February 10, 2006 9:10 pm
As the night grew longer, and the stars shined brighter on the Mouse castle, Mickey couldn't be more pleased by how well things were turning out. Though if he had one complaint, it was Oswald's absence. Mickey intended to party at his brother's side, the whole night through. But friends whisked the rabbit away hours ago. So Mickey accompanied his friends Goofy, Jose, and Panchito for a while. The four friends celebrated in the Mouse kids' dance studio, along with a wide mix of colorful characters. While not as fancy as the ballroom, the simple wooden floor and mirrored walls kept a large sum of party guests on their feet. The tapping of every foot made a song all its own, underlying the DJ's bass. During a break between songs, Mickey tugged on Jose's sleeve to get his attention off the senhoras. The parrot reluctantly followed the mouse's lead out of the crowd. They stopped beside their reflections on the wall.
"Há algo errado?" Jose wondered. Mickey shook his head and smiled.
"Nothing's wrong Jose. I just wanna thank you for all of this." Mickey told his honored guest. The green parrot's smooth demeanor was shattered by the surprise in his eyes.
"Não, não, Mickey! I cannot... eh..." Jose stuttered. Though flattered, he wouldn't take credit for the efforts of many. "I understand you are grato pela minha ajuda to Walt. But my assistance, it stops there. Esta fiesta, é not my doing. Please, thank yourself e Minnie." He insisted.
"I know, but there wouldn't be a party if it wasn't for you. I really mean it, Jose. Thanks." Mickey proclaimed. The parrot gave up arguing the subject any further.
"De nada." Jose accepted. From afar, Panchito noticed his two friends isolated themselves from the dancefloor. The rooster decided to investigate; for the sake of his dear friends of course. He shrank down under his sombrero, until the hat's brim touched the floor. One dark red sleeved arm snuck out from under the hat and gave the brim a good swing. The sombrero soared clear over bears, foxes, a Tigger, a puppet and other characters. Gently the beige sombrero landed on Jose's head.
"Oh?" Mickey expressed, watching the hat. The mouse didn't know what to think, but the green parrot had this routine all figured out. This was the part where Panchito popped out of his sombrero, and settled cross-legged on Jose's head. Though Panchito more often played this little joke Donald. Thinking ahead, the parrot flipped the sombrero twice in mid air, caught the brim, and shook the rooster out. Panchito plummeted beak first on the floor. The rooster winced up at Mickey.
"Que pasa?" Panchito inquired. The party host didn't hesitate to help his guest back to his feet.
"Oh, I was just thanking Jose for helping Walt with the snow globe." Mickey explained. Panchito eyed the parrot, and playfully punched his friend in the ribs.
"Si, he's a good fellow." The rooster commented somewhat sarcastically. Then as if nothing had occurred, Panchito skipped a few strides and waved his arm to the dancefloor. "Vamos, amigos. The night is young." The rooster invited.
"Actually I was about to go get some fresh air..." Mickey confessed. Panchito bounded back to the mouse and parrot.
"Okay, Amigo. Hasta pronto!" He beamed. The avian cowboy was willing to let Mickey go, but unsurprisingly he physically herded Jose back to the party. Not that force was necessary. Mickey shook his head, watching the feathered wolves glide by the hips of their next fixations. Jose and Panchito were certainly lively and spirited friends. But they were also romantic fools. Promptly, Mickey turned for the door with a new relief for being a married mouse. On his way through the halls, the mouse paused frequently to say hello to friends.
"Aloha, cousin." Stitch garbled.
"Aloha, Stitch." Mickey replied.
"Zip-ah-dee-doo-dah, neighbor." Br'er Rabbit called.
"Zip-ah-dee-ay." Mickey answered back.
Eventually Mickey found himself back under the blue, black, and gold canopy of balloons, as well as Oswald's welcome home banner. Before he could reach the front door however, a tall blue figment caught his eye. The deep blue shadow floated along the wall, then vanished.
"Master Yen Sid." The mouse breathed.
