The Toonstone Town Hall Debate had raged on, with Muffin, Billy and Rook all taking turns to speak. However most of the town hadn't come here to see them, they had come to see Glen. A cog who not only felt emotions, but was dating a Toon? One who was supposedly good? Many were skeptical, but even more were intrigued. Wanda, voice starting to fade after speaking frequently for the past hour, approached the stand one more time. "Thank you, Rook. Now, we have time for one last speaker before we start taking questions and comments. Sheriff Billy has requested that we allow Mr. Glen to be given a chance to speak on his own behalf. So, if you could all please continue to maintain your patience and understanding, it would be greatly appreciated. Alright, Mr. Glen, if you'd like to come up here..."

Gears churning, Glen squeezed Muffin's hand and stood up. He had ran through this scenario what seemed like a million times in his head, yet he still wasn't sure what he would say. After impassioned discussion from everybody else, how could anything he say compare? He would just have to do what he could to convince the town that he was worth giving a chance. Standing in front of the microphone, the room became blurry and his light indicator turned purple as his anxiety rose. Feeling himself sweating, he breathed heavily into the microphone. The entire town was on the edge of their seats, leaning forward as they anticipated the cog's words. "Hello everybody." Glen breathlessly whispered into the microphone. Shaking, the Glad Hander closed his eyes. In the darkness of his mind he focused on the image of a sweet, blue cat smiling at him. Telling him that everything was going to be okay. He had her now, he didn't need to be afraid anymore. "My name is Glen. As you may have already realized, I am indeed a cog. A Glad Hander." Pausing, the cog continued processing his thoughts carefully. "However, I am a living being with the same thoughts, emotions, and love that all of you experience. While I may not know what it is like to be a Toon, I do know what it is like to be afraid. I can't blame any of you for being afraid of me. Not after what my peers have put all of you through for these many years. I do not come up here and ask for your blessing with no understanding of why that may seem ludicrous. As Muffin and Mr. Billy have stated already, I intend no harm. I wish to integrate into society, and become a functioning piece. I want to help use my skills to make Toonstone a better place for all."

"Let him in!" A single voice screamed out from the middle of the crowd, causing a string of laughter which quickly settled down from a stern glare from Wanda.

"Anyways. I'm not asking for everybody to accept me as I am right away, but to give me a chance to prove myself. If that requires being supervised, working hard, and having a chance to meet with you all individually. I would do anything to prove my intentions to you all. I beg of you. Do not see me as a cog, but as a Toon, just like you. While I may not have the physical appearance, I have come to realize it is what is on the inside that counts. Please, just give me this chance."

Much to the participants surprise, there was a strong positive reaction from the crowd who had taken a liking to the underdog. A lot of Toons in Toonstone had been made aware of the cog in Toontown who was dating the mayor's daughter and had adjusted their own thinking. While most of the residents knew Rook, everybody knew Billy and his reputation as trust-worthy and protective had a strong influence. Glen walked back and took his seat after this short statement, joining the welcoming embrace from Billy and Muffin. "That was fantastic, Glen. I don't think I've ever heard cheers at a town meeting before." Billy ruffled the cog's hair.

Muffin leaned over and kissed Glen on the cheek. "See Glen. You're too lovable. I think barring something completely terrible happening, this should be a shoe-in."


Gary stood at the doors of the Town Hall. Surrounding every side of the building were every cog not already assigned to the gates. Feeling the confidence of someone with over a thousand fighters to act on his bidding, the lead Glad Hander turned to face the crowd of obedient robots. "I will take about one-hundred of you with me. We want to show the Toons we mean business, but we also want to give them an opportunity to "surrender." Then once they either flee, or surrender, we will seize the opportunity to destroy them. The rest of you will surround the building and wait for any Toons to come out. Show no mercy on them. We cannot take any chances. If you see the Toons from the picture I showed you, leave them for me. That monkey and cat are mine. Be sure to leave the traitor as well. He deserves a special demerit from me personally." Turning to face the doors, Gary inhaled and yanked open the only entrance inside. The inside was much larger than he thought, with several hundred Toons all spread throughout a large ballroom. It was almost perfect. The results that he would bring back would be the envy of the other cogs. Capturing this town would be even easier like this. "Toons of Toonstone!" Gary shouted. The entire town was now turned to face the Glad Hander, eyes unable to blink. "You are surrounded! We outnumber you at least three-to-one! If you surrender quickly and quietly, we will spare your lives! Otherwise... Well it will get messy."

