LC Presents: Brimstones and Broomsticks

by JP-Ryder

A Luz Clawthorne spin-off, when Emily and Zee decides to stay in another Isles, a whole new adventure for them awaits. A journey of self-discovery and finding their place in the world.

7. 6: The Mane Attraction

So as a reminder, our OC contests are still up. We're looking for MLP-expies, Descendant OCs, and HR counterparts of the Boiling Isles characters. Submit your OCs to either in your reviews, PMs, or DMs.

So this is pretty much an OC-centric fic. However, existent canon characters, seen or mentioned, still belong to their creators.

WARNING: This chapter contains sexual explicit content, i.e. a lemon scene. There will be a warning, for those who want to skip over if you're not comfortable in reading it, so viewer discretion is advised.

---

Chapter 6: The Mane Attraction

Back in the Boiling Isles…

We go to the Courtland Farm in Satorious Acres, inside a basic green room with a bed with red covers, a shelf filled with trophies and ribbons, a guitar bass leaning against the wall, a desk with a cowgirl hat on it, a gray night stand with a lamp, and walls decorated with flower and apple patterns, a gray night stand with a lamp. Cleaning up her room and sweeping the red rug was Jackie Courtland.

"Before the sun comes up, you gotta start your rocket boosters," she sang while sweeping. "Rise and shine, I'm feeling fine…"

"Jackie!" her mom called for her.

"Yeah, mom?" she asked.

"Are you packed for your trip, hon?" her mom asked as she entered the room. She was a witch woman with messy orange hair and a ponytail tied to the side around her shoulder, turquoise eyes, and complex-skin. She wore a gamboge button shirt, blue jeans, and brown boots. In her arms was a red-haired baby witch girl with small horns who was drinking from a bottle while wearing a green onesie.

"I sure am, ma," Jackie replied. "Just cleaning my room before I go."

"Oh, you didn't have to do that, really. You know we could have done that for you while you were gone," Pearl Courtland said.

"And give you all unnecessary work?" Jackie asked. "Not if I can help it."

Pearl smiled. "Well, will you at least join us for breakfast before you head off?" she asked her daughter.

"Of course, ma," Jackie said as she hugged her mom and her little sister. "Just give me a few minutes."

After breakfast, Jackie stood outside of her home as she had her rough collie Palisman, Lasso, on hand. She turned to her family and Apple as they were there to say goodbye.

"Well, I'll be seeing y'all when my vacation's over," Jackie declared as she hugged her parents. "Bye mama, bye daddy."

"See ya, sugarcube," said Mac Courtland, a witch man who had horns, yellow complex skin, dark-red hair tied into a ponytail, and green eyes. He wore a red flannel button shirt, blue jeans and gray boots.

"Remember to write us," Pearl said.

Jackie hugged her big brother and baby sister. "See ya, Billy-Bob, see ya, Blossom. Take care of the farm while I'm gone, alright?"

"Have a nice trip, sis," Billy-Bob said as Blossom laughed and hugged her big sister.

"Jackie!" Blossom shouted.

Jackie affectionately rustled her sister's hair before turning to Granny Courtland, an elderly witch woman with short horns and green eyes. She wore a green dress, a white apron, and black boots. "And I'll be missing you too, Granny."

"I hope you enjoy your vacation, darlin'," Granny declared with a smile. "Remember to bring souvenirs, you know how I like it when you bring me gifts."

"I'll remember that," Jackie said while turning to Apple. "And Apple, be sure to finish planting all those trees while I'm gone."

"You can count on me, Jackie!" Apple shouted.

"Good, and stay away from my brother," Jackie whispered to her with a slightly threatening tone.

"Heheh… will do," Apple replied nervously.

After saying her goodbyes, Jackie Courtland sat on her staff, held her suitcase, and flew off.

---

Now we travel over to the Merlin Meadows neighborhood, where Tracy was in her home lifting some weights. She was in her blue painted room, the walls covered with photos and posters of herself. In fact… she was pretty much in a room full of herself. Her lamp was basically a homemade lamp resembling Tracy herself and there was a bobblehead version of herself and a lamp shade next to her crystal ball. Even her bed had an image of herself on her covers. The only thing that didn't have her on it was the pictures of her best friends.

"97… 98… 99…" Tracy counted while lifting the weights. "…100!" she declared before setting them aside. "Alright! Prepared my gains for my trip!"

As she headed out of her room, she was suddenly surprised by streamers and balloons, which were set up by her parents.

"Good morning, Tracy!" shouted her parents, who were both humanoid witches. Her mom had orange bobcut hair, purple eyes, and an orange button shirt with blue trousers and red sandals. Her father was a tall buff witch man with red mohawk hair, red eyes, and a green jumpsuit and brown boots.

"We made some breakfast for you before you go on your trip," her mother told her.

"Yeah! Your favorite, a fried banana patty and bacon sandwich, with buttered bread and extra ketchup," her father responded.

"Thanks, I could use the energy before I leave for my trip," Tracy responded as she went to the dining room and sat beside her baby sister, a cinnamon canary biped hatchling. "Good morning to you too, Vespa. Your big sis is going on a trip this Fall Break, and I'll be coming back tougher than ever!"

Vespa could only giggle at her adopted sister's antics.

As she ate, she couldn't help but glance at a picture hanging on the wall. Besides all the family photos, there was a photo of a blonde haired witch woman with gray eyes, peach skin, and pink lips. She was wearing a coven scout uniform while holding a young Tracy while behind them was an airship. Tracy looked at the picture for a moment before she returned to eating.

After breakfast, Tracy picked up her yellow and red turtle Palisman. "Come on, Speedy! Time to head to the pier!" she declared while heading out of the house, getting out as fast as possible.

"Oh, she's always in a rush, isn't she, Balder?" Tracy's mom asked.

"Indeed she is, Skinda," Balder, Tracy's dad, agreed. "Now that Tracy's gone for Fall Break…"

The two set up posters for Vespa all around the house while putting on hats with pictures of Vespa on them.

"We're gonna cheer for Vespa!" Skinda declared.

"Go Vespa!" Balder cheered.

These two had done this routine for both their daughters as a way to help with their self-esteem…

---

Meanwhile, at the Diamantos residence in Metropelvis, Tabrella gathered all of her clothes into one small case… just kidding, she needed a large case for all of her clothing. With her was Katie, who was in a baby carrier. Her room had white walls with some purple accents and was round. It was a proper room with a white desk and drawers and a bed with purple covers and a nightstand. She also had a crib next to her bed. The floor had a white rug, there was a huge closet, and on her wall were posters of models and fashionable clothing.

"There, all of our Fall clothes for our vacation, Katie," Tabrella declared while Katie was currently nibbling on her stuffed animal while watching her mother getting ready for their trip. "Now come along, let's-"

"Tabrella, dear," said a voice.

Tabrella turned and saw that her parents had entered the room. Her mom was a dark skinned witch woman with swirling bluish purple hair and gray eyes. She wore a red blouse and dress with white stripe patterns, and black boots. Next to her was her father, a brown skinned witch man with combed over brown hair, a mustache, and black eyes. He wore a blue button shirt with flowers on it, gray trousers, and brown boots.

"Are you sure you want to go on this trip?" her mother asked.

"Yes, are you sure about taking Katie with you?" her father added.

"It's going to be fine, mom and dad," Tabrella said as she picked up her suitcase and started to push the baby carrier. "I think this is just what me and Katie need. Some time with my friends away from all the drama of the Boiling Isles."

"Oh, I don't know, dear. I've heard stories about the Inwell Isles," Coco said, giving her daughter a concerned look. "Like all of those unsavory characters there. Right, Selleck?"

"Oh yes, my Coco," Selleck agreed. "If you think the crime here was bad, you should see what it is like in the Inwell Isles. Actually, don't see. Not to mention that it'd be too much of a risk for you and Katie to be out in the public eye after the scandal…"

"Momsy, Daddy, it's going to be alright," Tabrella told them while picking up Percy, who turned her into a staff. "Besides, I can defend myself and Katie, plus I'll also have my friends with me to help protect us. Plus, the Inwell Isles is far enough from the Boiling Isles that nobody there will care about the scandal."

"Well… Tabrella, you could have much more fun with just your friends if you just leave Katie here," Coco told her.

"Yeah, after all, you're still young and you need to have fun. We can take care of Katie for you while you're gone on your trip instead of you having to worry about her all of the time," Selleck suggested.

"Thank you both, but I must decline," Tabrella told them as she walked past them with Katie. "Because I want to bring Katie with me."

"But honey-"

"I need this," she told them as her parents looked at their daughter with worried expressions. "I need Katie and Katie needs me. And I need to practice being a mother more without having to rely on you both."

Her parents looked at each other. Neither of them liked the idea of letting Tabrella go with Katie, but they also knew they couldn't stop her. They had raised a very stubborn daughter…

"Okay, sweetie, if that's what you want," Coco said with a hesitant tone.

"I guess it would be okay for you and Katie to go," Selleck said. "Especially since you will be with your friends."

Tabrella smiled. "Thank you both," she said as she hugged her parents.

---

Later, at the docks, the three friends met up with each other in front of the boat they were supposed to catch.

"Jackie, Tracy," Tabrella said as she pushed Katie over to them. "I'm here."

"Got yer tickets?" Jackie asked them while holding up hers as well as Tabrella's.

"Way ahead of you!" Tracy shouted as she raised her tickets. "Can't wait to see Linds and Andrea at Inwell Isles."

"Yes, I have been looking forward to this," Tabrella admitted as the trio went up to the boarding of the ship, Tabrella using the baby carrier to carry Katie up.

Once they were on board the ship, it started to leave the Boiling Isles. After a while, the three girls were up on deck, talking to each other about their trip.

"Man, a vacation like this has been long overdue," Tracy said while laying on the beach bench.

"Yeah, after everything that went down, along with the clean up, I think we deserve a break," Jackie replied while sipping her drink. "Especially you, Tabrella."

"I do agree," Tabrella said while holding Katie, who giggled happily in her arms. "We all deserve a break from it all…"

The three could see the Boiling Isles in the distance and as they watched, it became smaller and smaller as their ship headed to their destination…

---

Back in the Inwell Isles, Emily and Zee led Cross and Donna through the circus.

"You should definitely meet Zaraff, Cross, he's pretty cool!" Zee declared while hanging her arm around her brother. "He's traveled throughout the realm, exploring different Titans to search for and take in all kinds of different creatures! Including one that was supposed to be extinct!"

"Well, if he impressed you, I guess I could meet him," Cross responded while looking around the circus with a curious expression.

Donna, while looking around, turned to Emily. "So what exactly is your relationship with this circus's ringmaster, Emily?"

"Well… to be honest, he is a family friend," Emily admitted. "Sonya used to be part of the circus before the Tarot Guild adopted her. Her parents were Beast-Tamers here until they died in an accident. I first met him when she took me to the circus while it was visiting the Boiling Isles…"

Donna looked suspicious. "So Sonya has ties to this circus… what do you know about the Ringmaster…"

"I know what you're thinking, but I can assure you that he's on the up and up," Emily told her. "Pryce is a good man, he's not some ringleader for a circus of crime or something like that. Hell, he wasn't aware of what Sonya grew up to be until I told him."

"So he's not using the circus as a front to rob his customers?" Donna asked.

"Nope," Emily replied.

"He isn't some other worldly demon who, if you make a deal with him, owns your soul and forces you to work with him in his circus?" she asked.

"Nope."

"And you can assure that he's not tied to some eldritch unholy being that plans to turn everyone into donkeys, drain their magic, or turn them into a metaphor for consumerism or something like that?" Donna asked her.

"That's oddly specific… but no, Pryce isn't any of that," Emily told her as they entered the main tent.

Donna still had her suspicions as they looked around the main tent and saw many other witches and demons all lined up, the Ringmaster sitting in the bleachers.

"Alright, next," Pryce said. "What can you do?"

"Oh, I'm McSpeed, and I can run really fast," said a guy in a silver suit with a helmet. "I can run past that pole over there, like this!" He simply jerked his head over to the pole and then jerked in back, gasping for breath. "Boy, what a rush. Would you like to see me try again?"

Pryce gave him an unsure look. "Don't call us, we'll call you."

Another act involved a mime-witch who pretended to be trapped in a box. He 'locked' himself in the box and held up an invisible key before opening his mouth and eating it. But then the mime started choking silently while banging on the invisible box he was in. Pryce thought this was all pretend… until the mime started turning blue…

After that, Nick Troll showed up doing his comedy act. "So I've been to this tavern, Starcrux, and their prices for a coffee brew costs nine snails more than the same Starcrux up North. Their coffee brew costs eight snails and twelve snips. Like, why is the one here more expensive than the one up North? Doesn't this sound like a scam to you?"

Another act had Cups and Mugs doing a performance. Music played as they gave their audition.

"Oh merrily we roll along, my brother and me. Verily there's no one half as jolly as me!" Mugs sang as he tap danced. "Though we're troubling misfits, say what do we care? For we've been so happy with the entertainment we share!"

