Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“The throne awaits. A Seer warns of a deadly fate. Give up your children, separate. Bide your time, lie in wait.” - Sonic Underground, Theme Song

There was once a kingdom, ruled by the Warner family, known as the Kingdom of Warnerstock. Though, of course, no one called it that anymore. Not for ten years now.

It was once a peaceful place. Beautiful. The kingdom of fairytales and legends, ruled by Queen Angelina The Wise and King William The Good. 

But fairytales end and monsters can creep in.

There was a courtier you see; an ambitious man on the royal council by the name of Salazar. A handsome man at first glance; quiet, a little brooding, but otherwise harmless. The sort of man that kept to himself. Or so they thought. After all, you can’t overthrow a kingdom by yourself, you need support for that.

Salazar had worked in the shadows for years, gaining support, storing weapons. Slowly working and plotting to depose the royal family.

He kept his hatred well hidden, but it soon became known he despised toons. Salazar felt they didn’t belong on the throne. Indeed, he barely recognised that toons had a right to exist at all. “Abominations,” he called them. “Vermin.”

On a cold night, he launched his attack.

“This way!” Angelina’s head guard called. She was a tall rabbit-toon named Delphi with vivid blue eyes, only two years older than Angelina. “Your Majesties, hurry!”

It was a bit hard to hurry when you were carrying two of your children. Angelina knew, logically, that she should hand Wakko and Dot to one of their guards, but she couldn’t stand the thought of letting them go, of releasing them for even a moment. No, she would carry her children herself.

William carried Yakko with ease, balancing the four-year-old with one arm, while holding his sword with the other.

Angelina had never been much of a fighter, not in the traditional sense like William, but she suddenly wished she’d thought to grab a blade, or any sort of weapon at all.

She supposed she could be forgiven for not thinking of it. After all, it was rather hard to plan and think straight when your home was under attack.

It was hard to think of anything other than the pain of betrayal, as she ran through the hidden tunnels under the palace. 

Salazar, how could you? she thought, despairing. Wakko clung to her, his eyes wide and frightened. Dot blessedly slept, but Yakko looked even more frightened than Wakko. 

“Nearly there,” Felix said quietly. Indeed, she could feel the tunnel start to slope upwards. Arlo, bigger and broader than his brother Felix, brought up the rear, constantly looking over his shoulder.

Out of all their guards, only Delpi, Arlo and Felix had managed to join them in the tunnels. The rest had stayed behind to fight, to hold off Salazar and his men. Their fellow guards and soldiers. Courtiers they’d known for years…

She tried to push the images away, lest she burst into tears. If she thought about it for too long she’d surely go mad.

But how, how had she missed this? Surely there were signs? How could she not have known so many of her people would willingly turn against her?

What kind of queen am I? Angelina thought bitterly as they finally left the tunnel, only to emerge into the hills. It was well past midnight now and the clouds loomed overhead, darkening rapidly. It was either going to snow or rain. Just what they needed.

The Warners had ruled Warnerstock for centuries and now they were reduced to fleeing their home in the dead of night, hunted like animals, with only the clothes on their backs.

“They’ll pay for this, Your Majesties,” Felix promised her and William as they hurried along, further into the hills. “They will.”

Angelina had never much been one for vengeance either, but given the opportunity she’d gladly turn around and plunge a sword through whatever passed for Salazar’s heart.

He was meant to be their friend.

And what now? Were they supposed to wander around all night? If it began to snow, they’d need to cover their tracks. God, she couldn’t let her children sleep in some muddy cave! This wasn’t safe. Was anywhere safe anymore?

“We could go to Otto,” William suggested quietly. He held Yakko tightly. Their usually talkative little boy stared over William’s shoulder, frightened into silence. He clung to his father, his ears flattening, his tail drooping.

“They’ll think to look there,” Angelina said, sighing. “And they’ll check Heloise’s home too.” It was too obvious. But William had a point too. They needed somewhere to go…

That was when there was a bright silver flash of light and the three guards jumped in front of the royals, swords raised. Yakko yelped, William raised his sword, snarling. Wakko clung to Angelina, shivering and Angelina stepped back, behind William.

It wasn’t one of Salazar’s supporters. Indeed, it wasn’t a courtier or guard at all.

A short, stocky man stood in front of them. He had thinning grey hair and wore a long grey robe. He was a toon with a rather bored, sleepy expression, a long nose and no neck. Although not a member of the court, he was a man they knew well.

“Pip?” William asked, sounding as baffled as Angelina felt.

“Your Majesties,” Pip said with a bow. The Oracle of The Stars, a supposedly wise man- and one with the unfortunate habit of never shutting up. But not in the same way as Yakko, oh no. No, Pip was dreadfully dull.

And sure enough...

“It’s good to see you all,” Pip said, in his usual flat monotone. “Well, I suppose it’s not, given the circumstances. You have my condolences of course, if I had known I would have warned you, but I’ve only now received any visions. So of course I had to come and find you, to get you away safely. Even as we speak, Salazar’s men are heading for Duke Scratchansniff’s home and Nurse Nerz’s as well...It’s certainly hard to say her name and title, have you ever noticed? Anyway, Salazar is hunting for you and-”

“Pip,” Angelina interrupted, more harshly than she usually would have. “Now is not the time. Can you help us or not? ”

Pip blinked slowly. He scratched his nose.

Angelina was going to slap him if he didn’t hurry up.

“But of course, Queen Angelina,” he said, still terribly flat. “That’s why I’m here, didn’t I say?” He clapped his hands and a silver portal opened, shimmering and spinning in front of them. Through the light, Angelina could dimly make out the highest mountains of Warnerstock, where Pip lived.

“After you,” Pip said, gesturing to the portal.

“Pretty,” Yakko said. His curiosity overcame his fear and he leaned forward in his father’s arms to get a better look.

Their guards looked to Angelina and William for permission. Sighing, William led the way.

Just like that, they were gone. 

The stories would later say they vanished into thin air.

They emerged in the mountains, so high up in the sky it felt like Angelina could reach up and touch the stars. It had begun to storm, the heavens opening above them to pound them with ice-cold rain. Thunder rumbled and lightning crashed. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself and hurried into Pip’s home.

From the outside, Pip’s home looked like a simple log cabin. Inside was a different story.

It was massive. Cavernous. The entrance hall was nearly as big as the palace’s and each room had a fire roaring in the grate, chasing away the cold. Thick rugs lay on the ground. Through an open door, Angelina glimpsed a room with a cauldron, glass balls and crystals. One corridor had nothing but long, dark tunnels instead of doors.

“Don’t wander into them,” Pip warned them. “They lead elsewhere.” There was something ominous about exactly how he said elsewhere.

Angelina shivered, though Pip’s home was warm. As they sat in what appeared to be Pip’s living room, Pip summoned a crib and, at last, Angelina reluctantly placed Dot down. Wakko and Yakko curled up together on an armchair, under a thick red blanket.

“Thank you,” William said. “For helping us.”

“Salazar is a cruel man,” was Pip’s answer. “And cannot be allowed to reign. He will bring nothing but ruin, even to those who support him.” For all his words of doom and gloom, his expression hadn’t changed once. He barely seemed to blink.

“Is that another prophesy?” Delphi asked with a weak smile.

“It is fact,” Pip said. He snapped his fingers and a tray with a teapot and cups appeared. The tea poured itself and floated towards them. Angelina clutched hers tightly, glad to have something to do with her hands.

“I had many visions tonight,” Pip said, sipping his tea. “I woke up in a cold sweat because of them. Unpleasant, really. You know, sweat is-”

“How about you just tell us about the visions?” William suggested quickly.

“Ah yes.” Pip sipped his tea again and spoke; “Your children will die.”

“WHAT!?”

The combined shout woke all three of the children. Dot began to wail and Angelina scooped her up, holding her close.

“Mummy? Dadoo?” Wakko looked at them sleepily, Yakko rubbed his eyes and yawned.

“Why’s everyone shoutin’?” he asked.

William immediately went to them and lifted them up. He carried them back to Angelina, holding the boys on his lap and wrapping the thick blanket back around them, glaring at Pip.

“It was in one of my visions,” Pip continued calmly, as if he hadn’t just given them all heart attacks. “The very first vision I saw was already in progress- Salazar’s attack. The second was what will happen if you stay together.” He glanced at the children and gave a small frown.

“Forgive me, Your Majesties,” he said with a sigh.

“Forgive-?” Angelina broke off with a gasp as horrible images flooded her vision. 

Her people in chains; cities aflame, dozens of toons lined up to be executed, humans dying to protect their toon friends and neighbours. A resistance, too small, too frightened to do much, torn apart by Salazar’s soldiers.

She saw her family’s banner torn down and burned, replaced with a red and gold one. She saw her family’s symbol chipped away from buildings and murals, replaced by a symbol of a clock.

There was an awful tick-tock, tick-tock noise in her ears, getting louder and louder. She heard Salazar laugh, louder and more maniacally than she’d ever heard him. 

And worst of all, she saw Yakko, Wakko and Dot, a small child, a toddler and a baby, lying dead on the ground, dead at her feet.

She saw William fall to Salazar’s sword and then she felt the usurper’s blade plunge into her chest.

Angelina blinked and gasped, coming back to herself. Next to her, William clung to their sons, bent over them as if to protect them. Delphi and Felix clung to each other, shivering. Arlo looked sick.

Dot had stopped crying, but she kept sniffling. Yakko looked between them all, frowning, eyes narrowed. Wakko sucked his thumb, growing more frightened by their silence.

“You didn’t need to do that,” William said quietly.

“It would be best to not say much in front of the children,” Pip said, equally as quiet. He folded his hands in his lap. “But hope is not lost. That was only one possible future. I’ve seen another. If you separate, if you hide, Salazar will not find you. If you gather your strength in the shadows as he did, if you do not immediately try to launch an attack, you will succeed.”

“Separate?” Angelina repeated with quiet horror. No. No. She couldn’t give her children up, she couldn’t. They were her babies, they needed her, she had to keep them safe.

But another vision hit her before she could protest.

She saw Yakko, Wakko and Dot, smiling and laughing, walking along arm in arm. They were older, much older. Yakko was a teenager. 

She saw the resistance grow and grow, following her and William, following their children. She saw that odd red and gold banner, that clock symbol, torn down and their own rise again.

Angelina saw herself, William, Yakko, Wakko and Dot, return home, hand in hand. Yakko-as-a-teenager paused and glanced over his shoulder as he reached the palace steps. For a moment, it seemed like he saw her standing there, watching him.

He smiled and turned away.

She blinked and she was back in Pip’s living room.

“The Council of Five,” Pip said quietly. “That is what you’ll become.”

The Council. There’d been Councils before, in times of crisis. There hadn’t been one in so long.

There was a difference between a usual council and a Council. A royal council may advise and help create laws, but a Council consisted of the entire royal family, adults and children all, fighting together and ruling together. A Council didn’t just use their toon powers, they used their heirlooms, their summonings, to protect their home.

Angelina clutched her medallion tightly. It had been crafted at her birth, but she’d barely ever had to use it. When in use, it transformed into a pair of golden daggers. Most people were simply surprised to see the sweet, friendly Queen always wearing a dagger medallion.

William had used his even less. His transformed into a sword and, as he always said, he already had a perfectly good one.

But their weapons weren’t normal. They were magical, capable of great feats, practically indestructible and could not be used by anyone but a Warner.

Over the centuries, their medallions had mostly become ornamental. They were made thanks to tradition, but never really used.

They’d had peace for so long.

She looked at her children with watering eyes. Dot had fallen asleep again, contently dozing, completely unaware of how drastically their lives had changed. Wakko’s eyes were drooping again and he seemed to be staying awake through sheer force of will, watching them all quietly. He looked suspicious. Or maybe Angelina’s anxious mind was making her see things.

Yakko fiddled with his own medallion, a sword like his father’s. He shifted uneasily, unusually silent.

But then he spoke.

“Can we go home now?” he asked.

Angelina forced herself to look him in the eye. She would not flinch, she would not look away.

“No, love,” she said. “Not yet. Not for a while.” Lightning flashed, momentarily blinding, and the thunder sounded closer than ever.

If the vision Pip had given them was correct, they wouldn’t go home for at least ten years.

I’ve failed, Angelina thought. I’ve let my country down, my people down. I’ve let my ancestors down...And now I’m going to let my children down.

That last one hurt the most.

First, there was Yakko.

Angelina wrapped him up in all the warm layers that Pip provided. The purple scarf was so large it covered her son’s mouth, but Yakko yanked it down to speak.

“Where’re we going?” he demanded. He was only four, but there was no fooling him. He was a sharp one and he knew everything had gone badly wrong. He may not entirely understand, but he knew.

“You’re going to Delphi and Felix, Yak,” William said. His smile was strained and he had to keep clearing his throat to speak. “It’ll be a game.”

“A game?” Yakko didn’t sound like he truly believed them.

“It’s hide and seek,” Angelina said. “We all have to hide from Salazar. You remember Salazar?”

“Uh-huh.”

“We have to hide from him,” William said, placing his hands on Yakko’s shoulders. “If we can hide, we win.”

“What do we win?” Yakko asked.

Everything, Angelina thought. But she couldn’t say it, so instead she said, “We’ll win lots of things, baby.” She kissed his cheeks and forehead, holding him tightly.

“I love you, little one,” she said fiercely. “I love you so much.”

It took all her strength even to hand him to William. Her arms ached as she let him go, she wanted to weep and scream as William hugged Yakko, kissing the top of his head.

“You’re so brave,” William told him. “The bravest little guy I know.” He poked Yakko on the nose. “But don’t tell Wakko I said that.”

Yakko smiled proudly, puffing out his chest. “Yup!” he said. “I’m super brave!”

“I know,” Angelina said, cupping his face in her hands. “And now you’re going to be a big brave boy, and go with Delphi and Felix.”

Even Delphi and Felix looked close to weeping as they took the little prince by his hands.

“Angelina,” Delphi said, eyes watering, ears drooping. “I- I’ll protect him, I swear.”

“I know you will,” Angelina said.

William clapped Felix on the shoulder. With nothing more to say, their friends turned and walked towards the portal Pip had opened for them.

But as Yakko stepped into the portal, something in Angelina broke and she rushed forward to cry, “I love you, Yakko!” her voice breaking.

Yakko looked back. “Love you, Mama, Dada!” he chirped.

The portal closed and their eldest son was gone.

Angelina collapsed into William’s arms, wailing. William wasn’t much better; his tears soaked into her fur and she could feel him shaking.

At least Pip had the grace to leave them alone for this.

Second, there was Wakko.

Only a year old, he was fast asleep as William carried him in a basket, covered over with the red blanket from Pip’s home. Arlo followed close at William’s heels and, somewhere in the city, Angelina and Pip were searching for a safe place to leave Dot.

William wished he could leave Wakko with Otto or Heloise. They’d be his first choice. But the King and Queen’s best friends suddenly acquiring a child that looked just like William? It was too obvious. They’d be found out in a matter of days, if not hours.

No, they’d have to find somewhere else.

He found a small home on the outskirts of the city. It looked cosy, with flower boxes under the windows.

William had been in battles. He’d fought for his life before. But this was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do.

He placed the basket in the doorway, leaning down to stroke Wakko’s cheek. Shuddering, his heart aching, William knocked on the door and fled, Arlo by his side.

If he’d looked back, he’d have seen a cat-toon jump from the nearby alley to snatch the basket and run off with it.

And the woman who lived in the home? She opened her door only to see no one around. She looked up and down the quiet street, shrugged, and went back inside.

“I bet I got something good!” the cat-toon cried as he reached his home- such as it was. It was a thief’s den in truth, and the cat himself was little more than a child, only fifteen.

He presented the basket to their leader, Durrin, a large brown dog-toon with a long face and a black eye-patch over his missing left eye, as well as a chunk missing from his right ear, and a (fake) golden fang. Durrin took the basket with a curious little frown. The blanket, at least, looked well-made…

He pulled it back and nearly dropped the basket when he saw the baby, sleeping away inside. It was a small baby, a toon with black fur and drooping black ears. But it was still a baby. No doubt, someone would be looking for it. No doubt, they were gonna get done for kidnapping.

“Are you thick, Oliver?” he demanded, slapping the cat boy on the back of the head. “You just kidnapped a baby!”

“I didn’t!” Oliver protested. “Someone left him on a doorstep!”

Well, that changed things.

Durrin sighed and picked up the baby. As he did, the baby stirred.

“Dadoo?” the baby mumbled. He had a funny little accent, making Durrin smile. His red cap was too big for him, drooping down over his eyes, his tongue lolled from his mouth. The only thing of any real value on his was a golden medallion. Oddly enough, it was shaped like a war-hammer. Engraved on it was a name: Wakko.

“Wakko,” Durrin murmured. “That your name, little fella?”

The baby looked at him sleepily, but seemed to perk up at the mention of the name. Wakko it was then.

“Well…” Durrin sighed and looked around their den. “Welcome to the club, kid.”

Last of all, was Dot.

Angelina’s instincts told her to go to Nurse’s house, leave her daughter with her friend, but that would be madness.

But she knew of a widow who lived nearby, a woman whose wish for children had gone unfulfilled. She rarely attended court, but her mother had attended on Angelina’s own mother.

Lady Evangeline Giselle Primrose Beauty Summer Athena Byron The Fourth. A mouthful, rather like Angelina’s own name, like Dot’s. Most people just called her “Eva.”

Angelina hoped Eva still wanted children.

The sun was beginning to set when she reached Eva’s home. As a toon, it was the easiest thing in the world to jump over the big stone wall. Pip followed close behind. For once he didn’t say anything, and Angelina was grateful for it. She couldn’t even fathom trying to talk right now.

She kept her hood up, covering her face. Thankfully, Dot was fast asleep. And yet a part of Angelina wished Dot would open her eyes, just so Angelina could get a last look at her daughter when she was awake.

But it was for the best that Dot slept.

Steeling herself, Angelina knocked on the door and fled.

Lady Evangeline had not been expecting guests, so she was curious enough when there was a knock on the door.

She screamed when she saw the baby.

The baby woke up and gave an angry wail, waving her chubby little fists. She was a funny little thing, some sort of dog or cat perhaps, and Eva scooped her up, trying to hush her.

“Goodness gracious, little lady, how did you get here?” she asked. The baby grunted and babbled, still waving her little fists.

As Eva got a good look at her, her heart pounded.

The baby looked like…

She saw the name engraved on the baby’s golden medallion (shaped like an arrow, how curious); Angelina. And yet, embroidered on the baby’s pink blanket was the name Dot.

Eva was no fool.

“Hello, Princess,” she whispered. 

“My lady?” a maid approached, eyes widening when she saw the baby. “Goodness, who-”

“It appears I have a daughter,” Eva said in her best haughty tone, head held high. She nodded to the basket. “Carry that in for me, won’t you, dear?”

The maid did as she was told, never taking her wide eyes from the baby.

Eva held the little girl close, smiling down at her. Her heart was racing, her thought whirling around in her mind.

Oh, Angelina, William, what are you doing?

But if she was indeed right, if the deposed Warners had indeed entrusted their daughter to her, she would do her duty with pride and protect the girl.

She’d always wanted a little girl of her own.

The question was, did she call her Angelina or Dot? What would raise less suspicion from the usurper?

Dot, she supposed. Angelina would invite too many questions.

Dot then. Lady Dot Giselle Primrose Beauty Summer Athena Byron The Fifth.

Eva had the feeling she’d be attending court even less now.

Far up in the hills, overlooking Acme Falls, Angelina and William stood hand in hand. Arlo, as instructed, had gone to join his brother and sister-in-law. Pip had returned home.

“Now what?” Angelina whispered, tears falling freely at last.

William sighed, not bothering to wipe away his own tears. It would do no good.

“Now,” he said sadly. “We bide our time and wait.” He squeezed her hand and watched his kingdom. “And we fight.”

Chapter Text

“There's blood on your lies, the sky's open wide. There is nowhere for you to hide, the hunter's moon is shining.” - Running With The Wolves, Aurora

Yakko’s house was in the middle of nowhere. It was a little cottage next to a river, in the middle of the woods, a long walk from town.

It was too small for him. There was nothing to do and no one to talk to except his parents, and sometimes Uncle Arlo when he came to visit. But that was pretty rare. His uncle had “important work to do,” work which often meant Yakko didn’t see him for weeks or even months on end.

His parents always got really tense whenever they didn’t hear from Arlo. He was his dad’s older brother and, as far as Yakko could see, Arlo was tough. Like, super tough. Yakko had once seen the guy crush a rock with his skull. He’d wanted to show Yakko how, but his mom clapped Arlo around the head.

“Don’t give him ideas!” she said.

Yakko wasn’t stupid, thank you very much. There were a lot of things his parents didn’t want him doing, or knowing about. They didn’t like him going any further than the tree line.

“You can’t trust the king’s men,” his mom, Delphi, said quietly. Even in the safety of their cottage, she warily watched the door, holding Yakko close to whisper in his ear. “They’re bad men, Yak.”

And, okay, Yakko got that. The way his parents carried on, you’d swear Yakko was dumb enough to shout treason from the rooftop!

As fun as that may be, Yakko wasn’t dumb enough to do it.

Because here’s the thing, here’s the thing, Yakko was clever, so clever. He saw things his parents didn’t want him to see. He heard things they didn’t want him to hear.

His mom was a black rabbit toon with floppy ears, his dad was a dog toon with black fur, a red nose and long tail. Sure, Yakko could have been a mix of them, but he saw they had no photos of him from before he was four- and even then, photos were rare things for Yakko. His parents didn’t like cameras much. They kept all their photos in trunks, they didn’t even want them on display, which was weird if you asked him.

He saw how they looked at him sometimes, so sadly. He heard them whisper about people and places he’d never seen.

Yakko thought he remembered arriving in this house, hand in hand with Delphi and Felix. He definitely remembered how teary-eyed Delphi got when Yakko called her Mom, when he was really little. That was just a dead giveaway if you asked him. Something was up.

He had vague memories of another couple, who he thought looked like him, though the image was so blurry that Yakko couldn’t be sure. Maybe he was making it up, imagining things. His mom always said he spent too much time daydreaming. But no, he was sure he remembered warm arms hugging him tightly, he dimly remembered someone crying out, “I love you!” and a bright flash of light. He couldn’t think of what the light may have been.

And Yakko knew, deep in bones, that they were hiding from someone.

“I’m adopted, right?” Yakko had asked shortly after he turned ten. His parents had gone very still.

“Yes, son,” his dad, Felix had said, ignoring when Delphi frowned at him.

“Who were my first parents?” Yakko asked.

“Our friends,” Felix said. He smiled sadly. “But they’re gone now.”

Gone. They were dead, Yakko supposed. From what he could gather, King Saladbar (oh, forgive him, he meant to say Salazar The Pushy) killed a lot of toons, just for being toons. Or for being poor. Or not bowing deeply enough when he passed.

Quite the violent guy, old Saladbar.

Yakko found out just how violent Salazar was only a few months after that conversation.

He could hear shouting from the woods, he could hear dogs howling and see the suddenly eerie light of flashlights and torches.

“FELIX MERRIE!” an unknown voice shouted. “DELPHI MERRIE! SURRENDER YOURSELVES!”

Inside their little cottage was sudden chaos. His mom pulled him down the stairs, tightly gripping his arm. She quickly got him into a warm coat and pushed a small bag of food into his hands.

“Run,” she said hoarsely. “Go to Uncle Arlo’s. You remember the way, darling?”

Vaguely, yes. Yakko wasn’t so sure. He hadn’t been to Arlo’s house in years. Arlo usually visited them, not the other way around.

“Run,” Felix urged him. “As fast as you can, bud. Use all your toon-speed.”

That was a surprise. His parents never wanted him to leave. Anytime Yakko wandered beyond the tree line, they panicked. They told him off for running.

But now he had to run beyond the trees, beyond the woods and into the town itself.

It wasn't the adventure he wanted.

The shouting was getting closer and Yakko could hear thudding footsteps. Only ten years old, he gripped his parents’ hands.

“But you're coming with me, right?” he demanded. His heart began to beat very fast and he thought he remembered something like this happening before.

“Where’re we going?”

“It’s hide and seek.”

“We have to hide from him. If we can hide, we win.”

Hide from who? It was an instinct Yakko had always had; he’d always thought they were hiding, but his parents had laughed in their usual odd, high-pitched way whenever he said so, and changed the topic.

Which was how Yakko knew he was right.

“We’ll catch up,” Felix said, giving Yakko a shaky smile. Liar! he wanted to shout. He wanted to scream and stomp his foot, maybe throw a tantrum like he did when he was smaller. Maybe, just maybe, if he kicked up enough fuss, everything would go back to normal.

“Run,” Delphi said, kissing his forehead. “And don’t look back.” She pushed him out the back door. Yakko could see the flickering torches, he could hear the dogs. Whoever was looking for his parents, they were at the front of the house now.

Yakko, for once, did as he was told and ran.

He was running for maybe ten minutes when he skidded to a halt, panting. What was he doing? His parents were in trouble, he couldn’t leave them!

“You’re so brave. The bravest little guy I know.” 

Who told him that? His first parents, his birth parents? He couldn’t be sure.

But whoever they were, Yakko wanted to prove them right. He turned around and ran back home.

He was too late, he could see that right away. Their little cottage was on fire and no one was in sight. Whoever the strangers were, they were gone.

And so were his mom and dad.

“No,” Yakko whispered, tears springing to his eyes. He clutched his medallion, his blood running cold. No, no. His parents, they- they were-

Gone.

