Chapter 25 – Caught!

SpongeBob and Cindy help Alex up into the chute entrance. As Jimmy flips inside with the others, every toy is in the chute. They look down the grimy tunnel. "Think it's safe?" Cindy asked.

"I guess I'll find out." SpongeBob replied. Turning to Sherman and Agnes, "Come on guys." Sitting on their rears, SpongeBob, Sherman, and Agnes try sliding down, bracing themselves but they slips down faster. They slides down to the bottom, overlooking a dark open dumpster. "SpongeBob! Agnes! Sherman! You OK?" Cindy called down.

"Yeah." SpongeBob said, standing up straight. "Come on down. But not all at once."

"What did he say?" Oscar asked.

"I think he said 'all at once'." Cody replied.

"No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" SpongeBob pleaded. The toys all slide down, and collide into SpongeBob. He totters, but were pulled back by Sandy and Cindy. "Thanks, guys." He said, relieved.

Jimmy steps up to the front, and asked, "Donde esta mi nave?"

"We're almost there, guys." SpongeBob clarified. "Cliff, you think you can make it?" he asked, looking down at Clifford.

"I may be old, but I got a spring in my step." Clifford said. He runs to the edge, and jumped to the other side, stretching his middle. He clutches onto the closed lid the best he can. The toys pump their fists in victory.

"He did it!" Cindy cheered.

"All right, Cliffordkins!" Cody cheered.

"OK, climb across." Clifford said. Someone stops in front of him. The force of the feet landing on the dumpster made Clifford startled. It was the sheep toy Bellwether. She looms over him, while a devilish smirk crosses her face. Baby Huey somehow reported that the toys were trying to escape. Even Bellwether's personality is still hinted with animosity and treachery.

"You lost, little doggy?" Bellwether teased. Clifford gasped. With an evil smile, Bellwether kicks away Clifford with her hoof, undoing Clifford's grasp. SpongeBob, Sandy, and Jimmy pull the dog back to safety.

'Bellwether! I should've known!" Sherman sensed.

"Well, well. Look who's back!" the sheep said, while her servants join him.

The toys hear squelching. The toys turn to see Dave the Octopus clambering down, blocking a way out to escape. Zim looks up at the wall. Weaver and Bender push a broken Chatter Telephone onto the wall. "I'm sorry, sponge. You too, squirrel." The Lifer weakly said. SpongeBob and Sandy look up, shocked. They hate to see him in such a grisly fate. "They broke me."

"What are you all doing?" Bellwether mocked. "Running back to your kid? He don't want you no more."

The toys all look at Zim with angry looks. "That's a lie!" SpongeBob spat out angrily.

"Is it? Tell me this, sponge. If your kid wants you so much, why is he leavin'?" Zim asked. SpongeBob just stood there, fuming as his face turns red in anger. The other toys are angry too. "You think you're special, sponge boy?" Bellwether asked. "You're a piece of plastic!" "

Sandy sputtered angrily, "You think he's just a piece of plastic?! You are a dirty, dirty, liar! And your…your…plush hide is on fire!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, get this: you were made to be thrown away!" Bellwether shouted. Before the argument can get any further, a beep is heard in the distance. "Speak of the Devil." Zim walked over to the edge, and sees a garbage truck in an alley. The toys look horrified. Bellwether walks back to the spot she's at, and said, "Now we need toys in our Joey Room, and you need to avoid that truck. Why don't you come back? Join our family again?"

SpongeBob seethes, but Cindy steps forward, taking her leader's defense. "This isn't a family! THIS IS A PRISON! You're a liar, a deceiver, and a bully! AND I'D RATHER ROT IN THIS DUMPSTER THAN JOIN ANY FAMILY OF YOURS!"

"Cindy's right!" Star said. Seething, she continued, "Authority should derive from the consent of the governed, but not from the threat of force!"

Oscar and Cody share a shrug, not understanding what Star meant. "If that's what you want." Bellwether smirked. She claps his hands, and Dave begins shoving them toward the edge, until….

"Star! Wait!" The voice came from Marco, who's still in his smiley face boxers. He runs forward, pleading, "Don't do this, Zim!"

"But he's a Star Butterfly doll, Marco! There's a hundred million, just like her!" Bellwether replied, irked. Marco turns his head, and said, "Not to me, there's not."

Star puts her hand over her heart. Having enough, the giant sheep toy bellowed, "FINE!" He picked up Marco and tosses him across the dumpster opening. "Then why don't you JOIN HER?!"

