Chapter 1: Something is Wrong
Chapter Text
It was time for the Smileyland annual picnic, a yearly occasion where all the residents of Smileyland got together to celebrate their friendship. Kaeloo smiled to herself as she put together the last of the sandwiches she was making. She thought to herself about how everything was going well. All the sheep had RSVPed. Stumpy and Quack-Quack were enthusiastic. For the first time in his life, Mr. Cat actually looked happy about the picnic; he'd attended it every year, but this was the first time he looked enthused about it. Olaf would be coming, and it was great to see him again, since he'd had so few appearances in season 5. Speaking of few appearances in season 5, Kaeloo had also mailed an invitation to Eugly at her art school, and Eugly had RSVPed, indicating that she would come. Even if Eugly wasn't technically a resident of Smileyland anymore, she was still Quack-Quack's girlfriend, Pretty's sister, and a good friend to everyone in Smileyland. Kaeloo had decided to keep this information from Pretty, because it would be a nice surprise for her to see her sister again. Shortly after Eugly's acceptance into the art school, the pink rabbit had shown up sporting a new haircut, a new outfit, and a brand new personality. She was now kind, mature, and helpful. She was basically a more outgoing version of Eugly. The group hadn't even recognized her at first, but they welcomed the fact that she was no longer a creepy stalker to Mr. Cat and a bully to everyone else. It was almost as if she was a completely different person. Things were going just perfect in Smileyland.
—-
At the train station, Eugly waited eagerly for the train to arrive. She hadn't been to Smileyland at all since her arrival at art school, and was pleasantly surprised to receive an invitation to the annual picnic. She was a little hurt that she hadn't heard from Pretty at all during her time there, but that was to be expected; Pretty never cared about anyone she wasn't able to use in some way, and with Eugly being so far away, Pretty had no use for her anymore.
—-
"Investing in Fakebook stock is a terrible choice," Ardoise informed Mr. Cat.
"That would make sense, between the terrible handling of user privacy and fake news…" the feline said, flipping over another sausage on the grill.
"I don't know how the stock market works, but I sure do love Fakebook!" Stumpy said, preparing to snap a selfie of himself with the two of them.
"STUMPY! DO YOU SEE ME?!" Nombril asked, entering the frame. Stumpy sighed at the little photobomber. Quack-Quack was about to split up any potential argument that could happen, the double doors swung open and Pretty arrived at the venue. What would Quack-Quack have done? We don't know, because when Pretty is on the scene, everything centers around her, not the main four or any other characters.
"Hello everyone! I'm so sorry I'm late," she said. "I brought some homemade muffins!" Nobody had ever seen Pretty cooking or baking before, but they never thought to question it. In season 5 they learned that Pretty was so smart and talented that she knew everything about computers, she was a wonderful actress, she was good at every sport ever, and she could even solve the problem of world hunger! She also had no flaws as a person. She was extremely kind, never fought with anyone, and always put others before herself. A true saint. What a truly amazing person who wasn't bad at anything. She was even a little bit like Quack-Quack in the show's first season.
Pretty set the tray of muffins down on the table, and it was instantly swarmed by Stumpy's seven younger sisters, who picked it clean, leaving none for anyone else. Everyone stared in shock.
"Quack!" Quack-Quack said disappointedly.
"You greedy little pigs…" Stumpy muttered.
"This is why we need communism!" yelled Olaf.
Mr. Cat stood silently in the corner, arms folded across his chest, trying to hide how upset he was. The sheep began to murmur.
"It's okay, everyone! I brought more!"
Pretty went outside and used a forklift to bring in the 100 (no, that is not an exaggeration) trays of muffins she had baked. Everyone stared open-mouthed.
"I made them myself!" Pretty explained. There really was nothing in the world she couldn't do. Everyone cheered.
"Wow, Pretty! You're so amazing!" they chorused in unison. Every little thing that Pretty did was always met with praise. Mr. Cat reached out for a muffin, but Pretty tapped him on the shoulder.
"Wait!" she said, holding out a plate with one singular muffin on it to him. This one looked different from the others. Kaeloo noticed this from the corner of her eye and sprinted towards the two of them. Pretty may have no longer been in love with Mr. Cat, but Kaeloo still felt slightly threatened by the potential implications of an interaction like this.
"I wanted to apologize to you for all the horrible things I did when I was in love with you, so I baked this special muffin just for you!" Pretty explained. Just as Mr. Cat was about to grab the muffin, Kaeloo jumped between the two of them.
"What's that white powdery stuff on top, Pretty?" Kaeloo asked, poking the muffin curiously with her finger. Pretty paused hesitantly for a second.
"Oh, you know, it's just powdered sugar!" Pretty smiled, waving her hand.
"Ooh, sounds yummy!" Kaeloo licked her finger and grimaced. "It tastes a little bitter though…"
"That's because it's a healthier recipe! Sugar-free sugar!" Pretty grinned, sweating bullets.
