Fanfic: Fraggle Rock: The Movie

[TheRealFraggle]

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Gobo slept uneasily that night. For over an hour he stared up at the ceiling in Gorgorian's cottage, wondering how fate had aligned to have him and his friends meet a Gorg who didn't want to thump them or catch them in traps. It was almost too good to be true, and Gobo didn't let himself fully believe that Gorgorian had his best interests at heart. The cottage, although cozy and welcoming, felt a little unnerving to Gobo, mostly due to the Gorgish paintings and artifacts that were displayed everywhere. Even in the cellar, the walls were lined with the portraits of Gorgs who had lived long ago, their wide eyes seeming to stare at them as they slept. Try as he might, Gobo couldn't shake the feeling that Gorgorian might secretly want to trap him in a cage and kill him, just as the Gorgs in the garden had tried to.
Evidently, Gobo was not the only one who had reservations about spending the night in a Gorg's house. Although Wembley, Red, and Mokey had fallen asleep not long after they were led into the cellar by Gorgorian, Boober hadn't even attempted to drift off, and had spent the entire time in the cellar huddled in a corner like a mouse, trying to make himself almost invisible to Gorg eyes. Eventually, a few hours after the Fraggles entered the cellar, Gobo crept out of his bed - which was made of small towels and handkerchiefs - and went into the corner to talk to Boober.
"I see you can't sleep, Boober," said Gobo, approaching the frightened Fraggle, who was trying to flatten himself into a ball and sink to the floor.
"I'm afraid that Gorg is going to thump me," said Boober, not bothering to turn around and look at Gobo. "He'll thump you too. All of us. We'll be dead in a few days."
"Boober, I'm sure Gorgorian doesn't want to harm us," Gobo said, although he wasn't sure he actually believed that.
"And what do you know? You only decided to go with him because he said he knew your Uncle Traveling Matt! You never think of anybody's needs but your own! You should be ashamed." Boober turned around and shot Gobo an angry look.
"That's not true, and you know it!" spat Gobo. "I agreed to go with Gorgorian because I thought following him was the best chance we had for surviving out here! We've never beyond the Gorgs' garden. No Fraggle has. So we don't know what could be out here. But Gorgorian does. And even if he doesn't really care for us like he claims, if we follow him for a while we'll get much farther on his quest than we'll ever get alone."
"Is that so? Because we won't get very far once we're thrown in the oven to boil in a Gorg stew!"
"Gorgs don't eat Fraggles," Gobo reminded Boober, trying to calm the terrified Fraggle down.
"Well, maybe the ones in the garden don't. But we know nothing about this Gorg! Maybe eating Fraggles is his favorite thing in the world to do! Maybe-"
But Gobo cut Boober off. "Keep quiet," he whispered, putting his hand over Boober's mouth. "We don't want Gorgorian to hear us talking like this. What if he does want to eat us? If he thinks we're on to him, he'll probably kill us right now. So zip it!"
With that, Boober angrily retreated back into the corner. Gobo returned to his bed and continued to stare upwards, many horrible thoughts racing through his head. He made not even an attempt to sleep.
Morning came soon after, and daylight streamed into the cellar through the door, which Gorgorian had left ajar, waking up the Fraggles who had actually been sleeping. Wembley was the first to wake. He sat up and looked around for a few seconds, puzzled. Then the events of the previous night returned to him, and he nudged Gobo, looking nervous and a little scared.
"We're in the Gorg's house, aren't we, Gobo?" Wembley said, his eyes darting back and forth as though he were afraid that Gorgorian was about to burst into the room and stomp on him.
"Yes," muttered Gobo, "but it's nothing to worry about." Then he too got out of his bed and stood up.
Soon afterwards, Red and Mokey woke up too. Red was evidently displeased with the room where they had spent the night. "We slept in here?" Gobo heard her whispering to Mokey.
"Now, now, Red," replied Mokey, smiling. "It was very nice of Mr. Gorgorian to offer us a place to stay. So don't be so grumpy." Mokey proceeded to wander around the room, humming a cheery song.
Boober was the last to rise. With a deep groan, he lifted himself off the floor of the cellar and stood up. Boober looked frightened and disheveled; his hat had fallen off his head, and his thick mop of red hair had been pushed back far enough to reveal his small, beady eyes, which were hardly open. From the awkward way he stumbled around the room, it was clear he had had no more sleep than Gobo had.
Boober paced around the room for several minutes, while the other Fraggles put on their clothes and tidied up their makeshift beds. Finally, Boober put on his cap again, tied his scarf around his neck, and nervously crept to the area of the cellar where Gobo was sitting.
"So should we sneak out now and make a break for it?" Boober asked, nervously turning around to stare at the cellar door.
"No!" replied Gobo, growing frustrated. "Not yet! Besides, Gorgorian can probably tell us where to go next so we can find my Uncle Traveling Matt."
Boober intended to reply, but fell silent when Gorgorian suddenly entered the cellar. The massive Gorg pushed open the door and descended down the stairs to greet the Fraggles.
"I see that you Fraggles have already awoken," Gorgorian said, smiling as he looked at the five travelers. All except for Boober forced a smile onto their face as they looked him in the eye.
Gorgorian continued. "I trust you have had a good night's sleep, my friends?"
"Yes," they all replied.
"I am pleased to hear that," replied Gorgorian with a slight chuckle. "Come now. I will go to the pantry to fetch you food, and you can have a hearty meal."
While Gorgorian went to the pantry, the Fraggles left the cellar and returned to the main room of the cottage. Gobo sat down in a chair, which was large enough to serve as a bed, while the others walked around the cottage, admiring the Gorgish paintings and artifacts. Boober, however, had taken to hiding behind another chair to avoid being seen by Gorgorian. Gobo tried to ignore him.
Sitting in his chair, Gobo was directly across from the fireplace, above which hung a portrait, larger than the others, in a golden frame. The portrait depicted a Gorg with dark yellow skin and a fearsome grey beard. He was dressed in silken robes and had a silver crown upon his head. It looked similar to the one that the purple Gorg from the garden wore, but it looked more regal and majestic.
"I see you are admiring the portrait of Gorgus IV," said a voice from behind Gobo. It was Gorgorian, who had returned from the pantry and was carrying a basket filled with food for the morning meal.
"Er, yes," replied Gobo, startled by the sudden appearance of Gorgorian. "I like the portrait. It's very impressive." Gobo struggled for words to say to avoid angering the mighty Gorg.
"So was he, once. Gorgus was the last true king of the Gorgs. In his glory days, the Gorgish kingdom was still strong and mighty. But Gorgus grew old and weak. He died alone, ruling over a few peasants and little more. A tragic story."
"Was he related to the Gorgs from the garden?" asked Gobo, interested. Gorgus bore a slight resemblance to the purple Gorg, but to Fraggles all Gorgs looked more or less alike.
"The Gorg you know would claim Gorgus IV was his father. He calls himself Gorgus V, and fancies himself the king of the universe. But I think he is merely a simple farmer who stole the crown once the other Gorgs had died. He wanted to carry on the legacy of the kingdom even without any subjects but his son."
"Then who did the crown really belong to?"
"No one. It is believed that Gorgus IV never had a son. He died one of the last Gorgs in the world. As far as I see it, his death marked the end of the Gorgish kingdom."
After this, Gorgorian stepped away from the portrait, and went to prepare breakfast. Gobo continued to sit in the enormous chair, staring into the eyes of Gorgus IV. Seeing the fearsome expression on Gorgus's face, Gobo doubted whether any Gorg could be benevolent.

