Chapter Text
Patch, Penny, Lucky, and Rolly could barely hold their excitement in. They were on a bus, heading to the one place they’d always heard about, but were never allowed to go… Until now…
“Oh… Are we there yet?” Penny asked her mother.
“Not yet.” Perdita said. “Patience.”
“Dad. Is there really a castle?” Lucky asked.
“There sure is.” Pongo said. “And shops, stalls, and all kinds of buildings. It’ll be great, trust me.”
“Is there food?” Rolly asked.
“All kinds of food, from all kinds of places.” Pongo promised.
“Now, I would like to remind everyone.” Perdita interjected, giving Pongo the side eye. “That the reason we’re letting you four come this time, and not the rest of your brothers and sisters, is that we think you four are old enough to behave. That means you stay close to us, do as we say, and don’t cause any trouble. Understand?”
“Yes mother.” Penny, Lucky, and Rolly said.
“Patch. What about you?” Perdita asked.
Patch, the oldest of the puppies. Was staring out the window.
“Hm? Oh, yeah, sure…” He said.
“Patch?” His mother asked, more severely.
“Okay, okay. I won’t make any trouble, or do anything I’m not supposed to. I promise.” Patch said.
Perdita shook her head. “Oh, why do I suddenly have a very bad feeling…”
“Oh, relax. Darling.” Pongo said. “They’re bigger pups. They know how to behave.”
“Darling, I still have trouble getting YOU to behave.” She said,
“..........I mean, that’s fair.” He said.
Penny sat next to Patch by the window.
“What’s on your mind?” She asked. “You seemed distracted. Aren’t you excited?”
“Of course I’m excited.” He said. “It’s just… There’s one thing I’ve always wanted to see. And this is the only place in the world I’ll ever be able to see it. I just hope I get a chance to…”
“What is it?” Penny asked.
Patch looked around, before whispering. “The inside of a real spaceship.”
“Huh. Good luck with that.” He heard Rolly say. “There’s no way they’d let a puppy on one of those.”
“And besides.” Penny said. “Where we’re going isn’t anywhere near where the ships land.”
Patch huffed. There had to be SOME way of seeing one up close.
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When the bus came to a stop, all the passengers funneled out. The puppies followed their mom, with their dad following them. They moved past taller people, and humans, and all sorts of creatures, until finally, the view was clear… And they saw it.
“Oh, wow!” Lucky said.
“It’s beautiful!” Penny said in awe.
From the bus platform, they were led into a massive plaza. Full of colors, and sounds. But past the plaza, was the massive, gold, and blue castle…
“Welcome to the Magic Kingdom!” A voice said over a loudspeaker.
The pup’s eyes practically sparkled.
“Ah… No substitute for that.” Pongo said.
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As they walked down the path into the plaza, the voice on the loudspeaker began telling the history of the Kingdom…
“Like many places. The Magic Kingdom had very humble beginnings. Starting as just a town that was home to a few of our earliest residents. It was intended to just be a crossroads for neighboring kingdoms. But when it became apparent that the kingdoms were growing bigger and bigger by the year. It became clear that it needed to become something more. Under the supervision of our incredible leader, Mr. Mickey Mouse. The Kingdom grew into a place where everyone from all walks of life are free to mingle, and interact. Free of your world’s restrictions! Yes, in this place, there are no boundaries. It doesn’t matter if you have two legs, four legs, wheels, hands, paws, or tentacles. Everyone can speak to one another, regardless of languages or species. And almost all kinds of science, technology and magic from around the multiple worlds can be freely demonstrated here… With, of course, restrictions on weapons, and other unsafe examples.”
“Aw…” Lucky said. “I was hoping to see someone cast a fireball, or something.”
“There are a few rules, however. Once it became obvious just who was going to be frequenting the Kingdom. Rules were put in place to ensure everyone’s safety.
This Kingdom is a place of peace. Any disagreements, unfriendly rivalries, or promises of vengeance are to be left at your own home. This place is meant to be a place of togetherness.You are more than welcome to continue any of the mentioned feuds upon your arrival home.
No starting any NEW feuds with anyone from other Kingdoms while you are here. Competition is fine, but no duels, unfriendly challenges, or battles of weapons or magic. For more info on that, refer to section 9.A in the official law-keepers book on incident 1226, I.E, ‘The great Lightsaber vs Vibranium debate.’
