[Astro]

To anyone who was reading it, I'm sorry to say that Four Cogs V2.0 is officially discontinued. I just don't think there's any point to it now. I know I said I was re-writing it so it would tie in better with this (the sequel), but it turns out the old version will tie in just fine. Just disregard the second half of the old version's epilogue and you're good. Of course, Lammy is now "Lana".

[Astro]

PROLOGUE

Dennis Brant had read over all the letters again and again, but couldn't find it. A clue. Just one clue, and maybe this information would actually be useful. He had absolutely no doubt Scrooge had hidden it somewhere, but where?

He glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner. 11:25. He usually didn't go to bed until twelve or even later, but he could feel his eyelids drooping and had nearly nodded off once or twice. And he was out of coffee. He was about to go put Scrooge's letters away when the sound of elevator doors swishing open could be heard.

"Oh, for the love of..." he grumbled. Odds were it was a wandering Toon who thought they'd discovered some secret underground Cog hideout. "Looks like that damn button's acting up again. Oh well, I'll just explain things, then show them out-"

"Mr. Brant?" a voice called.

"What? Are you one of my old students?" he asked, mildly surprised. With the exception of Lana and Max Waffle, none of his old students had dropped by; most of them probably had no idea he was living down here now.

Instead of responding, his visitor walked forward into the light beaming down from the ceiling. Their face was obscured by the hood of a white sweater. Their hands were shoved into the sweater's pockets, one of which emerged clutching a piece of crinkled brown paper.

"It's about Yen Sid," Mr. Sweater explained. Brant knew the man, who in Toontown didn't? Yen Sid was viewed as a guardian diety of the Toon World. There weren't any in this corner of the world, but temples had been built in his honor.

"I'd like you to decipher this for me." The paper was unrolled and spread out on the table. "A page straight out of his magical tome." Brant sputtered violently.

"You, you, you're just carrying this around, something of this magnitude-!? No one even knows what the tome looks like and, and-!?"

"Are you done?" Mr. Sweater spat angrily. Brant nodded and gazed upon the page. No...he didn't know any of these symbols. Then again, this thing must be so incredibly old. But wait a second. That one looked familiar. Well, it was close, anyway.

'Alvala'...

"I'm sorry, that's all I know," he sighed. Underneath his hood, Mr. Sweater smirked.

"Good enough."

Next thing Brant knew, something slimy had completely enveloped him. It felt like he was underwater, but it turned out he was just stuck inside a big blob of some dark-colored goop. He opened his mouth but started choking on the substance.

"Blotty likes to play rough, as you can see," Mr. Sweater chuckled. "You'll have to forgive him."

FORGIVE him?! He's trying to kill me! thought Blant as he continued to try struggling his way out of the goop.

"I can't have you telling folks about this thing, see," Mr. Sweater continued, waving the piece of paper at him. "But most importantly, no one must know I'm around. Which you now do."

Brant had never even seen the guy before. He couldn't place the voice, either. Mr. Sweater could apparently see the confusion written all over his face and grinned evilly.

"Put your mind at ease," he instructed. Brant could feel himself going numb. His vision was nothing but a darkening blur.

"Release the nightmare within..."

[The Master]

Oooooh. I wonder, is this Oswald and the Phantom Blot? :3

[Astro]

The Master, on 06 February 2010 - 02:02 PM, said:

Oooooh. I wonder, is this Oswald and the Phantom Blot? :3

Maybe... ;3

[Astro]

Look who's back!

http://i473.photobucket.com/albums/rr94/pikapotato/stella.png

And more patriotic than ever, lol.

[The Master]

Stella! :D

[The Master]

Sorry for the missing post. I had to revert my website to a backup, so a few shouts and the second half of the prologue wasn't saved. D:

[Astro]

Oh. That's okay, I'll just re-post it.

[Astro]

PROLOGUE, PART 2

The Mad Doctor was hard at work cranking out more Beetleworx at his inventor's desk, one right after another. The time was drawing near for the first phase of his boss's plan to be put in motion, and the Beetleworx played a crucial part. The ones he was making right now looked like little blue rabbits who were cute on the outside, monstrous on the inside.

