepared to fire a crystallization beam. "Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this!"

"No, you fool!" Lake slapped the crystal warden at the last minute, causing the beam to ricochet around the room until it struck the one who fired it.

"Aw, great. Now I got crystals growing out of my-"

"Comet!" Mars snapped. "I told you to stay away from Eclipsine! Now come here this instant!"

"I'm sorry, dad, but no." Comet stood his ground and refused to move away from Eclipsine. "Crystallization is a serious punishment. And so far, no one has been able to convince me that Eclipsine deserves it."

"Comet, please, listen to me." Mars softly pleaded as he took off his gauntlet to show his son the dark blue veins on his wrist. "I know Eclipsine seems nice, but he can get in your head. Twist your mind until he gets what he wants! Look at what he did to me! When I performed that spell, I could feel the darkness taking over me! Eclipsine is evil. I know you don't believe it now, but if you wait to see it for yourself, it'll be too late."

Comet was unimpressed at the sight of the dark blue veins spreading up his father's arm. "Dad, that's not fair. No one forced you to seek out Eclipsine to get that spell you used on Taffy. That was your idea, remember?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"And you agreed that after Taffy had been killed, you would grant Eclipsine his freedom!" Comet added, hastily. "You were the one who taught me that a king never goes back on his word!"

"But Comet, even if I did, it doesn't change the fact that Eclipsine is a known criminal!" Mars reasoned. "Our deal ended with Taffy's death, and his freedom! I never said I wouldn't try to imprison him again!"

"But that's not fair!" Comet stood his ground, suddenly remembering something he'd read about Mewman law. "He's been locked up for three hundred years! I'd say he's long overdue for a parole hearing at least!"

"A what?" Mars spluttered.

Comet crossed his arms and held his head up high. "As crown prince of House Dragonfly, I demand that Eclipsine Dragonfly be granted a second trial to determine whether or not he is truly evil and if he has earned the right to walk free! Until then, we can keep the silver bands on his wrists and keep him under constant surveillance!"

Mars opened his mouth to protest, but held his tongue. At last, he sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine. We'll hold a trial. But only to convince you that Eclipsine is truly evil so that there are no further doubts that Eclipsine deserves his fate."

"Yes!" Comet cheered and began happily dancing in celebration. "Due process! Due process!"

"Alright, people, let's go." Mars ordered the Commission and guards. "We've got a lot to prepare for this trial."

"Oh, and mom! Dad!" Comet called out once more. "Meet me and Marcia in the dining room around seven o' clock tonight! I have a surprise for you! But first, I'm going to talk to Eclipsine for a little while!"

"Comet-!"

"I'll be fine! I promise!" Before the king and queen could protest, Comet slammed the door behind him.

Mars gave another agitated sigh before turning to his wife. "He gets that stubbornness from you, you know."

Back inside the room, Comet used his scepter to vaporize just enough of the silver chains to leave only the silver bands around Eclipsine's wrists. Although he knew they were unnecessary, Eclipsine decided not to complain as long as they made his new friend feel safe.

"Ah… that is much better." Eclipsine sighed in relief before turning towards Comet with a smile. "I am in your debt, my boy."

Comet tucked the scepter back into his belt and crossed his arms. "Well, just because I don't want you crystallized again doesn't mean I trust you yet. I just want to do what's right. And I have some questions that I'm pretty sure only you can answer." The prince held up his wrists to show the dark red veins.

Eclipsine stroked his goatee as he inspected them. "Ah… I see you've been marked." He smiled, slipping his own gloves out of the bonds and rolling up his sleeves to show that his arms were almost completely covered in dark purple veins.

"S-so, the more you use Dark Magic, the further those veins spread?" Comet asked, nervously. "What… what happens if they cover your whole body?"

Eclipsine shrugged. "I don't know. This is as far as they've gone. Oh! By the way…" The former king made his way back to the window and gazed out at the garden. "I told you the view was divine. This used to be my room, you know. Back when I was the crown prince. A lot has changed since I've been gone, but it's nice to see that the most important thing hasn't."

Comet happily joined his ancestor at the window, drinking in the gorgeous view of the multi-colored roses and tulips. "This view is most incredible." He remarked.

"Isn't it?"

"Hey, wait a minute…" Comet rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression. "If you're Eclipsine Dragonfly…"

Eclipsine was curious as to where his new friend was going with this. "Yes?"

"Then that makes you…" Comet began rapidly counting on his fingers. "... my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandpa!"

"I… I guess I am." Eclipsine smiled, softly.

Comet quickly wrapped his arms around his ancestor. "Then you've got a lot of hugs to make up for!" He smiled, warmly.

Eclipsine's smile widened as he shrugged and wrapped his own arms around the boy. "Well, no time like the present!"

To Be Continued!

Epilogue:

Unknown Castle Within the Forest of Certain Death

A skittish deerfox made its way through the woods in search of food. It scratched its antlers against a nearby tree to mark its territory before spotting a smurf berry bush near the creek. But just as it took a bite, its head snapped up as it heard a twig snap in the distance. Before it could run away, an arrow sliced through the air and pierced its heart.

