The Fall of Blanc Part 1

One evening at the Loonatics tower, Lexi is on monitor duty, then woke up a sleeping Duck for him to take over. Duck got hungry and warped himself into the kitchen to make himself a Hero Sandwich. But once he warped himself back into the monitor room, he found the alarms going off and the Royal Tweetums of Planet Blanc had left twenty six progressively worse holo-voice mails for him as his palace and army were being destroyed by intruders. Duck decided to delete the messages only to turn around and see the rest of his team watching him (Rosie is next to Tech).

Moments later, Ace, Lexi, Duck, Slam, Rosie, and Zadavia boarded the dragon ship and headed for Planet Blanc, while Tech and Rev stayed behind at HQ back in Acmetropolis. Poor Duck was forced to wear a knight outfit per Tweetums' request much to his disliking.

Ace: Ok Loonatics, ready, set, let's jet! Next stop, Planet Blanc!

Duck: I still don't see why I need to dress like I'm going trick or treating. (helmet lid falls on his face) Ah!

Lexi: Tweetums wanted you to wear your knight outfit, Duck. There must've been a reason.

Duck: Yeah. Belly laughs. Every time I deal with chicken nugget, I'm the one who winds up needing stitches.

Rosie: Maybe this time you won't need stitches.

Ace contacted with Tech and Rev through a floating holographic screen.

Ace: So guys, what's going down at that spinning little rock we call home, huh?

Tech: I've placed Acmetropolis on code red alert.

The roadrunner moved right in front of Tech to try and explain that he did most of the work.

Rev: And activated the outer shields.

Ace: Sounds like someone's expecting something unexpected.

Tech: We seem to be getting very unusual fluxuations in the space time continuum.

Duck: You must be awfully proud of that dictionary of yours. (helmet lid falls on his face) Hey!

Sometimes Rosie didn't like Duck criticizing Tech about his genius, so she tried being more respectful to the coyote.

Rosie: So Tech, will please explain your theory?

Tech: Glad you asked. Simply put, something odd is happening to wormholes across the universe. And I have a feeling that the Keyboard Man is behind it.

A different screen slides in front of Tech, as he continued on.

Tech: When he stole Zadavia's powers with the cosmic guitar, little did he know I put a tracking device on it.

The screen was pushed aside as Rev tried to get in on it.

Rev: Which happens to have been my idea, even though I'm not one trying to grab credit, even though the credit I'm trying not to grab is my credit to grab in the first place.

Tech annoyingly pulled the screen back in place, and in front of Rev.

Tech: As you can see, it's a direct match to the fluxuations emitting from the black hole that was last known to contain Optimatus.

Lexi: So, what does all of this mean?

Zadavia: It's what I feared most, Keyboard Man has found Optimatus. If they join forces and capture Tweetums, they'll be unstoppable.

Slam: Aw, they're gonna do that to Tweetums?

Rosie: But why would they go to Planet Blanc and capture Tweetums for?

Zadavia: The Royal Tweetums reins over Blanc, and Blanc is no ordinary planet. It's the center of the universe.

She pressed down on a button, showing a holographic image of Planet Blanc with ten little wormholes surrounding the planet, and the lines of the wormholes connecting to the very center of Blanc.

Zadavia: Which makes the hub of all wormholes.

Ace: Kind of like grand central wormhole.

Duck: So whoop-de-doo, its freeway close to other parts of the galaxy I don't wanna visit.

Zadavia: Optimatus could use the wormholes to strike anywhere at any time.

She pushed down the button again, this time showing everyone a holographic image of the royal scepter.

Zadavia: But to control the wormholes, he would first need Tweetums' royal scepter. Without it, he'd never find his way out.

Rosie: Hey guys! Planet Blanc straight ahead!

Duck: The unhappiest place in the galaxy.

Ace: Time to armor up, crime fighters. Evil waits for no one.

Ace, Lexi, Rosie, and Slam were dressed in their black space suits, although Duck had been wearing his space suit under his knight costume throughout the trip.

Ace: Zadavia, with Tech and Rev back at HQ, you better hang here and monitor communications.