"Oof...you'd think I vould be getting a vacation after all zees time..." he grumbled as yet another finished bunny jumped off the desk. One of them was trying to pull a giant wrench off its hook on the wall nearby. "Ey you! Zat eez not being a plaything!"

There was a knock at the door. The Mad Doctor shuffled over and looked through the peephole. A portly figure in black was standing on the doorstep, holding a portfolio stuffed with papers.

"Is Oswald home?" the figure asked in a gruff voice.

"Herr Osvald eez currently not being available at zees time..." The doctor shook one of the blue bunnies off his leg. "Eez zat for 'im?" He motioned to the portfolio.

"Yeah, I'll just leave it with you, if that's alright." They handed it over to him. "I'm supposed to get five grand for all that, by the way. Just tell him to mail it to Pete on 804 NW Burtleberry Road, Toontown Central. Thanks."

"Vill do." The doctor closed the door and returned to his desk. "Speaking of Herr Osvald, he sure eez late getting back tonight..."

It was then that the sound of screeching tires rang in the air, and shortly after, in walked Oswald, pulling the hood of his white sweater off his head. The wispy black snakelike creature around his neck slithered down to the floor and retreated into the shadows.

"Ah, Herr Osvald," the doctor greeted him. "Someone came calling earlier with a delivery for you."

Oswald noticed the portfolio sitting on a nearby table, went over, and opened it, skimming its contents with a smirk on his face. Lucky for him people like Pete existed, people willing to sell out their own kind for a fatter wallet. Being a close friend of Goofy, who was a close friend of folks like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Pete had managed to obtain lots of valuable information that would definitely help get things rolling here.

"Mickey's address." The smirk turned into an evil grin. "Now that could come in handy."

The snake slithered back out, gagging. Its mouth increased in size and out rolled Brant, unconscious and dripping with black sludge.

"Disgusting," said Oswald, shoving the Toon away with his foot. He was referring to Brant himself, not the sludge.

The snake stared at the sludge-coated Toon intently, its yellow-green eyes flickering with light.

= = =

"Whatcha packin' for, Pete?" asked Goofy, eying the mountain of suitcases his neighbor was attempting to stuff into the trunk of his van.

"Oh, nothin'," Pete responded. Just getting ready to blow this joint and move to a luxury villa in Bermuda is all.

Things had been going great. Nobody suspected a thing! With all the money he'd earned acting as Oswald's secret informant, Pete was pretty much set for life. Later tonight, he'd go empty his savings account, and early the next morning, get to the airport and be gone before anyone was up.

Goofy shrugged and left to go hang out with his friends.

"Looks like Pete's headin' off on a big trip," he told them while they all ate sandwiches.

"Speaking of Pete..." Mickey began. "Don't you find it strange that all of a sudden, he's so interested in learning more about us? He never really cared before..."

"Maybe he's turnin' over a new leaf, I dunno."

"Out of absolutely nowhere like that?" asked Donald. "I say something's up."

"We should ask him ourselves," said Mickey. "Find out what's going on."

However, Pete was nowhere to be found the entire day. Donald and Goofy eventually decided to give up, but Mickey carried on the search. They'd already stopped by Pete's house, but he decided to go back and have another look. He ended up making one discovery - the door had been left unlocked by accident.

"I don't feel right trespassing like this, but I have a feeling..." murmured Mickey as he stepped inside. "Wh-Whoa!!" He slipped on something and tumbled to the floor. A piece of paper fell on his stomach. "What's this? ...the weak points of Toons..." A chill ran down the mouse's spine.

What is Pete doing with something like THIS?!

"Oh no...I can't have you looking at things like that." Mickey turned around.

"Who-"

• "Herr" is German for "Mister/Mr.", and I don't know if the original Mad Doctor was German or not, I just made him German for this story.

[The Master]

Man, things are getting exciting now.

[Astro]

And I promise they will only get even more exciting. ;)

[Astro]

PROLOGUE, PART 3

"So you see, if you divide up your change this way..."

