Author's Notes: Hey all! Oh my goodness, you won't believe what just happened! After days of worrying about a grade for one of my classes, I got it back…and it actually turned out to be a decent one! Man, talk about suspenseful! And I did well on the other three, so, yippee!
And here's another thing that I am enthusiastic about: This year marks Warner Bros centennial. That's right, folks; the WB studio is 100 years old! I found this out while shopping after a shift and found some Looney Tunes shirts that had the tag "WB 100 Celebrating All the Stories" inside. Man, way to go, Warner Bros.! And would you believe it, Disney's hit its centennial mark as well! Nicely done, both of you!
Now, I know you guys were probably expecting something from one of my other stories—don't worry, I'll get to it—but I thought why not choose this story to commemorate the Warner centennial? After all, it mentions stuff from Warner Bros in the Looney Tunes department. I do have to say I've been debating whether I should put this up or not. To get down to it, this story serves as the prequel to the series "Loonatics Unleashed" in my fanfic-verse. I've already gotten this chapter and the next one nailed down and I'm kinda slogging through the third, but maybe some reviews might help cheer me and rejuvenate my batteries.
Anyway. So…"Loonatics Unleashed". The black sheep of the Warner Bros stable. Disliked by many save for a select few, me being among that number. Well, frankly, it has its flaws, but like some, it had potential, I'm sure. I got into it during my tenure of getting my Associate's in college, back in 2019, I think, and the minute I heard Rob Paulsen played a character in it, I was in. And then-hello!—I discovered Kevin Michael Richardson was in it, too, as two of the main characters, with one of those voices quite a departure from the usual pitch his character's voices were in. Then you add in Jason Marsden who I knew from the 2008 series "The Garfield Show" and two new names (for me) Charlie Schlatter and Jessica DiCiccio as well as Candi Milo and I was invested. Then of course came the reading of fanfiction regarding that series and I perched myself firmly as a fan of the Loonatics. So, of course, the next course of action is figuring a crossover. Coincidentally, if memory serves, I was also hooked on Godzilla at the moment so it became a "one-person-goes-into-original-material" crossover with Godzooky being the candidate. However, reading the fanfiction led me to include another from an unlikely neck of the animation woods. I won't say who it is here, but you'll find out soon enough.
Now, as you all may know, I've already done a story with the Loonatics doing a crossover with "The Secret of NIMH" and I'm currently working on one with them and "Inuyasha", but I've been wanting to get my fanfic-verse version of "Loonatics Unleashed" out of the development closet for a while, writing bits and pieces when I can, and hopefully this prequel story can serve as the first step.
Timeline-wise, this is well after the Las Vegas Incident of 1992; the HBO series "Looney Tunes Cartoons" series is 10 episodes in, and Toontown has just gone through the worst catastrophe ever: A massive Heartless attack that has claimed many Toons and eliminated the Toontown Desert and Cool World while Zooky, along with three Toons, have gone to participate in a Mortal Kombat tournament with other characters from other worlds in my fanfic-verse. The tournament is over and the good guys have won (spoilers!) but the war isn't over yet; Heartless are still springing up everywhere, putting everyone on edge. It seems like only a miracle can help the Toons, and that's just what they're about to get.
Here's the disclaimer: I don't own the Looney Tunes or the characters from "Loonatics Unleashed"; Warner Bros does. I don't own Zooky, either; he's owned by Hanna-Barbera (Warner Bros) and Toho. Other characters mentioned belong to Disney and Amblin, as well as Paramount Pictures and Bakshi Animation.
So, without further ado, let's get into it…
CHAPTER 1: "Sleepless in Toontown and a Mystery Call"
It was a rather quiet night in Toontown. Normally, unless you lived in the Silent Sector of Toontown-where Toons from the era of silent cartoons lived-the word "quiet" wasn't applied to the place. Back in the '20s, '30s, '40s, and '50s the streets of the Black-'n-White District, as well as Classic Toontown (Toons from the era of color lived here), would be alive with the happy clamor of Toons as they performed their gags freely. Of course, upon being called upon to act in cartoons, Toons had to practice restraint, so as not to accidentally harm anyone. (The exception to coming to the Real World was the inhabitants of "Cool World", a more darker and adult version of Toontown that had been blocked off). As time went on, the Toon populace flourished and Toontown itself expanded to accommodate them. There was now the Computer-Generated Section, where Toons created by computer lived, and Modern Toontown, updated with cities, suburbs, and the modern technology the Real World possessed.