This is for villains in particular. No evil schemes, nefarious plots, or sinister machinations. This place is one of peace. Any attempts to create a new evil scheme, or continue an old one will result in suspension of the privilege to visit the kingdom for a certain amount of time, and a possible ban, if necessary.
And with those in mind, please. Enjoy the Magic Kingdom!”
The five Dalmatians finally arrived in the main plaza, and it was bustling with excitement! There were beings of all kinds walking around. Humans, animals, robots, aliens. It was incredible!
“Wow…” Penny said. “I didn’t think this many people could even exist, let alone all be in one place!”
“Yes, and this place is very busy.” Perdita said. “So stay very close to us.” Her last words were drowned out by the sound of a ship flying overhead. It slowly rumbled by, and landed in a spot on the other side of the plaza. Patch watching with excited glee.
“Oh, I do hope traffic isn’t going to be busy today.” Perdita said.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Pongo said. “So, where to go first?”
“I’m hungry.” Rolly said.
“We’ll get lunch later, dear.” Perdita said. “It’s not even noon. Let’s see…” She walked over to a large map that was displayed near the entry.
“Can we go see the ships?” Patch asked, hopefully.
“What? Oh darling, No. The landing bay is no place for puppies. It’s dirty and dangerous over there.” Perdita said.
Patch hung his head dejectedly.
“Now, where was- Oh, Pongo. We should go see if Georgette is working today.”
“Oh joy.” Pongo said. “Nothing like coming all the way here to have my looks insulted by a stuck-up poodle.”
“Oh, Pongo.” Perdita said. “You know she just enjoys teasing you.”
“Yeah. Sure…” Pongo said. “But if that’s where you want to go…”
“Right, let’s go.” She said, The other pups followed her, Patch looking longingly in the direction of the landing bay.
“Patch, you coming?” Pongo called.
“Yeah dad.” He sighed. “I’m coming.”
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The family walked close together, Perdita in front, the pups following her, with Pongo bringing up the rear, making sure everyone was accounted for.
Though Patch was disappointed at not being able to see a spaceship up close, he couldn’t deny being excited at seeing everything else. Everywhere he looked he saw something new. There were shops like, “The Mad Hatter’s: Hats and Headwear.” Or “Genuine Atlantean Souvenirs.” All of it looked exciting, but nothing really interested him.
“Woah, look at that!” Lucky said. He pointed to a stall where the owner was showing off some sort of device. He slapped it on his wrist, and vanished instantly. Reappearing just as easily. The stall’s sign said, “Discounted Kree Gadgets!”
“Woah.” Rolly said. “Bet that’d be fun to use.”
“Oh yes, that’s just what you all need.” Pongo chuckled. “It’s hard enough keeping an eye on you when you’re visible.”
“Come along now.” Perdita called. “Let’s hurry.”
Patch lingered for a moment. But when he did follow, he ran into someone’s leg…
“Ouch. Sorry, I didn’t see- Uh…” He looked up and glaring down at him was an absolutely enormous creature. He had horns, and claws, and was covered in blue fur with purple spots…
“Uh... “ Patch said. “I’m…”
“Oh, sorry kid. That was my fault.” The creature said in the friendliest tone imaginable. “Wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“Uh… It’s okay…” Patch said, a bit confused.
“Why hello, Mr. Sully.” Pongo said. “Didn’t expect to see you here today.”
“Hey, Pongo.” The monster said. ‘Good to see you. And I told you, you can just call me Sully.”
“Yes, but the ‘Mr.’ suits you best. What with that CEO job and all.” Pongo said. “Congrats, by the way.”
“Heh, thanks.”
“Why, Mr. Sully.” Perdita said. “What a nice surprise. What brings you here?”
“Hello Ma’am.” He said. “And I’m here with Mike on some potential business. If it goes through, this plaza could soon be powered by laughter.”
“Well, that’ll be nice.” Perdita said.
As if on cue, the one-eyed, green friend of Sully’s ran up.
“Sully! There you are. What are you doing? We’re gonna be late!” He said.
“Sorry Mike,but I almost stepped on the kid here.” Then Mike noticed the Dalmatians.
“Oh, hey guys.” He said.
“Hello, Mr. Wazowski.” Perdita said.
“Oh. I love it when people give me the ‘Mr.’ Helps the new position stick.” Mike said. “Wait, you say you almost stepped on him?”
“Yeah… Why?”
