DANGER MOUSE:
KINGDOM OF THE BLIND
WRITTEN BY ZARIUS
(Contains spoilers for "Dark Dawn")
Author's Note: Special thanks to Irhaboggle fo her tireless work on fics based off of this particular episode and for our conversations which have all helped contribute to this story
Bernard's first real sensation as he was brought to life by Mr. Snuggles was that of rage.
He let out a primal howl as soon as he freed himself from his owner's grip. He made it clear to him that the days of latching on to him were over.
Mr. Snuggles offered Bernard his paw as he mounted a stuffed unicorn, he took the paw, clung to his side, and the unicorn dashed off with both in tow, leaving a distraught and emotional Penfold behind.
The journey took them to London Bridge, and in the midst of the dank and murky fog, Bernard joined other toys that Snuggles had pumped fresh breath into. This was a kingdom he was set on establishing, a concrete jungle for which his animal army could flourish.
Still, Bernard could tell Snuggles was conflicted, he and the others could sense it, as if it were just as much a part of their own souls. The feeling they had once belonged somewhere, the feeling of resentment and rejection, they were strange things to feel, as their memories of life before life was given remained strongly imprinted on their developing minds. Minds which had known nothing but kindness, and closeness, with their human partners.
Bernard observed Snuggles behaviour further when he was confronted at the bridge by the woman who's bleak and moody view of her own advancing years had put this whole affair into motion, Snuggle's creator and former best friend Dawn Crumhorn, now slightly older and in no mood to play pretend with her once precious plaything.
She was trying to do Danger Mouse a favour; she was trying to persuade Snuggles to give him back to Penfold and to call off his senseless attempts at a takeover of the city, turning it into a gloomier and emotionally clouded place.
Snuggles was reluctant, and teased Dawn, which only served to enrage her, and in trying to get back at Snuggles with an unparalleld temper tantrum which left a smouldering hole in the bridg, she exposed Danger Mouse and Penfold to the bears, showing this had all been a set up.
Bernard felt like he couldn't trust Penfold to respect his wishes for independence, he was trying to maintain some hold over him, some form of control, driven by his own selfish needs for comfort, that he was willing to deprive Bernard of the taste of freedom he craved.
Bernard again scared off Penfold with a howl of irritable aggression, but still chose not to inflict damage on his person.
Perhaps rage was all Mr. Snuggles would permit the toys to feel, it was he who possessed the power to give life to all stuffed toys, to help them grow beyond what they were designed to do, but he himself could not grow beyond the redundancy of his own purpose. He was trying to redefine himself, yet could not see any other means of creating a fair and just society, a society not built on the basis of equality, this was a society driven to conquer, a society sustained by division.
As Bernard embarked on his conquest, turning as many teddies as he could, until he finally sat atop Big Ben like a King upon his throne, ultimately clashing again with Dawn. Danger Mouse and Penfold had accompanied her again, this time in the Danger Car.
They clashed wildly, their negative energies colliding, their hurt and anger on full display. Despite Danger Mouse attempting to convince both parties to stop fighting, telling them they had to set the other free to show how much they love them, but the words did not seem to impact neither of them, and their battle grew so fierce it finally rocked Big Ben so hard it caused Bernard to lose his balance and plummet from the structure.
Bernard had only been alive for what had been a couple of hours, and now he was facing his final few seconds. Everything he had been defined by flashed forward in his mind, all he could think of was regret, regret that he could not feel anything but the unfairness of it all, the fighting, the bickering.
If this was what life was like, why bother living?
And then he heard his name being uttered by someone who was steadily getting closer and closer to him, it was Penfold, who finally grabbed him, before pulling on a rip cord to release a parachute, which graciously allowed them to touch down safely.
Penfold, having risked his life to preserve the splendour of Bernard's existence, then told him he would let him go, putting Danger Mouse's words into practice, determined to prove his point to the clashing Dawn and Snuggles.
Bernard had heard all he needed, this may have been Snuggle's kingdom, but it was not his home. Home is family, and so long as the family is a loving one, one can never turn a blind eye to it.
Bernard felt the pain go away, he felt the rage dispel, he looked up to find this was what Snuggles was feeling too as he reunited with Dawn, both had been moved by the heroism, and by Bernard's choice.
As the two made peace and flew away, Bernard could also feel life slip away from him, he was morphing back to his original state. He could not have been happier for this state of existence to end.
Life in the kingdom of the blind was no way to live at all.