Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters. I do own Alex the penguin and the two younger kids, Sam and Ethan.

Moving from tree to tree, Mark and the others stay hidden from the humans passing by. He had a bad feeling about this, but he kept following Alex and her sister because he told himself that they seemed to know what they were doing. He noticed Jack was looking nervous too, and after a few moments, the Irish Youtuber turned to him and whispered," I think we should have stayed inside."

Mark nodded, frowning. "I wish we had," he muttered. "Once Skipper discovers that we've gone, he's going to be furious!"

Jack looked scared, and both of them jumped when Alex spoke up. "It's going to be fine," she reassured them, but Mark noticed the uncertainty in her eyes that told him she didn't really believe that.

For a while nobody spoke; then Jack sucked in a breath and Mark turned to see MatPat walking around a little ahead of them. Jack looked ready to dash forward to meet him, but Alex jumped in his way.

"Not yet," she whispered. "Let's get closer and come up with a plan, first."

Jack opened his mouth, as if to protest. Then he seemed to think about it and nodded. They followed Alex and Sam to a tree, close enough that they could hear MatPat muttering to himself.

"Where are they?" he was saying as he turned around, looking in all directions.

"He's looking for us," Jack said quietly.

"We need to get his attention somehow," Mark added.

Alex looked thoughtful. "It'll be hard to get his attention while he's a human," she murmured. "We probably need to turn him into an animal before we try to talk to him…"

Mark and Jack exchanged a look, remembering the first time they were turned into penguins. They were shocked and scared and convinced they'll stay that way forever, and when they were changed back into humans, there was a huge relief and they hurried back to the hotel to see their friends again.

They knew MatPat would be surprised and upset, but they agreed with the female penguin. If they try talking to their friend while he is still a human, he wouldn't understand them and he might even call someone to take them away.

Then we'll never see any of our friends again, Mark thought sadly.

They remained silent as Alex pulled out the invention and aimed it toward MatPat. But before she could press any buttons, something gray fell out of the tree above them, followed by more creatures. It was King Julien and his subjects, and the king's son was also there.

Mark gasped, surprised to see the lemurs, and he heard Jack and Sam gasp, too. But Alex didn't make a sound as she faced Julien and the others.

"Good evening, Your Majesty," she spoke calmly, dipping her head respectfully.

"Hello, my subject penguin," the king said, with a glance at the Youtubers.

Mark looked at Jack, unsure what to do now. He peeked out of hiding to see that MatPat was glancing around, eyes wide. Clearly, he had heard the animals, but he didn't know what the noise was or where it came from.

Then he shrugged. "Maybe they're back at the hotel by now," he muttered, and started walking away. Mark realized their chance of talking to their friend and explaining everything was slipping away. We need to go to him now!

He looked at Alex, but she was busy talking to the king of the lemurs, and MatPat was getting farther and farther away. Thinking fast, Mark nudged Jack toward their friend. "Come on," he whispered.

Jack looked surprised, but then he nodded and followed him out of hiding. They ran to the human, calling his name. MatPat spun around, staring in shock as the two penguins waddled up.

"I know you can't understand us," Mark said. "But it's us, Mark and Jack." His eyes met MatPat's, noticing the disbelief in them as if he couldn't believe that these animals were strolling in the park. I wonder if he thinks we espcased from the zoo, Mark thought, suddenly realizing for the first time that it wasn't natural to see penguins in Central Park.

MatPat started backing away. "I-I need to call someone," he stammered, reaching for his phone.

"No, please!" Mark's heart pounded in his chest. "Please, understand!" He stared into MatPat's eyes, willing him to realize who he was. His friend froze and stared at him for so long that he thought he was starting to understand.

But before either of them could do anything, Alex appeared and pointed the invention at MatPat. Light shot from the machine and Mark covered his eyes. When he finally turned back, his eyes widened when he saw another penguin laying on the ground. For a moment the creature didn't move. Then Mark heard him groan, and watched as he sat up.

Dazed, he looked around, gasping when he saw the animals. He stumbled to his feet and started backing away, freezing when he saw his flippers in front of his eyes. He let out a scream and started running around in panic.

Quickly Mark ran to him. "MatPat! MatPat, calm down! It's me, Markiplier!"

MatPat stared wide eyed at him. "M-Mark?" he stammered. "I-Is it really you? W-What happened? Why are y-you a penguin?" He paused to examine his flippers again. "W-Why am I a p-penguin?"

Jack walked up. "Do you remember our last visit here?" he asked, and MatPat stared at him, confused. "It's me, Jacksepticeye."

"J-Jack?" he stammered, and Jack nodded. "I-I remember the last time," he went on shakily. "Y-You two went missing over night. You said you found another place to stay, and didn't go into details and said all that mattered was that you were safe… So… W-What happened? Did you turn into penguins last time, t-too?"

His friends nodded. "But h-how?" MatPat asked.

Mark turned and gestured to Alex, who walked up. "This is Alex," he told MatPat. "She lives at the Central Park Zoo, with…" He hesitated, unsure to mention Skipper and his team. Alex looked at him, seeming to know what he was thinking. She shook her head slightly, so all he said was," With her father."

"Hello," Alex said, smiling, but MatPat just stared at her, eyes still wide.

The lemurs appeared beside them, and the king looked ready to say something, but before he uttered a word, someone calling out to them interrupted him. Mark turned, fear shooting through him.

Oh no, Skipper!

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