When Architecture Met Technology

[RedPiggy]

Authors' Note: This is a co-write between myself (RedPiggy) and AnimatedC9000. We were inspired by the romance that blossomed in the Muppet Central Dorms between Cotterpin and Waldo. We hope you enjoy.

CHAPTER ONE
"Hup! Two, three, four!"

"C'mon, Doozers, your boots are MEANT to get dirty!"

"This is a march, not a conga line!"

Far below the surface, in a cave next to a giant purple geode, there was Doozer Dome, a trio of trapezoidal structures that extended far below the visible courtyard, with its ample space for training the young minds of Doozers as they prepared to receive their helmet and join an industrious Doozer workteam.

Cotterpin Doozer, having been Architect for, well, it was awhile ago, studied the new recruits from her apartment window. Her parents owned the courtyard-level of the apartment complex just to the right of the primary complex, where the old Architect used to stay. She just couldn't move into that apartment yet. It just seemed to ... him.

She sighed. Long ago, she had been in the VERY unwelcome position of being trained to take the helmet. She was just a kid then. The Architect had noticed a certain rebelliousness within her that he himself had shared, and so made her his apprentice.
And yet, having been a mostly successful Architect, Cotterpin still felt something missing. Wrench had always been her friend, ever since they were children. Yet, he decided that Cotterpin would never let go of her career and settle down and be a "normal" Doozer, so he decided to propose to Tweezer.

"Hmph!" Cotterpin scoffed, crossing her arms in indignation. "I'm not normal, but he picks a Doozer with a purple Mohawk? Who even loves flooping? She's already seen the medics five times for the hiccups!"

~~~

"90 seconds 'til the next show, Mr. Kermit!"

"Hey guys, have any of you seen Camilla anywhere?"

"Can you toss me some spare switchboard wires, Lindbergh? Wait, I didn't mean litera--!"

Meanwhile, above the surface, in a building that dated to the late Eighties, there was Muppet Central, a huge control room into which feeds every possible satellite and video feed on the planet. The television station itself had been out of use for a while, but with some remodifications, the old site was managable again.

Waldo C. Graphic, having been around since the building was first used by the Muppets, observed as the chaos that he was so familiar with began to unfold. The day-by-day antics of running a studio had returned once again, thanks to a successful reunion and an upgrade to the old building. Even so, he felt as if something was off.

The computer graphic shook his head. When he was first created, he was assigned to keep track of the demographics, a job which he immediately picked up. Still, he did want to have some input on the show from time to time, but his plans were almost always shot down. That never stopped him from trying to help out, though.

After all of that, there still seemed to be something missing. Sure, he had a great life living with Lindbergh and Digit in their apartment, but even that grew boring sometimes. And when the entire cast and crew of Muppet Central reunited, things immediately became busier than before. Nobody seemed to want to listen to what the little graphic had to say because everyone was so busy performing their jobs. Besides, ever since the new ratings system came in, he felt like he was becoming obsolete to the others.

"Oh, what if they don't need me any more?" Waldo worried as he flew around near the monitors. "What if they try to shut me down for good?" He let out a shudder, terrified by such a thought. With the ratings system now in sight, the graphic angrily floated up to it and started to argue with it (even though it couldn't argue back). "Just you wait!" he exclaimed. "Why, I'm gonna come up with an idea so great, it'll run you out of business, you chrome freak!" After blowing a rasberry at the unresponsive machince, the blue computer graphic flew off in a huff into a nearby monitor, ready to defend his job title.

~~~~

Cotterpin headed to a large tunnel to the right of her apartment, as she heard the familiar voices of her Fraggle friends: Gobo, Red, and Wembley. Gobo was a famous Fraggle explorer. Red was a swimming instructor. Wembley acted like a siren for the Fraggle Firefighters. Over the years, they had become great friends, despite the difficulties across species. Fraggles could be very rambunctious, something Doozers simply couldn't be. They were too short and too busy working. Cotterpin stopped and listened intently as Gobo read a postcard to his friends.

"Dear Nephew Gobo:
The other day I discovered that the Silly Creatures have an unbelievably gigantic beanbarrow racer. Unlike Fraggle beanbarrows, these have no Gorg Butter slathered all over them. Instead, it shoots fire from its bottom. I have learned after extensive investigation that Silly Creatures do not even keep their beanbarrows on the ground, since Silly Creatures REALLY like traveling to the sky! They even claim that they have touched the Fraggle Moon! I was, naturally, polite and let them spin such tall tales, since it is not my job to correct them. A beanbarrow cannot reach the moon! The moon must be captured in a bucket, as you, Gobo, learned so well when you were younger. No machine can ever travel to the sky. Still, I have to wonder where their beanbarrows go after several minutes of springing up into the air with a deafening roar. As soon as my hearing returns, I think I'll ask some other Silly Creatures for the truth about this strange device.
Sincerely,
Uncle Travelling Matt"