Mickey strode to an unsuspecting panel of wall where he last saw the figment. Unseen to the naked eye, the particular panel was one of many secret passageways in the Mouse castle. The mouse gave just the lightest push on the wall, and the panel became a revolving door that swept Mickey to the other side. Now in a dark space, no bigger than a coat closet, Mickey yanked a string over his head to turn on a lightbulb. He discovered the wooden door facing him was unlocked and ajar. Beyond the door, the walls hugged the stairs up the narrow passage. Mickey assumed his teacher meant to lead him up the tower to speak in private. The master was too proud to be seen at a whimsical party after all. To respect his master, Mickey summoned his sorcerer's apprentice robe before meeting Master Yen Sid. The mouse tightened his rope belt and rolled down his red sleeves. Then he pressed on, climbing the winding stairs of the tower. It was practically pitch black until the mouse stepped up to the first floor. The round unpainted room glowed from three candelabra lanterns hanging on the wall. Large antiques from Mickey's past were packed together, leaving little walking space. Among the ancient equipment was a horse carriage, brass era cars, a biplane disassembled into three pieces, a steam engine train which hardly stood thrice Mickey's height wheels to chimney, and even a silver robot wearing boxing gloves.
In the seat of one of the early automobiles, Yakko Warner studied a paper in hand. The dumbfounded mouse gawked at the unexpected guest and pondered. Neither Master Yen Sid or his aura were anywhere to be found. But Yakko's presence was not unwanted. Just very surprising. How the child unlocked the secret door without a key or spell was beyond Mickey. Furthermore, in Mickey's last conversation with the Warners' guardian, Bugs was adamant on not attending the party. Mickey wondered what could have changed his friend's mind.
Suddenly Yakko sensed someone watching him. Hastily he shoved the paper back in the obvious cubical glove compartment. The teen Warner darted his head towards the famous mouse, just standing there in his magical robe. For only a fraction of a second, Yakko hesitated. If Mickey had blinked, he would have missed the moment Yakko acknowledged Mickey was the real deal. Immediately after, the eldest Warner hopped out of the black automobile and nonchalantly leaned his elbow on the door.
"You always dress like that for your parties?" Yakko distracted so the mouse wouldn't ask what he was digging into.
"Oh, this? No, I just thought you were someone else." Mickey answered honestly. As he approached, Mickey willed the magic robe to mist away, leaving him dressed in a black tux, red pants, and a yellow bowtie. The mouse started over, offering Yakko a formal handshake.
"Hi there! You must be Yakko." Mickey greeted. Yakko tilted his chin down to Mickey. Oddly the mouse didn't seem mad that Yakko intruded on his fancy castle attic space. Yakko shook the mouse's hand.
"Well if I must, ehhhhh I guess I could play the part." The teen Warner joked. Mickey smiled at Yakko's wit, which reminded him well of Bugs.
"Ha-ha. It's really nice to finally meet you, Yakko. Bugs has told me so much about you." The mouse chatted. 'And yet he's never mentioned you' Yakko sassed in his mind.
"In that case, I'm innocent. I swear." The Warner actually spoke. Mickey chuckled.
"And Bugs is with you?" The mouse checked, just as Minnie had done. "I'll have to have a talk with him, about you sneaking up here." Mickey lightly chided.
"Yeah, he should be around here somewhere." Yakko lied with ease. He wasn't deterred by Mickey's warning at all.
"Have you seen the outside?" Mickey questioned. Whatever the mouse implied, went straight over Yakko's head.
"Ehhh... Well I didn't just teleport my way in." Yakko answered.
"C'mon." Mickey directed. He lead the way to a braided rope hanging from the ceiling. Of course Yakko noticed the rope before, but chose to leave it alone. In his home district of Toontown, if one pulled a suspicious looking rope, they were liable to get crushed by a safe. However when the mouse yanked on the rope, it unraveled into a rope ladder. Yakko scrutinized the ladder.
