Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a picturesque day at the park near Warner Bros. Studio. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and every leaf and blade of grass was an emerald green. A more perfect day could not have been asked for as the Warner siblings began exploring their surroundings.

"Well, sibs," Yakko said, looking down at his younger brother and sister, "this is a historic moment for us."

Dot raised an eyebrow at her eldest brother, a skeptical frown adorning her lips. "Really? This is historic: the three of us wandering around, playing in the park, and checking out the local shops until Bugs' meeting is over with? Sounds kinda boring, if you ask me."

"She has a point, Yakko," Wakko said, fiddling lightly with the strap of his red backpack.

"Oh, c'mon, guys." Yakko encouraged. "I know it doesn't seem like much, but I have a feeling that today's romp will be one that we'll never forget. Think about it: for most of the day, it's just us three. Three innocent toons roaming the land, seeking adventure and fun. Kinda like the Three Musketeers, you know—all for one, times three!"

Dot snorted as she listened to her brother's words, though she couldn't help but smile. "I'm not sure about the 'innocent' part, but the rest of it sounds like fun to me."

"Me too." Wakko nodded his head in agreement.

Yakko smiled at his siblings before leading them in a random direction. "Then, onward, sibs! To new adventures!"

However, after several minutes of walking, boredom began to sink in as the kids found themselves wandering into a section of the park that was bare save for the concrete path they were on and a few oak and birch trees that littered the area. Dot, feeling irritated, looked up at her eldest brother and muttered sarcastically, "Some adventure, eh, Yakko?"

Yakko frowned at her tone. "Well, how was I supposed to know that this part of the park would be empty?"

Wakko scratched his cap-covered head as he looked around. "Think we should try a different spot?"

"Maybe," Yakko admitted, looking around the area. "Still, I had hoped we would run into some people or toons by now. Maybe even make new friends today, like Bugs suggested."

"Well," Dot said, stretching the word a bit as she looked around the area. "We obviously won't be able to make any friends out here. This place is more lifeless than a graveyard."

"Yeah," Wakko agreed; it was then that both of his siblings noticed that Wakko held a rock in one hand and a salt shaker in the other. Realization struck them as Wakko shook a generous amount of salt onto the rock before opening his mouth and swallowing it whole. Apparently, despite eating breakfast twenty minutes ago, the middle Warner sibling was still hungry. Licking the salt off his fingertips in satisfaction, Wakko looked towards his older brother, "Let's go somewhere else, Yakko."

Yakko smiled and shook his head side-to-side at his sibling's antics before checking their surroundings. "Alright, fair enough, sibs. Now, the question is: where do we go from here?"

Before they could decide where they should go next, a small object seemingly fell from the sky and lightly smacked Wakko directly on the head. "Ouch!" he exclaimed as he fell backward onto the concrete pathways.

"Wakko!" Dot shouted with concern. She and Yakko rushed to his side instantly, checking to see if he was alright.

To their relief, Wakko, although stunned, appeared to have no visible injuries or abrasions. Looking at his two siblings, the middle Warner child said, "I'm alright, guys."

"You sure?" Yakko asked, scrutinizing his younger brother.

"Positive," Wakko assured, and he quickly stood back up and spun around in front of his siblings to show them he was okay. "See. But what in the world hit me?"

"This," Dot stated, having picked up the object and held it up for her brothers to see. It was a soccer ball. Looking at her brothers, she asked the obvious question, "Now, where did this thing come from?"

Suddenly, the three Warners heard a voice shout, "There you are!" Looking in the voice's direction, the three siblings spotted a young toon running towards them. The young toon resembled an anthropomorphic male tree squirrel who appeared to be quite young, judging by his voice and bright reddish-brown fur. The young squirrel looked at the three Warners with a bright smile as he approached them. "Excuse me, but that's my soccer ball. Can I please have it back?"

Looking at the young toon who stood just a little bit taller than Dot, Yakko raised an eyebrow before asking, "Well, my young squirrel, that all depends—can you prove that this is your soccer ball?"

"Sure, I can," the squirrel said, pointing at the round object in Dot's hands. "I made certain to put my name on it."

Turning the ball in her hands, the female Warner soon found an area on the ball's surface that was covered with transparent tape; underneath the transparent adhesive, Dot saw the words "Property of Skippy Squirrel" written in black marker, along with what she assumed to be the squirrel's phone number. "Skippy, huh?" Dot muttered.

"That's me," The toon squirrel confirmed with a smile.

As his sister handed the ball back to its owner, Yakko decided to introduce themselves. "Well, Skippy, my name's Yakko, and these are my younger siblings, Wakko and Dot."

Wakko waved at Skippy, giving him a friendly smile with his tongue sticking out. "Hello, Skippy."

"Hi." Dot greeted with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, guys," Skippy said, holding his soccer ball underneath his right arm. He then looked at the three with an inquisitive look. "I've never seen you around before. Are you new here?"

"Uh…sort of," Dot said, wincing slightly at how that sounded.

Thankfully, Yakko came to her rescue. "We've actually lived in the area for a while but never really had the chance to explore and take in the sights. However, our toon tutor gave us permission to go out and explore while he was busy."

This bit of information caught Skippy's attention. "Really? Who's your tutor?"

Yakko was about to respond but hesitated for a second. How would Skippy react if they told him that Bugs Bunny was their toon tutor? Would he act like some fans he and his siblings would see that would chase Bugs Bunny, hounding him for autographs or photos with him? Or would he be jealous that they work and live with arguably one of the most famous toons in history?

After thinking about it momentarily, the eldest Warner decided to be cautious. "Eh, no one major," he said, sending his siblings a subtle wink that went unnoticed by Skippy. "But the studio he works at is—Warner Brothers Studios."

Skippy's black eyes lit up upon hearing this bit of information. "Did you say Warner Brothers?! No way! My aunt used to work there."

This caught the siblings' attention. "Really? Who's your aunt?" Dot asked.

"Only the best toon to have ever worked at Warner Brothers." Skippy proclaimed proudly.

Wakko looked confused by the young squirrel's words. "You mean Bugs?" he innocently asked; immediately, he cringed when his siblings shot him short glares, silently telling him to be quiet about Bugs.

Thankfully, Skippy didn't seem to notice any of this. "No, even better than Bugs Bunny!"

Dot rolled her eyes at Skippy's words. "I'm not sure about that."

"No, really, she is. My aunt is probably one of the best toons—if not the best—that ever worked at Warner Bros." As he said this, an idea flashed through the young squirrel's mind. "Say, how about you come and meet her? Then, you can see for yourselves."

