Two months had passed since the cogs had officially surrendered. With their leader now destroyed, most of their resources gone, and demoralized after a long fight, the cogs had given in. Cupcake's heroic act had been the talk of both the fighting Rangers, as well as ordinary citizens throughout Toontown. As soon as she had fainted, Professor Rainbow had personally carried her to the nearest field hospital where she was promptly worked on. Fortunately, Rainbow was able to make it in time. Doctor Matzoh had told her if she had made it just a few minutes later, Cupcake would have died. The next six weeks were a roller-coaster ride for Toontown as they waited with baited breath to hear the status of their fearless leader. However with daily IV's of silliness, and some moral support from Mark, Cupcake was able to pull through and was as healthy as she had ever been. Matzoh had told her that her laff had reached the tens of thousands, something that was still nearly impossible to believe, even for those who had witnessed it. When Cupcake had arrived back in Toontown Central, she was met with the largest crowd she had ever met. Toons from across every playground, Valentoonia, and Funny Farms had showed up to celebrate the cat's accomplishments. Cupcake had promptly announced her retirement as Mayor of Toontown, and the election was going to be taking place later this month. She had never really cared for it anyways.
Nightmare stood at the door of the estate, pondering how she was going to open the door. With both hands she was holding a large pizza box, which itself was balancing a large bottle of soda and a tub of ice cream. "Why did I close the door?" she whispered to herself. Reaching out she kicked the door lightly a few times. Shortly after, a tall black cat answered the door and giggled at the sight.
"Wow, you couldn't open the door yourself? Talk about lazy." Daron joked as he reached to help relieve Nightmare of some of the load she was carrying. "Come on in, everybody is waiting!" bouncing excitedly, he watched as the younger cat walked through the living room. It had been just under a month since Daron had been released from prison. When Benny had surprised them with the house, he had broke down and cried. Benny, now a clerk at the gag shop, had hired Daron as his assistant. Now it was his husband's turn to get some bulging biceps. Unfortunately for him, his husband had found the pulley where the boxes were supposed to be carried by, much to his surprise. Opening the sliding glass door, he led Nightmare outside to a small table where two other cats were sitting and chatting.
"Miss Bongo, it's wonderful to see you again!" Nightmare grinned at the older purple cat.
Standing up, Benny and Bongo walked over and grabbed the remaining food from Nightmare and sat them on the table. "Aw Night. You look beautiful." Benny responded, kissing his daughter on the cheek.
"You absolutely do." Bongo added. "You know when I saw you, you sort of reminded me of your father, but it wasn't until I saw him again that the connection hit. Gosh, you even told me your last name was Decavity. How silly of me!" sitting back down, Nightmare scooched over near her, as Daron and Benny sat opposite of them.
"Well it is still amazing to me that you and dad used to know each other. What are the odds?" Nightmare laughed. "Anyways, I'm starving, I hope everybody likes pepperoni!"
The afternoon was filled with laughter and enjoyment as the four cats shared an enjoyable lunch. Benny, now on his fifth slice, took a moment to talk with the rest of the group. "So Bongo, did you hear that Nightmare got accepted into Valentoonia University?"
"Wow, Nightmare that's amazing! What are you going to be studying?" Bongo looked at the black cat impressed.
"Social work!" Nightmare exclaimed proudly. "You know, after getting into politics, I didn't realize how much there is to be fixed. As much as I love Toontown, there are many who are suffering. There are so many who just need someone who cares, you know?"
Daron smiled and nodded. "You're right sweetheart. It seems that Clara had quite an impact on you. I guess I could say the same, I'm still kind of surprised she voted against that new proposal.
"Yeah, to be honest, so was I. However, after she gave her reasoning it made a lot of sense. It's easy to look at others and judge, to feel that we know them, to blame them for their shortcomings. It's hard to do something about it though. She didn't want anybody else to become a victim, not just to Anti-Toons, but to the sort of systems that lead Anti-Toons to become.. well Anti-Toons. That was the moment that I realized that I wanted to be someone that helps. After all, I feel that it would have been very easy for me to fall into that hole. To hold a grudge against others for how they viewed me. I got lucky, meeting Cupcake and getting that opportunity. But many wont. That's why I need to take advantage of my good fortunes to help others!"
