The Newcomer
An Amazing World of Gumball Story
By NeoNimbus
Chapter 55-The Nightmare
It was a beautiful day at the city of Paris, as Brian and Rhonda were strolling down the streets, looking at one another with love in their eyes, before the two decided to find a table to sit down, as the fox and the mouse sat across each other near the cafe, not caring if people were looking at them. As far as they were concerned, they had each other and that was what was important.
"Rhonda…" Brian spoke with a strong, French accent. "You look so lovely this fine afternoon. You shine as bright as the stars and you are as elegant as the ocean."
"Oh my, you sure know how to make a person feel so special." Rhonda happily accepted, reciprocating the fox's kind words.
Just then, out of the blue, the sky above suddenly became dark and a thunderstorm appeared out of nowhere, scaring the locals off, as Brian could only look on with terror on his face.
"This place doesn't look safe for us anymore. We really need to find a place to take cover before…"
Brian trailed off when he sensed something was amiss, prompting the purple fox to turn around and saw, to his shock, that Ivan was sitting right next to his girlfriend, as Rhonda was fawning over the red bear.
"Rhonda, how could you?!" a distraught Brian demanded. "How could you choose that jerk over me?"
The mouse didn't seem too interested in answering her boyfriend's question, as she started to lean towards Ivan. Brian, too shocked to do anything, could only scream in horror as Rhonda's lips almost locked with Ivan's.
"NO!" Brian shouted as loud as he could, as the purple fox got up from his bed and quickly looked at his surroundings. Upon further inspection, he realized that he was wide awake and back in the real world, much to his relief.
"Man, that was the worst nightmare I ever had." Brian said to himself, before he felt his fur covered in cold sweat. Not wanting to think any more about the dream he had, Brian decided to just lay down on his bed and try to go back to sleep.
Morning has arrived in Elmore, as Gumball, Darwin and Mike were ready for the bus to arrive, so it can take them to school. While the trio waited patiently for their ride, the boys spotted Brian coming in their direction, as the purple fox was able to make his way to the bus stop. However, upon arrival, Mike and the Watterson brothers noticed that his pale face had a look of horror on it, as if he had been traumatized.
"Brian, is there something troubling you?" asked Mike.
The purple fox didn't respond right away, as he took a deep breath, before offering an answer to his curious friends.
"You guys wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try us, Brian. Whatever it is you've experienced last night, we'll understand." Gumball assured his friend, prompting the purple fox to take a deep breath before he continued with his explanation.
"I dreamt that Rhonda and I were at Paris last night."
"So?" asked a confused Darwin.
"But then, without warning, the sky turned dark and Ivan showed up out of nowhere and the next thing I know, Rhonda began to fall for him." Gumball, Darwin and Mike recoiled in shock, surprised to hear that last statement.
"Wow, that really is a nightmare." Mike commented.
"Tell me about it." Brian gloomily said, before he noticed one person missing from the group. "Gumball, where's your sister?"
"Anais is in the house. She ate too much cake and got a stomachache as a result." the blue feline replied, leaving the purple fox dismayed by this.
"That bites. I was hoping Anais would help me out with my nightmare issues."
"Don't worry about it, Brian…" Gumball began. "You've got me, Darwin and Mike to help you out."
Gumball's answer, however, didn't calm him down one bit and he looked at them rather wearily.
"I don't know, you guys. It might end up doing more harm than help." he spoke with uncertainty.
"Don't be so doubtful Brian." Darwin attempted to assure the purple fox. "Besides, your situation sounds very similar to Gumball's when he dreamt me kissing Penny."
"Come again?" asked Brian, arching an eyebrow in curiosity.
"What?" Mike questioned the two-legged fish.
In response, Darwin, along with Gumball, told the duo of the time that Gumball got upset at Darwin because he had a dream of him and Penny kissing and how they were able to eventually resolve the situation. Once the two were done with their story, Brian could only look at the brothers with astonishment.
