ACT XIII: Comet II, the Underestimated Part 12: On The Lamb

Echo Creek, Earth-Realm. Sunday.

After the night of the concert, Comet had thrown himself into his studies to distract himself from the heart break, but knew that he would eventually have to confront Marcia again. He felt guilty about avoiding her all day after the concert and decided to make amends. It wasn't her fault that she had feelings for Jackson, so he couldn't hold it against her. And he certainly couldn't blame Jackson for liking her back. But they were both still Comet's friends and he would respect them as such.

Besides, it was only fair. Marcia knew Jackson years before Comet came to Earth. And she liked Jackson far longer than Comet liked her. Given time, the prince was certain he would get over his crush and be able to move on. Comet made his way downstairs for breakfast, where his host family was waiting for him.

"Hey, sleeping beauty." Marcia teased, cheekily. "I didn't see you all day yesterday."

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that." Comet cleared his throat. "I, uh, I have my magic studies midterms coming up next week and I wanted to make sure I was prepared in advance. Uh, how was the rest of the concert?"

Marcia let out a delighted squeal. "It! Was! Awesome! I still can't believe you managed to get us tickets! And the best part?! After it was all over, Jackson asked me to come hang out with him at the skatepark today!"

"Oh." Comet nodded in understanding. "Can I come?"

Marcia bit her lip. "Uh… well, it's kind of an us thing, y'know? So me and Jackson can have privacy."

"Oh, uh, of course. Of Course." Comet nodded, politely. "Well, have fun. Maybe you can teach me how to skate better so I can join you next time."

"Sure thing, dude." Marcia grabbed a pancake and rolled it up like a burrito before heading for the door.

"Hey, wait!" Comet called out one last time. "Don't forget; the royal songstress is coming over next week to write down material for my Song Day. You promised you'd talk to her, remember?"

"Hey, don't worry about it, man." Marcia grinned and gave her friend a thumbs up as she walked out the door. "I'll be ready for her."

Comet managed to smile again. "Okay, thank you. Tell Jackson I said hi!"

"Will do!" With that, Marcia left to hang out with her boyfriend. Comet returned to the kitchen to enjoy dinner with his host parents.

Monday.

Once classes had ended, Comet gathered up his backpack and made his way outside to meet up with Marcia. He was just about to exit the building when his compact mirror vibrated in his pocket. It was an incoming call from his father.

Without hesitation, the prince answered. "Hi, dad. What's up?"

["Hello, Comet. Good to see you."] Mars smiled. ["Staying out of trouble?"]

"Yeah, I'm fine, dad." Comet nodded. "As a matter of fact, none of the monsters have tried to attack us since we last saw Luna."

["Good. I'd hate for anything to be distracting you before midterms."]

Comet gasped in shock; he had forgotten all about his magic midterms. Ever since Festivio the Fun took control, the Magical High Commission had decreed that every prince would take a test once every year after inheriting the scepter to prove they were competent magic-users by the time they took the throne. Comet always made sure he studied the Great Book of Magic every day since he came to Earth, but he had been so busy dealing with monster invasions, regular schoolwork, and his recent crush on Marcia that he had forgotten the midterms were coming up.

"Uh, don't worry, dad. I have every confidence that I'll ace the midterms." Comet smiled.

["That's a relief. I can't wait to hear Baby's report after you pass."] Mars nodded. ["Well, I have to go now. Urgent kingly duties and all that. Oh, and call your mother. She worries."]

"I will. Love you, too, dad. Bye." Once the call ended, the prince sighed and mentally prepared himself for a week of late-night study. He believed that he had retained enough already to earn a decent grade, but with the scepter's current condition, a few extra-intense study nights wouldn't hurt. Unfortunately, this meant he would have to hold off on "Friendship Movie Night" with Marcia.

"Comet!" The prince's housemate ran up to him with an excited smile. "Comet, you'll never believe it!"

"What? What's going on?"