Within Modern Toontown were multiple districts each suited to a specific group of Toons that were free for any to visit. The two biggest ones were the Disney District for those Toons who mainly worked for the Walt Disney Studios and the WB District for the Toons of the Warner Bros. Studios on their time off (hiatuses). This particular story starts on a quiet night in the latter district, Looney Township, residence of the entire Looney Tunes crew, at the suburban home of Bugs Bunny.
The wise-cracking hare and top Toon of Warner Bros Studios was up late again, and, like the other times nowadays, it wasn't due to his roommate Daffy Duck's obnoxious snoring (which he was, but even that was softer than usual). It was for the same reason a lot of others were assuredly doing: keeping watch. Now, Bugs is a rabbit who can keep his head in a tight spot (unless provoked), but this particular problem was too big even for his sarcastic wit. In fact, it was too big for all Toonkind, and all those who lived in the outside world. Or any other world, for that matter.
A number of months ago, strange creatures made of darkness marked with a strange symbol began appearing all over the world, starting in Manhattan, New York. Since then, they made appearances in Japan and the Pacific Island area, the town of Coolsville, the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian archipelago, Los Angeles…and Toontown. Even Cool World wasn't spared. Due to their similarity to an enemy creature from a popular video game, they were branded the "Heartless", even though the symbol on these particular creatures looked nothing like the Heartless insignia.
It started out small; reports of unusual shadows. Then Toons and humans began disappearing and everybody was put on watch. Then came an assault. For those Toons with little to no combat experience it was terrifying; beings created for entertainment and making people smile and laugh suddenly found themselves against an enemy that wouldn't fall over laughing. Luckily, Bugs' best pal and honorary Looney Tune Godzooky Gojo was on hand to help drive them away. Of course, after that, Zooky and another co-star of his, Roger Rabbit (top star of the now-defunct Maroon Cartoons Studio), Roger's wife, Jessica-as well as Disney Toon Bonkers D. Bobcat-got invited to some crazy tournament that involved a lot of martial arts and saving-the-world stuff. It was tough going, filled with many sleepless nights and many close calls, but by the time the three Toons returned home it eventually died down.
But the air of vigilance still remained; hence why Toontown's activity was rather muted during the day and dead quiet at night. Even those Toons that had a penchant for causing trouble such as Yosemite Sam barely let out a holler.
Bugs shook himself awake. Dis is gettin' ridiculous, he groaned mentally, pinching the bridge of his nose.
The grey rabbit slowly got off Daffy's old, broken, blue recliner, having settled there hours earlier, five minutes after Daffy's snoring started, and slunk to the kitchen. He remembered Dr. Weisberg told him years ago to lay off the coffee and had been limiting himself to one jumbo cup a day every morning, but this was a "desperate times called for desperate measures" age he and his friends and fellow Toons were living in right now. Bugs got out a regular-sized mug from the dish cupboard and placed it below the coffee dispenser of the new Keurig coffeemaker he had gotten a while back on recommendation from a human friend of Zooky's. Turns out it was a lot better than the old one that ground coffee; the stuff didn't leave him as jittery and it made making other hot beverages, even cold beverages, a lot easier. Plus, the K-Cups for the machine offered a variety of different flavors all ready to go.
Bugs grabbed a random K-Cup from the holder, put it in the part of the Keurig coffeemaker that held the K-Cup, then closed the lid. As he did, he glanced at the digital clock on it.
1:32 AM?! Oh, brudder! Bugs groaned again. If I keep dis up I'm gonna go crazy! And not the regular Toon kind of crazy, he added, breaking the fourth wall as he has and had so often done.