"That's just great…" the purple fox began." From what I heard, Gumball's own dream sounded very similar to my own."
"Yeah, I have to be honest, it is almost eerily similar." Mike noted.
"At least you have common sense, Brian, unlike a certain blue cat." said Darwin, before he glared at his older brother.
"I said I was sorry several dozen times, Darwin." Gumball defensively said.
While the four continued to discuss the matter, the school bus finally arrived, prompting the boys to end their conversation and boarded the bus, as it drove off to school.
Normally for Brian, he would have been trying his best to remain focused on Miss Simian's lesson, if only to memorize the important details before his teacher decided to hand everyone a surprise pop quiz. Unfortunately for the purple fox, he didn't get much sleep, due to having the same nightmare all over again and as a result, Brian could barely keep himself awake. His behavior didn't go unnoticed, as Gumball and Darwin looked at their friend with concern.
"Hey Brian…" Gumball whispered to the tired purple fox. "Keep your eyes open. The last thing you want to do is upset Miss Simian."
"Gumball's got a point." whispered Darwin. "If it'll help you, we got some scotch tape on us."
The Watterson brothers pulled a roll of scotch tape and immediately put them on Brian's eyelids, hoping it was enough to help their friend out. Unfortunately, the solution didn't work out at all, as the scotch tapes quickly peeled off, having no effect on Brian by the slightest. It didn't help that the commotion ended up attracting Miss Simian's attention, as the elderly baboon stopped what she was doing and made her way towards Gumball, Darwin and Brian, looking at the trio suspiciously.
"Care to explain why you boys are causing such a ruckus?"
"Actually, we can, Miss Simian." Gumball quickly replied. "Darwin and I were, um, just reminding Brian of the important stuff from your lesson. Isn't that right buddy?"
"That's right." Darwin agreed, playing along with his brother's lie. "Brian simply got lost so we just needed to remind him, that's all."
"It's true, Miss Simian…" Brian began, as he held back a yawn. "I was, um, not listening very well and my friends offered to tell me what's going on."
Miss Simian continued to look at the boys, not convinced with their claims. But as much as the cantankerous teacher wanted to delve in much further, she didn't have the time to do so and decided to just accept the boy's words for now, before Miss Simian went back to the board to resume her lesson once again, while Gumball, Darwin and Mike looked at their friend with great concern.
The afternoon had finally arrived at school, as the cafeteria was slowly filling up with students either eating their food or talking with one another. But for Brian, he was neither in the mood to eat nor to chat; after trying to stay awake for as long as he could, the purple fox's body finally gave in and he ended up sleeping face first in his own food. As Brian dozed off in his sleep, Gumball, Darwin and Mike talked to one another regarding the purple fox himself.
"Listen guys, I think it's best if we find out what's causing Brian's nightmare." Mike explained. "That way, we could come up with a solution so that he can sleep again."
"That sounds like a good idea, Mike." Gumball agreed with the maroon badger.
"At least then Brian won't get into any more trouble." said Darwin. "But first, let's wake Brian up."
Mike and the Watterson brothers made their way to the tired purple fox, still face first in his food. As soon as Darwin tapped him on the shoulder, Brian shot up right away, causing his friends to yelp, before their friend turned to them, arching an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Is there a reason why you guys woke me up?"
"Actually, there is…" Mike began. "Has anything recent happened between you and Rhonda?"
Brian looked at the maroon badger, somewhat confused by his question. But slowly, the purple fox pondered for a bit, thinking as hard as he could regarding his friend's question. Eventually, Brian's eyes widened, as if he had found the answer, before he turned back to Mike, ready to offer him his answer.
"It began a while back at Anais' birthday party…"
Anais' birthday party got off to a good start, as everyone, including Brian and Rhonda, were enjoying themselves at the Watterson residence. Wanting to have some time alone, both the purple fox and the yellow mouse decided to take their conversation into the backyard and have their usual conversation there. It was then that Brian decided to ask his girlfriend about her new look, as her normally shoulder-length hair has been cut down for a more boyish look.
