In this world where toys pretend to be lifeless in the presence of humans, they possess the uncanny ability to take on a life of their own. Whenever toys spring to life, they had the freedom to move around, think, feel, make their own decisions, and perform certain deeds or activities. If any human were to discover the secret behind these toys, the result would be catastrophic.
Ken Hirugashi's collection of toys, with Natsu Dragneel as leader of the group, maintained this delicate balance over the years. But as of today, being seen alive was the least of their worries. The real situation was the boy's birthday celebration moved to today, and that meant one thing: presents. When there were presents, there were new toys, and when there were new toys, there was a possibility that the old toys could never again be played, or worse.
Out of precaution, Natsu decided to hold an emergency meeting with his fellow toys. Noticing that Ken and Maka disappeared from the room, he gave the signal, "Okay, everybody! The coast is clear!"
Soon, the rest of the toys came to life. One by one, they emerged from the treasure chest toy box, the closet, the shelves, and their usual spots in a flurry of activity. Happy, who was an Exceed toy with put-together body part pieces, noticed most of his parts strewn across the floor. He sat himself upright and began to reassemble himself. Happy said, "Boy, that was one heck of a thrill ride during the whole 'robbing-the-bank' show. And here, I thought it said Ages 3 and Up on my box."
Elsewhere, Gajeel wiped himself clean from the drool he received from Maka's mouth at the end of Ken's playtime using a nearby cloth. The Iron Dragon Slayer action figure just had to be the object of Maka's antics every time. Gajeel complained, "It's not fair! Seriously! I'm a Dragon Slayer, too, except the difference is that Natsu's a doll, and I'm an action figure. I was born seven years after Natsu was developed. I'm an action figure, not a doll! I'm best suited for combat, not babysitting. I'm not supposed to be babysitting Princess Drool."
Next, Erza Scarlet reassembled the pieces of her broken Adamantine Armor, put them together, and wore it around her chest. Pressing a button at the center, the Adamantine Armor instantly transformed back into her usual Heart Kreuz Armor. She said contently, "That's much better. It's a good thing my Requip Transformable Armor had put together pieces. Otherwise, I'd spend a day in the repair shop."
"Hey, Erza! Look! I'm Picasso!" The crimson-haired action figure turned to see Happy behind her, all of his facial pieces placed in the wrong slots to make it look funny.
Seeing Happy's mixed-up face caused Erza to burst into laughter, "Oh, my goodness, Happy! Your face is a sight to behold! You could be the next big thing in the museums!"
"Yeah, I get your Picasso expression and all, but it's not that funny," the sarcastic comment came from a dark brown-haired doll named Cana Alberona, holding a toy bottle of beer in hand. She wore a light blue bikini top, a pair of Capri pants, metal bracelets around her biceps, and high-heel sandals. "I'm gonna get myself around round of pretend beer." With that, she left while drinking the toy bottle, pretending that she was drunk. "What are you looking at, ya hockey puck?" She walked past a hockey puck figurine, who just shrugged.
Erza crossed her arms and commented, "Oh, dear. Some people just don't have any sense of culture. Then again, that's how criticism works."
"So much for preserving my self-esteem," Happy sighed, and he began to reassemble his body pieces back to their rightful spots.
Meanwhile, Natsu sat on the edge of the bed, observing all the activity of his fellow toys. He turned to a soldier-type action figure named Mest Gryder, standing on the nightstand. Natsu asked, "Hey, Mest, have you seen Happy?"
"He went under the bed, sir," Mest reported.
"Okay, thanks. At ease, soldier," Natsu gave a salute to Mest, before he hopped off the bed in search of Happy. "Happy? Hey, Happy! Happy, where are you, buddy?"
"Right here, Natsu!" Happy appeared from under the bed, pushing out a checker board set. He placed the checkers on the board, eager to play a game with his best friend. Happy cheered, "Another day of playtime goes with a little break time. Nothing beats a good old game of checkers with my best friend in the whole world!"
"You said it, Happy!" Natsu laughed in agreement, before his face turned serious. "But as much as I wanna play checkers with you, we're completely behind schedule."
Happy smiled widely, "Save the schedule for later, Natsu. Right now, it's all play and no work. Alright with you if I'll be red this time? You've always been red in every game we played."
Natsu answered, "No, Happy, I—"
Happy cut him off, "Oh, okay. You can be red again, and I'll be blue. It's matches our color."
