This dark oneshot was inspired by a comment on TVTropes Who Framed Roger Rabbit WMG that suggested that CGI characters were toon/human hybrids. I thought, since they seem to be a different species and thus cannot have children with each other (Though I might experiment with that in another fic…) they would have to be constructed through a scientific procedure.

I breathed anxiously as I was lead through the lab. The high black walls were covered in various dangerous-looking machines, all at least five times my size and covered in flickering screens of ghostly faint colors. I wished they would put on more lights. The only ones were the multicolored ones blinking on the lab equipment.

"It is very noble of you to volunteer for this, Mayor Mouse." The scientist said flatly. He was tall, with short dark hair, squinty eyes, and a long hook nose. He walked quickly, his chest pushed out and his head high. I would be lying if I said he didn't scare me from the beginning.

I was told that this was a very important, revolutionary test that could change toonkind forever. I wasn't given any details, but as the mayor, the survival of toons was one of my first priorities.

"Why do you need to go? What if something happens? Toontown needs you!" Minnie begged me. Even my good friend Bugs agreed that this was a bad idea.

"I need to. What if this ends all of our problems?" I replied.

"Mickey, I've never even heard of the company. Have you?" My persistent wife snapped.

"No." I admitted.

"Then how can you trust them, Mick?" Bugs retorted.

"I know what I'm doing, OK?" They stood their ground, but I didn't listen.

Now I kinda wished I had. This lab was really creeping me out. They brought me into a huge room, filled with whirring engines, vats of glowing green, and scientists bustling like bees. One wall had a large metal door, shut tight. In a corner sat two white chairs. They sat me down in one, tying me down with tight straps like I was some dangerous animal they were afraid might escape. My heart beat faster, especially when I saw who was in the other chair. It was a young boy, black hair and bright black eyes, with small, delicate features. He couldn't have been older than ten. However, he wasn't strapped down.

"Who are you?" I asked him.

"I'm Joey."

"What are you doing here?"

"My family needed the money. The scientists told me I had the most similar characteristics to you."

My eyes widened. What did that mean? Turning my head away, I tried to focus on the floor to ignore the scientists hurrying to turn on all the giant machines, but with each one came an even louder sound until they racked my brain like hammers.

"Ok, Joey, this won't hurt a bit." They carefully plucked one of his hairs with a pair of tweezers. OK, so that was all that we needed to do? This wouldn't be very much trouble at all.

"Mr. Mouse, are you ready for the process?" the man I walked in with asked.

"Yes." I sat back closing my eyes. I heard them flip a switch.

Searing pain split my core. Shocks of energy twisted through my body, like I was being hit with a thousand lightning bolts. Not one inch of me was spared of being in this hell-like state. I'm pretty sure I was screaming, though I couldn't hear my voice through the blinding and deafening pain. Something deep, deep down inside me was being torn apart, ripped away. My body arched against the restrains holding me in the chair.

Finally, finally, it stopped. I fell back into the seat, gasping for breath. My eyesight was still blurry, and I couldn't get a sound to come from my mouth. From what I could see, Joey was the only one concerned for me.

"He's hurt! You hurt him! You hurt Mickey Mouse!" He sobbed. The scientists, however, ignored him.

They released me, saying they got what they needed. I couldn't move, my arms and legs quivering.

"Y-you….s-said…that wou…dn't….hurt….." I finally choked out. I felt like I was going to faint.

"I told Joey that. Not you. I never told you anything." The leader said. I was beginning to hate him more and more. However, the process didn't seem to be over. The scientists ran over to another machine with cylinder-shaped compartment in the side. Pressing a button near a whirring computer screen, it started to shake, an enormous whirring sound filling the room. Bolts of energy started to flow down it, flashing in my eyes and obscuring what vision I had left.

And, just as fast as it started, it stopped. Tension rose, the nervous breaths of the doctors the only sound. Slowly, almost painfully so, the metal door creaked open.

Out stepped the most horrifying monstrosity I had ever seen.

It looked like me, somewhat. It had my shape, my face, but it was completely wrong. It was bulgy, like the humans, only without their detailed texture. Instead, it had the flat feel of a toon. The combination was ugly and unnatural, like someone brought a plastic mold of me to life.

"It worked! IT REALLY WORKED!" Shouted the leader. The other scientists started cheering, leaving me the only one bothered by it.

"What is that!?" I gasped; gaping as it slowly turned its head towards me.

"This," The leader said, "Is Mickey Mouse. In CGI."

"CGI?" I squeaked in fear.

"Yes. The DNA of a human and a piece of sketch from a toon—"

"You took my sketch?" Sketch was the core of a toon. It was your base, the pencil marks making your shape before you're colored and complete. In a way, it is the DNA of a toon.

"Yes, yes we did. And best of all, since we can draw sketch without making it a full-fledged toon, we can now manufacture these quickly, easily, and most of all, cheaply."

"Hello, kids!" Said the CGI Mickey. I shivered; it had the exact same voice as me. Its eyes were blank and lifeless, its movements stiff, "Let's go to my clubhouse!"

"You told me this would change toonkind for the better." I said.

"And it will. With this, we can make more CGI toons than you can imagine, flooding the market and making toon labor cheaper than dirt." The leader grinned maliciously, like a shark about to attack. "We apologize if this causes you any inconvenience…"

It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about.

"You're wrong!" I yelled, "Disney will NEVER replace me with that…that THING!"

"Enjoy your time while it lasts. Just watch out until your dear company loses interest in making your little 2D shorts."

He snapped his fingers. Two scientists raced up to me, each taking one arm. They dragged me away, me screaming the entire time.

"YOU'RE MONSTERS, YOU HEAR ME!? YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH THIS! YOU WILL NEVER SUCCEED!" I watched as the door closed on the leader, the smug look staying on his face until I couldn't see him. I continued kicking and screaming, trying to fight against the two men with no avail. They finally threw me out of the building, closing and locking the door before I got up.

I ran to the door, pounding on it.

"Open up! Open up you monster!" No one listened. I was all alone. Spinning around, I took off towards Toon Town. I had to tell Minnie!

Little did I know that the leader was completely right. CGI was on the rise. And had I started it all.