"Now, just a minute," Yakko said, looking at Skippy, "You want us, a couple of strange toons, who you've only just met a minute ago, to follow you home and introduce us to your aunt? Just like that?"

"Yep." Skippy nodded in affirmation.

The three siblings looked at the toon squirrel before looking at each other. Before they left, Bugs gave them a small lecture about talking with strangers, especially those who tried to invite them to their house or car. While the kids were confident they could handle anyone who wanted to mess with them, the rabbit's warning words were blaring in their heads, telling them to be cautious.

That said…

"You know what, sure." Yakko agreed, grinning at the stunned looks of his siblings.

"Great!" Skippy said, and soon the small group of toons began making their way towards Skippy's home.

As they walked, Dot and Wakko hung back to privately converse with their eldest brother. "Okay, Yakko—start talking." Dot demanded.

"Yeah. Why are we doing this?" Wakko asked. "After all, we only just met Skippy, and now we're going to see his aunt."

"Hey, you guys said you wanted adventure," Yakko smirked. "And what's more adventurous than meeting a new friend and then, possibly, meeting a toon who is supposedly better than Bugs?" Seeing the looks on his siblings' faces, he added, "Trust me, guys: I have a good feeling about this."

Wakko shrugged, trusting his older sibling knew what he was doing, while Dot looked unsure.

A few minutes later, the group approached a tall, lone oak tree that stood off the side of one of the park's concrete pathways. As they walked, the Warners noticed that several windows and a door with a red awning stuck out of the tree, and situated a couple paces from the door was a bright blue mailbox.

Wakko asked the obvious question: "You and your aunt live in a tree?"

"Yep," Skippy nodded, looking back towards his new friends.

Upon hearing the toon squirrel's words, Dot shook her head and snorted. "Should've seen that coming."

Skippy blushed at the female Warner's words. "I'll admit, it is a little cliché—"

"You think?" Dot smirked.

"Now, now, sister sib," Yakko gently scolded, with a look of disapproval. "Let's not make fun of our new friend's home. Besides, it's not like we're ones to talk—after all, we currently live in a burrow with our tutor."

Dot crossed her arms. "At least it's better than a water tower."

Wakko nodded his head. "She's not wrong, bro."

Skippy looked at the Warners with confusion and concern. "Water tower?" he asked.

The three siblings cringed at the toon's question before shooting him with some half-hearted smiles. "It's nothing, Skippy," Yakko tried to assure the young squirrel. "Just…forget we said anything."

Skippy blinked owlishly at the three's behavior. While he was curious about the three and wanted to know more about them, he had just met them. They were entitled to keep secrets, and his aunt taught him to always respect other people's privacy.

That said, seeing the nervous looks on the three black-and-white toons, Skippy wondered if they were in some kind of trouble and if he or his aunt might be able to help them. "Well, if you guys are sure…" he let that sentence hang for a second, waiting to see if they might react. When they didn't, Skippy shrugged nonchalantly. "Okay, then. Well, c'mon, I'll introduce you to my aunt."

The Warner siblings quietly followed the young toon as he marched forward and opened the door. After stepping inside, the siblings looked around as Skippy closed the door behind them. The front door led them into the living room, which contained several pieces of furniture, including a couch, a couple of side tables, an old-fashioned television set, and a tall, red armchair, which was the vocal point of the room. There was also a fireplace to their left and a flight of floating stairs resembling half-cut logs that ascended to what the siblings assumed was the second floor. As they looked across the living room, they spotted another room that looked to be a combination kitchen and dining room, complete with a small dining table.

As he looked around the house, Yakko gave a small, barely audible whistle. "Man, this is a nice place you got here, Skippy."

"Thanks," Skippy said, setting his soccer ball down next to the front door. He then looked around before shouting, "Aunt Slappy! I'm home, and I brought some company!"

Suddenly, the four children heard a loud crash followed by an elderly female voice shouting, "Ah, butternuts!" from behind a small closet door underneath the staircase. Curious, the young toons waited and watched as the door suddenly slammed open. A toon resembling an elderly, grey-furred tree squirrel walked out carrying a busted television monitor in her hands. As she unceremoniously dumped the monitor on the floor, she took a moment to push her green hat, decorated with a drooping yellow flower on top, revealing sharp blue eyes.

As the Warners looked at the scene with confusion, Skippy walked up to his aunt and asked, "Gee, Aunt Slappy, what happened?"

Slappy huffed as she looked at the busted monitor on the ground. "Ah, was just trying to replace our TV monitor," she explained, her voice laced with a strong New York accent. "The old one's busted, so I went to the closet to grab the spare. However, I didn't hear you come in, and I dropped the spare when you yammered. Thing shattered on impact—piece of junk!" She emphasized her words by lightly kicking the spare with her right foot.

Skippy, however, was confused. "How'd the old monitor get busted?"

"It was having a bad day."

Yakko, who, along with his siblings, had kept quitting during the exchange, took a moment to examine the TV in front of the armchair. The glass was shattered, and various components could be seen; however, a quick look revealed how the TV got busted. "I'll say." Yakko whistled. "I'd be having a bad day, too, if I had a can of juice smashed into me!"

Slappy jumped when she heard his voice. Whirling around, she was surprised to find three unfamiliar toons in her home. "Who the heck are you three, and what are you doing here?!"

"These are my new friends, Aunt Slappy: meet Yakko, Wakko, and Dot." Skippy said, pointing at each sibling as he introduced them to his relative. "I met them while I was playing soccer outside."

Dot snorted at the young squirrel's introduction. "That's one way to put it, I guess."

"Be nice, sis," Yakko chided his sister gently before turning his attention towards Slappy and giving her a pleasant smile. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Squirrel."

Slappy, however, huffed before putting her hands on her hips. "Okay, first off, it's 'Slappy,' not 'Ms. Squirrel'. And second, you still haven't told me what you three are doin' here?"

"Skippy said that you used to work at Warner Brothers," Wakko innocently stated.

"Oh, he did, did he?" she asked, shooting a look at her young nephew, who suddenly looked sheepish. Sighing, she then turned towards the three. "Well, look, I can't help you three get into showbiz or get you Bugs Bunny's autograph or something like that. So, how's about you three just run along and go away!"

The Warners were somewhat taken aback by the Squirrel's cranky attitude. Was she always like this, or was this because of her TV monitor? Standing somewhat protectively in front of his siblings, Yakko attempted to talk calmly to the elderly toon. "Oh, we're not here for any of that, uh, Slappy. You see, Skippy said that you were, and I quote, 'the best toon that ever worked at Warner Bros.,' and he wanted us to meet you. I'd be lying if I said we weren't curious to see if that was true."

