When Two Nurseries Collide

Chapter 5: In the Closet

Gonzo touched the doorknob. "Ready?" he asked. Everyone nodded, and he opened the door, revealing a herd of wild horses that was galloping straight towards them. "Whoo-hoo-hoo!" Gonzo shrieked, slamming the door, and pressing his back to it.

Scooter stepped forward. "Here, let me try. Weird things like that only happen when you open this door." He opened it, and right in front of them was a mine cart and enough helmets with headlights to go around.

"C'mon, let's go!" said Kermit, leading them inside.

"But I'll get my dress all dirty!" protested Miss Piggy.

"But we gotta find him!" argued Brave Heart, "You gots ta be brave, like me! We won't let nothin' happen, right guys?"

The cubs shook their heads, and Proud Heart said, "You can always get another dress, right?"

"I guess so…" sighed Piggy, donning a helmet, "Let's go…"

They all climbed into the cart, and Rolf released the brake. The cart moved forward, powered by their imaginations, and as they went uphill Piggy notice that there were jewels embedded in the walls. She reached out and tried to take one, but it split in half widthwise, revealing itself to be a crystal eye that peered unblinkingly at the piglet.

"Eew!" she squealed, "Yucko-ptooie!"

The others laughed until they crested the hill and plunged down…into total darkness. Even their headlights couldn't penetrate the gloom. Everyone screamed, Brave Heart screaming the loudest of all, and this continued until they hit something with a squelch and went flying. No one was hurt, however, because their landing was quite soft.

"Everyone okay?" asked Swift.

"Uh-huh…" answered the cubs and the muppets.

"Where aaare we?" whispered Gentle Heart.

Gonzo adopted a storyteller's posture, and announced, "We have just entered the Weirdo Zone!"

"Oh, brother…groaned Piggy.

"Wha?" Animal looked at Gonzo, not understanding.

"Anything can happen here," continued the weirdo, who was obviously relishing this, "so consider yourselves warned. Hehehehe…"

Brave Heart glanced wildly around, and caught Gentle Heart's eye. He opened his mouth to ask her something, but she saw his dilemma and beat him to it. "It's scaaary in here…will you please hooold my hand?"

"Sure!" he quickly agreed, and Swift Heart pretended to be inspecting his fingernails. Brave Heart was glad that for once Swifty wasn't taking the opportunity to make fun. Although he probably would have, if he hadn't known how extreme the lion's fear really was.

Due to their imaginations, they were most likely walking on pillows and blankets, rather than the pink, mushroom-like substance they seemed to be walking on now. But with the Muppet Babies and their imaginations, anything and everything was possible.

"Follow me," ordered Gonzo, "we're going in!" He stepped forward with a flourish, but his foot got stuck in the mushroom floor. He pitched forward onto his face, his hooked nose making a comical honking sound when it hit…but he was up in a second, and he walked on as if it hadn't happened.

Bright Heart turned to Scooter, and asked, "Is that normal behavior for him?"

Scooter nodded, and Swift Heart said, "Kinda reminds me of you, Brave Heart!"

Brave Heart stopped and made a fist. "Watch it, long-ears!"

Swift Heart wagged a finger tauntingly. "I'll tell the Muppets your seeeeecreeeeet…" he threatened.

Surprisingly, Gentle Heart took an aggressive step forward, and warned, "Don't you daaaare!"

Swift Heart held his paws up in surrender and they hurried to catch up with the others, but they found themselves alone.

"Nice going, Hoppy." Muttered Brave Heart, giving the rabbit's head a little tweak.

"Hey!" Swift rubbed his head, "It's not my fault the big bad lion's a scaredy-cat!"

"I am not!" Brave Heart let go of Gentle Heart's paw, and gave Swift Heart a shove.

"Stooop it!" Gentle Heart tried to get between them, but the lion cub accidentally knocked her down. "Oof!"

"Now look what you did!" they both yelled accusingly.

"It was your fault!" yelled Swift, "You always fly off the handle, and you're the one who knocked her down!"

Brave Heart's lip quivered a bit, then he yelled, "Well, who needs you anyways!" He ran off into the dark before the other two could stop him.

"Thaaat was mean, Swiiift!" scolded Gentle Heart, getting to her feet, "You promise him you wouldn't teeeease him, and you diiid it anywaaaay."

"Oops…"

* * *

Brave Heart stopped running after a few minutes, and sniffled angrily. He spotted a little mushroom on the 'floor,' and he plucked it and hurled it into the dark, yelling, "Stupid rabbit!"

"Ow!"

Playful Heart stepped into the glare of Brave Heart's headlight. "Who's there?" he asked, shielding his eyes.

"Me." said Brave Heart, wiping his nose.

"Whatcha doing in here?"

"Looking for you. And Swift Heart's a meanie!"

Playful Heart blinked. "What'd he do to you?"

"He said a mean thing." Brave Heart shrugged evasively.

Playful let it drop. Instead, he said, "He's the bad boy now!"

They giggled a bit, and suddenly they could hear screams in the distance. "Come on!" Brave Heart beckoned, immediately forgetting his anger. They bumped into Swift Heart and Gentle Heart on the way, and the group soon found the others. The Muppets and cubs were cowering in terror before a huge creature that was actually made of the mushroom substance they were walking on. It was only a lumpy head that rose up out of the floor, but it was huge!

Brave Heart growled, and yelled, "Cousin Cubs, get ready to call!"

The cubs lined up, reassured that there was at least some sort of leader present. "Four…three…two…one…Care Cousins Call!"

They directed their Cousin calls at the monster, which sunk back down into the floor with a gurgling cry. They began to cheer, but soon the mushroom floor began to undulate, and before long it had tossed them out of the closet into a heap on the nursery floor.

"Oof!"

"So there you are!" sighed Nanny. "Noble Heart's here to take you home, kids."

"Aww…" groaned the cubs and their new friends as Noble Heart crossed the room and smiled.

"Did you have fun?" he asked, and all the cubs started talking at once.

"Yeah, they showed us this really neat trick with our imaginations…"

"…got to be a cowboy…"

"…called me a numbskull…"

"…was a mermaid, then we sang some songs, and…"

Noble Heart laughed, and said, "Okay, okay, you can tell me one at a time when we get home." He turned to Nanny, "Thanks for watching them; I hope they weren't too much trouble."

"Not at all; they barely made a peep. And you never told me they were Beatles fans!"

Noble Heart turned to the cubs, bemused, and remarked, "I didn't know."

"Heeeey, Bulldog! Yayayayayayaya!" giggled Animal.

And so, the cubs said goodbye to their new friends, promising to come back and visit someday soon. Noble Heart led them outside where two Cloudmobiles were sitting; Take Care Bear was in the driver's seat of one of them, looking very pleased with herself.

On the way home, Swift Heart turned to Playful Heart and Brave Heart. "Hey, I'm sorry for what I said. I just got carried away."

"That's okay." said Playful.

"Yeah, forget about it." Smiled Brave Heart, "Just next time I tell someone a secret, plug your ears!"

"Noooo problem." Swift Heart smirked.

"I mean it, rabbit!" Brave pointed a finger at Swift's nose.

"Okay!"

"What secret?" Playful Heart asked innocently.

Brave Heart clapped his paw over the rabbit's mouth before he could open it.