Soon, Gorgorian called the Fraggles for breakfast. Gobo was impressed with Gorgorian's knowledge of the Fraggles, for he had procured radishes for their meal. "I know that this vegetable is the staple of the Fraggle diet," Gorgorian said. "I have many more in the pantry, since I too eat them. I have a garden several miles away where I grow them."
The Fraggles sat on top of the large table to eat their radishes, while Gorgorian sat at the same table to eat his breakfast, which consisted of bread and cheese. When all had finished eating, Gorgorian rose from the table to address the Fraggles.
"I presume that you shall soon be leaving to continue your quest," said Gorgorian. "Unless of course you wish to stay here a while longer."
"No," said Gobo, "we are planning to leave soon." Gobo wondered whether Gorgorian wanted him and his friends to leave or stay.
"That is just as well. I shall retrieve many radishes from my pantry for you to bring with you when you go."
"Thank you," said Gobo. "I was wondering, sir," he added, "last night, when you found us in the forest, you said that you'd heard of the Fraggle we were looking for, my uncle Matthew Fraggle - Traveling Matt."
"That is correct," replied Gorgorian, and fell silent again.
"I was wondering whether you know where he is. If - if you could give me directions on where to go to look for him?"
Gorgorian laughed. "As a matter of fact, I am quite sure that I know where this Fraggle is. I believe you are referring to the Fraggle who left the home of the Fraggles some years ago to explore the Gorgish kingdom - well, what was once the Gorgish kingdom."
"Yes, that's him!" replied Gobo excitedly. "You know where he is?"
"Indeed I do. At least, I am quite sure where this Fraggle is currently located. And if you would permit to me, I would like to accompany you to his location, to ensure your journey is safe. It will not take long, perhaps two or three days at most."
For a few seconds, Gobo paused, stammering. Come with a Gorg on a journey? Perhaps Gorgorian really did want to eat him, and this was his chance. Desperate for some help from his friends to make up his mind, Gobo looked behind him. But Wembley, Red, and Mokey were in a different part of the room, far enough away that they hadn't even heard the conversation. Boober, who Gobo could see hiding under the chair, quickly signaled to Gobo to refuse the Gorg's offer.
"Alright," said Gobo finally, after many seconds of silence. "Yes, I would like it if you came with us."

 

[TheRealFraggle]

CHAPTER TWELVE

Jerry woke up with a start. He sat up quickly and looked around, realizing that he was in his bedroom, and had fallen asleep at his desk. For a second, Jerry wondered why it was so dark in his room. Then he remembered that the power had gone out. The only source of illumination in his room was a single candle he had placed on his desk.
Suddenly, Jerry heard a loud barking noise next to him, and realized that his dog, Sprocket, had entered the room. In the dim light of the room, the dog appeared as only a large, shadowy shape moving through the room. Jerry tried to shoo Sprocket out of the bedroom, but the dog began to bark furiously.
"What do you want?" muttered Jerry sleepily, standing up from his chair. "Did I forget to feed you or something?" But Sprocket just kept barking louder and louder.
By now, Jerry was beginning to grow worried. "Is something wrong, boy?" Jerry asked Sprocket. In response, the canine stood up on his hind legs and began frantically pawing at Jerry's chest, whimpering and moaning.
Jerry pushed Sprocket away with one hand. "What is it?" he mumbled again. "Are you scared of the power outage or something?"
But then Jerry stopped. With horror, he realized that he could smell something coming from the next room - a burning smell. Jerry quickly rushed into the next room, where a terrible sight met his eyes.
The room that had once been his father's workshop was filled with flames, which were growing by the second and threatened to spread out of the room. Many objects inside, from the curtains on the windows to the books on the shelves, were falling victim to the flames, stoking the great fire and more. Coughing from the smoke, Jerry ran from the room.
It must have been the candles, Jerry thought as he ran out of the workshop. One of them must have fallen over and started the fire. Just then, Jerry remembered that the smoke detector in his house had always been faulty. It hadn't gone off when the fire began, so he'd only been alerted when he was awoken up by the barking of his dog.
Jerry ran into the bathroom, where he hastily filled a pitcher with water from the sink. He rushed back into the workshop and quickly emptied the contents of the pitcher onto the ground. Jerry then ran back into the bathroom and repeated this action several times. But it was too late. The fire was growing larger by the minute, and the small amount of water that Jerry could throw at it from a pitcher wasn't nearly enough to kill it.
Realizing that he would not be able to put out the fire himself, Jerry raced downstairs into the living room, where he ran to the telephone. Quickly, he picked up the receiver and dialed 911.
"911, what's your emergency."
"Hello? There's a fire in my house. I need help!"
In a few minutes, the fire department would come to Jerry's house. But in the meantime, the fire upstairs raged on. And the workshop wasn't the only area that was being burned. The fire had started in a corner of the room near the boarded-up hole in the wall, and it had quickly burned through the pieces of wood that were nailed over the opening. Now, the fire was beginning to spread to the caverns below.

Soon, the Fraggles left the cottage on the hill to continue their journey, and Gorgorian came with them. He had promised them it would take only a few days to arrive at the place where Uncle Traveling Matt could be found, and Gobo was eager to continue the quest as soon as possible. Gorgorian carried a large sack over his shoulder containing radishes for the Fraggles, and some food for himself.
The first day of the quest was uneventful. Gorgorian led the Fraggles through the countryside, which consisted mostly of the same fields and hills that they had seen before. They only stopped once that day, resting on the grass and feasting on refreshing radishes. The Fraggles drank water from a bottle that Gorgorian carried, and Gobo even tried a strange kind of fruit that Gorgorian had brought in his sack, which he said was a patooly berry. The other Fraggles ate the patooly berries too, except for Boober, who demanded radishes and nothing else. Soon, they were well refreshed and continued on their journey.
That night, the Fraggles slept on the grass again, as did Gorgorian, who gave the Fraggles his cloak to use as a blanket. They began the next morning with another meal of radishes and patooly berries, and set off again shortly.
The second day was mostly as uneventful as the first, although the countryside changed a little, with the fields giving way to more small forests; Gorgorian ventured into one of these to retrieve nuts and berries for the Fraggles, which he added to his sack. At one point, the Fraggles even saw a small river in the distance, which Gorgorian helped them avoid. And before the end of the day, they noticed that a mountain was visible in the distance. Gobo, who had never seen a mountain before except on his postcards, was awed. He remembered Doc telling him about a mountain in Outer Space called Mount Everest, which was apparently the tallest mountain in the world. Gobo wondered if this was Mount Everest.
That night, the group slept in a small grove of trees. When they awoke the next morning, Gorgorian told them that their journey would soon be over.
"That mountain which you see there," Gorgorian said, pointing at the mountain in the distance, "is where we are headed. It is known in the ancient Gorgish tongue as Mount Gorgacian, 'The Mountain of the Mighty Gorg'. That is where your Uncle Traveling Matt can be found."
"What was he doing there?" asked Gobo, surprised and curious.
"He wanted to find the remaining Gorgs. I believe he grew tired of wandering the same old landscapes for years on end, without encountering a living soul. But he will not find anyone at Mount Gorgacian. I believe that I am one of the four last Gorgs alive in the universe."
"How far is the mountain?" Gobo asked.
"It is not far. We should reach it before the sun sets this evening."
"It looks so far away," Gobo muttered to no one in particular.
"Well, it does the first time that one sees it. After all, you are a small creature, and the mountain is a large and majestic object. 'The Throne of the Gorgs', it was once called."
The Fraggles soon left the grove and continued walking. As Gorgorian had said, the mountain was indeed closer than it looked, and it soon became clear that they would indeed reach it before the end of the day. As the large, imposing peak grew closer and closer, Gobo began to wonder whether his uncle could possibly be nearby.
"We need to go back," Boober warned Gobo. By this point they had almost reached the foot of the mountain. "I don't like it out here in Outer Space. You never know what could show up at any moment. That mountain could be crawling with giant germs!"
"It's enough to make even the largest of Fraggles feel mighty small," agreed Gobo. "But I wouldn't worry about germs out here. Besides, we're so close. In a few days we can be on our way back to Fraggle Rock."
"But what if we never get there? Or what if something terrible has happened while we're gone?"
"Nothing terrible's going to happen in Fraggle Rock while we're gone," Gobo assured Boober. He was more concerned about terrible things happening to himself and his companions, out here in the vast emptiness of Outer Space.
Shortly afterwards, however, a curious thing happened. As the Fraggles got closer to Mount Gorgacian, they noticed something odd. There appeared to be a series of tents pitched by the foot of the mountain.
"What are those?" asked Gobo, pointing to the tents.
"Merely an ancient Gorgish relic that has remained here since long ago," said Gorgorian. But Gobo wasn't sure he believed him.
"They sure look weird," said Wembley, growing nervous. "Do you think anything lives there?"
Gorgorian, who had heard Wembley's comment, replied in place of Gobo. "You need not worry, young Fraggle. There is nothing alive for a hundred miles save for the one Fraggle we are looking for."
The Fraggles continued walking, until soon, as darkness was falling, they reached Mount Gorgacian. In a matter of minutes, they were standing right outside the tents.
Gorgorian reached into the pocket of his cloak and took out a whistle, which he put to his lips and blew. Suddenly, more Gorgs than Gobo had ever seen in his life - at least ten - walked out of the tents, all wearing suits of chainmail armor.
The leader of the Gorgs, who was wearing a helmet on his head, approached Gorgorian. "Yes, sire?" he asked.
"I have found a group of Fraggles," Gorgorian said. "Five in total. You must take them to the dungeons."
"Yes, sire," repeated the Gorg in the helmet, as he saluted Gorgorian. The five Fraggles attempted to run, but the Gorg was too fast for them. He caught the Fraggles in his hands and walked away, taking the Fraggles with him.

