ACT IX: Simon, the Shy Part 2: A Trip to Earth

San Felipe, Mexico. November 11, 1910.

Carlos Diaz loaded the last crate of his parent's homemade strawberry jam into the back of his 1909 Packard. While the rest of his family handled moving to their new home in America, he had volunteered to shut down their shop in San Felipe and move their family business to the new location. As he loaded the last crate into the back of his car and some of his favorite books in the passenger seat, he checked the pocket watch his father had lent him, making sure he was on schedule. The reason his family was moving to America was because his uncle had borrowed some money from a notorious cartel leader, and the rest of the family was now in danger. Once the last of their shop was packed up, Carlos hastily cranked the gearbox to start the engine before hurrying to the driver's seat.

"Okay, Daisy, ready to see our new home?" He smiled as the mixed pitbull-boxer puppy happily barked in the passenger seat. "Alright then… vamanos!"

The Diaz family had sold their farm to move to a new town in California called Echo Creek where many other immigrants had moved to. In preparation for their new home, Carlos and his family had been teaching themselves English to better integrate with the locals in California.

Two hours into the drive, the sun had set and Carlos turned on the headlights. Suddenly, another pair of headlights appeared from behind him and approached at a rapid pace.

"Oh, god, is that them?" Carlos nervously thought to himself as the headlights grew nearer and nearer. "If it is, I can't let them follow me! I'd be putting mom, dad, and everyone else in danger! What should I do? What should I do?!"

Ultimately, Carlos knew that he had to keep his family safe. He pulled off the paved road and into the dirt, ready to stop and face the wrath of the cartel. But before he shut off the engine to get out, the car that was behind him sped past him and disappeared into the darkness.

"Oh, gracias a Dios." Carlos sighed in relief as he drove back onto the road. As his heart rate steadied, he gently stroked his dog's head to calm her. "No son ellos, Daisy. Estamos bien. Fueron-"

Suddenly, a circle of flames opened up in the middle of the road. Carlos screamed in terror and swerved out of the way just in time. There were no other cars coming in either direction, so he didn't have to worry about hitting anyone as he hit the brakes. Once the automobile came to a complete stop, Carlos cautiously reached into the back seat for an oil lantern and got out to inspect the spiraling vortex of flames. The young Latino was mesmerized by the bizarre phenomenon as it seemed almost hypnotic. Suddenly, two shadowy figures stepped out from the flames, startling Carlos into stumbling backwards.

"Geez, it's freezing!" The female shivered. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

"Y-yeah. Pretty sure." The male held up a pair of ruby-encrusted scissors and clipped them closed; as he did so, the vortex they had exited vanished into thin air. "We'll know when it's safe to return to Mewni when this ruby starts flashing. That'll be dad's signal for us to come home."

It was then that the woman noticed the quivering young native and his vehicle. "Oh, good! Transportation!" Before Carlos could say anything, she gripped his coat collar and roughly brought him up to his feet. "Hate to trouble you, sir, but we need to borrow your vehicle to find a safe haven."

Carlos stammered. "Y-you can't take my car! I need to get to my family's new home in Echo Creek!"

"And you'll get there!" Evangeline insisted. "After you help me and my boyfriend - uh, I-I mean my prince - find a safe place to spend the night!"

"That'll take too much time. And time is something I don't have right now."

"Ooooh!" She sneered, irritably. "So you think you're better than us, 'cause you're in a hurry?! We'll we're in a hurry, too! But no! You didn't figure that, did ya?! That we might be equals! Nooooo. You just consider yourself superior, right out! You're rude!"

"Y estas loca!" Carlos snapped. "You pop outta nowhere like some kinda demonio del infierno and demand my car?!"

"Listen, you little-!"

"Evangeline!" The man behind her placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear. "Remember, we're guests in this dimension. We can't go around antagonizing people."

The woman sighed, knowing that her companion was right. "Okay, I'm sorry. You're in shock right now." She said, soothingly, to Carlos. "I understand this must be very confusing for you. Let's just… start over. What's your name?"

"Uh… Carlos Diaz."

"Okay! Nice to meet you, 'Carlos Diaz!'" She gave a bow. "I am Evangeline McSire of Dragontown. This is Prince Simon Dragonfly of Mewni."

