They Came From the North

"They Came From the North" 	"They Came From the North"
 	
Cast 	Cast
Main Cast:*Aleck Harding*Alice Carver*Bradley Wolfe*Clarabelle Cow*Constance Miller*Doctor*Eileen Irenic*Flippy Flopper*Hyla Sensitive*Kilo Byte*Pete Ingalls*Piggy Pie*Slate Oldman*Vidalia VaVoomGuest Cast:*Dr. Artery*The Curator*The Daughter*Smokey Joe*Soggy Bottom*Violet Vance	Recurring Cast:*The Cogs*District Attorney *Ash Ingalls *Barnacle Barbara *Blair Fawkes*Cale Metfin *Clara Clark*Clark Family*Declan Antlin*Doe Clark*Evelyn Quin*Horace Calves*Ichabod Irving*Ivy Waters*Jerockle Padraic *Linda Lawla*Marshall Ihob *Mata Hairy*Mulaney Chortle*Paul Pickaxe*Rocky Shores *Rook James*Tick Hunter *Tom Foolery *Tori Dorrance*Wiggle McDiggle
Chronology 	Chronology
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"They Came From the North" is the first and premiere episode of Contact and the 36th episode overall.
The episode was published on November 27, 2019. 
In the episode, following a resounding victory against the Cogs, the Toons are horrified to witness the arrival of a ship from the Kingdoms of Cartonia. As the Cogs assess their losses, the Toon Council attempts to discern the purpose of the ones that came from the north. 
==Previously On...==
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==The Episode==
===The Museum of Toontown===
=67 Years After the Founding of Toontown=
The Curator of the Museum of Toontown was astonished. She held the maroon leather-bound book in her hands and gingerly turned the first few pages. 
“It’s a donation for the museum,” the pig in front of her said. 
It was night, and the Museum had been closed for hours. The Curator was busy installing a new exhibit when a knock came at the Museum’s locked door. How she got into Toon Hall and climbed to the third floor was a mystery in itself. But what she brought with her had completely consumed the Curator’s curiosity. 
It was a diary. A diary that spanned years, from the first day of the War to the inauguration of the first Mayor of Toontown. There was not a text like it in the whole town, save perhaps the Mayor’s Manifest. But even that hardly touched on the time before. 
“Future generations,” the pig said, “should know what she went through. What you all went through.” 
The Curator swallowed hard. She herself had been an original founder of Toontown and all too well remembered that harrowing escape 68 years ago and the yearlong trek through the continent until they found their haven. Now, hardly anyone discussed the War. Children were taught brief summaries. The first Mayors thought it best to remove that evil from the minds of the generations to come. The Curator disagreed with that notion, as those who did not know the past were condemned to repeat it. But there weren’t any firsthand written accounts left intact. The Founders had taken nothing with them from Cartonia. Only their lives. 
The Curator gasped when she saw a map, perfectly drawn, extremely detailed, of the Kingdoms of Cartonia. And Toontown, just there at the bottom of the continent. 
“Who…who wrote this?” the Curator finally asked. 
“My mother,” the pig said. “She’s dead now.”
“Who…?” the Curator pressed, remembering every single founder. 
“She didn’t want to be named. It’s unsigned. She says why.”
The Curator nodded. 
“I’ll inform the Mayor tomorrow that you brought this by…”
“No,” the pig said. She looked distracted, pained even. “It’ll be anonymous. You’ll say it was dropped in the donation box overnight. You never saw me.”
The Curator felt a sense of obligation to a pig who she likely met, maybe knew, maybe loved. She would do as the younger pig was asking. The daughter of a founder, a child born in the freedom of the south. 
“Of course.” 
The pig rocked on her trotters. “I need your help. Removing the last few pages. I don’t want there to be tear marks or else people will wonder what Mom was hiding.”
The Curator was burning to know what was on those pages. But the sense of obligation and respect was more overpowering. She inspected the binding. 
“I can cut them out close to the glue. It’ll take a few minutes. Which pages?” 
“The last seven.”
The Curator brought the diary and the visitor into her office, where she worked diligently to nearly surgically remove the concluding pages of the diary. She flipped the book upside down so she wouldn’t be tempted to read the writing. When she was done, she folded the pages and gave them to the pig without looking at them. She then checked her work. The last page was now about the inauguration of Maximilian Walters. It ended without any conclusion. It was as if she had run out of space. 
The pig tucked the pages into her pocket, then paused. 
“You’ve been very kind,” the pig said. “Mom said you would be. I…really am grateful for your help.”
“Thank you,” the Curator said in reply. “I’m thankful you brought this history to us. Now we can do as you said—teach the future generations about what brought us here. Why we’re here. And why we cannot go back.” 
The pig wavered. She retrieved the diary pages from her pocket and passed one to the Curator, folding the bottom. 
“Read this.”
The Curator watched the pig for a moment. She seemed scared now. As if she was divulging a horrible secret. But she could tell the pig could trust her, and the Curator did as she was told. She read. By the end, she was swelling with dread, but not for her. For the Toons yet to be born. 
“Do you believe that?” the pig asked, taking the page back. “You were there. You’re here now. Do you believe it?” 
The Curator swallowed again, her throat dry. 
“Yes.” 
===Removed Page from the Diary of War===
As happy as we all are with the new home we have created, I do not think I am alone in my feeling that this is all temporary. We killed the Vixen Queen and that is a crime for which we will be punished. I’ve been reluctant to put those words to paper as I fear that I will speak them into existence. But I dare not scare my friends and allies by vocalizing these thoughts. We’ve come too far. I’m sure Max feels the same way. The foxes are ruthless and will not be deterred. If we were able to escape in one year with fledgling supplies and find our way here, then so can they. I know they’ll look for us. There will always be a Vixen Queen, and she will never rest until her predecessor is avenged. 
The foxes will come here one day. They will traverse the continent, cross the Unforgiving Mountains and ford Lake Liberty and descend the Kinnar Glacier into Toontown. And they’ll kill us all. Maybe I’ll be alive for it. Or maybe I’ll be long gone. But there is no safe place so long as the Vixen Queens continue to reign over Vulpus and Cartonia. 
In the meantime we’ll continue on with our new lives and build this town to its full potential so that we can be as happy as possible. Maybe with time I’ll forget some of the horrors from my life before. Maybe future generations will never experience the perdition of war. I just hope that they’re prepared for when the foxes inevitably make contact. 
===The Docks===
=Present Day=
Someone screamed. 
Panic descended on the Toons gathered on the harbor, their victory cut short. 
The Kingdoms. 
Cartonia. 
How…how could they be here? 
Eileen was breathing heavily, feeling as if she had been frozen to the dock. She was vaguely aware of others around her, whimpering, crying, teleporting away in droves. Piggy Pie vanished with Tog Doctor in hand. 
“Sound the alarm!” the muddled voice of Aleck Harding cried. 
Ahead, approaching ever closer, was the ship. It was large, like a fishing boat, speckled with barnacles and lilting to starboard. There was only one small sail at the top, over the bridge with shattered windows, through which Eileen could not see anyone. But she knew from the yellow acorn-spangled emblem on the sail that this was from the chipmunk Kingdom of Scuridiae. And chipmunks were small. They were there. 
Constance was sending everyone away, ordering them into hiding. They no longer had a contingency plan. The Emergency Portal had already been used, and the extent of its success was up for debate. 
For years, Mayors of Toontown had been in denial about the Kingdoms. It was never an issue of them coming down to Toontown, but rather a duty on the part of the Toons to never contact the Kingdoms. The phrase “contact must never be reestablished” was a warning to all Toons to stay in Toontown. To never ever return North. And if one was ever to leave Toontown, they were forbidden from sharing the location of Toontown. 
No one, until Mickey Elias, had considered the alternative. That the Kingdoms would come back for the Toons. To find the descendents of the ones who escaped. To avenge the Vixen Queen. 
The ship was almost upon them. The fog was chasing the ship, ready to make landfall over the Docks for the night. Eileen felt another surge of panic. If the fog enveloped them, they would be defenseless. 
“Go!” Eileen yelled at some Toons who stayed behind. Tori Dorrance and Clara Clark held fast. 
“We’re staying.”
“So am I,” Barbara meowed. “This is my neighborhood.” 
“Aleck,” Constance said. “Spread the word. Go with Susan and the Deputies. It’s contact.” 
Aleck nodded and vanished into his transport hole. 
Kilo and Hyla huddled together, as did Bradley and Alice. Mata stood resolute. Eileen thought of her dead husband and children, whose bodies were back on the collapsed crag. Bossbot Headquarters felt further away than ever. Not just in distance, but in time. They had just gotten back. They had just defeated the Cogs. Everything had gone according to plan. They saved Doctor and Smokey Joe. And Ash Ingalls. The Chairman and Bossbot CEO were gone forever. Flippy was alive! 
There was no celebration. 
Just contact. 
Constance reached out and took Eileen’s paw. She squeezed it. 
The ship from Scuridiae did not slow. And then, it crashed into one of the docks. 
Barbara yelped as it destroyed a good portion of planks, knocking them into the sea. There were no ships moored there, which was fortunate. The ship spun around, sending a large wave cascading toward the sea wall. Eileen instinctively took a step back, but the wave was not high enough to crest over the wall. The ship slammed back against the dock, and came to a rest. An anchor dropped from the front, crushing more of the dock. 
“I’ll kill them,” Barbara murmured. She reached for her gag pouch, but Eileen seized her wrist. 
“Gags won’t work on them. These aren’t Cogs. They’re killers. We need real weapons.” 
There was silence. Toontown did not have real weapons. The Toon Patrol only carried batons. Which they didn’t even use. Everyone was looking around the darkening harbor, as if something deadly for wielding could be found. 
After the anchor dropped, there was no movement aboard. They were all watching the ship intently. Dimly, in the distance, in the streets, they could hear the emergency siren sounding, warning all Toons to seek shelter. And prepare for the inevitable. The siren had only been used once, before the Exodus. 
“What if there’s more?” Alice whispered, scanning the foggy horizon for more Scuridian ships. 
“I don’t think so,” Constance said. “This ship looks beat up. I think it came alone.” 
“What if it’s abandoned?” Bradley asked hopefully. 