 

[TheRealFraggle]

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The helmeted Gorg carried the five Fraggles for several minutes. Gobo was sandwiched in between Mokey and Wembley in the Gorgs' left hand; Boober and Red were presumably in his right. Covered by the Gorg's large, hairy palm, Gobo felt as though he could not breath. He desperately wiggled around in an attempt to turn himself in the other direction, where he received a small amount of air from the spaces between the Gorg's fingers. Wembley tried to say something to Gobo, but the Gorg's hand muffled him.
As the Gorg continued walking, Gobo began to wonder how long him and his friends could possibly survive. Though his ears were mostly covered, Gobo could faintly hear Boober screaming in the Gorgs' other hand, confirming that him and Red had been caught as well.
Soon, Gobo heard the voice of another Gorg speaking to the one who was holding them.
"Who enters the castle?" asked the voice.
"It is I, General Julius of the Gorg army", said the Gorg who was holding them. Gobo felt himself and the other Fraggles rattling around inside the Gorg's hands as he spoke in his deep, rumbling voice.
"What is the password?" asked the voice.
"World domination," replied the Gorg who called himself Julius.
"Permission granted, General Julius."
Gobo felt the Gorg Julius walking up a series of steps. He then extended his right hand, the one containing Red and Boober, to knock on the door. Gobo heard Boober screaming again, and this time Red screamed as well.
The door was opened, and the Gorg continued walking again. Soon, another voice spoke to him.
"Ah, General Julius. Has there been word from Master Gorgorian?"
"Yes. He has returned to the village under the mountain. I am bringing Fraggles to the dungeon on his orders."
The next second, very many things seemed to happen. Julius opened both of his hands, giving all five Fraggles the chance to jump down to the ground. They were inside a large room, furnished in the style of the Gorgs' castle back at the garden; there was a large bed in the corner, as well as tables and chairs. The only two inhabitants, however, were Julius and another Gorg. Gobo ran for the door, and the other Fraggles soon followed. However, the next thing they knew, Julius was on top of them again, and the Fraggles were once again inside his hands.
"You said you had Fraggles, General?" Gobo heard the other Gorg say.
"Yes," replied Julius. "They were captured by Master Gorgorian, who entrusted them to me."
"And you wish to place them in the dungeon?"
"Indeed, Lord Gorgastian. Open it."
A few seconds later, Julius's hands opened again, and the Fraggles found themselves falling into a small, dark underground room, which they had been thrown into from a small trap door in the ceiling. Red, Mokey, Wembley, and Boober fell onto the floor of the room, but Gobo hung on to one of the bars of the trap door. Once the trap door was closed, Gobo quickly began to push on it with all its might, but it would not move. Gobo was just about to drop himself down to the floor, when he heard the Gorg by the name of Gorgastian say something interesting to Julius, who was standing nearby.
"Why does Master Gorgorian desire to imprison Fraggles, General?" asked Gorgastian.
"He plans to interrogate the Fraggles. He desires to know more about their homeland, including its location. You see, Gorgorian considers Fraggles to be possible threat to the plan."
"And why would that be?" laughed Gorgastian. "They seem harmless to me."
"You might think so. But Gorgorian thinks that Fraggles have powerful magic, and might be able to use their abilities to fight against us, should they learn of what we are doing."
"I am not sure I understand,"
"Within a week, Master Gorgorian intends to travel to the castle where the traitor Gorgus. He is going to retrieve the Ancient Crown of the Gorgs. And if he must, he will eliminate Gorgus, his wife, and his son. But Gorgorian believes that a large community of Fraggles lives nearby, and he worries that the Fraggles might take Gorgus's side and fight back against us first. When he arrives at the castle, he wishes to use a bomb to destroy this Fraggle community. But he does not know its location, and for that he needs the Fraggles we have caught. They can tell us."
Gobo was overcome with a horror so strong he was unable to hold on to the bars of the trap door any longer, and fell onto the cold stone floor of the room with a thud. His four friends were standing around him, nervously chattering.
"What were the Gorgs saying?" asked Wembley. "What was so interesting?"
For a long time, Gobo was silent. Then, at last, he shouted a single sentence.
"We need to get out of here!"
"Well, of course we do," said Mokey. "But how?"
"You don't understand!" snapped Gobo. "It's terrible! Gorgorian was lying to us all along. He wasn't out friend. He wants to steal the crown from the Gorgs who live in the garden, and he's going to kill them if he has to! He only pretended to be nice to us because he wanted to capture us and interrogate us. Whatever that means," he added as a pause.
"But why?" said Boober "What do we have to do with the Gorgs? We're just tiny, insignificant little creatures."
"Gorgorian knows that Fraggle Rock is close to the Gorgs' garden, and he wants to destroy it so he can kill the Gorgs in the garden without us interfering. He thinks that we could be a threat, and ruin his plan."
"If we could just get out of this stupid cage," said Red, "we'd ruin his plan, alright?"
"But how are we going to get out of here?" Gobo replied. "I'll never be able to open that door up there. We're stuck here unless a Gorg comes along and lets us out."
Just then, Wembley piped up. "Why don't we try leaving... that way?" he said, pointing to something in the corner of the room.
Gobo looked. There, in the cold stone wall, was a hole. A hole which looked remarkably similar to the Fraggle hole that Gobo himself had used to get in and out of Doc's house for years.
"It's worth a try," said Gobo at last.

 

[TheRealFraggle]

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Gobo went down the hole first, his friends excitedly crowding around the small entrance as he gingerly poked his way inside. For a few seconds, Gobo simply stood inside the cave, saying nothing. Then he slowly started walking. After a few seconds, the others could no longer see him as they looked inside the dark hole - but just then they heard his voice in the distance, calling out "This is Fraggle Rock alright!"
"We're home!" whooped Wembley excitedly. Red clapped her hands over his mouth. "Keep it down," she muttered. "You don't want the Gorgs to here us."
Just then, Gobo walked back to the hole, and stuck his head out. "Come on, guys," he said. "Get in here."
Slowly, the Fraggles did so. Wembley went first, eager to follow his friend. Next came Red, followed by Mokey. The last to enter the hole was Boober, who had to persuaded by Mokey to step inside.
"There could be germs in there," protested Boober, as Mokey beckoned to him to follow her through the opening. "Or poison cacklers or rock clingers or..."
"Come on," said Red, shoving Mokey aside to speak to Boober. "This hole leads to Fraggle Rock. Would you rather be back home safe in the Rock, or in a Gorg dungeon?"
"Well, if you say so," said Boober, and reluctantly entered the hole.
When all five Fraggles had entered the hole, they discovered that they were indeed inside Fraggle Rock. In fact, the cave they were in was very familiar - they were in the tunnel leading to the garden.
Gobo stared up at the roof of the cave. He could just see the small hole where him and his friends had crawled through, escaping Gorgorian's dungeon. Gobo remembered what Marjory the Trash Heap had told him about how he could never leave the magic of Fraggle Rock.
"We were meant to come here," Gobo said, turning back to face his friends. "We need to go into the garden, and warn the Gorgs that their enemies are coming."
"Are you crazy?" blurted out Boober. The other Fraggles said nothing, but from their faces it was clear they too did not agree with his plan.
"That's why the hole opened up in the wall and led us here," Gobo continued. "It's a sign. It means that we need to help the Gorgs - the ones in the garden over there. We can't let Gorgorian win."
"You should have listened to me!" said Boober. "I knew all along that Gorg was evil! If you'd just paid attention to what I was trying to tell you, none of this would have happened!"
"But if we hadn't gone along with Gorgorian, we'd never know of his plan, and we couldn't stop him from killing our friends."
"Those things are our friends?" Boober asked incredulously, pointing ahead of him to the hole leading into the garden. But he fell silent all the same.
Just then, there was a streak of purple flying through the cave, as a terrified Fraggle ran past them in the direction of the great hall.
"You see?" said Boober. "That poor Fraggle over there just got chased by the Gorgs, and now he's scared witless! Remember what happened the last time we went into the garden? They tried to kill us! And now you say we just mosey into the garden and try to talk to them?"
Before Boober could say another word, another Fraggle, this one bright green, tore past them just like the first one did. A few seconds later, a third Fraggle followed suit. They both looked panicked, and Gobo noticed that both of them, along with the first Fraggle who had passed before them, were carrying buckets.
"Okay, this is getting strange," said Gobo. Before he could say anything more, yet another Fraggle ran past, but this one was going in the opposite direction, running from the Great Hall into the Gorgs' garden.
"That's it!" said Gobo. "Something strange is happening, and I need to go investigate. Come on!" Gobo beckoned for the others to follow him as he walked through the tunnel.
The five Fraggles hurried along the tunnel. However, just before they could reach the Great Hall, Gobo heard a voice saying "Stand back! Don't go any further!"
Gobo looked. There, standing in front of him, was the World's Oldest Fraggle. And he was blocking Gobo's way.
"What's wrong?" asked Gobo. "Why is everybody running around?"
"There's a fire in Fraggle Rock!" said the World's Oldest Fraggle. "We're trying to put it out!"
Sure enough, now that he thought about it, Gobo could smell smoke in the air. Quickly, he shoved aside the World's Oldest Fraggle so he could get a good look. What he saw was terrible.
The Great Hall was filled with flames. Frantic Fraggles were dashing here and there. Some of them were carrying buckets, which they were filling with water from the pond, and they were throwing it at the fire. But it wasn't enough. The fire had gotten out of control, and was threatening to spread throughout the entire Great Hall. In fact, looking closely, Gobo thought he could see Fraggles lying on the ground. He hoped they were only unconscious and not dead.
The World's Oldest Fraggle got up from the ground, groaning. Quickly, he tried to pull Gobo back, but Gobo pushed him aside again. Ignoring the worried pleas of his friends behind him, Gobo ran past the World's Oldest Fraggle and stood at the entrance to the Great Hall.
"Stop trying to put out the fire!" Gobo screamed at the top of his lungs. "Get out! Out of the Great Hall! Into the Gorgs' garden! As fast as you can or you'll die!"
For a few seconds, there was silence. Then dozens of frightened Fraggles began running into the tunnel, knocking over Gobo and his friends. Like Gobo had told them to, they were running into the garden.