Benny and Daron watched their daughter proudly as she recounted her story to Bongo. Leaning over, Benny kissed his husband's forehead. "You know, we are the luckiest dad's in all of Toontown."
"You mean I'm the luckiest. Because I have you and her." Daron responded, smiling. "I'm never going to fall into that trap either. I have everything I could ever want, and I'm not going to give it up again. I love you Benny."
"I love you too, Daron." Benny patted his husband's thigh as they continued to listen to their enthusiastic daughter's dreams.
Bloople sat nervously on the couch with Miko and Hula, as the two young Toons sat eating a slice of cake and watching TV. It was Clover's birthday, and Bloople had gone all out in throwing her a magnificent party. All of their friends had attended, and he had organized a catered dinner, as well as her favorite cake, carrot. Finally the remaining guests had taken their leave, and it was time to relax. At least, for everybody else. Bloople still had one thing that he wanted to do. Reaching into his pocket, he fumbled around with a small box for the hundredth time, assuring that it was still there. He was worried that he was going to mess this up. After all, this would be the first, and hopefully only time, he would ever have to do this. Trying to keep his eyes on the TV, he listened as the girls giggled. "Gosh, Bloople what an amazing birthday." A green cat walked behind him and planted her chin on his shoulder, and arms around his neck. "Hey girls, how is the cake."
"It's delicious, Miss Clover!" Hula yelled out with a mouthful of crumbs spilling out everywhere.
"Thanks dad!" Miko joined in, eyes still glued to the TV.
Reaching for the remote, Bloople turned off the TV, and pulled his legs out from underneath the two young Toons. "Hey girls. Do you mind giving me and Clover some time to talk? How about you two take your cake up to your room and I'll be up there later to read you a bedtime story, okay?"
"Okay dad!" the pair squealed in delight at the idea of eating dessert in their room. Grabbing their plates, the pair quickly made their way upstairs.
Clover walked over and sat down next to her boyfriend and kissed his cheek. "You didn't need to get them out of the way THAT early." she joked, as she pulled the remote out of Bloople's hand. "Anyways, I know last night was my night.. but it is my birthday.." Turning the TV back on, the green cat began to flip through channels. Turning to Bloople, she looked at him strangely as he quietly stared ahead, and fidgeted his hand in his pocket. "You okay, babe?"
"Oh yeah.. sorry I'm great honey. Just thinking about if a birthday is a good enough excuse to get the remote two days in a row.. I think I'll allow it, but only because I love you." Bloople's heart was burning with anxiety. He had run through this night a hundred times, but now that it was here he had no confidence in his ability to follow through
"Gosh, what a gentleman!" Clover quipped. Continuing to focus on the TV, she did not see the green dog stand up and lower himself to the ground in one swift motion. Landing on one knee, Bloople gulped as he waited for Clover to notice. Finally, Clover looked over and did a double take. Shrieking and holding her hand to her mouth, she watched as Bloople struggled to pull out something from his pocket, silently cursing to himself. "Oh my cog, Bloople!"
Bloople stared up at his love, and nervously smiled. "Um. Clover. Clover. Uh. Clover. Will you. Clover will you marry me?" stuttering, Bloople closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable rejection. Instead he was nearly knocked down as the green cat leapt on to him and started kissing his face.
"Yes! Yes! Of course I will, a million times yes, Bloople!" rolling around on the floor, the pair engaged with several long kisses before they laid on the floor and stared up excitedly. "What took you so long?"
"Yeah, easy for you to say." pulling out the ring, the band was golden, however the gemstone was an emerald green.
Gently grabbing the ring, Clover eyed over it. "Bloople.. it's beautiful.. and what's this?" holding up the ring she gasped as she examined it. "I'm sorry Bloople.." she began to lose her composure, trying not to burst into tears. "Wait.. this means that I'm going to be a mommy.. isn't it?"
