- One Hour later -
It had been a full hour since Snappy and Fluttershy had destroyed Milstone's giant battle machine off the coast of Donald's Dock. The two had been given a police escort to the nearest police station along with Dusty, in order to spare the two from having to deal with the massive crowd that had begun to gather at the coast, no doubt attracted to the noise of the explosion.
While Snappy and Fluttershy spent the majority of their visit in front of a giant hairdryer Loony Labs was developing to melt away all the snow in The Brrrgh, Dusty and several police officers took Milstone into an interrogation room in the back of the building, hoping to get some answers out of him.
But after nearly a full hour of interrogation, all they were able to get out of him was a brief mention of Mysteries latest plan code-named "The Day of Judgement", which required all seven Power Medals to use. This left Dusty, Snappy and Fluttershy none the wiser. What was Mystery up to this time? Why was he launching his next plan so soon after his last plan, which quite literally blew up in his right hand bears face? And why did it need all seven Power Medals to use?
Dusty knew, from personal experience, that all of Mysteries machines have never needed more then a single Power Medal to operate, even his larger death robots that stood over eight stories tall. If this new device of his truly required all seven Medals to use, it certainly was a cause for concern.
While the three of them were left wondering what Mystery was up to now, at least they could rest easy knowing Milstone wouldn't have any part of it from this point onward. According to the police chief himself, the creation of giant battle ships and armed combat vehicles had been outlawed at least twenty years ago, and in itself warranted a life sentence in prison. Add all the other mischief and mayhem he and the other members of the Smog Smashers had caused over the years, and it was a safe bet he would never be heard from or seen ever again.
"At least that's one idiot out of our hair." Dusty told Snappy and Fluttershy, who was busy brushing her hair back into it's usual style, as the three made their way back to the Bumblejinks Estate to rest and recover. "But what worries me is how they managed to get their hands on a Power Medal without the rest of us knowing. If they'd managed to get it back to Mystery, we really would have been in trouble. You guys did good in taking Milstone down and getting it back."
Snappy couldn't help but smile at Dusty's words, but he was still troubled about what Milstone had said before. He wasn't sure why, but something about this "Day of Judgement" made him shudder. And judging from the troubled expression Fluttershy was giving him, he could tell she was uneasy about this situation as well. It was already bad enough that they were still struggling to find the seven Medals, but now that it was clear that Mystery was out to get them as well, they would really have to watch their backs.
However, while they were walking through the front gates of the estate, Fluttershy's attention was turned to the site of their massive battle with the Cogs. Much of the mess had been cleaned up by now, no doubt the work of the twenty or so Toons in city worker uniforms who were currently loading the destroyed remains of the Cogs into an oversized black hole. She and the Bumblejinks finally reached the small building she had spent the previous night in, which she finally learned was called "The Outpost".
"It was built so we'd be able to monitor and respond to any usual activity with Mystery and the four Cog Headquarters. We need to be on top of his every move at all times, if we're going to protect this town from his evil designs." Dusty had explained to her, pulling off his cap and wiping his brow as they made their way over a hill that overlooked the estate.
Fluttershy immediately thought of the map of Equestria that was in the Castle of Friendship which warned her and her friends of any trouble happening in the kingdom and couldn't help but giggle to herself. It wasn't the first time she had drawn parallel to Equestria, and she could somehow tell it wouldn't be the last time. She still wondered what her friends would say if they were here with her. The thought made her giggle again.
...At least, until they got inside the Outpost, where they saw none other then Melody waiting for them, still looking as enchanting as ever.
"Ah, Melody. We didn't expect to see you here." Dusty said, raising his cap to Melody in greeting. Melody simply smiled at him.
"Hello, Dusty. I just came to see how these two were doing, after that battle at sea." Melody said, looking at Snappy and Fluttershy, who looked back at her with surprised looks on their faces.
"How do you know about what happened?" Snappy asked her in minor surprise. Fluttershy suddenly had the impression that Melody could read minds, but a second later, she and Snappy understood as Melody picked up the latest edition of the Toontown Times, which had just come out five minutes ago, and held it up so they could see the front page.
- EXTRA -
SNAPPY BUMBLEJINKS DESTROYS GIANT ROBOT OFF COAST!