"Yeah, I'll bet," Slappy shook her head. "But what he probably didn't tell you is that I'm retired. Done! Finished! Finito! The great 'Slappy, The Slappy-Happy Squirrel' is officially out of the toon industry, and she ain't interested in showing off for a couple of kids like a clown at a birthday party! So, sorry, but you came all the way here for nothing."

Dot frowned, feeling irritated with Slappy's behavior. "Gee, sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." She snarked, shooting the elderly squirrel a sharp look.

Slappy, however, was unamused by Dot's words. Returning her own look, she suddenly brings her hands up to her chest as if she had been shot in the chest. "Ouch, now that's painful! Somebody shoot me! No, seriously, put me outta my misery!" she yelled melodramatically before dropping her arms. "Like I haven't heard that one before. If you kids are going to get anywhere in this business, you'll have to do much better than a couple of snappy remarks, Dottie."

The male Warners gasped, looking at each other with fright before focusing on their sister. Dot's face was visibly red, with steam coming from her ears like a tea kettle. Skippy, wide-eyed and sensing that his aunt may have overstepped, attempted to get in between the two, but Yakko and Wakko pulled him away. "Sorry, Skip, but trust us, you don't want to be caught in the crossfire!" Yakko stated.

Wakko nodded his head fearfully. "Whenever Dot gets like this, it's best not to get in her way."

With deep, haggard breaths, the female Warner stomped towards Slappy, who remained unintimidated by the girl's rage. When less than a foot in front of her, Dot stopped and glared at the elderly squirrel. "Don't ever call me that! I don't care who you are or how old you are, but don't you ever call me by that name again, or else!"

"Really?" Slappy asked, barely raising an eyebrow at Dot's words. "So, you're saying that if I called you by that particular name, I'll get hurt or possibly even die, presumably by your hands? Kid, I'll have you know that I have faced the likes of cartoon villains such as Walter Wolf, Sid the Squid, and Beanie the Brain-Dead Bison—all of them have tried to whack me, and all of them have failed. So, if those guys couldn't kill me, then I very much doubt that you'll have any better luck…Dottie."

Yakko and Wakko gasped while Skippy's eyes widened. As for Dot…

For a moment, it seemed as if Dot would explode; her teeth were barred, her face red, and steam coming out of her ears. However, a few seconds later, she took a deep breath and sighed, seemingly calming down.

Slappy blinked at the young girl before her eyes widened at the evil smile she got. "You asked for it!" Dot said, reaching into her hammerspace and pulling out a stick of dynamite with a burning wick before shoving the item into Slappy's hands!

While everyone else was shocked, Slappy paused a moment to look at the explosive device in her hand. Yet, her reaction was not what they expected.

"Cute, kid. I give you an 'A' for effort, at least." she said before licking the tips of her right fingers and dousing the burning fuse nonchalantly. Looking at Dot, Slappy continued, "Not bad for an untrained toon, but you'll have to do better than that to catch me off guard."

To Slappy's surprise, Dot still had an evil smile. "Oh, I know. But whoever said I was untrained."

Upon hearing her words, Slappy's eyes shot up, and she quickly turned the stick over and saw another lit fuse attached to the bomb!

Looking at Dot, who had retreated to where Skippy and her brothers were, Slappy had just barely enough time to say, "Oh, you little—" before the bomb exploded, creating a giant cloud of white smoke. A few seconds later, the kids, who had closed their eyes and covered their ears during the blast, cautiously looked around.

Skippy was the first to spot his aunt slumped against the wall, her body covered in black soot. With a gasp, he instantly ran up to her. "Aunt Slappy! Are you okay?!"

For a few seconds, the elderly toon was silent before a small groan escaped her lips. As she slowly regained consciousness, she blinked her eyes several times before looking up at her nephew. "I-I'm alright, Skippy." Slappy coughed out. As she slowly began to pick herself off the ground, she said, "Just…give me a minute."

While she was dusting herself off, the Warners walked up to them. Dot, who had noticed Skippy's worried expression, began to feel bad. While she wanted to teach the old squirrel a lesson, she didn't want to upset her newest friend. She gasped as a thought crossed her mind: would Skippy not wish to be friends with them anymore?!

However, before she or her brothers could apologize for her actions, Slappy did something that none of the kids expected: as she brushed the soot off her fur, she slowly began to laugh. The children watched as the old toon laughed so hard she clutched her sides. Before they could say or do anything, Slappy looked at the kids and, for the first time, gave them a smile. "Now that's what I call comedy!"

"Uh…Aunt Slappy? Are you okay?"

"Okay?" The toon squirrel looked at her nephew incredulously. "I just got my fur singed with a bit of karma that took almost forty years in the making. I'm better than okay, Skippy!"

All four kids were confused by this remark, with Wakko asking, "Forty years of karma?"

"I'll explain in a second, though I must say that I'm a little mad at you, Skippy."

Skippy was stunned by his aunt's words. "Me, Aunt Slappy? Why?"

Slappy smirked as she looked towards the Warners. "Because you didn't tell me your new friends were training under Bugs Bunny."

Upon hearing her words, Skippy's eyes widened, and he turned his head towards his new friends. Did he hear right? Bugs Bunny was Yakko, Wakko, and Dot's toon tutor?! Judging from the stunned expressions on their faces, he must have. The mascot of Warner Brothers Studios was tutoring his new friends! He almost couldn't believe it.

Meanwhile, the Warner siblings were shocked by the squirrel's words. How did the elderly toon find out? After a short moment of stunned silence, Yakko looked at Slappy. "How…?"

The elderly squirrel smiled at the question. "It was simple, really." She turned her attention to Dot, who froze under her gaze. "That trick with the dynamite your sister used: that carrot-eating rabbit used the same bit when he filmed a short with the coyote back in the early 50s. Well, did he ever tell you who actually invented that little gag and taught him how to properly use it?"

Once again, the kids were surprised by the news. "You're kidding?!" Dot asked in disbelief.

"Cross my heart and hope to tell the truth. Back in my Looney Tune days, some of the other cast members would sometimes ask me for help or advice whenever they planned on doing a gag that needed an 'explosive' touch, if you know what I mean." The elderly toon snickered as memories from her time at the studio passed through her mind. "In this case, ol' Bugsy needed to create a stick of dynamite with two burning wicks from his hammerspace, but he had trouble with the second wick—the thing either came out unlit or instead of a wick there was a hole where the powder would escape from."

"And that's when you helped him, right, Aunt Slappy?" Skippy eagerly inquired; he had never heard this story before and, like his friends, wanted to know more.