“There’s no way,” Barbara said. “Someone had to steer it through the crags around the Bay. I wonder where they got in…I don’t know of any openings. Just that one little slit.”
“What slit?” Eileen asked, rounding on Barbara. “I didn’t know of any slit.” 
“There’s a tiny little opening. So small, so small, I really cannot stress that enough. That’s how we sometimes get whales in the Bay. They come through there. It’s only passable at sunset. The ship may have come through there. Maybe it got bigger when Bossbot HQ collapsed.” 
The sun was now almost completely set, and darkness was falling. In many ways. 
“There!” Alice cried. 
A gangplank of sorts slid out from an open door on the lower deck. It missed the docks entirely and fell into the water. A head emerged from the same door. Eileen stared; it looked larger than a Scuridian chipmunk. But the head receded, and the door closed. Then, near the front of the boat, a large opening split apart, revealing a staircase. 
For the first time in over 320 years, a Toon of Toontown laid eyes on a Cartonian from the Kingdoms. 
They were green and adorned in a funny looking robe. It was lavender with a green trim to match the fur. They descended the stairs, slowly and cautiously. Then they jumped onto the dock. 
It was a duck. 
Eileen gaped. A duck? Ducks…didn’t live in Scuridiae. At the time of the War, species hardly mingled with each other. Ducks did not reside within the same borders as the chipmunks. But then again…that was before the War and the redrawing of the map. The duck Kingdom of Mallardia was one of the first to fall. 
Another one was coming down the stairs. A second duck. This one was black, and had on a striking ivory robe. Eileen had never seen a black duck before. Toontown had black cats and black mice. Any other black fur was artificial, like that of Sepulchra Rigor’s. 
A third emerged. This one Eileen did not recognize. It was tall and gangly, its head a dirty shade of yellow with brown arms and legs. It had a large red tail—or was it multiple tails?—and a red sack hanging from their chin. Its legs were extremely thin, strawlike, with sort of webbed feet…
“It’s a chicken,” Constance whispered. “I saw an artist’s rendition once…”
“Gallix,” Bradley murmured, remembering the chicken Kingdom’s name. 
Eileen was for the first time confronted with the reality that the Toons were woefully ignorant of the world beyond them. They knew absolutely nothing about Cartonia outside of what was written in the Diary of War. All of the Toons on the dock were thinking the same thing when they saw the chicken. Gallix had been dragged into the Summer Sun alliance due to its unfortunate location sandwiched between Vulpus and Cervidium, caught in the gauntlet of foxes and deer. The chickens had tried to remain peaceful. 
And they failed. 
They were cowards. 
So there were no chickens in Toontown. 
The chicken and ducks were looking at the Toons with frightened expressions. Eileen was immediately skeptical. Why were they scared? Eileen was terrified. 
Two more came down the steps onto the dock. Eileen quickly counted how many Toons were present. Constance, Kilo, Hyla, Alice, Bradley, Clara, Tori, Barbara, Mata, and herself. Ten. Versus five. So far. 
The scaly skin and pointy antlers of these next two told Eileen that she was looking at a crocodile and a deer. The deer frightened Eileen more than any of the other species so far. The deer were wicked. They were the ones who experimented on Cartonians, turned them into BioFreaks. She thought of Drema Yawn and Slate Oldman, two BioFreaks in Toontown. The mutation had persisted for centuries in their bloodlines. The deer were monsters. 
And so there were no deer in Toontown. 
The ducks waddled toward the stairs leading up to the harbor where the Toons stood. 
“STOP!” Constance screamed. The ducks immediately halted. They looked back at the others, as if for guidance. And all five gazed back at the stairs at the front of the ship. A set of brown paws came into the dim light. 
It took every ounce of restraint in Eileen’s body to stop herself from screaming. She clamped her teeth down over her tongue, and gripped Constance’s hand until her knuckles cracked. Alice and Bradley gasped, but quickly recovered. Tori let out a whimper, and Kilo took off his glasses. 
It was a fox. 
“Monster,” Barbara said out loud. “Hell no. We have to do something. Constance, Eileen, what do we do?”
“Kill them,” Alice said abruptly. “We have to kill them. We can’t let them into our town.”
“What if there are more?” Hyla asked quickly. “What if this is only the first ship to come through? Others could be landing at other points of the Bay.” 
“Don’t say that,” Tori said, placing her paws over her ears. “Don’t say that!”
Eileen looked back at the now six outsiders on the dock. They hadn’t moved. The fox’s hands were raised defensively. Constance pulled her baton from her belt and aimed it at them.
“Stand back! Or we will use this weapon!”
The six exchanged glances, and Eileen hoped the threat held. 
“I’m dead serious,” Alice was saying. “We kill them. I cut out Molecule’s heart. I can take one of them. Or both ducks. I don’t mind.”
“Alice,” Bradley pleaded, “we’re not murdering them. Molecule was different. He was already dead.” 
“I’m with Alice, actually,” Barbara said. “We take no chances.” 
“Same,” Mata said. “Let’s char them.” 
“We can destroy the harbor,” Constance suggested over her shoulder. “They can drown.” 
Eileen turned to look back at the new arrivals. No one else had emerged from the ship. Could it really only be six of them? On that huge boat? 
The green duck raised a flipper. 
“Do you speak Cartonian?” she shouted. Eileen was taken aback by her accent. It was formal, refined, and sounded like it should be cast in crystal. 
The Toons were silent. All six outsiders were looking at them intently, as if trying to communicate non-verbally. 
“Do we speak Cartonian?” Hyla muttered. “Like…do we understand them?” 
“Do they think we speak another language?” Clara whispered. 
“Should we pretend to?” Constance sniggered. 
“I don’t think we can do that,” Eileen admitted. “We already told them to stay back or we’ll weaponize them.” 
The green duck had not lowered her flipper. Her eyes were moving back and forth between all the Toons. 
“Where are we?” she yelled next. The Toons glared down at her and her posse. Was she the leader, this duck? The deer stepped forward. 
“Please,” he said in an even more opulent voice. “We come in peace.” 
Alice, Mata, and Barbara laughed, which unnerved the arrivals. Eileen noticed that the chicken was gazing up at the harbor in what appeared to be awe. Had they not expected to find a town so advanced? 
It was getting darker. The streetlamps had come on, and they had to do something. 
“We need to arrest them,” Eileen said quietly to everyone. “We need to let them up here on the harbor so we can cuff them. Constance, do you have any on you?” 
“Two pairs,” she growled. “That could take four of them. But there should be more in the HQ…”
“I can go,” Bradley said. “I run fast. How many do we need?” 
“Five pairs,” Constance said. “Just in case.”
Bradley took off in the direction of the boathouse that was Toon HQ. The crocodile watched him go. 
“You speak…Cartonian, don’t you?” the green duck asked again. She said something to her compatriots. 
“When we arrest them,” Constance whispered, “what do we do? Where do we go? Toontown Central?”
“I guess so,” Eileen said. “All the cells are empty now that the Togs are gone.”
“Clarabelle is in Toontown Central,” Alice reminded. 
Eileen swore. She was too tired to sort through this right now. 
The fox cleared her throat. Eileen froze. 
“We come from the nation of Cartonia and the Empire of Vulpus. We are running from persecution and oppression. We seek refuge and shelter. Have we come to a safe place?” 
She sounded desperate. Scared, and hopeful. 
But Eileen’s heart was stone. A phrase throughout the Diary of War had made her weary. 
Never trust a fox. 
They were cunning, biologically so. The Vixen Queen orchestrated the War, murdered her own heir and framed the ducks to instigate it. Victoria Vixen was the only fox portrayed positively in the Diary of War. Every other fox was vile. 
“This is Toontown,” Constance announced, her voice firm and booming. “I am the Mayor.” 
The fox looked at the crocodile, then back at Constance. With that same odd intense stare, like she could send a message through the air. 
“We are running out of food,” the black duck said pathetically. “And we have only had sea water to drink…will you help us?” 
“Why should we?” Barbara spat. “Why should we help any of you?” 
The chicken looked genuinely hurt. As if he could not possibly fathom why the Toons would be so skeptical. Was it possible that they honestly did not know where they were? And that they had found Toontown by mistake? 
“Kindness,” the green duck said. “We have just escaped.” 
“How?” Clara called. “How did you escape Cartonia?” 
The five turned to look at the fox, who blushed. 
“We seek refuge!” the fox shouted. “We need help.” 
“You are not welcome here!” Eileen yelled. “Toontown is a refuge from you. From Cartonia. Not for you. You leave tonight.” 
The six looked sadly at their dilapidated boat. 
“But…” the green duck croaked, “we’ve come so far…” 
It was a pitiful tone, but Eileen had no pity for them. Bradley came back with the handcuffs, which he deftly hid behind his back. He passed a pair to Tori, one to Clara, and two to Barbara. He kept one for himself. 
Eileen approached the edge of the dock and frowned down at the Cartonians. Their robes billowed in the sea breeze. 
“Come here,” Eileen said. The six scampered forward, eager to reach shelter and get refuge. Or kill them. They hurried up the stairs. 
“Thank you,” the fox said. “Thank you so much. We…we’ve seen unspeakable evil.” 
Eileen narrowed her eyes. Foxes were the unspeakable evil. 
“We mean you no harm,” the black duck said. “Truly. We…we didn’t expect to find a place like this.” 
She gestured at the darkened buildings. 
The crocodile shivered. “Where is everyone?” 
The Toons acted. They moved forward and handcuffed all six. None of them protested. But they all looked scared. Eileen was aware that there were no Toon ducks in their group. Not one of the outsiders had a fellow member of their species to appeal to. For all they knew, there were no ducks in Toontown either. 
There used to be crocodiles in the town, before they went extinct. But there were never any chickens, deer, or foxes. They were not allowed on the expedition south. 
“Let’s go,” Eileen said. Using teleportation holes, they took their new prisoners to Toontown Central. 
The ship continued to rise and fall with the waves against the ruined dock. The sun sunk beneath the tides, and night fell. 
===Toontown Central===
The playground was deserted. All the Toons of Toontown had taken shelter. The siren continued to sound, warning Toons to stay off the streets. The shrill noise of the alarm was the first thing Constance heard as she rocketed onto the pavement outside Toon HQ. She had the arm of the deer, who was shouting in terror. 
