THE CELEBRATION.
The next night, almost the whole Looniversity was at the school's gym, who was decorated and set for the occasion. Besides the students and the staff, many parents were there as well, but they were mainly chatting with the teachers, so the pupils were quite comfortable with them around.
Hillary arrived with her parents, and while they were talking with Slappy, she went to chat with Mary. The human girl was wearing a blue top, white mini-skirt, and a red bow; since she was dateless, she saw no reason for wearing anything special. Hillary, on the other hand, had changed her usual shirt for a red top, her shorts for a blue mini-skirt, and the usual spiked bracelets for regular silver colored ones, plus wearing one earring on each ear instead of just one on the left one; she wasn't comfortable with formal dresses, but decided she should look a little different for the occasion, but conserving her usual style. All the other girls and their dates were using gala clothing.
"Hey, Hill, you look great! I'm sure Ronald will like that outfit." Mary told the hyena.
"Eh...what makes you think I dressed this way for Ron?" Hillary nervously said.
"Maybe the fact that you had been looking for someone since you arrived, and the only ones who aren't here are him and Wally, and our wolf friend is late because he went to pick up his girl." Mary explained. Hillary sighed.
"Yes...well, I admit, I really want to make a good impression with his parents. After all, he made his best to be liked by mine, and succeeded." Hillary informed Mary. The girl smiled, and placed a hand on the hyena's shoulder.
"Don't worry, they'll like you...oh, look, there is Minerva entering. I'm sure Ronald and his parents will be with her." Mary pointed to the door. Hillary turned; the mink was really there, on an orange dress, not very revealing, but that fitted perfectly on her body. One second later, Ronald entered the gym dressed with a formal black outfit, and alongside him, she wearing a long blue dress and a black necklace, and he with an outfit that matched Ronald's...
"RITA AND RUNT?" Mary and Hillary chorused, wide opening their eyes. The other students noticed them as well, and had similar reactions. Then, the gang surrounded them, with surprised expressions. Ronald cleared his throat.
"Good night, guys...I want to introduce you to my parents, but I guess you already know them. Mom, Dad, they are my friends." Ronald placed himself between the dog and the cat, and made the introduction.
"Glad to meet you guys, definitely." Runt said waving his right paw. Rita nodded.
"Yes. Ronald talks a lot about all of you on his e-mails. Is a pleasure to finally meet all of you." Rita said. Plucky then said what everyone wanted to ask.
"Thanks... nice to meet you too...but I don't get it! Ronald is your son? But he's a lion!" Plucky said in a hurry, almost yelling at the last part. Ronald sighed.
"Well, if you remember, I had never claimed to be a lion myself. Everybody assumes it when they see me, and I just keep my mouth closed, because of some bad experiences I have had. People can fear a lion, but after a while they can accept it; however, many guys fear and hate hybrids or make fun of them and their families. Since I look like a lion, I let people think that until they get used to me so I don't get judged for my origin. Skippy, Minerva, and our teachers know about it, so they never said a thing as well." Ronald explained.
"Well, now that I think about it, you never told us your last name." Buster said.
"My complete name is Ronald Purr Smutt. Smutt is, obviously, my dad's real last name, and Purr, my second name, is because of my mom's maid one, Purrker; "Dog" and "Cat" are just their screen's last names. Actually, my dad birth's name is Ronald as well, but uses "Runt" on screen because it was his childhood's nickname." Ronald said while placing a paw on his parents' shoulders. The toonsters gave them a long look, except Calamity and Fifi, who wide opened their eyes and looked at each other.
"Wanna hear something funny? When we got engaged, Runt actually wanted to use my last name so I could conserve it! As sweet at that was, I already had a lot of the relationship's control, so I decided to use both last names." Rita commented while giving Runt a fond look. Runt smiled at his wife, and blushed slightly; even after all these years, Rita's eyes could still melt his heart.
"But, you guys look too young to have a son Ronald's age." Babs pointed to Rita and Runt.
"And Bugs is old enough to use a cane, but definitely he is on top shape. Most toons don't reflect their real age. Besides, Rita and I got married right after graduating from here, and had Ronald a year later, so definitely we're not so old." Runt explained.
"Yes. They are like thirteen years older than me." Minerva confirmed.
"You had been married for such a long time? We had no idea...and I'm a reporter or something very close." Mary said. Rita decided to explain.
"When we joined the Animaniacs' cast, we already had done a lot of traveling with a theater's company, and Ronald had spent most of his life backstage. Unfortunately, as my son said, many people dislike the inter-species marriages, and the hybrids that result from them, so we had to hide both our marriage and Ronald's relation with us while we were part of the show; every time someone asked us about him, we always had to say he was a kid we were baby-sitting. Actually, that's why we almost didn't appear on the last seasons, because we started asking the producers to allow us show more of our feelings on screen. Please, we already were obvious enough; a little more cuddling couldn't hurt." Rita ended, rolling her eyes at the last part.
"But that's dadgum unfair! I mean, besides the dadgum rabbits here, almost all of us are dating someone from a different species…or we are dadgum trying." Fowlmout pointed, and then glanced at Shirley (Plucky's date) for a moment.
"Well, the inter-species thing is definitely more accepted these days, but back when Rita and I were dating…oh, man! We had to marry in secret to avoid some definitely intolerant guys that wanted to sabotage the wedding. The only ones attending were our parents, Minerva and her family (she was the flower girl, by the way), and a few close friends and our mentors from the Looniversity, Penelope and Charlie." Runt explained.
Hillary gave them a long look; Ronald was avoiding the eye-contact with her, probably ashamed for not telling about his real origin. Now that he was close to his parents, the resemblance was obvious. Ronald had his mother's green eyes and general body structure, while his complexion was similar to his father's, plus (except for the white front paws and the spots on Runt's back) they had almost the same color pattern on their furs, and shared the same kind of hairdo, who, in Ronald's case, passed as a lion's mane. The combination of Rita and Runt's features really produced a very convincing lion-like creature.
"Now, that's a surprise. So, you are like, fifty percent cat, and fifty percent dog, or some junk." Shirley directed to Ronald. He nodded, and, at that moment, a brown dog with long ears popped in front of them.
"Hey, that's nothing. I'm fifty percent Pointer…There it is! There it is!" The dog started pointing in all directions, talking in a hurry.