Simon bashfully hid his face with one hand while waving with the other. Carlos was about to speak up again when he heard barking coming from the truck, and he suddenly remembered his passenger. Evangeline drew her sword and stepped in front of Simon to protect him from whatever was making the noise. Daisy hopped out of the vehicle and ran to her master's side, barking at the inter-dimensional travelers.

Simon gasped as his cheek marks shone brightly. "OH, MY STUMP!" In the blink of an eye, the future king had scooped up the Earthly creature and cradled her in his arms. "Evangeline, look! She's adorable! Who's a fuzzy baby?! Who's a fuzzy baby?! Is it you?! Is it you?!" As Simon cooed, the pitbull began happily licking his face.

Evangeline's jaw went slack at the sight before her. In all the years she'd known Simon, he had never seemed so excited and happy before. Something about the creature was helping him relax and loosen up. Just then, she remembered the driver. "So, uh, anyway, sorry about the misunderstanding. But Simon and I are new to this dimension, and we could really use a ride to the nearest city. Can you help us, please?"

"Uhhh…" Carlos considered. The couple were clearly desperate and in need of help, and they would likely die on their own if left in the desert. But at the same time, he also had to get as much distance from Pedro as possible. "I-I don't know. We're on a pretty tight schedule."

"S-sir, please." Simon softly begged while still holding the affectionate dog. "We could really use your help, and we'd be happy to make it up to you."

Evangeline nodded. "Come on, man. Sometimes, you just gotta roll the dice."

Carols' mouth opened and closed like a fish as he tried to come up with a rational course of action. But as he saw the pleading looks in their eyes, and remembered the lessons his grandmother taught him, he realized that he couldn't just leave them. "Okay." He nodded.

"Okay!" Evangeline smiled. "Great! Simon, you ride in the back of that contraption. I'll keep a lookout in the front."

Simon carried the puppy into the backseat with him, letting her continue to lick his face as he took a seat. Carlos cranked the automobile's gearbox to start the engine again, then got back behind the wheel while Evangeline generously picked up some of the luggage that had spilled out when Carlos slammed the brakes. With two books in her hands, she jumped into the passenger seat, handed Simon the English-Spanish dictionary, and nodded for Carlos to take off.

While keeping his eyes on the road for most of the journey, Carlos glanced over to see Evangeline reading his copy of War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. "So, what are you guys? I mean, like, are you aliens?"

"To you we are, yes." Evangeline nodded.

"Yeah, but, I mean…" Carlos bit his lip as he struggled to find the right words. "Like… are you here to take over the world? Enslave humanity? Harvest our organs?"

Simon peaked over the book with a terrified look in his eyes. "What kind of horrible visitors have you encountered before us?" He asked, worried. "No, we would never do any of that."

Carlos spared a glance to the backseat. "Hey! He's got a voice!" He joked, playfully. "Ahem, so tell me, your highness, does this peasant vehicle trip suit your fancy so far?"

Simon's cheek marks shone from embarrassment as he hid his face behind the English-Spanish dictionary.

"He doesn't talk much, does he?" Carlos asked, curiously.

"Yeah, sorry, he's a little shy." Evangeline glanced to the backseat where Simon hid his face behind the book. "It's so cute, though…"

"Huh. And you say he's a prince?"

Evangeline frowned. "Don't say it like that. It's not his fault that he has trouble talking in front of strangers. He's been working on it for years now, and he's made good progress. In fact, he just took a huge step forward recently."

"Oh, yeah? What's that?"

The ebony-skinned squire brushed her hair back with a proud smile. "Asking me out on a date." Her smile quickly shifted to a frown. "Of course the monsters had to go and ruin our picnic by storming the castle! That's why we had to come here in the first place."

Carlos blinked and Evangeline's claim of monsters attacking castles. If he hadn't just witnessed the couple arrive through a flaming portal in the middle of a desert road he would doubt her. "So, uh, is there some kind of royal embassy here, or something? I mean, where are you going?"

Evangeline sighed. "Unfortunately, the king of Mewni neglected to divulge such information. We only have a bag of money to pay for room and board, the clothes we're wearing, and a few elixir bottles in Simon's coat. Hopefully, we can find a hotel or something."

Carlos' heart sank. While he had only visited Echo Creek once before going back to pack up the rest of his family's business, he knew that most of the hotels in the area would be far too expensive for the couple. He was about to tell them about it when Simon spoke up.

"Gracias por... ayudarnos, Carlos." He struggled to say. "¿A… a dónde... nos... llevas?"