"Every time we got in trouble, it was no fun," Cups sang as well while playing the violin. "It's always like people treat us like we're bums!"

The two got together as they finished. "We have each other, as we sing this song, as we merrily roll along!" they finished as they took a bow.

"So tell us what you think, sir?" Cups asked him.

"Hmm, nice number, but not what we're looking for," Pryce said before noticing Emily. "Ah, Emily! What a pleasant surprise!" he declared as he turned to the other acts. "Take five, people. I'll be back for the rest of your auditions later," he told them before walking over to Emily. "Great to see you again, Emily."

"Hello, sir," Emily greeted as she accepted his hug. "I've brought some of my friends here. Guys, this is Mr. Pryce, who runs this circus."

"Greetings, and you all must be…?" Pryce asked them.

"Hi, my name is Zee Drakescale, a good friend of Emily's," Zee waved to him. "You may remember me. I've been to your circus before, sir, good show."

"Ah, yes, you're one of the girls who helped Emily save my circus from the arsonists," Pryce pointed out while shaking her hand. "Nice to finally formally meet you, Ms. Drakescale."

"And those two are Cross, Zee's brother, and his girlfriend, Donna Masterskull," Emily introduced, gesturing to the two teens.

"Uh, hi. We're very interested in your circus, sir," Cross said..

"Yeah, we don't usually have these visiting much back in the Isles," Donna admitted.

"Hey, is Zaraff still around?" Zee asked him.

"Zaraff?" Pryce asked as Emily explained.

"Zee wants her brother to meet your Beast-Tamer," Emily explained..

"Well, he should be in the animal tents out back, so maybe check there," Pryce said while pointing to the exit.

"Thanks, sir. Come on, Cross," Zee said as she grabbed Cross by the arm and started to excitedly pull on it.

"Donna, are you coming?" Cross asked as he let his sister drag him away.

"I'll catch up with you later," Donna said as both Zee and Cross left the tent.

Once the Drakescale siblings were gone, Pryce looked over Emily and Donna. "So what can I do for you, Emily?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you about this bedknob you gave me," Emily said as she pulled out the bedknob and held it up to him. "I will admit, at first I thought it was a joke gift… until it transported me back to the Boiling Isles."

"Wait, it did what?" Donna asked in surprise, while the Ringmaster just looked amused.

"Oh?" he asked with a smile. "So you've discovered its power?"

"What kind of bedknob teleports someone from one Isles to another?" Donna asked, both confused and intrigued.

"Good question," Pryce declared with a grin. "This is, as you have already learned, no ordinary bedknob. This bedknob has a traveling spell on it. It can take you anywhere you want, Emily. Including other realms, but only you can use it, and nobody else. Although, you can use it to bring others with you. All you have to do is tell the bedknob where you want to go, tap on it three times, and turn it a quarter to the left."

"That's… amazing," Emily admitted while looking at her bedknob in awe. "So it can take me anywhere?"

"Anywhere your heart desires. Good for getting faster take out or hopping on over to another Titan. However you choose to use it to your convenience," he said.

"Wait, how do you know this spell?" Donna asked with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

"Well, in my travels, I've learned many things," he explained to her. "For instance, this travel spell was discovered by Astaroth."

"Astaroth?" Emily asked. "Who is that?"

"Depending on who you ask, he was either a human wizard, or a Goetia demon. He discovered many spells and wrote them down in a book called The Spells of Astoroth. Unfortunately, there is no longer a surviving copy of the book."

"How did you learn the spell then?" Donna questions.

"Let's say… Astaroth is an old friend of mine," Pryce said in a joking manner, Donna and Emily unable to tell if he was being serious or not. "He once shared it with me over lunch," he added with a smile. "I will say that the spell can work on any object."

"So then why a bedknob?" Emily asked him as Pryce just smiled.

"Nostalgia," he admitted.

---

At another part of the circus, Zee and Cross found themselves in front of another large tent with a sign that read 'Zaraff's Zoo' hanging over it.

"You think he'd be in there?" Cross asked.

"Of course he would, bro," Zee responded as the two went inside. "Zaraff! Are you there?"

"Hello?" Zaraff asked as he came out from one of the animal pens in the tent. When he spotted Zee, he smiled. "Well, if it isn't the friendly neighborhood Drakescale girl," he said as he walked over to her. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good, but I came here to introduce you to my brother," Zee told him while patting Cross's back. "Zaraff, meet my little brother, Cross. Cross, this is Zaraff, the Beast-Tamer who has collected and tamed beasts from all around the Demon Realm."

"Well, nice to meet you, Cross," Zaraff said as he raised his hand up, sporting a friendly smile. "A brother of Zee's is a brother of mine," he joked.

"It's nice to meet you too, Zaraff," Cross responded while shaking the tamer's hand. "Though, not sure about the saying…"

"So are you a Beast-Keeper as well?" Zaraff asked.

"Well, no, I'm in the Plant course," Cross admitted. "But I have been studying other kinds of magic too, like Illusions, Healin- um." He turned to his sister, feeling like he stepped on a sore spot by bringing up how he was able to study different kinds of magic. "Sorry, sis."

"It's fine, Cross. Don't worry about it," she assured him. "How about we see the menagerie that Zaraff has here?"

"Step on up and let me be your guide," Zaraff told them as he led them into his zoo.

Zee walked alongside Zaraff while Cross trailed behind them as they looked around. In the pens and cages were all kinds of different animals. Some of them Zee had seen during the show, but others were kinds that the Drakescale siblings had never seen before.

"Here is my menagerie of beasts!" Zaraff declared while Zee looked around in amazement. They heard Cross gasp from behind them.

"Is that… a Batterrosaur?!" Cross asked in surprise, pointing at the caged Baterrosaur that was hanging upside down while asleep.

"Yes, yes, but keep quiet. Gorna needs her beauty rest," he told him as they walked around. "Here, I make sure that all of the circus's animals are treated well."

"Cool," Zee commented while noticing a wall by the stables. "What are those?"

"Oh, that? My equipment," he answered as he led them over to the wall full of weapons. These weapons appeared to be made out of melded bones. A crossbow made of bones, a bow made of bones, a glider made of bones…

"They're made of… bones," Cross pointed out.

"They're unique weapons, aren't they?" Zaraff asked with a proud smile. "These helped me capture many of these creatures and tame them, but I also use them when I go treasure hunting on the side."

"Wow," Zee said while looking over the weapons. "So you're a treasure hunter too?"

"Eh, you could say I do a bit of everything," Zaraff said with a shrug.

"So you've been all over the Demon Realm… does that include the other side of the world?" Cross asked Zaraff.

"Why yes, I have," Zaraff answered.

"I've actually been to the other side of the world as well," Cross mentioned.

"Really?" Zaraff asked. "That is such a long trip…"

"Yeah, he along with his girlfriends and our cousins went to the other side of the Demon Realm not too long ago," Zee said, surprising Zaraff.

"And he is already back?" Zaraff asked while looking at Cross.

"Um, we… took a shortcut," Cross admitted.

"Ah, I see," Zaraff acknowledged. "Did you enjoy your trip?"

"Uh, not really," Cross confessed while rubbing the back of his head. "It wasn't a good experience…"

"Say no more," Zaraff said with a nod. "Don't get me wrong, the other side of the world is beautiful. But it isn't the sights I have a problem with. It's the cults…"

"The Titan Trappers," Cross muttered.

"So you really have been there," Zaraff said. "I've had my own experiences with that cult. You think I should get along with them, right? They are hunters who test their skills against great beasts. And I do admire their skills. But their worship of the Great Huntsman and them going after something that's extinct…" He shook his head. "Those Trappers are on a wild-pixie chase," he said. "Wanna see what I've collected from them?"

Zee and Cross turned to each other, then looked back at Zaraff. "Show us," Zee said.

Zaraff grinned and led them over to a crate full of artifacts he had acquired, including a young Titan skull that poked out of the top of the crate.

"I traded some of my books to them in exchange for being allowed to inventory to visit their treasury," Zaraff said as he held up an artifact, some kind of stone tablet. "This one depicts the Horned King who devours all life and another shows the Trappers fighting him."

He showed them a slab depicting a giant, horned, evil Titan fighting against the Trappers. "Whoa… did Lilith ever mention this?" Zee asked.

"Yeah," Cross admitted while glancing at the Titan skull, which did resemble King's skull. He was reminded of how many of the skulls the Titan Trappers had must have belonged to children and it made Cross wary. "So um, what would you have done if you, um, ever saw a living Titan? Like, what would you have done with… it?"

"Oh… I'd leave it alone," Zaraff admitted. "Honestly, I have no interest in hunting Titans, nor would I want to keep one, even if they're still around."

At this, Cross let out a small sigh of relief.

"I guess that's why I couldn't really see eye-to-eye with Bill, the leader of the Titan Trappers," Zaraff admitted. "I didn't believe his story about Titans being evil and needing to be destroyed. I think they are an important part of the Demon Realm. If there is one left, it should be protected."

"Yeah, me and Cross think that too," Zee said with a smile. "It would be something if there was a living Titan left, right?"

"Hmm, it would," Zaraff considered. "It would…"

---

Meanwhile, in another tent, the Birmans were practicing their stunts. With them was Darcilia.

"Surprised to see you here, Darcilia," Pala Joy Birman said while watching her son practicing. "I heard you were dead. You're doing great, Ren!"

"Thanks, mom!" Ren responded while doing a flip on the type rope.

"Yeah, I have been getting that a lot," Darcilia replied while sitting down, Billie sitting next to her.

"Honestly, I didn't think you would actually come back," Billie said while drinking her water bottle.

"Yeah, me neither," Darcilia admitted, a bit awkwardly.

"So how have you been?" Rodney asked as he let his husband, Brod, stand on his shoulders with his paws. "You have been taking care of yourself, right?"

"I've been doing well, thank you," Darcilia replied with a sigh. "Look, the reason I came here is because I wanted to ask… how are things back home? How are my parents…"

"Oh they're doing fine, they have been occupied with their work and duties for the Blackpaw Clan and so forth," Pala Joy replied. "Your father got promoted."

"Really?" Darcilia asked, her interest piqued. "Is he…?"

"He's a Midnight now," Lars Birman said, which surprised Darcilia. "Meaning, he's one of the top cats now."

Darcilia smiled, glad to hear about her dad's accomplishments. "And if dad's a Midnight now, then mom's…"

"Head of the Blackpaws," Brod said as he flipped down from Rodney. "Of course, they don't know what happened to you after you stopped reporting. Everyone back at Moggie Reefs thinks you're either dead or went rogue…"

"Well… I guess I am the latter," Darcilia admitted while looking down. "Are you going to tell…"

"After saving our kids and helping out with the fire, I think this family owes you a debt, Darcilia," Lars said.

"Oh, there's no need for that," Darcilia told them.

"Come on, we already promised not to tell you-know-who where you are," Ren pointed out.

"That's good, Ren," Pala Joy said while patting her son on the back. "Darcilia, even if we're still on our mission, you're still one of us. Rogue or not."

"So what about you, Darci?" Billie asked her. "What have you've been up to? And what can you tell us about those witch friends of yours?"

Darcilia looked at them while wondering how much she could tell them. She didn't want to tell them much, but at the same time… it had been so long since she had spoken to other werecats from Moggie Reefs. This felt… nice. "Well… they don't know about me being a werecat, and I haven't told them about Moggie Reefs. And… I especially haven't told them about why I was on the Boiling Isles in the first place. I… think they're better off not knowing about any of that, including my… other side."

"Well, that is a wise decision," Lars told her. "The less they know, the better."

Billie and Ren looked at each other and shared a nod. Billie spoke up. "Say Darci, wanna see Ren's little collection he's gathered?"

"Yeah, I want to show you my collection," Ren said as the two kids led Darci away from the adults.

Darcilia just shrugged and got up. "Okay… whatever this collection is…"

Darci followed the Birman kids out of the tent to the back. The two paused before turning to Darci, who looked at them in confusion.

"What's…?" she asked before Billie interrupted her.

"There is no collection," Billie whispered to Darcilia. "Me and Ren just want to let you know… they've already sent your replacement to the Boiling Isles."

Darcilia's eyes widened. "What…?"

"Yeah, we didn't want to mention this in front of our parents, but since you haven't reported back and everyone thought you were dead, they sent in another infiltrator," Ren explained.

"We don't know who your replacement is," Billie said while looking at Darcilia. "But we do know they have been given the go-ahead to move onto Phase Two."

Darcilia's eyes widened at that. "Already?" she asked.

"We heard about the Torsa Villa fire," Ren explained, his tone serious. "We think that's being used as the catalyst for Phase Two."

Darcilia let this information sink in before she looked at Billie and Ren, suspicious about their motives. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Well, forgive the feline stereotype, but we're curious," Ren admitted. "About how you'd react."

