The cool night air blew calmly over the busy city streets. On the ground lights blared, cars honked their honks, and people walked along, going about their lives. High above the city, perched atop a weather worn gargoyle, sat the city’s protector, Mistress Icewind. The blue dragoness sat looking over the city, dressed in her usual grey tights with her black tactical padding and armor, black combat boots, grey cape, and grey wide brim fedora hat. Her eyes scanned the city out towards the horizon, looking for any signs of trouble while she listened in to her police scanner. It had been a slow night so far, with most of her rogues either in jail or dormant for some time. The scanner crackled now and then with small things like traffic stops and domestic disputes, things the police could easily handle. But then, it lit up with activity as the dispatcher spoke loudly.
“All units be advised! Robbery in progress at the old Warner theater. Possible hostage situation. Repeat, robbery in progress…”
Icewind smiled and switched off the scanner. Finally some action, she thought to herself. She then leaned forward, falling head first off the gargoyle. She fell for several seconds before grabbing her cap, fanning her arms, and catching the wind, sending her sailing over the city.
Meanwhile over at the theater, patrons were terrified as massive blobs of anthropomorphic inky black goo held them hostage. Each one held in their fat mitts a cartoonishly larger pistol or tommy gun. In contrast to them all was a short black mouse with large round ears and a thin curled mustache, wearing white gloves, shorts, boots, and a cape that seemed to always flap in the wind whether it was there or not. He brandished a large artist paint brush dripping with black ink.
“HO HO! Alright, unless you want to end up in the next cartoon short, hand over all your money and jewelry, He said in a squeaky high pitched voice.
The people quickly did as he said, pulling off rings, necklaces, bracelets, and pulling out their wallets and purses, throwing them all toward the front of the room. The house laughed in his high pitched voice as he was showered in riches. He plucked a pearl necklace out of the air and ran his thick fingers over it.
“HO HO! Boy do I love a good pay day.” He said with a huge smile on his face.
Just then, Icewind crashed through the skylight, shards of glass raining down around her as she slowly rose to her feet. She then struck a heroic pose and pointed at the mouse.
“The only payday you’ll be getting today Animator is justice, " she said in her growling voice.
“HO HO! Mistress Icewind! I had a feeling you’d show up. You won’t stop me this time! BLOTS! ATTACK,” he shouted pointing the paint brush at her.
Icewind readied herself as the Blots all turned to face her. They then began to fire their guns, filling the air with loud rapid BLOOP BLOOP BLOOP as large inky bullets raced toward her. She ducked, dodged, and dived out of the way of all of them, letting them hit some of the Blots as she made her way over to the rest. She punched, chopped, and kicked at them all until they were nothing but puddles of ink on the floor.
“You’re next,” She said, pointing at the Animator.
“HO HO! I don’t think so,” He said, lifting his brush.
He then started to swing it at her rapidly, sending glops and waves of ink at her. Again, she dodged, swiftly ducking and jumping with the skill and grace for a ballerina. Soon enough though she made it close to him, and ducking down, delivered a powerful uppercut to his jaw, sending him flying through the air. He landed hard, his brush landing far from his reach, leaving him to lay there moaning in pain. Icewind smiled as she came up to and began to handcuff him.
“Your days of cheesy animations are over Animator,” She said, pulling him to his feet. The crowd cheered as the police rushed through the door, guns drawn. Icewind smiled and shoved the mouse into their arms.
“Book’em boys! Make sure the only pictures he’ll be in from now on are mug shots,” She said. She then pulled out her grappling gun and exited through the skylight. She felt very proud of herself, for once she didn’t end up trapped or changed…or so she thought.
With her night finished, she flew back to her apartment, landing on the roof. She pulled out her change of clothes from the secret compartment she had placed in the room and quickly got into them before someone saw her. She then made her way down the fire escape to her apartment on the 3rd floor. After climbing in through the window she stopped and stretched, groaning loudly and letting out a long sigh.
“Oh man it feels good to be home. I’m bushed. Glad that tonight was slow for once. I think I’ll watch some TV for a bit and then turn in for the night,” She said, flopping down into her recliner and turning on the TV. She didn’t last long though, as with-in just 30 minutes she was passed out and snoring loudly.
While she slept, a change started to occur. It seems she had not gotten out of the night unscathed as a small glob of ink had had it into her hair, and was making its way to her neck. As soon as it touched her skin it began to spread over her body. As it spread, she began to slowly change, losing its color as it went from vibrant blues and purple, to various shades of white, black, and grey. It then began to alter her body. Her limbs shifted, losing their muscular definition and detail and becoming long rounded tubes with no discernible joints of features to them. Her hands changed, fingers merging and forming into three fat fingers and a thumb as a glove began to form around them, becoming white as it settled into its final form. Her feet followed the same way, toes merging as her shoes changed into a more soft and rounded pair of high heels. Her torso was the next to change. Her waist shrunk down while her hips and ass merged into a single rounded shape. Her breasts also changed, merging to shrinking down to a small long mound on her chest, giving her just enough definition to look female. Her face was the next to change. It slowly lost some definition and became more rounded. Her muzzle shortened as did her horns. Her eyes shifted next, becoming two black circles with a wedge missing. Finally her clothes changed, her sweat pants and T-shirt merging together and forming a knee length strap dress. By the end, she looked like a 1930s cartoon version of her former self. But that wasn’t the only thing to change.