“Oh, let me try something. Never got to try this on puppies before. *ahem* Let me guess. He almost stepped on because you were hard to...SPOT?” He waited. The pups exchanged confused looks.
“...I said, hard to SPOT?” He repeated. No reaction but a confused head tilt from Lucky. “Huh… I guess Dalmatian puppies have a different sense of humor than human kids.”
“Yeah, THAT’S what it is.” Sully said. “Alright, let’s go. See you around.” He called to the Dalmatians.
“Yeah, we’ll try and SPOT you again, before we leave.” Mike said. Again, to nothing. “I swear, that would’ve had a human kid rolling with laughter…”
“Well they were… Nice.” Penny said.
“Yes, Mike and Sully are a bit of an odd couple.” Perdita said.
“How do two CEOs of a company know you?” Patch asked.
“Oh, we know all the more famous ones around here.” Pongo said. “After all, you mother and I are a tad famous ourselves.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yes. After all, our story is well known around here.” He smiled. “But come on, let’s get going.”
Before the pups could ask any questions, they were on the move again.
The next place they stopped looked like some glitzy beauty parlor. Its sign read, “Georgette’s. Where perfect is a little easier.”
“Well, nice to see she’s dialed back.” Ponog said. “Her building’s gone from ‘eyesore’ to just ‘annoying’.”
“Oh, be nice.” Perdita said. “It’s not THAT excessive.”
“Wait…” Patch said. “Is this just a grooming salon?”
“Yes.” Perdita said. “So you all have to be on your best behavior.”
“Aw.” Patch, Lucky, and Rolly said. Penny was more used to them.
“I hate grooming salons.” Patch said.
“I know, but Georgette is a friend, and I visit her every time I come here. Besides, it's a bit different than the ones back home.” Perdita led the way inside, and the pups reluctantly followed.
The door opened, and a chime played… And then it kept playing… And then they realized that it was an entire song that lasted 30 seconds before it stopped.
“Humble.” Pongo said.
“Hush.” Perdita said.
“Be with you in a minute, darling!” An older American female voice called from the back.
The pups looked around the room, it was adorned with pictures, trophies, and ribbons.
“Was she a show dog?” Penny asked.
“Yes. But she settled down after a while and opened up this place.” Perdita explained. “Said she wanted to share her expertise with the world.”
“More like she wanted an excuse to make others feel bad about how they look and get paid for it.” Pongo said.
“Wow, you really don’t like this lady, do you?” Patch asked.
“She’s… Not a personality I get along with, no.” Pongo said.
“She also got famous for being a salon that specializes in non-humans.” Perdita said. “What with the many, MANY creatures around that need a good grooming like us dogs do.”
The sound of four paws hurrying along the tile floor brought their attention to the front desk, where a poodle with white and blue fur stepped out.
“So sorry to keep you waiting, I- Perdy!” She said when she realized who it was.
“Hello Georgette.” Perdita said.
“Oh, why didn’t you say it was you, sooner?” Georgette said.
“Well we didn’t want to intrude on another customer.” Perdita said.
“Pssh, nonsense darling. I always make time for my friends.” She then noticed Pongo.
“Oh, sorry Pops, didn’t notice you were here.” She said,
“Hello, Georgette.” Pongo sighed.
“Still rocking the, ‘dusty spots with red collar look’ huh?” She asked.
Pongo sighed again. “Yes… And I quite like it, thank you.”
Georgette whispered to Perdita. “You really ought to convince him to let me work my magic on him, I mean, I could make those stunning black ears practically shine.”
Perdita chuckled. “Doubt it. Pongo’s always been a… ‘au naturale’ type.”
“Hmm, well. If he does change his mind, don’t let any other salon have him.” Georgette said. Then she noticed the pups.
“Oh, didn’t know you brought some of the brigade today.”
“Yes, just the four, though.” Perdita said.
“Well thank you for that. No offense, but my place isn’t specced to hold 101.” She looked over the pups.
“Well, they certainly take care of their coats. I assume that’s at YOUR insistence.” She said, Pongo rolled his eyes.
“Pongo helps some too.” Pedita assured.
“Yeah, there’s a difference between fashionable and presentable.” Pongo said.
“Uh huh.” She looked at Patch. “Oh my.” She said, “You must be Patch.”
“Yup.” He said.