"And what you'll do with that information," Billie said while eyeing Darcilia. "We're wondering if you're really going to turn traitor or not…"

Darcilia said nothing as she looked at Billie and Ren. After a moment, Billie reached over and patted her shoulder.

"Here's some advice: Keep playing dead. It's better for everyone that way," she told her before she and Ren walked back to their folks, leaving Darcilia to her own thoughts.

---

Back to Emily, she was waiting outside the main tent when she saw Zee and Cross coming back over to her.

"Hey, how did your visit with the Tamer go?" Emily asked them.

"It went pretty well, Cross was impressed by all the animals," Zee replied.

"I'll admit, they did pique my interest," Cross said while having his hands in his pockets. "I'll uh, go meet up with Donna."

"She's waiting for you over there," Emily said as she pointed toward the entrance.

"Thanks, Emily," Cross replied as he started to walk away, leaving Emily and Zee alone.

"Have fun on your date!" Zee shouted after her brother before turning to Emily. "So how was your talk with Pryce?"

"Well, I got the information I needed about this bedknob," Emily said as she held it up, Zee looking at it oddly.

"A… bedknob?" Zee asked.

"Not just a normal bedknob. It has a travel spell on it," Emily clarified.

"A travel spell?" Zee asked, now very curious.

"I used it to briefly travel to the Boiling Isles and back," Emily revealed. "This bedknob can take us anywhere I can think of, Zee. And it's not just limited to the Demon Realm…"

"Really?" Zee asked in awe while looking at the bedknob.

"It can take us anywhere we want, well, as long as I have it," Emily admitted.

"Could it take us to, say, the Human Realm?" Zee wondered.

"I believe so," Emily said. "What do you think?"

"I think… this is amazing!" Zee replied while amazed. "It's like, the cheapest way to travel I can think of. Man, it must be convenient to just be able to teleport around."

"Yeah," Andrea agreed.

"Pryce did say something similar-ANDREA?!" Emily exclaimed as she and Zee were startled by Andrea suddenly appearing between them. "What the… how did you-?!"

"Do we have to put a bell on you?!" Zee asked the pink-haired witch, who giggled. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I came here to get Emily of course!" Andrea replied.

"Me?" Emily asked in confusion. "Um… what do you need me for?"

"To greet the others, of course!" Andrea answered.

"By others, do you mean…?" Emily asked.

"Jackie, Tabrella and Tracy are coming here to spend the Fall Break with us!" Andrea revealed while Emily's eyes widened. "Isn't that going to be exciting, Emily?!"

"Uh…" Emily said awkwardly while looking over at Zee, who was similarly concerned.

---

Over at the docks, Andrea had succeeded in bringing Emily with her to where Lindsay was waiting.

"Thanks for coming, Emily," Lindsay told her. "And thank you, Andrea, for bringing her here."

"No problem, Lindsay!" Andrea saluted while patting Emily's back. "How are you holding up, Emily?"

"Super nervous," Emily said, hugging herself while looking down. "I… don't think it was a good idea to bring me here."

"Maybe… but it's also a perfect chance for you to win them back over!" Andrea declared. "Me and Lindsay talked about it, and we both agreed that you needed the opportunity to reconcile with them."

"All they need is a little time to warm up to you and not…" Lindsay said as she tapped her fingers together nervously.

"Hate me for putting Tabrella through a scandal?" Emily asked while looking down in guilt. "I get what you two are trying to do, but… some wounds can't be healed. And some wrongs can't be forgiven…"

"We get that, Emily, but you should at least give it another shot," Andrea said. "After all, you and the three have a lot in common."

"Like what?" Emily asked.

"Well, you and Jackie are both hard working," Andrea pointed out. "You and Tracy are very athletic, along with you both having the s-i-g-i-l's," she whispered. "And you and Tabby are both drama queens who care about children!"

Emily gave Andrea a deadpan expression for the drama queen comment, but she still felt nervous. Especially when she heard the horn of the ship coming in.

"Here they are!" Andrea declared as the ship docked. Soon, they saw their friends coming down from the ship, Andrea and Lindsay waving at them. "Hi, guys!"

"Hey, Andrea, Linds," said Jackie Courtland, who came down while wearing a brown jacket with an orange button shirt with a red apple print, with ripped jean short-shorts, and cowgirl boots. She hugged her two friends, lifting them both off the ground. "So good to see y'all."

"Yeah!" Tracy shouted as she flew up while wearing her blue jersey with red shorts and white knee socks and boots, her talons sticking out. She flew over to hug Andrea and Lindsay. "The five of us together again!"

"Ahh! I'm so happy to see you girls!" Andrea squeed while bounces up and down.

"Indeed, and we're glad to see you and Lindsay as well," Tabrella said while walking down in a white jacket with a blue blouse, purple pants, and white heels. She was carrying Katie, who wore a pink dress.

"Aww, and you even brought Katie with you!" Andrea declared while making baby noises around Katie. "Here to party with the gal pals, Katie? Are you? Are you?" she asked, making the baby giggle.

"Welcome to Inwell Isles, girls," Lindsay said.

"With all of us here, it's going to be the best Fall Break ever!" Tracy declared before she, Jackie, and Tabrella took notice of Emily standing nearby. "Oh…."

"Um… hi guys," Emily said in a meek, almost timid tone.

"Oh, right! Did we mention that Emily's here as well? She came to say hi to you guys!" Andrea declared.

"Well, Andrea did bring her here, technically," Lindsay pointed out.

The atmosphere suddenly deflated. Jackie, Tracy, and Tabrella's expressions towards Emily turned cold, which only added to the awkwardness. Everyone was silent.

"So, what do you guys wish to talk about?" Andrea asked while looking back and forth at Emily and her friends. "Emily?"

"Oh, um… uh… how are you guys… doing?" Emily asked awkwardly.

"We're fine," Tracy said while glaring at her.

"Just here to enjoy a vacation with friends," Jackie said. "Which doesn't include you, I'm afraid."

"Right…" Emily said as she looked over at Tabrella, who didn't speak to her. She wasn't even looking at her anymore, instead being more focused on Katie while her two friends continued to glare at Emily, who looked down. "Well um, I should just… go now," she said. "My job's probably waiting for me…"

"But I thought your shift's over?" Andrea pointed out, making Emily pause. "Say, since Emily's free, she could tour you guys around the Isles…"

"Actually, we picked up a brochure that tells us about all the hotspots around the Inwell Isles," Tracy said while holding up the brochure.

"Well, guess I won't be needed then, heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh…!" Emily laughed, a little too loud, which startled the girls. Emily was very nervous now. It was like she wanted to leave but she couldn't for some reason.

After what felt like an eternity, Emily held up her staff and sat on it before she awkwardly started flying off. "Bye," she said before flying off, the five girls watching her while Emily was screaming internally.

"… Well, that was awkward," Tracy said.

"This is going to be a long Fall Break," Jackie said with a sigh.

"So… what is there to do around here in Inwell?" Tabrella asked Andrea and Lindsay, all the while Katie just stared at Emily's flying form with wide eyes…

---

Back at the circus, in the game area, Cross and Donna were walking together and looking at the different stands as they attempted to enjoy a normal date with each other.

"You know, I've never been to the circus before," Cross mentioned as he looked over at Donna. "Or nothing like it."

"Well, I've been to my fair share of carnivals when I was little," Donna replied as she looked at the games before she spotted one of the prizes. "Ooh, think you can get me that?"

Cross saw that Donna was pointing at what appeared to be a stuffed cyclops. He smiled. "I think I will," Cross said as he went over to the carnival game and placed his snails on the counter.

"You get three tries to knock those bottles down," the carny said while handing Cross three eyeballs.

Cross picked up one and aimed at the bottles. He made his throw and he hit them… but they didn't fall down.

"Huh?" Cross asked in confusion. He threw the second ball, but it resulted in the same. When he threw the last ball, it also hit the bottles… but they didn't fall. "Hey, I had that!"

"Well, if you wish to try again, sport, place more snails on the counter," the carny suggested with a grin while hiding a bottle of glue in his pocket.

Cross gave a narrow look at the carny, but Donna walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Cross. When we were kids, Nina taught me a trick about how to win these games," she whispered into his ear.

"Will it work?" he asked as Donna nodded.

Donna put her snails on the counter and got the balls. She smiled at Cross as she prepared to show him how it was done. She lifted up her hand, tilted it slightly, and threw it towards the bottles. The eyeball hit them, but they didn't knock them over… instead, it bounced off the balls perfectly and hit the carny on the head.

"Oof!" the carny shouted as he fell down, knocked out from the hit.

"Yes!" Donna cheered.

"So… now what?" Cross asked while looking down at the carny.

"Now," Donna said as she levitated the prize she wanted into her hands. "We run!" she shouted while taking off.

Cross stared at her in shock for a moment before he took off as well, running after her.

---

Meanwhile, Zaraff had opened up a petting zoo for young witchlings who were visiting the circus. Zee was hanging out nearby, watching him.

"Welcome, children, to my petting zoo!" Zaraff told the kids as he led them into his petting zoo. "Now, there are some animals you shouldn't pet, so be sure to keep your hands away from the cages, don't want one of these animals to take in little bites."

He guided the children through the petting zoo, letting them pet a few that were safe to touch. Zee stood behind them, watching this play out. "These creatures you see now are from all across the realm. For example, let me tell you about the Turtlecorn."

He showed them what appeared to be a unicorn with a turtle shell, the kids looking amazed by the unique creature. Even Zee stared in awe at the creature.

"Amazing!" one kid shouted.

"What does it do?" another asked.

"Well, they are only found in certain isolated corners of this realm," Zaraff said while petting the turtlecorn. "They have this hardened shell not just to protect themselves from predators, but also as a way for them to store their magic. Think of it like a battery pack, if you know what a battery is. They use their horns as a way to harness and use their magic and they have a vegan diet. Who here wishes to feed one first?"

The kids all raised their hands up wanting to volunteer. Zaraff gave a chuckle. "Alright, one at the time."

"Need help?" Zee asked. Zaraff looked at her and nodded while giving a smile.

With Zee's help, the kids managed to feed the turtlecorn. All the while, Zaraff told them stories.

"There I was, down in the jungles of a small Titan far from here," Zaraff said while standing next to Othra as some of the kids stared in awed at the creature. "Me and Othra here had been tracking down the long-neck qilin, a beast that is similar to a unicorn, but more dragon-like. We followed the trail of fires that it left behind. But as we followed its trail, we were suddenly ambushed by ten of the qilins! All gathered, looking at us as if we were threats! But I didn't think they were threats… ten of those flaming beasts was a majestic sight."

"How majestic?" a little girl asked.

"It was like looking at a painbow but without the agonizing pain," he said as the children listened intently, drawn in by the tale. "Sadly, I was never able to catch a qilin myself, but I did get an illustration of them," he said as he summoned a large scroll and showed them an animated qilin that he and his Othra encountered. The kids and Zee were in awe of the appearance of the qilin. "Yes, I am a bit of an artist myself. If you kids are lucky enough to see one of these in the wild like I did, it'll be a once in a lifetime experience…"

Zee listened, just as captivated by Zaraff's story as the kids were. She wondered if there was a chance that she could see a qilin someday.

After giving the kids a tour around the zoo, Zaraff led them to the exit. "Have a great day, kiddos! Be sure to tell your friends all about Zaraff the Tamer!" he declared as Zee walked up to him from behind.

"Wow, you're pretty good with kids," Zee said, impressed.

"Well, when you take care of animals, you start to see them as your children," Zaraff explained. "But I do love children, especially their curiosity and their awe for these creatures. You know, I sometimes dream of having some mini-Zaraffs my own, but alas, I'm too married to my own work to settle down."

"Oh, that's… a bummer," Zee noted.

Zaraff just shrugged. "It is the choice I make. By the way, Zee, thank you for assisting me out there," he told her.

"Oh, it's no problem," Zee replied. "You know, I used to take care of animals back at the Beast-Keeping pens back at Merlin Meadows."

"Sounds wonderful… though, what is Merlin Meadows? I'm not familiar with that place," Zaraff told her.

"It's my school," Zee replied. "My brother doesn't go there with me since he earned a scholarship for St. Epiderm. Merlin Meadows isn't considered one of the top schools of the Boiling Isles, but I have a lot of pride for it."

"Well, it's good that you had a good education, Zee," Zaraff said as he petted a unicorn while feeding it. "Me? I've never been to school. I'm self-taught." He turned to her. "You know, you said that besides your family, you met one other Boiling Isles dragon. I'm curious…"

"Oh…" Zee said while she looked down, thinking about Giovanni. "He was my grandpa's old friend and my godfather."

"Hmm," Zaraff hummed. "What was his name?"

"Giovanni Darksmoke," Zee explained to him. "He was the last of the Darksmokes. He… he left the Boiling Isles to go look for more dragons in the Demon Realm, but that was years ago. I don't even know if he is alive or not." She suddenly realized something and she looked at Zaraff hopefully. "Hey, you have been all over the Demon Realm. Have you ever heard of that name before?"

