Author's Note: Here we are with the next chapter of my weekly updates on the Ghost, the Trickster, and Molly McGee. Just two more left after this, and I'll be taking a break from this fanfic for a while to focus on another story.
Before anything, I'd like to let you all in on something. I know many of you are wondering about when I'll bring back the League of Loki's in this fanfic. Well, I don't really have any plans to bring them in before the season 1 finale. I do have a plan for them, but unfortunately, they're not scheduled to return until the events of season 2.
The song featured here is a parody of "Days in the Sun" from Beauty and the Beast (2017).
Enjoy the chapter. Any and all comments are welcome.
"Space, a zero-gravity landscape of mystery and the cosmic birthplace of the majestic Blazin' Snowball Comet!" Mrs. Lightfoot presented to her class with a Power Point projection. She held up a cat in blue pajamas. "Tonight, this comet graces our skies for the first time in 50 years! And me and Mr. Doodles are not gonna miss it! So class dismissed!"
Mrs. Lightfoot raced out of the classroom as soon as she was able. Her cat followed as well as most of the rest of the class.
"You know what? I don't see what the big deal is." Scratch said following Molly, Libby, and Loki home from school. "Comets just fly around in space. I mean, I can do that."
"Um, are you a cosmic ice ball leaving behind a trail of debris so majestic, grown men cry?" Molly returned.
"I made a man cry once." Scratch said. "I hid his keys for a week, but I kept moving them, so I made him think he was losing his mind."
"Well, I think it's a big deal." Libby said. "This might be our only opportunity to see the comet."
"What do you mean?" Molly asked.
"Who knows what our lives will be like in 50 years?"
"And that's just in Midgard time." Loki said. "You mortals age much slower than I do. In 50 years, I'll likely look more like this." He waved his hand over his whole body. "But with a few more inches."
"You're right." Molly realized. "Everything could change. Who knows what will happen? So we gotta make the most of this moment… WITH AN ASTRONIMCAL ALL-NIGHTER! An epic BFF sleepover where we will have celestial-themed activities, astral shaped snacks!"
"Snacks?" Scratch asked suddenly interested. "Perfect! I slept through breakfast and lunch."
"Oh, you're right. We wouldn't want you to starve to death." Loki said sarcastically. "Oh, wait."
"We'll stay awake until exactly 4:07 A.M. when the Blazin' Snowball streaks across the sky and into our hearts." Molly said.
"Well, I was going to spend the night curled up with my favorite series of fantasy books, A Song of Snow and Humidity, but…" Libby stopped to think hard while Molly had her fingers crossed hard behind her. "Hmm… I used to get kind of weird when I stay up too late, but… that was Kid Libby. Teen Libby? She's a bedtime rebel. I'm in."
"You seriously want us to stay awake until the certain hour of the morning where only the donut shops are open?" Loki asked.
"Ooh. I could use a fresh donut." Scratch said.
Loki sighed. "Oh, what the Helheim."
Molly and Scratch picked out supplies that they need for their all-nighter. They unpacked comet-themed decorations, knitted T-shirts, and cooked snacks. Meanwhile, Libby was reading her fantasy book series until she saw the time on the wall.
Finally, it was nighttime. Molly sighed in satisfaction seeing the event she set up. She had a blue banner that read "Astronomical All-Nighter", a table full of snacks, a couple of lawn chairs, and a telescope.
"Perfect." Molly said before noticing Scratch trying to sneak his hand into a tray of star-shaped treats. She swatted it away scolding at him. "No! Bad Scratch! Libby isn't even here yet!"
"Well, neither is Loki." Scratch said.
Molly widened her eyes and looked around. "Huh. You know what? You're right. Where is Loki? I haven't seen him since we got home."
Suddenly, the back door opened behind her. Loki walked out in female form and stretched her arms far to her side.
"Whoa. Giving us the Lucy treatment?" Molly asked. "Haven't had that in weeks. I knew we were due."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Molly." Loki said before shifting back into his male form. "I only changed into a girl because that's the form that gets the best beauty nap."
"Beauty nap?" Molly asked. "You mean you've been sleeping while the rest of us put together this party?"
"Lucky duck." Scratch said.
"Let me explain to you how this works, Molly." Loki said. "A person needs about eight hours of sleep. If I have to stay awake until 4 for this comet thing, the least I could do is get those hours slept early. Otherwise, I'll just doze off in the middle of the night."