"Oh, okay!" smiled Kaeloo, convinced. That kind of ridiculous, parodic idea was exactly the kind of thing you could expect to find in a place like Smileyland, after all. Mr. Cat shoved the whole thing into his mouth.
"Mr. Cat! Don't you have any table manners?!" Kaeloo complained, disgusted.
"Why, do you have a problem, Froggy?" Mr. Cat spoke with his mouth full, chewing loudly, trying to be as annoying as possible. As expected, Kaeloo transformed.
"I wanted to see you at this party so bad," Mr. Cat smiled, hugging Bad Kaeloo's arm for a minute before the latter pounded him into the ground with a punch. Bad Kaeloo smiled softly afterwards for a minute. A yellow balloon with a duck's face painted on it floated by. "My Quack-Quack!" yelled Violasse, running after it. Bad Kaeloo leapt into the air and caught the balloon safely, handing it back to the young child before transforming.
"Thank you, Kaeloo!' Violasse smiled before heading back to where Olaf was teaching her sisters how to draw. Mr. Cat yawned.
"I'm tired. I think I'll go take a nap," he said, getting up to leave.
"What?! No, no, no!" Kaeloo protested, grabbing his wrist. "I want you to stay and have fun with us!"
This wasn't fair. Mr. Cat spent a lot of time taking naps instead of hanging out with her these days. Why was he always sleeping? Kaeloo's initial disappointment was overshadowed by concern. Was he not sleeping enough at night? Was he sick? She remembered meeting him at the therapist's office. Was he struggling with depression?
"... Mr. Cat, are you alright? You've been spending a lot of time sleeping lately."
"Yes, I'm fine…" Mr. Cat said, before yawning again. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
"Okay. Sleep well!" Kaeloo smiled outwardly, but her heart clenched on the inside. She patted his hand gently and sent him off, watching him stumble away sleepily.
"I-if there's anything wrong, you can always talk to me!" she called after him, but he didn't hear her, and he headed out the double doors. Oh well. There were still other people at the party to hang out with.
Even if it's just not the same , Kaeloo thought to herself. She sighed, grabbed a cup of juice from the table, and went to hang out with Quack-Quack, who was in the middle of telling Stumpy about how his phone had gone missing recently and he hadn't been able to find it since then. Nobody noticed Pretty slinking away with her phone, sneakily whispering something to the person on the other end of the line.
—-
The train arrived in Smileyland and Eugly alighted. It would be nice to see Quack-Quack again. She'd spoken to him on the phone just the day before, but she hadn't seen her lovely boyfriend in person since her departure.
—-
After chatting with Stumpy and Quack-Quack for a bit, Kaeloo went to throw away her empty cup. To her annoyance, the trash was full. Not to worry though! She wouldn't let this minor inconvenience ruin her day. Just because Mr. Cat had left early didn't mean that she had to feel bad all day. Kaeloo exited the double doors and headed to the kitchen to throw away her cup in the kitchen trash can. She found the can mostly empty aside from egg cartons and flour sacks and tossed her cup inside. She was just about to turn and leave when she noticed a brightly colored object at the bottom of the trash can. She frowned. She certainly didn't remember buying anything like that for the party. As averse as she was to touching things from the trash, Kaeloo couldn't resist the urge to examine it closely. The thing was an empty bottle of sleeping pills.
"What's this doing here?" Kaeloo muttered to herself, turning it over. A familiar white powder was left as residue inside the bottle. She tasted a tiny bit of it. When the realization dawned on Kaeloo, her face turned a similar shade of white to what was in the bottle.
No. No. No. No. NO. This was not happening.
She bolted from the kitchen and looked into the double doors. Sure enough, Pretty was nowhere to be seen. Kaeloo ran outside, frantically turning her head and looking around.
"Mr. Cat? Where are you? Can you hear me?" Kaeloo screamed. Her heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest. Of course. Of course. Nobody changes that suddenly. It was probably all an act. She was a fool. She never should have trusted Pretty. She never should have let Pretty anywhere near Mr. Cat after what that rabbit had pulled in the past. She just hoped she wasn't too late. Kaeloo approached the red couch and nearly cried with relief when she saw Mr. Cat sleeping there, curled up peacefully. Still holding back tears, Kaeloo carefully inspected his body. There were no lipstick stains around his mouth or other signs of inappropriate touching. Her legs gave out under her and she collapsed onto the ground next to the sofa, just catching her breath. Thank goodness. Bad Kaeloo popped up in Kaeloo's head, thinking of teaching Pretty a lesson, but Kaeloo refused to transform just yet. She didn't feel comfortable with the idea of leaving Mr. Cat alone in this state. Kaeloo pulled a blanket from out of nowhere behind her back, one of the perks of being a cartoon character, and gently covered Mr. Cat with it. It would have warmed her heart to see him sleeping so peacefully if not for the circumstances. Her head throbbed furiously as she sat there, allowing the information to fully sink in. Pretty had drugged Mr. Cat with sleeping pills. Had she done this before? Was that why Mr. Cat was always sleeping this season? Kaeloo beat herself up internally, remembering all the times Pretty had shared food with the main four and insisted on serving them herself instead of letting them take things themselves. "Don't be so distrustful, Mr. Cat, she's our friend now!" she recalled herself saying the first time when he'd refused. Kaeloo kicked herself mentally, remembering that Pretty had tried to drug him with love potions before. Of course he was cautious. He had every right to be. He was right to be. Pretty had put on a veneer of kindness to make everyone trust her so she could abuse their trust. A sob wracked Kaeloo's body.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Cat," she whimpered, lightly brushing her fingers against his hand. Of course, he couldn't hear her, and she'd give him a full apology later on, but she felt like she had to say something. She would definitely tell Stumpy and Quack-Quack once the party was over. The last thing she wanted to do now was cause a scene without discussing it with Mr. Cat and the others first. Kaeloo was snapped out of her thoughts by the thundering sound of large footsteps. She turned to see Eugly, who dropped her suitcase on the ground.
