~Animaniacs: Nocturnus~ Act XIV Chap 2

~Animaniacs: Nocturnus Act XIV~

*Chapter 2: Prank War*


For the past two days, Yakko and Rem went back and forth at each other, throwing whatever cartoony shenanigans at each other. Meanwhile Dot-who along with Wakko, was keeping well out of it-was secretly keeping a score sheet. So far, they were tied at the neck.

Yakko first got back at Rem filling the writer's building (of which they spent their day) with Bing Crosby songs. Rem bit back by waking him up in the middle of the night with fireworks. Then the elder Warner signed the teen up for Kiddie Karaoke, to which she countered by impressing the attendees by singing along to Daft Punk's Technologic. Next, when Rem was alone in the Water Tower on the computer, Yakko activated a huge bubble machine, nearly trapping the teen in the Tower and in a huge cluster of bubbles. Yakko scored an extra point for making his rival especially mad because of her claustrophobia. But the teen got even by removing nearly all the toilets on the lot, which was something that nearly drove poor Wakko past his insanity point.

Presently, things had reached a stalemate, but the plotting continued.

                                                                                     -----

The next day, the studio was planning it's annual Fourth of July celebration. Because of the recent ‘conflict’ between Rem and Yakko, Mr. Plotz was especially concerned about any disruptions coming about. Even though the only real disruption he had reason to worry was the whole toilet thing. Ralph the Guard, Dr. Scratchansniff, and Hello Nurse were told to keep an especially close watch on the Warner Quartet that week.

Meanwhile, inside the Water Tower, Yakko was seated at the kitchen table surrounded with blueprints while his brother and sister were on the couch watching the TV. A few seconds later, the brown slacks clad toon went over to Dot with one of his blueprints.

"Whaddya think? Can Rem handle the ol' safe drop shtick?" he asked.

"No comment." Dot commented, virtually uninterested.

"Aww, c'mon! You can at least give me a few scratches on the back, here!"

"For your information Mr. United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, this 'campaign' you've got running with Rem is starting to drive us insaney!"

"...Still haven't forgotten about the potty fiasco." Wakko grumbled in a low voice, looking especially grumpy about it.

"Oh yeah, like I knew she was gonna pull that!!" Yakko exclaimed.

"You're the one who started it..."

"Exactly! This is your mess, you clean it up!" Dot added.

"Hmph! Some sibs you are..."

A few moments later, Rem came back into the Water Tower looking as if nothing was going on at all. It didn't take her long to notice all the blueprints scrawled all over the kitchen table.

"I'm sorry, you drowning in the uh, agony of defeat, Warner?" Rem quipped with a sarcastic tone coating her voice.

Yakko furiously zipped right in front of her with the big angry evil face. However, the teen wasn't fazed in the slightest.

"Look here, little missy, this ain't over!" the elder Warner ranted. "Not by a long shot."

Rem merely shrugged and walked past him towards the kitchen area.

"Whatever." she murmured as she calmly went through the door, only to suddenly find Yakko right in front of her again.

"I mean it!" the brown slacks clad toon barked, still giving Rem the evil eye.

"Yeah, I know." the teen replied calmly.

                                                                                   -----

The next day, the Warner quartet caught wind of the Fourth of July function, which gave Yakko an idea. Knowing full well that the dress code called for extreme formality, he put his next prank into motion.

                                                                                   ******

Rem got back to the Water Tower after running an errand to find only Wakko on the couch and Yakko and Dot gone.

"Lemme guess, Scratchansniff's?" she asked the middle Warner.

"Yyyyyup." he replied as he endlessly flipped through channels on the TV remote.

"Interesting agenda. Going shopping and then seeing your therapist."

The teen disappeared into Dot's walk in closet to change vest-since the heat outside made it slightly damp from sweat-and almost had a heart attack when she went through her own limited wardrobe.

"...what the fu--WAKKO!" she exclaimed, nearly causing the red-capped Warner to jump from being startled. "COME IN HERE AND LOOK AT THIS HEINOUS...P.O.S!!!"