“What…what was that?”
“Cale!” the black duck shrieked. “Are you okay?”
The green duck was weeping. “I thought they killed us!”
Constance smirked. 
“They’re not used to teleportation I take it,” she said. Hyla and Kilo tried to suppress smiles. The chicken seemed absolutely traumatized. He was sputtering incoherently, almost hyperventilating. Even the fox was breathing heavily. 
They were dragged inside Toon HQ, down the stairs to the holding cells. So recently vacated by the Togs. Only Clarabelle was being housed now, all the way at the back. She stuck her snout nosily through the bars as the Cartonians were marched in. 
“Every other cell,” Constance ordered. She grabbed hold of the fox and led her toward the one once occupied by Tog Professor Prepostera. 
“What was that siren?” the fox asked as she was forced into the cage. The door slammed behind her. “That noise outside? What was it?”
“It sounded like a War Cry,” the green duck said. “The ones they use to herald invasions.” 
The fox looked at Constance, her face streaked with hurt. 
“The siren…was for us, wasn’t it?” 
Constance crossed her arms and said nothing. The fox whimpered. 
“We’re really not welcome here, are we?” 
She began to cry. She looked past Constance to the others in their cells. “I’m sorry…I’m so sorry. I promised I would get you all somewhere safe…and…”
“Blair,” the deer said soothingly, “it’s alright. We’ll be okay.” 
The crocodile smiled politely at Eileen, who grimaced. His face fell. 
“Is that a fox?” Clarabelle’s voice said. She was hard-pressed against her cell. “A real fox? What’s happening?” 
Constance rounded on Mata. 
“Take Clarabelle somewhere else. I don’t care where. Aleck and Susan aren’t here so I trust you’ll find someplace secure.” 
Mata took Alice and Bradley with her. Clarabelle looked longingly into each cell. Constance was relieved there had been no cows from Bovo. It would be another wrinkle in this new mess. The new arrivals did not seem to have teleportation knowledge, but thankfully the cells in Toon HQ were off the transport grid, so there was no way the Cartonians would escape. 
“Pardon,” the crocodile said, his scaly hands wrapped around the bars, “may we request an audience with the monarch of Toontown?” 
Constance and Eileen stared at each other. Tori, Clara, and Hyla sniggered. Barbara rolled her eyes. Kilo was the one to gather his thoughts first. 
“We do not have a monarch in Toontown. This is a democratic society. We elect our leaders. Constance is our leader.” 
Constance swelled with pride. She remembered all too well the election she had won, and the long road to victory, even after the votes had been cast. 
The crocodile looked confused. He tried to exchange a glance with another one of his fellow Cartonians. 
“No monarch?” the chicken said. “When was the last monarch deposed?” 
Deposed?
“That’s enough,” Eileen said. “This won’t work. We can’t have them all down here. We need to separate them.” 
Hyla glanced at the cells. 
“They are separated. There’s a gap between each.” 
“That’s not what I meant,” Eileen said. “We need to move them to different holding locations. So they can’t talk to each other. Constance, do each of the Toon HQs in the neighborhoods have a jail?” 
Constance thought for a moment. 
“I’m not sure about Dreamland but yes. There’s usually one holding cell.”
Eileen rubbed her paw against her head. 
“Six Cartonians. Six neighborhoods. We’ll keep the uh…chicken here. Barbara, can I trust you with the fox?” 
Barbara spat on the ground near the fox’s feet. 
“Aye.” 
“Let’s give Aleck a call,” Constance said. “And figure out who’s going where.” 
The green duck cleared her throat. 
“Pardon, but did we do something wrong? Why don’t you want us here?” 
Constance ignored her. She was too busy trying to make reason of what was going on. This was a serious issue. It was Toontown’s most horrific fear.
So why did she keep thinking about the Cogs? 
===Dr. Artery’s Office===
“Thank you,” Piggy Pie said breathlessly as Dr. Artery strapped Doctor to the operating table. She had caught him right before the sirens had sounded, and he had agreed to do his best to help Doctor and Smokey Joe, despite the new arrivals at the southern border. Most other Toons were seeking shelter, but Dr. Artery’s office was still open. 
“Of course,” he said solemnly, staring down in sorrow at Doctor’s condition. “This is going to be difficult. Would you mind waiting in the convalescence room? Another patient is recovering in there, but I’m sure she won’t mind.” 
Piggy squeezed Doctor’s paw and hurried from the room. In the recovery chamber, Soggy Bottom was lying on one of the cots, with Violet Vance by her side. 
“Violet!” Piggy exclaimed. “How good to see you.” 
“Oh, Piggy,” Violet said and got up to hug her friend. “I saw you come in with Doctor from the street. He’ll be okay. Dr. Artery is like a wizard. He fixed Soggy in only a few hours.” 
Soggy waved kindly. 
Piggy gazed sadly back at the operating room. It was out of her hands now. 
===Somewhere Above Toontown===
Flippy felt weightless as he hovered in the sky, watching down as the last remnants of Bossbot HQ sunk into the Bay. One of the towers of the Clubhouse was the last to fall, toppling in on itself and smashed to a million on the rocks. There was nothing left. A large gurgling in the center indicated the collapse of the underwater tunnels. With the Bay tunnels flooded, the Cogs would have no way of connecting the HQs except between Cashbot and Lawbot HQ. Bossbot Headquarters was gone forever. 
Flippy flew west toward Sellbot Headquarters. It was silent. Hardly any movement. A few Cogs stood around the oil pits, dazed and discombobulated. 
He turned toward Cashbot HQ, where a train had careened off the tracks and smashed into the entrance to the dollar mint. Its cargo was overturned on the platform. The Coin Mints were connected to the railway tunnels, and were assuredly flooded. 
Lawbot Headquarters was quiet as well, but Flippy knew this was the one touched the least by the Toon attacks. The major offense had been against the Chief Justice, and Tower One containing the DA offices and the general Lawbot populace was heavily fortified. The Lawbots prided themselves on their two-tower system and the security it possessed. 
But for now, though the Toons probably did not know it, they could relax. The Cogs had been pushed back significantly. 
Flippy frowned through the darkening clouds, deep in thought. With no Emergency Portal to activate, the Toons would have to face their new arrivals without a contingency plan. What were they going to do? 
===Toontown Central===
Horace Calves and Slate Oldman tooned each other up to restore full laff. The emergency sirens had sounded, informing all Toons to seek shelter. Horace and Slate had been in the center of the Playground, and had followed a crowd of Toons into the Gag Shop. They were currently clustered in a room with several dozen other Toons, wondering what had triggered the alarm. 
“The Cogs must have had a secret weapon,” someone said nearby. “Something terrible.” 
“The Toon Resistance hasn’t been called,” Clerk Clark Clark pointed out. “We would have gotten a call.” 
“Did you hear anything Slate?” a fisherman asked. “Did something happen out there?” 
“I don’t know,” Slate said truthfully. “I was fighting the CEO and went sad. I came back here.” 
“Same,” Horace added. 
Horace was nervous. He had left the battle at a bad time. Things were looking bleak. He couldn’t imagine what horrors had caused the alarm to be sounded. He could only fear the worst: that the CEO had made all of them sad, that the attacks had failed, and the Cogs were now striking back. Maybe it wasn’t just at Bossbot Headquarters. Maybe it was all of them. The strike on the Lawbots had been surprising; no one had anticipated Clarabelle to walk free. In fact, news of that had not even been released to the general public. 
The door to the Gag Shop rattled, and someone knocked. Hard. Clark tiptoed to the door and peered through the glass. 
“Clara!” he cried and pulled his sister inside. “What is it? What’s happened?” 
“It’s contact,” she exclaimed. Horace stretched his neck to see Clara and Clark over the gag shop counter. 
“Contact?” Clark asked, confused. 
“A fox,” Clara said. “A fox, a deer, a chicken, a crocodile, and two ducks. They just landed at the Docks. They’re from Cartonia.” 
The room was silent. Someone whimpered. 
Horace slumped to the ground, too exhausted to react. 
===Silly Street===
Dr. Tom Foolery, despite the siren, answered the door for Pete Ingalls. His look of confusion turned to astonishment when he saw the bloodied head of Ash cradled in his father’s arms. 
“Ash…” he gasped. “You found him…where…?”
“Please help!” Pete nearly yelled. He sunk to his knees and rested his son’s mangled skull on the pavement. He was crying. 
Dr. Tom Foolery was a surgeon and Pete’s brother-in-law; Tom and Laura Ingalls (formerly Laura Foolery) were siblings. Tom had tried to keep in touch with Pete after Laura’s death and Ash’s disappearance, but he found it painful, and Pete was too determined to find Ash. Even though Pete claimed to have a source that said Ash was alive and with the Cogs, Tom had interpreted that to mean dead. To see Ash here today, with blood pouring out of his head, his ear missing, and Pete in emotional distress…well Tom was overwhelmed. But he nonetheless dropped to the ground and helped the cats inside. 
Pete hurriedly filled in Tom on the events that had transpired on Bossbot Headquarters. He left out no detail, and Tom was horrified to learn that Ash was the dastardly Chairman. Pete said he didn’t really understand how it was possible either, only that Ash must have been brainwashed. 
Tom’s first priority was to stop the bleeding around the gaping hole where his ear had been. Part of his cheek was also missing and part of an eyelid. 
“He tore off his face,” Pete managed to say. “The head, I mean. The Chairman’s mask. He ripped it off. And…”
Pete wept. Tom tuned him out and wrapped a bandage around Ash’s head. He was still alive, but only just. He would need a transfusion. Right away. The blood bank was closed due to the siren—what was going on, anyway?
“Roll up your sleeve,” Tom ordered. “I need blood to give him.” 
Pete removed his entire shirt. 
“Take anything you need.” 
Tom inserted the needle and began to inspect the rest of Ash’s body. There were hairline wounds all over his torso and back, probably from where Pete said the wires were attached to him. The wires that had controlled him and put him under the Chairman’s spell. It was bizarre to think that there had been two individual people living within that suit: Ash and the Chairman. With the mask destroyed and the suit gone, could the Chairman still return…? 
“Will he live?” Pete whimpered. “Is he going to make it?” 
Tom sighed and placed a paw on Pete’s shoulder. 
“I don’t know.” 