"Fifty percent Watch-dog." The canine continued, taking a huge watch out from his body's pocket.
"Fifty percent Setter." The dog returned the watch to the pocket, and sat at the floor.
"Fifty percent Irish." The dog took a wooden pipe out from his body's pocket, and placed it on its jaws. After a moment, he stood up, and placed the pipe back on its place.
"And fifty percent Spitz." The dog prepared to spit, but was cut by Runt, placing a paw on its snout.
"You know the funniest part about this, Charlie? I'm the dumb dog here, and even I know your math is definitely wrong." Runt said to his mentor while retiring his paw. Everyone chuckled, and Charlie and Runt shook paws. He was the one that gave him and Rita the idea for the homeless animal's act on first place. Of course, Rita and Runt couldn't use most of the gags they learned from him, or Penelope, while working on Animaniacs, because the script asked for a different style, but eventually worked for them to have one of their own.
"Okay, but I still don't get something. If Ronald isn't a lion, why he can roar so well?" Vinnie asked. Charlie, Minerva, Runt and Ronald moved a step back, while Rita cleared her throat.
RRROOOOOAAAAAARRRR!
The powerful roaring surprised the toonsters. Then, they all stared at Rita.
"I'm Catwoman. Hear me roar." Rita said in a perfect Michelle Pfeiffer's imitation. She chuckled, and returned to her usual tone. "I learned to do that trick for one episode, "Les Miseranimals", and taught it to Ronnie. He doesn't have my singing voice, but his roaring is excellent." Rita gave Ronald a proud look. He just chuckled, and placed a paw on his mother's shoulder.
"You are still the best, Mom." Ronald told her, winking an eye. Rita smiled at him. Runt saw his chance, and gave them a great hug.
"Family hug!" Runt said. Ronald and Rita gasped for air for a second, but recovered quickly and returned the hugging, smiling as well. All the toons around them started laughing, even Hillary.
"Hey, it's private, or I can join?" Minerva asked. Rita chuckled, and motioned her to get closer, so a moment later the mink was involved in the collective hug as well. Rita and Runt were like older brothers for she, and Ronald like a little brother or cousin, so Minerva was considered as part of the family.
"Well, that was nice. Are you guys moving around here, or Ronald will still be living with Minerva?" Buster asked the elder toons. At that moment, Bugs approached the group.
"I can answer dat one, Buster. You see, dere's one new project at da studio involvin' many Looney Tunes, "Loons at the Attic", or somethin' like dat, and we'll be kind of busy to attend all our classes. So, since Rita and Runt just finished dair concerts' tour, and have no more contracts for da moment, I asked dem to start teachin' here. Dey will both teach "Music", and Runt will teach "Sidekicking" instead of Porky…he is not part of da new project, but he'll assist me with some of my duties as Principal, so Runt will cover dat one as well." Bugs informed.
"And, since Lola will be busy too, I'll take her place training the Boxing Team." Rita said. The girls from the team gasped, and then gave a look to Lola, who was a few feet behind them. The bunny nodded; she was waiting for the right chance to tell them, but she didn't dare because she really enjoyed that job.
"What? You box too?" Babs asked the cat, raising an eyebrow. Rita nodded while pointing at Ron.
"How do you think Ronald learned that? I had been a street cat all my life, and if you live that way you must learn to run fast to avoid fighting, or how to fight as well. That's how I got this tiny scar." Rita pointed to the little missing bit on her right ear. Furrball nodded; he also lost one piece of his ear on a fight many years ago, so he could relate to Rita's experience. After that encounter, the blue cat always preferred to escape rather than fighting.
Minerva sighed; she knew how Rita got that scar. Many years ago, when the mink was four, she sneaked out from her house to catch a butterfly that was flying on the backyard, and then a huge Dobermann jumped the fence to attack her. Luckily, Rita was babysitting her that day, and had a huge fight with the dog to protect the little mink. The dog left terribly injured, but Rita got hurt as well; as a toon, she recovered fast, but that particular scar remained. To Minerva, it was a constant reminder about how much Rita cared about her, and since that day she always called the cat "big sister" in public, even when Minerva grew taller than Rita.
"And, because of our new jobs, we obviously have to move around here. We already made an appointment with one real-estate guy to buy a house in a terrain at the city's outsides. We just have to meet him in person to sign the final papers." Rita said. At that moment, Calamity approached them with a contract and a pen. Fifi was behind him.
"Well, vou can do iz right now, Mrs Purrson-Smutt. Cal is zhe owner of zhe terrain, and moi helps him with zhe paperwork. We ended zhe arrangements a week ago, and were expecting vour call." Fifi informed. Since neither she nor Calamity knew Rita and Runt's real last names, they had no idea that they would be the family moving to the new house.
Runt and Rita signed the contract, smiling. Ronald was happy as well because now he would be living with his parents, but also a little sad because he already had become used to live with Minerva. The mink approached him, and smiled at the hybrid.
"Well, we can always go jogging once in a while, and I can still see you at school, Ronnie." Minerva said. Ronald smiled widely, and chuckled while giving her a little hug.
"Anything you guys should tell us?" Hamton said, noticing Ron and Minerva. Ronald directed to his classmates.
"Oh, well, it was a surprise, but I guess I can tell you now. Minerva has a lot of free time on the mornings, since most of her modeling sessions are at the evening, or at night, so Bugs asked her to teach here too. Minerva will take Bugs' place in the "Advanced Spin-Changing", and Daffy's in "Wild Takes" as well." Ronald informed. Many of the guys wide-opened their eyes, and their jaws hit the floor; all of them will surely pay more attention on those classes now.
"Well, we know you are good causing wild takes, so no surprise there. But how good are you with the spin-changes?" Sweetie asked. Minerva walked a step aside, and started the spinning action. When she ended, her hairdo was shorter and curly, and was wearing a totally white and sleeveless gala dress, with white gloves that covered half of her arms, and fake diamonds' bracelets and necklace.
"Happy birthday to you… happy birthday to you… happy birthday, Mister President… happy birthday to you." Minerva sang in a perfect Marylin Monroe's impersonation. It was so good it caused a series of wolf whistles and wild takes among many of the males at the room. The mink chuckled, and spin-changed back to normal, vowing to thank her audience.
"Okay, you are approved, or some junk." Shirley said, laughing.
