A/N: Hey, Everyone! If you're familiar with then you already know, the real story starts well below this authors note.

Well, it's been a while since I've really been here. Not counting the times I've reedited and posted these chapters along with the ones for "Gang of Four" earlier this year, it's been almost two years since I've posted something new in this fandom. Part of reason I haven't done so is because of writers block. Also, real life situations and focusing on my art career have really eaten into my time here as well. I'm pleasantly surprised there are a lot of brand new stories on here, so I know I'll have a lot read to catch up on what I missed in this fandom. But as always, I come back with something new.

Not only am I back with two new chapters, I also have a new cover image for this story. It was drawn by yours truly :) The full image can be viewed on my DeviantArt under my account name: ReggieJWorkshop. While a few of my fanfics have been posted there, it is mainly a spot where I post my artwork.

This particular episode I'll be working with this time is one I've had on the back burner ever since it was suggested by a reviewer well over two years ago. Only reason I haven't gotten around to doing sooner is that I haven't thought up enough funny stuff about it. It's hard to write jokes about certain episodes in the show when they're already funny to begin with! Hope you all enjoy this!

Chapter 12: The Replacements

June 1994

It was an average summer day at the local park in Burbank. The morning sun was mild, the sky was clear, the perfect time to go to the local park. In fact, it was even a better time to film a new Animaniacs short with the Warners. The short, "Take My Siblings, Please" was initially called "Warners Meet the Troll" at the time. The name change was requested by the Warners themselves long after shooting was done.

Only problem, Warners were extremely bored on this day. The short wasn't an exciting epic like King Yakko, nor was it a musical like Piano Rag; it wasn't even an impromptu comedy session like "Mobster Mash". It was simple retelling of an old child's fable. So far, the script's concept was well below their expectations. This was a dangerous combination as the Warners often became difficult to work with whenever they were bored.

But despite this though, they didn't cause much trouble when filming began. They arrived on time, and they memorized all their lines. In fact the worst thing that happened was the Warners complained about having to frolic in the park, so the director changed it to a conga romp in the woods. For them, it was change that was far more enjoyable and fitting to their character.

So far, shooting the short had been pretty uneventful. Everything seemed to be going on track. However, all of that changed when Yakko said his line.

"…Need I remind you sister sibling that to get the forbidden meadow you have to cross the bridge where the …" he gulped. "…Troll lives!"

Wakko hunched over a large purple organ, playing a dramatic sting he'd spent all night rehearsing at the tower, much to his sibling's annoyance.

"Alright, Wakko we got the point." Yakko told him.

Wakko did as he was scripted; he got off the enormous instrument and tossed it away. Unfortunately he completely forgot to check and see what was right in its path.

CRASH!

The organ landed on two crew members standing just inches where the shaken director stood from a far. Everyone on set went into a panic as a pair of paramedics rushed to remove the first one from the set. The paramedics had no idea the cameras were still rolling as they ran right in the middle of the shot.

"Way to go, that's the fourth assistant director you've hit this week!" Yakko said to Wakko. Injuries had become such a recurring issue with the Warners shorts, two pandemics were always on standby.

"Cut!" the director barked while the paramedics returned to retrieve the second crew member, the costar that set to play the troll. "That's it! I am done!"

The crew's floor manager ran after him. "What?! But we just started!"

The director chucked his megaphone and continued to storm off. "Get someone else to do this! Because I am not breaking any bones for this!"

The floor manager threw up his hands before he shot an exasperated frown at the Warners. "That's also the 8th director you guys scared away this month! How do you do that?!"

"Sorry" Wakko apologized.

"It's a thing we do" Dot shrugged.

"Relax, Percy. It was an accident; don't you have a replacement for those guys?" Yakko told the floor manager.

"We do, but it's going to be a while before we can get started again." Percy sighed. "Just stay here and don't flatten anyone else okay?"

While Percy ran off to find the nearest pay telephone amongst the growing pandemonium from the crew, the Warners sat down on the grassy field.

"So what do we do now?" Dot asked.

"Just sit here I guess" Yakko replied.

After a few dull minutes passed, two familiar faces appeared on the set.

"Hey guys!" A scratchy voice answered. The Warners looked over to see it came from Buster Bunny carrying a picnic basket.

Besides him, Babs Bunny waved at them. "How's it going?"

"Buster and Babs! What brings you two here?" Yakko asked.

Babs narrowed his eyes at the blue bunny beside her. "Making sure Buster fulfills his promise to take me out on his picnic he planned for me last week."

Buster shook his head and shrugged at the pink bunny. "Aw Babs, you know I wouldn't forget. I just thought a detour through the arcade would be a shortcut here."

"Oh sure, and those tokens you handed Plucky were a toll fee?"

