Dug, Nick Wilde, and Baby Maxene were still lost in their own world in the Sunken Garden, completely unaware of the mini-drama unfolding not too far from them. The breeze played softly with the edges of Dug's cardigan as she laughed at something Baby Maxene said, while Nick Wilde handed their little girl another snack. They were the picture-perfect family, untouched by the chaos building on the other side of the park.
Meanwhile, back under the tree, the group was still reeling from JR's sudden appearance with Unicorn, aka Stacey, in tow. Stacey, clearly confused by the commotion, looked at Sheena and Maloi, who were both still recovering from their initial shock.
"*Teka nga, bakit kayo 'Unicorn' ng 'Unicorn' sa akin? Mukha ba kong kabayo na may sungay?*" Stacey asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow, her lips slightly curled into a challenging smirk.
Sheena and Maloi immediately froze. They exchanged awkward glances, before both of them slowly turned their heads to look at JR, the very definition of guilt plastered across his face.
Maloi, trying to stifle her laughter, pointed at JR and said, "*Ay Ate Girl! Ayan jowa mo tanungin mo! Siya yung mastermind ng code names!*"
Sheena quickly nodded, adding, "*Oo nga, teh! Si JR ang nagpakawitty mag-isip ng mga code names niyo, hindi kami! Magaling magpaka-creative, diba?*"
Stacey's eyebrow shot up higher as she shifted her gaze to JR, who was now scratching the back of his neck nervously, his attempt at an innocent smile failing miserably.
"*Talaga ba, JR?*" Stacey asked, her arms crossed tightly as she gave him a withering look.
JR gulped and avoided eye contact, feeling the weight of her glare. "*Mah Mehn... kasi... ano...*"
Before JR could even finish his excuse, Gian suddenly burst out laughing, catching everyone off guard. His usually quiet demeanor was nowhere to be found as he doubled over, unable to control himself.
The group stared at him, their confusion growing. Gian? Laughing like that? It was rare—unheard of, actually.
"*Ano nangyayari sa'yo?*" Maloi asked, giggling at how uncharacteristic Gian's reaction was.
Still struggling to catch his breath, Gian pointed at JR and Stacey, barely able to get his words out. "*Ang sweet sweet niyo nung sinundan namin kayo... tapos 'Mah Mehn' pa ang tawagan niyo?! Parang reincarnation ni Barbie at Ken, pero sa halip na 'Honey' or 'Baby', 'Mah Mehn' ang tawagan niyo!*"
Gian's laughter escalated, and soon enough, his laughter became contagious. Maloi and Sheena couldn't help themselves, bursting into giggles at the hilarity of it all.
Stacey rolled her eyes, though there was a hint of amusement in them. "*Mah Mehn daw kasi siya,*" she explained, nudging JR playfully, "*kaya ayun, ayaw niya ng mga common na tawagan. Kailangan daw 'macho'!*"
JR's face turned crimson as he gave Stacey a sheepish grin, "*Eh kasi naman, unique dapat tayo, diba Mah Mehn?*"
Sheena clutched her stomach as she laughed even harder. "*Tama nga naman! Unique na unique! Ang pogi ni MJ, ex mo, tapos kay JR ka nagpa-uto ng bongga?*"
"*Grabe ka talaga, Sheena!*" Maloi teased, joining in on the laughter. "*From Prince Charming to Mah Mehn! Ano yan, Stacey, downgrade o upgrade?*"
Gian, still chuckling but calming down a bit, added, "*May pagka-bad boy kasi daw si JR, kaya Mah Mehn. Ayaw magpakalambing masyado.*"
Stacey waved them off, pretending to be offended but secretly enjoying the teasing. "*Ano ba, ang dami niyo namang sinasabi. Ganyan talaga kapag maangas ang jowa mo.*"
"*Maangas nga, pero porma mo parang tatay ng kalsada!*" Sheena shot back, making the entire group erupt in laughter again.
