(There is no way Iâm using the canon âTwo Grumpies Make a Grumpyâ thing. And letâs hope this goes under a read more.) Here we go.
*****
âWe were all heading for each other on a collision course, no matter what. Maybe some people are just meant to be in the same story.â
1D
**
When Doc settled in Jollywood, he never expected others. He had come for career opportunities, after all, not friends.
The aspiring inventor had heard about the enchanted land. People said that every one was happy there, that there was a wide variety of job opportunities. So Doc took his toolbox and left for Jollywood.
He came into town as an inventor. The dwarf had a pretty solid reputationâŠat the start.
Business had been booming. Lots of money was coming in, and Doc planned on moving out of his apartment soon. Each of his inventions had worked perfectly, and people loved them.
Eventually, he got two orders at once. One was for the local milkgirl, who said she could wait, the other for an important traveler. Doc had ended up working on the girlâs invention, completely forgetting about the other.
It wasnât that he didnât try. He just couldnât focus. OrâŠcome up with anything at all for that matter.
Of course, the thoughts of the important person traveled faster and farther, and meant more. Doc was rethought as rash, forgetful, rude, and an awful businessman.
The income shrunk, and business was horrible. Doc was stuck in his small home, afraid of going back and admitting that he failed.
To make things worse, his cousin came along to live with him.
**
2D
**
Happy was more than excited to get out in the world, so full of wonderful and incredible things! And what better way to get started, than to move in with his smart cousin? Doc was a genius, and could show him the ropes to adulthood.
He had bounced the whole way to Jollywood. The city looked so friendly, and the castle was gorgeous! It was sure to be a great kingdom.
The blond arrived at his cousinâs apartment and cheerfully rapped on the door. Slowly, the door creaked open, revealing a worn out Doc.
âCome on in, Happy.â
âDoc!â Happy immediately grabbed his relative in a bear hug.
Doc smiled. His cousin always did have that effect. He simply radiated joy, true to his name.
After Happy had finished, he ran into the apartment, dragging his luggage behind him. âNice place, Doc!â
It really wasnât. The apartment was small, not big enough for two people. The paint was chipping, and the place wasnât very decorated.
âHowâs the inventing going?â
Doc pushed his glasses back into place. âNot great. Iâll need to find a new job.â
The inventor traveled to one of the many machines that filled the room. âIâve been detecting high magic readings around this area, though. Maybe we could do something with that.â
And they did. The duo set out the next day with two of Docâs magic detectors.
âThese ratings are off the charts!â Doc scribbled numbers and notes on a piece of paper. âThe kingdom alone is extremely magically active, but this area seems to have even more!â
âThis place is the coolest!â Happy gushed.
âAccording to my calculations, the height of the magic is underground.â
âLetâs dig it up!â
âWhat?â
Happy grinned. âItâll be fun! Plus weâre bound to get plenty of money from whatever it is.â
A week later, it became routine: wake up, eat, grab some tools, and set off to mine. They really did hit the jackpot. From Docâs readings, there were miles and miles of fantastic gems, filled with magic.
It started slow, as there were only two of them, but soon, Doc was getting back into business.
It took a while, but they eventually got a heaping load of cash.
âWhere do you wanna move, Doc?â
âI think hereâs good.â
Doc drew out the plans for a cottage near the mine. Living in the town meant a long walk to work every morning, and another long one at night. It seemed better to just live near the mine.
A cottage sprung up in the following months. It was small, but still bigger than the apartment. It became home quickly.
But somehow, it was still missing something.
**
3D
**
Grumpy moved out, taking his goat with him. He couldnât stand living in that town anymore. He couldnât stand being laughed at anymore.
His criminal record wasnât the cleanest there, either.
The first building that appeared on the horizon was a cottage. It showed no signs of being part of a town.
The dwarf thought about stopping by, getting some food, maybe rest a bit. He thought about it, but that would require interacting with people. He wasnât that hungry.
Grumpy kept walking, his goat at his side. They barely passed the cottage, when the door burst open, and a blond dwarf came running over to them.
âHi! My nameâs Happy! Are you traveling? Do you need a place to rest? You can stay here. Are you hungry? Thereâs still some soup left over from dinner! C'mon!â
It all happened so fast. The next thing Grumpy knew, he was being dragged into the cottage.
Grumpy had to give this guy points, though. He let Giselle inside the house.
The dwarf was quickly seated, and a steaming bowl of succotash soup was placed in front of him.
âHappy, Iâve been mapping out the mine and-âŠwho is this guy?â Another blond dwarf had walked in, carrying some papers.