"Yup. Showed him how to overcome that little problem, among other things—much to ol' Wile's dismay. Mr. 'Super Genius' said that one day either he or someone else would get back at me for helping Bugsy do those explosive gags." Slappy then looked at Dot, who looked nervous, before flashing the girl a small wink. "And what do you know: almost forty years later, someone finally did get back at me. Though, I gotta admit, I never imagined that it would be one of Bugsy's apprentices." she shrugged her shoulders and chuckled. "What goes around comes around, I suppose."

The kids were floored by this information, especially the Warners. Not only were they in the presence of a former member of the Looney Tunes gang, but the toon in front of them was essentially one of Bugs' old teachers during his career! It was hard to imagine, but the proof stood before them, living and breathing.

Though they process all of this information, one question filtered through their minds…

"Wait, you call Bugs 'Bugsy?'" Yakko asked.

Slappy snorted and shook her head. "Yeah. But that's a story for another time. Right now, though, I've some questions I'd like answered, starting with how you three became ol' long ears' apprentices? Last I heard, Bugsy was only working with some young toon bunny, not three… whatever you are?" Slappy squinted her eyes at the three black-and-white furred toon kids, noticing that they almost resembled dogs or cats, yet something in her mind told her that they weren't either. "What are you anyway?"

As if on cue, both Yakko and Wakko looked at the two squirrel toons and said in unison, "We're the Warner brothers."

"And the Warner sister." Dot added cutely.

Both toon squirrel's eyes widened upon hearing those words. "Did you say Warner?!" Slappy asked in disbelief.

"Yeah…it's kinda a long story." Yakko sheepishly admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

As he stared at his friends, a memory from earlier flashed through Skippy's mind. "Does this have anything to do with that 'water tower' comment you guys said earlier?" he asked.

The three siblings cringed at the question, which Slappy immediately noticed. "Water tower?" Eyes narrowed, she crossed her arms and looked at the three Warners, who grew increasingly worried.

"It's nothing you guys need to worry about." Dot quickly tried to assure them.

Slappy, however, was unconvinced. "If it was nothing, then you wouldn't be shaking like Sammy-Boy whenever Bugsy tricks him into a room full of gunpowder with a lit match." She stated firmly.

"You mean Yosemite Sam?" Wakko asked, trying to change the subject.

Unfortunately for them, Slappy would not be deterred. "Don't change the subject, kid. Now, spill it: what does a water tower have to do with Bugsy becoming your toon tutor?"

Realizing that Slappy would not let up and seeing Skippy looking at them with sad eyes, the three siblings sighed before reluctantly telling the two about their origins. When they revealed how they were imprisoned for almost sixty years in the studio's water tower before being rescued by Bugs, Skippy was shocked. He couldn't believe someone would be so cruel as to imprison the Warners for just being themselves!

As for Slappy, her expression was thunderous, especially when the kids revealed that it was Plotz and most of the cash-hungry executives who had them imprisoned in the water tower back in the 1930s. She dealt with Plotz multiple times when she used to work for the studio; the old toon would usually complain about how she would blow the budget whenever she worked on one of her cartoons. She knew how frustrating he could be, but hearing that the toon CEO was willing to imprison toon kids…

"I'm going to kill them." Slappy growled after the kids finished their story. The four kids watched as she rounded about to her closet and began rummaging around until she pulled out several different types of explosives, including sticks of dynamite and cartoon bombs. "I'll make those cash-hungry cows and that little dwarf pay dearly this time around. When I'm through, Mr. CEO will wish that his creator had squashed and thrown away his original concept before he was finalized!"

Before the Warners could stop her, Skippy had moved in front of his aunt and stopped her. "No, Aunt Slappy!"

"Don't try to stop me, Skippy."

"I said, 'No!'" Skippy then grabbed the explosives from his aunt's hands and put them back in the closet. Before the Warners could relax, though, they were shocked when Skippy pulled out two small rockets that resembled nuclear missiles! "These would be much better against those creeps."

Slappy nodded her head in approval. "Yer right, Skippy. What was I thinking?" She then turned her attention towards the Warner siblings. "A'right, you kids stay here whilst me and Skippy go to the lot and give those greedy schmucks a lesson they won't soon forget."

The two squirrels barely walked three feet before the three kids jumped in front of the door, blocking their exit and yelling, "Stop!" The two were stunned when they saw the worried looks on the kids' faces.

"Look, it's not that we don't appreciate you guys going out of your way to teach Plotz-y a lesson on our behalf—" Yakko said.

"If anything, we'd like to join you," Dot added.

"But, if we did anything, not only would we get in trouble, but so would Bugs." Wakko stated.

Slappy resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the middle Warner's words and tell them not to worry. It wasn't like Bugsy hadn't been on shaky terms with Plotz before. Heck, she could recall dozens of times when it seemed that the rabbit was in hot water—literally and figuratively—with the head of the studio because of some kind of argument.

Noticing the elder's body language, Dot made one last plea to the toon squirrel. "Please, Slappy, if anything were to happen, and Plotz finds out, then there's no telling what he'll do. He...he might even try and take us away from Bugs!" She said, her voice hiccupping slightly at the terrifying thought.

Had her heart been stone, the old squirrel was sure that it would've cracked upon seeing the fear and worry on the kids' faces. They were honestly scared and worried about being taken from Bugsy. It was something that struck her...

Especially since she experienced a similar type of fear almost thirty years ago when she retired.

With a reluctant sigh, the old squirrel nodded her head before turning towards her nephew and gently pulling the explosives out of his hands. The young squirrel was, understandably, surprised by her actions, especially when she put the items back in the closet. "Aunt Slappy?"

"Much as I hate to admit it, Skippy, the kids make a good point," she said, turning towards him. "Knowing Plotz, if he even suspected something, he'll do everything in his power to get rid of the kids, regardless of what Bugsy might say or do."

"But we can't let him or those executives get away with this!" Skippy protested.

"Unfortunately, Skip," Yakko said, getting the two toon squirrels' attention. "Plotz-y has us over a barrel right now, especially after an incident with Taz a couple of weeks ago—and that wasn't even our fault. If we tried anything on purpose, and he found out…well, he'll bring the hammer down on all of us."

Hearing this, Skippy sighed in frustration. He knew his friends and his aunt were right, but he was upset that they couldn't do anything about Plotz without causing trouble for his new friends and possibly his aunt. It would've been easy to, he thought. Just sneak in and maybe rig his desk with some dynamite like Aunt Slappy did with Doug the Dog in her old cartoons, except no xylophone.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by Dot, who looked at him with a small smile. "Still, we appreciate you wanting to go out of your way to help us—especially since we just met you."

