Chapter 1.
The breeze was mildly chilly outside the Muppet's residence, the distinct signs of late autumn evident. Leaves of a multitude of reds and oranges littered the edges of the front lawn.
"Guess the guys had a bit of fun after raking the leaves away" mused the orange skinned gopher as he opened the front door, though all we could see by this point was the symbol of his workplace printed on the back of his green jacket. The young bespectacled man peered around him, almost none of his colleagues in sight... So he just gathered up the daily mail, sorting through it and tucking his own letter into the pincer grip of his clipboard.
There were only two others at the home today... A green-scaled frog, whose eyes were fixed above his head, comfortable in the fact that the only thing not defining him as fully unclothed was a trademark eleven-point collar around his neck. Sitting beside him was a lady pig, still wearing her showy fur coat over the nightgown she donned before going to sleep the night before. The two were snuggled in what may have been a tolerably tender moment for the frog, given his past track record of disdaining the lady pig's designs to gain his wanton affection. Both were seated in the couch in the middle of the living room, watching a taped appearance from the parade held the day before. Yes, the Muppets had graced the streets of the bustling metropolis in a number of floats for the annual parade held almost at the close of the month of November.
There were different celebrities and friends attending... The floats were fanciful and festive, with a certain touch of whimsy noting the individual entries. The float at the head of the chain, styled in the shape of a steamer locomotive, was manned by Jake Long also known to a select group of people and magical creatures as the American Dragon. He was only all too happy to be in the parade with one of his idols, maybe a distant relative of his as well. The first float's floor resembled a world map, its countries marked in different colors bearing scale model replicas of some of the most famous monuments such as the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, The Eiffel Tower, and The Great Wall of China. A few other items such as a genuine 1928 set of Mickey Mouse ears and the sheet music to Richard Wagner's Song of the Valkyries were propped up against the pillars supporting a blue triangular A-shape as the world's most notorious thief, a brown-haired woman draped in a dark red trenchcoat and capped by her matching red fedora, surveyed the scene before her studiously. The second had a stage theater floor with archway and curtains, for the main cast of that popular program, The Muppet Show were all present. From Kermit to Piggy to Fozzie and Gonzo, to Rowlf at the piano hoisted onto the sides, to Scooter and Skeeter reunited after a trying ordeal involving the Grosse Family, to the Electric Mayhem's seven band members, to even Statler and Waldorf. The third was shaped like a giant conch with a plush cushion inside, as it was the perfect vehicle for one of the brightest pearls found in the city of Atlantica, Miss Ariel accompanied by the sometimes cranky crab known as Sebastian who served as her tutor from time to time. Not to be outdone, a multiple-armed king prawn was trying to shmooze the mermaid princess in hopes of getting a date hokay? But the crab and a New York born and bred rat kept the Latin layabout in line. The next float to come down the lane made the onlookers gasp in a small fit of fear, for four dark fire-breathing horseheads displayed their fearsome might. This was the chariot of the Grim Reaper, standing with scythe in hand next to the lead horsehead. Three small children rode aboard the horses: a nerdy glass-wearing boy named Erwin who let out a "Yo!" to the crowds as they passed, a goofy boy named Billy with a hollow head and a large nose who seemed more interested in singing a stupid song, and a girl who had a loathsome expression on her face named Mandy making sure that Grim obeyed her commands. Everybody was all smiles again when that familiar frog's balloon soared above them high in the sunny skies. The fifth float passed soon after, marked by an orange-shaded doghouse near its rear. The Peanuts gang was there, from Charlie Brown and his younger sister Sally, to Lucy and Linus Van Pelt (the latter clinging to a squiggly blue blanket), to Peppermint Patty and Marcie, to Snoopy and Woodstock seated atop the doghouse as if they were piloting the float themselves. The sixth float featured an ancestral Scottish castle hoisted above replicas of a New York skyscraper's rooftop, Castle Wyvern as it was now located as part of the home of David Xanatos. The master tower contained six statuesque gargoyles and one gargoyle tracker hound. The six lay dormant, as they were only revived to their conscious form at night. Their ranks consisted of the tech-sabe brownish-stoned Lexington, the dynamic and second in command red-stoned Brooklyn, the gentle yet fierce giant gray-stoned Broadway, the wise and bearded old warrior known as Hudson, Bronx their hound next to Hudson, their leader the strong and brooding Goliath, and his gargoyle daughter named Angela. Ilyssa Maza, one of NYPD's finest officers and Goliath's most loyal confidant, was riding in the float along with her friends deemed as part of the clan. The seventh float boasted some crazy characters, as this was the Tiny Toons and Animaniacs vessel. The water tower stood on its steel supports as Yako, Whacko, and Dot warner all greeted the crowds while Buster and Babs Bunny "No relation" along with Plucky Duck, Hampton J. Pig and Shirley the Loon were standing in the middle of an Acme Acres hilltop picnic area. The eighth float shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow, as it transported a team of superheroes clad in colorful costumes. Yes, this was the mighty Power Rangers team, talked into joining the parade route. Rather than have a