A Hero's Origins

A Hero's Origins
By TheAlienBrony22

The Laughing Dead

At a pier side carnival, two robbers climb down a ladder into a getaway rowboat with a bag of loot. "Knocking over that yacht was a piece of cake, especially with that spoiled brat bein' keen as the center of attention! We made out like pirates!" The first robber gloated.

The two robbers laugh and get ready to climb up the ladder, until the first robber notices bubbles in the water next to him. Curiosity getting the better of him, he leans in to get a closer look, only to then be met by a pair of glowing white eyes staring up at him. Before the robber could pull away, a large red hand grabbed the man by the face and effortlessly yanked him under.

The second robber turned around, noticing that his partner was gone. He spots the first robber's beanie floating in the water. Riptile's face rises from the water and stalks him. Panicked, he runs back up the ladder and across the pier, with Riptile following him underwater. The robber stops to pause and look behind him, only for his jaw to drop when Riptile leaps out of the water, and lands onto the pier, cracking the wood beneath his feet. "Where ya goin', pal, don't you wanna take a dip with your buddy?" Riptile remarked.

The robber frantically backs up until he touches a hot dog cart behind him, running behind it and pushing it over. Hot dog wieners and gasoline spill out from the cart and surround Riptile's feet. Unexpectedly, a loose wire from the cart lands on the trail of gasoline, sparking it and setting it ablaze. Fire now surrounds the alien hero, who doesn't seem worried in the slightest.

The robber confidently starts running away, but Riptile hops towards the crook and slams him into a carnival game stand, knocking over a pile of cans. Riptile smirked and bowed, eyeing the carnie running the stand, staring up at the alien hero worriedly. "So, how many points do I get for that?" Riptile asked.

Later, the same robber is being arrested, along with his incredibly soaked and traumatized partner. An officer approaches Riptile, seeming eager to speak with him. "Hey, thanks for the assist! I don't care what anybody says, you circus freaks are OK by me!" The officer stated.

Riptile scoffed. "I ain't no circus freak, ya nutcase! I'm a hero, not some dumb-ass creep caked in makeup! There's a difference. One helps people, and the other has a mental illness." Riptile remarked.

Riptile leaps off, hopping away in a single bound as the cop looked confused. "Hmph, looked like a freak to me..." The cop muttered, walking back to his car.

The RV passes through town; Sunset looks out of the window and reads a sign going by. "'Zombozo's Travelling Circus of Laughs'? That sounds pretty neat! Any chance we could get a couple tickets, miss Luna?" Sunset asked.

Luna smiled, letting a laugh escape her lips. "Ah, I haven't been to a circus since I was a child. Sounds like tons of fun! What do you guys think?" Luna asked.

Sunset was excited, but Chance on the other hand, he felt his blood run cold, it was like chunks of ice were clogging the arteries and valves in his heart. "I love the circus! I haven't been to one in forever!" Sunset turned to her friend. "Chance, you've been to the circus before, right? What was it like?" Sunset asked.

Chance didn't say a word, he just slowly backed away and moved through the curtain, trying to remove himself from the conversation. Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Chance, you've been to the circus before, right?" Sunset repeated her question.

Luna looked in the rearview mirror, and from behind the curtain, Chance's face was pale, wracked with terror, fear, it was like he died as the question came up the first time. "Mister Marsten, are you feeling well? You look... uncharacteristically pale." Luna asked.

Chance took a shaky breath, and swallowed. "I didn't have the best track record for something as predatory as... the circus," Chance's words were venomous, hatred laced those two last words as they were forced from his mouth. "You two can go and experience it if you want, but I'm sitting my not-so-happy-never-gonna-happen-havin' ass right here, in the RV, where it'll stay till the circus finally packs its shit and leaves." Chance stated firmly.

Sunset was surprised at Chance's tone, but she really didn't get why he was responding this way. Sunset reached out as her geode glowed. Before Sunset could put a hand on Chance's shoulder, Chance was much quicker, grabbing her hand firmly as he glared down her. "Don't. You. Dare." Chance warned, glaring at his friend.

Sunset was shocked, and quickly pulled her hand away. "Okay, jeez! Man, you really keep your mind under constant lock and key, ya know that!" Sunset held her hand and backed away from him. "What is your deal? You really don't like the circus, but why?" Sunset asked.

Chance groaned and turned away from her, only to look at his left hand. Chance's anger slowly and steadily petered out, and he turned around to meet her gaze again. "Look, I'm sorry for how I reacted, I don't like the idea of people poking around in my head. Those two junkie bastards already poked around too much, and Gilda wasn't any better, why do you think I have problems with stuff like trust, especially if someone pretends just to earn it?" Sunset listened closely, and clearly Chance wasn't over what happened with Gilda. "As for the circus thing, I have extreme Coulrophobia." Chance remarked.

Sunset was confused. "Coulrophobia? What the heck does that mean?" Sunset asked.

Chance's face was getting red, either out of frustration or embarrassment. For him, it was definitely both. 'For someone so smart, you're somehow making me look like a Harvard grad-student right now.' Chance thought, a displeased expression formed on his face.

Luna looked at Chance, and decided to simply break the tension. "Chance, there's nothing wrong with admitting you're afraid of clowns, it's a rational fear, like thunderstorms." Luna reassured.

Chance's face went white, a shocked and terrified expression formed on his face as Sunset simply looked at him. She had no idea what to think. They both faced a bunch of crazy stuff already this summer, and he was terrified of clowns? Sunset just couldn't make heads or tails of this. "You're scared of clowns, even after everything that we've been through already?" Chance sighed, clearly displeased and embarrassed for the truth to come to light. He shamefully nodded his head, and Sunset looked at him with curiosity. "Is that why you didn't want me to look in your head? Were you scared of being made fun of for your fear?" Sunset asked.

Chance sighed and nodded his head, and Sunset was a bit surprised. "Look, I'm just not ready for you to suddenly root around in my head with your magic, I repressed a lot of stuff deep down in my mind for good reason, and the one thing I don't like is that your magic could easily act like a skeleton key." Chance stated.

Sunset decided to try and dig a bit deeper. "Why are you so scared of clowns anyway? We've already seen and been through a bunch of crazy stuff that makes a fear of clowns look like child's play, so what's the sitch?" Sunset asked.

Chance shook his head. "It's personal, and that's all you get." Chance bluntly stated.

Sunset was unsure of what to say, but she was starting to understand where he was coming from. Chance slowly approached her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for reacting like how I did. It's a bit hard for me to trust people right now, even those who're trying to help me seem a bit hard to read at the moment," Sunset felt strange, she was saddened by his words, yet she understood that he had his reasons for not being as excited. "If you two really wanna go the circus, then I won't stop you or dissuade you, go have your fun... I'll even go in with you, despite my better judgement. But, if I see a single clown, I'm leaving and going back to the RV." Chance stated, uncertain if he was making the right choice.