Rook shook his fist and screamed at the cog as he approached the edge of the stage. "You damn cogs! Always harassing us. Why can't y'all just leave us alone! We've kicked ya out once, and now I guess we'll have to do it again!" The brown horse reached for his squirtguns but was stopped by Wanda who quickly grabbed the horse's arms.

"Hold on now, Rook. We don't know many of them there are, and we only have about sixty fighting Toons here. This could turn into a slaughter if we're not careful. Let's just hear him out while the Rangers get this taken care of. They'll know what to do." The periwinkle rabbit shook her head in disgust at the small group of cogs who began to filter through the room and take stock of their surroundings.

"Yer all a bunch of scrap metal to me. Coming into my town and threatening my family? My friends? You better count your blessings I haven't destroyed you yet. I could use some more scrap metal!" Billy had turned red with anger as he joined Wanda and Rook at the front of the stage. "You best be getting out of here, because I have no intention of surrendering, cog!"

Glen was in complete shock as he recognized the brash leader who barreled into the Town Hall. "Muffin. Muffin, that is Gary. He's the one I told you about. What do we do?" The timid android whispered to his girlfriend who was doing her best not to tremble in fear.

Squeezing Glen's hand, Muffin leaned over and responded. "Let's just sit back. Dad will know what to do."

"Well, if it ain't little old William! Never thought I'd see you again!" Gary's polished shoes clacked against the hardwood floor, echoing through the dead-silent room. "You and your partner there have caused me a lot of trouble! Now it is time that I get revenge!" The lead Glad Hander was so focused on Billy that he did not see the several Rangers who had reached for whisper devices to call in backup, or gags, ready to fight. "I've been waiting eighteen years for this day. The day that I would bring your head back to my office and hang it up on the wall with the other pathetic Toons who thought they would stand up to me!"

"You're... You're the one who killed Geoduck! You worthless scum! I'll kill you!" Breaking the tension, Rook leapt off the platform and galloped towards Gary, guns blazing. The Glad Hander stepped back. allowing a group of Glad Handers to take his place as he circumnavigated the horse and made his way towards Billy.

Charging as fast as a cog could run, Gary and Billy locked eyes. "No time for you, horse. I want that Toon dead!" The lead cog shouted to his subordinates. "The monkey is mine!"

Unfortunately for Billy, he had not had the foresight to bring gags. After all, what were the odds he would actually need any at a Town Hall meeting? In fact, even the Rangers with the exception of a few cream pies or squirt hoses had not armed themselves. Fighting broke out as the unarmed Toons fled to the fringes of the hall, unsure of what to do. The small group of Rangers quickly began to overwhelm the larger group of cogs before they soon realized they would quickly be outmanned. Chaos reigned down as most of the Glad Handers were easily distracting the Rangers. With the order not to enter the building, there would be little further resistance while the Toons waited for more backup to arrive if they could get past this wave. The sheriff would be fighting with his bare hands, something that didn't excite him. His anger burned and he could see nothing but the tacky brown suit that adorned the cog. "Come and get it, fatso!"

"It will be your funeral, Toon!" Gary brandished the knife which immediately caught the attention of Billy, Muffin, and Glen who had a change in heart. Cogs were never known to attack like that. Seeing a cog holding a weapon had caught the Toons off guard. For Glen, he knew that Gary was evil, but this took it to another level.

"Mr. Billy. Watch out! He's dangerous!" The Glad Hander closed his eyes. In the darkness of his mind was a hero. The bravest cog to have ever walked the face of Toontown. The main character of his story. The one who saved everybody, and was adored by all. This was Glen's chance to become who he always wanted to be. After everything that Billy had done for him, he could not leave the vulnerable monkey to take on the cog.

In the background, explosions from the small group of remaining cogs had kept the Rangers and Rook busy. The townsfolk had mostly stayed off to the sides, where Gary was now near the stage standing just feet away from his enemy. "After I kill you, I'm going to make sure your wife there dies nice and slowly, just like she should have eighteen years ago!"

