The next afternoon after breakfast at Pinky's diner, they all met up like they said they would.
Danny looked over to see the animals lined up after the director for the Tarzan movie had requested only a water buffalo and everyone else was to leave. "Now's our chance, guys." He led them over. "Hey, everybody!"
Pudge whistled, getting everyone's attention.
"Look who's back," Cranston scowled. "I wish he'd consider himself stuffed."
"I know a divine taxidermist, darling," Frances smirked. "Did my first husband."
"I hope this works." Atticus whispered.
"Hey everybody, gather 'round, don't let this old town get ya down," Danny made a droopy dog smile, then went to a couple of horses. "Look at you there with the long, long face."
"Hey!" one of the horses looked to the other. "He must be talkin' to you!"
"You take this and you take that, come over here, TW, and put on this hat," Danny continued as the animals seemed to cheer up a bit. "If we all work together, we can make our dreams come true. Let's show the world what we can do."
"Hit it, Pudge!" Cherry called.
Pudge nodded, then was playing with a drum set made from junk. Danny started to sing about his rhythm to everyone and then joined in the dancing and had some fun. Even Frances and Cranston got in the spirit. Sawyer seemed to overhear the commotion and had herself come down to see everything.
"Guys, what's going on here?" Sawyer asked Cherry and Atticus.
"We're showing everyone what we're made of." Atticus said.
"Sawyer, why don't you sing?" Danny asked.
"We heard you're a natural." Cherry added.
"Who told you that?" Sawyer scoffed.
Woolie answered with a trumpet as he played his piano for everyone.
"Well?" Atticus asked.
"This is a waste of time, Danny'll never dance in the movies!" Sawyer insisted.
"Did I say movies?" Danny tilted his head. "No, we're just having fun, come on!"
Sawyer rejected, about to walk away, but Tillie bumped her against Danny and the other animals, Cherry, and Atticus encouraged her to try it. Sawyer then gave in. Danny and Sawyer made their own dance together and even had a good time. They dipped together and Sawyer looked into Danny's eyes and she looked back, but quickly walked away.
"Like I said, dancing's a waste of time..." Sawyer walked away.
"Darn... I lost her... What am I gonna do?" Danny was lost as he stood next to a poster of the famed movie magic maker, L.B. Mammoth.
"Well, you didn't think it was a waste of time once before." Atticus said.
"That was a long time ago, guys... It's time to move on..." Sawyer kept walking.
Danny had an idea. "Why don't I get you an audition for L.B. Mammoth?"
"L.B. Mammoth?" Sawyer looked back with a laugh. "Head of Mammoth Studios?"
"Yeah, all we have to do is ask Darla Dimple." Atticus said.
"Besides, after nothing but her, he'll be starving for it!" Cranston laughed.
"You guys are dreaming~" Sawyer continued to walk to get back to work.
"Maybe we are, but so were you a few minutes ago." Danny retorted.
Sawyer paused for a moment, but then she kept walking.
"D-Do you really think guys can get us an audition with the boss?" Pudge came to the three new friends he made.
"It's worth a try," Cherry said as they were passing a Darladdian and the 40 Thieves poster. "We'll need a way to get to him though."
"Yeah, anyways, let's get going before she notices us not there." Atticus said.
The group had walked away.
When Danny, Cherry, and Atticus got back to the hotel, they were surprised that at the front desk, they had mail.
"Invitation for you, Mr. Cat, Mr. Fudo, and Miss Butler." the concierge handed the frilly pink envelope sealed with a pink heart to them.
"Who could it be from?" Danny asked as he took the envelope.
"Who knows?" Atticus said.
"I'm pretty sure I have an idea." Cherry mumbled sarcastically.
Danny opened the envelope to see it was an invitation to tea at the Dimple mansion. "It's from Darla, she wants us to come over for tea."
"That's oddly nice of her." Atticus said.
"Yeah... Very oddly nice..." Cherry got suspicious of the child star.
"Well, we better get going." Danny said as he went with them to the Dimple mansion.
Danny rang the doorbell when they climbed up the fluffy pink hill, it seemed to be all pink and hearts with this kid.
Max came to the door and looked down at them. "Yes?"
"Um, we're here to see Miss Dimple." Atticus said.
Max opened the door and gestured for them to come inside. After the last guest came in, Max shut the door and went to the foyer where Darla was and he came to help her into her seat.
