Ricky and his Mighty Robot couldn't take it anymore. They got out of the pond and sat on the front steps, sulking.

"Hey, Ricky," cried Lucy. "Aren't ya coming back in the pond? I poured in a bunch of pink bubble bath! Now it's glamorous!"

When Ricky and his Mighty Robot saw the pond, they were very upset.

"NOOOO!" cried Ricky. "You RUINED it!"

Ricky marched into the backyard where the adults were playing cards.

"MOMMMM!" cried Ricky. "Lucy made our pond all pink and bubbly!"

"Why, that sounds like fun," said Ricky's mom.

"It's NOT fun! It's STUPID!" Ricky shouted. "Every time we start to have fun around here, Lucy has to come along and RUIN it!"

"RICKY RICOTTA," exclaimed Ricky's father. "You have a BAD attitude. You need to apologize RIGHT NOW!"

But before Ricky could get the chance, Lucy started to cry.

"I'm sorry, Ricky," Lucy sobbed. "I just wanted to play with you! I didn't mean to ruin everything."

"I think we'd better go now," said Lucy's mother, Auntie Ethel. Ricky's aunt and uncle helped everybody get into the truck, and soon they were all on their way back home.

Ricky felt terrible.

Ricky's Mighty Robot felt terrible, too.

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Excerpted from Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Unpleasant Penguins from Pluto by Dav Pilkey
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.