Shaking, crying and suddenly feeling very small and very young, Yakko collapsed to his knees, hugging himself tightly and dropping the bag of food. He knelt on the cold grass, watching his home go up in smoke, waiting for his parents to emerge. Any second now, they’d come running. Any second now, they’d come get him.

The minutes passed, but Felix and Delphi didn’t come.

Gone. They were gone. They weren’t coming back.

Yakko was alone.

“Yakko! Yak!”

Or not.

Thundering towards him on a horse (a normal one, not a toon one) was his Uncle Arlo.

“Yakko!” he shouted, jumping down from the horse and running towards him, arms opened wide.

Sobbing, Yakko didn’t hesitate to run to him. His uncle pulled him into his arms, turning him away from the fire. Yakko squeezed his eyes shut, pressed his face against his uncle’s broad shoulder.

“Mom and Dad,” he sobbed. “They- they’re-” He couldn’t talk. For once, he couldn’t get the words out. They were too awful.

Gone. Yakko officially hated that word.

“I’m sorry,” Arlo whispered, rocking him back and forth. “But it’s gonna be okay. You and me, little prince, we’re gonna be okay.”

Yakko wished he could believe him, but he wasn’t sure what to believe anymore. Only hours ago, he’d believed his parents would always be there. He’d believed he’d never be allowed to leave their little patch of land, that he’d always be stuck in the woods.

Yakko would gladly stay hiding in the woods forever if it meant Delphi and Felix would come back.

But they wouldn’t. They were gone.

And Yakko wasn’t stupid. He knew who sent his men to take toons away.

Salazar.

Yakko decided, there and then, that he hated King Salazar with all his heart.

Chapter Text

“With a thousand lies and a good disguise, hit 'em right between the eyes, hit 'em right between the eyes. When you walk away, nothing more to say. See the lightning in your eyes, see 'em running for their lives.” - You’re Gonna Go Far Kid, The Offspring

Wakko was quiet and Wakko was quick. He was small and, with his toon powers, he could pull off impressive feats, sneak like a pro.

Which he was. A pro that was.

Wakko knew he was a very good thief indeed.

Durrin was huge. Absolutely massive. At first glance he was utterly terrifying to toons and humans alike. A massive dog-toon with brown fur, getting patchy in places. He had a long face, a fake golden tooth and a black eye-patch over his missing eye. He had a chunk taken from his ear; he said he’d lost a fight when he was a kid. He had a long scar down his leg and always wore black.

But Wakko knew Durrin wasn’t all that scary, not really. Durrin was his da. He may scowl and growl at everyone else, but he softened whenever Wakko was around.

So Wakko knew that was another thing he was good at: making Durrin smile, which was very rare, and always seemed to impress their group. Almost no one else managed to ever make Durrin smile, not even Alice and she was practically everyone’s mom, Durrin’s right-hand.

Wakko had a funny family, he knew that too. 

He had Oswald, a human, who was a great pick-pocket and Oliver, a cat-toon who was great at sneaking up on people and snatching almost anything. There was Alice, also a human and everyone’s stand-in mother. There was Pascal, a fox-toon, only a year younger than Oliver and Oswald and he was one of the best cat-burglars that Wakko knew. Then there was Bianca, a chipmunk toon. She was a year older than Wakko and nearly- nearly- as good at sneaking as Wakko.

Nearly. Wakko said he was better. Bianca said she was.

There were other thieves in their group, lots of people in their hidden den, but these were the people that Wakko loved best.

He’d been brought to them in a basket, Durrin told him. It was Wakko’s favourite story when he was little. It wasn’t until he was older that it started to occur to him that it wasn’t a funny story at all.

Someone had left him on a doorstep, in a basket. Whoever his parents were, they’d abandoned him.

That wasn’t funny. 

“It’s their loss,” Alice said, poking his nose.

Durrin was more gruff about it. He took a swig of his favourite coffee (Oliver had stolen five cartons) and scoffed.

“Idiots,” he said, almost a growl. “You’re worth ten of ‘em.”

Wakko smiled, clutching his medallion. “You don’t know them.”

“No, but I know you. You’re a good kid.”

Coming from Durrin that was high praise. As close to I love you, as Durrin ever got, the old grump.

“Thanks, Da.”

There were plenty of things Wakko wasn’t so sure he was good at. He tried hard to learn the usual school stuff (Alice insisted) but it was so boring. Still, he made a song out of the cities names and that was loads of fun. He taught it to Bianca and some of the other little kids.

It was weird to think of them as little. But Wakko was nine and that felt plenty old. 

There were plenty of things Wakko didn’t know. He didn’t know who his parents were (sometimes he wasn’t so sure he cared. Other times it hurt worse than any slap ever could); he didn’t know why he had such a fancy medallion (was it real gold? It sure looked real…) and he didn’t know why the thought of taking it off made his hands sweat uncomfortably.

But there were plenty of things Wakko knew as well. Some good, some not so good.

He knew King Saladbar The Stinky killed toons for no good reason. He knew the King (the Usurper, some people called him in angry whispers) had stolen his throne. Some people said the Warners were dead, some people said they were just hiding.

But the old royals didn’t matter. No, what mattered to Wakko was looking around and seeing empty spaces where his friends used to be. What mattered was counting how many of their gang had been arrested, dragged away, never to be seen again.

The numbers got higher. People vanished from the streets. Taxes got worse, it got harder to smuggle things into Acme Falls.

But Wakko knew he was safe. They were good at hiding, the best at hiding, and who’d ever look twice at a kid like him? Well, maybe they’d do a second-take, Wakko stood out, he was an odd type of toon...But they’d never suspect him.

Even Saladbar The Stinky-Bully-Killer-Usurper couldn’t execute kids.

So Wakko knew he was safe.

He knew he had a family that loved him. An odd family but they were his. And Wakko loved them too, with all his heart.

And Wakko knew it often felt like something was missing. Sometimes, late at night, he’d curl up under the covers and clutch his medallion, tracing over his own name. Why abandon a baby but leave him with such a fancy necklace? It didn’t quite add up, but no one else seemed to think it was odd.

Sometimes, Wakko couldn’t shake the feeling that someone should have been curled up with him, maybe even curled around him, to keep him safe. Someone, maybe, who looked like him…

But it was just a daydream. Wakko had everything he needed, right here in their hidden den.

Lots of people would sneer in disgust or say it was no place for a kid. Wakko said Ticktockia wasn’t a place for anyone except Salazar.

Durrin laughed when Wakko said that.

“Alright, you been studying, kid?” Durrin asked.

“Yup,” Wakko said with a nod, fixing his cap. Durrin smirked and they got into position. Wakko stood on one end of the room, Durrin on the other. Casually, they walked towards each other, Wakko keeping his eyes on the floor.

Swiftly, he snatched Durrin’s wallet from his pocket (and a little extra) and kept walking to the door.

Durrin reached the wall and made a show of pretending to check his pockets. He looked at Wakko and gave him a sharp grin.

“That’s my lad,” he said. “Here, I got something for- shit, where-?” Durrin broke off, grinning even wider when Wakko pulled the two bright pink lollipops from his own pocket, twirling them like little batons.

“Thanks, Da,” Wakko said, happily popping one in his mouth, still twirling the other.

“Only accept the best, Wak,” Durrin said. He had to bend down to clap Wakko on the shoulder.

Wakko could happily take that to heart. It was just the way of things; you took what you needed, you took what you wanted. Just don’t steal from family- and don’t get caught.

All thoughts of taxes and Salazar, his long-gone parents and maybe-missing-others, even thoughts of his medallion were all banished. Instead, Wakko focussed on his lesson and the delicious lollipops. Strawberry flavoured and really good, Wakko was willing to bet Durrin had taken them from the sweet shop in town square, the big one with sweets painted on the windows.

Wakko had better things to think about than kings, and he already had the best family ever.

Chapter Text

“Mama told me not to waste my life, she said, ‘Spread your wings, my little butterfly.’ Don't let what they say keep you up at night, and they can't detain you, ‘cause wings are made to fly.” - Wings, Little Mix

She was Lady Dot Giselle Primrose Beauty Summer Athena Byron The Fifth. She was (somewhat secretly) once-upon-a-time named Angelina, but Mother preferred Dot and so the name stuck.

Truthfully, Dot wasn’t quite sure how you got ‘Dot’ from ‘Angelina’ but she preferred Dot too. It was easier to say, easier to remember. Her full name was quite the mouthful, but it was still a name she wore with pride. It was her mother’s name, an old family name, and it was hers now too.

Just don’t call her Dottie. Call her Dottie and you die.

Dot knew she was adopted. Eva was quite open about the fact- and besides, they looked absolutely nothing alike, nor did Dot look anything like the photos and portraits of the deceased Lord Andrew Christopher Byron The Second, or any of her mother’s family.

Dot knew she was adopted and didn’t mind much. She had everything she wanted, everything she needed. She was treated like a princess (“My little princess,” Eva so often called her), her every wish and want seen to as soon as she went looking for it.

Dot lived in an absolutely massive mansion in Acme Falls, the capital city of Ticktockia. It was beautiful with a rose garden and fountain, an indoor pool, a music room, even a ballroom (though Mother didn’t have many guests.) 

Dot’s bedroom was fit for a princess, filled with toys (even more toys were in her playroom), a bed big enough for four people, a balcony of her own, not to mention a walk-in wardrobe and everything was decorated in different shades of pink, her favourite colour.

She had everything she wanted. Absolutely everything.

There were just two teeny-weeny complaints.

The first issue was that Dot was barely ever allowed to go anywhere. She most certainly wasn’t allowed at court. And, sure, Eva rarely ever went herself, but still. They were Byrons, they were ladies; they were welcome at court, even the king said so.

So why didn’t they go? Why wasn’t Dot allowed go?

Eva smiled sadly, adjusting Dot’s flower.

“King Salazar’s court isn’t very exciting, darling,” Eva said. “It’s quite grim. No place for a little girl. He...Well, he prefers humans to toons.”

Dot, in all her eight-year-old wisdom, was sure her mother was lying. All her books, all her favourite shows and movies, said that palaces were beautiful and amazing places. Kings were gallant and brave and wise. 

“I bet it’s fun,” Dot said stubbornly, crossing her arms. “I wanna go, Mother!”

“Maybe when you’re older, darling.”

Dot rolled her eyes. Mother always said that.

“I’m gonna languish here and die,” Dot said dramatically, draping herself over the sofa. “I’ll die of boredom.” Languish was a good word. Dot’s tutor always said she had a way with words.

Eva wasn’t moved. If anything, she looked amused. She shook her head and giggled, turning a page in her book.

“I’ll be sure to bring roses to your funeral,” she said drily.

Dot groaned again, flopping onto the ground.

The other thing was that Eva wouldn’t really tell Dot how she adopted her, or when, beyond “You were still just a baby, darling.” She was vague about it and as much as Dot loved fairytales, she also liked her fairytales to have details.

Eva’s story didn’t have details.

“You were given to me, darling,” she always said. And then she’d hug Dot and say, “You were the sweetest surprise of my life.”

That, at least, made Dot smile. Eva always said it so gently and she always smiled and she’d hug Dot for ages. It wasn’t a story so much as a statement. Dot would have preferred a proper story. 

“I’ll explain when you’re older,” Eva said.

When you’re older. It seemed to be the motto of Dot’s life.

Eva didn’t have a lot of guests. Dot sometimes wondered why. After all, her mother wasn’t a shy woman or even particularly introverted. If anything she was extroverted. Eva was boisterous and bossy; she laughed and danced and joked as much as Dot.

Eva was a snow white cat-toon with shockingly blue eyes. She was very fluffy, very tall with long silvery hair. She styled it differently every day. Her favourite colour was pink, like Dot’s and (also like Dot) she made sure at least part of her outfit was pink every day, even if it was just a pink bracelet, or maybe painting her claws pink.

The servants all seemed to like her, even if they were a little intimidated. The rare guests seemed to like her.

But Eva seemed to prefer staying home. 

Dot just couldn’t relate. She wanted to explore, to go, to see everything and everyone.

There weren’t a lot of guests, no...But there was Slappy and Skippy and Dot loved them.

Dot had known Slappy and Skippy Squirrel since she was a baby. They’d just always been there. Slappy was a Countess, but she was no dainty lady. She was gruff, she was tough and no-nonsense. She was incredibly blunt, always saying whatever was on her mind and doing whatever she wanted.

Once, Slappy proudly told her about the time she crushed a paparazzi’s camera with her mallet, because he tried to take a picture of Skippy, after being told not to.

Dot loved her.

As for Skippy, he was her best friend. (Her only friend, really.) He was her age, a little brown squirrel, Slappy’s nephew. She was raising him, she’d been raising him since he was a baby. So he was adopted too. 

And, like Dot, he was always prepared for mischief. He loved to use his toon-powers and was happy to show Dot what he’d learned.

She still remembered Eva’s startled yelp when Skippy first accidentally summoned a massive stick of dynamite. Slappy had been so proud.

Toon-power lessons were the best kind of lessons. Dot liked to say she was the best at everything (Slappy always said, “Atta girl, know your worth,”) but she knew beyond a doubt that she was simply brilliant with her powers. She could speed around, she could jump, she could stretch to crazy lengths; she could summon objects ten-times her size with ease.

Eva always looked proud when Dot showed her what she could do.

But- was Dot imagining it?- she sometimes thought her mother looked worried too.

Like right now.

Dot had summoned a whole new background in their training room, a backdrop of the night sky, before easily vanishing it. Skippy clapped and summoned a desert. Slappy lounged on her comfortable chair, sipping coffee and smirking in that sly way she had.

Sometimes Dot felt that Slappy knew everything. It wouldn’t surprise her. The old squirrel seemed to be able to read everyone’s minds.

“That’s brilliant, darling,” Eva said. She was smiling, so Dot smiled, but Slappy gave Eva a light slap on the arm.

“Don’t look so tense,” Slappy scolded. “The kid’s a natural!”

Eva’s eyes narrowed for a second, so quickly that Dot almost missed it.

“Yes,” Eva said to Slappy. “She is.” Her tone was oddly sharp.

Slappy seemed to consider this. She sipped her coffee and hummed.

“Ah,” she said eventually. “Fair enough, Evie.”

“It’s Eva, Slappy.”

“Whatever.”

By then Dot was distracted, happily chasing Skippy around with a massive cream-pie.

Once, when they were five, Dot and Skippy were playing dress-up. Skippy was a King, Dot was a Queen, but then they decided to switch it up; then Skippy was the Queen and Dot was the King.

Dot paraded around in Skippy’s favourite plastic crown and, laughing, Skippy wore one of her dresses.

He pointed at her medallion. “Can I try it on?” he asked.

Dot clutched it tightly. For a moment, her chest tightened and she tensed. 

“No,” she said quickly, a bit too sharply. Skippy’s face fell and Dot added, “You can borrow this one!” and handed him a golden heart-shaped locket, which he seemed happy with.

Dot’s medallion was with her when she was adopted. It had her old name on it: Angelina. Maybe it was a bit silly to wear it all the time, Angelina wasn’t even her name anymore...But she couldn’t bear the idea of taking it off.

She never ever took it off.

It was gold and always seemed to glitter, engraved with her old name and held on a thin gold chain. It was shaped like an arrow and, curiously, the arrow head was shaped like a heart. There were no gems on it, no fancy engraving. To be honest, Dot had prettier necklaces, more expensive necklaces.

But her medallion was special. She couldn’t put her finger on it. It just was. She knew it was special, the same way she breathed. She just knew.

And maybe it was arrogant, but Dot knew she was special too.

Then again, maybe it wasn’t arrogant. Dot was pretty great, even if she said so herself.

Besides, Eva, Slappy and Skippy agreed. That was all the proof she needed.

Dot was special. And one day she was going to prove it to the world.

Chapter Text

“A warning to the people, the good and the evil: this is war. To the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim: this is war.” - This Is War, Thirty Seconds To Mars

Present Day…

“You’re sure you’re up for this?” Arlo peered at Yakko worriedly. “Salazar’s getting restless, Yak. There’ll be more guards than ever.”

Yakko grinned at his uncle. He was loungy on their sofa, playing with two paddle balls at once. His grin was sharp and promised trouble.

“I’d like to see them try and catch me,” he said.

I wouldn’t, Arlo thought. He never knew how much he should tell Yakko. By all accounts, he should wrap the kid in bubble-wrap and hide him away from the world. Lock him in a tower like Rapunzel and hope this mess would sort itself out.

But that would never work. Arlo knew that. Yakko was too curious, too determined, for his own good. Either Arlo let him help (on a limited basis) or Yakko would run off on his own and get into trouble. Then, heaven help them all, he could get caught.

Salazar was a lot of things; cruel, arrogant, evil- but he wasn’t stupid. A fourteen-year-old toon named Yakko, black and white and no animal anyone could identify for certain? He’d piece it together, or one of their cronies would, and then…

No, Arlo simply could not allow that to happen.

“We don’t know what they’re making in there,” Arlo said yet again. “Your job is just to help take out the guards and defences. Then get out of there. No heroics, little prince.”

Yakko’s nose wrinkled. “Don’t you think I’m a little old for that nickname, Uncle Arlo?”

Arlo smiled and lightly tugged on Yakko’s ear. He snatched one of the paddle balls and played with it himself.

“Never, kid. Never.”

It was a big factory and brand new. They’d spied on its construction (and tried to sabotage its construction) but at long last, it was complete.

It was a surprisingly plain building, Yakko thought. Salazar liked things to be grand and flashy, but this was just a three-storied brick building; long, thin and simple, surrounded by high fences, guards and- no doubt- traps. Not Salazar’s usual taste at all. There were no statues, no flashes of colour...Nothing.

So Salazar wanted it to look plain for a reason, Yakko thought. Salazar didn’t want anyone looking at this building. His eyes narrowed as he peered around the corner, watching as the big metal gates opened to allow an ugly grey truck into the courtyard. Well, tough luck Saladbar, the resistance were doing more than looking. 

Idiot, Yakko thought. They’d have been suspicious regardless, but purposely trying to look boring? That just invited questions. 

Finally, near midnight, as the guards’ rotation changed, it was time to make their move.

It was easy to blend into the shadows. Yakko was nearly all black, and right now he was dressed head to toe in black, the same as his friends. During the brief moments that the guards were gone they managed to hop the high walls and avoided the searchlights. He glanced at Arlo as his uncle jammed the security system and opened a side-door; his uncle looked tenser than usual.

Inside, all was quiet. It was just as boring outside as it was inside, with a few Ticktockian symbols painted on the walls. The hallway was narrow and gloomy, the light had a yellowish tone.

One of the rebels, Alice Lapin, a surprisingly tall rabbit-toon, sprinkled a pale pink powder across the floor. They all practically held their breath, waiting. Nothing happened. No lasers revealed themselves.

Sighing in relief, Arlo stepped forward.

So of course that was when the alarm started to go off. Of course that was when the overhead lights flashed red and lasers revealed themselves.

Right. They should have known Salazar would improve his traps after the last factory they blew up. So much for quietly getting in and out.

“Stick to the plan,” Arlo ordered. “Move it.”

They did. Yakko ran with Alice Lapin and two other toons; one was grown-up like Alice, a toon-man named Mitchell with large ears and big brown eyes. The other was a teenager like Yakko, sixteen, a fox-toon with purple eyes named Felicity.

The plan should have been simple. Quietly knock out some guards, get some photos or recordings of the factory and get out. Two other groups would be doing the same. Meanwhile, Arlo’s group would be heading to the control room to hack into the systems, completely destroy the security and steal any plans they could find.

Unfortunately, the guards were now looking for them, not the other way around. Okay, Yakko could handle this. They all could. They were the resistance, the rebellion; the hope of toons all over Ticktockia, the thorn in Saladbar’s side. They could handle a little trouble. This wasn’t the first time their initial plan had met a hurdle and it wouldn’t be the last.

So when they turned the corner and came face to face with a group of guards, Yakko didn’t hesitate to whip out his mallet and smash the nearest one into the wall.

The guard hit the wall so hard the plaster cracked. 

“He shoots, he scores!” Yakko cheered.

“I can do one better,” Felicity said with a grin. Sure enough, she grabbed a guard by his ankles- a man twice her size- and spun him around rapidly until they were a blur. She let him go and, with a high-pitched shriek, he went sailing down the corridor and out of sight. Yakko heard a few bangs and then silence.

“...Okay, you win,” he admitted. 

“Children, please,” Mitchell sighed. “Focus!”

“We are!” Yakko protested, dodging as a guard tried to grab him. With a smirk, he summoned a paintbrush and turned the guard into a mime. Just like that, the guard was trapped in an invisible box.

“Hey!” the guard shouted. Yakko had to laugh. It was hard to take the guy seriously in that get-up. 

“Ooh, nice touch,” Felicity said with approval. Alice had knocked two guards clean out and had them trapped in a net suspended from the ceiling. Mitchell tied another two up and threw them into a closet. One last guy was out cold at Felicity’s feet, a lump the size of an orange on his forehead. It was always weird seeing humans affected by toon powers, but no real harm was done to them. They’d be fine in a while.

Yakko looked at the trapped mime-guard in front of him, still busy shouting. 

“YOU MOTHERFU-”

Yakko zipped his lip and the guard’s voice was gone. The man continued to wave his fists and rave, apparently not noticing the sudden silence.

“Now, now, keep it PG,” Yakko scolded, wagging his finger at the guard. “There’s innocent ears around!”

“Like you’ve ever been innocent a day in your life,” Mitchell snorted.

“I didn’t say my ears, did I?”

Mitchell scoffed at him, but Felicity high-fived him. Alice only rolled her eyes, fond and tired at the same time. She surveyed their work with a satisfied gleam in her eyes, her long ears twitching slightly.

“Okay, let’s keep going,” she said and led the way down the corridor.

As instructed, they took pictures and recordings as they went. The cameras were down, but Felicity smashed any she spotted. It never hurt to be careful. 

As far as Yakko could see there was nothing of interest lying around, and that made him suspicious. Every once in a while, he vaguely heard guards cursing “toon scum!” and “rebel scum!” so he knew their friends had to be winning. But beyond that…

Nothing.

What was Salazar hiding?

“There’s gotta be something here,” Mitchell muttered.

Alice was beginning to look worried. “Maybe they haven’t finished setting up,” she whispered.

“No way. You saw all those trucks, Al. They’ve got something.”

As his friends turned the next corner, Yakko paused. Something caught his eye. Something green and glowing faintly just under a massive steel door. It was so dark it nearly blended into the wall, if not for the beam attached, in place of a doorknob.

“Guys,” Yakko said, tugging on Alice’s arm. He pointed at the door. “Look.” It was such a faint light you had to squint to see it, but once spotted it was impossible to ignore. There was something sickly about that light. It made Yakko’s fur bristle.

“Good spot, Yak,” Alice said. She opened the door and, thankfully, no further alarms were triggered. The same ones as before were still going though, ringing on and on, the lights still flashing red.

They emerged into a massive room. Everything was grey; pale grey, steel grey, stone grey, storm grey. The walls, the floor, the ceiling, the doors. Everything.

Except whatever was glowing in the vats underneath them.

They were on a walkway above four massive vats. The liquid inside was sickly green and glowing, much brighter now that they were up close. It gave off a rotting smell that turned Yakko’s stomach and it was steaming and bubbling. The room was littered with more vats, all in rows of four and all filled with the same mysterious liquid.

Felicity immediately started snapping photos and Mitchell paced up and down the walkway to record their findings, but Yakko suddenly felt sick. He peered at the next row and saw the label on the vats, painted in giant white letters.

Dip.

The fact that a skull and crossbones were painted just above the word didn’t exactly inspire confidence.

Dip. Yakko’s eyes narrowed, his fists clenched. What was this stuff? Some sort of poison, a weapon? It wasn’t like anything he’d ever seen before. Salazar’s scientists had to be behind this stuff, whatever it was. The pushy king didn’t exactly do magic (something they all knew infuriated him to no end) and, as a human, he of course lacked toon powers and didn’t employ toons if he could avoid it.

Somehow, Yakko had the feeling a toon couldn’t make this stuff anyway.

No, he had a very bad feeling about all this.

“We need to go,” he said abruptly.

“What?” Felicity gaped at him and rightly so. Yakko was never the first to call it quits.

“We need to go,” Yakko repeated. “Something’s wrong.”

Alice peered at him curious. “Yak, sweetie-”

“FREEZE!”

They froze alright. Three guards blocked the door they’d just come from. Two humans- and a toon. Yakko snarled at the sight. Traitor, he thought.

One of the humans led the way and all three of them held toon-catching nets.

“Seize them!” he shouted. His companions immediately obeyed, so Yakko and his friends immediately ran down the walk-way to the next door.

Funny thing about guards, they always seemed so surprised that the rebels didn’t just stay put and wait to be arrested.

Dumber than advertised, Yakko thought as they ran.

They ran back down the stairs. Alice led the way, Mitchell brought up the rear, both of them keeping Yakko and Felicity between them. It was their usual formation when they ran into trouble; keep the kids covered.

Only, with a fellow toon chasing them, it just got a little harder. The big fat guard summoned a damn cannon, so Mitchell had to summon a giant shield to cover the four of them, but the force of the blow still knocked them all back. Yakko rolled a few paces, curling up to protect himself. The corridor seemed to shake with the force of the collision, and stopped just as suddenly as it started.

He blinked and the world righted itself. The shuddering stopped, but the shouting and fighting continued. Alice and Mitchell were busy with the two human guards, but Felicity had been knocked into the wall and the toon guard was advancing on her.

