Dust and the Sweeper

Dust and the Sweeper is the current fan-project in the Toon Wars: Legacy series focusing exclusively on video games for the Gameverse Expansion instead of cartoons and anime. It is set after Dark Disney from the perspective of *Blinx the Time Sweeper* and *Dust an Elysian Tail* as the titular duo goes on an adventure around Falana, uncovering many mysteries surrounding their games, including the return of the scattered Time Sweepers. It was released on New Year's Day 2022 and uses prose formatting instead of the original modified script version Toon Wars had. A series of side-stories in the Tales of the Gameverse line were later written alongside it.

## Plot

### Pre-Dark Disney

The crossover begins with a prelude to the events of Dark Disney sometime after the end of *Dust: An Elysian Tail*. Somehow despite the lava at Everdawn Basin overtaking him when he defeated General Gaius, Dust was almost completely unscathed and mysteriously warped to safety. Soon after, the Regime Incident occured where brainwashed soldiers of the newly formed Disneyverse were deployed to assimilate Falana. Dust and the land's people fought hard, but their efforts were for nought as all but the Sen-Mithrarin were killed. Likewise, Blinx the Time Sweeper after being deployed to topple the regime in its infancy lost his squad and the Time Factory was bombarded in the chaos. He was rescued by Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, who sought to form a resistance against the Disneyverse's empire, leading to Blinx meeting a critically wounded Dust in a scorched Aurora Village on one of his missions. Thanks to the handywork of Oswald using advanced schematics from the Toonverse and parts from other worlds, including a Sweeper, Dust was restored, albeit with major augmentations. Though at first he was reluctant after witnessing those he loved perish in the attack, he soon made friends with Blinx after the Time Sweeper re-assured him and Ahrah that everything would be ok. This sentiment proved true as Max from the Toonverse's distant past would accidentally jump forward in time and find himself cooperating with the Underground to overthrow the regime and return the timeline to normal, working closely with Dust and Blinx especially and ultimately saving their lives. Once the timeline was restored, Dust was able to return to Falana and reunite with Ginger and Fidget in Aurora Village. With the Time Factory destroyed and the Time Sweepers scattered, however, Blinx chose to remain with his new friend, hoping to start anew.

### Act 1

In the present day, the last of the remnants of Gaius' forces lay their final siege on Aurora Village in a desperate bid to have their revenge for the death of their leader. Dust, now married to Haley the blacksmith, excitedly returns to combat knowing this would be their last bout to end the war for good. With all the citizens no longer being afraid of rebelling against the anti-Moonbloods, it prompts their commander, Criteous, to prepare his men to fire from the bridge they're occupying. However, Dust steps in, creating a diversion when he seemingly surrenders himself to the enemy knowing the odds. He is quickly shot down by the remnant, but the Sen-Mithrarin is almost immediately reset several times as a result of Blinx reversing time on him from afar. This draws Criteous and his top ranked guards out for Fidget to spark a fuse that detonates the bridge, completely dismantling the remnant. Criteous, perhaps in a fit of rage, decides to attack Dust head-on and seemingly has the upper hand before Blinx steps in and knocks out his guards. Together, both Dust and the Time Sweeper manage to incapacitate the Commander. But just as the war seems to have been won, one last enemy arrives in the form of a massive attack robot, which baffles even Blinx since Falana's technology isn't advanced enough to produce a machine like this. Nevertheless, they manage to disable the mech after a short yet rough fight that leaves the entrance to the town square in ruins. But the citizens are completely safe, coming out to congratulate Dust, Blinx, Ahrah, and Fidget for their heroism in finally ending the Gaius War.

When asked why Gaius was fighting in the first place, Elder Gray explains that this was mostly to do with political differences in the past between him and the Moonbloods, who organized society in a way that predetermined everyone's occupation in order to avoid conflict. Although Dust is glad to see the war is over, he and Ginger are still weary over the fact that he was made using Cassius as a second soul. But Fidget and Blinx assure him that with their jobs done, there wouldn't be any reason to worry about such a thing. Rather, their main concern now is the arrival of the robot, which internally contains Sweeper technology. Before going to investigate further, Dust and Blinx pay Mordecai and Fale a visit, learning that the shopkeeper plans on closing to fund a restoration project. With Fale's help, they can find valuable artifacts to sell to collectors, with the potential of recovering another Blade of Elysium to give to Dust. With that said, he and Blinx find out that the robot was sent from a distant region from Aurora known as the Advanced Regions, which mysteriously appeared after the Regime Incident (when the timeline was reset). However, some evidence suggests this may have even predated the event, as Elder Gray remembers an area there that may have been related in some way. Whatever the case maybe, Dust and Blinx opt to find out using the Firebat, a bomber reconstructed by Haley, to quickly travel there. However, they neglect to bring Fidget, Haley, or Ginger along for the ride, not only because they thought they'd be back before the night, but because Dust is still nervous about putting his sister and wife in danger, or his Cassius side taking over.

