Title: The New Normal

Disclaimer, Rugrats belongs to their original owners and no infringement is intended. Zoey and Anthony belongs to Martian-Daisy, Zack and Celeste belongs to Celrock, Gloria is jointly owned by NoizyBunny and Celrock and Super Why belongs to it's owner.

Summary: The Rugrats begin seeing the change in Angelica's attitude when it's put to the test on dealing with a playground bully.

Note: This story takes place sometime after the events of Martian-Daisy's story 'Angelica's Adventure'.

It was a beautiful sunny morning in Yucaipa, California at Drew's house as Zoey came over to have breakfast with her friend Angelica while they waited for a few of their friends to arrive.

"Mmmm, your daddy sure makes the bestest chocolate chip pancakes Angelica" said Zoey.

"Thanks" replied Angelica.

As the girls were finishing breakfast, Drew came into the kitchen.

"How were the chocolate chip pancakes girls" asked Drew.

"Delicious" replied Angelica and Zoey in unison.

At that moment, the doorbell rang and Drew answered it and saw Celeste, along with her nephew Zack, Chuckie, Kimi, Phil and Lil waiting there.

"Ah, good day to you Miss Wehrenberg" greeted Drew.

"Good day to you too Mr. Pickles" replied Celeste.

Then she turned to the Rugrats.

"Have fun kids" said Celeste.

The Rugrats nodded yes and they went inside and joined Angelica and Zoey as Celeste headed for her driverless van and took off.

"Hi-ya smart babies" said Angelica.

"Hi everyone" greeted Zoey.

"Hi" replied the Rugrats in unison.

Then Drew appeared in the living room.

"Princess, why don't you show your friends to your room, while I get a picnic lunch prepared and we will go to the park" said Drew.

"Sure daddy" replied Angelica.

And Angelica led Zoey and the Rugrats upstairs to her room.

"What will we do while we wait for your daddy to take us to the park Angelica?" asked Kimi.

"We could play with our toys or draw pictures to pass the time" suggested Angelica.

"Yeah" replied the others in unison.

Soon, the kids were doing random things while they waited to go to the park.

"I'm making a drawing of having a ride in Cynthia's Golden Chrome Cynthia mobile while feeling the wind blow my golden hair" said Angelica.

"That's pretty cool" said Zoey. "And I'm making a drawing of You and Me hand in hand as the bestest of friends" she added.

"That's awesome" replied Angelica.

"Here's Super-Thing to the rescue" exclaimed Kimi as she played with her doll.

"And joining along side her partner in law is Super Why" exclaimed Zack as he played with his toy.

"I looks cool with this red cape likes a superhero" said Chuckie as he looked at himself at a mirror and pretended he was a superhero.

"My purple Reptar doll looks cooler that yours Lillian" said Phil as he played with his toy.

"Nuh-uh Phillip, green is all the rage" replied Lil as she played with her toy.

As the kids played, they noticed how relaxing it was to do their stuff whenever Angelica was around.

"You know guys, Angelica's attitude has been real cool since she started being nice to all of us" said Chuckie.

"Uh-huh, I likes the nice and cool Angelica better than the mean old Angelica we used to know" agreed Kimi.

"Yeah, not likes her evil cousin Anthony though" said Phil.

"Yeah, Angelica totally kicked his butt even if she couldn't reaches it" replied Lil.

"You are indeed making an effort on your promise to us Angelica, I'll give you credit for that" said Zack.

"Thanks ya smart babies" replied Angelica.

"And I know I'm happy you've changed for the better and that you're my bestest friend" said Zoey.

And Angelica and Zoey shared a hug as the Rugrats smiled. Then Drew came upstairs to Angelica's room.

"Hi daddy" said Angelica.

"Hi Princess, are you kids ready to go" asked Drew.

"Yeah" shouted all the kids unison.

Soon, everyone and everything was loaded up and enroute to the park. In no time, everyone arrived and were having their picnic lunch.

