TMS Fanfiction: "Broken Dreams"

[theprawncracker]

Awesome










Terribly Awesome

 

[TogetherAgain]

...I was thinking that maybe now I could comment a little more cohesively....
I made the mistake of re-reading this while I could hear thunder...
I can still hear thunder...
And it's not all from the weather...
<shiver>
<reaches for blanket and teddy bear>
More, please.

 

[Just J]

I promise, there is light at the end of this long dark tunnel. Just bear with me.

 

[Just J]

Part VIII: Broken Dreams

Part VIII: Broken Dreams

The Muppets had tried to get the pig and frog to make up, but it was to no avail. Kermit had had his faith in himself deeply shaken by losing his position as director, and Piggy had had her feelings injured by what seemed to her to be Kermit’s callousness. And since they studiously avoided each other from then on, they never saw how the other was hurting too.

The movie broke up shortly after Kermit and Piggy did. No one was surprised in the least. Miss Piggy had half-heartedly tried to rewrite the script to remove Kermit’s character after Kermit left. But it became immediately apparent that, without him, the script and the movie could never be whole. So Miss Piggy finally had to call off the movie project, and the gang, dazed and confused, reluctantly left the Muppet boarding house to seek their individual fortunes.

Saying goodbye, going away
Seems like goodbye’s such a hard thing to say—

Scooter and the Electric Mayhem hit the road, to do an unspecified number of “farewell” tours. But they could only book small venues and, when they found themselves opening for a Partridge Family tribute band, they decided it was time to throw in the towel. Floyd, Janice, and Animal moved to a hippy commune out west, Dr. Teeth gave interviews for all the nostalgia shows on VH-1, and Zoot napped. Scooter became a road manager for the Partridge Family tribute band.

Touching our hands, wondering why
It's time for saying goodbye—

Rowlf became an organist, playing mostly weddings and funerals, and volunteered down at the SPCA on weekends. Without the Muppets, he didn’t really care to stay in show biz.

Saying goodbye, why is it sad?
Makes us remember the good times we've had—

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his loyal assistant Beaker went to teach chemistry at the University of West Eastern. But they rarely got to blow anything up—instead, they spent most of their time writing lesson plans and grading tests.

Much more to say, foolish to try
It's time for saying goodbye—

Rizzo, Pepe, and the Swedish Chef teamed up to start the restaurant chain named after Rizzo. Rizzo served mostly as spokes-rat, while the Chef developed menus and Pepe handled the finances and occasionally embezzled.

Don't want to leave, but we both know
Sometimes its better to go—

Johnny and Sal moved to Vegas to do a lounge act. Clifford briefly hosted a game show then, when he got bored, also moved to Las Vegas, to play in celebrity poker tournaments. Meanwhile, still in Hollywood, Bobo became a stunt double and appeared in such movies as Mauled, Mauled 2: The Return, and Mauled 3: The Return of the Return.

Somehow I know, we'll meet again
Not sure quite where and I don't know just when—

Fozzie did his comedy show for a while, then it was cancelled. So he moved back to his hometown, to look after his elderly mother and help run the farm. Gonzo packed up what few possessions he owned and headed out into the world with Camilla by his side. They backpacked through Europe, climbed the Himalayas down in India, and saw the Incan ruins in Peru. When they returned to America, Gonzo was offered a position with the circus and, having no other plans, he accepted.

The others? They mostly stayed in Hollywood, some getting bit parts in movies here and there, some working in the tourism industry in town, no one enjoying their jobs as much as they had enjoyed their time with the Muppets. That, everyone agreed, was a once-in-a-lifetime gig.

You're in my heart, so until then
It's time for saying goodbye.

 

[Just J]

Part IX: Broken Hearts

Part IX: Broken Hearts

But what about Piggy and Kermit? What happened to them? Well.

Nobody really knew. Kermit did some Sesame Street and spent as much time as possible with his nephew Robin, and Piggy did some commercials, but other than that, the two bright-shining stars seemed to drop off the face of the earth. They almost never gave interviews—especially surprising, since Miss Piggy used to give them at the rate of three a day—and even when an interviewer could get one of them to agree to be interviewed, it was always by phone. And neither Kermit nor Piggy ever answered questions about each other or much of anything else but their current project.