"Yes, that was good. I almost asked for an autograph." A male voice was heard, and the toonsters looked down, gasping when realized the one talking was Pound, whose was there with the other Nerdlucks.
"What are you guys doing here? Looking for revenge?" Plucky asked, scared. The little aliens chuckled. Bugs laughed a little, and then walked next to the Nerdlucks.
"Nah, I invited dem. After what dey made to Roddy and Drake, dey obviously can't study at Perfecto now. So, I made a few calls, and da studio's executives agreed to employ dem in administrative jobs in our theme parks. After all, dey used to work in an amusement park as well." Bugs informed. All the toonsters sighed in relief; they wouldn't need to play against the Monstars again.
"That's right. Sorry if we were a little tough with you guys at the game... when we change into the Monstars, we have this weird feeling that makes us a lot more aggressive; is like drinking a cocktail of testosterone and adrenaline. And we are also sorry for scaring you a moment ago. We arrived shortly after them, but everyone was so focused on the story nobody noticed us, so decided to stay quiet and hear it as well." Pound said to the students while pointing at Rita and Runt.
"Ah, never mind. We should have noticed you, but, besides the size detail, we didn't hear your spaceship." Buster said to the aliens. The five of them shook their heads.
"We didn't arrive here flying. We got a ride from one girl of Perfecto, and her boyfriend." Nawt informed, and then pointed to two toons that were behind the group, Wally on a black gala outfit, and, next to him, linking arms...
"RHUBELLA?" All the students chorused, shocked. The rat, wearing a green top, a long black skirt, and a thin white necklace, gave them a nervous chuckle. Wally blushed slightly, and rubbed the back of his head with his free paw.
"Oh, man...if we are going to be receiving more surprises, at least tell me so I can take a seat!" Sylvester Junior said while slapping his forehead. Babs approached the couple, with a confused but, at the same time, upset expression.
"You are dating Rhubella? But she is the most tricky and rotten girl at Perfecto...and Roddy's girlfriend!" Babs said to Wally, turning to see the rat at the last part. Wally sighed, and then repeated the same explanation he gave to Buster a few weeks before. Once he finished, Rhubella sighed, and started talking as well.
"You see, technically, I had been Roderick's girlfriend just by title, but not by action, for the last ten months. He had been really distant, and became a major jerk during the last year, hardly having a nice word or detail with me... I guess he always considered me a sure thing, so stopped caring about our relationship. Wally and I became friends when he studied at Perfecto, and helped me a lot to tolerate Roddy's mood. When he left, I lost one of my only two real friends, so we kept contact by e-mail. During the summer break, I went to Yellowstone Park to visit him and his family...and we both realized how much we love each other, so we became a couple. Anyone that can be a Perfecto's student for a few months, and still conserve his morals, is a remarkable guy, and, in Wally's case, a very handsome one as well." Rhubella explained, giving Wally a flirty look at the last part. The wolf smiled at her, and they stared for a few seconds.
"So, you had been cheating on Roderick, or some junk." Shirley said, crossing her arms/wings. Rhubella sighed again.
"I know, that wasn't exactly the best thing to do, but, as Babs said, I'm a little rotten, plus Roderick hardly paid me any attention, so it was easy for me to do without feeling guilty. I wanted to break up with him right at the beginning of the school year, but I decided to wait until I could convince my parents to allow me to study here at the Loo, and prepare myself to pass the admission's test." Rhubella informed, with a proud look at the last part. Everybody gave her a weird look, and then looked at Bugs, who just shrugged and nodded.
"She is right. I had been helping her to study for the test during the last month. At times we met here at the Loo, but I swear I never told her anything about our training. We focused on the learning all the time...except when we focused on each other." Wally explained, blushing at the last part, while Rhubella giggled.
The wolf already have had a little conversation with Bugs previous to the party, concerning these visits. Even if Wally admitted how much he and Rhubella like making out, he also told Bugs she never stayed the whole night, or too late, and they never did nothing more... "adult-like" than making out, since he respected Bugs' trust a lot, and also wanted to keep an honorable relationship with her. The wolf even had the chance to talk with her parents to show he really cared for the rat girl; that helped Ruby a lot to convince them about the school's change.
Rhubella gave him a fond smile; she passed the test, but, since the Perfectos don't take any lessons about how to be a cartoons' star (or even a secondary character), and only know how to perform the most basic toon tricks (they act like villains because of their nature, not because they are playing a role), Rhubella's grade wasn't enough to enter the Loo as a senior, but as a sophomore. It was okay for her, because that way she and Wally would share many classes, and eventually graduate together.
"Then, what you are telling us is that, instead of being Perfecto's spy, you had your own spy on the Prep? Cool!" Skippy, with a happy expression, said to Wally. The wolf and the rat shook their heads.
"More like counter-spy, squirrel. As I told you, Roderick and I hardly had any relation for the last months, so I had no idea about his plans until the moment he performed them. Of course, I gave a paw to Wally and the rest of you at times. When I heard about Roderick hiring hunters to get rid of some players, I sent a warning to Wally. And, at the game, I overheard Roderick talking with Drake before entering the field, so I discovered the spy's identity; after that, I made a call pretending to be the clerk of the Acme Bank, and set the trap to make him reveal himself." Rhubella explained.
A few feet behind the group, Marcus glared at her; he wasn't expelled from the Looniversity, but, as a punishment, he had to work as Wally and Pete's assistant for the rest of the semester, plus two months of detention, and the duty of serving as test dummy for Slappy's class during the whole year.
"So, it was you! I was getting a lot of money from this one, you know?" Marcus growled at the rodent. Wally and Ruby looked at each other, and smirked.
"You know, Marcus, I'm really sorry for giving you problems. Maybe I can solve the problem by inviting you to have dinner with us. I'll gladly make YOU a sandwich... for him." Rhubella said to the boy in a kind tone, giving him a devious smile and pointing at Wally at the last part.
"Oh, yes. Tomorrow we'll have full moon, right?" Wally said, rubbing his chin and looking at Marcus with hungry eyes. The boy gulped, remembering his experience with the Fangface's impersonation.
"Uh...well... I have to go! The toilets don't clean themselves!" Marcus said in a hurry, and dashed away in panic. Everyone laughed, while Wally and Ruby gave each other a high-four.