"Giovanni Darksmoke…" Zaraff repeated while looking thoughtful. After a moment, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Zee, but that name is not familiar to me."

Zee sighed. "Well, at least I tried," she said as she looked down, saddened.

"You miss him, don't you?" Zaraff indicated as Zee nodded. "Were you two close?"

"Yeah," Zee admitted. "I don't know if Cross remembers him much, but Uncle Gio had been with my family since I was born. He knew my mother and he was just this presence that was always in my life until he left…"

Zaraff gave her a sympathetic look. "So… what can you tell me about the rest of your family?"

"Well… for one, me and Cross share the same father, Damien, but we had different mothers," Zee explained. "His father, our gramps, is a dragon, while our dad doesn't have a dragon form because it skipped a generation. But he's one hell of a healer. Cross's mom is Clair, who has kinda almost always been my mother too, since I didn't really know my biological mom."

"What do you know about her?" he asked.

"Her name was Anna, and she died when I was very young," she said while looking down. "She was an oracle, and my only connection to her was a pendant… which got destroyed by this bastard Oracle Head named Osran." Her tone turned dark. "Thank Titan I managed to kill that bastard," she muttered before giving a sigh. "I don't know much about my mom, besides stories from my dad, my grandfather, and uncle Gio."

"Was she a dragon as well?" Zaraff asked.

"Oh no, no she wasn't," she quickly told him. "But she did know who my dad's family was, and they both were in love. I… do miss her, even if I have little memories of her."

"Hmm… I think I understand," Zaraff told her as Zee turned to him. "My mother also passed away a long time ago. My main connection to her is this memento from her, a large tooth of a beast that she once gave me," he said while holding up a large tooth from his person, which was connected to his necklace. "I have no idea where this tooth is from, but this was the only thing my mother gave to me, before she fell…"

"Oh… I'm sorry for your loss, Zaraff," Zee responded sympathetically.

"Thank you, Zee," Zaraff responded before he saw more kids coming into the tent. "Hey, more witchlings. Would you like the chance to guide them around this time?"

"Really?" Zee asked, surprised.

"I have faith in you," Zaraff said with a smile.

Zee looked over at the kids coming into the zoo. "Well, I do have some encyclopedia knowledge about beasts… eh, why the hell not? I got some time to spare."

---

Meanwhile, Emily flew down to where Zara's wagon was. After she landed, she knocked on the door.

"Hello, Zara?" Emily asked.

"Coming!" Zara responded as Emily heard her inside. A few moments later, Zara opened the door while wearing a white button shirt with a purple plaid skirt, black and white stockings. and boots. "Emily! Welcome to my humble abode!"

"I'm here to help teach you some tricks and help you with your act, just as I promised," Emily told her.

"Great! Cause they don't call you Emily Tricks for nothing," Zara said while doing finger guns. "By the way, is Tricks really your last name? Or is that, like, a stage name for yourself?"

"It's real, from my dad's side, actually," Emily admitted. "Well, I guess technically he is my step-dad…"

"Oh, who is your biological father?" Zara asked.

"I'd… rather not talk about him," Emily told her.

"Right, right," Zara replied with a nod. "I got ya."

Emily and Zara each began to practice their own illusions as Zara showed Emily some of the illusions she knew. She created illusions of monsters, duplicates of herself, and some imagery such as birds, snakes, and butterflies.

"Hmm, pretty good," Emily said as she drew a spell circle, drawing a shape followed by some lines. "Let me show you what tricks I know…"

Emily demonstrated by performing a kaleidoscope-like illusion, moving her arm in one line, and four arms appeared from another spot in the air.

"Wow! How did you do that?" Zara asked, acting amazed by Emily's illusion.

"It's all in the shapes, the angles, and the lighting, really," Emily responded while doing another. "I once cast an illusion over my entire school."

"You did?" Zara asked, acting amazed by this.

"Yeah…" Emily admitted before she looked down with a shameful look. "Though, I'll admit, it wasn't for… savory purposes back then…"

"Oh, right… the dark past thing," Zara realized. "I am bad at math, but do you think I can still perform the same kind of illusions you made?"

"Yeah, let's work on that," Emily said as she began to help Zara practice, guiding her through the process. After a few tries, Zara managed to replicate the spell.

"Oh wow!" Zara said while looking at herself, splitting multiple arms. "I could get used to this!"

Emily smiled, feeling some pride in her mentoring and her mentee. "You did good, Zara. You learn fast."

"Hey, I got a good teacher," Zara said while she looked at Emily. "Though… are you alright?"

"Oh, um… why do you ask?" Emily asked her.

Zara shrugged. "Well, despite how you look, you sound a little… deflated. Like something's eating you up. What's eating your olives, Em?"

"Oh, it's… um…" Emily sighed as she looked down. "Lindsay and Andrea's friends are on the Inwell Isles…"

"Really?" Zara asked. "Sounds good, what are they like?"

"Well, I don't know them that much. I only met Tracy once and Jackie twice before everything went bad. But Tabrella… I initially wrote her off as a spoiled rich kid, but I was wrong about her and she is… someone that I hurt," Emily admitted.

"What do you mean by that?" Zara asked. "Tell me, is she you're…"

"I didn't hurt her physically, if that's what you're thinking," Emily told Zara. "I can't get into the details out of respect for her privacy, but let's just say that I messed up and did something really selfish that only made things worse for her. She and the others… were not happy to see me again when I was there at the docks to greet them."

"Wow, from the sound of it, it sounds like you did something horrible to earn their ire," Zara said, making Emily feel worse about her actions. "Why did you meet them again if you knew they'd hate you?"

"Actually, it was Andrea and Lindsay's idea," Emily admitted, still looking down. "They wanted them to be friends with me again, even after all the crap I've done. They mean well… but I don't think there's anything I could do to make it up to them."

"So you'll just do… nothing about it?" Zara asked.

"Yeah," Emily answered. "They're here for Fall Break vacation, so the best I can do for them is try to avoid them as much as possible. I'd rather leave them alone and not bother them with anything, cause I don't want them to feel uncomfortable around my presence. Giving them space is the best course of action."

"Yeah, I think you're doing the right thing," Zara replied with a nod. "You've burned a lot of bridges and sometimes you can't put those fires out. If they don't want anything to do with you, that's their choice."

Emily nodded, while giving a sigh. "It's for the best, really."

"And if you want a suggestion, take my word," Zara said while patting Emily's shoulder. "Sometimes, the best thing to be… is alone."

"Alone?" Emily asked her.

"Look, you've made a lot of bad choices, ruined a lot of your past relationships and friendships, and you're terrified of ruining more of them, right?" Zara asked. "So why even bother? Just focus on taking care of yourself. You have less to worry about then?"

Emily thought back to her last meeting with Glinda. Sure, she apologized, but Glinda still decided that she didn't want anything to do with Emily. "Yeah. You're probably right."

"I know," Zara said, hiding her smile while comforting Emily…

---

Meanwhile, in the streets of the Inwell Isles, Andrea and Lindsay were playing tour guide for their friends.

"Welcome to Main Street!" Andrea cheered while she and Lindsay were both dressed as cute tour guides with green button shirts and cargo shorts, safari hats, white scarfs, gloves, and brown boots. Andrea had provided the outfits, of course. Where had she gotten them from? Who knows.

"Um, hope you three are liking what you see so far," Lindsay said bashfully.

"Well, I guess it is very different from the Boiling Isles," Tracy replied as she looked around. "It has a very different vibe."

"It reminds me of Palm Stings," Taberlla said while holding Katie. "But I must say, it does look beautiful."

"It is, isn't it?!" Andrea replied with a bright smile. "You should see all the attractions and stores that are here!"

"There is also a roller skating ring," Lindsay said in a quiet voice. "Me, Cross, and Donna really enjoyed ourselves there."

"Yeah, not to mention that the Inwell Isles also has the best beach spots to go to!" Andrea shouted with a giddy look. "Oh, and the circus is here for the Fall!"

"The circus? Why, I don't think Katie has ever seen the circus before, have you, Katie?" Tabrella asked as Katie seemed to shake her head in response.

"A circus does sound mighty fun to go to," Jackie replied.

"Yeah, especially if they need a stunt-witch, like me. Just saying," Tracy said while Jackie and Tabrella rolled their eyes.

Andrea and Lindsay led them down to another street as Andrea pointed to a certain location. "Over there is a restaurant run by Chef Sinderland. His food is so good, you take the plates just to keep licking them off!"

"And over there is the theater," Lindsay said as she pointed to the theater that was down the street. "They do a lot of community plays there."

Tracy looked around until she spotted a shop that attracted her attention. "What's that shop over there for?" she asked as she pointed to the shop… Lucille's Dealers.

"Oh, I think that place is new," Andrea said. "Emily mentioned once making a delivery there, the owner just opened the place. I think it's supposed to be a pawn shop or something."

Tracy looked at the shop with a curious expression. "Well, I guess I can check that out later, probably has some interesting items," she said before turning back to her friends. "So are there some sports areas around here? Like a grudgeby field or a courtyard? Or a gym?"

"Lindsay!" Hendrick shouted before Andrea or Lindsay could answer Tracy's question. The girls turned and saw Hendrick walking over to them. "And Lindsay's friends! How's it going?"

"Hi, Henry," Lindsay said, waving to her brother.

"Hendrick, good to see you again," Tabrella told him with a polite tone and nod.

"You haven't joined any more cults, have ya?" Tracy asked.

"No, but I do have a job working with the local authorities," Hendrick explained. "Of course, it's only volunteer work, but I did also find a side job here."

"You did?" Jackie asked him. "What kind of honest job did you get?"

"I'm in real estate now!" Hendrick declared. "Turns out, there is a job in selling houses if you're in the Construction Coven. With my sigil, rather than make houses, I get to sell them. Isn't that great, Lindsay?"

"Yes, it's terrific, Hendrick," Lindsay replied, happy that her brother at least had a job.

"Guess you can't say I'm not a hard worker anymore, eh Jackie?" Hendrick asked while Jackie just gave him a deadpan look.

"Mhmm, I'd give it a week," Jackie said.

"Ha! Classic Jacket!" Hendrick shouted as he patted her on the back.

"Don't call me Jacket…" Jackie muttered.

"And Tabby! Is that little Katie with ya?" Hendrick asked while walking towards her. "You know, I wouldn't mind watching over her for you if you ever want to go out and have some fun without having to worry about her."

"Thanks for the offer, dear, but I've heard about how well you do in babysitting," Tabrella said while narrowing her eyes at him.

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad…" Hendrick said.

"Lindsay? Remind us how you got that scar above your forehead?" Tabrella asked Lindsay.

"Oh, when I was little and Hendrick was supposed to watch over me, he invited his friends over to make a mess in the house," she explained. "A shelf that they broke hit my head. There was blood and I had to go to the Healing Coven…"

"Basically, you're a safe hazard," Tracy told him.

"Okay, one incident," Hendrick admitted with a shrug.

"So like, where do you live anyway, dude?" Tracy asked him.

"Yeah, I don't even think I'm aware of your living situation," Andrea admitted while Lindsay also realized that she didn't know where her brother was living.

"Oh, I've been crashing with this really nice family since I came here," he admitted. This surprised Lindsay, but it didn't really surprise the others. "They don't even charge me rent!"

"Well… at least you're living under a roof," Lindsay said, sounding relieved but also curious. "Who is this family you're staying with?"

"Oh, the Barks," he answered. "I'd like for you to meet them someday, Lindsay, when you're free."

"Hmm, I would like to meet them as well," Lindsay replied. "They sound like nice people."

Hendrick then checked his sundial. "Oh, gotta go. I have a shift to catch. Later, girls," he said as he walked away.

"Bye, Henry," Lindsay waved to him while watching him leave. "It's good that Henry's got a new job and a roof over his head," she said, more to herself than anyone else.

"Let's see how long this lasts," Tracy whispered to Jackie, who nodded in agreement.

"Yeah! He and Emily have been working hard to begin new lives for themselves on this Titan," Andrea shouted before seeing three of her friends react negatively to this. "What? Is this about Emily?"

"Can we not talk about her," Tracy muttered.

However, Andrea and Linsdsay shared a look before they looked back at their friends, Lindsay taking a deep breath.

"Girls, I think we do need to have a discussion about her," Lindsay said. "Because whether you all like it or not, you will be seeing her more around here. She does work as a delivery witch, so it can't be helped that she pops up around here."

"Yeah! So maybe you should think about giving her a second chance," Andrea suggested. "Because she really is sorry for what she did and she wants to be better and-"

Jackie sighed. "Look, we know you two meant well, but…" she said as she looked over at Tabrella, who just remained silent while looking down at Katie.

"Can we just not mention or even think about She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Tracy asked while crossing her arms. "She broke our trust and got Tabby in trouble. That should be it."

"She made a mistake, Tracy," Lindsay told her. "Everyone makes mistakes, but I still believe she deserves another chance."