"You get a kick out of living in a fun house?" Yakko guessed. Mickey scaled the rope ladder to the top and pushed upon a trap door in the ceiling. Yakko eventually followed suit, climbing up, and hoisting himself to his hands and knees on the next floor. He emerged on cool bricks at the tower's peak. A gust of night air chilled the young toon's face. Seeing Mickey was waiting on him, Yakko stood up right, and they walked to the edge of the battlement. From up there, Yakko could see a wave of color from the lively toon guests in the courtyard, the drive, and the brook. They all seemed to be shimmering stars compared to the forest green lawn and the indigo horizon. A dark sorcerer arrived with a masked woman in a puff of ruby smoke. Generations of luminescent blue spirits chuckled while their fiery red companion comically told as well as acted out a tall tale. Gold and burnt orange lion brothers stood side by side despite their differences. A fluttering blue hornbill seemed very pleased by their compromise. Higher to Mickey and Yakko's level, the Genie soared over their heads like a crystal blue comet.
"It's great when everybody gets together." Mickey marveled. Yakko drew his attention back to Mickey. The mouse cast his starry eyes not to his family below, but to the heavens. Yakko figured now was his best chance to bring out the big guns, so to speak. This would be the moment to make his scheme all worth while. Yakko pouted his lips.
"Yeah. I just wish Art could be here." Yakko baited. Mickey looked up at Yakko in shock.
"You know about Art?" Mickey gasped. The edge of Yakko's mouth almost hinted a smile. He tried to remain sorrowful in appearance.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I?" Yakko tested, not meeting Mickey's eyes.
"Well..." The mouse started. "I guess you would know. It's just that... nobody's spoken of Art in a long time."
"Why?" Yakko queried. Mickey folded his arms thoughtfully. It took some time for him to answer.
"Because we all moved on... except for Bugs." He paused again. "Usually I'm the one to say 'don't lose hope' or 'never give up'. But sometimes I think hope is hurting Bugs more than helping. Nowadays all Bugs ever does at the mention of Art's name is beat himself up. It's really hard to watch him go through those episodes." Mickey confessed. Yakko raised his brow. He didn't expect such heartbreaking honesty from the happiest toon on Earth. As if he realized he made a mistake, Mickey cleared his throat. "Please don't tell him I said any of this. I know what it's like when friends pressure you to stop grieving." Mickey requested.
"Yeah. No problem." Yakko solemnly agreed. "So, I take it you and Art were kind of close?" Yakko queried.
"Uh-huh. He and my kids used to play together." Mickey contently reminisced.
"You have kids?" Yakko couldn't help blurting out. The mouse laughed amusedly. To keep the subject on Art, Yakko didn't let him reply. "Did Oswald meet him?" Yakko put in.
"No." Mickey said thoughtfully. "Oswald always kept his distance from Art."
"Why?" Yakko queried again.
"You seem awfully curious about Art." Mickey observed. Yakko's eyes shifted awkwardly between Mickey and the courtyard below.
"I am. I mean it's like you said. Bugs doesn't like to talk about him anymore." Yakko thought up. Mickey looked sorrowfully at Yakko. He understood everything now; or so he thought.
"Bugs really hasn't told you much, has he?" Mickey realized. He stood at attention, and in all sincerity offered Yakko a generous gift. Answers. "Yakko, I would be happy to tell you all about Art Bunny."
"Really?" Yakko gasped.
"Yeah. In a way Bugs' family is your family. So I think you deserve to know." Mickey explained with a friendly smile. Yakko returned one of gratitude. Suddenly a commotion rose up from the courtyard. Toons rushed out of the way of something low to the ground and moving fast.
"What's going on down there?" Mickey wondered. Yakko studied how the toons parted a weaving line where no one walked. No, instead of walking in and making his presence known, a new guest tunneled his way in, pushing up a trail of earth under everyone's feet. Yakko's heart jumped to his throat and dropped to his stomach. This could only mean one thing. A furious rabbit was on his way to kill the Warner trio.
"Uh-oh." Yakko gulped. "I gotta run!" The young toon bolted for the trap door and sprang inside the tower. Meanwhile Mickey was left in the dark, without an inkling of what was the matter.