"Not now, Happy," Natsu shook his head, and he lowered his voice to keep the last part a secret. "I've got some bad news."
"BAD NEWS?!" Happy exclaimed shockingly. Natsu covered up the Exceed toy's mouth and shushed him, aware that the other toys in the room were watching, anxious to hear any gossip.
Natsu leaned in closer to Happy and whispered, "I'll tell you later. Just gather everyone up for a staff meeting and be happy." Happy shuffled off, looking a bit worried. Natsu added more volume to his suggestion, "Be happy!"
"AYE, SIR!" Happy shouted jovially and picked up the pace, much to the pull-string Dragon Slayer doll's relief.
Natsu passed by a female toy robot with purple hair and glasses named Laki Olietta and a toy snake named Kinana partially hidden under the bedspread. He announced, "Staff meeting, everybody! Laki, Kinana, you're on podium duty."
Kinana yawned, "I'm trying to sleep. Can't it wait until morning?" She slid under the bedspread and attempted to sleep again.
"But it's morning already. C'mon, Kinana. Natsu's counting on us," Laki insisted, and she dragged Kinana out of the bed and followed after Natsu.
With preparations for the staff meeting underway, Natsu walked past a fat toy artist named Reedus Jonah with a sketch pad in hand. The pull-string Dragon Slayer doll stopped, smirking with a silly idea.
"Hey, Reedus…" Natsu spoke, causing Reedus to stop. "Draw!"
"Oui!" Both Natsu and Reedus whipped around like gunfighters. Before the pull-string doll could full extend his arm out, the toy artist quickly took out his trusty pencil and etched the picture of a gun as quick as a flash, and pointed it at his opponent.
"Oh! You got me again!" Natsu exclaimed, pretending to be hurt.
Reedus grinned, "I've been working on that draw. I'm the fastest painter in the west."
Happy passed a group of toys on the floor and motioned them to follow him, "We've got a staff meeting today, everyone. Come on, let's go!"
Laki and Kinana began construction on a podium made out of Lego Blocks and a Tinker Toy tub. According to the customs, a staff meeting needs to be perfect and precise.
Natsu searched the floor, knowing that one more thing was needed for the meeting. "Now, where is that…? Oh, there it is." He spotted a doodle pad and went over, "Now who moved my doodle pad way over here?"
Before Natsu could pick it up, a small figure wearing a familiar demon mask jumped in front of him in an attempt to scare him. "Surprise!"
"AAAAAGGHH!" Natsu screamed, forced to fall off his feet.
And then, the figure laughed at Natsu's expense and removed the mask, revealing herself to be Wendy Marvell, the Sky Priestess doll. She said cheerily, "I sure scared you, Natsu!"
"Oh, you sure did," Natsu laughed admittedly, realizing that the scare was just a prank. "You're full of surprises, Wendy." He stood up and continued, "But one question. Were you scared of anything? I mean, ever since you're unwrapped? Tell me honestly."
Wendy replied, "Well, the first time I became one of Ken's toys, I was a little bit scared. I thought the rest of the toys were scary and creepy looking. But thanks to Mirajane and Erza, I've learned how to be brave. Everyone in this room wasn't scary at all. They're very kind and friendly. But what about you? Were you scared of anything?"
Natsu picked up the doodle pad and walked off with Wendy following him. He answered, "I was close to being scared that time when—"
His sentence was cut off when a crook suddenly grabbed his neck and jerked him towards a familiar girl in a black dress. Natsu recognized the figure in front of him and greeted, "Oh, hi, Mira. Hi."
Mirajane said gently, "I wanted to thank you, Natsu, for saving my brother and sister."
Natsu blushed, "Oh, hey, it was nothing."
Mirajane smiled, "Maybe I could get someone else to look after my brother and sister while I'm out tonight?"
Natsu chuckled, feeling very flustered. Mirajane was asking him out of a date, but the pull-string Dragon Slayer doll quickly composed himself and cleared his throat, "Oh, yeah… I'd love to, but you know that my heart belongs to you-know-who."