 

[TheRealFraggle]

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The five Fraggles quickly pressed themselves as close as they could to the wall of the rock, to avoid being trampled by the swarms of Fraggles who were now running through the tunnel into the Gorgs' garden. For minutes, more and more Fraggles kept running out. After a while, however, the stream of frantic souls running for their lives began to lessen.
When he could finally be certain that he would not be trampled to death if he moved, Gobo slowly walked away from the wall of the tunnel, and peeked back into the Great Hall. The fire was still raging through the Rock, and the Great Hall was mostly empty, save for the Fraggles who were running through it on their way from their own caves into the garden. However, not many were doing so - evidently, the Fraggles who knew about the fire thought it safer to stay in their caves, where the flames had not yet spread, rather then entering the dangerous Great Hall on their way to safety.
The Fraggles who were carrying buckets had not left the Hall. They were still running to the Fraggle pond and back, routinely throwing bucketfuls of water on the fire. The bucket-carriers appeared to be helping put out the fire somewhat - though the cave was still filled with flames, the smoke had died down a little - but nevertheless, it was obvious that a handful of Fraggles with buckets were not quite enough to kill the fire completely.
"Shouldn't the Fraggle Fire Department be here soon?" Gobo asked Wembley.
"I don't think they even know how to put out a fire," Wembley responded. "They just like wearing hats and making loud siren noises".
Gobo sadly shook his head. Wembley would know - he had worked as the siren for the Fire Department for years. Gobo turned to look at his friends. Red and Mokey were nervously trembling, and Boober had passed out. Quickly, Gobo attempted to wake him.
"Boober? Boober? Are you okay?" Gobo asked, shaking Boober's body like a ragdoll.
Boober slowly began to stir, eventually speaking. "Where am I?" he mumbled.
"We're back in Fraggle Rock. But we need to get out. There's a fire here, remember?"
"A fire?" Boober screamed, and fainted again.
At that moment, Gobo made up his mind what to do next. At the moment, the fire was mostly contained in the Great Hall, and the bucket-carriers were trying their hardest to put it out. Additionally, many Fraggles had already evacuated into the garden. Thus, Gobo felt that it was not his responsibility to stay in the Rock and passively observe the spectacle. He had done his part, and now it was time to move on to the next important task at hand.
"We need to go into the garden," Gobo said. "We'll join the other Fraggles, and we can warn the Gorgs that Gorgorian is coming."
"How we are going to do that?" asked Red. "They might recognize that we're the Fraggles who escaped from their traps. They'll try to kill us."
Gobo chuckled sadly. "There are hundreds of Fraggles in the garden already. The Gorgs won't bother trying to fight off that many. And it should be easy to get their attention now."
"Well, Gobo, I think that's a great idea," said Mokey. "We need to everything we can to help our friends, even if they are Gorgs."
"Right," Gobo muttered. He took one last look into Fraggle Rock. For all he knew, it might be the last time he saw it intact. "Let's go."
The Fraggles walked down the tunnel quickly, in case the fire spread. In a few minutes, they were standing outside the hole leading into the garden.
Gobo stuck out his head and looked around. It was utter pandemonium. Large masses of Fraggles were huddled around bushes and trees, while Pa Gorg was chasing them with a large club that he had evidently borrowed from his son Junior. Meanwhile, Ma was screaming while she swatted at any Fraggle who dared come close to her. Only Junior was standing by passively, not trying to harm the Fraggles. Gobo thought that he might at last be remembering the time he himself had been into Fraggle Rock. Gobo was relieved to know that, while Junior might love catching Fraggles, he didn't want them dead.
Despite strong protesting from Red and Boober, who had awoken again, Gobo led his friends into the garden. Gingerly, they crept past the area outside the castle where the three Gorgs were standing. Rather than joining one of the large crowds of Fraggles, Gobo led the others to the secluded area of the garden where the Trash Heap had once stood.
Here, it was calm and quiet. No Fraggles had taken refuge here, and Gobo could barely hear the screams of the Gorgs or the worried cries of nervous Fraggles. Instead, he heard the birds chirping, and the wind whistling through the trees. It maybe have been chaos in Fraggle Rock, but out here the world was quiet and peaceful.
Right now, the chief matter on Gobo's mind was how to get the Gorgs' attention. All four of the Fraggles offered suggestions, but Gobo didn't like any of them. Mokey proposed that Gobo calmly walk up to Pa Gorg and explain himself. Boober said that they should all return to the Rock and find an out-of-the-way cave where they should lie and wait for death. Wembley said that whatever Gobo decided was alright with him. And Red thought that Gobo should climb a tree and jump onto one of the Gorgs' faces.
For a long time, Gobo leaned against a tree and thought. But then he began to realize that Red's idea might be the best. Gobo could climb up a tree near one of the Gorgs, and call out to them. And if he needed to drive home the point that Gorgorian was coming to kill them, he could even claim that that was the reason why the garden was suddenly crawling with Fraggles.

