Misty stayed by that window practically all night, fighting sleep as she watched Gonzo go around and around the yard on the lawnmower, over and over again.
This caused her worry to immediately spike.
Was Gonzo really an alien? If he was, she didn’t mind it-- she thought it was really cool to meet an alien, and especially an alien that she shared so much in common with.
But then again... she knew that Gonzo being an alien would raise a whole bunch of other questions for him.
Like... why was he on Earth to begin with? Where was his family? How would Gonzo make contact with them after all this time?
Whatever the future brought for Gonzo, Misty promised herself that she would be there for him no matter what...
...and no matter what dangers came their way.
XXXXXXXX
Ever since their arrival at C.O.V.N.E.T yesterday, Persephone and her two best friends, Caramel Wish and Journal Heart, had been trying their very best to please Mr. Ed Singer and try to prove that they were worthy of their internship...
...even if their way if pleasing Ed was to bring him his coffee, keep the office clean and... well... just stay out of his way while he continued to search for any signs of alien life.
But at least they had Rentro-- he was a lot of fun to be around, and he made the trio feel so welcome when Ed was being hard on them or ignoring them altogether.
However... things were about to get a lot more complicated in the next coming days.
Rentro entered the office that morning with an envelope or two in his paws, while Caramel was dusting around the office while Persephone and Journal were sweeping around the office. “Well, just a few things for today, sir,” he said, laying them out on the desk as he went through them. “Let's see... Oh, here's a winner. Your Platinum Buns workout tape. Huh? Ha ha ha... and let's see, ooh! That new satellite photo is here. My Captain Kangaroo pajamas...”
Suddenly, something that Rentro had said caught Persephone offguard, as well as her friends. “Wait a second...” said the purplish-colored unicorn. “What was that you just said?”
“My Captain Kangaroo pajamas?”
“No no, what you said before that.”
“The new satellite photo is here?”
Journal heard this and stepped forward, her curiosity peaking to new levels. “Can I see that photo?”
Rentro nodded and handed her the envelope, causing Journal to levitate the photo out for her to study it. It looked to be an overhead view of someone's yard, and... it looked like there was some sort of message mowed out in the grass.
But before she could get a good look at it, Ed snatched it from her magical aura and studied it himself, his eyes widening in shock. “I am here...” he muttered the message before looking to Rentro and the interns. “Who did this...?”
“Umm... I-I'm not totally sure, sir,” Journal said with the shake of her head. “But... I am wondering the same thing.”
XXXXXXXX
At the same time, Pepe and Rizzo had gone outside with Zipp and Misty to check on Gonzo, only to find him tired and exhausted... not to mention, the lawnmower had crashed into a bunch of bushes near the side of the house.
Zipp looked over at her friends with worry laced in her tone. “Misty was right, guys... this is NOT good for Gonzo.”
“Poor guy... he's hallucinating!” Rizzo said as they raced toward the lawnmower so Zipp could take the keys out of the lawnmower. “Gettin' weird messages. Hearing things, you know?”
“I don't know if he's hallucinating or not, Rizzo, but I do know one thing,” Zipp said as Misty levitated Gonzo onto her back. “Something is definitely going on, and we have to figure out what so we can try to help him.”
“What is the point?” Pepe asked her as they began to walk toward the house, with Pepe and Rizzo at Zipp’s side and Misty flanking Zipp so they could make sure Gonzo didn't fall off. “He listens to voices and does what they say.”
Suddenly, the wheels in Pepe's brain began to immediately turn. “Hold your horses,” he said, stopping the group and causing Gonzo to begin to stir. “I think I got an idea...”
Misty sighed to herself as Zipp, Rizzo and Pepe continued to lead Gonzo inside. “Why do I feel that this 'idea' is gonna do more harm than good here...?”
Nevertheless, she followed her friends inside the house in order to make sure that Gonzo was stable.
XXXXXXXX
“So... what does this mean?” Persephone asked in confusion as she held the satellite photo in her hooves. “Does this mean that there could be some sort of alien life out there?”
However, Ed chose not to respond, for there were too many things running through his mind to focus on his lowly interns. “I have to call Luft,” he started to say. “Wait... careful.”
Rentro nodded in agreement. “Careful.”
“Baby steps.”
“Baby steps.”
“We need more evidence.”
“Uh... uh, yeah,” Caramel said nervously. “More evidence.”
“Remember,” Ed told them. “We’re watching.”
Rentro nodded at this again. “Watching.”
“And waiting.”
“Right... waiting,” Persephone nodded before clearing her throat. “Caramel? Journal? Can I speak to you for a second... alone?”
