//------------------------------// // TV Station Turmoil // Story: G5 Adventures in Muppets from Space // by ponydog127 //------------------------------// The party lasted halfway through the night as Gonzo waited for his family to arrive... at least so he could learn where he was from. But unfortunately... they never came. The Mane 6 had assumed Rizzo and Pepe were to blame for the whole Jacuzzi deal, but it absolutely crushed them in so many ways to see that Gonzo himself was crushed. He didn’t deserve this... and deep in the bottom of their hearts, the ponies knew that Rizzo and Pepe felt guilty for letting Gonzo down. But... no one realized that the events that would come next would matter more than ever... especially in the attempt for finding Gonzo’s alien family. XXXXXXXX Misty found herself unable to sleep again... but it wasn't because of Gonzo having a nightmare. It was because she knew that Gonzo was crushed that his family didn’t show up... a feeling that she could somehow understand. That left Misty with only one option... she had to go and check on Gonzo... just to make sure he was alright. After climbing out of bed and past her sleeping friends, Misty tiptoed down the hall and gently opened the door to Gonzo and Rizzo's room. “Psst... Gonzo? Rizzo? Are either of you awake?” The blue unicorn listed for a moment, but only Rizzo's light snoring could be heard... and Gonzo’s could not. Luckily, Misty had a pretty good idea of where to check next. XXXXXXXX Gonzo stared at the sky, a worried and saddening expression on his face. He didn't understand... where was his family? The voices said that if he built the Jacuzzi, they would come! So... why weren’t they here? Suddenly, the sound of someone climbing up to the roof caught Gonzo's attention, causing him to look and see Misty tiredly scaling the house, finally reaching the roof. “You know… you really gotta stop climbing the roof when there isn’t a pegasus or a reliable ladder around.” “Sorry, Misty,” Gonzo apologized before looking up at the stars again. “I just… needed some time to think.” “...I’m sorry your family didn’t show. Really, I am,” Misty said as she sat next to him, despite figuring out what Rizzo and Pepe had planned earlier. “I can’t begin to imagine how painful that must’ve been.” “But it couldn’t have been as painful as living with Opaline all those years,” Gonzo countered… just before he decided to ask a question. “How… how did you survive all that time of being locked away in her lair?” “Where do I begin…?” Misty asked herself before turning to him. “To be honest… before I had my friends, I just survived by what Opaline told me to do. But after I made friends with some of the most amazing ponies I had ever met, I started gaining confidence against her evilness. And… then, one day, I finally stood up for myself, and confronted Opaline for the evil she had done.” “Wow,” Gonzo said in an impressed tone. “You’ve got guts. And… did you defeat her?” “A few times, but only temporarily. It wasn’t until about… a year and a half ago in the Himalayas where we defeated her for the first time.” Gonzo immediately paused at this. “Wait… the first time?” Misty then decided to clarify. “You know how I mentioned my mom was Opaline’s adopted daughter for a long time? Well… before we were able to reform her, she… she used a magic amulet to bring Opaline back from the dead.” “Yikes…” Gonzo grimaced. “I bet she was bent on revenge.” “She was,” Misty nodded. “She came after my cutie mark, my friends’ cutie marks… any cutie marks in Norville o’er Morgania that she could get a hold of. And she brainwashed and kidnapped Mom too, after learning that Mom had betrayed her to help us. She was so close to opening a portal and getting back to Equestria so she could take over.” “...and? What happened then?” Gonzo asked. “Did she manage to get back to Equestria?” “No, thank goodness,” Misty shook her head. “All the ponies in Camelot and Norville o’er Morgania began to sing in unity, pouring what magic they had into the Together Trees. Then, Sunny’s locket shot out a rainbow beam of magic that trapped Opaline, and Sparky used the Dragonstone to help return the cutie marks. And as the Together Tree in Morgan’s lair began to grow out of control, the tree’s roots took Opaline’s cutie mark, and the tree sealed Opaline inside of it when she went to retrieve it. And now that she’s in there… there’s no way she’s coming back.” “Wow… that’s a crazy story,” Gonzo said. “A lot better than my