Luna sighed and though her smile faltered for a moment, she nodded her head as she started the RV and drove down the road.

After a bit of driving around, the RV is parked in a vacant space. The trio walk out and bare witness to a big top circus, set up in the middle of what looks to be a park. Lots of people are walking in, numerous people, old and young were eager to see the show playing within, and the trio walked with them, with Chance begrudgingly following behind.

Luna looked around at the numerous concession stands and games set up. "Ooh, looks like the entire town's turned up for the show! If only Celestia came with us, this would've been a trip down memory lane!" Luna expressed, rushing over to a cotton candy vendor, jumping for joy like a little kid.

Sunset looked at a psychic tent and couldn't help but want to rush over to it. "Ah! I love these psychic tents, they're so neat!" Sunset remarked with joy.

Chance just shuddered, looking around with unsteady nerves as he looked up at a group of posters. They all feature a clown with Navy hair, a toothy grin and a big sophisticated fedora with a few strange bulbs lined across it, this 'Zombozo'. The clown's eyes seem to stare down at Chance, and he felt as if his heart had stopped. Unfortunately for him, it didn't. Chance looked over at Luna, who was walking towards him with tons of snacks bought. "Uh, maybe this place sold out already, I doubt it's got any free seats left, may as well cut our losses while we still can." Chance remarked, chuckling nervously.

Before Luna could respond, the crowd roars out in excitement. Luna's smile gets bigger as Sunset pushes Chance inside, with Luna following after. The trio find their seats, and Chance can't help but feel antsy, an unpleasant feeling, a sensation of fear, his fight or flight instincts were telling him to run, possibly sprint if he had to, but Chance couldn't bring himself to, due to the fear paralyzing him.

In the center of the open space, a spotlight suddenly shines on a circus barker on a pedestal, shouting to the crowd. "Gentlemen, Ladies, and all you fine folks in-between! Step rrrrright up and see!The fingerless freak of nature, whose strength knows no bounds! THUMBSKULL!" The barker announced.

From out of nowhere, a big burly man in a black and gray strongman suit with unnaturally white skin, and a giant 'fingernail' on his forehead comes falling down from the top of the tent. He steps forward with a metal rod and bends it on his head, roaring out in a theatrical manner. The crowd is stunned. He tosses the bent bar in the air and something green catches it. "...And presenting, FRIGHTWIG! When this beauty lets down her hair, there's no telling what could happen!" The barker announced.

From out of the shadows, A pale-skinned woman with long red locks of hair, moving and twisting at her command, steps out, beckoning to the crowd. Her hair coils the metal rod into a pretzel and places it aside on a pedestal. "...And last but certainly not least, the freak whose unique skill is as vile as his attitude! Put your hands together, and cover your nose for ACID BREATH!" The barker announced.

The audience gasps, except for Chance, who was just trying to ignore the 'spectacle' happening, but was failing incredibly so. A pale starved man steps forward, wearing a mouth guard. He takes it off and exhales, his visible green breath completely melting the rod AND the pedestal with it. "Gross!" Sunset remarked, yet still cheered along with the crowd.

That was Chance's final straw, and without a moment's hesitation, Chance quickly got up and left, unsure as to where the exit was, and started to roam.

After a few minutes of sneaking around, Chance managed to find his way out of the tent. Unfortunately, he was at the back of it, and eventually comes across a tent with a "Keep Out" sign; light is shining through. He carefully peers in and sees Zombozo himself, sitting and rehearsing in front of a mirror. "H-H-H-HOWDY FOLKS! Are ya ready to laaaugh?" Zombozo then puts on his hat, smiling with his toothy grin. "Perfect. You're gonna knock 'em...dead." Zombozo remarks as he licks his teeth with his long, grotesque and... rotting tongue?

Chance soon felt dizzy, as well as his lunch coming back up, and immediately turned around to leave, only to jump and fall back surprised, when he sees Sunset behind him. "Hey, why didn't you say anything about leaving? I don't think we're supposed to be back here." Sunset remarked.

Chance clutched his chest and tried to steady himself, regain his composure. "Don't do that, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Chance reprimanded, gritting through his teeth.

Sunset helped Chance back up to his feet and dusted him off. "Why are you back here lurking around like a weirdo?" Sunset asked.

Chance frowned. "I wasn't doin' it on purpose. I was trying to find the exit, but ended up back here instead. Got a personal look at that 'Zombozo' guy, and I already didn't like clowns, now I hate them more than anything!" Chance stated, trying to defend himself.

Sunset raised an eyebrow, skeptical of her friend's claim, but the two suddenly focused their attention when Luna called out for them. "C'mon you two. The show's about to start!" Luna called out.

Sunset gestured to the big top's entrance. "After you!" Sunset offered. Chance scowled and begrudgingly walks back to the show, with Sunset following close behind.

As the trio get back to their seats, the barker from outside, who was actually the Ringmaster, introduces the crowd to the act. "Ladies and gentlemen! Children of all ages! The Circus of Laughter is proud to present: "The Sultan of Smiles"! "The Crown Prince of Chuckles"! "The Grim Tickler" himself, the star of our circus! Please put your hands together and ready your guts to be busted by... ZOMBOZO THE CLOWN!" The ringmaster announced.

A small clown car speeds into the center of the floor, and a giant-seeming Zombozo emerges to the sound of a triumphant cymbal crash. Zombozo wore a grey and black jumpsuit with three buttons, a jacket which was dark red and light red, and magenta sleeves with white stripes and two magenta circles on each stripe. He also had a green nose, a dark red and white fedora with small magenta bulbs lined across it, and white shoes and gloves.

Everyone in the bleachers was already laughing, while Chance was mortified. Chance closed his eyes tightly and tried to calm himself down for his friend's sake. 'Don't think about the incident, don't think about the incident, don't freak out again!' Chance thought to himself.

The car suddenly speeds to the other side of the floor with a mind of its own, facing Zombozo and revving its engine, "challenging" him. Zombozo beckons it with his hand and pulls out a red toreador cape. The car charges like a bull, but disappears into confetti the moment it passes the cape. The crowd cheers, and Chance is still terrified. He wanted to get up and leave, but he couldn't, it was like something was holding him in place, and that made him want to leave even more.

Zombozo lets out a couple laughs and looks to the audience. "If you love clowns, then this is the place ta' be! You're gonna die laughing..." Zombozo snaps his fingers, and in a large puff of smoke, appears a gigantic machine, with ports ominously glowing red. "...That's a 'Zombozo Guarantee'!" Zombozo declares.

