After the incident with Marvin the Martian, everything went back to normal. Mint and Rio still needed to stop the great evil that is coming, because even though Marvin was bad, he was not the great evil they were after.

Mint and her grandfather had just come back to the hotel from Disney World. "Thanks for bringing me to Disney World, Grandpa," said Mint.

"I'm glad you had a good time. That Epcot place was amazing."

"Epcot was boring," Mint replied, sticking out her tongue. "The Magic Kingdom was the best amusement park there. I even met Cinderella! What are we doing tonight?"

"I'm gonna rest in our hotel room," said Grandpa with a laugh. "I don't have as much energy as you do."

"Okay, Grandpa. I'll go meet with my new friends in the lounge." Kissing her grandfather on the cheek, she headed down the hall. On her way, she saw Bugs and Daffy. "Hi guys!" she said. "I went to Walt Disney World with my Grandpa today. I love Disney World! Mickey Mouse is awesome."

"Ugh," said Daffy. "How can people like that oversized rodent? People should like ducks, not mice. Ducks are fun."

"Daffy!" Bugs reprimanded, glaring at his friend. "So you went to Disney World," he said to Mint. "Did you do anything interesting?"

"I did," said Mint. "I'll tell you in the lounge." So they went to the lounge and met with Mario, Fred Flintstone, and the Chipettes. Mint told them that she went to Disney World.

"So Mint," asked Bugs. "What did you do that was interesting? We're dying to hear."

"Well, I went on the Snow White ride. It was awesome! But the part where the evil queen turned into a witch was a bit scary."

"Oh my gosh," said Brittany, "when we went on that ride for the first time it scared us too!"

"I remember that too," said Eleanor, shuddering. "I had nightmares for weeks."

Jeanette rolled her eyes. "We know. We had to share a bed with you and you woke us up screaming!"

"You should go to Universal next," Fred said, cutting off an argument between the sisters. "Go on the Hanna-Barbera ride. That's my favorite."

"Did you eat at Tony's while you were there?" asked Mario. "That's my favorite restaurant." He couldn't get enough of Italian food.

"We saw it. But I ate at Cinderella's Royal Table instead."

"That's my second favorite," said Mario. "You know how much I like princesses. Especially when they're feeding me and I don't have to save them."

"By the way, Mint," said Bugs, "you said you met my friend Mickey Mouse today. How's he doing?"

"I don't know, really," she replied. "When I had a picture with him he didn't talk to me at all."

"Oh I forgot," said Bugs, glancing nervously at the others and giving Mint a fake smile. "He tends to be kind of shy at the parks."

"Way to go, Bugs," Daffy whispered to him. "You had to ask how the rat was doing."

"I thought she met the real Mickey," Bugs whispered back. "I didn't know it was just a man in a costume."

"What are you two whispering about?" Mint asked.

"Oh, nothing," said Bugs.

"Nope," Daffy agreed, smirking at his friend. "Nothing at all."

The next morning, Rio met with Craig Walker, the owner of the Animation Resort, for a new task. "Rio," Walker said, "you are my best employee so I can only trust you with this task. This is Anya, our new employee. I'd like you to train her."

"I'll do my best, Mr. Walker," said Rio.

He raised his eyebrow. "Your best?"

"I'll make sure that Anya knows her job," she clarified.

"That's good," said Walker. "First, you should give her a tour of the hotel and introduce her to some of the guests and staff. Then you can show her what her duties will be."

"Yes boss," said Rio. "I won't fail you."

"That's it for now," said Walker, waving them away. "Carry on."

In the lobby, Gaston and Lefou from Beauty and the Beast arrived at the hotel. "This will be a great vacation, won't it Gaston?" Lefou asked, bouncing up and down with excitement.

"I bet it will," said Gaston. "I love Disney World. There are great rides and attractions, other villains to talk to, and this time I'll get Belle to marry me."

"That again?" Lefou asked. "You've tried a gazillion times and she's rejected you every time."

"Don't worry, Lefou," said Gaston, throwing his arm around his friend's neck and lifting him up into the air. "I'm sure that this time will be different. Once this vacation is over, Belle will be my bride."

"Didn't you say that last time?" asked Lefou.

Gaston dropped him onto the floor.

Back at the restaurant Bugs, Mint, and Daffy having dinner when Rio arrived. "Who's your friend?" Mint asked after they'd all said hello.

"I'd like to introduce you to a new employee, Anya. Anya, these toons are Mint Clark, Bugs Bunny, and Daffy Duck. They are guests at this resort."

"Hello, Anya," said Daffy. "I'm Daffy, a famous cartoon star. Many people love my cartoons. Even more than that rabbit next to me."