"Mmmmm, these peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are pretty good" said Zoey.

"Yeah and so as this lemonade" added Angelica.

The Rugrats nodded in agreement as well as they ate. Eventually lunch was completed and the kids were itching to play.

"Now that lunch is completed, why don't you kids run off some of that food" suggested Drew.

The kids nodded in agreement as they ran off to play. And no sooner were the kids out of sight as Drew sat down on a bench, Prudence's Mom and her youngest daughter Gloria approached him.

"Good afternoon there, I'm Drew Pickles" said Drew.

"Good to know you Mr. Pickles, I'm Prudence's Mom" she replied.

"Is that your daughter Prudence" asked Drew as Gloria put on a fake smile and waved.

"Oh, no no, this is my youngest daughter Gloria, her older sister Prudence is away at Ferris Island day camp for the summer" replied Prudence's Mom.

"Oh you don't say, I sent my little Princess to that same day camp quite awhile back for one day to experience something new" replied Drew.

"Interesting" replied Prudence's Mom.

Then she turned to Gloria.

"Sweetie, why don't you go and find someone to play with and behave yourself" said Prudence's Mom.

Gloria nodded yes with her fake smile and ran off while Drew and Prudence's Mom chatted.

"He-he-he-he" cackled Gloria. "Now I can drop the fake nice act and have some real fun" she said.

Meanwhile, Angelica and Zoey were getting ready to run a race.

"How about a friendly race around the park" suggested Angelica.

"You're on Angelica" replied Zoey as the girls ran their hearts out around the park.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the park Chuckie was pushing Kimi on the swings.

"Weeeee" went Kimi as Chuckie pushed her up and down on the swings. "Higher Chuckie higher" she said.

"Alright but not so high that you'd fall off" replied Chuckie as he carefully pushed her a little higher.

Meanwhile, Phil, Lil and Zack were happily playing on the jungle gym.

"Hey guys" asked Lil "How long can you hang upside down on the monkey bars" she asked.

"I could try to hang upside down long enough till I'm ready to be rights side ups" replied Phil.

"I don't think I can back away from a challenge, let's try it" said Zack.

Angelica, Zoey and the Rugrats were enjoying themselves. Meanwhile, Gloria was walking around the park looking for weak kids that were around her size to pick on.

"Hmmm" pondered Gloria "I sees some familiar faces" she said.

Meanwhile, Phil, Lil and Zack were now happily playing and spinning on the roundabout when Gloria approached them and grabbed the handle bars of the roundabout as it came to an abrupt stop as the kids fell off the roundabout.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!" laughed Gloria.

Phil, Lil and Zack were thankfully not badly hurt by the abrupt stop, but they were angry.

"Hey!" snapped Zack "Why did you do that for?" he said as he got up.

"Cause I'm the boss and I can do anything I want on this playground!" snapped Gloria.

"The Bumble-bee!" exclaimed Phil and Lil in unison.

"I remember you two, you're friends of that strawberry headed kid that pushed me off the playground structure and gotted my arm in a cast!" said Gloria.

"You guys know this girl" asked Zack.

"Yeah" said Phil and Lil in unison.

Then Zack spoke up as he turned to Gloria.

"You leave us alone you big bully!" snapped Zack.

"Sez who" replied Gloria as she approached the kids.

"Sez Me!" snapped Zack as he stood firm.

"Outta my way" replied Gloria as she pushed Zack down.

Phil and Lil gasped.

"Were so gonna tell your big sister Prudence on you" said Phil.

"And you're gonna be in big trouble for your bullying" added Lil.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!" laughed Gloria. "Well too bad for you Prudence isn't here as she is away at day camp for the summer" she gloated.

"Uh-oh" replied Phil and Lil glumly before Gloria spoke again.

"And as for you two, if you protect him, I'll give you exactly what I'm gonna give him" threatened Gloria.

