Author Notes - Hey, remember when I said that this story was going to be a oneshot? Oh, silly naive younger me... from a few months ago at the most.

CHAPTER FOUR - THE SCAPEGOAT

'Zooli, can you hear me?'

'Are you okay?'

'Respond to me, Zooli!'

Their voices became nothing but white noise to the very person they were directed at. Zooli buried her head into her arms, but every comment she saw stuck in her mind. She could hardly think of anything else.

They hate me… they hate me so much…

'ZOOLI!'

Suddenly, someone grabbed her by the shoulders. Next thing she knew, she was face-to-face with Molly. The sight of her favourite Guppy was the only bright spot in the middle of this stormy night.

'Zooli, you have to talk to me!' Molly cried. 'Say something so I know if you're still here!'

Zooli heard the request, but it didn't go through. The words blurred together until they became unrecognisable static. The world itself was beginning to blur, turning into a mess of colours and shapes that she knew were real but her brain could not recognise.

'Zooli, are you listening?'

'She's crying, Mr Grouper!'

'I-I can see that, Oona. Just… give me the moment to-'

'Molly, she's hyperventilating! Let go of her!'

Just as suddenly as she was grabbed, she was freed and she fell to the floor. Where was she? None of these shapes or colours felt familiar anymore. Lost and confused - and battered by the awful things said about her online - she curled up into a ball and cried into the floor.

'Zooli, I-!'

Deema was about to rush to her side, but Mr Grouper stopped her. He stood in front of Zooli - making sure not to get too close to her - and held his fins out to stop anyone from getting near her.

'No one goes near Zooli.' He said, his tone completely serious. 'Not until she recovers. She is clearly stressed in regards to these comments, so we have to let her calm down on her own accord.'

'But I-' Oona tried to say.

'We have to leave her be, for now. Once she's recovered from her shock, then we can go and help her if she wants it. But only if she wants it.'

The other Guppies wanted desperately to help out their newest friend, but they remained quiet. It became clear that their teacher was right, and so they left Zooli to deal with her stress in her own way. They couldn't ignore her though - it was impossible to ignore someone so frightened and confused.

'I'll stay by her side to make sure she's okay.' Mr Grouper continued. 'Do not do anything on the website without asking me first.'

He left the computer and took a seat not too far away from Zooli, making sure he was close enough to properly check up on her but not too close as to frighten her. It left the other Guppies alone at the computer, with all those nasty comments still on the screen.

'Poor Zooli…' Oona said, resting her chin on her arms. 'She doesn't deserve to go through this…'

Deema grabbed the mouse again. 'I'm going through and getting rid of all these mean old comments.'

'Don't!' Gil said. 'Mr Grouper told us not to do a thing. We've never seen fan outrage this crazy before, and it definitely wasn't targeted at someone. We might make it worse.'

'And deleting every comment could be seen as censorship.' Nonny added. 'We've made a rule to only delete the comments with offensive language or violent threats. And the ones discussing... more adult topics. We never delete comments that are just expressing an opinion.'

Deema grumbled. 'So we're just supposed to let these people say these mean things? I know it's all online, but… is Zooli just supposed to avoid the website?'

Goby rolled his eyes and groaned. 'Oh, I hate it whenever people say that you should just turn the screen off. Everyone uses screens and the internet today! And these people will find you anywhere if they want. It's never as simple as turning the computer off…'

Everyone turned to Molly, their de-facto leader when Mr Grouper wasn't around. She flinched a little when she noticed them looking at her instead of the screen, and all she could do was shrug.

'I… I don't know.' She said. 'I think that if we do delete comments, it might make them even angrier. And the last thing we need is people calling Zooli 'weak' or whatever these idiots think.'

'OOOOH!' Deema said, like a live studio audience. 'You know Molly's getting serious when she starts using the i-word.'

'Because this is serious! We just wanted to introduce Zooli to the band, and she was so excited to join, but now look at what we've done…'

Molly slumped her shoulders and hung her head, her gaze falling to the floor. Gil, never okay with seeing her so upset, moved from his spot so he was sitting right next to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile as he looked into her eyes.

'Don't feel bad, Molly.' He said. 'No one could've known that the fans would be this mad about it. It wasn't the plan for her to join from the beginning. We just found out that a new student would be coming to this class, and we figured that if she was a fan of ours, she should join. And she wanted to be a part of our band!'

'But we should've known!' Molly insisted. 'Do you guys remember what happened when Deema called Nonny 'Nonners' during the second album's announcement video?'

Deema groaned. 'Oh, we're talking about that again? Look, it isn't my fault if some of our fans think that cute little nicknames mean we like-like each other.'

'Of course it isn't! But the fans still took it and ran with it. Suddenly, the Dobers and the Neemers were at each other's throats. We never cared how our fans 'shipped' us as long as it wasn't too weird, but the Neemers had 'ammo' and the Dobers hated it. Next thing we knew, we had to delete more comments in one day than we ever had before in the months we have been making music for.'