Two young Toons, one identified as Snappy Bumblejinks, the other an unidentified cream cat, was seen off the coast of Donald's Dock today at around noontime, fighting with what appeared to be a large, black battleship bearing the mark of the infamous villain Mystery. The pilot of the craft was identified as Sir Milstone Grumblecrash, a high-ranking member of the infamous Smog Smashers splinter group. Details are still sketchy as of the time of this publication, and full details may be a long ways off, but it appears the Smog Smashers are, indeed, working for the nefarious Mystery. The TTPD have issued an all-points bullion on the remaining members of the Smog Smashers. The public is advised to avoid contact with the Smog Smashers at all costs, as they are considered "Armed and Extremely Dangerous".
Of course, Snappy Bumblejinks was not available for comment at this time, nor was his brother Dusty Bumblejinks, or the cream cat who was with him when the craft was destroyed; The three had already gone by the time our reporters got to the coast. We will continue to follow this story as it unfolds, beginning with tomorrow mornings edition of the Toontown Times.
"You two are already making a name for yourselves." Said Melody happily, as she tossed the paper back onto the table and beamed down at them both. Snappy went red in the face once again.
"I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing." Snappy told her, scratching the back of his head. "I mean, I'm glad we were able to destroy that thing before it could cause any trouble in town, but I doubt this is going to do my reputation any favors."
Melody frowned at him for a moment, before shrugging her shoulders and smiling at him once again.
"Well, it's a start, anyway. I know it seems impossible now, but you're taking steps towards redeeming yourself, and that's what matters. So tell me..." Melody said to Snappy, before looking over at Fluttershy. "Where's this Power Medal that Milstone had?"
Fluttershy made an "o" with her mouth, before reaching into her bag and pulling out the Medal of Strength. It glowed as brightly as ever, illuminating Melody's eyes.
At the same time, Snappy reached into his pocket and pulled out the Power Medal of Honor. Melody smiled happily at the pair.
"Dear me, that is incredible! It's only been a couple hours since the two of you started, and you've already found three of the seven Medals! I daresay you'll have them all before long at this rate." Melody said proudly, making both Snappy and Fluttershy smile happily in return. They had to admit, they didn't think they would find two Power Medals in that short of a time span. Not that they were complaining.
As Fluttershy examined the yellow Medal in her hand, Snappy pulled out the Medal-Detector-5000, took out the Power Medal of Wisdom, and replaced it with Honor.
"I hope the rest of them will be that easy to find." Snappy told her, handing her the Medal of Wisdom. He then added quickly; "Well, minus the giant killer robot and all that."
He and Fluttershy glanced over at one another and gave nervous chuckles, scratching the back of their heads. Snappy didn't want to admit it, but he'd thought that destroying Milstone's machine had been quite, and was eager to tackle another giant robot. Fluttershy, on the other hand, wasn't to keen to having anymore near death experiences with giant robots, but she knew that if she had to face another one in order to get those Power Medals, then she'd have to shelf her own fear, or risk never seeing her home again. She knew her friends would have done the same if they were in her position.
Dusty then cleared his throat to get Melody's attention. He had a troubled look on his face.
"What's bothering me right now is this 'Day of Judgement' project Milstone hinted at. If it needs all seven Medals to make it into a reality, I'd hate to think of just what kind of machine it really is." Dusty said to Melody, who now looked troubled herself. "We're going to have to keep our eyes and ears open for any more news on that project. Especially if Mysteries out to bag those Power Medals first."
Melody nodded to him, pocketing the Power Medal of Wisdom.
"Indeed. I'll have to meditate on this when I get home." Melody told him, before turning around and walking over to a small basket that was sitting on the table next to the newspaper. The other three Toons in the room all looked over at it.
"What's that?" Dusty asked, as they all approached. Melody just smiled and pulled off the small towel that was covering the top, revealing the most delicious salad the three of them had ever seen.
"I figured you guys might like to have a little lunch before you set out again." She told them, giggling.
Snappy and Fluttershy both giggled as well, while Dusty just grinned.
"I didn't know you did room service, Melody." He told the blue cat, who simply laughed in reply as Snappy and Fluttershy began unloading the contents of the basket onto the table.
