Hello hello, my lovely readers! Welcome to book four of my first set in the Toontown series (title in progress). Here I will be wrapping up and answering some of the major questions from my previous three books, while also adding a few more mysteries and cliffhangers in the mix as well; all leading up to my next four-book set, which will be heavily influenced by Toontown Rewritten's lore, as well as contain a LOT more action scenes and suspense than I have been writing. The romance and comedy will still be there, but for the most part, I will be updating much of my current characters and maturing my storyline a little. In the meantime, however, I have this book for you, which will be absolutely filled to the brim with sap ;) Thank you so much to anyone who reads this. It means more than y'all can even imagine. Enjoy!


Doctor Surlee stared down at the paper, Animation Pen in hand. He swallowed hard and thought about the child he was about to draw. Their features, species, name… it was all in his head, swirling around like a thousand taunting daydreams. He cringed slightly and began writing.

He was shaking. Why was he shaking? There was no need to be afraid. After all, his plan was perfect. He needed this child. They were the only way that the Cogs would ever be stopped. He needed to protect them. Was he an adequate parent? By far, no. Thankfully, however, he knew exactly who was. And his home was soon to belong to this new child. That was for certain.

After scribbling down some nearly illegible words and careful instructions, he timidly rolled the order form up and placed it in the mail. Now all he had to do was wait, and watch. He needn't be worried. After all, his plan was completely foolproof.

Wasn't it?


It had been two weeks. Two long, torturous weeks since Mark's disappearance… since his death. Not a word had been spoken about him. It was as if he had been erased from history; removed from yet another timeline. The rest of the Toon world seemed to continue on just fine without him. No one seemed to care. After all, how was one less Cog in Toontown going to cause them to mourn? Quite the contrary – it was a celebration. But not for Cupcake.

No, not at all for Cupcake. She had spent the past three weeks recovering in the Toontown Hospital's Laff Intensive Unit, the first week specifically stuck in a 'depression-induced coma', as the doctor called it; a rare occurrence caused by a sudden drop in silliness and joy. Once she had finally woken up, there was much recovery that she had to go through, and still more that she had yet to complete. It was estimated that she would not be released for another week or so, and at this point, Cupcake wasn't even sure if she would be able to go home. Not with all the memories. Not going back to the place where her and Mark had shared their first day together, their first sunset, their first kiss. It was much too painful. At this rate, she'd be moving back in with her father.

She was so confused. So sad. But surprisingly, she wasn't angry. Yes, she knew that the Cogs were the ones who had done this. After all, she had learned from her dad that lord Lowden Clear had found Mark's emblem in Sellbot HQ – probably lying among some of his outer mechanisms. She shuttered at the thought. The love of her life, abandoned once more. It was heartbreaking, but not angering.

Cupcake stared blankly out the window of her recovery unit, watching the Toons below as they were released from the hospital to return to their families. Or possibly their lovers. It didn't matter. She quickly glanced up as the door to her room was slowly opened, her father eventually entering with a handful of her favorite flowers and an apprehensive smile. He had been so worried. He was still worried. After all, Cupcake was his baby. The love of his life.

"Hey there, Buttercup," he greeted her quietly, setting the flowers on the nightstand next to her bed. He grinned slightly, his face only to fall once more upon seeing her expression. "How are you doing today?"

She forced a weak smile and nodded her head. "I'm alright." She lied.

"No, you're not," he replied, compassion and care dominating his countenance. He softly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She snuggled up to him, almost reluctantly, as he continued, "You really miss him, don't you sweetheart?"

"Yeah," she consented, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "I can't sleep very well anymore."

He cringed, taking notice of the various monitors and IVs that she was hooked up to, some literally pouring silliness into her system. "I know, baby." He rubbed her head, concerned that barely any of her color had come back. This was so unlike his usually bubbly, vibrant child, whom he missed dearly. The doctors were right though; she was recovering slowly compared to most other patients.

