The Mission Begins/Morning Side Orphanage Investigation

As night fell, it began to rain. The bus pulled over near Central Park, close towards the zoo. Fievel, Fidget, Tiger, Olivia, and Miss Kitty hitched the ride unbeknownst to human passengers and the human driver and they carefully jumped off the bus without being seen. They hid underneath a mailbox to stay dry.

Fievel was now wearing a red raincoat and a matching rain hat over his regular clothes.

Fidget was now wearing a yellow raincoat, a matching rain hat, and a single red boot over his regular clothes.

Tiger was now wearing a turquoise raincoat and a red rain hat over his purple shirt.

Olivia was now wearing a blue foot-length dress coat with five dark blue buttons, a blue tam-o'-shanter with a black ribbon, a matching brim, and a red pom-pom, and a baby blue scarf with a red plaid pattern over her socks, shoes, and bow, along with a different outfit.

Miss Kitty was now wearing a purple shawl over her dress and a fuchsia headscarf.

After the bus took off, Fievel took out a map to find find where to take a route to Morningside Orphanage.

"Here it is," said Fievel. "It's 3 blocks down and... Four blocks over."

"Why don't we take a shortcut through the zoo?" Olivia asked, opening up her umbrella.

"Uh, gee--Olivia, uh--" Tiger paused for few seconds. "I don't know. I meant, uh, well...it could be risky."

"Well, come on. Remember our pledge? 'Through storm and rain and dark of night...'"

"..'it never failed to do what's right.'" Fidget took his hat off for a brief moment to say part of the pledge. His hat suddenly filled up with rainwater and when Fidget put his rain-hat back on, the rainwater splashed on him. "All right...duty calls."

The five entered the zoo, where it is really damp, dark, a bit cold and a bit frightening. Fievel whistled cheerfully to to brighten up their dark shortcut, but his whistles began to die down and weaken due to very animal noises coming from all over, thus making the five frightful.

"Uh, guys," said Miss Kitty. "Maybe we ought to go back. It's so dark in there." She pointed out the observatory where darkness from the other side is pitch black.

"Dark?" Tiger asked, "Who's uh--who's afraid of the dark?"

"Look, you uh...you-you better stay out here. I'll-I'll check it out." Fidget offered.

Fidget waved at his comrades to ensure them that he will be alright walking towards the darkness. He took their lantern with him to see what over the side. The four took cover behind the green metal wastebasket, making their hearts pacing with suspense.

A loud roar was heard. Fidget began to run from the darkness and for his life. His fear made him almost forget about the four.

"Hey! Wait for us!" Olivia exclaimed.

He came to run back to them, grabbing each other's hands and resuming running. However, they got trampled on by their lantern and Olivia's umbrella. Finally, they reached towards the gate and sighed and panted in relief.

"Well," Fidget panted. "How about trying the 3 blocks down and 4 blocks over?"

"What did you do to make him so mad?" Fievel asked.

"Nothing," Fidget explained, reopening the umbrella. "It's just, uh--just a grumpy old lion."

"Well, after all, waking him up in the middle of the night. Wouldn't you be grumpy, too?" Tiger asked.

"I didn't wake him in a middle of the night. I just walked into a thing..." Fidget explained away.

The five were the first to arrive at Morningside Orphanage, sneaking inside from an partially open window. They split up to look for any clues the Gangreen Gang and the Dazzlings left behind.

They went to the bedroom where the Gangreen Gang has shared with the Dazzlings, but they were not seen--well, not yet, anyways.

"PSST! PSST!" Fievel hissed at his friends. "Guys, over here. I found something." Fievel pointed out ten boxes with the labels with each member of the Gangreen Gang and Dazzlings' names on the side. "These are the Gangreen Gang and Dazzlings' belongings."

"Good work," said Miss Kitty. "Now we're getting somewhere."

Fidget and the mice jumped into the box and looked at the items the orphans owned before they disappeared. There's also another cat who happened to hear the five as well--a dark blue and white-furred cat with closed chibi eyes and wearing a red cape, white gloves, and a gold crown was taking a nap. He overheard them talking.

"Oh, look!" said Olivia. "Girl treasures for the Dazzlings!"

"And boy stuff as well." Fidget agreed.

"Boy, do these kids collect," said Fievel.

"Do you think they could be still in the orphanage?" Tiger asked.

"They can't be. It says on the box, 'HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE'." Miss Kitty answered.

"Then maybe they're been adopted." Fidget said.

"No, because... They would've taken these things with them." Fievel said.

The cat looked from above and discovered the five in the box.

"Mice, a bat, and cats!" the cat exclaimed excitedly with a Scottish accent.

"A strange cat!" Fievel and Olivia screamed in unison. They quickly hid inside one of the Dazzlings' old shoes.

"Now, look here, you five," spoke the cat. "If folks find out mice moved in here, I'll get kicked out... Even lose my job."

"Oh, don't worry, Mr. Cat," said Olivia. "We won't be here long."

"Actually, my name's Cait Sith." The cat said.

"Cait Sith?" Tiger and Miss Kitty exclaimed. Then they remembered, "Oh yeah!"

"We were old friends." Tiger said.

"Didn't know you're buddies." Fidget said.

"Yep. We are." Miss Kitty admitted with Tiger nodding in agreement.