Zadavia: Remember Ace, the fate of the universe hangs in the balance.

Duck: No biggie, boss lady. Remember, you got a secret weapon on your side, and that weapon is…Danger Duck!

He threw the knight costume off his body while spinning, except for a necklace around his neck, and then did some karate moves to show that he was tough.

Zadavia: Uh, just the same. We may still stand a chance.

Duck looked up with a disappointed expression. Rosie did her usual and tried being sympathetic.

Rosie: Relax Duck, our real secret weapon is all of us working together to take out Optimatus and the Keyboard Man.

Ace: Let's jet!

The bottom door opened and the five Loonatics flew out and towards Planet Blanc.

Ace: Hey Duck, what happened to the royal outfit?

Duck: Yeah, I don't wear anything that makes me feel the need to say trick or treat.

But when they got to the royal palace, it was a destroyed, crumpled, and burnt. Nobody was around, not even Tweetums.

Duck: Whoa! The royal nest is a royal mess!

Ace: Looks like it's all over, except for the fat lady singing.

Duck: Or the fat canary.

The anthros flew towards the royal palace and threw an opening in the ceiling. The throne room had been destroyed and they heard a familiar guitar tune play.

From the opening in the ceiling, Rupes the Keyboard Man surf downward on the guitar's energy beam while playing the strings of the cosmic guitar. He blasted a rainbow laser beam down at Lexi and Duck, who was about to throw two orbs at Rupes when the blast hit him and created a huge puddle of red tar.

Optimatus appeared, sitting behind the royal throne, cackling. When Ace teased him for getting cable for his bionic eye, Optimatus blasted a reddish purple blast at the anthros, whom already dodged his attack. Ace blasted a red laser beam at the cyborg man, but Optimatus took out a sword and reflected the laser blast off his sword. Lexi, Duck, and Rosie uses their powers against Optimatus and Slam came charging in on him. Optimatus reflected Lexi's brain blast beam right onto Slam and send him crashing onto a fallen intergalactic train.

From the large hole Slam has created on the wall of the train, a familiar figure stepped out of the train. It was Deuce, holding a laser gun. Ace took out his sword, blocking off the blasts from Deuce's gun. Then, Deuce shot Rupes away from the cosmic guitar and used it to shoot a laser and bring down the roof on the Loonatics and the Keyboard Man.

When Slam cleared away the rubble, they discovered that Optimatus and Deuce have already left to find Tweetums and the royal scepter.

Duck: Optimatus has Zadavia's powers and Deuce working for him. How are we ever gonna get our royal fluff ball back?

Ace: If Optimatus had Tweetums, then what's he still doing here?

Rosie: I don't think he found what he came for.

Lexi: Maybe Tweetums got away. After all, the royal highness is a pretty crafty bird.

Rupes crawled out of the rubble, dazed.

Ace: Maybe Mr. Mu-zak can shed some light on things.

So while Optimatus went to find Tweetums and Deuce left to run an errand, the five Loonatics interrogated Rupes, and learned that he and Optimatus were partners planning universal domination, explaining why after saving Optimatus, they saved Deuce from the out-of-control space train. Ace alerted Zadavia to contact Tech and Rev that Deuce might return to the rail yard in Acmetropolis to find his robot army. But Deuce easily overpowered Zadavia and hijacked the dragon ship to fly back to Acmetropolis, confirming Ace's suspicions.

The five stranded Loonatics searched the entire palace, after leaving Rupes in jail, passing many different staircases and many checkered colored floors and ceilings, with little success on finding Tweetums. On the way, they passed a jail cell containing Sylth Vester, who was eating a sandwich when he spotted the five heroes passing his cell.

Sylth Vester: Hey guys, remember me?

The five Loonatics stopped flying and set down on the floor close to Sylth's jail cell.

Duck: Well, if it isn't Sylth Vester, the bad ol' putty tat.

The puddy tat tried to put on a happy expression as an angelic yellow light hovered over his head.

Sylth Vester: I'm now the good ol' putty tat.

Ace: I can see that. Nice special effects.

Sylth Vester: So, uh, how about opening the cell?

Duck: Sorry catnip, we gotta bail. We got the royal feather ball to find.