SpongeBob quickly catches Marco from the wrist. He pulls him back to safety, along with some of his friends' assistance. Star hugs Marco. "Oh, Marco!"

Marco stands and said, "Everyone, listen! Sunnyside could be cool and groovy if we treat each other fairly and kindly! It's Bellwether!" He points to the sheep, and the toys glare angrily at him. "She's made herself into a pyramid, and she put himself on top!"

"Anyone concur with Marco?" Zim asked. Weaver and Bender look at each other confused. The garbage truck moves a little closer to pick up another dumpster. Agnes sensed furiously, "I should've known you were so selfish!"

Sherman stepped up, "My sister's right! You were a kind sheep, and now you're nothing but an evil toy trying to keep us from escaping!" His voice rose to an angry yell, "YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A PUSHY, LAZY, BOSSY, INCONSIDERATE, NOSY, GOOD-FOR-NOTHING BUSY BODY WHO HAS TURNED AN INNOCENT DAYCARE INTO AN ARMED PRISON!"

Bellwether chuckled mockingly, "Oh, yeah? What else would you think, little red-haired nerd?"

Sherman angrily yelled at Bellwether again, "MY NAME IS SHERMAN! YOUR NAME MAY BE BELLWETHER, BUT YOUR NAME IS LIAR BECAUSE YOU WERE THE ONE TELLING LIES TO US! YOU KNOW WHAT THE ODDS ARE THAT WE WILL NEVER LET YOU PREVENT OUR ESCAPE?! THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE OF THAT!"

"My friend Sherman is right! That's what you are!" SpongeBob scolded the sheep. "You're all those things, and you're preventing us from escaping! BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY YOU WERE BROUGHT UP! AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT CALLING SHERMAN A NERD!"

A moment of silence swept throughout, until Bellwether turned serious, "I didn't throw you away. Your kid did! Your kid! Ain't one kid ever loved a toy, really! Chew on that when you're at the dump!" Bellwether chided, going off.

"Wait! What about Mabel?" SpongeBob called out.

Bellwether stops in her tracks, and glares at SpongeBob. She growled, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mabel? You used to do everything with her?" SpongeBob asked.

"Yeah. Then she threw us out." Bellwether said.

"No. She lost you!" SpongeBob complied.

"She replaced us!" Bellwether turned around.

"She replaced YOU!" SpongeBob pointed to the sheep. "And if you couldn't have her, then so one could! You lied to Baby Huey and you've been a liar….lying ever since!" SpongeBob took out the heart shaped pendant that Shifu gave him.

Baby Huey whimpers sadly as he finds the pendant in SpongeBob's hand. He had been one of Mabel's adored possessions, along with Shifu and Bellwether, until the sheep who turned into a sheep of hostility, animosity, and treachery.

"Where did you get that?' Bellwether asked suspiciously.

"She loved you, Zim!" SpongeBob said.

"She never loved me!" Zim shout back.

"As much as any kid ever loved a toy!" As a result, SpongeBob tosses the pendant at Baby Huey's feet. Baby Huey picks it up, and studies it as tears began forming in his eyes. "Mama." He mumbled under his breath.

Bellwether forcefully snatched the pendant from Baby Huey's hand. The sheep roared, "WHAT?! YOU WANT YOUR MOMMY BACK?! SHE NEVER LOVED YOU! DON'T BE SUCH A BABY!" In outrage, Bellwether tosses the pendant to her feet. She stomps on it breaks into millions of pieces. Baby Huey's face crumples, and he's severely devastated that he starts to cry.

"Push 'em in! ALL OF 'EM!" Bellwether commanded. Dave pushes the toys again. Bellwether pushes Baby Huey in the stomach and the duck shrinks back, hurt. "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DUMMIES TRY TO THINK! WE'RE ALL JUST TRASH! WAITING TO BE THROWN AWAY! THAT'S ALL A TOY IS!" Bellwether boomed. Baby Huey furiously picks up Bellwether and carries her to the opening of the dumpster. "Hey, stop it! Put me down, you idiot!"

Baby Huey tosses the sheep. The sheep yelled as she fell into the dumpster. "No! No! W-Wait a minute! Baby Huey, WAIT!" Baby Huey has just closed the dumpster. SpongeBob and the toys look down at the closed dumpster in silence. Alex breaks the silence. "He's gone!"

"Holy cow." Oscar said.

"Oh, my God." Sherman and Agnes whispered, awestruck.

Baby Huey blows a raspberry at the closed dumpster, resulting that Bellwether will never have to bully or torment him again.