Cotterpin stumbled back into Doozer Dome. A machine that can reach the moon? No Doozer in Doozer history had ever even DREAMED of such a fantastic idea! What ELSE do these "Silly Creatures" build that makes Doozer inventions seem quaint in comparison? If Cotterpin could just ... just ... go ... OUT THERE. All she needed was to find the inspiration for something so grand, so magnificent, that it could have a life of it's own. After all, that was the epitome of technology! Creating life with just a toolbox -- THAT was a dream Cotterpin could love having. She would be immortalized forever in Doozer archives. Doozer Dome would crumble away before the name "Cotterpin" would be forgotten.

~~~

Waldo flew around the control room during breaktime, having not much else left to do. He stopped by the break room to see the rest of his coworkers talking over lunch. Digit, his creator, was sitting between Lindbergh and Vicki, looking particularly happy as the rest of them talked among themselves.

"May I have everyone's attention, please?" Kermit announced, silencing the chatter. "Thank you. Now, I'm sure that you're all aware of the company picnic that is coming up next weekend."
The computer graphic's eyes literally widened in surprise. There was a company picnic next weekend? Why hadn't he been informed about it?

"Now, as you all remember," the frog continued, "We still need volunteers to bring sandwiches, the potato salad, the drinks, and the dessert, as well as any other edible thing of your choice. So, who wants to volunteer to bring what?"

Everyone immediately started to volunteer to bring refreshments: someone wanted to bring hot dogs, another fruit salad, and so on. Vicki wrote down what everyone would bring on a list and gave it to Kermit after break was over.

While this was all going on, Waldo was wondering why he hadn't been informed about the picnic earlier. Was it something that he did, or was everyone ignoring him for the time being? Whatever the case, he came up with a great idea for the entertainment portion of the event, and he excitedly flew to Kermit to tell him the idea.

"Hey, Kermit, you know what you need for the picnic this next weekend? Fireworks!" the graphic excitedly told Kermit before morphing into a small fireworks rocket and exploding into a few small firework displays before returning to his normal self.

"Well, I thank you for your input, Waldo," the boss informed him, "but you see, the Fourth of July isn't coming for a few more months. Besides, don't you remember what happened the last time we let you help out with fireworks?"

Did he remember? Of course he did. That was the time that he knocked over a tuba player when he was dressed up as a band leader. That led to several mistakes in the program, which all ended when Waldo decided to mess with Miss Piggy's Statue of Liberty costume...

"Yeah, that was fun," the graphic chuckled to himself, remembering it all. "But that was twenty years ago," he protested. "I've matured since then."

"We'll see, Waldo," Kermit finally stated. "Right now, I've got a station to run." The frog then left to check up on the schedule.
The little graphic hung his head. It seemed as if nobody wanted him around anymore. With the new ratings system around, he was surprised that he hadn't been fired yet. Nobody seemed to appreciate him being around anymore. In fact, the only two people that appreciated his work were Vicki and Digit, but even now he had doubts about them. What the computer graphic needed was to go to the outside world to meet new faces and to make new friends. Having at least one good friend to talk with and to share ideas with -- THAT was all Waldo really wanted at the moment. He needed somebody to defend him and to say that he wasn't obsolete, somebody to stand beside him through thick and thin. And maybe, just maybe, that same friend would learn to love him.

~~~~~

Cotterpin stared wistfully out her apartment window, observing the new generation of Doozer workers mill around in the courtyard. The Ditzies, magical creatures usually invisible except for the light they provided the various caverns, began to play a soft melody. They lived off of music, and so whenever a creature felt a powerful emotion, they would help things along by providing instrumental accompaniment.

Cotterpin sighed as she began to sing. "Safe behind these windows and these walls all made of stone," she began, "gazing as the Doozers work below me." She left the window and began to pace slowly around her living room, staring at piles of blueprints. "All my life I draw plans so I will be better known, hungry for the glory that awaits me."

~~~~~

Waldo gazed at the numerous monitors, each with a different program on them. He was very familiarized with all the programs and when a demographic was losing interest in the show. Why, his whole life was devoted to them. Still, with the new ratings machine around, the monitors were starting to seem distant to him. "All my life I've memorized their ratings," Waldo started to sing to the tune of a musical program that was on a monitor. "Knowing their tastes as they will never know mine." The graphic let out a sigh before continuing. "All my life I've wondered how it feels to pass a day, not beyond them..." He smiled a little, remembering what he always wanted to do. "But part of them..."

~~~~~

Cotterpin's voice started to get louder. "And out there, living in the sun, give me one day out there, all I ask is one!" She continued under her breath, "To hold forever ...."

~~~~~

Waldo happily flew over to a window, where the sun was shining brightly and continued to sing, strengthening his voice as the verse went on. "Out there, where they all live unaware, what I'd give..." The computer graphic gazed out the window at the outside world. "What I'd dare... Just to live one day out there..."

~~~~~

Cotterpin couldn't stay in Doozer Dome any longer. She was practically bursting at the seams. All she wanted was to leave. She ran out into the courtyard. "Out there where there are things proposed and built from petty dreams ...."

~~~~~

Waldo was suddenly filled up with energy, so he decided to take a flight through the monitors. That always seemed to cheer him up. "Through e-mail and websites I can see them..."

~~~~~

Cotterpin nodded as she observed the young Doozers show off their new equipment, but she wanted more. "Ev'ry wonderful project starts gaining brand new life ...."

~~~~~

Waldo continued his voyage through the monitors as he flew away from a Wild West chase scene on one monitor and past a raging fire in the one next to it. "Heedless of the stuff it takes to block them..."

~~~~~
Cotterpin jumped up onto her small scooter, which resembled a plastic sandal on a wheeled metal box, painted black with red, orange, and yellow flames on each plastic band. She drove away from the courtyard, following the Ditzies' sparkles as a tunnel magically appeared before her. "If I could just begin to find that special something ...."

~~~~~

Waldo paused inside the monitor showing a young couple walking along the shore at the beach and smiled. He really wanted to experience that type of moment with someone special. "Out there, strolling by the sand with a special someone that I could call a friend..."

~~~~~

Cotterpin drove slowly through the tunnel sprawling out before her. Soon she could see artificial lighting further down. She timidly drove forward to investigate, her voice somewhat quieter. "That brings me all I've asked for. Just one day ... and then ... I swear I'll be ... content ...."

~~~~~

Waldo gracefully spiralled out of the monitors. He could hear a soft, female voice singing along with him. A wide grin broke out on his face as he continued to sing hopefully. "Even now, I can hear that voice near..."

~~~~~

Cotterpin reached the end of the tunnel, gawking at mountains of strange electronic equipment. She heard the sound of a male singing. She couldn't quite place where the voice was coming from. Her neck could only stretch so far. However, she kept singing, enchanted when the other voice sang in harmony with her, "Old and bent, I won't care ... I'll have spent one day out there ...."