Once they stopped laughing, the students stared at Rhubella. If she was telling the truth, and, as weird as it sounded, she seemed to be honest, then the rat really had reformed. However, it wasn't easy to forget and forgive all the nasty stunts she played to them as Perfecto's top bad girl. Rhubella noticed their expressions, and took a deep breath.
"Look, I'm not asking you to forgive me right now. I know I had done some terrible things to all of you, especially to Babs and Mary..." Rhubella gave both girls a fast look, and paused for a moment. The rat sighed, and continued.
"Anyway, I just want you guys to give me the chance to prove myself. I promise I'll never ever do any nasty stuff to any of you again...unless is part of a routine, or something. One chance, that's all I'm asking for. And also, to say...I'm sorry. About everything." Rhubella ended, looking at her former rivals straight in the eyes. Everyone turned to see each other. After a few minutes, Babs made a spin-change into a judge's outfit, and directed to the rat.
"Well, Miss Rat, based on the newest evidence, the jury had decided...or at least the judge...that you can have that chance, considering your actions of the last weeks, and the fact you are now in a relationship with a respected member of our community." Babs told the rat, in a pompous tone, and then changed back to normal.
"But back-stab us, and I'll mail you to the North Pole. Deal?" Babs asked, extending her paw to Rhubella. The rat smiled, and both girls shook paws. Mary then approached them.
"The same here. I'll never forget what you did to us...but I can forgive you if you are honestly sorry. Besides, I trust Wally a lot, and, if he says you are okay, I'll not be the one saying the contrary." Mary said to the rat, and offered her hand as well. Rhubella shook it, and a moment later the rest of the students were around her and shaking hands/paws with the rat as well.
A few minutes later, everyone was enjoying the party. Most of the couples started dancing. Rhubella was chatting with both Mary and Hillary; since the hyena was new at the Loo, she hadn't really met with the rat as an enemy, so it was easy for them to talk to each other. After some minutes, Wally approached the girls, and spin-changed; when he ended, his face's fur was entirely white, with some red lipstick around his jaws; he was wearing a green wig, and a purple outfit with a multicolored tie. The wolf smiled widely at the girls, and leaned slightly to grab Rhubella's paw.
"Had you ever danced with the wolf under the pale moonlight?" Wally said in a great Jack Nicholson's impersonation, and kissed the back of Ruby's paw. The rat giggled, while Mary and Hillary chuckled.
"I would love doing it, if said wolf wears less make-up than I do." Rhubella replied. Wally chuckled, and changed back to normal.
"I'm all yours, Lobillo." Rhubella said to Wally while allowing him to grab her paw again.
"Eh…how do you spell that one?" Hillary asked. Mary chuckled; she was studying Spanish at the Loo, so she knew what that meant, and explained it to the hyena.
"Oh, that means something like "Little Wolf", or "Any Wolf", in Spanish. And it's spelled lov-e-yo…that sounds a lot like "I love you"! Is your way to say that in public all the time without being so corny, right?" Mary said to the couple with a knowing tone; Wally and Ruby blushed, and nodded. A moment later, they waved bye to the girls, and left to dance. While Hillary was waving bye to the couple, Mary spotted Ronald dancing with his mother, while Runt was drinking some punch from the refreshments' table.
"You know you have to talk with him, Hillary." Mary told her friend. Hillary sighed.
"I don't know, Mary. After tonight...I don't feel like knowing him any more. What if he had been faking his personality as well?" Hillary asked, looking down. Mary placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Well, maybe he kept his true species as a secret to us, but he had been a great guy with everyone... especially to you. And, well, I hate to mention this, but you were a little hostile with him at the beginning, remember? Maybe he feared you would despise him as a hybrid like you first did when everyone thought he was a lion." Mary told her. Hillary frowned at the girl, but changed to a more relaxed expression after a moment. Mary was right, and it wouldn't hurt to have a little talking with him.
"Thanks, Mary. You are a true friend, you know that?" Hillary smiled at the girl. Mary shook her head slightly while smiling.
"Well, let's just say that I know a little about having troubles in a relationship, but also about solving them. Plus, is like my un-official job to give a hand to everyone around here; I mean, that's Buster's job, but even he can 't be everywhere all the time, and surely he doesn't know a thing about girl-talking. Come on, go ahead. I'm sure Rita wouldn't mind." Mary motioned the hyena to go with Ronald. Hillary nodded, and walked through the dance floor, until she was right behind Ronald and Rita.
"Excuse me, Mrs Purrson-Smutt..." Hillary tapped Rita's shoulder slightly. Rita turned back, while Ronald got a little worried expression.
"Oh, you are Hillary, right? Call me Rita, girl. After all, I'll be your teacher as well." Rita smiled at the hyena. Hillary felt a little more calmed, and talked to her.
"Okay, Rita. First of all, I want to say you and your husband had raised a good son. He is one of the best guys I had ever met." Hillary told Rita. Ronald smiled a little; maybe Hill wasn't so angry after all.
"Well, thanks, Hillary. Ronnie had talked a lot about you." Rita said.
"I wish I could say the same about you." Hillary said, smirking at Ronald. The hybrid gulped; now, that wasn't the kind of things he wanted to hear from Hillary. The hyena moved next to him, and directed to Rita again.
"Can I have him for a moment? We need to talk about something." Hillary asked.
"Sure. I'll try to stop Runt from finishing all the refreshments. Have fun, kids." Rita chuckled, and left the dance floor. Hillary then turned to see Ron.
"I guess I owe you an explanation." Ron said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Brilliant as usual, Kobu...or maybe I should call you Fido?" Hillary said, crossing her arms. Ronald sighed.
"Okay...come on, we can talk outside." Ronald proposed. Hillary nodded, and followed him towards the closest exit. Ronald opened the door, and moved a step aside while keeping it open.
"Ladies first." Ronald said to Hillary.
"Fine. I'll follow you." Hillary replied. Ronald sighed, and exited first, with Hill closely behind.
Back on the dance floor, Rita and Runt entered to dance alongside the other couples. Rita took a deep breath, and then placed her thumb on her mouth while blowing. This action caused her to grow a little while getting a more feminine figure; when she ended, the cat was about Minerva's size, but not as curvy, being more like a mid-term between Lola's body and her regular one. This was a trick she used to have a more suitable size to do some things with Runt, including dancing, more comfortably. Buster and Babs were chatting with Wally and Rhubella while dancing, and noticed this trick.
