New Horizons City

by Kw6sTheater

This is the first real story I've published, as a part of my interconnected stories series. Kw6 and his brother, Skales, are hired to stop a robber in New Horizons City. Kw6 ends up sympathizing with the robber and reforming him, and they are launched into an unexpected adventure by their enemies, the Griefer army, after Kw6 takes Spurdog out to have sandwiches at Mel's Diner.

We were shaking, even with the air conditioning on, as we descended into the desolate, brick-laden city. "New Horizonss City?" Skales asked, confused. "With new in the name, you'd expect it to look a whole lot better." I said, then sighed. "Yes, this is the place."

Y

We landed the DeLorean in a parking lot. A tumbleweed turned to dust after hitting a building nearby. I slammed the car door, then looked around for my first view inside the city. The temperatures were cold, which certainly matched the feel that this city emitted. We were walking onto a street, where one of the citizens stood, mesmerized at a poster. I read it aloud. "Blakester is watching you? Who's he?" The citizen turned around and responded. "I'm EpcotCenter, but you can call me Ep, and he's one of our Managers. He's super nice." "Why is hisss head everywhere?" Skales hissed. EpcotCenter, who by instinct stepped back at the sheer sight of him, apologized and answered Skales' question. "To answer your question, snake, he manages the punishments side of things. The poster is to remind everyone that he is watching what you do no matter what." "His name is Skales, not snake," I hastily stated and grasped my dual pistols. "Oh… sorry," said Ep. "We were called here to deal with some sort of issue about a criminal, I think. There was supposed to be some sort of robbery around now and-" I was cut off by Ep. "I should be going, then, see you around!" He started running down the street. "That wass awkward," Skales hissed. "Isss he the robber, do you believe?" "Nah." Looking over my shoulder I saw some guards approaching. One was named Roses; an odd name for a tough role. "You are Kw6? And who is this scaly pet of yours?" A guard said as they approached us. "Not my pet, my gods, he's my friend and partner, Skales!" I fired back. "Sarcasm or harassment is not tolerated inside New Horizons City," Roses told us. "Geez," Skales muttered. "Sstrict."

The guards took me to where the robber was last seen, leaving Skales behind on the street. We went passed broken pipe systems, an abandoned railway and boarded up buildings. Then we arrived at the railway station. "We're renovating the railway, and a few workers went missing whilst working on the refurbishment." Roses told me. Another guard chimed in. "By the way, my name is Dpsa. I am leading this project." This place was just getting weirder and weirder, so I decided to stay silent and observe the ghetto station. There were some dustpans lying around and temporary wires snaking across the floor, but everything seemed to be okay. However I heard a faint honking from the tunnel. Another blast sounded, and it grew closer. Soon the ground started to rumble, and a light appeared. Then two, and they both illuminated a grey train. "STOP!" Roses and Dpsa yelled, as the train barreled through. I jumped onto it, and broke into a window with my pistol. Then I swung inside, and looked around.

This train was also abandoned, and no one seemed to be in it. I looked through the door to see a few crates lying around in the next car, and in the car behind me was nothing. Now, the train had fully entered the tunnel, with a wave of darkness blocking out the light of the station's glass ceiling. I climbed into the next car, and ripped open a crate. There were a lot of signs, that I couldn't read at the time, inside. The next crate was the same. Then, a light turned on inside the front car. I could see a hooded figure inside, pushing a throttle with their hand. The train hit a bend, slamming me into the window. I got back up and jogged towards the door. I grabbed both my pistols and shot through the door, causing the figure to turn around. I saw a small rectangle shape in their hand with two buttons- and I then figured out what it was. I jumped onto the front car, and accidentally slid onto the coupler. The figure pressed the a button, causing the coupler to open and nearly throw me off the train. Then, hitting the other button, the other cars exploded and caused the tunnel to cave in. I chose to smack my way through the door and stood behind the hooded figure, grabbing their shoulder. I tried to throw it out of the train, but they dodged to the side and nearly crumpled. The hood fell off to reveal a person. "What do you want with New Horizons City?" I rasped, holding my dual pistols to their cheeks. "Hi," they said back. "I'm um, Spurdog, and my friend Healla wanted me to, uh, join him at this cool place called Griefertown-" "Now I really want to kill you," I grinned. "Any Griefer deserves to die." "WAIT, BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO KILL ME, RIGHT?" Spurdog yelled. "Stop this train and get both of us back to the City, NOW, and I won't turn you in. I promise as long as you do those things and stay away from this place," I tried to sound sincere. Thankfully this was enough for the gullible Griefer, and so Spurdog showed me the way back. We rode the front car of the train out to the edge of the city, then climbed a hill and entered from the gate. "Thanks, Spurdog. Never thought a Griefer had it in 'em to show kindness, and I applaud you for that." I waved farewell to the one kind Griefer, and so we parted ways. I walked to the gate, and told the guard, "I've completed the mission. Take me to Roses and Dpsa." They opened the gate and let me walk in, then directed me to their guardpost. Sooner than later I crossed paths with them and informed them of my success. "He was from Griefertown," I explained. "Wanted to blow up the city from the looks of it." They smiled and applauded me for my efforts, but I waited for my money. And so they led me to the management offices.

We stepped inside the city management offices. In the back was a large gathering area, where Soister, the founder of New Horizons City, sat proudly next to someo- wait, that was Blakester! "Hey, Blakester," I called. Blakester's face grimaced. "Um, hello, Kw6," he awkwardly responded. "On behalf of New Horizons City, we'd like to thank you for apprehending that robber. He was troubling the city for awhile. And you know there are no pets allowed inside this building, I presume?" Soister boomed. "Sshut up," Skales rasped, tired of all the name calling. "Sarcasm or harassment is not tolerated inside New Horizons City, especially from talking pets," Blakester reminded us. "Hey, he's my friend! Not some stupid pet that I drag around!" I hollered at Blake. "Look, we want our reward Soister. YOU PROMISED." "Sarcasm or harassment is not tolerated inside New Horizons City, including threats." Roses said. "I don't think you are kind enough to receive your reward, Kw6. As Roses stated, we don't allow our staff to be mistreated or talked down to." Furious, I swore, "GODS DAMMIT! I can't believe you, you people have a lot of conceit but your city is a trash heap. I wanted my reward and you refuse it?!" "That's it! You are now banished from New Horizons City, Kw6. And to make sure that your cruelty doesn't spread to anywhere else, we will end you here and now." Soister yelled, and suddenly Blakester's face broke out into a grin. Skales started to back away then hastily bolted for the door, slithering through it and onto the street. I yanked out my dual pistols then braced for impact. Soister rose from his seat, which was BAD NEWS FOR ME. Then, instead of charging, he ordered, "Blakester, you have my permission to utterly destroy him!"

