Nightmare escorted Benny down Silly Street as they made their way to the Toontown Central playground. Other than the other day when they had came with Daron, Benny had never been to Toontown Central. Being from Valentoonia, he generally never had a reason to go to Toontown. When he met Daron, they had most stayed in Donald's Dreamland to avoid any issues with the Resistance. He was constantly in awe at how bright and colorful it was. It was such a stark difference from the dark, dreary playground he had lived for the last twenty-six years. It was much more similar to his birthplace. Thinking about it, Nightmare had never been to Valentoonia. They had planned a vacation there for Christmas when Nightmare was young, but they had to cancel when a sudden Mingler invasion had taken place near the castle. Although he had been enjoying all this time he was able with spend with his daughter, it was very bittersweet knowing Daron wasn't here too. They had spent every night wondering about her, hoping that she was still okay, hoping she would someday walk back through that tunnel. Nightmare had told him that she had a surprise for him which immediately cheered him up. He loved surprises. Walking past the ice cream shop that just a few days ago had denied them service, Benny hissed silently. "Taking me for some ice cream again sweetie?" he joked.
"Oh yeah dad. How did you know? I'm not going to be happy until I get that double scoop after all." giggling the pair continued to walk. Early April in Toontown Central brought blooming flowers, warm breezes, and beautiful sunny days. It was Nightmare's first day back to work today after her mini-vacation. Cupcake had explained she didn't need to rush herself back, but Nightmare insisted as she didn't want Cupcake to do everything alone. The pair made small talk as they finally reached the end of the street and into the playground. Benny leaned down to run his hand through the lush, green grass. A light breeze whisked the blades back and forth, tickling Benny's feet as they brushed against his toes.
"I can't believe I've never been here. It's beautiful. Look at all the young Toons, just starting their Toontasks." stopping he gazed at Nightmare and lowered his hand towards the ground. "I remember when you were still small - I know hard to believe since you got your dad's genes - and you got your first Toontask. Defeating a Pencil Pusher. I remember your dad looked SO hard for a former co-worker, and you got so impatient you destroyed a Penny Pincher because you got their names confused."
Nightmare rolled her eyes at her dad's story. "Come on Dad. They both start with the letter P. I feel like I should have gotten at least partial credit." jumping excitedly she pointed towards the gag shop. "Look, we're almost there!" grabbing Benny's arm, she started dragging him towards their destination. On the way they nearly ran into three Toons - a pink dog, a lime green dog, and a bright green cat - who were having a conversation near the store. Benny stopped and peered at the pink dog for a second, whispering to himself. Nightmare almost slipped backwards as her momentum ground to a halt. Staring at her dad who was now staring at the group silently she called out, breaking his stare. "Hey, do you know them?"
"Oh, sorry hon. Nope, kind of looks like someone your dad used to know, but I think it's just my old eyes messing with me again." jogging forward he caught up with Nightmare and the pair entered the gag shop. Taking in a deep breath Benny smiled. The familiar sights, and smells brought him back. He couldn't remember the last time he had been in a gag shop. The counters were jam packed with eager young Toons, doing their best to prepare themselves for their upcoming Toontasks. Benny tapped Nightmare's shoulder and leaned over. "So, honey what are we doing here? I appreciate the surprise but I could come to a gag shop anytime."
This greatly pleased Nightmare, as her grin stretched from ear to ear. "Dad, do you not remember our conversation the other night?"
"Which one. You mean about the ice cream? Wasn't that earlier?" he feigned ignorance to not ruin the surprise, smiling inside as he had a good idea of where this was going.
"Dad that was like twenty minutes ago! Maybe we need to put you in a retirement home. It's a shame, you weren't THAT old either!" hopping on Benny's back she hugged him from behind. Once the store head been cleared out, Nightmare approached the clerk on the left. "Good morning! My name is Nightmare Decavity! I'm here with my father Benny Decavity.."
An orange deer grinned and stretched his hand out. "Oh yes! You are here about the job opening! Mayor Cupcake told us you guys would be coming. Please, please come with me." opening the barrier in the counter, he motioned for the two cats to follow him into the back. "It's actually good we finally got a response. We have been swamped and we can't seem to get anyone to apply!" taking a seat behind a large orange desk, he watched as the father-daughter combo joined him.
"I'm sorry to interrupt." Benny chimed in. "Did you say a job opening?" heart racing with excitement, the mature red cat did his best to quell his excitement.