And with that, Phil and Lil quickly grabbed Zack's arms and ran until they were out of Gloria's sight.

"Are you okay Zack?" asked Phil and Lil in unison.

"I am" he replied "But you guys gotta tell me what you know about this girl" said Zack.

Phil and Lil sighed. Then they explained how they met Gloria (aka, the Bumble-bee) and her big sister Prudence at the El Dorado playground and how it all went down.

"So the kids on the playground call Gloria the 'Bumble-bee' and bullied others besides you guys?" asked Zack.

"Yeah, and Dilly standed up to her and gave the Bumble-bee exactly what she gave Belinda when her arm was in a cast" said Lil.

"Yeah, we haven't seen the Bumble-bee again until today" replied Phil.

"You guys" said Zack "She can't get away with this" he said.

"I know but what can we do about it since her big sister Prudence isn't here to stop her?" asked Phil.

"And Dilly isn't with us today, acause I'm sure he could stand up to her again, I thinks" said Lil.

"While it's true Dil isn't here today, were gonna have to stand up to her ourselves, likes we did with the mean old Angelica" said Zack.

"How?" asked Phil and Lil in unison.

While Zack was thinking about this, Gloria found Chuckie and Kimi elsewhere in the park and bullied them as well as she snuck up on them from behind and pushed them down.

"Hey!" snapped Kimi "What was that for?" she asked as she got up.

"Cause I'm the boss of this playground!" snapped Gloria.

"The Bumble-bee!" gasped Chuckie and Kimi in unison.

"That's right and you're on my turf. Get out NOW!" shouted Gloria.

Chuckie shaked in fear as Kimi spoke up.

"Nuh-Uh, were not ascared of you and this playground is for everyone to play on!" snapped Kimi.

"Ooh! I'm shaking in my boots!" laughed Gloria. "Get out NOW or I will hurt you both so bad, you'll be at a hospicle (hospital) covered in boo-boos from head to toe!" warned Gloria.

Chuckie was so scared at such a threat of a beat down and getting hurt so bad, he ran off in fear as Kimi sighed.

"You will regret this" said Kimi as she ran after her brother.

"Wow Kimi, we haven't seen her since Dil standed up to her at that other playground" said Chuckie.

"I knows Chuckie, but we gots to stand up to the Bumble-bee and show her that we smart babies aren't gonna put up with a bullies bad attitude no mores likes before" said Kimi.

"I guess you're right Kimi" replied Chuckie. "I wonders if the others met her yet" he wondered.

"Lets go find them and tell them" said Kimi.

Chuckie nodded in agreement. Soon the Rugrats gathered altogether and told their stories about their encounter with Gloria from today's events to back when Dil stood up to her at the El Dorado playground.

"Guys, we gots to come up with a plan to stop the Bumble-bee and show her that we smart babies aren't gonna put up with a bullies bad attitude no mores likes we did before with the mean old Angelica " said Kimi.

"I agree" replied Zack.

"Yeah" agreed Phil, Lil and Chuckie in unison.

"Only how are we gonna do that?" asked Phil.

"Yeah, we was all too ascared to stop her all by ourselves, except for Zack of course and even he gotted literally pushed around by the Bumble-bee" added Lil.

"Sadly yes" replied Zack.

Then an idea flew into Kimi's head.

"Oooooh, I know. What if we had a secret weapon, someone who's a big kid that's got the guts, bravery and is good of heart to help us stand up to bullies" suggested Kimi.

The Rugrats thought for a moment. Then it dawned on them on what Kimi was talking about.

"Angelica!" exclaimed the Rugrats in unison.

Kimi nodded.

"Hmmm, this could be a perfect opportunity for Angelica to further prove her loyalty to us babies since she is going straight Kimiko" said Zack.

"That's not such a bad idea" agreed Chuckie.

"Yeah" replied Phil and Lil in unison.

And with that, the Rugrats set off to find Angelica. Meanwhile, Angelica and Zoey were resting on a bench after they raced around the park.

