*jumps into le fanfiction hole*
Hey, guys! Long time no see, huh? How's it going? What did I miss? (haha funny Hamilton reference lol) Man, it's been a while! Gosh and golly gee, how long have I even-
*stares at innumerable skeletons and gravestones*
Oh... that long.
Right, guys, you know the drill. Blah Blah sorry for the wait, blah blah blah writer's block, yappity yap yap obsessing over Eddsworld and The Owl House as well as Animaniacs, beep boop exams, zippity doo dah 12-day trip to Italy, ding-dong alien invasion, you get the idea :D
But seriously, I truly am sorry for the wait. I've worked on this one chapter for over a year now, and I'm not really sure what to think of that. Thanks for putting up with me and my utterly crappy writing schedule. Luckily, I've been brainstorming a ton of new ideas for this fic lately. IT LIVES!
In other news that nobody cares about, my birthday was last Saturday! This means that I am now the same age as a) Yakko Warner, b) Alexander Hamilton when they placed him in charge of a trading charter, c) Edd Gould when he began animating, and d) Luz Noceda.
I'll shut up now. Please silence all cell phones, and enjoy chapter 5 :)
Chapter 5: Songs, Siblings, Stories, Stars, and Desire Fulfillment Facilitators
Leela sank onto the shanty steps and looked at the stars. She knew the Warners were probably worried about her, but she somehow felt calmer after changing her name. She had all the time in the world to spend with her sibs now. And it wasn't like she was going to sleep out here, she only wanted to admire the stars and sing a song that had been playing in her head on the walk home. It seemed to perfectly describe her predicament.
"I may not live to see our glory," Leela began, still looking up at the stars. This was true, with the poverty, hunger, and freezing temperatures, it was a wonder anybody was still alive. And while she was certain that there would be justice one day, so many things could happen before then. She could get sick like Dot, the king could come for her...
"But I will gladly join the fight."
In truth, she already had, just by defying the odds, insulting Plotz, and staying alive. But she had a feeling that one day, someone was going to rise up and rebel, and she was either going to be that person or stand with that person.
"And when our children tell our story, they'll tell the story of tonight…"
Leela definitely wanted to start a family one day, and when she had children, she would tell them of her days on the streets. The story, which was still being written, would always end the same way: either with her failure and how she had let her family down, which was why they were still in poverty to that day, or how even though she had failed, she had stayed strong and managed to end the king's evil ways.
"Raise a glass to freedom, something they can never take away, no matter what they tell you!"
She thought about Priya's words. The king, the baron, and the constable have taken everything from us already. But do not let them take away your hope, your spark. It is a powerful weapon.
Leela knew Pri was right. Though the king, the baron, and the constable had taken so many possessions already, they could never take away the people's freedom.
"Raise a glass to the four of us, tomorrow there'll be more of us!"
Leela continued to sing, and when she was done, she got up and walked inside, feeling more at peace. At least until…
"Leela?"
Crap. Leela flinched and slowly turned around to face a scowling Yakko. "Y-yes?"
"Where have you been?"
"Uh… France?"
Yakko raised an eyebrow, unamused. "You told me you were going for a walk. You were gone for almost three hours! I was worried about ya! I thought that maybe… maybe the king..."
Leela ducked her head, overwhelmed by guilt. "I… I'm sorry. I was just trying to avoid my problems, I guess…"
Yakko put an arm around her. "I get it, Lee. You've gone through a lot. Just… don't do that again, okay?"
Leela smiled sadly at him. "I won't."
"Is Leela back?" called a girl's voice, followed by a fit of coughing.
"Come say goodnight to Dot. She's been asking for ya," said Yakko, guiding Leela into the bedroom. They passed Wakko, who was strumming his homemade harp glumly. Leela ruffled his fur, but the toon boy didn't even look up.
As the two approached the toon girl, she yawned, then coughed.
"Nighty night, sona dhon," smiled Leela, patting Dot's cheek.
"Goodnight, Dot. Sleep tight," Yakko said, fluffing the blanket.
Dot coughed again. "Tell me the story," she said eagerly.
"Okay," smiled Yakko. "There once was a man from Nantucket…"
"Not that story!" scowled Dot.
"Look, it's late. Go to sleep!" teased Yakko. Leela let out a huge yawn behind him.
"Leela!" begged Dot.
"Oh, I don't know," sighed Leela. "I'm really tired and…"
A second later, she dropped to the floor and let out a ridiculously loud snore.
"Leela!" giggled Dot.
Yakko smirked, bent down, and poked the girl in the ribs. Leela bolted upright with a sharp squeal, jumped up, and sent Yakko her most withering glare.
"I'm sorry, did you have a death wish?"
Yakko looked at her with puppy dog eyes. "What did I do?" he asked, feigning innocence.
Leela growled. "Don't touch my ribs! You know I hate that! You know I hated it even more when Nathan did it!"