Felicity was quick, she was always quick, but this time she was too slow to scramble back to her feet, and the big fat guard caught her in his net. The net immediately began to glow and Felicity’s powers were rendered useless.

Oh no you don’t.

Yakko ran at them and tackled the guard with all his strength.

“Wha-!” The guard didn’t see it coming and they fell to the ground, tumbling nearly to the stairs. The guard dropped the net, but Yakko didn’t stop to see if Felicity got out okay. He summoned a mallet, but the guard summoned one of his own and the two mallets collided almost like swords, neither toon giving an inch.

“Yak!” Felicity called.

Yakko glanced at her, looking over his shoulder for her. His friend was running at them, her fangs bared, her claws on show. She didn’t make it far, one of the human guards swung at her with his net, just barely missing her.

It was only a split-second, but it was distraction enough and the big guard knocked Yakko flying with his mallet, straight into the wall.

Okay, that’s gonna hurt tomorrow. Yakko’s ears were ringing, stars spun around his head. He groaned as he forced himself to sit up, and his hood fell back.

His eyes locked on the big guard, looming over him with his net back in his hands.

And the oddest thing happened: the guard didn’t attack him. In fact, he didn’t do anything but gape at Yakko.

“Dah?” he said, holding his net in suddenly limp hands. “William?”

Yakko frowned. “Who?” 

The guard shook his head. “No,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “You’re too little to be William…”

“Hey, pal, I prefer the term vertically challenged!”

Whoever this William was, Yakko owed him a thank-you; the mere idea of him had the big guard in a tizzy. In fact, the poor guy was so distracted he didn’t notice Yakko snapping his fingers, or the anvil falling from the ceiling until it hit him on the head. Such a shame, truly.

Yakko laughed as the guard fell to the ground with a muted thud, sending up a small cloud of dust. 

He tensed when a hand landed on his shoulder, but it was just Mitchell. The other two guards were tied up and knocked out, their nets snapped in half.

“You alright, kid?” Mitchell asked with a concerned frown.

“Fresh as a daisy!” Yakko said, jumping to his feet. He snapped the big guard’s net over his knee and drew it aside. He frowned and the anvil vanished. The guard lay on the ground, sprawled out with his hat knocked off, a massive lump on his head and stars and birds swirling around his bald head. As he snored and drooled he almost looked harmless.

“Twenty to one,” Alice announced, looking at her watch. “Time to get out of here.”

They’d gotten plenty of pictures and recordings, particularly of that mysterious Dip. The thought of it still made Yakko shudder, though he couldn’t say why. A part of him almost wanted to go back to that room and get another look. A part of him wanted to pour that stuff down the nearest drain. The rest of him wanted to run far, far away from it.

But whatever. Their work here was done and it was time to get out before more minions arrived.

They headed for the exit, Alice and Mitchell once more keeping Felicity and Yakko between them.

And none of them ever spotted the hidden cameras, still working and hooked up to the emergency power, inside the emergency exit lights.

It was nearly three in the morning by the time Yakko got to bed. He pulled on his favourite, most comfortable pyjamas and collapsed into bed with a giant yawn. All the information Arlo and his team gathered from the factory had been passed along to be de-coded. In the meantime, all they could do was wait.

And he had the weirdest dream.

He dreamed he was running- no, that he was being carried by someone running. They were running down a dark tunnel and they were with more running people. All of them were frightened, though he didn’t know why. He thought he saw Arlo, he thought he saw his parents, Delphi and Felix. But they weren’t the ones carrying him. The one carrying him was a stranger, a tall toon with black fur and a white face. Like Yakko’s. But his features were blurred. All Yakko knew for sure was that the strange man was terrified.

He woke suddenly, his heart pounding. It was still dark out, too dark in his small room to read his alarm clock. It was too dark to see anything but faint outlines.

Unnaturally dark.

But then an unfamiliar voice spoke up from the darkness, monotone and deep; “Hello, Your Highness. It is good to see you again. Please forgive the unusual circumstances.”

On instinct, Yakko lashed out with a punch; it sounded like the guy was standing right next to him, but he didn’t hit anything.

Someone clapped, there was a flash of silver light and the stranger began to glow. He was a short man, squat, with a dull expression and dressed in grey robes. He clapped his hands again and a ball of silver light shot overhead to glow at the ceiling.

The stranger peered at him with a completely dead expression.

“It is good to see you are well,” he said, still totally monotone. “It’s been a long time.”

Some lunatic wizard had broken into his bedroom. For a moment, Yakko only gaped at him and the stranger stared back without a single change in his expression or stance. He barely even blinked.

Nope, screw this.

“ARLO!” Yakko shouted, jumping from his bed. “UNCLE ARLO!” He tugged on his bedroom door, but it didn’t open. He punched and kicked at the door, even hit it with his mallet and it didn’t budge.

“Prince Yakko, please stop that,” the stranger said. “Your uncle will not wake.”

Yakko rounded on him, mallet at the ready, fangs on show. “What did you do to him, and why are you calling me that?” he demanded.

“Just a simple sleeping spell. I assure you, he will not be harmed by it. Well, he may feel a little nauseous for up to four hours, but truly other than that no harm will be done. I needed to speak to you without interruptions or anyone else trying to- shall we say- sugar-coat things, or control the narrative. Sir Arlo means well, but it is past time you knew the truth. The wheels of fate are turning, Your Highness, and it is time to face your destiny. You see-”

“Stop right there,” Yakko demanded. The odd man indeed stopped, looking at him curiously. Yakko still held his mallet tightly.

“Who are you?” Yakko demanded in a growl. “How did you get here? What do you mean Sir Arlo, and why are you calling me Your Highness?”

The odd man didn’t seem at all phased. He still looked incredibly bored. When he spoke it was still in that ear-grating monotone: “Why, I am Francis Pumphandle, but you may of course call me Pip. I am the Oracle of The Stars, and a friend and adviser to your parents, a friend to the rebellion- and to you.”

The what? The what? Yakko couldn’t stop his jaw from dropping. No one had seen the Oracle of The Stars in years, not since the Warners vanished. Sure, he’d heard whispers of the mysterious oracle passing the resistance information and help, but no one had ever come face to face with him.

Until now.

“I call Sir Arlo Merrie by his rightful title, and you by yours. He is a knight and you…” For the first time, there was something like emotion in Pip’s voice. He almost sounded proud. “You are Crown Prince Yakkory Warner, commonly known as Yakko. I can’t blame your parents for the nickname, your full name is rather a mouthful, as is your brother’s. Granted, your names are not nearly so long as your mother’s or sister’s, their names are easy to get wrong. I once saw a courtier call your mother Banana-Folana, she found it most amusing. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I am here in your parents’ stead to explain everything to you, and-”

Yakko didn’t hear the rest. The mallet fell from his numb fingers and vanished.

“You’re lying,” Yakko snapped, his blood boiling. “You’re lying. Nice try, pal, but my parents are dead and I don’t have siblings.”

“I assure you, Your Highness, they are not and you most certainly have siblings. But your parents are in danger. You all are.”

Pip studied him in silence. Yakko gaped at him. He waited for the punchline. He waited for the joke to reveal itself.

But Pip only continued to stare at him.

“You...You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?” Yakko asked.

“Of course. I would not lie about this. You are Crown Prince Yakkory Warner, oldest child and heir to Queen Angelina The Wise and King William The Good, brother to Prince Wakkorotti Warner, commonly known as Wakko, and Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca Warner, best known as Dot. See, I told you it’s a long name.”

“But then...Then…” An awful thought hit him. “Mom and Dad…”

“Ah, you mean Delphi and Felix Merrie, yes? They were knights as well, sworn to your family’s service.” There was the smallest flash of emotion in Pip’s dull eyes, a hint of sorrow. “They were good people, Your Highness, and loved you dearly.”

“Don’t call me that,” Yakko snapped. He stormed back to his bed and sat with his back to Pip.

“Very well. But whatever I call you it will not change who you are, Yakko.”

Who he was. Suddenly he didn’t know who he was. He’d been the son of Delphi and Felix only an hour ago, just a kid, another member of the resistance.

And now…

Yakko clenched his fists, shoulder hunched. He refused to look at Pip. The Oracle sat on the other side of the bed, Yakko felt his weight dip, and he could feel Pip’s eyes on him.

“This is a lot to take in,” Pip said flatly. “But time is of the essence. Allow me to explain. As you know, ten years ago Salazar rose to power. He usurped the throne and attacked in the dead of night. Your family barely escaped, but Arlo, Felix and Delphi helped you. By the time I had any visions it was too late; Salazar had already struck. But I arrived in time to get you all to my home, far away from Acme Falls....”

“And so I gave your mother and father a prophesy; as I recall it was a dark and stormy night, unseasonable weather really, but quite symbolic and appropriate I suppose...”

Yakko’s head was spinning. Not just from the onslaught of information, but also from the urge to rip Pip’s tongue out. This guy was driving him crazy! Jeez, Yakko knew he talked a lot, but at least he wasn’t boring. Somehow, Pip genuinely managed to make a story of usurpation, intrigue and prophesies boring.

"You must understand, if you had stayed together it meant your certain doom, but by separating you had a chance. As destiny foretold, you will form the Council of Five..."

It was almost impressive. Almost.

“But as I have said, the time has come for you to face your destiny. Your siblings are waiting. Your parents are waiting. Warnerstock is waiting.”

Warnerstock. No one called their country Warnerstock anymore. It made Yakko shiver.

A flash of silver light, a voice crying out, “I love you, little one!”

And now he knew everything. It hadn’t been a dream, something he’d made up. That voice had belonged to Queen Angelina, his- his mother. 

He thought of Delphi and wanted to cry.

Pip’s small hand rested on his shoulder. He looked almost kind.

“This is a lot to take in,” he said again. “But it is time, Prince Yakko. Your destiny is at hand.”

Yakko stared at him, willing his eyes to stay dry.

“Where are they?” he asked. “My...My siblings?” He couldn’t think of Angelina and William, not yet.

“They are close,” Pip said. “Much closer than you realise.” He nodded at Yakko’s medallion. “Your Highness, haven’t you ever wondered about your medallion? Your family has had them for hundreds of years, ever since your country was created. They are not mere decorations, they are formed by magic. You all have them. Your parents and your siblings, all your ancestors.” He squeezed Yakko’s shoulder. “Think of them. You already know what to do.”

Did he? Yakko felt like he didn’t know anything anymore.

He held his medallion, a shining golden sword engraved with his name. He’d always had it, since before he could remember. He hadn’t ever really questioned it. Not until now.

Now he held it tightly and thought of his mysterious siblings. His little brother and baby sister.

Wakko and Dot.

And the medallion grew warm in his hand, flashing like the sun.

Chapter Text

“Now it's time to rise up or it's time to stand down, and the answer is easy to see. And I swear by the sword if you're in, get on board! Are you ready?” - Ready As I’ll Ever Be, Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventures/Tangled: The Series

In separate parts of the city, two little toons jolted awake, clutching their medallions.

“What was that?” Lady Dot whispered to herself. It felt like someone was calling her, pulling on her arm.

“What was that?” Wakko mumbled to himself. What a weird dream. It was like someone was calling for him. For a moment, he thought he saw a toon that looked just like him…

When Arlo entered their cramped kitchen, he found Yakko sitting on the counter, frowning at the ground. A bowl full of cereal was next to him, but it didn’t look like he’d started eating.

“Yak?” Arlo stood in front of him. “You okay, bud?”

Slowly, Yakko raised his inky black eyes. “I had a visitor,” he said slowly, fists clenched. Arlo’s frown deepened. He hadn’t heard anyone at the door.

“Wanna know who?” Yakko asked him, but he continued before Arlo could say anything and his words chilled Arlo’s blood; “It was Pip. Y’know, the Oracle of The Stars. Really dull guy, Uncle Arlo, but he did have some interesting information.”

Shit.

Arlo sighed heavily, tugging on his ears. “Oh, Yak, I was gonna tell you, I swear.”

“When?” Yakko demanded. “When Salazar was holding a knife to my neck!?”

“God, Yak, don’t say things like that!” Arlo grabbed him by the shoulders. “I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner, I know that.” He shook his head, willing Yakko to believe him. His nephew (because the kid was his nephew, damn it all) looked furious and heartbroken, and Arlo wouldn’t stand for it.

“Your parents loved you,” Arlo told him. “Delphi and Felix- and Angelina and William. All four of them wanted what was best for you.”

Yakko twitched at his parents’ names, but he said, “Where’s my siblings?”

“I dunno,” Arlo was forced to admit. “I dunno where Angelina left Dot. As for Wakko…” I went to check and he wasn’t there. Only an old woman lived in that house. I don’t even know if that old woman lived there when we left him, or if that family is gone too. I...I don’t know if they accepted him. So he told the truth, in a way; “I don’t know.”

“This isn’t fair,” Yakko said fiercely. “It isn’t. You should have told me.”

“I know,” Arlo admitted. He hugged him and Yakko didn’t protest or push away. Arlo would take that as a good sign, at least. “I’m sorry I didn’t. But I’ll tell you everything now, okay?”

Meanwhile in the palace, Salazar was having an eventful morning himself. The King of Ticktockia paced up and down, glaring at the monitors before him. Every screen showed footage from the previous night, when his newest factory had been broken into.

The resistance didn’t waste time, he’d give the vermin that much.

He watched as the footage abruptly cut off when the cameras were smashed. He watched as the hidden cameras recorded everything. He saw the infamous outlaw, Arlo Merrie and three other toons break into the control room and hack into the system. He saw one group discover the vats of Dip.

His fists clenched and Salazar had to resist the urge to break one of those monitors, or perhaps the staff’s necks. The resistance already knew! It was only a matter of time until they decoded their stolen information, they’d seen the Dip with their own eyes. They knew and they’d immediately start working on a way to render the Dip useless, or else they’d start blowing up his factories again.

Vermin, he thought. Useless, wretched vermin.

But then something else caught his eye: a monitor in the top right-hand corner showed three guards chasing the toons from the room of Dip and down the corridor. There was a struggle, a fight. One toon was thrown into the wall, Salazar noted with a smirk.

His smirk vanished when the toon’s hood fell back, revealing his face.

William? he thought with dread. No, no, no- it couldn’t be William. He was far too young, only a child, too small and thin. So then…

“Pause that,” Salazar ordered. The security guard next to him froze the footage and Salazar heard sharp intakes of breath and surprised gasps as the men and women around him noticed the boy.

He was a little black and white toon; the footage itself was black and white, but Salazar didn’t doubt the boy’s nose was red. He had William’s face, Angelina’s eyes; a small, thin teenager with long floppy ears. No, this child wasn’t William, but he was quite definitely a Warner.

Yakko Warner.

“Is that…?” A woman with red hair trailed off, eyes wide.

“Bring me that guard,” Salazar ordered. “Now.”

The red-haired woman ran off and Salazar continued to glare at the screen. His heart was pounding and he clenched his fists behind his back.

“Pull up every camera in the city,” he ordered coldly, a little too loudly. “Report any toons that look like him.” The staff all gaped at him and Salazar’s patience snapped; “What are you waiting for? Go! Find him! Find them!”

They all scrambled to obey and Salazar stormed from the room, his cloak swishing behind him as he made his way to the throne room. He tried very hard to banish all thoughts of Angelina and William from his mind, but…

But they were out there, he was sure of it. He’d never believed they were dead, no, that would be too easy. They’d slipped between his fingers and vanished into thin air. Rumours persisted that the Oracle had aided them in their escape, but Salazar’s forces could never get close to the Oracle’s home; traps and spells always chased them off. They had no way of arresting or interrogating him.

Salazar may not have been able to arrest the Oracle, but he wasn’t stupid. He’d heard the whispers, the rumours; Angelina and William were in a beachside town, staying with the mayor. No, no, they were in a cave in the mountains. Not so, no, they were in Acme Falls, helped by thieves. No, they had fled the country entirely. No, no, no, they were leading the resistance from the shadows.

All contradictory rumours, they couldn’t all possibly be true...Or maybe they could.

Maybe those two rats were closer than he thought. Maybe all of the Warners were close by.

He sat on his throne, legs crossed, and seethed until the big fat toon guard was escorted in. Ralph, his name tag said. He looked petrified.

“Y-Your Majesty,” he stammered, giving a clumsy bow.

“That boy last night,” Salazar began coldly, and watched all the colour drain from Ralph’s face. “Do you know who he is?”

Ralph shook his head. He gulped. “He, uh...He looked like…” The guard began to wring his hands, sweating. “Y-Your Majesty, King Salazar, sir, he...He looked like Ki- er, William Warner, the outlaw.”

“He did.” Salazar’s eyes narrowed. “And you failed to catch him.” 

“He was so fast!”

“Imbecile! If you can’t catch one child what use are you! You’re a toon, you should count yourself lucky we hired you!”

Ralph flinched back and Salazar stood.

“You are suspended without pay until further notice,” he hissed. “And consider yourself extremely lucky. Do you know what that factory is making, Ralph? Do you know what Dip is?”

For a moment, Salazar thought Ralph was going to faint, but he nodded, stammering terribly. Pathetic, Salazar thought. The sun poured in through the windows, catching on his crown and making it glitter.

“If you ever fail me so badly again, you’ll be one of the first to test the Dip, do I make myself clear?”

Ralph nodded rapidly.

“Get out of my sight, get out of my palace and crawl back to whatever hovel you call home.”

Ralph practically ran from the room, tripping in his haste. With a frustrated huff, Salazar turned to the red-haired guard.

“Bring me those bounty hunters,” he said. “The lab rats. I have a new job for them.”

Wakko stepped into his room, barely bigger than a cupboard, and the base turned eerily quiet. He paused, ears twitching. The door wasn’t that heavy, but he couldn’t hear any chatter, any footsteps. It was like he’d gone deaf.

And then, in a flash of light, a man appeared. He was a short man, stout, with grey hair and wearing grey robes, with a very deadpan expression. He looked a little sleepy, Wakko thought, with those heavy-lidded eyes.

But more importantly- who the heck was he and why was he in Wakko’s room?

“Uuuuhhh…”

“Francis Pumphandle, but you may of course call me Pip. I am the Oracle of The Stars.” He held his small hand out. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance at last, Your Highness.”

Was this a dream? Wakko had to be dreaming, right?

Cautiously, he shook Pip’s hand. He sure felt real.

“It’s been a long time, Prince Wakko, you certainly have grown up. It’s good to see you again. As I told your brother, I am a friend and adviser to your parents, a friend to the rebellion, and of course to you. The wheels of fate are turning, Your Highness, and it is time you claim your rightful place at your parents’ and siblings’ sides. Truly, Salazar is a monster and must be stopped, but you already know that, don’t you? Of course you do, everyone does. Well, mostly everyone. A lot of people in power would prefer to keep him there; he gives them money and so they think they are safe. Foolish notion.”

“Um…” Wakko tried to pull back, but Pip just kept shaking his hand. “Can you let go now?”

“I must say, you are taking this much better than your brother. He tried to punch me and pulled out a mallet. Quite the character. You do look alike and of course you both look like your father…”

“I’m an orphan,” Wakko said, still trying (and failing) to pull away. “You’ve got the wrong toon! I’d like to wake up now!”

“This is no dream, Prince Wakko, but reality. Can’t you tell? We’re shaking hands. Pinch yourself if you must. But I meant what I said, I am Pip the Oracle of The Stars and you are Prince Wakkorotti Warner and if you think your true name is long, you should hear your sister’s: Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca Warner. The Third to be precise. Your mother is the second…” Pip kept on and on, and Wakko gaped at him.

Okay...Maybe this wasn’t a dream. Maybe this was real? That didn’t mean it made any sense. Pip had the wrong kid! 

Wakko summoned a crowbar in an effort to escape Pip’s handshake, but it didn’t work. Jeez, the guy was stronger than he looked. Wakko would have been impressed if it wasn’t his hand that Pip was shaking.

“So I believe you are a thief? I can’t say I know much about thievery, I’m not very good at sneaking. I much prefer to relax, in fact relaxing is a pastime of mine. Some people play golf, others prefer tennis, bridge…” Pip finally let go of his hand, still speaking in that monotone way and barely even blinking. His expression hadn’t changed once.

If this was Bianca’s idea of a prank then Wakko was going to get her.

“...Hobbies do get expensive, don’t you think? My grandmother preferred knitting, in fact she even knitted my first pair of Oracle robes, she was a talented woman. They weren’t grey like these ones, they were blue like your sweater. I think I look quite good in blue, maybe I should change back to that. Or perhaps red, I always looked good in red. It’s not my favourite colour though, that would be mauve or mustard yellow...”

“DA!” Wakko shouted, turning for the door. “Da, there’s a weird man in my room!” He pulled on the door handle, but nothing happened. “Huh?” Wakko frowned at it, pulling harder. It didn’t even budge.

“DA!” He punched at the door rapidly. “DA!”

“No need for shouting, Prince Wakko, your friends are all asleep. Anyway, as I was saying-”

“Did you hurt them?” Wakko demanded, rounding on him with his fists raised.

Pip gave a slow, lazy blink. He smacked his lips. “No,” he drawled. “What would I do that for? I only need to speak with you and mean none of you any harm. As I said, I am a friend to the rebellion, your parents and siblings, and to you.”

“You’ve got the wrong toon!” Wakko insisted. “I’m no Prince!”

“You most certainly are. Didn’t I say so? You are Prince Wakkorotti Warner. Your parents are Queen Angelina The Wise and King William The Good. Your father started out as Sir William The Good, he was a famous knight…”

Wakko stared at him, waiting for Pip to vanish, or maybe point and laugh at him. Nothing happened. Pip just kept droning on and on, extolling the virtues of a missing (or dead) King and Queen.

“So they did abandon me,” Wakko whispered, but Pip heard him.

“To keep you safe,” Pip said. “They had to separate you all in order to give any of you a chance to survive.” He surveyed Wakko’s tiny room calmly, still looking a little sleepy. “May I explain?”

I dunno, can you get to the point? Wakko wanted to snap. Instead, he nodded. Pip sat on the edge of Wakko’s bed, while Wakko kept his back pressed against the door.

Pip clapped his hands again and large plates of sandwiches and cakes appeared, spread out before Wakko. Eagerly, Wakko began to munch away.

And Pip began to explain.

“And so I gave your mother and father a prophesy; as I recall it was a dark and stormy night, unseasonable weather really, but quite symbolic and appropriate I suppose...”

Wakko had slid down the door to sit on the floor. He was clutching his medallion tightly, staring straight ahead. It should have been a shocking, amazing tale, but it was a struggle to not zone out. Pip was so boring.

"You must understand, if you had stayed together it meant your certain doom, but by separating you had a chance. As destiny foretold, you will form the Council of Five..."

Wakko had never met someone so boring in all his life.

“You’re sure it’s me?” he asked, still half-hoping that Pip would vanish or maybe suddenly realise he had the wrong kid after all.

“Who else could it be?” Pip asked. “I know all about you, Wakko, and about Yakko and Dot. I’ve known you since before you were born. You always had a great destiny.”

The fairytales, Wakko reflected, made this sort of thing sound a lot more exciting. A lot more fun. But Pip made it sound boring and beyond that it sounded scary. He was just Wakko, little Wakko the thief, only eleven-years-old. How could he fight Salazar?

Only he wasn’t just Wakko, he was Prince Wakko Warner and he...he had parents who left him. Who missed him? Maybe. They’d left his siblings too, not just him…

He had siblings.

“Where are they?” Wakko asked, interrupting Pip who was now talking about the weather. “My- my brother and sister?” He said the words almost shyly. Brother and sister. It was a crazy thought, but not a bad one.

“Close,” Pip said. “They are in Acme Falls too.” He looked at Wakko’s medallion, the golden war-hammer. “As I said, your family has had those since Warnerstock was created. There’s old magic in them, Prince Wakko. Your siblings still have theirs; they are your birthright.” He gave Wakko the faintest trace of a smile. “You know what to do.”

Wakko wasn’t so sure about that. He was just Wakko. He knew how to steal, he knew how to prank; he was the master of the gag-bag. Fighting was for fun, not for a kingdom.

It’s not Warnerstock anymore, he wanted to say. It’s Ticktockia. You’re not allowed call it Warnerstock. You’ll be arrested, you’ll go missing too.

He didn’t say anything. He held his medallion tightly and closed his eyes. If Pip was telling the truth (and Wakko was forced to admit that Pip was telling the truth) then his big brother Yakko had already been told all of this. That flash last night, that tugging sensation, that had been Yakko. His brother.

Yakko? Wakko thought, clutching the medallion so tightly it hurt his hand. Dot? Are you there?

The medallion grew warm in his hand, flashing like the sun- and his room vanished.

Wakko stood in a swirling grey mass of fog. Off in the distance, so far away they were little specks, were two shadowy figures. But Wakko didn’t care about them. He cared about the toons standing in front of them.

One was a girl, a very little girl and utterly adorable in a simple pink dress with a flower-tie around her ears, wearing an arrow medallion. She gaped at him, her pretty black eyes wide with shock.

And the other toon was a boy, older than Wakko, and he looked just like him, only a little thinner, with eyes like the girl’s. The boy even had the same tuft of hair sticking up on his head as Wakko. He had a golden sword pendant.

He stared at Wakko and the girl (Dot), looking utterly stunned. And then he smiled.

“Who are you?” Dot demanded, her voice echoing, and then they were gone and Wakko was back in his room, sitting on the floor.

“Oh,” Wakko said quietly.

“Now you know,” Pip said, standing again. “And now you must find them.”

