"Billy! Get out here, quick!" The orange sheriff was stirred from a peaceful slumber by the shout of a worried Toon outside. Nearly falling backwards in his chair, he collected himself, putting his hat on and fleeing through the door outside, almost running directly into a tall, purple bear. "Cogs! There is cogs!" he screamed impatiently.
"Woah, just calm down there, Master. What do you mean cogs? Where are they?" Billy's mind became flustered with thoughts. It wasn't usually a big deal when a cog or two landed in town, usually someone else could take care of them before anyone could alert him. "How many did you see? two, three?"
Master bounced back and forth from foot to foot as he pointed towards the center of town. "Hundreds! There were hundreds of them, Billy! Never seen anything like it! They just came pouring in all at once!"
"Wait, an invasion? Here? What the hell is going on here? Alright, get inside and lock the door! Don't open it unless I come back, or you recognize somebody in trouble. I'm going to investigate!" Patting his pockets, he assured that he had a full stable of gags. Once satisfied, he pushed the tall bear inside and took off running towards the town center.
Darting towards the trouble, several other Toons ran past him going the opposite direction. A periwinkle rabbit had been running when he noticed Billy. Turning around, he caught up, grabbing the orange monkey by the shoulder before dropping to his knees and clasping his hands. "Billy! You have to help me! There are cogs everywhere! They greened Ashley and now I can't find her! They took over my shop and it had all of my gags in there! Please, you have to help me!"
"Alright, alright Snowball. Just listen to me. Go to my office, inside you will find a large safe. That's where I keep all my gags. Round up any experienced fighters and bring them and the gags to the town center. I have to keep going, I have to go take care of this infestation!" Billy's mind was racing with thoughts. Why was an invasion hitting Toonstone of all places? Those cogs had no respect for anybody or anything. He was going to give them a warm Toonstone welcome.
The orange monkey was no longer as spry as he was in his younger days. As he darted down the dusty streets, he would have to keep stopping to catch his breath. On one of his breaks, he heard a deep, blood-curdling voice from down a side-street. "I'm sure you're glad to see me."
Turning, he was petrified by the scene unfolding in front of him. A Glad Hander was battling two young Toons, likely no older than ten years old. The pair of children were clearly afraid, but put on brave faces as they attempted to defend themselves from the oncoming attacker. "Get out of here, cog! Nobody wants you here!" A young pink cat hissed.
"Yeah! You're stinky!" a slightly taller blue dog barked out. Pulling out a pair of cupcakes, the Toons launched them simultaneously, striking the larger foe directly in the chest.
"I'll hand it to you two, you don't go down easy." The android declared confidently, wiping off the remnants of the pastry from his suit, hardly phased by what had happened. "I'm going to enjoy this." As the cog readied himself to schmooze, he was struck from behind by a birthday cake, covering his head and the back of his neck in icing and spongy goodness. "Ha. Ha-ha! You damn Toons, always cheating! Just like the VP said!" The Glad Hander went into his self-destruct sequence, before finally exploding, leaving the trio of Toons to a brief moment of safety.
The pink cat ran over and hugged Billy, joined by her friend. "Thanks, sir! I thought we were a goner!"
"Alright, you two. Be careful, there are a lot of cogs out here. Pretend like we're playing a game of hide and seek. I want you to hide better than you've ever hid before. Don't let any more cogs see you. Do you two understand?"
"We understand, sir!" The blue dog gave a hand salute, before giggling and running off with his comrade to find the best hiding spot possible.
Shaking his head, the exhausted sheriff grimaced. "Damn coward, going after children. Made me waste a birthday cake." Suddenly he was reminded by the word children. "Oh my cog, Muffin! I have to find Muffin!" Slapping his forehead, he forgot his burning lungs and aching calves. He needed to find his daughter. What if she was in danger. "Muffin! Muffin!" He called out, once again running down the street into the fire.