stunt stories.” “I wouldn’t say that,” Misty chuckled. “What I’m trying to say is that there’s a good part to every story… and I know that someday, that good part is gonna come in your direction.” Gonzo sighed and wrapped his arms around the unicorn in a hug. “Thanks, Misty… I’ll try my best to remember that.” “No problem. Now, let’s get to bed,” Misty said. “Maybe Bunsen and Beaker can help us make contact with your alien tribe in the morning.” XXXXXXXX By the next morning, Miss Piggy and Pipp had left for the TV studio again, leaving everyone else to watch some TV, and since Gonzo was still determined to get in contact with his alien family, the Mane 6 switched it to a show called UFO Mania Live, to see if they could get any insight. “Earth, are you ready? The Galaxy Channel presents: UFO Mania Live, with close-encounter expert Shelley Snipes.” That’s when a woman with brown curly hair appeared on the screen. “Hello, I’m Shelley Snipes. Coming up on UFO Mania Live, I'll be taking a hard look at some compelling new data. Have you seen something in the sky but were afraid to talk about it…?” “Hey, where’s Sunny and Misty?” Hitch asked, looking around for the blue unicorn and apricot earth pony. “I thought we were gonna watch this together.” “Misty is with Gonzo and Sunny is trying to convince Pepe and Rizzo to do the right thing,” said Zipp in a quiet whisper. “They should be up soon.” XXXXXXXX At the same time, in the basement, Gonzo and Misty were in the basement with Bunsen and Beaker, with Gonzo wrapped in a suit of tin foil and a metal strainer on his head as part of an experiment to contact Gonzo’s family. “I don't understand why they didn't show up last night,” Gonzo admitted. “I thought I did everything right.” “Well, perhaps we can be of assistance,” Bunsen said, hooking several wires up to a machine. “I think we can help you contact your alien brethren by boosting your newly enhanced conductivity. Okay, Beakie. Let her rip.” Beaker nodded and began to charge up the device, getting an electric shock in the process. But thanks to the electricity in his veins, Gonzo began to feel something different. “Wait a minute. I think I'm picking up a signal!” “Oh, what is it?” Misty asked, rushing to his side. “Is it alien related?” Gonzo listened for a moment, and after a moment, began to get the signal from the TV, but didn’t realize it at first. “If you've had contact with an alien, or if you are an alien and want to tell your story, write to us or come to our studio at 6577 Broadcast Lane now.” After hearing this, Gonzo immediately realized that he had to get to that address to contact his family. “The mothership is calling me home!” “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Misty said as Bunsen gasped in excitement. “Thanks a lot, guys!” “The mothership! It worked. The mothership!” cried Bunsen in excitement… just before Beaker fainted from all the electricity he had endured. “B-Beaker?” XXXXXXXX In the kitchen, Sunny was trying to get Pepe and Rizzo to decide who was going to tell Gonzo the truth… and it was not going well. “You said you going to tell him, okay,” Pepe argued, causing Sunny to eventually sigh. “Pepe, the Jacuzzi thing was your idea, and you have to tell him. Please.” Pepe sighed reluctantly at Sunny’s plea. “Sí, I will tell him, okay. Right.” “They’re calling meeeeeeee!!” “Get ready, boys!” Sunny said. “Here he comes!” Then, Gonzo and Misty burst out of the basement, prompting Rizzo to try and speak. “Gonzo…” “Can’t talk now, guys!” Misty cried. “Sunny, we have a lead! We’ll send you the address once we get there!” “Uh, sure, guys!” Sunny nodded. “Be careful!” But by the time Gonzo and Misty had disappeared from sight, Pepe and Rizzo went at it again.  “You should've told him.” “I wasn’t supposed to!” “You said you'd tell him.” “I said you. I meant you!” Sunny sighed in deep disappointment… there was a clear message she needed to send… and quickly too, for all their sakes. XXXXXXXX Gonzo had chosen the lawnmower he had used to mow his message as his mode of transportation, while Misty ran ahead of him and used her phone as a way to figure out where the address was. But when she saw it was a television studio, she frowned. “Wait… Gonzo, don’t you think that this might be a little weird?” she began to ask, only for Gonzo to rush by her on the lawnmower and put it into park, much to the shock of several civilians. “Hi, guys. I'm here. I'll just leave the tractor here in front, okay?” “G-Gonzo!” Misty