Carlos turned back to face the prince. "Are you… are you teaching yourself my language?"

"Well, since you speak our language, I thought it would only be fair for us to learn yours." Simon reasoned, still hiding behind the book. "Did I… mispronounce something?"

"Uh… no." Carlos turned back to look at the road. "That was muy bien, actually."

"Huh?" Evangeline arched an eyebrow.

"H-he said 'very good.'" Simon explained.

"Huh, let me see that." Evangeline reached back to take the dictionary from her boyfriend and began skimming through it. In the meantime, Simon kept himself preoccupied by playing with Daisy.

It was then that Carlos realized what he had to do. "Alright, that settles it." He said. "You two can stay with mi familia for as long as you need."

Simon and Evangeline looked at each other in confusion at Carlos' sudden declaration. But seeing as how they were in unfamiliar territory, they couldn't refuse his offer. With a shrug, the two settled into their seats to enjoy the rest of their trip. While his squire continued reading the dictionary, Simon glanced at the back of the automobile and licked his lips at the sight of the strawberry jam jars.

Three hours later…

Despite its rather lackluster founding, Echo Creek quickly became a popular town for American immigrants to set up affordable housing. People from as close as Mexico and as far as the Philippine Islands had come in search of better futures for their families. The Diaz family in particular had purchased a two-story house with an adjoining barn that they would turn into their place of business. Angelo and Silvia Diaz prided themselves on making and selling their own strawberry jam, and were planning on converting the barn into a store for their business. All they had to do was wait for their son to return with the rest of their prepared strawberry jam so they could make enough money to get them through the winter. At last, Carlos pulled up the street and into the driveway.

"¡Carlos!" Suddenly an older woman ran out of the house and hugged the driver. "¡Gracias a Dios, estás bien! You've been gone for so long we feared the worst!"

Carlos hugged his mother back, relieved to see her again. Soon afterwards, Carlos' father and siblings came out to embrace him as well, and help him unload the crates of strawberry jam from the back of the vehicle.

"We picked the best place to move to, it seems." Mrs. Diaz remarked. "Apparently, there's a pretty desagradable ola de frío going on in the midwest. A lot of tourists are expected to head out here for the winter."

"And you know what that means." Mr. Diaz smirked as Simon helped him with another crate. "Thanks, muchacho - that means more dinero! So we're gonna need to work long and hard on getting the barn set up to -"

The patriarch froze in place once he realized who had helped him, as did the rest of his family. He turned back to the pink-haired teenager and looked him up and down. "Aye, aye, aye. Ahora, lo he visto todo." He remarked.

"Carlos, ¿quién es este chico?" Mrs. Diaz demanded.

"Oh! Hold on! That's my job!" Evangeline stumbled out of the passenger's seat with the dictionary still in her hand before making her way over to her boyfriend. She skimmed over the pages once more, cleared her throat, and proudly motioned towards him. "Presentando a su alteza real... el príncipe Simon Dragonfly."

Simon bashfully gave a curtsy at the Hispanic family, only further cementing their confusion. "Prince of what?" One of the Diaz siblings asked.

"Carlos Ubaldo Diaz, did you pick up hitchhikers?!" Mrs. Diaz scolded, angrily.

"¡N-no, mamá!" Carlos shook his head. "Well, sí but - it's complicated. I found them stuck in the middle of the desert. I couldn't just leave them there."

"Sure, you could have!" Mr. Diaz remarked. "All you had to do was keep driving! For all we know, they're working for Pedro!"

"Padre, they are not working for Pedro." Carlos rolled his eyes. "They explained everything to me after they stepped through the magic portal that brought them here. They're a prince and squire from a magical realm called Mewni, and they need safe haven from the monsters who are attacking their castle."

The Diaz parents looked at their oldest child as if he had grown a second head. His mother shook his head in disappointment. "Mijo, did these people give you something?"

"What…? No! Mom, they're not with Pedro!" Carlos snapped. "And I'm not on any drugs! Padre, remember what Abuela Elena used to say; 'the Diaz family has always been a charitable family! And if we see someone in need, we have to help them anyway we can!' I've spent the last three hours traveling with Simon and Evangeline, and I can tell you for a fact that they are worth helping! Even if I have to help them all by myself, I will! That means I'll give them whatever they need! The food off my plate! The clothes off my back! And even my own bed!"