"Jackson Lee Thomas asked me out to go see a movie! And I said yes!" Marcia's expression suddenly changed from excited to worried. "Wait, you and I were supposed to hang out tonight! Aw, shit, I-"

"No, no! This is perfect!" Comet beamed with relief. "I was actually about to ask you if we could reschedule Friendship Movie Night so I can prepare for my magic midterms this Sunday!"

"Really?" Marcia's smile slowly returned. "You're not making that up just to make me feel better, are you?"

"No! Go ahead! Go have fun with Jackson!" Comet insisted. "We can have our movie night on… Wednesday?"

"That sounds perfect!" Marcia nodded in agreement as she hugged her best friend. "Thanks, Comet!"

"Oh! But remember! You still need to be ready that same Sunday to talk to Ruberiot for my Song Day!" Comet reminded her, teasingly.

"Ha ha, damn right I do!" She laughed and punched his shoulder before waving goodbye.

Comet stayed behind long enough to see Marcia meet up with Jackson. He was grateful he could study without any distractions for another two nights. And yet, his heart still ached at the sight of Jackson putting his arm around Marcia.

Tuesday.

After a full night of cramming spells and family history into his studies, Comet was understandably exhausted. The young prince did his best to stay awake during his normal classes, but nodded off a few times. Thankfully, Marcia made sure to shake him awake to keep him from getting into trouble. At the end of the day, Marcia helped Comet up to his room so he could take a quick nap before studying some more. When he woke up, he found a note on his desk saying that Marcia was having dinner with Jackson and his parents. With a heavy sigh, Comet opened the Great Book and continued his studies.

"I'm sure Marcia's just excited to finally have Jackson in her life." Comet reasoned to himself as he studied the Great Book of Magic. "I'm still her best friend. She'll make time for me too. Right, Indexia?"

"Globgal!" Indexia shouted before jumping into another pudding cup.

"Oh, what do you know?" Comet huffed. "You're all loopy, right now."

Wednesday.

Once classes were over for the day, Comet hastily rushed to meet Marcia outside. His roommate was talking to Jonah, and Jackson was nowhere to be seen. It was the perfect opportunity to talk to her. Catching his breath, he straightened his clothes and pulled a DVD case out of his backpack.

"Hey, Marcia!" He smiled. "So, for Friendship Movie Night, I thought we could watch Godzilla? It's got that Bryan Cranston man from that drug TV show you like! And Ken Watanabe from Letters From Iwo Jima!"

"Oh, uh… sorry, buddy." Marcia rubbed her arm in discomfort. "But Jackson texted me earlier to ask if I wanted to hang out at this art gallery thing his family's doing. Maybe tomorrow, okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure. Oh! Don't forget to figure out-" Comet frowned as he watched Marcia run off towards the city. "... what you're going to tell Ruberiot…"

"... the same Ken Watanabe from The Last Samurai?" Jonah smiled.

Half an hour later, Comet found himself in Jonah's living room. The prince curiously watched as his friend pulled a bizarre glass pipe out from under the coffee table. Jonah sprinkled a few pinches of shredded leaves into the stem, poured water into the base, and lit the stem while taking a deep breath from the other hole. He coughed, hoarsely, and handed the pipe over to the woman sitting next to him.

"There you go, mom." He smiled as his eyes turned pink. "It's all set up."

"Aw, thank you, dear." His mother graciously accepted the bong and took a hit.

"Um, thank you again for letting me visit, Mrs. Ordonia." Comet smiled, awkwardly.

"Oh, it's no trouble, Comet. Especially if Jonah vouches for you." The Filipino woman gushed as her own eyes turned pink. "He's been such a sweetheart for me ever since his father died."

Jonah rolled his own zigzag as he glanced at his mother with an arched eyebrow. "Mom, dad's not dead."

"Oh, yeah…" Mrs. Ordonia took another hit before laughing. "Well, he's dead to me."

Comet sighed in annoyance as he proceeded to watch the movie despite Jonah and his mother laughing and talking the entire time.

Thursday.

Comet thought that he could spend time with Marcia during lunch break to discuss the exploits of previous princes and their own song days. He was just in the middle of telling her about his father's chapter in the Great Book and his song day when Marcia noticed Jackson motioning to the picnic table outside the school cafeteria.