===Dr. Artery’s Office===
“They need rest,” Dr. Artery said, wiping his hands on a cloth. The horrible round green lights that had been affixed to Doctor and Smokey Joe’s chests were powering down on the counter. The wires leading from them were caked in flesh. Both Doctor and Smokey were recumbent and unconscious in the convalescence room. Violet, Piggy Pie, and Soggy watched the doctor with earnest. 
“The surgeries were both successful. They’ll need constant care. Does Smokey have family or friends we can call?” 
“I don’t know,” Piggy said. “Probably. I’ll care for both in the meantime.” 
Dr. Artery nodded. 
“They’ll live,” he said, and left the room. 
===The Docks===
=The Next Morning=
By the time the sun rose the next morning, the alarm had been silenced. Toons emerged from their homes, confused and curious to the events of the previous day. The results of the trial against Clarabelle Cow, the coordinated attacks on all four headquarters, the fate of the Chairman, and what had triggered the panic alarm. Barnacle Barbara, as a Councillor, knew most of this information but was not the person designated to share with the rest of the town. Declan Antlin was to give an address around noon. 
But Barbara had other work to attend to. Once the fog rolled back out into the Bay, and the sun provided enough light to work by, Barbara set to the task of searching the ship the Cartonians had arrived on. They should have done it last night. If there was an army aboard, they needed to find it. 
But the ship was relatively small, and most of the rooms were empty or full of shattered furniture and glass. Barbara and her trusted team of divers and fishermen moved methodically through the various chambers. There was one large room at the bottommost deck, with a rusty grand piano and a dilapidated kitchen. Probably a room for entertaining. 
There was one room with three sets of bunk beds. Uneaten canned food was stacked in the middle of the floor. Barbara inspected one of the labels. 
“Vulpus Empire,” she read aloud. One of the divers looked frightened. 
“Empire?” she murmured. 
Barbara walked down the hall to the bridge. All the navigation equipment was shot and fried. They must have manually navigated south. How they got through the storms and the rocks…
“Charter the Manifest,” Barbara commanded, “We need to see where they came in.” 
The largest fishing boat in Toontown was moored in its usual slip at the eastern edge of the harbor. Its captain was one of Barbara’s best friends. He readily took her out to sea. 
For Barbara, being on water was more comforting than on land. She hoped that when the nasty business with the Cogs was resolved that she could create a new district of the Docks comprised entirely of floating boat houses. That was where she would be happiest. 
The Manifest sailed past the ruins of Bossbot Headquarters, and Barbara couldn’t help but smile. It was completely destroyed. Grey debris of the ruined buildings floated lazily on the water’s surface. 
Barbara turned around and looked back toward Toontown, just visible on the horizon. The Bay of Toontown was larger than most thought. 
“Thar,” the captain said, pointing through the bridge’s windows to the slit in the crag. Only it wasn’t a slit anymore. It was a gaping hole. The rocks had given way and collapsed, opening a passage to the outside world. Barbara gaped at this breach and felt exposed. For centuries, Toontown had been isolated from the rest of the world. She didn’t even know what laid beyond those rocks. Cartonia was behind them, to the north. Was there another continent, another civilization, to the south? With shaky paws, she took a picture to show to the Toon Council.
===Melodyland===
Tori Dorrance and Horace Calves sat with other Toon Resistance rangers as the broadcast began. Declan Antlin was appearing live on the steps of Toon Hall. Tori remembered Election Night, and how hopeful the town had been then. The Cogs had cleared off the streets for a while, and excitement surrounding a new Mayor had been uplifting. 
Declan was grim. His (very) beautiful face lacked all its charm and charisma. He was solemn. 
Tori knew what he was going to say. She had seen it all. 
“Good afternoon, Toontown,” Declan said deadpan. “I am sure that many of you are concerned about the events that transpired over the last twenty-four hours. Indeed we have had an eventful day. And it is my duty, and my burden, to share the news with you.” 
He cleared his throat and shifted his microphone to his other paw. 
“Yesterday afternoon, the trial against Clarabelle Cow concluded in Lawbot Headquarters. Expected to be a mistrial per a hung jury, Toons and Cogs alike were shocked when the jury delivered a majority 7-5 guilty verdict. Clarabelle Cow has been arrested and interred in Toon Headquarters here in Toontown Central. Chief Aleck Harding has released the following statement:
“Clarabelle Cow will be held in Toon Headquarters until a second trial purely of the Toons can be arranged to determine the length of severity of her sentence. We ask in the interim that Toons continue to refrain from using the Cattlelog as we cannot be certain if any other objects have been bugged by Clarabelle and her Cog associates.” 
Tori shook her head. Around her, Toons were agape at the revelation that the jury had declared her guilty. 
“Wasn’t it 6-6 Cog/Toon?” someone asked. 
“I hope she rots in her cell.” 
“She’s vile.” 
“I’ll never use the phone again.” 
Declan sighed. 
“Upon the conclusion of the trial, the Toon Resistance launched the largest strike yet on the Cogs. An offensive led by Toontown Central Councillor Vidalia VaVoom and residents of the Brrrgh successfully destroyed the Chief Justice and the majority of the offices and Cogs in the second tower of Lawbot Headquarters. The District Attorney offices in Tower One quickly went into lockdown and Toons were unable to gain access.” 
“Damnit,” Horace growled. 
“Toon Resistance ranger Mata Hairy led an attack on Cashbot Headquarters,” Declan continued. “Toons from Toontown Central stormed the various Cog Mints and Dreamland Toons took on the CFO in the Cashbot Vault. Word has it that Cashbot HQ has been quiet, and no trains have passed through its railroad depots. The CFO is dead.” 
Tori shook her head in disbelief. How long had they fought for this? For a moment of victory like this? Overshadowed by contact. 
“Melodyland and Gardens residents sieged Sellbot Headquarters, the Factory and Sellbot Towers. The Vice President is also dead, and the Factory has been shut down. The damage will continue to be assessed in coming days, but Eileen Irenic has reported that the Sellbots may soon be extinct.” 
A Toon whooped. 
“Shopkeepers across Toontown,” Declan said with a slight grin, “championed the reclamation of Toon buildings from all streets. Strangers and friends alike boarded the grey elevators and restored color to the streets of Toontown.” 
Declan nodded at the camera, probably for someone to change a cue card. 
“Thanks to the work of Professor Pete Ingalls, Councillor Slate Oldman, Professor Drema Yawn, Alice Carver, Bradley Wolfe, and countless others, the twenty-seven Togs—that is, Cog/Toon hybrids—from the Final Battle have been successfully cured. Their laff has been replenished and they are now with their families. And that leads me to the biggest battle of last night.”
Tori’s heart quickened. 
“As Toons from the Docks made landfall on a tiny crag south of Toontown, deep within the Bay, this being the headquarters of the Bossbots that had for so long eluded us, a special taskforce of eight Toons infiltrated the Bossbot Clubhouse. Here they fought the Bossbot CEO and the Chairman of the Cogs himself.” 
Toons all over the room gasped. Tori shushed them. They were all Toon Resistance members. Not all of this should be so shocking. 
“The mission was to defeat the Bossbots, destroy their island, and recover any living Toons. It is with a heavy heart that I announce that a crypt was found within the Bossbot Clubhouse. A crypt full of Toon corpses. These are believed to be the bodies of those who perished in the first Cog buildings before the Exodus. In addition, Lucy Tires and Silly Sal, two Toons turned into Togs on Loopy Lane during the blackout, have died. The other two Togs, Doctor and Smokey Joe, have been rescued and are recovering now. But let us take a moment of silence for those who have fallen. Those from before the Exodus, and those from last night. Anyone whose life was taken away due to the Cogs.” 
Tori bowed her head and squeezed her eyes closed. She tried to block out the images of the crypt. The dark ballroom with stained carpeting. The once-living dolls devoid of life. She tried to picture a happier image, something. But nothing came. She felt her laff drop. 
“The Toons,” Declan continued, his eyes now boring into the camera, “battled the Chairman in the courtyard of Bossbot Headquarters. Though we are not currently aware of all the details, it was revealed in that moment that Ash Ingalls, the missing son of Professor Pete Ingalls and his late wife Laura Ingalls, had been occupying the body of the Chairman since the return from Exodus.” 
This was news to most in the room. There was a clamor, and incredulous shouts. Tori and Horace looked at each other. Tori could not forget how Ash had torn off his face in one clean motion. In one moment, the terrifying mask of the Chairman had been the epitome of the Cog’s evil. Then, in a flash, the Chairman was gone, replaced by a timid catatonic feline. But the head of Ash was fixed to the body of the most terrifying Cog. It was an idiosyncrasy that made Tori shudder. 
“Ash was taken by his father to safety and is now seeking treatment for the injuries he sustained by removing himself from the Chairman’s suit. I have been asked to convey this information very clearly: Ash is not believed to have had any conscious decision in the Chairman’s actions. It is believed that he was brainwashed as the Togs have been, and cannot be held responsible. Therefore, he is not under arrest, and will not face trial. After Ash’s rescue and the departure of the Toons from Bossbot Headquarters, the crag was destroyed and all of the headquarters collapsed into the Bay.” 
In Tori’s head, all the boxes were checked. Declan had covered everything up to that evening. His solemn face only got graver. 
“Now,” he said slowly, “I wanted to start with that. For one, it was already part of my scheduled broadcast. It’s important for everyone in town to know the results of yesterday’s trial and attack. But I also want everyone to bear these victories in mind. Yes, we’ve had losses, but we have never been closer to the eradication of Cog Nation. And we must cling to that.”
Tori leaned in. 
“Last night, the emergency siren sounded. This siren was implemented at the same time the Emergency Portal was designed. The siren went off just before the Exodus, and again last night. Though I am sure many—myself included—thought this was due to a Cog counterstrike, it was not. As Toons celebrated on the Docks, a ship rolled into the harbor. It is very rundown, and quite frankly looks like trash. But it bears a sail with an emblem of the Kingdom of Scuridiae, the Kingdom of the chipmunks.” 
Tori’s friends gasped. She could hear commotion outside through an open window. 
“The ship was inhabited by six outlanders, who we believe have come from the Kingdoms, from Cartonia. Though this has yet to be definitively proven, Mayor Constance Miller is of the belief that they are.”