"Yes, absolutely. Due to the higher than usual volume, we have had difficulty with keeping gags stocked up front and we need someone who can keep us supplied so we're not keeping Toons waiting longer than necessary. Now I do know this is a very low level job with someone of your age and qualifications, however I can ensure you that there are many opportunities for promotions and other benefits!" the deer leaned forward, his hands sliding across the desk. "Now when the Mayor herself contacted us to let us know she had a recommendation, we didn't think you;d actually show up. Such a high praise and all. Just give us a chance though and I'm sure you'll love it!"
Nightmare smiled at her dad and blinked quickly, doing her best innocent voice. "You did mention getting a job dad! This would be perfect! We'd be right next to each other, we'd be close to dad AND home! Plus it will get you out of the house and keep your mind off of things!" squeezing his hand, she bit her lip, unsure of how he would react.
"Hmm. While this all very generous, I'm not sure that you guys want an old coot like me around here. I mean, you have to be around my daughters age!" Benny nodded his head towards Nightmare and winked at the deer, who blushed. "I wouldn't want to bore you guys to death!"
"Mr. Decavity, I promise you that not only would your presence be a blessing, I think it would also be a great opportunity for us all to learn!" the deer was practically begging.
"What do you say dad. Can you give it a chance. For me?" Nightmare asked quickly.
Benny chuckled and patted his daughter's hand. "I guess I can't say no to two adorable faces like yourselves. When do I start?"
Nightmare left her father in the capable hands of the gag shop and made the quick stroll across to the Mayor's office. Looking over, she noticed the trio of Toons had already left. Shrugging, she pulled open and made her way down inside. Once she was in, she was absorbed by the chaos ensuing. Hordes of Rangers were running around, waving their arms, yelling, or just otherwise causing a scene. Scratching her forehead, she wiggled her way through the crowd and down the hall over to Cupcake's office. Knocking a few times, she listened for a response, but none came. Knocking twice more, she listed for anything letting her know it was okay to enter. Checking her watch, she spoke to herself. "Hmm. I'm only a few minutes late. Wonder whats going on?" turning around she exited back into the lobby, where the hectic scene continued. Grabbing a maroon horse, she looked at her inquisitively. "Ranger, what's all the hubbub about?"
"Oh, Miss Decavity! It's awful! Apparently over in Donald's Dock there have been reports of Toons being kidnapped by some sort of unusual cog! Mayor Cupcake ordered Rangers to be deployed to help out, but nobody knows where she went and nobody can contact her! We don't know who is supposed to be going or what she wants us to do!"
"Okay Ranger, just calm down. I will see if I can whisper to her. Can you please get everybody together and have them meet in the main conference hall? I'll be there in five minutes and we will get this all sorted out." watching as the horse galloped to spread the message, Nightmare ripped out her whisper device. "Hey where are you? It's pandemonium over here!" hitting send, Nightmare ran around, gathering Toons and directing them to the proper area.
Not long after she had sent the message, she had received a response. "Sorry Nightmare. Trouble over in Donald's Dock. It seemed urgent so I decided to head over myself and see if I can get a handle on things. Most of the council should be there so just check in with them."
Nightmare pondered. How could there be this level of confusion among the rank and file when the Council was still here. Sprinting over to the meeting room, she burst through the door where a dark room was suddenly sprung into light with the black cat's entrance. It was completely empty. Not even Devin was here, and he was always the one complaining about others being hate. Pulling out her device, she sent a quick message over to Cupcake as she turned and ran towards the conference room. "Cupcake, nobody here. Rangers freaking out. Nobody knows what to do. What should I do?" the minutes seemed like eternity as Nightmare stared at her screen, waiting for any sort of response. Sweating profusely from all of the running and the anxiety of the situation, Nightmare kneeled down to catch her breath. Finally the vibrations in her hand gave her a second wind as she leapt up and quickly hit read.
