Bristle's Blues

Bristle's Blues is the third episode of the second season of Britt Allcroft's Magic Adventures of Mumfie.

Summary
One day, Bristle looses his rulebook. When Bristle meets up with Mumfie at the royal pond, Mumfie suggests that Bristle asks everyone he meets what rules they live by.

Episode recap (Spoilers follow)
One night, as the clock is approaching 11:00PM, Bristle is in his bedroom reading rules 94 through 97, but doesn't get to read rule 97 completely, because that rule states that you have to be asleep by 11:00PM. The next morning, Bristle wakes up and thinks something is wrong. After he says that birds shouldn't chirp before 6:25AM, Bristle notices his rulebook is missing. Bristle looks around his bedroom for the rulebook, when suddenly the Black Cat appears. “I’ve haven’t time for you now! Come back later, I’ve lost…uh…something.” Bristle says, not mentioning that he lost his rulebook, because loosing it is against rule number 1. “Anything can be replaced.” the Black Cat says to Bristle. Then, she disappears, and Bristle continues to look around his bedroom for the book, and is unsuccessful in finding it. “It’s gone! It’s really gone! My book is gone forever! Now that’s against every rule in the book!” Bristle says. He then thinks he left the book in the library, and goes there.

Bristle looks through all the books, and books fall on him when he grabs a book that looks similar to his rulebook. Bristle then thinks since his book has rules about ball games, he left it in the ballroom. Bristle still doesn’t find his book in there, and decides to check the basement. Unfortunately, Bristle can’t find his rulebook in there, and claims that there are no more rooms left to look. Bristle is then worried because he doesn’t know what to do and what the rules for missing rules are, and then cries.

At the Queen of Night’s pond, Mumfie is feeding the fish breakfast. The fish then point out that someone is coming and then swim away. Mumfie gets very confused by the fish suddenly leaving. Bristle then approaches Mumfie. He wishes Bristle a good morning and then notices that Bristle is sniffling, and wonders if he has a cold, and suggests that he should be in bed. Bristle then says he doesn’t know if he should be in bed or not, because he has no rules to go by due to the fact that he has lost his rulebook. “Please cheer up, Bristle! Everyone has at least one rule they go by! If you gathered them all together, perhaps you can fill a whole new book!” Mumfie tells Bristle. Bristle then thinks about Mumfie’s idea, and pulls out his notepad, asking Mumfie what rule he lives by. “When you’re in trouble, ask your friends for help.” Mumfie says. Bristle then thanks Mumfie for his first rule. “You’re welcome, Bristle. I’m pleased to-“ Before Mumfie could finish, Bristle is already gone, trying to find new rules.

In the forest, Bristle is repeating the rule Mumfie said to him over and over, and Bristle thinks that the rule doesn’t make sense to him because he doesn’t have any friends. He then hears Pinkey giggling. “Hello, Bristle! Why are you so far from the palace? Shouldn’t you be bossing everyone about?” Pinkey says as she and her mother are playing with a skipping rope. Pinkey’s mother tells Pinkey not to be rude, and she tells her mother that she doesn’t understand why Bristle doesn’t have anything to do. Bristle then tells them that he is doing something: looking for rules for his rulebook. After explaining that Mumfie says that everyone has a rule to live by, and asks Pinkey what is her rule she lives by, and Pinkey says that her rule is to have fun. Bristle wants to know the exact time one should have fun, and Pinkey asks her mother what time it is. Pinkey’s mother says that it is playtime, and Pinkey thinks that they should show Bristle that it is playtime now. Pinkey’s mother then tosses the skipping rope onto Bristle’s head. He is confused about the skipping rope and asks what it is used for. Pinkey then tells Bristle it is a skipping rope, and Bristle then uses it as a way to carry out rule number 2.