Like Skales I ran to the door and blasted the glass open. I tried to jump through, but Blakester grabbed me and slammed me against the wall like a dog playing with a chew toy. I almost felt my vertebrae snap like a twig. I leaped backwards, behind Blakester, and implanted a duo of bullets into his head. However this seemed to do no damage to the corrupt government enforcer; Soister just smirked at me. Then I made a mad dash for the door, adrenaline surging through my body. I heard a rush of air as Blake… FLEW?! At insane speeds, he sped towards me next to the door. It was made of solid steel, so I sidestepped him and he went headfirst into what used to be a door. It crumpled, as did he, but Soister made no notion to hurt me. He just walked towards me, enraged. So I used this opportunity to step on Blakester to get through the door. And then, I began running down the street. "Skales!" I shouted. Suddenly I heard another blast of air, and I tensed up. I was in no shape to fight an enemy as powerful as Blake. I heard my back snap with tension, but thankfully it was to see Skales in the DeLorean. "THANK YOU!" I said to the hovering Dimension DeLorean. He rolled down the window, and threw a makeshift ladder down. I instantly began climbing and got into the second row. I asked, "How did you find it?"

Skales began reeling up the ladder furiously. "What happened to YOU?" He questioned. "Well, we didn't get our money because- you know, then they turned on me and Blakester slammed yours truly into a wall. So my back hurts, a lot. Better get out before they kill us both!" I sarcastically chimed. Skales drove the DeLorean into the sky, and we circled around the city. There were a few citizens out in the streets. Then we rocketed up, up and away and shot through the clouds, launching back to the palace.

I slept for most of the ride to the palace. Then, Skales woke me up once we landed. We talked about our narrow escape, not the first ever, but still exciting and relieving. I made a quick dinner for us, in the form of a take and bake pizza that had been lying around for weeks. Then we both got some well deserved rest, and in the morning Skales headed off to his family. I wandered around the palace, waiting for something to happen, until...

Another hooded figure approached the palace grounds. As I was watching from the window, they took off their hood to reveal the one kind Griefer I've ever known- Spurdog! I ran down from the tower and flung open the front door. "Welcome back-" I paused, then pulled my dual pistols out of my pocket and aimed them at him. "Griefer. Shouldn't have prepared such a warm welcome for one." Spurdog shrugged, then reached into his pockets for a revolver. He threw that on the ground, along with his ammo inside it. "Is that enough to show that I've changed?" Spurdog asked, trying to look sincere. I grimaced. "Throw everything else out of your pockets," I demanded. He threw out gum wrappers, a wallet, string, a cracked phone, and a small bottle of partially drank healing elixir. "Welcome inside, mate!" I cheered, finally glad I could convert a Griefer to realize their mistakes. I showed Spurdog around the palace, then asked him some questions. "How long were you a Griefer for?" I asked, and he responded, "About three months." Other questions included; "Can you cook?" As I was getting rather tired and didn't feel like cooking, "How many missions did you go on as a Griefer?" To which he responded with three, and finally, "Why did you trust Red, and did he say anything about me?" I'll give you what he said… "He seemed like a reasonable and nice guy, one to want to follow, and he talked about you a bit. With hatred and malice, and he wanted to send some guys out to your palace and capture you." This intrigued me. "What else did he tell you about this plan?" "Well, most of it was kept under wraps to us regular Griefers, but we did know that he'd send half of us to capture you and bring you somewhere. That much was told to us all." "Sounds stupid enough to be Red's plan," I joked. "If he's smart, he'll call that plan off because you quit. Or he'll just track you down and kill you to not let it spill." Spurdog tensed up. "You really think so?" He asked. "Yup, right as rain," I responded. "Oh, does anyone know about your quitting?" I questioned the nervous Spurdog. "No, not really," he responded, in a scared tone and eyes on the floor. "Even your friend, Hela?" "His name is Healla, and I think I did…?" Spurdog suddenly trembled. "It's okay, mate, I've faced the Griefer army multiple times," I tried to soothe his terror. "I was one too, at one point." At this remark Spurdog shot up with newfound curiosity. "REALLY?"

"A long, long time ago, my best friend Quarter, and another friend Vortex, along with myself joined the gang of Griefers. We rose to the top, eventually ruling with Sillyman, their leader, until we realized our mistakes and tried to forget the trail of terror that we left behind. That's why I took a ship halfway across the galaxy to forget my troubles, and assembled a team of heroes to fight evil on different planets. A few years ago we disbanded and everyone split off, and now… here I am." I sighed, remembering my evil days as a Griefer. "So, I guess, we have that in common; both Griefers that realized our mistakes. And one more thing; after Sillyman quit being the brutal ruler due to him getting bored, Red took over with a much gentler approach," I explained. "That would explain why Griefertown looks so, um, shabby," Spurdog said. "So yeah, um, to commemorate your positive life choice, how about we go to one of the best restaurants in the galaxy?" I chirped. "Sure!" Spurdog cheered. I led him to the DeLorean out back, and we both climbed in. "How are we going to get to somewhere in one of these busted old cars?" He asked. "You'll see," I responded, as I engaged the Flux Capacitor and we blasted off into space, causing Spurdog to yell with surprise within seconds.