Wakko nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, thanks. You guys are real pals."

Skippy beamed with appreciation while his aunt huffed and turned away, though the Warner siblings saw the barest form of a smile on her lips.

As they mentally chuckled at the elder squirrel's attempts to hide her appreciation, the kids and the two squirrels jumped when the relative silence of the house was disturbed by the alarm of a cuckoo clock going off. Looking at the timepiece, the Warner siblings' eyes widened when they saw the time. "Ah, man, how time flies," Yakko said before apologizing to their new friends. "Sorry about this, but my sibs and I have to get going. There's still plenty to see before we get back to Bugs."

"Aww, man, do you have to?" Skippy questioned.

"Afraid so, Skippy," Dot replied.

"But, we'll try and come back soon. We'd love to hang out again sometime." Wakko promised.

"So long as it's alright with your Aunt Slappy, of course," Yakko added, looking in Slappy's direction.

The elderly toon shrugged her shoulders. "I ain't got a problem with it. In fact, if you will wait a sec," the elderly squirrel walked over to a small table next to her armchair where her home phone, answering machine, and paper and pencils sat. Using one of the pencils, Slappy quickly wrote something on paper before grabbing it and walking over to the Warner sister. Holding the paper towards her, the elderly toon said, "Here."

Taking the paper from Slappy's hands, Dot scanned the document and found that the squirrel had written down her phone number.

"If you have any questions, need anything, or reconsider getting back at Plotz, give me or Skippy a call, half-pint."

The sudden nickname caught Dot off guard, much to her brothers' amusement. "Half-pint?"

Slappy smirked. "Yeah, 'cause you remind me of a very young version of Bugsy, 'cept you got that 'cute' thing going for ya…and you're almost half his size. Ya gotta problem with that name, kid?"

"Eh…no," Dot said, shooting her brothers a look before turning back towards the older squirrel. "No, I don't have a problem with it."

Slappy nodded her head before making a shooing motion with her arms. "Good. Now get outta here. I still need to fix my set if I'm going to watch TV, and I can't do it with you kids interrupting me all day." She grumbled, walking towards the monitor on the floor before bending down to see what needed to be fixed.

"Aunt Slappy…" Shaking his head at his aunt's antics, Skippy turned to the Warners with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. Aunt Slappy can still be cranky when she wants to be—which is often." he added cheekily.

Not looking up from her work, Slappy shouted over her shoulder, "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that, Skippy."

The Warner siblings shook their heads and chuckled at the two's antics. However, before they made to leave, Yakko suddenly had a thought. Looking down, he cast a devious look at his siblings who were confused for a second before realization struck them, and they began sporting the same look.

Confused by their actions, Skippy was about to ask what they were thinking when Yakko suddenly spoke: "It's alright, Skip. In fact, before we leave, we'd like to give your aunt something to show that we appreciate her after everything today."

Overhearing those words, Slappy glanced over her shoulder and widened her eyes when she saw the kids standing beside each other. "Hey, what are you, kids—"

The Warners ignored her words, instead tapping into their inherit toon abilities, and a cheerful melody filled the house from out of nowhere. As the music started, the kids began to sing:

"The crankiest of creatures in the whole wide world.

Our new friend is none other than Slappy the Squirrel!"

Embarrassed and slightly irritated, Slappy shouted, "A'right, enough with the singin' already!"

However, the kids couldn't resist one final verse, "That's Slappy!" With cheeky waves and quick goodbyes, the Warners ran out the front door before Slappy could stop them.

"Cheeky kids," grumbled Slappy. She had a hunch that the Warners would become a significant part of their lives…and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. As she looked towards Skippy, her eyes narrowed. "What are you smiling 'bout, Skippy?"

"Oh, nothing, Aunt Slappy," Skippy said before making his way to the kitchen to get some food. As he left, his aunt's eyes widened when she heard her young nephew humming the song they had just heard.

With a shake of her head, Slappy sighed. "Can we just end the story and move on to the next piece, please."

Chapter Text

After saying farewell to Skippy and Slappy, the Warner siblings continued their exploration of the park. After several minutes, the trio reached a small crossroad where the concrete pathways split toward multiple areas of the park.

“Well, sibs, we still have plenty of time till Bugs will be done with his meeting, and a lot left to see. So, any thoughts on where to go from here?” Yakko asked, looking at his younger siblings.

Dot hummed, crossing her arms partially while seemingly holding her head in her right hand. “There are so many options to choose from,” she considered. “There’s the playground, the skatepark, the pond, the dog park—”

Suddenly, a loud growl, followed by the ground shaking, interrupted her. The entire area surrounding the Warners shook for several seconds before stopping. With raised eyebrows, both Dot and Yakko turned their heads towards the source of the disturbance.

Wakko, upon seeing his siblings’ looks, blushed before patting his stomach. “Excuse me,” he apologized.

Yakko snorted as Dot shook her head at their brother’s antics. “Maybe we can start by looking for something to eat?” he suggested.

“Good idea,” his younger brother agreed eagerly.

“Hold on. Didn’t Bugs put snacks in our bags?” Dot reminded them, looking at the red backpacks that she and her brothers currently wore. “Grab something from your bag and eat that.”

“Oh, I already ate mine,” Wakko admitted.

Dot sighed while Yakko tried to hide his smile behind his gloved hand. Shaking his head, the oldest Warner shifted his backpack around. “Don’t worry, bro. You can have one of my snacks.” However, when he reached inside his bag, he was surprised when his fingers didn’t touch anything. Looking inside, he was shocked to discover that, save for the money Bugs gave him, his bag was empty. “Huh?”

Wakko chuckled sheepishly, catching the attention of his siblings. “I might’ve...ate both yours and Dot’s snacks when you guys weren’t looking.”

“Wakko!” His siblings shouted in unison.

“Sorry.”

Releasing a frustrated sigh, his sister shook her head. “Guess we’ll have to go somewhere to eat after all.”

“Well...” Yakko looked at a nearby signpost with signs pointing in several different directions. “Looks like there’s a picnic area nearby. Maybe we can get some food there.”

“Worth a try,” Dot agreed.

The three toon kids began walking, following the small concrete path that would lead them towards the picnic area. However, after a minute of walking, much to his younger siblings’ confusion, Yakko suddenly halted in front of them.

“What’s wrong, Yakko?” his sister asked.

“Do you guys hear that?” Yakko stated.

“Hear what?” Wakko inquired.

