Regina sat in her kitchen, crossing her arms as she waited for them to come. Henry wasn't in the house right now since he had to go to school.
"This right here is your classic privacy screen," Jack told Regina, coming to see her as he pointed to the bushes in her yard that were trimmed, showing a regular bush, a heart-shaped bush, and one of The Powerpuff Girls. "And this one is an evergreen hedge that I pruned into the shape of a heart, and this next one-"
"Yes, yes, very good, thank you, uh, Landscaper Jack." Regina said, paying him for doing his new job.
"Now, I must head off to the laundromat," Jack nodded. "It's Laundry Day."
"Just be careful you don't mix your white robes with a pink dress or something by accident." Regina smirked.
"I won't," Jack chuckled sheepishly. "I promise."
"We wouldn't want a repeat of that." Regina smirked.
Jack nodded and soon walked out the door as Cherry and Gold suddenly arrived.
"Good, you made it." Regina said to them.
"Just point us to the problem," Cherry said as she carried a bag over her shoulders. "I figure if we collect the What a Cartoon characters, we can bag 'em up and put 'em somewhere until we find out what to do."
"That duckling is in my pool." Regina replied firmly.
"Okay, you just sit there, dearie, and we'll get him out." Gold replied calmly.
"By all means." Regina replied.
Cherry and Gold soon came into the backyard and went to look around for Hard Luck.
"Here, ducky, ducky, ducky..." Cherry called. "Old Aunt Cherry's not gonna hurt ya..."
"Cherry... There he is." Gold pointed out for her.
Cherry looked at the swimming pool where the duckling was swimming.
"Go get it, but be careful," Gold said. "...Is it a child?"
"I'm not sure," Cherry shrugged as she came over to the pool as she opened up the bag. "Either way..."
"Such a great day for a swim..." Hard Luck said to himself as he swam about before looking over.
"Okay, Hard Luck Duck, time to get in the bag if you know what's good for ya." Cherry told the duckling.
"Huh?" Hard Luck blinked before smiling once he saw her. "Oh, hi there!"
"I mean it," Cherry glared. "And don't pull any tricks either."
"Whatcha gonna do with that bag, Miss Lady Ma'am?" Hard Luck asked.
"Uh... Well..." Cherry paused before shrugging. "...It's a magic bag that will take you to a magical place if you just do what I say."
"Is this like from Doctor Who?" Hard Luck asked.
"I have no idea, just come along nicely and quietly..." Cherry grinned innocently.
"Is it a magic bag like in Felix the Cat?" Hard Luck asked. "Felix the Cat is a clever cat, isn't he?"
"I said GET IN THE BAG!" Cherry snapped.
"Calm down, Cherry," Gold said as he put his hand on her shoulder. "He means us no harm and we can just take him back to the shop."
Hard Luck gasped at him and soon went under the water.
"Argh! Now what's he doing?!" Cherry complained.
"What is taking so long?" Regina asked impatiently as she stepped into the scene.
"Little duck won't cooperate..." Cherry glared.
"I haven't done anything to him," Gold defended. "Perhaps he's just shy like The Ugly Duckling."
"I'll get him out!" Cherry called out as she went underwater to go after the little duck.
Regina and Gold stepped back from the ends of the pool as Cherry tried to reach out and grab Hard Luck.
"So when did you get a pool?" Gold asked Regina.
"Not too long ago," Regina shrugged. "I thought it'd be nice and maybe help Henry make some friends with how shy he can be."
"I got him!" Cherry announced as she soon popped out of the water with the small duck in her hand.
"Good!" Regina replied.
"Now... In you go, but not before you tell me exactly why you were in Mayor Mills' pool." Cherry glared at Hard Luck as she had a firm grasp on him.
"I'm sorry, ma'am; I just wanted to go for a nice swim." Hard Luck defended innocently.
"And that's all you were doing?" Cherry asked sharply.
"Honest, yes!" Hard Luck smiled. "I like the water here better than Leaky Lake."
"Leaky Lake?" Gold and Regina asked.
"That's the lake that divides Camp Kidney and Acorn Flats, they're a couple of scout camps." Cherry explained to them.