He vanished in another flash of light and the sounds of the base slowly returned. Wakko heard his friends and family start to wake up, yawning and grumbling and some of them swore.

“You shouldn’t swear,” Wakko mumbled, staring at the window. “It’s not nice.”

A bird flew past and Wakko smiled, making up his mind.

He climbed out of the window and ran from the base. He had a pair of siblings to find.

Dot had been enjoying a quiet afternoon when she must have dozed off. She must have, surely. Otherwise how else would she have seen those two boys?

They’d looked like her. So much like her. They were the exact same toon-type and their smiles…

It was a weird dream, that was for sure. And it seemed her day was about to get even stranger, because there was a sudden flash of light and Dot jumped back with a startled cry.

The silver light vanished and a man stood next to her piano.

“Good day, Your Highness. It’s good to see you again.”

Oh hell no.

Dot did not take kindly to intruders.

She immediately threw a plate at his head and smiled in satisfaction when it hit him.

Her smile dropped when he just kept talking, like it hadn’t even hurt.

The intruder kept talking and Dot glanced at the door. She could run for her mother, but…

“Apologies for the interruption, but time is of the essence…”

Dot lifted him up over her head. The man kept talking. He didn’t even seem to notice she’d lifted him. Oh well, not her problem.

Dot threw him out the window. He was still droning as she threw him. What a creep.

She turned around, satisfied- and screamed.

The man was standing right behind her.

Dot felt like her brain was melting from her ears, though a quick glance in the mirror told her that wasn’t the case. This guy wouldn’t shut up! She’d never met someone who could talk so much, especially in such a dull voice. He was so boring.

She’d admit she had a temper, but this guy (Pip? Hadn’t he called himself Pip? It felt like hours ago now) made her blood boil like no one else ever had, not even when the maid had spilled hot chocolate on Dot’s best white dress. She was seconds away from bashing him with her mallet, or running from the room (though she had an awful feeling he’d just follow her.) Maybe she’d toss him out the window again. The idea made her smile despite her mounting anger.

“And so I gave your mother and father a prophesy; as I recall it was a dark and stormy night, unseasonable weather really, but quite symbolic and appropriate I suppose...” he continued to drawl.

Dot banged her head on the table. Clearly, Pip had the wrong girl. Her mother’s husband had died long before she ever took Dot in. Dot may have referred to him as Father, but she’d never met the man and Eva was determinedly single. She’d never had a father-figure.

“You will form the Council of Five and defeat King Salazar. It is your destiny, Princess Angelina, to find your brothers and-”

Hold up. Pause. Record scratch.

What?

Dot raised her head, gaping at Pip. If he noticed her stunned gaze, he gave no indication: he just kept talking on and on in that dull monotone. He looked vaguely sleepy. His expression hadn’t changed once, not even when Dot had thrown that plate at him, not even when she’d threatened to smash him flat if he didn’t leave. All attempts to scream for her mother or the maids had been futile.

“What- what did you call me!?” Dot stood, heart pounding. Angelina. No one ever called her that. Most people didn’t even know that was her old name. Pip blinked at her, not at all deterred by the interruption.

“Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca Warner The Third,” he said. “The youngest child and only daughter of Queen Angelina The Wise and King William The Good. Little sister to Crown Prince Yakkory and Prince Wakkorotti, otherwise known as Yakko and Wakko.” For the first time, there was something like emotion in Pip’s voice; he sounded ever-so-vaguely fond.

Yakko. Wakko. Those names tugged on her heart strings, though she couldn’t say why.

She clutched her pendant, her head spinning. 

“You’re serious,” Dot said blankly.

“Of course,” Pip said. “This is no laughing matter, Princess. The fate of Warnerstock is at stake. We have lived under the tyranny of King Salazar for too long. Your parents have waited too long. It is time to begin at last, as fate foretold. As I said, it was a dark and stormy night, rather unseasonable weather, but...”

Dot stopped listening.

Their country hadn’t been called Warnerstock in ten years. Ever since she was a baby, it had been known as Ticktockia. To call it Warnerstock was treason; to acknowledge the lost royals was treason. Here Pip was, a deadly dull man, popping into her home as if by magic (maybe it was magic) and casually committing treason.

Casually turning Dot’s life upside down.

“I have brothers?” she whispered. Her pendant seemed to warm in her hand as she said it, almost humming. A melody echoed in her ears.

“Two brothers,” Pip said with a nod. “And soon the three of you will be reunited.”

Brothers. Those boys from earlier. The way her medallion had gotten warm and flashed…

She clutched her arrow medallion tightly, her head spinning.

Yakko. Wakko. Yakko. Wakko.

Yakko, Wakko and Dot.

Her medallion flashed, growing hotter and hotter in her palm, almost hot enough to burn.

She opened her eyes to the shifting fog again and they were in front of her, Yakko and Wakko, her brothers.

“Where are you?” she asked quickly, grabbing them each by the arm. “Please, I- where are you?”

“Acme Falls,” The small one- Wakko- said, staring at her like he couldn’t believe she was real. Well, Dot knew the feeling. She still wasn’t totally convinced this wasn’t a dream.

Dot beamed, sudden tears in her eyes. "Me too," she said, delighted. "I'm in Acme Falls!"

The taller one, Yakko, looked between them both, eyes flickering back and forth like he wasn’t sure who to look at first.

“I’m in Acme Falls too,” he said. “I’ll be at the Mouse Club later, it’s a music bar; I’ll be there around eight, can you make it?”

“Yes,” Dot said immediately. “Yes.” She’d be there, she’d do anything to be there; this time her mother wouldn’t stop her.

Wakko nodded eagerly, beaming at them.

And the world went back to normal. Dot was standing in the music room, clutching her medallion, and Pip was gone. 

“Dot?” Skippy knocked on the door and peeked into the room, grinning when he spotted her. “Hey! Your mom said you’d be up here. I-”

“We’re going out,” Dot said. She took her friend by the arm and pulled him down the corridor and down the stairs, towards the back door.

“What- out? You’re not allowed out, Dot!”

“I’m going,” Dot said firmly. “And I need someone to be with me.” She’d never been into the city alone before and, truth be told, she desperately wanted her best friend to be there for her.

Skippy looked at her blankly. “Where?” he asked.

Dot smiled and swore her medallion felt warm again.

“The Mouse Club.”

Chapter Text

“Meticulous planning, tenacity spanning. Decades of denial is simply why I'll be king, undisputed, respected, saluted, and seen for the wonder I am. Yes, my teeth and ambitions are bared. Be prepared!” - Be Prepared, The Lion King

Being a bounty hunter was not Brain’s first choice in career. He’d much rather rule the world. Failing that, a place in the government would be nice. A high position, mind you, something impressive. Something worthy of his great intellect.

But, alas, he was a lab mouse and as such King Salazar saw him and Pinky as vermin. In technical terms perhaps they were, but Brain also knew for a fact he was smarter than Salazar, or any of the man’s advisers. His loss. He and Pinky had gained quite the reputation (well, he had. Pinky often failed to catch anyone), and were doing quite well for themselves.

And then the King summoned them. Very odd indeed.

Brain looked up at him curiously. King Salazar was a tall man, a broad man, imposing in his own way. And right now, he looked furious. No, more than that, he looked…

Brain’s eyes narrowed. Afraid? Yes, Salazar looked afraid of something.

“You come...highly recommended,” Salazar said through gritted teeth, as though the words pained him.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Brain said with a small bow. Next to him, Pinky was staring at all the monitors, hopping about and pointing at various monitors saying things like, “Narf! Look, Brain, it’s the fountain!” or “Oooh, the sweet shop! Can we get some chocolate later, Brain, pretty please?”

Salazar pressed a button and the footage all froze. In seconds, every screen showed the same thing: a small group fighting security guards in a corridor. A big fat guard knocking a young toon into the wall. The toon’s hood fell back, revealing his face, revealing his long floppy ears.

It took all of Brain’s instincts to not react. Years of experience kept his expression calm, almost bored, but his hands clenched into fists behind his back.

“Ouch,” Pinky said with a wince as the footage started again and the boy was once more knocked into the wall. “Aw, I hope he’s okay!”

Brain cleared his throat. “If I am not mistaken, Your Majesty, that boy is a Warner.”

“Indeed,” Salazar said coldly. “I have every reason to believe he’s Yakko Warner.”

Well, how about that. Yakko Warner, the missing Crown Prince- and now rebel. A twist in fate to be sure.

Brain looked from the image of Yakko to the King. Salazar’s jaw twitched, his fists clenched. He was plainly struggling with his own fury. The longer he looked at the footage, the closer he looked to exploding. Well, Brain understood that feeling. God knew Pinky often made him lose his wits.

It was more than that though, wasn’t it? The Crown Prince was with the rebels. At the very least, a very convincing look-alike was with the rebels, which was bad enough. This was a massive threat to Salazar’s security.

Truth be told, Brain didn’t care.

“Bring him in and your reward will be substantial,” Salazar said. “Find and capture Wakko and Dot as well, and you will live like royalty yourselves.”

That was what Brain cared about.

He cleared his throat. “Of course, Your Majesty,” he said.

“Ooh!” Pinky said, clapping his hands. He scrambled up the nearest desk, pressing his face against the monitor, eyes wide. “Hello, Yakko!”

“He can’t hear you, Pinky,” Brain sighed, rolling his eyes. He turned back to the King. “May we have some assistance with going through the footage? You have cameras all over the city, do you not? Photos and footage of the Warner children from the old days?”

“I do,” Salazar said, frowning. “And I do.”

“Good,” Brain said with a smirk. “I would like access to them.”

“You think baby photos will help you identify them faster?” Salazar asked.

Brain’s smirk widened. “Have you ever heard of a retinal scan, Your Grace?”

It was tedious work. Pinky was, of course, no help at all. He pranced about, nibbling cheese, and pointing out his favourite parts of the city on the footage. Around them, a large group of Salazar’s guards helped pull up hours and hours of footage from all over Acme Falls. On one screen were all the old images and footage of the Warner children they could find. Really, it was just lucky Salazar hadn’t destroyed it all. This would take much longer otherwise.

Brain had hooked his own equipment up to the monitors. He’d tried to explain the concept of a retinal scan to the human men and women, but very few had understood how the technology worked. In the end, Brain stopped trying to explain. It was hardly his fault they were fools.

It was late in the afternoon, nearly the evening, when they finally had a match.

“One match detected,” came the monotone, staticky voice from his machine. Next to baby Princess Angelina, a new image popped up; a young toon-girl, the very image of Queen Angelina The Wise, hand in hand with a squirrel boy, running away from the Byron mansion.

Brain allowed himself a grim smile.

“Perfect,” he said.

“Aaww!” Pinky cooed. Love hearts swam around his head. “Isn’t she adorable?”

Brain didn’t dignify that with a response.

“Alert the King,” he told one of the nearby men. “Tell him we have a match for Princess Angelina.”

It took twenty minutes for Salazar to arrive. Just as he barged into the room, a triumphant look on his face, Brain’s machine spoke again.

“Two matches detected.”

Everyone fell still and silent. Next to Crown Prince Yakko came an image of the boy from the footage, the one who had fought the guard. So, it truly was Yakko after all, not a look-alike. Interesting.

The lad was walking with a fox-toon. He was wearing a dark purple hoodie, slightly too large for him. The fox-toon was gesturing wildly as she spoke. Brain had the distinct impression that Yakko’s mind was elsewhere. He kept looking over his shoulder, fists clenched. He looked impatient. Together, they walked around the city. With them, walking just behind was-

“My God, that’s Arlo Merrie!” someone cried.

The infamous knight and the Crown Prince. The plot thickens, Brain thought, amused.

Next to Prince Wakkorotti was the image of another boy, ten-years-old now and wearing a large blue sweater and a red cap. His tongue still poked from his mouth, the same way it did in his toddler photo. He was running down a side-street, eyes bright and eager, clutching a medallion around his neck.

Brain watched as Arlo stopped, pulling a phone from his pocket. He read a message, frowned, hugged Yakko and hurried away.

“Follow him,” Salazar ordered. Immediately, one woman zeroed the cameras in on Arlo, following his trek through Acme Falls. He kept his head down and his hood up, but they had him now. He kept vanishing into the crowd and reappearing. He met up with a tall human man and, after some quick words, disappeared down an alleyway, only to reappear on another camera, towards the town square.

And the royal children? They each made their way through Acme Falls. Yakko with that fox girl, Angelina with that squirrel boy, and Wakko by himself. They moved with purpose, they walked impatiently, easily moving through the crowded streets.

Just before eight o’clock hit, Yakko and his friend reached the Mouse Club. Not long after, Wakko arrived; he looked up and down the street then ran into the club. Only minutes later, Angelina arrived with her little friend. Hand in hand, they went inside.

“Seize them,” Salazar demanded. There was a frantic edge to his voice, barely perceptible, but Brain caught it. “Seize them all. Merrie and the Warners, and Lady Byron. Bring them all in.”

Brain did not envy Lady Byron. He wondered if she knew she was harbouring a wanted fugitive. He wondered if she cared.

No matter. It wasn’t his job to wonder.

“Come along, Pinky,” he ordered.

“Gee, Brain, where’re we going?” Pinky asked, skipping along beside him. He seemed oblivious to the frantic humans around them, all of them running around and barking orders, hurrying to do their King’s bidding.

“We are going to the Mouse Club.”

“Ooh, are we gonna do karaoke!” Pinky’s eyes were shining with glee as he clapped his hands.

Brain gave Pinky’s ear a sharp, impatient tug. “ No, you simpleton. We’re going to capture the Warners.”

“Oh,” Pink said. He still looked vacant, a little confused. But then he nodded, happily smiling. “Oh, okay,” he said. “That makes more sense. But can we do karaoke after we catch them?”

Brain wasn't a praying sort of mouse by any means, but (not for the first time, and not for the last) he found himself praying for patience.

He didn't receive it.

Sighing, he dragged Pinky along.

"Just follow my lead, Pinky."

Chapter Text

“But did you see the flares in the sky? Were you blinded by the light? Did you feel the smoke in your eyes? Did you, did you? Did you see the sparks filled with hope? You are not alone, ‘cause someone's out there, sending out flares.” - Flares, The Script

Yakko’s heart was pounding as they approached the Mouse Club. To say it had been a long, bizarre, and outright amazing day would be an understatement. 

He’d found out he was a prince; not just a prince, but the Crown Prince, the heir to the throne. He’d found out his birth parents were alive, apparently helping the rebellion from the shadows. He’d found out his uncle knew about all of this the whole time. Arlo, Delphi and Felix had all been knights, serving the royal family.

Most importantly, he’d found out that he had siblings. A little brother and baby sister. Wakko and Dot.

Just thinking about them made Yakko feel giddy.

Maybe he should have been more focussed on his parents, but...Well...When Yakko thought of Mom and Dad, he thought of Delphi and Felix Merrie. Queen Angelina and King William Warner were shadowy figures, mere imaginings. Vague concepts. He wasn’t sure what to make of them yet.

Mostly he just felt bad for them.

He couldn’t imagine giving your kids away like that. Having to send them away, or else everyone would die. That had to be terrifying.

Yakko had no idea where they were. He wasn’t even sure where to start looking. 

Well, he supposed he’d have to run that by Wakko and Dot. His siblings! His little siblings, who he’d be meeting soon.

Of course, Felicity noticed how distracted he was.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, her purple eyes wide with concern- and with confusion too, it must be said. “You and Arlo...You both seem distracted.”

“They’re worried about that Dip stuff we found,” Yakko lied smoothly. It wasn’t even a lie, Arlo was worried and no doubt the team in charge of decoding the information they stole was worried too. And then Arlo got a text and his already tense expression darkened. He’d hurried away, muttering something about a meeting with Mitchell and one of their human agents, Doug.

Yakko bet it was about the Dip. He was willing to bet the team had successfully decoded it. Whatever it was, no doubt it was something awful.

But Yakko was determined not to brood on that. For now, just for a little while, he wanted to push all his worries away and think about something good.

Forget being a long-lost prince. Forget the resistance and his missing birth-parents. Forget the throne. Forget all about that weird Dip stuff.

For now, Yakko was only going to think about Wakko and Dot. 

He glanced at his watch as he and Felicity reached the Mouse Club. It was nearly eight o’clock.

Yakko had been to the Mouse Club plenty of times before. For all that it was called a club it was actually family-friendly; just a karaoke bar really. They didn't even serve alcohol. He knew every nook and cranny in the place. It was nothing new.

And yet now he found himself holding his breath as he crossed the threshold. Would Wakko and Dot show up? What if they couldn’t come? How would he find them? He wasn’t even sure how to contact them again; he’d just thought of them and his medallion flashed. What if Wakko and Dot had done something else entirely to bring them together, something Yakko didn’t know how to do…

Ugh, no, panicking wouldn’t help. They’d be here soon, they just had to be.

Felicity grabbed his hand with a grin.

“Come on!” she said cheerfully. “The mics are free!”

Yakko grinned, his worries and anxieties momentarily dissolving. No harm in singing for a bit until his siblings arrived. It would take his mind off things.

Wakko had passed the Mouse Club before, but he’d never actually set foot inside. It was a big club with lots of neon lights outside; its name flashed on and off in bright blue, a big mouse head just above the name. It was a tall building, painted a sort of pale orange, with lots of dashes of red and blue. It even had a red carpet, though Wakko knew it wasn’t that fancy. It was just a karaoke bar.

It definitely wasn’t a place Durrin would step foot in. His da couldn’t carry a tune at all. It was one of the only things that ever seemed to fluster him; he’d grunt and look away, muttering about leaving the songs to Wakko.

Wakko was good at singing. He could even play some notes on the fiddle and banjo.

He wondered if his siblings could sing.

He paused just outside the Mouse Club, looking up and down the street. He didn’t see anyone that looked like Yakko or Dot, and he didn’t see anyone from the gang either. Good. He could always apologise for running off later. Durrin would understand once Wakko explained.

Smiling, he hurried inside.

The sounds of singing and clapping hit him as soon as he opened the door.

It was a large room, painted all different shades of blue, white and purple. It was full of humans and toons and...and...right on the bar, prancing up and down and singing loudly was a fox-toon with silver fur and purple eyes. She was absolutely belting every note.

But next to her...Oh, next to her was...Was…

Yakko!

That was Yakko, that was Wakko’s big brother! He had a clear, high voice and he hit every note perfectly. He skipped across the bar, grinning at his audience, stamping his feet in time with the beat. He looked just like Wakko, only taller and thinner.

Wakko had never seen another toon like him before.

“Oh-oh! Mamma mia! Here I go again! My, my, how can I resist ya?”

It was a song that Wakko knew well and it made his smile widen. He wanted to run right over there and tackle Yakko into a hug, but he moved slowly, almost tip-toeing through the crowd, his eyes captivated by his brother. He wondered who the fox girl was. A friend probably. He’d have to ask and then he could introduce Yakko and Dot to his friends.

He bet Durrin and Alice would love them.

Finally, the song finished and Wakko clapped with the rest of the crowd. Yakko jumped off the bar and landed with a flourish, handing the microphone to a waiting attendant with a bright grin.

Heart pounding, Wakko approached.

“You’re really good,” he said, hands clasped behind his back, trying to stop them from shaking.

“You’re really good,” someone said and Yakko froze. He’d heard that voice earlier. He knew that voice.

A strangled noise, half a laugh and half a sob escaped him. He spun around and came face to face with his little brother. Wakko stood in front of him, mere inches away, beaming up at him, his big black eyes shining. He was smaller than Yakko, dressed in a big blue sweater and he wore a red cap back to front.

Yakko made that strangled sound again, unable to help it.

He immediately pulled Wakko into his arms, holding on tight. Wakko clung to him like a koala, his arms and legs wrapped around Yakko, his tail wagging.

“Hi,” Yakko said, his voice cracking. “I- Hi.” He couldn’t think of anything else to say. So many words came to the tip of his tongue, but nothing felt right. He just clung to Wakko and Wakko clung to him, neither of them moving.

“Hi, Yakko,” Wakko said, his chin resting on Yakko’s shoulder.

Yakko burst out laughing. He wasn’t really sure why, it wasn’t funny, but it was either laugh or cry and he didn’t want to bawl all over the poor kid.

“Yak?” Felicity was gaping at them, her microphone returned to the attendant. “What…?” She took a good look at Wakko and her eyes widened. The next couple began to sing, but Felicity didn't seem to notice. She just stared at them, not moving an inch.

“Hello,” Wakko said, waving at her. “I’m Wakko.”

Felicity was still gaping.

“What the fu-?” 

Yakko clapped a hand over her mouth before she could finish. “Nuh-uh!” he said sternly. “Not in front of my brother!”

“In front of your what!?”

Another voice piped up, a girl and she sounded close to tears; “And his sister!”

Dot.

Yakko turned around, Wakko still in his arms. He balanced Wakko with one arm and held his free arm out to her, tears finally escaping his eyes despite his best efforts. Dot ran to him, laughing delightedly and crashed into them, nearly sending Yakko and Wakko to the floor. Just like Wakko, she jumped on him, wrapping around him and holding on tightly, her arms around his neck.

Behind her, a little brown squirrel boy, only around Dot’s height, was staring in utter bafflement. 

“I wasn’t too sure where I was going!” Dot said cheerfully. She pointed at the squirrel. “So I brought Skippy. Is that okay?”

“Oh, I didn’t bring anyone,” Wakko said, pouting. His tongue stuck out further. 

“Well-” Yakko laughed again. “Uuuuhhh, this is Felicity. She’s my best friend.”

“...Hi.” Felicity sounded like she was being strangled. The squirrel, Skippy, approached cautiously.

“What’s going on?” he asked, his voice going high-pitched and most definitely freaked out. Yeah, Yakko couldn’t blame either of them. This had to be a weird sight.

He didn’t care.

“It’s, uh, a long story,” he said, but Dot cut him off.

“These are my brothers,” she said, her nose tilted up in the air. She spoke self-importantly, like a lady. Almost like she was giving an order, rather than providing information. Yakko was going to love her so much, he was sure of it. “This is Yakko-” She squeezed Yakko’s shoulder. “And Wakko-” She squeezed Wakko’s arm. “And I’m Dot. We’re-”

The Warner brothers and the Warner sister. But Yakko wasn’t stupid enough to say that surname out loud, let alone in such a public space. He could already see people peering at them curiously.

“We’re siblings,” he said firmly. He looked at Felicity beseechingly. I’ll explain, he thought. I promise I will.

“I…” Felicity looked between the three of them. Dot’s eyes narrowed. Finally, Felicity gave an exasperated huff and threw her hands up. “Siblings. Sure. Okay. Why not?” She rounded on Yakko. “Is this why you were acting so weird!?”

“Uuuuhhh, maybe?”

She looked distinctly unimpressed, but she began to shove them towards an empty table at the back, reaching behind her to grab Skippy.

“Expand and explain,” Felicity ordered. “Expand and explain.”

Dot didn’t ever want to move again. Yakko and Wakko’s arms felt safe, they felt like home.

Maybe she was too big to be sitting on her brother’s lap, clinging to him like this. She was a lady, she should probably try and seem mature. But who cared? Besides, Wakko was sitting on Yakko’s lap as well, and he was older than Dot. So she figured it was fine. Neither of them were going to laugh and call her a baby.

She was pretty sure Yakko didn’t want to let go of them anyway.

Skippy hadn’t stopped staring or mumbling, “Brothers?” under his breath. He sounded- and looked- totally confused. But at least he was listening, hanging on Yakko’s every word.

Yakko’s friend, Felicity, still looked confused, almost annoyed. Her fingers tapped against the table, her tail swished back and forth.

Dot ignored her. It wasn't like she was jealous, she’d just met them, but she didn’t exactly like Felicity. Yeah, that was it.

Dot had been so nervous as they approached the Mouse Club. She could faintly hear music and Skippy had, at last, stopped questioning her. He seemed to think it was an adventure, maybe some rebellion on Dot’s part.

To be fair, he wasn’t exactly wrong. It was an adventure and rebellion.

She’d found her brothers!

It felt like a dream. She’d walked into the Mouse Club and she’d immediately seen them near the bar. She’d seen Yakko holding onto Wakko like he was drowning, like Wakko was the most special thing in the world. For a moment, she had hesitated, wondering if he’d be as happy to see her, if Wakko would be happy to see her. Would they like her?

But they’d totally lit up when they saw her. Yakko had immediately held his arm out to her and Wakko had grinned at her, his tail wagging rapidly and he’d held his arm out as well.

Dot had immediately run to them then. No more hesitating, no more nerves. In that moment, she was sure everything would be okay. She'd never ever seen toons that looked just like her before and it was wonderful.

This felt right. Completely and utterly right. Mother was going to be so shocked! Still, Dot was sure Mother would like Yakko and Wakko. Maybe they could stay over! Maybe her brothers could live with her! Oh, wait, they probably had families too. Well their families could come as well, they had plenty of room. 

The idea made Dot want to giggle from sheer delight. She had brothers and she’d found them. They were right here, hugging her and they were hers. She felt like she belonged here. And so did they. All three of them belonged to each other, they were Yakko, Wakko and Dot, they were-

Well. They were the Warners. It felt strange to even think it, but they were. Dot thought that may be even more difficult to explain to Mother.

She was pretty sure Slappy would just laugh about it.

“Fu-” Felicity broke off, eyeing her, Wakko and Skippy nervously. “...Fudge,” she settled on. “That’s- Yak, that’s insane.”

“Yeah, I didn’t even tell you about Pip yet,” Yakko said. “Trust me, that was insane.”

