"Well, that went quicker than expected." SpongeBob said as he and Patrick left the office.

"Yeah!" agreed Patrick. "I didn't think we'd get into the HMP this fast!"

"You got in already?"

On hearing my voice, SpongeBob and Patrick turned to see me heading towards the office to change out of my PE clothes.

"Well, they said to wait for at least a week." explained SpongeBob. "We had to end it sooner because Jonny went into full superhero mode."

"Hmm, maybe he's just excited about 'The Incredibles*' coming up." I thought.

SpongeBob and Patrick looked at each other, then at me.

"Probably." Patrick said with a shrug.

SpongeBob pointed his thumb at Room 37, as if he was wondering if the Gummy Krabby Patties were in there.

I ushered my hands towards the door, which they opened.

As soon as they entered the room, I heard Eddy ask. "You really think these guys have what it takes to join the HMP?"

"Well, they did have a recommendation letter from Captain Amelia." I explained upon seeing him, Ed, and Double D. "What, do you think they won't get in?"

"Going rate's a quarter." replied Eddy.

"I'll bet you fifty cents if they do." I said.

"Seventy-five cents!"

"A dollar!"

"Two dollars!"

"FIVE! I could go higher, but I gotta get to lunch."

Eddy thought about for a moment. "Hmm, if five dollars means more jawbreakers for us...then, you've got yourself a deal!"

"Oh, boy." Double D said to himself while Eddy and I shook on it.

Once we let go, I saw a quarter on the ground, from which I picked it up, saying. "And here's a little something extra for your troubles."

But as I flipped it over to Eddy, the quarter was snatched away...by a woman, whose eyes were covered by her orange hair.

"What the..." said Eddy.

"You oughta watch how much you're spending, boys." sneered one of...

"The Kanker Sisters!" Ed and Double D said, shaking with fear.

"Gimme back my quarter, Lee!" demanded Eddy.

"How's about a little kiss instead?" Lee suggested, smacking her lips together.

"In your dreams!" snapped Eddy.

At that moment, May and Marie, two more of the Kankers, pounced on Ed and Double D respectively.

"That wasn't a request, stubby." Marie said as she and May put on some lipstick.

"Pucker up, sweetie pie!" May said as she made her move on Ed, who cried. "Oh, help me!"

"No, please, don't!" Double D pleaded, but Marie kept kissing him.

"I'm a minor! Stop!" Eddy begged, but Lee wouldn't listen as she went all over him.

On both sides, Erika, who had stepped out of the office, and Anneliese, stood horrified at what they were seeing.

So was I, but I knew I had to do something to protect my friends.

"HEY!"

Inside Mrs. Kelleher's room, SpongeBob and Patrick were helping themselves to her jar of Gummy Krabby Patties when they heard me shouting at the Kankers.

"Come on, Patrick. There's trouble afoot." SpongeBob said as he hurried to the door.

"Aye, aye, Cap'n." Patrick said with a salute, secretly taking an extra bag, or two, of Gummy Krabby Patties out of Mr. Kelleher's closet.

"Put my friends down and get lost!" I told the Kankers.

"You get lost, kid." said Marie.

"Yeah, you're interfering with our romance." said May.

"Romance?" I said with a scoff. "That's not what I'm seeing."

Lee dropped Eddy hard in the ground and menacingly walked over to me, asking. "Don't you know true love when you see it?"

"That wasn't true love!" I said. "That was...false love!"

Lee gritted her teeth as she pushed me down.

Luckily, SpongeBob and Patrick were able to catch me upon exiting Room 37.

"We got ya, pal." said Patrick.

"Nobody tells us what is or ain't true love!" Lee fumed at me.

Wolfie started to growl on seeing the threat, but Erika picked him up before he could make the pouch.

"And nobody tells us who we can't have as our boyfriends!" added Marie.

As Anneliese left the pen to take a closer look at the Kankers closing in, Maggie fumed at the sight of them picking on me.

"It's justice time. Cover me!"

"Maggie, don't!" Mrs. Caloway said, holding her hoof in front of Maggie. "You'll only cause more trouble."

"We love the Eds." said May. "And they love us."

Even as she said this, the Eds got between me and them.

"Get away from him!" demanded Lee.