"Ohh..." Gold and Regina replied quietly.
"So, you weren't doing... Oh... I don't know... Getting rid of all of the Cartoon Network characters?!" Cherry glared at Hard Luck, still suspicious of him.
"I didn't mean to!" Hard Luck gasped before cupping his beak.
"Well, well... The plot thickens like my hair..." Cherry said before shivering. "...Can someone hand me a towel?"
Soon, they came inside Regina's mansion and Cherry was wrapped up in a towel around her shoulders and one for her hair as Hard Luck was wrapped in a washcloth and given some crackers.
"All right, spill," Cherry demanded. "Who's your leader and what are you doing to classic Cartoon Network?"
"I promised not to tell otherwise there'd be trouble." Hard Luck pouted.
"We already captured your friend Sledgehammer O'Possum, but he won't cooperate." Cherry soon said.
"Aw, you know how Mr. O'Possum can be sometimes," Hard Luck said. "He's hardheaded... I can't tell you who the Fallen Leader is though, I could get in trouble."
"I'll pluck your feathers." Regina threatened.
"Regina, please..." Gold warned, holding her back.
"I'm sorry... I can't..." Hard Luck shook his head. "Hard Luck Duck doesn't break promises."
"Look, if you tell us we promise that we will protect you and the Fallen Leader won't know," Cherry said, trying to be nice now. "Besides, I have a book that has different pictures like a school yearbook and I know one of them had you and Bubbles together. It looks like you guys are having fun together." she then added as she showed him the book that had a picture of him and Bubbles hugging and there was a note that said: "To one of my best animal friend ever; I'm glad he came to Cartoon Network" - Bubbles Utonium.
"Bubbles... She was one of my very good friends..." Hard Luck said, taking the book.
"Yes... She's a waitress now..." Cherry replied. "She and the others could really use their memories back."
"...Can I think about it?" Hard Luck asked.
Cherry groaned and rolled her eyes. "Fine, but make it quick," she then told him. "I don't have all day."
Hard Luck was looking at the book with a tear running down on his face. "What have we done?" he then sulked.
"I don't know what have you done?" Cherry replied.
"They promised it wouldn't be this way," Hard Luck said. "We were going to have a great life... All of us together."
"Who said?" Cherry asked.
Hard Luck turned away then, taking another cracker and nibbling on it.
"Hey, now, you can trust me," Cherry told him. "I helped protect you against that fox who wanted to eat you and not cook you breakfast until your friend Harley stepped in to help out."
Hard Luck then stopped eating before looking at her.
"And my friend Cathleen will protect you too, so please, will you trust me?" Cherry asked.
Hard Luck looked at her and put his wing on her hand so that they could shake on it.
"Very good..." Cherry said. "Now... Uh... You think about what I said and maybe we can talk some more."
"...Okay." Hard Luck said softly.
Cherry nodded, then came back to check in with Gold and Regina.
"Well? How's it going?" Regina asked.
"He wants some privacy to think about this," Cherry said as she crossed her arms. "I'm having a bad feeling about this so far."
"What do you mean? He agreed to help us." Regina replied.
"Not him, just this Fallen Leader stuff," Cherry said. "Who is this leader? Where are they now? What's their big plan? It's just a lot to take in right now."
"Don't worry; I'm sure that he will tell us." Gold reassured.
"I dunno, he looked a bit scared and seems sworn to secrecy," Cherry shrugged. "Kinda like how you used to be."
"You know I changed for you and Belle..." Gold reminded. "And if you need an extra reminder? There's always Aurelia."
"Yeah... I know..." Cherry sighed.
"Well, he shouldn't be scared." Gold then said softly.
"I know, but he seems so innocent and so scared," Cherry replied. "Scared that something bad is going to happen to him."
"Something bad might happen if we don't get to the bottom of this," Regina said. "Whoever this Fallen Leader is, they seem to be taking away our magic too." she then added, showing her the rotten apple.
"I'll work on it, Regina," Cherry said, pushing back the apple. "After all, Hard Luck is just a kid... I think."
"Excuse me?" Hard Luck piped up from behind.
Cherry, Gold, and Regina turned around as Hard Luck waddled towards them.