"Say, where is he? Doesn't he usually hang out with you?" Dot asked.

Buster rolled his eyes. "Oh, he was heading back to the studio to try to get his contract readjusted for the Plucky Duck Show again."

"When he going to realize that show is never going to be a hit?!" Babs added.

"That never stopped his beak before, Babs,"

Yakko looked at his watch before cutting in. "In fact he should be here in 3-2-1"

Suddenly from the sky above, they could hear the scream of the green duck in question, sailing towards them. He crashed into the ground in front of them, a noticeable boot print on his tail feathers. The Warners suspected that he'd been swiftly escorted out by Ralph the security guard, or ejected by the cranky CEO, Mr. Plotz.

Plucky got up from the ground, spitting out strands of grass.

"Don't ask" He grumbled.

"Don't have to, we just got the answer." Yakko quipped.

Plucky ignored him and brushed himself off. "So, what's going on here?"

"We're about to film a new short!" Wakko told them.

"I can tell your new short is coming along fine. " Babs said as she looked at the frantic crew members running around them. "How far in are you?"

"Actually we just started. Once the new director comes on, well start filming again." Yakko answered.

"Ooh, so what's the plot this time?" Plucky asked.

"Tussling with a cantankerous miner, Is it overthrowing an anvil crazy dictator?" Buster responded. He then fluttered his eyelashes. "Smoozing with Hello Nurse?"

Yakko shot an uneasy look at his siblings. "Oh, I wish. But, uh… not exactly that. It's sort of an old fable…"

He could barely bring himself to even say the working title of the short as he handed Buster a copy of the script.

"Warners and the Troll?" Buster read, his face wrenched with confusion. Plucky and Babs looked over the script with perplexed reactions as well. But, it didn't take long for those curious faces to turn into smirks. Then he and Plucky started giggling.

"That hilarious, okay seriously what's the real story you're doing?" Babs said with a chuckle.

"That is it." Dot uttered over the Tiny Toons growing giggling.

Babs reeled back with uproarious laughter. "Oh my, God! You guys are doing a children's story?! What's next?!"

"Warners and the three bears?!"Buster asked.

"Warners and the beanstalk?" Plucky added.

"Actually, yes..." Wakko stated with honesty. Now all three of the Tiny toons were on the ground, howling with laughter.

Yakko narrowed his eyes at his blushing younger brother "Thanks, Wakko."

"Come on! I thought your show was above this kind of preachy kiddy stuff!" Babs told them.

"Look who's talking Ms., I am going to save the whales!" Dot spat.

"Hey, that was a one-time episode!" Babs snapped at her. Meanwhile, Plucky took the script copy from Buster.

"I don't see what's so bad about this one, I could direct something like this in my sleep." He said.

"But you're not a director, Plucky!" Buster countered.

"Exactly!"

"Hey!" A familiar voice called out to them. The Warners looked up to see their favorite director approach them.

"Hellllo, Mike!" Yakko greeted. Mike trudged towards the Warners with noticeable bags under his eyes. They could clearly see the stipes of his pajamas underneath his work clothes. "I guess its casual work day huh?"

"No, it was going to be my day off. But I got called in." Mike answered tiredly.

"So you would have been sleeping in your jammies at noon right now?" Wakko asked.

"Working with you is exhausting, why not? Well since I'm stuck with you three again, how far in the script are we?"

"We're still in the first scene." Dot told him.

Mike paused, his eye twitched as he stepped away from them, muttering under his breath. "I knew I should have called in sick."

"Sup, Mike?" Buster said to him. A rare but warm smile spread across Mike's face.

"Cool seeing you, Buster" Mike replied. He arched his eyebrows. "Aren't you guys supposed to be at ACME Loo right now?"

"It's summer vacation, doc."

"We have a life outside of school you know." Babs added. Mike simply nodded, nearly dozing off as he did so, much to her concern. "You sure you're up for this?"

"I can always lend my directing duties for assistance…" Plucky cut in proudly. Buster and Babs shook their heads.

"Plucky, you're not a director! Besides I already have a person to do that for me." Mike told Plucky. Suddenly the floor manager Percy came up to him.

"Mike, glad you made it here but, the AD in intensive care. He won't be back" Percy said nervously. Mike blinked twice before returning his gaze to Plucky.

"Correction, you're not a director Plucky, you're a assistant director" he told him. Mike took off his cap and placed it on Plucky's head.

Plucky pumped his fist in the air. "Yes!"

"But for one day!"

"Way to indulge in someone's delusion of grandeur, Mike." Yakko told Mike. The director rustled his fuzzy brown hair when he passed by Percy.

"Are you allowed to do that?" the floor manager asked him.

"I'll care when I wake up."

Percy then shrugged before he disappeared in the crowd.