The Guppies all shuddered at once. The 'Doby and Neema Wars', otherwise known as the 'Shipper War Incident' was one of the greatest events in their fandom's history. And not for the good reasons. It was a mess of one side throwing accusations of racism, and the other side being racist, hence all the deleted comments. It took the Guppies intervening about five times to solve it, and only when Deema personally said that it was just a little nickname that meant nothing and she didn't care if she was 'shipped' with Goby or Nonny, or even Gil and the girls. She drew the line with Bubble Puppy though (which was exceedingly rare and typically involved transformations, but still).

Afterwards, well… let's just say there was a very good reason why it took until our Season Five for Deema to start calling Nonny 'Nonners' again.

Deema slammed her fist into the table. 'That's it. I'm making a video!'

'OR!' Molly yelled, grabbing the mouse away from her. 'We could think about things before we end up stoking the flames by accident. Most of the response videos we made in regards to the Shipper War Incident just made the problems worse. And now, we have a poor new girl in the centre of everything. When the wars happened, we were already used to being stars. Zooli isn't, though. We cannot afford to make the situation any worse.'

Goby sighed. 'I'd hate to say it, but… Molly has a point. No matter how angry we are, we have to be careful. If we don't do this right, this could ruin everything for Zooli.' He paused. 'More than it already has.'

While the original six Guppies conversed, Mr Grouper sat on the floor and waited until Zooli was ready. He didn't say a word, and waited in silence. It wasn't easy watching his own student crying on the floor so harshly, but he knew well that intervening could make her mood much worse.

After a while, she lifted her head off the floor. Her heart race had slowed down, but it was still beating a little faster than normal. Only then did she remember where she was, and what she was doing. Tears were streaming down her face, and she relaxed only slightly when she saw Mr Grouper watching over her with a gentle smile.

'Are you feeling better now, Zooli?' He asked.

She looked around the room, unsure how to answer that question.

'There's a lot of people here.' Mr Grouper continued. 'Would you like to come with me to the teacher's lounge, so we can discuss this in private?'

It took a few seconds, but Zooli responded with a nod and a quiet whimper.

'Okay.' Her teacher said. 'We'll go into the room.'

Zooli could hardly believe his tone of voice. His appearances in the videos on the website showed him to be quite energetic when he spoke, but now his voice was calm and gentle. It kinda reminded her of the sweet yellow pegasus from My Little Seahorse, who was a large part as to why seahorses were her favourite sea animal. He held out a fin for her, and she took it after a little hesitation.

'You'll love it in the teacher's lounge.' He said. 'It's nice and quiet in there.'

He allowed Zooli to take her time as he guided her through the classroom and into the private lounge. Once inside, her nerves relaxed immediately. It was perhaps the quietest room she had ever been in, for even her bedroom could be quite loud thanks to all her pets. It was a simple room to be sure, and it almost resembled the lovely dining room in her grandparents' house.

'Come on.' Mr Grouper said, gently guiding her through the room. 'Let's have a sit down on the couch, hm?'

'O-Okay.' She replied, sniffling a little.

He got her settled onto the couch before he sat down himself, making sure she was as comfortable as could be. She buried herself into one of the pillows, smiling for a moment thanks to the warm silk. He sat down next to her, making sure to be close but not too close.

'I'm so sorry about what happened today.' He said, frowning. 'After the shipping wars, I should've known that something like this would've happened. This was meant to be the greatest day of your life, but I think we ended up ruining it. I'm sorry, Zooli.'

Zooli opened her mouth to speak, but only managed a little hiccup. She breathed in and out a few times before she could speak up for real.

'D-Don't be.' She said. 'I-I really am happy to be with the Bubble Guppies. They've always been my favourite band, ever since I heard their first song! They really helped me get through my last school. And the move too. I always wanted to be a part of the band!' She paused, and sighed. 'I-I just didn't think it would end up like this.'

'I know this is a lot to deal with.' Mr Grouper said. 'An angry fanbase is one of the most terrifying things on the planet. It isn't your fault! It will never be your fault if the fandom gets angry. Well, I suppose that isn't quite accurate. I've seen some stars do some really stupid things. But this isn't like one of those times. This is just a fandom that couldn't handle a change. Just so you know, any reason they come up with for bringing you in is wrong. We didn't do it for clicks, or for 'forced representation', or anything like that. We invited you in because we knew you would like it. … Well, we thought you would.'

Zooli sunk into the pillow, trying to forget about her troubles for just a moment. She wanted to say something, but she had no idea what.

'You can be completely honest with me, Zooli.' Mr Grouper continued, leaning in just a little closer. 'Do you want to back out of this? I don't really want to give the rowdy fans exactly what they want, but… if you want to leave the band now, you are welcome to.'