Mirajane giggled in understanding, "I understand, Natsu. You still miss her. But if you need me, I'm just a couple of blocks away." She passed a stack of ABC blocks, leaving Natsu lovestruck… and at the same time, heaving with sadness and worry. He remembered that day very well, the day he lost his very special someone to a loathsome terror, how much he missed her, how the toys mourned for her loss…
Meanwhile, an amassing crowd of toys gathered in front of the podium for the staff meeting, as instructed by Happy. "Come on, come on, smaller toys up front!" The Exceed toy turned to Natsu, who remained lovestruck in the middle of the room. "Hey, Natsu! C'mon!"
Instantly, Natsu snapped out of his trance, almost forgetting about the meeting. He rushed over to the now-completed podium, as the toy audience waited patiently and eagerly for today's topic. Once Natsu stepped up to the podium, a toy dog named Warren Rocko came over and gave him a microphone attached to a toy tape recorder. "Here's the mike, Natsu."
"Thanks, Warren," Natsu acknowledged, taking the microphone. He tapped on the device and began to speak into it in front of the crowd, "Okay—" He cringed when static feedback was heard. "Whoops. Feedback."
"I got it," Warren replied, adjusting the tape recorder knobs. Within seconds, the feedback disappeared.
Natsu exchanged a few puffs on the microphone, before he finally spoke to the audience, "Hello? Check? Better? Okay? Everybody hear me? Up on the shelf, can you hear me?" He gestured to the shelf, where Max Alors, Evergreen, Freed Justine, and Bickslow waved back. "Great! Okay, first item on the menu today…" He glanced at the doodle pad, "Ah, here it is. Has everyone picked a moving buddy?"
The toys all moaned at this. Ever since the Hirugashi family planned to move to another house, Natsu had to remind his fellow toys over and over again to get a moving buddy to avoid being left behind.
Cana groaned, holding her toy bottle, "Moving buddy? You can't be serious. Why'd you have to repeat the same thing over and over again? We all know the plan already."
"Natsu is our leader, Cana," Erza reminded, sitting down on the windowsill. "He is very wise at every decision he makes. We must have faith in him."
Gajeel scoffed, "Oh, please. You're putting too much faith in that pull-string, hand-me-down Dragon Slayer doll."
Erza stated sternly, "And apparently, you lack faith, Gajeel."
Gajeel grumbled, "Forget I said that."
"Find a moving buddy?" Wendy wondered. "I didn't know we're supposed to have one already."
"Do we have to hold hands?" Happy asked with a sly smile, waving his arm out of his socket. The other toys laughed and snickered at Happy's joke.
"Oh, yeah, you guys think this is a big joke," Natsu rolled his eyes. "Well, it won't be if at least one of you is lost. We've only got one week left before the move. I don't want any toys left behind! Moving buddy— if you don't have one, get one!" He then rechecked the doodle pad, "Alright, next up is… Tuesday night's Plastic Corrosion Awareness meeting was, in my opinion, a big success, and we'd like to thank Levy for putting that on for us. Thanks, Levy!"
"You're welcome," a Speak & Spell toy named Levy McGarden mumbled, the words "You're welcome" scrolling across her display screen as she spoke.
Lifting a page off the doodle pad, Natsu elaborated the next topic he knew the toys would be shocked to hear, "Yes, and one minor note here:" He continued under his breath, "Ken's birthday party's been moved to today. Next, we have—"
"WHAAAAAAAAAT?!" Natsu never got a chance to finish, as everyone gasped at the shocking news.
"What do you mean, the party's today?!" Happy asked in surprise. "His birthday's not 'til next week!"
Gajeel demanded, "What goin' on down there? Is his mom losing her marbles?"
Erza assumed, "Obviously, she wanted to have the party before the move."
Natsu nodded, "Uh-huh. I saw the preparations with my own eyes. But who cares how early the party is? We've got everything under control. I'm not worried. You guys shouldn't be, either."
Happy agreed, "Of course you're not worried. You've been Ken's favorite toy since kindergarten. He knows you're the best, the coolest Dragon Slayer ever."
Natsu smiled, "Thanks, Happy."
"You think you're the only Dragon Slayer here?" Gajeel frowned. Natsu knew that his Dragon Slayer action-figure counterpart, born seven years after his development, had been jealous of the pull-string doll for being the fruit of Ken's affections. Just a little.
Natsu chuckled, "Sorry, Gajeel. Maybe next time, you'll be the main character."
Gajeel muttered to himself, "Sometimes I wish I was Ken's favorite toy."
"Well, if Natsu said it's all right, then it's good enough for me," Erza confirmed. "He's never steered us wrong before."
