You had a lovely time being shadowed by little Squire Carl. He was enthusiastic, eager to learn, and pretty handy with his little sword. He giggled when he saw you receive a shower of kisses from Princess Dawn, but he was a kid after all. The two of you made a great pair as you patrolled the forest for any more troublemakers or folks in need. Or people to take pictures with, which Carl was really in to, even doing all sorts of silly poses. At one point you even ran into Bear and Jay and helped them rescue Goldilocks and Baby Bear from a tree (see, they climbed up it chasing a butterfly at the time, and got stuck). It was a grand old time until it was time for Carl to go back home from his experience. You were happy to make his day just a little more magical, and spied him with a plushie of you and his custom squire as he left the wizard's tower. It did put a smile on your face, but the inquisitive, human part of you would really like to know more about where the merch comes from. Something to inspect tomorrow night maybe. Tonight however, you had a doctor's appointment.
The day wound down peacefully as the park quieted down for the night. As you walked through the park towards one of the entrances to the underground, you happened upon Sir Lion Heart helping the security cats with another would be criminal. You decided to say hello as the guards carried the perp away to the park exits.
"Evening, Captain!" you greet as you approach.
"A-ah! Good evening, Sir Hammer," the lion knight replied, "How were afternoon patrols?"
"Lots of fun," you grin, "Got to hang out with this cute kid named Carl. How'd the goblin raid go?"
"Swimmingly," Lion Heart answered contentedly, "They showed great bravery in the face of danger. Without them, I fear the castle would be overrun with those greedy miscreants. Although... I heard one managed to slip through the cracks and absconded with one of the princesses' precious treasures. Dawn Blue's teddy, was it?"
"Yup," you confirm, "Not to worry though, Captain! Mr Stuffins has been rescued and returned to safe hands. It was hardly any trouble with the kid's help. Speaking of, you help the security cats?"
"More than that," he explained, "I'm actually head of the Fantasy Kingdom branch. Just another duty I'm happy to perform in the name of justice. You know, each land in Whimsy World has a similar branch head, all under Security Sally, my grandmother."
"That's so cool!" you exclaim, starry eyed.
"Yes, I suppose it is pretty... 'cool' was the word?" Sir Lion Heart agreed(?), "Anyway, I have to wrap things up here. You run off to supper now. Wouldn't want to go to your checkup on an empty stomach, would you?"
"Oh, good point," you agree, turning to leave, "I'll see you later tonight, Captain!"
"Same to you, Sir Hammer," Lion Heart called back. He smiled to himself as he watched you go.
"He's a good kid, that one. Eager, brave, kind, and not a little bit curious either. He'll make a worthy successor one of these years."
--
After returning to the mascot break room, the standard sequence of events played out. A loudspeaker announced dinner and you all lined up at the food dispensers. This time your meal resembled a giant frosted sugar cookie and once again it was delicious in a way that was difficult to identify. The dispensers looked like the same ones from last evening, so you guessed they rotated them out every meal. Next was shower time, the hot water and fresh clothes bringing some much-needed relief to your tired body.
After that it was free time until bed. The cookie left you thirsty again so you stopped by the bar for a quick pick me up. Matilda was working it tonight, and was happy to see you again. After a quick root beer (you decided against a float tonight), a cheetah girl mascot in a blue security vest arrived.
"Judging by the hammer you carry on your back," she stated, "I'd guess you're Sir Hammer, right?"
"You guessed correctly, ma'am," you say, "What's up?"
"It occurred to good Dr. Z that you likely wouldn't know where her office is," she explained, "I was asked to escort you. Shall we be off?"
"We shall!" you say, hopping down from your bar stool and biding Matilda a quick goodbye. The security guard led you back up to the surface, leading you through the park all the way to Toon Town, the opening area of Whimsy World. It seemed that Dr. Z's practice was in town, on Cherry Avenue. The building looked like a cartoon approximation of a doctor's office with a swinging sign that read "Dr. N. Zyme, M.D., H.E."
"Ooh, this is cute," you muse, "Thanks for the lift, miss..."
"Please, call me Chelly," the security cheetah smiled, "I've got to return to work. You have a good night, Sir Hammer."