Waldo couldn't believe what he was hearing. He DID hear a voice, and it was very near. Slowly, the computer graphic turned around to investigate.

Then, their eyes met for the first time.

 

[theprawncracker]

I love it! GREAT stuff, you two! Everyone is in perfect character--especially good ol' Cotterpin! I loved the "Out There" rewrite, it works perfectly for them. Awesome job! Can't wait to see more!

 

[The Count]

*Huggles, nay, glomps Kelly and Caitlyn. *Loves this!

Posted by Doozer does "Cotterpin jumped up onto her small scooter, which resembled a plastic sandal on a wheeled metal box, painted black with red, orange, and yellow flames on each plastic band."
This is how I know this to be a dorms-inspired fanfic, much like Aunt Ru's Leapfrogged!

Haaaaa, I loved the musical number, knowing its source instantly. Hunchback is one of my true fave Disney movies, I have it on VHS and remember seeing it in the theater back in '96.

Pleases, post more!

 

[The Count]

*Pokes through with ? nagging stick. Wonderin' if this'll get updated. Soon... Ish. Ya?

 

[RedPiggy]

Considering this is co-written and my schedule is rough the next few days ... um ... it will be ... just not yet.

 

[The Count]

Yeah, I know. But a little naggery is to be expected with all great fanfics. *Huggles.

 

[AnimatedC9000]

I think you all have been waiting long enough, so here it is!

Chapter 2
Cotterpin looked around and noticed some blue and white creature floating in the air above her, seemingly staring in her direction. It was roughly Doozer-sized, with a floppy red and white hat on. It kinda reminded her of a toy she used to have when she was still a baby, the Doozer Doodad Doll. It's primary function was to encourage dexterity by offering a bunch of crazy parts to wind up, twist, snap, and stretch. She let it float closer and then started yanking at what was like wings tentatively.

The blue and white electronic creature stared at the newcomer uncomfortably as she poked and prodded, twisting his "wings" and pulling on his nose. There had to be some explanation, and he was determined to find it. "Uh, what’re you doing?" he asked finally, flying back a bit so he’d be just out of reach of the six-inch-tall green biped.

Cotterpin nearly flopped onto the floor in shock, her black spherical eyes widening as much as they could. "You," she gasped, "you can talk!" She stumbled back some more and actually landed hard on her little green rump. "Um … uh … well," she stuttered, "I just assumed a machine would have levers and buttons and stuff. I’ve never seen a talking machine before."
Waldo frowned a bit, imperceptibly edging closer to her. "I am not a machine!" He looked her over for a second or two, his tone incredulous. "What are you supposed to be – a distant cousin of the Smurfs?"

Cotterpin balled up her fists. "I am not a – wait," she started, suddenly sounding confused, "what?"

Waldo smirked. "Oh come on – don’t you know what a Smurf is?" He transformed into a bipedal, blue-skinned creature with white clothes. "They are little blue creatures who wear white clothes, live in mushrooms, and have that one blonde female in the group, as long as you don’t count the red-haired kid."

Cotterpin tried to wrap her mind around what this creature was talking about. She supposed it could be talking of an ancient Doozer, as they used to live in buildings made of mushrooms – but they were still green, not some stupid blue. "I’ve heard of rumblebugs," she retorted as she put her hands on her hips, standing up, "I’ve heard of thimblebeetles, and of spiderflies … but you’re just making stuff up!" She shook her head. "And how can there only be one female? I mean, doesn’t anybody --."

Waldo’s eyes widened and he hastened to interrupt. "I am not making stuff up!" he declared emphatically. "They had their own tv series at one point!" He pushed Cotterpin, nudging her over to a floor-level monitor where the cartoon was playing. "See, there’s your proof!" He sighed and continued under his breath, "And I don’t know why there’s only that one girl, really…."

Cotterpin stared at the monitor for a few moments. She could see flat colors and heavy lines. She nodded. "It’s a drawing," she concluded. "It’s a magical drawing that moves, but it’s still just a drawing." She looked up at the strange creature. It seemed … similar. "You’re like a magical moving drawing yourself." She suddenly gasped. Maybe this was like the story of the Doozer who turned into a Fraggle! "Are you under a spell or something? Maybe I can help you out!" She clasped her hands. It would be like the stories her parents told her when she was little. Maybe this … thing … would turn out to be a Doozer in disguise. How romantic – and how fitting – for a Doozer to become a machine!

Waldo raised an eyebrow. "A magical drawing? Well … you could say that." He shook his head. He wondered if she had been influenced by an episode of Teen Titans, where a villain drew his henchmen and they came to life. Still, her response confused him, as though she didn’t know what a cartoon was! What kind of rock did she have to live under to not know basic types of media? He continued, trying to educate her, "I’m not under a spell or anything, though. I’m a computer graphic and I can change shape."

Cotterpin stared at him with a small amount of bemusement. There was no way a drawing could come to life on its own. Magic had to be involved at some point. "So … what are you saying? That you’re not magic?" She giggled briefly. "If you say so." She pointed at herself. "I’m Cotterpin, Cotterpin Doozer. I live beyond that tunnel over there," she said, pointing at the hole in the wall.

Waldo looked at Cotterpin. He looked at the tunnel. He smiled. "Nice to meet you! I’m Waldo C. Graphic, the Spirit of 3-D!"
Cotterpin grinned and snapped her fingers. "So you are magic, a magic spirit!"

Waldo shook his head. "I may not be magic, but I can do tricks! Watch me pull a rabbit out of a hat." He morphed into a top hat and a white gloved hand and pulled a blue rabbit version of himself out of the hat. Then, he morphed back to his normal form. "TA-DA!"

Cotterpin applauded despite herself. An act like that would have been sure to please the Doozer King, had he bothered to stick around and not disappear back to the sunlit world. "Awesome! What else?" she asked it.

Waldo laughed a bit. "Oh, lots of stuff … hey, look: a doggie!" He morphed into a small puppy that still towered over the Doozer, wagging his tail and panting happily. He barked in a cheerful tone, hoping it wouldn’t scare away this new creature.