Chance could feel his breathing getting heavier and shaky, his hands felt heavy and numb, they felt hurt, and Chance could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. He needed to get out of that tent, he was not having a good time, and he didn't want to ruin it for Luna and Sunset, then an idea came to him. "I... I-I gotta go get more snacks!" Chance stated as he ran out of the big top.

Luna watched as Chance left the tent, and couldn't help but feel as if she needed to go after him. "I think something might be wrong with mister Marsten... I'll go and look for him, you stay here and enjoy yourself, okay Sunset?" Luna requested.

Sunset waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah yeah, go check on what's-his-face, or whatever, just be sure to come back, this is a great show!" Sunset said, blissfully ignorant and unaware of what was happening around her.

Luna looked at Sunset with concern, and finally managed to pry herself from her seat, then went after Chance. Once Luna left, however, Zombozo was starting to take the show to the next level. "I was never very good at math, but I believe I have your UNdivided attention!" A xylophone sting plays out from out of nowhere, causing the crowd to go wild with laughter. "Now how about some volunteers for this next showstopper?" Zombozo requested.

The entire crowd is laughing, especially Sunset. Zombozo is reflected in her eyes, and it slowly becomes clear that Zombozo has his sights set on a much larger goal. "Ahhhh, SO full of life!" The crowd laughs like it's their last day experiencing something happy. "-for now." Zombozo muttered under his breath, a sinister smile forming on his painted face. The spotlight on Zombozo shuts off, enveloping the interior of the big top in darkness.

Chance sprints out of the big top and off the entire lot, stopping and catching his breath once he's put enough distance between him and the circus. Chance took several deep breaths, gasping for air as he wiped away the tears in his eyes. Chance held himself as he stared down at the asphalt beneath him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and immediately yelled and swatted it away, backing up in a panic as he tried to activate the Omnitrix, not even recognizing that it was Luna.

Luna was surprised, as well as feeling a growing sense of concern for the teen hero's state of mind. "Mister Marsten, relax!" Luna moved forward and tried to reach out, only for Chance to try and fight her off, backing away and swinging his fists. "Chance! It's just me, Luna! Stand down, you're not in danger!" Luna pleaded.

Chance shook his head and rubbed his eyes, seeing Luna carefully approach him. "It's just me, mister Marsten, calm down!" Luna put a hand on his shoulder. Chance tried to pull away, but Luna persisted and pulled the teen into a hug, and though he struggled, he was resisting less and less. "You're not in danger, I'm not your enemy. You're okay... you're safe, you're with someone who isn't trying to hurt you." Luna calmly reassured.

Chance slowly but surely stopped resisting, and started to come back to reality. Chance slowly pulled himself away, looking directly into Luna's eyes. The concern, the desire to help, the care and patience he saw in her eyes, Chance felt his hands shake and shutter, all while Luna held him close. "It's alright, there aren't any clowns around... you're okay, and you'll be fine." Luna assured.

Chance relaxed, sighing in relief. Though hesitant, he carefully wrapped his arms around her, returning the embrace as he tried to compose himself. "I... I'm s-sorry... I-I didn't mean to..." Chance's eyes started to get teary as he buried his head into her shoulder. "I-I d-didn't mean to..." Chance muttered, his voice started to break.

Luna didn't let him go, and just simply waited, smiling all the way. "All is forgiven, but next time, don't hurt yourself for our sake. We'll figure this out together, I promise." Luna reassured.

The two stayed like that for what felt like hours, but was in fact just a few minutes. Chance slowly let Luna go, as did Luna let her student go, and they both sat in silent for a moment, all while Chance wiped his eyes free of the remaining tears that stung his eyes and hindered his vision. "I hate the circus... I hate clowns... The only thing I don't hate is the food, and that fucking sucks..." Luna would've reprimanded him for his foul language, but she was just focused on making sure he was calmed down. "I used to love the circus, but being at one nowadays drives me up the wall too much. My fight or flight instincts just go haywire... after the incident, I haven't been able to enjoy the circus ever since, and my extreme Coulrophobia was flaring up like mad once that Zombozo son of a bitch showed up." Chance confessed.

Luna's curiosity was piqued, but her concern was beginning to increase. 'This is the first time I'm hearing of an incident regarding the circus. I knew he was holding information back. Had to be because of the adults in his family... if his father was someone he looked up to, the only adult figure that could be at fault would be his mother... tread carefully, Luna, you don't want to upset him further...' Luna thought.

Luna held Chance's face in her hands and stared at him. "Chance, may you please tell me about this incident, if you can?" Luna requested.

Chance thought about it for a moment, until the sound of glass shattering and a car alarm blaring out broke them both out of their emotional grasp. The two of them quickly hide behind a car. As Chance carefully peeks out from behind it, he sees the trio of circus freaks from before, smashing the window of a jewelry store, and robbing an expensive sports car as its alarm blared out. "Holy shit, the freaks are felons!" Chance remarked, ducking back behind the car.

The freaks are robbing the whole street. Thumbskull grabs a handful of shiny bracelets, watches and rings from the jewelry store display, Acid Breath uses his breath to melt a parked car's door and roof, letting him reach in and rip a stereo right out, and Frightwig advances on an ATM, putting her locks of hair through the brick wall around it and ripping the machine right out of the wall, causing money to fly everywhere. "Finally, It's payday!" Frightwig called out, cackling maniacally as she dances in the middle of the raining bills.

Luna and Chance look at each other and Chance wipes his eyes as he activates the Omnitrix, selecting one of his tougher aliens. "Time to show these freaks how outclassed they are." Chance remarked.

As Thumbskull carries two flat-screens, he looks around and sees Vitaguar jump on a car, rocking it while snarling and salivating threateningly. Thumbskull panics and starts to back away. "Good kitty cat, down boy!" Thumbskull panicked.

Vitaguar lunged forward and smacked Thumbskull away with his tail, attracting the attention of the other two freaks. "I ain't no run-of-the-mill house cat, dingbat!" Vitaguar rammed into the other two freaks, knocking Acid Breath aside and running away. Frightwig tries to grab him with her hair but gets dragged along the pavement. Vitaguar lands on the freak's getaway car and rips out the roof, letting money and jewelry fly out. "Oi, I made it hail! Your name wouldn't happen to be Mary by chance, right lass?" Vitaguar quipped, smacking Frightwig away.

Thumbskull groaned in anger. "Hey, that's our stuff!" Thumbskull complained.

Acid Breath hissed. "No fleabag's gonna steal my loot. GET 'IM!" Acid Breath commanded, taking a deep breath. Before he could do anything, however, a bag of jewels was then smashed against his head, and then hammered against his face, knocking him out. Luna stood over the literal foul-mouthed freak and smirked, then ran to assist Vitaguar.