âHeâs a traveler, Doc! I figured he could get a bite to eat and rest here! Look, heâs got a goat!â The dwarf named Happy beamed and tried to pet Giselle. Giselle tried to bite his hand.
âHaving a goat in the house is really unsanitary,â Doc commented.
Grumpy and his pet both turned to glare.
âIâll have you know, my Giselle is the cleanest goat Iâve ever seen.â
âThat doesnât necessarily make it clean. Youâve just seen a lot of filthy goats.â
Grumpy and Doc argued back and forth, Happy standing awkwardly in the middle.
âHey, itâs getting late! Maybe you should just stay for the night. Iâll sing a good night song!â Happy smiled and pulled out a guitar.
Grumpy huffed. âNo way Iâm stayinâ here. Letâs go, Giselle.â The two were nearly out the door, when a large rumble of thunder and crack of lightning shook the house. Rain came down like bullets on the roof.
âCome on, you have to stay now!â Happy grinned hopefully.
Both Grumpy and Doc grumbled, but eventually agreed.
There were thunderstorms for a week straight. They were all trapped in the house, forced to interact.
When the sun finally came out after seven days, the dwarves were fairly used to living together.
Grumpy remembered, though. He took his goat and got ready to leave.
Doc had stepped outside with him, turned to the cottage. âIf weâre all gonna be living here, I think itâll need more room.â
It was as good an invitation as any to stay. And stay they did.
**
4D
**
Dopey didnât remember much, just being afraid. Granted, he was a baby. He couldnât be expected to remember all of his story.
Giselle had been wandering around the land. It was still new to her, and she wanted to check it out. She expected ant hills and flowers. She did not expect a crying baby.
The source of the noises was in the woods. It was tiny, too tiny. Freckles spotted his cheeks, which were also covered in tears.
The goat panicked. She ended up knocking a flower toward the child, who curiously grabbed it. He sniffed it, and giggled. The babyâs red nose was dusted with pollen.
Giselle figured she couldnât leave the kid. She knew dwarves couldnât handle the cold as well as animals, especially babies. So, the goat lifted the smiling child onto her back, and trotted back to the cottage.
Grumpy had found out about the kid soon enough, and Doc had tried to interfere. Giselle snapped at him.
The dwarves couldnât take the baby away from the goat, and they tried everything. The three did still offer baby clothes, high chairs, and the like.
As the baby grew, he spent more time in the forest than at the cottage. Sometimes he would disappear for a few days, but he always came back. With more cuts and bruises, yes, but he came back.
Doc, Happy, and Grumpy didnât see the kid much, but Doc still worried.
âShouldnât he be walking on two legs by now?â
That cut looks bad!â
âHas he been eating?â
Happy assured his cousin that the child was fine. âSee? Heâs always smiling that dopey smile.â
Dopey grew, and Doc figured he could live in the house now, without Giselle bleating angrily and trying to protect Dopey.
They tried to talk to him, but Dopey just frowned and shook his head. He couldnât understand what they were saying. He didnât know why they were talking in a weird language.
The dwarf was a quick learner, though. He grew up learning the languages of all the animals in the forest, after all. He slowly began to understand what the other dwarves were saying, but he never could make the sounds himself.
Every time he tried, it came out as a whistle. The dwarves all struggled to grasp the language of their newest member. Doc was the most successful, and translated often.
Dopey didnât grow out of his animalistic nature like the dwarves thought he would. He still barked, ran on all fours and loved fetch. There was no changing him, but he did find an interest in dwarven art.
**
5D
**
Sleepy found it difficult to hold a job. He was always dozing off and getting fired, or never getting hired at all. His so called âdisorderâ didnât leave him with a good reputation.
The white haired dwarf really didnât understand what the big deal was. So he got tired during the day, that didnât mean he was a bad guy.
He still needed money, though, and that meant he needed a job. Sleepy figured he could just keep himself awake, and the job would run smoothly.
It wasnât as smooth as he hoped.
The dwarf worked in the factory during the day, and tried to sleep just at night. It wasnât enough sleep for him to function. He was sluggish and dizzy as he worked. His boss told him to step it up or he was gonna be fired.
Sleepy went home that day, barely registering what was happening around him. He collapsed in the middle of the road.
Doc and the others had been out buying a few things, and they saw the dwarf fall into the road. Grumpy was opposed to bringing the stranger home to see if he was alright, but nobody paid the comment any mind.
Happy and Dopey ended up carrying the white haired stranger back to the cottage, where he slept for three days. The four worried about that. Maybe it was a curse?