A little curious, and nervous, Wakko went over to the closet to see what Rem was apparently upset over. In her hand was a rather cheery but formal summer dress with small balloon-like sleeves with fringes on the end and on the hem, and a wide sort of oxford-style collar. The dress itself was white with red polka dots. Rem meanwhile had a very insulted look on her face.

"Tell me this is your sister's..." she fumed.

"Um...I don't know." Wakko replied, scratching his head. "I think it's a lil' big to be Dot's..."

Rem now had an extremely irate look on her face and tossed the fancy dress aside like it was garbage. Then she started digging through the clothes on hangers as if she were looking for something.

"What are you looking for?" the middle Warner asked curiously.

"...Dammit, he hid somewhere." Rem cursed.

"Hid what?"

"The white and purple one I had."

"Oh. Hey, didn't you wear that at the Anniversary Gala?" he asked.

"Yeah, and I intend on using it every time we have these lousy black-tie affairs." the teen ranted.

Wakko faced forward and gave a shrug.

"So....whaddya gonna do with that one then?" he asked as he pointed to the dress pooled on the floor.

Rem looked at the crumpled article of clothing with great disdain. This was definitely Yakko's doing, but there was no way in hell, she was gonna be caught in that thing. She then picked it up and to the living room, took the Bugs Bunny phone, and dialed a number. After a few moments the person on the other line picked up.

"Hey there! Buster Bunny here."

"Hello, Buster. This is Rem."

"Oh, hiya Rem! Haven't heard from you for a while. How are ya?"

"I'm all good. Listen, I was wondering if you'd might be interested in a...proposition."

"Oh? What kind of proposition?"

                                                                                 -----

Meanwhile, at Dr. Scratchansniff's office, Yakko was gloating on how Rem's reaction was going to be once she discovered the present he left for her.

"I don't know that's going to work, Yakko Warner." Dot tutted with her arms crossed. "There's no way she's gonna wear it. Not willingly anyway. Heck, we can barely get her to adjust her questionable wardrobe for some of our cartoons."

"It doesn't matter." Yakko shrugged. "Just hearing her rant and rave is enough."

The p-sychiatrist meanwhile, was listening to the conversation and taking notes, but not without voicing his concerns.

"Now keeds, ve need to remember zat your zaniness von't be tolerated during za Fourth of July party." he warned. "Last year not vithstanding."

"Actually, last year was quite fun. With that lovely indoor fireworks show." Dot said, her voice turning sweet.

"Exactly my point!" Scratchansniff replied, point his pencil at them. "Und I don't theenk I have to remind you of zat toilet inceedent!"

The elder Warner threw a look at the studio shrink.

"You're not ever gonna let us forget that, are ya?" he sighed.

"Ahem." Dot coughed lightly into her fist. "Correction. He's not ever gonna let you forget that. Wakko and I aren't in this boat."

"Und zhey zhouldn't be." Scratchansniff added. "I for one theenk thees has gone far enough."

Yakko zipped right up the studio shrink.

"It ain't over 'till the fat lady sings!" he ranted.

Then Dot pulled out a phonograph and played a record of an opera actress letting out those high notes. A scowling Yakko grabbed ahold of the record and threw it out the window before sticking his tongue out at her.

"Yakko, I'm concerned zat thees might get a leetle out of hand." Scratchansniff said.

"Why? What else could go wrong?"

Suddenly, there was a polite knock at the door.

"Eh, come een?" the therapist called out.

On the other side of the door was Babs Bunny and Shirley the Loon with rather concerned expressions.

"I hope we're not interrupting anything." Shirley said.

"Not at all. Can I help you vith zometheeng?" Scratchansniff inquired.

The two Tiny Toon girls exchanged glances.

"Well....you guys might wanna step outside for a sec." Babs said.

"...What for?" Yakko asked.

                                                                                    ******

(Now Playing: Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked in Tonight by The Rezillos)

Buster Bunny, Plucky Duck, Hampton J. Pig, Gogo Dodo, Furrball, Dizzy Devil, and Calamity Coyote joined Rem out on a empty but grassy part of the Warners' Lot and were engaged in a sort of demolition derby, bumper care activity with the studio's golf carts. The large group was also clad in golfing attire. To spice things up, they wore safety goggles and brandished paintball guns.

