The last few days at Silly World had been everything that Bloople needed. Somehow he, Clover, and the two girls had managed to hit every ride in every park, while even having time to stop for pictures and other activities along the way. Clover had convinced Bloople to stay one more night at the hotel, so they could drive back refreshed in the morning. Back at the hotel, in one king sized bed, Miko and Hula, exhausted from one more warm, exciting day, had passed out hours ago. Bloople and Clover sat in their bed, exhausted as well, reminiscing about the previous few days. "I still can't believe you threw up not one, but TWICE on the Teacups. I mean, I warned you and you still didn't learn! I guess you won't underestimate me in the future!" Clover pushed Bloople, laughing as he blushed.
"Hey, that wasn't it. I think I just had food poisoning!" Bloople defended himself to no avail, as the taunts from his girlfriend continued.
"Oh yes. The well known churro food-poisoning. The one that no other Toon seemed to deal with that only affects those on the Teacup ride! Weird.." sticking her tongue out, Clover and Bloople had a good laugh at his expense. the two continued to discuss their favorite rides, and pointed to all of the merchandise the girls had requested throughout the course of three days of insanity.
Stepping out of the bed, Bloople grabbed the half-deflated, lighting balloon that Hula had been wearing a few days ago. "This was certainly worth twenty-five jellybeans." he snorted. Hitting the balloon into the air, he watched it sadly fall back to the ground. "You know, hon, I rally had a great time. This was even more magical than I could have imagined."
"It really was, Bloople. I don't know if I ever have or will ever see the girls that happy again. I don't think it's fully going to hit them that we're leaving until tomorrow." shaking her head, the bright green cat sadly gazed at the wall. "Honestly, I feel the same way. This was one of the greatest weekends of my life, and with everything else that's been happening the last few months? I really needed this." Crawling back under the cover, Bloople held Clover, as she placed her head on his chest and closed her eyes. "You know, Petals always talked about coming here if she ever had kids. She was going to drag me along to babysit so she could go on all the fun rides." speaking softer with each successful word, Clover gripped Bloople's fur tighter as she spoke. "Please don't think I'm crazy, but I feel like she was here with us. It actually brought me a lot of comfort the last few days, and I feel like it's helped me to.. you know to kind of accept what happened?"
Bloople didn't respond, instead lost in thought at the mention of Clover's sister. It always struck him that she had also lost an older sister, yet she continued to be a pillar of support for him. Smiling, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I bet she would get a kick out of you going on that baby's roller-coaster and getting stuck in the seat."
"Oh yeah, says Mr. Screamed before the roller-coaster even started." Clover lightly punched Bloople's arm and giggled. "You know.. I bet Pickle was here with us too."
Surprised, Bloople heard Pickle's name and felt.. nothing. The pain was gone.. He still missed her, but something inside of him seemed different. "I think so too, Clover." stopping for a second, he imagined the last few days in his mind and blurted out. "Clover. What if we moved here?"
"Here? You mean, this hotel?" Clover pulled herself up, and looked at Bloople concerned.
"No.. I mean Silly World. I mean, just think about it. Look how much fun that we've had these last few days. Just imagine, every day could be like this. We could leave behind all of the stress, all of the worries, and all of the pain.. and just have fun!"
Clover placed her hand on Deputy's cheek and sighed. "Bloople. You know we can't do that. We have a home already, back in Minnie's Melodyland. The girls have school and friends, we have our jobs. We can't just give that all up."
"But, just think about it, babe. We can get new jobs. They have cars in Silly World. Miko and Hula can transfer schools. I mean, just think how happy they would be to live at SILLY WORLD. We can get a new home. We'd be, well, happy!" Bloople sighed.
"Bloople.. trust me. I loved this just as much as you did.." trying not to tear up, Clover inhaled deeply. "But honey, we can't give up our lives at home. Plus, Silly World is so expensive. We'd probably have to work second jobs just to afford it. Not to mention, what happens when we get tired of being here? It's fun now, but how often could we go on the rides before we'd get tired.. it's special because it's a rare treat. Bloople, are you not happy at home? With me?"
This stung Bloople deeply, because in his heart, besides Miko and Hula, there was nobody more important to him. "Clover. Of course not.. It's just. I don't know. I want a change. I don't want to go back home to the same house and be reminded of everything.." It dawned on Clover that the house that they lived in was his parent's house that was left to him and Pickle on their death.
"I know sweetie. But you're thinking so suddenly." kissing him on the forehead, she tried to smile. "How about this. When we get home tomorrow, let's sit down and have a serious talk about things. I still feel there is a middle ground between blowing up our entire lives and doing the same thing every day until we die. I could certainly use some variety as well, babe."
Smiling, Bloople leaned down and kissed Clover. "Thank you, honey. I love you. I'm really sorry."
"Never be sorry, babe. Please. Never be sorry." resting her head back on Bloople's chest, the two laid silently, before letting the weariness overcome them and drifted off into one last pleasant Silly World dream.