float of their own, they showed up piloting their wonderous zordlike vehicles which in unison transformed into their Megazord. The team was represented by Nick in the Red Phoenix Zord, Madison and Veda in the Blue Mermaid and Pink Sprite Zords, Xander in the Green Minotaur Zord, and Chip in the Yellow Garuda Zord. Udonna, the White Snow Ranger was at their side, along with Claire an apprentice who got more than her fair share of spells mixed up. The Rangers formed their awesome Titan MegaZord in its dragon formation so Udonna and Claire could ride along with them. Smiles returned to the viewers faces as an orange tabby fat cat defied the laws of gravity on his portly weight, soaring above in the form of a massive balloon. The ninth float was rocking and rolling thanks to the music provided by three vivaceous young adult women. The trio were dressed in some sort of orange cat costumes, complete with tails swinging to the rhythm of the music they were playing and a hat shaped to resemble their pointy cat ears. The band included a drummer, an African-American girl with frizzy black hair named Valerie, a doey-eyed blonde blue-eyed girl named Melody on the keyboard, and their lead singer and guitarist, a redhead who went by the name of Josie. Collectively, they were known as Josie and The Pussycats. The band was followed up by a tenth float, which featured a New York sidewalk marked by two rows of colorful doors along with a stoop and a lamppost at both sides of the float's space. The happiest street in the world, Sesame Street was in full force. Bert and Ernie sitting on the stoops, Oscar The Grouch in his trashcan, Telly and Baby Bear and Elmo and Zoe and Rosita playing hopscotch, Cookie Monster and Grover Monster and Herry Monster all just relaxing with their friends, Big Bird and Snuffy at the float's extreme right singing their sunny song, Lefty the Salesman in the shade of the lamppost, and Prairie Dawn playing her piano. The eleventh float was done up to resemble a garden patio with a flowing fountain in its center. Six tiny lights were buzzing about: Lockette, Amore, Chatta, Tune, Digit, and Pip, pixies milling about inquisitive about their current surroundings. The pixies weren't alone, they escorted their bonded fairies who were known throughout the Realms of Magics as The Winks Club girls. Bloom, keeper of the Dragonfire, and Prince Sky her boyfriend were seated on one of the petal-shaped tuffets around the fountain. The other couples of Stella and Squire Brandon, Musa and Ribbon, Techna and Timmy, and Flora and Helia were seated on the remaining petals, with Layla the fairy of water and Princess of the Realm of Tides alone on her own petal tuffet. She hadn't found a date among the young heroes from Red Fountain, but that didn't mean she wouldn't find him soon. Next came the twelfth float bearing a logo similar to that of the detective agency of Mystery Inc. The acclaimed team of Freddy Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkly, Shaggy Rogers, and Scooby-Doo had come to help out the Muppets and their other friends on this festive day. After all, this was a holiday near and dear to Shaggy and Scooby's hearts given that they were dreaming of all the turkey and sides they'd enjoy later. As if one big dog wasn't enough, the balloon version of that white beagle named Snoopy flew aloft in the clear blue yonder past all the people lined up on the sidewalk below. The thirteenth float, somewhat spooky as it was surrounded by large decorative bats, had the Count von Count's Countmobile on full display with its owner seated in the driver's seat. There was a passenger with him though, a man dressed up like a big black bat, a friend of the Count's from Gotham City. Seems the Count had come back from a trip to that locality recently striking up a friendship with the urban legend known simply as Batman. The fourteenth float presented a joyous scene as a group of ladies were in the middle of a tea party. The long table had enough seats for the lovely blonde girl named Alice, another woman in a violet horizontally-striped catsuit known as the Cheshire Cat, a woman who had a rather prominently-looming chest and many long legs attached to fuzzy pods known as the Blue Caterpillar, a pair of twins dressed in red puffy shirts and short skirts bearing the names Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum on their white collars, a woman dressed in a bunny costume checking her pocket watch known as the White Rabbit, and the regal Queen of Hearts decked out in her royal red dress with matching heart-spattered cape. The fifteenth and final float transported a team of gamers who had only returned back to the states after a trying ordeal. Dressed in elaborate costumes that resembled something out of a trading card game series, four teenageish kids stood together in a diamond formation upon a dueling arena floor. Téa Gardner was the Dark Magician Girl riding an enormous blue-eyed white dragon, mirrored on the opposite side by Joey Wheeler as the Flame Swordsman riding his own red-eyed black dragon, backed up by Tristan Taylor as the Cyber Commander saddled on the Cyber End Dragon, all looking down at their ringleader a young boy by the name of Yugi Moto. This boy's features had aged slightly, taking on a few similarities of the pharoah Atem, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle and his twin soul. The King of Games float was followed by one last balloon, a mammoth yellow bird who entertained the spectators below as it flew amidst the puffy white clouds.
Scooter just smiled at his frog-in-chief deciding not to bother him just yet. The gopher went into the kitchen where he quietly brewed up a cup of hot chocolate, something that was perfect to take away the frost lingering in this autumnal atmosphere. The gopher sat down to drink his cup in peace waiting for the right moment to pester the frog about their upcoming show.
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