Star Over Toontown

Synopsis: Mickey and Bugs compete on The Power of 10 at a studio in Toontown. The Rangers, their families, and their other allies are invited

Chapter 1—Old Rivals Compete Again

    Michael Mouse had been savoring a rather idyllic dream about swimming in rivers of Cheese Whiz and floating down a lazy sharp cheddar river.   Everything he saw could be eaten, even the houses.  
    ‘This must be what it feels like to live in Switzerland or Wisconsin !’, he thought to himself.   Fellow cheese-heads, Wallace and Shark Puppet were in bliss.   Even the unconventional Cartman was pigging out on Cheesy Poofs, hoarding the bag like it was precious treasure.  
    ‘Dad...DAD!  Wake up !’, a sweet little voice whispered as he was jostled out of his dreamland. 
    It was one of his many children.   The youngest, Madison, held up a letter that had just come in the mail.   It was rather early for the mailman to be delivering letters or packages, but being the CEO of a massive corporate giant this wasn’t anything new.   Thinking it to be fan mail, he grabbed his mouse-eared letter opener and tore open the envelope with a flourish.  
    ‘You and Bugs Bunny are invited to compete at Studio E in sunny California in The Power of 10.  If you’re unfamiliar with the premise of the program, it’s much similar to Family Feud.   It’s unique since you and your competitor will be guessing survey results for $10,000.000.   Which one of you has the more trivial knowledge ?  Let’s find out.   Sincerely, Drew Carey.’, Minny read aloud.   She had always wanted to meet Drew and gush over how much she, Michael and the kids adored The Drew Carey Show and Whose Line is It Anyway?.   Of course, the sitcom was long gone and the finale had ended years ago, but thanks to the dramedy that song would never be forgotten.

Chapter 2—Blancopolis
    Warner Brother’s Looney Tunes lived in a bustling urban paradise called Blancopolis, one of Toontown’s suburbs.   It was a bit more suburban than urban since there were trees, parks and plenty of places for extracurricular activities that didn’t involve vegging out on the couch.   It was in the house or burrow of one Bugs Bunny that Lola shrieked in glee at the news.
    ‘Hey, Bugs !   Looks like we get to see an old rival of yours again.  How long has it been since Who Framed Roger Rabbit ?’, she queried.   It had seemed like forever ago that he recalled telling or depicting the tale to the general public about Roger’s initial troubles.   Fortunately, he hadn’t been the one at fault. 
    ‘Power of 10, eh ?  Sounds exciting.  I’m a master of trivia.  I’m gonna ace this one for sure !’, Bugs said, puffing his chest out confidently.    Lola hadn’t been to California in a long time but it would be enjoyable to see her family once again. 

Chapter 3—Nearly Showtime ! 
    Michael had informed all of his friends, cast members, and family of the latest, greatest news to hit Disneyland, Walt Disney World or Toontown in a while.   It would be the first time in ages, nay, over decades, that toons had intermingled with the likes of mortals.   Most humans were annoyed but there were many people that welcomed seeing a rubber hose creation squish, squash and stretch their way to wherever they were going.   

    Studio E was much more gargantuan than any of them would’ve imagined.   Many YouTubers, Skypers, FaceTimers, Discorders and TicTok celebrities had come to see what tonight’s program was all about.   They had been chosen particularly due to their interests in animation, pop culture and nostalgia.   Most of them felt like kids in candy stores seeing all their favorite pop icons in one location.    It would be epic to see Bugs and Mickey duke it out.   Although they were ‘rivals’ the were actually quite friendly and thought of each other as ‘brothers from another studio’ or ‘creator’.  Their competitive streaks were about to be unleashed as they were prepped for the big show and everyone was sitting on the edge of their seats to see who was going to walk away with $10,000,000.   