As Bugs pressed the brew button and waited for his coffee to dispense, he thought back. Back to when the whole mess started. When his friends and colleagues found themselves threatened within the safety of their own town. Many Toons found themselves more than just unready, unsteady, and unprepared; they were practically defenseless. Even Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner had to abandon the Toontown Desert when those creatures of pure darkness invaded. Frank Harris, Lonette, and Nails the spider-the only Doodles from Cool World who were allowed to visit Toontown-had to evacuate their home as the Heartless took it over easily. No telling what happened to Super-Hero Jack…or Holli Would…wherever they had taken up in Cool World after the Las Vegas fiasco. Soon it became apparent that not even conventional weaponry wielded by combat-ready Toons (or gags from regular Toons) were effective. The only beings who seemed to be able to put a dent in their number had been Godzooky and Mickey Mouse. Then, when Zooky, Roger Rabbit, Jessica Rabbit, and Bonkers D. Bobcat left, those things had come back again. The whole experience before the Rabbits and Bonkers returned to Toontown was like a rollercoaster; when they left, the number of Heartless was medium, then it lulled, then it was like the-mother-of-all-invasions, then it completely settled down. Bugs did not want to go through that again.
When having asked about the Heartless critters, Godzooky had told him what his human friend had said: The Heartless are creatures born out of the darkness in people's hearts-fear, hate, jealousy (when told that, Bugs was surprised that Daffy hadn't been taken as one of their victims yet). Unfortunately, the only way to beat back the Heartless was with an item only found in a video game, the Keyblade (which Mickey somehow had). Fortunately, however, those who had gone to the martial-arts tournament had been bestowed with an item that allowed them to fight the shadowy beings: a pair of fingerless gloves-one orange and one blue-that bore the symbol of Mothra and were imbued with mystic energies that made Heartless dissipate as if they had been hit with a Keyblade. The three Toons who had gone wore them under their regular gloves, but they were there. Now they could fight.
Roger Rabbit, Jessica Rabbit, and Bonkers could fight them.
Mickey could fight them.
Godzooky could fight them.
But the other Toons couldn't.
And Bugs couldn't, either.
Bugs narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. If there was one thing he hated besides Cecil Turtle and being outwitted, it was being useless. Being a cartoon had its advantages; you could pull a variety of objects from out of thin air (hammerspace), you could take more physical punishment than a human, and you could squash, stretch, and manipulate your body in ways no human could, making you more flexible-not to mention create those incredible visual gags like switcheroos (i.e., when a cartoon character turns into a lollipop with the word "sucker" on it and back). The durability, the flexibility, and the hammerspace were great, but in a case like this they could only go so far-especially the durability. Bugs had seen firsthand what a Heartless did to its unlucky victim; both put up a good fight, but soon the tide turned and with one final swipe from the Heartless, the Toon was gone, leaving a floating heart which the Heartless promptly consumed. Then another Heartless appeared in the Toon's place. It was quick and sudden-a fate worse than the Dip. Toons may be practically invulnerable, but they weren't indestructible.
As Bugs sank into his self-dug pit of helplessness, he didn't notice that his coffee was done and getting cold. But who cared about coffee?! His best friend that he had helped groom into show business was probably out there with his family risking his life to protect people from that army of darkness. No telling what was happening to the kid now; he hadn't heard from him, or his mate, Zia, in a while.
That was the problem with sitting on the home front; you never knew if the ones you cared for were living or-
"GA-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-H-H-H!" Bugs screamed, almost doing an exact impression of Tom Cat's "lung-scream", letting out his pent-up feelings of frustration at being useless, and then some, not caring whether he woke up Daffy, or the whole neighborhood, for that matter.
There was some sleepy snorting from upstairs as the occupant upstairs was slightly stirred, but that soon settled back into semi-loud snoring.
In his hole, Speedy Gonzales heard the scream and began muttering in Spanish about the world going loco and that it was getting so that a decent person or mouse couldn't get any sleep anymore. He went to go tell Bugs to keep it down, but the words soon died in his throat when he saw Bugs turn around from the kitchen sink, his face dripping wet, ears drooping, and an expression that was a mix of anger, fear, and sadness etched in his features. Even when Bugs dried his face, the expression, and the lowered ears remained. Speedy wanted to talk to him, make him feel better, but decided against it and went back to his mousehole.
Poor Senor Bugs, Speedy thought sadly. It's like he's carrying the world on his shoulders.
Considering what was happening around the world, it might have been that, but that wasn't even the half of it.