Wakko and Dot groaned in tandem. Wakko flopped against Yakko, downright whining.

“I don’t like him!” Wakko declared. “He freaks me out.”

“He’s a total creep,” Dot said firmly. “I don’t think he even blinks.”

Yakko snorted. “Trust me, sibs, I think he’s weird too.”

“Who?” Skippy asked with a frown, but understanding crossed Felicity’s face.

“Pip,” she said quietly. “As in the Oracle?”

“Unfortunately,” Yakko sighed. He bit his lip, looking around the crowded club, pulled up his hoodie’s sleeve and peered at his watch. “Look, it’s getting late. How about I just explain the rest on the way home?”

“We can go to my home first,” Wakko said. “It’s closest. Da’s gonna be worried, I didn’t tell him I was leaving.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Yakko said cheerfully. Reluctantly, Dot climbed off him, and so did Wakko. As soon as they stood up, Dot grabbed their hands. Yakko squeezed her hand and Wakko smiled at her. Skippy hovered by Wakko’s side, looking at her brother’s like he wasn’t too sure they were real.

As they walked outside, Skippy held his hand out to Wakko.

“Hi,” he said. “I’m Skippy Squirrel.”

“Hi!” Wakko shook his hand a bit too enthusiastically, shaking Skippy’s whole arm. “I’m Wakko!”

Dot couldn’t have stopped smiling for all the money in Acme Falls, for all the money in Ticktockia. 

She’d really done it. She’d really found her brothers.

Yakko beamed down at her. “Okay, little sis?” he asked.

Little sis. She could get used to that.

Dot grinned at him, squeezing his hand and, as they walked along the dim street, she swung their linked hands back and forth. Wakko laughed but happily went along with it.

“Never better!” Dot said happily. 

Yakko, Wakko and Dot. The Warner brothers and the Warner sister. The Warner siblings. She liked the sound of that.

Mitchell was hovering by his house. As Arlo and Doug approached he relaxed a little, but he was still tense.

“What is it?” Arlo asked as they went inside.

“We’ve decoded the information from last night,” Doug began. They sat at Arlo’s cramped kitchen table. Yakko’s bowl was still in the sink, the kitchen still smelled of Arlo’s coffee.

“I figured,” Arlo said briskly. “And?”

“It’s about that Dip stuff,” Mitchell said. He shifted uncomfortably, tense as a bow string. “It’s bad, Arlo.”

“It kills toons,” Doug said. “Melts them down. You- well, you dip a toon in the stuff and…”

“And no more toon,” Mitchell said dully. 

Shit, Arlo thought, clenching his fists. Killing a toon took work. Well, humans killing toons took work. Typically, they needed something to dampen the toon’s powers, or a weapon made by toons- things Salazar had in short supply. Plenty of toons had literally escaped the noose by making the situation funny and vanishing into thin air. Making an execution funny was damn near impossible, but some toons managed it.

Too many of them managed it.

“There’s gotta be a way to neutralise it,” Arlo said, more harshly than he intended. “Every weapon has a weakness.”

But whatever that weakness may have been, Arlo would never know.

As soon as he said it, his front door was smashed in and Salazar’s men flooded into his home. They were all armed with guns, swords and toon-catching nets, as well as regular handcuffs for Doug.

Arlo stood, pulling a knife from his pocket. Mitchell and Doug were unarmed.

And they were badly outnumbered.

“Arlo Merrie,” a human woman said coldly. “Mitchell Goldberg and Doug Turner. You are all under arrest for high treason.”

“Took you long enough,” Arlo snorted. Ten years in hiding, he had to be proud of that.

And he was relieved, so terribly relieved, that Yakko wasn’t home. Knowing Yakko, he wouldn't be back from the Mouse Club until it was late at night.

I’m sorry, little prince. His poor kid. He was gonna be so confused, so frightened, when he got home and realised what had happened. But Yakko was a smart kid. He’d have the good sense to go to their friends. They'd protect him.

And Arlo wasn’t going down without a fight.

“Weapon down and arms in the air,” a guard with a toon net ordered.

Arlo grinned sharply.

“You want me?” he asked. “Come get me.”

And he pounced, knife raised.

For the Warners. For Yakko. For Warnerstock.

They could take him, but he’d never surrender.

Chapter Text

“When you'll have to rise above the best, and prove yourself, your spirit never dies. Farewell, I've gone to take my throne above, but don't weep for me, ‘cause this will be the labor of my love.” - Warriors, Imagine Dragons

Dot skipped along, hand in hand with her brothers. Yakko was right, it was late. She spotted a clock on a building’s front just as it chimed ten o’clock. Yikes, Mother was going to flip. She hoped Wakko’s father wouldn’t be too upset, and wondered if Yakko’s uncle would be awake and waiting for him. 

She was just forming a plan (go to Wakko’s house to explain, extend her invitation to her home, then collect Yakko’s uncle and head home with everyone) when a voice shouted out.

"WARNERS! Halt! You’re under arrest!”

For a moment, Dot didn’t react. She was Lady Dot Byron, not a Warner- but wait. She was Dot Warner. Her brothers were Warners. Someone was shouting after them. But...But under arrest? Dot looked over her shoulder in utter bafflement. Why would they be under arrest? Who was shouting, how did they know who they were?

A trio of human guards stood halfway down the street. One of them, weirdly enough, had two white mice on his shoulder.

“Shit,” Felicity hissed.

Yakko’s grip on her and Wakko’s hands tightened; he squeezed so tightly it hurt.

“D’you think we can play dumb?” Felicity asked as they began to inch backwards.

“Nope,” Yakko said. Dot had to hand it to him, he sounded perfectly cheerful. “Run for it!”

None of them needed telling twice.

“What’s going on!?” Skippy demanded as they ran. “Why do they wanna arrest you?”

“Don’t you know anything?” Felicity snapped, and yep, Dot did not like her. “They’re Warners! Old Saladbar is gonna want to finish what he started!”

Finish what he started? Dot’s eyes narrowed, her grip on Yakko and Wakko’s hands tightened. She was probably hurting them with how hard she was holding on, but she couldn’t bring herself to care, let alone loosen her grip. What did Felicity mean by ‘finish what he started?’

It hit like a flash of lightning.

Salazar had stolen the throne. Salazar was a usurper. Dot and her brothers were the rightful heirs to the throne.

Salazar wanted them dead. Salazar knew who they were.

“Oh,” Wakko mumbled weakly, evidently coming to the same conclusion as Dot. “Oh, that’s not good.”

“If he wants you he’ll have to go through me,” Yakko said firmly as they ran down a side street. They zig-zagged through alleys and narrow streets, they sprinted across broad public roads, always keeping to the shadows, avoiding the glare of the street lights. They even ran straight through traffic; Felicity flung Skippy onto her back and carried him as angry adults honked their car horns, skidding to a halt and waving their fists, shouting at them.

Dot couldn’t hear the guards anymore though. She couldn’t see them either.

She sighed in relief and, finally, their group stopped in the town square, near one of the fountains. There were still people around, mostly adults, but a few teenagers as well. Dot could hear cheerful singing from one of the nearby bars. Good for the people inside, but it grated on her ears all the same. She didn’t feel cheerful anymore. She felt afraid and angry.

This was supposed to be a good night. This was meant to be the best night of her life, the most exciting night ever, and it had been ruined.

“What now?” Felicity asked, setting Skippy back down. 

Yakko didn’t look too sure of the answer. He was obviously doing some quick thinking; his eyes were narrowed and he bit his lip. Eventually, he gave a decisive nod.

“Change of plan,” he said, looking between her and Wakko. “Wakko, go get your dad. Dot, go get your mom. I’ll get Uncle Arlo and we’ll meet back here in…” He glanced at the clock on town hall. “An hour. There’s rebel bases around here, they can help us hide.”

“And then what?” Wakko asked.

Yakko shrugged, managing a bright smile. “Then Uncle Arlo will take it from there,” he said. “He can fix anything.”

In that case, Dot liked the sound of him.

Felicity didn’t look happy. “If you think I’m gonna let you wander off-”

“I’m going home, Felicity,” Yakko said firmly. “Not running off anywhere dangerous. We’ve got to warn our families. Speaking of, you’d really better warn yours too.”

“And me?” Skippy asked.

“Who’ve you got?” Yakko asked him.

“Just my aunt,” Skippy said, shuffling from foot to foot. 

“Then skip on home and tell her what’s going on fast,” Yakko said firmly. He let go of Dot and Wakko’s hand. It was weird, because he looked reluctant but also really determined. And rebels? Clearly her big brother had a lot going on.

He gave her and Wakko another tight hug.

“I’ll see you in an hour,” he said, holding their gazes. His smile was warm and reassuring.

“In an hour,” Dot repeated, squeezing his arm.

Wakko nodded. “An hour,” he echoed.

Dot smiled at Skippy and, with one last glance at her brothers, they all split up.

“Dot…” Skippy’s eyes were wide and frightened. “I’m not so sure this is a good idea.”

“Well it’s either this or we don’t tell Mother and Aunt Slappy anything,” Dot pointed out. “Which would just be dumb. So let’s go!”

Wakko sprinted, one hand on his head to keep his hat in place. He kept glancing over his shoulder, but he couldn’t see anyone. But Wakko wasn’t stupid, thanks very much; just because he couldn’t see someone didn’t mean no one was there.

There were a lot of places to hide in a city. There were lots of shadows. For all Wakko knew, Saladbar’s cronies were on his trail and…

And what if they hurt his sibs?

The very thought made Wakko feel sick. He wouldn’t let them hurt Yakko and Dot. He just wouldn’t, he’d fight them off if he had to. So there. 

A cat yowled somewhere and he heard distant shouting. Heart pounding, he summoned his toon powers and ran as fast as he could, zipping along alley ways, jumping over crates and people, skidding between their legs.

How was he to know the street cameras were tracking his every move? How was he to know they could keep up?

Wakko practically dove through the hide out’s narrow door. He skidded to a halt, gasping.

“DA!” he shouted, ignoring Alice’s shocked glance, his friends’ confused questions. “DA, QUICK!”

“Wakko?” came Durrin’s voice from down the hell. “Where the hell have you been!?” His da stomped towards him, fur bristling, eyes shining with that strange mix of frustration and concern. “We couldn’t find ya anywhere!”

“Sal-” Wakko gasped. He pulled Durrin towards his room, quickly shutting the door behind them. “Da, Salazar found me!”

Durrin looked completely stomped. “Salazar? The King? God, Wak, what did you do?”

“I’m Wakko,” Wakko said miserably.

“I know that, kid.”

“No, Da, I’m Wakko! I’m Wakko Warner!”

Understanding crossed Durrin’s face. And horror. Wakko had never seen his da look so frightened before.

“...What?” Durrin asked quietly, shaking his head. “Wakko, you’ve got it wrong-”

“No, I don’t! I met my siblings- Yakko and Dot, they’re in trouble, Da, Salazar’s soldiers were chasing us, we need to go.” Tears stung his eyes as he gripped at Durrin’s jacket. “Please, Da.”

Durrin stared at him and suddenly stopped down to hug him tightly.

“You’re talkin’ crazy,” he said. “But- but you mean it, don’t you?”

Wakko nodded.

Durrin took a deep breath. He clapped Wakko hard on the back, so hard that Wakko’s knees buckled.

“Right,” Durrin said. “We’ll-”

Crash!

Wakko froze. No, he thought. Please, no.

Suddenly his friends, his family, were screaming. Glass shattered. Alice screamed for Durrin.

“Hand over Wakko Warner!” a voice ordered. “In the name of the King!”

Wakko wanted to sit down and sob. He felt stuck to the spot, staring at his bedroom door in horror. Salazar’s soldiers were here, they were here, they were in his home. 

“Go,” Durrin urged, pushing him towards the window. “Wakko, go!”

“But-” Wakko stumbled, gripping the window ledge. “Da…” He shook his head. The footsteps were getting closer. He could hear other doors crashing open, wood splintering, people shouting. He heard the heavy footsteps of the soldiers, the frantic running of his family. 

“Go,” Durrin repeated firmly. He lifted Wakko right up, shoving the window open himself. His smile was, as ever, a little frightening thanks to his fangs and golden tooth. But to Wakko, Durrin’s smile was always reassuring. It meant safety. It meant love.

“Find your- your siblings,” Durrin said, stumbling slightly over the word. The footsteps were getting closer and closer.

“WAKKO WARNER!” an unfamiliar voice bellowed. “YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!”

“Da…” The tears spilled over and Durrin gripped his shoulders tightly.

“I love ya, kid,” Durrin said. “Tell your brother and sister I said hi.” Without another word, he pushed Wakko out of the window and slammed it shut, pulling the thin curtains closed. Wakko landed on his knees, shaking and crying, trying to get his racing heart under control, trying to think straight.

Tears blurred his vision but Wakko hauled himself to his feet and ran.

Right as he turned the corner, he heard a gunshot.

Yakko took one look at his house and stopped dead.

Not again, no, no, no, not again, please no, please-

The front door hung open on its hinges. No lights were on. All the neighbours had their doors and curtains tightly shut, all their lights off. Wanting to distance themselves, no doubt. Yakko couldn’t even blame them.

He approached slowly, cautiously, ears cocked for any sudden sounds. There was nothing.

It was as silent as the grave.

The comparison made him flinch, but Yakko summoned his baseball bat, studded with nails and spikes. On tip-toe, he crept into his home.

Arlo was gone. Of course.

There were signs of a struggle. The kitchen table and chairs had been upended. One of the legs of the chairs was broken clean off. Cups and spilled drinks littered the floor. The tiny kitchen window was smashed.

There was-

Yakko closed his eyes, breathing heavily. There was blood on the ground. Not much, but it was there all the same. Whose was it?

No, he was going to stop that train of thought right there. If he thought about it he’d go insane, he’d lose it for real. He’d sit down and start crying and never stop, he’d never get up again. If Yakko gave in now he’d never be brave ever again.

But he was tired of being brave.

Wakko and Dot.

His eyes snapped open. He breathed shallowly, clutching the bat tightly. 

Wakko and Dot, Wakko and Dot, Wakko and Dot.

Arlo was gone, but no one was going to take his little siblings from him. He’d just gotten them back, Yakko wasn’t about to lose them now.

The square, you have to get back to the square. You have to protect them.

Yakko ran upstairs and frantically threw some belongings in his bag: another pair of slacks, a flashlight, snacks, money, a belt and pair of gloves; a scarf and two spare hoodies. On second thought, he shoved in a third one. After all, he could let Wakko and Dot borrow the other two. He already had his phone and wallet. (Though what good was his toon-ID card now? It was obviously fake if he was Yakko Warner, and Salazar was looking for him anyway.) Yakko quickly ran through his mental checklist, trying to remember what else he may need. It seemed okay.

As he reached his bedroom door he stopped and turned around, glancing at his bedside table. There was a picture of his parents on it. Delphi and Felix.

He grabbed it, shoved it into the bag and ran as fast as he could.

This time, he didn’t look back.

Dot hopped the fence, climbed up the drain pipe and crawled through her window. Her room was just as she left it. Everything was peaceful.

Scratch that, she could hear Eva barking orders.

“I want her found and brought home now!” Eva shouted. Dot could hear the tap of her high heels on the marble floor. “For pity’s sake, she’s alone out there!”

“Mother!” Dot called, racing to her bedroom door. “Mother, I’m home!”

“Dot!?” She could hear the relief in her mother’s voice, the hurried footsteps. “Dot, baby-” There was a noise Dot couldn’t identify; a faint creak, a small thud. And then footsteps, purposeful and thudding. Eva broke off with a gasp and Dot heard another voice, cold and unfamiliar.

“Halt, Lady Byron,” the person said, a woman. “You are under arrest for harbouring a fugitive.”

“What nonsense,” Eva said coldly. “How dare you break in!”

“King’s orders, ma’am.”

Dot shook her head, running towards the stairs.

“Let go of me!” Eva shouted. “Unhand me this instant!”

“There is no point in resisting,” a deep voice said. “We know you have Princess Angelina.”

Dot stopped at the top of the stairs. A pair of guards had her mother by the arms, pinning her between them. A third guard, a woman, stood with those two weird mice on her shoulders. They were all looking at Eva coldly, like she’d done something horrible, like she was dirt. Another was aiming his gun at the trio of maids in the corner. One of the younger maids was crying.

“Mama?” Dot’s voice shook.

Everyone’s eyes turned to her.

“Ah,” the smaller mouse said. He was the one with the deep voice. “There she is.”

“Aaaww!” the smaller mouse cooed, clasping his hands. “She’s so cute!”

“Run, Dot!” Eva screamed, thrashing against her captors. “RUN!”

The man with the gun advanced.

The oldest maid grabbed a vase and smashed it on his head. The man dropped and the maid screamed, “Run, my lady!”

“RUN!” Eva pleaded. 

“Mother-”

“NOW!”

Eva was thrashing and kicking, hissing and clawing. The guards ran for the stairs, for Dot.

Dot turned and ran back to her room. It was easy to barricade it; a snap of her fingers and a quick search of her hammerspace, and there was a bunch of boxes and furniture stacked against the door. The guards hammered on it, shouted for her to open up.

“You are under arrest!” one of them shouted. “Surrender now!”

Not likely, Dot thought. She backed away towards the window. She heard Eva scream for her to run again.

Dot’s throat tightened, she felt sick. She wanted to cry. She wanted to run back to Eva.

She wanted her mother.

This was meant to be a good night, the best night ever…

Her eyes were dry, but she sobbed as she escaped back out the window. She slid down the drain pipe, jumped over the wall and ran into the night.

Aunt Slappy was clearly angry, but for once Skippy cut in before she could speak.

“Dot’s in trouble!” he said frantically. “Aunt Slappy, it’s crazy, she’s saying she’s a princess! She’s saying she’s-” He lowered his voice. “A Warner.”

He expected his aunt to laugh. He wanted her to laugh. If she did, it would all be a big joke. Maybe it was some weird prank she was in on, Aunt Slappy loved comedy. If she laughed, if it was a joke, then that meant Dot was okay. It meant she was still just Dot Byron, his best friend; it would mean King Salazar didn’t want to hurt her.

But Aunt Slappy didn’t laugh. She didn’t even look surprised, she looked resigned and tired. She sighed heavily, sitting back down a bit too slowly, avoiding his eyes.

“Aunt Slappy?” Skippy’s voice hitched awkwardly. “It’s- it’s not true, right?”

“Oh, Skippy…” Aunt Slappy shook her head. “How’d she find out?”

It felt like the floor had disappeared from under him. He was falling and falling down a dark tunnel with no end in sight.

“She...She said the Oracle told her…”

“That meddling son of a bitch,” Slappy muttered. She glared at the fireplace. On shaking legs, Skippy stood in front of her.

“Dot’s gone home,” Skippy whispered. “To tell her mom.”

“Then we’ve gotta help,” Slappy said, standing abruptly. She grabbed her purse and coat from the stand by the front doors.

“How’d you know?” Skippy demanded accusingly. “Why aren’t you surprised!?” Why didn’t you tell me? he wanted to scream.

“I was there when she was born, Skip,” Slappy said, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him back out the door and into the cold night. “Eva used to serve Queen Angelina’s mother back in the day; she knew them up close and personal. She figured it out and asked me for help.” Despite her matter-of-fact tone, her eyes shone with worry. “Eva was gonna break it to her when she was old enough, only it seems Mr. Dull And Deadly Boring decided that for himself.” 

Slappy started to run the second they were out the gate. There was no point in taking the car, they only lived five minutes away from the Byron mansion, but Skippy wished they did anyway. It would be warm in the car, maybe he’d be able to stop shaking.

“Does she know about the princes?” Slappy asked, not looking at him.

Skippy gulped and nodded. But she still wasn’t looking so he mumbled, “Yes.”

He felt so betrayed. Dot wasn’t Dot- only she was, but she was Princess Dot, a lost heir to the throne. She was in danger, she was going to get hurt- and Aunt Slappy and Aunt Eva knew and they didn’t say anything.

Why didn’t you tell me? Skippy thought. Why didn’t you tell her?

They reached Dot’s street and when he saw the crowd outside the Byron mansion, Skippy gasped, strangled and quiet. He was seconds away from throwing up, he was sure of it.

It was a crowd of neighbours, all nobility; mostly toons, some humans too. They whispered together, eyeing the open gates nervously. A few men in red uniforms stood at the gates.

Salazar’s men.

Slappy however, was fearless. She marched right up to them, elbowing her way through the crowd.

“What’s going on here?” she demanded.

“None of your concern, madam,” one man said. “It’s the King’s business.”

“It’s my business if my friend is under arrest,” Slappy snapped, brandishing her purse threateningly. “Now what’s going on?”

The man’s eyes narrowed. “An inquiry,” he said, tone clipped.

Slappy made a disgusted noise and turned away. Skippy kept his head down. As they reached the back of the crowd, Slappy grabbed a man by the arm.

“What’s really going on?” she asked.

“Lady Evangeline was arrested,” the man whispered, even though they were far away from the guards. He kept a wary eye on them, edging further away. “They took her away with some of the maids. It was only a short time ago.”

Slappy nodded, her face eerily blank. Her grip on Skippy’s hand was starting to hurt.

“And the little girl?” Slappy asked.

The man shook his head. “I don’t know if she’s still inside, but she wasn’t with Lady Evangeline.”

Skippy gave that choked gasp again. His stomach lurched and he clung to his aunt’s hand like a lifeline. Everything seemed to spin around him. The world was titled on its axis, everything was wrong.

“Thanks,” Slappy said to the man and pulled Skippy away. She pulled him back down the street, towards home.

“She’ll have run for it,” Slappy said.

“Then we need to help her!” Skippy said, beginning to drag his heels, trying to tug his aunt back down the street. “She’ll be at the square! She’ll be with her brothers! Please, Aunt Slappy, we have to help!”

Slappy stopped, staring at him.

“So Dot doesn’t just know about them,” Slappy said. “They’re with her?”

“I met them,” Skippy said desperately. “I was there.”

His aunt nodded, eyes narrowed.

“Right then,” she said, picking up the pace. “We’re gonna get the car and drive there stat, so you’d better buckle up this time, buster, I mean it.”

Only, when they got home, there was a pair of uniformed guards at their gates.

“Countess Slappy,” one of them said, a tall man with a moustache. “Lord Skippy. If you don’t mind, we have a few questions.”

Yakko was there first, but Dot arrived not long after. She looked terrified and there was a tear on her skirt.

“Yakko!” she cried, arms open to him. “Oh, Yakko, you gotta help!”

“Dot?” Yakko opened his arms and she crashed into him. “Sis, what’s happened? Where’s your mom?”

“They have her!” Dot clung to him, nails digging into his arms. “The King’s guards, they took her!”

Yakko swallowed heavily. “They have my uncle,” he admitted in a whisper. Dot groaned, shaking, pressing her face against his shoulder.

“It’s all gone wrong,” she said, voice cracking. “I want- I want my mother.”

Before Yakko could answer, there were more footsteps and Wakko ran from an alleyway, gasping for breath. He skidded to a halt so quickly that he tripped; Yakko and Dot both reached out to catch him.

“My da!” Wakko said frantically. “My family, they- Salazar’s soldiers found us, and-”

“And they took them,” Yakko finished, filled with dread. Wakko nodded, eyes wide and frightened, filled with tears. 

His siblings looked so tiny, clinging to him, looking at him like he was magic, like Yakko could make it all better. For better or for worse, they were relying on him. They were Yakko’s responsibility.

They were a family and they had families to save too.

“We’ll get them back,” Yakko promised. “We will, I swear.” He must have sounded confident, because Wakko and Dot looked reassured. Dot’s grip didn’t hurt so much. Wakko managed a tiny, hopeful smile.

“We’ve gotta find somewhere safe to rest,” Yakko said. He took them both by the hand. “There’s a few rebel bases around where we can sleep.”

“And alleys,” Wakko piped up. “Those’re good.”

“Maybe not for tonight, baby bro,” Yakko said gently. “We wanna be well hidden.”

“And then?” Dot asked. 

“And then we plan,” Yakko said, slightly picking up the pace. He held his head high, trying to look confident for them. “We’re getting our families back.”

Chapter Text

“At your back like a loaded gun, and the night has just begun. Steady now breathe, breathe. You can't run, you can't hide. Hold your breath, close your eyes. Turn your ear to the sky; you're not safe here anymore, this is the sound of war.” - Sound Of War, Tommee Profitt

The base Yakko took them to was cramped and dusty. It was clear to Dot that no one had been here in a while, but the cupboards were stocked with cans of food. She wasn’t hungry, but Wakko had a can of mushroom soup (literally eating the can and all), looking around curiously.

The base only had three rooms: a bedroom with camping cots rather than beds, the living area and a bathroom. The tiles in the bathroom were cracked, the light in the living area flickered and Dot missed her bed. She missed her room. She missed her mother.

But it would be fine. They were getting her back. They would get Yakko’s uncle, and Wakko’s father, and any other members of Wakko’s family that were arrested.

Of course they would. They were Yakko, Wakko and Dot! Surely they could do anything. They were all three clever, stubborn toons; they’d easily come up with a fool-proof (Salazar-proof) plan. Eva would be so impressed by Dot’s bravery, and she’d love Wakko and Yakko on sight. And then…

Well, they couldn’t go home, not if they were running from Salazar. But they could leave Ticktockia and live somewhere else, somewhere pretty- somewhere safe. All of them together.