"You're Bugs Bunny," Anya said to Bugs, shaking his hand. "I've heard all about your cartoons. I am a huge fan."

"Oh sure," said Daffy. "They're always a fan of the rabbit and not the duck."

"Then you should be used to it by now," Bugs shot back, taking Anya's hand and kissing it. "I'm always glad to see a fan."

"Oh and one more thing," said Rio. "I'm having Anya deliver the food. You'll be her first customers."

They all looked at each other nervously, but smiled. When Anya came with the food, she accidentally caught the cart's front wheel on the carpet and the food went splattering all over them.

"This is great," said Daffy. "Now I need to wash this food off."

"Calm down Daff," said Bugs. "She's new at this."

"I'm sorry," Rio said, rushing right over. "I'll get the janitor to clean this up right away. Don't worry. The bill's on me."

Meanwhile a few tables down, Gaston and Lefou were getting ready to eat dinner when Gaston noticed Rio and fell in love. "Wow, Lefou, would you look at that," said Gaston. "She is so beautiful—the lucky girl I'm going to marry."

"But I thought you wanted Belle," said Lefou.

"Forget Belle! I've tried so many times and failed. I'm gonna go for this girl."

"I don't know . . ." said Lefou. "What if she rejects you?"

"I don't think she will," Gaston said. "I'll just use my charm and when she sees how good-looking I am she won't be able to refuse! It works all the time."

"But that didn't work on Belle," Lefou said. "This girl might be like her."

Gaston smacked Lefou in the head.

After everything was cleaned up, and Bugs, Mint, and Daffy were done eating dinner, Gaston went to Rio for his proposal. "Hey there, good looking," he said to Rio, giving her his biggest smile.

"Hello," said Rio, looking wary. "Can I help you with anything?"

"My name's Gaston. What's yours?"

"Rio. Is there anything I can do to help?" she repeated.

"Of course," said Gaston. "You know, Rio, there's isn't a girl as beautiful as you. You would be the perfect bride."

"Okay . . ." Rio said, a little creeped out. Weird guy, she thought.

"Picture this," Gaston continued, ignoring her lukewarm reaction. "We could live in a nice lodge, I am a hunter, so I'll do a lot of hunting. I'll be roasting my kill. We'll also have six or seven little ones."

"What do you mean little ones?"

"Strapping boys like me," Gaston explained. "And do you want to know who the groom is?"

"Let me guess," said Rio, rolling her eyes; she got this kind of reaction all the time.

"Me Rio. Will you marry me? Yes, or ohhhh yes?"

"I'm very sorry, sir," said Rio, "but I'm not allowed to have that kind of relationship with the guests."

Then Gaston grabbed Rio and said, "C'mon now. You know you want me."

Rio picked up a pitcher of water and splashed it on Gaston. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. " I think you have an accident. Your pants are all wet. . . ."

Gaston stormed out of the restaurant. Rio smiled, turning to Anya, who'd been watching the entire thing. "And that's how you treat obnoxious guests."

Bugs, Daffy, and Mint were getting ready to swim in the pool. " This is great," said Mint. "After a nice dinner, I get to have a nice swim in the pool."

"Us ducks love the water," said Daffy. "We were made to swim."

Rio showed up, holding a giant stack of towels. "I brought these for when you're ready to dry off," she said quietly, setting them down on one of the poolside tables.

"Why the long face, doc?" Bugs asked.

"Well," said Rio, sitting down at the edge of the pool and lowering her voice, "after you left this creepy guy named Gaston showed up and asked me to marry him."

"Hey, I know Gaston!" said Mint. "He's the villain from Beauty and the Beast. I didn't know villains were allowed at this hotel."

"Did you see the sign at the entrance?" said Rio. "'Toons of all kinds are welcome.' That includes villains. But they still have to follow the rules."

"What did you say when he asked to marry you?" Bugs asked.

"I said no, of course! But I'm not sure he took that answer really well though."

"We'd better keep an eye on him," said Bugs. "If he's a villain then he might cause trouble. I guess he's probably planning something now."

"But that Gaston character is no match for us," said Daffy. "Compared to us he's just a kid."

Bugs, Daffy, and Mint dried off and Mint changed into her regular clothes. Mint went to find the rest of her friends and told them what had happened.

Bugs and Daffy knew they needed help, so they went to go find Mickey Mouse at Disney World. As they were going through the lobby, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy came in. "Hiya Bugs," said Mickey. "Long time no see."

"Hi, Mickey," said Bugs. "What's up, doc?"

"Your catchphrase!" Mickey said with a delighted laugh. "That never gets old."

"You could say that," said Bugs. "Listen I need your help."

"Sure thing Bugs. What do you need?"