"Seems that our new teacher is way toonier than she ever showed in Animaniacs." Buster commented.
"Maybe she can show me how to do that...on the other hand, I like my mate being taller." Ruby said, rolling eyes at Wally's direction. The wolf smiled, and hugged her a little tighter.
"By the way, Ruby... I hate to ask you this in front of Wally, but, how did Roddy took your breaking up? Was he heart-broken?" Babs asked. Rhubella shrugged.
"Well, he was very angry.. but don't seemed to be heart-broken to me. However, maybe I didn't notice because the heart seemed to be the only thing that wasn't already broken." Ruby smiled.
At the meantime, in the Pompous Perfect Hospital (a health center for very rich toons), Roddy and Drake were on the same room. Both were covered in bandages, badly injured because of the Monstars' attack, and, since they weren't particularly well trained in toon tricks, they would need a long time to heal entirely. However, the worst damage wasn't done to their bodies, but to their wallets, since they had lost a huge amount of money because of the Perfectos' defeat. And Roddy's pride was really damaged as well.
"I can't believe Ruby broke up with me and changed to the other side! And because of that idiotic mutt, no less! Drake, I swear, if I ever lay my hands on that traitorous rodent again..." Roderick snarled. At that moment, Margot entered the room, dressed on her regular last fashion clothing.
"Then you'll have to face me, and Ruby's family. Do I need to remind you that her family is just as rich and important as yours, Roderick? Not to mention that, unlike us, the guys from the Looniversity protect among themselves, so, if you try to hurt Rhubella, that wolf will rip your head off, and leave the rest for his classmates. What would you prefer, Roderick? The loon's lightning, the hyena playing Hulk in your house, the pink rabbit going ghost against you, the Tasmanian devil and that Ronald guy having you for dinner, DynoWolf testing his gadgets on your backyard, the skunk spraying all your family's properties, or the coyote setting a bomb in your bedroom? Or maybe, all together?" Margot said in a calm yet upset voice. Roderick mumbled something under his breath, while Drake glared at her girlfriend.
"What are you doing here, Margot? I'm sure you covered your friend so she could date with that Looser, so our defeat at the game is your fault as well." Drake snapped at her. Margot crossed her arms/wings in front of her chest.
"That silly game and your bets is everything you guys care about, right? Well, I can't stand it any longer. I just came to tell you guys that I'm not going to study at Acme, as Rhubella did, but I'll still be her friend. And I'm not just leaving Perfecto, but moving to Saint Canard." Margot informed the guys.
"WHAT?" Danforth gasped.
"What you heard. I convinced my parents to matriculate me at one great school in there to finish my education, and I'll study my career in a college on that city as well. I'll have my own apartment, and my cousin Drake agreed to keep an eye on me once in a while. Oh, and if you are thinking about following me there to perform your macho's act, well, I must warn you that my cousin's best friend is Darkwing Duck's sidekick, so, if you hurt me, you'll have a vigilante kicking your tail all the way to prison in no time." Margot concluded with a smug look on her face.
"But...but...but..." Danforth, shocked, tried to form a complete phrase.
"Ow, don't mention "butts" right now, Danforth! Mine is killing me!" Roderick snapped at the avian. Margot chuckled, and started walking out of the room.
"Well, I hope you get better, guys. Oh, and before I forget it, maybe you should stay here for a long time after recovering. There's a bunch of people outside waiting to have a chat with you two." Margot informed them, and then exited. Roddy and Drake got concerned looks, and, making a huge effort, moved next to the window. They gulped in fear because of the sight; at the hospital entrance, there were a lot of tough looking men, yelling at them. They were the players that were paid to give their skills to the Nerdlucks for the game.
"Maybe we shouldn't have insulted them or their skills when the Monstars lost the game." Roderick said, sweating bullets.
"WE? You are the one who insulted them, Rat!" Danforth snapped at Roderick.
"Shut up, fool! It was your idea to pay for those idiotic hunters, remember?" Roderick replied.
"And you were the one that had the devil's idea!" The bird replied back. They continued with their arguing, and the only thing that stopped them from kicking each other's tail was the fact they couldn't feel their arms.
Back at the Looniversity, Ron and Hillary were already a few feet away from the gym. They stopped next to a tree, and stayed silent for almost a minute, with both of them looking down. The silence was interrupted when Ronald heard something on the nearby bushes.
"Hillary, can you excuse me for a moment?" Ronald asked. Hillary nodded, and the guy moved behind the bush. Hill heard some struggling, and, a moment later, Ronald emerged dragging out a blue dog by his ears.
"Hillary, meet Newt...one of Minerva's regular stalkers." Ronald said to the hyena while pointing at the dog. Newt gave the hyena a pathetic smile, causing her to roll her eyes.
"Glad to meet you, Miss... nice game you two performed yesterday, by the way." Newt nervously said. Ronald glared at him.
"Okay, Newt, do you have anything to say before I start using you as my chewing toy?" Ronald said in a stern voice. Newt gulped.
"Ronald, please, calm down. I swear my intentions towards Minerva are entirely honorable. I love her, and not just because of her looks...sure, I like that a lot, but I also love her attitude and personality. She is the most awesome female I had ever met, and, despite the fact I once tried to get her pelt, I would never try to harm her on any way." Newt explained to Ronald. Ron glared at him, trying to decide what to do. Hillary rubbed her chin, and directed to the dog.
"Well, maybe you should try asking her out instead of hiding on the bushes, you know?" The hyena said to Newt. The dog nodded.
"I know, but she is always surrounded by crazy males, and they don't let me approach her. Plus, Ronald here protects her so much I can barely be at one hundred feet close to MInerva without him roaring at me…" Newt explained. Hillary then gave Ronald a stern look; Ron gulped. He didn't want to give Hillary an even worse impression, so decided to release Newt, and have a polite conversation.
"Fine. Look, I'll allow you to go into the gym, and ask her for a dance or something. Maybe you are right, and I'm over reacting... after all, Minerva is used to take care of herself. But you'll better treat her well, or else." Ronald pointed to the dog. Newt smiled, and shook paws with him. A moment later, he muttered a silent "thank you" to Hillary, and rushed inside the gym.
"You aren't following Newt to keep an eye on him and Minerva, right?" Hillary asked Ron. The guy shrugged.