Chapter 4—Overture, Curtain, Lights ! 
    It was just as Bugs had remembered it.   Being on stage had given him fond memories of entertaining so many in the past and the rush of adrenaline was unmistakable.   Drew had come out to meet him and Mickey and the two were postured to shake each other’s hands right after the rules of the game were reiterated.  Mickey had to admit, he was feeling a little nervous.   Bugs gave him a knowing wink as if to say,        
    ‘I know I seem like I’m a rabbit that has it all together but I’m anxious myself.  At least since we’re on stage together, we have less reason to have butterflies in our stomachs.’  
    The look was all Michael needed to see to maintain his composure, take a deep breath and give it everything he had.   Yes, of course it was a little bit of friendly competition but he was about to give one wascaly rabbit a run for his money.   
    The lights seemed to make everything brighter and much hotter on stage, but Drew had kept everyone, including his crew and the audience hydrated.   It was simply the nature of broadcasting.   Thankfully the building had AC or all of them would be drenched in their own sweat.   Fortunately, it was a short show and the rules were insanely simple.   

Chapter 5—Let the Competition Begin ! 
    "Welcome everyone, from all across the Multiverse, to The Power of 10, where in just a few minutes one of these two contestants, Mickey Mouse of Bugs Bunny, will have a chance to play for $1,000, $10,000, $100,000, $1,000,000,000, and then ten times that amount, $10,000,000."
    The audience then went into thunderous applause.
    "Yes folks, the prize money is staggering, but what I love about this show is the questions! We polled millions of people from all across the Multiverse; we ask them what they think about anything and everything. To be a great contestant on this show, you don't need to have knowledge on things like math and biology, you just need to accurately predict how a national sample of people from across the Multiverse answered those polls."
He then turned to Michael.
    "Michael Theodore Mouse.", Drew said with a smile. "You're living in Orlando, Florida. How's everything going in Disney World?"
    "Rather well, Drew. New attractions are on their way, as well as some new ideas for lands and IP acquisitions."
    "What do you want to do with the $10,000,000, if you win?
    "I'm giving it to the Cast Members."
The audience applauded thunderously.
    "They deserve a raise."
    "Awwwwww, how sweet! Bugs, how about you? If you win the money, what would you do with it?"
    "Same thing, doc. The employees at my Abu Dhabi park need raises too./"
"Well, we'd love to give both of you the money, but only one of you will give that chance. In our elimination round, Bus eliminates Mickey or Mickey eliminates Bugs. Yup toon rivalries, here we go again. Here's how it works. First, we give you a question that we've put to our National Polling Sample. When I start the clock, you will have 10 seconds to lock in your prediction as to how you think America answered out poll; the one closest to the actual poll result wins the question. The first to get three right will go on yo play for all that money on The Power of 10. Ready?"

Chapter 6—Mental Olympics

It was obvious that the two friends were equally matched in their strategies as well as their retention for trivia. In all the times Power of 10 had aired, they had never had a tie. The game itself was at a standstill. The last question was going to be a real doozy. It was quite possibly the most obscure pop culture question that could’ve ever been asked. The robots knew the answer and some of the Rangers were aware of the correct response. Those on the side of Disney were more aware of the true solution versus Bugs’ buddies. As the clock ticked down the minutes, Drew informed them that time had run out. He was surprised that Mickey had gotten the right answer.

‘Michael wins !’ he said, holding the mouse’s hand up triumphantly. Bugs reached over to shake his hand firmly.

‘Doc, that was really something ! Your team is incredibly smart. That question had us stumped.’, Bugs admitted. He normally didn’t like to confess if something had him stymied.

‘I tell you what though. I only need half of this money. It’s going to my kids’ college fund, but it looks like you guys need it more than we do.’, he said. Bugs couldn’t believe his ears. Mickey was an all around good guy, a salt-of-the-earth type of fellow. Bugs thought he might become a little teary eyed but instead he hugged his friend, accepted the winnings and knew where the lot of them would have their own little post-show celebration. That is, after they mugged about with Drew for a while, got his autograph and got a behind-the-scenes tour of Studio E before leaving for their other destination.