JR groaned, leaning against a tree for support. "*Tama na, tama na, ang sakit na ng tiyan ko, mga accla!*"
As the laughter slowly died down, Stacey seemed to remember something, her brows knitting together in curiosity. "*Pero teka... ano nga bang ginagawa niyo dito sa Sunken Garden? Sinusundan niyo na naman ba kami?*"
Maloi, ever the quick one, straightened up and wagged her finger dramatically. "*Gaga ka! Hindi ikaw ang target namin today! Ikaw ang bonus prize!*"
"*Talaga?*" Stacey raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "*Eh sino naman ang pinuntirya niyo ngayon? Sinetch yung mas chismosa-worthy kesa sakin?*"
Sheena, who was already grinning from ear to ear, leaned closer and whispered, "*Si Dug at si Nick Wilde.*"
Before she could elaborate further, Gian, realizing Sheena was about to spill too much, quickly covered her mouth with his hand, looking around nervously as if they were being watched.
Stacey, now fully intrigued, crossed her arms again and leaned in. "*Sinong Dug?*"
Maloi and Sheena exchanged glances, silently asking each other if they should spill the beans. Maloi then gave JR a pointed look, signaling him to do the honors of explaining the code names since it was his brainchild in the first place.
JR sighed, giving in to the pressure. "*Okay, okay. Dug, as in... Golden Retriever ni Russell sa *Up!* You know, loyal, sweet, and kinda... sunshiny?*"
Stacey furrowed her brows, processing the nickname. "*Okay... tapos sino naman si Nick Wilde?*"
"*Edi yung fox sa Zootopia,*" JR answered, sounding almost proud of his cleverness.
Stacey's confusion deepened. "*So, may dog at may fox... sino pa?*"
JR grinned, enjoying the game. "*Well, si McWolf yung sa *Droopy* cartoons dati. Wolf na funny pero halatang mahilig sa drama.*"
Stacey raised both eyebrows now, clearly amused. "*And let me guess, ikaw din ang nagpasimuno sa 'Unicorn' na nickname ko?*"
JR nodded eagerly. "*Syempre! Ikaw kaya! Ang hilig mo sa fluffy things, pink, at lahat ng girly stuff. Natural na unicorn!*"
Stacey rolled her eyes, but she couldn't hide her smile. "*Akala ko kasi mukha akong kabayo eh. Kaya pala Unicorn?*"
Maloi smirked, catching on to Stacey's tone. "*Masyado kang harsh sa sarili mo, girl. Alam mo namang ang cute cute mo.*"
Gian, always the observer, decided to join the teasing. "*Pero totoo, tunog kabayo minsan si JR.*"
Stacey laughed, and Maloi, Sheena, and Gian followed, throwing friendly jabs at JR while he tried to defend himself, though he wasn't really trying that hard.
As they continued to poke fun at each other, the teasing finally subsided, leaving the group in a relaxed, comfortable silence. Then, out of nowhere, Sheena piped up with a mischievous grin.
"*So, Stacey... kilala mo ba si Baby Maxene?*"
Stacey's expression shifted, her brows knitting together in confusion. "*Huh? Paano niyo nakilala si Baby Maxene?*"
Maloi, sensing the curiosity in Stacey's tone, couldn't resist pressing further. "*So alam mo nga? Kilala mo si Maxene?*"
Stacey blinked, as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "*Malamang! Inaanak ko yun!*"
The group went silent. The weight of Stacey's words hit them like a truck. JR, Sheena, Maloi, and even Gian all exchanged shocked looks, their jaws practically dropping to the floor.
"*Inaanak mo?*" Sheena gasped, her voice barely above a whisper.
Stacey nodded, completely nonchalant about it, as if she hadn't just dropped a massive bombshell. "*Oo naman. Bakit parang ngayon niyo lang nalaman? Matagal na yun ah.*"
The silence lingered for a beat longer before Maloi, wide-eyed and still in shock, managed to sputter, "*Inaanak mo?!*"
JR, shaking his head as if to clear the cobwebs of confusion, muttered, "*Paano nangyari yun?!*"
Stacey simply shrugged, a small, knowing smile playing on her lips as she turned her attention back to the scene playing out in the distance—Dug, Nick Wilde, and Baby Maxene, still in their own little world.
And just like that, another layer of mystery had unfolded in front of them, leaving the group with more questions than answers.