"Whew what a rush" said Angelica.

"You can say that again" replied Zoey.

At that moment, the Rugrats found Angelica and Zoey as they approached them.

"Hey Angelica!" called Kimi.

"Hi-ya smart babies, what's up?" asked Angelica.

"We gots a problem with a playground bully and we need your help " said Chuckie.

"Who is the bully that's giving you guys trouble?" asked Zoey.

The Rugrats then explained everything that happened during their encounter with Gloria.

"Not to worry you smart babies, this Gloria kid will have Me to answer to, just like my evil cousin Anthony" said Angelica.

"Yeah, I'll help too, that's what friends are for" added Zoey.

"Great!" said Kimi. "what should we do?" she asked.

Angelica thought for a moment before an idea flew into her head.

"I have an idea guys" said Angelica.

Everyone huddled as Angelica explained her plan.

"This is what we will do, Phil, Lil, Zack and Kimi will play on the playground like nothing happened. It should bring Gloria out of hiding. Meanwhile, Chuckie will go and get my daddy and Gloria's mommy and make sure they see what's happening. And Zoey, can you cover me from behind the bushes?" finished Angelica.

"Don't worry Angelica, I got your back" said Zoey.

"And I'll makes sure the growed ups gets a good look at what's happening Angelica" said Chuckie. "I'm glad my part is safe enough" he thought to himself.

"Yeah, lets do it" said Phil and Lil in unison.

"Uh-huh, lets show her who's bossy" said Kimi.

"For the first time, I feel that I can take comfort in the fact that this plan can work" said Zack.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Soon, Zack, Kimi, Phil and Lil were playing on the playground as Angelica and Zoey kept watch from the bushes as they waited for Gloria to show up while Chuckie went off to get Drew and Prudence's mom.

"I can't wait to see the look on the Bumble-bee's face when she sees what were doing" said Phil.

"Yeah, we'll show her we are not ascared" replied Lil.

No sooner had the twins finished saying that, Gloria showed up looking as mad as a hornet (no pun intended).

"Hey you stupid babies!" sneered Gloria as the Rugrats turned to her direction. "I thought I told you not to show your sorry baby butts around my playground!"

"We are not sorry, we won't hide, we are NOT ascared of you, and this isn't your playground no more!" snapped Kimi.

"That's right, this playground is for EVERYBODY to play on!" added Zack.

"Well I say, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED! Now get away from here!" shouted Gloria.

The Rugrats stood firm just as Angelica and Zoey came out of the bushes and approached Gloria with stern looks on their faces.

"HEY YOU BIG BULLY!" snapped Angelica as the Rugrats turned to see her and Zoey approaching Gloria. "You leave our friends alone!" she said.

"Angelica!" exclaimed the Rugrats in unison.

Meanwhile, Drew and Prudence's Mom were chatting, just as Chuckie ran up to them.

"Hi Chuckie, what's up?" asked Drew.

Chuckie knew he could talk to grown ups since turning three years old, so he spoke up.

"Mr. Pickles, and Prudence's Mom, comes quick, Gloria has been bullying Me and my friends and Angelica is confrontings her rights now!" explained Chuckie.

"Oh dear, I told Gloria to behave herself with her peers and yet she disobeys me" said Prudence's Mom. "We better get to the scene before someone gets hurt" she added.

"Chuckie, can you take us there at once?" asked Drew.

"Yes I can" replied Chuckie.

And Drew and Prudence's Mom quickly followed Chuckie. Meanwhile, back to where the Rugrats, Angelica and Zoey were facing off Gloria.

"What did you say blondie?!" growled Gloria.

"I said leave our friends alone!" Angelica repeated, through gritted teeth. "I've heard about you bullying our friends for kicks and it ends now!" she said.

"HA! You think you're gonna make me when your stupid baby friends couldn't?!" laughed Gloria. "NEVER!" she snapped.

"Try me!" said Angelica firmly.

