The next day, Gloria heard the familiar sounds of feet climbing the small hill to her nest. She turned, ready to see the amigos approaching—ready for them to try to cheer her up again.
To her surprise, it was Noah, the chief elder.
"Noah, I…I wasn't expecting you", Gloria was put off-guard a little by his appearance.
"I have been informed that you've stopped eating. That you've given up on life." The elder began. Gloria was confused, Noah had never shown special interest in her before.
"What point is there in moving on?" Gloria replied with conviction, "I'll never be happy again."
Noah looked very sternly into Gloria's eyes, "You know, you remind me of another penguin who had once felt that his life was not worth living. He was depressed and lonely, without a friend in the world….", Noah paused. "You know who I'm talking about. If it weren't for you, Mumble would have likely died a much earlier death—if not a leopard seal, depression would have claimed his life. And worse, still, he would have died alone. You gave him that which he, and the majority of us others, thought would be permanently out of his reach: happiness."
"So now, here you stand. Mumble having confessed to you in his last moments of life how much you meant to him. Do you think that he wanted you to leave there that day, and just give up?"
Gloria looked away, ashamed.
"He never gave up on you…or his parents…or even me, the fool that I am. He sought to bring about a better future for all of us. His death is a tragedy of epic proportions, but it is nothing compared to the horrible waste that would result from you simply withering away—"
Gloria was confused. What had she done that would make her death so significant? And why was it that Noah, of all people, was the one pointing it out to her? He had never spoken to her one on one before…
"Look", Gloria interrupted, "I get that you want me to start eating again…and singing again…and to pretend that everything is the same as it always was. But what difference will it make?"
Noah smiled, pulling the final trick from his sleeve, "You've noticed that you haven't been feeling quite well recently—"
"How do you expect me to feel after my mortally wounded mate bleeds to death right before my eyes!" Gloria snapped.
Noah continued, "—you haven't been feeling well lately, because you are no longer just Gloria. If you continue to starve yourself, you will be starving another—one who could prove a great asset to our colony…"
Gloria's eyes widened in shock. "You mean we…Mumble and I…I'm…"
"You'd better see if you can find a close friend before winter comes, because you're going to need someone reliable to watch that egg."
Noah grinned at her one more time before turning to take his leave. As he walked away, he called over his shoulder, "then again, if Mumble is any indication, we could all stand to drop our eggs every now and then."
Gloria was all the more confused after receiving the news. She had always thought the nausea, the headaches, the stomach pain—that they were all just physical symptoms triggered by her emotional distress. She had forgotten, in light of recent events, that she and Mumble had been intending to have an egg.
Once more, her head spun with all of the conflicting emotions. She still wanted, desperately, to see Mumble again…but she couldn't just leave her egg behind! I bet it'll look just like him when it hatches, she thought.
That settled it.
She would have to wait to see Mumble…have to wait for the egg to hatch. She would have to raise the chick, watch it grow.
She would have to wait an eternity.
But now she understood what Mumble had told her. It would be forever before she could see him again…but then again, forever isn't very long at all.
Well, yet another Mumble-death-scenario story. I think this will be my last dark Happy Feet story...for now. I'm fairly satisified that I lightened things up near the end, though. Please read and review! I'm currently working on another Happy Feet story, so any input would help it be the best it can be!
As a side-note, I remembered to mention that I neither own Happy Feet nor the song Gloria sings ("Magic" by Ben Folds Five). However, I did alter a few of the lyrics to fit better with the story. At best I can claim ownership over this exact order and combination of letters.
I almost forgot to mention the portrayal of Noah the Elder. Obviously, Noah is placed in a very negative light in the movie. However, I can't help but feel that he was simply faced with a tough situation and a lot of pressure. After all, there must be some reason he's the leader (okay, he does seem to be the oldest, but humor me). I thought it would be interesting to paint Noah in a more positive picture in this story—a sort of Dumbledore-/Frieda-like character. So there you have it.