Disclaimer: I do not own Toontown, cogs, or toons in general. The basis for this story is owned by Disney. However, I did create the Zapper group, Flappy, Floppy, the story, and any specific cogs mentioned BESIDES the masterbots. If I missed anything, let me know.
The prologue is long. This is because it describes very important information about the cogs and toons, including vocabulary that I will use in future chapters.
Prologue:
Origin
The Vice President was tired of pies.
The Chief Financial Officer was tired of safes.
The Chief Justice was tired of evidence.
The Chief Executive Officer was tired of water.
But of all the things they were tired of, there was one thing they wanted to be rid of: Toons. The pesky animals seemed to go to them 24/7. While these major cogs desperately tried to fight against the inevitable, more of their enemies came into existence. There was no stopping the toons. The toons said they fought the cogs because the cogs tried to destroy Toontown. The cats and dogs, horses and ducks, mice and monkeys, pigs and bears; all those animals just couldn't stop to listen. The bosses remembered a time when they were not much different. But then they were forced into battles.
All cogs had started as gears and scrap metal. They had been created by a race called the CROPS, also known as the Corporation of Real Organic People Systematics. The first version of a COG (From the company Crystal Options Grind), COG v0.0.1, were meant only as servants. They were nearly useless things that had to be upgraded. COG v0.0.2 was created, not much better but definitely an improvement. This went on for many years; the CROPS created more versions until, finally, the first COG v0.9.9 came into existence. More followed.
These new cogs were definitely important, for they were the first with a conscious. Not only were they loyal to the CROPS, they could choose better and worse; they had opinions. They could be taught how to do work and how to behave. Still, they were too simple. They were single minded, in a way. So the first COG v1.0.0 was born.
The COG v1.0.0, or cog1, could do much more than the cog0s. The cog1s were much like the CROPS, but made of metal and oil. The only thing the inventor didn't mention was the fact that they were not as loyal as cog0s. A few could potentially become rebels. And that is exactly what happened. A group of ten cog1s started to secretly plan an attack on the CROPS. They referred to them as the Corporation, and to themselves as simply cogs. Eventually, a simple cog1 discovered the group and told the CROPS. The rebels were defeated.
However, they did not go down without leaving a mark. As the COG v1.0.6, which continued to follow the name of cog1, appeared, the cogs had enough intelligence to create their own beings. So they made an agreement, somehow, with the CROPS. They would become separate beings, and the CROPS would recognize the cogs as a people. So off the cogs went, finding a land of their own and setting up their own system. Recognizing the names of the historic rebel cogs, they created four categories of business: Sellbots, cashbots, lawbots, and bossbots. The sellbots made the land money. The cashbots stored and organized this money. The lawbots made sure that all cogs followed the laws. And the bossbots created the laws. Additionally, a master bot for each category would watch over and direct their group. The VP, the CFO, the CJ, and the CEO.
So the cogs lived. They were a small species, though they would eventually grow to be large. At their peak, when they themselves had upgraded to COG v1.5.9, one of the Corporation's pets, a dog, came to the land of the cogs. He discovered the Pond of Magic, the source of the cogs' life, which lay in the middle of their capital. When he touched it, he changed. His skin became blue. He grew taller and stood on two feet. He evolved into what would later be called a TOON, a Tripled Organism of Obduration Nalorphine. The one thing people noticed was that he was beyond happy, and, due to a prank on the Corporation President, he was granted the name of Flippy. Flippy led other animals to the pond, creating more toons. The first ten were known as the Toon Council, with Flippy at the head. Eventually, there was a new type of being. Toons left to find their own land.
The Corporation did not like the idea of losing something they once called their own. They'd lost the cogs, and the last thing they wanted to lose was the toons. So they began the war of the TOON-CROPS. When the toons sought refuge with the cogs, the cogs felt they understood and said yes. They let the toons take the inner, less used part of the country. The Corporation saw this as an aggressive act, and attacked the cogs. But the cogs won. Less than half of the CROPS remained, and they left to hiding, threatening that if the toons were to leave the land of the cogs, the Corporation would attack once more.
Eventually, the place where the toons stayed reflected their personality. They set up shops so they could make money to pay the cogs to live in "Toontown", but otherwise did not interact with the robots. By now there was a COG v1.9.9, with different kinds of cogs to reflect their level. The masterbots were bigger and stronger, while the smaller cogs reflected their level of skill in their appearance.
Flippy became old, just like the masterbots. And the blue dog gained a twisted mind to go with it. He started seeing himself, and his fellow toons, as captives to the cogs. He experimented until he discovered that the very thing he loved most, gags, irritated the cogs and would eventually blow them up. Flippy, Floppy, Flappy, Mickey, Donald, Daisy, Minnie, Goofy, Chip and Dale all began the Cog Extermination Program, where they would get rid of the cogs and take over their land as their own. They taught this to all toons, creating disguises and ways to get into the Cog HQs. The cogs had to invent warbots: Skelecogs and Goons, even putting themselves on the front lines. The first part of the TOON-COG war began.
We know where the standings are now. Toons have the ultimate gags. Cog1s are being replaced by cog2s. When the war started, the cogs wanted to make an agreement with the toons. But now it is too late. The masterbots are beginning to plan. The council is preparing its soldiers. A war is about to begin.