Cotterpin smiled and gasped with delight. "Hey, I’ve seen a creature like that before!"

Waldo morphed back to his regular self. "You have? Where?"

Cotterpin stroked her chin. It seemed like ages ago. "Well, it was quite awhile back, but a big gray shaggy quadruped with a light gray mustache got himself lost in the underground tunnels. I helped him back to where he belonged!" she noted proudly.

Waldo hovered above her in awe. It was like she lived in some phenomenal television series, like a character just popped out of the monitor and started talking to him! "Wow, that’s neat! Where did you say you were from again? It must be a neat place."

Cotterpin tried to withhold a sigh. She guessed he either didn’t hear so well or his attention span was miniscule. "I said I lived beyond that tunnel there. I live in a place called Doozer Dome." She stretched her arms as wide as they would go. "It’s a big place where Doozers live and train to work on making Doozer constructions."

Waldo nodded. "That’s neat! What kind of stuff do you build down there?"

Cotterpin took her hands and grabbed her toolbelt in a bragging posture. "Oh, the usual stuff: bridges, towers, motorized vehicles, conveyer belts …."

Waldo replied, "Wow, your species must be pretty intelligent, Cotterpin."

Cotterpin grinned and looked away. "Well, I don’t like to brag, but we Doozers are the most advanced civilization down there."

Waldo could feel the happiness welling up within him. "Just think of all the stuff you can build if you put your mind to it! You could build a Ferris wheel or a clock or a statue … or an entire amusement park."

Cotterpin perked up at the last one. "An ‘amusement park’, huh? Interesting concept."

Waldo quickly nodded. "Yeah, amusement parks are really fun. I’m sure that all of you would really like that project."

Cotterpin nodded back. Then, she shook her head and shrugged. "I don’t know what one is, actually."

Waldo couldn’t believe his ears! What a poor, poor sheltered child…. "Hmmm, maybe I could take you to one."

Cotterpin gawked at Waldo. Her jaw flew open in amazement. A magical drawing was going to wisk her away to some park thing where there were strange machines! Maybe she could get ideas and bring them back and assure her place in Doozer history! "Would you?" she asked excitedly, nearly jumping up and down despite the dangers.

Waldo nearly blushed and nodded, smiling like a shy schoolboy. He could tell she was falling in love with him. It was just like romantic movies. A guy. A girl. A red-orange sunset in a busy amusement park, eating cotton candy and avoiding gum on the sidewalk. It was everything he had dreamed of lately. "Sure, Cotterpin. I’d love to take you."

A small gray square device beeped from her toolbelt. Cotterpin sighed, turning it off. "Um, I’m not due for my shift for a few hours yet … can we go now?"

Waldo couldn’t contain himself. He flew ecstatically in circles, climbing high, and then settled down just beside her. "Why, sure!" he blurted out. "We can go right now! Want a ride there?"

Cotterpin nodded. "Just let me get my scooter --."

Waldo shook his head. "I can fly you there if you want," he noted with a smirk.

Cotterpin remembered Gobo Fraggle talking about flying to the moon. Was this the Silly Creature they had been talking (rather endlessly) about? Was this the super-advanced sentient creature that put Doozer engineers to shame? She thought about the moon. It was light gray, with lots of dark spots on it. She wondered what it looked like up close. She stared at Waldo. It might be a Silly Creature. After all, it seemed awfully silly, having the most embarrassing expression on its face. Still, she guessed it made sense for a machine or a magical drawing or whatever it was to be the one to make all that neat stuff. Could it be the thing she was looking for when she left Doozer Dome? She tried to hide a frown. It seemed awfully small. Gobo made it sound like it was bigger than a Gorg, a big hairy mountain that grew radishes. After all, it could do the very thing Gobo’s uncle had promised. "You … can … fly." She nodded eagerly. "Uh, sure! It sounds like a good time!"

"Okay!" Waldo exclaimed, lowering himself, flattening out his back a bit so it would be more comfortable. "Hop on!"

Cotterpin timidly got on Waldo’s back. "Are … are you sure you’re aerodynamic?"

Waldo nodded. "Sure – hang on!" And with a whoosh, they flew out of the window.

Cotterpin clutched at Waldo with a death grip and closed her eyes. She shouted to counter the loud rushing sound of the wind as he flew, "But am I aerodynamic? What about the added weight? What about air friction? What about …?"

Waldo laughed. He didn’t laugh at her, but her reactions enthused him to no end. "Don’t sweat it, Cotterpin. We’ll be there in a flash!" Waldo flew at a moderate pace. He wanted to get there sometime that day, but he didn’t want to frighten his new friend, either. He watched the people drive alongside him, going about their daily routines. Some bopped along to music. Some ate meals in the car. He saw children watch tv in the backs of vans. He loved the way the greens of the grass and the trees offset the grays and blacks of the roads. And all the smells just filled his nose and gave him a sense of endless wonder and amazement that life could really be this … real.

Fifteen very long minutes after they started, Cotterpin finally felt brave enough to open her eyes barely. Objects sped by at such a speed that it was impossible to see any detail. They were just colorful and oddly-shaped blurs. What possessed her to agree to this? Doozers didn’t mind artifical locomotion … it was the only logical way to travel the expansive caverns, after all, but this was insane. Doozers were never meant to move this fast. Her brain just couldn’t process it all. She dug her fingers into Waldo’s back.

Waldo felt her clutch him ever tighter and smiled. She wanted to be so close to him. This "relationship" thing was speeding along far faster than he could have hoped for.

"Are we there yet?"

Waldo nodded, unaware she wasn’t really looking at him. "It’s straight ahead. Take a look."

Cotterpin nodded, her eyes closed. "Uh, yeah, land first, and when I’m confident I’m not going to die of a --."

Waldo rolled his eyes. "You’re not going to die, Cotterpin." He stopped flying. "We’re here. Are you happy now, Cotterpin?" He dropped her off on the ticket counter.