"Well, I'm not tired at all." Molly said.
"That's because you're an energetic, little beast, Molly. You might as well be made of sugar. But normal people need to sleep. For example, I already saw your parents fast asleep in their room on the way down here."
"What? How could anyone sleep knowing the Blazin' Snowball will be here in precisely…" Molly checked her phone clock before finishing. "T minus seven hours, 38 minutes, and 12 seconds." She saw Scratch with a treat in his hand and smacked it out of it.
"Hey! There's a nice way to do that."
"Molly!" Libby called out as soon as she arrived before yawning. "I'm sorry I'm late. My inner-rebel really wanted to wear a leather jacket, but I don't have one, so I had to settle for this." She pointed at a jeweled beltbuckle shaped like a turtle she was wearing. "It's pleather."
"Wow. You're a real anarchist." Loki commented blankly.
"Speaking of belts," Molly said leading Libby to the telescope, "Why don't you take a peak at Orion's Belt?"
Libby placed her eye on the telescope looking through it. She turned it slightly left and right, but had no expressive reaction.
"Uh, Molly? I can't see any constellations."
"What?!" Molly asked loudly. She took Libby's place and looked through. "Oh, my corn! There's too much light pollution! We gotta fix this!"
"How?" Loki asked. "Are we just gonna wake your parents up and have one of them drive us somewhere we can see the comet better?"
"Me and my big mouth." Loki sighed finding himself in the back of the McGee family car right between Molly and Libby, who was looking dizzy. Sharon was the one driving much to her own chagrin.
"What manner of wizardry propels this horseless carriage forward?" Libby asked in an English accent.
"Libby, is everything all right?" Loki asked.
"Oh. Right." Libby said back to her original voice. "Sorry, guys. Sometimes, when I get sleepy, reality geteth blurry…"
"That sounds… like a thing." Molly commented.
"You should see what I'm like when I get sleepy." Loki said. "You'll be glad I took my afternoon nap before this."
Sharon finally stopped the car parking it beside a large tree. The kids walked out in the middle of the countryside hills underneath the clear, starry sky. Molly took a second to take in the country air.
"Ah. Where'd you bring us, Mom?"
"She can't answer you, Molly." Loki said looking into the driver's seat. "She's fast asleep again. I'm just thankful that didn't happen while she was driving."
"Well, this place looks familiar." Molly said.
"How?" Loki asked. "If you've seen one plain patch of Midgard land, you've seen them all."
"Seriously?" Scratch asked taking a whiff of the air. "Is this what fresh air smells like? Wet grass with a touch of manure?"
"Well, just breathe through your mouth and help me set up our viewing area." Molly said carrying an armful of camping supplies out of the trunk and to the field.
"That's grosser." Scratch said.
All of a sudden, Libby jumped out of the bushes with wide, crazy eyes. She proclaimed in an English accent, "I can help, O, Woody Warrior of the West!" She then dropped on her face while Libby and Loki helped her up.
"Libby, snap out of it." Loki said.
"Oh. Sorry." Libby chuckled nervously. "Staying up's harder than I thought. Wish I thought of that nap idea before. Feeling a little, um, here and there…"
"So take a whack at the Blazin' Snowball pinata!" Molly exclaimed handing Libby a wooden bat. Meanwhile, Scratch hung up a comet-shaped pinata over their heads.
"Treats time, baby!" Scratch exclaimed.
Libby looked at her bat and spoke like a Britain again. "This be a mighty weapon… for the throne." She swung her bat hard, but missed by a couple of feet. She collapsed and fell to the ground.
"Some weapon for the throne." Loki chuckled. "It's not exactly Mjolnir."
"I'll do it myself!" Scratch said.
He grew several extra arms, each holding a different wooden bat. With them, he struck at the pinata many times until it exploded. But what came out wasn't candy like he wanted. It was a blue, sparkling powder that fell over his face.
"Glitter?" Scratch asked spitting out some of the substance. "What kind of monster fills a pinata with inedible glitter?"
"It looks like falling stars. Right?" Molly asked with sparkling, hopeful eyes.
Scratch turned his angry glare at Molly. "No."
"Well, don't worry." Molly said heading back to the car's trunk. "We still have our celestial snacks." She checked, but dropped her smile as she dug deep into the trunk. "Where are the snacks?"