Bugs laid down on the sofa, sans coffee, laid there in silence for a few minutes (though it felt like an eternity), then glanced at the dark television screen.
Like watching TV was going to help. He knew what would be the hot topic on the news: Heartless, Heartless, and more Heartless. He recalled the headlines: "Heartless gatherings strongest in Cool World-the "Dark Toontown"-and in Japan", "More disappearances-Heartless reported cause", "The darkness keeps on coming-Some claim nothing can be done-Many begin preparing for end", "Gojira and other kaiju eliminate Heartless wave in Tokyo, but will they survive what's to come?", "Civilians call for protection", "Neighborhood Heartless Watch groups organized-Will the added power of ordinary civilians be enough?"
"Apparently not from where I'm sittin'," Bugs Bunny growled. He quickly sat up and banged his fists down on either side of himself in frustration. "It's not fair!" he yelled. "It's my woild too! I can beat those doity lil' blobs wit' a whack o' my mallet! Yet, when I do, it don't do nothin'!" he continued ranting, his nasal Brooklyn accent coming out strong. "I'm not askin' for much; just a chance to be of some use! Like Zooky! That kid can fight, but why can't I?! I wanna help! Is that too much to ask?! Maybe if I had dem gloves, or maybe if I found anot'er spe-cee-al item, or even trained myself to fight…"
Bugs then proceeded to stand up on the couch and performed some rather comical-looking martial-arts moves, letting out chop-socky cries as he did so. All he ended up doing was falling off the couch with a crash.
Normally, something like that would be very amusing, but no-one was laughing, not even Bugs. He didn't even remark to the fourth wall: "I meant to do dat". All he did was climb back up onto the couch, nursing bruises and a rather tormented soul.
"Ah, who am I kiddin'?" Bugs sighed in defeat. "I'm a cartoon bunny, not a G.I. man." He looked up at the ceiling, as if seeing past it and into the sky outside. I don't really have a faith, but I'm gonna need all the help I can get, he said silently. Bugs took a deep breath, put his gloved hands together, closed his eyes and bowed his head. He took another breath before he began:
"Hey, uh, I don't usually do dis prayin' stuff-not seriously, anyway—and…well, to be frank about it, like I said before, I don't really have a faith, so I ain't sure you might hear me, but… (sigh) I need help. We need help, big time. You prob'ly know about what's goin' on and has happened. We lost a lot of good friends and family, and I'm worried about Zooky and his folks, too. (sigh) To be blunt about it, we need a miracle, a chance. Give me and my friends de chance to fight, to help out a member of de fam'ly, wherever he is. If dere's any way, please…give us dat chance."
Silence. Nothing but silence. Even Daffy's snoring seemed to have finally stopped. Convinced that his plea was going to remain unanswered, Bugs curled up into himself and started to cry.
Bugs didn't know how much time had passed when he stopped-felt like an eternity, but it's not like one keeps track of time when crying-but when he did, some instinct-what he had referred to on multiple occasions as his "delicate inner sense of danger"-clicked on like a flicked light-switch.
There was an unknown presence about.
Bugs looked around. No one he could see. Bugs listened as far as his rabbit ears could let him hear. Nothing.
Chrkzt.
Bugs' rabbit instinct made him stiffen. One of his ears swiveled towards the sound. It was faint, but close; almost like it came from behind him.
Chrkzt.
Yep. Behind him. Or, more specifically, the coffee table.
Chrkzt.
Or, to be even more specific, the TV remote.
Bugs stared at it for about a minute, but nothing happened. Then, just as he was about to dismiss it, the staticky sound came back and the remote sparked. At first, Bugs thought that there may be problems with the batteries, but then he remembered that the ones he had put in were still relatively new. Maybe it was the remote itself? Nah, a little worn, but still in good condition. Plus, he or Zooky often cleaned the remote (Daffy and his oft-messy fingers) or washed their hands before handling it. So what was making it spark like that?
Chrkzzt.
The sound was about half a second longer this time. Like it was…Okay, now the speculation was starting to border on the ridiculous; how could anyone possibly think that the remote sparking was like a phone ring? Then again, it did happen to DJ, Minya, and Daffy back in 2003. But that was because it was legitimate spy equipment!