"And then my dad's song went like-"

"Oh, uh. Sorry, man." Marcia cut him off, holding up her lunchbox. "But Jackson and I are-"

Comet sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Go ahead." After Marcia left, Comet didn't even bother finishing his lunch, he just pulled the Great Book of Magic out of his backpack and hummed his father's song to himself as he read.

Even when school was over, Comet found himself walking home in solitude. Marcia didn't show up to dinner, so he took his plate up to his room to continue studying. Every fifteen minutes, he would check his mirror to see if Marcia had responded to any of his text messages. And each time he saw that she didn't, a burning rage grew in his chest. He was so angry, in fact, that he didn't even notice that the dark-red veins spreading from his palms had unlocked Eclipsine's chapter in the Great Book until he turned the page. Intrigued, he came upon one spell known as "The All-Seeing Eye." According to the chapter, anyone who cast this spell would be able to see anything or anyone they thought of in the universe.

Comet glanced over at his damaged scepter resting on his bed, then back at his unanswered text messages. With a grunt, he got up from his seat, picked up the scepter, and moved back towards the desk to read the spell. Once he had the words memorized, he gripped the scepter with both hands and aimed it at the wall. "I summon the All-Seeing Eye to tear a hole into the sky. Reveal to me that which is hidden. Unveil to me what is forbidden."

Comet's spell summoned an orange circle of light to materialize in the air. An image slowly appeared, showing the prince what he wanted to see. Marcia was being taught how to ride a skateboard by Jackson; much to his disgust, she faked not being able to balance herself just so that he would wrap his arms around her. Comet clenched his fists, causing a spark of dark red energy to pass into the All-Seeing Eye. Suddenly, the skateboard lost a wheel and both Jackson and Marcia hit the ground hard. Comet gasped at what he had done and dropped his scepter, closing the Eye as he did. Terrified, he looked down at his hands and saw red lines retreating back under his skin. He slammed the Great Book shut and jumped into bed to try and forget what he had just done.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to catch a wink of sleep that night.

Friday.

Comet was uncharacteristically grumpy this morning. Mr. and Mrs. Diaz were the first to notice it when their latest exchange student didn't even care to say hello to them. He just quietly grabbed his backpack and made his way out the door and proceeded to brood the whole day. In stark contrast, Marcia seemed to be walking on air; happier than her fellow students had ever seen her.

Brita's Tacos had finally restocked, so once classes had ended, Marcia and Comet headed over to grab a snack. But the prince couldn't help but scowl as his friend ignored him the whole time in favor of talking to Jackson over the phone.

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you! No, you hang up!" Marcia giggled. "No, you hang up! Nooo, you hang up! Ha ha, no, you hang up! No, you ha-HEY!"

Comet snatched the phone from Marcia's hand and shouted into it. "How about this?! I'll hang up!" With that, the prince pressed the red button and threw the cell phone across the street.

"Dude, what the fuck?!" Marcia fumed.

"The f-word is that you've been blowing me off all week!" Comet snapped back. "I'm your friend, too, you know! You can't just ignore me now that Jackson's paying attention to you!"

Marcia blinked in shock. "Where'd that come from? I thought you were happy I was spending time with Jackson."

"I was! Grrr! I am! But-!"Comet slammed his forehead on the table and clawed at his scalp in frustration. After a moment, he let out a sigh and sat up. "I'm sorry. But I haven't gotten to spend any longer than five minutes with you every day this week! And I only have today and tomorrow to hang out with you before Sunday when you're talking to Ruberiot to give her material for my song day."

"Oh…" Marcia bit her lip. "Is that this Sunday?"

Comet's brow furrowed in annoyance. "Yes. I've reminded you about it all week. Why?"

"Well, uh, y'see…" Marcia rubbed the back of her neck as she explained. "Jackson invited me to come to his second cousin's second birthday tomorrow. It's a good opportunity to get acquainted with his extended family-"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Comet was so angry that his heart-marks briefly changed to skulls. "I ASK YOU FOR A FAVOR AND YOU'RE GONNA BLOW THAT OFF, TOO?!"