Loki thought for a second. "Hmm. I do remember hearing a thud sound when we drove out of Brighton. It sounded as if something fell, but I thought it was a trashcan getting knocked over or something. I guess we dropped the snacks."
"What?" Scratch gasped. "But I haven't eaten all day! It's the longest I've gone without food my entire afterlife! A few more hours, and I'd eat you!"
"Oh… I will come up with something else, okay?" Molly asked. "A plan… E! But it'll still be a night to remember, Scratch! I just need you and me and Loki and Li… Where's Libby?"
Loki looked around. "You know, for a sleepy girl, she moves fast."
"Libby! Libby!" Molly called searching through the grassy fields with Loki and Scratch.
Molly stopped when she heard a whistling noise. She turned and saw Loki whistling.
"What are you doing?"
"Calling for her." Loki said. "It's a little trick O.B. taught us when we lose Fenris."
"Libby's not a dog, you know."
Suddenly, something grabbed Molly by the back of her shirt and pulled her down. Loki's eyes gaped and knelt down to join her. That's where they find Libby who was crouching low with them.
"We must escape Queen Feleanna's kingdom and assemble the dragon hordes!" Libby said in her British accent. She then turned to Loki. "Ah, yes! Every great hero needs a whimsical fool!"
"What did you call me?" Loki asked in an offended tone.
"Okay. That's enough. We don't need to provoke a god who can summon daggers out of thin air." Molly said carrying Libby out of the grass. She brought her back to the campsite and laid her on a lawn chair. "How about you rest so you'll be as fresh as a daisy for the comet?"
"Ha, ha! The Knotty Throne of the North!" Libby proclaimed proudly. "I shall guard it with my life."
"Well, now that the duchess of delusions is all rested, where's Scratch?" Loki asked.
Molly and Loki didn't have to go very far to find Scratch. They found him talking on the phone.
"Okay. Let me be very clear. When I say extra pepperoni, I don't mean a few more, a sprinkling. I want the maximum number of pepperonis. I want the guy with the big hands to make it. You got it? Now, second question: can you deliver to an open field with no address? …You cannot. Hold on a minute." Scratch turned his attention away from his phone and back to Molly and Loki. "Hey, we're gonna have to pick up."
"No." Molly insisted taking her phone back. "We are not picking up. We're staying here. Together!"
Molly grabbed Scratch and carried him back to the campsite. Once she returned, she threw Scratch to another empty lawn chair where he was greeted by a delusional Libby.
"Greetings, spectral friend."
"You too, Loki." Molly said guiding Loki to his chair. Once all her friends were seated, she sat on the last empty chair. Together, the four of them stared out into the starry sky.
"Okay, this is pretty nice." Scratch admitted.
"Aye." Libby said. "Tis peaceful."
"Yeah, this is really relaxing." Molly said.
"Meh." Loki shrugged.
Molly sat back up and looked over at Loki. "'Meh'? What's 'meh'? Can't you see we're looking at a beautiful night sky awaiting a majestic comet?"
"You might find this hard to believe, but I'm not as easily impressed as you." Loki said. "I was raised in a golden city that is floating in the middle of deep space, and we can travel to other realms via rainbow portal. How exactly is one comet going to enrich my life?"
"It's about more than just the comet, Loki." Molly said. "It's also about… Wait." She looked around. "Libby and Scratch are missing again!"
Loki looked at the two empty chairs. "That settles it. Next time, we bring rope to tie them up in."
Molly looked a few feet away and found Libby standing on top of a hill with a stick in her hand. She and Loki walked up to see her.
"Uh, Libby?"
"Standeth back, scalawags!" Libby commanded. "I must geteth to yon fields of Dragonteith!" She pointed to a wide field below the hill where large beasts slept. They were a herd of buffalo resting on their bellies.
"Buffalo?" Molly asked. "Oooooh. Mom took me here for that Gig Pig job. That's why this place looked and smelled familiar."
"I shall awake the sleeping dragon horde and turn their might against mine enemies!" Libby proclaimed charging forward, but Loki shot a green, magic blast in front of her to make her stop.
"Not so fast, Loon of Arc." Loki said as he and Molly grabbed Libby's arms and dragged her away. "If these 'dragons' as you call them are anything like the real dragons on Asgard, I'd rather leave them alone."