“Last dog I heard of with a spot that defining was literally named, ‘Spot’.” Georgette said. She turned back to Perdy. “So, did you just drop by to say hi? Because it’s a slow day, I wouldn’t be opposed to accepting a walk-in or two.”
“Oh, no. We only wanted to say hi while we were in the neighbourhood.” Perdita said.
“Oh, that’s a shame… I’m sure the other group that’s got an appointment today will think so too.” Georgette said.
“What other group?” Perdita asked, that’s when the door opened. And a group of female animals walked in.
“Perdy!” They all said in unison.
“Oh, joy…” Pongo muttered.
“Why didn’t you tell us you were in town?” A cocker spaniel named Lady asked.
“Oh, I’m here with my family today.” Perdita said.
“I assume these are only a fraction, then?” A tall, brown Saluki said, looking down at the pups. “Ain’t you four cutie pies, I only ever see you in pictures.”
“Yes, it’s their first time here.” Perdita said.
“Well, you know. Since you are here.” Lady said. “I’m sure Georgette wouldn’t mind if we added another member to our session.”
“That's why I had extra chairs put in.” Georgette said.
“You should join us.” Lady said.
“Oh, I really don't think I should. I’m here with my family and all.” Perdita said.
“We’re only here until about noon.” The Saluki named Rita pointed out. “You know her and Winston work fast.”
“Well, yes, but-” “Darling.” Pongo interrupted.
“Go ahead, take an hour or two with your friends.” Pongo said. “You don’t see them much, anyway. Me and the pups will be alright.”
“Are you sure?” Perdita asked.
“Yes, I’m sure… Besides. We’ll have the whole rest of the day together.” Pongo said.
Perdy smiled. “Thanks love.”
“Aw… Are we really gonna have to wait here?” Lucky said.
“It won’t be too long.” Penny assured him. “It’s just an hour or so.”
“Yeah, an hour or so of absolute boredom.” Patch said to himself.
“And I’m still hungry.” Rolly grumbled.
Georgette shouted into the back. “Winston, we got customers!”
A middle aged, human man came from the back.
“Ah, hello ladies.” He said. “Let’s see, three dogs and one cat?”
“FOUR dogs, actually.” Georgette said, moting for Perdita to join them.
“Hello Winston.” Perdy said.
“Hello miss.” He said. “Always room for one more.”
Georgette looked at the puppies. “You want to have Jenny do her thing while they’re here?”
“Hm… It wouldn’t hurt.” Perdita said.
“Jenny darling, will you come here for a moment?” Georgette called.
A young, redheaded girl came in.
“Yeah?” She asked.
Georgette pointed to the Dalmatian pups.
“Give these four the usual puppy treatment.”
The pups looked a bit worried.
“It’s alright, dears.” Perdita said. “Jenny is good with puppies.”
“Yeah, I don’t bite.” Jenny said. She motioned for them to follow her.
Georgette looked back at Pongo. “And you’re sure there’s nothing you’d like?”
Pongo looked around. “A pillow, maybe.”
Georgette. “.....Check to your left.” Sure enough, to Pongo’s left were several, large sized pillows.
“Oh… Thanks.” He said, before curling up on one.
“Never let it be said that I’ve got bad customer service.” Georgette said.
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Jenny finished combing Penny’s fur. “You guys have such soft fur.” She said, “It’s almost like a plushie.”
“Thanks.” Penny said.
“So, do you work for Georgette?” Lucky asked.
“Heh, yes and no.” Jenny said. “It was her idea to open this place, though. She’s the specialist. I’m good with younger ones, though.”
“Like, puppies and kittens?” Penny guessed.
“Puppies, kittens, cubs, kits. I’ve worked with little monsters, Porgs, I even once cleaned ticks off a young Wookiee.” Jenny said.
“Woah.” Penny said.
“Yeah, and he was fussy.” She sighed. “But, I love working here, I love being able to talk to animals… Wouldn’t trade this for anything.”
Patch wasn’t listening to this conversation, though. He was still looking out the window, at the landing bay… As he did, he saw yet another ship fly overhead, landing down in the very place he knew he couldn’t go.
“It’s like it’s taunting me.” He said.
“Like WHAT’S taunting you?” Came a voice from above him. He looked up, and a young, orange cat leapt down.
“Hi.” He said.
“Hi… Who are you?” Patch said.
“I’m Oliver, Jenny’s cat.” He said. “You one of the hundred and one?”