Cotterpin panted heavily, afraid to open her eyes. With great determination, though, she managed. "Y-y-yes. I guess I won’t need a medic after all." She chuckled weakly. She finally stood straight and looked around: there were machines and buildings of seemingly infinite configurations and colors. No Doozer had yet to dream of building such things. There were large portable shelters where strange bipeds hawked every weird thing one could imagine. There were devices that spun, devices that twisted, and devices that flared out and then contracted. A tear came to her eye.

"Cotterpin," Waldo asked, concerned, "are you okay?"

Cotterpin nodded. "It’s gorgeous."

Waldo smiled. Well, at least he hadn’t blown the friendship with the flight. "If you think they’re that amazing, just wait ‘til you ride ‘em!"

Cotterpin nearly swallowed her tongue. "Ride them? Some of them are spinning rather quickly … what if we get flung to the other side of the universe?"

Waldo moved in closer, smiling gently. "Don’t worry. I’ll protect you."

The two small creatures ended up near a roller coaster. Waldo flew her up so she could read the rules posted on large signs. The language was difficult to make out, but she understood the numbers okay. "Um, Waldo? I don’t think either of us meet the height requirements whatsoever."

Waldo sighed, realizing she was right. "Well, there’s always the Ferris wheel and the carousel. We can ride them."

Cotterpin nodded and grinned. At least she wouldn’t be turned upside down and maybe inside out. If hopping up and down made Doozers get the dreaded hiccups, what would that do to her? "Well, that sounds much better."

"C’mon … I’ll take you to the carousel first."

As they got on, Cotterpin was reminded of the lazily spinning discs Doozers used to distribute Doozer dust. It was obviously bigger, and there were those weird bipeds of various shades of brown and pink, but she was comforted by the familiarity of the design.

Cotterpin and Waldo watched the repetitive motions of the carriages and horses on the carousel as they spun lazily around in circles. Waldo stayed close to her, watching the crowd move past them. Cotterpin, meanwhile, stared at the axel of the carousel. She realized that a motor somewhere must be powering the axle, making the rest of the device rotate. She stared at the fake long-nosed quadrupeds as they went up and down on poles. Pistons, perhaps?

After the ride was over, Waldo took her over to the Ferris wheel, a good fifty feet high. She realized it was similar to the carousel, though the axle was horizontal instead of vertical. There were little carts where the strange bipeds could sit protected as it rotated slowly. Some speakers at the bottom played upbeat music, though it was never any kind of song she’d ever heard before, even from Fraggles.

And Fraggles could write a song about anything.

"Well," Waldo spoke up, "ready to get on?" He smiled warmly. "We can go try some cotton candy afterwards!"

Cotterpin nodded. He flew her up into a cart. Despite the crowds, they managed to get a cart to themselves. They went forward and up … and stopped. They went up some more … and stopped again. This happened a couple more times before Cotterpin couldn’t stand it anymore. "Just what the heck is going on? I mean, I like a slow ride as much as anyone, but this is ridiculous! Has there been a breakdown? Do you think they’d let a Doozer offer advice?"

Waldo flew up and peeked over the edge of the cart’s sides. He slided back over to her, shaking his head. "They’re loading other people. The ride won’t technically start until all the carts are full."

Cotterpin sighed. "They should have multiple entry points to speed things up."

At long last, in what seemed like an eternity, they neared the top of the Ferris wheel. Cotterpin’s heart raced. It wasn’t particularly scary, and she still had a thing against heights like all Doozers do, but something didn’t seem right. Waldo seemed to blur next to her. Was it doing that as part of its shape-shifting abilities? Her head seemed so light it would float right off. She stared at the long white seat they sat on, hoping keeping her eyes focused would help.

It wasn’t helping.

No matter how hard she tried to breathe, she couldn’t seem to pull in enough air. Her green skin was starting to mottle and pale. "W-waldo," she gasped.

Waldo hummed to himself for a bit, only turning to look at her to see if she was staring at him lovingly. His jaw dropped and his heart started to race as he saw what condition she was in. He might be killing her! A funeral wouldn’t end a date nicely at all. He morphed into something like a cradle connected to a parachute and jumped out of the cart with Cotterpin in the carriage, floating lazily down. When he was sure she could be let down safely, he morphed back to his original form, his face frozen in an expression of deep apprehension. His heart nearly sank as Cotterpin continued to wheeze and gasp, all hunched over. What would everyone think if he killed her? His mind ran through all the possibilities, but one concept seemed to stand out: she was a subterranean creature, most likely never been above ground before. It was entirely possible that taking her so high in the sky might have been bad for her physiology. He hovered mere millimeters above the ground, his heart too heavy to float any higher.

After what seemed like forever, Cotterpin stopped gasping, stood, and smiled back at Waldo. "I’m – I’m okay, now, Waldo," she told him with a gentle tone. "I don’t think I need to get so high above ground again. Let’s go back and get my scooter, okay? Maybe a hard twelve hour shift on a Doozer work crew will get me back to my good old self again." Before he could respond, she hugged him. Waldo blushed. "Thanks for rescuing me," she said.

The two gently floated just a foot or two off the ground as Waldo flew her back to Muppet Central. He was relieved as her skin returned to the light green he had seen her start off with. She carefully stepped up onto her scooter, thanked him quietly again, and drove through the tunnel, the interior lights dimming the further away she got.

 

[The Count]

Huge hugglies for der updat.

Loved the date at the amusement park much more than the opening. Perhaps this is where Cotterpin Doozer the actress got the idea to create that same kind of marvel in that play. Hope for more to be posted. *Leaves brownies for all to share.

 

[RedPiggy]

Chapter 3

A cheerful male voice nearly lit up the room as he sang:

“It’s a bright day here at Muppet Central.
It’s a bright day here at Muppet Central.
Monitors high as an elephant’s eye,
And the workers all greet each other with a ‘Hi’!
Oh, what a beautiful morning,
Oh, what a beautiful day!
I’ve got a wonderful feeling,
Everything’s going my way!
OH, WHAT A --.”