M E L ' R

Spurdog and I sat down at a table in Mel's, the best sandwich place in the galaxy. We'd made our orders at the counter and picked a table close to the door, having gotten a glass of water for myself and a glass of lemonade for Spurdog. During the close to thirty minute wait (Mel's was busy, per usual) we discussed random things, food coming up in several of them. Then an alien waiter came up to our table and set our sandwiches down. For about a few minutes we sat in silence, savoring the delicious sandwiches. Then Spurdog perked up, nearly spitting out his sandwich. "You think we could maybe, um, really restore my reputation?" Spurdog asked. "No one will know that you were a Griefer," I responded, taking a large bite. "You used to be one in so many, nobody's gonna remember." "Yeah, I wasn't treated well- Clode hated me especially. He had a plan to assemble a small team like you had at one point-" Spurdog was interrupted as he was gnawing on his sandwich, as the door slammed open. "And you think you can keep goin' around, leakin' out all our plans?" Clode hollered, suddenly coming into view. There were about five Griefers standing behind him, all with their guns armed at Spurdog. "And y'all are FRIENDS NOW?!" Clode hollered again, and snarled at me. I gave him a smug grin, then pushed my hands into my pockets to try and find my dual pistols. My grin melted into fear as I was empty handed! Using only my wits and hopefully powerful hand to hand combat, I stood up. Spurdog followed my lead. "Can you go out back, through the kitchen door? And when you do, get to the DeLorean- here are the keys," I tossed him the keys. "Open it up, then grab the pistols an-" Suddenly, Clode roared, as Mel's descended into chaos as gunshots rang out in the air. Aliens of all shapes and colors rushed for the door, kicking each other aside to be the first to get out, and some were hit by Griefers. One of the less agile looking Griefers tackled an aggressive Alien- causing both of them to slam into a table, which caused a domino effect. I used a circular table as my shield to defend myself from the rain of sideways bullets. Another alien rammed into a Griefer, weighing them down and letting three more bolt for the door. Then, I threw the shield at two Griefers that were firing their guns at me. Clode ran to the side, but the other Griefer was not so quick. They were pinned down by the table and squirmed to get out. Clode threw a chair at me, causing me to trip and slam into a table. I growled and got up. Quickly I charged at him, throwing Clode against a window. Some ketchup and mayonnaise squirted onto his face, making the typically fearsome commander look like a goofball with a spray of sauces to the face. I began laughing at him; however a Griefer came out of nowhere and tackled me, slapping and beating me relentlessly on the floor. I tried to slap him, but he jammed my arm backwards and into an awkward position.

Two high beams flooded the windows with light, and everyone looked at them including the Griefers. Suddenly, the glass windows were blasted open by lasers firing. Several Griefers got directly hit or tripped on the glass, then a figure jumped down. Carrying a long, bulky blaster onto their sticklike arms, they took two shots that flung Clode and the Griefer that was beating me up right into the cash registers. Money of all colors flew in the air. "I can see a rainbow!" The figure's voice crackled. "Woah, what happened?" Spurdog said, as he hurried back into Mel's. He handed me a pistol, and quickly I aimed it at the figure. Another figure, wearing a furry jacket, came in and looked around. This one had blond, straight atop what I assumed to be its head, and wielded a suppressed pistol. "Who are you guys?" The other creature asked, with a non-squeaky, muffled voice. "Spurdog," Spurdog hastily said. Thankfully, he wasn't dumb enough to lower his gun. "Put your guns down," the tall and sticklike creature yelled. "No thanks," I fired back. "Not going to let my friend get killed by some weird creatures that just saved our ne-" I was interrupted by the furry jacket-wearing creature. "Look at you! You're a snake!" "Now please shut up, I've been told that enough already, you should hear what they say to my brother," I rasped. "Now, why are you two around here? And what are your names, for our sakes?" "I am Drago," the sticklike creature said. "And my friend here, is Aid-" Then Aid blurted out, "Wookie, not that other one." "I am Kw6, and my pal here is Spurdog. I wanted to show him around the galaxy, y'know, hoping to find my old teammates Wander-" I explained, but Drago perked up a lot. "And Sylvia?! I know them!" Drago chirped. My worry faded away. "Now, um, Spurdog, is the DeLorean damaged?" I asked. "I'm not sure," he responded. "Ah, okay. Can we load our DeLorean into your ship? Do you have an exit ramp for cargo?" I asked Drago and Wookie. They looked at each other for a minute. "Sure," Drago said. "But why do you need a car in space?" He asked. "That's how we got here," Spurdog told him. "It flies and launches through dimensions." Wookie looked confused. "Cool," Drago said, stretching out the word. "I'll get it, then we can talk more," I told them. I ran around back, hopped in the DeLorean, then drove it up to their ship. Aliens were huddled around the ship, trying to bang at the ramp. A few scattered at the sight of the DeLorean. Soon Drago came around the corner with a remote, and opened the door. The remaining aliens scrambled in, and began looking around the ship. "If you want to not get thrown into space, don't bang at the car or raid my ship," Drago hollered. I drove the car up the ramp and parked it in the corner, next to a door, getting out and exploring the ship. Wookie came in and looked around, picking up a blaster and putting down his suppressed pistol. The ship was mostly clean, with some rusted metal on the walls of the storage hull. Numerous boxes were thrown around the large, open room. I wandered around the ship, peeking into each and every room. I walked slowly into the untidy control room, observing the mess.

E

"So what do you know about Wander and Sylvia? I've been looking for them for a long time," Drago said as he cornered me inside the ship's control room. "Should I be worried?" I asked. "Just give me an answer," Drago croaked back. "Short answer: we all split up on our own separate paths. I have no idea where they are right now, but we might want to search for them. Last I heard from them, they were heading to the outskirts of space. Reason was that Lord Hater's gotten some new allies I believe? Praying they're not the Griefers…" I responded. Drago blinked. "Who are the Griefers?" He asked. My jaw nearly dropped. "YOU HAVEN'T HEARD OF THEM?!" I yelled, explaining them to him. "Everywhere around my planet knows of them, the most feared gang in our part of the galaxy, and their leader hates my guts, named RedNova. By the way, where are you from?" Drago stammered. "Uh, um, don't know." Was he lying? Probably.