tried to call after him to stop him, but this ultimately failed, causing her to sigh deeply and follow him inside. XXXXXXXX “All right, Piggy,” Pipp said to her new friend. “Let’s practice those lines of yours one more time, just to be safe.” Miss Piggy nodded and turned to face the mirror before speaking. “And that's the way it is. This is Miss Piggy saying good night, and have a great…” “Hey!” a man’s voice interrupted. “Where’s my coffee?!” Pipp sighed as she heard the voice. “Showbiz is never over for some people… come on, we better take the producer his cappuccino.” “Oh, uh… coming! Coming!” Miss Piggy said as they ran across the TV studio. “Coming!” “I’ll take one,” said a crew member, causing Piggy to nod. “In a minute.” “Light, no sugar.” “Yeah yeah yeah yeah,” Pipp said. “She said in a minute!” At the same time, the TV manager and the TV producer were in the middle of heated discussion to a very serious problem. “Shelley's still stuck at the airport,” said the manager. “She'll never make it back on time.” “Okay, I am not gonna panic. Who am I kidding? Yes, I am!” the producer cried out. “No. No, I'm not. Okay, I'm panicking. Who can we possibly get at the last minute? Who?” Miss Piggy quickly shoved the manager aside, clearing her throat. “Cappuccino? Heh heh heh...” “Believe me, sir,” said Pipp, fluttering up to the producer, “I know that making someone the temporary host of the show is a little out-of-the-box, but… what choice do you guys have?” The producer and the manager looked at each other for a few moments, debating on whether they could go with Miss Piggy as the temporary hostess... ...and eventually, the producer sighed heavily. “All right, all right…” he said. “Miss Piggy goes on in two minutes.” Miss Piggy squealed and hugged Pipp excitedly. “Thank you thank you thank you, Pipp!” “Don’t thank me,” Pipp said. “You have natural talent. Now get out there and strut your stuff!” XXXXXXXX “Stand by, everybody.” “Roll tape, please.” “And… cue I.D.” “We're on in five, four, three, two…” All the lights in the TV station came on, revealing Miss Piggy at the front desk. However, she felt speechless as she gasped from complete shock. Pipp groaned to herself. “Come on, Piggy… you can do this!” XXXXXXXX At the same time, the others were watching the television when Fozzie noticed Piggy on the screen. “Hey, look! It's Piggy's new show!” “But… she looks terrified,” Hitch frowned. “Why isn’t she doing anything?”  Zipp hummed in thought. “I wonder if this is what Piggy meant by ‘TV journalist’ the day after we arrived…” XXXXXXXX At the same time, the producer held up a sign for Piggy to read, and Pipp whispered out to her. “Piggy, read the sign! Read the sign!” Miss Piggy chuckled nervously before clearing her throat and beginning to read. “Oh, oh, oh! ‘Hello again, I'm Shelley Snipes’.” Pipp groaned as Miss Piggy continued to speak. “Uh… ‘Today on U.F.O Mania: Flying saucers and their extraterrestrial pilots’.” XXXXXXXX “I just don't get it, Kermit,” Sunny told her friend as they walked. “Pepe and Rizzo knew how much Gonzo’s family meant to him, and they still did what they did.” “They can be really stubborn sometimes, Sunny,” said Kermit. “The sooner you learn that, the better.” “Uh... Kermit? Sunny?” Zipp called from the living room. “You guys better come and see this.” Kermit and Sunny walked into the living room, and seeing Miss Piggy on the TV caused them a great deal of surprise, Kermit especially. “Piggy!” “That means Pipp can’t be too far away,” Sunny said as they sat down. “But where…?” But before Piggy could continue, Gonzo and Misty (the latter looking rather panicked) appeared on the screen. “People of Earth, do not be alarmed!” Gonzo advised, much to the shock of the others. “My message will be brief. I am Gonzo, and this is my friend Misty.” Piggy looked at Gonzo in shock as Pipp came and stood next to her. “Gonzo?” “Misty?!” Pipp cried, causing the blue unicorn and Gonzo to turn to the two in surprise. “Pipp?” Misty questioned. “Piggy?” Pipp found the need to chuckle nervously and turned to the audience. “Don’t worry, folks, there-- there has to have been some sort of mistake!” “Dang…” Clifford said in a worried tone. “You and Sunny better get down there, Kerm.” “Relax,” said Kermit. “No one's going anywhere, okay?” “Misty, why don’t you tell everybody what we have been finding out the past few days?” Gonzo asked her, only for her to make a squeak sound and hunker down below the cameras. “Okay then… I’ll do it. You see, I was contacted through my breakfast cereal, and later it was confirmed to me by the cosmic fish that I am definitely from outer space.” As Gonzo continued to speak, Zipp turned toward Kermit and Sunny with a skeptic and ‘I told you so’ look. “So do you guys wanna go NOW or wait for a commercial?” Sunny groaned audibly at this. “Now… come on. Izzy and Hitch, stay here until we get back,” she said, and she, Zipp, Kermit and Rizzo quickly walked out the door.  