Most of the students in the Money Management class were Cashbots, except for one - Stella. She stuck out like a sore thumb amongst her Cog classmates, as she looked like a gloveless Toon. But she was actually what was called a "hybrid", a cross between a Toon and Cog.

Hybrids were usually manufactured as soldiers for the Cogs. A Toon would be forced into the process against their will and it was always made sure that the resulting hybrid was more Cog than Toon. Early hybrids had been born uncontrollable or even mentally deranged, but lately better results were being seen.

Since Stella had been born more of a Toon than a Cog and refused to take sides, she would never make it as a soldier, so she was raised just like any other kid. Despite being a cat surrounded by robots, she made friends, had as much fun as one can have in Cog City...an average life.

"Miss Stella," the teacher coughed, noticing that she wasn't paying attention. "Since you're being so incredibly attentive, read the next page for us."

"Number forty-three," her friend Peach, who was seated next to her, whispered.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Everyone poured out the door and into the crowded hallway, where Cogs of all kinds were busy at their lockers.

"God, I thought Mr. Faukes would never shut up," groaned Vivian as she, Stella, and Peach walked down the hall. Vivian was a Sellbot dressed like a Name Dropper, with long black hair. "He just drones on and on and on-"

"AND ON!"

Vivian yelped in shock and spun around to find Zack, a Telemarketer-in-training, behind her laughing his head off. She whacked him on the head with one of her heavier textbooks.

"No way to treat a friend..." he grumbled.

"You're not my friend, you're just a stupid goon!" Vivian huffed.

"A stupid goon who's got some all-night passes to VirtuQuest, but maybe you don't want them?"

"Well I do!!" said Stella, yanking one of the paper stubs out of his hand. "This is great! We don't have any homework and it's Friday, so we can hang out as long as we want!"

"I do want to go but I really ought to study for my next promotion, it's coming up soon..." Vivian said uncertainly.

"You know, Viv..." said Peach with a sly smile. "I hear that Alan likes to go to VirtuQuest on Fridays..." Vivian's eyes widened considerably behind her frameless glasses.

"What are we waiting for?!"

VirtuQuest was Cog City's biggest arcade/eatery/casino around, and was already packed by the time the quartet - and two of Zack's friends - arrived. The group reserved a large table for themselves in the dining area, and now they were free to go do as they pleased. Stella and Zack remained at the table; they were going to play Duel Monsters.

"This Fire deck isn't working for me..." Zack muttered, going over some of his cards. "You got anything that could help, Stelz?"

"Ah...hang on a sec, I left my card binder in my backpack." Stella returned to the front area where people could store their belongings until they left. She was just about to pull the binder out when suddenly, a window was shattered and glass shards went flying in all directions.

"Aww crap!!" the Cog at the front desk cursed. Before he could do anything else, something struck him from behind and he exploded on the spot. A terrified Stella darted behind a large plant and watched the action through the leaves. Several figures in black ran past, some of them barking orders. She turned to the right and saw the VirtuQuest manager standing firm, a scowl on his face.

"Whaddaya you damn Toons want-" The end of a gun was jabbed into his chest and he immediately stopped talking.

"I hear this place dabbles in a lot of shady business on the side," said another male voice. Stella couldn't see who it belonged to. "Like housing criminals, maybe?" The owner drew a sharp breath.

"N-Not a chance." The gun was jabbed harder into him.

"Aren't you one of them?"

"L-L-Look..." The owner's eyes shifted around for awhile until he accepted that there was no way out of this. "This is a family business here and it ain't cheap, alright?! We gotta keep it running somehow!"

"We'll see how sympathetic the judge and the owner of the Toontown Central Valuables Vault are to that statement." The Cog was tied up and escorted out, all the while protesting that he couldn't leave, it was like he was abandoning his brothers who lived and worked here.

"The hell is that thing?!" someone screamed. There was a loud crash, and everyone standing around scattered. Whatever had come crashing in was getting dangerously close to Stella, so she jumped out from behind the plant and tried to make a run for the broken doors. But something heavy fell on her, pinning her to the ground.