"Thanks for coming over, Candace, Artemis, and Donald..." Darla said as she came in.
"Actually, it's Cherry, Atticus, and Danny, Miss Dimple." Atticus corrected.
"Oh," Darla giggled. "Sorry..." she kept her cheerful childish grin and gestured to a bowl. "Animal cracker?"
Cherry shook her head and Danny seemed hesitant.
"No? More for me!" Darla beamed as she bit the head off a cat one and threw it to Danny. "I wanted to apologize for what Max did the other day... He's so bad sometimes..." she patted her large butler's hand.
"Ow..." Max said which caused Darla's curls to fly back briefly.
'I've never seen her so nice, other then when she would be acting.' Atticus thought.
Danny and Darla discussed what happened during the first filming for Li'l Ark Angel, then Darla had said she wanted to make it all up to them.
"Oh, you don't have to..." Danny said, then got nervous as Max shoved them all in chairs, giving them forks, and slices of strawberry cake as he wore a frilly pink apron.
"Oh, but I insist!" Darla chirped. "Is there anything you need? Isn't there something I could do for you?" she was reaching for another cracker.
"I don't think so." Cherry replied.
Darla then crawled to face them with her dimpled and babyish face. "Isn't there a certain someone, with a certain studio, that I could introduce you all to?"
"Well, now that you've mentioned it, we were wondering if ,*gulp*, I mean, if you wouldn't mind, calling L.B. Mammoth and see the animals perform." Atticus suggested.
"Why, Asgard, I'd be delighted!" Darla snatched a cracker, still smiling. "Idea! Maybe your animal friends could all do a number in my movie!"
"You think so, um, Miss Dimple?" Cherry asked the young actress.
"It's just what the picture needs," Darla explained. "I'll give you full use of my sound stage, ark, and anything else you may need!"
"Thank you, Miss Di-" Danny thanked her.
"Ah, ah, ah, call me Darla!"
"Thank you, Darla!"
"Don't mention it." Darla grinned, biting off another cracker head and tossed it aside, giggling like the child she was.
"This is amazing news." Atticus said.
"Sawyer could do a romantic ballad and maybe even Woolie could do a piano solo!" Danny cheered as he started to eat the headless animal crackers.
Darla stared wide-eyed with a small smile. "Did you hear that, Max? Woolie... The elephant... Could even play his solo!"
Max groaned and rolled his eyes. This caused for all three of them to gulp.
"D-Don't you think that would be a good idea?" Danny asked nervously.
"Well, I think..." Darla curled her finger in her curl, stringing it, but it bounced back to normal. "Do you three really want my advice?"
Danny, Cherry, and Atticus agreed.
"Well..." Darla decided to explain in song as the table turned into a piano and Max started to play it by candlelight and a spotlight shined on the girl.
And where it was amazing to them as at the end of the song, all three of them were jaw dropped by how it was.
"Leaves ya kinda speechless," Darla smirked as she closed their mouths, lying on the tea table. "Don't it?"
Atticus nodded his head.
Danny, Cherry, and Atticus followed Darla as she was seeing them out and she arranged the plans of them to see L.B. Mammoth Friday at 3:00 sharp and not to tell anyone she was involved in it. She didn't like to advertise her charitable work.
"Thanks, Miss Dimple!" Danny beamed. "Thanks a lot!"
"You're welcome, Dino, Andrew, and Clarice!" Darla waved them off.
"Goodbye!"
"Ta-ta, see ya in the movies!" Darla fluttered her eyes at them before gently shutting the door.
"I still don't trust her..." Cherry looked back to the door.
"Me neither." Atticus said.
"You guys coming?" Danny called and asked on his way down.
"You go on ahead... I think I need to check something..." Cherry said as they still stood by Darla Dimple's mansion.
"Same with me." Atticus said.
"Okay, suit yourselves..." Danny shrugged and continued to walk off.
Cherry looked into the window.
"Is L.B.'s press conference still Friday at 3:00?" Darla asked as she got on the phone with the publicity department. "Oh, thank you sooo much!" she then hung up and she developed an evil laugh.
'I knew it, she really is evil.' Atticus thought.
"What are we gonna do?" Cherry asked as Darla went to her bedroom as the sun was slowly setting.