"Yeah, because she also did a lot of good for the Boiling Isles," Andrea pointed out. "Like, she saved Lindsay from the Grim Goblin, helped to put an end to the Tarot Guild, helped to stop the Day of Unity-"

"Yeah! Just to save her own ass!" Tracy claimed.

"Now you know that is not true, Tracy," Lindsay told her. "If you just-"

"Just what? Forget about the part where she's a killer? A murderer who you should've just left alone?!" Tracy snapped at Lindsay and Andrea as she finally showed her anger towards them. "I don't understand why you two would still want to hang out and be friends with the likes of her! After all the trouble she brought to Tabrella and her family by dragging their name though the mud after she killed her ex!"

"Tracy…" Lindsay said, startled, but Tracy continued her angry rant.

"As much as I'm not surprised that you'd be willing to befriend anyone, I thought you would at least have some standards," Tracy pointed out. "I thought you'd be much more sensitive about Tabrella's feelings."

"I… I am-"

"Then why would you go out of your way to force us to befriend that no-good bitch who you should have just left to rot in the Underworld?!" Tracy shouted, which shocked Lindsay and her other friends.

"Tracy!" Trabrella called her out, causing the falcon biped to turn to her, seeing Katie crying.

"Oh, um, I wasn't that loud to upset her, was I?" Tracy asked, concerned for Katie.

"You were, but… I think you went too far," Tabrella told her, surprising Tracy.

"What?" Tracy asked while Jackie patted her shoulder. "What… I was just saying-"

"Tracy, even though what Emily did was wrong, none of us would have wished for Lindsay to leave her in the Underworld," Jackie told her, which surprised Tracy even more.

"But… but I was," she said as she turned to Lindsay and Andrea. She saw that Lindsay looked upset at her, while Jackie looked disappointed and Tabrella glared at her while comforting Katie. She then looked over at Andrea… and even she was frowning at her.

Without a word, Tracy pulled out her staff and took off, flying away from her friends.

"Where is she…?" Andrea asked.

"Let her cool off," Jackie said while she turned to Lindsay. "Are you alright, Lindsay?"

"I… need to cool off as well," Lindsay said as she stepped away for a moment.

Tabrella, meanwhile, was comforting the crying Katie. "There, there, Katie. It's alright, now," she said while rocking her daughter.

---

As she flew through the skyline, Tracy was still upset.

"I can't believe…" she muttered while wiping her eyes. "If they want to go hang with Emily, fine! I don't care! What's so great about hanging out with her, anywa-GAAH!"

She bumped into something… or someone, causing both to fall down and crash to the ground while screaming.

"Ugh…" Tracy groaned as she got up and saw who she had crashed into. Immediately she forgot about her own anger and became concerned. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! Are you okay?" she asked, rushing over to the person she crashed into and helping him up.

"Oh… where's the griffin that hit me?" asked Franky, the winged monkey.

"Hehe, that would be me," Tracy replied while rubbing the back of her head. "I'm so, so sorry for crashing into you. I wasn't looking where I was going, I was flying mad."

"Hey, it's no problem," Franky responded as he got up. "I don't think I broke anything and we all fly angry at some point. Though, what made you so upset to make you crash into people?"

"Well…" Tracy said as she looked down. "It is just some drama with my friends and this girl that I really don't like. I am still sorry. Crashing into things isn't new to me, this has happened before but I just usually hit birds, not a…" She looked at Franky. "Okay, dude, what exactly are you?"

"Hmm, not good with manners, eh kid?" he asked while crossing his arms. "I'm a winged monkey."

"Winged monkey?" Tracy asked in confusion. "I've never met a monkey demon like you before. Are you some kind of hybrid?"

"No, there are more like me out there," Franky admitted before his tone lowered. "Though, not of this realm…"

"Not of this realm?" Tracy asked him, making Franky realize his slip of the tongue. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, um…" Franky said nervously. "I think I left my stove on!" he shouted before he flew up and away from Tracy.

Tracy was left confused as she watched Franky fly away. "The hell's that about…?"

---

Meanwhile, Andrea had brought Jackie and Tabrella over to Le Goonla's Place.

"Now this is the finest seafood restaurant I've ever been to," Jackie said as they climbed onto the deck of the ship and looked around.

"I can't believe that you were able to make reservations for us here, Andrea," Tabrella said while she set Katie in her baby seat.

"Yup! My old friend from Hexside runs this place, along with his dad," Andrea responded before spotting Levi and Goonla. "Yoohoo! Levi Thians!"

"Andrea, hey," Levi said as he and Goonla walked over to the table. "And I see you've brought more of your friends."

"Yup! This is Jackie and Tabrella and this here is little Katie," Andrea introduced them. "Tracy and Lindsay was with us, but they had some of their own issues to deal with so it's just us three!"

"Nice to meet you all," Levi said as Tabrella actually recognized them.

"Wait, I do remember you now," Tabrella said. "You were at Luz's goodbye party. You're Kay's family, right?"

"Yes. You know Kay?" Goonla asked.

"Um, I met her while Amity was taking care of her and I suggested a playdate between Kay and my Katie," Tabrella said while pointing to Katie, who was squirming in her baby seat. "We didn't exactly get to follow through with that plan, but Luz and Eda did let me watch her for a day while they were at the IFWOT and they got to have their playdate then."

"Well bust me fins, a friend of Kay," Goonla said with a smile. "Let's bring her out for a reunion, ay, son?"

"Sure dad, be right back," Levi replied as he went inside to get Kay.

"Ain't this a small world," Jackie commented while turning to Tabrella. "I'm glad that your girl has a friend. Maybe they'll continue being friends when they're older."

Tabrella smiled at that thought. "Yes, I would like that," she admitted.

"Dad!" Levi shouted as he came back outside and rushed over to his father. "Kay's gone!"

"What?!" Goonla asked in shock while the girls also shared shocked and concerned expressions.

---

Back at the circus, a couple of teenagers were looking around the zoo and they noticed the Batterosaur, who was asleep.

"Whoa, Quin, look!" spoke a biped raccoon who pointed at the Batterosaur. "Isn't that thing, like, supposed to be extinct?"

"Who knows, Reuben," Quin the bipedal blue jay demon replied. "Maybe it's a fake."

"Wanna throw peanuts at it to prove it?" Reuben asked him.

"Hehe, yeah," Quin replied as the two teens threw peanuts at Gorna while laughing stupidly.

Zaraff and Zee waved to the latest guests who left. "Thank you and come again!" Zaraff told them while Zee turned around and saw the two teens throwing peanuts at Gorna.

"Hey!" Zee shouted as Zaraff turned around as well. "Stop throwing those at her!"

"What are you punks doing?!" Zaraff shouted as he marched up to them. "You can't do that! That'll upset her!"

"Oh, like what it's going to do, eh?" Reuben asked before he threw one more peanut, hitting the Batterosaur…

Causing her eyes to open as she flapped her wings and crashed through her pen. "YAAAAIIEEE!"

"AAAAAH!" Quin and Reuben screamed as Zaraff and Zee went up to the ancient beast.

"Run!" Zee told them while she and Zaraff performed their taming spells, hoping to calm Gorna down. They tried to put Gorna to sleep, but the large, beaked bat knocked the two away with her wings. She screeched, causing everyone in the tent to run out. Gorna then flew out of the tent, chasing the two demon teens that had bothered her.

Meanwhile, Donna and Cross continued on their date as they came out of a tent that had 'World's Smallest Ogre' on the sign outside.

"Well, they've delivered on the 'World's Smallest Ogre,'" Cross said as he and Donna noticed people running and screaming. "What the…?"

"Titan's crack!" Donna shouted as she pointed up at the Batterosaur circling overhead and screeching.

"We have to stop that thing and protect the civilians!" Cross shouted as he transformed into his dragon form while Donna brought out her key.

"Time to suit up!" Donna declared while drawing a spell circle and jumping through it, changing into her Wonder Witch outfit. Her key was then transformed into her Keyblade.

Nearby, a witch and her child fell down while running. Gorna spotted them and the agitated creature flew down to attack the family. However, Gorna was blasted back by an ice blast from the keyblade courtesy of Wonder Witch, who had her keyblade raised up. This distracted Gorna long enough for Cross to fly in and grab the witch and her daughter, bringing them to safety.

"Yield," Donna said as Gorna screeched at her.

After Cross made sure that the civilians were clear, he turned to Gorna, who flew over to attack Donna. Donna swung her keyblade to send ice slash attacks, hitting Gorna to make her back away. Seeing that Donna had it covered, Cross focused on getting other civilians away from the fight while Donna took on Gorna. Donna drew a spell to send zapping spells to strike at the Batterosaur, who flew up high. She then flew down to try to strike at Donna, who jumped away as the Batterosaur slammed into a picnic table, destroying it.

"Is everyone away?" Donna asked Cross, who landed next to her.

"Yeah, the area is clear," Cross responded as he and Donna faced the Batterosaur together. "We should wear her out. I heard the Batterosaur's supposed to be part reptilian."

"Cold-blooded?" Donna asked. Cross nodded. "Then we keep it cold," she said as they worked together to keep Gorna busy. They both used ice spells against the Batterosaur, who kept screeching as she tried to snap at both Donna and the dragon.

Cross then cast illusion duplicates of himself to mess around with the prehistoric beast as she snapped at each dragon clone, which disappeared as soon as Gorna bit at them. Donna then swung her keyblade to hit Gorna on the head, making the beast fall back.

The Batterosaur glared at the two before she tackled Cross, snapping her beak at him. He grabbed her beak, trying to keep it away from his face.

"Hang on, Cross!" Donna shouted as she blasted Gorna from behind. Gorna turned to her, which gave Cross the opportunity to push Gorna off of him.

Running over to the scene, Zee and Zaraff saw Donna and Cross handling the creature. "Cross! Donna! We're here!" Zee shouted.

"Let us handle Gorna!" Zaraff told them while summoning rope with his spell circles while Zee prepared a sleep spell. Zaraff used his ropes to restrain Gorna's beak and wings and Donna and Cross got clear as Gotna was hit by the sleep spell. Gorna almost immediately felt the spell's effect as she started getting drowsy while Zaraff pinned her down to the ground with his ropes. After some struggle, Gorna was eventually worn out and she fell asleep. "There, there, girl," Zaraff said, patting the creature's head.

"Everyone alright?" Zee asked her brother and Donna.

"Yeah, we're good," Donna replied as Cross changed back to his basic witch form.

"How did that Batterosaur get loose?" Cross asked.

"Blame some dumbass teenagers who bothered her," Zee said while checking in on Gorna. "Poor girl was just lashing out."

"I should really make sure nothing like this happens again," Zaraff stated while turning to Donna and Cross. "Thank you, you two, for stopping Gorna before she hurt anyone. And thank you for not hurting her too much."

"It's no problem, sir," Donna responded as Pryce showed up.

"Is everyone alright?!" Pryce asked. He saw the sleeping Gorna and he shook his head. "Dear Titan… Zaraff, what happened?"

"Don't worry, sir, nobody got hurt," Zaraff told his boss. He gestured to Cross and Donna. "Thanks to these two, who kept Gorna busy long enough for me and Zee to catch up and put her to sleep."

Pryce turned to Donna and Cross. "Thank you, you two, for your help."

"It's no problem, sir," Donna replied. "It's what we do."

Pryce nodded at them, but then he noticed the keyblade that Donna was holding and his eyes widened in recognition. "Your name is… Donna, right?"

"That's right," Donna confirmed. "Donna Masterskull."

Zee then heard her scroll buzz and she pulled it out, checking her messages. "Um, we need to go," she told her brother and his girlfriend.

"Um, why?" Cross asked before Zee showed him the message she just got from Lindsay.

"Oh yeah, we do need to go," he said before turning to Donna. "Come on, Donna!"

Donna nodded and followed Zee and Cross, Pryce watching her leave with a shocked expression.

"A keyblade…" he whispered.

---

Back at Zara's wagon, she and Emily kept practicing their illusions.

"Okay, how's this?" Zara asked as she held up her hat and put it on, the hat moving down her body and making her body disappear down to her feet, as if the hat had swallowed her whole body up. Emily bent down and picked up the hat.

"Did I amazed ya?" Zara asked while appearing next to Emily, who was startled.

"Yeah," Emily chuckled. "Turning invisible like that-"

"Hey, don't explain the trick," Zara told her. "If you explain the trick, there is no trick."

"Right, just overanalyzing," Emily said while rubbing the back of her neck. "I do tend to overanalyze things."

"Hey, no shame in being a genius," Zara told her. "But what's the point in breaking the illusion?"

"Yeah, my mistake," Emily said as she looked at Zara. "Say, Zara, can I ask you something?"

"Oh, anything," Zara replied.

"I'm a bit curious about… your past," Emily admitted, which surprised Zara.

"My… past?" she asked. "What… why would you ask me something like that?"