As she changed, so did the world around her. The mouse wasn’t called the animator for nothing. His ink could create whole new worlds, and it was doing that with her. Starting with her apartment, things began to shift and change, becoming more and more like a 1930s cartoon by the second. Her recliner shifted, becoming a flower patterned arm chair. The tv changed, becoming a large radio set playing classical music. The paint on her walls shifted to become patterned wall paper. Floor ventilation became a radiator and open window. Her cell phone, now sitting on a side table, becomes a rotary phone plugged into the wall. On and on until every aspect of her apartment looked like it came out of a 1930s cartoon. The changes then continued to the outside as she continued to sleep.
Hours later, Icewind was jerked awake by the sound of an old police siren. That distinct WRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrr filling the air as they passed by. In a flash, she leapt out of her chair and raced to the window to see what was happening. Outside, old stubby cartoon police cars filled with old 1930s policemen were chasing around another stubby car filled with weasels in old black and and white robber outfits with masks. Their trunk was bursting with large bags of money that barely held shut with rope and was leaking money fast. She watched as they sped by, sirens blazing and guns firing.
“Good golly gosh! Bank robbers,” She said leaning back in, her voice now higher pitched and more feminine. “This looks like a job for…”
She then ducked behind a partition, her silhouette showing her pulling off her clothes and slipping into her costume, before she leapt out from the other side. This time however, it wasn’t her usual grey armored look. Instead she was now wearing a now “Colorful” outfit consisting of a white and grey striped skirt, light grey top with a star pattern, thigh high heeled boots, and a tiara with a star in the center.
“...WONDER DRAGON,” she shouted triumphantly. Heroic but silly noise began to play as she raced to the window, leaping out and flying into the air. She struck a heroic pose as she flew, music loud as it focused on her for a while. She quickly caught up to the robbers, flying up next to the driver's side and knocked on the glass.
“Listen her mister, you need to stop right now and turn yourselves in. Don’t you know stealing is against the law,” She said.
“Shove it lady,” the weasel said in a gruff voice. He then pointed his comically large gun at her and tried to fire. Before he could, however, Icewind grabbed it and crushed it into a little ball with one hand.
“I see you boys aren’t going to play nice. I guess I gotta teach you mugs a lesson,” She said huffing. She then flew ahead several feet and stood in the middle of the road, hand out, as a visual order for them to stop. The weasels didn’t however and tried to ram into her. It didn’t go well however as the car came to a screeching halt and crumpled like an accordion. It then bounced back into shape and sputtered to a stop, hissing loudly. As the weasels stumbled out of the car, dazed, Icewind put her hands on her hips and scoffed.
“Now I did ask you boys nicely to come quietly. I hope you learned a lesson,"she said.
“Ok lady, you asked for it,” The leader said, clearing his head. All four of them then ran at her at once.
POW!!!
BIFF!!!
BAM!!!
ZOWIE!!!
Four word cards flashed by, with cartoony sounds to match. When they cleared, all the weasels were on the ground moaning in pain. Just then the police cars chasing them screeched to a halt as canine cops poured out and surrounded the group. The police chief, a chubby lion with a thick mustache, then pushed through and approached the leader.
“Weasel brothers! You’re under arrest for robbing the First City Bank! Cuff’em boys,” He said in a thick Boston accent. Four officers then came up and cuffed the weasels before stuffing them into the back of the cars. As they did, the chief walked up to Icewind and patted her on the back.
“Thank you Wonder Dragon! You saved the day again,” He said with a huge smile.
“All in a day's work chief. But I need to get to a salon now. I think I broke a nail, she said looking at her hand. The pair then laughed as a black oval iris wipe covered them, credits and cheery music playing.
Back in the theater, the Animator sat in the middle, feet perched on the back of another seat, as he munched on a bag of popcorn. He watched the credits roll by. They of course listed him as writer, director, producer, and animator, with Icewind and some of the theater patrons as character voices. Soon it ended and the air filled with the FLAP FLAP FLAP of film flopping around at the end of the reel.
“HO boy! I sure outdid myself this time. I just love a happy ending,” he said with a giggle. He then got up and headed toward the projection room. Once inside he turned off the projector and began to remove the now small reel of film containing Icewind and the other patrons. He looked over it for a moment and smiled.
“Probably some of my best work yet. An instant classic! Wonder if I could get an award for it at this year's VillainCon?”
He then put the reel inside a metal canister and walked out of the building, moving on to his next crime. Meanwhile trapped inside frame after frame of celluloid film, Icewind waited, ready to save the day and stop those dastardly Weasel brothers again…and again…and again…
Maybe some day she will end in a museum. But for now, Wonder Derg was waiting for her next performance.