"Unhand me, brigands, or taste the wrath of my blade!" Libby commanded hitting Loki repeatedly on the head with her stick.
"Ow! Ow! Okay, this medieval shtick's getting old!" Loki complained. "Why couldn't she be a fan of stories about mimes?"
Finally, they brought Libby back to her chair where she passed out and snored. The two were left letting out a relieved breath.
"Do they really have dragons on Asgard?" Molly asked.
"Yeah, but they don't exactly come with good omens." Loki answered. "I could tell you a lot of stories about Fafnir that…"
"You know what? No time." Molly interrupted. "We gotta find Scratch and…"
"Found him." Loki interrupted back. He pointed on the ground showing Scratch laying on his stomach with a deep growl coming from his stomach.
"Hungry…" Scratch said weakly.
"You can eat later." Molly said before forcing Scratch back to his chair. "Just sit and watch this once-in-a-lifetime comet with your best friends! Okay?" She turned to Loki.
"Yeah. I know what to do." Loki walked back to his seat and sat down.
Molly returned to her telescope and looked through it. Though, every other second, she turned her head to check on her friends. Though, after one glance away from her friends and…
"DRAGON HOOOOOORDES! ATTACK!"
Through her telescope, Molly stared out as Libby came charging towards her riding on the back of a buffalo with even more buffalo behind her.
"WHAT THE…" Molly asked before turning to Loki and Scratch. "How did she get there so fast without you noticing?!"
"Honestly, I'm as surprised as you are!" Loki replied. "But enough of that! Run!"
The buffalo chased Molly, Loki, and Scratch out of their chairs and across the field until they reached a tree. The three of them quickly climbed up its branches as they passed by. When Libby was within reach, they grabbed her and lifted her up from the buffalo to join them. While they passed, Libby was placed gently on a branch across from the trio.
"My brave dragon horde may have been bested, but I shall never re…"
Loki held out his hand grabbed Libby's head. A green glow emitted from his fingers upon contact and she dropped to the branch in a deep sleep.
"I should have used a sleep spell a long time ago." Loki said.
"Well, this night has not gone to plan." Molly said. "Our stuff got destroyed, Libby's down for the count, and don't get me started on Scratch. He's been nonstop drama all night."
"The view must be great from that glass house of yours." Loki commented quietly.
"But you know what? It's fine!" Molly said. "It all worked out. We're trapped up here together, the comet should be overhead any minute, and nothing can ruin this moment now!"
"Don't say that." Loki groaned in exhaustion. "You should never, ever, ever say that."
"Why not?"
Suddenly, the sky changed. It went from clear and starry to awfully cloudy instantly. There wasn't a single hole to see the sky through.
"That's why." Loki said.
"Can we go home and eat now?" Scratch asked.
"NO! WE ARE NOT GIVING UP!" Molly shouted angrily before desperately blowing puffs of air toward the sky. "I can fix this! Just… enacting… plan… Q! Come on, guys! If we blow together, we can move these clouds!"
"You can't change the weather, Moll." Scratch said.
"Yes, I can!" Molly returned before hatching an idea. She smiled insanely towards Loki. "Or, at least, you can! Loki, you're a god! Shot the sky with some hocus pocus so we can see the comet!"
"Molly, use your head!" Loki shot back. "If I used magic for something as big as clearing the sky, Asgard's going to notice. We just got them to leave Brighton alone thanks to the Enchantress, but if I used magic like that now, they'll be on us before we even see the comet."
"Well, we gotta try something!" Molly said desperately.
"Why is it so important we see this comet anyway?" Scratch asked.
"He's right, Molly." Loki said. "I told you, back on Asgard, I see more majestic things than a comet before breakfast."
"It's not about the comet, guys!" Molly cried out with tears forming from her eyes. "It's about the four of us making a forever memory." She sat down nearly burying her face behind her knees. "Libby was right. People grow up, move away. Who knows where we'll be in 50 years? And then, there's you, Loki. You have a thousand times the lifespan of a regular human being. By the time you grow back to adulthood, me and Libby will already be long dead. I thought if I could make tonight a perfect memory, when the comet comes around again, we could look up and remember… each other. And you, Loki, whenever you see it in the few hundred times you'll see it, you'll think of us."