The chimp went into a state of shock. The mention of Fluffy flooded his mind with memories and emotions he didn't know he had. Wait, did he think Muffin was Fluffy? That meant then... "You son of a..." Billy was interrupted as he dodged a stabbing jab from Gary who narrowly missed knifing the Toon in the chest.

"No time for theatrics, you fool! Now die!" The Glad Hander was relentless in his onslaught of slices, stabs, shanks, and swings. Billy was no young Toon anymore, and the energy it was taking was going to get him in trouble if he couldn't get some attacks in. After one well-timed jab, the monkey swung his fist, connecting with Glen's chest. Immediate pain traveled up his arm as he felt the cracking of his knuckles on pure metal. Why had he done that? "You Toons are even stupider than I thought!" Before Billy could recover, Gary sliced forward catching the ape in the same spot that he himself had just been attacked. tearing through his shirt, and flesh, Billy was sent backwards as the cut sent a further searing pain. Tripping over his own feet, the monkey was defenseless as the looming figure with the large knife approached him. "You could have avoided this if you just died when you were supposed to all those years ago. Well, I guess better late than never."

Lifting his arm above his face, the monkey prepared for the worst as he whispered to himself. "I'm sorry, Fluffy..." He could only hope for a miracle, a miracle that would come from the least expected place. As Gary leaned down to finish off his foe, he was crushed under the weight of an equally large metal obstruction. Muffin and Billy, along with many cowering Toons watched in awe as Glen had been overtaken by a feeling he had only felt once. It was the same feeling he had experienced when he saved Muffin. Leaping from the stage, the large robot had landed on top of his former superior and began wrestling for control of the death-bringer. Unsure of how to fight, Glen found himself surprised at his actions at he swiped a fist, connecting with the other Glad Hander's face.

Gary, fueled still by hatred, looked for an opening. He was clearly stronger, and had decades of experience to assert his control of the situation through manipulation. Storming an idea as he tumbled over onto his back again, he knew he would have to distract Glen somehow. Using his free hand he pointed towards Muffin's general direction and yelled. "Yes, kill the cat! That's the one!" That split second of deception was all that was needed for Gary to slip his knife-wielding hand away from Glen's grasp.

"Muffin! Are you okay!" Glen yelled as he turned away for just enough time to bring his own opponent to the foreground of victory. A sharp pain reverberated through Glen's nerves as he could feel an electric current discharge throughout his body. Looking down, the pained Glad Hander saw what was already too apparent to everybody else; the long dagger was sticking through his chest. As his body began to feel weary, the Glad Hander let out a final scream and placed his arms around his superior's neck. "If I'm going to die. I'm taking you with me! You were always a horrible example of the worst cogs had to offer! I won't let you hurt anybody else anymore!" Oil spilling from the gaping wound, Gary began to feel lightheaded as his fingers began to lose their strength and he slowly drooped backwards, before dropping on his back.

In the background, most of the cogs who had not been destroyed had fled out of the building as the Rangers from inside began to fight outwards, joined by the reinforcements of the Rangers that were called in from Toontown. Surrounding the mortally wounded cog, the crowd of Toons watched in amazed and pained expressions as Muffin dropped to her knees next to her lover. "Glen! Glen! Please stay with me sweetie! You're going to be okay!" Placing her hands on the outpouring of oil, burning tears filled her eyes. "You're okay, sweetheart. We're going to get you fixed!"

Both Rook and Billy immediately ran over when they saw Gary trying to make his escape. Realizing that things were not going as planned, the Glad Hander looked for his only option, to sneak off unnoticed. "Hey you, you're not getting away you piece of garbage!" Billy screamed and sprinted alongside his long-time friend. Using his long legs, Billy anchored himself into a full leap, landing on the cog's back. "This is for all of the Toons you've harmed over the years!" Ignoring the pain, Billy punched Gary in the back of the head relentlessly, knuckles cracking against the hard metal, blood draining from his hand. "This is for Fluffy! This is for Geoduck!" Punch after punch delivered, leaving the Glad Hander facing the inevitability of his own death.