While Carlos continued to argue with his parents, Simon and Evangeline continued to help unload the crates. As they set one down, an empty jar fell out of Simon's coat and rolled over to Carlos' feet. Mrs. Diaz was furious. "You let him eat one of our jars?!"

"I-I'm sorry, señora." Simon patted his pockets until he found two gold coins on his person and held them out to the startled family. "Will this cover it?"

Mrs. Diaz examined one of the coins. "These… these can't be real."

Mr. Diaz took the other coin and bit down on it. "Seems real to me."

Carlos smirked and looked over at the couple. "I think you won them over." He chuckled.

After they finished carrying all of the crates into the barn, the Diaz family invited Simon and Evangeline into the living room. "Lo lamentamos, Simon." Mrs. Diaz apologized as she set down a tray of tea. "You see, my brother got into trouble with a criminal back home and we've been on the run ever since."

"That's a shame." Evangeline lamented as she accepted a cup. "I can assure you, though, we are not a threat to your family."

"Well, in that case, let's start over." Carlos smiled. "This is mi madre, Silvia. Mi padre, Angelo. Mis hermanas, Rosa y Angela. And my hermano, Miguel."

Simon stood up and curtsied once more. "Evangeline and I would be honored if you'd allow us to stay here until my father summons us back home."

"Well, we do have one spare bedroom." Angelo shrugged. "But you'll have to share."

Simon blushed at the idea of sharing a bed with Evangeline so early in their relationship. Nevertheless, she put her arm around him with a broad smile. "No problem! And thanks, so much, for your kindness!"

Carlos led the couple to their room upstairs, noticing that Daisy continued to paw at Simon's feet as he walked. "Alright, Daisy, I've got a job for you, niña." Carlos remarked as he petted the dog. "I need you to look after this príncipe tímido."

Daisy happily barked at that command and jumped into Simon's arms, much to the prince's delight. With that, the prince and his squire snuggled with the dog in their bed.

The next day, Evangeline was shaken awake by her prince.

"Evangeline! Evangeline! Wake up! You have to see this!" Simon excitedly shouted. The squire saw her prince holding a blanket while standing in a doorway in front of Daisy. "Okay, okay, okay! Watch this!" Daisy stared at Simon as he held the blanket over his face, then put it back down. Evangeline watched, curiously, as Simon repeated the process three more times before throwing the blanket up and stepping away from the door frame to hide behind the wall. Daisy jumped to her feet in shock, nervously sniffing the blanket as if it had eaten Simon.

Evangeline burst out laughing as Daisy sniffed around the area, trying to find her new friend. At last, Simon stepped out from behind the door and picked up the relieved puppy. "Isn't that the cutest thing?!" He gushed.

"Alright, enough playing around." Silvia told the mewman couple as she walked up the stairs. "If you're going to stay, you'll have to work. And we need to plant some strawberry bushes out back if we're going to keep this business afloat."

"Yes, ma'am." Evangeline nodded, and she and Simon got dressed for the day.

While Simon, Rosa, Angela, and Silvia planted the bushes, Carlos, Evangeline, Miguel, and Angelo tidied up the barn to convert it into a store. By the time they were finished, the sun was beginning to set and Silvia took her daughters inside to prepare dinner. As they sat down at the dinner table with the rest of the Diaz family, Simon and Evangeline were baffled at the sight of the food before them. It looked like meat and beans wrapped in thin paper.

"What's this?" Evangeline questioned, trying to sound as polite as possible.

"It's a tamale!" Silvia smiled, proudly. "My own mother's recipe."

"Trust me, you'll love it." Carlos promised as he took a bite to demonstrate.

Reluctantly, the mewman couple took bites of their own, and their eyes lit up at the exotic taste. They proceeded to shovel the food into their mouths and immediately asked for seconds, and then thirds.

"Eres tan caliente." Rosa sighed, unceremoniously, at Simon. "Will you be staying for long?"

Simon blushed and hid his face at her forwardness. But to make things worse, Angela soon got in on the action. "What's the matter, chico? Don't you like girls?"

"He does." Evangeline practically growled, jealously. "He just happens to be spoken for."

"By you?" Rosa snorted. "Boys don't like big strong girls. They like chiquita little things like me."

Simon didn't say anything. "Go on, tell her." Angela insisted. "What's wrong? ¿El gato te comió la lengua?"

