Caroline's POV:
"This must be it!" Gobo said. We had discovered a doorway marked on either side by the Mark of the Fraggle.
"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! We made it!" Junior said.
"Gobo!" We all turned to see Wembley coming down the hall towards us. He was joined by two large rats.
"Gobo, these two guys were looking for ya."
"The Trash Heap sends us as her emissaries." the grey one said.
"Yeah, she wants to know what's going on." the purple one said.
"Wembley, are you telling me you followed us all the way out here?" Gobo asked.
"What do you mean, Gobo? You're not that far from the Great Hall." We all shared looks of surprise. "C'mon! I'll show you."
Wembley led us down the hall, & sure enough, we found ourselves back in the Great Hall.
"We went in a big circle." I said, stating the obvious.
"You mean we walked all this way for nothing?" Cotterpin asked from her perch on Junior's shoulder.
"I see you have returned." Cantus said as he approached.
"Cantus, why did you send us on this big long quest for a cave that was just steps from the Great Hall?" Gobo asked him.
"Have you found the Cave of the Council?" Cantus asked.
"Yeah. It's right down there."
"Have you been inside?"
"Uh, no…not yet…"
"Then your quest is not yet complete." Cantus said. "Finish it, & all will be explained."
We walked back to the Cave of the Council, this time with Cantus in tow. I glanced behind me, & noticed that many of the Fraggles from the Great Hall were also following us, as were Doc & Sprocket.
When we got back to the Cave, we pushed against the stone blocking the entrance, until it swung open. We stepped inside.
In the middle of the room was a circular stone table, surrounded by four stone chars. The rest of the room seemed to have bleacher like seating carved into the walls, & there was a window on the wall opposite the entrance, which looked out to…somewhere…
"Hey! I think that's the Doozer Dome!" Cotterpin said.
"Yes, it is." Cantus said. "That window was built so that Doozers & Fraggles can communicate easily with each other. Since they occupy most of the same space, they need to be able to communicate."
"Cantus, you still haven't explained. Why did we have to walk all away around the Rock just to get here?" Gobo asked. "Why couldn't we have just come right here in the first place?"
"Because the destination was not really important." Cantus said. "It was the journey that was important." We shared a look of confusion. "Of course you could've taken the shorter path, but it wouldn't have led to where you are now."
"Yes, it would." Cotterpin said. "The cave's location wouldn't have changed."
"No, but we did. We changed." Gobo said. "It's just like you've said, Cantus. We are a part of everything, & everything is a part of us."
"The Ingenuity Test." I said, catching on. "That was designed for each of us. We had to work together to get out of it."
"Oh, so that's why you needed each of us to come with you." Cotterpin said.
"You mean, this entre quest was just so we could become friends?" Junior asked.
"Yes. It's wonderful, isn't it? Friendships, especially with those who are not like you, can change the world." Cantus said. "The Council of the Universe exists to solve problems that affect the balance on all things. Friendship is the first step. The rest is up to you…all of you." Cantus began to address the crowd that had gathered.
"Fraggle Rock stands between the many worlds of the Universe, which gives Fraggles a unique perspective on the Universe. It is up to the Fraggles, along with the Gorgs, Doozers, & Silly Creatures, to bring peace to the Universe. These groups have drifted apart. Now it's time for them to come together again."
"But how do we do that?" Gobo asked.
"Listen."
"But first, let's celebrate!" A Fraggle with red pigtails called out. As an impromptu party began, I found myself answering all sorts of questions about life in Outer Space. Junior & Cotterpin were also fielding questions about their own respective worlds & lives.
As the party continued, I was able to mingle towards Doc & Sprocket, who were also answering questions about what their lives had been like in Outer Space before they moved.
"You know, Doc, I think these Shrinking Gummies might be your best invention of all." I told him.
"Oh, I didn't invent them." Doc said. "A few years after you & your dad moved away, Sprocket & I found them hidden in a cupboard with the secret formula. When we decided to move here, we hid the extras in the old workshop just in case."
"Secret formula?"
"Yes, well, those Gummies will run out eventually." Doc said. "But don't worry about that now. You have enough for lots more adventures, but when you run out, I'll help you make more."
"So…somebody else knows about Fraggle Rock…" I said.
"Yes, but I don't think that's a bad thing." Doc said. "Knowing about Fraggle Rock might just be the most wonderful thing of all! But, you know, I would love to meet them. Just to shake their hand, one inventor to another, & congratulate them on their discovery."
Doc was probably right. There was no reason to worry, but I was still curious…
Who was the first person to discover Fraggle Rock?
Dun dun dun…I didn't want to end the story without a little wiggle room for a possible sequel!
Next up is our final chapter, which will bring our story full circle, with a few references to actual episodes to tie it all together…
Please review!