"Please! Please, I will do anything that you want! You want secrets about Cog Nation? I have them! I can help you all! Please just let me live!" Gary had difficulty speaking as his body was becoming overwhelmed with panic, pain, and fear. Reaching out to try and crawl away, his fingers dug into the polished wood as slivers of the floor came back with him as he was dragged towards the monkey who continued to pummel him.

"You coward! When have you ever shown mercy in your pathetic life! Now that you are on the losing side you immediately start selling out your own kind! You are lower than the scum beneath my bar! You're going to die as you lived, like a coward!" The white stallion loomed over Gary who could not look up as his face continued to be pressed into the ground. The cog's head was dented beyond repair, his health indicator nearly beyond its limits, for what seemed like an eternity he suffered through Billy's hate-fueled anger. Pulling out his duel squirt guns, Rook planted them directly in each of Gary's ears. "You'll never hurt anybody again, mother fluffer!" Releasing shot after shot of the deadly liquid, Gary could not help but guffaw outrageously. He could not understand the sensation overtaking him. Here he was, certainly going to die, and all he could do was laugh. He begged, plead, and cried, all while laughing.

As Gary's self-destruct sequence went into hyper-drive, he would never be afforded the chance to see the end of his own life. With one final blow from Billy's fateful fist which went through the thick metal of Gary's skull, and all the way through his face to the floor, the Glad Hander was killed instantly. Hand broken, and bloody, Billy dropped back exhaustively. "He's dead, Fluffy. He can't hurt anybody anymore... Oh, crap! Glen!" Continuing to ignore his own peril, the monkey rolled over and sprung up. Hopping over to where Muffin was weeping over Glen's dying body, Billy began to panic. "Hold on, Glen! We're going to get you somewhere! We need to get Surlee, now!"

Rook began to push a clearing lane through the room. "Everyone get out of the damn way! We need to get him to a doctor! Move, move, move!" The steed, seeing Glen's selfless actions, could no longer deny what Muffin and Billy had strained to him. He had no time to feel shame for his previous thoughts and actions, not now. First they needed to get him to help.

"All of you. I just want you to know, that you have made me the happiest cog to ever walk the face of this or any other world. I'm so lucky that I was given the chance to know you all, and I really hope that you know how much I appreciate you." Using his remaining strength, Glen lifted his hand and placed it on Muffin's cheek, wiping away her tears with his thumb. "You're so beautiful. Don't cry for me, sweetheart. Because you've already given me more happiness than I ever deserved." Closing his eyes, Glen allowed himself peace as he felt his body shutting down. Feeling himself lifted up, he tried not to think of the pained face Muffin had made, but the happy, loving one he had known.

"Rook, help me carry him! We need to get him to Toontown! The Rangers have a teleportation hole ready! Someone get Surlee on the damn whisperer! Come on, we don't have time to lose!" Billy's voice echoed through the silent room. It would be the last thing Glen would hear as his body functions began to shut down and his audio compartment shut off.

Two weeks had passed since the second Glad Hander invasion on Toonstone. The attack had finally prompted the small town to look into better arming itself. While they had been fortunate to avoid large casualties, they could no longer avoid talking about the cog problem that could likely continue. In all, twenty-seven Toons, including four Toontown Rangers were greened. There was much agreement that without the intervention of the Rangers, as well as Glen's actions, Toonstone would have been looking at many deaths, rather than just greenings. The rush by Billy, Rook, Muffin, and several Rangers had gotten Glen to Toontown Central had been a coordinated effort. Quick planning by Billy had gotten Doctor Surlee and his team of engineers ready to operate immediately upon Glen's arrival. "He's lost a lot of oil, and his circuitry seems to be damaged at dangerous levels. I can't guarantee anything, but I will do what I can do."

The daughter of Flippy the mayor of Toontown, Cupcake, had recently reunited after a failed plot to kidnap and kill her boyfriend – a fellow cog. After hearing of Muffin's plight, the pink cat had tried to reach out to her fellow cog lover to offer her support, something that the blue cat had needed during the upcoming weeks which had proved to be very stressful for the young feline. Billy had been taken to the hospital where it was determined he had broken multiple bones in his hand and was given an order to avoid any strenuous work for the next two months. After promoting Wanda to his position, the loving father had gotten a hotel just minutes away from Doctor Surlee's office where the recently wounded Glad Hander had been recovering as everyone who knew him waited patiently to see if he would pull through. Every day that had passed was just additional grey hair for the Toons. Each day Muffin would wake up and immediately run to the small makeshift hospital that held Glen and waited by his bed, in hopes that this day would be the one he would finally wake up. Billy had brought over a cup of coffee as he came to comfort Muffin once again. "Here you go sweetheart. You're not doing anybody any favors by killing yourself too. Why don't you go get some rest and I'll hang out here, okay?"