Afterwards, the aliens hung out in the cargo bay, while Wookie directed Spurdog and I to a small cabin. In it were a table, desk with antique lamp, and a metal bunk bed. The ceiling was a bit dusty and so was the floor. "Thanks," I told Wookie. "No problem," he muttered. I pulled out my Walkman and got in the bottom bunk, trying to get King Harvest to make me sleep. Flying through space and dimensions really messes up your inner clock. After a while of tossing and turning, I finally fell asleep.

I woke up to the hum of the ship gliding through space. The air condition kicked on, and with it I heard aliens shuffling on the other side of the door. I turned on the antique lamp, which took a few turns, and slowly crawled out of bed. I opened the door (I didn't even have to walk, it was THAT close.) Then, aliens scrambled out of the way as I made my way towards the front of the ship. I stopped before the control room door, knocking to be polite. "Who is it?" The muffled voice of Wookie yelled. "Kw6, the snake," I responded. The door opened abruptly. "Care for a cup of tea?" Drago asked, pushing a cup of tea into my face. I took a strong whiff of the strange-smelling liquid and shook my head. "Nope, I don't like tea. Has a bad taste," I said. On a strange note, the cup had Galaxy's Best Bounty Hunter written on it. "So, um, what do you guys do out here in space? Your cup might suggest that you're a bounty hunter duo…?" I asked. "Well, we do a lot of things. Some days we're bounty hunters. Some days we're goods haulers. And some days, we're-" Drago was cut off by an alien banging on the control room door. "They do that a lot," Wookie mumbled. "Anyway, we do whatever to keep this ship flying and ourselves satisfied. You?" I responded, "Well… surprise you've never heard of me, but I used to run and design amusement parks for Mickey's home planet and some others. On that money I've been able to go on all sorts of adventures, like this one, and have been trying to keep my enemies- like aforementioned Red- at bay. Spurdog, my current travel-mate, used to be a Griefer who worked for Red. The Griefers can be hired, but only by the wealthy or powerful- they won't work for just anybody. They're a feared force that has an army of thousands, and their own town…" Wookie made a guess. "Griefertown?" "Yeah, that basic of a name. No offense, of course," I responded. "They're probably after us right now, and they have their own high-tech ships. I just don't know how they tracked Spurdog to Mel's diner, where we got ambushed and-" I was interrupted by Drago. "We saved your butts by blasting those Griefers to bits? Ooh, tongue twister," "Well, yeah, that," I blurted out. "We need to shake the Griefers off our tail, do you guys have any fresh clothes for Spurdog? I want to check it they are tracking him by his clothes, because Wander and Sylvia told me about this one planet that they went to, where Lil Bits hunted them down using a tracker on Sylvia's coat and tried to kill them; I forget the name of it, but it starts with an E. So maybe we could try that?" I asked Drago, and he nodded. He told Wookie, "Can you open up the crate marked #57C? I'm sure that those Galactic Gear stockers won't notice if we take a pair of clothes out for Spurdog to wear." Wookie did without saying, hustling out of the control room and bursting open a crate. "And how often do you guys do this?" I sarcastically asked. "About once every few shipment orders. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and no one's noticed," Drago remarked. "Oh, what's Spurdog's clothing size?" "I don't honestly know, we should let him rummage through the clothes. And before you ask, I am fine with my bulletproof, leather jacket. Looks good on me if I have to be honest." I responded. Another alien hit the door to the control room. "What're we going to do with the aliens on board?" I asked Drago. "So YOU run the ship now?" He fired back. "No, no, just wondering," I quietly responded, hoping not to get into a fight aboard a ship I knew barely anything about. "It's okay," Drago croaked. "We're going to find a place for them to get off at." And so, he peered over at the small screen, where a red dot was not very far away from the ship. Another was not far behind Drago and Wookie's, but this one was black instead of green (green marked our ship.) "Is that, a Griefer's ship?" He asked, becoming more nervous. "Not sure," I responded, moving in closer to the black ship. I moved my face closer to the screen, and squinted to see the grey-and-red shield emblem on it. "We have to get this ship to that red dot, NOW," I yelled. "That's a Griefer ship all right, and they're going to kill us."

In times of desperation, Drago began reciting knowledge. "That dot is Neon City- a cosmic trash heap turned into a planet after thousands of years of garbage drifting through space. It's mostly for tourists, but I sometimes like to overnight there." I repeated, "We have to get this ship to that dot, NOW," hoping that Drago would register danger. He blinked, looking afraid afterwards. "Why hasn't the Griefer ship attacked us yet?" Drago asked. "Well, they're likely going for the sneaky approach- not shooting as soon as they have us in their crosshairs. Plus, they'll be able to get a clear shot at our engin-" I paused, then ran back to the cargo hold. "Does anyone know how to shoot a blaster in here?" I asked. A few aliens raised their hands. I tossed them guns, praying they weren't lying. "Anyway… we're going to be in for a rough landing at Neon City. Brace yourselves!" I hollered, causing a crashing noise to be heard from behind the door to my sleeping quarters. Spurdog opened the door drowsily. I threw him a gun and got one for myself, but it just hit him in the face. I picked it up for him and handed it to him. "Griefer attack!" I shouted, causing him to wake up and adrenaline to pump through his veins. Through the slits of the cargo hold, I saw a Griefer smiling at me. Then, all heck broke loose as a projectile slammed into the cargo ramp.