Flippy suddenly straightened up as he remembered the gift. "Here, I have something for you," he said, rummaging through his pocket. He gently pulled out a long, silver necklace with a small locket attached. He carefully opened it and handed it to his daughter. Inside was the symbol of a Cog gear, morphed in two with the image of a cream pie. She gazed at it inquisitively, until he continued, "Mark made this for you," he explained, earning a startled look from Cupcake. "He wanted to give you something, a gift… to thank you for saving his life. He meant to give it to you at the Halloween party, but he… never got the chance." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Cupcake stared down at the piece of jewelry, her expression void of any emotion. After listlessly rolling it through her fingertips for a few moments, she turned to her dad and murmured, her voice hoarse, "Can you put it on for me?" He nodded apprehensively and fastened it around her neck. After a few minutes of discomfiting silence, she spoke up again. "Wait, no. Here," she painstakingly took it back off, avoiding her father's assistance, and reached under her pillow, soon pulling out Mark's Sellbot emblem. After a bit of struggling, she was able to delicately thread the silver chain through the pattern of the Cog necktie image on top of the locket, and after a few more tweaks, she had finally attached the final remnant from Mark onto his beautiful gift for her. She eventually put it back on, and said, "I love it."

Flippy smiled and patted her head, only seconds later thinking of something. "Buttercup," he began, unsure of where this would lead, "you and Mark were… close, correct?" He swallowed hard as tears welled up in her eyes, and a look of fear and trepidation overwhelmed her features. "Cupcake," he whispered, leaning in, "how close?"

Just then, before an answer could be given, in walked none other than Mr. Snouts, hands clenched tightly behind his back and nose in the air. "Mr. Mayor, we urgently need your help back at Toon Hall," he announced.

Flippy sighed. "Mr. Snouts, I'm kind of busy at the moment…"

"Flippy," he oinked, his tone firm and serious, "we need you now."

The Mayor had never seen the presumptuous pig so flustered. He wordlessly rubbed his forehead in exasperation, earning an approving nod from his daughter, whom he lightly kissed on the head and left once more, alone in the room. Alone in the room, giving her the needed solitude to cry.


Later that day, after Cupcake had sobbed for hours over the final gift from Mark, another visitor came to see her, one that Cupcake had no desire to interact with. It was Stella. That was the last person that should have been there, especially after the event during Toonfest. Cupcake quickly sat up straight on her bed upon Stella's arrival, slightly caught off guard by her alluring smile and pleasant demeanor. She seemed at ease; quite contrary to Cupcake's stiff posture and tense countenance. After coming inside and slowly shutting the door behind her, Stella carefully placed a small get well card on the nightstand and sat down. The two Toons stared awkwardly at each other for some time, as if neither was quite sure what to say to the other. Eventually, however, the yellow canine spoke up, "So, Miss Doggenbottom, how is the recovery coming along?"

Cupcake sighed and shifted uncomfortably. "It's… difficult," she admitted, holding back tears.

"You miss that Telemarketer? Er… what was his name again?" she smirked.

"Mark," Cupcake hissed, looking Stella dead in the eyes, her tone clearly marking irritation.

"Ah, yes, how could I have forgotten." She leaned back in her chair and smiled. "Well, at least he's in a better place now."

Cupcake flinched slightly, unable to bear much more of this. She was in no mood to deal with Stella's nonsense, but despite having almost no energy whatsoever, she knew that she had to defend Mark. It was one thing to attack Mark during his life, but to show disrespect and indifference even in his death? Well, now she had just crossed a line.

"And why do you care?" she snapped, glaring daggers at the conceited canine. "You were the one who wanted him dead in the first place, after all."

Stella placed a hand over her mouth, acting as if she was highly offended. "Well excuse me for being a bit appalled at your choice in companions. I was only looking out for the good of the town, after all. And can you blame me? You were a bit too impertinent with your choice, and quite honestly, you seem to still have an issue with giving due respect."

Cupcake was practically seething now. "And give respect to who, YOU? You don't deserve my respect. You are one of the lowest, most selfish Toons that I have ever met, and the fact that you even made it onto the Resistance absolutely baffles me. But, then again, I'm sure Lowden took interest in you."

She scowled back at the pink feline, and immediately stood up and slid her chair across the white tiles. "And what is that supposed to mean?" she breathed, barely able to control her frustration. She walked up to the side of Cupcake's bed and got right into her face, looming overtop of her in a threatening manner. "Don't you DARE disregard all that I went through to become a Ranger. You know nothing, NOTHING of what it means to persevere, and struggle, only to have all of your dreams taken away from you by the very kind that you loathe. I am a fighter. You are a traitor."