XXXXXXXX Back at the TV station, Pipp got Gonzo and Misty’s attention again. “What are you guys doing here?!” “Gonzo’s trying to make contact,” Misty assumed. “What are you doing?” Piggy tried to think of a response to such. “Um…” That’s when Pipp caught sight of the producer mouthing ‘Interview them’, and instantly caught onto an idea. “We’re interviewing-- we’re interviewing you!” “Interview?” Misty gulped nervously. “Oh, this is great!” Gonzo said, grabbing Misty by the tail. “Come on, Misty!” “Uh, Gonzo, this may be a bad time,” said Misty, “but I don’t enjoy people staring at-- WHOA!!” Misty was dragged behind the desk before she could finish, and Gonzo turned toward Piggy. “What would you like to know?” “The whole tearful tale of your inner struggle, Gonzo.” XXXXXXXX Back at C.O.V.N.E.T, Ed and Rentro were watching the TV when Gonzo and Misty revealed themselves, and Gonzo began speaking, unknowingly putting them in serious danger. “Oh. I want my people to know that I've received their messages. And my response to them is: I am here!” “I am here…” Ed repeated the message with a smirk. “Bingo.” “I’m at 44 Bronson Lane,” Gonzo continued, “and I can't wait to meet you.” “And I can't wait to meet you,” said Ed, only for Rentro to speak right after. “Me too. He's very charismatic, don't you think?” “Freeze the screen!” Ed commanded, and Rentro did so while Ed focused on the image of Gonzo and a worried Misty. “I want him and his pony friend here and I want them here now.” “Yes, sir.” Ed smirked and poked at the image of Gonzo on the TV. “So you're our fancy little landscaper… and you have a little pet…” “Mr. Singer!” Ed groaned to himself as Persephone, Caramel and Journal came into the office. “Look, they didn’t have anymore creamer, so we thought we’d get you some whole milk,” Caramel said. “Is that--?” Upon seeing the image of Gonzo and Misty on TV, the three mares let out a stunned gasp. “Is… is that…?” Journal began to ask when Persephone interrupted her. “An alien with an Equestrian unicorn?!” “Yes… yes, it is,” Ed nodded. “And I want Caramel Wish to go with the agents and bring them back here.” Caramel blinked in surprise. “Me? But… why don’t all three of us go?” “Well, we don’t want a whole posse giving away our whole operation, do we? Now, go Caramel. Make me proud.” Caramel turned to her friends and hugged them. “Don’t worry… we’ll figure this out as soon as I get back,” she told her friends before flying out of the office. XXXXXXXX “Piggy, Piggy!” Pipp whispered to her friend upon seeing several signals from the manager. “We’re gonna take a break!” Miss Piggy, upon hearing that, nodded and turned back to the cameras. “Oh, oh, oh! Ha-ha-ha. Yes. We are going to pause here, and we'll be right back with Gonzo, the geek who fell to Earth, with moi, Miss…” “Aaaaaand we’re out,” the manager said, cutting off the feed. “90 seconds folks.” Miss Piggy growled in annoyance just as the producer came over. “Now that is TV. The phones are lighting up like Vegas. What power, what heat. You're a hit!” “Thank you, thank you!” Piggy began to say. “Not you,” the producer said to her before turning to Gonzo. “Him.” Gonzo blinked in surprise. “Me?” “Him?” Misty asked. “Uh… I’m not so sure that--” “Gonzo,” said the producer, ignoring Misty’s warning, “you’ve got it.” Suddenly, Rizzo’s voice caused them all to turn. “Sure wish we could find a cure for it.” That’s when the two groups began to acknowledge each other in confusion. “Rizzo?” “Gonzo?” “Kermie?” “Piggy?” “Zipp?” “Pipp.” “Misty?” “Sunny?” However, the producer was immediately confused. “What the heck’s going on here?” “Sunny, I don’t know what you just saw, but I did NOT know this was a TV studio at first!” Misty spoke. “I just went by what Gonzo told me to put in the GPS!” “I know, Misty, I know,” Sunny said. “We just wanted to make sure you guys were okay.” “Listen, Gonzo,” said Kermit, “aren't you taking this alien thing just a little too far?” “Kermit,” Gonzo spoke, approaching them, “I realize that it