A flurry of blasts followed it, denting the hatch. "EVERYONE, GET TO THE FRONT OF THE SHIP, NOW!" I boomed. Spurdog almost followed the alien horde but thankfully stayed with me. With his dirty Griefer jacket still on, he observed the damage done to the cargo hatch. "Holy crap," he exclaimed, as the cargo hatch popped off of its hinges and was sent crashing into the Griefer's ship. It merely cracked their windows; now, they began blasting the cargo room, causing the metal to crack and bend around us. I fired the blaster, hoping it would damage the ship, but nope! A direct hit pinned Spurdog to the wall, his Griefer jacket getting stuck to it. "Take it off!" I yelled over the howls of space. I fired more blasts at the cracked window of the Griefer's ship; whilst Spurdog tried to yank his jacket off, but the wind helped him and threw it off of his back, causing Spurdog to drop to the floor. I helped him up, pulling him closer to the ship's control room. Inside this narrow hallway the Griefer made a clear shot at me, blasting a few scales off of my chest. "OW!" I hollered, and then the Griefer blew the ship's engines out. I returned the favor, realizing their strategy, and aimed for their propellers. I fired a string of bullets at them, causing dents aplenty but no cracks yet. I heard a large ripping and crashing sound as the door to my sleeping quarters opened, and the rest of the room flying off into space. I opened the cockpit door and threw Spurdog in, blocking the Griefer's chance at a clear shot. Then our craft began to sputter and lose altitude rapidly, and above was the Griefer's ship- trying to catch up to ours. Drago hollered over the glitching intercom, "HOLD ON— WE'RE GOING TO CRASH!" I scrambled to the control room, as the flaming ship began to spin once entering Neon City's orbit.

Y

An alien puked; Spurdog hurled too. We all crowded around Drago as he clipped the side of a skyscraper, then splash landed into an alien-made row of fountains. Before I could register that, a wall of water rammed into the cockpit window, smashing it upon impact and flooding the entire remains of the measly ship. I was submerged underwater; I wasn't able to swim well due to my exhaustion, but Spurdog and another alien dragged me up and onto the road. The Neon City police hastily surrounded Spurdog, Drago, Wookie, along with the stranded aliens and myself. "One's drowning!" A female alien shouted, pointing at a tan, blob-like figure that the police dove in and rescued. We all were panting, exhausted and sleepy. Some were nauseous. But one thing was for certain- we were safe. I passed out at this moment.

I awoke in a orange and magenta colored room. Drago and Wookie were both handcuffed, as the police listed off their crimes. "Vandalization or destruction of a public structure, landing in an unauthorized spot, landing at an unlawful speed, destruction of private property, capturing of other specimens, landing a damaged craft, causing a public disruption… and many others. Those came to my mind at first." The police alien said. "And who's this?" As I perked up. "No, sir, neither Wookie nor Drago intended to do those," I said. "We were being chased and nearly were killed by an enemy spacecraft." "A likely story!" He huffed, as a female police alien entered the room. "Even if it were true, who would be the one behind this assault…?" She asked me, getting into my face to try and make me nervous. "The Griefers of Griefertown, ma'am," I responded, but she just laughed. "The WHAT?! That's the best lie I've heard in years!" The female police officer chuckled loudly, making me angry. "Look, lady, if you want to hear it from someone other than me, ask the other aliens on board," I rasped. She grinned at me. "Now I'll have to arrest you too?" Then, she turned to the other aliens, who were mostly wide awake. Some were still asleep or passed out. Spurdog was in a lull. The ones that were asked nodded with certainty. "We were going out to Mel's, then these guys in black suits showed up and started shooting their guns everywhere," a father alien said. His daughter piped up, "And they were real scary. They made me scream." The officer nodded. "And at the end, Drago saved us!" The little girl exclaimed. Then the female officer proceeded to ask other aliens, who had similar responses. After hours of sitting and contemplating my next move, we were brought some fast-food from EmberFoods Donations Bank. I felt like I'd heard that name before. I savored the burger and fries like it was my last meal, because it was during the previous two days. There were no second rounds. "Alright, Dragon and Wookie, your snake friend's explanation was proven by the other specimens aboard your ship. However I cannot compensate for the destruction of the skyscraper, as it is owned by FireyCo. You must speak to Firey himself about this." The female police officer explained. "Wait, Firey?" I asked. "I taught him all he knows in designing roller coasters! I can get this fixed right away, Drago and Wookie! Take me to him please." I blurted out. We were taken to the road and outside of the police station. "Alright, in the back of the car with you three," the male police officer said, as he gestured to the car door. A nervous Drago and a firm Wookie sat down next to each other, squishing me at the end. I looked around Neon City, observing the warmly-colored skyscrapers and small outlets squished under them. This was bustling with life and vibrance, much unlike New Horizons City. I wondered if those jerks Blakester and Soister were still after me.

After a while of sitting in traffic, we arrived at the building that Wookie and Drago's ship damaged. A crane was visible up near the top of it, trying to repair the destruction (I figured?) A guard met us at the entry gate, to which the male police officer asked, "We're taking these three to see Firey about the damage done to his tower. Where can he be found?" "Top floor, number 83," responded the guard as the door opened. A few aliens were milling around, surfing kiosks or talking to the front desk. We boarded the elevators in the back, waiting with several stops to reach the top of the tower. On floor 83, the elevator door opened to see my former student pacing back and forth. He nearly jumped when he saw us in custody. "What happened?!" Firey yelled. "Drago and Wookie rescued a bunch of aliens and I when we were being ambushed by the Griefers- at the most likely of places, y'know, Mel's," I explained. "Then the same guys that ambushed us tried to kill us, but in an outer space intergalactic chase, and so we ended up here." "Red is the worst, I know!" Firey exclaimed. "He tried his luck in business out here, but everyone turned him down because of his reputation as the lead Griefer. And oh, how's it going, Kw6?" "No one's recognized me in this part of the galaxy yet, besides you," I said, looking down. "I think Drago and Wookie can apologi-" "No, no, it's fine! I'm so glad you're here again!" interrupted Firey. Neon City had been off of my mind for a LONG time before now, and it was neat to see the place's growth as an intergalactic tourist destination. "We'll leave you all to talk," the police officers said. "Seems like there's no problem here!" And so they boarded the elevator back down, eighty-two more floors to go for them.