“ – beautiful new set of pliers!" Lindbergh exclaimed as he opened a newly delivered box.

Waldo blinked in confusion. That wasn’t how the song parody was supposed to end. “Um, Lindbergh? What’re you doing?"

Lindbergh, a brown kiwi bird with a long orange-yellow beak that curved down slightly, held out a box. “Oh, I just got these pliers in the mail today! Don’t they look nifty?"

“Um," Waldo began. “They look nice?"

Well, Lindbergh was happy. He needed a lovely new set of pliers, and the true ending line to that verse by Nostalgia Critic might have been heard by some innocent child accidentally.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Cotterpin sat on a small ledge in Red’s and Mokey’s room. The room was gigantic by Doozer standards, but a bit tight for two Fraggles, who were two feet tall or so. The left side of the room was a tribute to all things athletic, while the right side was simple and decorated sparsely with a couple of paintings.

Red Fraggle, an orange-yellow Fraggle with fiery red hair trussed up in upright pigtails, bounded into the room and swung wildly on a thick rope hanging from the ceiling before doing a flip and landing on her feet right in front of Cotterpin. “Ta da!"

Cotterpin didn’t even look up. “Just watch your step. Some of my blueprints fell on the floor and the ink’s wet.”

Red enthusiastically rolled her eyes. “Oh, Cotterpin, don’t worry, I --.” She froze in place, her face crumpled up in disgust. She slowly looked down towards her right foot. It was stuck to a small piece of paper. Red slowly peeled it off, her tongue hanging out, and saw with horror that her foot now had blue lines all over it.

Cotterpin looked up and couldn’t help but laugh. “Sorry.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Even though his song was interrupted earlier, Waldo was still in a cheerful mood of sorts. The happiness had transformed into curiosity as he thought over the events of the previous night. He had rescued a cute girl from certain danger which was kind of, sort of, his fault. Still, she did thank him for the rescue. The poor computer graphic needed help with all of this romance business, but whom would be the right person for him to talk to?

"Vicki, the romance movie is next on the schedule, correct?"

Waldo turned his head at the sound of the familiar voice. The voice belonged to none other than his semi-robotic creator, Digit. “Of course!" the computer graphic thought to himself. “Digit knows about romance!"True, it was kind of a stretch, but Digit had been in a relationship that lasted a good seven years or so, if he recalled correctly.

The blue and white electronic creature flew up to his creator just moments after the question was confirmed. "Hey Digit, can I talk to you about something?"

The light green-skinned technician, who wore a white jacket that opened in the front to reveal a large chest panel with wires and buttons all over, turned his head at Waldo's voice. "Sure, Waldo. What's on your mind?"

"Well," Waldo began, "I've been having a little trouble lately..."

~~~~~~~~~~

“No way, absolutely not, at no point is that ever the case!” Red screeched, nearly tearing off her red turtleneck sweater.

Cotterpin’s eyes were wide as she backed up against the cave wall. “Whoa! Take it easy! It was only a question!"

“No!" Red continued to yell, even if the whole of Fraggle Rock heard her. “That is a personal thing between me an’ Gobo!"

“So there is something?" Cotterpin teased.

Red growled, crossing her arms, her tail lashing about wildly. “Never in a million days would I do that with Gobo!"

There was a long pause. Cotterpin tried to stifle a giggle. Her Fraggle friend could always be counted on to react in amusing ways. She guessed life as a Doozer made it easy to learn how to push buttons, even if they were the psychological kind.

However, she acted hurt instead, on the verge of tears. “So, you deny dreaming of going to the moon with Gobo? You, the Fraggle who wants more than anything than to climb to the top of the Great Hall?" She sniffled. “You wouldn’t even do it for me? I can’t go very high, but you Fraggles can. I have to find out how that works and if it’s safe.” Cotterpin pouted. “You can’t get much higher than the moon, you know.”

Red sighed. She bit her lower lip and turned away, her voice calming down, but still bitter. “He’d only find some way to take all the credit. Even if I got there an hour before he did, he’d make it sound like he beat me to it.” She finally stared at Cotterpin, her tail flicking in the air. “And just why the sudden urge to go to the moon?"

Cotterpin sighed. “Well, Waldo can fly and --.”

Red pounced on the beginnings of a wonderful story. Her eyes brightened and her mouth changed in an instant to a mischievous grin. “Wait – who’s ‘Waldo’?"

~~~~~~~~~~~

Waldo sighed and looked at the various monitors, all flashing brightly colored lights endlessly. It totally ruined the mood. He told Digit wistfully, “I’m sorry, Digit. I just don’t think this is the right time for it.”

Digit’s eyes seemed rather pained. He hadn’t seen Waldo this downcast before. Waldo was his creation. He wanted nothing more than to ensure Waldo was happy and content. He sat down near his friend, who was barely hovering above the desk. “Is there anything I can do to help with that?" he asked softly.

Waldo reluctantly nodded. Digit was his friend, but this seemed more like a father asking his son about THE TALK. He was quiet. “Can you turn off all the monitors and close the doors? This is something I … I really need to talk to you about.”

Digit nodded and smiled. “I can do that.” Soon, the room was devoid of frustrating distractions. Digit sat back down and lightly patted Waldo on the head. “Now, what seems to be troubling you?"

Waldo shrugged. “Well, yesterday I met this girl. She’s about my size and seems really smart. I already like her a lot, but … I don’t know what to make of it.” He gulped with trepidation. “I almost killed her last night when I took her to the amusement park.” He saw Digit’s eyes widen with shock. He hastened to add, “But I saved her before it got any worse!" He sighed heavily. “I … I just want to tell her ... but I don’t know how.”

