So...This Chapter will be partly dedicated to the Trevelers partly to those who stay behind and finally to Matoaka and Zander at Fabuland.
Fossil booked the trip, the Flying Boat would arrive at dawn, Marzipan looked for a Book to take with her for the trip
"Marzi?" Ichabod asked as he came in.
"Hey Ichy." Marzipan said as her eyes darted from book to book "Fossil said the trip will take two days and be boring...No in-flight movie or anything like that, Fossil said when he went to Fabuland he slept most of the trip, so I'm trying to decide which Book I want to bring for the trip."
"I was thinking about that." Ichabod said with a grin "And I remembered something...I was planning to give you this for your birthday next month..."
Ichabod came forth with a beautiful fat sketchbook.
"I know how much you love to doodle..." Ichabod said "...So when I was at the office supply store and saw this sketchbook I realized this would be so much better then loose printer paper which ends up getting scattered all over the place."
Marzipan's eyes glowed "Oh Ichy!" She purred "Thanks so much!" And she kissed his cheek.
When the flying boat arrived with the rising sun...It was remarkably similar the the Ninja Tribunal's Boat only smaller.
The Boat had no windows or portals, when a door opened what appeared to be a Stewardess stood in the doorway. She was a beautiful young Black Cat Girl
"Welcome!" Chirrped the Black Cat Girl "To Fabuland Flights my name is Burma, I'll be your..."
"BURMA!" Marzipan exclaimed her tail was like a pipe cleaner "Is it really you?!" Marzipan looked like she was seeing a Ghost!
Burma heard and she turned and looked at Marzipan and the look of seeing a Ghost also appeared
"Marzipan?" Burma squaked "Is it really you?"
"Who else do you know who has pink and purple fur?" Marzipan laughed with her eyes starting to shimmer.
Marzipan ran over to the Black Cat Girl and they began furiously licked each others' faces.
Quickly everyone began to board the Flying Boat. And as the journey began the two Cat Girls couldn't stop asking each other questions.
"What happened to you?" Marzipan asked "I hadn't seen you since kindergarten! What happened? How did you escape the Wranglers?"
"When the Wranglers attacked Mizzer." Said Burma "I ran...And I fell down a crack in the ground...Apparently the Angels couldn't have me captured by the Wranglers because of my...Unique Psychic Powers they rescued me...Sent me straight to Fabuland and many years later I decided I would become a Stewardess!"
We'll return to the Journey Later, everyone who elected to stay behind returned to Third Earth either the one they knew or thise strange 'Counter Third-Earth' as Edward Green termed it.
Karai and Chapman had brought over to Kayla's House the Morning Glories' treasure, which they hadn't been able to utalyze during the Battle for Third Earth...Which serching a Junkyard for a viecle they had discovered a Van which could hold the seven of them, it was teal in color, after Nim had to discuise herself to purchese gasoline and Earl had gotten the Van in working condition Hank began to drive the Van back to the Portland Headquarters but couldn't resit a drag race with a Human Driver and crashed it into a lamppost.
Mikey and Raph got a few good gut busting laughs out of that.
Don inspected the massive dent that was still in one side of the Van. "That is nasty." He said "But I think with me at your side..." He lifted the diminutive Hamster Mutant to the hood of the car "I think we can not only repair it...But we can give you guys your own equivilent to the Battle Shell!"
Don and Earl began working, with Hank standing by to hold things or bring them something they needed.
"Oh boy!"Earl giggled as he marveled at the improvments Don was beginning to the engine "This is gonna be great."
Don quite frankly couldn't have been more thilled to meet a Mutant as pasonate about Machines as he was.
"Thanks Earl." Don said
"To think..." Earl said "...If what Karai said is true and Raph marries Olive, we'll be...Brothers In-Law!"
"Huh!" Don was confused
"Cuz Olive is our sister and Raph is your Brother." Hank said
"Oh!" Don realized and chuckled "I failed to realize you guys really are Brothers and Sisters...Because you're all different species!" Don shook his head "But really...The four of us were raised by a Rat and we have no doubt he is our Father...And the four of us...We aren't related by blood either."
"You aren't?" Exclaimed Kayla who was sunbathing nearby "You guys seemed like perfect Quadruplets!"
"We seem that way..." Don said "Probobly because we're all the same species of the Turtle and the TCRI Mutagen Mutated us simerally but none of us are blood relatives, believe I've checked and double checked." Don sighed "But yeah...If Raph and Olive marry then we will really be your brothers in-law..." Don's voice became quieter as he said "At least one of us gets to marry the girl of his dreams..."
The Hamster and Rhino looked at each other, reminded that Don couldn't stay with Belladonna because her Society had a strict isolationist policy."
"Don..." Earl said "...I didn't mean to remind you of..."
"No." Don said quickly "It's fine." But a quick sniffle and a wiping at the corner of his eye betrayed his true feeling "It's fine." He said even more quitly
THe three of them continued to work silently.
Meanwhile at Fabuland Zander had just returned from getting Amalthia ready for her nap when Matoaka returned from the Library, she was hot, sweaty and exsausted. Her Mane was beginning come back a bit, it currently looked like she had a short black mowhawk. Zander refrained from mentioning it because he didn't want her to cut her mane back to stubble again, Zander missed her beautiful ebony mane...
"Hey Mattie." Zander said
"Hey Zander..." Matoaka wiped the sweat from her brow "Thanks so much for sticking with me and tending to Amalthia while I do my studies...I know this has been a lot to ask."
"Mattie, I'm your husband." Zander said "I know that in every life you face bad times along with the good times."
Matoaka took her tail her hands and began to tug at it. "Zander..." She said quietly "...Ever since we've met I've had something I wanted to do with you...And never got the chance to ask you because...Things kept preventing me...When I realized I was pregnant I couldn't ask you bcause...I couldn't lay belly down during my pregnancy and even after Amalthia was born thing kept distracting me from asking you..."
"Mattie!" Zander exclaimed "What is it you're asking for?"
Matoaka sighed "What I wish is to lay my head in your lap and sleep."
Zander looked absolutely confused
"It's this instinct we Unicorns have." Matoaka said "When we come across Humans or other Non-Unicorns we truly love and trust, we have this profound instinct to want to sleep with our heads in those creatures laps...My Mom would often mention when Dad would sleep with his head in her Lap...Zander I know this must sound strange..."
Zander simply laughed merrily "Not at all Mattie! Not at all!" Zander slid his rump over to the corner of the L shaped sofa so Matoaka could have a good postion to lie down and place her head in his lap "By all means...My Lap is your throne..."
Matoaka lay her weary head in his lap. Zander stroked her mane...For a moment he perfectly content, knowing it was these kinds of moments that make every hardship and sacrifice worthwhile..."
When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning
And the future has passed without even a last desperate warning
Then look into the sky where through the clouds a path is torn
Look and see her how she sparkles, it's the last unicorn