Are you okay, Kaeloo? Eugly signed with her hands. Kaeloo contemplated how to deal with the situation, but decided that it was best not to let the person closest to Pretty figure out that she was onto her.
"Y-yes, Eugly! I'm fine! It's great to see you in Smileyland again!" Kaeloo smiled. "Why don't you head on into the party? It's right through those double doors! I'm sure Quack-Quack will be happy to see you again. It's been so long since you talked!"
What do you mean? It's only been a day! Eugly signed back, confused.
"Oh, really? Quack-Quack said he missed you a lot and he hadn't heard from you in weeks! Maybe he meant in person? It's true that you didn't talk to him much the last time you visited…"
The last time I visited?
"You know, when we built that whole tower and everything and you saved Pretty from falling off!"
Kaeloo… Eugly signed with a mix of terror and confusion. I haven't been back to Smileyland since I left for art school.
A chill ran down Kaeloo's spine.
"Eugly, I'm sorry to burden you as soon as you got here, but can you please get Stumpy and Quack-Quack from the picnic? Meet me in my bedroom. This is an emergency."
Eugly nodded silently and went into the party room to retrieve the others, and Kaeloo scooped Mr. Cat's sleeping form into her arms and carried him towards her bedroom.
"Don't worry, buddy. Whatever is happening, we'll get through it together," she whispered affectionately.
Chapter 2: She's Back
Chapter Text
Stumpy, Quack-Quack, and Eugly knocked on the door of Kaeloo's bedroom after making sure nobody was watching them. Kaeloo scanned the area to make sure nobody was looking before inviting the other three in. Four chairs were set up in the room next to the bed, where Mr. Cat was still fast asleep, having been lovingly tucked in by Kaeloo.
"Ahh, asleep as always," Stumpy said sarcastically.
"Buddies, this is serious!" Kaeloo frowned. "He's been drugged!"
The other three went as still as statues.
"Drugged? What do you mean, drugged?!" Stumpy asked, horrified.
"Pretty did this to him. Remember that muffin she gave him earlier? It was coated in powdered sleeping pills!"
"Quack," Quack-Quack said sadly, seeing what had happened to his friend.
"Holy cow! She tricked us into trusting her!" Stumpy said angrily.
"I don't think that's all that's going on here, Stumpy," Kaeloo said gravely, her voice quiet. "Buddies, I want each of you to tell me: what do you remember about Pretty and Eugly after Eugly left for art school?"
"Easy peasy! Eugly left for art school, then Pretty showed up with actual hair and a new outfit and started being super nice to us. She suddenly had all kinds of talents that we'd never seen before, but she was good at everything! And all of the stuff that was wrong with her before wasn't a problem anymore. She wasn't mean to us anymore and she wasn't selfish or rude," Stumpy explained.
"Quack," Quack-Quack agreed.
That doesn't sound like the Pretty I know, Eugly signed. She'd known Pretty from the time she was born and this person sounded like a complete stranger.
"Oh, and one time Eugly showed up to visit us! You probably remember that though…" Stumpy said to Eugly.
That's the thing. I don't.
Stumpy and Quack-Quack sat upright, now inclined to listen intently.
"You know, with that whole tower building contest! Pretty was worried about not being able to call you on the phone and then you showed up because you were so worried that she wasn't answering your calls!" Stumpy attempted to remind her.
That never happened, Eugly frowned. Pretty never called me after I left for art school. With me being so far away, she had no use for me anymore, so why would she bother staying in touch?
"So Eugly didn't visit us, and Pretty hasn't been calling Eugly, and Eugly hasn't actually spoken to Quack-Quack in weeks… what could possibly be going on?" Kaeloo pondered.
"Quack." Quack-Quack suggested that it probably had something to do with Pretty. The conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Kaeloo opened the door to find Pretty standing there. Not Pretty as we knew her in season 5, though. Pretty in her old outfit, without the ugly asymmetrical hairstyle, stood before them, looking worse for wear.
"Quick! Let me in, losers!"