Firey and I talked for hours, leaving Wookie and Drago as embarrassed observers. Then, we all went out to EmberFoods' "best" (as Firey put it) restaurant in all of Neon City, Graziano's. The four of us sat down at a circular table overlooking the street below, on a private balcony for only special parties and Firey himself. "So, uh, who's paying?" Drago asked. "It's fine- wait, what is your name?" questioned Firey. "Drago," the sticklike figure replied. "It's fine, Drago, because as the founder of EmberFoods I get free meals at all of our locations," Firey explained. "Have you ever eaten at an EmberFoods location before?" Wookie responded, "Um, I don't think so," and Firey shook his head. "What a sha- I mean, it's great having this as your first time here!" As a waiter came up to us, they smiled to appease Firey. "Hello, Firey and company. What would you fine folks like to drink? The usual for you, Firey?" They asked. "Yes, please," Firey responded. "Water," I said. "I'll take a Comet soda, please," Drago croaked, and finally Wookie muttered, "Water too." "Sure thing, coming right up!" The waiter chirped, dashing away. Firey looked out, over the balcony, as the sky was getting dark. "Guys, look!" He exclaimed, as many different, brilliant hues of orange and red flooded the city's exteriors. Firey bragged, "I designed these lights to reflect the rays of the sun, and I got paid big bucks for it! They're so cool!" Drago and Wookie watched in awe. I just grinned at Firey the whole time. Then, within a minute, it all faded back to the normal cityscape. Cheering erupted from the streets, the buildings, and the skyscrapers. "And that's my favorite part of the whole thing!" yelled Firey. Our drinks were brought out in large, orange cups decorated with flames on them, presumably another novelty that Firey had done for himself on Neon City. Drago continued sipping his soda for a minute straight, while Wookie waited to taste his water. I indulged into the water quickly and sipped up most of it, and Firey got a weird red-colored drink. "What's that?" I asked him, motioning to his cup. "Oh, that's my custom soda, with ingredients to combat the decay of teeth!" He proclaimed. "Sounds like someone's proud of his inventions," I smirked at Firey. He shrugged back. The same waiter came back up and asked us for a potential appetizer. "By chance, do you all have cheese fries with bacon on them?" I asked. "No sir, sorry," the waiter replied with a smile. "I'll just order anyway- an Ojo de Bife, please," I said. Firey made his order (I couldn't spell it), and Wookie and Drago split another meat-heavy dish. We talked as the night went on, finally being able to relax without the Griefers hot on my tail…

That morning, after sleeping in Firey's penthouse, we parted ways. Firey had kindly arranged for Spurdog and I to go back to Mickey's planet (where my palace was) via a ten-hour space travel ride, departing from the Neon City spaceport in a few hours. "Thanks so much, mate," I told Firey. "Anytime. And the next time you need my help with something, you know the number to call; 02-23-15 and under the Neon City Phone Line. See you soon!" Firey waved goodbye to me as I entered the taxi. "Bye!" I yelled to Firey as the taxi window rolled up. I'd already said a brief farewell to Drago and Wookie, the alien duo that saved me from capture by the Griefers. The taxi drove around Neon City, as the sun was already high in the sky. I arrived at the police station, watching as aliens from Drago and Wookie's rescue were reunited with their families and friends. I hoped that Drago and Wookie could fully understand how much good they had truly done by saving these aliens and myself. Then, Spurdog hurried out of the police station, smiling. "Man, I hated that place," he told me as he opened the door. I slid to the far left side as he took my old spot. "They kept questioning me, and the breakfast they had there was terrible! I had to sleep on the floor and…" I just drowned his rant speech out as I observed Neon City for the last time in what I guessed would be a long while.

After arriving at the spaceport we were escorted to the gate and through security, leaving in less than half an hour to Mickey's planet. Spurdog and I sat around tourists waiting to visit Mickey's planet- they must've been on a package deal or something; Visit two planets for the price of one! Or something like that. Spurdog fumbled with his cracked phone, opening his contacts. I took a hasty peek, but Spurdog grimaced at me when I did, twisting his phone the other way. So I pulled out my Walkman and fumbled with that to kill time. Quickly we boarded the ship once the seats were called (Spurdog and I were sitting together near the front, thankfully, so we could get out sooner than later.) Tourists buzzed with excitement and ecstaticity, taking selfies at the entry of the ship to likely share with their friends and families. Spurdog just grinned. "So, this should be a nice break for the two of us. Oh, wait, you need to change clothes. Have you?" I asked. "No," mumbled Spurdog. "Dang! Maybe how those Griefers have tracked us is because you keep wearing your jacket from them… let's pray we don't get attacked again, because my dual pistols are in baggage hold. And I can't save a bunch of alien tourists for the life of me," I hissed. "And take off your Griefer jacket once we land, so Red can't track us." I instructed Spurdog. He nodded. Then, our captain came aboard the ship intercom and said, "We are ready for departure! This ship should be leaving the dock and onto the hyperspeed ramp, so hold on tight- just kidding."

About halfway through our ten-hour flight across the galaxy, a nervous pilot came over the intercom. "Hello. The Toontown Airport has temporarily suspended operations due to an, um, recent attack. But don't be worried, as we will stop at the, uh, New Horizons City spaceport in just three hours! Then, the city leaders will escort us to Mickey's planet!" An alien loudly snored, and I began shaking Spurdog. His head rammed into mine, causing mine to sway. "Hey! Watch it!" I rasped, then yawned. "Spurdog… we're landing back in New Horizons City. Do you know what that means?" I hissed. "Yay!" Spurdog yawned, still in a sleepy lull. "We're going to get killed," I said through gritted teeth. "We are both fugitives, or at least I am. How about we form ourselves a little escape plan?" "Sure, sure, sure, sure…" Spurdog's head flipped back and he snored. I slapped his head. "What?!" He nearly yelled. Another alien moaned. "Sorry, just waking up my friend," I said. A growl could be heard from inside the ship, followed by a snore. "We are landing at New Horizons City spaceport," I slowly whispered to Spurdog. "I am a fugitive there, and so we need to form a plan." His response: "Uh-uh?"