"There's a friend of mine, Rio," said Bugs. "And she met a guy named Gaston who asked her to marry him."

"We know him," said Mickey. "He's a Disney villain."

"Wait a minute," said Daffy. "I thought Disney characters stayed at the park. What is one doing at this hotel?"

"Not all of us do," said Mickey. "I know some who stay here, but I know that Gaston likes pretty women. He usually tries to go after Belle when he's at the park."

"Then why is he after Rio?" Bugs asked.

"I don't know," said Mickey. "But I know that when he gets rejected he doesn't take it really well."

"Then we have to make sure that Rio's safe," said Bugs. "We'll think up a plan so that she doesn't get into any harm."

"Great idea," said Goofy. "Let's get going."

In the lounge, Gaston was upset about Rio rejecting him. "Who does she think she is?" he muttered. "I can't believe she rejected someone like me! How can I be rejected like this. Nobody rejects Gaston!"

"Yeah you're darn right." said Lefou, politely refraining from mentioning that this very scenario had happened with Belle countless times.

"Dismissed! Rejected! Publicly humiliated! I can't take it!." He threw the beer that Lefou had given him into the fire.

"More beer?" Lefou asked.

"What for?" said Gaston. "Nothing helps! I feel disgraced."

"Who, you?" said Lefou. "Never! Gaston, you gotta pull yourself together." Then Lefou began singing a song they both knew very well, one that always cheered his friend up Gaston from their movie. The other villains sang along too. As the last note died away, all the villains returned to their seats, refilling their drinks and ignoring the messy stains that were spreading across the tables and carpet.

They were villains, after all; what'd they care about making a mess?

As they left the lounge, Gaston saw Mint hanging out with Rio. "Hey Lefou," he asked, "Do you know who that little girl is?"

"Why that's Mint Clark," answered Lefou, a secret anime fan. "She's from...She's from...I don't know."

"Then how do you know her name?"

"I heard Rio call her by her name."

He watched them talking, rubbing his chin. After a moment he said, "Lefou I'm afraid I've been thinking."

"Oh no, not again," Lefou groaned.

"That girl looks really young. She must be friends with Rio. Close friends, I'd wager. I say we kidnap Mint and use her for ransom. I bet Rio would do anything to keep her from being in harm's way."

"Don't you think that'll make her mad?"

"I don't care. I want her to be mine—and once she sees how great life with me is, she'll be happy I brought us together."

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"Now Lefou," said Gaston, shaking his head at his sidekick's trepidation. "I know a lot about women. I bet this will work."

The good guys met in the lounge, grimacing at the mess. Once introductions had been made and they'd found a clean spot in the corner, Mickey said, "Listen everyone, for those who don't know this guy," he held up a picture of Gaston, "this is Gaston. He is a Disney villain from the movie Beauty and the Beast."

"I've heard of that story," said Fred. "Isn't that a fairy tale?"

"Yes it is," said Mickey. "But Disney made it into a movie last year, and I remember that in the movie Gaston wanted to marry Belle. When she rejected him, he blackmailed her by having her father locked up in an insane asylum unless she agreed to marry him. He might try to do the same to Rio by putting one of her close friends in danger. Who is Rio's closest friend?"

"Why, I think Mint is," said Bugs, looking at Rio to confirm it.

She nodded, having grown close to the little girl since they'd met.

"Then most likely Mint's in danger," said Eleanor.

"We've got to protect her," said Mario. "So . . . where is she?"

"She had to go to the bathroom," said Daffy.

"And you didn't go make sure she was okay?!" Bugs demanded.

"I was distracted," said Daffy. "Besides, we didn't know she was in danger then. You can't blame the duck for everything."

"Let's go find Mint and make sure she's okay," said Bugs.

As Mint left the bathroom, Lefou came and snatched her, covering her mouth and dragging her to their hotel room.

Rio, who'd been searching the hotel for Mint, was surprised to find a note slipped under her bedroom door when she returned for a break. She opened and read it, and with a gasp sprinted to find Bugs and the others to tell them what had happened. "They found her! They left me this!"

"Let me read it," Bugs said, taking the note and opening it. "'Dear Rio,'" he read, "'I have your friend Mint. If you want to see her again meet me at room 872.' It isn't signed, but we know who it is. Daffy, Mickey, and I will come with you. I knew Gaston would be causing trouble."

"If only we'd found her sooner," Rio murmured, shaking her head.

Goofy put a hand on her shoulder. "We were all searching as hard as we could," he said. "We did our best."

"It's just what Mickey said," said Daffy. "We got to get Mint back somehow."

"I think I have an idea," said Mickey.