"Well, it's just… I'm a little worried about you," Emily told her with a look of concern. "Because when you told me that it was best to be alone, it honestly sounded like you were speaking from past experience. And I remember you saying that you don't have a family… I'm sorry for bringing it up, but I just want to make sure that you're okay."

Zara looked at Emily with an expression of surprise. But she also looked… uneasy. "Can we just… change the subject? I'm… not comfortable talking about my past."

"Oh, sorry," Emily apologized. "I didn't mean to open any wounds,"

"Well, you did," Zara snapped a bit, which startled Emily.

"Sorry… I'll drop it," Emily said before she heard her scroll buzz. She pulled it up and saw a text. "Looks like our lesson has to be cut short, I got a text from Lindsay and… I should go."

"Yeah," Zara said while turning away. "I'll… see you around, Emily."

"You too," Emily replied while bringing out her staff and flying away, leaving Zara at her wagon. Zara did briefly look over her shoulder at Emily, watching her fly off, before she turned back to her wagon.

---

Emily arrived at the Thians' boat, where she saw that members of local law enforcement had already shown up. She spotted Lindsay with Andrea, Jackie, and Tabrella on the deck.

"Lindsay," Emily said as she landed, earning Lindsay's attention. "I got your text. What happened?"

"Emily, thank Titan you're here," Lindsay told her as she led Emily toward the Thians. "It's the Thians. Kay is missing."

Emily's eyes widened. "What?! Missing?!"

Lindsay nodded and Emily saw the Thians giving their report about Kay's disappearance.

"I looked around her room, but she was nowhere in sight," Levi stated while Torque wrote the statement down. "She mostly lives in her tank, but she wasn't there!"

"Hmm, a missing gillchild case," Torque said while writing down notes. "Don't you worry. My men and I are on the case! Doug, Hal, Daws, what have you got?"

"There's no baby on the ship, sir," said the purple dog demon, Doug. "We looked around and there was no sign of her."

"She's not under the tables either," stated the white shepherd demon dog, Hal, as he took a bite out of a plate. "But the food here's good."

"She's not in the kitchen," said Daws, the orange dog demon. "But the soup is good."

"What… those are not for you!" Goonla shouted at him.

"Relax, sir. We'll find your daughter by any means necessary," Torque assured him. "Now, is it possible that she just… swam away?"

While Goonla became frustrated with Torque, the trio of Cross, Donna, and Zee appeared and met up with Emily and the others.

"We got your text, Lindsay," Cross said. "Kay went missing?"

"That's what they said," Emily responded while looking worried. "Who could have taken Kay and where?"

"I don't know, but maybe we should split into groups and start searching the nearby area for Kay," Donna suggested.

"Ah agree," Jackie replied. "We could ask the locals if they've seen a young gill-baby around the area."

"I know some folks undersea who could help find Kay," Levi said as he walked over, joining the conversation.

"Wait!" Zee realized as everyone turned to her. "Why not Emily's bedknob?"

Almost everyone looked confused by this.

"Um… bedknob?" Tabrella asked.

"Zee, I'm all for jokes, but this is a serious matter," Andrea pointed out.

"No, she's right," Donna realized. "Emily has this special magical bedknob that can transport her to any place, even other realms according to that ringmaster who gave it to her. Right, Emily?"

"Oh, um… yeah," Emily said as she brought out her bedknob. "When I used it earlier, I wasn't even thinking of a specific location. I was thinking of a witch I wanted to see and it just… brought me to her."

"Huh, now that sounds mighty useful," Jackie said as she looked at the bedknob.

"Might just be what we need," Tabrella said as she held onto Katie and kept the baby from reaching out to touch the shiny bedknob.

"Then please, use it to help us find Kay," Levi begged Emily.

"Of course," Emily said with a nod as she looked around at everyone gathered. "But, um, only I can use this thing and I'm not sure if I can bring everyone with me. I know I can bring some other witches, but I'm still new at working this thing, so I'm not sure if there is a limit."

"I'm going with you," Levi said as he glanced at his father, who was still arguing with Torque. "Because we aren't getting anywhere here."

"And I'm coming too," Zee volunteered. "I'm not gonna let you face whatever took Kay alone."

Emily gave her an appreciative nod before she turned to the others. "We'll be back," she told them before she turned back to Zee and Levi. "Place your hands on the bedknob," she instructed. They did and Emily took a deep breath. "Take us to Kay Thians," she said as she tapped on the bedknob several times and turned it, causing the bedknob to start to sparkle and shake.

"Ooh," Andrea said as she watched. "Shiny…"

"Um, so how does this-" Levi started to say before a small warp swirled around Emily, Zee, and Levi, enveloping them and transporting them out of the restaurant, much to the surprise of everyone.

One moment, they were there. The next moment, they were gone.

Torque, who had just seen this, commented, "Looks like we have more missing kids to file reports on…"

---

Emily, Zee, and Levi suddenly found themselves under the deck of a ship.

"Are we on a… ship?" Zee asked while looking around. "Ugh, don't tell me it's pirates. I hate pirates."

"Wait, I hear… music," Emily said as they followed the sound through the ship, eventually coming to a part of the ship where they could see through a window in the wall. "What the…?"

"Is that a… party?" Levi asked, seeing the large gathering that was inside the other room. He then saw Kay in a cage. "Kay!"

"And she's not alone…" Zee pointed out as they saw that Kay was surrounded… by goblins.

In the huge room in the ship, the goblins were dancing and even swinging around on ropes while a goblin band was playing music. Several goblins beat on drums as a blonde-haired female goblin screamed into a mic.

"Ooh…! We got a baby, we can feast!" sang the lead singing goblin. "We can dine three days at least, baby blood and baby bones, baby butter for the baby scones!"

"What the fuck?!" Zee asked in shock. "Are those goblins…?"

"A whole gob of goblins and they plan to eat Kay," Emily realized as she started to look for a door.

"Little baby feets, little baby toes, ev'ry one of us wants the nose! Baby's had such very bad luck! Now into baby, we will tuck!" the singer continued to sing as some of the goblins took Kay out of her cage and placed some seasoning on Kay as the gillchild sneezed. "Eat the baby, add some salt! Bay leaves, barley, powdered malt!"

"They're seasoning her!" Levi shouted.

"Alright, let's just burn this whole thing down!" Zee shouted as a fireball appeared in her hand, but Emily stopped her.

"Now baby salted, she's a treat! Her destiny, it's time to meet!"

"We have to be careful," Emily cautioned Zee. "Fire could put her at risk. I can teleport over and grab her, I just need to time it right."

"Baby we need~! Baby we feed~! Eat with our teeth~! Better than beef~!"

Kay was being lowered down to what appears to be a giant plate.

"Baby so soft~! Carried aloft~! Big brown eyes~! Caramelise~!"

"Uh, guys," Zee said while pointing out the window. "Whose ship is this…"

The trio saw that coming out from the stage was a giant blue-skinned goblin with a large mouth, small black eyes, and a small crown on his head. He walked over to the giant table, where Kay was.

"He's the Goblin King! Yes, the Goblin King! He's not a myth, he's an actual thing!"

"No! Leave her alone!" Levi shouted while banging on the window.

"We love the king, we sing ding-a-ling! And we love his chin when it's wobbling! He likes to dine on coincidence, it fills him, builds him up and hence!"

"Okay, maybe you could give me a distraction," Emily suggested.

"I'm way ahead of you," Zee said as she changed into her dragon form.

"He can eat, he can eat- Five hundred puppies with golden fur, orphan boys with jet black hair! Circus clowns with a red balloon!"

"He can eat me, he makes me swoon!" a single goblin sang.

"A banquet for a king on high!" the singer sang as the Goblin King sat on his chair, the goblins helping put a bib around his neck while Kay was brought over to him. "Oh little baby, oh little baby… say goodbye~!"

BOOM!

The goblins stopped when they heard their wall explode and they turned to see Zee and Levi standing in a hole where their wall had been.

"Give us Kay back!" Zee shouted.

"Fuck, it's CPS!" one goblin shouted.

"Intruders!" the Goblin King shouted, pointing at them. "Attack!" he ordered as the whole gob of goblins went to charge at the trio.

Levi brought his two fingers in his mouth and performed a whistle, causing a shockwave that knocked back some of the goblins coming at him. While he did this, Zee flew around, using her steam to cover the goblins beneath her and blind them. Some goblins did swing on ropes and land on her back, forcing Zee to spin around to shake them off.

As the Goblin King watched this, a cloud of red smoke appeared on the large table in front of him. Out of that red mist came Emily, who had teleported in front of the Goblin King. Seeing his hand a bit too close to Kay for her comfort, she picked up an oversized fork and jammed it into the Goblin King's hand, making him scream in pain. "Stay away from her!"

"Ow! You will pay for ruining my supper!" the Goblin King told her.

"Kay is not someone you eat!" Emily shouted as she lifted her foot and slammed it on the Goblin King's bib, causing him to fall back in his chair, crushing the few unfortunate goblins who were behind the Goblin King. She then bent down and picked Kay up. "Don't worry, Kay, I-" Before she could finish, a goblin swinging on a rope grabbed Kay out of her hands. "Hey!"

"Keep the baby!" the goblin says while holding up Kay as he saw Zee flying towards him.

"Hand her over!" Zee shouted before another rope-swinging goblin kicked Zee in the face, knocking her into the wall.

The first goblin swung over to a wooden post and looked at another goblin. "Hut-hut!" the first goblin shouted as he threw Kay towards the other goblin, who caught her.

Levi saw Kay being tossed around by goblins and tried to go rescue her, only for his way to be blocked by the goblin band.

"Um, nice music back there," Levi said. "Can we work this out, one bard to another?"

The band answered by baring their teeth before they jumped on Levi and started biting him all over.

"Yowch! Get off of me!" Levi shouted as he tried to shake the goblins off.

Emily was still on the table, kicking goblins out of her way as she watched Kay being passed around by the goblins. She was able to jump off the table, only to be grabbed by her boot and tossed aside. "Oof!" she shouted as she looked up to see that the one who had grabbed her had been the Goblin King, who was now towering over her.

"You think you can come aboard my ship and interrupt my meal?!" the Goblin King declared.

"Why would you even want to hurt her?!" Emily demanded as she got up while glaring at the Goblin King with hate. "She did nothing to you!"

"I'm the Goblin King!" he declared as he brought out a club to try to smash Emily, who rolled out of the way of the attack. "It's kinda my thing."

He continued to swing his club around at Emily, smashing tables and plates and even other goblins as Emily dodged him. She glared at him before being enveloped in another cloud of red smoke. The Goblin King swung his club down at the smoke, but when it cleared, Emily was nowhere to be seen, much to his confusion. "H-huh?"

Emily reappeared on the other side of the room, looking around. She looked up and saw Kay being tossed around while Zee also tried to fly around. She then looked around at all the goblins who were still on the ground. "Zee, give me a smokescreen!"

Zee nodded and blew steam out of her mouth down at the goblins, Emily drawing her own spell circles to cover the room with her own mist as well. This new fog made it harder for the goblins to see. More specifically, it made it harder for them to see her and Levi, meaning that they instead attacked whatever they thought was her or Levi. In most cases, it was usually another goblin.

Zee then tried to catch Kay, who was still being passed from different goblins who were swinging on ropes. Zee was getting more frustrated by their antics. When a goblin who was swinging by stuck his tongue out at her, Zee angrily blew steam in his face.

"My eyes! They're scalding!" the goblin cried out as Zee used her wings to cut through the rope, sending the screaming goblin to the ground below.

"Over here, over here!" shouted a goblin who was waving through the mist up at the goblin with Kay. The swinging goblin nodded and tossed Kay to this new goblin, who turned to the Goblin King.

"Finally! Put her in my mouth!" the Goblin King shouted as he pointed at his overly large mouth.

The goblin who held Kay looked at his king… and threw a fireball from her hand, burning his mouth.

"BAAH! SPICY!" the Goblin King shouted as he fell back.

The 'goblin' dropped her disguise, revealing herself to be Emily, who held Kay protectively.

"I got Kay! Let's get out of here!" Emily shouted to Zee and Levi, the former changing back to her witch form and the latter having finally shook the goblin band off of him.

Zee and Levi followed Emily out, leaving the goblins in their foggy room. The Goblin King, however, saw them leaving.

Once they went out, they climbed up onto the main deck.

"Get your knob ready! We have to go!" Zee shouted.

"Alright, let me just-" Emily said as she began to reach for her bedknob until they felt the floor beneath them shake.

"That's not good…" Levi said as something exploded from the floor in front of them.

It was the Goblin King, who appeared before the trio. The other goblins popped up as well, each of them holding their swords and other weapons against the heroes.

"You all thought you could escape me?!" the Goblin King shouted as he stepped towards the trio, swinging his club at them, making them back away. "Now what are you going to do now, witches?!"

Emily held Kay close to her while Levi looked nervous. Zee, however, stepped forward to the Goblin King. "Kill your ass, is what we'll do," she told him with a snarl as she blew steam in his face while her arms transformed into her dragon claws.