Tori shook her head, still in disbelief. 321 years of isolation. 321 of hiding. And they were found. By refugees. If they could find the town, then so could the Vixen Queen. 
“The Cartonians have been jailed in separate Toon Headquarters, one in each neighborhood. The Toon leadership, elected to preserve peace and safety in the town, will ensure that they do not cause any harm to anyone. Not much is known about them, but they claim to have escaped Cartonia. Among the six arrivals are two ducks. But they are the only ones of a species we recognize. There is one crocodile, a species that once existed in Toontown before its extinction. We have one chicken and one deer. And one fox.” 
Screams erupted from outside. Shopkeepers, their customers, their families, were in turmoil. A fox had come to Toontown. Tori didn’t blame them. Foxes were the embodiment of evil. It was written as such in the Diary of War. Everyone had always been taught to fear the foxes, and that nothing could be worse than a fox. When the Cogs had posted their first—and thankfully only—Edict declaring themselves the supreme species in the region in an homage to the foxes, the Toons had confirmed their fear that the Cogs were robotic incarnations of the foxes. They had spent well over four years fighting tirelessly against mock versions of foxes. 
And now a real one had broached their border.
The terror was real. And the future, at least to Tori, was bleak. 
===The Gardens===
Constance, Eileen, Aleck, and the Toon Council met Deputy Ivy Waters of the Gardens outside Toon Headquarters after Declan’s broadcast. The general atmosphere in the Playground was apprehension. Toons walked quickly, with heads bent. Some gave polite waves to Eileen, others looked on in fear. It was hard, Eileen knew, to feel pride and excitement for pushing back on the Cogs while trying not to think of all the horrible things that could happen now that contact was reestablished. 
But now it was the duty of the leaders of Toontown to put aside their own fears, their own frustrations, to get to the root of the new arrivals. To find out what brought them here, how they found them, and how much the rest of Cartonia knew. Until yesterday, there was no way to confirm that Cartonia still existed. But the arrivals stated plainly they were not only from Cartonia, but from the Empire of Vulpus. Which meant the foxes were in charge. 
Barnacle Barbara was busy investigating the ship, the crag, and the rocks surrounding the Bay, so the Council promised to visit her neighborhood last. They would start in the Gardens and move clockwise through Toontown. 
Deputy Ivy Waters hugged Aleck when she saw him. 
“How is he?” Aleck asked, referring to the deer in her one jail cell. Ivy shivered. 
“He’s quiet. Very quiet. I hate it. When can I get rid of him?” 
Eileen held up a paw. 
“We’re not moving anyone anytime soon. If he’s a behavioral issue, we can swap him with another…”
“Oh,” Ivy said, shaking her head, “No no. That won’t be necessary. I’m sorry. We’re all going to need to make sacrifices in order to keep this from derailing, right?” 
“Right,” Constance said. “Let’s get to it.” 
Ichabod Irving from Dreamland was the most uncomfortable in the cramped jail space. Probably not from the tight quarters but more from the fact that he had to do actual work. Though Eileen had actually never seen him look fearful, until now. The Cogs did not seem to scare him like they did nearly everyone else. He must have always had confidence that they would go away. Or he just didn’t care about them at all. 
The deer was a shade of tan, with dark antlers sticking out from the top of his head. They curved gracefully in beautiful arcs and were quite tall. He was sitting on a stool, looking at the Toon Council with boredom. He was scratching his hooves against the floor. His eyes landed on Constance, and he bowed his head. 
“Your Majesty,” he said. Constance rolled her eyes. 
“I thought we told you we’re not a monarchy. I’m just the Mayor. The Toons elected me.” 
“Toons?” the deer said instantly. “Is that like a royal council?” 
Eileen exchanged looks with Slate Oldman. 
“What?” Doe Clark from Melodyland said outright. The deer furrowed his eyebrows. 
“What is Toons?” 
When no one responded instantly, Doe made a circular motion with her finger. 
“We’re the Toons.” 
Nothing registered with the deer. 
“Who are you?” Eileen asked, stepping forward. She came right up to the bars, trying to look brave. The deer looked her up and down, which Eileen found deeply unsettling. 
“Who are you?” he asked. Eileen had been afraid of that. But they had the upper hand. She could spare at least their names, right? 
“My name is Eileen Irenic. I am the former Mayor of Toontown and the current leader of the Toon Resistance.” 
“What are you resisting?” 
“That’s not important.” 
The deer jabbed a thumb at Eileen while looking at Constance. “And she’s not a Queen, right?” 
Constance nodded. 
“No Queens. No Kings.” 
“Strange,” the deer said, rubbing his arm. 
It was evident he wouldn’t speak until everyone introduced themselves, so Eileen went down the line and pointed out Constance, Aleck, Ivy, Slate, Vidalia VaVoom, Doe Clark, Ichabod Irving, and Mulaney Chortle from the Gardens. 
“The jailer,” he said when she got to Ivy. The Deputy of the Gardens narrowed her eyes at him. 
“So,” Eileen said. “That’s us. The Mayor, the Deputies, the Toon Council, me. Who are you?” 
The deer clucked his tongue. 
“Tick,” he said. “Tick Hunter.” 
Eileen’s spine prickled. She didn’t know why. Was it the surname ‘Hunter?’ It sounded malicious. Though she supposed he couldn’t choose his last name. 
“Nice to meet you, Tick,” Eileen said, which was not true at all. “We wanted to ask you some questions.” 
“I’m sure you do,” Tick said. “I have a few for you as well.” 
“We’ll go first,” Doe Clark said, “if you don’t mind.” 
Tick stood, and his antlers scraped the ceiling. 
“Fire away.” 
Eileen tried to place the intonation of his voice, and the way his vowels sounded longer and softer. No one in Toontown sounded like that. 
“What are you doing here? You said you escaped. Why? From what?” 
Tick rolled his tongue over his lips. He took a deep breath, then a long pause. He seemed to be thinking. 
“We escaped oppression in Cartonia,” Tick said finally. “Life was…hell. I lost everything, and everyone. There was no hiding from the Vixen Queen. But I fled anyway. To the coast. Blair was there…looking for a crew on a ship out of there and I took the chance. Cartonians don’t escape Cartonia. There’s no where to go. But we took the chance. And I’m glad we did. We survived. And now we’re here.” 
Eileen couldn’t help but feel like she was in a dream. Or in a soap opera. It was so surreal, to hear a story from a deer—a species she never thought she’d meet—using terms that were only seen in the Diary of War. She was an actress in this tale, set on the stage of her own worst nightmare. 
“So the Vixen Queens are still in power?” Constance asked. 
“Very much so,” Tick said. 
“What’s she like?” Mulaney asked. 
Tick frowned. 
“Evil. Like all foxes.” 
“You brought a fox with you.”
Tick laughed. 
“She brought us with her. The fox is Blair. She saved us. We’d all be dead if not for her. She fled Vulpus first, finally found a boat that could take her away, but she couldn’t do it alone. She needed others. But everyone is too scared to leave Cartonia. There’s no where to go, nothing but wastelands. They say we’ll die in the mountains, drown at sea, freeze on the glaciers, crash on the rocks. Blair was desperate to flee, and so was I. I would do it again.” 
“So…” Aleck chose his words carefully. “All foxes are evil except, conveniently, the one we have behind bars.” 
Tick shrugged. 
“I was as shocked as you.” 
“Forgive me,” Vidalia said too politely, “but you don’t sound relieved or grateful to have escaped.”
“You’re so right,” Doe said. “He’s emotionless.” 
Tick’s eyes bore into them. 
“When you live in perdition,” he growled, “you forget how to smile.” 
Doe and Vidalia did not reply. 
“Did you know we were here?” Eileen asked, fearing the answer. 
“Not really,” Tick said. “There were rumors, legends really, of Cartonians who escaped at the end of the War. The dam—do you know what a dam is?” 
Slate laughed out loud. “Yes, we do.” 
“Well,” Tick continued, “we have a very big dam at the bottom of Cartonia, on these virtually vertical cliffs that separate Cartonia from the rest of the continent. Getting over the cliffs is impossible, and the dam keeps all the water inside Cartonia for consumption, and prevents it from flooding into the valley below. At the end of the War, maybe 300 years ago, the dam burst. We don’t know why, but it did. And there are conspiracy theories that say that prisoners of war blew up the dam and escaped on the water.”
“Do you believe these rumors?” Eileen asked, knowing that he was speaking the truth. The founders destroyed the dam, killed the Vixen Queen, and sailed away from Cartonia on the resulting flood. The torrent was so extreme and sudden that by the time reinforcements arrived, they had cleared the horizon. 
“I suppose I do now,” Tick said with a smirk. “Blair did. So did Evelyn and Rook. They said if people escaped, they would have gone south and wouldn’t have stopped until they found someplace safe.” 
Vidalia looked at Doe, who looked at Aleck. Eileen tried to ignore the glances going around behind her. 
“How did you find us?” 
Tick looked down at the floor and shrugged. 
“Luck, honestly. We sailed through storms and turbulent weather, nearly saw the ship destroyed so many times, and came upon these huge rocks jutting out of the sea. But not like the ocean mountains closer to the Cartonian border. These were smaller and spikier. As Blair piloted the boat, we saw an opening. It looked big enough to pass through, and we only just made it. Fog followed us in, and soon overcame us. We turned off the engine and considered putting down the anchor…but…”
He stopped talking, as if something else had occurred to him. But after looking up at them, he kept going like nothing had given him pause. Eileen decided he was strange. 
“But there was a disturbance in the waves. Like suddenly the calmness turned turbulent. We thought it was another storm, but we could hear the sound of destruction in the distance.” 
“Bossbot Headquarters,” Constance said to the others, not to Tick. 
“What’s that?” he asked. 
“So the waves,” Eileen forced him back on track. “got choppy. Then what?” 
“We hit the dock,” Tick said. “And saw you all. Well, there were more of you. But everyone seemed terrified.”
“Do you know why?” Mulaney posited. “Do you know why so many were scared?” 
Tick sighed. “I’m guessing you don’t like, or you don’t often get, outsiders.” 
That was one way of putting it. 
“Who else knows we’re here?” Eileen demanded. 
Tick put up his hooves. 
