The Final Reward
"It's so great that you're fine," Lollipop said to Strawberry Shortcake. She was driving the pink dog to her own house, while Flippy and Aunt Fancy drove around Toontown a while to catch up.
"I've always been fine. The thing that made me slip in and out of unconsciousness was the shattered leg, though," She said. "Just goes to show how uncoordinated I am."
"Aww, you're not that bad," Lollipop replied. "Say, what happened to your Victorian-era speech?"
"I wouldn't say it was quite the Victorian era. Anyway, it was just too difficult to process what I was going to say before each sentence. I'm too lazy,"
"Don't feel bad, I'm the same way. It seems you have changed, though…"
"Yeah, I've kind of leveled down the immaturity. What wonders high laff points brings you…"
"Well that's good."
"Yep. So… when's your wedding? Have you set a date?"
"Well, we hope to be married really soon, but I don't want to set the date too close to Flippy's."
"Next month should do."
"Don't you think that's cutting it a little close?"
"Well, the wedding is next week, and I'm getting really impatient."
"Alright, fine. Where should I have it?"
"Leave it to me. I can plan the whole thing."
"I bet you have some great ideas, but…" Lollipop saw Straws' puppy dog look. "I guess you can. Just don't go too crazy."
"I promise, I wont!" The car was silent for the next five minutes until Straws spoke again. "I heard that Flippy's doing an awards ceremony or something tomorrow."
"Oh please," Lollipop said, "That's a little elementary school, even for him. And wouldn't it be embarrassing for us to go up in front of hundreds of toons?"
"I guess," Straws continued, "But his motto is, 'a little self esteem booster goes a long way'," Straws scoffed. "How hypocritical."
"It's in the past," Lollipop reassured her. "Look how far you've come!"
"Sure," She said. "Here's my house, you can let me off here,"
"Alright," Lollipop waved. "See you later!"
The next day, several toons once again packed onto Toontown Central playground in anticipation of seeing Flippy and Aunt Fancy Twinkleflipper together again. "Thank you all for coming," The famed blue dog said to the crowd. "It gives me great pleasure that my fiancé and I have been reunited again. Today I bring you here to honor 16 great heroes. The recent tragedy involving Aunt Fancy Twinkleflipper's kidnapping brought out the hero in the toons that risked their lives to save her. 15 Toon Honor medals are going to be rewarded today. 8 toons that put their lives on the line to wipe out what could've been thousands of high-level cogs in the lobby of Lawbot Head Quarters. They made sure the coast was clear for the other 8 toons that would fight the most feared Fat Cat Attorney. The Toons that will receive this medal of honor now are: Boyfriend, Girlfriend, Robbie the Rabbit, Whitney the Waitress, Biscuit, Eve, Quilted Northern, and Hobo. Please give a round of applause for these honorary toons." The playground erupted in roars of cheers and hoots. "Thank you. Now, four other toons that sacrificed a lot for the safe return of my fiancé; these toons destroyed what seemed like an endless strain of cogs through the thick maze of Lawbot Head Quarter's halls. They finally met up with the other team of toons, discovering Aunt Fancy Twinkleflipper and returning her to safety. These toons are: Roxy, Honey Haha, Dawn, and Bear E. White. Cheers for these toons!" Again, the toons applauded vigorously. "Thank you. Another toon, who once seemed insignificant to toon society a month ago, came into the public eye when he saved the life of my future sister-in-law at the announcement of my proposal." Pockets cheeks burned red. Everyone knew he hated being pointed out in public. "Pockets is quite the toon, being one of the best cog fighters in toon history. He helped so much with finding Aunt Fancy. Along the way, he found love with Lollipop Fuzzyflip. In fact, the two will be getting married next month. Anyway, here is your Toon Honor medal. The Toontown community greatly appreciates your service." Pockets thanked Flippy while Lollipop rolled her eyes for the public announcement of the engagement. "For quite a while," Flippy continued, "I doubted my sister. Doubted her beliefs, doubted what she was capable of. That is, until she gave herself a chance. She rebelled against me, but it was the best decision of her life. Within three short weeks, she bumped herself up to 135 laff points and proved herself to be a toon with the greatest gag-throwing accuracy in the history of Toontown. Although being injured along the way, she proved herself to be a real hero. I'm so proud of you, Straws." Straws was handed the medal and pulled Flippy into a hug. "And finally, the biggest hero of all. Lollipop Fuzzyflip, Aunt Fancy Twinkleflipper's sister, was there for it all. Her bravery is outstanding, facing the Fat Cat all alone with only the help of Aunt Fancy. She managed to escape the clutches of the cog but had the bravery to go back and face him again, to save her sister's life. This mouse has the quality of a great toon within her. I cannot thank you enough, Lollipop. Thank you." The crowd again erupted in cheers. Lollipop Fuzzyflip gratefully accepted the reward. "Thank you for your time, dear toons. Remember, Aunt Fancy and I will be tying the knot next week. Everyone is invited!" Flippy stepped down from the gazebo he was talking on and hugged Pockets. "Take care of her," he whispered in his ear. Flippy joined hands with Aunt Fancy Twinkleflipper and headed into Goofy Speedway.
The romantic moment was broken by Aunt Fancy yelling, "I'll race ya!" All peace was restored to Toontown. All toons raced off into different directions, some going into the streets, some into Toon HQ, and some off to the fishing docks. The natural balance was there again.