Not even the other Muppets knew what was going on with those two. Both Kermit and Piggy kept in touch with their old friends, of course, but their letters and phone calls were always slightly superficial. For instance, the letters never had a return address and the phone calls were always initiated by Kermit or Piggy. Nobody knew how to directly contact them. They also never talked about the past. They never talked about the good old days. And they never talked about the movie that almost was.

 

[theprawncracker]

Whoa....

That's deep man. I really liked the way you had the Muppets leaving and you described where they went. That was cool. Now, I need someone to tell me that this isn't the end! Please? It isn't the end right? RIGHT?!?

 

[TogetherAgain]

Relax, prawncracker, read the post before Part XIII. "there is a light at the end of this long dark tunnel". I don't know about you, but I sure don't see a light right now, so this couldn't be the end.

...right?...

And my reaction to the past two chapters: Wowwwwwwwwwww... felt it touch me right deep down in my heart. Powerful stuff. Particularly liked the lines of "Saying Goodbye" interspersed in there... wow. Seems a lot of the Muppets have ended up about where I was thinking they might end up... <sigh>. They need each other, so badly...

 

[Beauregard]

Pepe handled the finances and occasionally embezzled.

Haha...hahahaha.....*hysterically laughing* Sorry, um, this was meant to be a serious fan-fic but...*snort*...*cough*...too funny...

 

[Just J]

Glad you liked it, Beau. This is a serious moment in the story, but hey, it's still Muppets.

On another note, I finished writing the story last night, so I can adjust posting frequency to suit whatever folks would like. Less frequent posts? More frequent posts? Tell me what y'all want, and it shall be done!

 

[Just J]

Part X: Ten Long Years

Part X: Ten Long Years

But all of that had happened so long ago. Ten long years. Gonzo stood outside, gazing up at the sky, just as he had that day several months ago when that interviewer had come to see him. Now, however, it was nighttime and bitterly cold. Gonzo hugged himself for warmth and zipped up his coat. The sky was cloudless, and the stars shone brightly in the frosty December air. It was worth the risk of frostbite to see the stars like this.

Gonzo couldn’t remember what town they were in. Or even what state. Moreover, he couldn’t bring himself to care. He looked back at his circus trailer, where he knew Camilla was sitting inside, keeping warm. She was all he had left. He sighed. As much as he loved her—and he loved her more than life itself—he still missed the life he’d had. He missed the Muppets. He missed his family.

He picked up the guitar lying next to him. Even though it was hard to play with numb fingers, Gonzo strummed anyways. The old guitar had always been his trusty friend in times of need. Gonzo sang softly,

I feel so small and useless
Ambiguous and clueless
I just can’t seem to get anything right
I feel so invisible tonight.

All the plastic Santas
Doing hula dances
Remind me that I don’t belong
All the fake snow falling
And my friends not calling
Leave me nothing but this song.

On the most miserable Christmas
Of my life—

“Bawk, bawk?”

Gonzo jumped a little. “Oh, Camilla,” he said, smiling when he turned to see his lady love. “I didn’t hear you come out here.”

“Bawk, bawk.”

“Fozzie’s on the telephone?”

“Bawk.”

Gonzo hurriedly stood up. “Well, why didn’t you say so?” He rushed back to the trailer, wondering why Fozzie was calling. Although they met up every now and then, Fozzie almost never called. He picked up the receiver, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. He hoped Fozzie wasn’t calling because something was wrong.

“Hello? Fozzie?”

“Gonzo! Long time, no hear!” Fozzie sounded cheerful enough, so Gonzo relaxed a little. “How are you this fine winter evening?”

“I'm ... good. How have you been?”

“I’ve been … good.” Now Fozzie sounded less cheerful. “Actually, Gonzo, I’ve been thinking. Ever since I did this interview a while ago.”

Could it be …

“Was this interview with Ivan Ivanovich of Obsessive Voyeur magazine, by any chance?” Gonzo asked.

“Yes!” gasped Fozzie. “How did you know that?”

“Weirdo’s intuition. So, tell me what’s been on your mind?”

Fozzie’s voice grew cheerful again. “Well, talking with Mr. Ivanovich made me think about the old days, and … I miss the Muppets. Don’t get me wrong, I love dear old Mom, but I miss you, Gonzo. I miss everybody.”

“Aw. I miss you too, Fozzie.”

“So I’m thinking, it’s time for a reunion!”

Gonzo felt himself smile the largest smile he’d smiled in ten years.