Sylth Vester: Oh! I can help you find feather ball, uh, I mean, Tweetums. I'm a native of Blanc, and I know this planet like the back of my paw.

Rosie: You know, Sylth does have a point there.

Duck: Your point being, toots?

Rosie: We don't know our way around Blanc very well and it seems easy to get lost in here. Maybe we do need someone who knows his way around Blanc better than any of us.

Ace: Well, if you insist, Rosie. Whiskers could prove useful after all. Slam, do your thing.

Slam spun in a tornado and ripped the cell bars open, creating an opening in the jail cell. Sylth's head popped out from his armor, just as Slam ate the cell bars and his sandwich.

Sylth Vester: Hey! He took my lunch!

Duck: Consider yourself lucky, as least you still have your fingers.

A little later, Sylth lead the five Loonatics through different hallways on their search for Tweetums. Then Duck flew smack faced onto a rainbow colored rippling glass window and slid down to the floor, where he found tiny footprints and bird seed.

Duck: Huh? Hey guys, I think I found something. Bird seed, tiny bird prints and…tiny feather duster's little yellow feather.

Ace: (picks up feather) Looks like we're following in the footsteps of royalty.

Up ahead, Tweetums called out from behind a pillar.

Tweetums: Mr. Duck! Over here!

Duck: Look! It's old fast food!

But Tweetums ran away instead of running towards them. Ace wanted to follow him, but Sylth held him back.

Sylth Vester: Better stop here. The tunnel's most likely booby-trapped.

Duck: Oh, ho, ho! You expect us to fall for that one? You wanna slow us down so you can grab Buffalo wings for yourself!

But Sylth grabbed Duck's wrist, took his communicator, and tossed it out to the spot where Tweetums had been standing. Then a blast of various lasers shot the orange communicator, and then stopped as suddenly as they started. Ace and Duck stared in bewilderment that Sylth had actually warned them about the booby-traps.

Sylth Vester: You were saying? Follow me.

As soon as Sylth walked out of sight, the five Loonatics pondered about Sylth's assistance.

Lexi: Maybe it was a good idea we brought Sylth along.

Duck: Hey! It wasn't your communicator that was turned to fairy dust!

Ace: I gotta go with Duckster on this one. I don't trust Puss in Boots any further than I can throw him.

Rosie: But he just warned about the tunnel's traps!

Duck: Well then why don't you keep an eye on him!

Ace: That's a great idea, Duck. You were the one who wanted Sylth's help in the first place, Rosie. So you keep an eye on muscles to make sure he doesn't try to eat his royal highness.

Rosie opened her mouth to object, but she knew Ace and Duck were right, so she remained silent. As they kept flying throughout the hallway, Sylth spoke quietly towards Rosie.

Sylth Vester: Psst! Toots!

Rosie: Listen Sylth, if you try to double cross us-

Sylth Vester: I was gonna say thanks for busting me out of that jail cell, and for sticking up for me.

Rosie: Oh…uh…your welcome…I think.

Sylth Vester: So how did a cute pussycat such as yourself get mixed up with Tweetums?

Rosie: Well, when we first met, Tweetums didn't like me because I was a…feline. And he thought I would try to eat him.

Sylth Vester: What? You too? You know, I can relate with Duck on our dislike for Buffalo wings and the painful torture feather ball had given us. But you and me, we're both cats, and cheese ball hates cats. Ah! Did canary face every try to torture, burn, or beat you? He did the same to me!

Rosie: No, but he once offended me by saying I should be kept in a cage.

This was probably for the first time for him; Sylth felt a little sorry for Rosie. And he said something that was most unlike him.

Sylth Vester: You know, you don't seem like a bad pussycat to me.

His white cheeks turned red, and Rosie gave him a small grin.

Rosie: Thank you.

Deuce went to Acmetropolis to the rail yard to find his robot army, Tech and Rev tried to stop him by trapping Deuce in a neuron net ionizer. But the net can't stand up to one of Deuce's laser blasts from the guitar, and he blasts Tech and Rev into a train car.

On Planet Blanc, Tweetums was trying to hide after he spotted Sylth Vester.