"So Rhonda, care to explain why your hair is shorter than usual?" asked a curious Brian, prompting Rhonda to take a deep breath, before responding to her boyfriend's question.
"A kid accidentally threw bubblegum in my hair and it got tangled in the process, so I had to get a haircut. To be honest, I don't like it one bit."
"Don't say that, Rhonda. I think your hair does look good." Brian stumbled over his words and made them sound different, which didn't end well.
"Thanks, Brian. I-what did you just say to me?" asked Rhonda, prompting a shocked Brian to realize that he had unknowingly stammered in his last sentence.
"Did I say your hair doesn't look good? I said it looks fine like a boy would-"
"Oh, so now you're telling me I look like a boy?!" Rhonda said in an irritated tone, causing Brian to realize his error.
"That's not what I meant, Rhonda!" Brian became quite defensive at this point. "What I meant to say is that it doesn't matter whether your hair is long or short-"
"So you're saying I look much better if I had longer hair, is that it?!" Rhonda demanded, her face turning red in anger.
"Wait, I didn't mean to-" was all Brian could say, before his girlfriend raised her hand, prompting him to be silent, before the mouse spoke.
"Brian, I don't know what's going on, but let's not talk for the next few days. I'm sorry if it has to be this way, but unless you can get your act together, don't bother coming near my house."
With that, Rhonda turned around and stormed back into the Watterson residence, leaving Brian on his knees, stunned and in disbelief.
"…And that's how it happened."
Once Brian was done with his story, Gumball, Darwin and Mike looked at their friend, expressing pity over his situation, as the trio noted the look of guilt on the fox's face.
"Sorry the day ended like that." Mike finally spoke. "But to be honest, your story is understandable. I would have nightmares too and not do anything about it if I had a girlfriend that stormed off due to my own carelessness."
"Wait a minute, you have a girlfriend, Mike?" asked Gumball.
"Yeah, she wouldn't happen to be-" before Darwin could finish his words, the two-legged fish found himself cut off by the maroon badger.
"Of course I don't have a girlfriend you guys. I was merely making a point, that's all."
"….Oh." Gumball and Darwin spoke simultaneously in disappointment.
"Anyway…" Brian began, getting attention from his friends once more. "I don't know what to do. I'm feeling really bad for what I did yesterday, but I don't know how to deal with it. It's not like I can make my problems disappear."
The moment Brian said that last statement, an idea suddenly hit Darwin.
"That's it!" Darwin shouted, as he stood on his seat. "I think I figured out a solution for Brian."
"You do?" Gumball, Brian and Mike asked simultaneously, clearly surprised to hear the two-legged fish's claim.
"Of course! Just meet me back at home and I'll explain everything." Darwin explained, smiling rather proudly, while the trio looked at each other with uncertainty.
After school was done for the day, everyone went to the Watterson residence, where Darwin instructed them on what to do. Despite being weirded out by the two-legged fish's demands, Gumball, Brian and Mike complied. After several minutes, the boys soon found themselves in Gumball and Darwin's bedroom, each wearing a tin foil hat connecting to the other, wearing a cape and holding a glass of warm milk.
"You know, I'm probably going to regret asking, but why do we look like we're going to contact aliens?" Mike asked.
"It's simple Mike..." Darwin began to explain. "These helmets will help reflect our brain waves so we can enter each other's dreams."
"…What?" the maroon badger calmly asked after a minute of silence.
"Dude, that's just Darwin's way of thinking." Gumball said flatly. "But seriously, it's really effective."
"That still doesn't explain why we have to wear these capes." Brian pointed out.
"I just thought they would look cool." said Darwin, prompting Mike to facepalm in annoyance.
"Let's get this over with." the maroon badger suggested.