"I would like to help," Hard Luck said. "I'm sorry that I didn't want to say anything."
"You were under a lot of pressure," Gold said to him before kneeling down and held out his hand. "You ready to tell us what you know then?"
"All right," Hard Luck said as he hopped up into the man's hand and he was soon lifted up and set down on the bar table in between the three. "I just hope I don't get in any trouble for this."
"If you do, they'll have to answer to me," Cherry replied. "So... What's this all about?"
"Just know that I can't say too much," Hard Luck warned them as he took a deep breath in and let it out. "You should know this about the Hanna-Barbera tribe though..." he then began.
"Yes?" Cherry asked.
"The humans are all coma patients in the hospital and the animals have turned feral and they're all in a zoo." Hard Luck said.
"I'll ask Mary Margaret about them then," Cherry said. "She volunteers in the hospital sometimes after school. At least... She did when I first came here."
"I can't tell you who the Fallen Leader is, but they've become allies with the one named Lord Fuse who is the leader and ruler of Planet Fusion," Hard Luck explained. "He's also the one who sent the aliens after Cartoon Network City and nearly got rid of it during the Spring of 2007 when those aliens came for cheese while invading Camp Kidney, Acorn Flats, Peach Creek, Charles Darwin Middle School, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and Endsville."
"And the What a Cartoon gang," Cherry then said. "How did the Fallen Leader get to you guys?"
"The Fallen Leader noticed that we had been ignored and brushed aside when the Cartoon Cartoon stars got their chance to shine... Well, most of them anyway," Hard Luck then said. "The Fallen Leader then decided to take us in to form a gang so that more people would remember us... We never got over the time we failed to win an audience like the Oh, Yeah! Cartoons gang from Nicktropolis."
Gold and Regina glanced at Cherry.
"Pretty much Nickelodeon's What a Cartoon thing," Cherry explained to them. "I'll tell you more later."
Gold and Regina then looked back at Hard Luck.
"Our memories were stolen and altered and so were the other Cartoon Network people in our tribe, the Cartoon Cartoon tribe, and the Hanna-Barbera tribe," Hard Luck continued. "Lord Fuse suggested to the Fallen Leader that we be sent somewhere no one would bother to look for us so we would rise up when the time was right. In this town called Storybrooke. It's not exactly easy to find on the map, so when Lord Fuse would uprise with our gang, we would show everybody and teach them a lesson about forgetting all about us by everyone, even you and Cathleen when your memories were taken away too until you ended up here."
"Oh, man... That's awful." Cherry said softly.
"I'll say." Regina nodded in agreement.
"I'm afraid that's all I can say," Hard Luck said. "I never meant to cause any trouble. In fact, I was going to break some stuff and try to run you out of town."
"But...?" Cherry prompted.
"I saw the pool and wanted to go for a swim," Hard Luck giggled innocently. "I couldn't help it."
"It's almost like the badness was washed out of you," Cherry remarked. "Well, at least you're not as bad as Sledgehammer was... I'm sadly not surprised that cartoon didn't get picked up for a full series, even if he redeemed himself by his second pilot."
"Maybe I could talk to him?" Hard Luck suggested. "He's been nice to me."
"It's worth a shot, kid." Cherry shrugged.
"You're a good friend." Hard Luck beamed as he hugged Cherry's hand.
"Yeah... I don't know about that sometimes..." Cherry shrugged and rolled her eyes.
"Well, we might not have found out more about this Fallen Leader, but now we have a lead," Gold replied. "Lord Fuse."
"Cherry, do you know that name?" Regina soon asked.
"I don't think so," Cherry shook her head. "Must've been a villain from Toonami or something because I never really watched that back in the day since anime didn't interest me at all back then."
"Hmm..." Gold paused as he narrowed his eyes in firm suspicion.
"Unless there's something you're not telling me..." Cherry said. "You've turned your back on mine and Belle's hearts before."
"I know... And I'm sorry..." Gold said. "But it's not me. I'm just surprised about this as you are."
"All right... I've got my eye on you... I don't wanna believe it would be you though..." Cherry said. "I might need to do some night time investigation."
"Do you want some help?" Gold offered.