“I don’t know,” Yakko muttered, surveying the area. When he didn’t see anything immediately, he then raised his attention skyward. “It kinda sounds like…someone screaming…” he started to say, but soon halted as his eyes widened.

Sensing the shift in their brother's demeanor, Dot and Wakko raised their heads upwards, and their eyes also widened.

Hurtling towards them were what appeared to be two white specks, screaming loudly as they descended towards the ground!

Wasting no time, Wakko pulled out his gag bag and plucked a catcher’s mitt from the sack before handing it to his brother. Yakko quickly slipped the leathery appendage on his right hand before running forward, his head held upwards as his eyes tracked the specks' descent. After several seconds, the eldest Warner raised his gloved hand up and managed to catch the screaming specks.

“Nice catch!” Wakko cheered.

“Thanks, Wakko,” Yakko replied before lowering his mitt and opening it.

To the collective shock of the Warners, the two specks were not specks at all but a pair of male toons that resembled white-furred mice.

The first toon stood only a few inches in height and possessed large ears, a red nose, pink skin on his paws, and a crooked tail. However, the most noticeable characteristic about this toon was his head, which was very large and wide.

The other toon possessed similar features to the other except that he was a few inches taller, and had a straight tail, buck teeth, and three tufts of fur atop his head.

Dot was the first to recover. “Oh, look at them, guys,” she gushed. “Aren’t they adorable?”

The two brothers rolled their eyes at their little sister. “Yeah, adorable,” Yakko muttered.

“Are they alright?” Wakko asked, noticing that the mice were unresponsive and had their eyes closed.

“I don’t know, Wakko,” his brother replied. As he said this, though, both mice groaned and started to move. “Oh, look, they’re coming around.”

The first mouse groaned, slowly opening his eyes to reveal pinkish-red eyes. As he slowly sat up, he raised a hand to his head, gently massaging his large forehead. “Pinky, are you injured?” he asked, his voice deep and foreboding.

“I-I don’t think so, Brain,” the other mouse, Pinky, said; the Warners noted that the toon’s voice was much higher than Brain’s and had a slight lisp. Much to the surprise of everyone, Pinky laughed before looking at the shorter mouse with his blue eyes. “Poit! That was fun, Brain! I felt like a bird, or that Knievel fella. Narf!” the toon cheered. “Can we do that again?”

Brain shot the taller mouse a slight glare, feeling his blood pressure rising. "No, Pinky, we will not," he grumbled.

Pinky’s face fell. “Oh…” 

The three Warner children couldn’t help but laugh softly, finding the pair’s antics amusing. This caught the attention of the two toons, who realized that they were not alone. Brain was the first to respond. “Uh…greetings.” 

"Oh, hello, children!” Pinky greeted them energetically, waving at the kids. “Who are you?” 

“Hello, my name’s Yakko,” the eldest Warner stated. 

“I’m Wakko,” the cap-wearing toon said with a smile and his tongue sticking out. 

“And I’m Dot,” their sister expressed; before the two toons had a chance to speak, the female Warner added with a smile, “But call me Dottie, and you die.” 

Upon hearing her words, both mice looked at the female Warner with wide eyes. Was she serious? It was hard to tell from her smile, but the tone of her voice sounded like a real threat.

Yakko saw the looks on their faces and nodded his head grimly. “Believe me, fellas, you don’t wanna get on her bad side,” he warned. 

“Duly noted,” remarked Brain, before turning his attention to all three children. “And since it is only proper, allow me to introduce ourselves: I am The Brain, and this is my cohort—” 

“I’m Pinky!” the taller mouse exclaimed, interrupting his friend, looking at the children with a cheerful expression. "Nice to meet you, kids. Narf!"

“Pinky…” The Brain muttered angrily, his reddish-pink eyes glaring at his friend for interrupting him.

“Oh, sorry, Brain.”

Brain huffed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Try to control yourself, Pinky, otherwise I shall have to hurt you again.”

“Right-o, Brain,” Pinky stated, shooting his friend a friendly salute. This time, Brain did roll his eyes.

Yakko snorted with amusement—an action that was mirrored by his siblings—before looking at the two mice in his palm. “So, now that we’re all buddy-buddy, mind telling us why you guys were falling from the sky?”

“Well, it wasn’t intentional if that’s what you mean,” Brain muttered before shaking his head. “To be completely honest, I was trying to accomplish something that would allow me to take over the world, but alas, that sort of fell to pieces.”

It took a few seconds before those words sank into the children's minds, and when they did, the three looked at the short mouse with wide eyes. Did they hear him right?

It was Dot who eventually asked the question. “I’m sorry, but could you please repeat that?” Dot requested. “I must’ve misheard you because I thought, for a moment, you said that you planned to take over the world.”

“No, you heard correctly,” Brain stated.

“Seriously?” Wakko asked.

"Yep!" This time, it was Pinky who answered proudly. “Every night, Brain comes up with plans—brilliant ones too, if I might say so!—to take over the world.”

All three Warners then looked at the shorter toon mouse. “Why?” Wakko asked.

The Brain blinked, stunned for a moment. Nobody had ever asked him that question before, not even Pinky. After a few seconds, the small toon sighed. “It’s a bit of a long, complicated story—one I doubt you children have time for right now. However, while some of my actions may be considered immoral, my intentions for the world are pure…well, mostly," he admitted with a shrug. “I wish to make the world a better place, as well as prove myself to all those who dare mock or belittle me due to my size or being a mouse.”

The three children shared a look before turning back towards the small toon. “So, let me see if we got this straight—you and your friend are trying to prove your mousey-worth, and your plan to do that is by trying to take over the world?” Yakko asked.

“I wouldn’t have worded it quite like that, but in a word,” Brain paused a moment before declaring, “Yes!”

The elder Warner blinked twice before smiling. “Cool.” A sentiment shared by his two siblings.

The Brain looked at the three children with disbelief, caught off guard by the toon’s behavior and word choice. Usually, when he tried to explain his plans for world domination to anyone other than Pinky, they thought that he was joking and would laugh at him, mock him, or assume that they were on one of those ridiculous prank shows on television. “I beg your pardon?”

“You can beg all you want, but you won’t get a pardon from us. That’s something I think only the president can do.” Yakko joked, earning an amused snort from his siblings and Pinky.

“Very amusing, young man,” Brain grumbled.

Seeing the frustrated look on The Brain’s face, Dot took pity on the mouse. “Don’t mind Yakko. He likes to think that he’s very witty when it comes to wordplay.” Her older brother playfully stuck his tongue out at her; however, Dot retaliated by grabbing his tongue with her right hand, much to his shock. With a quick yank, she pulled the organ back before releasing it, causing it to reel back and roll around in his mouth like a curtain.