"GAAH!" he screamed as he dropped his club and grabbed at his face while Zee swiped her dragon claws at his belly, making him spill his guts out. The goblins gasped in shock, with even Emily and Levi looking surprised as the latter covered his baby sister's eyes. The Goblin King looked down at his spilled guts and then looked up at Zee, his face pale. "Well… that'll do it."

"YAH!" Zee screamed as she absolutely shredded the Goblin King's throat, instantly killing the large goblin as his body fell on the deck on a heavy thump. The other goblins fell dead silent, one of them going to check the arm for a pulse.

"He's dead…" the goblin said in a somber tone.

"He was my world!" another cried as she teared up while all of the goblins glared at Zee. "Blood for the king!"

"Blood for the king! Blood for the king!" the goblins chanted as they surrounded the heroes.

"We should go," Levi said as Emily pulled out the bedknob for him and Zee to place their hands on.

"Take us back! Take us back! Take us back!" Emily shouted as she tapped on the bedknob and turned in. She, Kay, Zee, and Levi were surrounded by the sparkle and they vanished just seconds before the goblins pounced and ended up colliding with each other.

---

At the Thians' boat, the trio of Emily, Zee, and Levi returned with Kay in their arms.

"You guys are back!" Andrea shouted, while bouncing towards Emily and Zee.

Goonla got up, saw Kay, and shouted, "My children! My baby girl!" He went over to Levi and Kay, hugging them both. "I prayed that you'd return safe!"

"Don't worry, Dad, Kay's alright," Levi said with a smile as Kay smiled as well.

Emily smiled, glad to see Kay was reunited with her family. She went to take a seat, letting out a deep sigh of relief.

"What happened? Where did you guys find Kay?" Donna asked them.

"We found her on a ship filled with goblins," Emily explained. "They were planning to eat Kay."

"What?!" Cross asked in shock.

"You might want to take precautions and watch Kay closely, just in case they try again," Emily suggested.

"I thought goblins didn't eat babies these days," Jackie said.

"It depends on their ruler," Zee explained. "These goblins were under the rule of this Goblin King guy who was really into eating children. Luckily, we escaped after I slashed that baby-eater in the throat, ending his horrible reign."

"Wait, would that count as murder?" asked Torque, who was still in the restaurant.

"Not if it's self-defense!" Zee told him off, annoyed by the turtle lawman. "And we had to do something! Because you certainly weren't!"

"That's not true!" Torque complained. "I was gonna write a report…"

Zee huffed in annoyance before turning back to the others. "But you know, it was thanks to Emily that we saved Kay and got out of there."

This surprised Emily. "Oh, um… it was nothing, really," she said while looking down. "I just happened to have the right tool for the job, I guess. And I didn't want Kay to be hurt…"

"Well, we are grateful for what you did, Ms. Tricks," Goonla said as he and Levi came over with Kay in his arms. "Thank you," he said as he nodded to Zee as well. "Both of you."

"Yeah, and if you ever want a free meal-" Levi started to say.

"That won't be necessary," Emily said. "I'm just glad to have helped."

"Hey, speak for yourself," Zee said with a smile. "I'm happy that Kay is safe too, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't be down for a free meal here sometime."

"I just… don't want to take advantage of their gratitude," Emily admitted as she looked at Kay. Deep down, she was thinking about how Kay could have been killed or at the very least left to fend for herself in the Tarot Guild attack on the Owl House that she knew about and didn't stop. It was because of that she didn't want to take a reward for rescuing Kay.

"You did do good here, Emily," Lindsay said as she walked over and patted her shoulder. She then looked over at Donna. "Do you think that maybe Emily, Zee, and Levi have the potential to become honorary members of LOWTH?"

Donna was surprised by this idea. "P-perhaps," she said. "Maybe an Inwell Isles branch?"

Emily, Zee, and Levi also seemed surprised by the suggestion and they took a moment to consider it. Levi spoke up first.

"Well, I was a member of the BATTs and the CATTs," Levi pointed out. "Don't see why I couldn't be a member of LOWTH as well."

"It could be cool," Zee said before she looked over at Emily. "What do you think, Mily?"

Emily was quiet for a few seconds before she answered. "I mean, I appreciate the offer, Donna. But I don't think that'd be a good idea. Given my reputation and everything, I'm probably not the best witch to represent your group here."

"Oh, come on, you'd make a great superhero," Zee commented. "You certainly have the showmanship for it."

"I think you're all getting ahead of yourselves," Emily pointed out. "I didn't do anything today that none of you wouldn't have done if you weren't there."

"That's true," Jackie admitted. "And look, I don't know about the whole 'superhero' thing that Lindsay has gotten herself involved in, but… you did well today, Emily."

"She's right," Tabrella said in agreement.

Emily looked at Jackie and Tabrella, surprised to be hearing this from those two of all witches. She rubbed the back of her head. "Um… thanks. But I'm no hero," she said.

"Pardon my language, but that's poop!" Andrea shouted.

But before the conversation could continue, everyone felt a gust of wind and they turned to see Tracy arriving at the scene.

"Hey, sorry I was late," Tracy said before she spotted Emily. "What the… what is she doing here?"

"Emily helped save Kay," Lindsay replied, which shocked Tracy.

"What? So wait… crisis averted?" Tracy asked. "How did Emily save Kay?"

"Oh, she had this magical bedknob that teleported her, Zee, and Levi to where Kay was and they saved her from a bunch of goblins that tried to eat her," Andrea pointed out while patting Emily on the back. "Now she's the hero of the hour!"

"Oh… well… um… cool," Tracy said. She looked down. While she didn't want to admit it, the falcon biped wasn't very keen on Emily being treated as a hero…

---

Later, everyone was turning in for the night at the hotel they were sleeping in.

"Well, that was some day, wasn't it?" Jackie asked as Tabrella nodded.

"Yes, indeed it was," Tabrella replied while holding the sleeping Katie. "And Donna, we should talk about some ideas I have for any of LOWTH's costume designs. I've made a notebook about them."

"Oh, I can check those out," Donna replied while joining Tabrella to her room as Tabrella placed Katie to bed. "So what ideas do you have?"

"Well, for example, I thought of something for Tyrone cause he could get cold being bare-chested all the time," Tabrella replied. "Even if Andrea does like staring at his chest…"

Meanwhile, Lindsay was talking with Cross. "How was your date with Donna?" she asked him.

"Oh, it was pretty good. We mostly just hung out at the circus… and then we stopped a prehistoric animal from going on a rampage," Cross admitted. "So uh, what would you like to go on our next date?"

"Hmm," Lindsay said thoughtfully. "Well, I-"

She stopped when she saw Tracy walk up to her.

"Hey, Linds, um, about today-" Tracy tried to say, only for Lindsay to turn her head, ignoring her. She walked away and Cross gave Tracy an apologetic look before following Lindsay. Tracy just sighed. "Great," she muttered to herself while looking around. "Wait, where's Andrea?"

---

Emily had walked up to her apartment, ready to turn in for the night. But as she unlocked the door and stepped inside, Andrea suddenly popped up in front of her.

"Welcome home, Emily!" Andrea declared.

"Kyah!" Emily shouted as she almost fell back, shocked to see Andrea. "What are you doing in my apartment? Did you break in again?!"

"Is it really breaking in if we're both friends?" Andrea asked while Emily stared at her incredulously.

"…yes!" Emily answered before calming down. "Sorry, Andrea. I shouldn't be shouting at you. It's just, it's been a long day."

"I know," Andrea said. "With the goblins and all. That's why I'm here, actually. I wanted to check in and see how you were doing before you went to bed."

"Oh, well, I appreciate that," Emily said.

"And I just wanted to tell you… to give the others time," Andrea said, surprising Emily. "I'm sure that my friends will warm up to you in time."

"Uh, thank you," Emily said before she thought of something. "Andrea, can I… ask you something?"

"Sure!" Andrea answered.

"Why do you put up with me?" Emily asked. "Why have you gone through so much to me even after everything I did? Not just to Tabrella, but to Nina as well. Why… do you want to be friends with me?"

Andrea looked thoughtful. "Well, for one, I trust Lindsay's judgment," Andrea responded. "And I believe that you will, more often than not, do the right thing. Sure, you made some mistakes, but nobody's perfect and I don't expect perfection from any of my friends. We're all flawed in our own ways, but that's what makes us unique and special… our flaws."

"Even if my flaws can ruin friendships?" Emily asked. "I… thought that it might be better to avoid you guys…"

"I don't think you have to do that. And I do think that Tabrella, Jackie, and Tracy will start to see you in a better light, especially after today," Andrea pointed out. "Okay, Tracy might take longer, but that's beside the point. But I refuse to let you avoid us, because I don't want you to feel alone either. I don't believe that anybody deserves to be alone or feel alone. And I don't think you really want that either."

Emily was surprised to hear this and she was reminded of what Zara had told her earlier, that perhaps it would be better to be alone. But Andrea didn't think that at all and something about hearing her perspective… made her feel better.

"Thanks for… telling me this, Andrea," Emily replied with a smile. "So… since you're here and all, what now?"

Andrea thought about it before she broke into a smile. "You know that coupon book I gave you?"

Emily remembered the coupon book, which made her blush. "Um… yeah…?"

"Well, maybe you should… cash one of them in," Andrea suggested with a smile and a wink. "After rescuing Kay, I think you deserve it. Not to mention some stress relief…"

"Um, thanks for the offer but… I'm not looking for a relationship right now," Emily told her.

"Oh, that's okay. Cause I'm not looking for a relationship either," Andrea replied as she gave a sultry look to Emily. "I'm just looking for a good time…"

As Emily saw the way Andrea was looking at her, she felt her heart racing. The thought of casual sex hasn't really crossed Emily's mind. She considered herself more traditional, wanting to wait until after marriage to have sex. So this was new territory for her. And yet… she had no idea when she would be ready for another serious relationship or if she would ever be ready. That was why she had rejected Zee, because she knew Zee wanted a more serious relationship. But Andrea didn't. So maybe… a change of pace was what she needed?

Emily sighed. "Screw it," she said as she decided to go for it. She threw herself at Andrea and their lips met while the door was magically shut behind them.

*Lemon scene starts*

The two began making out with each other. Emily and Andrea were tongue-twisting around in their mouths, while their hands roamed their backs. Emily could feel Andrea's hands sinking lower and lower, as if she was reaching for her butt or her belt. Emily decided to scoop up the pink-haired girl, bringing her legs up for them to wrap around her waist.

Andrea released Emily for a second. "Pull my blouse up."

Emily did as she was told, helping Andrea pull up her blouse so she could see Andrea's chest… her very large chest, which surprised Emily.

"W-Wow…" Emily said in shock upon seeing how stacked Andrea is. Even with her pink bra still on, she could tell that Andrea's chest was almost bigger than her head.

"You like?" Andrea asked with a grin, her breasts jiggling a bit while she took her blouse completely off. "You can blow them if you like…"

Emily's face was bright red, the green-skinned girl entranced by Andrea's chest. Her hand reached for the hook of her bra, unhooking it until it fell off, showing Andrea's bouncing, beautiful breasts. Emily then did as Andrea suggested… by motor-boating them. Andrea let out a laugh when Emily blew raspberries between them.

"Hehe, that's not how you motor-boat!" Andrea laughed.

Emily looked up to her. "It… isn't?" she asked. "Wait, what's a motorboat?"

"Well, take me to bed, and I can show you," Andrea whispered to her in a husky manner. "Be a little more assertive."

Emily felt herself heat up more as she took Andrea to her bed. Once she placed Andrea on the bed, Emily got a good look at her. Even beyond her breasts, Andrea did have quite the look. Especially with her big hips and thicc thighs, probably the product of all her sweet-eating.

"Now or never," Emily said as she began taking her shirt off, showing her black bra and athletic build, with there being muscle tones on her slim but well-built body. Andrea pulled her own boots off, along with her socks. Emily did the same with her heels. They were really in the moment right now. "I… hope I don't hurt you…"

"Oh, it's fine if we go rough," Andrea reassured her while eyeing Emily's chest and abs. "I can do rough, I did grow up in a construction family, so I don't mind some good old rough-housing."

Emily looked at Andrea before she loosened her pants. "I… I still don't want to hurt you. I want to be… gentle…"

"I can help you with that, Emily," Andrea said while taking her skirt off, showing off her pink panties that riled up her big behind, which she moved to show Emily, causing the green witch to blush at how curvy and thicc Andrea was. "Unless you'd like to give me a good smack."

This made Emily nervous. She'd never been offered to give a smack on a butt before. While she was not unfamiliar with sleeping with her previous partner, it was just that. Cuddling and actually sleeping, though there was the occasional unwanted touching of Glinda. But… she wasn't thinking about Glinda right now. She wasn't thinking about relationships right now.

She was thinking… about having a good time with Andrea.

And with her hand raised, she brought it down to slap Andrea's behind, causing it to jiggle.