Agreeing with Mike on that last statement, the boys proceeded to drink the warm milk all the way down. Once they were finished drinking, the four expected something to happen right away, but a few minutes passed and nothing happened, much to Darwin's confusion.
"That's strange, it worked the first time I tried it."
"I can't believe I even followed your stupid plan!" Mike angrily exclaimed. "I knew it was…too…good…"
Suddenly, the boys felt their bodies shutting down on themselves and before long, the four fell to the floor and immediately fell asleep.
It felt almost like an eternity, but Mike was eventually able to open his eyes and he was shocked to find himself in Paris, specifically under the Eiffel Tower. But what really shocked the maroon badger the most is that Darwin's idea actually worked for a change.
'I don't believe it! For once, Darwin really proved me wrong!'
Just then, he heard a few moans from behind, prompting Mike to turn around and see Gumball and Darwin waking up. Upon further inspection, however, the maroon badger was left dumbstruck by what he was witnessing; Gumball, for some reason, was now talking gibberish, much to the blue feline's confusion, while Darwin has somehow turned into a wind-up doll, unable to move his body, except for his eyes and mouth. The maroon badger looked at himself and noticed that he appeared to be normal, much to his suspicion.
'Somehow, I have a feeling I'm going to find out about my own changes the hard way.' Mike thought to himself, before he approached the two-legged fish and wound up the key behind his back. "I got ya, buddy."
"Thank you so much, Mike. I really appreciate it!" Darwin expressed his gratitude, before turning to the blue feline. "Hey Gumball, are you alright?"
After talking nonsense for a few more minutes, Gumball, out of desperation, concentrated hard enough to form a paper and pencil and proceeded to write down his words instead.
'What the hay is going on around here?!'
Darwin and Mike pondered for a moment, before the two-legged fish spoke, having found the answer to his brother's question.
"Since we're in Brian's head, this must be how he really sees us."
'You're telling me he sees me as a blabbermouth?!' Gumball furiously wrote.
"Gumball, you might want to practice on your writing." Mike criticized the blue feline. "Seriously, I can't read your chicken scratches and you've misspelled some of the words."
The blue feline could only grumble in annoyance by the badger's remark, before all three heard two familiar voices not far from where they were.
"Come on, you guys. Let's get there before Brian's nightmare began." Mike insisted, before he carried Darwin on his back and along with Gumball, proceeded to make their way to their friend. Upon arrival, the trio spotted Brian and Rhonda sitting near the cafe, but the three focused intently on the mouse, surprised that Rhonda had long hair all of a sudden.
'Can you tell us why Rhonda has long hair in Brian's dream?' Gumball wrote on his note, hoping to get an answer from Mike.
"This version of Rhonda might have been part of the argument Brian mentioned to us." Mike deduced. "The argument started because Rhonda didn't like her haircut, so Brian gave her a new one."
"Makes perfect sense to me." Darwin commented. "It appears that the long-haired Rhonda might be symbolic in Brian's mind."
While the boys are discussing with one another on the subject, the sky above them suddenly went dark and soon, a thunderstorm appeared out of nowhere, scaring the locals away. The trio had no doubt that Brian's nightmare had just begun, as they spotted the purple fox looking at his girlfriend right next to Ivan.
"Hold on to Darwin while I deal with the Neanderthal." Mike informed Gumball, as he handed Darwin to the blue feline, before dashing towards the red bear with a punch. Suddenly, the maroon badger's fist suddenly hit him on the face, tumbling his way past Ivan and right in front of Brian.
"Ow! What the-?" Mike commented, just as Gumball arrived with Darwin on his back, confusing Brian in the process.
"What are you guys-" was all Brian could say, before the blue feline proceeded to talk. Unfortunately, he spoke nothing but gibberish, leaving the purple fox perplexed, before an irate Darwin decided to talk on his brother's behalf.
"What Gumball's trying to say is that you're in a dream and that he, Mike and I want you to change your dream."