Seeing the comical display, Pinky laughed, Wakko snorted, and attempted to shield his amusement from his older sibling behind his right hand. At the same time, Brain watched the display with bemusement, rolling his eyes at the act.

While her brother recovered, Dot turned her attention back to the small toon. “But seriously, the fact that you are trying to rule the world and prove yourselves is pretty impressive. Like something straight out of a storybook…well, sort of.”

The Brain blinked before looking up at the female Warner, a small smile gracing his lips. “Well…thank you, my dear.”

Dot giggled at the mouse’s polite words.

As they talked, a stray thought crossed Wakko's mind. "Wait a minute," he said, looking towards Pinky. "Didn't you say that you two try to take over the world every night? How does that happen?"

Before Brain could answer, Pinky spoke ahead of him, “Oh, well, you see, every night Brain comes up with these plans to take over the world—why, just now, we were trying to do that by using some koi fish from the nearby koi pond and Brain’s latest gizmo...” Pinky paused for a moment before scratching his head in confusion. “I can’t remember what it was called?”

“The Ichthyic Irradiator, Pinky.” The Brain supplied.

 “Gesundheit, Brain,” Pinky said; had he turned around, he would have seen Brain’s eyes widen before he slapped his forehead in frustration. "Anyway, it was supposed to use the scales of the koi fish to...Well, I can't remember how it was supposed to work exactly, but it would've allowed Brain to take over the world. Yet, no matter what we do, Brain's plans always seem to fail for one reason or another, like with what happened with the koi fish just now.”

“Thank you for that reminder, Pinky,” The Brain grumbled.

“You’re very welcome, Brain. Narf!”

Yakko looked curiously at the taller toon mouse. “Say, what does that mean?” he asked, catching Pinky’s attention.

“What does what mean?”

“That word you just used. I’ve never heard it before. What does ‘Narf’ mean?”

"Oh, well, you see, Narf is a bit like 'Poit' or 'Zort', but totally different," Pinky stated. “It can be used in many situations. For example, I usually say it when I’m in awe, pain, happy, and sad, among other things.”

“Huh,” Yakko let Pinky’s words filter through his head for a moment before looking at the insane mouse with a smile. “You know, that makes perfect sense.”

Both mice’s eyes widened upon hearing this—Pinky’s filled with joy, while The Brain’s contained disbelief—before the taller toon mouse squealed. “Egad! You really think so, Yakko?” When the black-and-white toon nodded his head in affirmation, the mouse jumped for joy.

His friend, on the other hand, looked at the elder Warner with a perplexed look. “Excuse me, but would you mind clarifying what you mean by that? How does Pinky’s unique definition make perfect sense?”

Yakko shrugged his shoulders. “It just does.”

The Brain’s eyes widened before raising his right hand to his forehead. He could already feel his head aching from the way this conversation was going.

Sensing the small mouse’s frustration, Dot spoke to Brain. “You’ll have to forgive my older brother. It’s just that…well, we’re what you call a bit ‘zany.’”

This caught the attention of both mice, with Pinky asking the obvious question. “Zany?”

“It means that our young friends act in a very eccentric or absurd manner that is often considered amusing by most people,” his friend explained.

“Unless those people happen to be Plotz or those executives," Wakko muttered bitterly.

“No kidding,” his siblings agreed, speaking in unison.

However, the three Warner children cringed when Brain, who had been listening, looked towards the trio with wide eyes and asked, “Plotz? As in Thaddeus Plotz, the toon CEO of Warner Bros. Studios?”

The Warners looked at each other with worried glances before Dot tried to reassure the two mice. “Eh, it’s nothing really.”

“Yeah, exactly,” Yakko agreed.

“What they said,” Wakko said. “So, just forget we said anything about Plotz, his executives, or Bugs Bunny—”

Before he could continue, the cap-wearing toon’s mouth was suddenly covered by both of his siblings’ hands to silence him.

Unfortunately, their efforts were unsuccessful as Pinky managed to hear that last bit and looked at them with confusion. “Bugs Bunny?”

The three Warners cringed, sharing a worried look, before Dot tried to make a quick excuse. “Sorry, did he say ‘Bugs Bunny’? What he meant to say was…um?” She tried to think of something—anything—but she was unable to think of what to say.

As the female child struggled to find her words, Brain took a moment to analyze the situation. It was clear, even to someone who didn't possess his superior intelligence, that something was amiss. Why would these, admittedly adorable, children have any issues with the CEO of Warner Bros. Studios, he wondered. Were they new toon actors attempting to make it into the toon entertainment industry, and had some disagreement with Plotz regarding their contract?

However, he immediately shook his head and banished that conclusion from his mind; their actions and body language suggested something much more complex and serious was at play. As the children were distracted, he glanced in Pinky’s direction and noticed that his friend was looking at the children with concern. Clearly, something is wrong if even Pinky noticed it, the intelligent mouse thought.

And on that thought…

Before the Warner children could say or do anything else, the small toon mouse interrupted them. “Now, wait just a minute,” he stated, catching their attention. “I know that this isn’t any of our business, but what does the CEO of one of the largest entertainment corporations in the world have to do with you children? And how does one of the most famous toons in the world fit into all of this?”

The three children shared a look; this was just like what happened with Skippy and Slappy earlier. Looking back at the mice and seeing The Brain’s stern look along with Pinky looking at them with concern, the eldest Warner sighed. “It’s kind of a long story.”

“Oh, well, me and Brain have always enjoyed a good story,” Pinky stated.

Dot grimaced. “You might change your tune after hearing ours,” she said before she and her brothers began telling their tale to the two toon mice.

When they reached the part about being locked up in the water tower for several decades, Pinky gasped loudly. He couldn't believe that some people or toons would willingly do something as awful as to imprison a bunch of kids—even toon kids!—just for being themselves.

As for Brain he was appalled by what the Warner children revealed. To think that the heads of a large corporation, such as Warner Bros. Studios, felt it necessary to have these children imprisoned simply because of the children’s “zany” nature and their own greed. It was utterly reprehensible in his mind. A clear testament to the moral failings of those currently in power, the smaller mouse thought to himself.

“...and that’s the whole story.” Yakko finished, wrapping up the trio’s story. “If it wasn’t for Bugs, we would’ve still been locked up in that tower for who knows how long.”

“Gosh. That’s…I don’t even know what to say…” Pinky sniffed, whipping the tears from his eyes. “You poor kids.”