Unknown to the pair, Haley had seen the Firebat taking off, disappointed that Blinx spoiled the surprise and went without her. Meanwhile, Ginger's also informed of their absence along with Fidget whose found that the fauna surrounding the village seems to be mutating into something more alien and hostile. Coupled with this, Fale, Matti, and Avgustin head into the village underbelly to investigate a strange cave that was uncovered from the explosion of the bridge.

After a few hours in the skies, Ahrah interrupts their flight to detour to refuel at the Plains of Elysium where Half and Half Village is located. In the plains, a cave underneath the staging ground of an ancient battle details the creation of the Blades, plus previous events with Dark Disney. It is said that a cosmic being threatening to terraform the planet was put in permanent stasis deep within the world's core by Gray Eyes in hi youth, hence the reason the swords were constructed. Only Ahrah was given sentience and was left under the watch of Gareth, a Nimbat Titan, who would later pass the role down to Fidget as a substitute. Speaking of, for directions, the pair visit the village and encounter Fidget's father, who redirects them to Gianni at the club next door. They interrogate him not only for abandoning Corbin and Colleen but for information regarding the Advanced Regions, admitting to them that he fled thinking Blinx was an assassin sent after he bribed Gaius' men and heard of the Time Sweepers. He gave the coordinates, but before they could leave, the village is invaded by a platoon of new attack robots commanded by a Cat-Sith marauder. Though they manage to defeat the machines, the marauder almost kills them before Dust launched a missile at him from the Firebat. During the fight, he revealed himself to be Duke, the protagonist of *Blinx 2*, having felt betrayed by the CEO for leaving him and his squad to die during the Regime Incident. Blinx explained it wasn't an act of spite but an order gone south as a result of an ambush at the factory, stranding nearly every Sweeper Squad for sometime. Duke, sadly, didn't believe it but was given a proper burial by Blinx, Dust, and Gareth.

Meanwhile, Fale, Avgustin, and Matti enter the mysterious cave and discover Fuse's reanimated body rooted to the plants sprouted above-ground. He tells the group that, through unknown means, he was resurrected shortly after his death at the hands of Dust from the previous game, slowly corrupting the village's vegetation to infect the town and turn everyone against each other. Fortunately, it seems the water goddess, Lady Tethys, was made aware of this with her own investigation after hibernating for a while and losing control of the water. She along with the men fought the rogue Moonblood while Haley is met by another platoon of robots and a marauder, who she single-handedly defeats and repurposes their weapons for her, Ginger, and Fidget to shred the infected plants. It just so happens one of the blades of Elysium rumored to be present, Aquaritus, was held in Fuse's cave, and called towards Fale as a worthy sword bearer. With Fuse's second demise, the villagers used the attack bots' weapons to finish off the corrupted plants in Dust and Blinx's absence.

### Act 2

Once Dust and Blinx reach Gianni's coordinates, they dock in the New Momentopolis megacity where they're greeted by Picaro and the Time Sweeper resistance fighting against the newly christened Conqueror Benito. As it turned out, Benito had stolen the Big Crystal after the Time Goddesses mysteriously disappeared and found a way to use its power on everyone's Sweepers, disabling them and declaring himself their new leader once they reached Falana. He discovered the planet's existence after a raid on the Time Factory Central Computer as far back as *Blinx 2* and struck a deal with General Gaius to provide an advanced backup army should his forces be vanquished and redeveloped some of his technology during *Dust: An Elysian Tail*. Princess Lena, who's since joined the Time Sweepers long after Blinx 1, explained that the only way to stop Benito now is by breaking into the Time Tower and disabling the Big Crystal. But no one was certain if it was even possible as his drones were being produced at an unprecedented scale and being deployed to begin Benito's takeover. With Blinx's return and help from Dust, however, they're able to finish the fight with a final assault on the main sections of the base thanks to an inside man, Mick.

Though Dust has zero recollection of ever meeting Benito while serving as Cassius, Aniki explained that there's no way he could have known as him and Gaius met in private sometime ago. After a long, grueling fight through the canals into the maintenance sections of the main building, Blinx, Dust, and Picaro reach Aegis Central Processing where the digital form of the Administrator is held. He tells them that he is unable to shut down the defenses and re-establish control of the facility in his current state but gives the directions on how to overwrite Benito's programming, allowing him to force a hard reset of the tower defenses. Picaro and Mick, disguised as a marauder, are cut off from Blinx and Dust after fighting another one of the tyrant's creations, the Time Hunter, and the Cat-Sith and Mithrarin are brought to the throne room. Benito in fact confirms everything they were told about him and Gaius' deal, but unknown to them, he was also partly to blame for the Time Factory's destruction as he bribed the regime of the dark future with information regarding its location in exchange for leaving him off the radar. Before Blinx could do anything in response, he accidentally falls with Ahrah in tow in the trash shoot of the tower, leaving Dust at the mercy of Benito.