What about the King and Queen? The thought hit her before she could stop it, and Dot stopped looking around, wrong-footed. The King and Queen. Angelina and William Warner…

Her birth parents.

Dot sat down next to Yakko, frowning at the dusty table. Yakko was sorting through his big backpack and he gave her a smile.

“Okay, sister-sib?” he asked.

Sister-sib. Little sister. Sis. Dot liked it. 

“I was thinking,” Dot said.

“Dangerous pastime,” Yakko teased. Dot slapped his arm, but he only laughed.

“I was thinking about Angelina and William,” Dot said, and Yakko stopped laughing. Wakko had been peering under the sofa but now he sat up straight, watching them curiously. His tongue poked out further and he rocked back and forth slightly.

“What about them?” Yakko asked.

“Do you know where they are?” Dot asked. “Does anyone?”

Yakko shook his head. “No idea,” he said apologetically. “There’s always rumours going around, but nothing concrete- otherwise dear old Saladbar would have caught them by now, right?”

“I suppose,” Dot said with a frown.

“Should we look for them?” Wakko asked. He came over and joined them and poked at Yakko’s supplies. “Pip said we need to find them, didn’t he?”

“Ugh, him,” Dot groaned, rolling her eyes. She would have dismissed everything Pip said, had it not led her to Yakko and Wakko. But they’d found each other, just like he’d said they would.

He said they’d find their parents too, when it was ‘time,’ whatever that meant. But how would they know when it was time? Where did they even start? Who did they ask for help? Were they meant to ask Pip? Dot would rather avoid it; surely if she had to speak to him again, her brain would melt out of her ears.

But her questions certainly had her brothers’ attention. Yakko was frowning again, eyes narrowed. He tossed his flashlight from hand to hand, humming under his breath. Wakko copied Yakko’s stance and tapped the table, like he was playing the piano. Sighing, Dot let herself slouch, and watched the overhead light flicker again.

“Where do we even start?” she asked.

“...We might need to ask Pip,” Yakko said with a wince. He didn’t look happy about it either.

Wakko and Dot groaned, banging their heads against the table.

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Wakko grumbled. 

Slappy sat in stone cold silence as they were questioned. They kept on and on at it: what did they know, had they told anyone about Dot? What had Lady Byron told them? Had she told them anything? Did they know where Dot had gone?

Had they knowingly helped a fugitive?

“Evie didn’t tell me anything,” Slappy said gruffly. “She isn’t dumb, she wouldn’t put us at risk. All I knew was she adopted a baby- where’s the crime in that?” She could almost hear her old friend say, Don’t call me Evie!

One of the guards, the one with the moustache, narrowed his eyes.

“The crime, my lady,” he said stiffly. “Is that she took in a Warner. A wanted fugitive.”

A baby. An innocent kid, Slappy thought.

“Dot didn’t tell me anything,” Skippy said, clinging to Slappy’s hand. “I thought we were just going out for fun.”

“And how did she learn about the princes?” the moustached guard demanded.

Skippy shook his head. “I don’t know,” he lied. Slappy wanted to smile, but managed to keep frowning.

It went on for hours. It was nearly three in the morning when the guards finally accepted they were telling the truth, that they didn’t know anything, that the Squirrel family couldn’t help.

A load of hogwash, but they didn’t need to know that.

“If the young lady makes contact,” the moustached man said. “I expect you to do your duty and report it at once.”

“Get outta my house,” Slappy demanded, holding the front door open. “I need my shut-eye.”

She took great delight in slamming the door in their faces, but as soon as it was closed, she felt like all her energy had been sapped away. She leaned against the door with a sigh, hyper aware of Skippy’s frightened gaze.

“Dot won’t be at the square anymore,” he whispered, wringing his hands. “It’s too late.”

It was, Slappy knew that. Far, far too late. For them, for Evie, for Dot- even for the princes. Slappy wasn’t stupid, far from it; they’d been looking for all three of the Warner kids, which begged the question: what happened to them all tonight? Did the kids end up with Yakko and Wakko’s guardians? Or were they alone out there?

Where in the world were they?

“Yakko said something about rebel bases nearby,” Skippy told her, still so quiet and sad.

“Rebels,” Slappy said with a quiet laugh, shaking her head. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

The rebels. It was as good a place for Dot to go as any. It would have to do for now, until Slappy could find her.

No one messed with her family, and that little girl was family. Slappy was going to help her.

Arlo felt dizzy, black spots dancing across his vision as he crouched against the corner of his cell. The “interrogation” had gone on for hours; time had lost all meaning. He didn’t know what they’d done to Mitchell and Doug.

Yakko… It was the only coherent thought he had. Was Yakko okay? Was he safe? Was he among friends?

Salazar knew about Yakko.

He closed his eyes, trying not to breathe too deeply. Yakko, Yakko, they knew about Yakko.

“Where is Yakko Warner?” the interrogator demanded. He was a massive human man, like most of Salazar’s employees. 

“How the hell would I know?” Arlo scoffed, ignoring the pain throbbing all through his body.

But then the interrogator pulled up footage of Arlo, Yakko and Felicity walking towards the Mouse Club. Footage of Yakko and Felicity running away from guards with a little squirrel boy and- and-

Arlo’s eyes widened. No way. No bloody way.

Wakko and Dot. There was no doubt about it, the other two kids were Wakko and Dot!

He found them? Arlo thought, utterly frozen. How did he find them?

“Where is he?” the interrogator demanded. “Where are they?”

“Hell if I know,” Arlo snapped, baring his teeth in a snarl. “But I can tell you one thing: you’re never gonna catch them.”

After that it was nothing but pain, pain and more pain.

Arlo opened his eyes when the cell across from him was slammed open and a toon was thrown inside harshly. He had a bandage around his left arm, and he looked utterly ferocious: he was a massive brown dog with a long face, a golden tooth and an eye-patch over one eye, a chunk missing from his ear and a long scar down his calf. His claws looked sharp, his fangs looked even sharper.

He threw himself at the bars, even as they started to glow like the toon-catching nets, pounding at them with his fists.

“YOU LAY A HAND ON MY KID!” he thundered. “AND I’LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!”

The guards didn’t look intimidated.

“Ah, but he’s not your kid, is he?” the taller one said coldly. “He’s a Warner.”

“He’s my kid,” the strange toon snarled. More toons were being dragged in and tossed into cells, but Arlo hardly noticed. He just stared at this massive toon, frozen to the spot, eyes wide and ears standing on end.

A Warner...Wakko?

Arlo waited until the guards left. The massive dog-toon was still throwing himself at the bars and cursing. One toon about two cells down said, “Durrin, don’t- it’s not gonna do any good.”

“Hey,” Arlo said, moving forward into the light. “Hey!”

“What?” the dog- Durrin?- growled.

“You know Wakko?”

Durrin’s dark eyes narrowed. “What about it?”

“I’m his brother’s uncle,” Arlo said. “Yakko’s uncle, I mean.” He shook his head, trying to clear it. “I’m Arlo Merrie.”

Durrin clutched the glowing bars tightly, staring at him suspiciously. The other toons fell silent, all of them watching Arlo and Durrin. Some of them looked so young, barely older than Yakko. Just kids.

As usual, it made Arlo want to rip Salazar’s head off.

“Wakko said he met them tonight,” Durrin said slowly, still looking suspicious. “His brother and sister.”

Arlo nodded. “Yakko and Dot,” he said. “They showed me footage during the interrogation; they’re together.” Or they had been. Arlo hoped they still were.

But it seemed to relax Durrin.

“Good,” he said gruffly, looking down. “That’s good.”

Arlo was just daring to smile when the door to the dungeons opened and footsteps approached. They were slow footsteps, somewhat heavy.

And Arlo had the sinking suspicion that he knew who it was.

King Salazar approached them with an arrogant smirk on his face, a confident swagger to his step. His long red cloak swept dramatically behind him as he walked, his crown was so perfectly polished it almost seemed to glow.

At the sight of him, Durrin began to growl.

“Well, well, well, Arlo Merrie,” Salazar said, looking Arlo up and down. “You’re quite the disappointment. I was expecting someone more intimidating.”

“And I was expecting someone with morals,” Arlo said coldly. “Looks like I’m stuck with you.”

Durrin snorted and Salazar turned to him.

“Think that’s funny, do you?” Salazar asked. “I know all about you, Durrin- the so-called, greatest thief in Ticktockia.”

Durrin raised his head proudly. “Damn right,” he said. “And what about it?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Salazar said, looking down the corridor at all the cells. The toons inside had all gone very still and utterly silent. Most tried to hide from view.

Salazar’s smile widened.

“After all these years,” he said. “I’ve finally caught the traitor knight and raided the den of thieves; you’ve been thorns in my side, gentlemen. But, at last, you’ll face your just punishment.” There was a terrible gleam to his black eyes; he seemed to be holding back laughter.

Salazar looked far too pleased with himself, and Arlo’s blood ran cold.

The usurper king’s grin was horrible.

“I’ve developed a new weapon,” he said. “And I’d be delighted to have you test it.”

“Quit playin' with us,” Durrin growled. 

But Salazar turned away, walking back up the stairs. He paused about halfway up.

“I’m sure our dear Knight Arlo can explain,” he said. The door slammed shut behind him.

Durrin looked at Arlo questioningly.

Arlo sighed, not daring to look at any of the captured toons.

“Dip,” he said heavily. “He’s talking about the Dip.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Dot asked as Yakko poured over a map of the city. Wakko was sitting upside down on the sofa, tongue lolling from his mouth and watching their brother curiously.

“Uncle Arlo’s a wanted fugitive,” Yakko said. “And Durrin’s a master thief. Lady Eva’s- well, a lady. Nobility. They’ll be held in the palace, I guarantee. That’s what Salazar usually does; he’ll want them close to question them personally.”

To think, Dot once dreamed of going to the palace, of attending balls and banquets, and plays; seeing the festivities and all the people. Now the thought filled her with dread.

And how odd to realise the palace was rightfully theirs.

“How do we get in there?” Dot asked.

Yakko was squinting at the map, tapping his foot. Dot had the feeling he was doing some quick thinking.

“We sneak in while the guards are changing shifts,” he said. “It’s the best time for it; the only time any entrances won’t be attended. We’ll use one of the side gates, that’ll be safer. We can get in through a window- maybe even a side door if we’re lucky. I’ve seen Uncle Arlo’s maps of the palace, I know where the dungeons are.”

“It’ll be hard,” Wakko said, biting his lip. 

“It will,” Yakko admitted. 

“Will they keep Mother in a dungeon?” Dot asked worriedly.

“I’d bet she’ll be in one of the towers,” Yakko said. He pulled out a map of the area around the palace and jabbed at one of the towers. “Old Saladbar isn’t totally supid, sister-sib, he knows he can’t just throw nobility in a dungeon. It’s a bad look. It’ll make the other nobles angry, so anytime a noble is wanted for questioning he usually keeps ‘em in one of the towers or top rooms.”

Dot sighed in relief. It wasn’t exactly good, but it was better than imagining her mother in a cold dark dungeon.

She looked between her brothers, feeling a stab of guilt. Wakko’s father and his friends, and Yakko’s uncle would be in the dungeons.

Wakko sat up properly, ears drooping. Dot took his hand and squeezed it hard. He managed a smile.

“You guys don’t-”

“We’re going with you,” Dot cut Yakko off firmly.

“Duh!” Wakko said.

Yakko didn’t look too happy. He rolled up the map, clutching it tightly. After a moment of staring at them, he sighed, giving them a wobbly smile.

“Okay,” he said. “Okay. Let’s sort out the details and we’ll go first thing in the morning, before too many people are around.”

Dot nodded, reaching out to grab Yakko’s hand as well. She had her brothers and, soon enough, she’d have her mother back. They’d all have their families back, safe and sound.

And then maybe, just maybe, they’d find Angelina and William too.

Chapter Text

“There's a room where the light won't find you. Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down; when they do I'll be right behind you. So glad we've almost made it. So sad they had to fade it. Everybody wants to rule the world. Everybody wants to rule the world. Everybody wants to rule...the world…” - Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Lorde

The day dawned bright and early, with a cold breeze. 

Duke Otto von Scratchansniff paced his study. Arlo and Doug were supposed to report in last night. Doug had sent a message about a new weapon.

After that, radio silence.

He automatically feared the worst. And why wouldn’t he? It had been so many years since Salazar took the throne and things seemed to be getting worse and worse. Otto had never been a particularly optimistic man, a fact Heloise teased him for. It was not like Arlo to disappear like this.

And then the city’s alarms blared.

Once the alarms stopped, Baron Plotz’s voice came over the announcers: “Citizens of Acme Falls! There is a mandatory viewing today at eight o’clock sharp. Be in the square in front of the palace, watch on your television or listen on the radio. All work and activities are to cease. There are two traitors to be executed.” 

Scratchy’s heart stopped.

Plotz sounded unbearably smug as he continued: “Our glorious King has captured the traitor Arlo Merrie and the so-called King of Thieves, Durrin. Their crimes are numerous and well known. They have plotted our King’s death. May their rightful punishment be a warning to other toons.”

No. No, no, no, nononono-

Scratchy collapsed into his chair, clutching his chest.

They had Arlo. After all these years, they had Arlo. 

Heloise ran into the room, golden hair in disarray, tears in her eyes.

“Otto,” she gasped in horror.

“I know,” Otto said, voice cracking. What in the world would they do without Arlo? The resistance needed him. Their country needed him. Angelina and William needed him.

“Ve must be there,” Otto said heavily. “Ve must be there for him.” 

They had been in the royal court together. They had been friends for so long and then rebels and plotters, working from the shadows. Of course Otto would be there.

And maybe, if fate was kind, a solution would magically reveal itself and they would save Arlo.

Across the city, Yakko froze in horror. He stood at the door to their hidden base and felt dangerously close to throwing up his meagre breakfast.

No. It’s a lie. It’s a trap. They’re lying. They can’t…they can’t kill them.

Plotz’s smug voice echoed in his ears. Yakko stared blankly ahead, holding his backpack tightly. Dot cried out and Wakko groaned and tugged on his ears.

“Yakko,” Dot gasped. “Wakko! They-”

“We’re getting them back,” Yakko snarled. He shook the shock away, letting his sudden anger spur him into action.

Now was not the time to freeze. Their families needed them. Now was the time to take charge and carry out their rescue mission.

When they were just tiny kids, just babies, they’d been saved by Arlo, Durrin and Eva, even if Durrin and Eva didn’t know it. But they’d taken them in and kept them safe, they’d protected them and loved them.

Now it’s our turn to save them, Yakko thought, hitching his backpack further up his shoulders.

He took his siblings by the hands, holding on tight. “Now. Let’s hurry.”

This was going to work. It had to. They were going to save his uncle, they were going to save Wakko’s dad. And Dot’s mom, what about her? They hadn’t mentioned her.

“My da,” Wakko said hoarsely. “Yak, we need to get my da!”

“We will.” Yakko began to run at top speed, pulling Wakko and Dot along with him. They ran from the narrow side street and into the main road. They sped through the crowd, ducking through legs and leaping over heads. They ran across walls and jumped over cars. 

We’re going to save them. It’s going to be okay. 

It had to be okay.

Wakko felt sick and dizzy as they ran at top speed towards the palace, towards Salazar, towards their families. 

It was a rescue mission, Wakko reminded himself. He didn’t need to be scared. They’d get there and get into the palace before eight and save everyone. Then they’d get out of here, away from Salazar, and they’d all be safe and together. 

Da will like Yakko and Dot, Wakko thought. I know he will. 

He could imagine the surprise on Durrin’s face when they marched into the dungeons and got everyone out. He’d scold Wakko for “being so damn reckless.” He’d swear and warn Wakko not to repeat that. Then he’d ruffle Wakko’s fur and gruffly tell him to introduce Yakko and Dot.

He could see it all so clearly. 

They turned the corner and the crowd got thicker. Some people looked reluctant and angry, some people looked eager and those were the ones Wakko kept a wary eye on. 

All around them, he saw electronics come to life. TV’s in cafes and bars, those giant screens on the sides of buildings that usually showed advertisements or pictures of Salazar. He heard a radio turn on as they passed a small cafe, its door hanging open. 

Down one more street, turn a corner and another…

And there it was. The palace. Their…home? 

Only it didn’t look like any sort of home to Wakko. The palace was absolutely massive, ridiculously big, with tall towers and stained-glass windows. Even from a distance, he could see places where the Warner family symbol had been smashed or cut away, replaced with Salazar’s symbol of a clock. 

Tick tock, tick tock…

It looked too pretty to be real. Too fancy. 

Tick tock, tick tock…

There was a big statue of Salazar on the paved driveway. The palace gates were open and everyone poured in, towards a wooden stage. Humans were still setting the stage up, hammering boards into place and putting up a rope barrier to keep the crowd back. 

Salazar’s statue was huge, a good seven feet tall. His statue wore a crown and long cape, and held a sword up high with one hand. He was smirking, looking very powerful.

Wakko hated it.

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock…

Yakko still held his hand, and Dot’s. He looked around at the crowds and gulped, his frown deepened. He sighed and let them go to pull his hood up, then pulled up their hoods too. They’d each borrowed one of his hoodies, Wakko wore the very dark blue one, and Dot wore a pale yellow one that almost matched her flower. Yakko wore his purple one, the same one he’d worn last night. 

As far as disguises went, they maybe weren’t the best, but Yakko promised it would get them to the palace. Once they were on the grounds they would summon better disguises with their powers.

Only that horrible announcement had totally changed everything.

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick…

Yakko, Wakko and Dot climbed up the statue, peering over the crowd. Dot twisted her medallion around her hand, huddled close to Yakko. Wakko took his brother’s hand and squeezed hard. He could see all the guards in their red uniforms, more and more citizens gathered around the stage.

The preparations stopped. The humans left the stage.

Tick tock…

Clang! Bang! Clang!

Eight o’clock. The bells in the tower began to ring.

And the guards didn’t change shifts. They didn’t move. They stayed at their posts, some went to the stage to help keep the crowd at bay. They were all armed.

“Yakko?” Wakko’s voice wavered. “What do we do?”

People started shouting, drowning his brother’s response out. For one awful moment, Wakko thought they’d been spotted and recognised. But no. No, people were pointing and shouting as a small group approached the stage, coming from behind the palace.

Da! Wakko stood up straight, his hood falling back. It was his da and a toon he didn’t recognise, a black dog-toon with a red nose, rather like Wakko’s own.

“Uncle Arlo,” Yakko gasped, clutching his medallion.

“Oh no,” Dot whispered. “Oh no.”

Please, Wakko thought. Don’t let them hurt my da.

Arlo was marched along by a pair of guards and he held his head high, a Knight to the end. They were unveiling the vats of Dip on the stage, to the confusion of the crowd. No doubt they’d expected a noose, or a firing squad.

Maybe it was maudlin, but Arlo figured he had every right to be maudlin, thanks very much.

He looked at the crowd, taking in who was frightened, who was curious; who was angry and who was eager. His gaze drifted almost lazily, he ignored their shouts and cries- until he saw Salazar’s statue. Until he saw the three little figures standing on the statue.

Yakko, Wakko and Dot.

Damn it, Arlo thought, heart suddenly pounding. No, they can’t be here. Don’t let them see this.

As he approached the steps to the stage, he spotted a familiar, friendly pair of faces in the front row: Scratchansniff and Nurse. They both looked horrified and- he could have laughed- they both wore black. They had nerve, he had to give them that.

“The statue!” he shouted to them. “Get them out of here!”

Otto turned and he knew his friend had spotted them because his jaw dropped. Heloise wasted no time; she immediately began to push her way through the crowd, fighting to get to the kids. Otto followed, giving Arlo one last anguished look.

“Shit,” Durrin hissed.

“It’ll be okay,” Arlo promised. “They’ll be safe.” The Warner kids would be safe and they wouldn’t see this. It would be okay. They’d be taken care of. They had to.

He scanned the crowd and thought he saw Alice and Robert, but he couldn’t be sure.

The Dip was bubbling in its containers, sickly green and its smell made his nose curl. Durrin growled and snapped, cursing at the guards.

They were chained to two poles and lifted above the containers. Arlo barely heard the king’s man reading the charges; crimes against the crown, conspiracy to murder the King...It was more of the usual lies. Until the last one.

Until the crowd collectively screamed.

“And finally,” the king’s man read. “The charge of harbouring wanted fugitives, of hiding the Warners’ whereabouts from our gracious King.”

“Bollocks!” Durrin swore.

The crowd screamed and shouted. The guards had to push them back with their guns. Just like that, many of them were crying for mercy, demanding to know if it was true.

Arlo ignored it all and looked at the statue. Yakko, Wakko and Dot were gone.

There was a shudder and jerk, and they were slowly lowered towards the Dip.

Arlo looked at Durrin. “It’s been an honour,” he said. “However brief.”

Durrin scoffed and grinned. “See ya,” he said, surprisingly cheerful. He looked at the statue and sighed in relief.

They looked at each other and nodded. Together, as they were lowered, they faced the crowd and shouted for everyone to hear.

“LONG LIVE THE WARNERS!”

Up in her tower prison, Lady Evangeline was held between two burly guards, forced to look out the window at the spectacle below.

“Unhand me, you brutes,” she snarled. They ignored her entirely. Even when she kicked and fought against them, they didn’t react. She may as well have been invisible for all the attention they paid her.

The windows were open and she could hear every charge against the two unfortunate toons.

“And finally, the charge of harbouring wanted fugitives, of hiding the Warners’ whereabouts from our gracious King.”

Her blood ran cold.

“What?” she whispered. Suddenly desperate, she leaned forward as best she could, fighting against the guards’ iron grip. “What did he say? What?” The Warners, those men knew the Warners? 

She didn’t know the massive brown dog-toon, but she knew the small black one with the red nose.

Arlo!? The guards’ grip tightened further, but Eva fought against them, clawing and kicking.

“No!” she screamed, though it did no good. “No, stop! Stop! What are they doing to them!?” Those men knew the Warners, did Arlo know where Angelina and William were? Did they know where Dot had escaped to? Or the little princes, did Arlo and this stranger know where they were?

What was that green stuff?

It looked like a stereotypical poison from Eva’s vantage point. The two men were slowly lowered in and she heard them cry out, their combined last words: “LONG LIVE THE WARNERS!”

They were slowly lowered into the strange green liquid and it began to steam and- and-

Eva screamed.

Yakko didn’t think. He just jumped off the statue, his little siblings at his side. He pushed and shoved through the crowd, he summoned a baseball bat and hit at people’s legs when he had to.

It was that Dip stuff, he knew it was, and he knew it wasn’t anything good.

Don’t hurt them, please don’t hurt them, we’re here, we’re right here, we can save them!

“Please, please, please,” he heard Dot pant as she zoomed through the throngs of people, humans and toons alike. Wakko didn’t say anything but his brother ran and pushed people out of his way, face screwed up with determination, eyes narrowed and sparking with desperation.

“Kidses!” he heard a funny voice call, but paid it no mind. 

Not until a pair of unfamiliar arms grabbed him. A woman held him tightly, a woman with long blonde hair and big blue eyes, wearing a black dress, a black hat and black shoes.

“Don’t look!” she said firmly. She had a sweet voice, a beautiful face, but she looked pale and frightened. “We need to go.”

“Go?” Yakko repeated, shaking his head. What was she talking about? They didn't need to go, they had to get to Arlo and Durrin. He shoved away from her, but she grabbed his arm. “Let me go!” Yakko shouted. A strange bald man had grabbed Wakko and Dot, pleading with them to leave. He was the one with the funny voice, a bald man with a big nose and thick glasses, dressed head to toe in black.

“Let me go right now!” Dot screamed. “Get your filthy mitts off me!”

“DA!” Wakko shouted, and Yakko wanted to cry. “DA!”

“Get off them!” Yakko demanded, kicking and punching as the woman and man pulled them away, back through the crowd, past Salazar’s statue and towards the gates. “Get off them, I swear I’ll smash you flat, you creep!”

“Yakko!” the man snapped. “Please, listen! Ve must go!” 

Yakko stopped dead in his tracks. “How do you know me?” he asked, voice wavering. Was it a trap, were they being taken to Salazar?

“Ve know your parents,” the man said. Wakko and Dot gaped at him. “I am Duke Otto von Scratchansniff. Doctor Scratchansniff.”

“Arlo knows you,” Yakko whispered. “You’re a spy.”

“Yes, he does, and yes, he is,” the blonde woman said. She took Wakko from Scratchansniff, lifting him right up. “And I am Heloise Nerz. Most people call me Nurse.” Her smile was strained, frantic. “And we need to go. Please.”

Yakko knew that name too. The two spies at court, the missing King and Queen’s old friends. Scratchansniff and Nerz. Scratchy and Nurse.

The crowd behind them suddenly began to scream and shout, and Yakko turned back but he couldn’t see anything. Nurse began to run, holding Yakko by the hand and carrying Wakko. Scratchy ran with her, holding Dot’s hand.

They were back on the main street. They were off the palace grounds, but Yakko still heard it.

“LONG LIVE THE WARNERS!”

Then they were too far away to hear anything, and Wakko began to sob.

“Give him here,” Yakko ordered quietly.

Nurse paused, bending over to pass Wakko to him. His little brother clung to him, wrapped around Yakko like a koala, sobbing against his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Yakko said desperately. “Wakko, I’m so sorry.”

Wakko gulped, sniffled, shuddered and cried. “Me too,” he whispered. “‘M sorry.”

The guards let her fall and Eva flung her hands out to brace herself. She felt sick to her stomach, black spots dancing across her vision.