February 10, 2006 9:28 pm
At ground level, Bugs stuck his head out of the dirt to survey his surroundings. Though the castle had changed a lot, the rabbit was certain he found the right address; and by the looks of the toony but civil guests, the right party. Suddenly Bugs felt a thick leathery tongue lick the back of his ears.
"Hey!" Bugs protested. The rabbit shook off the slobbery residue. A portion of Bugs' anger subsided when he saw Mickey's playful pup, Pluto panting at him. Calmly, Bugs scooted out of the burrow, and patted Pluto's head. "Can you show me where th' mouse is? I gotta give him a message." Bugs requested.
"Ruff-ruff!" Pluto happily obliged. The hound stuck his nose to the ground and walked on. Pluto lead the way to the castle's main doors. Only now did the dog lift his head. Pluto stood on his hind legs and gave the door enough of a shove to open it on his own. Immediately the dog continued his search by lowering his sniffer to the floor. The rabbit held the door to let himself in after Pluto. The hound only followed his nose for a moment when he raised his head again and pointed. Dead ahead of Pluto, Bugs spied a plump black cat hardly fitting in a white suit. The mass of villainous toon glowered over Mickey.
"Well if it isn't everybody's favorite mouse." Pete rasped.
"Yeah Pete. I really gotta be on my way." Mickey stated impatiently. But the hulking cat wasn't budging. The fur on Pluto's back ruffled up. Impulses drove Pluto to charge at Pete.
"Ar-ar-ar-arf! Ar-ar-arf-arf!" Pluto barked viciously. When caught by surprise, Pete demonstrated the ferocity of a toon kitten. He jumped to the ceiling in fright and entangled himself in the blue balloons. In typical toon fashion, Pete looked down at the impossible height he scaled, then dropped like a rock. The cat belly flopped hard and a loud 'boom' resonated from the floor. Pete winced while red and white stars raced around his head. However Mickey, Pluto, and Bugs couldn't be bothered by that display.
"Pluto! Aw, good dog." Mickey rewarded. He welcomed his pal with open arms. Pluto licked his master's face and jumped around. After Mickey patted Pluto to settle him down, the mouse lifted his gaze. By the loud crunching of a carrot, Mickey noticed Bugs' presence.
"Bugs! Oh, boy! I'm glad you're here." Mickey rejoiced. But Bugs didn't appear glad to see Mickey. His eyelids half drooped over a dead stare. His nose twitched irritably. The stoic rabbit didn't even exchange a 'hello' to his old friend. Instead he pointed his carrot at Pete.
"I t'ought dey always landed on der' feet." Bugs taunted. The big cat pushed himself off the floor. Not wanting to face Mickey's reinforcements, he scrambled for the exit.
"I hope that brother of yours has the nerve to knock you off your pedestal!" Pete huffed to Mickey before slamming the front door behind him.
"What crawled under his skin?" Bugs queried. "Never mind. I don't care. Where are da Warners?" The rabbit corrected himself.
"I don't know. Yakko just ran off in a hurry." The mouse answered worriedly. Bugs scowled in frustration. He rummaged through his hammerspace, and pulled out a grey teddy bear wearing a red tie. The looney rabbit showed the teddy bear to the dog.
"Sniff 'em out, Pluto." Bugs commanded. The golden hound took in several whiffs of the stuffed animal, while Mickey stood in baffled silence. Straight away Pluto found the scent and chased after it. Mickey and Bugs followed close to Pluto's heels.
"Bugs, what's going on?" Mickey inquired urgently.
"You'll see." Bugs dismissed.
February 10, 2006 9:39 pm
Due to all the attention, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit hadn't the chance to dance with his wife all night. Karaoke was an enjoyable substitute. The karaoke room was devoid of a stage. So a performer stood on a neon red rubber spot on the floor. Humble as the 'stage' was, it vibrantly stood out from the rest of the black and purple room under the blacklights. More than once, Ortensia and Oswald shared the red spot for a duet.