"That doesn't sound right. I received a whisper from everybody that they would be there today so that I could go handle this. I will reach out to them and see if I can get anyone over there immediately. Right now I think I'm going to need you to be in charge, please. I really can't afford to come back right now. Um, just go ahead and get everybody together and try and keep them distracted and I'll update you when I hear back." as soon as she had finished reading a second message popped up. "Actually, ignore last message please. I'm going to need you to be in charge for me. We're going to need some backup here. I trust your judgement. Thanks for being awesome!" Nightmare's jaw almost hit the floor as she read the message a second and third time. Her in charge? She hardly knew how to handle her own life. Now she was supposed to lead forty experienced Rangers? Taking a deep breath, she exhaled and patted her chest. If Cupcake trusted her, she would have to believe in herself. Jogging into the conference room, she quickly began to hatch a plan.
Cupcake and three fellow officers snuck their way down the mostly silent Lighthouse Lane. The usually busy street had been all but abandoned aside from a few mailboxes and the four Toons. Word must have quickly spread about the kidnappings because most of the shops which were normally open had been shuttered and many of the remaining ones had "Closed" signs up. Using hand signals, Cupcake directed the three officers around. She was still skeptical of the report of the transforming cog, but they still didn't want to risk any unnecessary fights with such a small group. A red bear named Cinnamon had been quietly following the rest of her team when she walked smack into a gray mailbox, causing a loud booming sound to echo through the quiet road. Receiving a lift up from a different Ranger, the four gathered around the mailbox. "I've never seen a gray one before. Have you guys?" a yellow dog questioned unsure of his own words.
"Yeah and this one is completely still. Dont they generally dance around?" Cupcake narrowed her eyes and reached out, pushing the container which began to jiggle around oddly at the mention. Cupcake stepped back and faced her subordinates. Without uttering a word, she instructed them to start walking backwards, keeping their eyes on the unusual mailbox which continued it's strange motion. Once they had made a considerable amount of distance, they sat down on a curb and began to discuss further plans.
"I think this whole thing is a set-up, if we're being honest." A dark blue mouse stated bluntly. "We've been walking around for an hour and haven't seen a single thing. I'm thinking those darn Anti-Toons set us up!" he received nods of agreement from his fellow rangers.
Cupcake quickly put her finger to her pursed lips, shushing the trio. "Hold on guys. Did you hear that?" everybody sat quietly as a faint clanging sound reverberated through the air. Jumping up, Cupcake reached into her pocket and pulled out a cream pie. "I think it's coming from that way, follow me as quietly as you can." The four tip-toed back in the direction that they originally came from.
Cinnamon stopped the group when they reached the spot that she had stumbled earlier. "Um guys? Isn't this where that weird mailbox was?" Cupcake clenched her pie. She was sure the bear was right, but there was nothing around. Just a few short feet away was an alley that Toons usually took as a shortcut to get to The Brrrgh. The four were alerted when a scream bounced through the long alley, piercing their ears. Taking the lead, Cupcake sprinted without thought, followed by the Rangers. The twisting, winding pathway forked into two branches. Doing her best to stay calm she turned to the others.
"Cinnamon, Thunderbolt, you two go right. Seabreeze, you're with me. If you see anything, scream as loudly as you can!" Although she wasn't as young as she used to be, when a Toon was in trouble the pink cat always found an extra burst of energy. The cracking of the wooden planks beneath her feet, the world around her became a blur as she sprinted forward. Not paying attention to anything else she finally reached a dead end. "Hmm. Guess we must have went the wrong way, Seabreeze. Seabreeze?" Turning around she began to panic when she noticed that the mouse was no longer following her. Had she ran that far ahead? Waiting for a few seconds to catch her breath, her mind began to race with worries. She hadn't heard a scream.. or anything really. Where could he have gone? Pulling out her whisper device, she noticed she had a missed message from Nightmare. Pulling up a new message she looked for Seabreeze's name, but cringed when she remembered she did not add him yet. As she began to search for Cinnamon, a scream rang out, causing Cupcake to drop her device. Bending down to pick up the device, the familiar clanging sound began to get louder. Quickly grabbing her whisperer, she sprung behind a wooden box and perked her ear up. The scream had come and gone and so had the clanging sound. Peeking out into the alleyway, it seemed much brighter than it had just been. Slowly standing up, Cupcake started to type in a message to Cinnamon. "Hey. Where are you guys? Seabreeze is gone, is he with you? Respond ASAP." Scanning the alley between words, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Empty crates, lampposts, and trash cans filled the mostly empty corridor.