Zooli whimpered. 'I… I don't know. I'm still happy to be here, a-and if it wasn't for those fans, I would love to stay. B-But with those fans, I…' She choked back a sob. 'I-I know it's all online! It seems so silly to be so upset over something that isn't really happening to me in real life, but… i-it's knowing that people are saying that about me that hurts. E-Even if I stayed off the internet - which is not happening these days - those people will still be saying that about me. And… i-it hurts.'

Things went quiet again, for Mr Grouper wanted Zooli to have all the time and silence that she needed. Her eyes drifted throughout the room, rather waywardly. Her gaze settled on a collection of photos on the wall, right in front of the couch. They were all photos of the Guppies and their teacher, with each one taken during one of their many amazing field trips. With each one she looked at, Zooli was more and more convinced that she was looking at total strangers and not the Guppies whose music she listened to every day.

She got off the couch to have a closer look, and found her heart sinking at the sight. At first, she focused on Nonny standing in front of a complete triceratops fossil in the museum. If what Oona had said was any indication, Nonny had found this entire fossil by himself just by sneezing. Zooli couldn't even begin to imagine how he managed to do something like that.

That must've felt so awesome… if only I was there for it…

There were so many photos that she couldn't even count them, and each was so different from the last. One that piqued her interest was the Guppies swishing-and-swooshing a paper dragon in the Chinese New Year's parade. Apparently, Bubbletucky had its own little Chinatown. The Chinese New Year's parade in Big Bubble City was pretty good, but compared to one with her favourite Guppies it was nothing. If only she could've attended it in person...

'I don't wanna leave the band.' She said, gazing at the photos. 'I love the Guppies too much to just leave them. Well, at least, I thought I knew the Guppies. Then I heard Goby talk about his sisters, who I never knew he had, and I… oh, never mind. But… but those fans…'

'ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!' Deema yelled from the other room, cutting her off. 'Someone's already made a response video to it?! Well, let's be fair. It could be… oh, no. It's made by MegaGuppiesFan05. No, it isn't. … DO THESE PEOPLE NOT HAVE A LIFE?!'

'Deema!' Molly said, trying to calm her down. 'Let's not say that about our fans. They already get accusations for wasting their lives writing fanfictions.'

'Writing a fanfiction isn't wasting your life! THAT'S FUN! Making an entire video just to insult a kid isn't my definition of 'fun'!'

Zooli, despite the terrible circumstances, managed a small smile. It brought light to her and her tired heart that her new friends, though she hadn't known them for very long at all, were willing to stand up for her.

'Remember, Zooli.' Mr Grouper said, getting up to place a fin on her shoulder. 'It's your decision. If those rowdy fans are too much for you to handle, that is okay. Don't let people tell you that you're a coward for struggling to deal with it. The internet may be awesome, but it has also ruined a lot of lives. But, if you do wanna stay, we'll all make sure that you're safe and happy. And I can guarantee that my students - your new friends - will support you no matter what choice you make.' He gave her a gentle pat. 'And don't think you have to make a choice now. And no one said the choice will be permanent. It's all up to you.'

The new student looked up at the photos as she thought about her decision. Just a few days ago, she would've taken this opportunity without even needing to think about it first. The knowledge of how the fans thought about it, however, made the decision so much harder. It was an opportunity that she didn't want to miss - imagine that: being a part of your favourite band, well known by the whole world! But those angry fans loomed over her.

'Zooli?'

The new voice made her flinch. She didn't even need to turn around to realise who it was - the sweet yet bubbly voice could only belong to Oona. The pigtailed Guppy had entered the room silently, and judging by her misty eyes wasn't taking this situation much better.

'Oh, hey Oona.' Zooli said, giving a weak wave.

'L-Listen,' Oona said, unable to look her new friend in the eye. 'I know it's all been really awful. If you wanna leave the band now, we won't mind at all. But, if you'll come with me… maybe we can convince you to stay, if you want.'

Zooli sighed. 'Alright. I'll give it a shot.'

And so, Oona brought Zooli back to the others, where four sad Guppies and one very angry Deema awaited her.

Author Notes - You may remember the 'Neema or Doby Wars' from I'm Not Okay, where they were brought up as a joke. I decided this was a good place to follow up on that. It isn't based on something that really happened in the fandom, but is just a reference to generic shipping wars. Though, it also takes inspiration from a situation involving me.

See, I once wrote a fanfiction called 'A Starry Wish', which I plan to rewrite and re-release to avoid this from happening again. It was meant to be a friendship-oriented fanfic starring Deema and Nonny, but I threw in some hints of romance, and... it was bad. Getting told that I was 'racist' and that the story 'would have been better' if it was Doby or Noona (when that would've gone against the ENTIRE POINT of the story) was a little discouraging. I will be honest, these accusations is partly the reason why I usually ship Doby or Noona now. I say PARTLY because it's really mostly because it just seemed more fitting and more aligned with what the show itself seems to be implying.

The thought that there ARE actually racist Bubble Guppies fans out there disgusts me to my core... If possible, please don't discuss this in the reviews because I don't want to deal with that.