"Thanks dad. I will be okay though. I want the first thing that Glen sees when he wakes up is my smiling face. That's what he deserves after everything he's done for us, don't you think?' Sipping lukewarm liquid from the paper cup, Muffin tried to stay optimistic on the outside, while on the inside she had little hope. "So, how are things back in town?"

"Well, I think everything is back to normal. The rest of the buildings have been reinforced to better stand up to cog attacks. The first gag trainings have taken place. I really think that the invasion, as terrible as it was, is what the town needed to wake up. Just because we aren't a large city like Toontown or Valentoonia, it doesn't mean we're not just as vulnerable to attack." Billy pulled up a chair next to his daughter and placed his hand on her thigh. "So, it looks like the town voted overwhelmingly in favor of letting Glen become a citizen… You know when he wakes up of course." Billy had given up hope that the cog would pull through and make a full recovery. He had spoken to Surlee multiple times and each report was just as vague and unencouraging as the last. He had lost his love; he knew the pain that it could wrench on one's heart. He didn't want to break his daughter's heart unless he absolutely needed to.

Muffin nodded, doing her best to stay try and keep a strong face on for her father. "That's fantastic news, dad. I know that he is going to be happy to hear that." Finishing up her drink, the cat bit her lip. "What about Rook? Have you talked to him lately?"

Grinning, the orange chimp rested his arm on Muffin's head and chuckled, feeling an actual sense of relief to change to topic. "I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I did talk to Rook. It sounds like he has finally come around, and in fact has offered to give Glen a position at the bar. He's still struggling with it a bit, but you have to understand where he is coming from. He has been surrounded by horrible deeds done by cogs. Mindsets don't just change overnight. Glen is a good man though, and even someone who has been blinded by hatred can still find their glasses of love."

"Find their glasses of love? Come on dad, is that the best thing you could think of?" The pair shared a laugh at the monkey's terrible metaphor. "I'm really glad. I never got to thank him for helping carry Glen here though. I'll make sure to stop by once we get back to town." Stretching her arms, the exhausted Toon's bloodshot eyes struggled to stay open. "Gosh, looks like it's almost midnight already. Another day already…"

"Honey go get some sleep. I'll stay here with Glen and if anything happens, I'll let you know right away. I have to get some work done anyways so I'll be awake for a few more hours. Just keep your whisper device on and I'll keep you updated sweetheart." Kissing Muffin on the forehead, Billy helped the young cat to her feet and sent her on her way. I'll be back at the hotel in a few hours, now get out of here before I carry you back."

Yawning, Muffin hugged her dad and returned the kiss to the forehead. "Alright, just a couple of hours though. Once you get back, I'm gonna take your spot here." Wobbly from lack of sleep, the cat leapt into a teleportation hole back to the hotel where she would get some much-needed sleep.

Pulling out a briefcase, Billy rested the leather contraption on his lap and clicked it open. Muffin had explained how cogs used these things to carry around paperwork and Billy was surprised how much more organized it was than stuffing everything in his pocket. Fortunately for the monkey he was ambidextrous so he could still write. As he had swapped jobs with Wanda, he was now stuck doing all of the Toontask documents and signoffs which had been way more tedious than he thought it would be when he signed up for it. Hours flew by as he caught up on the work he had put off for so long. "Ugh, why would somebody take a task for four-hundred cog buildings just to get a small Toon?" As he continued his work, a light beeping sound started going repetitively ringing through Billy's ears. Looking up, the orange monkey nearly fell out of his chair as the light indicator on Glen's chest lit up for the first time since his tragic attack weeks earlier. The machines connected to Glen began to show different numbers and signs, none of which the chimp could decipher. "Oh my, cog! Could it be? Hey! Hey! We need a doctor or an engineer or something in here!" Flinging papers everywhere, the monkey ran out of the room to search for help.