"I dunno, what're you doing tonight?" Cherry asked with her eyes shut humbly.
"I can make time for you if you wish," Gold replied. "Belle can look after Aurelia if she doesn't ask Ruby and Dorothy."
"...All right," Cherry said. "It'll help me keep an eye on you tonight too."
"But I haven't done anything!" Gold defended.
"Not yet." Regina replied.
Gold firmly frowned at her.
"It's all coming together," Cherry said before she hugged her stomach. "And I need a sandwich."
Gold soon made her favorite sandwich appear through magic on a plate with a side of cheese fries.
"Oh... Cool... Thanks..." Cherry said, accepting it before snacking on the sandwich. "Now, I guess I'll meet Cath later for lunch and then we'll have a word with Mother Superior."
"Yes, we will." Gold nodded.
"Don't you have to work?" Cherry asked with a smirk.
"...I can take a break," Gold told her. "It's MY store."
"Okay, fine." Cherry rolled her eyes.
"I know that you love me~" Gold smirked.
"Yeah, yeah..." Cherry scoffed.
"You're a twisted little imp." Regina deadpanned to Gold.
"Why, thank you, dearie~" Gold smirked.
Meanwhile at Granny's diner, Ruby was cleaning up a table as Granny held out a mop to her newest worker. "All right, Cathleen," she then said. "Just mop up the floor after Ruby's done with that table and we can get ready for lunch and you can eat with us."
"Yes, ma'am." Cathleen replied.
Granny then walked off to do what she had to do.
Cathleen then began to mop up the floor. "Why do you tease the male customers so much?" she then smirked.
"Because it's fun," Ruby smirked. "Especially since I do go both ways, but my heart belongs to Dorothy Gale~"
"How long have you guys been together?" Cathleen asked.
"In Storybrooke or ever?" Ruby asked.
"I guess either." Cathleen shrugged.
"Well, we first met in the Enchanted Forest when I had to come to Oz to help out Mulan," Ruby explained. "Her dog Toto began to bark and came up to me and she felt nervous around me because Toto usually barks only around witches, but I explained that I was a werewolf. Dorothy and Toto then came with us on our journey and we had to help keep Zelena, The Wicked Witch of the West out of Oz because she wanted Dorothy's silver slippers to gain control of Oz and we decided to make a sleeping potion together to keep Zelena as far away from Dorothy as possible and we bonded while going to meet Mulan... Dorothy told me about what happened to her in Kansas and how she ended up in Oz and I mentioned how I once had a boyfriend named Peter who was killed by mother's pack to get me to join them and leave my granny."
"I'm sorry for asking this, but what happened to your father?" Cathleen asked then. "Is he a human or a werewolf?"
"I don't know," Ruby replied. "I've never met my father."
"Oh, I'm so sorry..." Cathleen frowned.
"It's okay, I spent my whole life with Granny anyway," Ruby shrugged. "It never bothered me before, so I don't get upset over that sort of thing."
"I see." Cathleen said softly.
"Besides, Dorothy was adopted too and she never minded," Ruby said. "She always thought of Em as her mother since her birth mother left her on her and Henry's doorstep as a baby."
"I guess she told you about that?" Cathleen guessed.
"Of course, she did," Ruby smirked. "We tell each other everything~"
Cathleen paused thoughtfully from that statement.
After they were done cleaning up, they soon sat down to have their lunch break.
"Trust me, do not eat Granny's meatloaf," Ruby told Cathleen. "You will regret it later."
"You're just jealous that I have a recipe for it and you don't!" Granny teased her granddaughter.
"Your meatloaf was already old when you were a kid, Granny!" Ruby smirked.
"Don't you sass me!" Granny retorted.
"She does this all the time." Ruby told Cathleen.
"I can tell." Cathleen nodded.
"Hmm... I think I want some steak today," Ruby then said. "...Hopefully it doesn't come from that one farm with that strange cow and chicken who are always hanging around each other."
Cathleen's eyes widen as she said something about a cow and a chicken. That could not be a coincidence.
"Yeah... Steak..." Ruby decided. "Probably some fried potatoes to go with it."
"Is Dorothy coming too?" Granny asked.
