Anywhere But Burbank

Chapter 10: Change of Heart

Carrie was interviewing the press on the different endings for the three part finale of Take Me Back to Burbank. "So Carrie, how many alternate endings of the story were there?" One person asked her and she responded. "There were 3 different endings. One was MacKenzie finally came through to me during the Guardian Lauren and Shadow Queen Carrie fight, the second was the one we went on, Lauren getting through to me, and the third was my dad and my ghost mother doing it." Carrie then chuckles at the thoughts. "I think my favorite one had to be the first ending with MacKenzie stopping the fighting."

(Flashback: First ending.)

Chaos was running rampid in the Warner Brothers Studios for the Studio Games. Guardian Lauren and Shadow Queen Carrie were trying to get at each other from doing damage. The siblings were near the entrance with Ralph as Yakko was holding onto Cassidy. "What have we done? I feel like this was all me. I should have listened to her emotions and stopped Brain from kicking her out in the first place." "No. It's my fault." Dot cried, holding onto Wakko. "I should have listened more to Carrie. She was my sister figure." Wakko stopped her crying. "Don't cry, it's not your fault." "No! It's all me! I never got Carrie away from her mother when it was right! I let her endure the torture!" Daniel told the siblings and Cassidy as Cassandra pats his back.

"STOP IT!" MacKenzie finally got them to shut up as Carrie and Lauren turned to her. "I had a fault in her caving in. I started the whole bullying thing in the first place. Yes, we all might have had a fault in Carrie's psychological episodes, but we all changed for her didn't we?!" The siblings all turn to each other and gave a nod. "Yeah." "And do those faults define who you are now? No! The past is left behind now. We need to show Carrie that we care for her.. I should more than anybody.."

MacKenzie held onto the gift that she had gotten for Carrie and looked up. "Let her come to me.." A force field wavered off of her as it stunned the Shadow Carrie to make her look at MacKenzie. She began to step forward slowly and Carrie made a demonic scream as she ran towards her. MacKenzie kept her cool as she stared her down. "I have crossed the horizon to find you..." Carrie continued to run, her screeching coming to a halt. "I know your name." MacKenzie stepped onto the podium as Carrie got closer, her dirty blond hair flowing in the wind. "They have stolen the heart from inside you... But this does not define you." Carrie made a full stop as MacKenzie takes her hands, holding them. "This is not who you are.. You know.. who you are."

Her eyes looked up to the Shadow Queen Carrie as she hugged her. "Who you truly are.." She spoke and Carrie hugged back gently. Mackenzie gave her the gift that she held onto for so many years; The clay heart she made in preschool for her. The shadow inside Carrie withered away and then she returned back to normal and dropped to the ground. Yakko caught her in his arms and cried into her shoulder. "Oh Carrie." Carrie held him back and shuddered softly. Daniel came up as well as did the rest of the family, giving each other a warm embrace, knowing the trouble was finally over.

Brain saw his plan failed and he tried to leave, but not before getting smacked by Cassidy's mallet as he and Pinky ended up in a garbage can back at ACME Labs. "Well that went as bad as I thought.. Come on Pinky, we need to prepare for tomorrow night.." "What's that Brain? What are we doing tomorrow night?" Pinky asked his partner as they ended up back in their cage. "The same thing we do every night Pinky.. try to take over the world!!"