Chapter 7—Pismo Beach and all the Clams You Can Eat

Bugs was delighted when he saw the location that Micheal had chosen. There was even a bucket of steamed clams specifically for Bugs to gnosh on.

‘Aw, gee ! You really shouldn’t have.’, Bugs said, overjoyed. There was an entire seafood buffet for everyone. For those who didn’t care for shellfish there were other options, even the more common calzone, Stromboli or pizza. There were veggies and water had been kept in coolers to quench the travelers from the heat.

A lovely day had been spent soaking up rays on Pismo Beach while tales were recounted of salad days gone by. For toons, time didn’t pass normally as it did for humans. It was a delight to see Bugs in his element but it was getting late in the day.

‘I’ll tell you what, why don’t you come to Blancopolis for the weekend ? You’re more than welcome to enjoy your stay. Lola and I will show you around.’, Bugs said. It was an offer the group couldn’t refuse. That evening, they traveled back by bus and slept in an all expense paid, 5 star accommodation suite with more luxury than they could shake any type of weaponry at.

Chapter 8—A Trip to Blancopolis

It was a quiet, welcoming day in Blancopolis. Blancopolis was a bustling metropolis with everything a toon could actually want, need or desire. They worked normal ‘jobs’ but their income was based on how many cartoons they had, royalties, and reruns. Most toons were bleedin’ rich when it came right down to it, so not many of them had want for much. There were occasionally poor toons but many of them got help when required, so it was very unlikely to see a homeless vagabond toon wandering aimlessly through the city.

Bugs was definitely proud of his home city, especially of the superstore where he managed rabbit related products. Lola was the head of the Acme line, where toons like Wile E. Coyote ordered his machines to try to capture the elusive road runner.

Since all the group was hungry, they stopped at Gonzales’, which belonged to Speedy himself. The food was piping hot, delightful and served with gusto and flair. Gonzales was always hopping, no matter the day or time due to how sensational the cuisine and service were.

At last, the friends got to visit Bugs’ home and the homes of many other famous toons. The last stop came at a museum that was dedicated to animators, voice actors, artists and studios that gave them all life, breath and reason for being.

‘And this is Mel Blanc himself, whom the city is named after.’, Bugs stated, finally as they gazed upon the tall bronze statue in all its glory. All of a sudden, he found himself unable to vocalize. He and the other toons had all been struck mute, but he couldn’t figure out why.

From the shadows, there lurked a malcontent who only went by the name Silencer.

‘Finally, all those toons will be quiet forever.’, the black clad ninja thought to himself as he began to sneak out of Blancopolis. He had turned a perfectly fine evening into a fiasco. The toons, however, took it well and began looking for the person responsible for taking their voices away. They spoke through signs or speech bubbles and although it was annoying, they would retrieve their voices again.

‘I don’t know what sort of rapscallion coulda done this.’, Yvonne said, clearly distraught. Rubens comforted his lovely wife by hugging her from the side.

‘We’re here to help, no matter what. I know that we may have to extend our stay in this lovely little urban berg, but whatever it takes to make certain our friends can speak once more.’, Rubens vowed. Little did he know that capturing a ninja would be a little bit more trying than normal. So, in order to catch a ninja, he began calling all the martial artists he knew, Naruto and Rock Lee, Randy Cunningham, Jake Long, Juniper Lee, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and of course, familiar friends from Kadic Academy. Whoever had done this was about to face an onslaught of martial arts masters, but Silencer didn’t care. He had plenty of minions working for him who would be more than a match for these youngsters, due to the fact they were so expertly trained. So, the Silencer waited, and in his hubris, he felt he had already won in his hatred over toon kind and their obnoxious antics.

To Be Continued…

Silencer’s Wrath. In this next tale we will be discovering why exactly Silencer hates toons so much and given a chance to hear from his point of view. Truly he might be seen as despicable, heinous and downright cruel stealing the toons’ collective voice but given the circumstance of his tragic character there may be a chance that Synde, a former villain can make Silencer see reason.