"Going to be? Clover, you have been. Not only that, you're the greatest mommy in the world.. I love you, Clover." leaning over, Bloople kissed his new fiancee. Looking up, he closed his eyes and whispered. "I love you, Pickle."
"We got three more orders for a dozen Romeos!" Rudy called out to the kitchen, watching as the organized chaos of the kitchen lit up her face with a smile. After Romeo's untimely departure, Rudy and Clara had sat down and talked about the future of the bakery. Much to Rudy's surprise, Clara had asked her if she could take charge which she gladly accepted. While it was still a struggle without Romeo, having Clara's support had been a huge pillar for the young brown cat. Romeo's patented recipe for cupcakes had proven to be a huge success. Rudy had submitted a name request to call them "Romeo's Heart" but the kitchen just referred to them as Romeo's. The bakery had shifted to primarily being a cupcake shop, something that had been her late boyfriend's original intention. Walking through the kitchen, Rudy was stopped when a red rabbit entered the room. "Clara, what are you doing here?" she exclaimed happily.
"Oh Rudy, it's so good to see you! I'm actually just here to see you, do you mind if we stop in the office really quick?" motioning to Rudy's office, she followed the brown cat in and closed the door behind her. her soft, motherly smile always warmed Rudy's heart.
Sitting down in her chair, she waited until Clara took a seat in front of her. "Is everything okay, Mrs. Duckowitz?"
"Actually, things are better than okay!" she pulled out a letter and placed it on the desk.
"What's that?" Rudy pointed to the letter and looked inquisitively at the rabbit. Opening the letter, Clara slid the contents across to Rudy. Grabbing the paper, Rudy read to herself. "Dear Mrs. Duckowitz. My name is Johannes Stickler, I am the superior court judge for Minnie's Melodyland. I am writing you today to let you know that I had received a request from the brother of Mr. Dumb Dumb Dumb Rabbit, formally requesting leniency on your son, Allen. After reviewing the details of the case, as well as taking into account such an odd request, I have decided to issue clemency to Mr. Allen Duckowitz who will serve the last week of his jail period, and instead be required to complete twenty hours of anger management training, as well as two-hundred hours of community service.." stopping to put down the letter Rudy's face gleamed with happiness. "Mrs. Duckowitz, this is amazing!"
Clara bounced in her seat excitedly. "Yes, it is fantastic news. Apparently the victim's brother was so devastated by what happened, that he personally felt he needed to reach out to the judge. Now, knowing what I know about Mr. Stupid Stupid Stupid Rabbit, I assume that this request was likely more of a threat, however I will not look a gift horse in the mouth. Now, Rudy.. I have a favor to ask.."
Rudy leaned forward. "Of course Mrs. Duckowitz, anything!"
"Well you see. Due to Allen's criminal history, I worry it may be quite difficult for him to find a job. Now, you are in charge, and ultimately I will respect your decision.. however I was wondering if you would be able to find a position for Allen here?"
Instantly, visions of Allen's horrendous experience in the kitchen filled her mind. She still didn't really get along with Allen. But why did it have to be that way? After all, if Romeo loved him, maybe she could find a way to care about him too. "Clara, you do not need to ask at all. There will always be a spot for him here." she smiled and grabbed the rabbit's hand. "I still miss him, Mrs. Duckowitz.."
"Me too, Rudy. I think about him every day, and there isn't a day I don't wish that it was me instead of him. But life is cruel and unfair, but with that it is also beautiful and full of surprises. I was blessed to have the greatest son a mom could ask for. Sometimes the brightest stars burn the brightest, and sometimes those bright lights burn out too soon. But Romeo will always be with us in our hearts, don't you think."
"Yes, of course Mrs. Duckowitz.. Forever and ever.