"Don't hit on Evangeline's boyfriend right in front of her, ustedes zorras." Carlos scolded his sisters. "And leave Simon alone. He's just shy. And you're not helping."

"Shy, huh?" Angelo nodded with a grin as he headed for the pantry. The Hispanic patriarch chuckled as he returned with a tall bottle and a few glasses. He filled one glass and handed it to the house guest. "I got just what you need right here, chico. It'll send your anxiety packing!"

"Uh, padre, I don't know if that's such a good idea." Carlos interjected, nervously.

Regardless, Simon accepted the glass and looked down at his reflection in the liquid. "Does it really help, señor Diaz?"

"¡Oh por supuesto!" Angelo nodded and filled his own glass. "One glass and you'll feel great, muchacho!"

"Well, I guess it's worth a try." Simon shrugged and lifted the glass to his lips.

"O-okay, Simon, but you wanna drink it-!" Carlos' warning came too late as his friend lifted the glass up and drank all of it in one gulp. "... slowly."

Simon coughed at the dry taste. "What's in that potion?" He wheezed.

Angelo laughed. "That would be the best tequila in all of Mexico, muchacho."

"Yeah, it'll put hair on your chest!" Miguel agreed and held out a glass of his own.

"No, Miguel." Silvia scolded. "You're still too young to be drinking that."

Evangeline noticed that Simon had dropped his glass and began to stumble around. She picked up the glass and sniffed at it. "This is alcohol!" She gasped in horror. "Oh, no, Simon's never drank before!"

"Aw, he'll be fine, chica." Angela waved off the squire's concerns. "Just 'cause he ain't as big-boned as you doesn't mean he can't hold his-"

"Stop talking about my girlfriend like that, you bitch!" Simon snapped, suddenly.

Evangeline was more shocked than anyone; she had never heard Simon curse until now. Rosa and Angela fainted at being yelled at so rudely, and Carlos laughed at their expense. Simon stumbled into Evangeline's arms with his face landing in between her soft breasts. "Ahem, a-are you okay, my liege." She blushed, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"I'm fine! Don't listen to those girls! I love bigger girls, Evangeline! And I love all your muscles!" Simon laughed as he began roaming his hands over the Solarian's tight skin. His cheek marks began to glow the more he studied her body. "Like these arms! You could probably crush my head if you wanted and I'd thank you! And your abs! I love your abs! And that cute tushy! Stump, I want that cute tushy so bad!"

Evangeline felt her face warm up at how forward Simon was being. "Simon!" She half-scolded/half-giggled.

"Hey! I'm a prince! So I can say what I like!" Simon slurred as he continued to grope the soft flesh of his crush. "And I like!"

Evangeline shook her head and hoisted the young prince over her shoulder. "Okay, I think you've had enough 'potions' for today. Let's get you to bed." The squire carried him into their shared bedroom, removed his coat for him, and began slipping his shoes off.

"Hey!" Simon suddenly snapped and began covering himself with the blanket. "Back off, lady! I have a girlfriend! Her name is Evangeline! And she is a wonderful and… amazing… and strong…"

Evangeline sighed as a soft smile spread over her lips. The tequila had finally taken its toll and Simon was fast asleep. With a yawn, she removed her own cape and snuggled up next to him as she entered a deep slumber.

The next morning, Simon made his way downstairs, nursing a painful headache. When he arrived in the kitchen, Rosa and Angela passed him with their noses in the air. The prince sat down at the kitchen's island as Carlos handed him a mug of freshly brewed coffee. Evangeline sat down next to him with her own cup. "Sleep well?"

Simon winced. "Please, Evangeline, I'm right next to you. You don't have to shout."

Evangeline giggled. "Sorry, sweetie. What do you remember from last night?"

"Not a lot… everything's kind of a blur." Simon groaned. "I didn't say anything stupid, did I?"

"No. Not really." Evangeline shrugged, smirking as she watched the prince drink the bitter liquid. "So, you want my cute tushy, huh?"

Simon spat his coffee all over the table, his face turning bright crimson.

January 19, 1911.

As winter slowly came to an end, the Diaz family's business revenue began to pick up. With only a few payments left of their mortgage, they would be able to start preparing for Cinco de Mayo. When he wasn't helping them with the store, Simon continued working on his potions in an attempt to unlock his mewberty form. Silvia had been generous enough to let him borrow any unused jars for his experiments provided that he washed them when he was done. The prince had tried several different recipes, but none of them ever seemed to have any affect on his biology.