It was a two-toed paw, that belonged to some hideous creature who looked like a rabbit, with a hunched back and horns sticking out of its head. It looked down at Stella with its single red eye and roared hungrily. She screeched in terror.

A gunshot rang in the air and the creature stumbled backwards, liquid oozing from its side where the bullet had gotten it. Stella tried to see who had fired, but the dusty haze settling in was too thick.

"Get out of here!" a voice ordered. It was the same person who had dealt with the VirtuQuest owner. Stella obeyed and scrambled outside, hearing more gunshots and strangled cries of pain.

"I should call Daddy-"

"You!!" Stella shoved her cellphone back in her pocket just as a Toon dressed all in black approached her. "What are you doing here?! We're in the heart of Cog City! It's dangerous!"

"Um, y'see-"

"Oh wait, I get it. You must have been kidnapped and were being held hostage." He gave her a warm smile. "Well, this is your lucky day, ma'am. Er, night. Whatever. We'll get you back home, pronto."

But this IS my home! Stella wanted to say, but he was already on his walkie-talkie. Before she knew what was happening, she was in the backseat of a police cruiser and being taken to Toontown Central.

"Crazy night, eh? We were just gonna round up some ne'er-do-wells and whaddaya know, horde of monsters outta nowhere! Thank God the Patrol's takin' care of that, I gotta get me some hot cocoa and then I'm turnin' in for the night," the officer in the front passenger seat sighed.

"What's your address, girly?" the driver asked.

Stella gulped. If she said she lived in Cog City, in the Chairman's Mansion - which as far as she knew, no Toon even knew existed - what were these guys going to think? She started sweating nervously as she tried to think of something to say.

"Hnn..." the second officer mumbled. "The Cogs might have screwed with her mind..."

"Alright. Let's get to the station, and we'll decide how to proceed from there," said the first.
= = =

Stella sat quietly in one of the many plastic chairs in the police station lobby, awaiting her fate. A black cat had come calling earlier and right now she and the police chief were having a conversation in a room right nearby. Stella tried to listen in but only caught bits and pieces.

"No gloves?"

"Was kidnapped..."

"...could be a...telling you to let us..."

"...to conclusions...going too far..."

"...have no say...I'm sorry, please understand." The door opened and the two of them walked out.

"Stella?" She nodded at the chief. "Syla here's going to take you for a drive. She's a member of the Toon Council, very trustworthy. Just do as she says, okay?"

"Okay..." Stella followed Syla out to her car and got in. They drove for at least an hour until at last they reached their destination. The huge building that loomed before them reminded Stella of something her mother had shown her in a picture book way back when - "Spaceship Earth", it was called.

"What are we going to do here?" she asked as they walked up the steps to the front doors.

"You'll see," Syla replied. They went inside and the doors closed behind them with an almost ominous-sounding clunk.

[Astro]

PROLOGUE, PART 4

Ahh...feels warm...

Stella flinched in her sleep.

I don't know...

She sat up in bed and stared out the window through which morning sunlight was beaming in. Here she was, an average Toon in an average estate. She stared down at her gloved hands and tried to think, but kept drawing a blank. She remembered nothing from yesterday and beyond. Shaking her head, she got up and made her way into the kitchen, spying a fresh new Schticker Book on the table with a piece of paper sticking out.

Don't forget to report to Toontown Central HQ this morning! Glad to have you joining us!
-Minnie Mouse
= = =

Toontown Central HQ was already crawling with newcomers by the time Stella arrived. Luckily, there were plenty of HQ staff members on duty to handle them all. In no time, someone approached her with a clipboard.

"Hello, welcome to Toontown!" the yellow pig greeted her with a smile. "To begin, can I get your name, please?" Stella opened her mouth to answer, but slowly closed it.

Oh God...I've forgotten my own name...!

"Your name, hun?" the pig persisted, looking concerned.

"I...I don't know..." Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes.