Chhrrkzzzt.
Okay, now it was getting annoying. Ah, well; here goes everything. Bugs gingerly picked up the remote, pointed it at the TV, squeezed his eyes shut, prayed Lady Luck was with him…and hit the power button.
Bugs let go and jumped backwards with a yelp as the remote began to spark and fizzle, giving him a slight shock in the process. The remote continued with its fit for a few seconds more before what looked like a bolt of lightning shot out from it and hit the television screen. Said screen then rippled like a disturbed surface of water before turning on with a blinding flash of light.
Bugs got off the floor, blinked and rubbed his eyes a few times to recover from the shock and the blinding flash.
"I've definitely gotta put in a woird wit' the electric company about this," Bugs muttered aloud. "My remote goin' on da fritz, shootin' lightnin' at my TV, a hooded person in a rainbow on my screen-"
Hold it. Look about three times, pinch yourself.
Yep. It was there.
One delayed reaction later, Bugs yelped in alarm, jumped about a foot in the air, and zipped into the kitchen.
"Mr. Bunny?" came a feminine voice from the television screen.
From his hiding place (the space under the kitchen sink), Bugs tensed up and became suspicious and curious at the same time.
"Mr. Bunny?" the female voice spoke again. "Bugs Bunny, are you there?" she asked again, sounding more insistent this time.
The tone, as well as the use of his first name, caught the grey lagomorph's attention. Whoever this was, she needed to speak with him, urgently. But Bugs had questions: Who was this lady? How did she know his name? What else did she know about him? Did she cause what happened to his remote and TV? How was she communicating through his TV? Was this all a dream? What did she look like?
OK, maybe that last one wasn't needed and the one before that was an obvious "no"; he had pinched himself.
"Bugs Bunny, please, I need to speak with you," the female entreated.
That did it. She got him in one his soft spots.
Well, let's play it cool and see where this goes, he decided, coming out of his hiding place.
After grabbing his trademark vegetable from a bowl on the kitchen counter, he stepped back into the living room and surveyed the situation. There was a mysterious, hooded female who knew his name and was communicating by unknown means on the screen. Her hood didn't allow much of her face to be seen, and the rainbow effect around her prevented anything noticeable to be seen even by Bugs' sharp rabbit eyes. Chances were she knew more about him than he knew about her, if that was even possible.
Taking a bite of his carrot, he chewed it a few times, then delivered a variation on his catchphrase that he used in "Bewitched Bunny": "Eh, what's up, doc-tress?"
"Bugs Bunny?"
"Speakin'," the rabbit replied calmly in spite of his nerves.
The hooded female gave a sigh of what seemed to be relief. "Thank goodness. I was afraid I hadn't gotten through. I need to speak with you."
"So you've said," Bugs said coolly after taking another bite of his carrot. "And, uh, just who am I speakin' to?" he asked between chews.
"Let's just say…I'm a friend," she replied cryptically.
Not what I was lookin' for, Bugs deadpanned mentally.
"A friend who can help," she added after a pause.
"Help with…what?" Bugs asked, curious anticipation creeping in.
"A fighting chance to battle the Darkness that threatens us all, in your time…and mine," she answered.
Bugs almost choked on the piece of carrot he currently had in his mouth. 'A fighting chance'-that was what he had wished for not minutes ago! But wait; what did she know about the Heartless? And what did she mean by "her time"?
"What do you-gulp (he swallowed the carrot piece)-What do you know about-? Whaddya mean by-? How do-?! Just WHO ARE YA, LADY?!" Bugs yelled before covering his mouth. "I'm…I'm really sorry, ma'am, uh miss, uh-I mean-Oooh, I'm havin' a bad night," he groaned apologetically. "I've got so many questions as to what's goin' on here that I'm about to boist, and on top o' that, I'm-"
"Worried about your friends and family," the woman finished. "I understand that. I myself have been away from home for a long time, and I often can't help but wonder what's happened to it. If I'll ever see it again," she said in a melancholy tone.
Now Bugs felt really bad. He hadn't wanted to yell, but his nerves got the better of him at that moment. This woman, whoever she was, apparently wanted to help, and he may have just slapped her hand away. And when she talked about missing her home, she was sincere about it; he could tell.
