"An assortment of many Pikachus, Digletts, and Voltorbs are missing since the last time
I
looked," Tabby announced from her post of behind the counter of the Pokèmon Center. "And
possibly several Electabuzz and Farfetch'd."
"When was the last time you saw them?" Sugarberry piped-up.
"It was that time when I was sorting them and dropped them on the floor," Tabby said
after a pause.
"Do you suppose they could have fallen down there?" Clever Clover questioned,
pointing
at a thin slit cut in the floor, several inches long, which was there in preparation for a new heating
system for the center.
"Then check the basement," Tabby directed.
"Move!" Spike commanded, suddenly appearing on the scene next to Tabby. "It's time
for supper."
"I'll be out of here in just a sec," Tabby promised, quickly collecting up all her papers
that
were strewn across the desk. "Keep me up-to-date on the losses." She quickly whisked herself
out the door.
"According to the clues I found, Spike or Barnacle did it," she was suddenly aware of
Clever Clover saying.
"Then persecute them both to the fullest extent of the law," Tabby said quickly, walking
along home.
Upon reaching her street, Tabby took note of the giant purple squid devouring her
house.
That was nothing new, so she continued along to her favorite hang-out, the Satin Shoe Sweet
Shoppe.
"Oh, Tabby, you're here!" Tamara exclaimed, embracing Tabby in a warm hug.
"You don't say!" Tabby noted that the sign above the door to the ice cream parlor now
read, "The Satin Shoe Sweet Church"; and peeking inside the door, she saw the giant squid
standing up by the altar.
"He's the priest for the wedding," Tamara explained, suddenly donning a long, lacy
white
veil while holding onto a bouquet of yellow and red roses.
"The wedding?" Tabby queried.
"Oh, did I forget to tell you? Tex and I are getting married today!" Tamara squealed.
"And you're going to be my bridesmaid."
"Okay," Tabby said agreeably.
"Here's what you'll wear," Tamara instructed, holding up a black t-shirt with the
Pokèmon logo on it and picturing Jessie, James, and Meowth. Neither of the two ponies (or the
squid) seemed to care that ponies did not wear t-shirts.
"Oh, that's a great outfit!" Tabby exclaimed in excitement. "Can I put it on now?"
Somehow, she was now holding a small bottle of glossy paint in her hoof.
"The dressing room is over there," Tamara directed, pointing to Tabby's house, which
had
suddenly materialized next to the Satin Shoe Sweet Shoppe-- that is, the Satin Show Sweet
Church. The squid had obviously repaired the damage he had been wreaking upon it
earlier.
At that moment, Tabby was aware that the t-shirt she held in her hoof was covered in
the
oozy white paint. "Oh dear," she said in regret. "Tamara, I think I ruined it."
"That's no bother," Tamara said nonchalantly.
"Because we have your own wedding to prepare for, Tabitha." Tabby's mother, Agatha,
suddenly appeared on the scene.
"My wedding?" Tabby echoed.
"Of course," Agatha said promptly. "You're to be married to Guido this
afternoon."
"But my Team Rocket shirt is ruined," Tabby protested.
"A t-shirt is easy to fix," Agatha said. "Why, the squid has already washed it for
you."
Tabby gratefully accepted the black shirt from the squid, who came up and handed it to
her just then. "But it still has paint on it," she noted.
"Not enough to be noticed," Agatha said in dismissal.
"What happened to Tamara?" Tabby questioned.
"Her wedding can wait," Agatha said, sounding authoritative. "Now, go on." She
pushed
Tabby inside the Satin Shoe Sweet Church.
As Tabby began strolling up the aisle, she noted that most of the seats in the church
were
filled by Pokèmon of all varieties, but all of them were purple in color. As a matter of fact, five
whole pews were filled with Mews.
"Tabitha, walk faster!" Agatha called. "You're too slow."
All of a sudden, a rather large Pikachu bolted out of his seat and headed towards the
door,
running into Tabby and hauling her along with him. The Pokèmon deposited Tabby in a large
tree, and was gone.