The couple crooned two harmonizing blue notes, and bowed their heads in unison. An excited applaud followed. Oswald could read the joy in his Disney friends' eyes; a joy more likely caused by his and Ortensia's relationship, rather than his and her singing. That had to be the reason. Just moments ago the crowd heard performances from toons with the voice talents of Billy Joel, Phil Harris, Louis Prima, and Bing Crosby. Oswald knew he and his wife didn't hold a candle to those toons. Whatever the reason, Oswald was glad his friends were glad. The rabbit linked arms with his wife. Ortensia held her magenta dress at her side as her husband escorted her back to their new friends from Warner Brothers.
Wakko and Dot bounced up and down on couch cushions and awed at the effect the blacklights had on their already pale faces. Their antics kept most toons at bay, until Oswald and Ortensia returned. Then the two Warner siblings dropped out of the air and made room for the rabbit and cat to sit on the couch.
"That last one was beautiful." Dot complimented. 'For a comedy routine.' Oswald thought with a smirk on his face.
"Thank you, sweetie." Ortensia beamed. She nuzzled at Oswald's side. "We used to dance to that one at all our friends' weddings." The cat reminisced.
"A wedding song for wedding singers." Oswald finally spoke his mind. Ortensia elbowed his ribs.
"Oh stop it, you!" She huffed. Oswald looked around the room at all the Disney singers and music enthusiasts.
"Well... we're not a bad group, if you don't count the choking parrot." Oswald further critiqued. Wakko and Dot wildly laughed. Ortensia hiccupped a surprised giggle.
"Yeah. Who's idea was it to give Gilford Goddfried a voice acting role anyway?" Wakko cringed, biting his tongue.
"I don't know. Maybe Eisner?" Oswald played along. Suddenly the lucky rabbit's lighthearted mood began to dull. "Oh, no. Look who decided to grace us with his presence." Oswald groaned, pointing his ears toward the entrance. Ortensia, Wakko, and Dot followed the rabbit's cue. A strapping young man suited in red, marched the full perimeter of the room to gain everyone's attention. Accompanying the man were three doe eyed blonde maidens holding on his biceps. When the four neared Oswald and company, the arrogant hunter demonstrated his strongest talents to his women; flexing his muscles and making conversation out of catchphrases.
"Nobody sings like Gaston." He proudly announced, making his blonde admirers dreamily sigh.
"Is this an act?" Dot asked.
"No. That's normal for him." Ortensia answered tiredly.
"Nobody breaks a leg like Gaston." Gaston proclaimed. Oswald stood up abruptly. He was already fed up with Gaston's parade.
"Oh yeah, Gaston? Prove it!" Oswald challenged. Without a fault, Oswald detached his left leg. He presented the limb in hand to Gaston. The blonde triplets gasped and looked amongst themselves uncertainly. For a moment Gaston seemed conflicted about accepting Oswald's dare. Then the hunter took everyone by surprise when he pulled his straight leg backward by the toes. He struggled to wrench his femur at a higher angle until he was forced to the floor by a deafening crack. Frantically Gaston's fair blonde admirers cocooned around him. Ortensia hurried to her hero's side. She held his hand in congratulation and he kissed her hand in return.
"C'mon sweetheart. We should get outta here before I have to defend my title." Oswald jested. Over his shoulder, he found the children he met just hours ago, standing very close to him. "Wakko? Dot?" Oswald simply invited. The two Warner siblings gladly lead their current best friends by the wrists out of the karaoke room. Oswald and Ortensia laughed amusedly. Personally Oswald didn't want it any other way. He didn't want to leave these fun characters behind. Suddenly the Warners leapt from the blacklights into heavy, white, blazing ordinary light. Oswald and Ortensia squinted and rubbed their eyes, but the Warners went completely screwy. They shielded their eyes and threw themselves about the corridor.
"I think I'm burning! AHHHHH! What a world!" Dot shrieked.