Yakko winced as Leela mentioned her brother. The two boys had been tight, as they were the oldest, and it hurt Yakko almost as much as it did Leela when he had left, leaving him behind with his sibs, Leela, and that nutjob-
"Aw, come on!" Dot jumped in, seeing the look on her brother's face. "Tell me the story! Pwease?"
"Oh, all right," sighed Yakko. Dot beamed.
"But then it's lights out, deal?" added Leela.
"Deal!" grinned Dot.
"Okay," smiled Yakko as he and Leela snuggled up on either side of Dot.
"Once upon a time, a brave night married a beautiful princess and they had two sons," the lanky toon began.
"But they wanted a daughter, too!" chirped Dot.
Leela continued. "So they planted a garden all over the kingdom, and on the first day of spring, every flower in that garden bloomed. And out of the prettiest flower came-!"
"Me!"
"Yup," grinned Yakko. "And so the knight and his bride - Mom and Dad - took you home!"
Leela noticed Wakko watching them from behind the curtain and gestured for him to join, but he only shook his head and turned away. The dark-haired girl frowned. Something was wrong. She realized Dot was looking at her expectantly.
"And every night at bedtime, they'd come in and say, 'who's the cutest girl?' and you'd say…"
"'I am!'"
Yakko gave his sister a nuzzle. "And they'd say, 'How'd you ever get so cute?'" and you'd say…"
"'I was born that way!'"
"And they'd say, 'Tell us your name, young lady.' and you'd say…" Leela prompted, poking Dot's nose.
"'Princess Angelina Contessa Luisa Francesca Banana-Fana Bo Besca III! But you can call me Dot.'"
"And they'd say, 'Can we call you Dottie?' and you'd say…" said Yakko, his eyes glinting.
Dot scowled at them both. "'No. Just Dot. Call me Dottie and you die,'" she threatened, poking Yakko hard in the chest.
Leela grinned. "And your mom and dad would laugh, and laugh, and laugh," she said, throwing her arms in the air with each laugh, "and they'd tickle ya!"
Here, both she and Yakko began to tickle her. Dot squirmed and giggled and coughed.
"...and you'd laugh, too! We all would!" continued Leela, laughing a little herself.
"And you'd fall asleep with a great big smile in your heart," finished Yakko, tucking Dot in warmly.
"I like that story," murmured Dot.
"Goodnight, sis," whispered Yakko, stroking her head, then walking to Wakko. Dot was already snoring.
Leela smiled at her sister's sleeping form. "Goodnight, didi," she whispered, brushing her lips against Dot's forehead.
"How is she?" asked Wakko once Leela had rejoined them.
"Not great," sighed Leela. "Those acting lessons never really sunk in. Shame, really. I was hoping for another theater kid in the family. Oh, well. At least we had fun doing it. We made lots of new friends and made up our own dances and got to sing songs from Hamilton and In the Heights and Annie and Newsies and Tootsie and Oliver and-"
"No, I mean her health!" said Wakko, cutting Leela off mid-ramble.
"Oh, well, who knows?" replied Yakko. Wakko turned away, shoulders sagging.
"If we'd only earned more."
So that's what he had been so upset about. Leela tried to console him, but all she could say was, "We did everything we could." It felt like she was reassuring herself more, anyway.
"Hey, you did your best, guys," comforted Yakko, pulling them into a hug. "We'll pay for her operation some other way."
"I guess," sighed Wakko, going over to his harp. It hurt Leela to see the normally optimistic toon in such a state, but she wasn't much better. She sat down on a crate and began to read one of her books. Looking at her violin, she was tempted to play a duet with Wakko, but decided against it.
"You guys turning in?" asked Yakko, stopping at the entrance to their shared bedroom.
"To what?" answered Wakko.
"Good question. See ya in the mornin'!"
"G'night, Yak."
"Night."
Wakko continued playing his harp, filling the air with sad music. He looked up through the roof, into the night sky, sprinkled with stars like salt on a shiny black table...
Leela continued flipping through her book, which, as it turned out, was a photo album filled with family pictures. The dark-haired girl smiled wistfully as she was filled with fond memories of her parents, Nathan, the king and queen, her aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents, and of course that crazy rascal-
"Twinkle, twinkle, wishing star, how I wonder where you are!"
Leela looked up in surprise to hear Wakko singing. She debated joining in, but decided against it as the normally shy toon didn't often sing solos and she wanted to hear what he was going to sing. Wakko continued.
"Out in space so bright and clear, can you see us way down here?"
The toon paused to ponder that. "Hmm. I wonder…"
He began to play again. "Let me pick the star that's right, and pick the wishing star tonight. Like finding a needle in a haystack! Eenie, meenie, miny, moe, and jack! Wishing star, please hear my plea, grant one wish, one wish for we…"
Suddenly, the star Wakko had pointed at began to glow green! Leela gasped as it glowed brighter and brighter. "Supernova!"