It was only as she was picking up the ranch dressing from inside the basket that Fluttershy realized she hadn't eaten a thing since she got here, and at that moment, she was famished. A little snack was definitely in order. And with any luck, she'd get a chance to talk to Melody and get a few more pressing questions answered.
Meanwhile...
Mystery, whom was currently pacing around his office in the Executive Office Tower, was in a rage.
"Bumblejinks did WHAT!?" He repeated to the group of four Sellbots who were currently cowering in front of his desk. The only surviving cogs from Milstone's battleship. And now they all found themselves wishing that they hadn't survived the ordeal. They would have preferred to die in the explosion that destroyed the massive machine then survive, only to have to face their boss and tell him the disappointing news. Not only was his favorite black battleship destroyed and the Power Medal of Strength in the hands of the Bumblejinks Bros., but Milstone had been caught and arrested by the Toontown Police, and on top of that, he had spilled the beans about the Day of Judgement. Mystery suspected it would only be a matter of time before the Toon Resistance showed up at his front door.
Mystery then turned to the cogs in front of his desk, who all recoiled on the spot as if they had just been hit in the face, and reached for a black remote control on his desk. He aimed it at the four of them, a dark glint in his cyborg eye.
"You have failed me for the last time!" He shouted, snarling at the four of them all the while, and pushed the red button on the remote labeled "TERMINATE". Before any of the four cogs could react, a trapdoor had opened up in the floor below them, and they all went tumbling out of sight, screaming all the way, into the headquarters scrap room. A moment later, the trap door snapped closed and the only sound that could be heard in the room was Mysteries heavy breathing.
After a moment, he let out a breath and turned to Mildew, who had been an emotional wreck ever since she heard her brother was arrested. She had tears coming from her eyes and her clipboard had fallen from her hands at the very moment the trapdoor closed. Mystery felt much of his anger leave him.
"Mildew? Are you alright?" Mystery asked as he approached her, picking up her clipboard and handing it back to her. She wiped a few tears from her eyes and looked over at her boss, a demonic glint in her eyes.
"I want those Bumblejinks to suffer for this." She said flatly, before turning away from him and looking down at her clipboard. Her tears had splattered the paper in a couple of places and she could somehow tell that one of those poor little Flunky's would end up working late tonight as a result. But she hardly cared.
Mystery let out a low breath and grumbled something under his breath. He hated it when Mildew acted this way. It made it next to impossible to communicate with her effectively because half the time, she shut out everything around her. And much as he didn't like to admit it, she was the best right-hand bear he had ever had. Compared to all the other assistants he had gotten over the years, she got the most results. Especially when it came to the Bumblejinks Bros..
At this moment in time he could only think of one way to get Mildew in a good mood again. And though the idea made him shudder a little on the inside, he knew it had to be done. He needed her in top condition if she was going to continue work on the Day of Judgement.
He approached her and put a hand on her shoulder, which made her look over at him, a few tears still in her eyes.
"We just finished repairs on your TNT cannon. If it'll make you feel any better, you can go out to Toontown Central and cause some trouble. I'll launch an invasion to cover up your tracks. I know how much you love blowing stuff up." He told her in the same sort of tone a parent would have used to comfort a troubled child.
He could already tell that she was feeling a little better, because she had wiped her tears away once again let out a long breath to calm herself down.
"Thank you, sir." She said simply, before turning and leaving the office, clipboard still in hand.
Mystery watched her go, before returning to his desk and picking up the phone to contact the C.E.O.. He had an invasion to organize. But he also had to contact the team currently working on the Day of Judgement and tell them that their work was going to be delayed heavily due to the loss of the Power Medal. He knew they wouldn't take the news very well, but it had to be done regardless.
Half an hour later, at the Bumblejinks estate...
"So, that's where the Toons come from?" Fluttershy asked Melody, who nodded in return.
"Indeed. It took me a very long time to figure it out, but I'm glad I did." Melody said, smiling, before looking up at the clear, blue sky.
It had been about ten minutes since they had finished the salad, and now everyone was outside, enjoying the day. Dusty and Snappy were currently playing with Cindy, Dusty's pet Doodle, who was running around them quickly and barking happily. Rosie was tending the gag trees around the estate, and Daffy was currently bouncing around like a rubber ball, nearly knocking a few cream pies out of the trees. Melody and Fluttershy were relaxing by the fishing pond. Fluttershy only turned her gaze away from the many kinds of fish in the pond when Melody was addressing her.