Frightwig tries to whip Vitaguar away, only for the alien to jump off the car before Frightwig's attack could land, tearing up their car. Vitaguar lands in between Thumbskull and Frightwig, then bats them away. As Frightwig gets up, he advances on her, only for Luna to get behind her, then kick Frightwig in the side and put her in a full nelson. "No so fun now when the fight's more fair, is it?" Luna remarked.

Acid Breath slowly gets back up, and sees that his allies are outnumbered, and somehow outpowered. Thinking for a moment, Acid Breath retreats into an alleyway, and loops around to run back to the big top while the heroes are distracted.

Back in the big top, multiple colorful images of popcorn, bowling pins and cotton candy float above the audience as they keep on laughing. Zombozo stands in the center, taking it all in as he shudders with delight. "Ah, laughter truly is the best medicine! For me!" Zombozo declared with a smile, relishing in the audience's laughter and joy.

The crowd continues to laugh, despite the lack of a joke. Before Zombozo could approach the audience, Acid Breath enters from the back and walks right behind Zombozo. "Hey, boss? We got a serious problem on our hands!" Acid Breath announced.

Zombozo slumps in disappointment, then turns around to glare at Acid Breath, despite his smile still being present. "How many times have I TOLD YOU! Not to botha' me while I'm eeeaaating!" Zombozo hunches backwards as a large metal wire connects to his back, all while a grisly bright blue plasma pumps from the machine and directly into Zombozo himself. Zombozo's body hums and shudders, amplifying the creepiness of his words. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Zombozo aggressively exclaimed.

Acid Breath sighed. "We ran into some trouble, that's what. Those alien heroes on the news, they're wiping the floor with us, and some woman joined in, and she's kicking our asses! This whole plan just went to pot, we need you to salvage this sideshow act!" Acid Breath explained.

Zombozo was not in a good mood, and frowned at Acid Breath.

Back at the fight, Frightwig and Thumbskull are being pinned down by Vitaguar, and Luna just got off the phone with the police, reporting the freaks' crimes. Suddenly, in a puff of smoke and a flash of confetti, Zombozo appears out of thin air. Vitaguar turns around, only to then start backing up when he sees him. Luna noticed the alien hero's change in attitude, then saw Zombozo for herself. "I hear you're full o' tricks, kitty cat. Let's see if you know how many lives you have left!" Zombozo remarked.

Zombozo moves forward and kicks Vitaguar hard and smacks him into a tower. As he walks forward, Vitaguar winces and hides under the tower. Luna gets in between Zombozo and Vitaguar, backing up as she continues to shield the alien.

Zombozo whips around, angry and very annoyed at the freaks. "This isn't a "mountain lion", it's a "house cat", a real big, scared house cat!" The freaks feel pretty embarrassed and seem to have no excuse as Zombozo looks back at the alien, seeing the woman try to get him out. "Bring the curtain down on this little sideshow, and make sure she goes down with it!" Zombozo commanded, disappearing in another puff of smoke.

The freaks stare angrily at the two, and spring into action. Acid Breath melts one of the legs on the tower, Frightwig pulls one of the legs with her hair, and Thumbskull rams into one of the legs, bending and snapping it in half. "It's all down hill from here, pussycat." Acid Breath remarked.

The tower comes crashing down on the two of them, leaving a huge pile of rubble. Thumbskull picks up a brick from it and smirks. "Now that's a Cat-astrophe!" Thumbskull remarked, chuckling at his own joke.

Frightwig snapped her fingers and got the other two freaks' attention. "Boss wants us to pick up the pace, something about bigger laughs to get." Frightwig stated.

As the freaks run off toward the circus, they don't hear the Omnitrix timing out. Vitaguar quickly makes sure that Luna is out of the pile of rubble unharmed. Chance turns back to normal, and Luna escorts him back to the RV as the police arrive, too little too late.

The show is now over. The air is dead. Chip bags and pages of circus brochures fly in the wind, boxes of popcorn and drinks are spilt on the ground. People slowly walk out of the venue stadium with light smiles on their faces. Some are still laughing sporadically. The pair of them get back and they see Sunset, sitting on a step, laughing to herself.

Luna and Chance make their way towards her, and notice that she's still laughing. "Sunset?" Chance grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Sunset, snap out of it!" Chance yelled.

Sunset blinked her eyes, smiling slightly as she finally recognizes that Luna and Chance are in front of her. "Eheh- Oh, hey guys! Hehe ah- Where'd you go?" Sunset asked, seeming exhausted, yet her laughter persists.

Chance looked at Luna and sighed. "Don't worry about it, at least for now," Chance looked at where the big top tent was, and was impressed, as well as confused as to how it vanished so fast. "Where in the high tides of hell did the circus go?!" Chance exclaimed.

Sunset chuckled. "Oh -aha- I'm not so sure, uh..." Sunset lazily looked behind herself, only to be greeted to a completely empty stadium, with no sign of there ever being a circus at all. "I remember we were laughing. Hah- it was so funny, Pinkie would've loved it -heh!" Sunset remarked, an almost tired smile on her face. Just as Sunset finishes laughing, a deep-seated melancholy washes over Sunset's face.

Chance recognized that expression on her face, and already he didn't like where this could possibly lead him. "Sunset, pal, are... are you ok?" Chance asked, helping Sunset back up to her feet, letting her lean on him.

Sunset shuffles in place for a moment, clutching onto Chance's shirt weakly. "Aheh, I just...feel kinda tapped out, that's all." Sunset stated. Despite her sudden show of weakness, she suddenly breaks into a long laugh, which startles Luna and Chance greatly.

Chance felt it in his bones, down to his very soul. Something wasn't right. "Sunset, why are you still laughing?! You're actually starting to scare me!" Chance looked at Sunset's neck, and suddenly, he knew that something was out of place. "Wait a minute, where's your geode?" Chance asked worriedly.

Meanwhile, Thumbskull drives a truck along a highway, Zombozo was riding with him, admiring a necklace with a red and yellow dao symbol shaped like the sun. Zombozo looked at Thumbskull with a smile. "Didja pack me a snack for the road?" Zombozo asked.

Thumbskull smiles and draws back the curtains behind the driver's seat. 6 people are sitting in back, laughing to themselves. Zombozo smiles and chuckles as the truck drives away.

The RV drives down the highway, all while Chance finishes strapping Sunset down in the booth, keeping her still and out of harm's way. He propped her head up with a pillow and covered her up in a blanket, then gingerly moves to the front seat, sulking as he rubs his face and stares at his reflection. Chance looks away and feels ashamed, curling up into the fetal position as he hides his face in his knees. "I should've done something." Chance remarked.

Luna looked over and sighed. "You did the best you could." Luna reassured.

Chance shook his head, all while the RV was silent and tense as it moved along the highway. "Chance, do you wanna tell me what's bothering you?" Luna asked.