"O-Okay, let's just stay calm now..." The pig led her away from all the hubbub and had her sit on a couch while she made a phone call. "Minnie, we've got a problem..."

Eleven minutes later, Stella was finishing a soda when someone came over and plopped down on the couch next to her. He was a mouse, looked about as old as her or maybe one year more, with slick black hair and dressed in leather. He flashed her a grin once their eyes met.

"I'm Oliver," he introduced himself. "But you, doll, can just call me Ollie."

"You're here to help, not flirt," the pig snapped, but she chuckled. "Poor thing doesn't even know her own name. Just show her around, be nice, try to help her feel better."

"Wh-What? She an amnesiac or somethin'?"

"Looks that way..."

"Hey you," he said to Stella. "Come on, let's get us some ice cream, then I'll give you the grand tour, sound good?"

Ice cream - that was something Stella knew. She delightedly hopped up and followed Oliver outside. She got chocolate with gummy bears and he had cookie dough. He showed her around Toontown Central, pointing out all the places of interest, and then brought her to the gate leading out to Loopy Lane.

"Awright kid, things are a little more dangerous out on the streets," he told her. "There's always Cogs wanderin' about."

"Cogs..." Stella murmured.

"Yeah, and it's our job to take 'em out. C'mon, I'll show you."

The two of them saw a Pencil Pusher strolling around and were about to go over to him when suddenly, Oliver's cellphone rang.

"Hello? Oh, hey, sis. What, right now? I'm in the middle of something here...well, if it's that big a deal...okay, I'll be over in a sec." He hung up and turned to Stella. "Listen, there's an emergency elsewhere and I need to go check things out. Just head back and wait for me at the Playground, okay?"

"Alright. See ya."

Oliver tossed a black hole on the ground and jumped in. Stella jogged back, but halfway along a Spin Doctor descended from the air and landed right in front of her.

"Move it!" she snapped, trying to get past him.

"Ah-dut-dut," he scolded, shoving her backwards. "It's time for a check-up." He brought forth a very sharp-looking syringe. Stella backed away...right into the Pencil Pusher.

"Mind if I assist?" he cackled. There was no way out, and she had nothing to defend herself with.

"AUGH!!" the Spin Doctor cried out after something struck him in the back. A long red whip lashed him in the same spot again and he went flying into a building. The Pencil Pusher was so befuddled that he didn't notice it was coming at him next and suffered the same fate.

"Get going now," the whip's owner ordered.

"I'll get you back for this!" the Spin Doctor threatened. He and the Pencil Pusher activated their propellers and flew away.

Stella looked up and was gazing upon one very handsome black cat, although his eyes were hidden behind a pair of aviator shades. She watched as his whip transformed into a tiny red coin, that he shoved away in his coat pocket.

"Don't you have any Gags?" he asked her.

"Uh...I used them all," she lied, not wanting to seem stupid, especially in front of someone like him.

"Well, you're lucky I showed up. Newbie Toons don't tend to fare so well against Spin Doctors." He started walking away. "You should head back and stock up."

"O-Okay." She watched him disappear around the corner, never to be seen again...

"WAIT!!"

"What?!" the cat shouted in shock, turning around. They knocked into each other and fell down.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!! I just wanted to know your name!" she quickly explained as they both started getting up.

"It's Blake," he muttered, snatching his fallen shades and putting them back on. "...what's yours?"

"Stella," she replied.

"Well, Stella..." Blake checked his watch. "I've got a reservation for brunch at the Brrrgh. If you don't have any plans you could come along if you wanted, see more of Toontown and all."

Of course I'd love to eat out with a total hunk like you!! But instead, she said," Sounds great!"

"Shall we?" He tossed down a black hole and, with one arm wrapped around her waist, jumped in. Stella, who was holding on to him, could have died of happiness.

Thank you, lord, for this wonderful day!
= = =

"Syla...did you mail the invitation?"

"Yes sir. She got it and said she'd be happy to come over."

"Good, good." Syla left, and the old white bear sat back in his chair, turning to silently stare out the window.

[The Master]

I eagerly anticipate more. :3