"You know something? I've always wanted to meet a Pony from your world. I had meant to go and visit your world for a very long time, but I just haven't been able to find the time. It's kind of, uh... overwhelming, that one of your kind got sent here." Melody told Fluttershy, who gave Melody a mildly curious look in return.
"Really? You've always wanted to come to Equestria?" She asked the tall blue cat. She couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of insanity would ensue if a Toon actually showed up in Equestria, particularly in Ponyville. She could still remember what happened when Zecora appeared in Ponyville oh so long ago, and it would be a long time before she forgot the madness that occurred when Spike began growing larger and larger as a result of stealing things from around Ponyville.
Melody nodded to her in confirmation.
"Indeed. Maybe one day I'll finally get to see your world with my own eyes." She said dreamily, a distant look in her eyes.
Fluttershy was pondering over her words when Dusty and Snappy came up to her and got her attention.
"Well, now that we're firmly fed and relaxed, what do you say we go find that next Power Medal?" Dusty asked her. Snappy was right behind him, tinkering with the Medal-Detector-5000.
Fluttershy quickly stood up and smiled.
"Sure." She said simply, though Snappy couldn't help but detect a hint of nervousness in her tone.
Melody smiled at the three of them before standing up herself, picking up her staff as she did.
"I do hope you'll forgive me, but I need to get back to my sanctuary. I have much to do." Melody said politely, making Dusty chuckle at her.
"Meditation, I suspect." He said to her, making her giggle in return.
"I guess you caught me there." She replied. She then looked down at Fluttershy next to her. "I trust you'll be alright?"
"I hope so." Fluttershy replied. She wasn't about to admit it, but she was still very nervous about what they were preparing to go and do, despite their recent success. Perhaps it had something to do with the huge battle she had just been involved in, but she felt like she'd had enough of giant robots trying to hurt her... or worse.
Dusty, however, put her mind at ease by coming forward and putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Heh, she'll be just fine. She's gonna have me along to keep an eye on her." He said to Melody, making both Fluttershy and Snappy whip around to look at him, surprised expressions on their faces.
"Are you sure, Dusty? Mystery can really hurt you, you know." The blue cat asked him. But Dusty simply hand-waved it off.
"So? I'm still here, aren't I? I'm to tough for that silly brown cat." He exclaimed boldly, making Melody laugh lightly at him.
"Well, if your sure, Dusty." She said to him, making him chuckle once more.
Snappy then looked down at his watch and felt his eyes widen.
"Hey, guys, if we're going to go get that Power Medal, we better get going, before Mystery finds it first." He told the others. Dusty and Fluttershy both nodded in agreement as he pulled out the Medal-Detector-5000 and turned it on. Almost immediately, the device pointed toward Melody and began beeping rapidly, no doubt drawn to the Power Medal she was carrying. Snappy chuckled and Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.
"Guess I forgot to filter out the Medals we've already found." He said, turning it over and pressing a couple of buttons on the back. The arrow on the device swung in the opposite direction and ceased beeping. This Power Medal was a long way away.
Dusty, Snappy and Fluttershy all looked off in the direction the arrow was pointing. It was pointing north of The Brrrgh.
"Looks like we got our heading. Let's get going!" Snappy announced as he turned and began following the device, leaping over the fence of the estate as he went. Once he was on the other side of the fence, he broke into a run.
Fluttershy felt her eyes grow wide.
"Hey! Wait for me!" She shouted, breaking into a run as she proceeded to follow him, vaulting over the fence as she went. Dusty just laughed at the pair.
"I swear, those two have more heart in them then everyone else in this town put together." He told Melody, looking over at her and giving her a thumbs up and a wink. "Take care, Melody."
She nodded to him in return.
"Always, Dusty." She replied.
Dusty then turned and hurried off after Snappy and Fluttershy, leaping over the fence easily as he went. He caught up to them in no time, and as Melody watched them disappear behind a tall hill in the distance, she turned and began to make her way back to her sanctuary. Some serious meditation was certainly in order.
Some time later...
"Dusty! Snappy! Where are you!?"
