The Downfall of a Cartoon

A Deal with the Doctor

A small rabbit paced about the walled-in rooftop of a grandiose skyscraper. All around this thin building poking through the clouds were mountainous heaps of junk bearing the face of Mickey Mouse. Some of these piles reached so high that they threatened to become even more imposing than the point the rabbit was pacing around. Everything was gloomy, with dark skies covered by clouds that threatened to storm. They never would, though. Rivers of dangerous green paint thinner made their way through the land, eating away at everything they could. The sparse patches of the ground beneath the reeking garbage of cartoon merchandise were dusty and pale. Nothing grew on it, and it was so dry it was nearly splitting apart, threatening to let the weight it was carrying to fall into the nothingness below. A few blobs scampered around. They looked like they had been created out of pen ink, dripping and barely holding the grotesque shape of a bulbous head, two ginormous ears, a tiny body with four stubby limbs flailing around. Two greenish orbs rolled around in their heads, serving as eyes as something vaguely resembling a mouth were frozen open underneath. These creatures, who everyone knew as Spatters, were hunted by small blue bunnies resembling the one on top of the sickly structure.

"He just left in my rocket, exactly like I told him to. What a coward! That little rat even cried as he said goodbye!" the rabbit muttered to himself, getting progressively louder and angrier until he kicked a desk built into the protective barrier around the roof, covered in wires, buttons, levers, and switches. He jumped back, holding his foot and cursing. A grey statue of a pained cat reaching out, as if it were just ripped from an embrace, wearing a skirt and a flower hat teetered on top of the desk as if it were about to fall. He caught it just before it tipped over and strained to put it back into place. Once he managed to do so, he stepped back and admired it solemnly.

"I'll get you back, Ortensia," he promised as a motivated smile twitched on his pale lips. A mechanical screech exploded from behind him, making him jump. He turned nervously and was met face-to-face with a robotic spider. It had a disturbingly child-friendly face with a plastered on grin. The rabbit screamed and fell back, backing himself up to the desk as the statue of Ortensia watched helplessly from above, her arms extended as if to try to stop the sparking animatronic.

A man stepped out from behind the robot. He was easily twice the height of the rabbit, with pale skin and bulging eyes veiled by bushy dark eyebrows flecked with grey. He had a small nose with a long mustache climbing out from under it and twisting out past each side of his face, hiding his giant ears. His lower jaw was hidden behind a thick pointed beard reaching down to his chest. The top of his head was flat and bare. He had on a dirty, oil-stained lab coat that bunched around his ankles. His dark brown round shoes poked out from under the grimy garment. His sleeves were rolled up and his forearms were covered by a pair of black rubber gloves. He placed his hands on his hips and grinned, showing that he had only four teeth in his mouth.

"Oswald!" the man had a thick Russian accent. He threw out his hands to the rabbit, as if expecting a hug, "It's been so, so long since I've seen you. How have you been?"

The rabbit, Oswald, cautiously picked himself off the ground. He kept his eyes on the robot and the man all the while, "I've been fine," he replied, not even attempting to hide his distrust, "Why did you come here?"

"I can't come to visit my old friend and former partner in crime?" The man protested, feigning a hurt expression.

"You wouldn't come to me unless you needed something from me," Oswald gritted his teeth and crossed his arms.

"That's where you're mistaken, Oswald! I actually have an idea to help you!" the man pointed at the rabbit.

"I don't want to h-" Oswald began to turn away but was cut off.

"Do you want to get out of Wasteland? Do you want your wife back? You can rule so much more. All you have to do is to agree to it," the man watched with eager triumph as one of Oswald's ears perked up. He turned and watched the man with the corner of his eye.

"Tell me."

"I'll give you all the power you could possibly imagine, you'll be-"

"Tell me how."

"The Blot will wo-"

"Never," Oswald turned away again, "I'd never work with the Blot. The Blot left Ortensia like this," He threw out his hand at the statue, "and ruined Wasteland."

"You wouldn't be working with the Blot. The Blot would be working with you!" the man explained excitedly, clenching his hands into fists and laughing a little.

"What's the catch?" Oswald asked, still unconvinced.

"There is no catch. You would have all the power imaginable, and a deadly beast at your beck and call. The Blot will bring back Ortensia," the man walked over to Oswald, kneeling to his height and placing a hand on the rabbit's shoulder, then gesturing to the statue with the other. Oswald looked at what was left of his wife for a moment, then turned to the man.

"I'll do it, Doctor," he closed his eyes and held out his hand. The man shook it graciously.

"It's settled, then!" he jumped up and made his way back to the robotic spider, "follow me."

Oswald followed the man down the winding stairs, into a large throne room. Five cards lay crumpled and ripped on the ground, not moving. Oswald's hand flew to his mouth.
"My guards!" He shouted in anger, "You killed my gu-"

"I didn't kill anyone. My Beetleworx, here, did," the Doctor gestured to the mechanical spider, who gave Oswald a condescending wink. Oswald muttered quite a few words that were not kid friendly under his breath, gritted his teeth and tugged on his ears.
"Anyways," the Doctor waved off the issue of the cards as he passed by them, "it was not easy trying to get to you."

"That's kind of the point. I don't like visitors," Oswald snapped in reply, "what's with the small talk, anyway?"

"Oh... Just to," the man trailed off and snapped his fingers. His Beetleworx spider turned and promptly smacked Oswald over the head with one of it's legs, knocking him out. The man continued talking to the unconscious rabbit with a maniacal grin, "just to be able to catch you off guard."