"When I lost my legs, I thought I had lost my life. I sat around feeling sorry for myself, sulking, and ready to give up on the world. Sometimes it's easier to just give up. To accept your fate and give in to your own negativity. But then I met someone. A good friend who is in the audience today. She taught me that we don't have to be defined by our own limitations, but rather our dreams and character. I no longer see my disability as a weakness, but rather a strength, and not just because of these sweet arms." raucous laughter burst out through the crowd of onlookers. "Seriously though. All of us are just getting started on our real journeys. For most of us, we will face these hurdles in the future. How we will be remembered isn't these barriers, but how we responded to them. Did we turn around and give up, or did we find a way to get over them. Anyways, I'm sure everybody is tired of my rambling so I just want to say I love you all, and good luck!" Raindrop rolled away from the microphone as the crowd burst into one last applause. The Valedictorian of his class, much had changed over the last two months for the dark blue dog. Him and Pippy had built a steady and exciting relationship, he was graduating high school, and he had finally truly learned to love himself. Making his way down a ramp he was mobbed by friends and family who had been staring shocked at the newly confident Raindrop.
"Gosh, Rain. I didn't know you were so good at writing. Or giving speeches. Where's it been the whole time?" Cookie stood with a hand on his hip and a jokingly sarcastic look on his face. "I guess with those devilishly good looks, I just don't have a chance, do I?" the group laughed at Cookie's joke.
Pippy sat down on Raindrop's lap and kissed him on the nose. "You were wonderful up there cutie. Although watch the comments about your arms, those are mine!"
"Come on guys, I know I'm great and all.." Raindrop quipped, getting more laughter from the group.
"Oh Rain, don't be so cocky. I'm sure I have plenty of stories that these guys would love to hear.." Raindrop's mother wagged her finger mockingly.
Raindrop's dad put an arm around his wife and chuckled. "Aw come on honey. You know.. I was a lot like him when I was his age."
"You're right. Someone remind me why I married him?" the magenta dog responded.
"Raindrop!" a voice yelled out.
Turning around, Raindrop smiled and waved as a family of cats walked towards him. "Reessess! I'm so glad you made it!" hugging his former captain, he nodded to the other cats. "Is this your family or your fans?" he joked.
"Oh yes, can't believe you guys haven't met! This is my husband Wiggle." she waited as the pink cat bowed. "These cute little kittens are Criquet and Giggle." the two young cats bounced excitedly around at mention of their names after hours of sitting and listening to adults talk about things they didn't care about.
"Hey guys. Wow, you didn't tell me you were married to Professor Wiggle. We learned about you in school!" the pink cat blushed at the mention. "Anyways, I'm really glad you guys could make it."
Reessess smiled and shrugged. "Wouldn't miss it. So, what are you going to do now that you're free?"
"Well, Pippy and I are going with Mandy and Cookie to Silly World to celebrate graduating.. and after that? Honestly I'm not sure. But for the first time in as long as I can remember, I'm not going to worry about it. For now, I just want to enjoy life and see where it takes me. What about you? I heard you were recommended to take over as mayor? That's exciting!"
"Yeah.. It does sound exciting. But I decided against it. I think it's time for me to retire. I've been fighting for too long. Now the only thing I want to fight are these little monsters when I try to get them to take a bath!" tickling Giggle and Criquet, the two rain away squealing. "I'm really proud of you, Raindrop. I always knew you were destined for greatness. I guess a mother's tuition is always right. Anyways, I better get going. We're actually taking the kids to Silly World too. Hey, maybe we'll see you there!" she patted her friend on the back, before jogging to catch up with the kittens running circles around the field.
Raindrop smiled an blinked a tear away. Turning back to his group, Cookie held out a mock microphone. "Raindrop Thundercloud. You just defeated the cog resistance and graduated from school. What are you going to do next?"
Grabbing the invisible device from his friend, he let out one last impassioned yell. "I'm going to Silly World!"
"Hey honey, I'm home." Deputy Skids took off his hat as he walked into the house, placing it on a table near the entrance. Watching as a beautiful pink cat walked over and kissed him, he smiled. "I'm not too late, am I?"
"Nope, she said she was going to be here in about ten minutes. Although that was about ten minutes ago.." the pink cat stepped aside, and crossed her arms laughing, looking behind Deputy.