"I can't believe they had this dress in yellow!" Muffin exclaimed excitedly into her whisper device. "I actually have some leftover jellybeans too. It was so cheap! I'm definitely hitting them up again. Anyways, I'm just getting back into Toonstone! I'll whisper you later when I get back home! Bye!" The blue cat entered the large tunnel that led to her new home town, pocketing her whisper device. Almost immediate upon setting foot inside of the small settlement something seemed off. The usually vibrant small town seemed quiet and empty. Most of the shops had their closed signs up, and even the stray doodles which roamed hadn't shown up to beg for a jellybean. "Huh. Wonder what's going on." Strolling down the empty streets, the cat's ears began to prick up instinctively. Something seemed off, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Pausing for a moment, she allowed the silence to wash over her, finally giving in and continuing on. Fortunately for her she knew a shortcut to get home, she would just have to ask her dad when she saw him again. Turning down an alley, she cut through so she could get to the town center where her home was. One of the good things about being the daughter of the sheriff is that they had a nice estate right in the middle of town. It made things a lot easier when going somewhere. Before she could exit the tightly packed hall, a figure stepped in front of the exit. "I've heard I'm a real handy-man!"
Blocking her in from behind, another pair of the chunky cogs stood arm to arm, grinning from ear to ear. Muffin had seen cogs before, and wasn't complete inexperienced in fighting them. However she hadn't brought any gags with her, and even then due to the fact she was still in training, her laff wasn't very high. Even three level fours would be a formidable task on a normal day. Now? Pinned here where she could not escape? Things didn't look good. "I'm glad to dispose of you." The second cog chuckled.
"You're making a mistake! My father is the sheriff. He's going to come here and knock you all back to the factory you spawned from! You best get out of here before something bad happens!"
"Oh, Toon! Nobody is coming for you here. Just be silent and accept your fate!" The third cog spoke in an eerie tone, enjoying the evil he was inflicting upon the world.
The first Glad Hander stepped forward and got into position. "You know, I kind of feel bad for Keith. He's really missing out on this. Twelve Toons already, and now we get the daughter of the sheriff? Maybe we would be better off taking her back to headquarters? Who knows what this town would give to get their precious daughter back? That's way better than the building we took over!"
"Grrr. I'll never let you all get away with this!" Muffin tried charging the large robot, using her shoulder as a battering ram as she pounded into the heavy metal being. Even with her size, she was not enough force to move the much heavier cog. "I'm warning you!"
"Aw, look at that guys. She's warning us! She sounds just like Miss Mindy. Listen, Toon. Either you can come with us peacefully, or we'll green you and drag your body back with us. Now, how would you like to do this? I'm glad to do it either way."
Realizing there was nothing else she could do, Muffin climbed on top of a small crate and cupped her hands around her mouth. Sucking in, she let out the loudest screams she could. "Help! Somebody, please help me!"
Glen had been horrified by what he had encountered on his trip through the small town. This place was nothing like Cog Nation, or even Sellbot HQ where he had been living. Everything was colorful, the buildings were smaller, and there was a lot of beautiful things; flowers, birds, and sunshine! However, it was being polluted by the invasion of cogs, something he was beginning to abhor even more once he could see the consequences. He had witnessed four Toons go sad already, and likely would have seen more if he hadn't gone to hide again. He didn't want Gary to see him and chew him out for not battling. He had snuck down an alley and was hiding behind a large trash can, closing his eyes and plugging his ears. "Why, why am I such a coward? I was built to fight and yet here I am cowering." There was only one thing that could quell his worries, and that was writing. Putting pen to paper, he continued to write. "The main character is venturing through this new world when he encounters a new friend. A damsel in distress. The main character, being brave and strong goes to rescue her. She is enthralled by his strength and courage and they kiss."
As the story continued to be written, Glen could feel himself being transformed into this new world. A world where he would never have to decide between betraying his kind, and having to cause pain unto others. A place where everybody could live happily. As he began his third page of notes, a booming echo pierced his audio senses and alerted him that he was no longer as alone as he thought he was. "Help! Somebody, please help me!" It was not the first time that he had heard a call for help, but something about it had stuck out to him. The soft feminine voice reminded him of the damsel in his story. Leaping up, he clenched his fists and started trying to motivate himself.
"Alright, Glen. Somebody needs help. You have to make a decision. Are you going to be the weakling who sits by, letting everybody walk all over him? Or are you going to be strong for once in your life? You heard Eric earlier. Everybody thinks I'm a weak little coward." Slumping against the wall, he bowed his head in disgust. "That's because I am." Unable to bring himself to go defy a fellow Glad Hander, he tried to ignore the pleas of the desperate Toon.