Rudy walked into work, ready for another day. It looked like nobody else was here yet, which was fine by her. She liked the peace and quiet of working alone sometimes. Tying on her apron she walked over and put on her viking helmet. Going into the supply closet she grabbed her needed ingredients and began to work on creating and rolling dough for the day's orders. About twenty minutes later, the front door opened, ringing the bell. Shortly after, Allen and Romeo walked into the kitchen, laughing about something, with their arms over each other's shoulders. The pair didn't even look at Rudy as they walked by into the office. Rudy could hear loud, somewhat forced laughter in the other room. Doing her best to ignore it, she reached for a knife and began to cut the dough into smaller pieces before taking a small slice into her thumb. "Ugh, ow!" she called out, running over and wrapping a small towel around her finger. However it seemed the more pressure that she put on the cut, the more it bled. Running into the office she began to pound on the door and calling for help. The door slowly opened and Romeo and Allen, now wearing matching suits, stared blankly at her.
"Sorry we don't have room for you anymore." Romeo stated, emotionlessly. Closing the door behind him. Rudy ran back out to the kitchen and began looking for her whisper device to call for help, but it seemed to be no use. Running out of the kitchen and into the main lobby, she was stopped in her tracks by a horrendous looking creature. In front of her was a hulking, pink horse in a trench coat. Holding up a picture of Allen, he began to laugh maniacally. In his right hand he was holding the knife that Rudy had just used and had cut herself on. Walking towards the brown cat, he made an evil grin and licked the bloody knife.
Rudy ran back screaming into the kitchen. "Oh my cog! Romeo! Allen! Help!" bursting through the office door she screamed in terror as the two ducks lay in piles of blood on the floor. Spinning around she was now face to face with the horse, who continued his horrifying smile. Letting out one last scream, Rudy cringed in horror as the knife was brought down towards her.
Ripping herself from a deep sleep, Rudy looked around the mostly dark room, gasping for air, covered in sweat. She took a few moments to compose herself, assuring herself that she was just having a terrible nightmare. This was the second night in a row that horse had appeared in one of her dreams? What did it mean? Kicking her legs over the edge of the couch, she sat up and placed her face in her hands. The immense stress was eating at her. I mean, how else was one supposed to remain calm when your life was in potential danger? Grabbing her whisper device from the coffee table nearby, she checked the time, it was still barely past midnight. Heart still pounding rapidly, Rudy placed her feet on the floor and walked down the hallway. Even though she knew it was a dream, there was something in her that needed to be sure. Inching down, she finally made her way to the bedroom that her and Romeo once shared. Slowly creeping the door open, she was slightly relaxed when the light snoring from Romeo broke the otherwise eerie silence. Walking over to the bed, she slowly crept on, laying upwards near the sleeping duck. "Romeo.. Why did things have to turn out like this?" leaning over, she kissed him on the bill and stroked his head softly. For the next few hours she was too afraid to sleep, gently caressing her - hopefully still - boyfriend, before eventually losing the fight to her own exhaustion and drifting to sleep.
"Rudy? Rudy.." a voice quietly whispered, as the young cat opened her eyes. Reaching up to wipe away the blurriness away, Romeo slowly began to become clear. "Wow, it's about time you woke up, Rudy." he stood over her. She was now under the blankets and tucked in while Romeo was dressed and holding two colorful coffee cups. "Here, this will help."
Grabbing the purple mug, Rudy took a sip of the warm liquid, purring at it's perfection. "Thank you, Romeo." finally realizing where she was, she looked at him confused. "Um, how did I get here?"
"That beats me. All I know is I woke up and you were lying halfway off of the bed, tossing and turning and saying something about running. Anyways, I figured it was best to leave you alone so I moved you up into the bed and let you sleep." Romeo sat on the edge of the bed, taking a sip from his cup. "Oof, that's hot still."
"Romeo.." she didn't want to tell him about the nightmares that she had been having. It would likely only worry him, if he didn't think she was just crazy. But that horse.. he looked so suspicious. She needed to tell him. "Romeo. Do you remember that Ranger, he was talking about the Anti-Toons?"
Making a concerned face, Romeo scratched his arm. "Um yes. Although he did say that everything was going to be okay. Allen has some of the best security in Minnie's Melodyland."
"I guess. But.." she hesitated. It all sounded so crazy now that she thought about it. Why would someone want to hurt her or Romeo?" "The other day when we got back, after your mom had left.. A horse came in."
"Yeah, customers do come in sometimes.." Romeo commented, with a hint of sarcasm.
Rudy nodded and continued. "Romeo. This horse was different. He was large and had a trench coat. His face was covered in scars. He wore black leather gloves.. and he asked if there was a blue duck in?"
"A blue duck.. Do you mean me?" Romeo was now feeling the anxiety rising in his stomach.
"Well I asked him and he said that you were not who he is looking for. So that means he must be looking for Allen! Anyways now I'm worried! What if he was sent to kill Allen! I keep having all of these nightmares and.."
Rudy was interrupted as Romeo wrapped his arms around her and softly stroked her fur. "Rudy. Everything is going to be okay. I promise. I believe some creepy horse came in, but maybe it was just a mistake? There are a lot of blue ducks in Donald's Dock. Even if this guy was up to no good, he left, right? if he wanted to hurt us he would have done it then."