Jerry Crystal had just had the worst day of his life.
It was now the early hours of the morning, though still pitch black outside. The electricity in the house had come back now, but Jerry didn't want any light at the moment. He sat in a chair in his bedroom, staring at the wall in a mind state of shock. Just a few hours ago, there had been a fire in his house. Fortunately, the fire department had come in time and put it out before it could spread beyond the room where it originated, the workshop - but at the same time, the workshop was now partially ruined. Many objects that had been in the room had been destroyed in the fire, including some of Jerry's most prized possessions. The curtains had been burned away, some of the furniture had been destroyed, and the walls were now covered in black scorch marks. Worst of all, whatever in the room hadn't been burned away in the fire, had been destroyed by the water in the firemen's hoses.
Eventually, Jerry found himself wandering back into the workshop, wanting to take another look at the room as it looked now. The room was a mess. Signs of fire and water damage were everywhere, and, as Jerry had thought, practically nothing in the room hadn't been destroyed or damaged in some way. Saddened and angry at himself for making the stupid mistake that had caused the near-disaster, Jerry sat down on the floor in the room, his hands balled into fists, and began silently crying.
Just then, Jerry realized something - he could still smell something burning. Horrified, Jerry began to frantically look around the room in terror. Was there a spot somewhere that the firemen had missed? Then he realized that it was coming from the hole in the wall. The planks of wood he had nailed over it five years ago had been burned away, and, when Jerry peered into the hole, he could see flames in the distance, burning in what looked like a cavern of some sort.
Frantically, Jerry got up from the floor and sprinted out of the room. He wasn't sure whether or not the fire would spread to another part of the house, but all the same, he had to put it out. For a brief moment, Jerry considered calling the fire department again. But then, he decided to try and put it out himself.
Jerry ran into the basement, flicking on the light switch as he did. Somewhere inside the basement, he knew there was a garden hose that had belonged to his father, which he had never used as the house had no garden. After a few minutes of frantic searching, Jerry found the hose. He grabbed it and quickly ran back upstairs.
Jerry went into one of the two bathrooms in the house - the closest source of running water to the workshop. There, he connected one end of the hose to the faucet in the sink. Quickly, he carried the hose back into the workshop, and then stuck the other end down into the hole. Then, he began spraying water into it.
Soon, the water began rolling down the cavern, eventually trickling its way to the spot where the fire burned in the center of Fraggle Rock.

 

[TheRealFraggle]

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Pa Gorg tensely clutched the club that he had taken from his son Junior. As he stood outside his castle, he surveyed the nearby area of the garden. Many hundreds of Fraggles were swarming around the grass, typically huddling together in large masses near trees or boulders, as though they thought that would protect from the club in Pa's hands. Yet there were simply too many Fraggles in the garden for the "thumping stick", as Junior had always called it, to be effective. If he thumped the ground where the Fraggles were concentrated, they would quickly scatter just in time for most of them to escape. He had tried this multiple times, and now the Fraggles were mostly scattered around the garden in groups of no more than two or three; much harder to thump.
For minutes, Pa stood and silently observed the chaos. He thought of all the Fraggle-killing methods he could possibly employ. Boredom juice. Bonkleberries. Dynamite. Then he remembered he didn't have any of those things. He might have some dynamite in the shed, he thought, but the shed was very cluttered and it would be hard to find. Plus, any time he walked away from the exact spot he was standing, the Fraggles would immediately begin to walk in the opposite direction, making it much harder for him to get rid of them. While he stood there and stared at him, however, they were too intimidated to do anything, so for the moment he decided to stay put.
Pa turned around, looking at his castle. His wife had already fled indoors many minutes ago. She had always been extremely disgusted by Fraggles, and the sight of hundreds of them at once was enough to make her turn green and run for the hills. Junior, meanwhile, had seemed to want to spare the Fraggles, persuading him not to kill them. Pa wouldn't listen. Fraggles were a disease-carrying, crop-devouring menace - it would be a wonder if this batch of them wouldn't start the second Great Gorgish Plague. Pa didn't dare to look at the hole through which the Fraggles entered, for every time he did, he saw more Fraggles streaming out of the entrance and into the garden. If Kissing Rock hadn't been a sacred reminder of his romance with Ma, he would have found the dynamite and blown the entire thing up. Then again, he remembered, that wouldn't do anything about the Fraggles that were already in the Rock.
After a while, Pa became tired of looking at masses of trembling Fraggles. This was not a situation he could control. In his nearly one thousand years of existence, he'd never had to deal with anything like this. Pa realized he knew very little about Fraggles - sure, he may have talked to a few that had been trapped by his son, but he knew nothing about where they came from, what their home in the Rock was like, or, most importantly, how to quickly deal with a veritably army of them.
A thousand terrible thoughts racing through his head, Pa walked away from the Fraggles, making sure not to appear as though he was going to stomp on any of them, for fear that the crowd would disperse again and he'd have to deal with them one by one. Heaving a deep sigh, Pa stomped away from the castle and leaned against a tree. It was a tall tree, a majestic oak that he had planted in 1711 to commemorate Junior's 200th birthday.
And right now, it was talking.
Almost the instant that Pa leaned against the tree, a loud voice began to speak from the tree. "Oh mighty Gorg," the voice said, "king of the universe."
Pa sighed again. He knew what this meant - one of the Fraggles had climbed up the tree, and was now trying to engage him in conversation. But then he realized that, by talking to the Fraggle, he might receive answers about why hundreds of the vermin were crawling around his garden.
"Who is this?" Pa asked, playing along with the Fraggle's game.
"My name is Gobo," said the Fraggle, speaking in a tone of voice that was evidently trying, and failing, to be intimidating. "And I am the ruler of all the Fraggles."
"Go on," said Pa, beginning to be intrigued, although doubting the Fraggle Gobo's lofty claim.
"I have brought all of my people into the garden so that we may warn you of the danger that you will soon face,"
Pa scoffed. By "danger", the Fraggle probably meant that he was orchestrating a mass theft of the Gorgs' most prized radishes. Nevertheless, the conversation was beginning to be interesting. "Well? What is this danger?"
"The danger is a man," replied the Fraggle who called himself Gobo, "who goes by the name... of Gorgorian."
Suddenly, Pa's face turned white. "Wh-what did you say?" he asked.
"Gorgorian is coming," repeated the Fraggle, "and he will not spare you."
Pa couldn't believe it. He'd spent the last several hundred years of his life living in constant fear that his arch-nemesis Gorgorian, the brutal mastermind of the extermination of the Gorgish race, would find him and his family. In his naiveté, he'd assumed that moving to the most secluded corner of the kingdom would be enough to forever hide him. But, as he would now have to admit to himself, the kingdom was not a large one, and Gorgorian had probably known about his whereabouts for years.
"Is he alone?" choked Pa. "Or are there others?" For years, he'd assumed that Gorgorian, along with himself and his wife and son, were the only survivors of the battle. But suddenly, he wasn't so sure.
"He is not," said the Fraggle. "He possesses an army that far outnumbers your own."
Pa's knees bucked, and he nearly collapsed to the ground. His fears were now fully realized, and he began to wonder if the bloodline of Gorgus the Great would die out in the next few days.
"Is there anything I can do?" replied Pa, forcing back tears.
"There is little that can be done to avoid the coming of Gorgorian. However, know that I am on your side. We, the Fraggles, shall remain here in your kingdom, and stand by you when the enemy arrives."
Pa let out a small scream. "Well, that's just peachy!" he shouted. "What good is a bunch of Fraggles gonna do me, when I'm facing the most evil Gorg that has ever lived?"
"Little help we may be," said the Fraggle, "but there are ways in which we can aid you in this battle."
"Like what, exactly?" spat Pa. He was growing angry with the Fraggle he was speakin to.
"You shall know in time. For now, I shall leave you. But we Fraggles will not desert you in this time of need."
The Fraggle fell silent. A while later, Pa thought he heard the sound of something small climbing down the tree and scurrying away. But there was no point pursuing the one who was called Gobo. If he was truly the leader of the Fraggles, he would be back in time.
Frozen in shock, Pa stood by the tree and simply stared at the ground. The few Fraggles who remained nearby stared back at him with wide eyes. Pa didn't move until he heard footsteps behind him, and found himself face-to-face with his wife.
"What's wrong, my king?" asked Pa. "I heard a lot of commotion out here."
Using every ounce of courage he had, Pa looked his queen in the eye. "We need to leave the castle. As soon as we can."
Ma gasped. "But why? What's happened?"
Pa was silent for a long time, thinking of what words to break the awful news with. Eventually, he said the same thing that the Fraggle had said. Three simple words, which were enough to send a chill down the spine of any Gorg.
"Gorgorian is coming."