Chance sighed and nodded his head, uncovering his face. "This is the incident all over again. Someone's paying the price for me being stupid, and it doesn't matter if I was a kid then, feels like nothing's changed ever since!" Chance confessed.

Luna nodded her head and reached over, rubbing the top of Chance's head, attempting to comfort him. "Chance, I feel as if your mind is clouded by past traumatic experiences... for the sake of getting Sunset's geode back, as well as hoping to fix whatever's wrong with her," Luna briefly looked back at Sunset, seeing the melancholic, almost depressed expression on her face. "Tell me about the incident... please?" Luna asked.

Chance hesitated for a moment, and when it seemed like Luna's words didn't reach, Chance got out of the fetal position and sighed. "The incident of 2011 was what cemented my eternal hate and distrust in my mother, everything she ever told me, and it's why I constantly say that husk of a woman isn't my mother, she died and her body is just persisting after death without a soul, not like she ever had one in the first place... It all tied back to the circus, but in order for what I'm about to say to make sense, I need to start at the beginning... something I haven't had to think about ever since my dad's funeral," Chance looked at Luna, she saw the melancholic and remorseful expression on his face. "May I?" Chance asked.

Luna nodded. "Of course." Luna encouraged.

9½ years ago...

A strong and well-built man with light brown hair cut short was carrying a kid on his shoulders, happy as can be. They didn't typically stand out from a crowd, but they were having so much fun. The kid had wild bleach blonde hair and the brightest green eyes anyone could see. The man took the kid off his shoulders, and smiled as he hugged the kid and handed him a piece of cotton candy, something the kid happily accepted.

'Back when my dad was still around, I was his whole world, and he was mine. He was always there for me when I was hurt, when I was in need of help, and especially whenever I was scared.'

The man and boy sit in their seats, readying their snacks as a clown came out. Where everyone was laughing and cheering as the clown got into hijinks, the young boy just simply started to get teary-eyed and scared.

'Going to the circus was one of the only times I felt like I was both safe, and in the most danger I've ever been in. When everyone else just laughed as a clown slipped on a banana peel, or got chased by a lion, I was getting scared, sobbing as I clung onto my dad, as he was the only person I ever felt safe around. It was through him, he helped me get over a lot of stuff that would've made me seem more... unapproachable, if he hadn't helped me out when he did.'

The man looked down at the kid that clung to his arm, tears on his face and looking scared to death. The man gave the child a warm smile, sat him on his lap and gave him some snacks, patting the kid's head gently and whispering into their ears, which then made the kid feel a bit happier.

'For the life of me, I could never remember what he told me as a kid, but he always wanted me to recognize the differences between good and bad. Clowns were always an impossibility, but my dad never gave up on me. He wanted me to be strong, to be brave, something I wasn't during that stupid show earlier today. It sucks, knowing that this fear has subconsciously still been rooted into my brain, and has essentially given me such grief. My dad never gave up on me and he never did, but without him to help me figure this out, to help me not be afraid anymore, I don't know how to overcome this fear.'

Chance relaxed a bit as he leaned back in the chair, all while Luna looked at the young man, unsure of what to say. "I've been plagued by my extreme Coulrophobia ever since I was six, and it's only now, I've finally tried to address it..." Chance confessed, hanging his head low.

Luna thought about what Chance said, but something didn't seem to add up. "So, what caused such radical reactions in you when the circus was mentioned? When did the incident take place?" Luna asked.

Chance was silent, but instead of dodging or deflecting the question, he simply took a deep breath and sighed. "My mother's the reason I can't go to the circus anymore without feeling like I'm in constant danger. The one time she tried to be a caring mother, she fucked it all up from start to finish." Chance stated bitterly.

4½ years ago...

A slightly younger Chance is curled up in the backseat of a car, sniveling and crying as a younger and healthier Jean slowly stops the car and parks it, stopping in front of a big top tent, one that was similar to that of Zombozo's. "Alright kiddo, here's what's gonna go down. You're clearly still upset that your dad's gone, and Moonshine already got into trouble with the 5-0 for popping a cap in ya gut, so to make ya feel better, I brought you to the circus so you can have your fun and calm down a bit. You love the circus, according to your dad, don't that sound like fun?" Chance wiped away his tears and looked unconvinced, as well as scared. Jean scowled and groaned. "Come on, mopey! Let's go have some fun and spend some time together, or some shit!" Jean encouraged halfheartedly.

'Jean, believe it or not, wasn't always an oblivious junkie, a drug-addicted shell of her former self. She used to just be a shell of her former self already, after my dad's passing. She cared about herself a little less, she cared about me a lot less, and cared more about one of my dad's military buddies way too much. She was a pain in the ass for sure, but even she had her moments of trying to be like dad, trying to make me happy and teach me the right stuff, to keep me healthy and protected from harm, even if it was all just the bare minimum... but this was the one instance, where she should've just kept to herself and not involve me.'

Chance walked beside Jean, occasionally trying to reach out and hold her hand, only for her to start flirting with random men as they passed by, even straight up making suggestive hand gestures to the few that were staring. All the while, Chance just kept walking, trying to ignore the crudeness of those around him, and eventually found himself moving through the crowd. Everyone towered over him, they were all so angry, so vile and mean, not to mention crude.

'That was the first time I've ever technically been on my own. Jean stopped paying attention to me and would rather focus on a bunch of disgusting dudes asking for "favors" rather than protect her own son from any potentially dangerous people. Thankfully for me, this was the one time where people seemed to actually give a shit about a kid wandering around on his own, unsure of where he is or where his parents were, or why everyone was so damn aggressive and ignoring a kid in need.'

A woman with auburn hair, medieval-looking clothes and face paint smiled at the boy and sat him on top of the counter, where a man with a scruffy beard smiled and simply ruffled Chance's hair as he poured a bottle of alcohol into a cartoon cup and handed it to the kid.

'I was put in the care of a renaissance faire concession stand vendor who was selling old-timey homebrewed whiskey, and I got my first taste of alcohol for the first time in my life, and my mother still didn't know I wasn't by her side anymore, actin' like a cheap thrill for a bunch of drunken floozies.'

Chance, after struggling to drink all of the strange stuff in the cartoon cup, belched and wandered off, only to be picked up by a man in a jester's costume who looked confused and thoroughly distraught at the smell of alcohol on the child's breath, let alone the fact that the boy was all alone. The jester looked around and took him to the tent, all while the alcohol was starting to take effect on the poor boy.

The jester sat Chance down in a wooden chair and moved outside to go and find someone who might know of the location of the boy's parents. All the while, some sort of medieval play was being acted out, and Chance soon noticed he was amongst a bunch of other kids who had creepy smiling masks on their faces. Chance felt uncomfortable and curled up in his seat, scared and unsure of where exactly he was, or what exactly was going on at all.