"You too," you reply, "Keep fighting the good fight, Chelly." You stepped into the office right after that exchange.
The waiting room was similarly a cartoon approximation of a doctor's office, albeit rather well equipped to function as an actual one if need be. The walls, floor, and some of the furniture seemed to resemble patchwork fabric, you suppose in reference to how a doctor is in charge of "patching up" a patient. There were two other mascots in the waiting room, the living ragdoll girl you met before, and a young t-rex in a ball cap nursing a toothache. The doll (Lucy you found out) was playing with one of those bead-on-a-wire toys that you suspected just kind of spawned from the aether in waiting rooms, while the t-rex just sat there nervously. You supposed that they were here before you, so you found a magazine to thumb through while you waited. It was a magazine about boats, and boat culture.
After what felt like an hour, and the other mascots' turns, you were called into the examination room. Stepping inside, you noticed that the room was relatively small and bare. It had the same patchwork theme as the waiting room but in more sterile colors like white and green. A raised surface resembling a hospital bed was situated directly in the middle of the room and a desk with a computer sat in the far corner next to an overflowing bookshelf.
You were greeted by another doll-like mascot. She was a stout lady who wore mint colored scrubs and a long white lab coat. Her skin seemed to be made or white, green, and blue patchwork pieces, and her hair was worn up in a pair of buns and was split down the middle, one side white and the other black. She also wore large, round glasses with thin frames, and a pair of small buck teeth poked out from under her lip.
"Hello there," she greeted you in a chipper, nerdy voice, "I'm Dr. Z! I'll be running your checkup today. Let's get started, shall we? First thing's first, what's you're name?"
"I am Sir Hammer the knight," you reply automatically, "though Hamm for short is fine."
"What is your story?"
"I am an eager knight in service to the good King Leon. I fight monsters and rescue folks in need, especially Princess Dawn."
"And where do you live?"
"I live in Fantasy Kingdom, alongside my fellow knights of The Order of Justice."
"Excellent, thank you," the doctor said, mumbling something as she scribbled down some notes, "... Identification programming... is... a complete success... subject responds accurately... and immediately... 10 out of 10 marks!" She looked up from her clipboard. Okay, could you please undress and lay on the table for me? Don't worry, I'm a professional." You complied, a bit skittish about being nude but knowing there was really nothing that you could do about it. You lay before this doctor, bare and naked, as she looked you up and down.
"Okay... let's see here...
Hammer, Sir...
Fantasy Series 2 Human-type...
Male presenting... physically asexual...
5 feet and nine inches tall... 190 pounds...
Let's see... in metric that's roughly 1.75 meters and 86 kilograms..."
"Excuse me, doctor," you said, "What does all that mean?"
"I'm just confirming what sort of mascot you are, s'all," Dr. Z explained, putting on her stethoscope. She puffed on it briefly in a vain effort to warm it up, and it was still a little cold when she pressed it to your chest to listen.
"Hmmm... heart rate seems to be normal, breathing steady and without issue... skeleton seems to be Type-2, subcat B... Streamlined gastrointestinal system..." She examined your hands and feet, "Four digits each... mild toe truncation... Popeye-type forearms and hands... no visible malformations... ooh, except for the belly button, but it's just too cute so I'm not going to do anything about it."
As she examined you, you remembered that you were supposed to try to get answers from her. According to Legal Ludwig, she would have plenty of answers if you asked. Hopefully she would be about as happy to answer them as others have.
"Say, Dr. Z?" you start, "Do you know where we come from?" She suddenly perked up at that question, and a silly smile came to her face.
"OooOoh! A fellow inquisitive mind I see," she exclaimed, "Why I'd be happy to answer your question, junior scientist! Now... where to begin... Are you familiar with the concept of a liver transplant?"
"I... no?" you admit.
"Well it's all quite simple," she explained, "A portion of a donor's liver is shaved off and planted into the body of a recipient who needs it. The donor's own liver regrows and regenerates within a few months, restoring itself to full functionality. In our case, we take half of a person's very self and place it within one of our sophisticated mascots." She began to pace the room excitedly, "Well, when I say sophisticated, they're actually quite simple, only able to follow hypnotic suggestions on their own. Quite lacking in personality and basic reasoning skills. Kinda creepy, actually. That's why the human element is so integral."
