MorphManiac: This is the edited form of chapter two. I understand it will be a little confusing for new readers who read these improved chapters, then go to "Jenny-the-Penny" chapters (which weren't as good), then go back to MorphManiac chapters. But, I have faith in you, devoted readers! You can do it!
Disclaimer: I still do not own Trix and its components. I also do not own Bugs or Lola Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Rudolf and his components, or Peter Cottontail. If I did, I probably would have some level of respect concerning their characters.
Chapter Two: "In Which We Start at the Very Beginning—A Very Good Place to Start"
On a snowy day in July, where all things seemed to be wrong and meteorologically impossible, a rabbit was born. This was no ordinary rabbit. He was a completely white rabbit with a pink nose. All the other rabbits thought he was weird because of his pink nose. At first, they thought he was a girl. They soon were proved wrong. Even though cartoon characters don't really have identifying marks, the rather deep voice and proclamation that he was a boy cleared things up pretty clearly.
The white rabbit with the pink nose lived in a barn owned by a man named Elmer Fudd. Along in this barn was a white and gray bunny named Bugs, a white and peach bunny named Lola, and a Cottontail named Peter. All of the other rabbits used to laugh and call him names, and they would never let him join in any rabbit games. This reminded Elmer so much of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer that he named the new rabbit "Randolph." This made no sense whatsoever, except maybe to the author and a few of her friends, and it did not help the situation.
"Hey Randolph! Can you make your nose glow? Maybe Bunny Claus will come and take you away!" teased Bugs.
"Yeah!" joked Peter. "He'll take you away--to the mental asylum!"
After a time, Lola began to defend Randolph. No one deserves to be mistreated, she told Randolph. Of course, because she was the only girl rabbit on the farm, she was subject to many crushes (except by Elmer, because that's a little gross and also illegal.) Randolph, in this case, was no exception.
"Come on, y'all!" chastised Lola after one particular taunting. "Cut it out!"
"Randolph! Looks like you got yourself a girlfriend!" snarled Bugs, who suddenly became British. He also liked Lola, but covered it up as young kids do by being particularly mean to everyone else.
"Seriously, Bugs, shut up," said Lola.
"Oh, I will," said Bugs. "Soon as you go out with me! Unless you…already have a boyfriend!"
"Like I'd ever go out with you!" she scoffed. "And me and Randolph are just friends." She glared at him. "Come on, Randolph, let's go."
Bugs would have none of that. "Lola and Randolph sitting in a tree. K-I-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in a baby carriage!"
"You spelled 'kissing' wrong, Bugs."
Bugs blushed. "Who's the one in pink, now?" taunted Randolph, trying to impress Lola. She smiled at him, and they went off, leaving Peter and Bugs to their own devices. Whatever that meant.
This continued for a year or so—Bugs and Peter taunting Randolph, Lola retorting back. After a while, though, this got rather tedious, and Bugs and Peter just…stopped. Lola began to become friends with the two former bullies, but Randolph still felt uncomfortable. One day, he gathered his courage and asked her a question.
"Lola, I love you. Will you be my girlfriend?" asked Randolph. Lola winced, but soon covered it up with her sweet smile.
"Randolph, I love you, too, but more like a brother. I love hanging out with you, but not as anything more than friends." With that said, she turned and walked off. Randolph was too distraught to notice anything, but if he had been paying attention, he would have seen Bugs and Lola greet each other, and walk away holding hands.
From then on, nothing was the same. The rabbit treated Randolph as if he was no more than a wearisome chore to be completed every day.
Even Elmer seemed to treat Randolph differently. For one thing, every time he handed out leftover fruit, he would put some in Randolph's trough and then snatch it back. "Silly rabbit!" he said laughingly. "Fruit isn't for you!"
After this began, Randolph started having nightmares. One night, Randolph woke up in agony and terror. He had had another bad dream. This was the one he could never quite remember, but he knew there was something coming, something bad that would haunt him. But he would always have a little hop around that made him feel better, and then he went back to sleep.
And this is where the trouble began.