"Look…ma'am," Bugs started slowly, "I'm sorry about flippin' my lid like that and getting off on da wrong foot. Let's start ovah, huh?"
There was some silence as the hooded female composed herself. "Of course," she then replied, a small smile in her voice. "I have to warn you: there isn't much I can reveal about myself or about my whereabouts."
"Eh, pardon me if I'm pryin', but what about 'when-abouts'?" Bugs asked. "You mentioned somethin 'bout 'your time'," he reminded her.
There was another moment of silence as she seemed to debate whether or not to divulge that much.
"According to the laws of time, this discussion shouldn't be taking place, but I'm afraid that fate or some other higher power has decided for this to occur."
Something suddenly occurred to the Toon rabbit; he remembered Zooky's stories from his time in a futuristic organization called Starfleet, where they had rules expressly forbidding any interaction in the past at all, as it could cause devastating consequences. Not to mention all those other cartoons, movies, and television show episodes that touched on the subject.
"You mean…you're from da future?" Bugs asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes. To only be slightly more specific, the 28th century," the woman answered.
Bugs whistled and blinked in amazement.
"Well, dat explains how you know my name," Bugs commented. "But why call me?" he asked. "How am I so important that you're callin' me all da way from the 28th century? Does it 'ave sometin' to do with this Darkness you mentioned?"
The hooded woman nodded. "I have glanced through the tomes of the past, which is how I know about you, your family, even about the menace that is spreading in your century. I also recently found out that this Darkness will soon come to my century, but not for a while, which will give my team plenty of time to develop."
"Your 'team'?" Bugs queried. "What team?"
"A team of superheroes."
"Ya mean like da Super Friends or da Justice League?"
"In a way, yes. At this point when I'm calling, they're still raw; just learning. They have a long way to go before they can go on the biggest mission of their lives. And it will not be an easy one," she added grimly.
"Which is…?" Bugs strung out.
"To give you your fighting chance. To fight in you and your friends'/brothers' stead. They have abilities that will be useful in driving the Darkness back, very much like those gloves three of your fellow Toons possess."
Bugs was about to ask how she knew about the gloves when he mentally face-palmed himself, remembering that he was talking to someone from the future.
"So, ya mean your team…from da future…is gonna come back to my time…and help us?" Bugs asked slowly, making sure that he got everything straight. "Where did dis team even come from?"
"Before they received their powers, they were six normal, everyday citizens with normal lives. Then, one day, a meteor came. Its impact released supernatural forces that imbued them with their powers. Unfortunately, it also affected some of the other members of the populace and they have, or will be, eager to cash in on their new powers and use them for selfish and malevolent agendas. I brought the six of them together to combat these new villains and to keep the denizens of the 28th century safe."
"Lucky for dem and the 28th century," Bugs commented sincerely. "Eh, is it OK to ask what they're like? I mean, who dey are, their roles, that sort of t'ing."
"Again, I can't say much, but the oldest of them used to be a wrestler, and the youngest of them is quite a gadget-maker…with an unusual friendship," she added, smirking slightly.
"Uh-huh…" Bugs hummed, that last-mentioned hint stumping him a bit. "But, why are you callin' me?"
"Because you can put me in touch with someone I'm looking for," the mysterious female answered. She then explained, "When I did my search through the tomes and the timeline, I found that two special individuals from the 21st century are supposed to come to the 28th century, bond with the team, help them develop, and then take them back to the 21st century and become their guides until this war with the Darkness is brought to a successful end."
Bugs thought on that for a moment before asking if he was one of the individuals she was looking for.
"I'm afraid not," the woman answered rather sharply. "If you or any of the Looney Tunes came to the future, there would be consequences."
"Good point. Especially if Daffy or Wile E. ever got a peek at all that futuristic hardware," Bugs agreed. "Dey'd have a field day."
"It's not just that," the woman continued. "If any of you Looney Tunes of the past came forward, you could affect the destinies of your families…and your descendants."
A thought suddenly occurred to Bugs again. "Eh, ma'am? Those descendants…they're in da 28th century? And-and this is just a t'ought-they wouldn't happen to be…your team…would dey?"