“Yeah… Name’s Patch.”
“So, uh… What ya looking at?” Oliver asked.
“The landing bay.” Patch said. “All my life, I’ve wanted to see the inside of a real spaceship… But, Mother says I can’t go over there… Says it’s no place for pups…”
“Yeah, gotta agree with her there.” Oliver said. “It’s a rough place. Lot’s a rougher characters hang around there. The kind that can take someone apart as easy as they can put a ship together.”
“But I just want to look.” Patch said. “And this is the only time I’ll probably get to…”
Oliver thought for a moment. “Hmm… Y’know… I might know a way to get there real quick and quiet like.”
Patch’s eyes lit up. “Really? How?!”
“Woah, woah, shush.” Oliver said. “It’s not exactly… Well, I’m not exactly supposed to. But I sneak over there sometimes to hang out with Dodger. Fagin works there as a mechanic.”
“Could you show me?” Patch asked.
“I dunno… We could get in trouble if we’re caught.” Oliver said. “Not even Jenny knows I do this.”
“I can be sneaky.” Patch promised. “And besides, my mothers gonna be here until about noon.”
“Hmmmm.” Oliver thought. “Well… Okay… But we have to be fast.”
“Yes!” Patch said, before Oliver put a paw on his mouth.
“SHHHHH!” He hissed.
“Sorry.” Patch said.
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Oliver brought Patch over to a floor drain under one of the tables in Jenny’s work area.
“See this?” He said. “It leads to the Kingdom’s main sewer line. We sneak out under it and follow the sewer under the plaza until we get to the landing bay. Easy, simple. We’ll be back before anyone notices we’re gone.”
Now that Patch was hearing the plan, he was getting a little hesitant.
“I don’t know…” He said. “My parents practically have a sixth sense when it comes to our family. They can tell when one of us is missing.”
“Dude, seriously.” Oliver said. “We’ll be back before your mom’s done. They’ll never even know you left.”
Patch thought it over…
“Alright.” He said. “Let’s do it.”
Oliver grinned and flipped the drain open.
“Just watch yourself. It gets a little tight.” He easily slunk through the drain, followed by Patch, who checked to make sure no one was around, before wiggling down the drain as well…
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Perdita sighed contently as Georgette slowly massaged her face around her eyes.
“Oh…Maybe I need this more than I realized.” She said,
“I’ll say. You’ve got more wrinkles under those eyes than a Shar-Pei, no offense.” Georgette said.
“None taken.” Perdita said. “Though, I shouldn’t really be surprised, that’s what trying to sleep with 99 puppies will do to you… Especially if only half of them actually sleep through the night…”
“Girl, with that many pups, I’m surprised you’re held together as good as you are.” Rita said. “Not that I would know anything about that.”
“Pups of any number will give you hassle.” Perdita said. “Or kittens, for that matter.” She smiled at the only feline member of their group.
“Yes.” Duchess said. “But, children are children… Puppies, kittens, or otherwise.”
“Well, at least none of yours are carbon copies of their father.” Lady said while Winston brushed her fur. “Scamp gets into so much trouble, it’s a wonder HE’S still in one piece.”
Perdita laughed. “I don’t know about that. I think if any of mine WERE carbon copies of their father, I’d get even MORE sleep.” She pointed to Pongo who was soundly sleeping on one of the couches in the waiting area.
“That dog could sleep through an earthquake.” Perdy said. “In fact, I think he did once. But I can’t complain. About anything, really. I wouldn’t trade that ol’ dog for anything in the world.”
“Me either.” Lady admitted. “Even though Tramp’s still a little rough around the edges, he makes my life complete.”
“And Thomas is quite literally the best thing to have ever happened to me and the kittens.” Duchess said. “I can’t imagine life without him.”
“You married ladies gotta stop talking like that.” Said the other dog in the group. Another Saluki named Dixie.
“It’s making us single women feel a little left out.”
“Sorry, Dixie.” Lady said. “But there’s nothing wrong with being single.”
“Just look at me.” Georgette said. “Single, and owner of the best salon for non-humans. Nothing wrong with that at all.”
“Besides.” Perdita said. “While it’s very much worth it, married life can… Well it can surprise you if you’re not ready for it.”
“It takes dedication from both parties involved.” Duchess said.
“And being a mother, well… That’s a different beast on it’s own.” Perdy said.
“Your kids seem fine.” Rita said.