may be hard for you to accept me as an alien, but I didn't choose to be one.” “He’s got a point, Kerm,” Zipp shrugged. “He kinda does have alien tendencies.” “Yeah,” Gonzo agreed. “The ponies get it. This just makes sense to me.” “Beautiful, big G!” the producer told Gonzo. “I see a follow-up episode here.” “Me too!” Miss Piggy agreed. “The Alien in my Life. A Miss Piggy special report.” “What are you talking about?” the producer asked. “You’re the coffee pig, and Pipp is your helper.” Kermit and Sunny turned toward the two with confusion. “Huh?” “Pipp…” Zipp crossed her hooves. “Is there something you wanna tell me?” Miss Piggy roughly elbowed the producer as she gave a nervous chuckle. “Kermit, he’s such a joker! Ha ha ha…” “We’ll take it from here.” Everyone gasped and turned to see two agents in tuxedos, along with Caramel Wish behind them, standing off to the side. “We're with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Aliens,” said the first agent. “We feel your pain, Gonzo.” “They feel my pain!” Gonzo wrapped his arms around Sunny and Zipp. “I got a paper cut that's a doozy. You feel my pain too?” Rizzo asked, and Gonzo disregarded the rat’s question and asked one of his own. “Can you help me make contact with my alien tribe?” “Sure we can, Gonzo,” Caramel nodded. “You and Misty just have to come with us.” “Me?” Misty asked. “Why me?” “Well… we want to get an Equestrian’s point of view, and you seem like an honest unicorn... you know?” Misty hummed in thought, but was still worried. “I guess that makes sense.” “Well, at least SOMEONE besides you ponies believes me. Come on, fellas!” Gonzo said as he and Misty eagerly followed them. “Take me and Misty to my leader.” “Misty, Gonzo!” Kermit tried to call out, but to no avail. That’s when Rizzo shook his head. “I don't like the look of them. This rat smells a rat.” But upon hearing of a limo, Rizzo easily went to join Misty and Gonzo. “Wait a second-- I'm Misty's personal assistant and his translator!” “I better take Kermit home,” Sunny sighed. “You and Pipp coming, Zipp?” “We’ll be right there,” said Zipp. And as Kermit and Sunny walked off, the producer turned toward Piggy and Pipp. “Wait… you two know this unicorn and Gonzo guy, right?” “Um…” Miss Piggy began. “If the price is right.” Zipp raised an eyebrow at this. “Price?” “Don’t ruin this, Zipp!” said Pipp in a whisper. “This could be big for Piggy’s career!” Miss Piggy proceeded to pull the producer down to her level. “Look, I deliver Gonzo's exclusive life story, okay, if you make moi your new anchorwoman.” “We’re back in 15 seconds!” Miss Piggy turned toward the producer. “Well?” “What about Shelley?” “Shelley’s smelly.” “...yes, yes! Go!” “All right!” Pipp cheered. “Come on, girls, we’re on a roll!” Zipp and Miss Piggy followed after Pipp, with Piggy being first to notice the agents and Caramel taking their friends away. “Excuse me. Ho, ho, yo. Ho, ho. Hey, studmuffin, hold it.” “I’ll deal with them,” the second agent told the first one, stopping to talk to them. “You’ll deal with us?” Pipp chuckled. “Listen, pal. We’re just trying to get a story.” Suddenly, the agent blocked them from moving forward. “How about this story? It's about a big bad wolf, two little ponies and a little pig.” “No no. That’s three pigs, okay?” Miss Piggy said and tried to get past, only for the agent to block them again. “Not in this version.” Zipp immediately caught onto something, eyes narrowing in anger. “Wait just a minute… you’re not from an alien protection agency? Who are you? And where are you taking Gonzo and Misty?!” The agent threw Pipp and Zipp back into some supplies, which fell on their wings, leaving them unable to fly. That’s when Piggy prepared a ready stance, ready to fight. “I’m impressed,” said the agent before kicking down a wooden support post. “Black belt, third degree.” Miss Piggy then chopped down a pole, cutting it in half and causing Pipp to yelp in surprise. “Platinum belt, with an unlimited line of credit.” “I like this party.” “Get him, Miss Piggy!” Zipp strained as she and her sister tried to get free. “Get him!” And that’s what Miss Piggy set out to do. At first, the agent took out a few hits, but when he started to noogie her, she chopped him right in the privates, causing Pipp and Zipp to wince as they got themselves free from the rubble and Miss Piggy continued to attack again. “Pipp, grab some rope!” Zipp cried to her sister. “We gotta tie this agent up before Miss Piggy chops his head off!”