Her best friends immediately nodded and they trotted into the hallway to have a more private discussion... away from Ed's hearing. “What did you two make of that?” Persephone asked. “Do you really think…?”
“That there might be an alien out there?” Journal interrupted. “Living in our world alongside us? Pretty crazy if you ask me.”
“The only thing to do now,” said Caramel, “is to investigate.”
Persephone and Journal looked at each other with worry. “Is that really the best idea?” Journal asked. “I mean… a reporter always gets to the bottom of a case, but… are we even in the right jurisdiction?”
“Look… this might be our one chance to prove to Ed that we have what it takes,” Caramel said. “To be part of this operation. If we find that alien and make friends with it, maybe we can accomplish what we’ve always dreamed of!”
“That sounds great,” Persephone spoke. “But… I’m still not too sure.”
“I mean… we are already at C.O.V.N.E.T,” Journal pointed out, “and we have access to the satellite image and a bunch of other equipment, so… what do we have to lose?”
Persephone considered everything that her best friends were saying, eventually finding no harm in trying, and this caused her to sigh. “I guess we could always try. But we can’t let Ed know about it. At least… not until we have a solid lead.”
XXXXXXXX
Misty, at the same time, was tucking Gonzo into bed while Rizzo and Pepe stood nearby. “Okay, he’s finally in bed,” she whispered as she turned to the rat and king prawn next to her. “Can you two keep an eye on him while I go meet up with my friends?”
“Sure, Misty,” Rizzo nodded. “You go ahead and go.”
“Thanks, guys,” Misty smiled. “Sweet dreams, Gonzo.”
No sooner than when Misty left the room, Pepe stood in front of a blowing van and spoke into it. “Build it… and we will come…”
Gonzo began to stir for a moment, eventually waking him up. “B-Build what…?”
“Build a Jacuzzi,” Pepe spoke through the fan again, “and we will come, okay…”
Rizzo silenced Pepe’s snickering just in time to see Gonzo get up from bed, as if he was in a daze. “I’m up… I’m up…” he yawned. “Must build… Jacuzzi…”
As soon as Gonzo left the room, Pepe and Rizzo chuckled to themselves, proud of what they had tricked Gonzo to do.
“Well done, pal.”
“Gracias, amigo.”
XXXXXXXX
At the same time, the Mane 6 were in their room, discussing everything they knew so far about Gonzo’s situation, and all the ways they knew of to help. “Okay, Misty,” said Zipp. “You said Gonzo was struck by a lightning bolt and from the way he was talking, he was in some sort of hallucinated fantasy about cosmic knowledge fish? And that’s when he started mowing that message entitled ‘I am here’ in the lawn?”
“Yes, Zipp,” Misty sighed. “For the millionth time!”
“And he believes he’s some sort of alien too,” said Sunny. “Which honestly wouldn’t be the worst thing. I’ve never met an alien before.”
“But why is he on this planet anyway?” Zipp asked. “Where’s his family? And where did he come from?”
“I feel bad for Gonzo… all these unanswered questions must be driving him crazy!” said Hitch. “Once Sparky is old enough, I’m gonna make sure he knows about how I found him.”
Izzy turned to Sunny with a look of sadness on her face. “Is there any way to help him find his family, Sunny?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Sunny frowned. “Maybe we need to keep an eye on Gonzo for a little while longer, maybe his next actions can give us a clue as to what we can do next.”
“Uh… guys?” Pipp looked out the window in concern. “Is it just me, or is Gonzo building a Jacuzzi in the backyard?”
“But that’s impossible!” Misty frowned. “He was sound asleep when I tucked him in a few minutes ago!”
But as the group looked outside, they were stunned to discover that Pipp was telling the truth-- Gonzo was outside, steady and determined to build the Jacuzzi and bring his alien brethren to him.
Sunny hummed in thought, thinking of something that could prompt Gonzo to do this. “Misty, was Rizzo and Pepe anywhere around when you tucked Gonzo in?”
“Yeah, they were right beside the bed,” Misty nodded. “Why?”
“Just a theory I’m building in my head,” Sunny clarified. “You, me and Zipp will go out and kee[ an eye on him. The rest of you stay here with the other Muppets… just in case.”
XXXXXXXX
“Oh, hey girls!” Gonzo smiled as the three mares walked over to him. “Grab some tools and we can get this Jacuzzi done!”
“Gonzo… what exactly did the voices in your head tell you?” Zipp asked. “Or, uh… what did the cosmic fish tell you?”