Tabby looked at her predicament without concern. The tree she was stuck in the top of
appeared to be a cherry tree. Then she noticed the Meowth on the ground staring up at her.
"Hey, Tarquin!" she cried out joyously.
"Hello, Tabby," Tarquin said formally as he began climbing up the trunk to get to his
trainer.
"How many times have I told you, call me Tabitha!" Tabby chided as the tree strangely
grew smaller. Soon, she and Tarquin were both back on the ground.
"Okay," Tarquin said agreeably. "But did you hear that you flunked your math test?"
He
whipped a paper out from behind his back and presented it to Tabby.
Tabby stared down at the large "F" written in red ink over the paper. Annoyingly, the
ink
appeared not to be dry and was smudging all over her hooves. "I wish I hadn't gotten Vanguard
as my teacher," she mourned.
"He's tough, but Chocolate Chip is going to be taking over his position soon," Tarquin
commented.
"That's right, Tabitha!" Chocolate Chip, looking stern and forebidding, appeared out of
nowhere. "Tabitha, hand me that paper." She snatched Tabby's inky test away from the
unicorn.
"I did better in English," Tabby said helpfully.
"No, you got an ‘F' in that, too." Chocolate Chip displayed another red-marked paper,
this one reading "English" on the top.
"I wish I wasn't still in school," Tabby mourned. "Miss Chocolate Chip, can I go visit
Tiffany?"
"Yes, but be sure you're back by ten o' clock." Chocolate Chip turned on her heels and
stomped off.
Once Tabby arrived at the Royal Paradise, Tiffany was already awaiting her arrival. "I'm
royalty, but you're not," the princess said haughtily.
"I just flunked my math and English tests," Tabby commented, ignoring Tiffany's
remark.
"Oh, I just paid Chocolate Chip two zillion jangles, so I'm getting ‘A's in everything,"
Tiffany continued.
"My mom would do that if she hadn't spent her life-savings on a wedding dress for me,"
Tabby sighed. "I was going to be Tamara's bridesmaid, but Mom carried me off to my own
wedding instead."
"That's always an unfortunate turn of events," Tiffany nodded. "I think I'll be an old
maid, myself. Would you like my make-up and jewelry?"
"Sure," Tabby said cheerfully. "I should really get back to the church."
"Here comes your mother now," Tiffany noted.
"Tabitha! Tabitha!" Agatha called, coming closer. "Guido is waiting!"
"But I was supposed to be Tamara's bridesmaid," Tabby whined.
"You can go back in time later, but now it's time for you to visit the squid," Agatha
instructed. "Come along, Tabitha."
Tabby unwillingly trotted along behind her mother, and they stopped at a huge expanse
of
water. Suddenly, the same giant purple squid emerged out of it and reached one of its tentacles
towards Tabby. Tabby calmly accepted this, but suddenly she and her mother were mysteriously
teleported to Italy, far away from the reaches of the squid.
"Tamara is visiting my house tonight," Agatha explained to her daughter as they walked
inside the mansion. "I'm having a party in her honor."
"Oh! Are you going to get her married to Weedo?" Tabby asked excitedly.
"Of course not; I'm still saving him for you," Agatha explained. "I've invited all the rich
bachelors. Surely Tamara will be pleased with one of those."
The two entered the ballroom, and the party was already in full swing. "Where's
Tamara?" Tabby questioned.
"Right here," Tamara said, trotting over to them, still wearing her lacy veil. "Aunt
Agatha, who do you think I should marry?"
"There's Leonardo," Agatha said, pointing to a stallion on the far side of the room.
"He's
already a great artist, and he's rich."
"Ooh, he sounds cool!" Tamara squealed, running over to him.
"I'm going into the living room to watch the new Furby cartoon," Tabby told her
mother,
pulling open a small door in the wall.
"Very well," Agatha said briskly, keeping an eye on Tamara and Leonardo. Though
Tabby was now in the living room, she was somehow still aware of what was going on at the
party.