“Behold!” the executioner cried. “Our King’s latest invention: The Dip! Capable of melting down any toon that comes into contact with it.” His voice took on a hard edge. “Let this be a warning to you all. The rest of you so-called rebels and filth: this is what will become of you.”

The guards shut the windows. Eva knelt on the ground, suddenly ice cold all over.

They were gone. Just like that. Arlo and that other man, they were gone. Dead. Nothing left. As if they’d never been here in the first place.

Were they going to do that to her?

She thought of Dot and barely bit back a scream, tugging on her long hair. Oh god, Dot, what if they caught Dot?

Footsteps approached. Heavy footsteps.

King Salazar walked into the room. He’d been full of rage when she was first brought to him, then terribly smug this morning. Now she knew why.

At the sight of him, all her rage returned.

She would not let this monster hurt her daughter.

“What do you think, my lady?” he asked, mocking. “Quite the feat, isn’t it?”

“You’re a monster,” Eva snapped. “You’re evil.”

“It’s your kind that are the monsters,” Salazar said coldly. “You’re all unnatural. But you may have your uses.” He turned away, cape swishing. “Count yourself lucky for your title. I cannot use the Dip on you, the trouble isn’t worth it.” He walked to the door, the guards following. Salazar gave her one last cold smile. “But you may prove useful bait.”

The door was slammed shut and locked. In seconds it faintly began to glow, keeping her contained, immune to her powers.

All the same, Eva grabbed the nearest vase and flung it at the door with a scream, putting all her strength into it. It shattered on impact and she shouted, “You’re a monster!” again.

There was no answer, not even mocking laughter. In the garden below, the crowd was being herded away. The vats of Dip had their lids replaced and they were wheeled away.

Lady Eva leaned against the wall, heart pounding.

“Now what?” she asked herself. 

And that was the big question, wasn’t it? Now what indeed. What could she do, locked up here?

She took deep breaths as she watched the crowd leave. To think, it was still so early in the morning. It felt like an entire week had passed.

Now what?

She didn’t know yet. But she was Lady Eva Byron. She would think of something and then she was getting out of here, and getting her daughter back.

Salazar was toying with the wrong toon.

Nurse’s house was huge and pretty, but Yakko barely noticed. He carried Wakko, balancing him with one arm and held Dot’s hand. No one said anything. Scratchy kept looking at them like he was going to say something; he kept opening his mouth, but he didn’t speak up.

Yakko wasn’t so sure he wanted to talk right now anyway.

Mom, Dad, Uncle Arlo...They were all gone. Angelina and William were missing and everyone else was...gone. 

Some adventure, Yakko thought bitterly.

Nurse guided them up some stairs and to a bedroom, painted pink and white. Dot sniffled and looked around with a small spark of her usual curiosity. Wakko clung to Yakko.

“Kidses,” Scratchy began awkwardly. “Ve…” He sighed and gestured to himself and Nurse. “Ve vant to help.”

Yakko looked at his little siblings and sat on the edge of the bed. Dot leaned against him.

“Can we have a minute?” Yakko asked.

“Of course,” Nurse said gently. “We’ll be right outside, okay?”

Yakko nodded. Dot shrugged. Wakko didn’t move.

The door closed and Wakko squeezed Yakko even tighter. Yakko pulled Dot close and the three of them clung to each other.

“I’m all alone now,” Wakko whispered.

Yakko had to close his eyes. His chest ached, his throat tightened. Dot was eerily quiet.

Yakko opened his eyes, shook his head and held his siblings close.

“No way, baby bro,” he said firmly. “Not a chance.”

“Never,” Dot said fiercely. “You’ve got us, and we love you.”

It was true. It had only been a day but Yakko loved them, and he knew he’d do anything for them, anything and everything to keep them safe and happy.

They stayed huddled together, each silently vowing to be there for the others.

And, behind them, on the bedside table, a map appeared in a flash of silver light.

X marks the spot: to the stars.

Dot picked up the map with wide eyes. “Huh?” she asked. She saw the signature on the map and Yakko saw her eyes flash. She groaned in dismay and held the map out.

The map showed the woods and mountains to the north of Acme Falls, a path past the old mines, up and up into the mountains, to the tallest mountains in Ticktockia- in Warnerstock, Yakko was determined to use its rightful name.

The map pointed the way to Pip’s home, The Oracle of The Stars.

If convenient, come at once, the message read. If inconvenient, come anyway. Love from Pip.

Wakko gave the map a very tired look. Dot looked ready to tear it to shreds.

Yakko was going to smash Pip with an anvil. The second he saw him, he was going to smash that guy flat.

Nurse opened the door, peering in at them curiously. “Are you okay, kids?” she asked gently. “Can we get you anything?”

The wheels in Yakko’s head began to turn.

“Actually,” he said, an idea sparking to life. “You got any transport?”

Long live the Warners, Arlo and Durrin had shouted, and Yakko intended to do just that.

Salazar was messing with the wrong siblings.

Chapter Text

“Take my hand tonight, let's not think about tomorrow. Take my hand tonight, we can find some place to go, ‘cause our hearts are locked forever and our love will never die. Take my hand tonight one last time.” - Take My Hand, Simple Plan

“You vant to vhat?” Scratchy gaped at them, his hands wrapped around his porcelain tea cup. All the servants had been given tasks in town, or different parts of the manor and gardens. Scratchy, Nurse and the Warners stayed upstairs in the room Nurse had led them to.

“We want to find Pip,” Yakko repeated firmly. “And our birth parents.”

“Do you know where they are?” Dot demanded with narrowed eyes. Call her paranoid, but she wasn’t sure they could trust the adults across from them. Maybe that did make her paranoid. She figured she had every right to be.

“Nein,” Scratchy sighed. He looked genuinely upset. Still, Dot was wary.

Nurse shook her head. “There’s always plenty of rumours,” she said. “I don’t think anyone in the resistance really knows where they are. They move around a lot, I know that much. And they always send information heavily coded, and usually through messengers. No one’s actually seen them in years.”

“When was the last time you saw them?” Yakko asked.

Nurse pursed her lips, having to think about it. “About eight years ago,” she said. “They came here to warn me that a family of toon-nobles were suspected of being spies; they weren’t spies, they were innocent, but...Well...You know the King.”

Dot growled. They knew the King alright.

Nurse continued; “I always thought they took it personally because that family had three children, only a little older than yourselves. Your parents were utterly furious. But it was a risk to show up and they knew it. I haven’t seen them since.”

“What happened to the family?” Wakko asked suddenly. It was the first time he’d spoken since the map appeared. Dot linked her arm with his and Yakko took their brother’s hand.

Even Scratchy and Nurse looked relieved.

“We got them out,” Nurse said gently. “They’ve been hiding in the Sanctuary ever since.”

“Sanctuary?” Dot repeated with raised eyebrows.

“It’s a rebel base,” Yakko explained. “Where we hide our most vulnerable. It’s where a lot of rebels hide their kids. My friend Daisy lives there, she’s only four.”

Living in a rebel base full time. If it was anything like the one they’d stayed in last night, Dot couldn’t imagine it. It sounded gross. Then again, if so many people were there, it had to be bigger and nicer, right?

The resistance’s most vulnerable members...She wondered if the three of them ought to live there too. They were as vulnerable as it got.

Vulnerable. Dot didn’t like that word. She didn’t want to be vulnerable.

“Pip vill be the easy part,” Scratchy said. He finished his tea and frowned. “Though his home is heavily guarded and enchanted. Salazar’s forces have tried to get in and failed for ten years.”

“Well, they weren’t invited,” Yakko said blandly. He held the map out, tapping at the big red X. “He’s a pain in the neck, but he wants us there for something, and frankly I’ve a few choice words for the guy.”

“Please don’t smash him,” Scratchy said. “Ve still need him.”

“Yeah, we need him to shut up,” Dot muttered. Wakko smiled a little and Dot resisted the urge to hug him out of sheer relief. 

Scratchy sighed, scratching at his long nose. He kept looking at them like he couldn’t believe they were real. 

“Running off alone is not a good idea,” he said.

“We’re not alone,” Yakko said firmly. “We have each other.”

Finally, finally, Wakko smiled properly.

Heloise kept expecting to wake up. What were the odds that this was really happening? All this time, and the Warner siblings had been so close by. Ten years of questions and mysteries, and they’d been in the city all along.

Why hadn’t Arlo said anything?

Well, no, she knew why. It simply wasn’t worth the risk of the truth getting out. She’d have kept quiet too.

And now what? The kids wanted to find Angelina and William. Me too, Heloise thought. She hadn’t seen her friends in years, she’d only heard whispers and received cryptic messages. It would be wonderful to find them.

But how?

Then there was Pip, their resident terribly boring Oracle. He wanted the Warners to go to him. Did he know where Angelina and William were? She wouldn’t put it past him, honestly. It wasn’t exactly a happy thought. She’d never liked being kept in the dark. 

Heloise felt scattered, her mind jumping from one thought to the next like a frightened rabbit. She watched the Warners and couldn’t believe how much they’d grown. She missed Arlo already. She struggled to believe he was gone. She thought of the Dip and immediately tried to push the thought away, the very idea making her feel sick; it made her skin crawl. She thought of Angelina and William and suddenly missed them even more, so much that it hurt.

They’d be so proud, she thought, looking at the kids. They were strong and brave, that much was obvious. They already loved one another fiercely.

These children didn’t know her. In another world, they would have. But in this one, they did not and Heloise would have to earn their trust. 

She could do that. First things first, she’d help them get to Pip.

No sooner had she thought it, then an announcement was made; Baron Plotz again, speaking to the city. Outside, she saw people stop to listen. The screens on buildings stopped showing the news and advertisements and suddenly went dark.

“Citizens of Acme Falls, we have fugitives in our midst. Our King offers a reward: bring in the Warners, and you will be given one million dollars. Give truthful evidence of their whereabouts, and you will be given twenty thousand dollars.”

The screens flickered to life again, showing pictures of Yakko, Wakko and Dot. It looked like security camera footage, black and white and a little blurry, but it was clearly them.

Oh no, Heloise thought. Dot growled and Yakko gripped the edge of the table, fangs on show. Wakko’s face hardened and he sat up straighter.

Scratchy looked petrified, but when he looked at the kids, she saw how determined he looked. He would help them too, protect them too. They were in this together as always.

Plotz repeated the offer once more before signing off. The images of the kids stayed up for a few more minutes before everything went back to normal.

If Heloise knew Salazar at all, she knew he had no intention of actually giving anyone money.

But did the rest of the country know that?

Nurse led them to the garage and showed them a black car. It looked pretty fancy to Yakko, and shiny, but it was either that or her lavender car.

He kind of preferred the lavender car, honestly. But, you know, trying to be incognito and all that.

She and Scratchy gave them money, clothes and food; she gave them camping gear, another two flashlights, even a tent. She even gave Yakko a comlink; it looked like a plain dark grey bracelet, but when you pressed the little silver button you could speak to whoever had the other comlink, even from miles away.

Spy stuff, Yakko thought. Toon-resistance addition. Talk about the good stuff. It would come in handy.

“If we hear anything of Lady Byron, we’ll contact you straight away,” Nurse promised. She kissed their foreheads, giving them a little smile. “It’s been so wonderful to see you all again,” she said.

“Ja,” Scratchy said, nodding. His smile was a little wobbly, but he hugged them tightly. “Just say anything und ve vill help.”

What Yakko really wanted was to go to bed for a few days, but they didn’t have that option. Add on that stupid announcement and they had to get a move on, pronto. 

They all climbed into the car. Scratchy drove. No one talked much. Yakko sat in the back of the car, in between his siblings, an arm around each of them. Wakko chewed on some gummy worms that Scratchy had found for him and Dot looked close to nodding off.

They drove them right to the hills on the edge of Acme Falls. Then the path got too narrow and rocky for them to drive anymore.

They all climbed out of the car. For a moment, Scratchy and Nurse just stared at them in a stricken sort of way. They looked like they wanted to bundle Yakko and his little sibs back into the car and turn around.

A part of him almost wanted them too.

Be brave, he reminded himself. You have to be brave.

Nurse hugged them suddenly, clinging to them tightly. Scratchy quickly joined the group hug and Yakko was surprised at how teary-eyed the Duke looked.

“Let us know vhen you reach Pip,” he said sternly, looking each of them in the eye. “Promise, ja?”

“Promise,” Wakko said. Scratchy smiled at him.

“Don’t worry,” Yakko said. “I know the woods.” He thought of Delphi and Felix and gave a small smile. “And I know where the hideouts are along the way. We’ll be fine.”

“We’ll let the others know you’re safe,” Nurse said. “And to keep an eye out for you.”

That sounded good to Yakko. No doubt, his friends were losing their minds right now. He wondered if Felicity had broken a window again. Probably. Her conniptions were usually hilarious to watch, so long as it wasn’t aimed at you.

Yakko looked up the path, narrow, rocky and overgrown, trailing away into the trees. It was still quite early in the day; it felt like time had lost all meaning. Had he really been at home only yesterday? Had he really not known he had siblings only twenty-four hours ago?

Yakko stood as tall as he could and took Wakko and Dot by the hand.

“We’ll let you know when we get there,” he told Nurse and Scratchy and he marched along, head held high. When they reached the tree line, they stopped and looked back. Nurse and Scratchy still stood outside the car, waving. Nurse was smiling and crying. Scratchy looked pale, but he smiled all the same.

“Got to hand it to them,” Yakko said as he and his siblings waved. “They’re brave.”

“So are we,” Dot said.

Yakko smiled, his first genuine smile of the day. Even Wakko looked a little brighter.

“We are,” Yakko agreed. “We’re gonna show everyone just how brave we are.” He turned towards the woods. “Let’s get to it, little sibs.”

Back in the city, in the palace itself, Brain held up his latest device.

“Behold!” he cried with a grin.

“Ooh!” Pinky clapped his hands. “It’s a new TV remote!”

Brain sighed, rolling his eyes. He hit Pinky on the head with the not-remote. “Quiet, Pinky. No, this is the Transforminator! With the press of a button, I can shape-shift anyone!”

“Transfigulamator?” Pinky asked, blinking.

“Transforminator.” Brain narrowed his eyes and aimed it at Pinky. It certainly looked like a TV remote, only it was bright red. Brain pressed the first button, a big white one, and a flash of light flew at Pinky.

“It tickles!” Pinky laughed as the light engulfed him. When it faded, he looked totally different: rather than a mouse, he was now a big white horse, only he still had the same eyes and teeth, and sounded the same. Brain considered the sight with a little frown.

“It still needs some improvement,” he muttered to himself as Pinky laughed and trotted around the lab, tossing his mane. “But it will do for now. Come along, Pinky.” He pressed the button and Pinky turned back to normal. He hovered in mid-air for a moment and yelped as he fell to the ground. Brain climbed down off the table and joined him.

“We have Warners to catch,” Brain said. “Get the human suit, we’ll need it.”

“Are we playing dress up?” Pinky asked eagerly. “Narf! I wanna be a cat!”

Brain seriously considered the pros and cons of transforming Pinky into something without a mouth.

“We are not playing dress up,” he said impatiently. “We are bounty hunting. Now hurry up; we still need to review the city’s cameras for a trace of them. They can’t have gotten far on their own.”

Chapter Text

“Heart, don't fail me now! Courage, don't desert me! Don't turn back now that we're here. People always say, ‘Life is full of choices.’ No one ever mentions fear, or how the world can seem so vast, on a journey to the past.” - Journey To The Past, Anastasia

“They can’t have gotten far on their own,” Brain had said. Well, joke’s on him: the Warners hadn’t been on their own, and they had gotten quite far. They were way up in the hills, following a thin trail.

It was a bright, sunny day. Not a cloud in the sky. Birds chirped overhead, the flowers smelled sweet and the leaves rustled in the light breeze.

And yet there was a sense of misery, oddly mixed with determination. They were three stubborn, brave kids; they had set their minds on reaching Pip and so they would. They were determined to see it through.

But at the end of the day they were kids, and they’d lost everything they’d ever known. They’d left everything behind and they had no way of knowing what truly lay ahead.

The Dip was engraved in Yakko’s mind. He’d seen the stuff up close and personal and hadn’t dreamed it was capable of such horrors. He’d guessed it would be bad, it was obviously some sort of weapon, but he’d expected poison at most not... that.

Saladbar’s gonna pay for this, Yakko thought as he marched along, his little siblings by his side. He wasn’t going to lose them. No, Wakko and Dot were going to stay safe; he’d do anything to make sure they were okay.

He glanced at them as they walked along. Dot was nibbling her lip, her brow furrowed; clearly doing some deep thinking. Wakko’s ears, tail and shoulders all drooped, his eyes dim.

Well, that just wouldn’t do.

He smiled as an idea came to him. Yakko stood up straighter, tilting his chin up and began to hum, quietly at first but then louder and louder. It was an upbeat little tune and he didn’t have any proper lyrics for it, but he knew he’d quickly come up with some on the fly.

He glanced at his siblings again and grinned when he saw he had their attention. Even Wakko looked curious.

Yakko hummed louder, “la,la,la-ing” as he walked, putting a spring in his step, jumping over a fallen log.

“One Monday morning I got up late, and there were these monkeys outside the gate! The guard tried to stop them but he had no luck; the monkeys got free and they ran amuck!”

Dot smiled, humming along, nodding her head along in time to the tune.

“I don't know what to say the monkeys won't do!” Yakko sang.

“Don't know what to say the monkeys won't do!” Dot sang, twirling. She held her hand out to Wakko. Their brother took it with a shy smile.

“I don't know what to say the monkeys won't do!” Yakko pointed at them with a grin.

“Don’t know what to say the monkeys won’t do!” his little sibs sang, swinging their joined hands. Dot grabbed Yakko as well and the three of them spun in a circle, ring-around-the-roses style.

“Don't know what to say the monkeys won't do!”

Yakko laughed in sheer relief when Wakko summoned a pair of maracas. Yakko led the march along the trail, arms swinging and his tail swishing. Dot danced along behind him; she summoned necklaces of flowers and draped one around each of their necks. Wakko shook his maracas, a spark back in his eyes.

The lyrics were utter nonsense; they made the song up as they went along, but it was upbeat and catchy and that did the trick.

They climbed over large rocks and ran through bushes and flowers. They swung from tree-branches and hopped over small ponds and streams, singing all the while.

Finally, the trail widened and the siblings emerged in a clearing.

“We're not monkeys; we're just cuckoo!” the trio sang, arms open wide and heads thrown back as they belted out the final line. “Don't know what to say the Warners won't do!” 

A small group of startled birds flew away. Yakko saw a rabbit disappear among the trees. The three of them looked at each other, catching their breath and grinning. Dot began to giggle and that set the boys off: Yakko bent over double, wheezing and hooting, while Wakko chuckled with his hands over his mouth.

Yakko pulled them both into his arms, hugging them tightly. 

“We should be a band,” he said, still giggling. “We’ll have sold out concerts.”

“We’ll have gold discs in no time,” Dot said solemnly. 

“We’ll be so popular that they’ll just give us the throne back,” Wakko added.

“It’s a plan,” Yakko said, poking Wakko on the nose. Wakko’s stomach rumbled; Dot giggled again and Yakko smiled. “We may as well have a snack and rest up,” he said.

They sat on a fallen log. Yakko tapped at his knees, trying to think of another song. Wakko scoffed his food and juice. Dot nibbled at her sandwich more daintily.

“It’s so quiet,” Wakko said, peering around the clearing. “The city centre’s really different.”

Yakko reached into his bag for his water and frowned. Hold on now...

“So you lived in the centre?” Dot asked. Wakko nodded. 

“I was, uh...In the family business.” Wakko smiled brightly.

“What did you do?” Dot asked. Yakko stood up, hands on his hips.

“We...Moved stuff…” 

Dot tilted her head. “Like import-export?”

Wakko nodded.

“Nope,” Yakko said. “Like a thief.” He snatched Wakko off the log and hung him upside down; Yakko’s water bottle fell out of Wakko’s jumper as Yakko shook him. A few nick-knacks fell out of Wakko’s hammerspace; a yo-yo, a ball of yarn, some loose change and a big mouse trap, and there was a chocolate bar in his hat. 

“I was gonna give it back!” Wakko said quickly.

“Uh-huh, sure, bro,” Yakko said, shaking him harder- but he was grinning. “When did you even take it?” He set Wakko upright and his little brother scrambled for his stuff, but handed Yakko the water.

“I, uh…” Wakko rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “While we were climbing over the rocks.” He shrugged. “Old habits die hard.”

Yakko considered it and shrugged as well. “Hey, it could come in handy. Who am I to judge?” He opened the water bottle and downed half of it.

“A thief?” Far from being appalled, Dot looked more curious and eager than ever. She leaned forward with bright eyes and an even brighter smile. “What sort of stuff did you take?”

“Oh, uh…Lots of stuff,” Wakko said. He shrugged with a sheepish smile. “Anything we needed. Or, y’know, wanted.”

“They called your dad the King of Thieves,” Dot said, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Wakko nodded proudly. “Da can steal anything,” he declared. “He could steal the shirt off your back!”

“I hope not,” Yakko said dryly. “I like this hoodie.” They both snickered at him. They looked way more relaxed now.

“What about you?” Dot asked, grabbing his arm. “You’re in the resistance, that’s exciting!”

“I didn’t always get to do much except spy,” Yakko said. It used to grate on him. He used to complain about it. It all made a lot more sense now. And Wakko and Dot, they looked so excited, so curious, suddenly hanging on his every word. Like he was telling a story.

Yakko supposed he was.

“So, me and Flick- Felicity, I mean, you guys met her- we’d listen in on conversations, or try follow people sometimes. We hung out in a lot of air vents and let me tell you, the TV makes that look way cooler than it is.”

“You were a spy! ” Dot squealed gleefully.

“I guess I still am,” Yakko said, considering it. Did he still count as a spy? He was certainly still a member of the resistance. He tapped his chin, head tilted. “Yeah, I’d say I still am.”

“Faboo,” Wakko breathed.

Yakko nudged Dot with a smile. “And what about you, sis? Miss Fancy Lady.”

Dot stood up and twirled on the spot, curtsying to them. In a very posh voice, she said, “I am Lady Dot Giselle Primrose Beauty Summer Athena Byron The Fifth, only daughter of Lady Evangeline Giselle Primrose Beauty Summer Athena Byron The Fourth.”

Wakko blinked. “I’m gonna need you to write that down,” he said. Yakko burst out laughing and Dot summoned a pair of pillows to hit them with.

“Do all nobles have long names?” Yakko laughed, dodging his little sister’s attacks.

“I dunno,” Dot said, still slapping him and Wakko with her summoned pillows. “Mother and Father did. So did Queen Angelina, didn’t she?”

“She did,” Yakko said. “Er- does. Queen Angelina Contessa Louise Francesca Banana Fanna Bo-Besca The Second.”

Wakko looked flummoxed. “I’ll stick with Wakko,” he said. 

“Much easier to remember,” Yakko said with a nod. Dot rolled her eyes at them and sat back down.

“What do nobles do?” Wakko asked.

“I wasn’t allowed do anything,” Dot said with a huff. She rested her chin on her hands. “I was barely allowed out.” Her lovely smile vanished. “Guess I know why now,” she mumbled, dragging her foot through the grass, lightly kicking at some daisies.

Wakko’s smile dropped too and Yakko thought fast, desperate to keep them smiling.

“Well, you had to do stuff all day,” Yakko said quickly. 

“Yeah…” Dot seemed to be thinking about it. She smiled a little. “We played games. Mother and I played together a lot. She’s really creative, she’d come up with plays. And I trained with Skippy to use my toon powers.” She smirked at them and added, “I’m really good.”

“We’ll have to have a competition,” Yakko said with a grin. “Find out who’s the best.”

The three of them looked at each other and smirked. “I am!” they all declared in unison.

“No way,” Dot said, rapidly shaking her head. “I train all the time, I’m definitely the best!”

“I can escape the local guards,” Wakko said, arms folded.

“I can escape anything,” Yakko said, nose in the air. So what if he was exaggerating? It made his siblings laugh at him and that was worth it.

They finished their lunch and took a while to simply enjoy the quiet, the birds chirping and the sun shining.

Dot spoke up quietly; “Yakko?”

“Yeah, sis?”

“If you were a spy…Did you know anything about that Dip stuff?”

The sun was still shining but it suddenly felt icy cold to Yakko and he did his best not to shiver.

“I saw it,” he admitted, eyes on the sky. “We found it, just the night before we all met. Uncle Arlo and his friends stole some codes, but I saw it with Felicity and some of the others. Didn’t know what it was.” He shrugged uncomfortably, hands folded over his stomach. “I mean, its barrels were painted with a skull and crossbones, it obviously wasn’t anything good, but I figured it was some sort of weapon. It freaked me out. Being near it, I mean, it made my fur stand on edge.”

“Why?” Dot asked.

“I don’t know,” Yakko whispered. “I just had a bad feeling.”

“Can we stop it?” Wakko asked.

“I don’t know,” Yakko was forced to admit. He clenched his jaw, trying to stop his teeth from chattering. He forced a smile and looked at Wakko and Dot. “I don’t know yet,” he amended. “But everything has a weakness, and we’re gonna find out what the Dip’s is.”

“Yeah?” Wakko sat up straighter, looking hopeful.

“Yeah.” Yakko nodded and reached out to squeeze his shoulder. “We’re the Warners, there’s nothing we can’t do.”