Spinning around, the older green dog chuckled as a green cat stood behind him. "Honey, you scared me!" throwing his arms around the younger cat he squeezed as hard as he could while the cat giggled.
"Come on, dad. I'm not a little girl anymore. You can't squish me like you used to!" being set down, she stood awkwardly for a moment while her mom gave her a kiss. "So guys.. I brought someone with me that I wanted you to meet.." digging her foot into the ground, the lime green cat watched her parent's expressions expectedly as a green crocodile walked into the house. "Mom.. Dad.. this is Snappy... my girlfriend.." she closed her eyes, fearful of her parent's response.
"Nice to meet you Snappy. I wish we knew you were coming! I would have set up an extra seat for you!" the pink cat grabbed the crocodile's hand and pulled her into the room. "Oh my gosh I'm so excited to finally have somebody to show these embarrassing pictures of Rosie when she was a baby! Come! Come!" the two giggled as Susie brought Rosie's girlfriend into the other room.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Rosie looked at her dad, waiting for a response. "So dad..'
"Rosie?" Deputy made a silly face at his daughter, who had to restrain herself from laughing.
"You guys don't care.. you know.. that I'm dating a girl?" Rosie spoke nervously.
Deputy's face softened and he grabbed his daughter hands. "Rosie, we're your parents. Of course we care... Because now we have someone that we can embarrass you in front of!" dropping her hands, he chased his wife into the other room with his daughter not far behind.
"You guys! You better now show her the bathtub pictures!" Rosie slapped at her dad's back as she giggled and ran after her dad.
Chase made his way down a dark alley of Minnie's Melodyland looking up at a neon sign above the only door. Well, this had to have been the place. Now that he was free, he had some unfinished business he had been taking care of for the last few months. With the cogs' defeat, the In-Sells quickly dissolved as an organization into smaller, more radical groups, and Chase had been trying to recruit them without much luck. Apparently he had lost a lot of his sheen during his time in prison. As much as he hated to go this route, it looked like he was going to have to crawl back to Stupid Rabbit for help getting back on his feet. He had pushed this day off as long as he could, but unfortunately it looked like this was going to be how it had to be. Rapping on the door lightly, he watched as a flap on the top slid open and a pair of eyes stared down at him silently, before closing. Unlocking sounds prefaced the door finally opening and a long-legged, multi colored rabbit stood grinning. "Ah Chase, what a pleasant surprise. Please, come on in." following the rabbit inside reluctantly, the green cat nodded to his former friend. "You know, I heard you got out a few months ago. What took you so long to stop by? You know my door is always open for you, old pal." stopping he turned around. "Where are my manners, are you thirsty?"
"Um. Uh, yeah, sure." Chase did not want to disrespect his host. After all, Stupid Rabbit was very classical in his behavior. Turning down a drink was seen as disrespectful in one's home. "I'm sorry I haven't had time to stop by. You know, I've just been busy with trying to figure out things. But I wanted to come and apologize. You know, just how things went between us. Why did we ever grow so far apart? We were such close friends. Anyways, I have come to my senses and I just wanted to tell you that you were right the whole time. So.. I'm sorry pal."
Shaking a bottle, Stupid Rabbit smiled widely at his one time associate. "No need to apologize. I must say I was quite a fool myself. Maybe I was too quick to try and run off on my own. After all, you were always the true brains of the operation." pulling out a fancy glass, he poured the delicious looking liquid in, until it reached the brim. Walking over to his now seated guest, he handed him the glass.
"You not thirsty?" Chase asked suspiciously.
"Oh, no need to worry about me friend. I already have water." Stupid Rabbit held up a glass. "I've been trying to cut back on the sweets. Starting to get a bit of a stomach myself." the pair reminisced for a while, talking about past crimes, and what each had been up to for a while.
After about fifteen minutes, Chase could feel a slight discomfort in his stomach. "Hey, do you have a bathroom I could use?"