'I was then approached by a man in a jester's costume. He seemed like the only person who wasn't off their rocker, and was bothered by the idea of a child even consuming booze in the first place. Unfortunately, the jester took me to a tent and left me there to go find Jean. All the while, some creepy theatre play was being acted out, and I was surrounded by a bunch of kids wearing these creepy smiling masks. I was in an unfamiliar place and terrified out of my mind, all while the alcohol did its dangerous little dance and started messing with my impressionable little brain.'

Chance started to feel woozy and sick. Chance got up and stumbled a bit as he waddled his way out of the tent, quickly gathering the attention as Chance drunkenly tried to walk. He tried to speak, but it all came out as mumbling gibberish and slurred syllables and sounds. Everything was moving too fast and too slow all at once for the poor kid, and eventually, Chance passed out in the middle of the crowd.

'All I could ever experience while drunk, was the fact that I kept seeing the jester's face when I passed out. It kept getting more and more contorted and disturbing, all I could hear was someone's demented laugh echo in my head, slowly becoming the stuff of nightmares. My head spun and hurt like hell, my stomach felt like it was on fire, my mouth was entirely numb, and I felt like I was dying. That was when I finally realized it wasn't Jean's plan to make me feel better, she wanted me to feel worse. She blamed me for the death of my dad, she blamed me for every bad thing that happened after he died. She didn't care about me, hell, the terrible attempts made by those who tried to help me did more than she ever did, which was nothing at all.'

Chance looked back at Sunset, then looked forward ahead of the road. Luna was... well, she felt a lot of emotions and none of them held Chance's mother up with praise. The expression on Luna's face was very hard to read. She was upset, disgusted, downright mortified, pissed off, absolutely livid, but above all else, she was concerned for her student's well being, unsure of how things will change after the summer's over. Chance sighed and looked at Luna, even he couldn't figure out what was going on in her head at that moment, but that was all he needed to know, truthfully.

Chance sighed and looked down at the floorboard, so many conflicting emotions were pulsing through his head, but all he could focus on was getting Sunset's geode back. Chance looked back at Sunset, seeing her curled up as she slept.

Chance closed his eyes tightly, and soon, all he felt was one emotion, one that was dead set on venting a lot of steam out. Rage. Pure, unadulterated, several years worth of rage.

After a long and silent drive, the RV finally arrives at the circus' new location. Luna gets ready to unbuckle her belt, but Chance puts a hand on her shoulder. "Stay here and keep a close eye on Sunset, I don't want her to be alone like this." Chance stated.

Luna got up and hugged Chance tightly. "I'll make sure she isn't dying, but are you sure you wanna go in there on your own, mister Marsten?" Luna asked, worried about the glint in his eye.

Chance lightly pulled away and walked out the door, slamming it shut as he walked down the street and towards the big top tent in the distance. 'You wanna laugh at something, bozo? Let's see if you're still laughing when I tie your asshole goons in a knot, and cave your face in.' Chance thought, dialing in one of his aliens.

The freaks were out back, busy moving boxes. Chance carefully sneaks up behind a few boxes and sees a big poster of Zombozo's face. Chance gritted his teeth and looked at the Omnitrix, seeing the alien he had dialed up. Chance pushed down the core and a flash of green light flashes behind a stack of boxes near Thumbskull. "What's that noise?" Thumbskull called out.

Before Thumbskull could fully turn around and make a move, Crime Detector rushed forward and punched Thumbskull back, sending him sliding into a wall. the mechanical hero fixates its attention on Acid Breath as he is covered in his dangerous breath, yet nothing happens. Acid Breath is surprised, and starts to back away, but Crime Detector grabs Acid Breath by the throat and slams him into a bunch of boxes.

Frightwig is a bit nervous, but stands her ground, readying her hair for an attack. "You alien heroes don't make this easy, do ya?" Frightwig remarked.

Crime Detector didn't speak and just moved towards her. Frightwig lashed her hair at the robot, only for it to grab the tendrils and start to twirl her around, smacking Frightwig against boxes, the fence, the ground, until he threw the freak up into the air, and shifted his left hand into a cannon. As Frightwig fell, Crime Detector aimed his cannon upwards, ready to fire. Frightwig braced herself, but Crime Detector moved out of the way, letting Frightwig collide with the ground, knocking herself out.

Thumbskull come up from behind, but is then blasted in the face by Crime Detector. Thumbskull was sent falling to the ground, knocked out cold and rendered unconscious from the blast. Crime Detector floated towards the entrance to the big top, and the Omnitrix then timed out, returning Chance to his normal form.

Chance looked down at the Omnitrix, and then walks inside, a look of anger and contemptment on the young hero's face. Chance notices a mirror, but keeps walking. As Chance continues to walk through the tent, he feels as if there's someone watching him. Chance sneers and keeps going.

"Hiya, son! Something tells me you'd be a barrel full of laughs!" Zombozo called out.

Chance rolled his eyes and kept walking. Chance notices another mirror, and can't help but look at himself. Before he can really evaluate what he's planning to do, his reflection suddenly changes and transforms into Zombozo. "Hey, Mr. Serious! How bout a...SMILE?" Zombozo requested.

Chance groaned and roared out in aggression, punching the mirror and shattering it. Chance kept walking forward, all while a sea of hands reach out from the other mirrors, desperately clawing at the alien hero, but Chance grabs one of the hands and does not hesitate to break it as he keeps moving forward. This seems to have caused the other hands to have retreated, leaving Chance free enough to keep moving.

Chance walks along a coiling yellow road. Zombozo's face, mounted on a spring, pops out from it, stopping him in his tracks. "What's your story, Mourning Glory? Was that your cat, that gave my freaks such frowns, What about that weird robot outside that put my freaks to sleep? Was that crazy lady with you, too?" Zombozo asked.

Chance grabbed the spring and pulled Zombozo's face down to his level, and socked it straight in the eye as hard as he could. The face contorted in pain as it retreated back into the road. "Give it to me straight, kid, at least smile a bit! Are you some kind of FREAK?!" Zombozo taunted.

Chance stayed silent, walking along the path as he tried to find his way to Zombozo himself. Soon enough, the road starts to crumble and Chance falls into a black void, Zombozo's face, etched in fire, appears and laughs as the hero falls. Chance catches his fall with a trapeze swing. He swings through a chomping Zombozo face and catches a new one. The swing's ropes break, sending Chance careening down, landing on a human-sized spider web. He starts struggling a little bit, but soon spots a golden spider with Zombozo's face comes crawling on the web towards him. "Come on, pal! You've gotta learn ta' loosen up! Laugh a little!" The spider, now close enough to Chance, holds his neck with his razor-sharp pincer, which still leaves the alien hero unfazed. "It's what keeps me going!" Zombozo remarked.