Two black birds wonder why Bristle is jumping up and down, and they think Bristle has ants in the pants or bees in the knees. “Certainly not. I am-“ Before Bristle can explain, he trips on the skipping rope and rolls along the edge of a cliff and eventually lands inside Whale, where he crashes into Davy Jones, who is painting a picture. He winds up ruining the picture Davy Jones was creating. Davy Jones then gets angered that the painting was ruined, and Bristle wondered what the painting was of. “I call it: ‘An Accident Waiting to Happen’.” Davy Jones explains. Bristle then tells Davy Jones that he has a painter’s eye for the truth, and then asks him what rule he lives by. “Keep an eye open for trouble at all times.” Davy Jones tells Bristle. Bristle then asks about why you only need one eye open for trouble, and Davy Jones says it is all he needs, and gives Bristle an eyepatch. He then tells Bristle to get out the way he came in so that he can take him back to the shore.

Bristle then sees Mrs. Admiral. She tells Bristle that he looks different or downhearted today. He says he is both different and downhearted and then Bristle tells Mrs. Admiral that without his rulebook, he is completely lost. He then cries, and Mrs. Admiral says that he isn’t lost because they are on the beach, and she asks Bristle to stop crying and tell her how she can help him. Bristle asks Mrs. Admiral if she has a rule to live by, and Mrs. Admiral claims she has lots of them, but Bristle asks for the most important one, which is “Clean clothes for a clear mind.” This rule is why Mrs. Admiral changes her clothes everyday. Bristle then says he doesn’t have many clothes, so Mrs. Admiral offers Bristle an outfit from her basket of clothes. After trying on many clothes, Bristle decides on a striped outfit that Mrs. Admiral thinks is festive. Bristle thanks Mrs. Admiral and returns to the palace.

We then cut to Bristle is in his bedroom sitting on his bed. At that moment, Napoleon Jones flies in and says hello to him, but Bristle tells Napoleon to go away. Napoleon then wants to know about the fashion statement Bristle is trying to make, but Bristle says he is only interested in rules because he lost his old rulebook, and tells Napoleon about how he made a new rulebook and found the new rules in it unsatisfactory. Napoleon wonders what they are, and when Bristle reads the first rule, “When you’re in trouble, always ask your friends for help”, the Black Cat appears. “Sometimes, we don’t know who our true friends are.” she tells Bristle. Bristle then tells her that he doesn’t have any friends, and as the Black Cat moves to a pillow on Bristle’s bed, she wonders if Bristle wants to make not having any friends a rule before vanishing. Napoleon then walks strangely, confusing Bristle. Bristle then asks what Napoleon is doing, and Napoleon says that he is looking for Bristle’s old rulebook. After this, he lifts up the pillow the Black Cat sat on, and under it is Bristle’s rulebook. “The rules!” Bristle exclaims happily. Napoleon thinks that Bristle did not check thoroughly, but Bristle claims that he is very thorough as he is putting on his normal outfit. Napoleon is about to leave when Bristle stops Napoleon to thank him. Bristle then asks Napoleon what rule he lives by, which is “Always be yourself, but yourself can always change.” Then, Napoleon leaves, and Bristle thinks that out of all the rules he heard that day, Napoleon’s rule was the one he'd truely take to heart.

Trivia

 * Rules 94 through 96 reference the titles of three famous songs, which are "Shaking the Blues Away", "Singing in the Rain", and "Dancing in the Dark".
 * Scarecrow and The Queen of Night do not appear in this episode.
 * Whale doesn't speak in this episode.
 * Everyone Bristle met in the episode, except for the Black Cat, Mumfie, the birds, and Napoleon, gave Bristle something. Pinkey gave Bristle a skipping rope, Davy Jones gave Bristle an eyepatch, and Mrs. Admiral gave Bristle a new outfit.
 * It can be assumed that the Black Cat stole Bristle's rulebook, since Bristle doesn't bring up to her that he lost his rulebook, and the same pillow the Black Cat sat on towards the end of the episode is the same one Bristle finds his rulebook under.