“They told me that if I build this Jacuzzi,” said Gonzo, steadily focused on his task, “that my alien family were gonna come for me!”
“They told you that?” Sunny asked before humming. “Interesting…”
“But, we’d be happy to help out,” Misty interrupted. “As long as we get to spend some time with you. Right, guys?”
“...right.”
“Absolutely!”
But, as they began to work, they began to suspect that Rizzo and Pepe had more of a hand in this than they could ever have imagined.
XXXXXXXX
Later that night, the party that Gonzo had planned to welcome his alien family was in full swing.
A large buffet, cooked by Sunny instead of the Swedish Chef, was laid out on the table, Pipp was preparing a live music performance, and the Jacuzzi that Gonzo had been working on earlier was full of hot, bubbling water...
...truly a party to remember.
Rizzo hopped into the hot tub with Izzy and Pepe, and the two boys talked to themselves while Izzy was too into the relaxation of the hot tub.
“Yep, he built it.”
“And we came!”
That's when Gonzo approached the Jacuzzi with Misty in tow, a checklist in her magic aura. “All right now, remember everybody. I built this new Jacuzzi for my alien family, so please no eating in the spa.”
“That includes you too, Izzy,” Misty said with a frown. “No Unicorny Flakes.”
Izzy set down the box before she could ear some cereal, allowing herself to whine. “But the bubbles feel so good on my rear!”
As Izzy climbed out of the hot tub, Rizzo turned toward the king prawn next to him with a concerned look. “We gotta tell them the truth, Pepe.”
However, Pepe's response to him trying to do the right thing was not what Rizzo expected. “You tell him, and I will smack you. I will smack you like a bad, bad donkey, okay!”
“Tell who what? And who's gonna smack who?”
Fearfully, Rizzo and Pepe turned to see Hitch and Zipp raising an eyebrow at them, and the two tried to find the words to protest and defend themselves...
...all while Zipp and Hitch secretly enjoyed the entire thing.
XXXXXXXX
At the same time, Johnny Fiama and his best friend Sal the monkey were hitting it up on the buffet.
“Uh, Sal?”
“Yeah, Johnny?”
“There are no cannolis here.”
Sal turned to his friend with a large slice of cake in his hands. “Yeah, but try this cake. This is a beauty.”
“That is nice! Would you-- Gonzo, Gonzo and Misty!”
Johnny and Sal immediately turned away as soon as Gonzo and Misty approached. “Everything looks like it's in order here,” Misty said as she checked the food off the list. “Hey, go easy on the buffet, fellas. I just want--”
Suddenly, her eyes fell upon the cake with one slice missing, causing her to grow nervous to Gonzo’s potential reaction. “Uh... Gonzo? Don't freak out on me, but...”
As soon as Gonzo laid eyes on the cake, his eyes widened in panic and anger. “Who cut the cake? Who cut the cake?! Who cut it?!”
That's when Sal and Johnny tried to cover up what they did... even though they were doing a horrible job at it.
“Oh, look at that!”
“I don't believe that!”
“Who cut this cake?”
“Who would've-- that's awful.”
Gonzo groaned to himself as Sal and Johnny proceeded to walk away. “I don't believe it. The guests of honor aren't even here yet!”
“Gonzo, calm down,” Sunny said gently as she approached. “I know you want this party to he special, but being here with the friends and family you have here can make it even more special... trust me on that.”
“I guess you're right...” Gonzo muttered before looking up at the sky. “I just wish they'd get here.”
“Maybe,” said Pipp, fluttering over to the group, “the way to get your alien relatives here is with the power of... muuuuuuuuuuusiiiiiiiiic!!! Hit it, Zipp!”
Zipp activated the nearby speaker, allowing one of Pipp's songs to play and direct others' attention toward her.
Pipp: First things first, you gotta look for the spark
That bit of magic way deep down in your heart
It's the rhythm that connects us
When you find it, yeah, now that's a great start (Start, start)
Hey!
You gotta follow your beat (Beat, beat)
And then soon you will see (See, see)
You won't have that far to go
Until your song starts to grow
All you need is your beat (Your beat, your beat)
All you need is your groove (Groove, groove)
(Hey, come on!)
To get them stompin' their hooves
And then the next thing you'll know
Imagination will flow
All you need is your beat
All you need is your beat
Whoo!
Bah-dah-dah, bah-dah-dah
All you need is your beat
Bah-dah-dah, bah-dah-dah!
Everyone cheered as Pipp finished her song, but while he clapped for the performance, Gonzo couldn’t help but think about his family.
Where were they? And... would they even show up at all?