Daisy tugged on his pant leg with her teeth, making him smile. "Is it time, already?" He asked. The dog barked and ran down the stairs with Simon close behind.

Carlos had convinced his parents to let him take the couple to the hot springs out of town. Without swimwear, Carlos informed them that they would have to swim naked to avoid ruining their clothes. Simon was anxious at the idea of seeing Evangeline naked, but Carlos promised that the steam from the pools would be thick enough to keep them all covered.

When they arrived at the hot springs, Daisy immediately ran out of the automobile and jumped into one of the smaller pools. "Well, I guess we know which one we're getting in." Carlos chuckled and began to strip.

Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to tease her boyfriend, Evangeline sat down on a nearby rock, undid her cape, untied her bootlaces, and sensually removed the boot to show off her long legs. "Now, Simon, don't think this gives you permission to ogle my body." She joked.

But when the squire glanced over at Simon, all of her confidence washed away to be replaced with shock. Simon had already shrugged off his coat and shirt, putting his lean muscles on display for his girlfriend to see. The squire felt her heart rate start to climb as Simon turned around to see her gawking at him. Embarrassed, she continued to undress herself, matching his pace until they were both in their undergarments.

"So, uh…" Simon gulped, nervously.

"Y-yeah…" Evangeline nodded.

"Okay, uh… same time…?" Simon suggested.

"S-sure." Evangeline struggled to hide her excitement as she gripped her undergarments and corset.

"O-one… two… three!"

The couple discarded the remainder of their clothing. But instead of looking at each other as they planned, they both immediately jumped into the water to hide themselves. The two mewmans remained neck-deep in the water, staring into each other's eyes without saying a word. Daisy swam in between the couple, barking happily, until both mewmans reached to pick her up out of the water. They were both now waist deep in the water, holding a soaking wet puppy in their hands, their fingers brushing against each other, and everything but their bright red faces clouded from the steam.

They both smiled. Then they laughed. Then they kissed. And then they sank back into the steaming water to relax.

Little did they realize that Carlos wasn't entirely accurate with the thickness of the steam; he had seen both of them in all their bare glory before they jumped in. "Huh…" He remarked to himself. "So the carpets do match the drapes."

May 5, 1911. Cinco de Mayo

Carlos and his family were excited. Today was the festival of Cinco de Mayo and they were all going down to Echo Creek square to celebrate. When Simon heard that he and Evangeline had been invited to attend along with the Diaz family he was excited. Carlos had even lent him his grandfather's suit to wear to the festival, and Rosa and Angela were helping dress Evangeline.

After dressing himself and drinking one more elixir, Simon glanced down at the inter-dimensional scissors resting on the nightstand next to the bed. It had been six months since his father sent him away, and he still hadn't given the all-clear signal. But the more Simon thought about it, the more he realized that he didn't mind. The shy prince had finally found a place where he didn't have to worry about speaking in front of crowds, overbearing mothers, or disappointed fathers. He was truly happy.

He tucked the scissors into his pocket and made his way downstairs just in time to see Carlos lead Rosa and Angela out the door. "Tu encantadora dama saldrá en un minuto.~" Rosa giggled.

Simon opted to wait for his girlfriend while the Diaz family went to start up the automobile. At last, she stepped out of the girls' bedroom. Evangeline was wearing a clean white blouse with a simple floral pattern across the collar and a black skirt with white, red, and green stripes at the bottom of it. Her dark blue hair had been tied back into a ponytail and her fingernails were painted red. She did a twirl to show off her entire look in a way that made Simon's heart skip a beat. "Well?" She asked, bashfully. "How do I look?"

Simon's cheek marks glowed at the sight of her. "Please, be the queen of my kingdom and the mother of my heirs." He whispered, blissfully.

"What?"

"NOTHING!" Simon turned away, blushing furiously. The prince proceeded to power-walk out the door. "Come on! We're late for the festival!"

But what the couple saw next filled them with dread. Ten men had surrounded the house with guns and forced the Diaz family to their knees. Carlos was the only one putting up a fight, requiring two men to hold him back.

"SIMON! EVANGELINE!" He shouted, desperately. "¡CORRER! ¡CORRAN POR SUS VIDAS!"