"I just texted with her," Ruby nodded. "She's on her way."
Cathleen's phone buzzed and she soon checked it to see a text from Cherry. Ruby then began to sip her cola as she set down her menu.
"Cherry's on the way and she wants to tell me something in private." Cathleen said as she checked her phone.
"Well, you're going to see Mother Superior, right?" Ruby replied. "She used to be The Blue Fairy that Pinocchio and Gepetto used to know."
"Really?" Cathleen asked.
Ruby merely nodded honestly.
"Do I have any reason to lie about that?" Ruby glanced at Cathleen with a small smirk.
"No way!" Cathleen gasped.
"Calm down," Ruby giggled. "You'll get used to it eventually like Emma did."
Cathleen smiled and laughed, having a fun time with Ruby. Cherry soon stepped into the diner.
"Hello, Cherry," Granny greeted. "Cathleen and Ruby are already sitting, but they haven't ordered yet if you'd like to join them."
"Thanks, Granny," Cherry nodded as she came to go sit with the two. "Hey, guys."
"Hey, Cherry, how's work?" Cathleen asked her friend.
"Work's work, I guess," Cherry replied. "No customers today though."
"Too bad Gold doesn't have any Cartoon Network stuff in his shop," Ruby said. "That's sure to help the other characters get their memories back like they did with us when Henry found Emma and brought her into Storybrooke."
"I... Uh... We could try it..." Cherry shrugged bashfully.
"Wait... What?" Ruby blinked.
"We learned a lot from this little guy and more about what's going on." Cherry said as she soon pulled out Hard Luck from her pocket and set him down on the table.
Hard Luck soon yawned and stretched as he landed on the table.
"Aww... He's pretty cute~" Cathleen beamed before looking funny. "Wait, did I call something cute?"
"Cath, you can call something cute whether you're a tomboy or not," Cherry rolled her eyes. "For instance, I've met some cute vampire bats in my travels."
"You're the cutest thing ever!~" Cathleen cooed as she grabbed the small duck and hugged him. "I just wanna keep you!~" she then kissed him on the cheek.
Hard Luck soon woke up, giggling a bit.
"Where'd you find him?" Ruby asked.
"Regina's pool," Cherry replied. "Heck, I didn't even know Regina had a pool, but yeah, we found him there and luckily, he was willing to cooperate with interrogation."
"Yep!" Hard Luck smiled.
"I was gonna show you in private, but I guess I panicked at the last second." Cherry shrugged at Cathleen.
"So, wait... If Hard Luck Duck is here and Sledgehammer O'Possum is in the kitchen... Then I guess WAC means 'What a Cartoon'." Cathleen realized thoughtfully.
"Kinda obvious when you put it that way." Cherry replied.
"And that also means-" Cathleen began.
"They are working for the Fallen Leader." Cherry nodded.
"So who is the Fallen Leader?" Cathleen asked.
"Still working on that," Cherry replied. "But I heard the name Lord Fuse a couple of times while I was with Regina and Gold earlier. He might be a lead."
"Hmm... I wonder if Hard Luck could convince Sledgehammer to be on our side." Cathleen pondered.
"That could be a possibility..." Cherry said with a small shrug.
"Do you think it would work?" Cathleen asked.
"I dunno, I'm not really fond of Sledgehammer myself," Cherry rolled her eyes. "I know, he redeemed himself in his second short, but he's really annoying and horrible most of the time."
"She has a point," Ruby replied. "Though maybe that's because his cartoon didn't get picked up for a series."
"Still, I don't like him," Cherry scoffed. "I'll help him, but I'm not gonna like it very much."
"Not to mention the only family he has left is a very distant cousin from the South named Podunk and he has a niece in Nickeldeon." Hard Luck replied.
"Pfft! What's next?" Cherry smirked. "An adventure where we help the Oh, Yeah! Cartoons stars?"
"Who knows?" Cathleen smirked back.
"I'll have a talk with him," Hard Luck decided as he soon went over to the kitchen. "I'll be right back."
"Oh, boy... Can't wait to see how this turns out..." Cherry groaned as she leaned back into her chair and took a look at the menu. "Hmm... I think I want a chicken sandwich today."