"No. Newt is relatively harmless, and Minerva knows how to handle him. Plus, he fears my mother as much as if he was a mouse, and would never try to do anything stupid with her around. And... I have a very important subject to discuss right now with you." Ronald said, sighing at the last part. Hillary crossed her arms, and waited for him to talk.
"Look...I know I did wrong, and I'm really sorry. Maybe I never lied on purpose, but hiding the truth is almost as bad. I consider you a very good friend of mine, and friends trust each other, so I should had told you about my parents. My only excuse is that I'm used to do that to protect myself from rejection... but I guess that isn't a reason strong enough to justify myself." Ronald said with his paws on his pockets, and looking down. Hillary sighed, and lowered her arms.
"No, it's not... but, I should have made it easier for you. When we first met, I acted like a total fool because I thought you were a lion, and you had no idea about how I would react towards a hybrid. And what you said inside the gym... well, you are right, it's bad to judge someone without really knowing him." Hillary admitted, and made a pause. The hyena sighed, and continued.
"Ronald, I no longer care if you a lion, a dog, a giant chicken, a pokemon, or whatever... but I most know something. Did you ever... faked anything about your personality, or said or made something against your nature when you were with me, or any of our classmates?" Hillary asked, looking at his face. Ronald lifted his head, and looked at the hyena straight in the eyes.
"No, I never did. When I was friendly towards any of you, I did it because I felt that way. When I helped Mary with her jungle girl's acting, or you against Elmyra, I really wanted to do it. When I laughed because of a joke, I honestly thought it was funny. As you had seen, I'm over protective towards Minerva, and I do it because I really love her as a big sister. And, when I seemed to enjoy being your sparring or dancing partner... or have a little competition with you... or hanging around together... or being your teammate... or got concerned whenever you were in trouble, or injured, or sad... or said you are beautiful, funny, and smart...ALL those times, I was totally, entirely, and definitely honest." Ronald said, staring at Hillary when ended. The hyena stared back, and smiled.
"That's all I wanted to know. Actually, now that I think about it, now I have more options to call you by names. Marmaduke, Scooby, Snoopy, Benji, Lassie..." Hillary started saying, with a playful grin.
"Hey, wait a minute! Lassie was a female." Ronald cut her.
"And many times it was played by a male. Besides, I once called you after Shere Khan, a tiger, and you didn't seem to care." Hillary pointed, making Ronald to chuckle.
"Well, I'm not a real lion, remember? So, any large cat's name suits me well, just like a big dog's one." Ronald explained. The hyena got a thinking expression.
"Look, I'll tell you what. I'm going to forgive you, with 3 conditions. First, you must forgive me for being such a fool when we first met." Hillary said. Ronald nodded.
"I forgave you for that a long time ago. Go ahead with the next two conditions." Ronald said. Hillary nodded.
"Thanks. Okay, the second one is that there must be no more secrets between us. I want to trust you entirely, and to you to trust me as well." Hillary said, in a more serious tone. Ronald sighed, and nodded.
"Well... okay, I agree. And to show you I mean it... I'll tell you that, sometimes, I eat from the dumpsters, and I dislike being on very high places, and have a chewing toy shaped like a yellow duck. Don't tell Plucky." Ronald said, smiling. Hillary chuckled. Ronald paused, and continued in a little nervous tone.
"And... there is a girl I like a lot... she is a great friend of mine, but I would like to be more than that." Ronald gulped. Hillary wide opened her eyes, and gulped as well. There was a little pause in the conversation, broken by Hillary.
"Well...I have some secrets too. My parents say that, sometimes, when sleeping, I snore...my hairdo's natural color is dark brown, and I have a chewing toy shaped like a pink bone. Don't laugh." Hillary told Ronald. He chuckled, but calmed down in a moment.
"And... I also have a crush on one classmate... more than a crush, actually. I like this guy a lot more than I could ever have imagined." Hillary gulped. Now Ronald was the one wide opening his eyes.
"So... what's the final condition?" Ronald said, nervous. Hillary changed her expression to her usual playful grin.
"Oh, that's the easiest one. Just admit that I'm, without any doubt, the strongest student in our school." Hillary said, crossing her arms.
"Sorry, but you know I don't like to lie." Ronald replied, smiling and crossing his arms as well.
"What? Hey, I'm stronger than you, and you know it." Hillary said in a fake angry tone.
"Well, you are way tougher, and I'll admit that anywhere, but, if I remember correctly, I beat you the last time we arm-wrestled." Ronald reminded her.
"So? I fought a Tasmanian devil, and won." Hillary said while looking at her fist.
"That was impressive, but I stopped a Monstar without any help." Ronald said in a playful mocking tone.
"And, if you remember correctly, I beat the five Monstars at the same time." Hillary pointed.
"Spin-changing doesn't count. What about the time I almost knocked you out?" Ronald replied back.
"I almost knocked you out too, remember? And you were the one that asked to fight in a safer way." Hillary said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, to avoid hurting you." Ronald said with a smug look. Hillary smirked, and cracked her knuckles.
"Okay, Big Paw, let's settle this, right here and now. Remove your jacket. I'll knock you out before you do it with me, and prove once and for all that I'm stronger than you." Hillary said, with her fists on her hips. Ronald gave her a weird look, but decided to agree, and removed his jacket and rolled over his sleeves. Then, the two of them got boxing positions, and started circling each other.
"I'm ready, Steel Girl. To show you I'm not a bad guy, I'll allow you to strike me first." Ronald said to Hillary. The hyena smiled.
"Good... because I only need a second to do this!" Hillary said, and, a moment later, she hugged Ronald, and gave him a huge kiss on the lips.
Ronald wide opened his eyes, surprised, but, after a few seconds, started kissing and hugging her back. They rubbed each other's backs, and moaned slightly, enjoying the moment. Ronald purred in pleasure, while Hillary and he were wagging their tails. After almost five minutes, they broke the kiss. Ronald got stiff like a board, and fell on his back, with a goofy expression and little hearts flying over his head. Hillary smiled at him.
"Told you I'll knock you out... now, if you excuse me..." Hillary said, and, at that moment, she fainted, also with a goofy expression and little hearts over her head, falling right next to Ronald. After a few seconds, they recovered their senses, and turned to see each other's face; they had their widest smiles ever, and dreamy eyes.