Lisanna agreed, "Erza's right. All we have to do is believe in him, and the trust he holds in each of us."
Despite Erza and Lisanna's confidence, the other toys weren't convinced. Even Gajeel, who was the most bitter of the crowd, mimed kissing his own butt. Natsu pouted, "C'mon, guys! Every Christmas and birthday, we've been through worse. How hard can that be?"
"But what if Ken gets another magical girl toy like me?" Wendy asked worriedly. "A mean one? I just don't think I could handle that kind of rejection."
"Hey, listen, guys, no one's getting replaced," Natsu said firmly. "This is Ken we're talking about." He stepped down from the podium and walked towards the crowd, "It doesn't matter how much we're played with. What matters is that we're here for Ken when he needs us. That's what we're made for. Right?"
The toys looked down and felt sheepish, taking Natsu's words for granted. Perhaps they were being a little overactive. The toys cared deeply for Ken with all their hearts, and they dreaded of the thought that they may not be wanted anymore. But as long as they're here for Ken when he needed them the most, it didn't matter to them. Besides, it's not like today was the day their owner would get a new toy that would change everything…
"Pardon me, my friends. I'd hate to break up the staff meeting, but…" Erza glanced out the window, before she gave a loud scream, "THEY'RE HERE! BIRTHDAY GUESTS AT 3 O'CLOCK!"
"Everybody, stay calm!" Natsu instructed.
Too late! The toys panicked and stampeded over Natsu towards the bedroom window, leaving him alone on the floor.
Natsu shrugged, "Well, meeting adjourned. This has been the Fairy Tail Room's Staff Meeting. I'm Natsu Dragneel the Salamander. See you next time."
The toys crowded around the bedroom window, trying to get a peak outside. That wasn't a good sign for them, especially with the amount of guests arriving like roaches.
Erza remarked, "By the Tower of Heaven! Take a look at all those presents."
"I can't see a thing!" Happy cried, trying to see past the toys. Unable to get a view, he pulled his eyes out of his head and held them up over the other toys. Outside the house, children were seen filing towards the front door, carrying presents for the birthday boy.
Cana frowned, "That figures. We're next month's garage sale fodder for sure."
Wendy asked nervously, "Are there any magical girl-shaped ones?"
Gajeel snapped in annoyance, "Ah, for crying out loud, they're all in boxes, you big baby!"
Lisanna added, "Besides, even if they weren't, how could we even tell when magical girls look exactly like humans?"
Elfman growled, "Those presents look big, but they ain't real men. Like me."
The toys noticed another kid bringing in a larger box. Wendy noted worriedly, "They're getting bigger."
"Everyone, look. There's a small one over there," Reedus pointed to a kid carrying a present that appeared to be small at first glance, but when the kid turned around, the present was actually four feet long! Most of the toys screamed in horror. It's official; their lives as Ken's toys were coming to an end!
Levy worried, "Spell the word 'trashcan.'"
Happy screamed, "We're doomed!"
Gajeel yelled, "We're goners!"
Wendy panicked, "What are we gonna do?"
Down on the floor, Natsu palmed his face in annoyance. He knew this madness would never end unless something had to be done. The leader of Ken's toys knew what he had to do.
"Alright, alright!" Natsu shouted, catching the toys' attentions. They turned to look down and listened. "If I send out Mest and the M.C. Troops, will you all calm down?"
"Yes, yes, we promise!" Wendy answered, forcing herself to calm down for Natsu's sake.
"Okay," Natsu said dryly. "Save your batteries."
"Excellent idea, Natsu," Erza approved.
"That's using the old noodle," Happy grinned.
Natsu jumped up onto Ken's bed and turned to Mest Gryder on the nightstand. He instructed, "Sergeant Gryder, take the M.C. Troops and establish a recon post downstairs, Code Red. You know what to do."
"Yes, sir!" Mest saluted. He then jumped to the floor, where a bucket of miniature action figures known as the M.C. (Magic Council) Troops stood nearby. Out of the bucket's lid emerged hundreds of toy soldiers, smaller than Mest, but prepared to follow their orders. Mest ordered, "Alright men, you heard him. Code Red! Repeat, we are at Code Red! Recon plan Era! Execute! Let's move, move, move, move!"
Immediately, the soldiers jumped out of the bucket and followed Mest to carry out their mission.