"Oh~!" Andrea let out a moan and a shiver as she lowered her head. "More…"

Emily was flustered, but she ended up smacking Andrea's butt again, making the pinkette to let out a moan again. Emily watched Andrea's body language as she moved around and spotted Andrea looking at her. "Andrea…"

"Why, you meanie," Andrea said as she grabbed Andrea by the front of her pants and pulled her in.

"Kyah!" Emily shrieked as she fell back on her bed. She felt Andrea grabbing her pants and saw Andrea giving a look.

"You don't mind, do you?" Andrea asked with a smile.

Emily gave her a nod. "I don't," she said as she felt her pants being pulled away from her well toned and slim legs, showing her green panties.

"Wow, you have such stunning legs, Emily," Andrea commented, drawing her finger from the green calves up to her thighs, admiring Emily's slim legs up to her bubbly behind. "You could make it as a model with your bod!"

"You think so?" Emily asked while lying down.

"I know so!" Andrea shouted while she hovered above Emily. She then turned Emily around, holding her around the waist, which surprised the green witch, before she gave Emily a good smack on her behind.

SLAP!

"Yah!" Emily shrieked before she felt another smack on her behind. "Oh! Andrea…" she said, as she suddenly felt her panties get pulled down, exposing her bare ass to Andrea.

"Wow! You've got such a nice ass, Emily," Andrea said before she smacked it, causing it to jiggle. "I'm jealous!"

"But… yours is bigger…" Emily pointed out. "What else will you do to me?" she asked before she felt Andrea start massaging down below. "Ooh…"

Andrea started fingering Emily's lower folds. As the green witch felt Andrea's fingers playing around in her vaginal area, she also felt Andrea's other hand squeezing her butt. She rubbed it up and down to her hamstrings while shoving her fingers in and out into Emily's love hole.

"First time?" Andrea asked, as Emily gave her a nod. "Yeah, you needed this…"

As Emily was being fingered, she also felt Andrea unhooking her bra. Then, much to Emily's surprise, Andrea turned her around so Emily could face her. Andrea was on top of her, while still fingering Emily's hole. She kissed Emily from her lips, down to her neck, and down to her perky chest. That's when Emily felt Andrea actually motor-boating between her chest, making her startled by the action.

"Aahoooh~!" Emily let out a moan when she felt herself getting motor-boated and fingered at the same time. Her legs curled while Andrea left trails of kisses on her upper torso. She kissed each of Emily's breasts while leaving trails down to her abdomen, getting a taste of her abs.

"Such a fit lady, are ya?" Andrea asked with a smile as she helped herself, licking Emily's abs down to her belly button. This made Emily let out a moan while her body shook, Andrea realizing that she had found some sensitive spots on this green girl's body.

"Ooohohooh~!" Emily moaned, eventually spreading her own juice all over Andrea's hand.

Andrea lifted her soaked hand up and licked her fingers. "Mmmm, sweet as honey," she said while looking down. "Oops, let me help clean you up…"

Emily felt her legs spread as Andrea cleaned her up, using her tongue to clean the honey off of her, which made Emily grip her pillow. She then lifted her pillow up to her face so she could moan into it as she felt Andrea eating her out after licking up her inner thighs. Feeling Andrea's tongue playing with her clitoris as she let Andrea to do whatever in there made her hips shiver.

Andrea looked up to see Emily with the pillow. "Would you like to eat me out next?" Andrea asked her, causing Emily to move her pillow out of her face. "It's only fair that you get a turn…"

Emily saw Andrea getting up and laying down on the opposite side. "I… I would like to-" she felt Andrea's toe on her lips, shushing her.

"Less talking, more getting busy," Andrea told her.

Emily blushed as she gently moved Andrea's foot away as Emily felt one part of her juice on her thigh. She looked into Andrea's vagina as Emily rubbed the spread off from her thigh and inserted it into Andrea's folds, using her two fingers to finger the pinkette.

"YIP!" Andrea cried out as her eyes bulged out from feeling Emily shoving her fingers in and out. "Faster! Faster!"

Emily did as she motioned her fingers in and out into Andrea's folds. She watched the pinkette jiggle, her breasts bouncing up and down, hitting Andrea's face. Andrea was pretty much bouncing off of Emily's fingers and Emily couldn't help but wonder… what else could she do to Andrea at this point?

Eventually, she decided to hover over Andrea and start planting kisses on Andrea's face. As she felt her own face getting hit by Andrea's boobs, smacking at her, Emily did the unthinkable by actually motor-boating between Andrea's boobs, but Andrea's shaking made her miss and end up blowing raspberries to Andrea's stomach instead.

"Hehehehe-OOH!" Andrea laughed and then moaned from the fingering.

"I was… trying to…" Emily said as she felt Andrea's body shake.

"Keep going! Don't stop!" Andrea told her.

Emily continued to plant her kisses all over Andrea's stomach while fingering her. She then eventually managed to get to Andrea's breasts, and actually blew around it, making a motor-boat. The large breasts bounced and smacked Emily's face, making her blush. Emily felt Andrea's thighs holding onto her arm while she fingered the Pinkjoy girl.

The green witch tried to free her arm, but then she went to plant kisses and suck on Andrea's thighs. She took some time around Andrea's thighs, bringing them to her as she kissed each of them. Andrea let out moans as she felt her body shake and Emily felt her fingers start to get wet, especially when playing with Andrea's own clitoris.

"Come on!" Andrea shouted as she tilted her head back. "I'm coming!"

Andrea spread her own juice all over Andrea's hand, her thighs letting her arm go. Emily got her hand out as Andrea let out a moan when she released her own juice. She saw it spread around, as Andrea laid her legs down while in ecstasy.

"How did I do?" Emily asked.

"Hmm, clean me up," Andrea told her.

Emily nodded as she went to help clean Andrea up, just as Andrea did for her. Andrea bit her lips as she felt Emily's tongue cleaning and licking her own juices. Once Emily got a good lick from her… she didn't stop.

Andrea's own ejaculation just tasted that sweet, it was almost addictive. Andrea bit her lips as Emily ate her out while also squeezing her ass to her thighs. She felt her licking up her own clitoris while Andrea moaned in ecstasy more.

*Lemon Scene Ends Here*

After she finished eating Andrea out, Emily crawled up and laid next to her in bed. The two were catching their breath.

"So… how was I?" Emily asked her.

"For a first timer, I'd say you were pretty good," Andrea replied. "You got a good tongue game, but I think you can do a lot more."

"It was… a lot different from making out," Emily admitted.

"Don't worry, I can teach you," Andrea said before kissing Emily on the cheek. "But how did it feel for you?"

Emily looked over at Andrea, then up at the ceiling. "It felt… well… great," she admitted. "Like… is this what punching out your V-card felt like? I mean, I've heard about it before… but never thought I'd experience something like this… is this was sex is like?"

"Yeah, that's what sex is supposed to be," Andrea said as her fingers tip-toed up Emily's stomach. "Of course, everyone experiences it differently. Some experiences are good, some are bad, some are embarrassing, and some can get weird. But I'm glad that you enjoyed it, Emily."

"Yeah, it was a good learning experience," Emily admitted before feeling a little chill. "You cold? I can get some more blankets."

"Yeah, we'll be needing more since, well, your covers are covered with our mess," Andrea admitted. "Probably should deep clean it."

Emily gave a nod and brought out some new covers to replace the old ones. "Should we shower?" she asked when she laid down again.

"Only if you feel like it," Andrea said while snuggling into Emily.

"Maybe… maybe in the morning," Emily yawned before she laid her head against Andrea's and started to fall asleep.

Andrea smiled. "Good night, Emily," she said as she closed her eyes as well.

It had been a good night for both of them.

---

In another part of the Inwell Isles, Franky the winged monkey was currently talking to a shadow with a pointed hat, which he knelt in front of.

"Hey, um, Margo," Franky said.

"Just call me the Wicked One, Franky!" scolded the shadow.

"R-Right! Oh, Wickedness," he said nervously.

"Now then… give me your update on the… new arrivals," she demanded to know.

"Oh, well… from what I can tell, they're friends with the cyclops girl and the pink-haired one," Franky commented. "They appear to not like Emily all that much, especially the falcon girl with the rainbow haircut that I crashed into earlier. She hates Emily the most. Um… what's her name… Gacy, Macy..."

"Tracy?" 'Margo' guessed.

"Yeah! Her!" Franky confirmed.

"Yes… this will be perfect!" she declared. "I have something I could use…"

However, as 'Margo' schemed, there was something troubling Franky. Something that he couldn't get out of his mind.

"Um, quick question, but… why are you doing this?" Franky asked her. "Why are we going through all of this just to torture your own daughter? I'm just… confused."

"Oh, that is not something to worry your little head about, Franky," she told him. "Just do as you are told and leave the bigger picture to me…"

It was then that the shadow changed back to Franky's. Franky stared at his own shadow, wondering what could have happened to Margo to make her this way, unaware that he hadn't really been talking to Margo at all, but her daughter. "Days like this, I could really use a drink…"

---

Meanwhile, at the goblin's ship, all of the goblins were gathered around the dead body of their Goblin King. They all cried and as the band played somber music, a goblin priest did his rites over the body

"So sad for your loss…"

The gob looked up and saw that a new figure had appeared. The figure was a man, tall and humanoid. He looked… disappointed.

"I gave you all one job and you still failed," the man said with a sigh as he walked over to the king's body while the goblins shook in fear.

"Please, forgive us, sire!" the priest goblin begged.

"Yeah, don't blame us! It's those witches that killed our king and took back the baby!" the blonde band singer claimed.

The man paid little attention to their excuses. Instead, he looked down at the remains of the king and spotted his crown. He bent down, his black glove grabbing the king's crown and wiping some blood off of it. The man then went over to sit on the Goblin King's former throne while placing the crown on his head.

"The Goblin King is dead, long live the Goblin King," he declared.

The goblins looked at each other before they immediately fell in line, kneeling before him.

"Do you wish for revenge on the witches who foiled us… our king?" one goblin asked him.

"Hmm, not quite," the new Goblin King said. "But I am… very interested in these witches… and their friends…"

---

Songs used for the chapter:

-Jackie sings a part of the song, "5 to 9", from the Equestria Girls shorts. It is an inspired homage song to "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton.

"Merrily We Roll Along" is an old song by Eddie Cantor that many of you will be familiar as the theme song to Looney Tunes. Yeah, this is the song used for the Looney Tunes theme for years, and thought to have that here. The song is memorably used in the 1935 short 'Billboard Folics'.

-"The Goblin Song" sung by the goblins, is a song from Doctor Who

For OC introductions, Quin and Reuben are expies of Mordicai and Rigby from Regular Show.

Doug, Daws, and Hal are expies of Hanna-Barbara's Yippy, Yappy, and Yahooey, which they do play as incompetent law enforcement in Jellystone.

The Goblin King himself is meant to be a mix of the Goblin King from Doctor Who, and the one from The Hobbit trilogy.

Now for the important notes, we were originally going to have the rest of the Mane Five come over to Inwell Isles on a later chapter. But we felt like this would be a good chapter to follow up on Luz Clawthorne 2024 with. Originally, this chapter was going to be a beach episode, but we've decided to push that farther ahead to have the Mane Five. So the beach day chapter will have to come in another time…

Many of you are probably surprised by the lemon centered around Emily and Andrea, which we have been thinking about doing one for a few chapters now, and we thought it would make sense here. This is our first lemon scene ever, and we don't expect it to be too regular, but we just wanted to try it out and see how it goes over with you guys.

Now for the Review Section:

Crash X Fusion: Well, we thought it was a little obvious, especially with what Zara says. As for the timeline, well, no. TAOL will start once Book 3 starts.

Matteso585: 1) Too early to claim that. 2) Yes. 3) No reason to keep saying that, you broken record. 4) Does it really matter? You need to stop grasping for straws.

Cooki15xd: No spoilers

Shuffollower: Yup, hence another reason why we bring the Mane Five here.

Spantidem7: 1) No spoilers.

2) Already been introduced, unless we decided on more.

3) It's still a rarity for green-skinned witches to be humanoid and not look beasiel or looking like a body part. Zara would give herself away if she uses her normal look.

4) Because Mel is a Fae-Goddess, so she would prefer to draw less attention, along with Trini, and Blazer, who kept his appearance a secret since, well, the Isles does have low opinions on werewolves and lycan witches.

5) No.

6) I don't see how this question relates to Brimstones and Broomsticks, or that if it's even relevant. So please, no more Orpheus's questions, he is not a damn character in the LCU.

7) Because Zara is looking for those willing to want to give Emily payback. She wouldn't bother or force those that don't want anything to do with Emily, since she figured it'd be easier to find ones that wanted to give Emily payback, and Linnia along with the former Glandus Tops are perfect. And another reason… this is a spin-off, so Luz, Amity, and Gus shouldn't need to be in someone else's story. Like HD, B&B is it's own story.

8) Well, Zara actually does have a soft spot on Zee, and even if her intentions aren't pure, she was actually helping Zee.