Fluttershy had no idea where they were. They had gone north of The Brrrgh, through a large field of snow, and had entered into what appeared to be a frozen forest. But as they went deeper into the forest, all the while following the Medal-Detector's arrow, the snow lessened up considerably, leaving nothing but the ice, which was shining brightly on the bright green trees all around them. Fluttershy had the sudden thought that they were inside a large cave. Large enough to house an entire forest of lush, green trees covered in sparkling ice inside of it. The sky had long gone away and there was nothing visible above them except a dark, dank ceiling. Despite the ice in the immediate area, Fluttershy barely felt any sort of coldness.
"We're right here." Dusty's voice called out from somewhere just ahead of her. She took a few hurried steps forward and nearly ran right into Snappy, who was still watching the Medal-Detector-5000. Dusty was keeping an eye out for any signs of trouble.
"See any cogs nearby, Dusty?" Snappy asked the older dog, who had a hand on his police baton.
"Nope, nothing. Guess those cogs took off when they heard we were out kicking tail and taking names." Dusty joked, chuckling to himself.
The device suddenly began beeping again. They were getting closer.
"Sounds like it's just ahead, Dusty. In the main chamber." Snappy told is older brother in a matter-of-fact sort of tone. Fluttershy suddenly got the impression that the two had been here before.
In the dim light, she could see Dusty's eyes light up, as if he was suddenly excited.
"Oh boy, I love the main chamber of this place." He said happily, before turning to make eye contact with Fluttershy. "And I know you will, too."
Fluttershy quirked an eyebrow at him but didn't say a word. What could he mean by that?
"You got your energy light, Snappy?" Dusty asked his little brother, who was still watching the Medal-Detector-5000 with wary eyes. The minute Dusty addressed him, though, he pulled out what appeared to be a bright white light bulb on a foot long wooden pole.
"Right here, Dusty." He replied, holding up the light as they neared an opening in the cave.
"Hit the lights, Snappy..." Dusty told his brother, before turning to Fluttershy, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "...and prepare to be dazzled."
CLICK!
A bright white light suddenly filled the entire area. Fluttershy had to shield her eyes for roughly ten seconds before she was able to see. But the sight that met her eyes when she lowered her hands left her speechless.
"Oh, my Celestia..." She muttered silently to herself.
She couldn't have described the sight she was seeing even if she tried. What appeared to be pure white crystal residue was hanging from the ceiling in long stalactites, which shined brightly in the light cast by Snappy's gadget. And what was that floating around in the giant lake in the middle of this enormous chamber? It looked like a large white crystal. More beautiful, green trees lined the room, with what appeared to be more crystals hanging off their branches and leaves. The floor was covered, oddly enough, in bright green grass. The entire room sparkled and shined from the light Snappy was holding.
In all her years, Fluttershy had never seen something as truly beautiful as this. It looked as if someone had mixed an icy cave full of crystals with the greener workings of a lush, dense forest. Who had made this beautiful place?
"Amazing, isn't it? That's all crystallized ice." Dusty said to Fluttershy, who continued to look around the place in wonderment. "Hardly anyone knows this place is here. There's hardly any other place like this in the Tooniverse."
Snappy held his light up higher and looked down at the Medal-Detector again. The device was beeping more quickly then before. They were getting closer to the Power Medal.
"We're getting closer, guys." He said happily, before hopping down from the ledge they were all standing on and landing safely in the grass below. Dusty and Fluttershy were right behind him, hopping down from the ledge and landing easily in the grass.
""Whatever you imagine
Can one day come to be
There are dreams to awaken, roads to be taken
Follow them and they will set you free"
Fluttershy raised a hand and stroked some of the ice off a tree as she walked past it, wishing deeply her friends could have been here to see this truly amazing place. She could just imagine what Twilight's reaction would be, and the thought made her smile even wider.
Dusty and Snappy were ahead of her, watching her wonderment with bright smiles on their faces. Snappy looked down at the device once again and turned in the direction the arrow was pointing.
"That way." He told the other two, leading the way past the large lake and through a couple of more trees.
"Whatever you imagine
Is where your heart can go
There are worlds filled with treasure, time without measure
To learn whatever you may need to know"
Fluttershy saw a small piece of ice on the ground next to her, picked it up, and lobbed it into the water. The piece broke apart into multiple pieces upon landing in the lake, making a brief, but brilliant light show on the waters surface. She giggled happily at the sight.