"Aye. We be friends since we were wee little kittens." Cait Sith said in agreement. "And besides, I don't eat mice," He finished, doing a relaxing stretch.

"Then Cait Sith," Fievel asked, talking to the cat. "Could you tell us about two groups of kids calling themselves the Gangreen Gang and the Dazzlings?"

"Well, I sure can," said Cait Sith. "But you ain't gonna find them around here. And they have names. The Gangreen Gang consists Ace D. Copular, Sanford "Snake" D. Ingleberry, Li'l Arturo de la Guerra, Big William "Billy" W. Williams, and Grubber J. Gribberish."

"And what are the Dazzlings' names?" Miss Kitty asked while taking notes.

"They are Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, Starlight Glimmer, Sonata Dusk, and Trixie." Cait Sith explained. "Anyway, the poor kids ran away."

"Ran away?!" shouted the five in unison.

"Why would they run away?" Tiger asked.

"Didn't they want to be adopted?" Olivia asked.

"Of course every orphan wanted to be adopted," said Cait Sith.

"But maybe something bad has happened to them," said Fievel.

"Probably," said Fidget.

"When's the last time you saw them?" Miss Kitty asked Cait Sith.

"Was there anything unusual?" Olivia asked. "Try to remember."

Cait Sith slows himself down to regain his recent memory with the Gangreen Gang and the Dazzlings. Finally, he remembered everything and began to explain every detail as a flashback came on.

"Well, the last time I saw those ten, I found them sitting on their beds, all alone and sad, with Arturo holding his Swiss Army comb, Maria Gonchita Teresa Rosalita very tight. I came up to them for comfort and asked..."

"What's wrong, guys?" Cait Sith asked in the flashback.

"Nothing." The ten told him glumly.

"Aw, lads and lasses, you can tell me." Cait Sith said in a comforting way.

Snake sighed and asked "You reallyssss want to know?"

Cait Sith nodded, and then Arturo explained, "Well, it was adoption day at the orphanage. A couple came by to adopt someone and looked at us."

"But they chose a red-haired girl." Trixie said sadly.

"She was prettier than any of us," said Adagio.

"Aw, s-s-she couldn't be!" Cait Sith exclaimed. "Now, you listen to me. You're something extra special."

"No, we're not." Billy said.

"Why, someday a mama and a papa will come down to the orphanage looking for a pretty 'lil child just like you guys." Cait Sith said in support.

"Honest?" Starlight asked hopefully.

"I'll bet my whiskers on it. But... You got to believe it. Keep your faith." Cait Sith said softly.

"See that bluebird?" He then asked noticing a bluebird outside.

"Yes." The ten said.

"Faith is a bluebird you see from afar. It's for real and for sure as the evening star. You can't touch it out or buy it or wrap it up tight, but it's there just the same, making things turn out right." Cait Sith advised.

The ten smiled softly and got confident.

"You know, you're right!" Ace said happily.

"Can't touch it out or buy it or wrap it up tight, but it'ssssssss there just the sssssssame, making thingsssssss turn out right." Snake repeated.

"But whoever adopts me has to adopt Maria, too." Arturo agreed.

"Oh, they'll love her. She doesn't eat much, does she?" Cait Sith said and then asked playfully.

Arturo giggled and Aria took some gingersnaps from her pocket, saying, "I got these for you from the cafeteria so you can have energy in you."

"Despite that she is not supposed to do that." Sonata said with a smile.

But Cait Sith smiled and said, "Don't worry. It's a secret."

"You're the best, Cait Sith!" Billy exclaimed while Grubber blew a raspberry happily.

And then Starlight gives Cait Sith a rub on his belly, making him purr. "I love you, Cait Sith." she said.

"Oh! We better hurry! Or we'll be late for supper!" Sonata announced.

"Oh, right!" The others agreed and hurried out.

"Well, they seemed happy enough," Cait Sith concluded back in the present. "But the next thing I heard... They were gone."

"Aren't the police still looking for them?" Fidget asked.

"No, no, no. They gave up weeks ago." Cait Sith said sadly.

"This is terrible, those poor kids," said Miss Kitty.

"I still can't believe those kids would run away just like that," said Fievel.

"But it also be hard to believe that any child like them would be gone for so long," said Tiger.

"Something else might've happened to them." Olivia said.

Suddenly, Cait Sith remembered something very important.

"Well, come to think of it, there was. Oh no, it was nothing. The Gangreen Gang and the Dazzlings wouldn't get in with her."

"Get-Get in what?" Fidget asked. "With-With who?"

"A weird lady tried to give them a ride, but they wouldn't have anything to do with trashy people like them."

"Trashy people?" Olivia asked.

"Who?" Miss Kitty asked.

"She and her partner run a sleazy pawn shop down the street." Cait Sith said.

"We need to head down there and see if they got them captive now," said Fidget.

"Who knows what kind of people they are." Miss Kitty agreed.

"They could be in real trouble," said Olivia, getting ready to leave with her comrades.

"We got to find them and help them." Tiger agreed.

"Yeah, but-- Two cats, a bat, and two little mice? What-What can you do about it?" Cait Sith asked in concern.

At first, was a short pause. But Cait Sith finally gave in.

"Alright. Be careful." He said in calm support.

They nod and the five then left to get to the said pawn shop Cait Sith mentioned.