In the waste area, Blinx stumbles upon a stasis pod containing Cino, one of Benito's advisors, who tells him he was betrayed and tossed aside for his ideas for the robots, which his leader took credit for. Together, Blinx, with Cino and Ahrah, help the Time Sweepers re-establish Aegis' control and prepare to confront Benito at the source while the factories are shut down. However, he unveils his latest scheme: Rewinding Dust to such a degree that only Cassius is active, disabling the part of him that was Jin and reverting him to his original villainous roots. He intends to kill Blinx and use his knowledge from him to continue where Gaius left off and slaughter the Moonblood race and those who follow them as the king of Falana. Blinx is forced to fight his friend throughout the facility using both Ahrah and his Sweeper while Cassius used a flame-based sword of Elysium, Fafnir, recovered by Benito. In the meanwhile, the latter escapes to his battleship converted into a mobile factory in an attempt to spread his forces across Falana. However, both the Time Sweepers and fed up Tom Tom Gang rebelled and gave chase. Eventually, Blinx was able to shut Cassius down by shoving a Time Crystal in his chest, seemingly killing him but successfully resurrecting Dust without his Cassius side attached. With the Administrator reactivated, they're given enough time to pursue Benito and Blinx hops aboard his escape ship to deal the final blow that sends him into the controls mid-flight. When the ship crashed, Blinx had already hopped out but Benito was killed when it collided with an old tower outside the city walls,

The Time Sweepers were freed and after repairing Dust and Blinx, the two saluted and returned to Aurora Village to receive a stern talking to after ghosting their friends for the whole adventure.

### Act 3

When Blinx had reunited with the Time Sweepers, he was informed that the CEO, whom he calls his father, was killed when the Time Factory was bombarded, dying while making sure all personnel had escaped. Dust and Fidget visit him and learn his history with his Dad, surprising the both of them as it's something he doesn't usually discuss. Ginger arrives telling them that Mordecai wants to see them at his shop one more time as he closes for his next endeavor, starting off with a bang by blowing it up with Avgustin's help. However, he explains his method of achieving his goal of rebuilding from the war won't require the help of the villagers nor the Time Sweepers when "her" plan is already in motion. Slowly revealing a feminine, southern voice underneath his normal facade, Mordecai attacks the gang, alerting Lady Tethys to her presence. The Goddesses of Time and Space, or simply "Trio," had been the creature Elder Gray Eyes fought long ago, having combined into a cosmic form meant to force control over the timeline during the Regime Incident. They went mad with power, forcing their imprisonment until the Gaius War began, which fed them with hatred and aggression while sealed deep within Falana. The satellites, ancient structures, and time crystals coming out of the surface, as well as Fuse's return were all part of her plan terraform the planet in preparation for her retaking of the universe. It is then that Lady Tethys reveals her secret; that she is Mina, daughter of the Time Goddesses, assuming a new identity after aiding the CEO and Falana in bringing them down, believing them to be corrupt after *Blinx 2*. The attack each other with Trio coming out on top, even in Mordecai's mortal body. With no one to fight back, she uses the last of her current power to open a time portal intended to send Dust, Blinx, Fale, Ginger, and Haley trillions of years in the future. But thanks to Tethys' intervention, they were instead flung backwards in the past around the time Gray Eyes was forging Ahrah.

## References

Much in the same vein as Dust an Elysian Tail and Toon Wars: The Final Days, Dust and the Sweeper has it's own list of references. So many in fact that it deserves it's own section.