Digit nodded again. Despite his artificial complexion, his expression continued to be warm and accepting. “Waldo, it’s perfectly natural to feel this way. Everyone is a little uneasy when they first fall in love with someone.”

The door burst open, spilling light into the room, nearly blinding the two temporarily. A purple lizard with large round eyes appeared with a camera at the ready. He snapped a couple of pictures before Waldo or Digit could respond. He chuckled triumphantly as he lowered the camera. “Gotcha! I’m gonna prove once and for all that the frog an’ the pig are goin’ to town --.” He abruptly shut up when he realized Kermit and Piggy weren’t the ones in the room. For a few seconds, he just stared, as though he couldn’t decide whether to be disappointed or thankful for some other thing that could be taken out of context for his own amusement. Digit and Waldo, meanwhile, gawked at him like he had lost his mind. “Uh," he finally blurted out, “sorry … wrong room.” In just a second, he was gone and the door was closed.

~~~~~~~~~~

Cotterpin buried her head in her hands as she sat in Boober’s kitchen. The small blue Fraggle with the short red hair that covered his small eyes held onto his brown cap to keep from losing it as he stared over a kettle of radish … something or other. His voice was a deep baritone. “So, you’re trying to get romantic with a piece of art?" he asked matter-of-factly. He wrinkled his nose, stood back, looked over at Cotterpin, putting one hand on his hip. “I don’t suppose this isn’t some Mokey-ish metaphysical philosophy about painting being grossly misinterpreted, is it?"

Cotterpin groaned. “For the last time, Boober. I am not interested in romance --.”

Boober nodded. “That’s good. Using the phrase ‘using strong brushstrokes’ could take on an entirely new and somewhat disconcerting meaning that would make even the strangest Fraggles question your judgment.”

Cotterpin clenched her fists. “That thing is just a magical drawing! It can fly! All I want to know is how so I can do it myself and gain superstardom in the Doozer community!"

Boober leaned closer to her. “Magic?" he suggested. He nodded and turned to some random books on a nearby shelf. “Magic does have the quality of disregarding all known laws of physics. That makes the possible ways this could go horridly and disturbingly wrong approach infinity.”

Cotterpin slapped her forehead and melodramatically lay down on the small wooden shelf, close to sobbing.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Um, yeah, anyway," Waldo began after the rude interruption, “I want to know how to tell her that I love her without freaking her out … that much. I mean, she is sorta into me already.”

Digit rolled his eyes from Leon’s bizarre disturbance. He sighed and nodded in the direction of the monitors. “I could show you a few examples of relationships. Does that sound good?"

Waldo grinned and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds nice. Thanks, Digit.”

Digit nodded. “Okay, let me pull them up on a few monitors.” He pressed a few buttons.

A knock on the door made them both sigh. Before they could tell the intruder to wait, a small light brown bunny with close-set black eyes bounded in. “Waldo? Can you give me the ratings of all my appearances?"

Waldo nodded. He didn’t even have to check them. “They’re the highest ratings that we’ve ever gotten, Bean. Your appearances have always scored big with audiences. Why?"

Bean shrugged. “Oh, no particular reason," he said casually, chuckling. “I just kinda wanted them.” He bounded back out of the room and closed the door.

Digit just had to smirk. Muppet Central must be like the theater, he mused. It must be impossible to have tender moments without interruption. “Well, I think I have the shows prepared. Want me to cue up two for you now, Waldo?"

“Sure. I’ll need all the help I can get in this relationship business," Waldo noted sadly.

Bean bounded back into the room. “Oh, one more thing: show him all the clips of me, Digit.”

Digit blinked. “Um, sure, Bean," he replied with an almost imperceptible tinge of frustration. “Any particular reason you’d like us to do that? We will, but I’m just curious.”

Bean grinned. “Because it’s only natural to ask a bunny about relationship hints.”

Waldo stared at him, confused. “Bunnies know about relationships?"

Bean nodded, taking out a very thick black book. He patted it proudly. “I’ve got more names in here than that big gray hare with the carrot obsession," he boasted. “We bunnies are made for love.” He batted his eyes repeatedly.

Waldo’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. “Whoa, Bean really is a relationship expert ….”

Bean blew on his fingers and made a fist and rubbed it against his chest. “Ain’t it the truth?" He chuckled again.

Digit sat there, amazed that Bean had a black book at all. “Yes, Waldo and I will watch those clips.” He stopped to think of what else to say. “I’m sure they’ll be a big help in this situation.”

Bean nodded, mission accomplished. “Well, if you guys need any more help, just give me a ring," he told them, showing them his beeper.

Waldo turned to Digit after Bean left. “Are we really going to watch a Bean Bunny marathon?" he whispered worriedly.

Digit smirked. “Possibly.” He chuckled as Waldo sighed. “Right now, though, let’s watch those two shows I talked to you about earlier.” He pressed a button on his remote control.

One show involved two women from different households moving in to each other’s families. There were arguments and disrespectful children and bizarre lifestyles Waldo had been much happier not knowing about.

The other show was a testament to the worst of all spoiled women as they shouted and threw temper tantrums in preparation for their weddings.

Waldo gawked, his heart trembling. “And these are supposed to help?"

Digit cocked his head in confusion, then turned and saw that he had pulled up Wife Swap and Bridezillas by mistake. “Whoops! Sorry, wrong programs ….”

~~~~~~~~~

Cotterpin sighed as she watched Doozers build supports for a long bridge.

“Miss Cotterpin?" asked someone with a grainy high-pitched voice. “May we sample some of your new Doozer sticks?"

Cotterpin turned around and looked up. The obese pink Fraggle with the scraggly brown hair rubbed his ample tummy. “Large Marvin, you don’t need to ask permission. You know Doozers like to have the Doozer sticks eaten. Besides," she said, smiling, “we’ve got a new flavor … ‘chocolate’. We had to research a long time to figure out how to make it work, but I bet you’ll be pleased.”