Fortunately for Billy, Doctor Surlee was a night owl and was generally up quite late. He had not been prepared for a flabbergasted Toon bursting in and making incomprehensible noises and flailing his arms. "Woah calm down there Sheriff! What's going on! Is Master stuck in the toilet again?"

"It's Glen! His lights turned on! Then those machines they were going buzz and zoom and ding!" Still bouncing around and trying to explain the situation to the well-known doctor. "You have to come and see!"

"Wait, did you say it went buzz then zoom or zoom then buzz! This is very vital!" Surlee glued his hands to the side of his head and eyes dilated. "I need you to remember!"

Straining himself, Billy tried his best to remember the order. "I'm fairly sure it was buzz and then zoom! But I believe it was ringing first!"

Grabbing his toolbox, Surlee began darting from his office. "Goodness! This is big! Follow me, we must return to the hospital!" Pausing, the fellow orange monkey slapped his forehead. "Wait, no! You go get Muffin! If my calculations are correct it sounds like his circuitry has finished reprocessing and he will be waking up! We want to surround him with familiar faces! Go! Go! Go!"

"All this running is going to kill me doc. I'm forty-three now, I'm no spring duck!" Slapping out a teleportation hole he made his way to the hotel.

Muffin had finally gotten to sleep after hours of tossing and turning when the door to her room was slammed open. "Honey! Muffin! We need you to come to come with me! I think Glen is waking up!"

"Oh my goodness!" Kicking off the blankets, the blue cat became entangled as she struggled to get free to find her shoes. "Nevermind! No time! Let's hurry!" Stranded inside of her blanket prison, the chunky cat rolled into the teleportation hole, softening any potential blow she would receive from the hard, hospital flooring.

Landing just outside of the building, Billy used his good hand to lift Muffin and fling her over his shoulder as she was stuck on the ground. Barreling through, he reached the flimsy doors and pushing through. The gleam of Glen's polished white teeth were blinding to the pair as they slowly trickled in. "Glen…? Glen!" Muffin managed to break free from her prison and Billy's hold to slam into the floor. Ignoring the pain, the blue cat stood up and stood unblinking at the Glad Hander as he had fully sat up and was speaking with Surlee. "Oh my cog, he's alive!"

Surlee tapped a pen on his forehead and bit his lip. "Well, alive absolutely. It appears from my testing that he still has some kinks to work out. He's going to have to hang out here for a few more days for some diagnostics, but it seems like he's going to make a full recovery." Noticing Muffin ravenous need to hold her boyfriend, Surlee stepped out of the way for his own health and safety.

"Glen. I thought we lost you!" Tearing up, Muffin wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and sobbed. "Sweetheart, you saved dad! But please, never do that again! You don't know what I've gone through these last two weeks!"

"I'm so sorry… I never meant to put you all through so much pain. Honestly, I'm not sure what overcame me. I just became overpowered with this emotion and I couldn't stop my own legs from moving. I think it was something primitive inside of me. Coding from when I was created that was meant to fuel my anger for Toons." Placing his head into Muffin's chest, he tried to keep his own composure. "After that though, I don't remember anything. One second I am in the Town hall, and then I wake up and I am here. I didn't mean to frighten you all. It looks like you've all saved me again. I am even more in your debt."

Clapping his hands a few times, Billy rubbed his eyes which were now having trouble staying open. "Well, it sounds like things have all worked out. I'd love to stay and talk but I think that we should all get some rest and focus on everything tomorrow. I think we have a lot to go over from these last two weeks and if we went over it now it would take too long. I'm going back to the hotel to sleep. I recommend you all do too." The orange monkeys exited the room, talking about the ridiculous situations that had unfolded, and leaving the pair of young lovers to their own devices for the first time in two weeks.