Loki looked at Molly with wide, astonished eyes. He then lowered his head and sat down next to her.
"I didn't realize it was so important." Scratch said sharing Loki's empathy.
"Me either." Loki said. "I hadn't thought of it like that. And it's not something I like to think about. You're right. You'll live probably 70 years, which is less than five percent of an Asgardian lifespan. I find it unfair since… Well, somehow, I seem to… cherish being your friend. I guess… I guess having a memento of our time together would be a good thing."
Just then, an idea lit up inside Scratch's mind. With a devilish smile, he floated over to Libby before opening his mouth to be bigger than her whole body.
"Scratch!" Molly gasped. "You can't eat Libby! I'm pretty sure she's mostly gristle!"
"Trust me." Scratch said closing his mouth to scoop Libby up. He opened it again heading to Molly and Loki.
"You better not…" Loki's threat fell of deaf ears as Scratch already picked the two up in his spectral body.
Scratch then morphed his huge body into the shape of a hot air balloon with Molly, Loki, and Libby shown through a window he made. Scratch then flew upwards as fast as he could toward the sky. The kids prepared themselves as Scratch burst right through the clouds until they concealed the Earth instead of the sky. He finally stopped himself as he hovered right at the edge of the atmosphere where it seemed like they were in the middle of space.
At that moment, Libby finally woke up and fixed her eyes on the same thing Loki and Molly were seeing. They gasped outwards as they found what they were looking for: the Blazin' Snowball Comet. The large, white beam of light soared across the sky leaving a blue-and-purple trail behind it. Little bits of light escaped from it gliding across the comet's tail. The sight of it brought Scratch to tears. Even Loki couldn't help but admire the comet knowing that he was seeing it with Molly, Libby, and Scratch.
"You know what, Molly?" Loki asked. "This is certainly a night I'll remember always."
Molly smiled at him before looking over at the comet. "Me too."
Molly:
Forever memory
Something that will always remain with me
From now 'til eternity
No matter what may happen
Scratch:
How can I hold on
To this moment all afterlife long
Can it still be so strong
That it will always stay right here
Libby:
This forever memory
Is one I'll always look back to see
Always happily
Remembering this night
Oh, no matter how far
You three will always be in my heart
At the world above
I'm with those I love
Sharing the comet light
Loki:
I've always found it hard to imagine
That such small things can mean so much
I was distant and selfish
Now, I don't seem so out-of-touch
I can't imagine life without them
Though, it's sad that I'll outlive them all
But even after a million years
I'll hold them with me always
Everyone:
Forever memory
As long as this moment here
Will always thrive
We'll keep this forever memory
Til the end of… tiiiiiiiiiiiiiime
After the comet had disappeared from the sky, Scratch floated back down and landed back on solid ground. He morphed back into his normal shape after Molly, Libby, and Loki exited his body.
"Thanks for being here with me tonight, guys." Molly said to her friends. "I'll remember this for the rest of my life."
"Me too." Libby said. "The night I almost stayed up all night. Next time, I'll remember to have a nap before that."
"Now that the comet viewing's over," Loki said, "I say we go home and get Scratch a well-deserved snack."
"I certainly did earn it." Scratch said.
Just then, a loud gruff sound stopped the four in their tracks. They turned to find an angry buffalo standing just a few inches behind them.
"Oh, corn. We forgot about the buffalo."
The Ghost Council stared hard at the meter that floated between them. They glared at the arrow which was pointed much more towards one side than the other. The meter was labeled "Brighton".
"This cannot be right." Lucrecia said. "If Scratch's scare reports are to be believed, then there should me much more fear coming from Brighton than this sorry excuse."
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if that idiot has been faking his reports." Bartholomew said.
"But what about Loki?" Sir Alistair asked. "Surely, he wouldn't let all this joy go about. He should have been able to keep Scratch in line."
"This seems very confusing." Grimbella said. "What say you, Death?"
Death leaned hard toward the meter studying it with a grim expression on her face. When she was done, she returned to fully sit in her chair.
"I don't want to assume the worst, but I can't rule anything out. If there is joy in Brighton, we may need to send in a specialist."
"A joy hunter, ma'am?" Sir Alistair asked.
"Yes. And if this is joy that's greater than Loki's power, then we'll need our best." Death hissed softly. "Let's bring in Jinx."