The hooded woman's shoulders sagged as she let out an audible sigh.
"You're more crafty than most give you credit for," the woman smirked.
"I yam what I yam," Bugs replied, using a saying from an old sailor Toon's cartoons.
"And you're right," she confirmed. "No, I need someone-"
"Who has experience bein' in da future?" Bugs offered.
The woman, caught off-guard, answered, "Yes…"
"Who has experience wit' heroes?"
"It would help…"
"Someone who's had enough lifetime experience to make people better voisions of demselves? Who could understand your team's hopes, dreams, and failings? Help dem battle demons wit'in and wit'out? Someone…who knows da Looney Tunes?"
"Well…yes."
"Den you're in luck, lady!" Bugs announced, smiling. "'Cause I happen to know da kid for da job: His name's Godzooky Gojo. Place of origin: Monster Island in the South Pacific area. Also has a citizenship here in da USA. Been around humans ever since he was a kaiju toddler. Really funny, sweet, and compassionate fella, too. Has a knack for makin' friends easy, and when he gives back to 'em, he retoins 130% or more or your money back! Also has quite a head for science and technology, can step up to a leadership level in a crisis, and has a multitude of skills dat'll make your head spin!"
The woman chuckled at Bugs' "sales pitch", and had to agree that this Godzooky was definitely someone she was looking for.
"All right, Bugs, you've convinced me," she chuckled. "He'll do just fine."
"Great! Oh, before I forget, there's three little things you oughta know about Zooky: One, he's married. Two, he's kinda jumpy around spiders and eoithquakes'll freak 'im out. In dat same vein, if he ever has to go below ground, he's been gettin' a better handle on dat due to hangin' wit' some toitle pals of his, but he'll still get the shakes. And three, there's this scar near his right shoulder that he got from a knife made in evil magic, and, every October 6th, it makes him so ill that he won't be able to get outta bed. So, just, keep dat in mind."
Now the woman was curious. What could have happened to Zooky to have Bugs list all these different things? If a serious crisis ever arose, she would need the whole team; but she decided to go along with it until she learned more.
"I will," she promised.
"Good," Bugs said, now looking serious. "'Cause I love that kid like one of my own brothers. And if anyt'ing happens to him dere or he's pushed while in dat condition, I'm gonna come to da 28th century myself and give somebody a taste of rabbit punch."
"Understood," the woman said, rather amazed at Bugs' loyalty for Godzooky.
"Now, you say there are two who are gonna make the trip?" Bugs asked, getting back on track.
A nod from the woman.
"Then I suggest Zooky takes Roger Rabbit along with him. At foist glance, Rog may look like he don't have much, but he can be clever when his back's against da wall. He's got a good heart and, considerin' when he comes from, may offer a unique perspective on t'ings. His rat'er innocent outlook may even provide a moral compass for those wit' trouble-makin' tendencies. 'Sides, it may do my descendant good to be reminded of his/her roots," Bugs finished with a grin.
The woman smiled. "Perfect," she said.
"Now, I've got one more question: How're Rog and Zooky gonna get to the 28th century?" Bugs asked. "You got a time machine or somethin'?"
"I'm afraid not," the woman answered. "Besides, I had something different in mind," she added, raising an arm toward Bugs.
Bugs cringed a little, wondering what the woman was going to do, when a beam of rainbow-colored energy streaked out of the screen, zipped around the living room, then went upstairs. When it came back down, it carried Bugs' crystal/glass carrot with it. The object was held suspended for a few more seconds until it came down in Bugs' hands, glowing warmly.
"I've imbued this object with the power to transport your friends to the future and back when the time is right," the woman explained to the awed Toon. "It also contains some energy from the meteor, so when they come here, they will be endowed with special powers; some made real by thought, others will be natural or learned skills amplified."
"…T'anks," Bugs uttered, still amazed. "Eh…when do ya want 'em?"
"As soon as possible; time is of the essence," the woman answered.
"I still wish I knew who you are," Bugs confessed. "That way I can t'ank ya."
"Zadavia."
"Zah-dah-vee-ah," Bugs enunciated, making sure he got it right. "We won't let ya down, Zadavia."