Gloria threw a punch, but Angelica dodged it and countered with flipping her over and putting her foot on her chest.

"Now, I'm not gonna hurt you, Gloria," warned Angelica, " but if I hear or see that you are picking on our friends again or even lay a finger on them, you'll have to answer to me!" she said.

Gloria laid there dazed, surprised and bemused at what had transpired to say anything back. And at that precise moment, Chuckie appeared with Drew and Prudence's Mom.

"What's going on here?!" asked Drew and Prudence's Mom in unison.

"Gloria was bullying my friends" said Angelica. "I was just defending them. She tried to punch me, but I flipped her over. Aside from putting my foot on her chest, I never hit her" she said.

Kimi knew she could speak to grown ups like Chuckie, so she spoke next.

"Uh-huh, it's true" added Kimi. "Gloria never learned her lesson the lastest time she bullied us, but this time we all standed up to her " she said.

"Gloria bullied you kids before?" asked Prudence's Mom.

The Rugrats vouched for Angelica by nodding their heads in response to Prudence's Mom's question. Then she turned to her youngest daughter with a stern look on her face.

"Well young lady, I normally would put you in time out, but I have a better punishment in mind. You will be spending time with Me in a mother/daughter-women's empowerment class until your big sister returns from summer camp. You will be a good example like Prudence in terms of behavior toward your peers. And until then, no more playing on the playground for you until I see significant improvement. Is that clear young lady?!" said Prudence's Mom.

Gloria responded by throwing a temper tantrum as Prudence's Mom picked her up.

"I apologize for my daughter's bad behavior Mr. Pickles" said Prudence's Mom.

"It's fine" replied Drew. "Nobody was hurt and that's all that matters" he added.

Prudence's Mom nodded in agreement as she took Gloria away. Then Drew turned to Angelica, Zoey and the Rugrats.

"Well kids" Drew began. "I think you all should be proud of yourselves for taking the initiative in not only standing up for yourselves, but also letting the grown ups know right away what's happening" he said.

The kids cheered, but Drew had more good news for them.

"Princess" said Drew.

"Yes daddy" Angelica responded.

"For your selfless act of standing up for the right thing, I think I'll treat you and your friends to an ice cream sundae" said Drew.

"Yay!" cheered Angelica, Zoey and the Rugrats in unison.

Soon, everyone arrived at the ice cream parlor and enjoyed their ice cream sundae.

"Mmmm, I love chocolate ice cream" said Zoey.

"We loves cool ice cream" said Phil and Lil in unison.

"I like anything that is sweet" replied Angelica.

"Boy what a day today was" said Chuckie.

"I hear-ya Chuckie" replied Zack. "And that Bumble-bee kid got what came to her for her actions as well" he added.

"Uh-huh, we are really lucky we gots a secret weapon with us now" replied Kimi as she turned to Angelica.

"Me" asked Angelica.

"Uh-huh" replied Kimi. "At least we don't gots to deal with the Bumble-bee no mores" she added.

"Yeah, we think you did a good job standing up to that bullying Bumble-bee" added Zoey.

"Yeah, big bullies will pay alright" said Phil.

"They'll pay through their nose" added Lil.

"I thinks this goes to show that there is glory in doing what's right" said Chuckie. "And that we don't gots to put up with another big bully's attitude no mores likes we did before that cruise" he added.

"I couldn't agree more Chuckie" replied Zack before turning to Angelica. "And Angelica, you showed us all today that you are really making good on your promise to us on being good in addition to helping us stand up to a bully" he said.

"Gee, thanks guys" replied Angelica as she blushed.

"Though I'm still gonna keeps my eye on you for good measure" Zack thought to himself.

The kids finished their ice cream sundae as Drew saw to getting everyone settled in the car and get the children to their homes as they left the ice cream parlor. The kids soon fell fast asleep as they were tuckered out from their eventful playdate as Drew sped down the road into the sunset.

The end