 

[TheRealFraggle]

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"So what do we do now?" asked Red, nervously casting a glance over her shoulder to ensure that she was not about to beaten with Junior Gorg's thumping stick.
The five Fraggles were lying on the ground in the garden, near the hole that led back to Fraggle Rock. Gobo had done his duty, and informed Pa Gorg of Gorgorian's impending arrival. But it was unclear that they should do next.
"I say we go back to the dungeon. Hopefully we can find the hole again that led us back here when we were there. The Gorg who caught us said he was going to come back and interrogate us, so maybe when he opens the trap door, we can escape. Then maybe we can try and find Gorgorian and see what he's planning to do next."
"But what if it doesn't work?" said Boober. "What if they torture us or kill us or..."
"We'll just have to take that risk. I'm sure we'll be able to get back here using the hole we found inside the dungeon."
"Well," said Wembley, "if it's alright with you, then it's alright with me."
Gobo glanced at Red and Mokey. Though they both remained silent, they nodded in approval.
"That settles it, then. We're going back to the dungeon."
Soon, the five Fraggles entered Fraggle Rock, and walked through the tunnel that would take them to the Great Hall. But all the while, Gobo stared at the roof of the cave. And soon, he saw a small hole above his head.
"That's it," Gobo said, pointing to the hole. "That's were we escaped from the dungeon."
"Well," said Red, "What are we waiting for? I won't miss being alive one bit."
Gobo sighed, but didn't say anything. With his hands, he caught hold of the hole, and lifted himself upwards until he could peek his head out. As he had expected, he found himself once again inside the Gorgs' dungeon.
"We're in the right place," Gobo called to the others. "In the dungeon."
Gobo heard some muttering from his friends, but soon Red emerged from the hole as well, brushing dust off herself. A few seconds later, Mokey, Wembley, and Boober appeared in the dungeon as well.
"I never thought I'd say this," said Boober, as he looked around the small, cold stone-walled room, "but I'm glad to back here. At least I don't have to worry that I'll fall asleep and wake up to realize I've died."
"Oh, Boober," said Mokey, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I'm sure everything will be alright in Fraggle Rock. After all, the Fire Department is trying their hardest to-"
Suddenly, Mokey fell silent and glanced at the trap door above them. The other Fraggles immediately turned their gaze upwards as well. But although they couldn't see much, they could hear something - footsteps were ringing out loud and clear on the floor of the room above. The helmeted Gorg was returning.
"Now's our only chance," said Gobo. "Everybody hold hands tightly. That way, if he picks up one of us, he'll pick us all up. That way we can try to fight him off."
At that moment, the trap door was opened, filling the dank cavern with light. The Fraggles trembled at the sight of the large, trembling face of Julius the Gorg poking through the opening above their heads.
After staring at them a while, the Gorg spoke. "Do you want to survive?"
Nobody answered.
The Gorg barked the question again. "Do you want to survive?"
"Answer him," mumbled Red, elbowing Gobo. Taking the hint, Gobo quickly raised his voice and responded, "Yes, sir!"
"Good. Then you'll answer all my questions."
Gobo and Red held hands tightly. Boober took Red's other hand; he held it so tightly that Red uttered a cry of pain.
For a few seconds, Gobo struggled to think of a response that might provoke the Gorg to lift him off the ground. Then he decided to go with simple defiance.
"No, sir,"
"Excuse me," said the Gorg, in a mocking tone of voice. "I thought you said you wanted to survive."
"I never said I wanted to see your big hairy face stinking up the dungeon," Gobo said, forcing an annoying laugh.
The Gorg visibly began to fume. "You do not talk that way to a Gorg," he said at last, in a noticeably angry voice.
"Why don't you go bother somebody else? If I have to smell your Gorg breath for a second longer, I'll pass out."
In that moment, Gobo realized that his scheme was working. The next moment, he found himself suspended ten feet in the air, and felt Julius's mighty fingers squeezing the top of his head. Gobo had managed to hold on to Red's hand; based on the weight he felt, Boober had been lifted as well.
Gobo wasn't sure whether Julius was intending to drop him or kill him right then and there, but he wasn't ready to find out. Summoning all his strength, Gobo swung forward so sharply that Julius dropped him. A millisecond later, Gobo collided with Julius's eye. The enormous Gorg gave a powerful scream and clawed at his face, but by this time Gobo had darted from the eye onto the bridge of his nose, which he ferociously bit and clawed at. Meanwhile, Red, who had likewise managed to jump onto his face, was pummeling his other eye.
With one eye covered by his own hand to soothe its pain, and the other obscured by the form of a Fraggle, Julius was rendered nearly blind. In a desperate attempt to shake the two Fraggles off his face, Julius began to run in circles around the room. Unfortunately, he stumbled over a table, toppled over, and fell backwards into the wall; his head so sharply collided with the wall that he was immediately knocked unconscious. Quickly, Gobo and Red leaped off his face and ran to the still open trap door, where they peered inside. Boober, Wembley, and Mokey were all gathered in the center of the dungeon, staring at the two Fraggles whom they had heard battling Julius.
"I am never doing that again!" said Boober. "I fell down when the Gorg picked me up and would have died if Wembley and Mokey hadn't caught me!"
"Well, said Gobo with a smirk, "It's all in a day's work as a brave Fraggle explorer". Gobo leaned down as far as he could over the entrance, and stretched out his arms. But he couldn't reach the three Fraggles inside the dungeon.
"Let me try," said Red. "Grab my feet and I can lower myself a bit more."
Gobo did so, holding on to Red by her feet and lowering her as far down into the dungeon as she could reach.
"Hey, Mokey," said Red, her torso hanging from the trap door into the cellar, "Hold up Boober, and I'll grab him first."
Mokey grabbed Boober in her arms, and held up the struggling and squirming Fraggle as high as she could.
"Now jump, Boober," said Red. "It's the only way I can reach you.
Boober opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced by the terrible sound of the doors opening, and loud footsteps walking up behind them.
"I see that you have managed to overpower General Julius," said a familiar voice.
Gobo turned around so sharply that he dropped Red, who fell with a scream, collided with Boober, and sent herself, Boober, and Mokey falling to the ground. Standing behind him was none other than Gorgorian.
Gobo was too stunned to speak. Gorgorian just smiled and picked up the frightened Fraggle in his large hand.
"I knew you would not stay inside that dungeon for long," Gorgorian said with an almost friendly-sounding chuckle. "You Fraggles are cunning creatures. But I appreciate you for that." Gorgorian paused. "Thus, it pains me what I must do to you next."
Gorgorian turned and called out to a Gorg who was standing outside the door. "Sir Greenbeard!"
A green-furred Gorg soldier walked into the building, wearing a full suit of armor that covered everything but his face. "At your service, Master Gorgorian," he said with a salute.
"It is a bad batch of Fraggles which I have captured," said Gorgorian, "and I find myself believing 'twould be easier to catch another one, rather than attempt to wrangle information out of the ones in my possession. But at the same time, I appreciate their cunning minds and strength of will. I do not wish to kill them immediately. Place them with the other Fraggle."

 

[TheRealFraggle]

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The next thing the Fraggles knew, they were inside a small, rectangular wooden box, which was being carried to an unknown location by the Gorg Sir Greenbeard. This box had evidently been built specifically for the purpose of containing Fraggles, as the lid had several small air holes. Nevertheless, it was far too small for five Fraggles, and was low enough that none of them could stand to their full height. Peering through the air holes, Gobo could barely see the surroundings outside, and couldn't be sure of where exactly they were being taken.
Just then, Wembley elbowed him sharply in his side. "Gobo," he said quietly, "did you hear what Gorgorian said?"
"Something about throwing us in an even worse dungeon, I suppose,"
"No! No" Gobo could hear the excitement in Wembley's voice. "He said 'Place them with the other Fraggle'".
For a second, Gobo didn't realize the significance of those words. Then it came to him. "Do you think he means...?"
Gobo didn't even have to finish the sentence; everyone knew exactly who he meant. But it was Boober who actually said it.
"Uncle Traveling Matt! Do you think he's here?"
"Maybe they captured him too," said Red. "He wouldn't notice a Gorg until it had him in a trap."
Normally, Gobo would have been unhappy with Red's comment. But at the moment, he didn't care. After all, he wasn't sure if him and his friends would ever see the light of day again.
As it turns out, they would - for a brief second. The green Gorg took the lid off their box, and the next second, the five Fraggles had been roughly thrown onto the stone floor of a small room. They appeared to be in some sort of shed.
This time, no one made any attempt at escape; they had all been somewhat injured from being thrown to the floor, and were already greatly tired and exhausted. Gobo picked himself halfway off the floor to take one last look at the green pastures of the Gorgish countryside before the view was blocked by the hulking form of Sir Greenbeard, who closed the door with a clang. The door was locked, and they could faintly hear Greenbeard's mighty footsteps growing fainter and fainter. Then all was silent.
Even with the door closed, the room wasn't dark; light came in from a small window at the very top of the room, much too high for any Fraggle to ever reach. Gobo summoned all of his remaining energy to look around the small room, but the only thing inside it, apart from them, was a stick that was lying in the corner. Perhaps Gorgorian had been in error; there were certainly no other Fraggles inside.
Gobo sat down again, running his hands over the floor. The last thought he had was that he was glad his uncle wasn't in the room, since it meant he might not have been captured. Then Gobo collapsed onto the ground, and fell into a long and peaceful sleep.