"Thank you, Bugs," Zadavia smiled.
"I hope we meet again."
"It may be a while, but I hope so too, that way I can thank you, as well."
"Then, as my French bro Pepe Le Pew says: Au ree-voir. Dat's French for 'see ya later'."
"Well, then, au revoir, Bugs," Zadavia chuckled.
With that, the screen turned off, the only piece of evidence that something had happened was a glowing crystal/glass carrot in Bugs' hands. Bugs kept staring at it, wondering if everything that happened had really happened.
"Hey," came a familiar, sleepy voice.
Bugs turned his head to the top of the stairs to see a black-feathered mallard with a grouchy, tired expression on his face.
"What'sth all the racket?" Daffy lisped irritably to his younger brother and co-star.
And he waited till now to come down? Bugs incredulously asked himself.
"And what'sth with that carrot thingamabob of yoursth?" Daffy added, looking at the glowing carrot.
Well, I've been able to confide in him before, Bugs shrugged. "You wouldn't believe me if I told ya," he told his friend/brother with a smirk.
Daffy crossed his arms and gave Bugs a smirk of his own. "Trustht me, I'm pretty gullible."
And done. Man, pretty heavy, huh? Yeah, like I said earlier: Toontown's gone through one lulu of a crisis courtesy of the Darkness that's starting to spread throughout different worlds. I will say that certain places are still untouched, but who knows how long that will last.
I really have to credit reading Roger Rabbit comics online for giving me some of names of different Toontown districts, mostly the "Silent Sector" and the "Black-'n-White District". I think I mostly came up with "Classic Toontown", and I know I thought up "Modern Toontown", the "Computer-Generated Section", the "Disney District", the "WB District", and "Looney Township" on my own. There's other districts as well, as well as sections within districts, but that'd be a bit too much infodumping for this story. Now, if I were working on my fanfic-verse version of "Cool World", then you'd be getting a full Toontown geography lesson, which would detail all the different districts at the time based on studio and/or a piece of time in animation history, and would include Cool World, which, according to this story, has been blocked off (I mean, considering the kind of types that live there, can you say you're surprised about that?). But enough about that for right now.
Once we're introduced to the locale, we learn about recent events, particularly when a version of Heartless that look like the enemies from the "Kingdom Hearts" video games franchise but with a certain symbol on them start appearing. The first appearance takes place during my fanfic-verse version of the 1998 cartoon "Godzilla: The Series", which is still in the development closet, unfortunately. And, just like in the game, whenever those little monsters are around, people and locations start vanishing. Next, we see what happened during the events of my fanfic-verse version of "Mortal Kombat" and its sequel, "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation"; all right, granted those aren't some of the best films ever made (and the sequel is certainly worse), but they're certainly an opportunity for a massive multi-crossover and an introduction to a new item. Of course, only those who participated in the tournament get them, still leaving many vulnerable.
And that's the problem Bugs finds himself struggling with; he wants to help and prevent anyone else from disappearing, but without the special gloves or a Keyblade (which was an actual-working souvenir Mickey got as thanks for being part of the project), he's just as helpless as everyone else. So he does the only thing it seems he can do: Pray for help.
Despite being doubtful that he won't be heard because he really doesn't have a faith, his prayers are answered with the appearance of a mysterious woman from the 28th century named Zadavia, who has been made aware of the coming Darkness and offers her team of superheroes as help. Bugs is a bit skeptical—I mean, who would blame him?—but he volunteers Zooky and Roger as the ones to go get the team and bring them back when the time comes. Now all that's left to do is get in contact with them, but first, guess who shows up but Daffy Duck, and he wants an explanation. This could take a while, folks.
Here are the questions:
Based on the series of events told at the start of the chapter and the inner turmoil Bugs is going through, is there anything you would say that could comfort the Toon rabbit, if only a little?
What would be your thought when the remote starts acting up? How about when the mysterious woman (Zadavia) appears on the TV screen?
Would you believe her story?
Who would you "pitch" to be the ones to go to the 28th century and interact with Zadavia's team? Explain your reasons for your choices.
Can't wait to hear your responses to these!
Next time, Daffy's questions get answered and the rounding up of the volunteers commences. Until then, please read and review. Thank you!