"Okay, I admit it. You are the stronger...and a terrific kisser!" Ronald chuckled. Hillary blushed, and placed her paw on his.
"You aren't bad either... actually, you are a wonderful kisser! You are wonderful, period!" Hillary said, excited. They hugged each other, and Ronald whispered on her ear.
"Hillary, I know this is kind of obvious now, but... would you be my girlfriend?" Ronald asked. Hillary stared at him, and replied.
"Of course I will, Ronald! I had never said this to any other male... but, as corny as it might sound, you are the sweetest, kindest, and most caring guy I had ever met...and... I love you." Hillary moved her jaws closer to his.
"Love you too, Pretty Puncher." Ronald said, and then they kissed again.
"AAAAAAWWWWW!"
Both toons broke the kiss, and turned back to see almost all their classmates behind them, smiling and giving the couple the thumbs up. Hillary and Ronald made a double take, and stood up.
"How much of the romance scene you guys watched?" Hillary asked.
"Half of us saw it since the "I-am-the-strongest" part, and the other arrived just in time for the first kiss." Babs answered. Hillary and Ronald's faces became red as tomatoes, but kept their smiles.
"Sorry for interrupting, guys, but, when we noticed you two weren't inside, we thought you would be either arguing, or finally confessing your feelings... and we had to be here to either stop a fight, or cheer for the both of you." Wally explained.
"And to collect the money! I won the bet, guys. Pay me." Plucky said, extending his hand/wing. Vinnie, Fowlmouth, Hamton, Sylvester Junior, Concord, and Beeper gave him ten dollars each one. Hillary and Ronald raised an eyebrow each, and approached to the duck.
"You really bet about us getting together?" Ronald asked. Plucky nodded.
"Yep. Some thought it would be right after the game, and others after a week, but I suspected something would happen at this party, and I was right." Plucky said while counting his money. Hillary placed a paw on his shoulder.
"Glad we could help you, Plucky. Of course, since you made money thanks to us, you'll be generous enough to give us half of it so Ronald can pay all the expenses of our first date." Hillary said with a smile that expressed "You-have-no-choice" perfectly. Plucky gulped, and after a few seconds, sighing, handled Ronald half of the cash.
"Take her to a nice place, okay?" Plucky said, rolling his eyes. Everyone chuckled at the duck, and eventually he laughed as well.
"Hey, this is supposed to be a party! Come on, let's go back to the gym, and dance! There's a nice white kitten in there, and I have to hurry up before anyone else asks her out." Junior said, and hurried back into the gym. Vinnie gasped.
"Hey, and I think I saw Binky Bunny dateless too! Hey, Junior, wait for me!" The deer dashed behind the kitten. Everyone chuckled, and started walking into the gym.
"I knew you guys were crazy, but… this is common around here?" Rhubella asked Wally while linking arms. Wally lifted her chin with his free paw, and smiled.
"No. We are usually crazier. Don't worry, you'll get used in no time." Wally said to her, and then they both kissed for a few seconds; could had done it for more time, but they were right in front of the door, and Dizzy and Hamton pushed them inside so they could pass as well.
"You know, there is a little tradition in my father's family about what a guy does when he becomes a pretty girl's couple." Ronald told Hillary right before entering.
"And what tradition is that one?" Hillary asked. Ronald smiled, and then he showed his back to Hillary while pointing to it with his right paw. Hillary understood, and, smiling as well, jumped on Ronald's back. They entered the gym that way, making Rita and Runt to chuckle and smile when they spotted the couple. Minerva, who was now dancing with Newt, stopped for a moment to smile at them as well, while Newt just sighed in relief, thinking that, now that Ronald had a girlfriend, he wouldn't be around Minerva on a regular basis.
Buster and Babs entered the last, and turned to talk to the readers.
"Well, so this is how we finish the story." Buster said, with a little smile.
"Yes, with us talking to you guys again. Thanks a lot for reading this fic." Babs pointed.
"Of course, we can't just go like that. Rita, can you give us the tune?" Buster asked the cat. Rita and Runt stopped dancing, and she started humming in a melodious tone.
"The last chapter, this was. Now we all must go." Buster started singing.
"Thanks for reading us. We are leaving with a song." Babs continued.
The Tiny Toons' theme song is heard in the background, slow and quiet at first, but it turns merrier and faster while everyone joins the singing.
Buster- We are tiny.
Babs- We are toony.
All the students- We're all a little loony.
We're not in a cartoony.
But invading the fan fics.
Buster and Babs- We're comedy dispensers.
Buster- In fan fiction, there're less censors.
Buster and Babs- At Tiny Toon Adventures,
We still do comedy.
All the students- Here's Acme Acres,
A whole wide world apart.
The old students- New friends moved here.
To learn the laughter's art.
The new students- At the Loo we got accepted.
Skippy- To learn doing the unexpected.
The new students- In Tiny Toon Adventures
We got our head start.
Buster and Babs start dancing next to the new students, pointing at them while mentioning their names.
Buster and Babs- They're mighty.
They're funny.
They're Hillary and Ronnie.
The wolf is called Wally.
He masters the spin-change.
Skippy- Befriended Wally,
And Plucky.
I'm a bomber nutty.
Everyone but Ronald and Hillary- Ron and Hill got lucky.
They are together at the end.
(Both toons hug)
The boxing and the football's teams move next to each other, with Lola and Arnold behind them, and Hillary in the middle.
Football- We won the Acme Bowl.
Boxing- We did great on our fights.
Both teams- Don't spy or cheat on us.
Hillary- Or I'll punch out your lights.
(she shows her fist to the readers)
Rhubella and Wally move in front of everyone, dancing, and pause to sing.
Ruby- The Loo I had joined.
For my wolf I got reformed.
(she scratches Wally's chin, making him smile)
Wally- Roddy and Drake will be deformed.
The wolf points to the door, and, on the outside, Roderick and Danforth are visible, still covered by bandages, with the angry players chasing them.
Roddy and Drake- (yelling instead of singing)
Stop the song, and HELP!
Mary jumps in front of everyone at the gym, and faces the readers.
Mary- With wackiness and reason.
There was a role for me.
(she does a spin-change)
Everyone but her- She was reporter, boxer,
And the newest Jungle Queen.
(she finishes her spinning with the jungle girl's outfit)
Mary- NAAAH-AAAH-AHHHH.