"That's our friend you're picking on!" explained Eddy. "And if you wanna get to him..."

"...you're gonna have to get through us!" finished Patrick as he and SpongeBob joined the Eds to protect me.

From where they were standing, Erika, Anneliese, and even the cows, were surprised to see someone stand up to the Kankers.

"Away with you, unrequited lovers!" ordered Ed.

The Kankers were stunned with what they were hearing, but did as they were told.

"We don't care what anyone says." said Lee.

"You will be ours." Marie said to the Eds. "And nobody's gonna keep us apart."

"Not even you, bodyguard boy!" May said to me.

I frowned in response as the Kankers walked away.

Patrick heaved a sigh. "Whew! I don't know about you, but they're like the Alphas and Omegas combined."

SpongeBob sighed as well. "You said it."

"Yeah, that was, like…dangerously crazy." said Eddy.

"But that was also heroically brave of you, standing up for each other." Erika said as she walked over to us. "How do you feel?"

"A little violated." Double D said, looking at the kiss marks on him and his fellow Eds, then at me. "But...we feel great."

"Yeah." Eddy said with a chuckle. "We should've thought about doing this a long time ago."

"I'VE NEVER FELT SO ALIVE!" Ed exclaimed as he tightly wrapped his arms around me, Double D and Eddy, who groaned. "And we're back to the hugging again."

Erika giggled, then turned to me, asking. "You're Nathan, right?"

"Uh, yes." I replied. "Yes, I...I..."

As I spoke, Anneliese walked over to where we were, staring at Erika.

Upon removing the hoods from their capes, both girls saw that they look...identical, much to my surprise, as well as SpongeBob and Patrick's and the Eds'.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Erika.

"We could be sisters!" said Anneliese.

"Yeah, we could be!" agreed Erika. "Except for our hair."

"We could be twins." said Anneliese, who put her hood back on.

So did Erika, who shared a laugh with...

"Princess Anneliese?" I said with awe.

"Please, there's no need to be formal." she said. "Just call me Anneliese."

"Y...you can call me Nathan." I said back.

"And I'm Erika." added Erika, who curtsied before Anneliese, while, SpongeBob, Patrick, the Eds, and I bowed, although Ed smacked his head into the ground while doing so.

"Well, I'll be…" Mrs. Caloway said, surprised to see that their visitor was an actual princess.

"Pardon me for asking, Your Highness," Double D said as he lifted Ed's head from the ground. "But aren't you supposed to be…"

"In Audubon?" guessed Anneliese.

"Audubon?" I said, wide-eyed. "Is there where you…"

"Uh-huh." Anneliese nodded. "But I'm savoring a first…and last taste of freedom before getting married next week...to a total stranger."

"Well, at least you're not an indentured servant." said Erika.

Anneliese raised one of her eyebrows at her.

"Indentured servant?"

Before Erika could explain, she noticed Julian, awestruck upon seeing the resemblance between her and Anneliese.

"It's...it's uncanny."

Anneliese turned to us, saying. "Erika, gentlemen, may I introduce my tutor, Julian."

"How do you do?" greeted Double D

"'Sup." greeted Eddy.

"Hello, my name is Ed." greeted Ed.

Double D took a look at himself, then said. "I suggest we all go freshen up for lunch."

"We'll meet you over there." said Erika.

I looked back at SpongeBob and Patrick, asking them. "Aren't you guys needed to monitor Foster City School?"

"Normally." replied Patrick.

"But unless we're called back there," added SpongeBob. "We're yours for the afternoon."

"Whatever." Eddy said as we went inside the office.

While SpongeBob, Patrick, Erika, Anneliese, and Julian walked off to the patio, Wolfie approached Serafina, saying. "You know, I...uh...haven't seen you around here before.

Serafina flashed a little smile as she said. "I'm guessing we don't run in the same circles, but I think we can work around it."

At the same time, as Maggie, Mrs. Caloway and Grace watched our procession part for a bit, Pearl had returned to the pen, asking. "Who's hungry?"

The farm animals mooed, quacked, grunted, chirped, clucked, and bleated as Pearl prepared their lunches, unaware that Midas was sneaking outside Bowditch.

Author's Note:

*At the time, Disney and Pixar's "The Incredibles" was one of the many films to look forward to, mainly because of the latter studio's track record.