"Comet, calm down!" Marcia barked back, defensively. "Can't you talk to Ruberiot yourself?"

"No!" Comet fumed. "I told you I'm taking my magic midterms tomorrow! For Simon's sake, I told you all about this! Have you not been paying attention to a single thing I've said to you all week?!"

"Comet, I'm sorry, but this just happened!"

"Yeah?! Well, I bet you'd keep your promise if it was Jackson's song day!" Comet remarked, haughtily.

"Hey, that's not fair! I-!"

"Whoa, whoa! What's with all the shouting?!"

Comet and Marcia turned to see Jackson and Jonah arriving on the scene, as well as over twenty bystanders staring at them as they argued. Marcia made her way towards Jackson. "It's okay." She promised. "We're just having an argument-"

"Well, we were!" Comet huffed, bitterly. "But now you're even blowing that off to cling to your boy-toy!"

"Comet, are you okay?" The skater asked in a soft, concerned tone.

"I wasn't talking to you, Jackson!" Comet snapped. "So don't bother with your stupid nice guy act!"

"Whoa! What act?" Jackson held his hands up, defensively. "There's no nice guy act, Comet. I'm just nice. I'm a nice guy."

"What's going on, exactly?" Jonah shrugged off his backpack and took a seat. "What's the issue?"

"The issue?" Comet scoffed. "The issue is that I asked her for a favor two weeks in advance, but she decides to back out once This guy invites her to a birthday party! And after I bought them tickets to a concert!"

"But you said you did that as a favor for me!" Marcia snapped back. "After I stood up for you in front of your entire kingdom!"

"That's not the point!" Comet fumed. "This is literally the only favor I've actually asked of you, and you're not going to stand by it!"

Marcia scowled, angrily. "Y'know, Comet, Jonah never acted like this when you came along!"

Comet's eyes widened and his jaw fell open. A deep sadness loomed over him as he fully processed her words. His heart-marks cracked in half. "Oh…" He whimpered. "So that's how it is."

Jackson tried to defuse the tense situation. "Now, hang on, Comet! No one's saying you aren't Marcia's best friend anymore!"

"NO! No more talk!" Comet tearfully shouted, not noticing the red marks on his palms returning as he grabbed his scepter off of the table. "She said it! And she can't take it back! So I'll just grab my stuff and go!"

Suddenly, without warning, a bolt of dark-red lightning shot forth from the scepter's tip and obliterated a nearby police car. Comet and his friends looked on in shock and horror at the flaming wreckage while the random citizens took pictures with their phones. It wasn't until the scepter slipped through Comet's fingers and landed on the ground that the quartet of students reacted.

"Dude, what the fuck did you do?!" Jonah shouted in a worried tone. "Ooooooh, it is a bad time for this. I do not work well under pressure when I'm not toasted."

"Comet, you blew up a car!" Jackson covered his mouth with his hands. "Dude, you blew up a cop car!"

Marcia was the only one trying to keep calm. "Everybody shut up, for a minute! Let me think, okay?! Just let me think!"

"Think about this!" Jonah slumped to the ground. "Think about how Comet just committed a felony!"

The prince in question didn't say anything, he just blankly stared down at his hands. At last, he understood what the dark-red veins meant; he was somehow channeling dark magic through his body. It was the only explanation for how he was able to read Eclipsine's chapter and learn the dark spells. If word of this spread throughout Mewni, he would be ostracized and vilified by his entire kingdom just as the infamous King of Darkness had been in the past. Not only that, but once his parents found out that he had destroyed the property of local law enforcement, he would certainly be disowned to avoid the shame. And without the diplomatic immunity awarded to the prince by his royal status, Agent Casoy from the Mewni-Earth embassy would be free to arrest him and lock him away forever.