"Oh yes, it's down the hall. However, I don't think a bathroom is what you are in need of right now." the Rabbit stared him down and chuckled.
"Wh-What does that mean?" Chase began to sweat profusely as his vision began to blur slightly.
Standing up, Rabbit walked over to his make-shift bar, and grabbed a small crystal clear vile. "Hmm. Well that's not good.. It appears that instead of lemon juice I accidentally put sigh-anide in your drink. My mistake, pal. It could have happened to anyone."
Doubling over in pain, Chase glared at his former friend. "Rabbit you son of a-" moaning in intense pain, be began to couch up blood, falling to his knees.
"Funny thing about sigh-anide. Doesn't affect the body right away. Especially when mixed with sugar. Chase, you should have known better than to double-cross me. It's a shame really. I do think we could have made great partners again. Oh well. Say hello to Dumb Rabbit for me." Chase's vision faded to blackness as he toppled over backwards, clenching his stomach. Unable to speak, his breathing rapidly increased as he finally faded into one last sleep. "Oh yes.. and say hello to Poppensticks for me as well." pulling out a small black book, Stupid Rabbit scratched a crudely written name out in pen. Walking over to his chair, he stepped over the deceased cat and reclined back. "Don't mess with us Rabbits."
"Wow, that smells delicious!" the light blue dog closed his eyes and exaggeratedly smelled the air as the delightful smell of freshly baked cupcakes filled the air. "is that grape jelly?" the dog pondered, to the rest of his table-mates. Across from him a younger purple crocodile was chuckling.
"Yeah, I think so. You know, I heard that he puts jellybeans in his cupcakes as well. Isn't that right, mom?" the crocodile looked to a red dog who was cuddled up with a purple monkey.
Nodding, the dog smiled at her daughter. "Pickle is right. Trust me, when it comes to desserts, she knows everything."
"You know, my daughter's name is Cupcake.." the blue dog mentioned, impressed.
A brown mouse leaned over and whispered to the purple monkey. "Gosh, does this guy ever stop talking about his daughter?"
"I heard that Tank!" the blue dog sarcastically responded. "You're not a parent, so I guess you wouldn't understand. Right Paula? Wally? You guys have a son as well, don't you?"
Before the pair could respond, a Toon waddled over and interrupted. "Okay everybody, can we pipe down please. I really need everyone to try this new recipe and tell me how it is!" a light blue duck carried a small tray of still warm cupcakes over to the table, placing the delicious desserts down and grinning. "We can talk about our families later.. let's eat!" the small group made lively small talk before a knock on the front door interrupted. "Hey Flippy, can you get that?"
"Sure, Romeo." Flippy stood up and jogged off to the front door. They weren't expecting guests? Who could it be? Opening the door, a dark green cat wearing a blue polo and shorts was standing confused. "Um, hi there, can I help you?"
Chase stared at the blue dog. He looked really familiar. "Um, hello. I'm a bit lost and was just trying to get some answers. I'm not sure how I got here. Think you could help a fella out?"
Walking up behind Flippy, the purple monkey nodded and clasped his friend's shoulder. "Hey, you go eat. I'll help out from here pal." waiting until his friend had departed, Wally chucked. "Here friend, let me show you the way."
"No.. no that's okay.." Chase stuttered as he recognized the purple monkey instantly.
"No, that's okay, really!" Wally responded in a mocking tone. "After all, what kind of Toon turns away someone in need." putting his arm around the cat's bac, he closed the door behind him as the two walked silently for a few minutes. As their feet buried into the fluffy clouds below them, a light warmth began to turn to a burning heat as the white clouds had turned to raging fires. "I think this is what you were looking for, pal." Wally chucked.
Chase stared down into the large pit in front of them. The sounds of screaming and crackling fire would be heard all the way from up here. "Listen, monkey. About everything.." before he could finish speaking, Chase felt himself tumbling backwards as the angry monkey stretched his arms out, barrelling into the green cat and sending him screaming into the abyss below.
"Welp. Back to dinner I suppose!" whistling, Wally started to skip back to his house to meet with the rest of his friends.