"Well, first, let's see what her plan is." Atticus said.
Cherry and Atticus moved to a window to the spoiled brat's bedroom window. Darla climbed up onto her vanity table as she was slid into her robe, her hair bow was disposed of and replaced with electric hair curlers as she took out a tube of lipstick and made a crude drawing of kitty cats in love and wanted to drown them all. And what better way to do it then to have them all in the ark and wait for L.B. Mammoth and have him see the mess and blame the animals for it?
"Okay, now, that, is pure evil." Atticus said.
"Shut up, Max!" Darla hissed as she grinned wickedly for her plans. She then looked into her mirror and deeply scowled as she saw two figures in the background.
Cherry and Atticus ducked down.
"Max, fetch those abominations!" Darla commanded.
"Yes, Miss Dimpool..." Max droned and had captured the two, bringing them inside.
"What do you two want now?" Darla wasn't even bothering with her cute and adorable act.
"We know about your evil plan." Atticus said.
"Oh, you do, do you?" Darla smiled darkly. "And I guess you're going to tell everyone?"
"Of course we are!" Cherry growled.
"I think I have a better idea, Max, throw them in the dungeon!" Darla folded her arms.
Max was going to throw the kids into the basement of the house, slowly walking to the door.
"Goodbye, you two, let's hope you all don't drown with the flash flood on Friday." Darla cackled.
"Why are you doing this?" Atticus asked Darla. "What has anyone ever done to you to let you become so evil?"
"That doesn't matter, leave my sight!" Darla snarled.
"Darla, just let us help you!" Cherry called out.
"No, I don't trust anyone but Max, not leave me unless you are willing to become my loyal servants!"
"It isn't fun just having Max around." Atticus said before he left.
Darla put her hand up. "Dungeon, Max!"
Max agreed and threw the two kids down in the basement and slammed the door, locking it from the other side and went back to help Darla with anything she may need or want.
Cherry rubbed her neck from the rough landing. "What are we going to do?"
"I don't know, maybe dig." Atticus suggested.
"Dig in a basement?" Cherry looked at her nails that nearly had been chewed off. "I doubt there's a shovel in here..." She found a treasure chest and opened it, looking through some old things such as baby clothes and fancy gowns for women and there was a wooden pipe too. Cherry then took out a very old and ratty teddy bear, but couldn't find any shovels.
"I have two shovels." Atticus said as he showed two shovles.
"Where'd you get those?" Cherry asked as she shut the box filled with things that seemed to belong to a big family and not a little girl who lived alone.
"I brought them, somehow I knew we would need these. Anyways, what did you find in that chest?" Atticus asked.
"It was just standing there collecting dust," Cherry shrugged. "Looks like it'd been lost for years..." she opened it up again and showed him the stuff inside of it, including a baby with a curly tuft of hair who looked very happy and carefree like many infants.
"A curly haired baby? Do you think that could be Darla as a baby?" Atticus asked.
"I guess," Cherry shrugged. "Wonder where her family is?"
"We'll figure that out later." Atticus said.
"How're we gonna shovel out of a house?" Cherry asked. "I never shoveled before..."
They continued to dig until finally they were out of the house. Cherry and Atticus popped their heads out as they were on a set for a wild west movie which seemed to have stopped.
"We are out of here!" Cherry climbed out with him. "Uhh... Now where do we go?"
"Which way to the set of Darla Dimple's newest movie?" Atticus asked the camera man.
"That way, kiddo." the camera man pointed down south where there were two other movies, but there was Stage #13 for Li'l Ark Angel starring the one and only Darla Dimple.
"Thank, you, sir," Atticus said, before turning to Cherry. "Come on, Cherry, there's no to lose."
Cherry got herself out and followed Atticus. "Come on, we have to warn everyone!"
Stage 13 was completely empty, no one was there. No directors, no camera crew, no producers, no animals, no nothing.
"Where is everyone?" Atticus asked.
"Maybe they're done for the day?" Cherry shrugged again.
"Yeah, maybe." Atticus said.
"But how're we gonna tell everyone!?" Cherry cried out.
"Okay, let's just calm down, we'll tell them as soon as possible." Atticus said.
"We apparently don't have a lot of time..." Cherry said back.
"I know." Atticus said.
They both made their way to the hotel, they would warn all the animals tomorrow.