Brain nodded his head in agreement. “Indeed. What you children endured…it’s atrocious.” He said, his voice laced with a cold, angry tone; Pinky silently gasped, for he had rarely heard his friend use that tone. “No being—be they toon, human, or otherwise—should have to endure that form of solitary confinement, especially for such a prolonged period.” The small mouse sighed. “What you children have endured demonstrates the level of incompetence and moral bankruptcy that has befallen our current society, and allows men such as Plotz to not only exist, but to thrive and wield such destructive power over others. Such incompetence cannot be allowed to fester, nor should such an injustice go unpunished.”

A brief period of silence fell over the group as they absorbed Brain’s words. After several seconds, the eldest Warner shook his head and smiled at the diminutive toon. “I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, but you have quite a way with words, Brain.”

“I should hope so. After all, I do plan on taking over the world eventually, but what good is a perfect global society if its leader cannot encourage people to follow their vision without careful vocal articulation?”

Dot snorted. “You got a point there.”

Before anything else was said, the group was interrupted by a loud grumble followed by the ground shaking slightly. Everyone’s eyes turned towards the source of the event.

Seeing everyone’s gaze upon him, Wakko grinned sheepishly. “Sorry.”

Pinky and Dot giggled while Brain rolled his eyes, though the children could see his mouth curling just a small fraction upwards.

Yakko shook his head in amusement before looking back at the mice. “Excuse my brother. He’s got an appetite that could rival a herd of elephants.” Ignoring the stink eye that his younger brother gave him, the eldest Warner recalled how they were on their way to get some food at the picnic area before they met the two toons.

The Brain pondered this for a second. “In that case, could you and your siblings do us a favor? You see, the koi pond where we intended to harvest the scales for my plan is located along the trail leading to the picnic area, and the Ichthyic Irradiator is still there…or what’s left of it. Could you please escort us there?”

The three siblings agreed and, with the two mice still in Yakko’s borrowed baseball glove, began walking down the concrete path. After a few minutes, the group soon arrived at a quaint, peaceful-looking pond nestled off to the side of the pathway. As they got closer, the Warners noticed the smoking remains of what once was a large, complex machine sitting right next to the pond.

Yakko whistled at the smoking sight. “Whoa! Is that your device, Brain?”

“Unfortunately,” The Brain muttered, leaping out of the eldest Warner’s grip before approaching the machine, Pinky following right behind him. A closer inspection confirmed the mouse’s fears. Multiple wires were either melted, frayed, or disconnected from each other, the circuit boards were beyond saving, and several components were damaged beyond repair.

In layman's terms, the machine was busted.

Pinky gazed at the broken machine with wide eyes. “Narf, Brain…”

“Indeed, Pinky. The Ichthyic Irradiator is completely inoperable now.”

“Gesundheit again, Brain.”

The Brain then sighed, shaking his head. “Another setback, but nothing we haven’t experienced before.” He then turned towards the Warners. “I suppose I should thank you, children, for your assistance. Pinky and I would’ve been severely injured had it not been for your timely rescue."

“Gee, it was nothing really,” Wakko gushed.

His sister nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah, we were glad to help.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself, sibs,” Yakko stated with a smile before looking down at the two toons. “We better get going, but it was really nice meeting you two.”

After exchanging short goodbyes, with the promise to see each other again, the Warners began to take their leave. As Brain watched them depart, he happened to glance at his friend and noticed tears coming out of the taller mouse’s eyes. “Pinky, what’s the matter?”

“Oh, gee, Brain, I just can’t help but feel sorry for those kids,” Pinky said, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "Imagine being trapped like they were, and no one came to their rescue until Mr. Bunny accidentally found them.”

The Brain frowned. “Indeed. To have been barred from society and forced to endure extreme isolation…it is a grisly image.”

Pinky nodded. “And that mean Mr. Plotz and his creeps…I can’t believe that someone like that runs one of the most famous and influential studios in the world. If only someone else had been in charge, who knows, maybe the Warners would’ve been found sooner.”

At the taller toon’s words, Brain’s eyes widened as an idea flew through his mind—small at first, but with each second it grew larger and clearer in his mind. “Pinky…are you pondering what I am pondering?”

Taking a few seconds, the insane mouse tapped his chin before turning back towards his friend. “Uh, I think so, Brain, but me and Pippi Longstocking—I mean, what would the children look like?”

The Brain sighed, feeling a slight headache beginning to form, before shooting Pinky a look. “No, Pinky. If we were to get hired by the studios as toon actors, we could slowly make our way up the corporate ladder until we become its new owners. Then, as the new CEO, I will use my position to subtly indoctrinate the populace through their very entertainment. From there, I will manipulate public opinion and systematically reshape society according to my own, superior design.”

“Egad, Brain—that’s brilliant!” Pinky exclaimed; a few seconds later, though, the taller mouse paused before looking back at Brain. “Oh, wait, no. What if it doesn’t work?”

The Brain’s eyes widened at Pinky’s words before a thoughtful look came over him. “I suppose, we’ll have to move on to Plan B, then.”

“Poit! What’s Plan B, Brain?”

“I’ll let you know as soon as I come up with one,” he said, before turning his body away from the machine and beginning to walk. "In any case, there’s nothing more for us here. Let us return to the lab and begin preparations for tomorrow night.”

Pinky shot his best friend a curious look. “Why? What are we going to do tomorrow night?”

“The same thing we do every night, Pinky: try to take over the world!” Brain declared, looking back at Pinky.

Unfortunately, the intelligent toon mouse was not paying attention to his surroundings and gave a startled cry when he accidentally fell into the koi pond.

As Pinky raced over to help his best friend, the three Warner siblings, who had stopped and looked back upon hearing The Brain’s outcry, couldn’t help but chuckle at the small toon’s plight. Eventually, Yakko stopped chuckling and looked back at his siblings. “Well, if nothing else, it’ll be interesting having those two as friends.”

“I’ll say,” Dot remarked. “Having a pair of mice—one who’s a genius and the other insane—with goals of world domination as friends will certainly make our lives exciting, if nothing else."

Upon hearing her words, Wakko’s face lit up. “Say, you just gave me an idea, Dot!”

The female Warner looked at the cap-wearing toon in confusion before her eyes widened upon realization. Turning towards their older brother, both Wakko and Dot saw the same look of understanding appear on Yakko’s face.

Tapping into their toon abilities, a bright, upbeat melody with elements of jazz soon filled the surrounding area from seemingly out of nowhere. As the music started, the children began to sing:

“They're Pinky and the Brain,

Yes, Pinky and the Brain,

One is a genius, the other's insane.

They're laboratory mice.

Their genes have been spliced.

They're dinky.

They're Pinky and the Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain.”