"Hey. Cupcake. Over here." a voice called out. "I have found Seabreeze. Come this way." Cupcake stopped in her tracks. The voice did not sound like anybody she had ever talked to, let alone any of the Rangers she had come with. It was very deep, and a little unnatural. Backing into a wall, she slowly sidled along. Keeping her eyes in the direction of the unusual speaker. Stopping she looked around. Had she come this way? It looked familiar, but now there was a large gray lamppost across the way from her. Lampposts weren't usually gray, at least not in Donald's Dock. Slowly approaching, she took a deep breath. Her brain was telling her to run, but she found her feet moving the wrong way. Stopping in front of the large lamp, she looked up. Tapping it lightly, it did nothing. Maybe she had missed it on the run here? Turning around she started walking away when the strange voice called out again. "Mrs. Cupcake. I do believe our meeting will be quite.. transformative." Swiveling around quickly, Cupcake's heart sank as the voice gave way to the figure who had been speaking.
Mark sat down on the couch as instructed by the pair of menacing Toons. "Now, Mr. Doggenbottom. Rest assured, we do not come here to hurt you. At least we hope not too." Thorn spoke calmly and with purpose. "Now all we want is a little information and we will be on our way and you get to see your wife tonight."
Clenching his fists, Mark could feel his gears churning. "I will have to apologize then because I don't think I'm the one you are looking for. I'm just an assistant. I handle paperwork and menial tasks. I'm not sure why you are asking me?' he began to dart his eyes around as Vinny sat down next to him and placed his arm around his shoulder.
"Nonsense, Mr. Doggenbottom. You are the Mayor's husband! Surely you must know something! Maybe something about the invasion plans for Cog Nation?" sarcastically covering his mouth he giggled. "Oops. Did I say that? I'm sorry, how very forward of me."
"Again, I'm sorry fellows, but I'm afraid I don't know anything like that. Now Mr. Thorn and Mr.. Vinny, correct? I would politely have to ask you to leave. Besides, even if I knew something I would never sell a pair of Anti-Toons like yourselves." this angered the two Toons who got into Mark's face, and did their best to look intimidating.
Vinny took a breath, and walked over to a picture that was sitting on a shelf. It was a picture of Mark and Cupcake when they had gone to see Ava Maxtoon live in Minnie's Melodyland. It was Cupcake's favorite artist and Mark had surprised her with tickets. "Maybe he's right, Thorn. I think we're probably barking up the wrong tree. Why would anyone tell this worthless traitor anything? Now the Mayor? I'm sure she would have some juicy info, right Marky?"
"Haha yeah. I'm sure she will be home soon, right? I'm sure seeing her husband tied up would probably get her to talk. Although I guess we probably couldn't let her leave afterwards. Couldn't risk her talking. What do you think, Vinny?"
Feeling his skin heating up, Mark clenched the couch cushion so hard that it began to rip. It was one thing for him to be harassed, but threatening his wife was a step too far. Something deep inside of him that had not emerged in many years suddenly rose up. Quickly jumping to his feet, he grabbed a purple vase that was on the table in front of him. Quickly spinning around he smashed the glass jar onto the bunny's head, knocking him backwards. "Leave Cupcake alone!" was all he could scream out. His eyes turned deep red, as his anger became immeasurable.
"Okay, you're dead cog!" Vinny screamed. Pulling out a button, Vinny began dumping pianos across the living room, smashing furniture and cracking through the wooden floor. Mark expertly dodged each gag as he weaved his way towards the red bear who began to jump backwards with each unsuccessful attempt. Growling, Vinny pulled out a firehose and sprayed a heavy stream right into Mark's chest to no avail. "Wait, what is this!" Unaware of Mark's upgrades that had made him immune to gags, the bear ran and leapt over the couch. Shaking his unconscious partner, he reached into the bunny's pocket and pulled out a stack of jury notices. "Looks like the jury is out, you're screwed now!" Vinny screamed, tossing notices three at once which bounced off of Mark, harmlessly.
"Leave Cupcake alone!" Mark repeated, working almost like clockwork as he slowly walked towards the remaining adversary. Picking up the jury notices, he began to toss them back, easily tripping up the bear who fell face forward into a piano. Staring down, the bear quickly turned to face upwards at the nearly invincible Telemarketer. Crawling backwards, Vinny tried his best to get away, but was quickly stopped as he banged into a floored piano. Bending over, Mark ripped off the leg of the piano with incredible ease. "Leave Cupcake alone!" was the last thing Vinny heard as Mark swung the club, connecting with the bear's head.