“We’re way smarter than Saladbar,” Dot said firmly. She was a sudden, fierce little ball of determination, poised to jump up and run, to fight; her eyes were shining and her smile was downright vicious. “Like you said, Yak, they’re messing with the wrong siblings.” 

She held her hand out and Yakko placed his hand on top of hers, Wakko placed his hand on top of Wakko’s.

“We’re the Warners,” Dot said quietly, fiercely. “And no one is going to stop us.”

“And no one’s gonna separate us again,” Wakko added quickly. “Never.”

“Never ever,” Yakko promised.

Chapter Text

“No one can be just like me anyway! Just like magic, I'll be flying free; I'ma disappear when they come for me. I kick that ceiling, what’cha gonna say? No one can be just like me anyway! Just like fire!” - Just Like Fire, P!NK

Brain sighed in frustration as the man-suit bumbled along. Pinky sat next to him, singing to himself. Brain watched his drones fly ahead, scouting out any sign of the Warner siblings. Surely, surely they couldn’t have gotten far.

“Narf!” Pinky said, clapping his hands. “I can see our house from here!”

“No you can’t,” Brain said tiredly. Pinky had twisted around in his seat, peering back at the trail. It was a thin trail with plenty of rocks and trees all around, and it was rapidly getting steep. It didn’t make for easy climbing. Even Brain’s ingenious robotic suit was being slowed down, despite its strength. So surely three small toons couldn’t have been too far ahead?

All they’d found so far was a few footprints- or would pawprints be more accurate? Either way, there was no real sign that they were close by.

Until they were about halfway up the mountain, until they reached a clearing. There was a chocolate bar wrapper on the ground, hidden behind a log. There was only one clear trail out of the clearing, almost- almost- hidden by the bushes and flowers. 

Maybe it was a long shot. And maybe it wasn’t. Maybe they were right on the Warner siblings’ trail.

“Finally,” Brain said with a smirk. “They were here!”

Pinky was staring at the wrapper. “Ooh, I like that chocolate,” he said. “Do we have any, Brain?”

“No, no we do not.” He directed their drones ahead of them, up over the trees. Now, what did their heat sensors find? Some animals, yes (plenty of deer in fact) but-

“Yes!” Brain cried. “There they are!”

They were far ahead, very far indeed. They’d have to be quick to catch up to the Warners, but Brain was nothing if not stubborn and Pinky was…Well, Pinky was happy to go along with Brain’s instructions.

“We’re going to be rich, old friend,” Brain said with a satisfied grin, following the droids. The man-suit’s joins clanked and made an unpleasant metallic sound, but Brain was amazed by the amount of humans who genuinely mistook him for a man when he was using this thing. Clearly, he really was surrounded by idiots.

“If we’re rich can we buy chocolate?” Pinky asked.

Brain sighed. He was not feeling fond, no, not at all.

“If you wish,” he grumbled, trying to ignore Pinky’s delighted cheers.

It did not make him smile. Brain was not one for smiling. Smirking, perhaps. An evil grin or two. Yes, that sounded right.

At first glance, Wakko thought their big brother was showing them a bunch of rocks, covered in moss and leaves. It didn’t look like much of a shelter.

But Wakko was quickly learning not to underestimate the resistance, or Yakko. His brother pressed on one of the rocks and one of the boulders rolled out of the way, revealing a tunnel.

“Ta-da!” Yakko said proudly. “Told you we hid everywhere.”

“Faboo,” Wakko said. Dot stared with wide eyes and took Yakko’s hand, looking around curiously as Yakko led them into the tunnel. He pressed a button on the wall and the boulder rolled back into place.

The lights were dim and it smelled mossy, but it was definitely a hide-out as promised. They walked down the tunnel and into a surprisingly big room with a round table and crates of supplies. There was another room with five beds. Wakko poked around in the crates: cans of food, batteries, flashlights, sleeping bags, a fishing line and net, even a bow and arrow.

Not bad, he thought.

“What now?” Dot asked. Yakko was examining their map.

“Another three days and we should be there,” Yakko said. “Find anything good, Wakko?”

“Food,” Wakko said, holding up a can of peach slices. “Flashlights and stuff.”

“We’ll take some of the food,” Yakko decided. He came over and had a look, hands on his hips. “Better grab a few extra flashlights and batteries too.” He looked at the comlink on his wrist and shrugged. “Guess we should let Nurse and Scratchansniff know we’re okay.”

“She’s pretty,” Wakko said with a little smile.

“Oh yes,” Yakko said, exaggeratedly wagging his eyebrows, laughing when Dot gagged.

He pressed on the little button, there was a brief moment of static and then came Nurse’s voice, slightly high-pitched and crackling; “Hello?”

“Hey, Nurse, it’s us,” Yakko said.

“Kids!” Nurse sounded relieved. “Oh, thank goodness. Otto, get in here!”

“Ja?” Scratchansniff sounded further away.

“It’s the kids.”

“Oh! Oh, hello, kidses!”

“Heya,” Wakko said. He waved, though they couldn’t see him. It was the thought that counted.

“Hi,” Dot said, leaning in closer. “We’re okay.”

“Good,” Nurse said. Wakko liked to think she was smiling. “Don’t tell us too much, remember.”

“Don’t worry, I’m an old hand at this,” Yakko said. “Are you guys okay? No one saw you with us, did they?”

“No,” Nurse said. “We’re staying home for now, it’s getting a bit crazy outside.”

Wakko had an uncomfortable thought: if anyone had seen Nurse and Scratchy with them, they’d have been arrested by now. He tried to push the thought away, but it kept coming back.

He took Yakko’s hand, squeezing tight. It helped a little bit.

“Guards?” Yakko asked, frowning.

“Guards,” Scratchy confirmed. “Lots of patrols. Ze King is jumpy today.”

He’s not the only one, Wakko thought and it just made him annoyed. He didn’t want to have anything in common with Salazar, not even emotions. They were feeling jumpy for very different reasons.

Salazar was going to be a lot more than jumpy once the Warners were done with him.

Yakko scoffed. “Good,” he said. “Let’s hope he is.”

“I’ll show him jumpy,” Dot muttered. She somehow managed to look and sound scary even then, even when it wasn’t a proper threat, even when she was so small.

Wakko had to respect that. Another thing he was quickly learning: his little sister was so cool.

“Stay safe,” Nurse was saying when Wakko snapped back to reality. “Remember, let us know when you get there.”

“We will,” the Warners promised and Yakko ended the call.

“Okay,” Yakko said, clapping his hands together. “I don’t know about you guys, but I vote we have dinner and an early night.”

“I could eat,” Wakko said.

“You can always eat,” Dot pointed out.

“You know it,” Wakko said proudly. 

Yakko was watching them fondly and that made Wakko feel better too. It made him feel warm, even in a dank hide-out. Even when everything was awful. 

Forget the medallions, maybe Yakko was magic.

The medallions…

Wakko held his medallion tightly and frowned. “Uh, sibs?” he asked.

“Yeah?” Yakko smiled at him.

“What’s with our medallions?” Wakko asked. “How do we make them glow again?”

They both looked surprised. Maybe they were as clueless as he was.

“Huh…” Yakko shrugged, looking baffled. “I, uh- I dunno.”

“Me neither,” Dot said. She sounded frustrated. “Stupid Pip didn’t say. He just said I already knew what to do.”

“He said the same to me,” Yakko said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “He give you any hints, Wak?”

Wakko shook his head.

Yakko threw his head back with a groan. “Are all magic mentors so useless?”

Wakko thought hard about it, tapping his chin. “Dumbledore,” he finally said.

Yakko and Dot stared at him. They looked at each other and shrugged.

“Yeah, okay,” Yakko said. “I’ll give you that one.”

Chapter Text

“I'm waking up to ash and dust, I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust. I'm breathing in the chemicals. I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus. This is it, the apocalypse.” - Radioactive, Imagine Dragons

Yakko was snapped awake by Dot’s shriek.

“EW!” she screamed, standing on her bed. “GET RID OF IT, GET IT OUT!”

“What’s wrong?” Yakko demanded, falling out of bed in his haste to get to her. “What happened?” Wakko was right behind him, a mallet in hand. His little brother swung the mallet wildly, spinning around and glaring at every corner of the room, clearly trying to spot the threat.

“Get rid of it!” Dot repeated, pointing at the floor.

“Huh?” Yakko bent down, peering into the shadows under Dot’s bed. 

It was a mouse. A big mouse, but just a mouse. It took one look at Yakko, squeaked in alarm, and disappeared into a hole in the wall.

“It was a mouse, sis,” Yakko said, still kneeling on the ground. “Anyway, it’s gone now.”

“Oh, I like mice,” Wakko said, putting his mallet away. Was Yakko imagining things, or did Wakko’s medallion flicker? Yakko leaned forward for a closer look, but the medallion looked normal now. 

He looked down at his own medallion and sighed. Nothing. Nada. It just looked like a regular old medallion. There had to be some way to get them working again, right?

Dot still didn’t look happy. “They’re filthy,” she said in disapproval, hands on her hips. “They carry diseases.” And damn if she didn’t sound like a noble right then.

Yakko tried not to snicker, really he did.

He failed.

He clapped a hand over his mouth when she glowered at him, but the giggles still escaped him.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Dot,” he chuckled. “It’s just- it’s a mouse! We’ve been running from some real nut cases and you’re screaming the base down over a mouse!”

“...We’re in trouble, aren’t we?” Wakko asked.

“I hate you both,” Dot huffed, crossing her arms. “You’re awful. I wish I had sisters instead.”

“Ask Angelina and William about that,” Yakko said, standing up and dusting his slacks down. 

Dot stuck her tongue out at him. She looked around the room and sighed. “Who do we call for breakfast?” she asked.

“Huh?” Wakko’s tongue poked out further in his confusion.

“Breakfast,” Dot repeated. “Who do we call? There’s no maid.”

Yakko and Wakko stared at her. She was perfectly earnest, looking at them expectantly.

The boys turned to each other with amused smiles. “Definitely in trouble.”

Dot hadn’t been impressed to realise she’d be in charge of her own food from now on. Still, she ate what they had without complaint. Mostly she just seemed baffled.

“So you had to make your own meals?” she asked them while they ate.

“Well, Alice did a lot of the cooking,” Wakko said.

Yakko swallowed a mouthful and raised a hand for a high-five. “Hey, I’ve a friend named Alice too!” he said.

Wakko high-fived him. Dot pouted. “Ugh,” she said. “I don’t.”

“No, but you had maids,” Yakko said. “And chefs! That’s pretty cool.”

“I’d like a chef,” Wakko said. “Lots of chefs.”

Dot sighed mournfully. “I want Eggs Benedict,” she said. Wakko practically drooled, while Dot lifted the hem of her skirt with a frown. “And I wish I’d managed to bring more clothes.”

“Eh, we’re toons,” Yakko said. “We don’t really need to change that much.”

“No, but it’s fun,” Dot said. She looked at her brothers like she’d been issued a challenge. “I bet I could find the perfect looks for you.”

“Oh God,” Yakko groaned.

Wakko perked up. “Yeah?” he asked curiously.

Dot nodded decisively, a gleam of determination in her pretty eyes. “Oh yes,” she said with a frankly evil grin. “I’d make you fabulous.”

Yakko didn’t like the sound of that. Wakko just looked more and more curious.

His little siblings were still debating it while Yakko was packing up. He folded up the map and tucked it back into his bag along with extra supplies for camping and hiking; he put some extra food in Wakko’s bag and extra blankets into Dot’s.

All in all, it had been a peaceful night and morning.

So of course that was when the front door of the base was literally blasted off its hinges.

Dot screamed and Wakko fell off his chair.

Two mice in a mecha-suit stood in the doorway, surrounded by flying drones. The drones had nets and the mice…

Dot knew those mice. They’d chased her and her brothers through Acme Falls. They’d been there when Mother was arrested.

Just like that, rage filled her veins. Her heart beat so loudly and so fast she almost expected it to burst from her chest. 

She was going to rip them to shreds.

She pounced, but Wakko grabbed her, tackling her to the ground as a drone tried to swing a net down on them.

“You!” Dot shrieked at them. “You took my mother!”

The taller mouse with the buck-teeth cringed back but he still waved at her with a sheepish smile. “It’s nice to see you, narf!”

“Well it’s not nice to see you,” came Yakko’s ice-cold voice. He stormed towards them, clutching their packs and Dot’s eyes widened when she saw his medallion begin to spark.

He dropped the packs next to her and Wakko and a baseball bat appeared in his hands. His medallion glimmered brighter and brighter.

“Get away from my little siblings,” he snarled.

The smaller mouse almost- almost- looked apologetic. Mostly he looked bored.

Dot hated him, she hated that stupid look on his stupid smug face.

“Apologies, child,” the smaller mouse said. He didn’t sound sorry at all. “But we have orders from the king.”

“Oh?” Yakko tilted his head with a smirk. “You know our dad? Why didn’t you just say?”

“We do?” the taller mouse asked. “Zoit! Brain, you know William?”

The smaller mouse, Brain apparently, slapped his forehead and then slapped his friend. “No, Pinky, we do not know William.” He turned back to Yakko and, with the press of a button, the drones flew at him, nets raised.

But Yakko was quick. Yakko had been part of the resistance. He knew how to dodge worse things than drones.

And, as Dot watched and laughed, Yakko smashed three of the drones with his baseball bat, spinning just out of their reach.

“Cool!” Wakko cried. He jumped up and ran to Yakko with a bat of his own. Brain cried out in frustration, chasing them around the room, shouting obscenities at them.

A little hand tugged on Dot’s skirt. She looked down and found Pinky smiling earnestly up at her.

“Hiya!” he said brightly. “I’m sorry, but King Saladbar really really wants to talk to you and your brothers. Will you come with us?”

Dot stared at him in bewilderment. Pinky kept smiling at her.

Wow, Dot thought. Dumber than advertised.

But that could work for her.

“Aw, why didn’t you just say that in the first place, silly?” she cooed, patting the mouse on the head. “Of course, I’d love to go with you to meet the King! How thoughtful of you!”

Pinky cooed at her. Success, Dot thought as she stood up. She had him wrapped around her little finger.

“Would you get my coat for me?” Dot asked, batting her eyelashes and making sure to lisp, just a little bit.

Pinky nodded happily.

Dot pointed to the crates in the corner. Wakko asked a drone into the wall.

“It’s just in that crate,” Dot said.

“I’ll get it!” Pinky said. He went to the crates, Dot at his heels. Brain was still shouting at her brothers.

Pinky climbed into one of the crates, landing among some cans of tomatoes and string beans. “I don’t see it,” he said, diving among the cans.

“Oh, it’s in there,” Dot said. “Just keep looking.”

She closed the crate. She could hear Pinky still rattling around and humming inside.

Jeez, if these were Salazar’s bounty hunters then they’d have the throne back in no time.

“Boys!” Dot called, grabbing their packs off the floor. There was only one more drone left. “Let’s go!”

It happened so fast that Dot was sure she’d have missed it if she blinked. The last drone went rushing at Wakko and Yakko jumped in front of their brother. His medallion was glowing steadily now, brighter and brighter, like the sun.

There was a blinding flash of light and Yakko’s medallion was gone.

In his hands was a glowing sword.

For a moment, Yakko didn’t even seem to realise. He just swung at the drone and it was cut neatly in half. Its two pieces fell to the floor, still giving off sparks. The glowing golden sword shimmered and sparkled, leaving a trail of light when Yakko swung it.

Yakko aimed the sword at Brain and finally seemed to realise he wasn’t holding a baseball bat anymore.

“Oh wow,” Yakko whispered. Wakko only gaped in silence. Even Brain seemed stunned.

“I can’t find your coat, Princess!” came Pinky’s muffled voice from the crate. Brain turned to the crate with a confused, frustrated scowl.

“Pinky?” he snapped. “What on earth are you doing in there?”

“Looking for Princess Angelina’s coat!”

“Charming as this is,” Yakko said, still holding the sword in a death grip. “We gotta go. It wasn’t nice meeting you.”

He grabbed Wakko and Wakko grabbed Dot. Together, they ran out of the base with all the toon-speed they could muster. All the while, Yakko held his glowing sword.

“How did you do that?” Dot demanded as they ran.

Yakko shook his head, looking just as lost as Dot and Wakko.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. He managed to grin at them. “Pretty cool though, huh?”

“Super cool,” Wakko agreed. “I want one.”

“I think you’ve got a war hammer, baby bro.”

This only seemed to excite Wakko more, if his satisfied grin was anything to go by.

“So then I must have arrows,” Dot said.

“Must have,” Yakko said. “But let’s just make sure we’re away from Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee before we talk about it.”

After that, they ran in silence.

Dot could admit she was disappointed when Yakko’s sword disappeared, turning back into his medallion.

Up in the mountains, Pip the Oracle watched from his crystal ball as the Warners ran. So, Yakko had summoned his sword. Wakko had come very close to summoning his war hammer.

Good. It was a good starting point.

He’d have to make sure to have a proper training lesson prepared for them when they arrived. Every teacher needed a plan, a curriculum. 

He left his study and walked along his home, glancing to the tunnels that shimmered with magic. The ones that led elsewhere.

Pip did not smile often, but he did now.

He had the perfect idea to teach them.

Chapter Text

“The children grow, learn what’s right: leaders of the freedom fight.” - Sonic Underground, Theme Song

It was a long, long climb. But by the next day, they were where they needed to be. At least, according to their map they were. It was hard to tell what exactly they were looking for. The higher they got, the more snow there was. At first there were just some patches on the ground but eventually, as the moon rose, the snow began in earnest.

Yakko had never been up so high before.

He turned around, looking back the way they came. Acme Falls was long out of sight, ever since yesterday in fact. There was just an endless drop, forest all around and the stars overhead, visible through patches in the clouds.

He began to see why Pip was called the Oracle of The Stars: even now, with so many clouds in the way, the stars shone brightly. They seemed so big, so shiny and so close that Yakko imagined reaching up and plucking one out of the night sky.

Hey, he was a toon: stranger things had happened.

“Where to now?” Dot asked, shivering.

Yakko peered through the snow and squinted at their map. Pip’s fortress should be straight ahead, but he just saw a bunch of rocks, trees and more sheer cliffs and steep climbs.

“Uuuuhhhh…”

“Are we lost?” Wakko asked worriedly.

“Nah,” Yakko said, trying to sound breezy. “We just gotta-”

There was a sudden bright flash, as bright as starlight, amd the Warners screamed. Yakko immediately pushed his siblings behind him and they clung to his arms. His medallion turned hot against his chest, shimmering.

The light receded and…

“PIP!?”

Pip smacked his lips, blinking at them sleepily. “Oh, hello, Warners,” he said. That dull monotone already grated on Yakko’s ears. “How kind of you to come. It’s always polite to accept an invitation, don’t you think? And you have done remarkably well so far, please accept my congratulations.”

From anyone else, it would have sounded sweet. But from Pip? It bordered on sarcastic. 

Wakko groaned quietly in annoyance, resting his forehead on Yakko’s shoulder. Dot hissed and tugged on her ears, fangs on show.

Yakko felt…Oddly calm. He’d thought he’d want to yell at Pip, to smash him with a mallet. But as he watched Pip drone on about what a delight it was to see them, and how he was at their service he felt surprisingly okay. Tired, mostly. Like he needed a nap.

“And please do accept my condolences for your losses.”

Nope, there was the anger.

Just like that, Yakko was furious again. Seething, he marched right over to Pip and grabbed the stupid Oracle by the neck of his stupid robes.

“I don’t,” he snarled. “I don’t accept any apology or condolence from you. You’re an Oracle and I’m supposed to believe you couldn’t help!? Get real, buddy! No, scratch that, you’re not our buddy!”

“My mother’s being held prisoner!” Dot suddenly screamed, tears in her eyes. Oh, oh, Yakko couldn’t stand it. No one made his little sister cry.

“My Da-” Wakko couldn’t even finish. Tears started to stream down his round cheeks and Dot pulled him into a tight hug.

Yakko felt frozen. Magma in his veins, fury in his chest, ice in his bones, all in one big confusing soup. Did he want to punch Pip or run back to his siblings?

“Why are we even here?” Yakko demanded. His voice got quiet and commanding.

He sounded like Uncle Arlo.

If Pip was affected by their anger, by their tears, he didn’t show it. He just gave Yakko that blank look, like he thought it should have been obvious.

“To learn,” he said simply. “To train.” He gestured to their medallions. He looked at Wakko and Dot, and his expression seemed to soften. Still held in place by Yakko, he clapped his hands and a swirling light appeared behind him. Through the light, Yakko could see a big, brightly decorated living room, with a fire blazing in the grate.

“Please,” Pip said, gesturing to the light- to the portal. “After you, Your Highnesses.”

“You’re so brave. The bravest little guy I know.” Someone poked him on the nose. “But don’t tell Wakko I said that.”

He stepped towards the silver light, hand in hand with…With…

With Delphi and Felix. With Mom and Dad.

Behind him, a woman called out; “I love you, Yakko!”

He turned back to the two blurry figures. It was a game, it was hide-and-seek, and they had to hide from Salazar before they could go home.

“Love you, Mama, Dada!”

And then they stepped through the light, away from the mountains, away from…

Away from Angelina and William.

Away from Wakko and Dot.

Away from Crown Prince Yakkory “Yakko” Warner, to become Yakko Merrie.

Slowly, Yakko came back to the present. He let go of Pip, staring at the portal. Wakko and Dot had him by the arms again, holding on tight, looking at him with concern.

“That’s how we got away last time,” Yakko said, nodding at the portal. “Isn’t it?”

“It is,” Pip said.

Yakko sighed and took his siblings’ hands. This time, they were going through together.

“Right then,” he said. “Come on, sibs. Let’s get out of this snow.”

They stepped through the portal with Pip just behind them. They emerged into the living room and, with another clap of Pip’s hands, the portal vanished.

“Welcome to my home,” Pip said. He sounded a little proud. “I hope you will enjoy your stay.”

“Don’t count on it,” Dot muttered, turning away from him.

Yakko wondered if Pip understood or even cared why they were upset. Why they were angry. Why the three of them were crushed. 

He doubted it. He simply wasn’t in the mood to try and understand Pip’s view of the world. No doubt it was incredibly dull. Surely it took a special talent to make being a powerful Oracle look boring.

“You need rest,” Pip said. “Follow me, please, Your Highnesses.” He walked off without waiting for them to follow.

Growling, Yakko went after him, still hand in hand with his siblings.

Unknowingly, they were retracing their parents’ steps.

Pip’s fortress was cavernous. Magic, no doubt. The entrance hall was simply gigantic, unreasonably big. Yakko looked up at the glass ceiling, smiling despite himself at the sight of the stars. Each room they passed had a fire going, keeping everything warm. Thick rugs lay on the stone ground in a multitude of colours. (Yakko could admit he’d expected everything to be grey.) Through an open door, they glimpsed they very same room Angeline had once seen: a room with a cauldron, glass balls and crystals. A magical study if Yakko had ever seen one. 

One corridor had nothing but long, dark tunnels instead of doors.

Pip slowed down as they passed them, but looked back at them and said, “Don’t wander into those, please, children. Not yet. They lead elsewhere.”

“Elsewhere?” Wakko repeated, shivering. Yakko held back a shiver of his own. There was something weird about how Pip said elsewhere.

“What do you mean yet?” Dot demanded.

Pip didn’t answer. Of course not. Who ever heard of answering their questions, right? Maybe he really was their Dumbledore. Yakko would be sure to let Wakko know he was right.

Pip led them up a spiral staircase with coloured glass in the railings. He led them down another corridor, painted sky blue and patterned with stars and crescent moons. Finally, he opened a pair of silver double-doors.

It was a bedroom. Big, pretty and very warm with three massive beds in a line. The beds had their names engraved on the headboards. There were bookcases all along one wall and toys, arts and crafts tools scattered everywhere. Some of the window panes were coloured glass, depicting stars, sunrises, rivers and meadows.

All in all, it was lovely.

Yakko still felt tense all the same. Wakko, bless him, immediately flopped onto his bed, curled up small and promptly passed out, snoring.

Dot sighed in relief and sat down by the fire. Her feet didn’t even brush the ground.

Pip rested a hand on Yakko’s back and Yakko startled, nearly jumping into the air.

For once (and this was a major surprise) Pip looked openly sympathetic.

“I am sorry for your losses,” he said quietly. “All of them, that is, not just your recent ones. But those ones too, of course. In fact, I-”

“Pip,” Yakko sighed.

“I am impressed by your bravery,” Pip continued, as if Yakko hadn’t interrupted. “And I’m sure I will continue to be impressed. Soon, all of Warnerstock will be in awe of you three and your strength.”

“That a prophecy?” Yakko asked tiredly.

“Partly,” Pip admitted. “But the rest is simple intuition. You have intuition too, Your Highness.” He glanced at Wakko, snoring away, and at Dot who looked ready to pass out too. “Please get some sleep, you need it. Not just for training, but in general. After all, it’s important to get at least eight hours of sleep a night. Personally, I’m a deep sleeper, I sleep very well and often uninterrupted. Most of my dreams are-”

“I get the picture,” Yakko interrupted. He went to Dot and carried her to her bed.

Pip nodded and bowed. “Well, anyway, have a good night’s sleep, Your Highnesses.”

“Quit calling us that,” Yakko reminded him.

“Very well,” Pip said. “But as I said before, no matter what I call you, it will not change who you are.” For a moment, his eyes seemed to shine silver. Then he gave them that sleepy look again and left.

“He’s a walking migraine,” Dot grumbled.

Yakko flopped onto his own bed, limbs akimbo. “Tell me about it, sis.”