"My face melted off!" Wakko screamed. Oswald bemusedly shook his head. Then without warning, Ortensia got down on her knees and began playing with the kids. She half shielded her eyes with one hand, grabbed Wakko's hand with the other, and planted his gloved palm on her face.
"I can't feel my face! Can you feel mine?" Ortensia dramatically implored. Wakko poked and petted over her face.
"No, I think it melted on the floor!" Wakko wailed, still poking at her chin.
"Here! Let me help you put your face back on!" Ortensia cried. She scooped up two handfuls of nothing and smudged the nothing over Wakko's face. When she let go, Wakko's black eyes were swirl shaped, and white paint striped across his red nose, turning it into a peppermint. Wakko shook his face back to normal.
"Now let me help you!" Wakko sneered. He picked Ortensia's pretend face out of his gag bag, and smothered it into her fur. Of course he was cautious not to roughhouse anymore than she did. When it came to making friends, even special ones, Bugs' golden rule was to give what you receive. Wakko let go of Ortensia's face. She couldn't quite sense what changed, so she summoned a mirror from her hammerspace. The cat's pale face was decorated with perfectly circular peppermint cheeks in a blush red glow.
"Wow. How did you learn to do this?" She marveled.
"From school. It's like finger painting but faster." Wakko shrugged. Oswald's snickering reached Ortensia's ears.
"Don't act like that." Ortensia humorously scolded him. "Come here." She instructed, patting a place on the floor.
"Yes, Sugarplum." The rabbit sang. Oswald gave his wife a handkerchief to wipe away the red paint on her face. She accepted it. The lucky rabbit sat down beside his wife on the floor, but he wiggled aside when Dot army crawled her way between them.
"Hey, what about me? Do you think I'll make it?" Dot demanded. Oswald lent Dot a supporting hand as she picked herself off her stomach, and sat up in a comfortable position.
"I think there's a good chance. Especially with these." Oswald suggested, showing pairs of sunglasses in his hands. Though their eyes already adjusted to the light, the Warners made hasty grabs for the shades. Oswald and Ortensia put on sunglasses for the fun of it as well.
"This will make a great picture!" Wakko realized. In a blurr, Wakko set up a tripod and camera. A red light blinked, indicating a timer. The middle Warner raced back to Ortensia's side. "Everybody say Titicaca!" Wakko exclaimed.
"Titicaca!" They chorused. The camera gave a white flash and everyone relaxed their poses. Wakko ran back to the camera with high hopes for the picture's quality. Wakko picked up the camera and reviewed its contents. He made a big smile and his tongue dropped further out of his mouth.
"So how do we look?" Ortensia inquired, removing her shades. Wakko prepared to show everyone the precious captured memory, but a voice stopped him dead in his tracks. Dot turned to the voice as well. It was their brother.
"Dot! Wakko!" Yakko hollered. Not ten feet away, the corridor ended at a flight of stairs. Yakko sprinted up the stairs as if he had seen a ghost. He stumbled over his own feet to halt in front of Dot and the others. "Dot! We gotta... vamoose!" Yakko panted.
"Hey!" Wakko interrupted. He speedily stowed the camera and tripod away in his gag bag, then skipped to his brother for appreciation and reward. "Look who I found!" Wakko prided. Oswald gave Yakko a friendly nod. Wakko already expressed to the rabbit how Yakko was dying to meet him. Though Wakko never disclosed why. Yakko gawked back and forth between his siblings and the inkblot rabbit. This one was unmistakably the real Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
"Good work, sib." The eldest Warner commended in astonishment. "But we'll save the introductions for some other time." Yakko recovered. He couldn't say more, because of a famous golden hound making a scene. The dog plowed into Yakko's leg, nearly knocking the young toon over. Promptly Pluto sat and wagged his tail for Dot. Oswald moved to scratch Pluto's ear.
"Have you two met?" Oswald questioned Dot. The youngest Warner felt curious of Pluto. The hound had his eyes trained on her like he expected her to throw him a bone. Dot held out her hand, and Pluto politely gave her his paw to shake.
"We have now." Dot replied.