Minerva, Slappy, and Runt, with Rita riding him on her usual size, walk in front of the other teachers.
Rita- Some of us are also
Newcomers as well.
But I had loved this place
Since for my Runt I fell.
( the cat kisses Runt's cheek, making him blush)
Minerva- To help our students...
Runt- That's why we're here for.
Slappy- And experimenting ways
To make anything explode.
All the students- At Acme Looniversity,
We'll earn our degree.
The teachers had been getting laughs
Since 1933.
EVERYBODY- We are Tiny.
We are Toony.
We're all a little loony.
Is Tiny Toon Adventures.
Come and join the fun.
Slappy- (not singing, and facing the readers)
School's over, go home!
THE END.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
That's all, Folks! (No, no, no. We are in the Tiny Toons' section. You must say something like "Aloha", or "Say Goodnight, Babs".) I know, but that one is a classic. (No arguing that.)
Now, we have to clear a few details. As you had seen, I made kind of obvious the identity of Wally's girlfriend, and the spy's identity wasn't that hard… but those "mysteries" served me to cover the fic's real one. (Yes. Ronald's parents identities. And don't think we tricked you, guys. We had a few details on the story that showed that there was something weird about our newcomer predator.) That's right, Babs. Let's see them.
-Ronald's description, as already explained, is a combination of Rita and Runt's features. He also shows it on the way he acts, having a lot of Runt's personality, but with Rita's intelligence.
-On the first chapter, Ronald clears that his mother is a feline, but never says the same about his father through the whole story.
-In "Friends, Family and Foes", Ronald stops Elmyra using Runt's style.
-Ronald says "definitely" a few times through the story.
-The "Shere Khan" detail, already cleared.
-His feeding habits are a lot like a domestic cat; he eats mostly fish. The only other meats he ate were liver (another cats' preference), and Weenie Burgers, a fake meat.
-Through the fic, I, the author, never called him "lion"; only the characters called him that way. For my author's references, I called him by his name, or "guy", "toon", "predator", or something like that. The closest I was to call him "lion" was once I referred to him as "feline", and he has 50 of feline genes, so no cheating there. The name of the play he and Sly Junior performed on the game was a reference to "He-man and the Masters of the Universe"; in that case, since Junior was involved as well, "Cat" could be applied to any of them.
-Ronald allowed two toons to ride on his back in this fic, Skippy in "Friends, Family and Foes", and Junior, in "The Acme Bowl"; the classic way Runt transports Rita.
--During the dodge-ball game, Ron catches the ball-bomb with his jaws, like a dog. When a feline catches anything, it uses the paws, and then uses the jaws to finish it (if the caught object is a prey).
-In "Open Season", when Minerva scratches him, Ronald purrs, a cat-like feature, and also wags his tail, a dog-like one, at the same time.
-During the football game, I hide his last name. A little gag I "borrowed" from the Hey, Arnold!'s cartoon… actually, now that I think about it, Ronald and Hillary have a lot of Arnold and Helga. That wasn't on purpose, I swear; I just realized it when I was on chapter three.
-Rita knows his feeding habits as well as Minerva, revealing a very close relationship.
-When he gets injured in the game, and when he does something good, Rita and Runt are the ones who get the most extreme reactions, besides Minerva.
I think those were all. Anyway, we have to do our second disclaimer. Babs, can you?
(Sure, pal. Through this fic, we had cameos with toons from different shows. Besides the ones portrayed on spin-changes, and the Looney Tunes that appeared through the story alonside some Animaniacs that had important roles, namely Minerva, Slappy, Rita, Runt, and Walter, we had the next cameos. Ramiro, of course, doesn't own any of these characters, copyrighted by their respective enterprises.)
- Axel and Bull Gator, from Taz-Mania.
- Raven and Beast Boy, from Teen Titans.
- Cool Cat and Coronel Rimfire, from The Merrie Melodies Show.
- The Warner Brothers, and sister, Beanie The Brainless Bison, Candy Chipmunk and Newt, from Animaniacs.
- Scooby Doo, from Scooby Doo, where are you? and about six more series.
- Garfield, from Garfield and Friends.
- The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, from TMNT.
- Logan/Wolverine, from X-Men.
- Darkwing Duck and Launchpad McQuack, from Darkwing Duck.
- Wally, from Where's Wally?
(We didn't include Lady Gotcha or the Flea Family since they're characters from TTA. The same applies to the Nerdlucks/Monstars, Hubert and Bert, Pete Puma, and Charlie Dog, concerning the Looney Tunes.)
And, now that you mentioned it, Babs, here's a list of the characters portrayed through the spin-changes.
- Raven, from Teen Titans.
- Numbuh Five, from Codename: Kids Next Door.
- Angelica Pickles and Chuckie Finster, from Rugrats.
- El Kabong/Quick Draw McGraw, Hong Kong Phooey, Birdman, Blue Falcon, and Dynomutt, from classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
- Mister T…from, well, Mister T.
- Tarzan, from Tarzan of the Apes.
- Batman, Robin, The Flash, and The Joker, from DC comics.
- Darkwing Duck, from Darkwing Duck. (Duh!)
- Harry Potter, from his series of books and movies.
- Pikachu, from Pokemon.
- Black Vulcan, from Superfriends.
- Inspector Gadget, from… well, Inspector Gadget.
- Fran Fine, from The Nanny.
- Fangface, from… Fangface (Noticing a pattern here?)
- The Jedi knights, from Star Wars.
- Danny Phantom, from… Danny Phantom. (Yep, there is a pattern.)
- The Hulk, from The Incredible Hulk.
Thanks to the people who reviewed my story, and to all the people who read without reviewing… (You should be ashamed!) Babs, I'm sure they had their reasons. I'm glad for having some faithful readers, and happy for having so many hits on this one.
I want to recognize the influence of many stories from The J.A.M., concerning certain events and details mentioned on this fic, especially the ones concerning Mary Melody; thanks a lot, jaguar. (If you guys want to know what are we talking about, check his stories, especially "Mary", where our favorite toon human girl had her first starring role ever, and "The Fourteen"; both are really good.) Also, thanks a lot to Nightw2 for making some suggestions.
You know the deal, people. Please, leave a review before leaving, and thanks for reading us. (Aloooooha!...You see, that's how you must say good-bye.) Thanks for the pointer, Babs.
Keep the good writing.