“Oooh," Marvin exclaimed as he started munching on the treats made from pressed ingredients. His eyes brightened. A tear came to his eye. “It’s heavenly! Oh, Miss Cotterpin, this is the greatest thing to happen to Fraggles since radishes!" Within just a few moments, nearly the entire tower was gone. He sat down and licked his lips ravenously. “Oh, Miss Cotterpin, how can I repay you?"

Cotterpin thought for a bit. “Do you know how machines fly? I want to go to the moon.”

Large Marvin stared blankly. “What’s a ‘machine’?"

Cotterpin sighed.

Marvin thought some more. “Gobo caught the Fraggle moon, once. I think he used a bucket.” He nodded. “Yeah! All you need is some water and a bucket … and you can catch the moon!" He grinned. He loved helping his little Doozer friend.

Cotterpin nodded politely. “Um, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks!" She smiled. “It’s just I met a magical drawing creature that can fly and I wanted to figure out how it flew. If I can figure that out, I’ll be the most famous Doozer in history!"

Large Marvin stared at her in confusion. “Why don’t you just ask him?"

“Ask Waldo?"

Large Marvin nodded. “I don’t always understand a whole lot, so I have to ask for help figuring out the answers. That’s what you gotta do … you gotta ask your magical drawing friend for the right answer.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Waldo was pale. “Digit, I thought you said you were gonna help me!"

Digit stood and clasped his hands together in a prayerful position. “I did not mean to put those two shows up, Waldo! I am so sorry!"

Waldo shook his head and turned his back on his friend. “Sorry for what," he belted out, “nearly traumatizing me for the rest of my life?"

Digit sighed and shook his head, pleading, “That wasn’t my intention at all!"

A knock on the door was quickly and quietly followed by Gonzo, a blue hook-nosed something or other. He bowed his head slightly, not fully entering the room. “Has anybody seen my collection of flukes and tapeworms?"

Waldo sighed, not even hearing Gonzo enter, as by now they both were almost immune to interruption. “All I want is for somebody to help me with relationship advice!" he pleaded exasperatedly. He stared at the ceiling, his face reddening. “Isn’t there anyone who knows about relationship advice?"

Gonzo’s eyelids reared back as he stood in the doorway, shocked. “Anything I can do to help?" he asked, closing the door gently behind him.

Digit glanced over at Gonzo. It was though a light bulb went off above his head. Gonzo was in a pretty stable relationship with his chicken girlfriend, Camilla! “Yes, you can help, Gonzo!" He put an arm around his hook-nosed friend. “You see, Waldo has fallen in love with a girl, but he needs some relationship advice.”

Gonzo smirked. “You have a girlfriend, Waldo? Cool!"

Digit smiled and nodded. “Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated.”

Gonzo scratched his head briefly. “Hmm … I guess I’d start with saying how beautiful she is.” He shrugged. “I won Camilla over with balloons.”

Waldo pondered the idea some. He grinned stupidly. “Yeah, she’s cute.” He shook his head to focus on the need for the conversation. “I don’t think I can use balloons with her. She has a thing about being up too high. She’s around my height and lives underground. Got any other suggestions, Gonzo?"

Gonzo looked dejected. “Oh, that’s too bad.” Suddenly, a far off memory came back to him. “Wait, you say she lives underground? Have there been any new holes in the walls recently?"

Waldo nodded. “Actually, there is this one tunnel over by monitor seventeen that only appeared yesterday. She said she lived beyond the tunnel past the hole. Her name’s Cotterpin Doozer.”

Gonzo nodded, resting against a pillar of computer equipment. “Hmmm … sounds familiar. Something similar happened one Christmas in the eighties. Anyway, those tunnels go pretty far and lead to lots of different places all over the world, from what I hear.” His face brightened. “Hey – you could take her on a photo safari! Or turn a tunnel into a freaky water slide!"

Digit stood there and gawked at Gonzo. “Wow, Gonzo – those are some pretty great ideas, though I’ve never heard such tame date ideas coming from you!" He winked at his friend.

Gonzo smiled and shrugged. “Well, I tried to convince Camilla that we should go to Kentucky Fried Chicken and get dipped into boiling grease.” He paused, sighing wistfully. “She didn’t think it was that hot of an idea.” He shrugged, continuing quietly, “I even explained to her I’d be doing it too. Hot grease really gets the juices flowing, if you know what I mean.”

Digit was speechless for several moments. Finally, he managed to squeak out, “I can’t see why.”

Gonzo shrugged again. “Neither could I.”

Waldo was desperate to get that image out of his head. “So, what should I do, Gonzo? I don’t want a repeat of last time.”

“I found Camilla liked exploring fields," he noted, grinning. “It turned out great because I found a lot of bugs there! You see, romance is a shared thing. Your girlfriend tried doing things your way, so try doing something her way. If you’re smart you’ll learn something new while you’re there. If she can’t fly, go with her underground.”

“Go underground," Waldo repeated in a daze, “invite her on a date, and explore the tunnels with her.” His smile literally stretched out past his face. “Gonzo … that’s a brilliant idea!"

Gonzo shrugged slightly and smirked. “You learn some things when you’ve been in love as long as we have.” He left, his disappointment at not finding his parasite collection muted by the warmth of helping someone in trouble.

Waldo turned back towards Digit, grinning, flying up and down. He winked, suddenly staying very still. “You should have been taking notes. When was the last time you went out on a date – ten, fifteen years ago?"

Digit lunged toward him, shocked Waldo would bring that up. “Waldo!"

Waldo laughed and flew in happy little circles in the air. “Just kidding, Digit! I’ll tell you guys about the date when I get back!"

And with that, Waldo flew off into the colorfully lit tunnel.

 

[theprawncracker]

Awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome. SO good you guys! I can tell how much you've enjoyed writing this together--and we have a lot of fun reading it. This stuff is just great--so many characters so many different points of view. Love it! Gonzo was awesome as well! His glorious weird chique that I know and love so much! Keep it up you two! Can't wait for more!