Perdita half chuckled. “That’s because you haven’t seen them on certain days…”
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. Patch followed Oliver through the narrow sewers.
“I thought sewers were supposed to be more spacious.” He said.
“Yeah, that’s only a thing in movies.” Oliver said. “Sewers don’t really have that much room. Not a problem for us smaller animals, though.”
“Yeah, but I’m not a cat.” Patch said. He had been crouched low to the ground for a while, and his back was starting to hurt.
“Hang on a minute.” He said. “I need to stretch.” He sat up, but immediately hit his head on a low pipe.
“Youch!”
“Yo, be careful about those pipes!” Oliver said. “Those things are a little old, and I wouldn’t trust them too much. If even one busts, it’ll flood the whole system.”
Patch gulped. “Okay, low is it, then…”
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“Hey, Lucky.” Penny said. “Where’s Patch?”
“I dunno… I haven’t seen him.” Lucky said.
“Rolly.” She called. “Have you seen Patch?”
“Ugh, hungry… No… I haven’t.” Rolly said.
“Well where is he, he couldn’t have gotten far.” Penny and Lucky hopped onto the floor and began sniffing around.
“He’s close.” Penny said, “I have his scent.”
“Penny.” Lucky called. “Over here.” He was at the opened floor drain.
“His scent goes down there…”
“What? Why would he go down there?” Penny asked. Then she heard Jenny calling.
“Oliver? Oliver? Where are you?” She huffed. “Ugh, I swear. If he snuck off to the landing bay again…”
Penny and Lucky traded mortified looks.
“Oh. He. Did. NOT...” Penny growled.
“Uh… Maybe he didn’t?” Lucky said, hopefully.
“His scent goes in the pipe.” Penny said. “He said the only thing he wanted to see was inside a spaceship. I think he did, EXACTLY that.”
“Ugh.” Lucky groaned. “Mother and Dad will never take us back here if they find out…”
“What’s going on?” Rolly asked, finally joining them. “You guys find Patch?”
“He snuck off to go see a spaceship.” Penny said, pointing to the drain.
“Oh… Oh, he’s gonna be in so much trouble…” Rolly said.
“We gotta go after him.” Lucky insisted.
“What? No we don’t!” Penny said. “I say, we wait right here for him, and let him take whatever punishment he gets.”
“But we don’t know if he’s alone.” Lucky said. “He could be alone, in a strange place, and he could get hurt…”
Penny rolled her eyes. “Fine…” She looked down the pipe. “I guess we should…”
“Great!” Lucky said. “I’ll go first.” He easily slipped down, into the drain.
“Ugh... “ Penny said as she looked into the slimy, dirty drain.
“Patch, you better be hurt when I find you, or I’ll hurt you myself.” She slipped down after Lucky.
Rolly warily looked over…
“Uh, guys?” He called.
“Come on, Rolly.” Lucky called up, “it’s fine.”
Rolly gulped and even though it looked like he wouldn’t make it, he managed to wriggle all the way down…
“Puppies?” Jenny called. “Puppies? ...Oh, that’s probably not good…”
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When the three pups got to the sewers, they all almost gagged at the smell.
“Ugh! How could Patch stand this?” Penny said.
“Who knows, but look.” Lucky said, pointing. There were paw prints on the ground.
“I hope that’s him.” He said.
“Well, come on.” Penny said, taking the lead. “I can’t believe this. Here I thought we were gonna have a normal day, and now I am crawling through a SEWER, after just having my coat cleaned, looking for my bull-headed brother, who couldn’t sit still for five minutes!”
“Uh, you okay?” Lucky said. “You sound angry.”
“IT’S CAUSE I AM!” Penny shouted.
“Guys, this is really tight.” Rolly said. The space being just barely big enough for him. “I think I’m getting claustrophobic.”
“It’s fine, Rolly.” Lucky said. “Come on…”
Rolly grumbled and squeezed through…
The three Dalmatian pups squeezed slowly trudged on. Sliding through muck, and grime, of whose origin they really didn’t want to think about.
“Guys, I really don’t like this.” Rolly said.
“Then why’d you follow us?” Penny said exasperatedly.
“I dunno. You two jumped down a drain, I just followed... “ Rolly said. “I didn’t know we’d be doing this.”
“It’s okay guys.” Lucky said. “We’ll find Patch, bring him back, and maybe no one would have noticed we left.”