"Uh oh…" Wakko murmured, spellbound and a little concerned. "I think I broke something."
Both the girl's and the toon's eyes widened as the star made a beeline towards… their shanty!
"Take cover! Hit the decks!" yelped the overly dramatic theater kid, falling on her stomach and covering her head. As the star reached the shanty and transformed into a glowing ball, they both had to look away to avoid being blinded. The glowing ball took the shape of a portly, balding man with a blank stare.
"Holy pop tarts in a pencil sharpener!" gasped Leela, scrambling to her feet.
"Who are you?" asked Wakko.
"I'm your Desire Fulfillment Facilitator," replied the toga-wearing man, punctuating each word with his wand.
"Huh?"
"Say what now?"
"Well, I used to be called the good fairy, but that sounds so old-fashioned."
"Oh."
"So, I'm your Desire Fulfillment Facilitator. But everyone calls me Pip."
"Nice to meet you, Pip!" beamed Leela as Wakko stuck out his hand. Pip shook it.
"The pleasure's likewise. And may I be the first to congratulate you, Wakko and Leela Warner. You did it. Out of all the stars in the sky, you selected the one and only wishing star."
"We did?" gasped Wakko.
"Absolutely. I've been waiting centuries for someone to choose just the right one," said Pip, still shaking Wakko's hand. Wakko took notice of this, frowned, and attempted to pull his hand free with no success.
"It was mostly him. But can you imagine the odds? There are at least 100 billion stars in the galaxy alone, and the chance of choosing just the right one on any given night? Unbelievable! Mindblowing!" marveled Leela, her nerd mode having been activated.
"Must be that clear country air. Oh yeah. Look at that," continued Pip, as Wakko tried in vain to escape his grip with a crowbar. "You just don't get visibility like this in the city."
Noticing his predicament, Leela came up behind Wakko, wrapped her arms around his waist, and desperately attempted to pull him free, but to no avail.
"Your request for a wish has brought me here," said Pip, still looking out at the sky as Wakko began to chomp on his arm. He quickly stopped as Pip turned back to him. "Now you can have any wish you want."
"You mean besides wishing you'd let go of my hand?" questioned Wakko as Leela stifled a snort.
"Yes, besides that. The wishing star is ready. Are you ready to make your wish?"
Wakko turned to Leela as well as he could and they held a hastily whispered conference. Then they turned back to Pip.
"You bet!"
"Then here goes!" said Pip. He waved his wand. A flash of green streaked across the sky like a shooting star, a fiery comet, a flaming meteorite. There was a clattering noise from outside, followed by the yowl of a cat and the whine of a dog.
"What is that?"
"Don't know, definitely don't know, definitely."
Poor things, thought Leela. She wanted to reassure Rita and Runt and explain what was going on, but decided to wait. This wasn't the sort of thing that could be explained in just a few seconds.
"Now, go make your wish!" Pip said.
"What do you mean, 'go'?" Wakko and Leela asked at the same time.
"To where the star landed. Wishes need to be made in person," explained Pip.
"No kidding?" exclaimed Leela.
"It's in the manual, and I quote: 'the one who touches the Wishing Star first will be granted one wish.'" Pip went on, reading from a booklet.
"Well, that sounds easy enough," smiled Wakko. Leela nodded and smiled as well, but deep down she had a feeling it wouldn't be as easy as it seemed. Nothing in her life ever was.
"Does that mean we can wish for infinite wishes?" she asked, grinning.
"According to the manual, 'If a person attempts to wish for infinite wishes, their request will be deemed null and void. Be warned that it is entirely possible, even probable, that the power of the wishing star will not extend to a second wish.'"
"Aw, crudbuckets. Worth a shot, I guess," sighed Leela.
"Funny," remarked Pip, glancing out the window. "I thought it would land a lot closer. Oh, well. Bon voyage. Have a safe journey," he continued, shaking both Wakko and Leela's hands. "And remember…"
With a wave of his wand, they all began levitating upward, gliding gracefully through the air.
"You gotta cheer up, and never ever give up hope!"
"We won't mope!" Wakko assured. As they began to float to the ground, both he and Leela joined in the chorus.
"Just cheer up, and never ever give up hope, hope, hope, hope, hope! Yeah!"
"Ciao," Pip told them as the greenish glow enveloped him once again. Slowly he floated out of the shanty.
Wakko and Leela stood there for a moment, staring in shock at where Pip had stood.
"...please tell me I wasn't hallucinating," Leela finally said, breaking the silence.
"You weren't," Wakko reassured her. "Or maybe we both were."
A yawn came from behind the duo, and they turned to see their sleepy-looking siblings.
"You'll never guess what just happened!" Wakko exclaimed excitedly.
"Try us. We're gullible!" Yakko replied.
:):):):):):)