Days for Dippy had started to slow down these last few months. Now that the war was over, deaths were once again infrequent. While the occasional visitor did stop by, many Toons were preparing for the upcoming election, and Holiday season in October. peering into his cup of lemonade, the pig watched as a small speck of pulp bounced around as he shook the glass. Putting the glass down, he watched as a familiar pink cat and Telemarketer couple walked up the trail towards the entrance. Hopping to his feet, the pig excitedly ran out and unlocked the gate. "Mr. and Mrs. Doggenbottom! It's an honor to see you two today!"
"Thanks, Dippy. Good to see you too!" Cupcake smiled at the pig's antics. "No need to worry about us, we know where we're going. You go relax, you're probably exhausted after a long day."
"Mrs. Cupcake, you truly are a blessing on Toontown!" bowing, the pig ran back inside of his shaft and closed the door behind him, waving as the couple as they made there way down the long path. This was Cupcake's first visit see her father since her birthday seven months earlier. Everything that had happened seemed so.. unreal. Mark had sobbed for nearly two straight hours when he arrived to see her in the hospital, or at least she was told. Knowing him, it was probably longer, but her friends probably wanted to spare him. As the two walked their way down, they looked around at what was once a barren landscape was now full of gravestones and flowers. It made her heart hurt knowing that so many others had suffered the same pain as she did. In a way it brought her comfort, that no matter how much pain they endured, that there was always a bright future ahead. Making their way into the gated section where her father laid in eternal rest, Cupcake clenched Mark's hands as they approached the colorful sculpture.
Nodding to his wife, Mark reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder, rubbing slowly. "Your father would have been so incredibly proud of you babe."
"I know, Mark. This last year and a half.. I mean just wow. If you had told me at this time last year that I would be able to visit without becoming a complete disaster, there's no way I would believe you. I mean, it still hurts, but I've come to accept it. Dad lived an incredible life. He did so much for so many, without ever asking for anything in return. He was the greatest Toon I have ever met, and knowing that I had the fortune to be his daughter is the greatest gift I could ever receive." standing on her tip-toes, the pink cat leaned up and kissed the statue on the cheek. "Hey dad. Just here to check in and see how you're doing. I hope you're not disappointed that I decided not to re-run for Mayor. I guess I just never really felt up to it. It's quite a crowded field this time. But you know what? I'm very hopeful. I think Toontown could use a fresh face in charge.. Me and Mark, well me and Mark are going to get into writing! I actually started writing my first novel while I was in the hospital.." pausing she looked over to her gleaming husband. "Mark is going to be my agent. It's about a strong blue dog who goes on adventures and rescues Toons, and is an awesome dad. Anyways, I'm rambling as usual. I just wanted to tell you that I love you and miss you, but I'm going to be strong. I'm not going to cry anymore, because that's not what you would have wanted. Anyways, Mark had something to say too. Bye for now dad, I'll be back soon!"
Rubbing her husband's back, Cupcake grinned as she watched Mark pull out a piece of paper he had prepared. "Good morning, Flippy. You know, while you were alive, I never had the chance to truly thank you for everything you did. You trusted and believed in me when few else would. You allowed me to marry the love of my life, and have given me more than I probably deserved. Anyways, I know wherever you are you are probably enjoying a delicious batch of muffins and watching over us. I just wanted to say that I loved you, and to thank you again for being the man I aspire to be." looking to Cupcake he smiled. "Was that okay, honey?"
"It was perfect, Mark. He would be so proud of you too." leaning over she kissed her husband. "Oh and dad, we have one more surprise for you." reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a folded up piece of paper. Unfolding it, she placed it near the grave where she placed a small rock to ensure it wouldn't blow away. "I love you dad." grabbing Mark's hand the two walked away. Near the grave a small paper labeled "Animation Request" fluttered in the light breeze. On the paper was a perfectly drawn, light blue dog. On his chest was a small golden patch of fur in the shape of a heart and in beautiful writing read three words. "Flippy Doggenbottom II."