Though confused by the two-legged fish's sentence, Brian complied with Darwin's demand, concentrating as hard as he could. Before long, the entire city of Paris disappeared in a flashing light, much to the boys' relief.
'Wow that was a close one.' Gumball wrote on his note.
Unfortunately, their relief was short-lived, as they soon found themselves in what appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. The boys also felt some hard objects at their feet and looked down to see some railroad tracks, much to their confusion.
"Where the flip are we?" asked Mike.
As if to answer his question, a train whistle blew out of nowhere, prompting the boys to turn around and see an oncoming train heading right towards them at increasing speed, much to their horror.
"Brian, don't just stand there and do nothing!" the maroon badger shouted at the purple fox. "Change the ending!"
Without further hesitation, Brian concentrated hard enough before the train was about to make contact with them. Suddenly, the scenery around changed into a seemingly deserted city, devoid of all life.
'Where are we now?' Gumball wrote on his note, arching an eyebrow in curiosity.
Out of nowhere, there was a loud stomping sound just a mile away, each getting closer and closer towards the boys, until it abruptly stopped. Despite great reluctance on their part, the boys turned around and saw a gigantic two-headed Ivan staring right down at them, with wings and a dragon-like tail to boot, as the gigantic monster gave out a ferocious roar for the entire city to hear.
"Brian, this dream of yours is starting to get weird now." Darwin commented.
"This is getting us nowhere." Mike muttered in annoyance, before he turned his attention to Brian. "Alright, you need to wake up now."
"Are you sure about that?" asked the purple fox, only to receive a glare from the maroon badger. "Alright, I'll do it."
As Brian concentrated with all of his might, the giant two headed beast made its way to the boys and smiling rather maliciously, Ivan prepared to stomp on the boys, before a bright light flashed out of nowhere.
Brian, along with Mike and the Watterson brothers, opened their eyes, as the four boys got up from the floor and looked at their surroundings, realizing that they have woken up in the real world. Although for Gumball and Darwin, they were far from happy with the outcome, as the duo glared at the maroon badger.
"I can't believe you just did that, Mike!" shouted Gumball.
"Yeah, how are we supposed to fix Brian's problem now?" Darwin complained, prompting the maroon badger to sigh, before he finally talked to his irate friends.
"You saw what happened back there. Every time Brian tried to change the outcome of his nightmare, we nearly got ourselves killed in the process. I know one way to end this nonsense once and for all, so you guys just need to follow me."
"But-" was all Gumball and Darwin could blurt out, before Brian raised his paw, causing them to be silent, as the purple fox spoke.
"Mike's right, you guys. All I did was cause more harm than help." Brian then turned to the maroon badger. "Alright Mike, lead the way."
Satisfied with his response, the maroon badger led the trio out of the Watterson residence, knowing there was only one place to resolve his friend's situation.
"You have got to be kidding me." Brian spoke in dismay, as he realized that Mike had led him to the Paxton residence, the last place he wanted to be. "You know, I think I heard my mom call-"
Before the purple fox could have a chance to turn around, Mike grabbed his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.
"Brian, the reason your nightmares exist is because you and Rhonda aren't on good terms. All you have to do is clear things up with Rhonda and your nightmare problem will be over in no time."
"….Alright Mike, I'll give it a shot." Brian reluctantly agreed, as he and his friends made their way to the front door, with Darwin ringing the doorbell. As the purple fox waited with fear and anxiety written on his face, the door opened, revealing Rhonda right in front of him. Understandably, the mouse was surprised to see her boyfriend, along with his friends, standing right in front of her, but at the same time, she was far from happy, especially since she had to see the purple fox so soon after the remarks he made yesterday.
"Sorry to bother you Rhonda, but is it alright if we come in and talk with you?" asked Gumball.
"Could you guys tell me what's going on?" the mouse asked rather wearily.
"Call it an intervention." Mike simply responded.
Rhonda continued to look at the boys, uncertain of what they're up to. At the same time, however, she decided that the best thing she could do was to at least hear them out before jumping to conclusions.