“No one. Well, it’s not like we can communicate with anyone back in Cartonia. No one followed us. And no one is looking for us. Not out here. Also…I’m pretty sure this town isn’t even on Cartonian maps. We always thought the continent ended with the mountains, but we’re further south than them. Unless…are we on another continent?” 
No one answered him. The answer was no, but he didn’t need to know that. 
Tick exhaled and gestured at the cell’s window. 
“It’s incredible,” he said, “what you have here. We thought at best we’d find a little commune. A village of a few dozen. Not this metropolis.” 
It sounded like a compliment, so Eileen took it as such. 
“Why do you have a sail from Scuridiae?” Slate asked. “None of you are chipmunks.” 
Tick looked surprised. 
“So you do know about Cartonia. Your ancestors must have come from there after all. The ship’s sail was the only one we could acquire. It was the best one we could have had. Chipmunks control the water, and a Scuridian boat won’t arouse suspicion.” 
He crossed his arms. “Any more questions?” 
“Yeah,” Vidalia said, mimicking his gesture, “why should we trust you?” 
“Blind me,” Tick said, causing everyone to stare at each other in confusion as to what that phrase meant, “you really don’t like outsiders. We’re the ones seeking asylum. I suppose because you haven’t sent us on a boat back to Cartonia that asylum is being temporarily granted.”
“You can suppose that,” Aleck said. “But it is by no means permanent.” 
No one else had any further questions for Tick, and all were grateful to be out of there. Tick tried to ask questions of his own, but everyone had gone. He had given them critical information though, and Eileen was relieved to know that no one else was following the escapees. They could be wrong, but hopefully the crag would still offer protection despite its lapse in security. And now the Toons were on high alert. 
Thankfully, the arrivals hadn’t come at the invitation of the Cogs. If the Cogs and the Cartonians were in an alliance, Toontown was doomed. How little they seemed now, a tiny blip on the map of the continent. 
The thought gave Eileen an idea. 
===Toontown Central===
Deputy Wiggle McDiggle harbored no fear for her prisoner. The chicken seemed to be living up to its reputation as a timid creature. He had shrunk to the back of his cell and was weeping. Apparently he had not stopped crying since the night before. 
“His name is Jerockle Padraic,” Wiggle informed them. “I was able to drag that out of him. Unless I heard it wrong between sobs. It’s a very odd name, isn’t it?” 
“So is Tick Hunter,” Aleck muttered. 
Jerockle was still cowering in his cell, covering his strange-shaped head with his wings. His feathers were a bright yellow, but the thing dangling from his chin was red. Eileen couldn’t determine what it was. Was that where his larynx and voice box were stored? 
Constance rattled the bars with Wiggle’s police baton. Jerockle lifted his head and pressed himself against the back wall. 
“You’ve come to kill me,” he gasped. 
Mulaney Chortle yawned in boredom. 
“Not yet we haven’t.” 
“Mulaney,” Doe reprimanded. “We are not going to kill you, Jerockle.” 
Eileen hadn’t definitively made up her mind on that matter. 
“We just want to ask you a few questions,” Constance said in a calming voice. Jerockle listened as they asked him the same questions they posed to Tick. 
“You want to know what happened after the War?” Jerockle repeated. He wiped his beak. He actually seemed to perk up a bit. 
“It was terrible. The aftermath, I mean.”
“When did the War end?” Vidalia asked. “How long after the destruction of the dam?” 
Jerockle wrinkled his forehead. He may have realized the significance of them knowing about the dam. 
“I assume you mean the Vulpine War of Conquest,” he said. “About two years. The Vixen Queen who launched the war died when the Vulpus Dam collapsed. She was succeeded by her daughter, who was just as awful. She retaliated against all the Kingdoms who were still disloyal to the growing Vulpus Empire. She didn’t last long—probably assassinated— and was succeeded by her cousin. Vixen IX. She ruthlessly suppressed any further resistance. The War ended shortly thereafter. All the Kings and Queens of the Granite Bloc abdicated.”
“Thanks for the history lesson,” Vidalia said sassily. Jerockle didn’t detect the sarcasm. 
“I love history,” he said. “I’m curious to know more about your Kingdom. Just…please don’t kill me.” 
Mulaney smirked. 
“We’re not a Kingdom,” Constance said, and gave him the same rundown they gave to Tick. Jerockle was more receptive to the idea of a democracy, and even seemed fascinated by it. 
“Why did you want to escape Cartonia?” Eileen asked. 
Jerockle frowned. 
“Because it was unthinkable to stay. I was a librarian back home. Er…back in Cartonia. The deer burned my library. I lost my home and my job. I lost my livelihood and a way of survival. So I left. I didn’t have a permit so I could only travel within Cervidium. Blair found me in a bookshop by the beach and said she needed someone with intelligence to help her navigate the waters out of Cartonia. At first, I was too scared to refuse a fox, but she’s not like the others. She’s actually kind.” 
“We’ll be the judge of whether or not she’s like other foxes,” Mulaney said stupidly. As if the Toons would know what a real fox was like. All they knew was from the Diary of War and word of mouth passed down through the generations. 
“How did you know we were here?” Slate demanded. Jerockle winced. 
“We didn’t. We just kept sailing. We tried to keep close to the coast in case we saw anything, but there are all these cliffs and rocks. This town seems like the safest place you can be.” 
“It was,” Aleck said, letting the unspoken words hang in the air: until you showed up. 
The rest of his answers were the same as Tick’s. The sail from Scuridiae being the only one Blair could find, that no one else was looking for them, that they were not followed. Jerockle kept expressing how incredible the town was, and how surprisingly sophisticated it was. He certainly had not been here long enough to form an opinion that strong. 
Eileen finally removed from her pocket the sheet of paper she printed out before they came here, the idea she had in the Gardens. It was a map of Cartonia from the Diary of War. She had cut off the bottom of the map, so that only the Kingdoms and the tips of the Unforgiving Mountains were visible. She held it out to Jerockle. 
“What do you make of this?” she asked. 
Jerockle turned the paper over a few times, ostensibly marveling at it. He placed a talon over the small country of Gallix. 
“It doesn’t look like this anymore. The borders are redrawn. Vulpus controls most everything.” 
He smiled. It was a goofy toothless grin. 
“This must be an old map. Very old…maybe from even before the War.” He traced a finger down the rest of the map toward the Vixen Cliffs and the dam. 
“Hmm,” he said and kept dragging the talon along the river to Lake Beyond. The place where the founders crashed their ship and continued their escape on foot. “I haven’t seen this body of water on a map before. Can I keep this?”
“Absolutely not,” Slate said instantly and took the paper from him. He looked crestfallen. 
“Are we the first to visit your Kingd…er…town?”
No one responded. Jerockle stared at them with wide, scared eyes. Eileen turned to leave, and everyone wordlessly followed her. The chicken seemed harmless. And he was a history buff, and therefore could fill in the three centuries since the Toons fled. 
She would need to read the Diary of War again. Refresh her memory on what they were supposed to know. She would hate to appear ignorant in front of one of these…outlanders. 
===Melodyland===
Eileen was shocked to find Deputy of Melodyland Marshall Ihob to be merrily engaged in conversation with his prisoner, the crocodile. The two were laughing hysterically when the party entered. 
“Are we interrupting something?” Vidalia asked coyly. Marshall wiped away a tear of laughter and gestured at the crocodile. 
“This is Rook James. So sorry…no you are not interrupting. We were just talking.” 
Eileen took Aleck’s paw. 
“Please take Marshall outside and remind him of the gravity of the situation. He should not be having such a good rapport with…Rook.” 
Aleck nodded and led a bewildered Marshall into his own office for a reprimanding. The crocodile watched him go with a growing expression of concern. The only friendly face in the room had gone, and he was now facing seven blank stares. 
“Hello,” he said nervously. “I’m Rook.” 
Eileen ran through the usual introductions, and took the liberty to preemptively remind Rook that Toontown was not a Kingdom, and that Constance was Mayor. 
“Well,” Rook said, “that sounds wonderful. Does it work?” 
“Does what work?” Constance shot back. 
Rook waved his scaled hand. “Democracy. The whole Mayor model. I’ve never seen it before. Has it always been that way?” 
“Yes,” Constance said. “I’m the 53rd Mayor of Toontown.” 
Rook whistled with a gleaming smile. 
“That’s impressive! I congratulate you then on your election. Let me just say thank you to each of you for your hospitality and generosity so far. I know that you must be scared, or perhaps just apprehensive. But I’m free, and that’s enough for me.” 
Eileen glanced at the bars that divided him from them. He was not free. But…if she had escaped Cartonia and stood on the top of the Unforgiving Mountains and experienced that euphoria of liberation, perhaps she too would consider herself free. 
“Rook.” Vidalia said. It wasn’t a question. He blinked at her. “Like the Rook of Vulpus?” 
Eileen exhaled. She hadn’t thought of that. But she was right. He shared a name with the castle of the foxes. She remembered years ago, when she was telling her two dead children about the Christmas that tore apart Cartonia, that Irene had asked what a rook was. 
Rook opened his mouth, then sucked in his lips. 
“It’s a common name,” he muttered. “It means castle. And castles are strong.” 
No one said anything further about his bizarre name. Constance led the questioning of Rook, and his answers once again aligned with his compatriots. He singled out Blair the fox as the leader of their expedition and admired her kind characteristics. But Eileen refused to believe it. If every single fox in the Diary of War was categorically evil, why would this Blair be any different? What qualities did she possess that all of her fellow foxes did not? 
“What do you want from us?” Doe asked. Rook shrugged. 
“I’m good for now. The food is tasty, and Marshall brings water. I will probably need some clean clothes soon but I won’t trouble you.” 
Eileen shook her head at his optimism. He was so far the only one she liked. Tick was too smug, and Jerockle too timid and untrustworthy. 
Rook leaned against the wall of the cell and smiled at them. 
“Any more questions? I can talk about Eusuchia. Or what’s left of it, anyway.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Eileen said. Not now. They still had three more Cartonians to interrogate. 
===Dreamland===
The first of the ducks, the green one, was shaking when they came to her cell. Deputy Linda Lawla reported she had been “overwhelmed” by the experience. She had not spoken much, just gazing blankly out of the cell. 