"That's true. But.. I don't know." stopping she still felt herself shaking. "Romeo. I'm sorry for everything. This is all my fault. If I hadn't been so stupid and worthless none of this would have happened. I was just so stressed with the new job and Allen.. and.." Rudy couldn't find the words to finish, she was so overwhelmed by her fears and worries.
"Listen Rudy. I've been thinking about things. I can't say what you did didn't hurt. In fact, it hurt a lot. But... But I still love you. I've never met anyone in my entire life who makes me as happy as you. That's what made it hurt so badly. I know that part of this is my fault. I put so much on you and asked you to give up a lot for me, and I'm sorry for that. But right now, I just can't trust you. You've broken my trust.. and I don't know it it can be fixed." a long tear slid down Romeo's blue face, as he struggled to speak.
"I - I understand." Rudy responded, herself now in tears. "I'm sorry Romeo. Because I love you too. I love you so much. I wouldn't have gone with you if I didn't truly believe in you and want nothing but the best for you.. but I understand that trust is gone.."
Romeo sighed and shook his head. "I don't want it to be gone though, Rudy.. I want to be with you.. I just think I'll need a little more time. But I still want to be with you. I know it might be a slow process, and maybe I'm a fool for thinking this.. but I want to give it a try."
"Me too, Romeo." Rudy leaned over and kissed the duck on the cheek, which elicited a smile from the pair. "Thank you, sweetie."
Loud pop music blared overhead, colorful lights spun around the room, and Raindrop sat near a long blanketed table filled with food and drinks, watching as his peers danced on a large colorful tiled floor. "Come on buddy, let's get out there and have some fun." Cookie patted his friend's shoulder. After his mission in Cog Nation had ended, Cookie had been discharged and allowed to come home. As neither him or Raindrop had a date to the dance, they decided to go without dates and instead just try to have some fun.
"Yeah.. I'm sure I'll blow people's mind with my wheelies and I don't know, whatever other dances I can do." Raindrop joked. He was finally becoming accustomed to his chair, and thinking about it didn't immediately lead to frustrating thoughts. "Besides if I am by myself everyone is going to think I'm a loser with no date."
"Well you are a loser with no date. But so am I. Come on let's get out there and show these guys how things are done!" Cookie bit his lip, and shook his fists in anticipation.
Raindrop couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, let's do this!" the pair walked and rolled over to the dance floor, where they stumbled along, trying out all the latest dance moves. Even though he couldn't use his legs, Raindrop cut loose. Busting out the "Fishermen" the "YTCA" and anything else he could think of. While he had felt awkward at first, now he didn't care as he enjoyed the music. Occasionally bumping with some other Toons. As the pair enjoyed themselves, Mandy walked over. Wearing a frilly pink dress and a matching bow on her head she tapped Cookie on the shoulder.
"Cookie. I can't believe you made it back! How dare you come to the dance when you knew that I was here with Billy! Come on, please save me from this stinky nightmare!" Mandy smiled at Raindrop. "I'm glad you made it Rain! I didn't know you had such sweet moves!"
Blushing, Raindrop pointed to his friend. "It's all this guy. He just makes me look good!" he screamed over the loud music.
"Well I hope I'm not interrupting you guys.. Just thought I'd stop by and say hi.. but if you guys are busy and all.." Mandy kicked the ground lightly. Cookie faced away from Mandy and looked at Raindrop, biting his lip. Slowly tilting his head towards the cute purple duck.
"We're not busy at all. Actually I think Cookie here was just talking about you. You guys should dance!" he his voice became hoarse from yelling over the crowd. Completely understanding his friend's request without either speaking.
Cookie smiled and nodded. "Yeah. You know I had to pick up some moves before I asked ya, you know?" grabbing Mandy's hand he managed to get a hidden high-five in with his other free hand. "Will you be alright by yourself, man?"
"Yeah, don't worry about me! I still have some moves to work out and you guys might get in the way!" grinning as his friend jogged off to another part of the floor, he rolled back over to his original spot and scanned the crowd. Everybody looked so happy. That's when he saw her. Pippy was wearing an extravagant orange dress, and locked in hand and hand with Charles as the two danced away. Shaking his face, he went over and grabbed a cup and took a drink. he could let them enjoy their night, because this weekend he would have her all to himself. Bopping his head to the music, it eventually slowed down, and in sync the group began slow-dancing.
"This is one for all the couples out there!" the DJ called out over the loud speaker. Raindrop waited a few minutes and swayed back and forth. He was always a sucker for love songs. Doing his best to keep his mind off of Pippy, he looked to Cookie who noticed him and gave him a thumbs up. Maybe he would go up and talk to Pippy. Just say hello. That wouldn't be weird, right? As he started to roll over, he felt his arms stop working. Charles swept Pippy down and planted a kiss on her. Unable to watch Raindrop spun around and sprung himself through the entrance outside. It looked like he was right. Who was he kidding? How could anyone resist Charles, and why would anyone want to be with him..