"Okay, hit her again!" A familiar voice reverberated down the small corridor that he hid in. Wait, that was Michael! He had been part of the trio with Eric, and Joshua who had originally greened those two Toons. A newfound energy seemed to invigorate the once sheepish cog. It was an emotion that he hadn't felt before. The overwhelming anxiety inside of him had disappeared, and now it was replaced with a burning anger. They were probably ganging up on this Toon! They knew this was against the rules of engagement and yet they continued. If he didn't say anything, who would? Clenching his fists again and stepped out from behind his hiding spot. Just a short distance in front of him, in an alley across the street, he saw the rear end of two Glad Handers walking and talking. Sure enough it was the same trio who had been wreaking havoc prior.
Muffin braced herself as she got a steady stream of ink to the face from Eric's pen. "You know, it is kind of fun to toy with them first. Really shows them how the real world works! You can't get anywhere unless you have a good work ethic. You Toons just want to play, play, play! It is ridiculous! Maybe if you would learn from us, you too would be able to join the productive ranks of the cogs!"
The short blue dog wiped her face and splatted some of the ink back towards her enemies. "Yeah, right! I'd rather go sad than listen to you blab on about business! You're the ones who don't know how to live! You're just a bunch of cowards!"
"You're going to regret that, Toon!" Joshua growled, pulling out his rubber stamp. "This task has been completed!" Muffin braced herself once again, knowing that this hit would probably be the one that brought her to sadness.
As the angry Glad Hander raised his arm, he felt it being restrained by a grab from behind. "Hey, what do you think you're doing! What if Gary saw this?" Immediately the other cogs knew who was speaking to them.
"Ugh, look who it is. If it isn't good old, Glen. What a terrible surprise seeing you here." Michael turned around and pushed the opposing cog back, causing him to release his grasp on Joshua. "Figured goody two-shoes would come and try and disrupt our fun. Listen, who cares about these Toons! They don't care about following the rules, why should we! I'm sure you wouldn't feel this way if you saw what happened to Keith earlier!"
"You mean when you four were ganging up on that old lady? Keith got destroyed because someone was defending themselves! Now, just go ahead and let her go and I won't tell Gary about this!" Glen gulped as he eyed over the trinity of his coworkers who had complete forgotten about the blue cat they had been torturing and focused their attention on the timid target. "Er, I mean. Come on guys, just let her go, please?"
Eric reached out and grabbed Glen by the collar of his button down shirt. "Look at this guys. Glen thinks he's playing hero. For a Toon of all things! It's a disgrace!" Pausing, the apparent leader looked two his cohorts and grinned evilly. "It is a good thing that Gary isn't around then, isn't it. It was a real shame when this cat destroyed you out here in the alley. Fortunately we came in and captured her so we could bring her back. Who is going to question it? You will even get a heroes death, which is more than your pathetic legacy deserves!"
The young Toon was at a loss for words. This cog was standing up for her, and now it seemed like he was in trouble. Breathing heavily and in immense pain, she let out one last scream and took a running start, leaping and landing on top of Joshua, ripping, biting, and scratching with all of her might. "Get away from him!" She screamed, smacking the cog in the back of the head. Unfortunately for her, it proved to be all for naught as she was quickly flung off like a booger, flying into some cardboard boxes and bags of trash which cushioned her descent.
"Alright, enough of this! Joshua, hold on to her and make sure she doesn't go anywhere! Me and Michael are going to show this joker how we do things in Cog Nation!" Eric tightened his grip and pummeled Glen into the nearby wall. Unsure of what to do next, Glen closed his eyes. As soon as he did, he felt a metal fist connect with his gut, causing him to double over and gasp for air. Before he could, he felt another cold, steel punch to the face, knocking him to the ground. The next few minutes were spent trying to shield himself from various kicks, punches, and whatever other attack his supposed comrades could unleash on him.
"Get off him you monsters!" Muffin screamed, before having her mouth covered. Biting her captors hand, she caused Joshua to curse loudly and smack her in the face. This wouldn't deter her. She knew they weren't going to risk greening her now and having her get sent somewhere else. "Help!" she screamed one last time.