“What’s your name?” Slate asked when she was unresponsive to their initial greetings. She hid her beak. “My name is Slate. This is the Toon Council. We want to ask you some questions about your journey.” 
“Get her some water,” Vidalia said to Linda, but the duck suddenly stood. 
“My name is Cale.” 
The way she said it, it sounded like kill. 
“No last name?” Constance pressed. 
“Metfin. Cale Metfin.” 
Aleck made a note. 
Cale stuck to the questions asked, and was very brief. She did not elaborate, nor did she ask anything in return. It was the fastest interview of the day. She also hardly moved from where she stood. And eye contact was scarce. Her story matched the others. 
The other duck, named Evelyn, was her sister. Though her sister had been married, and thus had the surname Quin. Evelyn’s husband had been murdered by the Vulpus government, and the sisters had fled capture. They met Blair, Jerockle, Tick, and Rook, and joined their expedition south. 
But for the first time, Eileen was skeptical. And perhaps it had to do with the lack of knowledge of the current operations of Cartonia, but everyone’s story included them fleeing from something. And everyone just happened to end up on a dock in Cervidium with the gumption to jump a ship and sail away. She didn’t quite buy it. 
But the details they had gotten from the others…there was no way they could have coordinated all of that on the boat. They had no idea what they were walking into. Allegedly. Eileen was terrified of the concept that Cartonia knew Toontown was here. That maybe they had known all along and were just waiting for the right time to make the journey to recapture what was rightfully theirs. Were these the envoys of that mission? Were others waiting to strike? 
Cale thanked them for their visit, and sat as soon as they left. 
===The Brrrgh===
Deputy Paul Pickaxe introduced the Toon Council to Evelyn Quin, née Metfin. She was less timid than her sister, and acted more like Tick Hunter. She was skeptical of them, and questioned everything they said. The black duck interrupted them, interjected when they got something wrong, and stated very matter-of-factly that she wished she had stayed on the boat and not entered Toontown. 
Eileen showed her the map of Cartonia from the Diary of War and pointed to Mallardia, the Kingdom of the ducks. 
“Is Mallardia…?”
“Mallardia is dead. There is only Vulpus.” 
===The Docks===
They had saved the worst for last: the fox. Blair, who the other five seemed to praise on high. Even though everyone had been adamant that Vulpus was still the evil tyrannical kingdom that had been depicted in the Diary of War. Now the Kingdom was an Empire. 
Deputy Rocky Shores was outside the Toon Headquarters, smoking. Very few Toons smoked in Toontown. With widespread knowledge that it was horrible for one’s health, hardly anyone willingly partook. Rocky was probably the most prolific user that Eileen had met. He always reeked of smoke. 
“Finally,” he said when they teleported onto the gangplank stretching over the fishing pond toward the door. “You left me with the devil all day.” 
“Is Barbara here yet?” Vidalia asked. Rocky shook his head. 
“She can join us later,” Constance said. “I want to get this over with.” 
For the sixth time, the group followed the Deputy to the cell. And Eileen got a proper look at the fox. She had been too overwhelmed the day before to really process what a fox actually looked like. Unlike the crocodile, which was immortalized in photographs, no deer or fox had ever been seen before. The deer more or less looked like a horse with a thinner face and the antlers. But a fox…
She was brown, with a wide face that drew up into points on either side of the head. Her nose was long, the tip a black orb. Her ears were pointed like a rabbit, but more triangular…maybe like a cat. She was short, but taller than Eileen. In the pits of her orange eyes, there was afire emotion. Eileen couldn’t tell if it was hatred, disgust, contempt, bile, malevolence, or…
Fear? 
The fox was watching them with a concerned expression. Her extremities were meekly drawn inward. Constance led the introductions. 
“Are the others alright?” she asked. Her voice was steady. 
“They’re fine,” Aleck said. “We just have some questions for you.” 
“What’s your name?” Constance asked instantly. The fox looked down. 
“Blair Fawkes.”
Vidalia snorted. 
“Fawkes? Like fox?”
Blair was not amused. 
“It’s a common surname in Vulpus.” 
Mulaney Chortle showed her the map of Cartonia from the Diary of War, which she regarded with interest. 
“What does this map look like today?” 
Blair took the map through the bars and traced the borders with her fingers. 
“Vulpus controls almost everything…and the Vixen Queen serves as Empress. The allies of the Summer Sun retained autonomy. Do you know about the Summer Sun?” 
“We’ve heard about it,” Rocky Shores coughed through a cloud of smoke. Ichabod grimaced and inched away from him. 
During the War, the Kingdoms of Cartonia joined one of two alliances: the Granite Bloc or the Summer Sun. The Granite Bloc had the numbers majority, but the Summer Sun had Vulpus. The foxes dominated the War, and when the founders of Toontown fled, the Granite Bloc had fractured. Jerockle the chicken had told them the Granite Bloc’s monarchs had all abdicated their thrones, leaving the Summer Sun victorious. 
“Who were you back in Vulpus? What was your occupation?” 
Ichabod had asked the question, surprising Eileen. He hadn’t asked anyone anything all day. 
“I was a quartermaster. For the Vale of Vulpus. There were sixteen of us, and I actually quite liked my job. But…”
“Hold up,” Doe Clark interrupted. “What’s the Vale of Vulpus?” 
“Oh,” Eileen said, remembering it from the Diary of War, “it’s a seaport in the Vulpus capital. It was the site of the landing of the first Cartonians. That’s where Bentley Connelly was when Victoria Vixen was assassinated.” 
Blair’s eyes widened. She seemed surprised by Eileen’s knowledge. 
“That’s…correct. How did you know that?” 
“None of your goddamn business,” Rocky Shores snapped. 
Blair clapped her mouth shut. 
They continued to interrogate her, asking the same questions they had asked the others. Her story matched theirs; she had been investigating corruption at the Vale and a warrant for her arrest was released. She fled to the coast of Cervidium, where she recruited a team and they stole a dilapidated ship from the Scuridian fleet and sailed south. Their hope was to find a colony of either nomads or the legendary descendants of those who had fled over the Vixen Cliffs at the denouement of the War. 
Her ears drooped more and more as they barraged her for more information. 
“Look at you all,” she muttered suddenly. “You hate me. I’m not an idiot, you know. I haven’t seen a fox since I’ve gotten here. There aren’t any foxes in this town, are there?” 
“No,” Slate said curtly. “There are not.” 
She closed her eyes. 
“We mean you no harm,” she whispered in that Cartonian drawl. “We only seek refuge.” 
“Who else knows we’re here?” Eileen demanded. 
Blair shook her head. 
“No one. We didn’t tell anyone where we were going. They’ll think we were lost at sea, destroyed in the hurricanes.”
“How did you survive the hurricanes, then?” Slate asked. 
“Luck,” Blair replied simply. “We sailed between them.”
Constance pressed herself against the bars. 
“Who else knows we’re here?” 
“You already asked me that…”
“WHO ELSE?” 
“Nobody!”
Blair took a step forward, causing Constance to fire backward. “No one knows you’re here! Okay? We didn’t know you were here!” 
“But you knew that Toons had fled years ago. You knew they went south. You knew that you might find something. Why can’t the Vulpus Armada do the same?” 
Blair was silent. Constance was right. If a crew of six discombobulated Cartonians could breach Toontown’s isolationism, then what was stopping more from following?
“What are Toons?” 
Tick Hunter had said the same thing. The term was unfamiliar to them. 
“We’re the Toons,” Aleck explained. “This place is called Toontown.” 
Blair inclined her head. 
“Derivative from the Gulf of Cartoon, I imagine.” 
No one responded. 
“Why should we trust you?” Eileen said finally. 
Never trust a fox. 
Blair thought carefully. 
“What did the others say about me? I led the expedition here. I knew we were risking our lives, and I hardly knew what I was doing, but I got us here. We may be imprisoned but for now, we’re safe. How did they describe me? If they painted me as the maleficent fox that unfortunately is the predominant archetype in Vulpus, then you cannot trust me. If they spoke positively about me, then that is who I am. They’re the only five people in this town that can vouch for me. I will vouch for them, and I hope they vouch for me.” 
The door burst open and Barnacle Barbara rushed in. 
“I need to speak to you all.” 
“Barbara, we’re almost done…” 
“Nope, we gotta go. Come on, out!” 
As Eileen was pushed through the door, she turned to look one more time at Blair. The fox was staring at her with pleading eyes. Barbara slapped the bars. 
“Sit down and shut up. If I have any issues with you, I’ll gut you. I know how. Your ancestors showed mine.” 
Outside the Toon Patrol station, Vidalia rounded on Barbara. 
“What’s going on? Why are you so upset?” 
“The crag!” Barbara declared wildly. “The crag has fallen into the sea. There’s an enormous opening at the southern end, facing southeast. Large enough surely to fit their boat, but also more. Dozens of ships could sail through there. Outsiders, Cartonians, the Vulpus Armada…we’re not safe here anymore.” 
“Can we rebuild it?” Mulaney Chortle asked, to which Barbara scoffed. 
“No way. The whole crag ring is unstable. It’ll continue to collapse if we mess with it. Our only way to stop outsiders from getting into town is by defending the port. Nature will no longer protect us.” 
She showed them the picture of the breach. Everyone was stunned. 
“Sorry I interrupted. We can go back now.” 
“No, we’re done,” Doe Clark said for the group. “It’s been a long day.”
Indeed, the sun was setting. They had been with the outsiders all day. 
“We’ll need to deliver a report to the Toons,” Eileen said. “Can someone type up a summary for Declan?”
“I’ll do it,” Slate volunteered. 
“Thank you, Slate,” Constance said. “And thank you, Barbara, for investigating the crag. And to everyone here, thank you dearly. We’ve got some trials ahead, but we’ll persevere as we always do. You may go home and tend to your neighborhoods. We’ll reconvene tomorrow morning at Toon Hall.” 
As the Toon Council began to teleport away, Constance grabbed Eileen’s arm. 
“I need a drink. You?” 
===Piggy Pie’s Estate===
Doctor opened his eyes. Piggy Pie cried out in joy and flung her arms around him. The surgery had been a success!
Together, the friends wept. Doctor told Piggy Pie about the horrors of Bossbot Headquarters and all he was forced to endure. Piggy Pie filled him in on all the events that had occurred in Toontown in his absence, including the dramatic battle with the CEO and Chairman. 