Nothing they tried could wake the snoozing dwarf. Even Happyâs one man band failed to release the dwarf from his slumber. There was nothing to do but wait.
Eventually, the tired grey eyes did open. Sleepy smiled and stretched, and was instantly bombarded.
âAre you alright?â
âAre you hungry?â
âYouâre awake, now get out.â
âWhatâs your name?â
Sleepy blinked. âUhâŠIâm Sleepy. Where am I? How long was I out?â
Happy smiled. âYouâre at the cottage of the 4D! Itâs been three days.â
âThree days!? Winkers!â Sleepy tore off his blankets and tumbled out of bed. âIâll be fired for sure!â
âYou collapsed in the street.â Doc spoke up. âI donât think you were getting enough sleep.â
âI know.â Sleepy looked down. âI would get fired if I got enough sleep.â
âThatâs ridiculous!â Grumpy crossed his arms.
âGrumpy is right.â Doc looked back at Sleepy. âIf you need a different job, weâre always looking for more dwarves to work with us in the mines.â
âThatâs a nice offer, butâŠIâve never held a job for more than a week. I fall asleep a lot.â Sleepy could feel his cheeks redden.
âThatâs alright!â Happy cheered. âDopey here canât talk, Grumpy is rude, and Doc is sometimes has trouble focusing. We all have our faults.â
âHappy sings too much,â Grumpy mumbled.
âOur offer still stands, if you want it.â Doc smiled warmly.
Sleepy considered it, but there really wasnât much to consider. He would either be pushed around and constantly worn out, or he would have a steady job and possible friends.
âThat sounds great.â
**
6D
**
âACHOO!â
Queen Delightful nervously watched a building crumble. âThis has only gotten worse. I need to ring the Bing Bong Bell!â
Instantly, a rope fell from the sky. The queen tugged on the end, sending a familiar chime of bells echoing through the kingdom.
Recently, the queen had noticed the extraordinary abilities of the local miners. They had saved the kingdom, and she figured they would be useful to have around. Now, whenever she rang that bell, the 5D would come to her aid.
âHeigh ho!â The dwarves shot out of the tubes installed into the castle.
âWhat do you need, Queen Delightful?â Doc stood at the front of the group as the leader.
âThereâs a dwarf in the village, and his sneezes have been wrecking things! The construction workers have been working overtime to keep up with him. I need you to find a way to stop him destroying the kingdom!â
âA super strength allergy pill should do the trick. Come on, fellas!â Doc pulled a bottle of pills from his hat and led his team back down the tubes.
The group quickly reached the housing of the destructive dwarf. Happy was about to knock, when the door completely flew off of its hinges.
âI guess thatâs an invitation to go in!â The blond dwarf stepped right inside, followed by the others.
âWinkers! This place is a mess.â Sleepy stepped over some broken glass. Dopey stopped walking on all fours in fear of getting his hands badly injured.
âHello?â Doc called out.
âBeezers! Iâm sorry!â A nasally voice responded.
Grumpy scoffed at the apology.
âItâs alright!â Happy spoke cheerfully. âWe brought you some medicine!â
A figure peeked its head out of another room. He had a medical mask and a mop of fluffy brown hair. A box of tissues was held close to his chest. âCareful, I donât wanna sneeze atcha.â
Queen Delightful didnât specify how old the dwarf was, but he looked to be pretty young. He wasnât a kid, but he didnât have a beard either.
âThanks.â The brunet took the bottle of pills that was held out to him.
âAlright, missionâs over. Letâs leave.â Grumpy was already halfway out the door.
âBye!â Happy followed Grumpy.
Sleepy lingered for a bit longer. âGood luck with your allergies.â
The five were pretty satisfied with their solution, but the next day, the Bing Bong Bell rang again, and Queen Delightful had the same problem.
âThe p-pills didnât work. ACHOO!â
The 5D ducked to avoid the flying snot.
Doc tapped his chin. âThose were the strongest pills I had.â
âWell, clearly the only solution is for nose-boy to go live somewhere else,â Grumpy commented.
The nasally dwarfâs face fell.
âWell maybe, if I had, whatâs your name?â Doc asked.
âSn-sneezy.â
Doc continued. âIf I had Sneezy at our cottage, I could run some tests on his sneezes. Then we could find out how to stop them.â
Thus, Sneezy came over to the cottage nearly every day. After his sessions with Doc, he would hang out with Sleepy. None of the dwarves could remember a time that Sleepy had been so energetic while awake.
Try as he might, Doc could not find a way to cease the sneezes. They were as powerful and dangerous as ever.
But maybe that wasnât a bad thing.