A few moments later, Ed appeared on set. The cranky and irritable cameraman the Warners came to know as their "special friend from the UK" was unusually reserved when he tip toed by the group, a skull cap pushed over the brim of his eyes.

"Sup Ed, did you bring back those brownies from Amsterdam you told us about?" Buster asked him. The cameraman stopped, giving a brief side glare at the middle Warner sibling.

"Mphm, ask Wakko!" Ed muttered grumpily, not wanting to bring up the incident that happened while filming King Yakko several months back.

"It's a long thee chapter story." Yakko told Buster.

"Where you going? Were about to start filming!" Dot called out to Ed. Ed flinched when he turned around.

"I have to get in- I mean go find the troll" he said with his British accent. Another organ sting followed after that last word. The group looked behind them to see if came from Wakko playing a second organ that had been wheeled in.

"Sorry, force of habit" he apologized.

The cameraman shook his head and headed off towards the trailer for the makeup department. While the rest of the group paid no attention, Buster and Babs leaned into each other.

"Obvious Foreshadowing" They muttered dryly.

"Alright everyone, let's get this done before I conk out!" Mike spoke through his megaphone. "Sooner we can get this done, the sooner I can go back to bed."

"Look, we got another boring short to film, why don't you come back after you're done with your picnic?" Yakko told the Tiny Toons.

"Oh no! I'm not missing out on this!" Babs told them.

Buster unrolled the picnic blanket "I second that, Doc. It'll be like dinner theater. Except I won't have to pay for once!"

Babs rolled her eyes "How, thoughtful…"

Places Warners! Places!" Plucky blared at them. The Warners gave annoyed glares at the green duck before they got back into the same position they were in last time. Mike took the megaphone from him.

"Annnnd" Mike spoke. He let out one more yawn before dropping his voice to a whisper. "Action."

[Scene 1 Take 2]

The Warners picked up right where they left off.

"…I'll be in the forbidden meadow if you need me." Dot told her brothers before she skipped away.

"But what about the troll?" Yakko asked. This was followed by another organ sting from Wakko, much to his genuine annoyance. "Enough!"

"He wont bother me." Dot added without looking back.

Wakko and Yakko simply shrugged before they joined together in another romp session. "Romp romp romp romp romp hey! Romp romp romp romp romp hey!"

"And, cut!" Plucky barked. Mike snatched the megaphone from Plucky.

"Assistants don't use the megaphone!" He said to him before turning back to the Warners. "Alright chill out for bit, guys. We'll get you once were done with Dot's scene."

Both Wakko and Yakko sighed as sat on the ground. They knew that since the next scene would be centered mainly on Dot and her "cuteness', they knew she would take her time to make sure it was perfect. Which meant it would be a while before they could rejoin.

"How long do you think Dot will be done with her special scene?" Wako asked.

"An eternity." Yakko replied.

"I heard that!" Dot yelled.

[Scene 2 Take 1]

The next scene started with Dot skipping merrily along a dirt road. With this being one the few times she had song to herself she relished every moment of it.

She sang to herself. "Tall and tan and young and lovely, The girl from Impa-"

"Cut!" said Mike.

Dot stopped in her tracks. "What? What is it?"

"Dot, That's 'The Lady From Ipanema'! We can't sing any songs we don't have rights to!"

"But its one of favorite songs!" Dot whined. Plucky tugged at Mike shirt.

"Can't we just pay the rights to use it?" He asked with a scoff.

Mike looked at him with a tired deadpan frown. "You really think Mr. Plotz is going to shell hundreds to thousands of dollars to use a copy written song for just a few seconds in 7 minute short? A short staring three Warners that he can't stand?"

"Point taken. But how about..?"

The director turned back to Dot before Plucky finished talking. "Just add your own Warner flair to it."

Dot pondered it for a brief moment. Then she smiled. "Mmm, okay!"

Plucky grabbed the megaphone from Mike again. "From the top!"

The agitated director took it back from him. He growled at him with clenched teeth. "Plucky, stop!"

Plucky smiled innocently. "Sorry, force of habit."

"Crush that habit."

[Scene 2 Take 2]

The scene started back up from the beginning. Dot skipped along the dirt path again, This time when Dot sang, she made up own lyrics on the fly.

"Tall and dark and really handsome. The hunk imponucka is dumb. And when he strolls he strolls by and he goes..." she paused to make a goofy face for the camera. " …Blleeaagh!"

"What was that at the end?!" Plucky exclaimed, interrupting the scene once more. Irritated, Mike bonked himself with the megaphone.

"The Warner flair, that tiny bit was something to catch your attention" Dot said sweetly.

Plucky shook his head, "Maybe it could use a little of that Plucky flair to..."

Mike clamped a hand over his beak before he could finish his statement.