Another splash caught her attention. Dusty had tossed a piece of ice into the water as well, laughing lightly as it skipped across the surface several times.
"I know I shouldn't be enjoying myself, considering what we're here to do, but hey, you gotta have fun somehow. Am I right?" Dusty asked her, making her giggle again in response. She had to admit, she was enjoying herself, too!
"Imagine (imagine)
If you and I
Can fly past the sun
And leave all our doubts and fears behind us"
As they approached another cluster of trees, Fluttershy lost sight of Dusty and Snappy once again. She gasped and hurried ahead to find them both looking up at a large stalagmite that nearly reached the ceiling.
"Looks like this things still here, Dusty." Snappy told his brother happily, who was smiling at the giant stalagmite himself. Fluttershy came up behind them and looked up at the giant stalagmite himself. It as truly a sight to behold.
"Wow. That thing's huge." Fluttershy said in amazement. She wondered how long it had been since it was created, or how long it took for it to get that big. Just thr thought made her shudder.
"You see, that's just what can happen
If you look inside your mind
There's no limit to the wonders
You can find"
The three then turned away from the giant stalagmite to spot several large, open fields of grass in front of them. Sunlight was beaming down from an opening in the ceiling onto one of them, which had several kinds of flowers scattered about it, and it looked really warm and inviting to them.
The Medal-Detector-5000 was beeping rapidly at this point. They were nearly to the Power Medal.
"Looks like it's in one of those fields." Snappy said happily, stepping over a lone branch that had fallen down and heading for the first of the multiple fields of grass, Dusty and Fluttershy right behind him.
"Whatever you imagine
Can make your life brand new
There are miracles waiting, so keep concentrating
And I promise you that if you do,
Whatever you imagine can come true.""
Snappy stopped in the middle of the center field of grass, right in the middle of the beam of sunlight. The device was now pointing straight down into the ground.
"Right here, Dusty." Snappy told his older brother, patting the ground with his hand. Dusty stepped over and looked down at the patch of grass, fresh determination in his eyes.
"Stand back, you two!" He warned the pair.
Snappy and Fluttershy quickly stepped back, as Dusty pulled out a pair of small shovels and began digging for the Medal faster then a jackhammer. The pair had to dive for cover as large amounts of dirt and rocks flew over their heads.
"Is this normal for your brother?" Fluttershy asked Snappy as the pair took cover behind a nearby tree.
"Believe me. He can do a lot more then this when he wants to." Snappy replied, wiping a bit of dirt from his cap.
A full minute later, Dusty leaped out of the hole, holding a bright pink Power Medal with a dark pink heart in the middle. The Power Medal of Compassion!
Snappy and Fluttershy came out from behind the tree as Dusty discarded the now broken shovels. He held up the glowing Medal in triumph, like an olympic athlete holding up the gold medal.
"Got it!" Dusty said, earning cheers from both Snappy and Fluttershy. But understandably, Fluttershy's cheers were louder. Now they had four Power Medals! She was one step closer to getting home! It would be enough to make anyone feel overjoyed.
So why did she feel like they were being watched? And why did it feel like they were followed here, for that matter?
It seemed Snappy felt the same, because he had just put the Medal-Detector away and grabbed his cream pie cannon from his back.
"Hmm... this was easy. Almost to easy for my tastes. I can't believe we got here and got the Medal without so much as a single cog getting in the way." He told the other two.
Dusty put the Medal away and grabbed out his police baton, suddenly looking around for any sign of enemies. Fluttershy was glancing around as well, a cream pie already in her hand.
If trouble was going to strike, where would it strike from? Their enemies had a lot of options in this dimly lit cave, and though Snappy's light illuminated a large portion of it, it couldn't show them what was hiding behind the trees and stalactites in the area.
They didn't have long to wait before trouble eventually reared it's ugly head.
"Why, Dusty, you shouldn't have!" A bright, cheerful voice called out from somewhere nearby.
Dusty, Snappy and Fluttershy all began looking around vigorously, not spotting the source of the voice.
"Who said that? Where are you!?" Dusty shouted, police baton still in hand.