Cupcake, defying Stella's bold position over her, suddenly raised herself up onto her knees, and, given her height and the level of the bed, instantly switched the roles and was now leaning over Stella. She glared down at her, neither moving one bit, and said, sternly, "I am not a traitor for helping another. I am not a traitor for giving an excluded individual a new life. I am not a traitor for following my heart. And you, YOU fail to realize that my dreams have been taken away as well. I lost my best friend to the Cogs. So don't try and tell ME anything about perseverance and struggles, Miss Fighter."

Stella backed away and growled lowly, utterly furious with this vexing child and her convoluted feelings. She shook her head angrily, and without another word stormed out of the room, violently slamming the door behind her. Cupcake was absolutely exhausted at this point. She fell back against her pillow and groaned, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep in Mark's arms. She sighed. That was something that she would never experience again. She silently dangled her long necklace in front of her face and stared at the emblem, like she had been doing for the past three weeks, day in and day out. This time, however, something caught her eye that she had not seen before. Engraved on the emblem was a small, neat inscription which contained several words and numbers. After looking it over carefully, she soon realized that it was a serial code, presumably belonging to Mark. She listlessly read it over, until suddenly, she sat straight up in bed, her eyes growing wide in shock. For instead of matching Mark's serial number, the ingravements on the emblem read 'F39408-CF', whereas his was 'C21516-CF'. If they didn't match, then that meant… this was not Mark's Sellbot emblem!

Cupcake immediately jumped out of bed and tumbled onto her feet, which she hadn't used in so long. She shook violently, a new thought coming to her. Mark could still be alive! There had to be some sort of mix up, and if that was true, then there was a chance, miniscule as it may have been, that her love was still living. She anxiously glanced around the room, wondering what in the world she was to do next. Just then, there was a soft knock on the door, and in peered her two friends, Brownie and Flip Pea. She instantly glanced up at them and smiled slightly, the first sign of joy that she had betrayed in weeks.

"Cupcake!" Brownie exclaimed, worriedly. "You're out of bed! Is everything okay?"

She nodded wordlessly in reply.

"Cupcake, what's wrong?" Flip Pea asked, his usual energetic personality replaced by one of concern. Sometimes, Flip acted more like a protective brother than friend to Cupcake, and today was no exception. He dropped onto his knees next to her and dragged her down into a hug. "You have to tell us if something is the matter, Cup."

She gradually pulled away from him and replied, her voice shaking, "Mark. He may still be alive." She meticulously took off her necklace and handed it to Brownie, who instantly took note of the engraving and its very apparent flaw.

"This is not Mark's serial number!" she screeched, handing it to Flip Pea, who visibly looked appalled.

"What?" he mused, taking it from her and reading it over. He turned to Cupcake, who was breathing heavily. "Cup, this means…"

"He's alive," she repeated, beginning to sob. She wrapped herself up into a ball and wept, rocking from side to side. All the emotions… the fear, the pain, the worry… that had plagued her for so long were now on the brink of being completely shattered. If Mark was truly alive, living and functioning as he once was, then she had to find him. She had to bring him back. She needed to rescue him, once more. Or, maybe, he needed to rescue her.

"My estate," she said, her head shooting up and her face expressionless. "I need to get to my estate."

"Why?" Brownie asked, blankly.

"Because," she responded, unsteadily rising back onto her feet with Flip Pea's help, "if Mark were to ever come back and look for me, he would go straight to my house. Our home."

"But Cup!" she yelped, exasperated. "We don't even know if he's out of Cog territory! What if he's not even in Toontown anymore?"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." She hastily put on her shoes, still clad in her hospital gown, which was much too big for her.

"I don't know if this is such a good idea," Flip Pea remarked, sighing. "You're not even supposed to be out of bed."

"He's there," she stated, dryly.

"How are you so sure?"

Cupcake stopped and faced them, a strange grin plastered on her muzzle. "Because," she replied, eyes lighting up, "I feel it."


This chapter rather abruptly picked back up from The Moonlit Vestige; but I wanted to go ahead and make a smooth transition between these two books, instead of playing catch-up in chapter one in The Beginning of The End. Explanation aside, I hope that it worked and fit well :)