The determined sheriff searched high and low. He had taken out several more Glad Handers on his search for Muffin, but had little luck in finding the blue cat. A small party of five had arrived in the town center with gags, ready to defend the town. It was going to have to do. Each Toon was sent off in a direction in order to search our victims, and to wipe out the invaders. Fortunately for them, all of the cogs appeared to be low-level which meant that he could conserve his higher level gags for a more dangerous threat. Turning down the town's largest street, he was struck with an idea. What if there were Toons hiding in the alleys? The town had a pretty complex layout of alleyways and corridors that had been built it to make traversing much quicker. "Muffin! Muffin!" He cried out, cupping his hands to amplify his words.
In the distance he heard the feint scream of someone in danger. "Help!" Was all he could make out. Unable to turn away from someone in need, he turned around and began following where he heard it from. He was becoming frustrated as he was unable to narrow down the correct direction until a few minutes later he heard it again. "Help!" This time the cry was louder, and he could better make out the voice. It was unmistakable. There was only two Toons he had ever heard with a voice like that. His late wife, and Muffin, and unless zombies had invaded Toontown it had to be her.
"Don't worry sweetheart, I'm coming for you!" Any Toon who witnessed Billy that day would have sworn that he flew. It was like somebody melted down the pure energy from jellybeans and injected them directly into the chimp. Sprinting at the speed of sound, he used his newly found laser focus to pinpoint where the cry for help came from. He knew exactly where she was, and now that he did it seemed so obvious. Muffin always took the same shortcut to get home. He hated that he didn't think to check there first. Finally reaching his destination, the sheriff was unsure of what he was seeing. Struggling in the grasp of a Glad Hander was Muffin who immediately began to fight harder upon seeing her father. But what really surprised him was the other three cogs. Two Glad Handers were putting a beating on another one who was begging for mercy. In a way he enjoyed it, but another part of him felt bad.
"Dad, you have to help him! He saved me!" Muffin screamed, before the cog tossed her aside again.
Joshua stepped forward and rubbed her hands. "Lookie, lookie. We got daddy here to save the say. Listen, Toon. You want your daughter back, your town is going to have to pay up!" The Glad Hander would never speak another word as the ferocious father showed no quarter to the attackers. Pulling out a wedding cake, he landed a direct hit to the robot, causing an almost instantaneous destruction. The explosion caused Eric and Michael to stop what they were doing and scowled.
"Damn, Toon! I guess we'll just have to take both of you back with us! I'm sure we'll have complete control of the town for your safe return!" Michael cackled in glee. "I'm glad you came!"
"You're lucky, Glen! Don't think we're done with you though!" Eric kicked out one last time, catching Glen in the face and causing him to wince back in unimaginable pain. The beaten cog had severe dents, his health indicator had cracked, and he was unable to move. Why were cogs built with pain sensors? What kind of cruel designer would do such a thing? Probably the same one who had given him emotions. "Brave Toon came to save his daughter! How sweet! Now you can both die together!"
The look in Billy's eyes alerted Muffin that the normally silly Billy was in no playing mood. She didn't need any indication from him to get out of the way. Dragging her aching body towards Glen, she placed her hand gently on his cheek and purred out softly. "Glen? That's your name right?"
Through clenched teeth, Glen barely let out an audible response. "Yes, I'm sorry I got here late."
"No, don't apologize. You saved me, Glen. Please, just rest. We're going to get you help okay? Just rest. I need to rest too. Just trust my dad. He's a good Toon. He will help us." Muffin managed to turn herself over just in time to watch her father drop a Toontanic on the remaining duo, crushing them and causing a massive explosion which could be heard from the other side of the alley.
The last image Glen saw was the last two of the cogs whom had caused him such pain to be destroyed. While it was relieving to be saved, he still felt bad for those three. After all, they were built to be the way they were, just like him. They couldn't help who they were. However, this was something they knew could happen. Closing his eyes, he slowly drifted off, allowing his systems to shut down to absolve him of the tremendous pain. He was going to have to trust the Toon, Muffin. After all, she did seem quite trustworthy.