Fluttershy tried using her superior hearing to hone in on where that voice had come from. After a few moments, she looked up and pointed at the opening in the cave's roof.
"It came from up there!" She told the other two. Snappy quickly engaged his jetpack and flew up to the opening to take a look, Dusty and Fluttershy waiting eagerly below.
"See anything, Snappy?" Dusty called up to his little brother. A brief moment of silence followed, then...
"AAAH!"
Snappy let out a shocked scream, then came tumbling down from the ceiling, having lost control of his jetpack, and fell into the hole Dusty had just dug. The older Bumblejinks quickly hurried over to the edge of the hole and peered in, eyes wide with alarm.
"Snappy, what is it!?" He shouted, reaching a hand in to pull Snappy out. The younger Bumblejinks was clearly distraught over something.
"Whatever we do, we can't go that way!" He said urgently, pointing up to the opening in the ceiling.
"How come?" Fluttershy asked, taking a cautious step forward, pie still in hand.
A second later, she found out why. They heard something large, something heavy, moving somewhere above them. Something black and gray in color came into view on the other side of the opening, blocking out the sunlight, and a pair of dark red eyes suddenly appeared staring down at them. And judging from the rather sudden entrance, they could already tell it was trouble.
Fluttershy gasped in fright upon seeing this.
"What's that!?" She shouted, stepping back from the terrifying sight, eyes wide with terror.
"Someone you never want to marry." Dusty replied, glaring at the dark red eyes.
"Plus he's in a bad mood." Snappy chipped in, aiming his cannon up at the eyes.
A small mechanical hand then came down from the opening, heading toward them. Dusty pulled out the Power Medal of Compassion and tossed it to Snappy.
"Stay back with Fluttershy! I'll handle this!" He ordered, holding his club ready.
The hand shot toward him, but he was able to dodge it quickly. He wasted no time in retaliation, charging forward and smashing the hand with his club and brute strength as easily as if it were made of cardboard.
"Aww, yeah!" Dusty shouted. He took a step back from the destroyed hand and glanced over at Snappy and Fluttershy, who both cheered loudly.
"Nice job, Dusty!" Snappy shouted happily. Dusty couldn't help but grin.
At least, until they heard a strange sort of rustling sound coming from Snappy's back pocket. He quickly whipped around and spotted another tiny mechanical hand coming out of his back pocket.
"HEY!" The red dog shouted, rushing forward and swinging his baton at the thing. But he missed, and the hand quickly shot back up toward the ceiling, and it was holding the Power Medal of Compassion!
"The Power Medal!" Snappy shouted as Fluttershy hurried forward Dusty, worry in her eyes. They had lost the Power Medal!
Then the voice from before pipped up again.
"How typical. You three do all the busy work and I get all the glory! Not to mention the Power Medal!" It said from up above. Dusty simply growled as Snappy hurried over to him.
"Aww man, they followed us here! I should have known!" Snappy spat, as if he were appalled that Mystery and his henchmen would stoop to such a low and cowardly tactic.
The voice above cackled wickedly.
"Thanks for the Power Medal, folks! Keep up the good work!" It called down, aggravating the Bumblejinks even further. Even Fluttershy was beginning to lose her temper with this guy, for she couldn't help but suppress a growl that had been building up inside of her.
More loud movement above them, and the black and gray... whatever it was had gone. But not before a giant hammer came into view and struck the opening with the force of a wrecking ball. It reeled back, then struck again.
Dusty's eyes grew wide when he saw what was about to happen.
"OUT! Everybody, out, out, OUT!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, and together the three turned tail and hurried toward the entrance to the cave, as shards of crystallized ice, rocks, and boulders the size of school buses began raining down all around them. The cave was collapsing!
"Oh my goodness... now I know how Daring Do feels!" Fluttershy couldn't help but think to herself as she ran for her life alongside the Bumblejinks Bros., the cave caving in all around them.
Would they make it out in one piece?
Dusty Bumblejinks and all associated characters are owned and copyright by Bulldozer Studios.
Fluttershy, My Little Pony and all associated characters are owned and copyright by Hasbro.
Toontown and all associated characters, including the cogs, are owned and copyright by The Walt Disney Company.
"Whatever You Imagine" composed by Wendy Moten for the major motion picture "The Pagemaster", produced by Turner Pictures.