Buster and Rem were in one cart with the teen at the wheel. They were chasing down the cart being driven by Plucky and Hampton which had the polka-dotted dress tied to it, and getting barraged by dirt, grass stains, and paintball goop. The whole group were crashing the carts into each other, trying to nail the dress that was getting evermore tattered, laughing, hollering, and hooting all the while.

A few moments later they were watched by Yakko, Dot, Dr. Scratchansniff, Babs, and Shirley, who were all standing afar. Yakko, Dot, and Dr. Scratchansniff were a little perplexed. Because the dress was by now covered in mud and paint, Yakko even didn't notice it.

"They've been at this for like about an hour." Shirley explained.

"Aaaand they haven't broken anything." Babs added. "Yet."

Then, Plucky thought it was a good idea to climb to the top of the golf cart roof to get a better shot. Only to end up flying through the air and making a hard landing onto the ground when Hampton accidentally hit a bump.

"Um, never mind." Babs sighed.

"Eh-heh...come along, keeds." Dr. Scratchansniff said. "Vhy don't ve go inside? ...Before Mr. Plotz zhows up..."

"Eh sure, why not?" Dot said as they turned to leave.

The activity that Rem orchestrated lasted another 20 minutes before it eventually came to an end. When they inspected what remained of the dress, it was nearly tattered beyond recognition, and drenched in mud and paint.

(End Music)

"Well Rem, there's no way you're gonna be able to wear that dress anymore." Buster said as he pulled back his goggles.

"So, whaddya wanna do with it now?" Gogo asked.

"Let's nail it to the door of the Tower." the teen said.

                                                                                     ------

That evening, Rem, along with Wakko, and the Tiny Toon boys, were gathered around a small fire pit in front of the Water Tower, roasting marshmallows for s'mores. Eventually, Ralph came to join them during his break on his graveyard shift.

A few minutes later, Yakko, Dot, Babs, and Shirley finally came to greet them.

"So whaddya guys doin' now?" Dot asked. "Singing kumbaya?

"Nope." Rem replied. "Just chillin'."

"Wanna s'more?" Plucky asked.

"...sure." Babs said. "Scoot over."

Yakko meanwhile had arched a brow, trying to study the scene in case of Rem was up something.

"Yeah, I think I'll grab a couple more sticks." the brown slacks clad toon said as he cautiously moved on.

He went up the Tower ladder-but not before checking it for oil or grease-while Dot, very much onto him decided it would be best to follow after him. Before he gave himself a stroke.

"I think I'll help." the pink clad toon dutifully said.

Wakko was about to say something until Rem elbowed him in the gut. His brother and sister continued up the Water Tower while everyone else continued with their s'mores. That was until Dot got a good look at what was hanging on the Tower's shield-shaped door.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!" she shrieked.

"Here we go..." Wakko sighed.

Yakko came zipping right down the Water Tower, barely holding onto what remained of the dress.

"Do I even need to ask what in the Sam hill happened here?!" the elder Warner demanded.

"I told you to never leave surprise stuff where I can find them, man." Rem simply said with a shrug.

Yakko was now fuming that he had been foiled again.

"Well that's just great!" he ranted, sort of pretending to be really furious as he dropped the dress scraps to the ground.

"Oh well..." the teen said.

"You do know that this thing is a black tie gig, right?"

"Yup. I guess I'll have to wear the white dress again then."

Yakko suppressed a growl.

"Blow it out your ear, Roth..." he muttered as he stomped off.

There was a brief silence as Rem went back to roasting marshmallows, unfazed by what transpired. Buster then turned towards Wakko.

"Not that it's any of our business, but what is going on with them?" the light blue furred rabbit asked.

"Rem and Yakko are pranking each other..." Wakko replied nonchalantly.

"Oh. Well that explains it then." Babs said.

"Not my fault." Rem interjected, putting together a s'more.

"And I suppose you're going to say that Yakko started it." Shirley retorted.

"Well...he did."