Chance pulls himself free of the web and aggressively bites onto the pincer, causing Zombozo's face to recoil and scrunch up in pain. "YEEOWW!! Sheesh, why'd I have ta deal with some rabid hard-ass teenager!?" Zombozo complained.

Chance slipped through the web and fell even further till he hits the ground. Soon enough, a spotlight shines down on him, and the anger on his face had not yet been satisfied. Chance eventually finds himself on the center floor of the main tent, back in reality. As he starts to get up, the genuine Zombozo calmly walks up to him. Chance sees ghosts reflected in the orbs on Zombozo's body, flying up to the large one on his top hat. Inside is Sunset, backlit by fire, laughing herself to death with a cold emotionless stare.

Chance's rage just continued to rise, and Zombozo was starting to realize that this kid was a much tougher nut to crack than he thought he'd be. "C'mon pal, should I make a few innuendos and dick jokes to finally getcha to crack a smile?" Chance stared at Zombozo and started to walk towards him, causing Zombozo to flinch a bit and start backing up, all while keeping a smile on his face. "W-Well, I guess you have a more refined palette, then." Zombozo quipped.

Chance grabbed Zombozo by the collar of his suit and pulled him close, staring daggers into the clown's eyes. "What do you hope to gain out of all this?" Chance bluntly asked.

Zombozo snaps his fingers and is now a few feet away from the alien hero. Zombozo snaps his fingers again, and a spotlight lights up the large machine in the tent. It is filled with screaming ghosts. The cable running out of the machine psionically links to Zombozo's back, lifting him in the air. "Why, only what every clown worth his floppy shoes wants, of course, ta' make people laugh!" Zombozo then gets all up in Chance's face. "THEN DRAIN THEIR POSITIVE ENERGY, LIKE A SPONGE IN A POOL PARTY! Is that so wrooong?" Zombozo asks while slobbering in a grotesque manner.

Chance looks at the machine, then back at Zombozo. "I'm gonna make a guess here, and say that's the machine you use to suck the happiness out of your audience, like a large media franchise who only cares about money, being stupid and not much else?" Chance asked.

Zombozo laughed. "Yup, I call it the "Psyclown"! Clever, eh?" Chance rolled his eyes, unamused and unwilling to entertain Zombozo and his theatrics. "Soon I'll be taking my act to tha' big cities. Millions of people laughing for me! Feeding me...making me STRONGER!" Zombozo explained.

Chance started approaching Zombozo again, and Zombozo was starting to sweat bullets. "Sheesh, you are one tough kid to please. I feel bad for whatever lady finds you attractive, they're in for a rough ride." Zombozo quipped, laughing nervously as Chance kept approaching.

Chance noticed Sunset's geode and growled. "I want my friend's accessory back, and I want her back! Give up the ghost, or you're gonna join 'em. Pick your poison, you unfunny half-ass." Chance demanded.

"Her?" Zombozo looked at the geode, and feigned a gasp. "Didn't ya hear, pal? Your little floozie ran away with the circus, and your momma brought 'er right to me!" Zombozo remarked with a chuckle.

Zombozo snapped his fingers, and a spotlight shined down, showing Sunset, lying on the floor off to the side. Her body was drained and frail, still coughing up a few laughs. Luna was strapped to a furniture dolly and gagged with a rag as the circus freaks stood nearby. Chance looks at them in shock, then at Zombozo, stewing in his rage. Chance pressed the button on the Omnitrix and once Nitrofrost's icon came up, he twisted the icon backwards, and found the alien he was looking for.

Zombozo looked over at Chance, only to notice that his eyes were staring right at him. "You think you're so funny, don't you, fugly?" Chance hovered his hand over the Omnitrix's core for a moment and let a smirk form on his face, yet the blistering fury in his eyes never seized. "You wanna know what's funny? You and your goons are gonna die tonight. That's what I find funny right now." Chance remarked, pressing the Omnitrix's core down as he was enveloped in a flash of green light.

Chance felt his body stiffen and toughen up as his skin started to rapidly decompose and turn gray. His muscles tensed up and started to expand, and his bones started to grow out. Parts of Chance's body started to rip, tear and completely re-arrange themselves. Chance's hair changed from brown to a very dark gray, almost black in color. His shirt changed and started to tear up, as did his body. The portion of Chance's body between his torso and his pelvis was now completely gone, leaving only his spine to be seen.

Chance's feet tore through his shoes as his toes turned sharp, like talons. His pants became more uniform, a pair of ripped black pants with white stripes and detailing. Chance's left arm suddenly tore apart, exposing the bone, but flexed it like it wasn't an issue. Chance felt his mouth grow shut as his eyes beamed red. The Omnitrix barely re-shaped itself, yet never left Chance's wrist.

The alien stood tall and then roared out as it lunged forward with a hungry look in its eyes.

The flash of light dies down, and Chance is now transformed into Zombrex. The alien looks down at Zombozo, unmoving, unflinching, and probably worst of all, he was eyeing Zombozo up like prey. Zombozo was silent for a moment, but suddenly busted out laughing. Luna was muffling, struggling to try and break free, all while the circus freaks simply stared at the transformed teenager. Once Zombozo calmed down, he looked up at Zombrex with a confident smile. "Nice try, kid. But I sell the tricks, I don't buy 'em!" Zombrex remarked.

Without even uttering a word, Zombozo was swatted to the other side of the room, which caught the clown by surprise. "Ya know, I'm real fuckin' tired of you. Just smelling all those souls in your body. You stole life, knowing that those souls don't belong to you, never have, and never will. But hey, at least I can fight you properly like this, knowing there's something I fear even more than you..." Zombozo looked around as Zombrex's voice echoed out everywhere. Zombozo turned around and was met by a back hand to the face, which knocked Zombozo back, tangling him up in his wire. "Like, losing my my family to some goofball good for nothing emotional vampire!" Zombrex taunted.

The circus freaks looked above, and they still couldn't see the strange zombie alien anywhere. "In other words..." Zombozo turned around, only to be punched in his clown nose, letting a honk escape it. "You're going down, clown. I'm gonna rip you open like a kid on Christmas morning!" Zombrex called out in a venomous tone.

Zombozo was getting angry, as well as a bit scared. He looks around, trying to find any trace of the alien corpse that's been out of his line of sight. As Zombozo turns around one more time, a metal pipe suddenly comes careening towards him, smacking him into his machine and causing the red nodes to spark and explode. "Souls" come flying out of the machine; one of them flies into Sunset, returning her to normal, and her geode ends up falling right in front of her. The rest of the "souls" release in a wave across the sky, returning all the drooling townspeople outside back to normal.