Acting on instinct, Comet quickly picked up the scepter and grabbed the nearest backpack before dashing towards the desert. Marcia shouted something to him as he ran; something about trying to figure the situation out together. But he knew she no longer cared enough to help him anymore. Once he heard police sirens coming from the distance, he used his scepter as a crossbar to pole vault into the air and land in the desert. From that point onward, the former prince of Mewni sadly marched into the desert to begin his life of isolation.

A few hours later, once the sun began to set, Comet had tried using his scepter to create a tent for shelter. Unfortunately, his broken scepter still refused to work, so he resorted to gathering up sticks and leaves to build a tipi. He may not have been allowed to go on actual camping trips in his youth, but his mother had taught him some semblance of living in the rough as any proud Johansen would.

"Ha! And they say camping is hard!" Comet boasted as he gazed upon the makeshift tipi he had crafted. But just as a tumbleweed blew past, the sticks immediately collapsed to the ground. With the sun almost completely under the horizon, Comet settled for a pile of dead leaves to sleep on. "Eh, good enough."

It most definitely was not.

Hours later, Comet had just barely summoned a fire from his scepter and packed the leaves much closer around himself to avoid freezing to death. Things only got worse once his stomach growled. He reached into his backpack to grab a healthy snack, only to realize he had accidentally grabbed Jonah's backpack during the confusion. The only edible object in his friend's pack was a large brownie crudely wrapped in shrink wrap. With his hunger taking over, Comet unwrapped the brownie and silently apologized to Jonah for stealing his food.

"Hmm, shredded leaves in the brownie…?" Comet stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Ugh, it must be mint. Oh, well. Beggars can't be choosers."

He was halfway into eating the brownie when he saw red and blue flashing lights approaching from the distance. The police had found him. He tried to run, but the whole world around him began spinning. Comet covered his ears as the siren grew louder and louder. He grabbed his scepter and tried to cast a spell to escape, but his vision became blurred with vibrant colors before everything went black.

In his dreams, the prince's red veins spread over his body, trapping him in place as everyone he loved appeared before him one-by-one. His father looked down on him with a disappointed scowl and gave him a thumbs down. His mother sadly blew her nose into a handkerchief, unable to look him in the eye. His great-uncle laughed with glee as he cradled the scepter. But worst of all, Marcia and Jackson were getting married right in front of him. As Comet tearfully watched all of this unfold, two dark-indigo hands rested on both of his shoulders.

"Don't fret, my boy." The silky voice of Eclipsine echoed in his ear. "I'll keep you company from now on..."

Sometime later, he woke up with a splitting headache. Trying to stand up, he found himself straining against a blue tarp. He sat back down and felt around until he found his scepter once more. Comet managed to create another small fire to warm himself and illuminate his surroundings. The young prince nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of several goat skeletons scattered about. He tried to think of a logical explanation for this when he suddenly remembered what Jonah had warned him about weeks ago. Suddenly, a low growling noise filled the air as a four-legged creature crept into the burrow, carrying a freshly-killed goat with it.

"L-l-l-l… La chupacabra?" Comet stammered.

The creature dropped the dead goat from its maw and inched closer to the lost prince. "Mmm, a human." She licked her lips. "Good. This little thing hardly has any meat on its bones."

"Ah! Please, don't hurt me!" Comet begged, fearfully. As if reacting to his desperation, the scepter managed to increase the output of flames, scaring la chupacabra back a few steps. But with more light, Comet was able to get a better view of the predator; and what he saw made his fear slowly disappear. Instead of green scales, a rat tail, and horns on her head as Jonah described, la chupacabra was covered in black fur with white patches, had cropped ears that only looked like horns, and wore a leather collar around her neck. "Hey, you're no bloodthirsty beast. You're a dog!"

"Damn right, I'm a dog. What'd you think I was?" She growled, trying to intimidate him. But a hoarse cough from the canine is what caught Comet's attention.

"You're sick." He remarked, concerned.

"I'm perfectly fine!" She snapped back, baring her teeth again.

Regardless of his fear, Comet felt an obligation to help the poor creature. Slowly moving his scepter out from his pocket, he whispered a healing spell and aimed it at the huge dog. She lunged at him out of fear, but the spell pushed her back. She examined her body once the light faded; she was feeling much better.