"So after we land, you're saying to steal another plane and ride that to your palace?" asked Spurdog. "Yep," I responded. "Getting charged with theft is a lot better than getting charged into a wall, and I'm speaking from personal experience." Spurdog chuckled. "But can't we just use your car?" He questioned. "Ha! That's still a wreck on Drago's ship!" I sarcastically rasped, then sighed; "But it's a lot better than stealing a plane." "Can't we just use a plan that won't get us in trouble? Talking it out maybe?" Questioned the innocent-sounding Spurdog. "Do you have one? Because if you don't have a better plan, then we're going with mine." I put down a firm foot. Twenty minutes passed with neither of us speaking. Then, Spurdog looked out the window, grinning at me. "I can see the sky from here," he said. "So my plan— here goes. We get out of the ship, and disguise ourselves. Then we get on their escort, and we'll go unnoticed. You like it?" I laughed, because, "That's too dangerous and stupid! Your plan renders us as good as dead!" Many aliens gave us quizzical looks after my outburst. Thankfully none of the words I'd said were tabooed; because many stranger things go on in the galaxy, than loudly talking about fatal plans. I shrugged, whispering to Spurdog, "Stealing is the last thing I want to do, but I'm sure that the pilot of the ship will understand once I stick a note on its spot."

N

We bolted out of the plane as two madmen, running down the stretch of waiting areas and not even knowing where to find the pilots' dock entry. A security guard, who thankfully didn't recognize me, stopped us. "Hey, why are you running like that?" They asked. "Well-" Spurdog interrupted me. "Our first shift as pilots is starting now, and we're trying to find how to get to the dock! Could you help us kind sir?" "Umm… sure thing, kiddo. Take a left at the next waiting' area, then show your pilot ID badges to the guard at the door and you're good to go. Good luck you two!" The kind and unaware guard waved us off. We bolted down to where the door was, and just as the guard had told us there was another waiting at the door. "Hi," Spurdog chirped. "We're going for our first shift as pilots. Can we please go in?" The guard gave him a quizzical glance. "You two should've gotten your IDs soone- wait, who's this scaly friend of yours? Have I seen him before?" They got in my face. "I don't believe so, sir," I tried to sound more confident. "Aren't you that one snake that talked down to Blakester? The smart alec one?" The guard questioned. "No sir, that must've been my brother, Skales." I responded. "But you two look exactly alike, except he has no feet! A-HA!" The guard looked down to see my two feet, and slammed me down to the floor. After taking off his Griefer jacket Spurdog bolted through the door to the dock, leaving me to deal with a guard. The other, formerly kind guard hurried around the corner, charging up his blaster. I wiggled free of the door guard's grasp, but the formerly kind guard kicked me in the gut. I pulled a pistol out of my pocket, except I'd stored it in baggage claim! "DARN IT!" I roared, kicking the formerly kind guard back and spinning in a circle. I got up and tried to tap into my bodily energy. Using my new powers from training under Bill Cipher I fired an abrupt beam of light blue energy, throwing both guards to the ground. One shot a blaster that immobilized my legs, and another grabbed them and held me upside down. "This'll be great," one guard said. "All the spoils for me!" The other chimed. "No… I caught him," said the first guard. "However I helped you secure him," the other argued. For a minute, the two debated over who should receive the bounty money, letting me have time to think. "No matter. We can split the profits, because it's fine by me." The first compromised. Then, the glass in front of us was fractured by a ship that exploded through the window.

Spurdog yelled, "HA HA! TAKE THAT, DUMMIES!" This was the first time that I'd been glad for my new ex-Griefer friend to appear at my side. He appeared inside the ship's cockpit, causing the two guards to run away in fear of being crushed. A citizen of New Horizons City ran up to the ship. "Hey," they oddly said, as if they paid no regard to the broken windowsill or the ship that hovered in its temporary place. "Can I go with you?" The citizen asked. "First off, who are you and what do you want with us?!" I yelled, getting to my feet and bracing my fists for a quick battle. "Dungy, Dungy Mungy," Dungy Mungy said. I shrugged, motioning for Spurdog to swing the ship around and break another windowsill. "Well, Dungy, could you be a dear and hold on for a second?" I sarcastically asked this odd citizen. He nodded. Spurdog opened the side door to the ship, and unrolled a small ladder. I hurried up it, and just as Dungy began to walk towards the ship many guards approached, followed by none other than the all powerful, ruler-gone-berserk Blakester.

I hollered for Dungy to run up. However Dungy froze as Blakester hollered, "STOP! THESE THIEVES MUST BE APPREHENDED!" I yelled back, "WELL, HE'S NOT STUPID ENOUGH TO JOIN YOU, BLAKESTER!" Surprisingly, Dungy joined in on the shout-fest and yelled, "YES!" Both Blakester and I paused for a second, confused. "What did you say, Dungy?" I asked. "Yes," he responded. "I will be joining you." Then, Blakester charged. Dungy punched him, making Blakester stop. "Go away from my friend," Dungy instructed. "No," Blakester said louder. I stretched out my hand and threw Dungy into the ship. "GO, SPURDOG, GO!" I hollered, followed by a groan from Dungy. We were thrown against the other side of the ship as Spurdog turned it around, blasting into the air. I stood up and tried to shut the side door, but slid back down because of the rapid angle of ascent. Through the door, I saw a blue and yellow beam of light approaching our ship. I could make out a suit, then a face and the realization hit me in the form of a yell; "BLAKE'S COMING FOR US!" Dungy cheered, "Yes!" I slapped my face as Blakester rammed into our ship, causing it to soar up into the air and spin around. I grabbed on to a pipe up above Dungy, using my other hand to grab his arm and hold on for dear life. Blake continued soaring after us, until my breath began to shorten. My breathing became labored, and the pipe burst with pressure. Dungy passed out and Spurdog was screaming. The sky around us turned dark, and when I touched the ground I bounced up to the ceiling. Feeling as light as air I walked over to the cabin door and closed it; causing myself to hit the floor of the ship with a loud bang, startling Spurdog. "What just happened?" He asked, walking into the small storage area of this meager getaway ship. "I didn't know you could fly a ship or even try at escaping Blakester!" I yelled. "Well, it was all improvisation. I almost blew the ship up and knocked down a few others…" Spurdog said, continuing with, "And that was like, the weirdest thing ever! The other guy with us is called Dungy, right?" Dungy croaked, "Dungy Mungy," and again collapsed on the floor after trying to get up. "Anything else I should know about this ship?" I asked, grinning at the success of our escape. Spurdog stammered, "Well, uh, um, I had to detach this, um, hose going into its bottom. It wasn't, uh, marked. Maybe that was for, uh, um, uh, fuh-fuel?" He obviously had messed up this mission, and therefore I scrambled to the cockpit and read the fuel measurer. "We're nearly out of fuel!" I yelled. "Next time, let me do the flying and you can do the stalling. Your little hit-and-run tactic didn't help us much."

