I don't own the characters or settings from 2003 TMNT's Fast Forward season, or those from "Moo Mesa," but I've enjoyed both greatly.
Please enjoy and don't sue.
Around them, were wood floors, wood walls, wood furniture, and wood everything really. They stood in the midst of a wide-open space with four tables that seemed to form the points of an otherwise invisible square around them. There was a bar to one side, a long one. Posts beyond the tables held up a second floor of the building that wrapped around its four walls and ended in a railing that made a boundary between its floor space and the open air continuing up to the ceiling above the "dining" area on the first floor. Lights fixtures hung down from this ceiling including another chandelier. It was much higher and closer to the ceiling than the one Leo had cut down in the earlier program.
Piano music, tinny and high-pitched, wafted through the air. Leo swallowed before communicating his understanding of their situation. "We've been transported into some sort of battle scenario."
The most curious parts of their surroundings were those seated at the bar and tables as well as the lady standing behind the bar. She was a humanoid cat wearing a flower-shaped hat. An elk with long, low-hanging ears and branching horns coming out of a coon-skin hat turned away from the bar. His humanoid hand gripped the handle of a mug with amber liquid inside. He glared at them.
A humanoid vulture sat beside him. He had a beak and black top hat and stared more coldly at them from an eye surrounded by a ring of blue skin.
Mikey broke in with his own theory. "That or a Saturday morning cartoon!"
Leo began to agree. His attention had now been snagged by three humanoid bulls who seemed to be playing poker since all their human hands held cards. One poker playing bull was red with long horns and a black ring around one eye. He also wore a green vest with a badge fastened to it. Another bull was black with one short, and one broken off horn. He wore a blue jacket. The last one at the table seemed to be a buffalo. He had two very short horns and wore a brown jacket and a hat on a string that had fallen back to hang against the curly fur covering the back of his neck as well as the top of his head. They were all glaring at them.
The music fell silent. Yet another humanoid bull who had been playing the tune turned away from the piano to stare at them. He had on a blue jacket. The ruffles of the fancy shirt he must be wearing beneath it poked out of the ends of that jacket's sleeves. A tiny black mustache came out of this musician's muzzle. A small, pale blue-green derby hat was perched between two long horns growing out of the sides of this slim humanoid bull's head.
Mikey couldn't take all the silence and attention. The orange-banded turtle stood straighter and grinned. "Uh."
Leo bit back a scream. Their sensei could use every moment of rest he could get strained or otherwise. Unable to let go of Splinter to cover Mikey's mouth, though, and knowing words alone didn't usually help Leo felt helpless as Mikey waved and said, "Howdy partners!"
The stares just continued. Then, a now all too familiar laugh came from behind the bar. "Make it loud boys."
Most of the occupants of the bar advanced on them. Raph and Mikey squatted into defensive stances. A yellow anthropomorphic dog with a cowboy hat on its head and lasso strapped to its side came up behind him and Splinter. Leo kicked the "cartoon" into a table. The enemy smashed into the piece of furniture and then flew over it. The table was overturned too. Then he landed on the floor, slumped, and went still.
A big mule wearing a huge cowboy hat and a red bandana that hung around its neck approached Raph. The red-banded turtle dodged. Then he grabbed the mule and threw him. A chair crashed down on the hot-head's … head. He turned to see the buffalo who'd been playing poker. He punched him in the chest. Raph seemed to decide the moment needed a Mikey-level bad joke. With an attempt at a western accent, he swung his arms while saying "I 'love' cow-punching."
Leo swallowed a sigh. Well, at least Raph was getting into the hologram-dojo. What was it about punching things that made his eldest brother feel better?
Leo set Splinter into a chair, told Mikey to watch him, and approached the bull in the blue jacket. This "cartoon" had backed away from their first round of the fight but kept eyeing them. The bull was more board than tall, but very broad. Leo wasn't willing to let this potential foe come at them at a time of his own choosing maybe when they were engaged with someone else. As Leo tried to circle behind the careful stranger, the bull turned to keep him in sight.
The bull swung an orange-gloved fist. Leo dodged. Then he sent a blow into the bull's muzzle. His foe slid over the bar. Mugs flew. Then the bull did the same. His flight stopped at the far wall. His head went through it. The rest of him did not.
Mikey headed for a flight of stairs. He jump-kicked a bull in his way before running up them. Then, he hopped onto the banister. He grinned at the three bulls following him as he slid toward them. Then he flew off the banister before crashing into the trio. Then he stood back up, dusted his plastron off, and scratched his head with a grin. "Cool. I've always wanted to do that."
The mule and buffalo came at him. Mikey ducked. The buffalo jumped. The bison flew out the swinging doors. Mikey judo-flipped the donkey.
As the turtles stood over their fallen foes, the enemy who'd put them there, having taken over the identity of the cat creature behind the bar said "Most impressive." Cat hands rested on womanly hips, but then one hand rose and held out two fingers with claw-like fingernails at their ends. "But let's see how you handle level two!"
The turtles turned. Behind them, a blonde-furred bull wearing a badge approached their backs. He was bent over his hands reaching up and out like claws. The vulture, donkey, and dog were doing the same. Even a blue bull was in the mix.
From behind his shell, Leo heard "I'll leave these drones to take care of you. Time to pay Cody a little visit." Her snarling stopped. A gentler purring voice in its place asked, "Wha … what's going on?"
Those approaching the turtles stopped. Then their heads fell forward. The blonde and blue bulls shook them also along with the mule. The dog shook his whole body. The vulture raised his head again slightly and blinked while saying "Huh?"
Leo heard Raph whisper, "Hey, Fearless, should we attack now while they're disoriented?"
Leo held an arm out to block any advancement from his brother. "Give it a moment Raph …"
The butter-colored cow with a badge straightened fully and turned in place. His wide eyes took in the scene. His hands had became fists resting on his hips. He spoke in a low, reverberating voice, almost reminiscent of a cow's low Leo had heard near Casey's grandma's house. "What happened here?" The bull reached up and scratched his head under his hat.
Leo tilted his own head. He squinted his eyes while studying the creature in front of him. Then he held up a hand so its palm faced the ceiling. He kept his own voice steady and low. "You … don't remember?"
The bull looked around again before he turned his gaze to meet Leo's. "Nope! Can't say I do."
What do you think?
God bless
ScribeofHeroes