"S-sorry…" Comet whimpered and got up to leave. "I-I'll go now…"

But before he could even lift up the tarp, the dog bit down on his pant leg and pulled him back to the ground. The prince yelped in surprise at the action, but sat in fearful silence as she circled around him and sniffed his body. "You smell familiar." She remarked. "Have we met before?"

Comet thought back to the first time Marcia and Jonah had taken him out to the desert and they accidentally stumbled upon the chupacabra. "Um… n-not exactly."

"Hmm…" She sat down and locked eyes with him. "Well, what're you doing out here? You're no stray."

Comet sighed, dejectedly, as he hugged his knees to his chest. "Aw, I… I messed up." He explained. "I got mad at my best friend just because she broke a promise to hang out with her boyfriend, and I blew up a cop car, and I had already screwed up by breaking the scepter… so I… I ran away."

The dog huffed, indignantly. "So that's it? You think running is the answer?"

"What other choice do I have?" Comet shrugged. "I'll be disowned by my family for sure. And my friend doesn't even want to hang out with me anymore, so she won't defend me. Not after what I said."

"Listen here, boy…" The dog leaned in closer. "This old mutt you're looking at used to be just a little pup. My mother's owner tried to drown me and my brothers, but my first master managed to save me just in time. I swore I'd do anything to return the favor. So when he ordered me to look after two of his friends, I obeyed without hesitation. I left my former life behind and allowed them to become my new masters. They loved me more than I'd ever been loved before; took me home, kept me fed, and even after they had a pup of their own, they loved me just as much. But then one day, a bunch of monsters killed them both. Tried to kill me, too. But for whatever reason, they just tossed me into this damned desert and left me to die. I failed to protect my masters. And because of that, I've lost them forever. I had no other choice but to adapt to the life of a wild animal. But you… you still have a chance. Go home. Apologize to your friend. Own up to your mistake. And you will be forgiven. Take my word, kid, not a single night goes by that I don't dream of waking up in a warm bed surrounded by the people who loved me… the real me. Something tells me it's not too late for the real you."

"Thank you… Daisy." Comet smiled as he read the name on the golden dog tag dangling from her neck.

The chupacabra chuckled and gave Comet an affectionate lick to the face. "Been a long time since anyone's called me that. Thanks."

The prince crawled his way out of the burrow and slowly trekked back towards Echo Creek. He nodded off a few times as he walked, but the prince was determined to make it back. At last, a blinding light pulled up in front of Comet, accompanied by the familiar red and blue flashing lights. Two police officers stepped out of the cruiser and slowly approached the disgraced prince.

"Okay! I surrender!" Comet sobbed and dropped to his knees. "Oh, please, mister officer, go easy on me! I didn't mean any trouble! Please, don't lock me up! I've learned my lesson, I promise! Seeing Marcia five minutes a day is better than never again!"

When Comet opened his eyes again, however, he was no longer in the desert. Instead, the prince found himself sitting in the Echo Creek police station with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands and a warm blanket draped over his shoulders. The officer who had found him was writing up a statement while a familiar government agent stood behind him.

"I think that pot brownie's wearing off." Alex snickered as he sipped his own cup of coffee.

"Agent Casoy?" Comet tiredly rubbed the sand out of his eyes. "W-what're you doing here?"

"Oh, the usual; making sure you don't do anything stupid. You're lucky your roommate was out all night looking for you." Alex motioned to the couch on the other side of the room. Comet was shocked to see an exhausted Marcia resting next to a three-foot tall stack of missing posters with his face on them. Not only that, but her phone was loaded with text messages to her parents, friends, and neighbors checking on the search. Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open and she spotted her best friend safe and sound.

"Comet!" Marcia bolted up from her seat, ignoring the stack of missing papers that fell on the floor, and hugged the prince. "Oh, my god! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?! I looked everywhere! I couldn't find you!"