"I see," you muse, "That does sort of align with what some of the other people I asked told me. So... how exactly does that all work?"
"I'm glad you asked," Dr. Z twinkled, "It all starts with when we find a suitable donor, one with all the right traits that make up what we love to see in a good mascot. Then, one of our recruiters takes them to get their brain scanned and essentially photocopied. Now, it's not a lobotomy, mind. Nervous system cells don't regenerate, and could you imagine the heat that would come down on our park if we did what was basically kidnapping and homicide? Plus, the brain is one of the most complicated organs in a living thing's body, so much so that physically slicing a brain would render it basically inert.
"Our brain-wave photocopying process is outright painless and humane," she continued, "That photocopy we take, which we've taken to calling 'soul essence', contains some of the donor's core memories, which we then integrate into the mascot body. The mascot's programmed memories fill in most of what's missing, creating a whole being that is a living, breathing organism."
"Uh, doc? I just had a creepy thought," you interject, "So... my memories... they're... fake?"
"Oh absolutely not!" Dr. Z explained, "Your character's memories are all still very real! You wouldn't be you if they weren't."
"Oh thank goodness!" you breathe a sigh of relief, "So, what happens to the human memories? I try to think back, but I don't think I ever was human in the first place. I had to have had a donor, so what happened to the part of them that made me... me? Did... did I erase it on accident?"
"Oh, goodness no!" Dr. Z explained, "That part of you is still around, tucked into a corner in your mind where it's safe. This isn't the nicest way of putting it, but we sometimes call those memories 'junk data', kind of like how if you have excess data clogging up a computer that makes it run slower. That data that isn't necessary for our mascots to have is extracted in your sleep so that you don't feel the need to worry about your donor's family too much or destroy your home or anything. What we do leave behind is stuff that builds your personality, common sense and reasoning, and sometimes natural curiosity like with your case. Your desire to explore is so central to you that it could never be considered junk data. It's part of what makes you, you."
"Is everyone here like me?" you ask, "Someone who's forgotten about their old donor's lives and are fully committed to being 'themselves' I mean."
"Well... as it stands, most of us do," she twiddled her thumbs, "We do still have a few too paranoids who refuse to believe what we explain and think that they were kidnapped and replaced with clones. One, that's a horrible thing to do to someone let alone their family! Two, if we were to do awful things like that then the FBI would lynch us. Three, we don't have the means to make real life human beings, just mascots, and nor would we want to do something so awful! Four, the 'Mascot-For-A-Day' would be made to be inhumane and evil, which it isn't and never will be. And five... well it'd make all of us here feel really ashamed that we did something to upset anybody, and if there's one thing a mascot doesn't like to do, it's upset someone." The two of you shiver at the thought of it. Why would anyone for that matter want to do an awful thing like that? "But I can assure you, the human element remains forever and the decision to fully embrace their role is actually their own doing, even if they may not entirely realize it."
"I... I think I get it," you nod, "and hey, those old donor memories were kind of like a huge weight on my shoulders. My donor's family aren't my real family anyway. The park is my family, right?"
"Absolutely right!" Dr. Z punctuated with a hug, "We're all in this together, so if you're ever feeling doubtful, know that you're never alone and that we're always here to help, be it administration, security, health, or your co-stars. You can bet your special hammer on that, cousin!"
After that tender moment, you felt at peace with yourself for the moment. There was still so much about the park that you wanted to learn and explore, but those could wait for another day. The checkup continued easily after that, and after being given full marks and a sucker you were on your way home with a clean bill of health. Tomorrow was another big day, and you'd better rest up for it all you can.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to you, a certain harlequin cat watched you from a nearby rooftop with binoculars. Jingles knew you were sure of your place in the world, but she could tell you were still thirsty to explore this park. She was just like you, eager to tug at a thread until the whole sweater was unraveled and you knew how to put back together. She decided right there that she was starting to like you, and that tomorrow was going to be very interesting indeed.