Tweetums: I tawt I taw a putty tat!

Sylth Vester: That line's getting old Chicken Little!

His large foot stomped right beside Tweetums, looking down on him.

Tweetums: I did! I did taw a putty tat!

The frightened little canary tried to run, but he was cornered to a wall as Sylth approached him, threateningly.

Sylth Vester: Now I gotcha right where I want you!

Rosie: Sylth Vester! Back off!

The she-jaguar immediately stepped between Sylth and the little bird, putting her hands up in the cat's face, but when she looked down at Tweetums, she noticed something was not right about him. The rest of the Loonatics came over and Ace got down on his knee to talk to the trembling Tweetums.

Ace: You ok there, Tweetums?

Rosie: Ace, wait! That's not the real Tweetums!

Lexi: What are you talking about, Rosie? It is Tweetums.

Tweetums: (robotic voice) Something…is not…right.

Duck: (points to Sylth) It's probably nine lives here. He gives me the heebie jeebies too.

Tweetums: (robotic voice) No…it's not that. It's…it's…it's…

The little canary's eyes rolled, sparks shot out and green smoke came out of his tiny body. Suddenly, he exploded into pieces, surprising the anthros. Ace picked up the parts and looked at them, then turned to Rosie.

Ace: How did you know that Tweetums is a robot?

Rosie: Tweetums has blue eyes, not brown eyes.

Sylth Vester: (whispers to Duck) She's good.

Duck: Don't get any ideas, Two Face Pussy!

Elsewhere, Optimatus found another Tweetums robot decoy that blows up in his face. Outside the royal palace, the Loonatics and Sylth Vester flew over a bird bath garden holding dozens of naked Tweetums robot decoys singing in the birdbath.

Robo-Tweetums: I tawt I taw two putty tats!

Sylth Vester: Not again!

Rosie: Leave me out of this, please!

Robo-Tweetums: We did! We did! We did see two putty tats!

The Loonatics and Sylth Vester landed beside the birdbath, and Sylth complained about the decoys.

Sylth Vester: Suffering Succotash! There's nothing worse than a Tweetums, except a birdbath full of Tweetums!

Ace: According to Tech's bio-scanner, there are all robo-Tweetums. They must be decoys to keep the real Tweetums safe.

A robo-Tweetums walked up to Duck and pecked at his foot to get his attention.

Robot-Tweetums: Hello, Mr. Duck.

Duck: Yeah, what do you want, Robo-Duster?

Robo-Tweetums: I am carrying a very important message from the real Tweetums just for you, Mr. Duck.

Duck: Well I don't got all day, spit it out!

The robot-Tweetums' eyes flashed a green holo-voice message from the real Tweetums.

Tweetums: Oh goody! I see you finally got here, Mr. Duck! But not to worry, I'm safe. And when you find me, you can scrub my little back.

The image of Tweetums vanished as the holo-voice message ended. Duck didn't seem too excited about scrubbing Tweetums' back like before.

Duck: Oh yeah. I'll count the moments.

Ace: So where is his little high and mighty?

Robo-Tweetums: Since this message could be intercepted, I've been programed not to tell.

Lexi: Then how will we find Tweetums?

Robo-Tweetums: Well, I've been programmed to give Mr. Duck clues.

Duck: Clues?

Robo-Tweetums: Yes. The Royal Tweetums knows how much Mr. Duck loves to play games with clues.

Duck: And the hits just keep on coming.

Robo-Tweetums: The journey will take you down a treacherous path, where you will face all sorts of dangers.

Duck: Just what I've been looking forward to.

Robo-Tweetums: See? Tweetums was right about you.

Duck: Obviously, you weren't programmed for sarcasm.

Robo-Tweetums: Nope. I was programmed to ignore it.

Duck: Aren't you supposed to self-destruct or something?

Rosie: What are we waiting for? Let's go search for Tweetums!

But back in Acmetropolis, things got much worse when Deuce activated his robot army using the cosmic guitar and herded them into the dragon ship. Tech and Rev could only watch in horror while contacting Ace, and Deuce laughing evilly in triumph.

TO BE CONTINUED…