Gobo woke up many hours later, and sat up forcefully. He blinked sleepily for a few seconds, staring at his surroundings with a puzzled look. But as soon as he caught sight of the large, imposing door, he remembered exactly where he was.
With some surprise, Gobo realized that he appeared to have slept through the entire night; judging from the pink light streaming in through the window, the sun appeared to be rising overhead. The other Fraggles had slept too, but had all awoken. Wembley was the first to notice that Gobo had awoken.
"I see you're up," said Wembley.
"Is it morning yet?" asked Gobo, still a bit stunned.
"Yeah, you slept for a long time."
Gobo suppressed the urge to mention that, based on the situation they were in at the moment, he would soon be sleeping for all eternity. Instead he simply said "I guess," and fell silent.
Gobo turned his gaze toward the other three Fraggles. Red and Mokey appeared well-rested, but Boober looked as though he had been hit by a speeding automobile - the shiny monsters that the Silly Creatures used for transportation.
"Sorry," said Boober, noticing that Gobo was surprised by his disheveled appearance. "I fell asleep with my head on Red's shoulder and had this horrible dream about losing a swimming competition in the Great Hall."
Red, who was standing nearby, noticeably blushed.
Meanwhile, Mokey was sitting in a corner of the room meditating, her eyes closed and her legs crossed. Gobo smiled slightly. Even when she was faced with death, she still found positive things to do with her time.
Gobo, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel miserable. Sure, none of this would have happened if he hadn't encountered Gorgorian in the forest, but at the end of the day, this entire predicament was his fault. If he hadn't arranged a journey into the Gorgs' garden to look for Uncle Traveling Matt, him and his friends would be safe at home eating Doozer constructions and playing tug-of-tails.
And then a little voice in the back of Gobo's head said, Yes, but if you had stayed in Fraggle Rock, you might have died in the fire.
Maybe, Gobo thought, but I would have had a chance of survival. Here, I'm bound to starve from death any day now...
You never know, replied the other side of his brain. Don't give up hope until you're at death's door. It wouldn't kill you to have a little faith once in a while.
I know. Usually, I at least have faith in myself.
And the voice said, Have faith in me, then.
Gobo's train of thought was broken by the sound of Mokey excitedly calling out to him. "Gobo! Look at this!" she said.
Gobo wondered whether she was going to show him how to do a particularly mindful meditation pose. But then, Mokey handed Gobo a piece of paper.
"I found this hidden in the corner," said Mokey.
Gobo took the piece of paper and examined it. It was neatly folded over several times, and appeared no larger than a radish in his hand.
His hands shaking, Gobo unfolded the piece of paper. At first, he thought it was blank. Then he realized the writing was on the other side. As soon as he saw the first line, his heart almost skipped a beat.
Dear nephew Gobo,
I heard the Gorg saying that he was going to capture more Fraggles, so I decided to leave this here to help in case he caught you. (If you are reading this, you'll certainly know what I mean). Somewhere in this room, there is a long stick. The end of this stick has been whittled down by yours truly into the shape of a key. Put it in the keyhole, turn it, and the door should open. Then, you just have to worry about escaping the Gorgs.
Love,
Your uncle,
Traveling Matt
PS. - Hopefully the Gorgs have captured some of your friends as well, because it's extremely hard for a single Fraggle to turn the doorknob. I could hardly do it and I can only imagine how much more difficult it would be for a teeny little Fraggle such as yourself.
Gobo dropped the piece of paper and let it float to the ground. Then he burst into a flood of tears.
"Gobo?" said Wembley. "What is it?"
Gobo embraced Wembley in his arms, giving him the strongest hug he could manage. "We're free," he said.
Then he ran to the corner of the room and picked up the stick.

 

[TheRealFraggle]

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Picking the lock on the door with the stick was one thing, but, as Uncle Traveling Matt had stated in his note, actually turning the doorknob and opening the door was another matter entirely. In the end, it took the combined strength of three Fraggles - Gobo, Red, and Wembley - before the large door swung open, bathing the small room in more light than the window would ever allow for. They were free.
As soon as the door had opened, the Fraggles were in a hurry to leave. However, before any of them could walk out of the enormous door, Gobo stuck out his head and looked to ensure that there were no Gorgs in the vicinity. Once satisfied that the coast was clear, he announced "We can leave now".
Wembley, Boober, Red, and Mokey quickly followed Gobo out of the small shed where they had been kept. Once they were outside, they looked around to get a better understanding of their surroundings. They were relieved; although Mount Gorgacian was still very nearby, they appeared to have left the Gorg settlement. The question now was where to go next. It was only a few seconds before Wembley asked just that: "So what now, Gobo?"
"We should get a bit farther away from here," Gobo said, pausing occasionally to think of a greater-scope plan for where to go next. "We can decide where else to go later".
Soon, the Fraggles set off, and walked through the countryside for several hours, until Mount Gorgacian gradually began to sink into the distance. The only food they found were a few sour-tasting berries that grew on a bush. It wasn't until the early afternoon, as they sat on the top of a hill overlooking a small stream, that the question of where they should go next came up.
This time, it was Red who asked it. "We've been walking for hours," she said, tired and frustrated. "Do you even know where we're supposed to go next?"
"I'm not sure," replied Gobo sadly. "At least we're free from the Gorgs,"
"But we're miles and miles away from home, and we don't even know how to get back to Fraggle Rock."
"Maybe that's a good thing," Gobo reminded her. "The fire could still be going, and besides, we know Gorgorian is going to come back."
"At least we wouldn't starve to death over there," chipped in Boober. "Plenty of radishes to tide us over until death comes knocking on our door. I bet we won't last two days here with nothing but these terrible berries to eat."
And then Mokey asked the most important question of all. "Gobo, do you think you know how to get back to the garden from here?"
"I doubt it," responded Gobo honestly. "I can't remember which direction we went half of the way. We never would have gotten this far without Gorgorian leading us."
Nevertheless, Gobo decided that they would continue walking as far as they could each day, in case they happened to find the way back to Fraggle Rock by chance. Thus, later that afternoon they continued their quest, drinking from the stream they were following and eating only berries. However, by the time the evening came to a close and the sun set over the distant mountain Gorgacian, things began to look hopeless again.
By the time it was dark, the Fraggles stopped walking and settled down to sleep; as usual, they slept on the ground. This time, Gobo was the only one who couldn't drift off, and spent hours staring at the dark sky, covered in bright, twinkling stars. He remembered Doc telling him about the shapes in the sky called constellations. One looked like a lion, another like a dragon. He was fairly sure the largest one was called the "Big Dumper".
Once again, Gobo was kept awake by that nagging voice in his head. You should have stayed in the Gorg village, the voice reprimanded him. You were much closer to home there. All you would have had to do was sneak back into the dungeons.
But that would be impossible. The Gorgs would see me instantly.
Nothing is impossible when you're a Fraggle.
I sure hope so. Because me and my friends are terribly lost right now, and we might never find our way back home.
Lost? You're an explorer. You're SUPPOSED to be in places where Fraggles haven't been before. Is your Uncle Matt lost? No. He's exploring the world. And now you are too.
Yes. Yes I am, Gobo thought, and the voice disappeared. Soon, Gobo finally fell asleep.