"Well he seems to like you." Oswald pointed out. Wakko leaned on Pluto's side and gave him a hug. Pluto, being a very social dog, responded with a big lick on Wakko's face.
"Aww, what a cute puppy!" Wakko enthused. Meanwhile Yakko couldn't stand to waste another second, knowing Bugs was right on their tails.
"Sibs! We need to amscray!" Yakko yelled.
"Something wrong?" Oswald inquired.
"It's our guardian at the front gate." Yakko gulped. "Let's just say when he finds us, he won't be happy to see us." Unbeknownst to Yakko, a pair of grey pointed ears rose up the stairway, slowly revealing Bugs' full image. Wakko and Dot huddled together and trembled at the sight. Oswald grabbed Ortensia's arm protectively. Both rabbits eyed each other and made sour scowls. "But if he finds us at home we might not get in as much trouble. C'mon, we'll sneak out the back door." Yakko planned, just as Bugs stopped his pace behind his charge. The looney rabbit crossed his arms in contempt.
"Ehhh... I wouldn't go dat way, Mac." Bugs spoke up.
"Why not?" Yakko queried, without thinking. He whirled around and stubbed his nose into Bugs' arm. Scared out of his wits, Yakko's eyes popped off his face, and developed their own mouths to screech in Bugs' face. Yakko's eyes darted back to him as the eldest Warner cowered at the enraged rabbit's presence.
"You double-crossin' so-and-so's are grounded!" Bugs berated. "You're grounded six feet under till ya forget da last time ya've seen da light of day! Do you understand!? I'm ashamed of you Docs! I'm da only toon dat's evah cared for ya unconditionally, and dis is da t'anks I get!? Afta all I've done, ya dupe me at da foist chance! Sure, I can take dat. I can take lies, and backstabbing, and disrespect!" The grey rabbit ranted. "But I draw da line when somebody dupes my nephew." Bugs threatened in a darker tone. The corridor was dead silent. No toon even dared to breathe. That is, except Yakko.
"Because that's your job." Yakko sassed. Steam visibly blew out of the grey rabbit's ears.
"What did you say?!" Bugs demanded. Yakko prepared to get everything off his chest from yesterday.
"You're the backstabber! You lied to us all this time!" Yakko voiced. He decided to test his luck. "Why didn't you just tell us you had a son?!" Bugs' mouth gaped for a second. Those words coming from Yakko, startled Bugs into a silent stupor. "What, you just never really liked us that much? Jack Warner forbid these rotten kids ever speak your perfect son's name lest they dishonor his memory?" Yakko prattled. "Are your three best students not good enough? Are my sibs and I just not ART enough for you?" The teen Warner badgered.
"Dat's not true!" Bugs finally objected.
"Then what is the truth, Bugs?!" Yakko desperately implored. "I wanna hear what else you've kept from us, and I wanna hear it now! So I'm not leaving this spot until you cough it up." Yakko shouted.
"You don't get to make dat call, kid. Get ta burrowin', NOW!" Bugs asserted, pointing to the way he came. The eldest Warner pretended to consider Bugs' argument.
"No." Yakko said simply.
"No?" Bugs repeated, astonished.
"By the way, I wanna know what your problem is with Oswald." Yakko antagonized.
"Yakko..." Bugs growled in warning.
"He's the reason you didn't want us coming here, isn't he?" Yakko predicted.
"Enough!" Bugs shot. "We're goin' home dis instant, Yakko! Even if I have ta drag ya by da tail every step of da way! Wakko, Dot, march!" The rabbit bellowed. Wakko was the first to run for the stairs. Dot hung her head sadly. She gave Ortensia a parting glance and slowly forced herself to walk away. Bugs caught the princess Warner's shoulder. "Here." Bugs sighed. He handed the grey teddy bear in the red tie over to Dot. She immediately cuddled it for comfort. Yakko still felt agitated and fired up, but without his siblings at his side, it seemed he had lost this battle. He was tired, confused, and thought Bugs hurt him now more than ever. Taking his first steps out of the corridor, Yakko met eyes with Mickey, who witnessed the whole scene. Bugs said nothing to the mouse as he herded the Warner siblings onward.