Billy stood sat at a small table alongside Rook, Surlee, and Doctor Matzoh who had come to celebrate the marriage of Glen and Muffin Pan. One year from the day the Glad Hander had landed in Toonstone, the couple had arranged the grandest marriage the small town had ever seen. The event was the talk of the world of Toons, with Toons coming from far and wide to be a part. The wedding itself had taken place in the Town Hall which was the only space large enough to accommodate the thousands of guests who had wanted to come. The ceremony had been beautiful, with no dry eyes when Muffin and Glen shared their first kiss as husband and wife. The after party had been set up at Rook's bar where Glen had taken up work as an assistant. It had taken Rook a few weeks to really trust Glen running things, but the cog's strong work ethic and insatiable taste for knowledge and understanding made him an ideal employee. "Hey Rook, how does it feel to know that Muffin got married for you?"

"Hey, I'm just taking my time. Waiting for the right Toon. I know someday that the right horse is going to talk through those doors and blow my mind away. Until then, my true love is tending bar and shooting. Not much else a Toon could need." Rook raised his glass and toasted himself before taking a swig. "Did y'all see that Cupcake Doggenbottom and her Telemarketer were in attendance? Can't imagine how it feels for them to know they're no longer alone in the world. Wonder how long before we see more of these weddings popping up."

"If I have anything to say about it, I think it will be sooner than you two think. Cog Emotional Therapy has come a long way in the last year." Surlee leaned forward and whispered to the trio. "Plus, I have someone on the inside now."

Scratching his head, the other orange monkey furrowed his brow. "Someone on the inside? Do you mean like in the mayor's office?"

Matzoh couldn't help but grin at what she knew, and the others didn't. "Well not the mayor of Toontown unfortunately. Actually, he works in Lawbot HQ. He's a fellow Glad Hander! His name is George. I guess he's similar to Glen in that he was created with the same programming that causes emotions. He reached out to us a few months ago and said that his boss is a proponent for ending the fighting between cogs and Toons. Couldn't tell me his bosses name out of fear of getting in trouble. He's given us a lot of information though about how cogs are produced, and they are even going to try implementing a test software soon to start overriding the cogs anti-emotion programming when they go in for maintenance." Sipping her glass, the purple doctor winked. "Sooner or later, we might all be married to cogs. So, no need to fret, Rook. A gorgeous Glad Hander may be on your arm someday too!"

"Ugh, like I'd ever do that. The only thing I'm looking for is a thick horse that can match my shooting, knows the difference between all eighty-seven root beer flavors, can gallop for at least three miles with me, and loves romantic comedies. I mean, is that too much to ask for?" The steed sputtered and laughed with his group. "Ah, speaking of romantic. I love this song."

In the background, Muffin and Glen's first dance was beginning. Clearing out the middle of the floor, the blue cat and the husky cog took centerstage. Muffin was adorned in a magnificent pink dress that her favorite store in Minnie's Melodyland had custom designed for her. Glen, for his part, had been designed a more "Toony" flavored suit by the one and only Riggy Marole. It had been a royal purple, garnished with lavish gag prints. His silk tie was the same shade of blue as Muffin. "You get more beautiful by the second, sweetheart. I didn't think that was possible." Glen placed his hands on his new wife's hips as he had been instructed in dancing lessons.

"Thanks, babe. I never knew you looked so good in purple. You should wear it more. Well, you know, besides the one you wear already. A different one! Now we just need to get you some shorts." Wrapping her arms around Glen's neck she leaned in and rested her head on his chest as the soft music played. "Apparently this is the song dad played during his first dance with my mom at their wedding. I guess it is fitting."

"It is beautiful." Glen removed one of his hands and rubbed Muffin's back. "Your mom would be proud of you, sweetie. I wish we could have had her here." Glen looked over to Billy who was fixated with a soft smile on his daughter. "But I don't think you could have asked for a better father."

Muffin snorted. "Hey, he's your dad too now Glenny. Now that we're married maybe he'll finally show you his really bad cowboy accent. Plus, he farts really loudly sometimes. You're just going to have to get used to that if you are going to be my husband. Are you sure you don't want to back out now? It isn't too late!"

Closing his eyes, the Glad Hander swayed to the music and hummed to himself. Everything was perfect. A year ago, the cowardly cog that he was could never have dreamt of this as anything other than a fantasy in a novel. Now? He was the hero of his own story. He could write about what he wanted. He could live his life how he wanted, and he wanted to live his life with Muffin. Even if everything stopped right now, he would have no regrets about how he lived. "I love you, Muffin."

"I love you too, Glen. Forever and ever. Now, kiss me!"