The next Gobo knew, he was dreaming. In his dream, Gobo was standing in the Gorgs' garden. He had come there to speak to Marjory the Trash Heap. But this time, as the Trash Heap rose from the ground and peered at him through her lorgnette, he noticed that she had grown much taller. She was now nearly the size of a Gorg, and spoke in a deep, booming voice that sound almost exactly like Gobo's own.
"Why have you come here today, little Fraggle?"
"I need your help. My friends and I are terribly lost, and we can't find our way home. What do I do?"
The Trash Heap laughed. "Do not worry. You shall all be warm and cozy in your caves in no time."
"But how? I'm in the middle of nowhere, and Gorgs are chasing me."
"Always remember... you can't leave the magic".
With that, the Trash Heap exploded, and in her place was the floating head of Gorgorian, who now had purple hair like Gobo. Two Doozers stood on top of his head, and one of them threw Gobo something. It was a stack of postcards from his Uncle Traveling Matt. Gobo picked up the first one. It appeared to be written in a strange language, but nevertheless, Gobo could somehow make out the first line: You will speak to the humans.
The last thought Gobo had was that he vaguely remembered Doc telling him that "human" was another term for Silly Creatures. Then he sat bolt upright and found himself staring directly into the face of Pa Gorg. Gobo pinched himself, sure he must still be dreaming.
"So," said Pa Gorg, bending down to look directly at Gobo, "where have all the Fraggles gone? You five are the only ones left in the garden."
Gobo stood up and quickly looked around. He was standing in the Gorgs' garden. Worried that he would wake up any second and find himself back in the wilderness, Gobo turned to look for the other Fraggles. They were lying on the ground nearby, still sleeping.
"Do you remember me?" Gobo said, turning back to face Pa. "It is I, Gobo, the ruler of the Fraggles. I spoke to you in the tree."
"Yeah, I remember," said Pa, scratching his head. "Did the other Fraggles go back home?"
Gobo quickly looked around. Sure enough, there seemed to be no other Fraggles taking refuge in the garden. Perhaps the fire was gone, and they had returned to the Rock!
Gobo quickly composed himself and thought of a reply to Pa's question. "My people have returned to their home underground. They are planning an attack against Gorgorian."
"But... what are you planning to do?"
"In time you will know. I cannot speak with you any longer, but I shall be helping you all the way."
With that, Gobo turned and walked away from Pa. Gently, he nudged the other Fraggles, prodding them awake. "We're home," he whispered.

 

[TheRealFraggle]

CHAPTER TWENTY

Pa Gorg stood anxiously inside the castle, watching as Junior packed all of the Gorgs' most prized possessions - including the royal crown, the portrait of King Gorgus the Great, and Pa's wedding ring - into boxes. The Gorgs were leaving the castle, prepared to spend the rest of their centuries-long lives wandering the universe. Anything to evade Gorgorian and his army.
Ma was distraught about having to leave the castle and go on the run. Crying hysterically, she aimlessly wandered from room to room, saying goodbye to all the priceless Gorgish artifacts that they would have to be leaving behind. Even Junior was shedding a few tears at the thought of abandoning the only home he ever knew. But Pa simply stood there, a stony expression on his face. Sure, he was unhappy that the Gorgs would have to go away from the home they'd lived in for over five hundred years. But on the bright side, it would keep them safe from Gorgorian temporarily. Maybe he'd be happy with the castle and everything inside it, and not decide to further pursue the Gorgs themselves.
Just then, Pa decided that they weren't going to take anything with them at all. They were going to live the simple life, free of possessions, and all of their belongings, even the royal crown, would be left in the castle for Gorgorian. Without a word, Pa snatches the boxes from Junior and carried them back into the castle, where he put all of the objects back in their original places. When Gorgorian arrived, he was going to find the castle just as it had been when the Gorgs had lived there.
Forcing back tears at the thought of giving up practically everything in his life except for his family, Pa found himself walking into the garden, where his eyes began to wander around, as if taking a last look at the place he had known for so long. He could no longer see any Fraggles in the garden; they must have gone back to their home, at least for now. Pa remembered that the Fraggles still expected him to fight back against Gorgorian. They would likely be disappointed in him when they found he had fled the scene.
As Pa was beginning to realize, he could no longer escape his destiny. Fate had only intended him and his family to live in the Gorgish castle for so long; now, it was time for him to live. Pa remembered that this wasn't the first time he had planned for his family to leave and wander the universe. One time, his son accidentally sold the house, and to a scheming, size-shifting Willowtoad. Another time, he'd thought that the mythical Sir Hubris, depicted in the portrait of King Gorgus, had returned at last, but it was only some Fraggles trying to fool him. Though Pa now doubted the myth of Sir Hubris, he began to realize that to him, Gorgorian was a similar figure. One who intended, at any cost, to make sure the Gorgs would have to leave the place they loved. And he could never fight back. After all, Gorgorian was a mighty warrior with an army at his disposal. He was just Pa Gorg.
Ma and Junior had now followed Pa into the garden. Ma was crying even harder now. "Do you really mean to say that we're going to throw away of our possessions?" she said, through tears.
Pa muttered his reply through grit teeth. "It was has to be done, baby. Maybe those possessions are all that Gorgorian wants. He can use them to deceive himself that the Gorgish kingdom still exists. All these years, we were just pretending."
"What do you mean, honey?" asked Ma.
"The Gorgs are dead. There's less than twenty of us left. By the end of the day there might be three fewer. It's time for us to face the facts: there was a kingdom once, but there hasn't been for over five hundred years".
By now, Pa too had begun to cry. He sat up from the stump he was sitting on and began walking toward the castle, preparing to lock its great doors forever and lead his family on their eternal voyage. But he stopped and nearly froze in place when he heard the ominous sound of a horn blowing in the distance.
With no time to lose, Pa leapt to his feet. "You two, run as far away as you can! It's too late for me. I have to surrender myself now."
Ma quickly ran off, shaking with fear. Junior, however, stayed exactly where he was standing, a stubborn look on his face.
"Well, get going, boy!" said Pa. "You'll be dead in a minute."
"No, Pa. Not in a million years. I'm staying here and I'm fighting with you."
Pa fell silent, a sudden lump in his throat. Finally, he choked out a response. "You're the best son a Gorg could ask for."
In the distance, Pa could see what looked like several Gorgs slowly advancing toward them. Quickly, he sent Junior back into the castle, saying only five words: "Go to the battle room!" Junior knew what to do.
Before the enemy Gorgs had gotten close enough for Pa to make out any of their features, Junior had returned, huffing and puffing. He was now dressed in a suit of armor, and had brought another one for Pa to wear. Quickly, Pa put his armor on. Junior was carrying an ancient Gorgish sword, one of two owned by Pa. It was rusted and had a bit chipped off the blade. The other sword, sharper and shinier, he gave to his father.
But Pa pushed the better sword back into Junior's hands. "You'll need this, son. I don't have much of a chance. If anyone's going to win this battle, it's you."
With that, Pa took the chipped sword and waited for Gorgorian to come.
In just a couple of minutes, Gorgorian had arrived. He was standing in the garden, face-to-face with Pa. The orange Gorg was also wearing armor, but his completely covered his body, and was of a much better make than Pa's. He was armed with both a rifle and a sword similar to Pa's. Standing behind him were eight Gorgs, likewise armed with rifles and clad in Gorgish armor. A small army, to be sure, but one that sufficiently outnumbered the two Gorgs enough that it was clear they had no chance of winning.
With a menacing look on his face, Gorgorian took out the rifle, and fired a shot that soared directly over Pa's head. The bullet went flying into the castle, breaking through one of the windows.
Gorgorian put away the rifle, and laughed as he stared at Pa's sword. "I knew you'd come equipped with one of those." Gorgorian took out his own sword, tapping the hilt of Pa's. "You really never could move beyond your medieval state of mind."
Pa held his sword threateningly in front of Gorgorian. "This'll take your head off mighty easy, make no mistake."
"But can it do it easier than this?" chuckled Gorgorian, fingering his rifle. He shot at the highest turret of the castle. The bullet bounced off with a ping and landed in the soil. "If I aim for something, I hit my target. You can swing that sword at me all you like, but it will do you no good." Gorgorian pointed the edge of his own sword at Pa's somewhat rusted armor. "I, on the other hand, can probably snuff you out with one of these any time."
Junior, standing beside Pa, grew visibly angrier as he tightened his old on his own sword.
"And look," said Gorgorian, pointing mockingly at Junior, "you have thrown a sword into the hands of your idiot son. Clearly, the odds are not in your favor. But all the same, there is something charming about the desperate way you cling to the attitudes of centuries past. Such a moronic Gorg." Gorgorian closed his helmet. "It is hard to believe you are my brother."
"Well, brother, shut up and let the battle begin." Pa closed his own helmet. It obscured his vision, causing him to stumble over onto the ground. Immediately, Gorgorian hit him with his sword, scraping the blade over a section of his armor. Pa quickly got up and attempted to block the attack with the blade of his own sword, only to get badly cut on an unprotected section of his arm. One of the other Gorgs shot at him; the bullet bounced off his armor but made a noticeable dent. Gorgorian audibly chuckled behind his visor.

Gobo Fraggle peeked his head out of the hole and looked into the garden. Immediately, a terrible sight met his eyes. Quickly, he turned around to face his four friends.
"Gorgorian's already here," he said. "We need to do something now".