Mickey cautiously approached his brother, who looked utterly despondent.
"Oswald, I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I... I shouldn't have invited Bugs out here after all." Mickey regretted. But Bugs Bunny wasn't the real reason Oswald felt so upset. Truthfully Oswald didn't know if he himself knew the real reason. The black rabbit let his hand limply fall out of Ortensia's grasp.
"I think I need to be alone." Oswald sighed. The black rabbit took flight, to gain further distance from Mickey, Ortensia, and Pluto. He ignored their pleas for him to stay. The black rabbit soared to another wing, and swooped down another stairwell where he thought he could find solitude. He jetted inside a pink room heavily decorated in mirrors, a lace covered table set, painted plates, teapots, and group photos of Minnie, Daisy, and Clarabelle. Minnie's tea room would serve well as Oswald's unsuspecting hiding place. So he thought.
Oswald pushed a couple pillows out of the way to sit down at the window seat. From his view, he couldn't see many toons outside. Strombolli, packed up his gypsy cart. The Mad Hatter and the March Hare whirled away in a giant tea cup. Of course, Bugs and the kids were long gone. Oswald slouched and rested his chin in his hands. The tea room's doorknob clicked as someone let themselves in. Oswald had a hunch it was Mickey, coming to his big brother's rescue like he always did. But instead of Mickey's voice, the tapping sound of a cane caught the rabbit's attention. An aged duck with an authoritative presence addressed him.
"Oswald? What are ye doin' in here?" The black rabbit gave Scrooge McDuck a puzzled look. "Ah saw ye flyin' in here like yer wee tail was ablaze." Scrooge explained himself. "Wha's wrong, lad?"
"Nothing, Scrooge." The rabbit muttered. To Oswald's dismay, the old duck wouldn't let him be.
"Ah dinnae get rich by being a sucker. Wha's really wrong?" Scrooge prodded. Oswald bowed his head thoughtfully.
"I don't know how to explain it. I just met these three kids that look like me. They all had the brightest and funniest personalities. We were having a ball when Bugs Bunny, of all toons, barged in and swept them away from me. Hearing Bugs yell at those kids like that made me steamed. At least I think I was angry, or heartbroken or something... but I don't know what or why. So I just feel confused." The rabbit described.
"Almost like a sense of Deja vu?" Scrooge suggested.
"Déjà vu?" Oswald repeated unsurely.
"Well as ah understand it, this isnnae the first time ye've lost someone on account of Bugs Bunny." The rabbit could hardly believe his ears. He anxiously scooted to the edge of the window seat.
"You know!? You know about the inkwell?" Oswald exclaimed. Scrooge nodded calmly.
"Aye. Timothy tells me everything, the wee blether." The duck revealed. "Maybe it's a daft idea, but ah have seen crazier things. It wouldnae be right tae dismiss it without tellin' ye." Scrooge considered.
"Tell me what?" Oswald snapped. "I'm emotionally scarred from losing Oswald Junior?" The rabbit held his tongue suddenly. He hadn't called the inkwell's contents by name in a long time. "I know that already, Scrooge."
"Lad, how much would ye say these children resemble ye?" Scrooge implied. Oswald blinked. As if a switch had flicked on in his head, Oswald understood. He knew he liked those kids for a reason. His sons and daughter... they were animated and alive!
"You really think they could be my family?" The rabbit hoped. Scrooge took a firm hold of Oswald's shoulder.
"Go with your gut, lad. A family's too precious tae lose." Scrooge counseled.
"I'll look into it. Thanks Scrooge." Oswald smiled with determination.
Outside the tea room, Clarabelle Cow pressed her bronze cowbell between the wall and her ear, while her lifelong friend Horace Horsecollar shielded his face in shame.
"Did you hear that? Word on the street is, Oswald's got relations to the Warner brothers and sister." Clarabelle alerted.
"Oh, hogwash Clarabelle." Horace ignored.