"Alright you guys, come on in."
Once they got her permission, the boys went inside her house, as they and Rhonda went into the living room, before the mouse focused her attention at Brian, much to his discomfort.
"Alright Brian, let's hear it."
The purple fox hesitated for a moment, uncertain of how Rhonda will react to his nightmare issue, until a certain maroon badger made his way to his uncomfortable friend.
"Brian, just tell her about your problems. After all, it's better if she hears it from you." Mike insisted.
Brian nodded his head, agreeing with the maroon badger, before turning his attention to his girlfriend, ready to give her his explanation.
"Rhonda, ever since yesterday, I have had this really awful nightmare…"
Five minutes later….
"…and it's been bothering me ever since."
Once Brian was done with his story, Rhonda looked at her boyfriend, having listened to his entire story of his nightmare and how it was the result of the argument that occurred between them. That and the fact that he felt bad for his remarks yesterday was enough for the mouse to loosen up a bit.
"Wow, I have to admit Brian that must have been really crazy back there."
"Yeah, I only caused more harm than help when I did the wrong thing trying to stop them."
As the fox and the mouse continued on with their conversation, Gumball and Darwin attempted to speak up, wanting to have a say of their own, until the duo noticed the look of disapproval on Mike's face, shaking his head slowly, which was enough for the brothers to back down, allowing their friend and his girlfriend to chat with one another, as Brian suddenly became quite serious.
"Rhonda, the real reason I came here is that not only do I owe you an apology, but I also wanted to clarify what I wanted to say during our conversation yesterday. Truth is, I really like your hairstyle for what it is and I don't care what anyone else says. You look fine just the way you are."
Rhonda was stunned to hear her boyfriend's admission to this, but at the same time, she couldn't help but smile, realizing that the purple fox was honest with his words and she was touched that he really meant every word with it.
"Thanks Brian, I'm glad to hear what you really thought of my look. To be honest, it's really grown on me. Also, I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you before."
"Thanks Rhonda, I'm just glad we were able to clear things up."
"Me too."
With that, Brian and Rhonda hugged one another, having managed to reconcile with one another, as Gumball, Darwin and Mike looked on, happy that everything worked out between them.
"Well, this is certainly sweet." said Gumball.
"Another happy ending." Darwin commented.
"It sure is…" Mike began, before putting his paws on Gumball and Darwin's backs and begin shoving them through the front door. "But right now, let's give them some privacy."
With that, the trio exited the Paxton residence, allowing Brian and Rhonda to spend some time together.
Tonight never felt better for Brian, as the purple fox was finally able to get a good night sleep in his bedroom. Right now, the purple fox dreamt that he and Rhonda were now in Italy, sitting in the gondola, staring at one another, as the purple fox admired his girlfriend's new look, as the moon shone on them in the clear night.
"Rhonda, you look so amazing. I wish this night would last forever."
"Same here Brian." the mouse happily replied. "And Brian?"
"Yes?" the fox asked, arching an eyebrow in curiosity.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
With words exchanged, the two leaned towards each other, before their lips locked with one another, as the sky was suddenly filled with fireworks blasting off simultaneously.
Next time on The Newcomer
Chapter 56-The Possession
Carrie wants to spend one day alive and Mike agrees to share his body with her, on the condition that they work together. Unfortunately for Mike, she might not be so willing to give it back.
Tidbits
-Technically speaking, Brian's kiss with Rhonda in his dream doesn't count. When he actually receives one…that's for me and Sal to know.
-Starting with this chapter, Rhonda will maintain her new hair cut for the remainder of the story.
-Originally, I was planning on writing Gumball's gibberish speech when he was in Brian's head, but I figured it was best to describe it instead.
-Once again, I want to thank Sal for his help, as well as coming up with this chapter idea.
I hope everyone enjoys reading The Nightmare and I'll see ya next chapter!