An attack on Jollywood had happened in the middle of Docâs exam. Sneezy went along with the group when the Bing Bong Bell was rung.
The Gloomsâ latest plot to take over the kingdom involved birds. Sneezy had gotten one whiff of those feathers andâŠ
âHeâs gonna blow!â
âACHOO! ACHOO ACHOO!â The force of the sneezes blew the birds away, and left the Glooms screaming for mercy. (Hildy, mostly because of the snot.)
Sneezy blew his nose. âUgh. Sorry about that , guys.â
He got answered with a group hug (minus Grumpy). âYou saved Jollywood!â
âYouâre a hero, Sneezy!â
âAâŠhero?â The beardless dwarf grinned. âYeahâŠa hero!â
After that, Sneezy was part of the now 6D. His sneezes were helpful, and he had lots of bravery when it came to saving the kingdom. Sneezy had never been happier.
**
7D
**
Bashful ran, and he never turned back. He didnât even dare think about looking back.
The cold air stung his uncovered skin, and seeped into his cuts. His worn shoes were no match for the snow. The dwarf shivered; he probably shouldâve waited until after winter, but he had to get out of there as soon as possible.
A warm light gleamed not too far away. A cottage! Bashful could get some food there, and get out of the cold.
He wouldnât go in, of course. Bashful had had enough of people.
The strawberry blond was relieved to find an area outside with a goat. It was covered and warm. He sat near the goat, trying to a get some warmth from it.
âAlright, Giselle, dinner!â Another dwarf was coming, a plate in hand.
Bashful tried not to squeak, and just let himself fade into the hay.
The dwarf set down a plate of vegetables, then he went back into the warmth of the cottage. The goat began to pick at the food.
Bashful crept over, and reached out to take a small carrot. The rumble of his stomach gave away the dwarf, but the goat let him take the food anyway.
Bashful smiled and scarfed down the vegetable. He planned to reach for moreâŠ
âGiselle, I almost forgot your waterâŠ"The same dwarf with the brown beard from before came out with a dish. He made eye contact with Bashful.
"HEY!â The dwarf dashed toward the thief.
Bashful screamed at the top of his lungs. By reflex, he faded completely, turning invisible.
âSTAY AWAY FROM MY GOAT!â The stranger shook his fist.
Bashful tried not to breathe; he couldnât risk getting caught. Then, his stomach betrayed him by making its hunger known.
Whatâs going on out here, Grumpy?â Five more dwarves were out now. More to hide from.
"I caught a thief!â Grumpy gestured to the hay. âHe"s hiding in there. I just heard him.â
If it wasnât so cold, Bashful wouldâve started to sweat.
One of the dwarves went up to the hiding place. He was on all fours, and sniffed around the hay.
Bashful held his breath, hoping his invisibility would continue to conceal him.
It clearly didnât, as the dwarf whistled, and the others gathered around. A sneeze sent the hay flying, leaving Bashful out in the open.
Seeing six pairs of eyes on him, and no way out, prompted the dwarf into tears. âI-Iâm sorry! I was c-cold and hungry a-and I thought you wouldnât mi-mind a few missing carrots!â Bashful folded in on himself.
âAw, itâs alright. Come on in and eat with us.â A blond dwarf grinned at him.
Bashful stared. He didnât know if these dwarves were trustworthy. Plus, he preferred to be alone.
His stomach growled, settling the debate.
ââŠAlright.â It was barely a whisper, but the blond dwarf heard it.
âCome on! Letâs eat!â
Bashful slowly stood and followed the group. He was given a blanket and a steaming plate of chicken and potatoes. He didnât hesitate to cram as much food into his mouth as fast as possible.
âThank you!â Bashful tried to race back out the door. He just wanted to get away from others. Something latched onto his shirt, keeping him from freedom.
It was a dwarf in glasses, holding out a first aid kit. âYouâre not leaving until I patch up those cuts.â
âIâŠ.uhâŠâ Bashful didnât have the courage to refuse, and so he was covered in bandages after twenty minutes.
âThanks!â He got ready to leave again, when a beardless brunet spoke up.
âDo you have a place to stay?â
No. âIâll be ok. Thank you.â The door was open, letting swirls of snow into the cottage.
The 6D shared glances. They saw right through the lie.
âYou can stay here, if you want,â Doc offered.
Bashful looked back. They seemed friendly enoughâŠand he did need a place to stay.
âOnly if itâs alright.â
The 6D became the 7D that night. All became right with the world. Well, at least Jollywood, anyway.
*****
A/N: Iâm worried I wrote Bashful and Sleepy out of character. In my defense, Iâve been writing for six hours.