“If I don’t strangle him first.” Penny grumbled.
They kept crawling, though, having to keep low was agreeing with poor Rolly’s back.
“Guys, I gotta stop.” He said. “This is starting to hurt.”
“Rolly we can’t stop. We have to find Patch and get back before we get in REAL trouble.” Penny said.
“Yeah, but I gotta-” He sat up… And smacked his head on a pipe…
“OW!’ He said.
“Careful!” Lucky said.
“Well, I didn’t exactly mean to-” The pipe started creaking… And it traveled down the way that had come from… Shaking and creaking as it went.
They waited with baited breath… Then nothing happened…
“Whew.” Lucky said.
“Sorry.” Rolly whispered.
“Alright, come one.’ Penny said. “Let’s hurry.”
They crawled ahead for a little while…
“Hey… Guys.” Rolly said. “You hear that?”
Lucky raised an ear. “Yeah, it sounds like… “
They all turned around…
And saw the sewer rapidly filling with water!
“Wh-a what’s happening?!” Rolly said.
“You must’ve busted a pipe or something!” Lucky said.
“I didn’t mean to!” Rolly said.
“Forget it, let’s just run!” Penny shouted. And the three took off running as best they could in the sewer.
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Up farther ahead…
“Hey, Oliver.” Patch said. “You hear something?”
Oliver perked an ear up. “Hmm… I think… Doubt it’s anything to worry about, all kinds of noises travel throu-”
“Movemovemove!” Came a voice. And Patch turned around, just in time for Penny to run right into him.
“Ow...What the- Patch?!” She said.
“Penny?! What are you doing-”
“Less talking, more running!” Lucky said, pointing behind him at the surge of water speeding towards them!
“What did you do!?!” Plvier shouted.
“My fault, sorry!” Rolly said.
Oliver looked around quickly. “There!” He said, point up ahead. “That’s a manhole, let’s go!” The five took off, the water getting closer, very quickly.
They hurried to the ladder leading up and out of the sewers. “C’mon!” Oliver shouted. He helped Patch up first, then Penny, then Lucky, and finally, with a little difficulty, helped Rolly up. And he just barely made it onto the first rung before the water rushed under him.
Patch pushed the manhole cover to the side and all five slowly climbed out of the sewers onto some other part of the plaza…
They took a minute to catch their breath…
“Everyone okay?” Lucky asked.
“I guess I’m not using that again until they fix it.” Oliver said.
Penny walked up to Patch.
“Are you okay?” She asked. “You’re not hurt?”
“No… I’m fine.” Patch said between breaths.
“Good.” She said. Before swatting in the face!
“Ow! What the heck?!” He said.
“THAT’S for getting us into this!” She yelled.
“What?! How is this MY fault?!” He said.
“Because YOU just had to ruin this day!” Penny said. “It was going just fine, and then you had to go down a sewer. And now, my coat is a mess, I smell awful, and mother and dad are going to be so mad at us all!”
“Well, I didn’t make you follow me!” Patch said. “In fact, it was going just fine until YOU came down there and flooded the place!”
“What part of following a cat you don’t know into a sewer sounds ‘fine’ to you!?!”
Oliver, Lucky, and Rolly sat to the side.
“They always like this?” Oliver asked.
“Only on special days.” Lucky said.
“This all happened because you were being selfish!” Penny said.
“Everything would've been fine if you had just kept your nose out of it!” Patch said.
“Well you-”
“Okay, ENOUGH!” Lucky said, getting in between them. “Look it doesn’t matter whose fault it is, what matters is that we get back to mother and dad as soon as possible, and maybe, MAYBE we can avoid never being allowed back here with them again.”
Patch and Penny huffed and looked away from each other.
“Let’s just… Get back to Georgette’s.” He said.
“Fine.” Penny said. “Let’s go.”
“But, uh… How do we get there?” Patch asked. They now realized how nothing around them looked familiar. They couldn’t even see the castle from where they were.
“Uh oh…” Rolly said.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Patch said. “I’m sure Oliver knows how to get back.”
“Uh… About that.” Oliver said. “I… Only ever go to the landing bay through the sewers… I’ve actually never walked around the plaza much, Jenny didn’t want me getting lost… I don’t even know where we are right now.”
“Y’You mean… We’re lost?” Rolly asked.
“Uh… Kinda…” Oliver said.