"Marcia, I'm so sorry!" Comet cried as he hugged her back. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that! I was just… you're my best friend! And I love spending time with you more than anything! But Jackson's your boyfriend, and I was jealous of all the time you were spending with him, but I know how much you've been waiting for this, and I… I… I'm sorry. I was being stupid and selfish. That makes me a bad friend."

Marcia smiled softly as she wiped the prince's eyes. "Yeah. You were being stupid." She chuckled. "But… I was being stupid, too. I've been taking you for granted. I was just so excited to finally be dating the man of my dreams that I wanted to make up for all those years of cowardice. Even if that meant neglecting my time with you. And that's not fair. That makes me a bad friend."

Comet sniffled and managed to smile. "No, you're not, Marcia. You're the best friend I've ever had."

Marcia crossed her finger over her heart and held up her right hand. "Which is why I swear to you on my grandmother's grave that I will be there to tell the songstrel all about you. And then, I'll be sitting right next to you for your Song Day."

"Thanks. That means the world to me." Comet's smile grew warmer before he glanced back at the policemen and Agent Casoy. "Oh, but, uh, you don't have to worry about it anymore. I'm not getting a Song Day anymore. Y'know, because I'm going to jail."

Agent Casoy laughed. "Jail? You're not going to jail, kid. Don't be so melodramatic."

"Huh?" Comet scratched his head in confusion. "B-but, I blew up that police car."

"Yeah, well, you're just lucky you blew up the right one." Casoy snickered as he turned to leave, patting the police chief on the shoulder as he left. "I'll leave this to you."

Comet was still confused. "What… what's going on?"

The police chief shrugged. "Yeah, we were gonna smash that car up anyway, after we donated it to the biannual Echo Creek Demolition Derby."

Comet's eyes widened as he felt a huge weight lifted off his chest. "So… so I didn't do anything wrong?" He grinned as he stood up from the seat. "I'm not in trouble?!"

"Well, hold on. I didn't say that." The chief sternly held up a hand, much to Comet's concern.

Saturday.

Comet grumbled as he endured his punishment. To make up for smashing the police car, he was forced to spend an entire Saturday washing the rest of the squad's vehicles. Not wanting to risk causing more damage with magic, he kept his scepter tucked away in his belt as he carried bucket after bucket of soapy water to each car and manually scrubbed them down with sponges. He wasn't even halfway done when Marcia showed up with two cups of lemonade and set up a lawn chair to sit and talk with him.

"Thanks." Comet smiled as he accepted one of the cups. "You don't have to do this. I know you'd rather hang out with Jackson right now."

"No, no, no. This is our time together." Marcia replied, cheekily. "Besides, Jackson's busy packing for his trip tomorrow, so I've got nowhere else to be."

Comet smiled and patted a wet sponge on his forehead to cool off. "Thanks. I appreciate that."

"So, how pissed was your dad when you told him what happened?"

Comet sighed. "Well, he said that he was very disappointed in me. But after I told him about my night in the desert and what I'm doing today, he decided I've been punished enough."

"Sweet." Marcia nodded. "Oh! I thought up a few things to tell Ruberiot for your song day! Wanna hear?"

"Yeah! That'd be great!"

"Okay, I'll be right back!" Marcia got up from her lawn chair and ran back to the house to grab the list while her best friend got back to work.

"What a crazy night." Comet chortled to himself as he continued washing the car. "... did any of that really happen last night? Did I really meet the…? Was she actually a…? Did she really…? Nah. It must have been that brownie Jonah had."

Little did Comet realize, however, that not everything he had experienced that night was a drug-induced hallucination. For later that night, back out in the desert, Daisy dragged another goat into her den and looked up at the night sky. A sad, lonely howl filled the night air as she gazed at the crescent moon.

To Be Continued!

Author's note: Please go easy on Comet and Marcia. They are two stupid teenagers and do not deserve too much hate for how they acted. Be kind.

New/Old character unlocked/reintroduced! Daisy - Simon the Shy's pet pitbull/boxer mutt - is the chupacabra! Those potions Simon had been feeding her made her nigh-immortal and she survived the Commission's assassination of her family! Bet you didn't see that coming!

As always, please read and review!