Evangeline rushed at the criminals with righteous fury, only to fall to the ground from a single shot to the shoulder from one of their pistols. Simon ran to help her, but two other men grabbed him and held him down with the others. One of the men stepped in front of Silvia and Angelo with a cigar between his teeth. "P-Pedro…" Silvia stammered.

The crime boss snapped his fingers, ordering three of his men to take red canisters out of the back of their truck and head for the barn. "Silvia, querida, did you think you could escape from me? That you and your family could avoid the consequences?"

"Pedro, please. Leave my family out of this." Silvia begged. "Take me instead."

"No more talk." Pedro growled as his men poured gasoline around the barn. "I loaned your brother money, and he didn't give it back. And when that happens people get hurt." The henchmen put gags around the Diaz family and aimed their guns at their heads with the intent to shoot. But not before the others set the barn ablaze.

"No! Let them go! I won't let you do this!" Simon shouted as he bravely struggled against the thugs holding him back. As he strained to break free, the elixir he drank earlier was beginning to take hold, enhanced by his own righteous fury. "I'm not going to let you hurt my friends!"

The elixir was now coursing through the shy prince's viens, enticing a chain reaction in his body. His cheek marks shone, brightly, as did his eyes. A cascading wave of magical energy radiated from his body that knocked over the bandidos. One of them dropped his gun, causing it to discharge and shoot a jar of jam which splattered over Pedro's shirt. The crime boss stepped back from Simon as he levitated into the air, wings sprouting from his back, four more arms growing from his torso, and his skin changing to a bright pink pigmentation.

Once his initial adrenaline wore off, Simon looked down at all six of his arms with his enhanced eyes. "I did it… I DID IT!" He cheered in delight, spinning in the air as his wings kept him aloft. As he did so, he knocked Pedro to the ground by accident. "Oh! Sorry! Sorry! Wait, I'm not sorry! You're the one who's trying to hurt my friends!"

"¡Dios mío!" Pedro trembled in terror as his gaze shifted between the hovering mewman and the strawberry jam spilled over his shirt. "I've been shot! Th-th-they sent me to the bad place! And y-you're el diablo!"

Simon chose to ignore the blabbering drug dealer for the time being and flew over to the burning barn. On his command, concentrated streams of water shot out of his palms, dousing the flames eating away at the barn. Pedro was still delirious with shock, but managed to rise to his feet and run away. But just as he was about to escape, the criminal found himself clotheslined by a muscular woman with blue hair.

"Where do you think you're going, asshole?" Evangeline sneered, cracking her knuckles.

Once the barn was saved, Simon turned his attention to the armed thugs. Remembering the spells he'd read in the Great Book of Magic, he managed to cast a shield spell to repel their bullets just in time. He then cast one of his grandfather's spells to levitate their weapons into the air out of their reach. With their captors disarmed, the Diaz family rose up and attacked. Simon hovered back to the ground just in time to tie them all up for the authorities. However, Evangeline wasn't quite finished beating Pedro to a pulp.

"Evangeline! ¡Suficiente! ¡Suficiente! Stop!" Carlos begged, trying to hold his friend back. "He's had enough! You're being loco!"

"No, Carlos! Beating up this asshole after he almost killed Simon and your family is not loco! It's… it's, uh…" Evangeline dropped the cartel leader and turned to her friend. "Wait, what's the word for 'rational?'"

"'Racional.'"

"Stump dammit." The squire cursed under her breath.

Angelo and Silvia stared at the burnt remains of their store. Silvia fell to her knees, sobbing, being comforted by her husband. Their children and Evangeline went inside the barn to see if anything was still intact. Simon was about to go help them when he felt a weak vibration in his pocket.

"The scissors." The thought to himself. Sure enough, the gemstone in the scissors was flashing brightly. Ryan was signaling his son to come home. The prince sadly pocketed the scissors and entered the barn; he would tell everyone after they salvaged what was left of the store.

A few hours later, the police had arrested Pedro's gang and were on their way to send him back to Mexico. The Diaz's recovered a single crate of jam from the burnt barn. And Simon and Evangeline were prepared to return to Mewni.

Carlos and Daisy accompanied the couple into the backyard before they left. "I… I hope you can rebuild your business." Simon said.

"We don't have the money to rebuild." Carlos lamented. "We'll have to go back to Mexico."

"This just isn't fair!" Evangeline grumbled, bitterly. "We shouldn't have to leave you guys in your time of need."