Zombozo manages to get back up, noticing that his circus freaks had high-tailed out of the place. Zombrex lands right on top of the machine, causing him to turn around as the alien zombie stares down at him. "I-I'm warning you to b-back off!" Zombozo warned, his voice breaking every time he spoke.

Sunset gets up and puts her geode back on, only to notice that Luna was tied up. Sunset quickly gets to work on getting Luna free, but can't help but notice Zombrex as he stared down Zombozo, who was quaking in his clown shoes. "I'm gettin' pretty famished, bozo... give me one good reason why I shouldn't sink my teeth into that empty head of yours, and I might consider letting you go to prison. I'm a nice guy, aren't I?" 'Zombrex' remarked.

Zombozo balled his hands into fists and tried to hit Zombrex, and while he did manage to connect one of his punches to his chest, it didn't do anything. Zombrex's face opened up, unveiling a row of rotting sharp teeth, and that was enough to cause Zombozo to just fall to the ground, breathing heavily, the villainous clown backs away against the wall, all while Zombrex jumps down and starts to walk forward. Luna and Sunset look on in terror as Zombrex gets closer, and Zombozo finally breaks. The villain was now curled up in a ball, shielding himself with his arms as he started to ball his eyes out. "Oh, don't tell me you're afraid of old Zombrex?" Zombrex asks, taunting Zombozo.

Zombozo snivels and starts to plead for his life. "Please... No more! I give up, you won already, you psychopath! Just leave me alone!! Don't kill me, please!!" Zombozo pleaded.

Zombrex leaned in, and saw the fear in Zombozo's eyes. "Boo!" Zombrex said.

That was the final straw. Zombozo's head suddenly expands like a balloon and his entire body explodes into confetti. Zombrex takes a moment to recognize what just happened, and then looks at his hands. "Woah... okay, that- That kind of freaked me out!" Zombrex remarked. The Omnitrix starts timing out and in a flash of red light, Chance was returned to normal, though he did stagger a bit.

As he re-found his footing and walked over to Sunset and Luna, their shocked and scared expressions were enough to tell Chance that something was off, and he had to admit, being Zombrex that time, while it was liberating to let off some steam, he did feel as if he went a bit too far off the handle. "Ok, maybe I shouldn't use Zombrex for a while..." Chance remarked.

Luna and Sunset nodded in agreement. "Chance, how do you feel?" Luna asked.

Chance didn't know how to answer that question, but instead just hugged her and Sunset tightly. "I'll get back to you on that, but I guess I feel... better, I guess? I mean, I don't feel as reserved as I did before we showed up at the circus, but I still don't feel as if I'm ready to open up more, if that makes any sense." Chance explained.

Sunset shrugged her shoulders and patted Chance on the back, smiling. "It's a start, we'll get there, and I'm sorry for trying to look into your head without your permission, that was not cool." Sunset apologized.

Chance gave a thumbs up and a smile. "All is forgiven, as someone once told me," Chance looked at Luna, seeing her smile. He looked back at Sunset. "I just wanna know, why do you wanna look in my head so bad?" Chance remarked.

Sunset smiled sheepishly and sighed. "There's just so little I know about you, it's a bit hard to relate to you in any way and we've been stuck with each other for the past couple weeks or so, we've been through a bunch of crazy adventures as of late, and I barely learned anything about you," Chance laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Isn't there anything else besides games and your dad that you're comfortable with talking about?" Sunset asked.

Chance thought about that for a moment, and something did come to mind, but it was an odd topic. Chance sighed. "We'll talk about it when we get back to the RV, I promise. It's just that this isn't the place to talk about this." Chance stated, chuckling awkwardly.

As the RV travels down the road, Sunset was passed out, sound asleep in her bed. Chance chuckled as he looked at her from the front seat. "Poor girl, can't say I blame her for passing out right then and there, I'm a bit tired myself after chasing some freaky clown all night." Chance remarked.

Luna laughed a bit. "I can definitely relate, I could sleep for a good few days after that fiasco," Luna looks at Chance, and remembers something that he said earlier during his fight with Zombozo. "Chance, do you mind if I ask you something?" Luna asked.

Chance looked at Luna, thought about it and shrugged his shoulders. "Shoot your shot, VP. I'm all ears." Chance casually remarked.

Luna sighed. "Back with the fight with Zombozo-"

Chance groaned. "I told you, I don't know what happened! I just wanted to overpower him and break his machine, then get you and Sunset out of there, I don't know where any of that came from! Sure, I was angry, and I definitely felt like killing something, but I wasn't gonna go through with it. The plan was to rough him up, tie him up, break the machine, call the cops and get you and Sunset back to the RV, and away from the scene, I don't know what happened!" Chance stated defensively.

Luna sighed, smiling patiently. "I'm not referring to that, mister Marsten, I know that wasn't you in control, and Sunset knows it too," Chance let out a sigh of relief. "However, I wanted to talk about something you said during the fight." Luna reiterated.

Chance flinched and looked a bit panicked. "Calm down, it's nothing bad, I assure you..." the conversation went quiet for a couple moments, and Luna decided to just say what was on her mind. "What did you mean when you said that you didn't want to lose your family?" Luna asked.

Chance was a bit surprised, but seemed to relax. "Oh, that? Well, I was talking about you and Sunset, of course! You two already seem like a better family than the poor excuse for one that has any genetic relation to me, with the only good things to happen to that family was my dad and me," Luna was taken aback, but smiled. Chance's relaxed expression suddenly changed to that of concern. "Ah shit, was that taking things too far?" Chance asked, a bit frantic.

Luna chuckled. "No no, it's fine, at least to me, it is. Honestly, it's rather rare I get to connect at all with any of the student body, mostly because everyone complains that I'm a strict stickler for the rules," Chance sulked in his seat, seeming a bit embarrassed. "But, I do appreciate the honesty and clarification. There's nothing to worry about as long as we stick together, all three of us." Luna stated proudly.

Chance was hesitant to say something, but he didn't want to bottle it up with his emotions. "Even after the summer, when we all return to our normal lives... and I have to deal with them again?" Chance asked.

Luna abruptly stepped on the brakes, bringing the RV to a screeching halt, causing Sunset to fall out of bed. Luna grabbed Chance's face and looked at him dead in the eyes with a stern expression, catching him by surprise. "Mister Marsten, I promise, I will do all I can that's within my power and position to find a solution." Luna reassured.

Sunset pulled the curtain back and walked up front. "What happened, why we stop?" Sunset asked.

Chance smiled nervously and got up from his seat. "Just wanted to make sure we didn't run over a turtle. Want the front seat?" Chance offered.

Sunset shrugged and sat down as Chance laid back in the booth. "So, where to now?" Chance asked.

Luna thought for a moment, and smiled. "We'll have to wait and see." Luna remarked, driving down the road yet again.