* Chapter 1 and 2
	1. Not even a minute after the title of the first chapter and Dust makes a nod to a joke in Team Four Star's Dragon Ball Z Abridged series where the distinction between King Vegeta, Prince Vegeta, and Planet Vegeta are constantly confused. In this scenario, the distinction between Cassius or Jin isn't quite so clear to Haley when Dust describes his mornings in the past
	2. Almost the entire battle with the last of the Gaius Remnant was a direct homage to 2008's Star Wars: The Clone Wars where on two different occasions, Obi-Wan and Anakin distracted a Separatist commander (and adding to Geneva Convention violations).
	3. When the Crab Walker arrives, Dust says, "What do you say we teach this machine the rules of nature," which not only is a song played in Metal Gear Rising but also serves as inspiration for the battle itself.
	4. Blinx has Charlie Boy's "I Look Good" on his radio, which was also one of many tracks played in GTA III.
* Chapters 3-5
	+ Fidget refers to Blinx as "Future Garfield".
	+ The jump between scenes where Ginger goes from saying she can handle anything to her saying she can't is almost a perfect parody of a scene from *Cars*.
	+ A few Lombaxes, humanoids from Jak's world, and dragons (most likely from Spyro) pop up in Half and Half Village.
	+ VEGA/The Father from Doom and Doom Eternal is the night club's DJ
	+ The entire sequence when Dust is grooving was a parody of the Zemo Dance from *Falcon and the Winter Soldier*
	+ Hornet from Hollow Knight makes a cameo, trimming dead leaves when Ginger walks by.
* Chapters 6 and 7
	+ Catherine mentions a book detailing an early civilization on Falana where humans co-existed with early anthros titled *TwoKinds*, which is an actual webcomic written by Tom Fischbach
	+ Pelon is mistaken for a woman, which many in the Blinx fandom originally thought before the creator tweeted he wasn't.
* Chapters 8-10
	+ Blinx namedrops the song, "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"
	+ The way Aegis glitches is reminiscent to Metal Gear Solid 2's Colonel AI
		- Like the Colonel, he breaks the fourth wall and tells Dust/the reader to turn off their browser due to a malware download
		- Both Blinx and Dust are swapped for Klonoa from his series and the 501st Legion from Star Wars
* Chapter 11-13
	+ The name "Hunt Down the Pigman" is a play on "Hunt Down the Freeman"
	+ Blinx nicknames Aniki "Big Boss," harking back to the *Metal Gear* franchise
	+ Trio refers to Fuse's plan of infecting Aurora as pulling a Mr. Bloom; a character from the Superheavy Batman miniseries.

## Trivia

* Dust and the Sweeper was developed alongside Dark Disney when the story was reaching its mid-point after receiving such praise for Dust and Blinx's dynamic.
* The name "Dust and the Sweeper" was purposefully kept the way it was as a joke instead of calling it "Dust and the Time Sweeper"
* In its earliest form, the crossover accidentally misspelled "Mithrarin" as "Mithrarian," the same for Dark Disney's case. This was corrected as development went on.
* Perhaps the most inspiration for the vibes of Dust and the Sweeper comes from the *Doom* series for it's music while the action was inspired by *Killer Bean*. But the characters remain mostly the same as their games (except for Blinx who've been heavily modified to make everyone more distinct)
* In the first volume, the "Gray" in Gray Eyes is misspelled "Grey".
* Being a water goddess, Lady Tethys is concerned about her skin when she's in direct sunlight, which makes sense since she's never seen out in the open in the original game
* All the Sweeper mods and nearly all the robot enemies take huge inspiration from Doom Eternal; particularly when Blinx and Picaro use full-auto
* Blinx gets another scar on his cheek like the one he got at the start of Blinx 2
* Nearly every NPC from the Blinx series has been altered in some way, personality, voice, and dialogue-wise
	+ The most noteworthy is Blinx, whose gone from having an American voice to a thick Brooklyn accent. This was first introduced in Dark Disney
		- Interestingly, he doesn't seem to have this accent in the prequel scene when he met Dust, implying he got this while serving in The Underground
	+ Picaro has a slight southern accent thanks to Mike Shapiro, who voiced Barney Calhoun/Black Mesa Security Guard and the G-Man from the Half Life series
	+ NecoJi's Scottish now, voiced by John DiMaggio who also voiced Scotsman in Samurai Jack
	+ Aniki sounds older with Robert Guillaume, who voiced Dr. Eli Vance in Half Life 2, as inspiration
	+ Princess Lena takes heavy inspiration from Bo-Katan Kryze, played by Katee Sackhoff, sporting a quiet but assertive tone of voice
		- Coincidentally, Bo also appeared in Dark Disney and has even interacted with Blinx on a few occasions

Additionally, while just about every NPC from Dust remain roughly the same, Fale's voice had been switched from sounding Scottish to Australian. Fuse's voice had also been altered somewhat, not having an accent but given a deep bass effect due to his upgrades.

* There's a surprising amount of running gags in this story that only occasionally pop up every few chapters. These include:
	+ Characters poking fun at Ginger's foot size
	+ Fidget's date with Ori
	+ Blinx referring to Ginger as Ginga' due to his accent, Dust as "D," "Swordsguy," or other nicknames, and more hilariously, General Gaius as "General Gay," "Gee-Axe-Us," "General Guy," "Gary," and more simply "Dick."