A yellow stallion with green hair walked up to Agatha. "Agatha, I thought you said I
got
Tabby. What's she doing with Leonardo?" he complained.
"Hello, Guido. That's not Tabby; it's her cousin, Tamara," Agatha explained.
"Isn't there anything different about them?" Guido questioned.
"They have different eye colors," Agatha supplied.
"Wonderful!" Guido exclaimed. "May I marry Tamara instead?"
"No," Agatha snapped. "I'm still saving you for Tabby. What are you doing out of the
basement, anyway?"
"It got so boring down there in my stall," Guido whined.
"Guards! Escort this stallion back to the dungeon!" Agatha instructed two more
stallions
clad in silvery armor and carrying spears. Guido was carried off.
Tamara came back over to her aunt. "Oh, Aunt Agatha, that Leonardo is so rich!" she
swooned.
"I thought you'd approve of him," Agatha beamed. "I'll arrange your wedding for
tomorrow.
"I can't wait!" Tamara squealed. "Oh, thank you!"
"And, in the meantime, I'll set Leonardo aside for you in the dungeon," Agatha
suggested.
"That'll be perfect!" Tamara said cheerfully.
Tabby was still watching the new Furby cartoon. Strange-colored Furbys were floating
around on clouds and singing something that sounded like, "Shoop bee doo, shoop shoop bee
doo." A group of sea ponies then appeared on the screen, and the Furbys immediately ran
away.
"Tabitha! Did you hear?" Tamara ran into the living room, with Agatha behind her.
"I'm
marrying Leonardo tomorrow!"
"Cool! Have you told Tex yet?" Tabby asked.
"No, but let's do that now," Tamara said gleefully. "This is so exciting!" The two giddy
unicorns flew out of the house and up the street, where Tex now resided.
"Tamara, open the door," Tabby said impatiently as she watched her cousin stand
motionless on the porch.
"First I have to finish this delicious applesauce," Tamara explained, throwing a bowl and
spoon into some nearby bushes. "Now I'll knock."
At that moment, however, the door was open by Tex. "Tamara! I'm so glad you came
by! Come on in!"
"Hey, what about me?" Tabby demanded.
"You can wait outside," Tex said distantly.
"Tamara said I could come," Tabby retorted, following her cousin inside anyway.
"Tex, I have something to tell you," Tamara smiled.
"She's engaged to some Italian dude," Tabby said helpfully.
Tex started laughing. "That's funny, Tabby!"
"But it's true," Tamara said seriously. "I know we had some good times together, but
Leonardo just has more money."
Tex's face fell. "But we were engaged, Tamara!"
"I know I may have said, um, something, about maybe, um, marrying you someday, but,
um, Leonardo has so much gold and jewels in his vaults," Tamara went on. "And he lives in an
ancient palace."
"It's probably nothing compared to Atlantis," Tabby commented.
"I don't know what it is with your obsession with Atlantis," Tamara chided.
"It's cool," Tabby justified herself.
"Anyway, Tex, it's over between us," Tamara ended.
"Oh, that was so dramatic," Tabby sighed.
Tex went down on his knees in front of Tamara. "Oh, Tamara, no! Tell me it isn't
true."
Tamara, however, ignored his pleadings and went out the door. Tabby exited as well,
but
found that when she stepped off Tex's porch, she fell into a large hole filled with cold, dark
water.
All of a sudden, a squid tentacle appeared. The lumbering purple body showed itself
soon
after. The tentacle began wrapping around Tabby. Tabby screamed...
* * *
"What are you screaming about in the middle of the night again, Tabitha?" asked a very
annoyed Tamara as she peeked in her cousin's room.
"Squid... Weedo..." Tabby mumbled distantly, immediately drifting off to sleep
again.
"That same old line about squid and weeds... really, Tabby!" Tamara turned away and
walked back down the hallway, to continue her dreams of fancy dresses and expensive
jewelry...