Penny held her mouth shut, and clenched her eyes shut.
“MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Came her muffled, angry scream.
“Okay… So, what do we do?” Lucky said. “Surely there’s a way for us to get back?”
“Yeah, but this place is HUGE.” Oliver said. “Especially for us…”
“Is there anyone you know of who’d be able to tell us where to go?” Patch asked.
“Well… Dodger runs around a lot…” Oliver said. “He’d probably know… But he’s at the landing bay. And I don’t know how to get their from here.”
“This is great.” Penny said. “This is just great! We’re lost, and when mother and dad DO find us, they will probably give us a punishment so severe, it’ll be taught in history classes!”
Patch thought for a minute… Then he heard a noise… He looked up and another ship was flying overhead…
“Hey… That’s it… The ships.” He said. He looked at Oliver. “Are you sure Dodger could help us get back to Georgette’s?”
“Yeah, probably.” Oliver said.
“Great. So we just follow the ships. They all head for the landing bay, so as long as we keep them in sight, we’ll find our way there.”
“But… We may have to go around the whole plaza.” Oliver said.
“You got a better idea?” He asked. Oliver shook his head.
“Great. Let’s go.” He said.
Penny shook her head. “How convenient that the way for us to get home just happens to be right where he wants to go.”
“Well, at least it’s a way home.” Lucky said. “I mean, we’re already in trouble enough, let’s just try not to make it worse.”
Penny huffed and folded her paws. “I don’t think this day COULD get any worse.”
.
.
.
In a cafe, just across the street. A woman sat at her table by the window, slowly taking a puff of her cigarette… When she just casually glanced out the window… And her eyes widened as she focused on the four Dalmatian pups outside in the plaza…
“It can’t be…” She whispered. “Here? But that means…” Then her look of surprise curled into a wicked grin…
“Ohhoho.” She chuckled. “All alone… Without mummy and daddy… You spotty mongrels picked a bad day to get lost!” She excitedly reached into her purse and pulled out her phone, typing in a number.
“Jasper, Horace?! Where are you?” She waited for an answer. “Well, meet me at Silver’s place. You’re not going to believe what I’m looking at! Heheheheh- What? NO, it is NOT a lonely Twi’lek girl looking for a date!”
“Then why the bloody hell are you calling me?” Jasper said.
“Just get over here!” She hissed before hanging up. “Ugh…” She looked back at the pups.
“You might not be 99, but I can do a lot with just four.” She cackled to herself. “Oh yes…MhmhmhmhahahahahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH-”
“Uh, excuse me, Miss De Vil, did you order the surf-n-turf?” A waiter asked.
“Oh, yeah. Throw that down right here, love.” She said,
.
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.
“Pongo?” Perdy whispered. “Pongo, wake up.”
Pongo stirred himself awake. “Hm, what, I-” His tired eyes popped open when he saw Perdita.
“Wow!” He said. “Darling, you… You look like a million bucks!”
“I FEEL like a million bucks.” She said, “I didn’t realize how badly I needed that until it happened.”
“That’s just how I work, darling.” Georgette said.
“Thank you so much for being patient.” She said.
“Hey, no worries. Best nap I’ve had in a long time.” He said.
“Well, let’s get the pups, and get some lunch. I’m sure Rolly’s starving by now.” Perdy said. They headed into the back, to Jenny’s area…
Only to find her searching the room…
“Oh my gosh.” She said, “I am SO much trouble!”
“Uh, Jenny darling?” Perdita said. “Is something wrong?”
Jenny practically jumped when she heard them. “Uh, hi…” She said, nervously. “Um… I… Uh… I…”
“Where are the pups?” Perdy asked. “We need to get going.”
“That’s the thing.” Jenny winced. “I… Kind of… Don’t know where they are…”
Pongo and Perdita’s faces went blank.
“....Okay, I’m going to ask you very carefully to repeat that.” Pongo said.
“I swear! I only turned my back for a minute, and then they were just not there!” She said.
“What does that even mean?” Pongo asked.
Jenny finally took a deep breath…
“It means… I don’t think they’re here… In this building… Anymore…” She winced…
Pongo and Perdita calmly processed this…
“...................Georgette.” Perdita called. “How long did you say this anti-stress cream lasted?”
“About… 24 hours, why?” Georgette said.
“You'd better call the company and demand a refund.” She said.
“Why?”
“Because it’s NOT working…”
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