"Aw, you two don't need to worry about us." Carlos replied, dismissively. "I mean, after all, you guys only stuck around because… hey, Simon? Why did you stick around?"

Simon felt a pang in his heart. "Because I like you." He replied, shakily. "Because you're… m-my friend. And I'll never forget how you helped us, Carlos."

"... oh." Carlos sniffled.

Daisy whimpered, pawing at Simon's pant leg as if she were begging for him to stay. The prince knelt down to give her a final hug. "Goodbye, Daisy. Be a good girl, okay?"

The dog sadly walked back to her real master and laid down. Carlos gave a soft smile as he knelt down to pet his dog's head. "Daisy? I've got a job for you." He said with a sniffle. "I… I need you to look after this… príncipe tímido." Simon and Evangeline gasped in shock at their friend's declaration. Carlos fought back tears as he cupped the dog's cheeks. "W-will you do me that… f-favor?"

Daisy gave Carlos one more happy kiss before jumping up into Simon's arms. The prince handed her over to Evangeline and tearfully ran over to hug Carlos. "I guess this is... adiós, mi amigo." He whimpered.

"No." Carlos shook his head as he returned the hug. "No, amigos don't say adiós. Amigos say hasta luego."

"... hasta luego, then." Simon nodded.

Two minutes later, the prince, his squire, and their new pet crossed back into the Mewni dimension and closed the portal behind them. Knowing that the king would never allow Simon to keep Daisy in the castle, Evangeline offered to keep her at her own home until Simon's coronation. With that settled, Simon made his way up to the castle grounds where he was greeted with open arms by his mother and siblings.

"Oh, my baby!" Jane cried, happily. "Thank Stump you're alright! When your father told me about the monster attack, I rushed back as soon as I could!"

"Where'd you go, Simon?" Lezaza asked, curiously. What'd you do while you were away? Did you meet anyone cool?"

Iltztem sniffed the coattails of his brother's jacket. ("You reek of magic, Simon! Did you go through mewberty while you were gone?")

"Hey, where's Evangeline?" Nogad scanned the nearby area for the squire. "Did she go home already?"

Simon silently listened to his family fuss over him until he heard his father arrive. Ryan's arm was in a sling, likely having been damaged during a recent battle with the monsters. Nevertheless, the king adjusted his glasses as he made his way down the steps to greet his oldest child. Simon activated his mewberty form as he bowed before Ryan, startling his family. Ryan studied the boy's wings and antennae.

"You… you unlocked your mewberty form? Without the scepter?" Ryan asked with a mixture of astonishment and jealousy. "How is that even possible?"

Simon unbuttoned his coat to reach for the pocket inside. Without a word, he removed an elixir bottle from one of the pockets and handed it to his father. Ryan adjusted his glasses as he read the label; "Simon Dragonfly's Magic Jumpstart Elixir."

Ryan's gaze shifted between the bottle and Simon. At last, Ryan handed the bottle back to the prince and gave him a pat on the back. "Uh… it's good to have you back, my boy."

Ryan led Jane and his children back into the castle for dinner, with Simon bringing up the rear. With a heavy heart, the prince looked at the photograph of him, Evangeline, and Carlos at the Cinco de Mayo festival. "... good to be back." He sighed.

Back in Echo Creek

Carlos had just finished packing his clothes for the move. His mother and father were still talking to the real estate agent, so it was up to him and his sisters to start loading up the truck with furniture and sweeping out the rooms. Since Rosa and Angela insisted on getting the couch and Miguel carried the mattresses, Carlos grabbed a broom and began sweeping around his room. But as he swept under his bed frame, he saw a flash of light and heard something rattle. Curious, he set the broom aside and got down to inspect the noise. Much to his surprise, he found a burlap sack with a note taped to it. He dragged the sack out from under the bed frame, pulled off the note and read it.

"Dear Carlos, we hope this is enough to help you rebuild. Thank you so much for letting us stay with your family. Love Simon and Evangeline."

Carlos' jaw went slack as he peeked inside the bag. "No, you didn't…" He laughed, tearfully. "No, you didn't! ¡Mamá! ¡Padre!"

To Be Continued!

Author's notes: ENTER THE DIAZ FAMILY! Also, I'm starting classes again, so updates will be pretty far and in between from now on. But please continue to leave reviews as it inspires me to stick with my stories.