The disgraced Headmaster Atrocious grinned as he hoisted the animal over his shoulders and marched towards his hideout. With his stomach growling, he impatiently tore off one of the creature's legs and took a bite. At last, he arrived at the mysterious castle his minions had discovered while on the run and kicked the door open.

"Capricorn! Pisces!" He called out, annoyed by the frost on his breath. "I'm home."

"Headmaster Atrocious!" Pisces rushed into the room to grovel at her master's feet. "You'll be pleased to know that Capricorn and I managed to steal a sufficient power source for the castle's electric heater!"

"Well, it's about time!" Atrocious shivered, taking another bite of the deerfox. "It's cold enough to freeze the limestone off of a rock monster!"

The headmaster followed Pisces into the generator room where Capricorn diligently tinkered with the generator. The cyborg duo had stolen a car battery from the Human-Realm and managed to connect it to the main generator with extra-large copper wires. After a few final adjustments, Capricorn made her way to the switch and slammed it down to give life to the castle. However, instead of powering the castle's lighting and heating systems, the generator caused all of the overhead light bulbs to explode, showering the trio in sparks and broken glass.

"I… I-I don't understand." Capricorn stammered. "Master, I don't know what could have gone wrong, I just-"

"Capricorn…" Atrocious clenched his fists in fury as he spotted something wrong with the power source. When you installed the battery, did you make sure that the plus end went to the plus part and the minus end went to the minus part?!"

"M-my apologies, master!" Capricorn rushed towards the generator to rectify the problem.

"Ugh…" Atrocious sighed, tiredly, as he slumped against a nearby wall. As he continued to feast upon the bloody carcass of the woodland creature he'd caught, the former headmaster mused to himself about his current predicament. "I was once the most feared man in all of Mewni… and now, I'm forced to rely upon two imbeciles while scrounging up food in the forest like a savage."

Suddenly, a knock at the door drew his attention and prompted him to wipe the blood from his chin and rise to his feet. He calmly made his way to the door to greet his visitor; a lizardwoman with frills running from her scalp tied up in a ponytail, a robotic right arm, and a jewel for a left eye. This was Rasticore, one of Mewni's most notorious bounty hunters.

"You're late." Atrocious sneered.

"I wanted to be sure I wasn't followed." Rasticore shrugged, letting herself in. "It's freezing in here, by the way."

"I didn't pay you to critique my living space, lizard." Atrocious growled. "Do you have anything to report, or did you interrupt my dinner simply to chit-chat?"

Rasticore smirked and took a seat at a rotting wooden table. "Well, you'll be happy to know that I've located Prince Dudebro."

"Excellent!" Atrocious grinned. "Bring her to me, so that I can finally take revenge for what she did to my school and students!"

"Yeah, about that." Rasticore leaned back in her chair. "Things are a bit more complicated than we originally thought. It seems that Prince Dragonfly has made Dudebro his squire. Meaning that she's now living in the most heavily guarded castle in this dimension."

Atrocious slammed his fists down on the table, splintering it. "I don't care!" He snarled. "Bring her to me!"

"You hired me to find Prince Dudebro. And I found her." Rasticore remarked. "You get what you pay for, Atrocious."

Atrocious' nostrils fumed with rage. "Are you saying you want more money?! You think you should be rewarded for doing the bare minimum?! I ought to take you out back and-!"

Rasticore's tail had snaked its way behind the headmaster and coiled around his neck, choking him into submission. "And what?" She growled.

In response, Atrocious managed to open his eyes and fire green beams of energy at the bounty hunter. Doing so weakened her just enough for Atrocious to tear her tail off and toss it aside. Atrocious angrily punched the lizard to the ground, smiling at the sight of how slowly her tail was regrowing.

"Now, listen - and listen well - I pay you to do as you are told!" Atrocious sneered. "Because of Prince Dudebro and Dragonfly, I am a fugitive! And they will pay for it! I want Prince Dudebro brought to me! And I want that cowardly Prince Dragonfly, too! I'll make him watch as I tear out Dudebro's heart and eat it raw! Then, I'll use my power to drain his lifeforce! Once I'm at full strength, I'll be strong enough to take on anyone who dares to get in my way! I'll rebuild St. Olaf's! I'll enroll thousands of students! And everything will finally be perfect! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

But while Atrocious had been ranting and raving, he failed to notice something his minions had been staring at.

"Master…" Pisces pointed to the headmaster's face. "Y-your scars."

"What? What about them?"

Atrocious instinctively began to search for a reflective surface. Rasticore picked up a piece of glass and held it out to her employer. Atrocious snatched it out of her hand and held it up to get a clear view of the skin grafts. His eyes widened in shock at the sight; his cheeks were covered with glowing green clover symbols. Not only that, but dark green veins spread from his palms down to his wrists. But just as quickly as they had appeared, the glowing clovers and veins disappeared without a trace. Atrocious growled and tossed the glass shard aside. He never questioned the origin of this power that allowed him to steal others' souls, but this was a strange new development.

"Change of plans." He declared as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a photograph of a robot in a suit. "Pisces, Capricorn, and I will kidnap Princes Dragonfly and Dudebro. Rasticore, you go back to whatever remains of St. Olaf's and bring this machine back to me. I want a reckoning with my father."

Author's notes: Please, read and review. And Happy Halloween!