“Are the Cogs gone then? Forever?” 
“I don’t think so,” Piggy Pie said. “Hopefully not too many survived.” 
Doctor smirked. 
“What happened after the Bossbot crag collapsed? There must have been one hell of a party.” 
Piggy Pie’s face fell. He didn’t remember. 
“No…no…there was a ship that sailed into the port after the Bossbots were defeated. The ship is from Cartonia.” 
Doctor shrunk into the bed. 
“What?” he gasped weakly. Piggy Pie grabbed his paw. 
“It’s contact.” 
===Lawbot Headquarters===
The District Attorney took stock of the week’s losses. The amalgamation of Toon attacks yesterday was a crushing blow to Cog Nation. The Chairman, the CEO, the Chief Justice, the CFO, and the VP were all dead. The Clerks were destroyed, and very few Big Wigs remained. The Factory had been completely overrun, and the trains were non-operational. And Bossbot Headquarters…gone. 
No Factory to build new Cogs, and no way to transport en masse. There were always the skies, but the Cogs were not as coordinated in flight as they were on the ground. The foxes of Vulpus, after whom the Cogs had been modeled by the glorious Creator, never flew. The Creator had to improvise flight patterns. 
The Cogs were leaderless, and the District Attorney took it upon himself to assume de facto control of the fledgling Lawbot remains. He sequestered himself with the Lawbot survivors—numbering around 1,900—in Tower One of Lawbot Headquarters. Tower Two, the home of the Chief Justice and all the courts, was severely damaged. The mass amount of exploding Cogs had seriously weakened the building’s infrastructure. 
“How long,” the District Attorney asked the newly-appointed Clerk, “until we can launch one hard strike on Polar Place?” 
“About a month,” the Clerk estimated. “We may be able to find more Cogs, or figure out how to construct new ones here.” 
“Are there any Togs left?” 
“Zero.” 
The DA frowned. As a Big Wig, he had a duty to lead. As a survivor of the second-darkest day in Cog Nation’s troubled history, he had an obligation to all those living in the regime’s might. 
There would need to be a new Chairman…
“Sir,” an Ambulance Chaser called through the open door of the DA’s new office. “There’s a Big Cheese in the lobby. Shall I send him up?” 
The DA acquiesced. He was intrigued. Not many Bossbots would have survived the destruction of the Headquarters. 
The Big Cheese entered, ducking his head to fit through the doorframe. He glowered at the District Attorney. 
“I heard you have elected yourself as the new head of the Lawbot sect.” 
The District Attorney did not flinch. 
“I have. Someone has to assume control.”
“Let it be me,” the Big Cheese blurted. “I am the last Bossbot. I have natural power over the Cogs. In fact, I should become Chairman.” 
The DA scowled. Bossbots always thought of themselves as superior. 
“I respectfully decline your opinion,” the DA said. “Perhaps you can assemble the remaining Cashbots and Sellbots in union against the Toons. We Lawbots have always had our own way of operating. We will continue to follow that model. I will retain dominion over the Lawbot sect.” 
The Big Cheese blinked. 
“We’ll see,” he said. But before he turned to go, he gave one last glance out the window toward Tower Two. 
“Pity to see it go like that.” 
The District Attorney whirled around in time to see the support structure of the second Tower give way and collapse, noiselessly falling into the courtyard behind the soundproof glass panels of its sister. 
===Eileen Irenic’s House===
“Thank you,” Constance said gratefully as she took a cup of hot cocoa from Eileen. The two sat side-by-side in front of the fireplace, the events from the day rolling through their heads. 
Six interrogations. 
Six stories. 
Six prisoners. 
Unending questions. 
Unending fears. 
“What about the Cogs?” Eileen said aloud. “Do you think they’ll return soon?” 
“They never do,” Constance yawned. “We beat them back time and time again. They take a while to recuperate. This time though…we may have actually done it. Bossbot Headquarters is gone, and their train tunnels would have flooded with the breach. Sellbot HQ has always been weak. I think the Factory will never produce another Cog again.” 
Eileen did a quick calculation in her head. 
“There’s a chance there are more Toons in Toontown than there are Cogs.” 
Constance shook her head. 
“Then we would be on a fast track to victory.” 
There was the unspoken, “if not for the Cartonians.” 
“I don’t believe,” Eileen whispered, “the Cartonians found us by chance. I can’t believe that. They must have known we were here.” 
“Satellites?” Constance asked, remembering the hovering robots from the Diary of War that were used by the foxes to spy on the Kingdoms of the Granite Bloc. 
“Can’t be,” Eileen said. “We’d see them.” 
Constance scratched her head. 
“There’s absolutely no way that the Cartonians knew we were here for 300 years and did nothing. Even if there were rumors that people escaped, they wouldn’t just twiddle their thumbs for centuries and then send six into a town of thousands.” 
Eileen stretched her limbs. 
“Could it be they’re actually here for asylum?” 
Constance snorted. 
“I don’t buy it for one second. And you know what the Diary Pig said…”
“Never trust a fox,” they said in unison. 
They sat together in silence for several minutes. Eileen reflected on her earlier thought, that these were not the only six. They couldn’t be the only ones to make it to Toontown. There had to be more. These six were just the first to come through. The rest would follow in time. And Toontown was not prepared to fight them off. The war they waged against the Cogs was not simple, but it was hardly deadly. The Etiquette Algorithm protected the Toons from death, and very few had died since the Final Battle and the return from Exodus. 
The Emergency Portal had been used, and could not be used again. Not without Dr. Cumulo Nimbus to lead the charge. 
Maybe the fight against the Cogs was just one large battle, a prelude to equip the Toons with the necessary strategies and skills for the next. The fight against the Cartonians. 
War.
War was coming. 
==Production==
===Continuity and Story Arcs===
The episode opens with a flashback to when the Diary of War was first donated to the Museum of Toontown. “Doctor Who?” previously stated that the Diary had been anonymously dropped in the Museum’s donation box, but this was revealed to be a lie fabricated by the Diary Pig’s daughter to protect her mother’s identity. 
In “Trouble,” the Diary of War is mentioned to have been concluded nondescriptly at the inauguration of Maximilian Walters, and that the Diary Pig ran out of space. This was also proved untrue as the Diary Pig’s daughter removed the final seven pages.
The trek from Cartonia to Toontown took one year. 
By the year 67, the Diary Pig was dead. 
A passage from the Diary of War warns future generations of Toons that the foxes will inevitably make contact. It took 321 years for this to occur, but contact was indeed reestablished. 
Picking up where “Banners High” left off, the Toons witness the arrival of a ship from Scuridiae, though its occupants are not chipmunks. One fox, one deer, one crocodile, one chicken, and two ducks arrive in Toontown. 
This episode marks the first time Cartonians entered the borders of Toontown since its founding. 
The events of “Silent Night” are summarized in the lines “The Vixen Queen orchestrated the War, murdered her own heir and framed the ducks to instigate it.”
Doctor and Smokey Joe were cured of their Tog states after major surgery undertaken by Dr. Artery. Artery had previously cured Soggy Bottom.
Bossbot HQ and Sellbot HQ were completely destroyed, and both sects of Cogs were eradicated. The Lawbots rallied under the District Attorney, who assumed de facto control of the Cogs. He clashed with Flippy on this power, and Flippy took the reins of the Cashbots. 
Ash Ingalls, catatonic after his encounter with the Chairman, was brought to Dr. Tom Foolery in a desperate attempt to save him. Unsure if he could save him, Tom nonetheless began to work. 
The crags surrounding the Bay of Toontown were revealed to be crumbling, as a large hole existed to allow the Cartonians to sail through. 
Each of the six Cartonians were interrogated, and all gave a similar story of fleeing Vulpine oppression. Nonetheless, the Toons remained skeptical. 
Jerockle Padraic spoke about the death of Queen Vixen VII at the Vulpus Dam toward the end of the War. This is the same Vixen Queen who appeared in “Silent Night.” Her daughter succeeded her. This is significant because in “Silent Night,” the Vixen Queen had no surviving daughters (hence why Victoria Vixen was named the heir), meaning she had a daughter after the War began. 
This is the second mention of the Granite Bloc alliance, last heard in “Edicts of War.” This is the first mention of its opponent, the Summer Sun.
This episode introduces Linda Lawla, Marshall Ihob, Paul Pickaxe, Rocky Shores, Ivy Waters, and Wiggle McDiggle as the six Deputies of the Toon Patrol, reporting to Susan Fletcher and Aleck Harding. All six were named as the winners of their respective neighborhood elections in "Voice to the Chorus," though none of them appeared.
===References===
Alice references the moment she carved out Dr. Molecule’s heart in “Heaven Found.” 
The Toons take issue with Rook James’s name because of the Rook of Vulpus, the castle home of the Vixen Queens. The Rook is depicted in “Silent Night.” 
Blair Fawkes mentioned the Vale of Vulpus, another location depicted in “Silent Night.” 
==Trivia==
*The title of this episode is inspired by the movie They Came From Outer Space. "They" refers to the Cartonians who came to Toontown from the northern Kingdoms. 
*This is the first episode to feature a "Previously On" segment. 
*The Diary of War is described as having a maroon leather cover. The author has a journal matching this description, in which the concepts of the Diary Pig, the War, and the Kingdoms were conceived in the summer of 2017. 
*Rook James, Tick Hunter, and Jerockle Padraic are the first crocodile, deer, and chicken characters in the series. 
*The refined accents ascribed to the Cartonians are based on British accents. 
*The phrase “blind me” used by the Cartonians is a reference to the original phrase used in the United Kingdom before “blimey” became the shortened version. 
*The author modeled the Granite Bloc and Summer Sun, the two alliances of the War, after the Allied and Axis Powers in World War II. The Summer Sun is the “evil” alliance because the author dislikes summer and the hot weather it brings. 
*At 14,464 words, this was the longest episode of Storytime from the time of its publication until "The Good Must Associate," which beat it by 1,122 words. This episode notably surpasses "Heaven Found" by only 11 words. 
*This is the longest season premiere. 
*With 46 character appearing, this episode boasts the largest cast of the series. 
Category:Episodes
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Category:Contact Episodes
Category:Long Episodes