"Plucky!" the director exclaimed. "You're fine Dot. Lets try again."

"Okay" Dot said, skipping back from whence she came. Mike returned his attention to his temporary assistant director, whos muffled cries squeaked from his clamped beak. Once he let go, Plucky immediately rubbed it.

"Geez, do you have vice grip for a hand?!" Plucky spat. Mike knelt down to his height, his tired eyes boring into his.

"Plucky, I don't have time for this!" he replied sternly. "Can you please stop so we can finally move this scene forward?"

"I'm supposed to be your assistant, What do you expect me to do?!"

Mike pointed to a small bridge stationed several feet from where they stood. "I'll tell you what you can do, go see if the troll is ready under the bridge. And if you can, find me some coffee."

Plucky rolled his eyes. "Oh sure, send the duck to do the dirty work while you do the fun biz!"

Mike narrowed his eyes. "You know, I can replace you…!"

"I'm going!" Plucky spouted before storming off. He muttered grumpily to himself, hating that his chance at directorial vision was being stifled by Mike. As long as Mike managed to stay awake, he'd barely get a chance to do anything.

Meanwhile his friends Babs and Buster sat on the picnic blanket on top of a hill, getting a good view of everything happing on set. They laughed at the green duck's less than stellar predicament from afar.

"Our friend has come so far!" Babs laughed.

"Can I get your autograph, Mr. director?!" Buster added. Plucky waived them off as he made it to the edge of the bridge. The troll was nowhere in sight.

"Alright Mr. Troll, its time to get ready!" Plucky called out. A tiny organ sting came from a distance. "Where are you?!"

"Uh… okay" a deep voice answered from under the bridge. Plucky stepped down into the stream flowing below him. The creature in question was shrouded in darkness underneath the bridges low arc. The troll slowly appeared and peaked out from the shadows.

Plucky's webbed feet tapped with impatience. "Well come on! You ready?"

The troll looked down with an irritable frown before he cleared his throat. "Yeah, yeah…"

"What is it?

"I feel stupid looking like this! Tell me, do you think I look scary?"

The bright purple creature towered over Plucky. He was covered with fake hair and scales courtesy of the makeup department. The clothing was visibly not to his size, as the tattered shirt was a skin tight fit over his flabby chest, while his pants were a loose fit around his waistline. On top of his head was a tiny tuft of green hair. In Plucky's eyes this guy looked about as intimating as a Care Bear.

"Oh sure, sure! You'll have the kids wetting themselves!" Plucky lied.

The troll rubbed at his bulbous nose. "Scary enough so no one will recognize me? Not even those Warners?"

"Why would you want to…?" Plucky began to ask before he stopped to give a sly grin to him. "Oh, I see. You're one of those method actors! You want to make your character so convincing, you'll really fool those Warners into thinking you're a real troll. A typical hallmark of a true actor!"

"Uh, yeah sure," the troll said with a quick side eye. "But I sorta have another issue. My script copy got a bit damp."

He pulled out a small booklet from the water. The pages dripped away with small streams of ink that used to be the script.

"Oh, so what? Being a villain easy!" Plucky spoke. With extra measure he flapped his feathery arms. "Just wing it!"

"But what do I say?"

"I don't know you're the actor, you figure it out! Just go blah blah, I'm gonna eat you or something like that."

"Plucky? You ready?!" Mike yelled from afar. Plucky barely paid attention to the director as he paced in circles around the troll.

"Just jump into the role! Have them falling back in terror the moment you see them. Let them know you don't like them! " Plucky advised him.

"But I already don't like them. So that's easy!" the troll spoke truthfully. "Alright then."

"Plucky!" Mike's voice yelled a bit louder.

"Gee, Mike sounds pissed. You might want to get back there."

Plucky waived off his concern. "Oh I'm not scared of Mike!"

"Hurry up, Plucky! I can't skip in this one spot forever!" Dot shrieked from afar.

He gulped. "But I am scared of her."

Plucky ran off, leaving the troll alone underneath the bridge. The purple creature sighed before crawling back underneath the bridge.

"I can't believe I'm doing this…" the troll muttered in a familiar heavy accented English voice.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Babs and Buster overheard their entire conversation. And they instantly noticed the troll's size and voice. It didn't take long for them to figure out who it really was.

"Wait a minute! Isn't that…?" Babs began to ask when Buster shushed her.

"Let it play out, Babs." he said with a smile.

Plucky rushed to the director's side, grabbing a chair of his own from nearby. The director gave a suspicious side eye as the green duck obediently sat down with a smile.

"Everything good?" Mike asked him.

"The troll is ready, my liege" Plucky retorted.

"I swear you're worse than the Warners," Mike muttered. He rose the megaphone to his face. "Action!"