And so we drifted with the currents of outer space, eyeing the relatively nearby Mickey's planet. I prayed that we weren't going to be pursued by the Griefers, or a mercenary gang sent by Blake. To my satisfaction neither of those groups tried to attack us. However there were many larger problems at hand- we would have to make a rough landing with hardly any fuel; and pray that once we reached Mickey's planet's atmosphere we'd be able to land in some water nearby, and hopefully not get punished. Wow, that was a lot of luck we'd need! At the worst moment imaginable (Spurdog and I scavenging for food or supplies inside the storage compartments) the ship tilted at a steep angle. I could hear scratching noises from the cockpit, which meant that the atmosphere was heating our ship up and melting the glass window. Dungy slid into the cockpit, his unconscious body quickly hitting the trash disposal under the main control panel. I ran to the cockpit, accidentally stepping on Dungy's arm (OWCH…) and climbing into the pilot's seat. I swerved the ship to the right and then to the left, looking for any good possible landing spot. Then I recognized where we were; the Toontown City Park.

N

Benches surrounded fountains in a Mickey ears-shaped formation, and food and merchandise carts were aplenty. I gunned the engine, trying to slow the ship down, but with a large snap the rudders broke off and each crushed (hopefully) only a tree far behind us. The glass cracked. I pulled the joystick upward, causing the ship's crash landing to be slowed down a tad bit, and I aimed to crash into a cluster of trees. "HOLD ON, SPURDOG! WE'RE IN FOR A ROU-" I yelled, but we hit impact before I could finish the sentence. The trees weren't nearly enough to stop the ship, and so we slid across a pathway, breaking some more trees. The window snapped and I was hit with a tree branch. A random squirrel was flung into the ship, right as we skid to a screeching halt; and to add more salt to the wound, right in front of Mickey HIMSELF walking his own dog, Pluto. "Oh!" Mickey yelled. Pluto inched back from our ship's sudden appearance. "Hey there, what are ya doing WITH THAT SHIP, KW6?!" Mickey's gentle tone turned into a holler as he saw the tunnel of underbrush that our crash landing had ensued. Spurdog opened the side door, causing some twigs to snap. He stepped onto the grass, wobbling with every step as he came up to Mickey. "I like your hairdo," said Spurdog. I slapped my face as it grew more red than Mickey's pants. To my utter shock, Mickey responded, "Thanks. I've been working to make it more noticeable. And your compliment there just saved you from jail, buddy. On the other hand…" he looked straight into my eyes. "What caused you to destroy part of this lovely city park?" Mickey tried to be intimidating. "Well, sir, you see, um," I stammered as I climbed through the broken ship's window. "We had barely escaped from being beaten mercilessly at the New Horizons City spaceport and ran out of fuel. I couldn't find us a good landing spot, an-" Whilst I was speaking, Dungy got up and came to the ship's cockpit. "Who is this?" Mickey interrupted me, drawing my eyes to the smashed cockpit window. "Nice bunny," Dungy said, wobbling and nearly sliding down the ship wall. "I'm no bunny to you, mister!" rasped Mickey (Yes, Mickey has a mean side to him, just like everyone else… you just don't see it as much.) "I was be funny," Dungy murmured. "What was that?" Spurdog asked. "I being funny, ha ha," Dungy said louder. Mickey just rolled his eyes. "We don't tolerate insults to me here in Toontown, pal, and it's to jail for you. And for you two… I'll have some of my workers repair the damage you did, but expect an increase in your taxes to pay for it. See ya!" Mickey said as he trotted of, with Pluto giving us an odd look. Once Mickey and Pluto were out of earshot and sight, I hissed at Spurdog; "You just can't treat Mickey like he's some average guy. MICKEY RUNS THE ENTIRE TOONIVERSE!" Spurdog blushed, pacing on the now-destroyed walkway. Dungy crawled out of the smashed window. "Dungy… you just talked down to the ruler of the Tooniverse. That's a big no-no. A BIG ONE," I rasped. I could hear Mickey chuckling from afar. Soon several guards of Mickey's approached our smashed ship. "Which one of you is Dungy?" One asked. "Him," Dungy said, pointing to Spurdog. Spurdog pointed back at Dungy. "No, it's him," I yelled, pointing another finger at Dungy. Dungy shook his head as the police took him off. "I be band seens 8;32 am, unbend me now!" The criminal hollered. Spurdog and I just laughed and laughed and laughed, until the squirrel that we'd nearly crushed hit my foot with his paws. "What?" I asked, then realizing that it was only a squirrel. "Say sorry," the suddenly talking squirrel yelled. "Sorry," I responded. "We had to make a crash landing after flying in from another planet." The squirrel laughed, then darted back into the forest as the faint yell of, "Plz unbend me!" echoed through the park.

N

Spurdog and I grabbed a train to the general area of my palace, then we hailed a taxi to my front lawn. Exhausted I went up to my bed and collapsed, forgetting that Spurdog was still roaming the place. I woke up to a knocking sound on my door. I stumbled to it, then opening the door to my bedroom to find Spurdog with a plate of toast and scrambled eggs for me. "Thanks," I muttered, stuffing my breakfast into my mouth. He said, "I've already ate. That was one heck of an adventure, you know. Even better than one as a Griefer, because I'm doing good in the world and not evil." I responded with, "Well that adventure wasn't good nor evil, but more of, I don't know, a trip across the galaxy to avoid dying at many different occasions?" I joked. Spurdog responded, "We were only going for some sandwiches." We both laughed at the stupidity of the entire adventure. On that same day, Quarter came in, and so we told him about the entire excursion.

THE END