The four of them went to room 872, the others staying behind while Rio went in alone. Mint was in the corner of the bedroom, tied to a chair with a gag in her mouth.

"Gaston, I'm here," said Rio. "Let her go."

"I will. don't worry," he replied, still trying to be charming. "She hasn't been hurt at all . . . yet. Here's the deal: I'll release her, if you marry me." She stared at him in horror; she'd known that this was what Gaston had wanted, but she still hadn't been prepared. "One little word, Rio, that's all it takes."

She met Mint's eyes and hesitated, then lifted her chin and glared at Gaston. "Never."

He sighed, looking mournful. "Have it your way, then." Glancing over his shoulder, he added, "Get the hammer Lefou."

Lefou grabbed a big sledgehammer and was gonna whack Mint with it until — "Stop!" said a familiar voice. It was Mickey. "Hi Gaston, long time no see."

"Mickey!" said Gaston with a charismatic smile, turning the charm on the fellow Disney toon. "It's been a while."

"Enough games," said Mickey. "How about we settle this?"

"What do you mean?" asked Gaston.

"A round of pool," said Mickey. "If I win. you release Mint."

"And what if I win?" asked Gaston.

"If you win," said Mickey, glancing at Rio to make sure she was on board. When the older girl nodded, he finished: "Then Rio will marry you."

"It's a deal," said Gaston, grinning at Rio. "We'll meet at the lounge in an hour. Don't be late."

"Don't worry," said Mickey. "I won't."

The game began as soon as everyone was gathered. Mickey hit two balls in holes. Then Gaston hit four. Mickey hit three balls in holes, Gaston hit more. The game continued on while everyone in the lounge watched with baited breath; even those who didn't know the stakes were shocked by what a close game it was. These were two of the most skilled players anyone had ever seen.

Finally Mickey and Gaston were tied. "This'll decide it," Mickey said cheerfully, trying not to look worried. Rio had her arms around Mint (who was still tied up, but only by her hands so no one outside their group would be able to tell) and was almost too afraid to look.

Gaston smirked, lining up his shot. He aimed to put the 8-ball in a hole, and the ball rolled steadily, straight for the pocket . . . but at the last minute curved just enough to not go in. He'd failed.

Mickey took a deep breath, then hit the 8-ball as well. Like Gaston's shot, it was straight as an arrow, veered slightly . . . but not enough to knock it off course, as it rolled neatly into a hole, winning the game.

The lounge burst into applause as Mickey sat back, wiping his forehead with relief. "Congratulations Mickey," said Bugs. "You did great."

"All right, Gaston," said Mickey. "I won the game fair and square. Now you've got to release Mint."

He looked around at everyone, seeing that none of them were going to let him weasel out of this. "It isn't fair," he said angrily. "I'm the best! I always win!"

"You don't win this time, loser," Rio snapped, untying Mint's hands and hugging her.

Gaston paused, sizing up the rest of the room. "All right then," he said, sighing and letting his shoulders drop. " If I can't win your hand in marriage . . ." Then he leapt forward and wrapped one beefy arm around her waist, "then I'll take it by force!"

"Let go of me!" Rio shouted, but she couldn't wriggle out of his grip. "Somebody! Help!"

"Hey, this isn't what we agreed on!" Mickey argued.

"Who cares?" said Gaston. "I'm a villain. Villains never play fair." Shoving them out of the way, he ran off with Rio.

"What are we standing around for?" said Bugs. "Let's go save her!"

Bugs, Mint, Daffy, and Mickey chased Gaston around the hotel, following him up and down stairs, weaving through hallways and in and out of rooms until they cornered him.

"It's over. Mickey," said Gaston. "Rio is mine!"

Then Mint stepped out from behind everyone else, holding up a large hammer. "It looks like you need to learn some manners when it comes to ladies," she said.

"Hey. where did you get that?" he demanded.

"That's a secret," said Mint. Then she whacked Gaston and he fell unconscious.

The next morning Mint and the toon squad got ready to eat breakfast.

"Well, everything's back to normal," said Bugs. "Gaston has been suspended for three months so I don't think we'll see him for a long time."

"Hopefully next time he'll know better than to make a fool of himself over Rio," said Daffy.

"Yesterday was almost Rio's wedding day," Mint said, shaking her head.

"I'd like to get married someday," said Rio. "But I'm waiting for prince charming. And that was not him."

"By the way, Mickey," Mint asked. "Why didn't you talk to me when I saw you at disney world?"

"Uhh . . ." Mickey said nervously but then Anya came with the food. " Look here's our food!"

As Anya was delivering the food, she tripped again and the food splattered on Daffy. "Ugh!" he spluttered, wiping the food off his face. "Why does this always happen to me?"

The End